| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1922-10-13)October 13, 1922 Munday, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | April 2, 1986(1986-04-02) (aged 63) Altus, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1942–1943 | Tulsa |
| 1944–1945 | Army |
| Position | Fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1949–1951 | Carswell Air Force Base |
| 1952–1954 | Army (assistant) |
| 1955–1960 | Tulsa |
| 1961–1964 | Calgary Stampeders |
| 1965–1972 | Texas Western / UTEP |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 71–63–4 (college) |
| Bowls | 2–0 |
Robert Lee Dobbs (October 13, 1922 – April 2, 1986) was an Americangridiron football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at theUniversity of Tulsa from 1955 to 1960 and theUniversity of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) from 1965 to 1972. Dobbs was also the head coach for theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League (CFL) from 1961 to 1965.
After graduating from high school inFrederick, Oklahoma in 1941, Bobby enteredUniversity of Tulsa to play football for coachHenry Frnka. His brother,Glenn, was also a star at University of Tulsa.[1] A fullback, Dobbs played in Tulsa's first ever bowl game; the1942 Sun Bowl. With theUnited States involved inWorld War II, Bobby's patriotism, along with his desire to become apilot and play football, led him toWest Point. In early 1943, he joined theUnited States Army Air Corps. His athletic ability resulted inletters in football andbasketball. Bobby was the starting fullback on the 1944 Army team. The1944 Army team had a 9–0 record, two futureHeisman Trophy winners (Doc Blanchard &Glenn Davis), and defeated their opponents by a combined score of 504–35 en route to winning theAssociated Pressnational championship.
Following graduation, Dobbs took transition training atEnid Air Force Base and was then assigned toDavis-Monthan Air Force Base. In 1949 Dobbs moved toCarswell Air Force Base, where he coached the Carswell football team to the Armed Forces Championship. In 1952,Earl Blaik brought Dobbs back to West Point to serve as an assistant football coach. FutureGreen Bay Packershead coachVince Lombardi was also on the same Army coaching staff.
In 1955, Tulsa offered Dobbs the head football coaching job. Bobby accepted and left the Air Force. At Tulsa, he took over a team that had gone 0–11 the previous season. In 1956, Tulsa posted a 7–2–1 record, and in 1958, the team 7–3. These successes prompted Army to consider Bobby as a replacement for Red Blaik, butDale Hall was given the job instead. Dobbs most significant wins at Tulsa were a 24–16 victory over the undefeatedOklahoma State Cowboys in 1958 and a 17–6 victory over tenth rankedNorth Texas State in 1959. Dobbs compiled a 30–28–2 overall record at Tulsa.
In 1961, Dobbs left Tulsa to become head coach of theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League. He was replaced at Tulsa by his brother,Glenn. After four highly successful years in Canada, Bobby resigned at the end of the1964 CFL season. He felt that he had been slighted by Calgary's decision to elevate his former assistant,Rogers Lehew to general manager. With the Stampeders, Dobbs had a 38–23–1 record and made the playoffs every year.
He served as head coach atUniversity of Texas at El Paso (known as Texas Western until 1967) from 1965 to 1972. In his first season as the Miners head coach, Dobbs turned a 0–8–2 team into an 8–3 that defeated powerhouse North Texas State 61-15 and beatTexas Christian University 13–12 in theSun Bowl. He compiled a 41–35–2 overall, including twoSun Bowl wins. His 1967 UTEP team led the nation in passing and scoring that season, losing its two games by a total of three points. He resigned asUTEP Miners coach midway through the1972 season, following a 56–7 loss toNew Mexico on October 21, 1972. In April 1966, Dobbs turned down an offer to succeedPaul Dietzel asArmy Black Knights coach due to his wife, Joanne's illness that required her to stay in the warm climate in El Paso. While at Texas Western, he sent many players into the pro ranks, with quite a few going, includingFred Carr,Billy Stevens,Ron Jones, andLeon Harden to Green Bay to play for Vince Lombardi. At one point Bobby ranked second among college coaches in number of players going in theNational Football League. In 1972, Bobby said that if his 1–5 team didn't beat theUniversity of New Mexico, he would resign. The team lost and Bobby resigned. He went into the construction business in El Paso until his health started to fail in 1978. Bobby's failing health turned out to beAlzheimer's disease, and he died on April 2, 1986, in a nursing home in Altus, Oklahoma.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa Golden Hurricane(Missouri Valley Conference)(1955–1960) | |||||||||
| 1955 | Tulsa | 2–7–1 | 1–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1956 | Tulsa | 7–2–1 | 2–1–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1957 | Tulsa | 4–6 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1958 | Tulsa | 7–3 | 2–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1959 | Tulsa | 5–5 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1960 | Tulsa | 5–5 | 2–1 | 2nd | |||||
| Tulsa: | 30–28–2 | 11–11–1 | |||||||
| Texas Western / UTEP Miners(NCAA University Division independent)(1965–1967) | |||||||||
| 1965 | Texas Western | 8–3 | WSun | ||||||
| 1966 | Texas Western | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1967 | UTEP | 7–2–1 | WSun | ||||||
| UTEP: | 21–9–1 | ||||||||
| UTEP Miners(Western Athletic Conference)(1968–1972) | |||||||||
| 1968 | UTEP | 4–5–1 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1969 | UTEP | 4–6 | 2–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1970 | UTEP | 6–4 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1971 | UTEP | 5–6 | 1–6 | 8th | |||||
| 1972 | UTEP | 1–5* | 0–3 | ||||||
| UTEP: | 20–26–1 | 10–20 | *Hudspeth coached the remainder of the season | ||||||
| Total: | 71–63–4 | ||||||||
