Bob Ivory

{{Short description|American football player (1924–1989)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Bob Ivory

| image = Bob Ivory.jpg

| caption = Ivory, c. 1946

| number = 42

| position = Guard

| birth_date = {{birth date|1924|1|29}}

| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1989|2|25|1924|1|29|mf=y}}

| death_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lb = 212

| high_school = Detroit Catholic Central (MI)

| college = Detroit

| draftyear = 1945

| draftround = 26

| draftpick = 270

| pastteams = * Detroit Lions ({{NFL Year|1947}})

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 3

| pfr = IvorBo20

}}

Robert James Ivory (January 29, 1924 – February 25, 1989) was an American football guard.

A native of Detroit, Ivory attended Detroit Catholic Central High School where he was a star lineman on the football team. He played college football for the Detroit Titans in 1942.

In 1943, he entered the United States Army Air Forces. While in the service, he played for the undefeated 1943 Greensboro Tech-Hawks football team and the 1944 and 1945 Third Air Force football teams. He was also chosen to participate in the 1945 Chicago College All-Star Game.{{cite news|title=U-D Guard Bob Ivory Joins Stars|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=July 31, 1945|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19481577/detroit-free-press/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=Ivory Caps Grid Career: Titan Guard Signs Contract with Lions|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|author=Bob Latshaw|date=March 5, 1947|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19482163/detroit-free-press/|via=Newspapers.com}} He returned to the University of Detroit after the war and was co-captain of the 1946 football team. He was also named to the Catholic All-America first-team.

He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 26th round (270th overall pick) of the 1945 NFL draft and signed with the Lions in March 1947. He appeared in three games for the Lions during the 1947 season.{{cite web|title=Bob Ivory|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=November 4, 2020|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/I/IvorBo20.htm}}{{cite web|title=Bob Ivory|publisher=Pro Football Archives|accessdate=November 4, 2020|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/playeri/ivor00200.html}} Injuries hampered his professional career.

In July 1948, he was hired as the line coach at the University of Detroit.{{cite news|title=Bob Ivory Returns to U-D as Football Line Coach|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=July 4, 1948|page=C1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19481543/detroit-free-press/|via=Newspapers.com}}

After retiring from football, Ivory joined the Ivory Moving & Storage Co., a company founded by his father in 1916. In 1977, he joined Corrigan Moving Systems. He and his wife, Mary Jane, had five children: Midge, Robert, Benjamin, Timothy, Patrick, and Brian. He died in 1989 following surgery at Harper Hospital in Detroit.{{cite news|title=Robert Ivory, ex-Lions player, moving executive|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=February 27, 1989|page=14B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62560624/robert-ivory-ex-lions-player-moving/|via=Newspapers.com}}