Bob MacLeod

{{Short description|American football and basketball player (1917–2003)}}

{{For|those of the same or a similar name|Robert McLeod (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| image = Bob_MacLeod.jpeg

| caption =

| number = 5

| position = Halfback

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1917|10|15}}

| birth_place = Glen Ellyn, Illinois, U.S.{{efn|MacLeod's draft registration card listed his place of birth as Chicago; Glen Ellyn is a suburb of Chicago and is consistently listed as his place of birth by other sources.}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|01|13|1917|10|15}}

| death_place = Santa Monica, California, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 0

| weight_lbs = 190

| high_school = Glenbard (Glen Ellyn, Illinois)

| college = Dartmouth

| draftyear = 1939

| draftround = 1

| draftpick = 5

| pastteams =

Chicago Bears (1939)

| statlabel1 = Rushing attempts–yards

| statvalue1 = 17–88

| statlabel2 = Receptions–yards

| statvalue2 = 10–231

| statlabel3 = Touchdowns

| statvalue3 = 4

| pfr =

| cfl =

| afl =

| highlights =

Consensus All-American (1938)
Third-team All-American (1937)
First-team All-Eastern (1938)
Second-team All-Eastern (1937)

| HOF =

| CollegeHOF = 1474

}}

Robert Fredric MacLeod{{cite web |url=https://www.fold3.com/image/653551344 |title=Draft Registration Card |date=October 1940 |publisher=Selective Service System |via=fold3.com |url-access=subscription |accessdate=June 26, 2023}}{{efn|Other sources spell his middle name as Frederick.}} (October 15, 1917 – January 13, 2003) was an American football halfback, most notably at Dartmouth College in the late 1930s. After serving in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, he had a career in magazine publishing.

Biography

MacLeod attended Glenbard West High School in Illinois, then played college football for Dartmouth, where he was a named by several selectors to the 1937 College Football All-America Team and was a consensus selection for the 1938 College Football All-America Team. He was also a selection to the 1938 All-Eastern football team,{{cite news|title=Cornell and Pitt Dominate AP All-Eastern Football Team|newspaper=The News Journal|date=November 29, 1938|page=24|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106008037/cornell-and-pitt-dominate-ap/|via=Newspapers.com}} while serving as team captain for the 1938 Dartmouth Indians, as the team was then known.{{cite web|title=Season-by-Season Results: 1881-1939 |url=https://dartmouthsports.com/sports/2018/8/8/fb-season-by-season-1881-1939.aspx?id=945 |publisher=Dartmouth College |location=Hanover, N.H. |access-date=June 26, 2023}} He finished fourth in that season's Heisman Trophy voting. At the conclusion of his college football career, MacLeod played in the January 1939 edition of the East–West Shrine Game.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sacramento-bee-western-team-beats-ea/127116982/ |title=Western Team Beats East in Shrine Game |newspaper=The Sacramento Bee |page=11 |date=January 3, 1939 |accessdate=June 26, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} While in college, he also played on the Dartmouth men's basketball team.{{cite news |url=https://www.vnews.com/Archives/2014/12/macleod-jd-vn-120914 |title=The One That Got Away: Heisman Trophy Eluded Dartmouth's Bob MacLeod in 1938 |website=Valley News |location=Lebanon, New Hampshire |date=December 9, 2014 |accessdate=June 26, 2023}}

MacLeod was selected in the first round of the 1939 NFL draft, with the fifth overall pick.{{Cite web |title=1939 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1939/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He went on to play in nine games for the Chicago Bears during the 1939 NFL season, scoring a total of four touchdowns.{{cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MacLBo20.htm |title=Bob MacLeod |website=pro-football-reference.com |accessdate=June 26, 2023}} MacLeod also played professional basketball for the Chicago Bruins of the National Basketball League (NBL) during the latter part of the 1939–40 season.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/kenosha-news-chicago-bruins-are-coming-h/127116798/ |title=Chicago Bruins Are Coming Here Friday |newspaper=Kenosha News |location=Kenosha, Wisconsin |page=12 |date=February 7, 1940 |accessdate=June 26, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/players/m/maclero01n.html |title=Bob MacLeod NBL Stats |website=basketball-reference.com |accessdate=June 26, 2023}}

MacLeod served as a pilot in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, reaching the rank of major. After the war, he worked in magazine publishing, serving as a vice-president and advertising director at Hearst Publications. He later was the publisher of Seventeen and Teen magazines.

MacLeod was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977.{{cite web |url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1474 |title=Bob MacLeod (1977) |website=footballfoundation.org |accessdate=June 26, 2023}} He was also inducted to the athletic hall of fame at Dartmouth.{{cite web |url=https://dartmouthsports.com/sports/2018/9/27/hall-of-fame.aspx |title=Halls of Fame |website=dartmouthsports.com |publisher=Dartmouth College Varsity Athletics |accessdate=June 26, 2023}} MacLeod died in January 2003, aged 85; he was survived by this third wife and four children.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-robert-f-macleod/127116563/ |title=Robert F. MacLeod, 85; Football Star, Publisher |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=B15 |date=January 17, 2003 |accessdate=June 26, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}