Tootie Robbins
{{Short description|American football player (1958–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Tootie Robbins
| number = 63, 73
| position = Offensive tackle
| birth_date = {{birth date|1958|6|2}}
| birth_place = Windsor, North Carolina, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|8|2|1958|6|2}}
| death_place = Chandler, Arizona, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 5
| weight_lb = 303
| high_school = Bertie
(Windsor, North Carolina)
| college = East Carolina
| draftyear = 1982
| draftround = 4
| draftpick = 90
| pastteams =
- St.Louis/Phoenix Cardinals ({{NFL Year|1982|1991}})
- Green Bay Packers ({{NFL Year|1992}})
- New Orleans Saints (1993)*
- Green Bay Packers ({{NFL Year|1993}})
| highlights =
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (1982)
- Second-team All-American (1981)
| statlabel1 = Games
| statvalue1 = 159
| statlabel2 = Games Started
| statvalue2 = 147
| statlabel3 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue3 = 4
| pfr = R/RobbTo20
}}
James Elbert Robbins (June 2, 1958 – August 2, 2020) was an American professional football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 to 1993.
Life and career
A native of North Carolina, Robbins attended Bertie High School in Windsor, North Carolina. He then played college football at East Carolina. He was selected by the Associated Press (AP) as a first-team interior lineman on the 1981 All-South Independent football team.{{cite news|title=Collins All-South Coach|newspaper=The Clarksdale Press Register|date=December 3, 1981|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56870054/collins-all-south-coach/|via=Newspapers.com}} He also received second-team honors from the AP on its 1981 All-America team.{{cite news|title=All-America Team|newspaper=Herald and Review (Decatur, IL)|date=December 3, 1981|page=C2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4563441/1981_ap_allamerica_football_team/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1982 NFL draft and played at right tackle for the team from 1982 to 1991, following the team when it moved to Phoenix in 1988.{{cite web|title=Tootie Robbins|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=August 6, 2020|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RobbTo20.htm}} During his time with the Cardinals, he started 122 games, including a streak of 32 consecutive games.{{cite news|title=Packers hope Robbins gets them in line|newspaper=Green Bay Press-Gazette|date=January 31, 1992|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56869628/tootie-robbins/|via=Newspapers.com}}
In January 1992, the Green Bay Packers acquired Robbins from the Cardinals in exchange for a future draft pick. He started 26 games for the Packers during the 1992 and 1993 seasons. Prior to the 1994 season, the Packers asked Robbins to take a pay cut from $1.5 million to $250,000. Rather than accept the pay cut, Robbins at age 36 announced his retirement in September 1994.{{cite news|title=Some ex-Packers find parting sweet|newspaper=The Green Bay Press-Gazette|date=September 11, 1994|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56869877/tootie-robbins/|via=Newspapers.com}}
Robbins died from COVID-19 in Chandler, Arizona, on August 2, 2020, at age 62, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona.{{cite news|title=Former Big Red lineman 'Tootie' Robbins dies|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=August 3, 2020|url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/former-big-red-lineman-tootie-robbins-dies/article_4aaf2142-1897-58d0-ab5b-bf2c762cf086.html}}{{cite news|title=Former Packers Tackle Tootie Robbins Dies After Coronavirus Diagnosis: 'He Is Definitely Missed'|publisher=People|date=August 5, 2020|url=https://people.com/sports/former-green-bay-packers-tackle-tootie-robbins-dies-of-coronavirus/}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{St. Louis Cardinals 1982 draft navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Tootie}}
Category:People from Windsor, North Carolina
Category:American football offensive tackles
Category:East Carolina Pirates football players
Category:St. Louis Cardinals (football) players
Category:Phoenix Cardinals players
Category:Green Bay Packers players