Paul Robinson (American football player)
Encyclopedia
Paul Harvey Robinson is a former professional American football
running back
for two seasons in the American Football League
and five seasons in the National Football League
. Paul Robinson played only one year at the University of Arizona
, but in his first year as a professional, he gained 1,023 yards rushing and scored eight touchdowns. He was the second man to gain over 1,000 yards in his first year in professional football in the U.S., the first being Cookie Gilchrist
. He was named to the 1968 and 1969 AFL All-Star Team
and led the 1968 Western AFL All-Star team to victory over the Eastern All-Stars. He was the 1968 United Press International
and Sporting News
AFL Rookie of the Year
.
Robinson is the only running back in professional football history to gain over 1,000 yards in a season for a first-year expansion team (the 1968 Cincinnati Bengals
).
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for two seasons in the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
and five seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Paul Robinson played only one year at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, but in his first year as a professional, he gained 1,023 yards rushing and scored eight touchdowns. He was the second man to gain over 1,000 yards in his first year in professional football in the U.S., the first being Cookie Gilchrist
Cookie Gilchrist
Carlton Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist was a gridiron football player in the American Football League and Canadian Football League.-Career:...
. He was named to the 1968 and 1969 AFL All-Star Team
American Football League All-Star games
-All-League Teams:The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969...
and led the 1968 Western AFL All-Star team to victory over the Eastern All-Stars. He was the 1968 United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
and Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
AFL Rookie of the Year
American Football League Rookies of the Year
In each year of its ten-year existence , numerous sports-news services named their choice for the American Football League's best first-year player...
.
Robinson is the only running back in professional football history to gain over 1,000 yards in a season for a first-year expansion team (the 1968 Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
).