View source for Andy Robustelli

{{Short description|American football player, executive, announcer (1925–2011)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Andy Robustelli
| image       = Andy Robustelli Induction.jpg
| number      = 84, 81
| position    = [[Defensive end]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1925|12|6}}
| birth_place = [[Stamford, Connecticut]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|2011|5|31|1925|12|6}}
| death_place = Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 1
| weight_lb   = 230
| high_school = [[Stamford High School (Stamford, Connecticut)|Stamford]] (Connecticut)<br/>[[La Salle Military Academy]] ([[Oakdale, New York]])
| college     = [[Bridgeport Purple Knights|Arnold]] (1947–1950)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lostcolleges.com/copy-of-arnold-college|title = (2)Arnold College}}</ref>
| draftyear   = 1951
| draftround  = 19
| draftpick   = 228
| pastteams   =
* [[History of the Los Angeles Rams|Los Angeles Rams]] ({{NFL Year|1951|1955}})
* [[New York Giants]] ({{NFL Year|1956|1964}})
| highlights  =
* 2× [[List of NFL champions (1920–1969)|NFL champion]] ([[1951 NFL Championship Game|1951]], [[1956 NFL Championship Game|1956]])
* 6× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1953 All-Pro Team|1953]], [[1955 All-Pro Team|1955]], [[1956 All-Pro Team|1956]], [[1958 All-Pro Team|1958]]–[[1960 All-Pro Team|1960]])
* 4× Second-team All-Pro ([[1952 All-Pro Team|1952]], [[1954 All-Pro Team|1954]], [[1957 All-Pro Team|1957]], [[1962 All-Pro Team|1962]])
* 7× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1954 Pro Bowl|1953]], [[1956 Pro Bowl|1955]]–[[1958 Pro Bowl|1957]], [[1960 Pro Bowl|1959]]–[[1961 Pro Bowl|1961]])
* [[Bert Bell Award]] (1962)
* [[New York Giants Ring of Honor]]
* Third-team [[Little All-America college football team|Little All-American]] ([[1949 Little All-America college football team|1949]])
| statlabel1  = [[Interception]]s
| statvalue1  = 2
| statlabel2  = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue2  = 22
| statlabel3  = Total [[touchdown]]s
| statvalue3  = 5
| pfr         = RobuAn00
| pfrexec     = RobuAn0
| HOF         = andy-robustelli 
}}

'''Andrew Richard Robustelli''' (December 6, 1925 – May 31, 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/01/sports/football/andy-robustelli-giants-hall-of-fame-defensive-end-dies-at-85.html?ref=deathsobituaries|title=Andy Robustelli, Giants' Hall of Fame Defensive End, Dies at 85|author=Richard Goldstein|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 31, 2011|author-link=Richard Goldstein (writer born 1942)}}</ref>) was an American professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[defensive end]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for the [[Los Angeles Rams]] and the [[New York Giants]]. He played [[college football]] at [[University of Bridgeport|Arnold College]] and was selected in the nineteenth round of the [[1951 NFL draft]]. Robustelli was a six-time first-team [[All-Pro]] selection and was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 1971.

==Early life and college==
Robustelli was born on December 6, 1925, in [[Stamford, Connecticut]], to Lucien Robustelli, an Italian-American and his wife Catherine Robustelli. He attended [[Stamford High School (Stamford, Connecticut)|Stamford High School]], where he excelled in football and baseball. At age 18, he enlisted in the [[United States Navy]] and served on the [[USS William C. Cole]] in the Pacific Theater. After the war, he attended the now-defunct Arnold College, in [[Milford, Connecticut]], where he played both football and baseball. After college, he was drafted in the NFL by the Los Angeles Rams in the nineteenth round of the [[1951 NFL draft]]. In June 1951, he was offered a tryout with the New York Giants baseball club. The Giants offered Robustelli a $400 contract to play for their minor league affiliate, the Knoxville Smokies.<ref>Giants Among Men, Jack Cavanaugh, p.7, 2008, Random House, {{ISBN|978-1-4000-6717-6}}</ref>

==Professional career==
A two-way end at Arnold College, Robustelli was selected by the [[Los Angeles Rams]] in the nineteenth round of the [[1951 NFL draft]] and was considered a long shot to make the team.  The Rams were impressed with his determination and toughness as a defensive end and he not only made the team, he was an [[All-Pro]] in 1953 and 1955.  He played for the Rams until he was traded to the [[New York Giants]] in 1956.

Robustelli spent nine seasons with the Giants, playing for six conference champions and one NFL championship team.  He was a starter on the Giants defense from 1956 until his retirement after the [[1964 NFL season|1964 season]].

In Robustelli's first season, the Giants won the NFL championship. They won Eastern Division titles in 1958, '59, '61, '62, and '63, losing in the NFL championship game each time, in 1958 and 1959 to the Baltimore Colts, in 1961 and 1962 to the [[Green Bay Packers]], and in 1963 to the [[Chicago Bears]].

With the Giants, Robustelli was an All-Pro in 1956, and 1958 through 1960. He received the 1962 [[Bert Bell Award]] as best player in the NFL, one of the few defensive players to do so.  He played in 174 NFL games, missing only one in his career.  Over his career, he recovered 22 [[fumble]]s (the NFL record when he retired) and [[intercepted]] two passes, returning both for touchdowns.

Although small for a defensive end at 6'0" and 230 pounds, Robustelli was exceptionally smart, quick, and strong and known as a superb pass rusher.<ref name=pfhof>{{cite web | url = https://www.profootballhof.com/players/andy-robustelli/ | title = Pro Football Hall of Fame Bio |website=profootballhof.com | publisher = Pro Football Hall of Fame | access-date = September 7, 2024}}</ref> Robustelli also holds the distinction of being the only football player to have played in the first two nationally televised NFL games.<ref>Giants Among Men, Jack Cavanaugh, p.113, 2008, Random House, {{ISBN|978-1-4000-6717-6}}</ref>

==Executive career==
Robustelli returned to the Giants when he was appointed as its director of operations on December 17, 1973.  He took over day-to-day control of the Giants, including most football matters.  Owner [[Wellington Mara]] had been making the team's football decisions himself since joining the Giants organization in the 1930s, and retained control over on-field matters even after the death of his older brother [[Jack Mara|Jack]] in 1965 made him principal owner of the team. However, he had finally been prevailed upon to give up some of his authority.  Although Mara retained the final say on football decisions, for all intents and purposes, Robustelli was the team's first [[general manager]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/18/archives/robustelli-named-giants-director-of-operations-exdefensive-star.html?_r=0 Anderson, Dave. "Robustelli Named Giants' Director of Operations," ''The New York Times'', Tuesday, December 18, 1973.] Retrieved July 21, 2016</ref>

He took over a team whose 2&ndash;11&ndash;1 record the previous season was the worst in the [[National Football Conference|National Football Conference (NFC)]].<ref>[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1973/ 1973 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics &ndash; Pro-Football-Reference.com.]</ref> The Giants had to play home games at the [[Yale Bowl]] in [[1974 New York Giants season|1974]] and [[Shea Stadium]] in [[1975 New York Giants season|1975]] before they were finally able to move into [[Giants Stadium]] in [[1976 New York Giants season|1976]].

The Giants never had a winning record during Robustelli's five years in the front office. Their best finish during that span was 6&ndash;10&ndash;0 in [[1978 New York Giants season|1978]], a season which included a 19&ndash;17 debacle to the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] on November 19 which ended with what is known to Giants [[fan (person)|fan]]s as simply "[[The Miracle at the Meadowlands|Miracle at the Meadowlands]]." Robustelli announced his resignation as director of operations in conjunction with the Giants' dismissal of head coach [[John McVay]] on December 18, 1978, one day after the regular season finale. He had decided one year prior that the 1978 season would be his last with the ballclub.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19781219&id=FCoxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U-EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1166,6753947&hl=en Myers, Gary. "Giants Ax McVay; Robustelli Resigns," ''The Associated Press'', Tuesday, December 19, 1978.] Retrieved July 21, 2016</ref> He was succeeded by [[George Young (American football executive)|George Young]] 58 days later on February 14, 1979.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/15/archives/george-young-is-appointed-general-manager-of-giants-dolphins-aide.html Katz, Michael. "George Young Is Appointed General Manager of Giants," ''The New York Times'', Thursday, February 15, 1979.] Retrieved November 22, 2020</ref>

==Later years==
After his retirement as an active player, Robustelli spent one year (1965) as a [[color analyst]] for [[NFL on NBC|NBC]]'s coverage of the [[American Football League]]. That same year, he purchased Stamford-based Westheim Travel and renamed it Robustelli Travel Services, Inc. Specializing in corporate travel management, it grew into Robustelli World Travel by the time it was sold to [[Hogg Robinson Group]] in 2006.<ref name="robustellics">[http://www.rcsltd.com/aboutus.asp About Us &ndash; Robustelli Corporate Services.]</ref>

Robustelli also founded National Professional Athletes (NPA), a [[sports marketing]] business which arranged appearances by sports celebrities at corporate functions, and International Equities, which evolved into Robustelli Merchandise Services. The latter eventually became the foundation for Robustelli Corporate Services.<ref name="robustellics"/>

Robustelli was named [[Walter Camp Man of the Year]] in 1988. He is an inductee of both the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] (class of 1971) and the [[National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame]].<ref name=pfhof/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.niashf.org/index.cfm?ContentID=40&InducteeID=160 |title=National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame Bio |publisher=National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame |year=2004 |access-date=January 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928081224/http://www.niashf.org/index.cfm?ContentID=40&InducteeID=160 |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Robustelli died on May 31, 2011, from complications following surgery to remove a kidney stone.  

===Relatives===
Son Bob Robustelli published a biography of his father in 2024, "The Pope of the NFL: The Andy Robustelli Story and the Family That Loved Him".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Pope-NFL-Robustelli-Story-Family/dp/B0DFQ3XD83/ |title=The Pope of the NFL: The Andy Robustelli Story And the Family That Loved Him |first=Bob |last=Robustelli |asin=B0DFQ3XD83 |via=Amazon.com |accessdate=September 7, 2024}}</ref>

A grandson, Andrew Robustelli, played college football at [[Jacksonville University]], attended rookie minicamp with the New York Giants in 2015, and played for the [[Jacksonville Sharks]] of the [[Arena Football League]] in 2016.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/sports/football/rookie-andrew-robustelli-brings-familiar-name-to-giants.html?_r=0 | title=Rookie Andrew Robustelli Brings Familiar Name to Giants | work=nytimes.com | date=May 9, 2015 | access-date=October 15, 2016 | author=Pennington, Bill}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.arenafan.com/players/Andrew_Robustelli-13430/ | title=Andrew Robustelli | publisher=arenafan.com | access-date=October 15, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-giants/post/_/id/42538/andrew-not-andy-robustelli-is-in-giants-rookie-camp | title=Andrew (not Andy) Robustelli is in Giants rookie camp | publisher=espn.com/ | date=May 8, 2015 | access-date=October 15, 2016 | author=Graziano, Dan}}</ref>

Robustelli's great nephew [[Dan Sileo]] played in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Profootballhof|id=182|name=Andy Robustelli}}
* {{Find a Grave|70655993|Andy Robustelli}}

{{New York Giants general manager navbox}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Andy Robustelli—championships, awards, and honors
| list1 =
{{Los Angeles Rams 1951 draft navbox}}
{{1951 Los Angeles Rams}}
{{1956 New York Giants}}
{{Giants Ring of Honor}}
{{1971 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}
{{Bert Bell Award}}
{{Walter Camp Man of the Year}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robustelli, Andy}}
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:American football defensive ends]]
[[Category:American Football League announcers]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Rams players]]
[[Category:New York Giants executives]]
[[Category:New York Giants players]]
[[Category:NFL general managers]]
[[Category:Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Western Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Stamford, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Fairfield County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Stamford High School (Stamford, Connecticut) alumni]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]