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GREEN BAY – Dave Robinson survived the bumps and bruises of playing in the NFL for 12 years. The Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker faced vicious hits and difficult blocks every week with the Green Bay Packers and even overcame an Achilles tendon injury that wiped out most of his 1970 season.
Perhaps none of that made him more nervous than standing in front of thousands of people, with millions more watching on television or their electronic devices, and reading a card at a podium during the NFL draft.
Robinson was part of a group of 32 past and current players who were asked to announce a draft pick in either the second or third round April 25.
He was one of four in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Packers teammate Jerry Kramer, former Pittsburgh wide receiver Lynn Swann and former Cleveland Browns and University of Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Thomas.
Robinson did this once before in 2013, the year he was enshrined in Canton.
There is a memory that still lingers from that one.
He warned NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before they walked out on stage together that if the draft pick had a name like “Abracadabra,” he was going to have Goodell fill in the details instead of trying to pronounce it.
“When he brought the card, he had a name on there that I had never seen before,” Robinson said. “It had over half the alphabet on the sheet. I told him, ‘Roger, no, no, no. I can’t do this.’”
Goodell started to laugh.
Goodell and others backstage had decided to play a prank on Robinson, making up a name just to scare him.
He handed the real card to Robinson, one that let him breathe a sigh of relief.
Robinson delivered the pick with the same ease he had sacking quarterbacks and making interceptions.
“With the 61st pick of the 2013 NFL draft,” Robinson said to the crowd at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. “The team from Titletown USA, the holders of more championships than any other team with 13, whose last (championship) victory came against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, they have selected Eddie Lacy, running back from Alabama.”
But that was 12 years ago, and Robinson was busy in the week leading up to this draft getting prepared for anything and everything all over again.
“The thing is, so many guys have funny names now,” said Robinson, laughing. “It may not be a trick this year.”
Robinson never heard his name called at the draft. That’s not the way things were done in the early 1960s.
He was visiting a friend in a dorm at Penn State while the 1963 draft was being conducted — it took place in December 1962 — before he eventually made his way back to his own room.
There was one phone in the hallway of the dorm, and somebody told Robinson there had been a call for him.
He returned the message, which included a 414 area code. The voice on the other end was with the Packers.
More: A day before NFL draft, Green Bay man scores historic Packers item in thrift store
The man asked Robinson if he had any favorite teams. Robinson, a New Jersey native, told him he had always been a fan of the New York Giants.
The man laughed and told Robinson they’d be back in touch.
Robinson was doing homework when the phone in the hallway started to ring.
It was a reporter from a Harrisburg newspaper in Pennsylvania.
He asked Robinson what it felt like to be a first-round draft pick.
“I’ll be damned if I know,” Robinson told him.
And that’s how Dave Robinson learned the Green Bay Packers selected him with the 14th pick in the first round.
His first reaction was far more "Oh, no," than "Oh, yes."
The Packers won the NFL Championship in 1961 and were on their way to doing it again in the weeks after they drafted Robinson, which was going to make it a lot more difficult for a rookie hoping to make an impression.
“I would have rather went with a team that was last in the league, because they have got some soft ballplayers that can be replaced,” Robinson said. “But Green Bay has got the best players in the league. I’m not going to be going after chopped liver. I’m going to be going after the real deal.”
Robinson didn’t sign his contract until after playing for Penn State in the Gator Bowl, becoming the first Black player to participate in the game.
Pro teams sometimes would have their draft picks sign a contract but not submit it until after their college career was complete so they wouldn’t be deemed ineligible.
Robinson wouldn’t do it. He was raised by parents who taught him not to lie. He refused to be part of such a scheme.
Packers director of player personnel Dick Voris attended the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, and attempted to get Robinson to sign before the game.
Robinson again refused.
More: Miami Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold is thriving in NFL despite going undrafted in 2019
After the game, as Robinson walked out of the stadium while still in his uniform, Voris pulled up in a taxi.
He handed Robinson a two-year contract with a bonus of $15,000. Robinson signed it on the top of the taxi.
Voris left with the contract and flew to New York, where the Packers beat the Giants the following day in the NFL Championship while Robinson was on a plane to Hawaii to play in the Hula Bowl.
It was the start of a beautiful relationship.
Robinson played 10 seasons for the Packers and won two Super Bowls, finishing with 21 interceptions and 22 sacks before spending his final two years with Washington.
Robinson is no stranger around these parts despite leaving Green Bay after the 1972 season.
He often returns, whether to attend a football game or make an appearance to sign autographs and take pictures.
Robinson will turn 84 next month but still has the energy of some people half his age.
He shuffled through his itinerary for NFL draft week before he arrived April 22, doing his best to figure out what place he was supposed to be at, what time and on what day.
He was a bit concerned when organizers had him at two places at the same time, but it all worked out.
Everywhere a football fan turned, Robinson seemed to be there, whether it was a fundraising gala or an autograph signing.
Robinson is set to end his week serving as an honorary captain at the Gridiron Greats Celebrity Flag Football Fundraiser on April 27 at Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon.
He’s always ready to greet someone with a handshake and smile.
“He will talk to everybody,” said Chris Nerat, who became friends with Robinson a few years ago after he helped Robinson sell several of his playing mementos in his role as consignment director for Heritage Auctions. “Whenever people see him, they get excited. It’s walking history, which is pretty special. You have a guy who was actually in the first two Super Bowls.
“He is very modest. He is super friendly. Very outgoing. Loves to tell a good story. He really treats everybody like they are equals. He never looks down on anyone. We have been in elevators together at Lambeau Field, and he sees someone who is sheepish or nervous or just shy, he will be the one to break the ice and start the conversation.”
Before he returns home to Ohio, and among all his other engagements, Robinson’s biggest moment finally arrived when the Packers made their third-round selection.
The card was submitted. Robinson and Kramer arrived at the podium together.
"With the 87th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers select," Kramer said, before letting Robinson take over.
It was the moment of truth.
"Hey," Robinson said. "Savion Williams, wide receiver, Texas Christian."
Turns out, there was no need to worry.
More than a decade after his first flawless draft performance, Robinson nailed the encore.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Packers all-time great Dave Robinson is no stranger to Green Bay, fans
Continue reading...
Perhaps none of that made him more nervous than standing in front of thousands of people, with millions more watching on television or their electronic devices, and reading a card at a podium during the NFL draft.
Robinson was part of a group of 32 past and current players who were asked to announce a draft pick in either the second or third round April 25.
He was one of four in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Packers teammate Jerry Kramer, former Pittsburgh wide receiver Lynn Swann and former Cleveland Browns and University of Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Thomas.
You must be registered for see images attach
Robinson did this once before in 2013, the year he was enshrined in Canton.
There is a memory that still lingers from that one.
He warned NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before they walked out on stage together that if the draft pick had a name like “Abracadabra,” he was going to have Goodell fill in the details instead of trying to pronounce it.
“When he brought the card, he had a name on there that I had never seen before,” Robinson said. “It had over half the alphabet on the sheet. I told him, ‘Roger, no, no, no. I can’t do this.’”
Goodell started to laugh.
Goodell and others backstage had decided to play a prank on Robinson, making up a name just to scare him.
He handed the real card to Robinson, one that let him breathe a sigh of relief.
Robinson delivered the pick with the same ease he had sacking quarterbacks and making interceptions.
“With the 61st pick of the 2013 NFL draft,” Robinson said to the crowd at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. “The team from Titletown USA, the holders of more championships than any other team with 13, whose last (championship) victory came against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, they have selected Eddie Lacy, running back from Alabama.”
But that was 12 years ago, and Robinson was busy in the week leading up to this draft getting prepared for anything and everything all over again.
“The thing is, so many guys have funny names now,” said Robinson, laughing. “It may not be a trick this year.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Dave Robinson’s draft experience was nothing like today
Robinson never heard his name called at the draft. That’s not the way things were done in the early 1960s.
He was visiting a friend in a dorm at Penn State while the 1963 draft was being conducted — it took place in December 1962 — before he eventually made his way back to his own room.
There was one phone in the hallway of the dorm, and somebody told Robinson there had been a call for him.
He returned the message, which included a 414 area code. The voice on the other end was with the Packers.
More: A day before NFL draft, Green Bay man scores historic Packers item in thrift store
The man asked Robinson if he had any favorite teams. Robinson, a New Jersey native, told him he had always been a fan of the New York Giants.
The man laughed and told Robinson they’d be back in touch.
Robinson was doing homework when the phone in the hallway started to ring.
It was a reporter from a Harrisburg newspaper in Pennsylvania.
He asked Robinson what it felt like to be a first-round draft pick.
“I’ll be damned if I know,” Robinson told him.
And that’s how Dave Robinson learned the Green Bay Packers selected him with the 14th pick in the first round.
His first reaction was far more "Oh, no," than "Oh, yes."
The Packers won the NFL Championship in 1961 and were on their way to doing it again in the weeks after they drafted Robinson, which was going to make it a lot more difficult for a rookie hoping to make an impression.
“I would have rather went with a team that was last in the league, because they have got some soft ballplayers that can be replaced,” Robinson said. “But Green Bay has got the best players in the league. I’m not going to be going after chopped liver. I’m going to be going after the real deal.”
Robinson didn’t sign his contract until after playing for Penn State in the Gator Bowl, becoming the first Black player to participate in the game.
Pro teams sometimes would have their draft picks sign a contract but not submit it until after their college career was complete so they wouldn’t be deemed ineligible.
Robinson wouldn’t do it. He was raised by parents who taught him not to lie. He refused to be part of such a scheme.
Packers director of player personnel Dick Voris attended the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, and attempted to get Robinson to sign before the game.
Robinson again refused.
More: Miami Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold is thriving in NFL despite going undrafted in 2019
After the game, as Robinson walked out of the stadium while still in his uniform, Voris pulled up in a taxi.
He handed Robinson a two-year contract with a bonus of $15,000. Robinson signed it on the top of the taxi.
Voris left with the contract and flew to New York, where the Packers beat the Giants the following day in the NFL Championship while Robinson was on a plane to Hawaii to play in the Hula Bowl.
It was the start of a beautiful relationship.
Robinson played 10 seasons for the Packers and won two Super Bowls, finishing with 21 interceptions and 22 sacks before spending his final two years with Washington.
You must be registered for see images attach
Dave Robinson still enjoys his visits to Green Bay
Robinson is no stranger around these parts despite leaving Green Bay after the 1972 season.
He often returns, whether to attend a football game or make an appearance to sign autographs and take pictures.
Robinson will turn 84 next month but still has the energy of some people half his age.
He shuffled through his itinerary for NFL draft week before he arrived April 22, doing his best to figure out what place he was supposed to be at, what time and on what day.
He was a bit concerned when organizers had him at two places at the same time, but it all worked out.
Everywhere a football fan turned, Robinson seemed to be there, whether it was a fundraising gala or an autograph signing.
Robinson is set to end his week serving as an honorary captain at the Gridiron Greats Celebrity Flag Football Fundraiser on April 27 at Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon.
He’s always ready to greet someone with a handshake and smile.
“He will talk to everybody,” said Chris Nerat, who became friends with Robinson a few years ago after he helped Robinson sell several of his playing mementos in his role as consignment director for Heritage Auctions. “Whenever people see him, they get excited. It’s walking history, which is pretty special. You have a guy who was actually in the first two Super Bowls.
“He is very modest. He is super friendly. Very outgoing. Loves to tell a good story. He really treats everybody like they are equals. He never looks down on anyone. We have been in elevators together at Lambeau Field, and he sees someone who is sheepish or nervous or just shy, he will be the one to break the ice and start the conversation.”
Before he returns home to Ohio, and among all his other engagements, Robinson’s biggest moment finally arrived when the Packers made their third-round selection.
The card was submitted. Robinson and Kramer arrived at the podium together.
"With the 87th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers select," Kramer said, before letting Robinson take over.
It was the moment of truth.
"Hey," Robinson said. "Savion Williams, wide receiver, Texas Christian."
Turns out, there was no need to worry.
More than a decade after his first flawless draft performance, Robinson nailed the encore.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Packers all-time great Dave Robinson is no stranger to Green Bay, fans
Continue reading...
