No. 81 | |||||||||
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Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | December 6, 1925 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | Stamford, Connecticut | ||||||||
Date of death: | May 31, 2011 | (aged 85)||||||||
Place of death: | Stamford, Connecticut | ||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
College: | Arnold College, Milford, CT | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1951 / Round: 19 / Pick: 228 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Interceptions: | 2 |
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Fumble recoveries: | 22 |
Touchdowns: | 2 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Andrew Richard Robustelli (December 6, 1925 – May 31, 2011) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants. He played college football at Arnold College and was drafted 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.
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, 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 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 with their minor league affiliate Knoxville Smokies.
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.