ROBY, Reginald Henry "Reggie" 1961-2005
ROBY, FORD, DOTSON
Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 9/2/2011 at 17:38:17
Born Reginald Henry Roby in Waterloo, Iowa, on July 30, 1961, Roby was a three-time Pro Bowl punter. He played 16 years in the NFL, 10 for the Dolphins from 1983-92.
On February 22, 2005, Reggie Roby's wife, Melissa, found him without a pulse in their Nashville home. Nancy Knox, a business associate, said Roby collapsed after a morning shower and was pronounced dead at St. Thomas Hospital. She said a doctor at the hospital told her that Roby apparently had a heart attack. He was 43.
Roby married three times is survived by his wife, Melissa; three sons, Bry, Julian and Dominic; three daughters, Brittany, Sophia and Jovetta; his parents, Henry and Minnie (Ford); two sisters, Angela Dotson of Waterloo and Diedra of Minneapolis; and a brother, Michael (Betty) of Waterloo.
In high school, Roby, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, was a linebacker, tight end, punter and place-kicker, and a pitcher.
He was an American football punter in the National Football League and a three-time Pro Bowler. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 1983 NFL Draft out of the University of Iowa. He also played for the Washington Redskins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston/Tennessee Oilers, and the San Francisco 49ers, retiring in 1999 after 16 seasons. Roby, who was also a standout pitcher on the Waterloo East High School team, was drafted by Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. Roby instead chose to attend college. Despite the fact that he had experience at quarterback and possessed a strong arm, Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Hayden Fry made the 6'-4", 250 pound Roby a punter and kick off specialist, also using him for long range field goals.
Roby helped popularize the now-standard two-step approach and often wore a watch to gauge his hangtime.He was one of a handful of African American kickers in National Football League history.
[Information from Wikipedia]
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