Our weight room is named after him.”, “And one of the best athletes that walked through the halls of my alma mater, Waterloo East. “I was never so happy to sign a punter.

At Rich Stadium, Roby punted the ball a team record 77 yards, but the punt was returned 70 yards.

Roby died from an apparent heart attack at his home in Franklin, Tenn. Led to me punting in HS, JC, Div 2 and then a couple tryouts post college. Iowa hadn’t had a winning season since 1961, so Fry had to convince Roby to take a leap of faith. Epic fail.

John Elway. ", "When it came to punting he is the GOAT!!!!! The response was overwhelming as one fan after another paid their respects with either a story about Roby’s incredible punting prowess or just a statement recognizing his talent and impact. “I don’t know if that was the deciding factor, but the next day he signed with us.

[3] He was one of a handful of African American kickers in National Football League history. He was survived by his wife, Melissa, and six children. In the Dolphins 1992 divisional round 31-0 win over the San Diego Chargers, he planted 4 of his 8 punts inside the Chargers 20-yard line, including 3 inside the 7. He played professionally for the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston/Tennessee Oilers, and San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He led the nation in punting with a 49.8 average that season while constantly shifting field position. Fans would show up, just to see him punt the ball. “The night before the signing date, we took our whole coaching staff to Waterloo to show Roby how much we wanted him,” Fry said.

Roby would go on to play 16 seasons in the NFL where he punted 992 times for 42,951 yards and a 43.3 average. Football Player. First Name Reggie. He was 43. IOWA CITY, Iowa – Reggie Roby would have turned 58 this past Tuesday, but sadly, his life didn’t resemble his booming punts. “In the summers he would practice at the park near where I lived. "[2] However, it is notable that despite Miami's #1 ranked offense during the 1984 season, which set numerous NFL records, he still made the Pro Bowl that year. Getting Reggie helped us convince Iowa kids that playing for the Hawkeyes was a thing to do. Roby’s last season with the Dolphins was in 1992.

Reginald Henry "Reggie" Roby (July 30, 1961 – February 22, 2005) was an American college and professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s.

First Name Reggie #38. Fry wanted to make a statement that his staff could land a top in-state recruit and he went out of his way to make Roby feel special. It’s hard to be a great punter. Roby set an NCAA season record with a 49.8-yard average. His career yards per punt average was 43.3, with a net average of 34.0. "I didn't hit one well. Roby also handled kickoffs while at Iowa and he routinely kicked the ball through the uprights for touchbacks. He became a legend along the way, and helped to make Hayden Fry a legend. It was an ugly football game because Wisconsin would drive down the field and stall out or turn it over on downs or miss a field goal or whatever. It probably wasn’t every time, but it seemed like it, we’d be three-and-out and we’d punt the ball back to the other end of the field and here they’d come again.”.

Dan Marino. He completed the only pass attempt of his career, a 48-yarder to John Booty in 1995. Dolphins coach Don Shula said following the game "We're supposed to have the best punter in the football, but today, he didn't punt like he was the best.

His 58.5-yard single-game average on September 28, 1986 remains a Dolphin team record. Most Popular #163744. Something would screw up the point production for them.

Roby averaged more yards per punt as an Iowa Hawkeye than he lived in years. Roby was born in Waterloo, Iowa. Leos.

My uncle said the ball looked like it kissed the moon before it came back down when punted.”. [4] In the days after his death, former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula praised Reggie Roby, saying "his … Florida), will be Reggie Roby's All-Pro Cookies. In 1982, Roby led the nation with a 48.1 average per punt. "When he kicked at the other end of the field (the north end), the footballs ended up on the roof of the school," Kittleson told the Waterloo Courier. And you could make a strong case that he was the most valuable player for Iowa’s 1981 Big Ten champion team. "All we know is he was getting ready for work this morning, and his oldest son found him in the bathroom," said Mike Roby, Reggie's older brother to the Waterloo Courier.