Robin Evan Roberts

Robin Evan Roberts

Michigan State Basketball, Baseball Player (1945 – 1947)

Robin Roberts was born in Springfield, Illinois and served in the Army Air Corps Training Program in East Lansing during World War II. When the war ended Roberts returned to Michigan State to play basketball earning three varsity letters, in his junior season he chose to play baseball and became a pitcher because that is what the team needed and pitched well enough to be signed by the Phillies. Roberts began his baseball career with the Phillies in 1948 and over the next 19 seasons played with four different teams. During Roberts Hall of Fame career, he won 286 games, with 2,357 strikeouts, a 3.41 ERA, 305 complete games and 45 shutouts. He was also a seven-time All-Star, a six-time 20 game winner, a four-time win champion and a four-time NL wins leader. Robin Roberts had his number 36 retired by the Phillies, was named to the Phillies All-Century team, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976, the 1992 inaugural class of the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. He passed away on May 6, 2010 at 83 years of age.