Bradbury Norton Robinson, Jr. was a pioneering
American football player, physician, and local politician. He played
college football at the
University of Wisconsin in 1903 and at
Saint Louis University from 1904 to 1907. In 1904, though personal connections to Wisconsin governor
Robert M. La Follette, Sr. and his wife,
Belle Case, Robinson learned of calls for reforms to the game of football from
President Theodore Roosevelt, and began to develop tactics for passing. After moving to Saint Louis University, Robinson threw the first legal
forward pass in the
history of American football on September 5, 1906 at a game at
Carroll College in
Waukesha, Wisconsin. He became the sport's first
triple threat man, excelling at running, passing, and kicking.