State Your Case: Why Can't Isiah Robertson Register with Hall Voters?

By John Turney 

Sometimes history forgets deserving players, so it's left to us to remember them -- which is how I'd describe Isiah Robertson, whom former NFL defensive lineman Phil Olsen once called "the finest athlete I ever played with."

Robertson was a transformative figure in the NFL, widely regarded as one of the most formidable linebackers of the 1970s. He was on the leading edge of outside linebackers who were approximately 20 pounds lighter than linebackers of the 1960s and, as a result, faster.

A lot faster.

Clocked at 4.5 seconds in the 40, Robertson was among the fastest linebackers in the league when he entered the NFL in 1971 as a first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams. He went on to play 12 seasons where he became one of the game's most decorated linebackers, known as much for game-changing plays as he was for his exceptional speed.

But we'll get to that.

His athletic prowess was evident at Southern University, where he made 112 tackles and 45 assists in his 1970 senior year, earning All-American honors from The Sporting News and TIME magazine. He also returned an interception 103 yards for a game-winning touchdown against Grambling with seconds remaining. Playing in the middle, Robertson called himself the "Black Dick Butkus".

The Rams' 10th overall pick in the 1971 draft, Robertson quickly adapted to the pros, earning a starting spot as a weakside linebacker as a rookie. But he just didn't start; he exploded onto the NFL scene, voted the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year, second-team All-NFL, and first-team All-NFC. He was also named to his first Pro Bowl.

He had four interceptions and (unofficially) four sacks, which may not sound like much. But it's a rarity for a linebacker -- especially one in his first pro season -- to have four or more of each in the same season. Robertson -- known as "Butch" -- was the first, and only one has done it since.

As a result, he was one of the cornerstones of a Rams' defense that from 1973-1978 allowed fewer points than all but the Pittsburgh Steelers ... intercepted more passes than all but the Steelers and Raiders .... and had more sacks and allowed fewer rushing touchdowns than all but Dallas. No defense, however, allowed fewer yards,

The point? Those Rams' defenses were great, and Robertson was, too.

After his stellar rookie year, he was second-team All-NFC in 1972 (UPI), first-team All-Pro in 1973 (AP, PFWA), second-team All-Pro in 1974 (AP, PFWA, NEA) and first-team again in 1975 (NEA) and 1976 (AP). He earned his last All-Pro notice as a second-team All-Pro in 1977 (AP, NEA), the same year he went to his sixth Pro Bowl. For good measure, he was first-team All-NFC in 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977 and second-team in 1974.

But it wasn't the accolades that separated him from others. It was the big plays. In 1973, he returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown against the Giants on Monday Night Football. The next season, his 59-yard interception return for a TD not only showcased his electrifying open-field abilities but sealed a playoff defeat of Washington and former Rams' coach George Allen.

"One of my trades finally got the best of me," Allen said, referring to a 1971 trade with Washington that landed Robertson in Los Angeles.

One season later, Robertson was at it again -- this time returning an interception 76 yards for yet another score on  Monday night.

By 1978, however, things with the Rams soured. Robertson wanted to be one of the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL, and the Rams wouldn't meet his demands. So he pouted, lost his starting and was traded to Buffalo where Chuck Knox, a former coach with the Rams, signed him to a four-year, $1-million contract, making him one of the game's best-paid linebackers.

The move worked out for both parties. Robertson was happy and productive, producing 96 tackles in his first season with the Bills, with two interceptions and a 23-yard touchdown return. In 1980, he contributed 85 tackles as the Bills improved from 5-11 to 11-5 and won the Eastern Division. In 1981, he added more tackles, helping Buffalo reach the playoffs as a wild card.

Wherever Robertson was, it seemed, success followed. He played 168 games, starting 150 and missing only three, while earning six first-or second-team All-NFL selections (1971, 1973–1977) and six Pro Bowl nods. But Robertson had the numbers, too. According to official NFL gamebooks, he totaled 879 tackles -- with nearly 70 behind the line of scrimmage -- and produced 24-1/2 sacks and 25 interceptions. He also forced 24 fumbles, recovering 14, and had four defensive scores in the regular season and another in the playoffs.

That makes him one of only 14 linebackers with 24 or more sacks and 24 interceptions. Eight of them are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Yet, despite his contributions and productivity, Isiah Robertson remains underrecognized and overlooked for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's never been a finalist nor a semifinalist. Worse, he was on the preliminary ballot only once, the year he was first eligible. As a seniors' candidate, he's been nominated multiple times, but that's where his candidacy starts and ends ... and that's not right.

Maybe he's been ignored because he wasn't chosen to the 1970s' all-decade team, but voters seems to forget that his peers three times voted him the NFC's Linebacker of the Year. Or maybe it's because he never was on a Super Bowl-winning team. Except that argument doesn't hold, either. Plenty of players without Super Bowl rings have Gold Jackets. 

I don't know what's happened ... or hasn't. All I know is that nothing should keep Isiah "Butch" Robertson's candidacy from serious consideration by the Hall's seniors committee. He did too much to merit anything less.

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