Hall of Fame
One of the greatest pure athletes in Cornell history, he was outstanding as a football halfback, a pivotman in basketball and a sprinter, low hurdler and long jumper in track. Over his three-year football career, he rushed for 1,175 yards on 348 carries and scored nine touchdowns and caught 16 passes for 224 yards and one TD. He holds the Cornell record for the longest kickoff return, with 100 yards vs. Colgate in 1956. He led the team in rushing as a sophomore and junior. He was an Associated Press All-Ivy honorable mention selection in 1955 and was named to the Coaches All-Ivy second team in 1956. His specialties in track were the 60- and 100-yard dash, the 220-yard low hurdles and the long jump. He won five Heptagonal titles, winning two indoor Heps title in the long jump (1957 and '58) and one in the 60-yard dash (1958), and outdoor Heps championships in the long jump (1958) and the 100-yard dash (1956). He was voted the recipient of the Outstanding Performer of the Meet Award following his performance at the 1957 indoor Heptagonal championships. In February 1960, he broke Jesse Owens' 25-year-old world indoor record in the long jump when he leaped 25-9 ½ at the National AAU Track and Field Championships. He won the long jump at the 1959 Pan-American Games. He won the silver medal in the long jump at the 1960 Olympic Games, finishing in second with a jump of 26-7 3/8. He won a varsity letter as a member of the basketball team in 1955-56, when he was the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 14.9 ppg. in 24 games. He led the team in rebounding, placing 15th nationally among percentage leaders with a mark of .567. He scored 20 or more points in six of the 24 games during the 1956 season. His game-high for the year was 37 points vs. Pennsylvania at The Palestra. He was an honorable All-Ivy selection. Roberson was named The Cornell Daily Sun Athlete of the Year for 1957-58. He played pro football for six years, with San Diego in 1961, Oakland from 1962-65, Buffalo in '65 and Miami in '66. He was the Oakland Raiders' most valuable player in 1962 and led the league in kickoff returns in 1964. He was the leading scorer for the Buffalo Bills AFL championship team in 1965.
