Bob Torrey commanded the trenches for the University of Pennsylvania, shaping the violent early days of college football and ultimately helping force sweeping changes to the sport’s rules.
Football Bio
July 12, 1878 – Henrico County, Virginia – Bob Torrey, the guard for the University of Pennsylvania from 1902 to 1905, was born.
In his bio on the NFF’s website, it is noted that after the 1905 Penn-Swarthmore game, President Teddy Roosevelt must have gasped at the photograph printed in the newspaper. The photo was that of a beat-up and battered face of Swarthmore guard Robert “Tiny” Maxwell.
The President was incensed because football violence had gone too far. Roosevelt threatened to ban the sport, and his ultimatum was answered by sweeping rule changes to the game.
Maxwell’s facial reconstruction was the result of a play in an 11-4 Swarthmore loss to the powerful Penn Quakers. A game that the National Football Foundation states changed the course of football history.
Robert Torrey, the Penn captain, was the center playing opposite Maxwell that day. Now, though he did play a part in it, Torrey can not be totally blamed for Maxwell’s condition, as it was no secret that the Penn strategy that day was for the line to double and triple-team Maxwell, the key to a Quaker victory to finish the season unbeaten.
The strategy worked, and Penn did claim an undefeated record in 1905, winning 12, as well as a single tie, a 6-6 game with Lafayette. A year earlier, when the Quakers sported a 12-0-0 record, Swarthmore had been the only team to score against them.
For certain, the Penn teams in those early years at the turn of the 20th Century were powerhouses in the rough and tumble days of gridiron play. Torrey was among the nation’s best linemen and earned All-America honors following the 1905 season.
The National Football Foundation selected Bill Torrey for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
Bob Torrey epitomizes the raw power and tenacity of early college football. He led one of the most dominant dynasties of the 20th century, securing a legacy that survives in the Hall of Fame today.
Accolades and Football Accomplishments
- College Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1971.
- Consensus First-Team All-American: 1905.
- 2× Second-Team All-American: 1902, 1904.
- Undefeated Seasons: Led Penn to a 12-0-0 record in 1904 and a 12-0-1 record in 1905.
- Team Captain: Selected as captain of the Penn Quakers for the 1904 and 1905 seasons.
- National Champion: Member of the 1904 national championship team.
- Positional Versatility: Starred at center, tackle, and end during his collegiate career.