Today marks the birthday of the founder of the Packers, Earl “Curly” Lambeau. On that same April 9, 1898 day that Lambeau was entering the world in Green Bay, Wisconsin, another prominent football player was being born in Princeton, New Jersey–Paul Robeson.
In a time of widespread segregation and inequality for African Americans, Robeson notably won a scholarship to Rutgers University in 1915 and was named as All-America end for the Scarlet Knights in 1917 and 1918. Lambeau’s brief college football experience at Notre Dame took place in 1918, but the Fighting Irish did not play Rutgers until 1921, so the two did not cross paths during college.
In 1921, both men were playing pro football, but Lambeau’s Packers did not meet the Akron Pros for whom Robeson played that season. In 1922, however, Robeson (and fellow African-American star Fritz Pollard) left Akron to play for the Milwaukee Badgers, who tangled with the Packers twice that year.
On October 22, the 0-3 Packers took on the 1-1-1 Badgers in Milwaukee. Leading up to the game, the Milwaukee Journal referred to Pollard and Robeson as “The Gold Dust Twins,” predating the moniker hung on Donny Anderson and Jim Grabowski in Green Bay by 44 years. Robeson was described as “about six feet four and mighty fast for a big man. He hasn’t had his flank turned since joining the Milwaukee club.” Of Lambeau it was said “the Green Bay captain and halfback, is one of the greatest passes in the game today.”
The game that day ended in a 0-0 tie. The Green Bay Press Gazette spun the deadlock as a victory and noted that “Robeson, of Rutgers fame, met his match in Wheeler a hometown boy from the Bay.”
A month later the two teams faced off again in Green Bay on November 26, but were headed in different directions. The 2-3-3- Packers had righted their season, while the 2-1-3 Badgers were treading water. In addition, both teams were supplemented by players from the recently disbanded Rock Island Independents. The Badgers added quarterback/coach Jimmy Conzelman, while guard Dewey Lyle and back Dutch Lauer signed with the Packers. The Press Gazette averred that there was bad blood between Lauer/Lyle and Conzelman because Jimmy “ruled with an iron hand and there will be some old scores settled on the league gridiron on Sunday afternoon.”
The Press Gazette game account, noted “Several times it looked as if war had been declared but referee Cahn, who handled the game perfectly, was right on the job” Furthermore, Robeson, the giant negro end, and Dufft, the huge guard, were in there fighting every minute.” The star of the 13-0 Packer victory, though, was Lambeau who scored both touchdowns.
Green Bay finished the season with a 4-3-3 record in seventh place in the 18–team NFL, while Milwaukee dropped to 11th with a final 2-4-3 mark. Lambeau went on to become a football legend and Hall of Famer who died in 1965. Robeson had a celebrated career as a singer, actor and activist who eventually moved to the Soviet Union as a communist hero before returning to the U.S. late in life. He died in Philadelphia in 1976.
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