OU Mourns the Passing of J.D. Roberts

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma mourns the passing of J.D. Roberts, a consensus All-American guard for the OU football team in 1953 who went on to serve as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. He died Monday at the age of 88.

Roberts, who lettered from 1951 through 1953 (OU went 25-4-2), won the Outland Trophy as a senior in 1953 when he played on both sides of the ball for legendary head coach Bud Wilkinson. That was the season the Sooners' famed 47-game winning streak began. Roberts also finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting that year (the top seven finishers were running backs or quarterbacks). In 1993, he became the 10th OU player to be inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

Following his graduation from Oklahoma and service as a lieutenant with the United States Marine Corps, Roberts coached as an assistant at Denver, Houston, the U.S. Naval Academy, Auburn and OU. He was an original member of the Saints' staff as a scout and linebackers coach from 1967-69, and was assigned as the head coach for the Atlantic Coast Football League's Richmond Roadrunners before being named the second head coach in Saints history on Nov. 3, 1970. His first NFL game included a league-record 63-yard field goal by Tom Dempsey to give the Saints a 19-17 win over Detroit. Dempsey's record stood until 2013.

Roberts, who was born in Oklahoma City and moved to Dallas at age 6, is also a member of the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame (inducted in 1994) and the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas Hall of Fame (inducted in 1999). He was selected in the 17th round of the 1954 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers but did not play a regular season NFL game. After coaching, he enjoyed a successful career in the oil and gas industry.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors