Hall of Fame
Gene Roberts was a record-setting, two-time All-American fullback at Chattanooga from 1945-46. He set UTC’s career and single-season rushing records, and still holds the Mocs single-season scoring mark.
He joined the Mocs when UC reinstated football in the fall of 1945. That season, he led UTC with 819 yards and 10 rushing scores in just eight games. He put up 202 yards against Ole Miss and earned honorable mention Little All-American honors that season.
Roberts came back as team captain as a senior and posted 1,113 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 10 games. He led the nation with 117 points that season. Roberts 18 TDs and 117 points are still UTC’s single-season records, while his 1,113 yards is the sixth-highest mark in school history.
For his career, Roberts posted 1,932 career yards on eight 100-yard rushing games, both school records at the time. His 28 rushing TDs stood as the Mocs high-water mark until it was broken by Jacob Huesman in 2014.
After his collegiate career was over, Roberts participated in the 1946 Blue-Gray All-Star Game and the 1947 college all-star game.
That exposure earned him a spot with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) from 1947 to 1950. He set the NFL and the New York Giants single game rushing record with 218 yards on November 12, 1950 against the Chicago Cardinals.
The NFL record was broken by Thomas Wilson of the Los Angeles Rams on December 16, 1956, but it stood as the Giants single game rushing record stood for over 55 years. It was eventually broken by Tiki Barber on December 17, 2005.
Roberts left the Giants in 1950 and played in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes in 1951 and the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1952 to 1954. He is the only person to lead the NCAA, the NFL (102 points in 1949) and the CFL (88 points in 1953) in scoring.
Roberts was named to the UC/UTC All-Century Team in 2003.
