Former Cardinals OL Tootie Robbins passes

Tootie Robbins joined the then St. Louis Cardinals in 1982, retiring in 1993

For 10 years, James “Tootie” Robbins was a mainstay on the Cardinals offensive line.  He ended he career with the Green Bay Packers in 1993 before retiring.  In a Facebook post by his former teammate Luis Sharpe on Sunday, Tootie Robbins passed away at the age of 62.

He was drafted by the then St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1982 draft out of East Carolina.  The tackle was with the team when they moved west to Arizona, when they started out as the Phoenix Cardinals.

We got to see him with the Phoenix Cardinals for four seasons before moving on to the Packers. There was no mistaking who the big number 63 was on the line, protecting guys like quarterback Neil Lomax and opening holes for guys like Otis Anderson and Stump Mitchell.

He didn’t win a lot of awards. His lone accolade from the league was being on the 1982 NFL All-Rookie Team. He didn’t get a chance to go to the Pro Bowl.

What you may not know is what a cool guy he was.  Sure this was 30 years ago but I can still remember being a ball boy for the Cardinals. I will never forget the big guy sitting on the bench inside the small NAU locker room at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff after practices.

Him sitting there with other Cardinals offensive linemen such as Derek Kennard and Luis Sharpe.  I would be asked for water and even though it was really my job, I still got them water.  I just had fun being around them.

It’s hard to believe so much time has passed since those days but it does still seem like yesterday.  He didn’t have a chance to put up a lot of stats, though he did recover a couple of fumbles during his time in Arizona.

So rest in peace big guy.  Our condolences go out to his friends and family.