James Madison "Red" Roberts was an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player and coach in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He played football for the Centre Praying Colonels

Centre Praying Colonels football

The Centre Praying Colonels football team represents Centre College in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III competition as a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference . Despite the school's small size , the football team has historically had success and possesses a...

 in Danville, Kentucky

Danville, Kentucky

Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....

. After college Roberts,played in the early National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 for the Toledo Maroons

Toledo Maroons

The Toledo Maroons were a professional American football team based in Toledo, Ohio in the National Football League in 1922 and 1923. Prior to joining the NFL, the Maroons played in the unofficial "Ohio League" from 1902 until 1921.-Origins:...

 and the Akron Pros

Akron Pros

The Akron Pros were a professional football team located played in Akron, Ohio from 1908–1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, however name was changed to the Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional...

. He also played in the first
American Football League

American Football League (1926)

The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...

 for the Cleveland Panthers

Cleveland Panthers

The Cleveland Panthers were a professional American football team that competed in the first American Football League in 1926. Owned by General C. X. Zimmerman , the Panthers played their home games in Luna Bowl in Luna Park...

. He later made a run for the office of Governor of Kentucky

Governor of Kentucky

The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...

 as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 in 1931, losing in the primary to Ruby Laffoon

Ruby Laffoon

Ruby Laffoon was a politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He was the state's 43rd governor, serving from 1931 to 1935. At age 17, Laffoon moved to Washington, D.C. to live with his uncle, U.S. Representative Polk Laffoon...

 who went on to win the election.

Playing career

Roberts played fullback

Fullback (American football)

A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...

 for the Centre College

Centre College

Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...

 football team along with teammates Bo McMillan and Matty Bell

Matty Bell

Madison A. "Matty" Bell was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator in the United States...

. He was selected by Walter Camp

Walter Camp

Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...

 as a first team All-American at the end of the regular season and became the third, first team player designated by Camp, joining “Bo” McMillin and Red Weaver

Red Weaver

-Coaching career:Weaver was the head football coach for the West Virginia Tech Golden Bears located in Montgomery, West Virginia. He held that position for the 1921 season...

 from the 1919 Centre team.

Coaching career

Colonel Roberts was the head college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 coach for the Waynesburg

Waynesburg University

Waynesburg University is a private, university located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, USA. The university offers graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations, and enrolls over 2,500 students, including approximately 1,500 undergraduates.Waynesburg University was...

 Yellow Jackets located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania

Waynesburg, Pennsylvania

Waynesburg is a borough in and the county seat of Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 4,184 at the 2000 census....

and he held that position for the 1923 season. His coaching record at Waynesburg was 3 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie. As of the conclusion of the 2010 season, this ranks him #19 at Waynesburg in total wins and #15 at the school in winning percentage .