Feb. 11, 1964 - Andy Robustelli has played his last game for the New York Giants. After 13 rugged pro seasons — his last eight in New York — Andy will announce shortly that he is retiring as a player and will devote his time in ’64 strictly to his job as defensive coach. At age 37, Andy feels he can’t do justice to his family responsibilities and to the tough dual role of player and coach he filled for the last two seasons.
When rumors of Robustelli’s planned retirement leaked out last month at the Pro Bowl game at Los Angeles, he denied them. Since then, however he has had several talks with coach Allie Sherman, and they have settled on the terms for Andy to remain as coach.
“Under the circumstances, Al feels Andy’s value to us is strictly as a coach,” Wellington Mara, vice president and general manager, said today. “We don’t think we could get anyone better to play defensive end, but we would sacrifice that to keep him as coach.”
Mara also confirmed that the club gave the Philadelphia Eagles permission to talk to Robustelli about the vacant head coaching job there. “They had one conversation, that’s all,” Mara said. “I believe they want someone with head coaching experience.” In Minneapolis, Norm Van Brocklin, coach of the Vikings, today turned down an offer to take over as coach and general manager of the Eagles. One of the terms Robustelli insisted on in his negotiations with the Eagles was that he be permitted to return to his home in Stamford two or three nights a week so he might be with his wife and eight children.
Robustelli is an intense, dedicated man, to his family and his football work. Few realized the rigorous daily routine to which he was subjected during recent seasons. This consisted of arising around 6 a.m. to help care for an invalid mother-in-law, driving the children to school — in two station wagon loads — and performing household tasks before making the 45-minute drive to Yankee Stadium for film study, coaching conferences, and daily practice. His work did not end at sundown either. Andy took a lot of homework back to Stamford. On many nights, his wife Jean would find him asleep from exhaustion beside the still-whirring movie projector in his study room.
