Ell Roberson III (born August 13, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. Roberson played in college at Kansas State University and had a brief career with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was the starting quarterback at K-State from 2001 to 2003, before starting a career in the CFL.[1]
| No. 11 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 13, 1980 Baytown, Texas, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Robert E. Lee |
| College: | Kansas State |
| Undrafted: | 2005 |
| Career history | |
| |
College career
editAfter a standout career at Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown, Texas, Roberson was a top recruit of Kansas State and Bill Snyder, who was an advocate of fast, mobile quarterbacks. He is in the Kansas State record books for several achievements, including ranking fourth on the single season quarterback rating of 143.2 in 2003 and he is also sixth with a rating of 136.5 in 2002. He also holds the school record for touchdown passes in a season, with 24 in 2003.
2000
editIn 2000 Roberson played sparingly, taking over at one point for a poorly performing Jonathan Beasley.[2]
2001
editIn 2001, Roberson split time with Marc Dunn, the Wildcats finished with a 6–6 record.
2002
editOn September 21, 2002, Roberson came off the bench and had 204 total yards and 4 touchdowns as #25 Kansas State upset #11 USC 27–20.[3] Roberson, who coach Snyder had told the media he'd grade " somewhere between average and C-minus", was named the starter after the game.[3]
Roberson led the Wildcats to a successful season, winning the 2002 Holiday Bowl against Arizona State and finishing #6 in the polls.[4][5]
2003
editIn 2003, the Wildcats entered the season ranked #7 in the top 25, in part due to the strong play by Roberson and running back Darren Sproles.[6][7]
During the third game of the season against McNeese State, Roberson suffered a hand injury and missed a month of playing time.[8][6] Kansas State was upset by Marshall during one of the games Roberson missed, and Roberson's injury held back his performance once he returned, leading to three consecutive losses and Kansas State dropping out of the top 25 entirely.[6] However, they recovered and won 6 games in a row and earned a berth to the 2003 Big 12 Championship Game against #1 Oklahoma.[9] The Wildcats won 35–7,[10] Roberson was named the Most Valuable Player of the game, completing 10 of 17 passes with no interceptions and four touchdown passes, which accounted for all Kansas State offensive scores in the game. He also rushed 17 times for 62 yards.[11] The win earned the Wildcats a berth in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl.
2004 Fiesta Bowl controversy
editIn the early morning hours of New Year's Day, 2004, police were called to the Kansas State team hotel in Paradise Valley, Arizona, by a woman who accused Roberson of sexually assaulting her.[12] Roberson and the rest of the Kansas State team were in town to play Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Police did not arrest Roberson, and later determined that no crime had been committed and no charges should be filed,[13] but an investigation by the Kansas State athletic department concluded that Roberson and several other players had violated unspecified team rules.[14] As a result, Roberson was stripped of his scholarship by head coach Bill Snyder.[15] Snyder decided this after the bowl game, which the Wildcats lost 35–28.[16][17]
Canadian football
editRoberson went undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Roberson played quarterback in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes, where he was a third-string quarterback in 2005 and then in 2006 became a wide receiver. In 2005, his rookie season in the CFL, Roberson tore his rotator cuff and was out for the season. He was released from the team in 2006.[18]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ell Roberson". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "ESPNMAG.com - As Dorsey goes, so goes the season". www.espn.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ a b Haskin, Kevin. "Trip in Time: 15 years ago, Ell Roberson engineers K-State past USC". Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "Kansas State vs. Arizona State - Game Summary - December 27, 2002 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "2002 Final Football Polls - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ a b c "KStateOnline.com - What if... Ell Roberson wasn't injured in 2003?". May 28, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "7 Kansas State The Wildcats are counting on a wiser Ell Roberson to lead them to their first Big 12 title--and maybe more". Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "ELL ROBERSON OUT". Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "Remember When Darren Sproles And Kansas State Smashed Oklahoma In The 2003 Big 12 Championship?". September 18, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "Kansas State Earns Big 12 Championship With 35-7 Win". Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ Big 12 Conference - Official Athletic Site Archived 2012-07-21 at archive.today
- ^ "SI.com - NCAA Football - K-State's Roberson accused of sexual assault - Thursday January 1, 2004 10:09PM". Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
- ^ "USATODAY.com - Prosecutors won't press charges against Roberson". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "No charge against Kansas State star, but scholarship lost". January 9, 2004. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "Roberson sorry". ESPN.com. January 9, 2004. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "Kansas State vs. Ohio State - Game Summary - January 2, 2004 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ "Snyder fumbles in star vs. rules". Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ Bittersweet 16: Alouettes make cuts Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine