Throwback Thursday: Martin Ruby

Martin Ruby played an important role in the All-America Football Conference. As a 6-4 and 250 pound tackle, he was physically large football player in the 1940s. More significantly, his signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers announced to all that the new league was serious about finding a ball and playing some games. Ruby, along with Glenn Dobbs, Jr., Bill Daley, and Jack Russell were the first players signed by the AAFC. All were stars in college. Individually and collectively, the signing of these players helped bring to life the All-America Football Conference.

Born in Lubbock Texas in 1922, Ruby would soon find a home on the football fields of Texas. Even by Texas standards, he was large. Texas A&M was beginning to enjoy national success when Ruby arrived on campus in 1939. He would help continue it. The Aggies earned a Cotton Bowl invitation following the 1940 season, beating Fordham 13-12. In 1941, Ruby was named the outstanding lineman of the Southwest Conference. His team again received an invitation to the Cotton Bowl, losing to Alabama 29-21. Ruby was sworn into the service at halftime and entered the Army Air Force. He attained the rank of captain and was awarded a Presidential Citation and two battle stars. He still found some time for football. Texas A&M had not beaten Texas since 1939. That is bitter for any Aggie. Playing for the Randolph Field Ramblers, Ruby got one more chance to beat Texas as well as play in one more Cotton Bowl. Randolph Field tied Texas in the 1944 Cotton Bowl. He played one final year of military football with the Hawaiian Flyers in 1945. Ruby was invited to play in several college all-star games, including the 1946 College All-Star game against the Cleveland Rams, the 1945 NFL Champions. The All-Stars defeated the Rams 16-0. Ruby finished second to Elroy Hirsch in voting for the most valuable player of the game and was named the most valuable lineman.

Ruby was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 5^th round of the 1942 NFL Draft. He did not play professional football until after the war. Passing on the Bears and the NFL, Ruby chose to sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers as one of the first players in the new league. Signing players of the quality of Ruby, Dobbs, Daley and Russell gave the AAFC a quick shot of legitimacy. The NFL may have even worried about the rival league for the first time. Ruby lived up to the high expectations by earning 1^st team All-AAFC in his first season in 1946. He went on to earn various All-AAFC team honors in each of the league’s four years. Despite individual success, Ruby and the Dodgers saw few wins. Brooklyn never won more than 3 games. In 1949, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees merged. The Yankees had been a solid team and considered Ruby to be the gem of the merger. This new team provided Ruby with his first professional team success. The Yankees-Dodgers finished third at 8-4, and earned a playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, the 49ers ended the season with a 21-7 defeat.

The AAFC folded after the 1949 season. The Cleveland Browns, 49ers, and Baltimore Colts moved into the NFL for the 1950 season. The remainder of the AAFC players entered the NFL through a draft. Ruby signed with New York Bulldogs. The Bulldogs soon became the Yankees and Ruby was again playing for a New York Yankees football team. He played only one year for the Yankees and the NFL and headed north. Ruby jumped to the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. At first, Ruby was a feared player in Canada through reputation. He quickly became a feared player through performance. After several unfortunate encounters, one opponent ended up grumbling, “I guess we gotta learn to live with him."  His excellent play north of the border resulted in his induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

Since 1950, the NFL can truly consider itself blessed by the games, players, coaches and championships of the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers. The players and performances of those teams have enhanced the NFL as much or more than any other teams. The life of the AAFC is a very significant happening. The NFL would not be the same without the competition that this upstart league provided from 1946-49, or without the teams and players that merged. The signings of Martin Ruby and his friends were the first steps on the path that the AAFC took to change professional football.