Oberlin College Athletics

Hugh Robertson was an Oberlin soccer player and pioneer of the men’s lacrosse program during his war-interrupted Yeomen athletics career, which began in 1939 and concluded in 1950.

In addition to playing four years of soccer, Robertson left a legacy in a sport he truly loved, lacrosse. In 1941 he organized the first collegiate lacrosse game west of the Alleghenies and captained the lacrosse club, which played an additional three games that year before being suspended due to World War II. After serving as a naval officer in the war, Robertson returned to Oberlin College and worked to reactivate the lacrosse club, serving as both a player and a coach from 1948-1950 while doing graduate work at Oberlin.

Robertson’s contributions to Oberlin were not limited to the athletics fields, as he was extremely active in numerous student media organizations including service as the business manager of the college newspaper, the college pictorial magazine, and the college literary magazine. He also served as the campus correspondent to both the Cleveland Press and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

After graduation from Oberlin, Robertson worked as a reporter and photographer for the Cleveland Press, where he won the American Newspaper Guild Award. He subsequently formed a consulting company that focused on professional management and sales training, and he was a frequent contributor to professional and business publications.

Robertson passed away in November, 2008. The 2009 men’s lacrosse team dedicated their season in his honor.