Few men in the history of athletics at Lafayette were
able to make such a dramatic impact on two sports as was Fred
"Peck" Robbins, an Easton native. Robbins was perhaps best
known for his feats as a fireballing southpaw pitcher on
legendary Charley Gelbert's Leopard baseball teams of the late
1940's. Peck also made his mark as a high-scoring halfback
on the varsity football team.
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A 1944 graduate of Easton High
School, Robbins scampered for five touchdowns in a 64-0
slaughter of Lehigh in the fall of his freshman year. He was a
major reason the Leopards finished 6-1 that season under head
coach Ben Wolfson. After a stint in the U.S. Army following
his induction into the service during his sophomore year, he
also played for the 6-3 Leopards' football team in 1947 under
Ivy Williamson. A second-team All-America pitcher, Robbins
captained the 1949 Lafayette baseball team, and also posted a
sensational 1.62 earned run average as a senior. During his
junior year, Robbins led Lafayette into the NCAA
championship finals, the equivalent of the modern College
World Series.
