M Club Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1987
Percy Roberts played football for former head coach Ralph Hatley after World War II. A native Memphian, Roberts became part of the first football team after the war and was instrumental in helping Tiger football join the ranks of the major programs in the country. Working as a guard, Roberts lettered as a freshman and scored his first career touchdown in the Tigers win over Austin Peay. The ‘47 squad, which featured just 38 players, finished the season with a 6-2-1 record. In 1948 Roberts, who also lettered as a sprinter for the track team, again lettered in football and played a major role in the teams success. He scored a touchdown in the win over Athens College and helped the team to a 13-7 win over a Johnny Unitas led Louisville squad. Tiger football reached the national level in 1949 when the team posted a 9-1-0 record and had a win over Kansas State University. Roberts, a Marine veteran of World War II, left the University in 1950 to serve in the Korean War but returned to play his senior season in 1951. He was voted co-captain of the 1951 team and was voted the recipient of the Jim Thorpe Athletic Trophy. Roberts was a member of the Delta Kappa Leadership Fraternity and served three years as a student government officer. Roberts passed away in 2008.
