Royce Goodbread
Encyclopedia
Royce Ethelbert Goodbread (August 23, 1907 – May 19, 1991) was an American college and professional football
player who was a halfback
and wingback
in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons in the early 1930s. Goodbread played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Frankford Yellow Jackets
, the Minneapolis Red Jackets and the Providence Steam Roller
of the NFL.
in 1907, and attended St. Petersburg High School
in St. Petersburg, Florida
, and he played for the St. Petersburg Green Devils high school football
team.
, where he played for coach Tom Sebring
and coach Charlie Bachman
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1927 to 1929. In Goodbread's three seasons as a member of the Gators varsity
, the team posted win-loss records of 7–3, 8–1 and 8–2—a three-year peak for the Gators which they would not equal or exceed for over six decades. Goodbread was a key member of the Gators' "Phantom Four" offensive backfield that included Carl Brumbaugh
, Rainey Cawthon and Clyde Crabtree
, when the 1928 Gators set a national record of 336 points scored in a season and finished 8–1, losing only to the Tennessee Volunteers
in Knoxville
by a single point, 13–12.
Goodbread graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in physical education in 1930.
and one game for the Minneapolis Red Jackets, and starting in a total of ten of them. In the following season, he played in four games for the Providence Steam Roller
and started in two of them.
Goodbread died in Dallas, Texas
on May 19, 1991; he was 83 years old.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
and wingback
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons in the early 1930s. Goodbread played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Frankford Yellow Jackets
Frankford Yellow Jackets
The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, though its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926...
, the Minneapolis Red Jackets and the Providence Steam Roller
Providence Steam Roller
The Providence Steam Roller was a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football League from 1925 to 1931. Providence was the first New England team to win an NFL championship...
of the NFL.
Early years
Goodbread was born in Crystal River, FloridaCrystal River, Florida
Crystal River is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,485 at the 2000 census. . According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 3,539. The city was incorporated in 1903 and is the self professed "Home of the Manatee"....
in 1907, and attended St. Petersburg High School
St. Petersburg High School
St. Petersburg High School, founded in 1898, is a secondary school located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school's current building, a historic landmark, was built in 1926 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The school was billed as the nation's first million dollar...
in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, and he played for the St. Petersburg Green Devils high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
team.
College career
After graduating from high school, Goodbread attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Tom Sebring
Harold Sebring
Harold Leon "Tom" Sebring was a Florida Supreme Court justice, and an American judge at the Nuremberg Trials of German war criminals after World War II. Sebring was a native of Kansas and an alumnus of Kansas State Agricultural College...
and coach Charlie Bachman
Charlie Bachman
Charles William "Charlie" Bachman, Jr. was an American college football player and head coach. Bachman was an Illinois native and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, where he played college football...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
teams from 1927 to 1929. In Goodbread's three seasons as a member of the Gators varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
, the team posted win-loss records of 7–3, 8–1 and 8–2—a three-year peak for the Gators which they would not equal or exceed for over six decades. Goodbread was a key member of the Gators' "Phantom Four" offensive backfield that included Carl Brumbaugh
Carl Brumbaugh
Carl Lowry Brumbaugh was an American college and professional football player who was a quarterback and halfback in the National Football League for nine seasons in the 1930s...
, Rainey Cawthon and Clyde Crabtree
Clyde Crabtree
"Cannonball" Clyde Crabtree was an American college and professional football player who was a halfback and quarterback in the National Football League for a single season in 1930...
, when the 1928 Gators set a national record of 336 points scored in a season and finished 8–1, losing only to the Tennessee Volunteers
1928 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1928 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1928 college football season. Robert Neyland served his third year as head coach of the Volunteers. The 1928 Vols went 9–0–1 with a record of 6–0–1 in the Southern Conference. The...
in Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
by a single point, 13–12.
Goodbread graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in physical education in 1930.
Professional career
During the NFL season, Goodbread played in thirteen games for the Frankford Yellow JacketsFrankford Yellow Jackets
The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, though its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926...
and one game for the Minneapolis Red Jackets, and starting in a total of ten of them. In the following season, he played in four games for the Providence Steam Roller
Providence Steam Roller
The Providence Steam Roller was a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football League from 1925 to 1931. Providence was the first New England team to win an NFL championship...
and started in two of them.
Goodbread died in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
on May 19, 1991; he was 83 years old.
See also
- Defunct National Football League franchises
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1920–1929
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of University of Florida alumni