Dave Robinson wasn’t just a linebacker, he was a force of nature on the field! Drafted in the first round by Vince Lombardi’s Packers in ’63, Robinson’s portfolio is unmatched. He played primarily for the Green Bay Packers (1963–1972), and later he joined the Washington Redskins (1973–1974). As he stacked up three NFL Championships, two Super Bowl wins, and a strong legacy, it turned the fans’ attention towards his source of strength. And, it was undeniably his late wife, Elaine Robinson.

Elaine has been the driving force, helping him make the crucial decisions of his life. She especially influenced Dave’s choice to join the Packers over the Bills in 1963. And, now, despite the tough loss of his wife to a stroke, Dave Robinson continues to keep her memory alive.

Who was Elaine Robinson?

Let’s take it back to 1957. At Moorestown High School in New Jersey, Dave was a hall monitor and athlete, while Elaine was the “new girl.” Right from the start, she made her feelings clear. “I hate football,” she told him. “And I can’t stand football players,” as recounted by Steve Doerschuk in his 2013 article for The Repository. Cold, right? But Dave never let that stop him—he showed the same persistence off the field as he did on it.

One school dance, one basketball state title, and one perfectly timed kiss later—March 22 became a date forever etched in history for this beautiful couple. After six years of dating—two in high school and four long-distance while Dave handled business at Penn State—Elaine kept their connection alive. When they married in 1963, she became the rock of their growing family.

Together, they raised three sons: David, Richard, and Robert. “She was my partner in everything. I miss her so much,” Dave said. Elaine was a guiding presence throughout his life, even when he was signing with the Packers. “I called my fiancée from a Gator Bowl practice and said, ‘Baby, we’re going to sunny San Diego,’” Dave recalled in a Pro Football Hall of Fame article.

But that wasn’t what she wanted. She “had been to Buffalo and knew how cold it was,” Dave added. So, Green Bay it was. It wasn’t an easy transition—at the time, there were only a few Black families in the area. As they faced subtle racism, Elaine stood strong. “It was never so much what they said,” Dave remembered. “But the way they said it.” Still, Elaine never flinched. With the support of Ruth Pitts, another trailblazing wife in the Packers circle, she made it home. And with Dave, she built the Robinson legacy.

Dave Robinson honors his late wife Elaine

Now here’s where it gets heavy. In May 2007, Elaine passed away after suffering a stroke. Adding to the grief, just months later, their eldest son Richard died of a heart attack. Robert, their middle son, had passed in 2001 from kidney failure. “It was a helluva year. Somebody told me the Lord only gives us what we think we can handle. I hope He didn’t miscalculate, because He was kickin’ my butt.” That was truly devastating.

Fast forward to 2013, it was when Dave finally received the Hall of Fame call. With his surviving son, David, by his side, he made the first toast to Elaine. “She’s the love of my life,” he said. “I’m disappointed that this comes after the loss of my wife,” he told the Burlington County Times in 2013. Dave didn’t chase Canton for the gold jacket, he did it for Elaine. “The real reason I wanted to be in the Hall of Fame is I wanted to do it for my wife. Money and all that means nothing,” he said.

That year would’ve been their 50th anniversary. As he stood on the stage, with his son David presenting him, he added another heartfelt note to it. He said, “When I’m on that stage, it’ll be me, the bust, and my entire family,” he said. So, Elaine went on from being a girl who hated football to being memorialised for eternity through the legacy of the football legend.