![\"Bert](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SUT-L-azfoot-100404.jpg\")
Bert Robinson Sr. looks for great-grandson Bert Emanuel Jr. as Aztecs make their way to Snapdragon Stadium during the Warrior Walk on Friday, Oct. 03, 2025. (Hayne Palmour IV \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nBert Robinson Sr. remembers trying football.<\/p>\n
It was 1939 and Robinson was a 15-year-old at R.T. Coles Vocational High School in Kansas City, Mo. He stood 5-foot-7 and 140 pounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a friend,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cHe was fullback and I was halfback. At practice one time, they put him on defense. I came through the line and he lit me up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018Hey, I thought you were my friend.\u2019 He said, \u2018My coach told me to hit you.\u2019 I went up in the air and when I came down, boy, I\u2019ll tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robinson didn\u2019t elaborate on the extent of what happened when he touched the ground. What he did say is that baseball, basketball and bowling suddenly seemed like better pursuits.<\/p>\n
Not that Robinson, 99, isn\u2019t fond of football. In fact, he was at Snapdragon Stadium on Friday evening to watch his great-grandson, SDSU backup quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., take on Colorado State in San Diego State\u2019s\u00a0 Mountain West opener.<\/p>\n
Robinson arrived early to see Emanuel and his teammates and coaches as they stepped off buses adjacent to the River Park Block Party for the Warrior Walk into the stadium.<\/p>\n
Bert Robinson Sr. looks for great-grandson Bert Emanuel Jr. as Aztecs make their way to Snapdragon Stadium during the Warrior Walk on Friday, Oct. 03, 2025. (Hayne Palmour IV \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Later, he and Emanuel were able to have a moment together during pregame warmups.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s always been there for me, been supportive,\u201d Emanuel said after a recent practice. \u201cEspecially now. He\u2019s getting a little older. He\u2019s getting up there, for sure. .. I\u2019m definitely glad he\u2019s able to come out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked what he talks about with his great-grandfather when they\u2019re together, Emanuel said: \u201cJust life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you stay that healthy at that age and how do you be happy?\u201d Emanuel said. \u201cThat\u2019s one thing I want to be, I want to be able to look back and be happy with what I did, be happy with my life.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said take everything with a grain of salt and celebrate the small things. Don\u2019t put too much into stuff when it\u2019s not that big of a deal. Just know that God has a plan for you and everything is going to work out in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
What stands out to Robinson about his great-grandson?<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe he\u2019s gotten so big,\u201d Robinson said of the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Emanuel, who transferred from Central Michigan to SDSU over the winter. \u201cHe can run and, to me, he\u2019s a great ballplayer. Naturally, I\u2019m going to say that because he\u2019s my great-grandson. I\u2019m just proud he\u2019s there, getting an education.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"After](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SUT-L-azfoot-100403.jpg\")
After spending a few minutes together in the Snapdragon Stadium stands, San Diego State quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. shakes hands with his great-grandfather Bert Robinson Sr. before the Aztecs\u2019 game against Colorado State. (Hayne Palmour IV \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
As far as staying healthy, Robinson said he doesn\u2019t take vitamins.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever have,\u201d he said. You know what, I\u2019m only taking one pill. You know what that is? It\u2019s a thyroid pill. Take it every day. I\u2019m blessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never really drank alcohol. I\u2019ve tasted. \u2026 I wouldn\u2019t drink and I don\u2019t smoke. When I was a teenager, 18, I was playing cards once with this young lady. At one point, we went out on the porch and she was smoking a cigarette. She offered me one and I told her I didn\u2019t smoke. She said, \u2018I like my men to smoke.\u2019 I said, \u2018I guess I won\u2019t be one of your men.\u2019 That\u2019s the way it is.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom always told me to use my brain. Certain things I believe in and you\u2019re not going to make me do something I don\u2019t want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robinson remains active, bowling on Tuesday mornings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a 178 here (three weeks ago), and a 193,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cJust started back. Lost my wife three, four months ago and had been off. I\u2019m back in the groove again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has come within one pin of perfection, bowling a 299.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat 10 pin just eats me up,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
At his age, Robinson\u2019s not sure he can string together 11 strikes again and take another shot at it.<\/p>\n
Robinson has lived through the Great Depression, World War II (where he served in the Navy) and the turbulence of the 1960s \u2026 and that was before he hit middle age.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s changed the most in this country?<\/p>\n
\u201cPolitics,\u201d said Robinson, who was a carpenter. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not a politician. Too much politics. You can think the way you want, but live and let live. We need more love and appreciation for each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came up in a different world, but we made it. To be honest with you, I believe in God. He will prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Living such a long life, people inevitably ask Robinson the secret to longevity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, just try to live right and treat others like you want to be treated,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s my motto. Do unto others as you wish to be done to you. I\u2019ve had my ups and downs. I\u2019m not a saint. I\u2019m not perfect. Just try to live right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robinson believes it would be good if young people were still required to serve in the military when they came of age.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a young man goes in the service, it teaches him a lot,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cDiscipline. I\u2019ve seen the need for young men to be disciplined. Kids are raising themselves these days. A lot of the parents aren\u2019t doing a good job. They let them do what they want. I\u2019m a discipline person.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt teaches so much. It teaches you how to get along with everybody. Your fellow man is just like your brother. That\u2019s the way I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robinson turns 100 on Jan. 22. A party is planned for the milestone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said they\u2019re doing something,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cI\u2019m not doing anything. I\u2019m just proud to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He may have meant on this earth. Then again, on this night, seeing his great-grandson, maybe he meant Snapdragon Stadium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bert Robinson Sr. remembers trying football. It was 1939 and Robinson was a 15-year-old at R.T. Coles Vocational…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":276145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,1369,1370,3549,7264,18257,62,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-276144","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-college-sports","12":"tag-latest-headlines","13":"tag-san-diego","14":"tag-sandiego","15":"tag-sdsu-aztecs","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115313722347581901","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}