| Date of birth: | January 19, 1945 |
| Place of birth: | Everett, Massachusetts |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Wide receiver |
| College: | Harvard University |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1967-1968 | Boston Patriots |
Bobby Leo is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for two seasons for the Boston Patriots.[1] He was a legendary figure on the high school gridiron in Everett, Massachusetts. In 1999, the Boston Globe ranked the 10 best Massachusetts High School football players of all time, and Leo ranked 3rd on the list, behind only Harry Agganis of Lynn Classical and Ed Brickley, also of Everett. Given that both of those two had passed away before Leo played his high school ball, he can lay claim to be the best living high school football player in Massachusetts history for the past 40 plus years.
His play at Everett caught the attention of scouts from all the big name schools at the time, and Leo was offered scholarships to Notre Dame, Michigan, and others after his Everett squad lost a one-point game to Miami Senior High in the "National Championship" game his senior year after capturing the state title.
Leo chose to attend Harvard, where his legendary running earned him countless awards and he became the first and only player to score the winning touchdown in the Harvard-Yale game in each of his three varsity seasons (freshman were not eligible to play varsity in the Ivy League at the time). He also starred in baseball and track at Harvard as he had at Everett High School. A Sports Illustrated article in their 10/31/1966 issue lavished praise on Leo after a big victory against Dartmouth. Leo earned All-Ivy honors, was named the top back in New England, and was an honorable mention All-American. He is a member of the Harvard Hall of Fame.
He went on to be drafted by the Boston Patriots and, after serving a brief stint in the military, joined the team mid season in 1967. His first game was a memorable one. On national television against the Buffalo Bills, Leo was the primary kick and punt returning for the Patriots, and he electrified the crowd at Fenway Park with one of the 10 longest punt returns in the AFL that season. Later in the game, he took his first handoff from the running back slot for 7 yards, and his first reception was a 25 yard touchdown pass.
The following season he was slotted to be one of the Patriots primary wide receivers, but an injury in a preseason practice set him back and he appeared only briefly for the Patriots in the regular season before decided to retire to attend law school.