Bob Waldorf ’s love of football began at home: the Waldorfs were a true football family. Father Ernest Lynn Waldorf played football, was captain of Syracuse’s baseball team and later became a Methodist bishop. His four sons, Lynn, John, Paul, and Bob played football and all become college coaches. Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf led the University of California Bears from 1947-56, his teams qualified for three consecutive Rose Bowls earning him election in 1966 to the National Football Hall of Fame. Brother John became one of the most renowned football officials, was supervisor of officials for the Big Eight Conference, chaired the NCAA Football Rules Committee and was first official elected to College Football Hall of Fame.

No doubt, younger brother Bob learned football under the shadow of formidable goalposts. As a member of the 1935 New Trier High School football team, he and his teammates captured the Illinois State Championship and the eye of collegiate scouts. The following season Waldorf played the position of guard for the University of Missouri where in 1939, the Mizzou Tigers won the Big-Six Title and played Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. His gridiron prowess earned first-team honors by all selections and second-team honors by the Associated Press All-Bowl team, and 28 minutes of play in the 1940 college All-Star game vs. the Green Bay Packers.

Armed with an economics degree and plenty of game-day experience, Waldorf held coaching positions at Simpson College, Iowa and Marquette universities prior to directing health and physical education programs for the Army during WWII. After the War, he took up high school coaching in Michigan, then Virginia before stepping forward in 1957 to join the College as the Green Terror Athletic Director and Head Football coach.

Waldorf inherited a young, inexperienced team and he worked diligently with the squad to mold them into a winning combination. By the third season, the Green Terror had chalked up the Mason-Dixon Championship although it was shared in 1960 with Randolph-Macon. The following year Waldorf’s team had won the Mason-Dixon outright with seven wins, and two losses.

 In 1962, the Green Terror battled their way to another Mason-Dixon championship and tied for first in the Middle Atlantic Conference. With well-earned confidence, the Waldorfmen’s next season proved to be one for the record books.

According to the Aloha yearbook, 60 football candidates including 20 freshmen—and 11 championship lettermen— reported Sept. 3, 1963 for preseason training camp. The season proved to be memorable for Hoffa field fans as the team ran off with the Middle Atlantic Southern Division crown and Mason-Dixon Conference championship, and also produced the Mason-Dixon’s MVP in senior quarterback Torry Confer.

Waldorf wrapped up his eight season with a 4-5 record for a total record of 40 wins. He left the College in 1965 and returned to Alexandria, Va. where he coached Fort Hunt High School teams to championships in 1965 and ’66. Having earned a master’s degree in Education at American University, he was able to complete his doctorate at George Washington while serving as a guidance counselor at Fort Hunt. He retired in 1983 and was invited back to the Hill in 1990 and inducted into the Green Terror Sports Hall of Fame.

Those young athletes he coached remember Waldorf for his high standard of conduct, both on and off the field. It was said that while he was passionate about football, he genuinely fostered the educational values of the College and practiced a lifelong commitment to excellence.