After breaking receiving records at SIU, Justin Roebuck excelling as IT product manager

CARBONDALE, Ill. — As a kid growing up on the west side of Chicago, Saluki wide receiver Justin Roebuck (1989-92) loved playing tackle football with his friends at Humboldt Park.

At the same time, he learned the hard way that academics needed to take priority in his life. His mom insisted that he maintain a 3.0 GPA to play football in high school, and after missing that mark by a fraction of a point, Roebuck was not allowed to play during his freshman year.

After boosting his grades, Roebuck went on to become an all-city and all-conference selection at Whitney Young High School, and signed with Southern Illinois, where he ultimately broke the school’s receiving records set by NFL great Kevin House.

Roebuck caught 120 passes for 1,809 yards at SIU.

Roebuck led the Salukis in receiving in 1991 and 1992 and was an all-conference pick both seasons. He finished his career with 120 catches and 1,809 receiving yards — both records — plus 10 touchdown catches.

Roebuck earned his degree in Business Management and is now an Information Technology veteran and product manager for AF Group Commercial Insurance in Lansing, Michigan. He also serves on the SIU Alumni Association’s National Board of Directors.

StrongDawgs conversation with Justin Roebuck

SD: When did you first fall in love with the game of football?

JR: Growing up in Chicago, I was a huge Bears fan. I go back to the days of Bob Avellini and Walter Payton. Walter Payton was an inspirational player as I was growing up. My love for playing football started as a neighborhood thing. We played at Humboldt Park, and we just had neighborhood football rivalries, where it would be like, I'm on the Sacramento block, and the other kids are on the Mozart block, and we would get together at the park and play tackle football without pads.

I never played organized football until my sophomore year at Whitney Young High School. The story behind it — my mom told me if I didn't have a 3.0 GPA coming out of eighth grade that I would not be allowed to play my freshman year. I got a 2.95, and it was a valuable lesson that I learned about being responsible.

SD: So your mom was pretty hard-nosed about not rounding that 2.95 up to 3.0.

JR: God rest her soul. She made me the man I am today. It was a valuable lesson and it really got me ready for life at an early age and doing what is asked of you.

SD: You also ran track. Do you think that was beneficial for your football career?

JR: Absolutely. My coach, Ed Wallace, was a legendary track coach in Chicago, taught me plyometrics before plyometrics was really a big thing. He was ahead of his time. He helped me with my vertical and my straight-line speed. I wasn't in love with track but I was in love and fascinated with becoming a better football player.

Roebuck redshirted at SIU in 1988 in coach Rick Rhoades wishbone offense.

SD: How did you end up on SIU’s recruiting radar?

JR: The coaches were looking at tape on our center. His name was Walt Marshall, and while they were recruiting Walt, they saw some tape of me. I was recruited by the great Ray Dorr. He comes into our home wearing this big national championship ring. He convinced me and my best friend, Roger Lewis, that SIU was the best option for us.

SD: So you were recruited by Ray Dorr, but you ended up playing for Bob Smith.

JR: Never played a down for Ray. Got down there in 1988 and the coach was a gentleman by the name of Rick Rhoades. They ran the wishbone offense and actually tried me out at quarterback. I had no interest in being 5-foot-9, 180 pounds and playing quarterback at a DI school. I always wanted to be a receiver. That's always been my passion. Growing up, Lynn Swann was my favorite receiver that I emulated because of the way he jumped up and caught the ball and made tough catches.

The Rick Rhoades era was short-lived. Bob Smith came in and we ran a pro-style offense, and I was able to play receiver. Bob Callahan, who is now one of the most revered offensive line coaches in the NFL, was our offensive coordinator, and he literally was amazing. Our defense was a little on the lower side of the spectrum, so we used to have to come in and try and save the day with the offense many times. We were called the “Rescue Squad,” and our two-minute offense was just lethal. Scott Gabbert, my quarterback, broke a lot of records.

Scott Gabbert (left) and Justin Roebuck (right)

SD: Brian Downey also took quite a few snaps at quarterback during your career, correct?

JR: Yeah, there was some back-and-forth between Scott and Brian. Brian came in and he had a rocket arm, I'll never forget that. I preferred Scott, that's my guy. Scott was a dual-threat athlete, so there may have been some scenarios where he got hurt, that caused Brian to play, but I did catch passes from both of them. Both quarterbacks were solid, but Scott's just my guy.

SD: In 1991, the team finished 7-4, won its first five games, beat a couple of ranked teams. What are your memories from that season?

JR: That was a magical year and I can honestly say that the team always believed in themselves. Everything just kind of clicked and our offense was amazing. Me, Scott, (RB) Greg Brown, (WR) Billy Swain, Doug Amaya as our tight end, as well. We got off to a 5-0 start, and even in the games that we lost, it came down to the wire. We just weren't able to get that one extra victory so that we could make it to the playoffs.

The most interesting thing about that time was just seeing how McAndrew Stadium became packed. That fifth game was standing-room only, and that was one of the best feelings ever during those five years that I was at SIU. I vividly remember looking up at the east side of the stadium and it was completely packed.

SD: You set the school record for career receptions and receiving yards. How proud are you of that accomplishment?

JR: At one point in time, I was the greatest receiver in the history of SIU. Besides getting married and having our kids, I can honestly say that that accomplishment is the one thing that I hold on to. My goal was to improve every year and to have more catches, more yards, and hopefully, more victories, than the previous year. Never in a million years did I think I would become the all-time lead receiver.

I’m a Bears fan, and I used to watch (Tampa Bay/SIU receiver) Kevin House torch us. I used to not like Kevin House because he would give the Bears the business. To be able to break his records, that was an out-of-body experience for me, having watched him play in the NFL and finding out who he was as a person.

Roebuck with Saluki Hall of Famer and NFL star Jeremy Chinn

SD: You played during an era between the ’83 team that won the title and the Jerry Kill era that brought the program back to prominence. Do you ever feel like your era is overlooked?

JR: Yeah, I do consider us kind of the lost era, and that's fine, because our program reached the height of being national champions, and then went into kind of a down cycle, and then you come back up under Kill. I'm a big fan of Jerry Kill, a cancer survivor, an amazing coach who turned the program into what it is today, a recognized top 25 FCS team year-in and year-out.

Thinking back on my era, where you might not be as successful as you intended to be, you still put in the work, you still grind, and you still try to do the best for the program. There's still the perspective of carrying the program so that you can see the better days.

SD: What are your thoughts on players getting paid in today’s era of college football?

JR: To see the growth of the game from when I was playing, to this NIL stuff, it seems like NCAA football has turned this into a business, and I'm a very business-oriented person, and I love the opportunity that's being provided. I just wish they would put more guardrails around what's happening with NIL and have it make sense. I mean, it's good that you can make millions of dollars. I'm not knocking that. God bless. But there needs to be some guidance around how that's done, financial advisors, consultants, people that can help these kids manage these situations.

Let me give you a shout-out for what you're doing with StrongDawgs, with trying to raise money for NIL, giving the program exposure through your publication that’s helping us get some good recruits, like the (DJ) Williams kid. He is amazing. I love watching him, man. He's like a smaller version of Michael Vick.

The Roebuck family

SD: Tell us a little bit about your life after SIU, your career and family.

JR: I've been in IT for 25 years, and it's a challenging field. I love IT. I’ve had positions of leadership. I've been director, I’ve been vice president and it's been a great career.

I’m also a member of the SIU Board of Directors for the Alumni Association, and it’s great to see the university is still thriving and doing the things it needs to do to support the kids. I'm very passionate about that. I'm happy to be on the board and serve SIU. It has been very rewarding.

I've been married for 26 years to my lovely wife, Marlo, and life is good. I have no complaints. I have two adult kids. One is in New York and one is in DC. They graduated from Michigan and Michigan State and I'm very proud of them.

I just want to keep being an example to other people about the things that you can do through the strength and the blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the reason that I'm able to be in the position that I am.