Robert B. Pool

Pool began his lacrosse career with the Mount Washington Juniors from 1921-23. He continued playing at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute where he was a member of its championship teams of 1924-27.

Pool played for St. John's College in Annapolis from 1928-32. The Johnnies, not yet members of the USILA, won the national open championship in 1929 with a 13-0 record. Pool was selected as an Honorable Mention All-American that same year. St. John's joined the USILA at the end of the 1929 season, and in 1930, after outscoring their opponents 102-13, earned the distinction of USILA national champion. Pool was awarded first team All-America honors in 1930. Undefeated again in 1931, the Johnnies repeated as USILA champions and also won the Lally Cup Series between Canada and the U.S. As team captain of the 1931 Johnnies, Pool led the USILA in scoring and earned First-Team All-America honors again in 1931. He scored four of the five goals that led St. John's over Canada in the 1931 Lally Cup Series.

Pool played professional box lacrosse in Canada in 1931-32. He returned to Baltimore and played for the newly-formed American Box Lacrosse League in 1932, the only season the league existed.Pool began his coaching career at Harvard University in 1932, defeating Yale for the first time in 17 years. He also coached for two-year periods at Poly and the Friends School in Baltimore.Pool designed, manufactured, and patented lacrosse helmets and sticks to improve the skills of players. He designed a double-wall stick, "The Bobby Pool Special," and an earless helmet in the late 1930s. His stick design became a concept model for the double wall plastic sticks approved for use by the NCAA in 1971.

Bobby Pool passed away in 1991.