Robert Healy III, like every young athlete, aspired to be recognized as one of the best in his sport. At the end of January, that dream will become a reality — twice.
The former standout football and track and field athlete will be joining Duquesne University and Baldwin High School’s athletics halls of fame Jan. 30 and Feb. 6, respectively.
“So obviously, every athlete at any level would want to be in an organization’s hall of fame,” Healy said. “So I can’t pretend it’s not super cool.
“People use the word humbled incorrectly all the time,” he continued. “I’m not humbled at all. I’m very flattered by it. … So to be considered one of the greatest in history is incredibly flattering, and I’m not going to just brush it aside as if it’s a minor thing.”
That it’s not a minor thing is true, especially considering what Healy was able to accomplish as a member of the Duquesne football team.
During his tenure with the Dukes, his team went 23-0 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, capturing four-straight conference titles and winning the 2003 Division I-AA Mid-Major National Championship. Those four years coincided with 14 years of dominance by Duquesne, which won 39 consecutive conference games — the modern-day FBS and FCS record. Individually, Healy was a two-time all-conference offensive lineman.
After graduation, Healy decided to return to Duquesne to pursue his master’s degree. With football in the rearview, he shifted his focus to track and field.
“(Now I had a year) there where I only had to focus on track finally,” Healy said. “So, looking at the guys who were returning and what they had accomplished the year before, and looking at our own record book, I thought I can do some things if I make some changes and I make some track-specific training and some goals.”
When the 2006 outdoor season arrived, Healy was prepared to deliver some record-breaking performances. At the Atlantic 10 championship meet, Healy medaled in the discus, shot put and hammer throw. His silver performance in the shot put (15.97 meters) was the Duquesne record for 16 years. His gold performance in the discus (48.96 meters) still stands as the second-best mark in school history.
While Healy’s induction into the Duquesne Hall of Fame should not come as a surprise, given his resume, he was caught off guard when he got a similar call from Baldwin.
“Well, I will say the Baldwin honor was a bit of a surprise because I don’t think I was half the player in high school, football-wise, that I was in college,” he said. “And the reason is, I came to football as an 11th grader. I didn’t start playing football until I was a junior in high school.”
Even so, Healy was a member of the 1999 Highlanders team that won the school’s first and only section championship, which they shared with Mt. Lebanon. Individually, he was an all-state and all-district performer in the discus and shot put. Those accomplishments solidified his nomination for the 2026 class, where he will be joining three other individual athletes and one coach.
He said his greatest achievement, though, was winning the 2006 Atlantic 10 Student Athlete of the Year.
“To have the honor that I’m good at both (athletics and academics), I mean that’s awesome,” he said. “Like, it sure would have been great to be the national champion in one of these (throwing events), don’t get me wrong. But to be top notch in both … that, to me, was the coolest honor to feel like I was getting the university experience, which is to be universal … to be well-rounded.”
Healy views his induction into his alma maters’ halls of fame as an example of living out that well-rounded lifestyle, which could serve as inspiration for future generations.
“To me, it’s really nice to know that, like this honor, for example, allows me to be remembered for doing these things,” he said. “And if that can serve as some sort of inspiration for other people, I think that’s terrific, that’s great. That, in and of itself, is a reward to me.”