WINNIPEG --- Former Tusculum University wide receiver Joe Robustelli became a part of sports history last Sunday as his Saskatchewan Roughriders won the 112th Grey Cup in Winnepeg. The Roughriders (12-6) claimed its fourth overall Canadian Football League title and first since 2013 with a 25-17 victory over Montreal.
Robustelli appeared in 12 games for Saskatchewan and recorded 38 receptions for 544 yards and three touchdowns.
Robustelli played the 2023 season for the Pioneers where he recorded 20 catches for 475 yards and six touchdowns to help Tusculum to a South Atlantic Conference Mountain Division crown and a berth in the SAC Championship Game.
He appeared in eight games for the Pioneers and averaged a team-best 23.8 yards per catch which is the fifth-best average in program history.
He made five catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns in Tusculum's 27-21 win at Carson-Newman during that 2023 season. He followed with two receptions for 114 yards in a home win over UVA Wise which included a 73-yard TD catch. He tallied four receptions for a season-best 127 yards and two touchdowns including his 68-yard score in the fourth quarter at Emory & Henry.
Robustelli, who majored in communications, was a member of the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
Robustelli becomes the second TU football alum to hoist the Grey Cup. Former TU cornerback Dee Alford helped the Winnipeg Blue Bombers win the CFL crown in 2021 before signing with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
