Tremaine Robarts (1923-1926)
Tremaine "Trim" Robarts played four years of varsity football at Marblehead High pool, 1923 through 1926. From 1935 through 1963, with the exception of several years of World War II service in the U.S. Coast Guard, he was on the Marblehead High School football coaching staff. Trim, in his final five years with the Marblehead schools, was the athletic director.
During his four years as a member of the Marblehead High football team, his weight averaged about 120 pounds, yet he scored seventeen touchdowns. He also made sizeable gains that set up other Marblehead scores. Trim's first touchdown for MHS occurred in the 1923 Gloucester game in which Marblehead romped to a 64-0 victory. In 1924, still only a substitute, Trim scored two touchdowns and had a successful conversion attempt. He scored one of Marblehead's four touchdowns in a 28-0 romp over Beverly. In that game he made the longest run, returning a punt 45 yards to the Beverly 5. In another game, he scored Marblehead's only touchdown against Amesbury, with the Headers winning on the strength of Russ Cunningham's field goal 9-7. Trim's touchdown at Amesbury was on a 30-yard runback of a pass interception. He scored his remaining point in 1924 on his successful conversion attempt against Winthrop. Marblehead won 21-0.
In 1925 Trim produced his greatest number of points as he registered nine touchdowns. Early in the season Marblehead blanked Woburn 58-0. Trim scored two touchdowns in this game - one was on a pass from Ray Smethurst that Trim caught on his own 20 and ran the remaining 80 yards. Trim scored both touchdowns in Marblehead's 12-0 win over Newburyport. His second came in the last minute of the game on a pass from Raymond "Mondo" Woodfin. In the same year, Marblehead defeated both Amesbury and Watertown handily. In Marblehead's 58-0 rout of Amesbury, Trim scored two touchdowns. While Marblehead was defeating Watertown 26-0, Trim helped set up one touchdown and scored another. "Mondo" Woodfin scored from the Watertown 12 after Trim had made a long run to that spot. Trim scored a touchdown from the Watertown 3. The score was set up on a long pass from Woodfin to Robarts. Marblehead shellacked Swampscott 53 to 0 that year. Trim scored Marblehead's first touchdown which was set up by two 30-yard runs by him. Just below the Marblehead/Swampscott game lineups in 1925, the Lynn Daily Item printed a feature, "Highlights of the Game," in which it stated, "Trim Robarts, already a genuine schoolboy star, will according to every indication be the leading actor on the Marblehead team of 1926. Robarts today is one of the finest players that any Marblehead team ever possessed."
Trim played his first three years of football under Coach Dale Jones. In 1926 Trim's senior year, Marshall Shearer became the mentor. Trim was the team's captain. and scored five touchdowns that season. In the Headers 7-0 win over Winthrop, Trim scored the game's only touchdown after catching a pass from Eustis at mid-field and running 50 yards for the score. In this game he had a punt return of 35 yards and several long runs. In a 13-12 win over Punchard High of Andover, Trim scored on a pass from Giles. He scored one of Marblehead's three touchdowns in 23-13 win over Newburyport. Trim scored two of Marblehead's three touchdowns at Saco, Maine, in a 19-6 triumph over Thornton Academy. Trim set up one touchdown with a 75 yard run. He later went in to score from 5 yards out and scored is second touchdown on a pass from Curtis. The third touchdown was scored by Dick Eustis. It was set up by a 45 run back of an intercepted pass by Trim, who made a leaping catch of the ball. Trim was accustomed to winning football at Marblehead. In 1923 the team was 5-3-2. In 1924 the Red and Black were 6-1-2. The 1925 season ended 5-3-1, while the 1926 campaign finished with 5-2-3 mark.
Robarts went from Marblehead High School to Cushing Academy where he captained the football and baseball teams before moving onto to Temple University. In 1935, nine years after his final season as a football player for MHS, Trim returned to his alma mater as an assistant football coach. He became an aide to Charlie McGuinnes when Marblehead's football was in its most publicized year. It was at that time that Marblehead's teams became known as the Magicians.
Trim was a vital part of Marblehead's coaching staff as an assistant and chief scout through 1963, with time out for service in the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII. He assumed the duties of acting head coach for 1939 season. In 1964 he was elected Marblehead's first athletic director and retired from that position in 1969.
In 1980, the new gymnasium at Marblehead High School was named after both Trim and his successor as Athletic Director, the late Jack Knight. Trim became the chairman of the executive board of newly-formed Marblehead Gridiron Club and was a member of several committees of that organization. He was unanimously elected to be the first inductee into the Club's Hall of Fame. Since the time Trim played his first game for Marblehead High School in 1923 he has never lost interest in the school's gridiron fortunes. He was a part of a winning era at Marblehead, both as a player and coach. He has, throughout life, had winning ways with people. The Gridiron Club's choice of its first inductee could not have been a better one. Trim passed away in 1986.
