Joseph Robbie*

Joseph Robbie was born in Sisseton, South Dakota, in 1916. His father was a Lebanese immigrant, and his mother was a second-generation descendant of Irish and Swiss pioneers. His father managed the town's café and pool hall. His mother worked at the café as a waitress and pastry cook.

During the Great Depression, the family lost the café, and Robbie's father became a night watchman. Robbie took a year off from high school to serve in the Civilian Conservation Corps to help his family. In 1935, he graduated with honors from high school and then went on to Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen. He began studying law at the University of South Dakota, but enlisted in the U.S. Navy when the United States entered World War II.

After the war, Robbie used the GI bill to finish law school, and he became a successful trial lawyer in Mitchell, South Dakota. At age 33, he entered politics and was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives. In the early 1950s, after an unsuccessful bid for governor of South Dakota, Robbie became head of the Office of Price Stabilization for four states.

In 1965, Robbie became the first owner of the Miami Dolphins football team, and in 1987, he built the $115 million Joe Robbie Stadium with private funds.