Robin Stubbs

Robin Gregory Stubbs was born on 22 April 1941 in Quinton, Birmingham, England. He joined the youth system at Birmingham City, his hometown club, in 1956 and signed professional terms in 1958.

Stubbs scored 17 goals in 61 league games for Birmingham City between 1958 and 1963, playing in both the First and Second Divisions and in the early rounds of the club's Inter-Cities Fairs Cup runs of 1958 to 1960 and 1960 to 1961, though not in either final.

In the summer of 1963 Torquay United paid a club record 6,000 pounds to sign him. He scored 24 league goals in his first season and 39 in league and cup in 1964-65, including five in one match against Newport County in October 1963. In January 1965 his two late goals earned Torquay a 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup third round, and he scored in the replay at White Hart Lane. Under manager Frank O'Farrell, Torquay won promotion in 1966 and then finished seventh, fourth and sixth in the Third Division.

In 1969 he moved to Bristol Rovers, where he scored 32 goals in 93 league games and was top scorer in 1969-70 and 1970-71. In October 1970 he became the first Rovers player to score four goals in an away league match, in a 4-1 win at Gillingham. He returned to Torquay in February 1972 in an exchange deal involving John Rudge and retired in 1973 after a persistent knee injury. In total he scored 133 goals in 263 appearances for Torquay, second only to Sammy Collins on the club's all time scoring list.

Stubbs married Anthea Redfern in Torquay; she later married Bruce Forsyth and became his co-host on the BBC's The Generation Game. After retiring from football he worked in the office equipment and stationery business and settled in Torquay with his wife Joanne and their family. Dave Thomas of the Torbay Weekly recalled that he overcame a series of health issues and remained cheerful and fond of golf and tennis.

Robin Stubbs died on 25 October 2026 at the age of 85. Torquay United announced his death that day. Co-chairman Michael Westcott said he was one of the greatest players ever to wear the yellow shirt and that his goals, pace and excitement made him a hero to generations of supporters. The Bristol Rovers Supporters Club also paid tribute. The cause of death was not made public.

Stubbs is remembered at Plainmoor as "The Prince of Plainmoor", and supporters once sang "We all live in a Robin Stubbsmarine" to the tune of the Beatles hit. Torquay fans chose him in the 2007 PFA Fans' Favourites poll, and in January 2020 the club appointed him Honorary Life President. Only Sammy Collins has scored more goals for the club.