As president of the USOC during the 1968 Summer Olympics, he expelled African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos after their raised-fist Black Power salute during a medal ceremony.

[1] Roby was born in Port Tobacco, Maryland,[2] and grew up in Chicago, Illinois where he attended Wendell Phillips High School.

[3] The Phillips "Haymakers" defeated Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns, gaining a reputation as "one of the strongest teams in the southwest.

"[8] In February 1920, Roby transferred to the University of Michigan,[3] where he worked his way through college by racking balls in a billiards parlor six hours a day.

[citation needed] Roby joined the American Metal Products Company, a Detroit-based automotive parts manufacturer in 1926, and retired as board chairman in 1963.

When Detroit was selected over Los Angeles as the USOC's proposed site for the 1968 Summer Olympics, IOC member John Garland from California declined to support the American bid.

He was quite hurt that Detroit prevailed over Los Angeles in the competition before the American Olympic Committee for the right to bid for the games.

The protest involved African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised black-gloved fists and bowed their heads while "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played during a medal ceremony.

[9][13] Roby had called the USOC executive board into session immediately after the protest; they issued a two-page statement apologizing to the IOC and the Mexican hosts for the act, saying no action was planned but hinting that no further demonstrations would be tolerated.

"[14] Other accounts have confirmed that the USOC refused to ban the two but gave in when the IOC threatened to expel the entire US track team.

[14] Roby later defended the decision in an interview with The New York Times, saying: We suppressed the demonstrators because we felt if we let it go it would get progressively worse, it would become a tip-off to others, white as well as black.

Roby wrote: At one point, I personally was in favor of disqualifying you and your crew for acts grossly unbecoming to members of our Olympic team.

I am now glad I did not encourage such a harsh action for I feel that the miserable performance of you and your crew at Mexico City will stand as a permanent record against you and the athletes which you led.

Certainly serious intellectual degeneration has taken place in this once great University if you and several members of your crew are examples of the type of men that are within its walls.