Because of financial setbacks during his childhood, the family lived in rugged conditions, having no electricity, toilet or bathtub.

[10] At Tech, he played first-string quarterback for the Bulldogs, ahead of Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw,[11][12] the first overall pick in the 1970 NFL draft.

When he arrived at Tech in 1966, Bradshaw caused a media frenzy on account of his reputation of being a football sensation from nearby Shreveport.

He'd come to practice directly from the woods, squirrel tails hanging out of his pockets, duck feathers on his clothes.

"[16] When Paul Harvey[citation needed] approached Robertson with a recruitment to play professionally for the Washington Redskins, he declined because football conflicted with his hunting.

[17] Today, the company of Duck Commander is a multimillion-dollar business, headed by his son, Willie Robertson.

Robertson was featured in Steve Bannon's film Torchbearer,[21] in which he talks about the absurdity of life without God, using events like The Holocaust to illustrate the point.

The film details the tumultuous early life of Robertson, his wife, and their family until 1985, before their Duck Dynasty fame.

Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won't inherit the kingdom of God.

Robertson said that he does not judge anyone, but leaves that up to God saying,[2][26][27][28] "We just love 'em, give 'em the good news about Jesus—whether they're homosexuals, drunks, terrorists.

[29] After a strong backlash from supporters, including a Facebook page that accumulated 1.5 million likes and statements from political figures condemning the move,[30][31] A&E lifted the suspension before any episode was affected.

In a half-hour speech to CPAC, Robertson asserted that STDs are the legacy of Nazis, communists, beatniks, and hippies.

He also told a long and graphic anecdote about an atheist and his family being murdered, and that the assailants would say "But you're the one who says there is no God, there's no right, there's no wrong, so we're just having fun."

[35] Robertson is a devout Christian, a member of and elder at the White's Ferry Road Church of Christ[37] in West Monroe, and is outspoken about his beliefs.

McAllister, who had never held political office, defeated the thought-to-be frontrunner, state senator Neil Riser.

In either December 2016 or January 2017, after Ben Carson stepped down from the chairmanship of American Legacy Center's "Fight for the Court" project, Robertson filled the vacancy.