Robert Lee Atkins Jr. was an American professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1968–1969) and for the Houston Oilers (1970–1976). He was born on April 2, 1946, in Modesto, California, and became a native of Atlanta, Georgia. When he was three years old, his parents, U.S. Navy Sailor Robert and Mary Brown Atkins, relocated their family from California to Georgia in 1949. At Luther J. Price High School, he was an exceptional player in three sports, baseball, basketball, and football. After graduating in 1964, Atkins attended Grambling College—now Grambling State University—in Grambling, Louisiana. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and Recreation in 1972. In 1986, he received a Master of Education degree from Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) in Prairie View, Texas.