Robert "Pete" Barnum attended high school in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where he was All-State in football. He also attended West Virginia University, where he was a football letterman. He was referred to as the "king of scholastic football players" in 1921-22 and also played professional football with the Columbus (Ohio) Tigers in 1926, the last year of the team's existence.
According to a Baltimore newspaper, Robert suffered a terrible death, passing away at Baltimore Hospital from burns suffered when he fell into a vat of molten steel at the Sparrow's Point Plant of the Bethlehem Steel Company He checked his fall by grabbing ahold of a ledge but was horribly burned by the heat from the inferno below him.
Some of this information was provided by Mary Ann Stinson, who is a niece of Mr. Barnum; a daughter of his sister Hazel.
The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) shows the following information for him:
Pete Barnum TB-FB
Barnum, Robert Leroy 5'-10" - 195lb Brother of Len Barnum
West Virginia U HS: Parkersburg [WV]
B: 1 / 17 / 1902, Scottdale, PA
D: 6 / 25 / 1929, Baltimore, MD (27)
1926 Col Tigers - 6 games
He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.