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Obituary: Bob Cifers / Led Steelers in rushing in 1948 season
Tuesday, July 03, 2001
Bob Cifers, a versatile football player who led the Steelers in rushing in 1948, died Sunday at a hospital in Nashville, Tenn., at the age of 80.
Born in Churchill, Tenn., Robert Gale Cifers played quarterback and ran track at the University of Tennessee. He stood 5 feet 11 and weighed just over 200 pounds. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the National Football League draft in 1944.
He led Detroit with four touchdowns in 1946 -- all on pass receptions, the only four he caught. He also averaged 45.6 yards on 30 punts that season.
With the Steelers in 1947 and 1948, he did a little of everything. He appeared in 22 games, playing mostly halfback and defensive back. He carried the ball 199 times for 707 yards, including 112 carries for 361 yards in 1948. He threw seven passes, gaining 28 yards on the two he completed. He averaged 25 yards on 11 kickoff returns, ran back an intercepted pass for 32 yards, and averaged 40.4 yards a kick as their punter.
He played for the Green Bay Packers in 1949, his final NFL season.
His older brother, Ed, was a two-way end for the Washington Redskins before and after World War II and finished his NFL career with the Chicago Bears in 1947 andc '48.
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