Kyle Rote
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William Kyle Rote, Sr. (October 27, 1928 – August 15, 2002) was an American professional
Early life
Born and raised in
Rote attended
Collegiate career
After graduating from high school in 1947, Rote accepted an athletic scholarship to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he became one of the most celebrated collegiate football players in the country. In December 1949, in a near upset over eventual national champion Notre Dame, Rote ran for 115 yards, threw for 146 yards, and scored all three SMU touchdowns in a 27–20 loss. His performance was voted by the Texas Sportswriters Association as "The Outstanding Individual Performance by a Texas Athlete in the First Half of the 20th Century." Twenty-five years later, Notre Dame made Rote an "Honorary Member" of their Championship Team.
Rote still holds the national collegiate record for the longest punt. In the
In his senior year at SMU in 1950, Rote was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, won by Vic Janowicz of Ohio State. While in college, Rote also played baseball and ran track for the Mustangs; he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1964.
Immediately after graduation at SMU, Rote signed a contract with the
National Football League career
The
During his career, Rote made a guest appearance as an imposter for an undercover police officer on the May 13, 1958 episode of the CBS game show To Tell the Truth. He fooled the panel into thinking he was the officer, garnering three of the four possible votes from Polly Bergen, Jim Backus, and Joan Fontaine. Only Hy Gardner voted for the actual undercover police officer.[3]
Rote spearheaded the movement that became the
Rote was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, Texas Pro Football Hall of Fame, San Antonio Hall of Fame, Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame, Southwest Conference All-Time Team, and received the SMU Distinguished Alumni Award. In 1995, Rote was named as wide receiver on the All-Time Giants Team in conjunction with the 75th celebration of the founding of the NFL. The Professional Football Researchers Association named Rote to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2006.[4]
Rote retired in April 1962,[5] then was the Giants' backfield coach for two seasons; in both those years, New York captured the NFL's Eastern Division championship, a third consecutive in 1963, but fell in each of the title games.
Out of the record 14 Touchdown Passes former teammate/halfback Frank Gifford threw in the NFL, Rote caught 4 of them.
Sportscasting career
While in the NFL, Rote spent the offseasons as the sports director for radio station
New York on radio and television. Rote is generally believed to be the first athlete to use the popular slogan, "You cannot stop a great player like (ex. Jim Brown), you can only hope to contain him." The phrase is now used commonly to describe different players, and was made popular by former ESPN Sportscaster Dan Patrick, albeit jokingly, using the line to describe marginal competitors.Personal life
Rote and his first wife, Elizabeth Jeanette Jamison, married in 1949 and had four children – Kyle, Gary, Chris, and Elizabeth. His oldest son,
Rote was the cousin of Tobin Rote, a multi-championship winning and record holding AFL and NFL quarterback.[citation needed]
Rote authored the books, Pro Football for the Fans and The Language of Pro Football, and wrote the Giants Fight Song. He also published two volumes of poetry, was an ASCAP songwriter, accomplished pianist, and oil painter having a number of his works shown at museums throughout the United States.
See also
References
- ^ Rick Alonzo. "Kyle Rote: 1928–2002 – SMU, NFL great called 'whole package' – Versatile player turned broadcaster dies of pneumonia at 73," The Dallas Morning News, August 16, 2002, page 1A.
- ^ "Oregon-SMU play-by-play in Cotton Bowl". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). January 2, 1949. p. 10.
- ^ "To Tell The Truth". CBS. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Hall of Very Good Class of 2006". Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Rote quits as player, takes coaching job". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. April 17, 1962. p. 2.
External links
- Kyle Rote Facebook page, maintained by the Rote family
- Texas State Historical Association, The History of Texas Online, William Kyle Rote, Sr.
- Kyle Rote Memorial Service, September 19. 2002 (video) on YouTube
- Kyle Rote's Short Sweet Minor League Career
- Kyle Rote: Greatest Moments in SMU Mustang's History
- Popular Giant Rote Dies at 73, ESPN
- Giants' reactions to Rote's death, Sports Illustrated
- NY Giants All-Time Teams by era
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)