Bob Ptacek
Encyclopedia
Robert J. "Bob" Ptacek, Jr. (born April 23, 1937) is a former professional American
and Canadian football
quarterback
, defensive back
, and linebacker
who was drafted in the 1959 NFL Draft
by the Cleveland Browns
. He played for the Browns during the 1959 NFL season
. He also was a Canadian Football League
All-Star with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
in 1964 as a defensive back
and was an all Western Conference linebacker
in 1961.
team for all nine games of the 1958 NCAA Division I-A football season and he was named the team Most Valuable Player
, as well as the Hula Bowl
and College All-Star Game
MVP. In 1956 and 1957, Jim Van Pelt had been the starting quarteback, but Ptacek started two games at halfback
in 1956. In the 1958 Michigan-Ohio State game, Ptacek set a new Big Ten Conference
record of 24 pass completions in a single game; Ptacek's 24 completions were good for 241 yards and two touchdowns. In August 1959, he was voted the Most Valuable Player in the 26th Annual College All-Star game, matching the college all-stars against the Baltimore Colts
. Ptacek had attended Holy Name High School
in Cleveland
.
touchdown
s on offense and two on interception returns. He passed for 299 completions, including 25 touchdowns, on a total of 525 pass attempts. He was named to the All-Canadian team as a defensive back in 1964 as well as All-WFC in 1961 as a linebacker and 1964 defensive back.
He holds the Canadian Football League
record for most fumble returns in a playoff season with 3 in 1963.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, and linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who was drafted in the 1959 NFL Draft
1959 NFL Draft
The 1959 National Football League Draft was held on December 2, 1958 and January 21, 1959 .-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played for the Browns during the 1959 NFL season
1959 NFL season
The 1959 NFL season was the 40th regular season of the National Football League. Tragedy struck as NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack on October 11 at Philadelphia's Franklin Field while watching the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers play...
. He also was a Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
All-Star with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
in 1964 as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
and was an all Western Conference linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
in 1961.
Michigan
He had been the starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines footballMichigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
team for all nine games of the 1958 NCAA Division I-A football season and he was named the team Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
, as well as the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
and College All-Star Game
College All-Star Game
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year...
MVP. In 1956 and 1957, Jim Van Pelt had been the starting quarteback, but Ptacek started two games at halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
in 1956. In the 1958 Michigan-Ohio State game, Ptacek set a new Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
record of 24 pass completions in a single game; Ptacek's 24 completions were good for 241 yards and two touchdowns. In August 1959, he was voted the Most Valuable Player in the 26th Annual College All-Star game, matching the college all-stars against the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
. Ptacek had attended Holy Name High School
Holy Name High School
Holy Name High School is a private, Catholic, coeducational high school in Parma Heights, Ohio. It is a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.-History:...
in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
Professional career
He played for Saskatchewan from 1960–65, and he was inducted into the Saskatchewan Roughriders Plaza of Honour in 2001. During his career in the CFL, he scored four rushingRush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s on offense and two on interception returns. He passed for 299 completions, including 25 touchdowns, on a total of 525 pass attempts. He was named to the All-Canadian team as a defensive back in 1964 as well as All-WFC in 1961 as a linebacker and 1964 defensive back.
He holds the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
record for most fumble returns in a playoff season with 3 in 1963.
Statistics
| PASSING | RUSHING | RECEIVING | DEFENSE | |||||||||||||
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | Attempts | Completions | Yards | TDs Touchdown A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:... |
Int. | Carries | Yards | TDs | Rec Reception (American football) In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving... |
Yards | TDs | Int. | Yards | TDs | Fumble |
| 1959 | Cleveland Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
3 | 13 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1960 | Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor... |
178 | 99 | 1469 | 7 | 9 | 49 | 204 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961 | Saskatchewan | 52 | 29 | 317 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 88 | 0 | 6 | 112 | 0 | 3 | 94 | 1 | 0 |
| 1962 | Saskatchewan | 206 | 125 | 2317 | 15 | 10 | 34 | 149 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963 | Saskatchewan | 24 | 12 | 131 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 71 | 1 | 1 |
| 1964 | Saskatchewan | 65 | 34 | 413 | 2 | 8 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 75 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | Saskatchewan | |3 |