Rob Lytle
Encyclopedia
Rob Lytle was an American football
running back
who played for the Denver Broncos
of NFL
. He attended the University of Michigan
(1973–1976). Lytle was drafted in the second round of the 1977 NFL Draft
by Denver with the 45th overall pick.
Lytle was born in Fremont, Ohio
. He was a consensus All-American
as a senior at Michigan in 1976, setting a then school record with 1,469 rushing yards and finishing third in the Heisman Trophy
balloting behind Tony Dorsett
and Ricky Bell
. Lytle also broke the Michigan career rushing record with 3,307 yards. His record was broken five years later by Jamie Morris
, and he now ranks seventh in rushing yards by a Michigan player. Lytle was involved in both of the games in which Michigan had three rushers accumulate 100 yards.
After his college career, Lytle spent seven seasons in the NFL with the Broncos. During that time, he rushed for 1,451 yards, caught 61 passes for 562 yards, returned six kickoffs for 99 yards, and scored 14 touchdowns (12 rushing and two receiving). He also scored the only touchdown of the game for the Broncos in Super Bowl XII
. Lytle holds the distinction of being the first player to score a touchdown in both the Rose Bowl
and the Super Bowl
.
Lytle suffered a heart attack
and died at Fremont Memorial Hospital in Fremont, Ohio. He is survived by his wife Tracy Lytle, his son Kelly Lytle, his daughter Erin Lytle Tober, his granddaughter Audrey and his father William Lytle.
.
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...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who played for the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1973–1976). Lytle was drafted in the second round of the 1977 NFL Draft
1977 NFL Draft
The 1977 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1977...
by Denver with the 45th overall pick.
Lytle was born in Fremont, Ohio
Fremont, Ohio
Fremont Public Schools enroll 4,450 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers 9 public schools including seven elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, Fremont Ross. In addition, the city is home to one private catholic high school, Saint Joseph...
. He was a consensus All-American
1976 College Football All-America Team
The 1976 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
as a senior at Michigan in 1976, setting a then school record with 1,469 rushing yards and finishing third in the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
balloting behind Tony Dorsett
Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
and Ricky Bell
Ricky Bell (running back)
Ricky Lynn Bell younger brother of recording artist Archie Bell, was an American professional football player who played running back in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers from 1977 to 1982...
. Lytle also broke the Michigan career rushing record with 3,307 yards. His record was broken five years later by Jamie Morris
Jamie Morris
James Walter "Jamie" Morris is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and a record-setting running back in college for the University of Michigan Wolverines...
, and he now ranks seventh in rushing yards by a Michigan player. Lytle was involved in both of the games in which Michigan had three rushers accumulate 100 yards.
After his college career, Lytle spent seven seasons in the NFL with the Broncos. During that time, he rushed for 1,451 yards, caught 61 passes for 562 yards, returned six kickoffs for 99 yards, and scored 14 touchdowns (12 rushing and two receiving). He also scored the only touchdown of the game for the Broncos in Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
. Lytle holds the distinction of being the first player to score a touchdown in both the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
and the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
.
Lytle suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and died at Fremont Memorial Hospital in Fremont, Ohio. He is survived by his wife Tracy Lytle, his son Kelly Lytle, his daughter Erin Lytle Tober, his granddaughter Audrey and his father William Lytle.
In film
Footage of Lytle with the Denver Broncos was used in the 1988 film Everybody's All-AmericanEverybody's All-American (film)
Everybody's All-American is a 1988 motion picture directed by Taylor Hackford and based on the novel Everybody's All-American by longtime Sports Illustrated contributor Frank Deford.The film covers 25 years in the life of a college football hero...
.
College rushing statistics
| Season | Att | Yd+ | Yd- | Net Yd | Yd/Att | TD | Long |
| 1973 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2.0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1974 | 140 | 807 | 5 | 802 | 5.7 | 2 | 38 |
| 1975 | 193 | 1043 | 13 | 1030 | 5.3 | 10 | 47 |
| 1976 | 221 | 1474 | 5 | 1469 | 6.6 | 14 | 75 |
| Career total | 557 | 3330 | 23 | 3307 | 5.9 | 26 | 75 |