Peter Liske
Encyclopedia
Peter A. "Pete" Liske, is a former American football
quarterback
and later a university athletics administrator.
at Plainfield High School
in Plainfield, New Jersey
, graduating in the class of 1959. He was good enough to go on to the powerhouse Penn State Nittany Lions, and was later (on October 6, 2000) elected to the Plainfield High School Hall of Fame (as was Vic Washington
, another football player, who coincidentally played against Liske in the CFL
's 56th Grey Cup
.)
He played for Penn State from 1961 to 1963, quarterbacking winning teams each year. In 1961 he saw limited action (17 for 32 and 216 yards) but was a starter in the other years. In 1962 he completed 91 of 162 passes for 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns (with four interceptions.) In 1963 he completed 87 of 161 passes for 1,117 yards and ten touchdowns (with five picks.)
Philadelphia Eagles
picked him in the tenth round, 130th overall, and the American Football League
New York Titans
picked him in the 15th round, 115 overall. He chose the AFL, and played with the newly named New York Jets
.
He saw limited playing time in 1964 with New York, playing in only four games (only 18 passes). His career took a turn up north, with the Toronto Argonauts
of the Canadian Football League
. Canadian teams of this time were still a very viable career option, as they paid comparable money and offered more playing time. Liske played 11 games with Toronto in 1965.
From 1966 to 1968, he moved to the Calgary Stampeders
, where he enjoyed his greatest success as a professional, throwing to such outstanding receivers as Herm Harrison
and Terry Evanshen
. In 1967, he threw for 4,479 yards, a whopping figure for that era, and 40 touchdowns, the latter breaking Tobin Rote
's league record of 38 in 1960 for Toronto. He was named an all-star and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
. In 1968, after a season comprising 4,333 yards passing and 31 touchdowns (though with 28 interceptions), he led his team to the 56th Grey Cup
, losing a close and exciting game to the Ottawa Rough Riders
, quarterbacked by Hall of Famer Russ Jackson
. Liske's passing records would eventually be eclipsed by Doug Flutie
's in a more wide-open era.
Liske chose to return to the AFL in 1969, joining the Denver Broncos
and playing seven games with them. In 1970, now in the NFL, he played 11 games with Denver. He moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles
for the 1971 and 1972 seasons, playing 14 games in each season. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy the success he had in the CFL, as none of his teams had a winning season. His combined total American professional record was: 50 games over five seasons, with 396 of 778 passes completed, for 5170 yards and 30 touchdowns with 46 interceptions.
Canada beckoned once again, and in 1973 he rejoined the Stampeders. He remained in Calgary until part way through the 1974 season, when he joined the British Columbia Lions
. In Calgary for a second time around, he did not enjoy the same success, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in 1973 and 1974. In 1975, his last season, still with the Lions, he completed 152 of 280 passes for 2310 yards and 13 touchdowns with 9 picks.
' Wall of Fame.
He was a back judge in the NFL from 1983 through 1988, wearing number 21.
Liske would later go on to become an assistant athletic director at the University of Washington
in Seattle. He became the Athletic Director at the University of Idaho
in Moscow
in 1992 and at the University of Toledo
in 1996. In 2001 he was appointed Director of major gifts for Intercollegiate Athletics, with special emphasis on developing funding for the improvement of athletic facilities at his alma mater, Penn State, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees.
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...
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...
and later a university athletics administrator.
High school and college football careers
Liske played his high school footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Plainfield High School
Plainfield High School (New Jersey)
Plainfield High School is a comprehensive community four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Plainfield, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The school is part of the Plainfield Public School District, one of New Jersey's 31 Abbott Districts...
in Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population increased to a record high of 49,808....
, graduating in the class of 1959. He was good enough to go on to the powerhouse Penn State Nittany Lions, and was later (on October 6, 2000) elected to the Plainfield High School Hall of Fame (as was Vic Washington
Vic Washington
Victor Arnold Washington is a former American football running back/safety...
, another football player, who coincidentally played against Liske in the CFL
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....
's 56th Grey Cup
56th Grey Cup
56th Grey Cup was played November 30, 1968, and the Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Calgary Stampeders 24 to 21 before 32,655 fans at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium...
.)
He played for Penn State from 1961 to 1963, quarterbacking winning teams each year. In 1961 he saw limited action (17 for 32 and 216 yards) but was a starter in the other years. In 1962 he completed 91 of 162 passes for 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns (with four interceptions.) In 1963 he completed 87 of 161 passes for 1,117 yards and ten touchdowns (with five picks.)
NFL and CFL
Liske was drafted by both American Professional Football leagues. The NFLNational 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...
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
picked him in the tenth round, 130th overall, and the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
New York Titans
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
picked him in the 15th round, 115 overall. He chose the AFL, and played with the newly named New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
He saw limited playing time in 1964 with New York, playing in only four games (only 18 passes). His career took a turn up north, with the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
of 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....
. Canadian teams of this time were still a very viable career option, as they paid comparable money and offered more playing time. Liske played 11 games with Toronto in 1965.
From 1966 to 1968, he moved to the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
, where he enjoyed his greatest success as a professional, throwing to such outstanding receivers as Herm Harrison
Herm Harrison
Herman "Ham Hands" Harrison is a former tight end for the Calgary Stampeders from 1964-1972. He was a CFL-All Star 3 times. Thanks to his sure-handed catches from Jerry Keeling, Calgary won the 59th Grey Cup of 1971. Harrison scored the only touchdown of the Stampeders that day, a 14-yard pass...
and Terry Evanshen
Terry Evanshen
Terrence Anthony "Terry" Evanshen is a motivational speaker and former star receiver in the Canadian Football League.-CFL:...
. In 1967, he threw for 4,479 yards, a whopping figure for that era, and 40 touchdowns, the latter breaking Tobin Rote
Tobin Rote
Tobin Cornelius Rote was an American college and professional football player who played quarterback for the NFL's Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, and the American Football League's San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.-Early life:Rote...
's league record of 38 in 1960 for Toronto. He was named an all-star and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The Most Outstanding Player award can be compared to the National Football League's Most Valuable Player, otherwise known as the "MVP" award...
. In 1968, after a season comprising 4,333 yards passing and 31 touchdowns (though with 28 interceptions), he led his team to the 56th Grey Cup
56th Grey Cup
56th Grey Cup was played November 30, 1968, and the Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Calgary Stampeders 24 to 21 before 32,655 fans at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium...
, losing a close and exciting game to the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
, quarterbacked by Hall of Famer Russ Jackson
Russ Jackson
Russell Stanley "Russ" Jackson, OC is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. Jackson spent his entire 12-year professional football career with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League...
. Liske's passing records would eventually be eclipsed by Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
's in a more wide-open era.
Liske chose to return to the AFL in 1969, joining 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...
and playing seven games with them. In 1970, now in the NFL, he played 11 games with Denver. He moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
for the 1971 and 1972 seasons, playing 14 games in each season. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy the success he had in the CFL, as none of his teams had a winning season. His combined total American professional record was: 50 games over five seasons, with 396 of 778 passes completed, for 5170 yards and 30 touchdowns with 46 interceptions.
Canada beckoned once again, and in 1973 he rejoined the Stampeders. He remained in Calgary until part way through the 1974 season, when he joined the British Columbia Lions
British Columbia Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
. In Calgary for a second time around, he did not enjoy the same success, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in 1973 and 1974. In 1975, his last season, still with the Lions, he completed 152 of 280 passes for 2310 yards and 13 touchdowns with 9 picks.
Later life and honors
In 2002 Liske's number 14 was added to the Calgary StampedersCalgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
' Wall of Fame.
He was a back judge in the NFL from 1983 through 1988, wearing number 21.
Liske would later go on to become an assistant athletic director at the University of Washington
Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The school is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The athletic program is made up of 9 men's sports and 10 women's sports Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The...
in Seattle. He became the Athletic Director at the University of Idaho
Idaho Vandals
The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. They participate in NCAA Division I - FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
in Moscow
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
in 1992 and at the University of Toledo
Toledo Rockets
The Toledo Rockets are the athletic teams that represent the University of Toledo. The Rockets are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association and play in the Mid-American Conference . The school's colors are midnight blue and gold.Toledo's...
in 1996. In 2001 he was appointed Director of major gifts for Intercollegiate Athletics, with special emphasis on developing funding for the improvement of athletic facilities at his alma mater, Penn State, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees.
Sources
- CFL record book
- BC Lions media guide
- Penn State Nittany Lions record book
- NFL online database