Robert Michael Mischak (''Pronounced:'' MIH-shak) (October 25, 1932 – June 26, 2014) was a college and professional

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

and tight end who played six seasons in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

(AFL), from 1960 to 1965. He was selected by his peers as a ''

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'' AFL All-League guard in 1960 and 1961. He was an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1962. He also played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and was a starting guard in the famed 1958 "Greatest Game Ever Played". In addition, Mischak was a 3-time Super Bowl champion coach with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. In an October 1953 game against

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

at the

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New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Mischak made an improbable play to seal a 14–13 Army victory that was chronicled in

David Maraniss David Maraniss ( ; born August 6, 1949) is an American award-winning journalist and author, currently serving as an associate editor for ''The Washington Post''. Maraniss is the author of numerous books, ranging from politics to sports. He has w ...

' biography of

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi ( ; June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American professional football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be among the greatest coaches and leaders in Ame ...

, '' When Pride Still Mattered''. Late in the fourth quarter, Duke running back Red Smith ran a double reverse for what would have been a go-ahead touchdown, but was pursued by Mischak from 73 yards behind. As Smith neared the endzone, Mischak caught up to him and made a touchdown-saving tackle short of the goal line. Two subsequent stops by the Army defense yielded a historic victory for head coach

Red Blaik Earl Henry "Red" Blaik (February 15, 1897 – May 6, 1989) was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and United States Army officer. He served as the head football coach at Dartmouth College from 1934 to 1940 and at ...

. Col Blaik was later to write “In somehow catching and collaring (Smith), Mischak displayed heart and a pursuit that for one single play I have never seen matched." In 2017, Mischak was posthumously enshrined into the Army/West Point Sports Hall of Fame, and was named no. 7 on NFL.com's list of Top Ten All Time NFL Players from service academies. After his playing career Mischak served as a coach of

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

s for the

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

Los Angeles Raiders The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). The Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural ...

from 1973 to 1987 and 1994. He died on June 26, 2014, at the age of 81.

References

1932 births 2014 deaths American Football League All-League players American Football League All-Star players American Football League players American football offensive guards Army Black Knights football coaches Army Black Knights football players Los Angeles Raiders coaches London Monarchs coaches New York Giants players New York Titans (AFL) players Oakland Raiders coaches Oakland Raiders players Sportspeople from Union Township, Union County, New Jersey Players of American football from Union County, New Jersey Players of American football from Newark, New Jersey Arena Football League coaches Washington Commandos coaches Military personnel from Newark, New Jersey Military personnel from Union County, New Jersey {{offensive-lineman-1930s-stub

See also

References