Peter Adrian Liske ( ; May 24, 1942 – February 12, 2022) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

and later a university athletics administrator.

Early life and college

Liske played his

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City",

, and graduated from Plainfield High School in 1959. He was good enough to go on to the powerhouse

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...

, and was later (on October 6, 2000) elected to the Plainfield High School Hall of Fame (as was

Vic Washington Victor Arnold Washington (March 23, 1946 – December 31, 2008) was an American professional football player who was a running back and kick returner in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). After attending the ...

, another football player, who coincidentally played against Liske in the

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

's 56th Grey Cup.) He played for

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

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.)

Professional career

Prior to his fifth-year senior season at Penn State, Liske was drafted in 1963 by both American professional football leagues, the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

and

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

. The

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

picked him in the tenth round, 130th overall, of the

NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

and 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 ...

New York Titans picked him in the 15th round, 115 overall of the

AFL Draft The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft (sports), draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League ( ...

. He chose the AFL, and played with the newly renamed

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

. Liske saw limited playing time in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

with New York, playing in only four games (only 18 passes). His career took a turn up north, with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

. 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 The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

, where he enjoyed his greatest success as a professional. In 1967, he threw for 4,479 yards, a whopping figure for that era, and 40 touchdowns, the latter breaking

Tobin Rote Tobin Cornelius Rote (January 18, 1928 – June 27, 2000) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadia ...

's league record of 38 in 1960 for Toronto. His touchdown record lasted until

Doug Flutie Douglas Richard Flutie (born October 23, 1962) is an American former professional Gridiron football, football quarterback who played for 21 seasons. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), eight seasons in the Canadian Footb ...

surpassed him in 1993. 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 The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

. Liske's passing records were eventually eclipsed by

's in a more wide-open era. Liske chose to return to the AFL in

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

, joining the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

and playing seven games with them. In 1970, now in the NFL, he played 11 games with Denver. He moved on to the

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 The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

. 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

' Wall of Fame. He was a game official in the NFL from 1983 through 1988, a

back judge In gridiron football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game. During professional and most college football games, seven officials operate on the field. Since 2015, Division I ...

wearing uniform number 21. Liske left the private sector in 1985 for the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, where he started as an associate athletic director, with a focus on fundraising and promotions. He became the athletic director at the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 1992, and moved to the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...

in 1996. In late 2001, Liske returned to his alma mater,

, where he was appointed director of major gifts for intercollegiate athletics, with special emphasis on developing funding for the improvement of athletic facilities. Liske died on February 12, 2022, in Wenatchee, Washington, due to Alzheimer's disease.

References

External links

Sports Reference: Pete Liske
college statistics {{DEFAULTSORT:Liske, Pete 1942 births 2022 deaths American football quarterbacks BC Lions players Calgary Stampeders players Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award winners Canadian football quarterbacks Denver Broncos (AFL) players Denver Broncos players Idaho Vandals athletic directors NFL officials New York Jets players Penn State Nittany Lions football players Pennsylvania State University staff Plainfield High School (New Jersey) alumni Players of American football from Plainfield, New Jersey Philadelphia Eagles players Toronto Argonauts players Toledo Rockets athletic directors American Football League players Players of Canadian football from New Jersey

Early life and college

Professional career

Later life and honors

See also

References

External links