Kyle Rote

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message.
This article has been tagged since August 2006.

Kyle Rote Sr. (October 27, 1928–August 15, 2002) was an American football player and sports announcer.

In college, Rote played behind Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker at Southern Methodist University in 1948 and 1949. When Walker was forced to miss the 1949 game against the University of Notre Dame because of an injury, Rote replaced him as tailback in SMU's single wing and turned in a great triple-threat performance despite a 27-20 loss. He rushed for 115 yards, scored all three touchdowns, passed for 146 yards, and punted for a 48-yard average. After Walker graduated, Rote became a starter in 1950 and was a consensus All-American.

The New York Giants selected Rote with the first pick in the 1951 NFL draft. During an 11-year NFL career spent entirely with the Giants, Rote played running back and flanker. He caught 300 passes for 4797 yards, gained 871 yards in 231 rushing attempts, and was a member of New York's 1956 NFL Championship team.

He retired as player in 1961 and like his former New York Giant teammates Frank Gifford, Pat Summerall, and Thomas Conlin, went on to enjoy a second career as a sportscaster, working for CBS in the '60s and early '70s. He also appeared in several television commercials as a paid spokesmen for Anderson-Little, a clothing retailer.

Rote's son, Kyle Rote, Jr., was one of the first notable soccer stars from the United States, and a three-time winner of the Superstars made-for-television sports competition.