Joe Cichy

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Joe Cichy
PositionSafety
Class1971
Personal information
Born: (1948-05-12) May 12, 1948 (age 75)
Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight194 lb (88 kg)
Career history
CollegeNorth Dakota State (1968–1970)
Bowl games
High schoolShanley (Fargo, North Dakota)
Career highlights and awards
College Football Hall of Fame (1997)

Joseph John Cichy[1] (born May 12, 1948)[2][a] is an American attorney and former gridiron football player. He played college football primarily as a safety for the North Dakota State Bison. He is an inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Biography[edit]

Cichy attended Shanley High School in his hometown of Fargo, North Dakota, where he was quarterback of the football team.[4] He then attended North Dakota State University (NDSU).[2] With the Bison football team, he was a backup quarterback in 1968 then a safety during the 1969 and 1970 seasons.[2] The decision to move Cichy from quarterback to defensive back was made by Bison head coach Ron Erhardt following the loss of multiple defensive players from the 1968 team.[5] The Bison were selected as small college national champions by the Associated Press for 1968 and 1969.[2][b]

Cichy had 53 unassisted tackles during the 1969 season, setting an NDSU record that was not matched for 34 seasons.[6] He was named to the College Division All-America first team as selected by the American Football Coaches Association for 1969,[7] and as selected by the Associated Press for 1970.[8] The Bison posted a record of 29–0–1 during his three seasons, and Cichy had completed his high-school career with a 25-game winning streak, resulting in a span of 55 games without a loss.[2] He served as team captain for the 1970 Bison.[6] In December 1970, Cichy was awarded a $1000 ($7,846 in 2023) post-graduate scholarship, awarded by the NCAA for "exceptional academic and athletic achievement."[9] He graduated from NDSU in 1971 with a major in history and a minor in German.[10]

Following his collegiate career, Cichy was unselected in the 1971 NFL draft, but was briefly with the Philadelphia Eagles during the offseason until being released in July 1971.[11] He then returned to his high school, where his father was head football coach, and taught in the physical education department.[12] In May 1973, he was hired by St. Mary's Central High School in Bismarck, North Dakota, to a similar role and to serve as head football coach.[12] He coached there until resigning in April 1978 in order to attend law school.[13]

By October 1981, Cichy had obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law[14] and was working for the North Dakota Water Commission as an assistant attorney general.[15] He joined a private law firm in Bismarck in late 1985.[16][17]

Cichy was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.[2] He was inducted to the athletic hall of fame at NDSU in 1981,[6] joining his father, Sid, a 1973 inductee.[18] Joe's brother Nick was also inducted in 1988.[19] Another brother, Steve, played for Notre Dame;[2] Steve's son Jack Cichy played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[20][21] Joe Cichy was inducted to the hall of fame associated with his high school in 2017.[22]

Cichy married Barbara Perry of Bismarck in June 1978.[1] The couple had three daughters.[23][14]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The Philadelphia Eagle's 1971 media guide listed Cichy's year of birth as 1949.[3]
  2. ^ The Bison also finished atop the UPI small college football rankings in 1969; they were ranked second by UPI in 1968.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Perry-Cichy". The Bismarck Tribune. June 23, 1978. p. 6. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Joe Cichy". footballfoundation.org. College Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "Rookie Profiles". The Philadelphia Eagles Yearbook & Media Guide. 1971. p. 59. Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ "Playback". The Bismarck Tribune. April 19, 1992. p. 3B. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Kolpack, Ed (December 24, 1969). "Newsmen Name Erhardt As N.D. Coach of the Year". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 20. Retrieved May 5, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c "Bison Athletic Hall of Fame: Joe Cichy". gobison.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  7. ^ "Boston Named To Kodak All-American Team". Morning Pioneer. Mandan, North Dakota. AP. December 19, 1969. p. 12. Retrieved May 5, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "A.P.'s Little All-American". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. AP. December 10, 1970. p. 42. Retrieved May 5, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "NCAA Honors 33 Athletes". Mitchell Daily Republic. Mitchell, South Dakota. AP. December 29, 1970. p. 8. Retrieved May 5, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Cichy Adds Scholarship Cash to Grid Stardom". The Bismarck Tribune. AP. January 2, 1971. p. 8. Retrieved May 5, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles Waive Joe Cichy". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. July 18, 1971. p. D1. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b "Joe Cichy To Head St. Mary's Football Staff". The Bismarck Tribune. May 18, 1973. p. 12. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Smrekar Gets Saints Head Football Job". The Bismarck Tribune. April 26, 1978. p. 34. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Pursley, Scooter (August 10, 1997). "Cichy: All the credentials". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 5B. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Thomas, Steve (October 20, 1981). "Saints' Coaches Felt $ Pinch". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 15. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Announcement". The Bismarck Tribune. November 25, 1985. p. 6B. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Knoll, Dan (April 30, 1989). "Cichy: Learn from all experiences". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 8B. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Bison Athletic Hall of Fame: Sid Cichy". gobison.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  19. ^ "Bison Athletic Hall of Fame: Nick Cichy". gobison.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  20. ^ "Meet Jack Cichy, the former walk-on who keeps crushing the doubters". USAToday.com. March 30, 2018. Your dad, Steve Cichy, played at Notre Dame before playing professional football in Canada.
  21. ^ "Jack Cichy". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  22. ^ "Mike & Karen Hofer Deacon Award & Hall of Fame". jp2schools.org. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  23. ^ Voskuil, Vicki (July 17, 1991). "Unquenchably curious Barb Cichy has a lot to give". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 1C. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
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