It’s hard enough to be considered great in one sport, let alone two. Robert Gale Cifers was a standout in both football and track & field. A native of Kingsport, Cifers is one of the great high school athletes from the state of Tennessee. At Dobyns-Bennett High School, he excelled in every sport. Cifers was truly a great football player who could do everything – pass, run, kick, and block. At the University of Tennessee, he excelled in running and kicking and played tailback in the single-wing offense. In his sophomore year, he established a new collegiate record in punting, averaging over forty-two yards per kick. At the end of his 1942 college year, he volunteered for duty in the United States Air Corps, where he was named to all-service teams three times as a running back and punter. Discharged from military service, he played football for two years with the Detroit Lions, two years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and one year with the Green Bay Packers. Amazingly, it was in track that he attracted international attention. With great speed and remarkable jumping ability, he glittered in both field and track events and often won as many as five or six events during dual meets. Perhaps his greatest accolade in a brilliant athletic career was expressed by legendary UT Football Coach General Robert Neyland, who called Cifers “the greatest athlete I ever had the privilege to see.”
