View source for Pete Liske

{{Short description|American football player (1942–2022)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox gridiron football person
| name = 
| image = 
| alt = 
| caption = 
| birth_date = {{birth date|1942|5|24}}
| birth_place = [[Plainfield, New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|02|12|1942|05|24}}
| death_place = [[Wenatchee, Washington]], U.S.
| team = 
| number = 14
| import = yes
| position1 = Quarterback
| position2 = Defensive back
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2
| weight_lb = 199
| college = [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]]
| high_school = [[Plainfield High School (New Jersey)|Plainfield (NJ)]]
| AFLDraftedYear = 1963
| AFLDraftedRound = 15
| AFLDraftedPick = 115
| AFLDraftedTeam = [[New York Titans (football)|New York Titans]]
| NFLDraftedYear = 1963
| NFLDraftedRound = 10
| NFLDraftedPick = 130
| NFLDraftedTeam = [[Philadelphia Eagles]]
| playing_years1 = 1964
| playing_team1 = [[New York Jets]]
| playing_years2 = {{CFL Year|1965}}
| playing_team2 = [[Toronto Argonauts]]
| playing_years3 = {{CFL Year|1966}}–{{CFL Year|1968}}
| playing_team3 = [[Calgary Stampeders]]
| playing_years4 = 1969
| playing_team4 = [[Denver Broncos]]
| playing_years5 = 1970
| playing_team5 = Denver Broncos
| playing_years6 = 1971–1972
| playing_team6 = [[Philadelphia Eagles]]
| playing_years7 = {{CFL Year|1973}}–{{CFL Year|1974}}
| playing_team7 = Calgary Stampeders
| playing_years8 = {{CFL Year|1974}}–{{CFL Year|1975}}
| playing_team8 = [[BC Lions]]
| career_highlights = 
*[[Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy]] (1967)
*[[CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award]] (1967)
* Second-team All-Eastern ([[1962 All-East football team|1962]])
| CFLAllStar = {{CFL Year|1967}}
| CFLWestAllStar = {{CFL Year|1967}}
| awards =
| DatabaseFootball = LISKEPET01
}}
'''Peter Adrian Liske''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɪ|s|k}} {{respell|LISK|'}};<ref>[https://media.denverbroncos.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/1970.pdf Denver Broncos 1970 Press-Radio-Television Guide (pronunciations on page 43).] Retrieved December 20, 2018</ref> May 24, 1942 – February 12, 2022) was an American professional [[gridiron football|football]] [[quarterback]] and later a university athletics administrator.

==Early life and college==
Liske played his [[high school football]] in [[Plainfield, New Jersey]], and graduated from [[Plainfield High School (New Jersey)|Plainfield High School]] in 1959.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070929133943/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LISKEPET01 Pete Liske profile]}}, database Football. Accessed September 8, 2007.</ref>  He was good enough to go on to the powerhouse [[Penn State Nittany Lions]], and was later (on October 6, 2000) elected to the Plainfield High School Hall of Fame (as was [[Vic Washington]], another football player, who coincidentally played against Liske in the [[Canadian Football League|CFL]]'s [[56th Grey Cup]].)

He played for [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]] 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 [[National Football League|NFL]] and [[American Football League|AFL]].  The [[1963 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] picked him in the [[1963 NFL draft#Round ten|tenth round]], 130th overall, of the [[1963 NFL draft|NFL draft]] and the [[American Football League]] [[1963 New York Jets season|New York Titans]] picked him in the 15th round, 115 overall of the [[1963 American Football League draft|AFL Draft]].  He chose the AFL, and played with the newly renamed [[1963 New York Jets season|New York Jets]].

Liske saw limited playing time in [[1964 New York Jets season|1964]] with New York, playing in only four games (only 18 passes).  His career took a turn up north, with the [[Toronto Argonauts]] of the [[Canadian Football League]].  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]], 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]]'s league record of 38 in 1960 for Toronto.  His touchdown record lasted until [[Doug Flutie]] 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]].  Liske's passing records were eventually eclipsed by [[Doug Flutie]]'s in a more wide-open era.

Liske chose to return to the AFL in [[1969 AFL season|1969]], joining the [[Denver Broncos]] and playing seven games with them.  In 1970, now in the NFL, he played 11 games with Denver.  He moved on to the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] 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]].  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 [[Calgary Stampeders]]' Wall of Fame. He was a [[Official (American football)|game official]] in the NFL from 1983 through 1988, a [[back judge]] wearing uniform number 21.

Liske left the private sector in 1985 for the [[Washington Huskies|University of Washington]] in [[Seattle]], where he started as an associate athletic director, with a focus on fundraising and promotions.<ref name=itadsdtf>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HnUzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OfADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4261%2C398351 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Meehan |first=Jim |title=Idaho trims A.D. search down to five |date=August 21, 1992 |page=C1 }}</ref> He became the athletic director at the [[Idaho Vandals|University of Idaho]] in [[Moscow, Idaho|Moscow]] in 1992, and moved to the [[Toledo Rockets|University of Toledo]] in 1996.<ref name=lliftol>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1cUjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GtEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6345%2C1773787 |newspaper=Moscow-Pullman Daily News |last=Sullivan |first=Tim |title=Liske leaving Idaho for A.D. post at Toledo |date=June 21, 1996 |page=1B }}</ref><ref name=lliwlucdt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xqIpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=n_EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6717%2C2800878 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |agency=Associated Press |title=Liske leaves Idaho with lucrative dates |date=July 7, 1996 |page=C3 }}</ref> In late 2001, Liske returned to his alma mater, [[Pennsylvania State University|Penn State]], where he was appointed director of major gifts for intercollegiate athletics, with special emphasis on developing funding for the improvement of athletic facilities.<ref name=pljadevs>{{cite news|url=http://www.gopsusports.com/genrel/121401aab.html |publisher=Penn State Athletics |title=Pete Liske joins athletic development staff  |date=December 13, 2001 |access-date=September 10, 2014 }}</ref>

Liske died on February 12, 2022, in Wenatchee, Washington, due to Alzheimer's disease.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pete Liske - View Obituary & Service Information |url=https://www.jonesjonesbetts.com/obituaries/Pete-Liske/ |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=Pete Liske Obituary |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American Football League players]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/pete-liske-1.html Sports Reference: Pete Liske] college statistics
{{Footballstats |nfl=2519570 |cfl= |afl= |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |fox= |si= |pfr=LiskPe00 |dbf=LISKEPET01 |rotoworld=}}

{{Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback navbox}}
{{New York Jets starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Toronto Argonauts starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Calgary Stampeders starting quarterback navbox}}
{{BC Lions starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Denver Broncos starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Idaho Vandals athletic director navbox}}
{{Toledo Rockets athletic director navbox}}
{{Eagles1963DraftPicks}}
{{Jets1963DraftPicks}}
{{CFL MOPs}}
{{Jeff Nicklin pre 1973}}
{{CFL passing yardage leaders}}
{{CFL passing touchdowns leaders}}

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