Richard Gale Rifenburg (August 21, 1926 – December 5, 1994) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player and a pioneering television broadcaster for the forerunner to
WIVB-TV
WIVB-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside CW owned-and-operated station WNLO (channel 23). WIVB-TV and WNLO share studios on Elmwood Aven ...
in
Buffalo. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
Wolverines
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...
in 1944 and from 1946 to 1948. He was a consensus selection at
end
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
** End (category theory)
** End (topology)
**End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
**End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
**End (gridiron footbal ...
on the
1948 College Football All-America Team. Rifenburg played professionally in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) with the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
for one season in 1950. After retiring from football he settled in Buffalo and became a sports broadcaster. He worked as a color commentator and as a
play-by-play announcer
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
for the
Buffalo Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University at Buffalo (UB) in Buffalo, New York. The Bulls compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of Mid-Am ...
. He hosted various television and radio sports shows and was eventually inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
In college, he led the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
in single season
receptions during his senior year and set Michigan Wolverines receptions records for both career
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
and single-season touchdowns. He had also been a
Michigan High School Athletic Association
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Unlike ma ...
(MHSAA) state champion in both
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
and
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
. His college career was interrupted by
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
service, and his high school career was also affected by the war due to the MHSAA's cancellation of state championships in all sports in 1943.
High school
Rifenburg was born in
Petoskey, Michigan
Petoskey ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat and largest city in Emmet County. Part of Northern Michigan, Petoskey is a popular Midwestern resort town, as it sits on the shore of Little Traverse Bay, a bay of La ...
, and raised in
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...
before his family moved to
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
. Rifenburg was a star athlete at Saginaw's
Arthur Hill High School
Arthur Hill High School is a public high school in Saginaw, Michigan, United States. It serves students in grades 9-12 as one of three high schools in the Saginaw Public School District.
History
The school was named after a successful lumberin ...
in football, basketball, and track and field. In 1943, Michigan canceled boys high school tournaments in all sports due to World War II, and they did not return until the fall of 1944. In 1944, he led Arthur Hill High to the MHSAA Class A high school basketball championship (over
Kalamazoo Central High School
Kalamazoo Central High School is a public high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan serving students from ninth through twelfth grades. It was the first public high school in Michigan. It began operating in 1858 and graduated its first class of five men a ...
), scoring 24
points, including 17 in the second half, of the championship game. Rifenburg was also the state champion in 1944 in both the
shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
and
high jump
The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...
. He also led Arthur Hill in football, and his high school accomplishments are featured in ''Glory: The history of Saginaw County sports'' by Jack Tany (ASIN B0006RH9Z6), which is a book on high school sports in
Saginaw County, Michigan
Saginaw County, officially the County of Saginaw, is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 190,124. The county seat is Saginaw. The county was created by September 10, 1822, and was fully orga ...
. Rifenburg was named All State in football, basketball and track.
[
It is ironic that Rifenburg was born in Petoskey, Michigan in 1926 for several reasons. ]Ted Petoskey
Frederick Lee "Ted" Petoskey (January 5, 1911 – November 30, 1996) was a three-sport athlete at the University of Michigan, a Major League Baseball player, a collegiate coach in three sports and an athletic director.
At the University of Michi ...
preceded Rifenburg as an All-American end on the University of Michigan football team. Petoskey had excelled as a representative of Saginaw County in MHSAA competition. Petoskey posted significant football accomplishments in 1926 making 1926 a significant year for himself as well. Achieving All-American status as an end at Michigan would be Rifenburg's next step after excelling in MHSAA competition.
College
In the fall of 1944, Rifenburg enrolled at the University of Michigan. The United Press
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...
syndicate ran a feature article about Rifenburg in September 1944 that opened as follows: "Another great end has made his appearance on the Big Ten football horizon in the person of Dick Rifenburg, 18-year-old Michigan freshman. Every so often a great offensive end comes along, a player who has to learn how to play defense, but who has the natural speed, smooth actions, height and big hands that is the mark of an outstanding pass receiver. Rifenburg has laid claim to that rating. A loose-limbed 180-pound freshman from Saginaw, Mich., Rifenberg is being boomed as the Big Ten's next 'freshman sensation.'" As a freshman
A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions.
Ara ...
, he caught two touchdown passes in his first college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
game against Iowa. In an article titled "Teens and TNT," ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' reported on Rifenburg's performance: "Of the few teams already in action, Michigan's teens rang the freshman bell loudest last week by winning their opener, 12 -to-7, against the strong Iowa Seahawks (Naval Pre-Flight); 6-ft. 4 Freshman End Dick Rifenburg caught passes and ran for both Michigan touchdowns."
Rifenburg's college career was interrupted by World War II service in the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
,[ but after missing the 1945 season, he returned to play for the Wolverines from 1946 to 1948. Rifenburg played for the Wolverines in consecutive undefeated ]National Championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
seasons in 1947 and 1948.[ He started nine games for the 1947 team.] The 1947 team referred to as "Michigan's Mad Magicians" is considered to be the greatest University of Michigan football team of all time. Rifenberg and teammate Len Ford
Leonard Guy Ford Jr. (February 18, 1926 – March 14, 1972) was an American football player who played at the offensive and defensive end positions from 1948 to 1958. He played college football for the University of Michigan and professional fo ...
had the reputation as the team practical jokers. During the 1947 game against Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, Rifenburg started calling signals for the Badgers. Wisconsin's offense protested to officials, who "prowled the Wolverines secondary but never caught their man." Rifenburg continued to scramble Badger signals, as Rifenburg's teammates laughed at his scheme. In the January 1, 1948 Rose Bowl that season, Michigan rolled to a 49–0 victory over USC, and they outgained the Trojans 491 yards to 133. Rifenburg caught a 29-yard pass for the game's final score.
In the 1948 championship season, Rifenburg scored eight touchdowns, caught 22 passes, and gained 610 yards (508 receiving and 102 rushing). Rifenburg was the second highest scoring end in the nation in 1948, and he was a consensus All-American as a senior, being selected as first-team on nine of the 11 All-American teams. Rifenburg led the Big Ten in receptions.
Although Rifenburg finished fourth among midwestern Heisman voters in 1948, he did not finish among the top eight. By comparison, Notre Dame end
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
** End (category theory)
** End (topology)
**End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
**End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
**End (gridiron footbal ...
Leon Hart
Leon Joseph Hart (November 2, 1928 – September 24, 2002) was an American football end. He won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award while at the University of Notre Dame in 1949 and played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight se ...
won the Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
in 1949 but made only eight of the 11 All-American teams.[ It is not clear why Rifenburg did not finish higher. However, it is fairly clear that sportswriters of that era had a bias against Michigan. In the ]Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
poll at the end of the 1947 season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...
were ranked ahead of the University of Michigan, though both teams were undefeated. Some noted that every Southern AP voter had voted for Notre Dame, which had yet to integrate, whereas three of Michigan's star players ( Bob Mann, Gene Derricotte
Eugene Derricotte (June 14, 1926 – March 31, 2023) was an American college football player who was a Halfback (American football), halfback and return specialist for the Michigan Wolverines football, Michigan Wolverines from 1944 to 1948. He ...
, and Len Ford
Leonard Guy Ford Jr. (February 18, 1926 – March 14, 1972) was an American football player who played at the offensive and defensive end positions from 1948 to 1958. He played college football for the University of Michigan and professional fo ...
) were African-American. The Southern schools refused even to schedule games against schools that played African-American players.
Rifenburg was considered one of the greatest Wolverines of the 1940s. In four seasons with the Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...
, Rifenburg played in 32 games and had over 1,000 yards of total offense. Rifenburg held the University of Michigan's single season and career record for touchdown receptions (eight in a season; sixteen career) until his records were broken by Anthony Carter in 1980.[
]
Professional career
In 1948, Rifenburg was drafted by 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
in the 15th round of the NFL draft, and he was also drafted by the New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
of the All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...
. He had intended to play in 1949 with the Yankees, but suffered a knee injury in a practice session for the August 1949 Chicago College All-Star Game
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League (NFL) champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. It was also known as the C ...
.[ Press accounts at the time noted that the injury "will probably keep him out of pro football all season, if not forever."] The incident led to a debate as to whether NFL owners should "bar their men from playing with the college all-stars."[
Rifenburg landed a job at WJR radio in Detroit,][ but he left his sportscaster's job to join the ]Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. In the 1950 NFL season, Rifenburg came back from his injury to play for the Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. He played in 12 games and had ten receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown for the 1950 Lions. Rifenburg recalled that his playing time with the Lions was limited because the Lions also signed 1949 Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner Leon Hart
Leon Joseph Hart (November 2, 1928 – September 24, 2002) was an American football end. He won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award while at the University of Notre Dame in 1949 and played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight se ...
, who played the same position.[
In May 1951, he announced he was retiring from professional football to become sports director at a radio station in Buffalo. He was hired as a sportscaster by WBEN (now known as WIVB), which had just started the first television station in Buffalo and the only one serving Southern Ontario. This was an early foray into television by the ]Buffalo Evening News
''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...
. In the 1950s, Rifenburg hosted a popular panel show called "Let's Talk Sports" in Buffalo and also pioneered an early morning exercise
Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness.
It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...
program.[ He also worked for ]WBEN (AM)
WBEN (930 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Buffalo, New York, featuring a talk radio format. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Western New York, the Niagara Falls region, and parts of Southern Ontario. WBEN's studios are ...
and WBEN (FM) and as the sideline announcer for Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
games along with Van Miller
Van Miller (November 22, 1927 – July 17, 2015) was an American radio and television sports announcer from Dunkirk, New York, where he began his career at Dunkirk radio station WFCB calling play-by-play for high school football games. In the 1 ...
, the long time Bills play-by-play announcer
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
. In addition, he served as the play-by-play announcer for the University of Buffalo Bulls football team.[ As a radio broadcaster, he is remembered for things ranging from ski reports, to 17 years worth of "Breakfast At —" programs live from various local restaurants, to 27 years as the WBEN-AM All Night Show host.][
After 30 years with WBEN and a change in ownership for the station, his show was replaced with the ]Mutual Network
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...
's The Larry King Show.[ In the 1980s, Rifenburg taught communications at Buffalo's ]Medaille College
Medaille University is a private university in Buffalo, New York. The Sisters of St. Joseph founded Medaille in 1937. Medaille serves roughly 1,600 students from Western New York and Southern Ontario.
Campuses
Medaille's main campus is in Buffa ...
and served as a disc jockey on Public Broadcasting's radio station WEBR (now WDCZ
WDCZ is an American radio station in Buffalo, New York broadcasting at 970 kHz.
WDCZ has not originated any programming of its own since 2012. The station operated as a commercial station from its launch in 1924 until 1975, then operated as ...
).[ He also sold ads for Buffalo Evening News competitor, ]Buffalo Courier-Express
The ''Buffalo Courier-Express'' was a morning newspaper in Buffalo, New York. It ceased publication on September 19, 1982.
History
The ''Courier-Express'' was created in 1926 by a merger of the ''Buffalo Daily Courier'' and the ''Buffalo Morning ...
.[ Rifenburg's final employer was Erie County, who hired him as an ]inmate
A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison.
...
training supervisor at the Erie County Correctional Facility.[
Rifenburg was posthumously inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame in September 2007.] He was given the Golden Age Award which is reserved for "those who did it first, the people who had no pattern to follow." The Hall of Fame award was presented to Rifenburg's wife, Jane. In her acceptance speech, Jane Rifenburg observed that despite all of her late husband's achievements, there was one thing he had never received: "He had a great career, but he never had a trophy. And now he has."[
]
Family
Rifenburg lived 37 of his years in Buffalo.[ His first wife, Ruth Arlene Martini, died in September 1961. His second wife, the former Jane Morris,] was the head of the Buffalo Jills cheerleaders when they met.[ Rifenburg died in ]Cheektowaga, New York
Cheektowaga () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town has grown to a population of 89,877. The town is in the north-central part of the county, and is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. The town is the ...
in December 1994; he was 68 years old.[ Doug was a 1988 first-team football All-]Western New York
Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
for Clarence High School.
See also
* List of Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans
Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans are American football players who have been named as All-Americans while playing for the University of Michigan football team.
Overview
Since 1898, 134 Michigan Wolverines football players have earned fi ...
*Lists of Michigan Wolverines football receiving leaders
The lists of Michigan Wolverines football statistical leaders identify individual statistical leaders of the Michigan Wolverines football program in various offensive categories, including passing, rushing, and receptions. Within those areas ...
References
External links
Bentley Historical Library profile
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rifenburg, Dick
1926 births
1994 deaths
All-American college football players
American Football League announcers
American football ends
Radio personalities from Buffalo, New York
Buffalo Bills announcers
Buffalo Bulls football announcers
Detroit Lions players
Michigan Wolverines football players
Players of American football from Buffalo, New York
Players of American football from Michigan
United States Navy personnel of World War II
National Football League announcers
People from Petoskey, Michigan