// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Lyle Rockenbach? A rock solid bach-elor.
 Rockenbach with Michigan State, 1939 | |
| No. 68 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 1, 1915 Prairie View, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | November 8, 2005 (aged 90) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 192 lb (87 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Crystal Lake Central (Crystal Lake, Illinois) |
| College | Michigan State |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Lyle James "Rocky" Rockenbach (March 1, 1915 – November 8, 2005) was an American football guard. He played college football for Michigan State from 1937 to 1939 and professional football for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in 1943.
Early life
[edit]Rockenbach was born in 1915, at Prairie View, Illinois.[1] He was part of a family with 14 children.[2] He attended Crystal Lake Central High School in Crystal Lake, Illinois.[1] He was a star basketball player at Crystal Lake.[2]
Michigan State
[edit]Rockenbach was recruited to Michigan State College (later known as Michigan State University) by basketball coach Benjamin Van Alstyne. He reported to the basketball team, but was dropped from the team after several weeks.[2] He then tried out for the football team, having played at the guard position in high school.[2] He began the 1937 season as a backup guard, but became a starter by the end of the season.[2] He blocked three punts in a single game against Pop Warner's Temple team in 1937.[3] As a junior, he was a blocker for All-American John Pingel.[2] He was chosen as a co-captain of the 1939 Michigan State Spartans football team,[4] and at the end of the 1939 season, he was selected as the team's most valuable player.[5][6]
Detroit Lions
[edit]After graduating from Michigan State, he became a high school coach in Howell, Michigan. In August 1943, he signed with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).[7] He appeared in eight or nine games for the Lions during the 1943 NFL season.[1][8]
Later life
[edit]In April 1944, Rockenbach enlisted in the United States Navy.[9]
Rockenbach died on November 8, 2005, at Westminster Woods at Julington Creek Retirement Community in Jacksonville, Florida.[10]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Lyle Rockenbach". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 W.W. Edgar (December 11, 1939). "Honor Paid to Rockenbach Is Climax to Amazing Career". The Detroit Free Press. p. 1 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "He Was Poison". Cumberland Evening Times. November 22, 1937. p. 1.
- ↑ "untitled". The Evening Times. December 1, 1939. p. 1.
- ↑ "Rockenbach Named for 'Most Valuable Player' Award". The Lansing State Journal. December 10, 1939. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Happy Moment". The News-Palladium. December 13, 1939. p. 8.
- ↑ "Rockenbach Signed With Detroit Lions". The Niles Daily Star. August 5, 1943. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Lyle Rockenbach". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Rockenbach Takes Oath for Navy". The Detroit Free Press. April 8, 1944. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Obituaries; Rockenbach". The Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, Florida. November 11, 2005. p. B3. Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com
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- 1915 births
- 2005 deaths
- American football guards
- Michigan State Spartans football players
- Detroit Lions players
- United States Navy personnel of World War II
- Sportspeople from Crystal Lake, Illinois
- Players of American football from Lake County, Illinois
- Players of American football from McHenry County, Illinois
- Military personnel from Illinois
- 20th-century American sportsmen