Bob Ptacek died; the All-Star quarterback at Michigan spent one season in the NFL
Bob Ptacek, a versatile football player whose career took him from the University of Michigan to the NFL and ultimately to the Canadian Football League died June 29 at his home in Dayton, Ohio. He was 89.
Ptacek’s football résumé spanned two countries and nearly a decade of professional football, but it was defined less by statistics than by versatility. He played quarterback, halfback, linebacker and defensive back during a career that began at Michigan, included a season with his hometown Cleveland Browns, and reached its peak in Saskatchewan.
A Cleveland native and graduate of Holy Name High School, Ptacek arrived at Michigan in the mid-1950s and quickly became one of the Wolverines’ most valuable players. He played both halfback and quarterback under coach Bennie Oosterbaan, helping Michigan to a pair of second-place finishes in the Big Ten during his three varsity seasons (1956-58).
As a sophomore in 1956, and again as a senior in 1958, Ptacek led Michigan in total offense thanks to his prowess passing and rushing. The Wolverines ranked in the Top 10 in the final AP poll of the year in 1956 and 1957, before slipping to 2-6-1 in Ptacek’s final season in Ann Arbor.
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Despite that record, Ptacek earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior, when he set a conference record with 24 pass completions in a game. He was selected by fans as the starting quarterback for the 1959 College All-Star Game against the Baltimore Colts, which the defending NFL champions won.
The Cleveland Browns selected Ptacek in the eighth round of the 1959 NFL Draft. Playing for coach Paul Brown, he appeared in 12 games during his only NFL season but played sparingly behind starting signal-caller Milt Plum.
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Cleveland finished 9-2-1, won the NFL Eastern Conference, and advanced to the league championship game before losing to the Colts. Ptacek rushed three times for 13 yards before leaving the NFL after the season. He found a longer opportunity in the Canadian Football League, joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1960.
Over six seasons with Saskatchewan, Ptacek played quarterback, linebacker and defensive back, reflecting an era when players often filled multiple roles. He was named a Western Conference All-Star twice and a CFL All-Star in 1964 while helping the Roughriders become regular contenders.
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Ptacek retired from football after the 1965 season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury. He remains one of the Roughriders’ most accomplished two-way players in franchise history.
Ptacek embarked on a second career with Yellow Freight in transportation sales, while raising a family that grew to include grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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