Alumni Hall of Fame
Athletic Achievement (2022)

Jeff Cisco

Jeff Cisco is a member of the St. Marys Memorial High School Class of 1980. He is the son of 2007 St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation’s Inaugural Hall of Fame Athletic Achievement Inductee, Galen B. Cisco. In his own right, Jeff was a three–sport athlete and letter winner at Memorial High School in football, basketball, and baseball. After graduating, Cisco played both football and baseball at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and later played baseball at Winthrop University in South Carolina. He was drafted into Major League Baseball by the Montreal Expos organization in 1984.

Initially, Jeff played on defense for the Roughrider football team and in 1977 was a member of the 10 – 1 Western Buckeye League Championship team that captured a Regional Championship in the State Playoffs. For the 1978 football season, his junior year, Jeff switched to play in St. Marys’ vaunted running offense and immediately became a tackle-breaking, hard-scrambling running back who bounced off of other players, twisting and turning with his strong upper legs and low center of gravity to gain yard after yard on each carry. He helped lead the Roughriders to their third consecutive league title. The 10 – 0 Roughriders were the 1978 Western Buckeye League Champions. The Roughriders qualified for the state playoffs for a second season, winning the Regional Championship again before falling in the State Semi-final game in a close loss. For the season, Cisco rushed for 1,512 yards, placing him second in the school’s record books for single season rushing yards.

The 1979 season - Cisco’s senior season - had one of the best Roughrider football teams in school history. Cisco amassed 1,784 yards for the season, breaking school records. His record-breaking season in yards carried stood for 25 years. During his senior season, Cisco scored a state leading 232 points. The 1979 Roughrider football team finished the season at 10 – 0, winning a fourth consecutive Western Buckeye League Championship. The Roughriders were the 1979 Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) AA State Champions. Jeff Cisco was named First Team All – Western Buckeye League and was the Western Buckeye League Back of the Year. Jeff was named First Team All – State Ohio and played in the North – South All – Star Game. Jeff was also selected as the Associated Press Northwestern District Back of the year in Class AA and was a two-year AP Northwestern District All Star Player. In addition, Cisco was selected as the United Press International Class AA All-Ohio Back of the year chosen by coaches, sportswriters, and sportscasters around the state. He is the only member of the Roughrider’s 3,000 - yard club that accumulated his yardage in two seasons rather than a three - year span. He also amassed his yards in games where the starters did not play a great deal of the second half because they won their games by such large margins. The average final score of Roughrider football games for the season was 45 – 15. The first nine games of 1979, Cisco carried the ball an average of only 13 times per game, even though he averaged 11.7 yards per carry for the season. Head Coach Skip Baughman gave Cisco the ball 33 times (setting a school record) in his last game as a senior, and Jeff responded with 290 yards rushing for 32 points scored.

In baseball, Jeff played pitcher, catcher, and infielder for the Roughriders. He earned All - Western Buckeye League honors both his junior and senior seasons. During his sophomore and senior seasons, the 1978 and 1980 Roughrider Baseball Teams were the Western Buckeye League Champions.

Recruited by The Ohio State University Buckeyes, Jeff decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and played both football and baseball there. He was recruited by Buckeyes Head Coach, Earl Bruce, to play in the tailback position on the offensive side of the ball. Like in high school though, Jeff switched to the defensive back position and punt returner on special teams. After two years, Jeff transferred to Winthrop University in South Carolina to pursue his baseball career.

In the Spring of 1984, Jeff was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 25th round of the Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft. Jeff played in the minor leagues for three years as a right handed catcher for the Calgary Expos and Charleston Rainbows. Today, Jeff is a successful businessman and resides in South Carolina.



For his outstanding athletic career at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels, The St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation inducts Jeff Cisco into the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation Hall of Fame for Athletic Achievement.