Announcement

Longtime Ocean Pines resident has jersey retired at Navy football game

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

(Sept. 3, 2024) Bob “Reif” Reifsnyder, an Ocean Pines resident for more than 30 years, was once the top college football player in the country, winning the Maxwell Award in 1957 for the Navy Midshipmen.

Reifsnyder had his jersey number, 58, retired during halftime ceremonies on Saturday, Aug. 31 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

“It's a great honor and they only do it for a few people,” he said. “But the big thing is, I've always looked upon those type of things as honoring your team, because if you weren't on a good team with good players, you wouldn’t go and get that kind of recognition.”

Navy would only lose two games from 1956 to 1957 during Reifsnyder’s heyday, and the team finished ranked #5 in the country in 1957.

“We worked hard, and we also had great coaching,” he said. “It was a good couple of years that I had there.”

During halftime on Saturday, Reifsnyder stepped back onto the field for what he said was a surreal and humbling experience.

“My wife’s sister said, ‘What was it like speaking in front of 30,000 people?’ Well, it was a lot easier than playing in front of them!” he said with a laugh.

During his playing days, the crowd would chant, “Reif! Reif!” when he was on the field. On Saturday, Reifsnyder said he could hear some of his former classmates doing that familiar chant from the stands.

“It was just a great feeling, and it brought back a lot of great memories,” he said. Reifsnyder stuck around for the game, as the Navy Midshipmen went on to win 49-21 over the visiting Bucknell Bisons.

Reifsnyder said he still enjoys attending Navy games on a regular basis.

“It's one of the benefits of living over here in Ocean Pines – we're only a couple hours away,” he said. “I watch some of the spring practices, and every once in a while a full game. And, of course, I got season tickets. I've never lost touch with people there.

“Going to school, you make a lot of good friends, and not just football players, but your classmates,” he continued. “It wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but it was a great experience going to the Naval Academy, and obviously the accomplishments we've had in football just made it even better.”

Reifsnyder ruptured his Achillies tendon during the preseason of his senior year and did not play. He graduated from the Naval Academy, but a medical discharge prevented him from serving.

“In today’s world I don’t think that would have happened, and it really disappointed me, because I was looking forward to a career in the Navy,” he said. “I went there with the idea of being a pilot, and then I guess between my size and my eyes that got ruled out. But I was thinking of going into the Marine Corps, and then this leg issue happened, and that was it.”

Despite not playing his senior year, Reifsnyder was drafted into the NFL by the Los Angeles Rams. However, he never played for the team because of his injury.

“They didn't have MRIs in those days, so I got hurt in August and they didn't operate on me until March, and you can imagine what happened in the meantime,” he said.

The Rams later traded Reifsnyder to the New York Giants, where he remained on injured reserve.

“The next year, the AFL opened up, so I took a jump and I went over there. But I just couldn't compete anymore,” he said. “You have to be 100% to play in pro football, and I never was.”

Instead of playing football, Reifsnyder would go on to have a long career as a schoolteacher and administrator – and as a coach.

“I was a dean of students in charge of discipline at two big high schools on Long Island, and the head football coach,” he said. “And in between those two high schools, I coached for six years at Columbia University.”

Reifsnyder and his wife, Sandy, ended up in Ocean Pines because his sister-in-law owned property there and introduced them to the area.

“We love what Ocean Pines has. It has everything,” he said.

Reifsnyder is an avid golfer, and he also owned a boat when they first moved to the community, and they became regulars at the marina.

“It was close to Navy, and also my kids are up in New York, so it was close to them,” he said. “We've had a great life, and we’ve have made a lot of good friends here. We have a great golf course with great people play with. I've been here 30 years now and enjoyed every minute of it. My wife and I love it here.”

Reifsnyder was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. His official College Football bio reads:

“Bob Reifsnyder stood 6-1 in height, weighed 230 pounds, and played tackle for Navy. In 1957, his junior year, Navy went 8-1-1, won the Lambert Trophy as the best team in the East and beat Rice in the Cotton Bowl. Reifsnyder was named a first-team All-America and won the Maxwell Trophy, given to the nation's best player. This was the first time the Maxwell Award was given to a guard or tackle. Reifsnyder suffered a knee injury before the 1958 season began, and his playing time was limited to 27 minutes of the entire schedule. He graduated from Navy as a member of the 1959 class but did not receive a commission because of his physical disability. He had a brief professional football career (New York Giants 1959, New York Titans 1960-61). Reifsnyder coached football at Berner High School, Massapequa, New York, from 1963-1980, with a career record of 104-39-3. For the period 1981-84 he was an assistant coach at Columbia University. For the years 1985-86 he was football coach at Friends Academy. In 1987 he became coach at Patchogue-Medford High School in New York. He added the title of Dean of Students at the school in 1990.”

Announcement

Longtime Ocean Pines resident has jersey retired at Navy football game

Member Login