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Versatility, a commitment to excellence, and an overenthusiastic demeanor characterized Richard J. "Rookie" Lisabeth, who lettered in football for Wayne State in 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954 while also establishing himself as one of the premier players in Tartan gridiron history. Nicknamed "Rookie" by assistant football coach and current Wayne State Hall of Fame member Jack Cotton during the freshman football training camp at Brighton in 1951, Lisabeth personified the intense levels of enthusiasm and hustle manifested by a typical rookie trying desperately to make a professional athletic organization. His personality and talents displayed in both the offensive and defensive backfields allowed Lisabeth to etch his mark in the Wayne State records annals for a variety of single game, season, and career records. He owns or shares seven single game records including most reception yards (239 vs. North Dakota State in 1954), most pass receptions (nine vs. North Dakota State in 1954), most pass interceptions (four vs. Washington University of St. Louis in 1954), most extra points scored (eight vs. Omaha in 1951), highest punt return average (50.0 yard average vs. Omaha in 1951), most kickoff returns yards (148 vs. Iowa State in 1951), and highest kickoff return average (49.3 yards vs. Iowa State in 1951). His 82-yard punt return against Omaha in 1951 and his 96-yard kickoff return against Iowa State that same year still represent the longest single play efforts in both respective categories in the school's history. Ranked on numerous all-time Wayne State career lists, Lisabeth is currently rated second for most extra points (48), fourth for most points (108), kicking points (48), and punt return yards (305), tied for fifth for most interceptions (12), sixth for most touchdowns passes thrown (eight), sixth for most put returns (22), seventh for most kickoff return yards (488), and tenth for most passing yardage (1,042 yards). Lisabeth captained the 1954 contingent and also established a school season record for the highest punt return average maintained in a single season with a 21.7 yard clip recorded in 1951. After graduating from Wayne State with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education, Lisabeth tried a two-year stint with the Detroit Raiders of the Canadian Football League in 1956 and 1957. He taught physical education in the Detroit Public Schools before working in the attendance department of the Detroit Public Schools. An avid sports enthusiast, Lisabeth has been a football and basketball official in the Public School League, a Mid-American Conference football official, and an official in the United States Football League. His wife Joyce is a Wayne State graduate and the couple has five children: David, Debby, Kathy, Ronald, and Ann Marie.
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