Hall of Fame
Position: Safety
Years: 1968-1970
Place of Birth: Fargo, ND
Date of Birth: May 12, 1948
Jersey Number: 2
Height: 6-1
Weight: 194
High School: Fargo, ND (Shanley HS)
Joseph J. Cichy was backup quarterback in 1968 and first-string safety in 1969-1970 for North Dakota State. He made College Division All-America in 1969 and 1970. The Bison were national champions in the Associated Press poll in 1968 and 1969. In Cichy's three years their record was 29-0-1. He had finished high school with a 25-game winning streak. When these records are combined, Cichy has a streak of 55 games without a loss. In 1969, he set a school record with 53 unassisted tackles. He was 6'1" in height, weighed 194, was a Rhodes Scholar nominee, and won an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. He coached high school football and in 1981 obtained a law degree and began practicing in Bismarck, North Dakota. Joe Cichy had two brothers, Mike and Nick, who played at North Dakota State, and one brother, Steve, who played at Notre Dame. Their father, Sid Cichy, coached 30 years at Shanley High in Fargo, North Dakota, and won 20 state championships. Cichy became the second person associated with North Dakota State football to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. The first was Gil Dobie, who coached at the school in 1906-1907.
