Bob Apisa (2017) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Bob Apisa

Induction:
2017
Class:
1967

Bob Apisa
Football (1965-67)
Honolulu, Hawaii
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Two-time first-team All-American (1965, 1966)
• Starting fullback on back-to-back Big Ten and National Champion teams in 1965 and 1966, scoring a combined 18 touchdowns over the two seasons
• 1966 consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection
• Closed his career as MSU's most prolific rushing fullback with 1,343 yards, in addition to being a great blocker for Spartan tailbacks

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2017

One of just 15 players in program history to earn first-team All-America honors twice, fullback Bob Apisa played an instrumental role in helping the Spartans to a combined record of 19-1-1 during the 1965 and 1966 seasons, including back-to-back Big Ten and National Championships.

A three-year letterwinner from 1965-67, Apisa garnered first-team All-America accolades as a sophomore in 1965 by Football News, and repeated as a first-team All-American in 1966 by both the Football News and New York News.

"I got very emotional," Apisa said upon learning of his election into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. "My wife was right there, and she hugged me. I think of the all the hardship that I went through. I think of my teammates - I really do feel that they were very involved with my entrance into the Hall of Fame. I look at our team picture, and I see so many good guys - Wade Payne, Ed McLoud, Larry Smith, Tony Conti, Joe Przybycki, George Chatlos, Jimmy Raye, and on down the line - that were very instrumental and helped me get my footing at Michigan State. We were all part of the same class.

"I shed tears for those of us who are no longer here, from Bubba Smith to George Webster to Harold Lucas to Don Japinga to Maurice Haynes to unfortunately many others. But the fact is, when I enter those buildings nowadays, like the Duffy Daugherty Building, I feel there's a ghost that comes with me, because I was with these people. I knew them personally, sat next to them on train rides and bus rides and plane rides. I played with them, and got chewed out by them. But it was all for the good. They all have love for you as a person and want you to develop. It's so surreal to go in those buildings and remember seeing all of these people.

"I'm really looking forward to this opportunity. It's an exclusive club to be a part of, and I'm just honored. And for those that have been supportive of me, I'm honored as well. I'm grateful to Mark Hollis, Mark Dantonio, President Lou Anna Simon and Roy Simon. There's a lot of credit to go around and I'm very appreciative for that."

Apisa made quite the journey to East Lansing before even playing in a game. He grew up in American Samoa for seven years, followed by a move to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he lived for the next decade prior to attending school at Michigan State. He starred at Farrington High School in Honolulu and picked MSU among 34 scholarship offers from across the nation.

It didn't take long for Apisa to make an impact on the field. As a sophomore in 1965, he ranked second on the team in rushing (career-high 666 yards), carries (122), rushing touchdowns (9) and scoring (56 points), and third in total offense (666 yards). He also caught six passes for 93 yards. In his collegiate debut against UCLA, Apisa collected 99 yards on 13 carries, including the game's only touchdown, a 21-yard run. Apisa went on to score a touchdown in his first seven games.

Despite missing most of the last three games due to a knee injury, Apisa's 666 rushing yards were the most ever in a single-season by a Spartan fullback. He rushed for a season-high 114 yards on 17 carries in a 32-7 victory over Ohio State on Oct. 16 and also had 74 yards on 11 attempts in the win over Michigan on Oct. 9 that featured a 39-yard rushing TD in the game's closing minutes.

In the 1966 Rose Bowl against UCLA, Apisa ran four times for 49 yards, including a 38-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, which still stands as MSU's longest-ever TD run in a Rose Bowl game and third-longest overall by a Spartan in a bowl game.

Including the bowl game, Apisa tied for first in the Big Ten with 10 rushing touchdowns in 1965, along with teammate and fellow All-American tailback Clinton Jones. Apisa's 715 total rushing yards also ranked third in the conference as he picked up second-team all-league accolades in addition to the All-America honors. He also was named the Touchdown Club of Columbus' "Sophomore of the Year."

Apisa followed up his stellar sophomore campaign with another impressive season in 1966, although he was again hampered by knee problems and played in just eight games. He led the Big Ten and National Champion Spartans with eight rushing touchdowns and 54 points (nine touchdowns overall), and ranked second in rushing (86 carries for 445 yards) and third in total offense (445 yards). The consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection ran for a career-high 140 yards on 18 carries in the 20-7 win over Michigan on Oct. 8 to earn UPI Back of the Week honors. Two weeks later, Apisa tied his career high with three touchdowns in a Homecoming triumph over Purdue before more than 78,000 fans in Spartan Stadium.

Unfortunately, Apisa continued to battle knee injuries in his final season with the Green and White and finished his senior year with 183 rushing yards on 50 attempts in 1967.

Apisa closed out his career as MSU's most prolific rushing fullback with 1,343 yards on 262 attempts. Not only did he produce on the stat sheet, but Apisa also helped pave the way for Jones, a two-time All-America tailback who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. Apisa was an honorable mention selection on the all-time MSU football team.

It wasn't just the football field where Apisa made his mark in East Lansing - he was also very active in the community. Apisa was an avid member of the Christian Athletes in Action group, participated in several activities with the Lansing Big Brother organization, and worked a summer program in 1966 with the Lansing Boys Training School.

Apisa was selected in the eighth round (No. 245 overall) of the 1968 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He graduated with a bachelor of science from MSU in 1968 and a master of arts from Western Michigan in 1970.