Professional Football Player. For seven seasons (1977 to 1983), he played at the running back position with the Denver Broncos. Born Robert William Lytle, he attended Ross High School (Fremont, Ohio), and played collegiate football at the University of Michigan. A greatly-accomplished player while with the Wolverines (coached by the legendary Bo Schembechler), Lytle earned Big Ten MVP honors and both first-team All-American and all-Conference recognition; he scored Michigan's only points (a touchdown) against USC, in the Rose Bowl Game on New Year's Day 1977, resulting in a 14-6 defeat to the Trojans. He finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy (1976), behind Tony Dorsett and Ricky Bell. Lytle was selected by Denver during the 2nd round of the 1977 NFL Draft; he appeared in 87 career regular season games, recording 1,451 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns, and 562 reception yards with 2 touchdowns. During his rookie season (1977), he was part of an impressive Broncos' ground attack, which included Otis Armstrong and Jon Keyworth; as Denver captured the 1977 AFC Title, culminating with a 27-10 loss to Dallas in Super Bowl XII; Lytle scored the only touchdown for the Broncos during the contest. Following his football career, he served as an executive in the banking industry in his hometown of Fremont, Ohio. At the time of his death from a heart attack at age 56, he was ranked seventh all-time on the Wolverines' leaders list in rushing yardage.
Professional Football Player. For seven seasons (1977 to 1983), he played at the running back position with the Denver Broncos. Born Robert William Lytle, he attended Ross High School (Fremont, Ohio), and played collegiate football at the University of Michigan. A greatly-accomplished player while with the Wolverines (coached by the legendary Bo Schembechler), Lytle earned Big Ten MVP honors and both first-team All-American and all-Conference recognition; he scored Michigan's only points (a touchdown) against USC, in the Rose Bowl Game on New Year's Day 1977, resulting in a 14-6 defeat to the Trojans. He finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy (1976), behind Tony Dorsett and Ricky Bell. Lytle was selected by Denver during the 2nd round of the 1977 NFL Draft; he appeared in 87 career regular season games, recording 1,451 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns, and 562 reception yards with 2 touchdowns. During his rookie season (1977), he was part of an impressive Broncos' ground attack, which included Otis Armstrong and Jon Keyworth; as Denver captured the 1977 AFC Title, culminating with a 27-10 loss to Dallas in Super Bowl XII; Lytle scored the only touchdown for the Broncos during the contest. Following his football career, he served as an executive in the banking industry in his hometown of Fremont, Ohio. At the time of his death from a heart attack at age 56, he was ranked seventh all-time on the Wolverines' leaders list in rushing yardage.
Bio by: C.S.
Family Members
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See more Lytle memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current
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U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-2020
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Ohio, U.S., Marriage Abstracts, 1970, 1972-2007
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Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018
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Ohio, U.S., Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index, 1810s-2016
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