Villanova Univeristy Athletics

A versatile player who did a little bit of everything for Villanova during his collegiate career, Ralph Cecere is the owner of the longest punt return in school history. He played for the Wildcats varsity squad from 1951-53 and graduated from Villanova in 1954. He was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1988.
 
Cecere’s career highlights include 884 all-purpose yards and being the Wildcats leading receiver with 310 yards and three touchdowns as a senior in 1953. He was also Villanova’s punter for most of his career and averaged 36.7 yards while kicking three career punts for 50 yards or longer.
 
Prior to the 1953 season it was noted that Cecere would greatly benefit from the single platoon rule which put an end to the mass substitution of players in between offensive and defensive possessions. He had played strictly on defense for the Wildcats during the 1951 and 1952 campaigns but had shown the potential to be a strong ball carrier. He was predicted to be a great offensive man and the potential surprise of the 1953 squad.
 
The best game of Cecere’s career came in November 21, 1953 when he set a school record with an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in a 14-13 win over Syracuse at Franklin Field. More than 70 years later the mark still stood as the longest punt return in the Wildcats record book. The game against Syracuse was the second-to-last contest of Cecere’s collegiate career and he tallied a career-high 133 all-purpose yards. In addition to the long punt return, he also had a 20-yard kickoff return and 25 rushing yards in the game.
 
Cecere’s career statistics included 303 career rushing yards, 309 receiving yards, 122 kickoff return yards, 119 punt return yards and 31 yards on interception returns. In his 1953 senior campaign he added to his team-leading total of receiving yards with 77 rushes for 282 yards, good for second on the team behind first team All-American Gene Filipski.
 
Cecere had four career games with over 100 all-purpose yards and also was a standout performer in his punting duties. He recorded 130 career punts for 4,777 yards and twice kicked career-long attempts of 57 yards. Following his collegiate career, Cecere was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 78^th overall pick in the seventh round of the 1954 NFL Draft. He was also a sought-after baseball player who played shortstop and gained the attention of major league scouts.