Roger Kisiel is a graduate of North Hagerstown High School and the United States Naval Academy. He started his athletic activities at an early age playing Little League, PONY League and Junior League baseball, and also played Junior League soccer (as a captain his last year), varsity basketball, Junior League basketball and held the high jump record at Woodland Way Junior High.

At Hagerstown High, he played varsity football as a quarterback and played guard on the varsity basketball team. He was the high scorer with 21 points in the first North Hagerstown-South Hagerstown game. Kisiel also ran track, winning in the high jump and placing regularly in the 110-yard high hurdles, 440-yard dash while also running relays at some meets.

Kisiel entered the United States Naval Prep School at Bainbridge, Md., and played varsity football as a quarterback and defensive back, varsity basketball as a guard, and played tennis. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1959 and played Plebe football as a quarterback and defensive back, losing only to Penn State. He also knocked Tom Brown (who later played for Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers) out of the Bullis game with two tackles. His sophomore year, he quarterbacked Navy’s football win over Army. He played football his junior year, appearing briefly in the Orange Bowl game won by Missouri.

Roger went out for lacrosse at coach Willis Bilderback’s request, when he watched Roger play squash with his roommate, who was a lacrosse player. He played varsity lacrosse as a midfielder, winning the national championship with wins over Johns Hopkins, Virginia, Maryland and Army. They repeated as national champions with a win over Army (to whom Navy lost at home).

A spring football injury, coupled with his election as a captain of the 1962 lacrosse team, led Roger to devote more time to lacrosse, to reach their goal of a third straight national championship. In helping coach the Plebes in football, he coached fine young players like Roger Staubach, Pat Donnelly, Fred Marlin and Pat Philbin. Navy won every lacrosse game that spring and won the national championship. Roger scored 13 goals and added quite a few assists.

Roger played for the South in the North-South All-Star Game at Rutgers, won by the South. He was selected as a first-team All-American midfielder. He also captained the undefeated Brigate championship team in intramural basketball.