Like so many Kohawk Athletic Hall of Fame members, Edward R. Gisler, Class of 1940, is a native of Cedar Rapids where he attended Grant and Wilson High Schools. Throughout his life he has been active in sports as a participant, coach and official. At Coe he won freshman numerals in football. basketball and track.
In football he was All-Conference and All-State in his sophomore and junior years. These were the pre-platoon days and Ed Cisler played every minute of every game those two years. On offense he was running back and fullback and on defense he was linebacker and safety.
In his senior year he was injured in the low State game and played only limited time that season. Still he received special mention on the All-Conference team and was elected co-captain of the Coe team.
In basketball Ed Cisler lettered each year. After an auspicious start he dropped track as a sophomore to play baseball in Cedar Rapids' Industrial League. This participation earned him the guarantee of a summer job which was as good as gold, since the country was still in the grip of the Great Depression. Following graduation, he joined the Air Force and survived 34 months of rugged duty in the South Pacific.
After World War II, Ed Cisler coached for 27 years, seven in lowa high schools and 20 in the Chicago South Suburban League. In addition to football he coached basketball, track, baseball and golf. He was a football official in South Suburban high schools and also in the Continental Professional Football League.
He retired from coaching and teaching in 1972 to enter the fast food business, operating five restaurants in the south Chicago suburban area. He retired in 1986 and moved to Arizona where he concentrates full-time on his golf game.
Ed Cisler was one of the most versatile, all-around, hard-nosed athletes in Coe sports history. He has spent his entire career involved in sports in some way. In recognition of this dedication to playing, coaching and officiating a variety of sports, it is proper that Ed Cisler's name be added to the Kohawk Athletic Hall of Fame.
