Professional Football Player, Jurist. Drafted by the Detroit Lions from the University of Notre Dame in 1950, he was a member of the Detroit Lions 1952 World Championship team. As a tackle, he started 36 games playing with Bobby Layne and Doak Walker. He also played for the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Born and raised in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, he was an amateur boxer, and ultimately won Heavyweight Golden Gloves Championships in Nevada and California. He joined the Marines in the spring of 1943 and served in the Pacific Theater of Operations as an aircraft carrier gunner on the USS Intrepid. While at the University of Notre Dame, he played four years on its undefeated championship football teams as a starting tackle under the legendary Frank Leahy. He graduated Cum Laude in 1950 with a major in Philosophy. When his professional football career ended, he earned a J.D. Degree from the University of Detroit Law School in 1965. In 1973, he was elected as a Michigan Trial Judge for the 48th District Court located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Within three years, he ascended to Chief Judge, where he served for the next thirteen years. Judge Cifelli then continued as a venerable jurist at the trial level for another eleven years. In his courtroom he once wrestled a gun away from a defendant threatening a lawyer. He retired from the District Court in 2000. In 1994, he was named Italian American Man of the Year. He has been a recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and was commended by the State of Israel.
Professional Football Player, Jurist. Drafted by the Detroit Lions from the University of Notre Dame in 1950, he was a member of the Detroit Lions 1952 World Championship team. As a tackle, he started 36 games playing with Bobby Layne and Doak Walker. He also played for the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Born and raised in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, he was an amateur boxer, and ultimately won Heavyweight Golden Gloves Championships in Nevada and California. He joined the Marines in the spring of 1943 and served in the Pacific Theater of Operations as an aircraft carrier gunner on the USS Intrepid. While at the University of Notre Dame, he played four years on its undefeated championship football teams as a starting tackle under the legendary Frank Leahy. He graduated Cum Laude in 1950 with a major in Philosophy. When his professional football career ended, he earned a J.D. Degree from the University of Detroit Law School in 1965. In 1973, he was elected as a Michigan Trial Judge for the 48th District Court located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Within three years, he ascended to Chief Judge, where he served for the next thirteen years. Judge Cifelli then continued as a venerable jurist at the trial level for another eleven years. In his courtroom he once wrestled a gun away from a defendant threatening a lawyer. He retired from the District Court in 2000. In 1994, he was named Italian American Man of the Year. He has been a recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and was commended by the State of Israel.
Bio by: Always with Love
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