Half-Back-Guard/Defensive Back/Kicker: 1930-1933
Clifford "Bake" Seibert finished his freshman football season one quarter short of lettering. That single quarter prevented him from being Mineral Point's first four year letter winner as he went on to letter the next three seasons. That was a truly rare feat in the era of iron-man football when eleven men played the whole game and underclassmen rarely made the squad. The 1930 football season was the first season of the Great Depression, and marked a change in America's social life as small communities turned to high school sports for pride in their community and hope for a better future. In 1931, a new head coach Otto Madland brought a new attitude and "Bake" was one of his first stars.
Clifford played several positions for the "cardinals". He served as the team's kicker as well. He started at right guard as a sophomore before moving into the backfield as the right half as a junior. The 1932 team jumped out to a 4-0 record, but lost to the conference powerhouses of Platteville and Darlington before rebounding to beat Fennimore and tie Dodgeville, ending the season at 5-2-1.
In the second game of Clifford's senior year, team captain and star Charles "Puggy" Harris broke his arm and “Bake" moved over to left half to replace him. He was named "acting Captain," and Bake immediately emerged as the team's new star, scoring three touchdowns at Lancaster the very next week. He then led the Pointers to a 5-2 record. The highlight of the 1933 season was 19-0 thumping of Platteville, a game in which Clifford scored two touchdowns. It was the first time that Mineral Point defeated Platteville in conference play. Bake scored three touchdowns again in a 53-0 route of Fennimore. Although an offensive star, Clifford was also an essential part of a defense that had five shut-outs. Clifford finished his high school career in the spring of 1934 when he was honored with the Homer & Lee Parkinson American Legion Medal.
After graduation, Clifford enrolled in the newly created Civilian Conservation Corps and was assigned to a work detail in northern Wisconsin. During the Depression, all but eight NFL teams were bankrupted, but semi-professional teams were still plentiful, Clifford tried out for Running Back, for the semi-professional team, Gogebic Panthers, from Ironwood, Michigan. However, by 1935 he had returned to work in Madison where his athletic ability allowed him to play semi-professional baseball for Oscar Meyer. Clifford's love of football led him into officiating, and from 1935 until his retirement in 1969, Clifford continued to officiate high school sporting events throughout Southern Wisconsin.
- Three Year Letter Winner: 1931, 1932, & 1933
- Captain 1933
- Varsity Wins: 12
- Homer & Lee Parkinson American Legion Medal 1934
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