Nicknamed "Ticker", his father Teddy and brother Bert both played football for Geelong as well as a number of other members of the Rankin family.

Despite making his debut in 1915, Rankin did not play a full season until 1920 due to World War I, when he served as a gunner in France.

It was also the highest tally by any player in the league that year for the home-and-away season and included a bag of ten goals against Fitzroy.

During a game in the 1924 season, as Cliff Rankin was shooting for goal, Arthur Hando of South Melbourne was seen shaking the posts in order to increase the chances of the ball hitting the goal post, an action for which Hando was subsequently censured by the league.

A regular Victorian interstate representative, Rankin appeared in 14 games for his state, kicking 30 goals.