Cisowski attended Westmont High School, in Campbell, California, where he participated in football, basketball, wrestling, and track.
He accepted a football scholarship from NCAA Division II Santa Clara University.
As a senior starter at left tackle, he helped his team gain a school-record 751 yards on offense against San Francisco State University.
Cisowski was selected by the New York Giants in the eighth round (214th overall) of the 1986 NFL draft.
He was re-signed to be a part of the Dallas replacement team that was given the mock name "Rhinestone Cowboys" by the media.