1947 Michigan Wolverines football team
Encyclopedia
The 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team, nicknamed the "Mad Magicians", represented the University of Michigan
in the 1947 college football season
. Coached by Fritz Crisler
, the Wolverines finished undefeated and untied with a 10–0 record. Although ranked second in the Associated Press
poll at the end of the regular season, the Wolverines defeated the USC Trojans by a score of 49–0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl
game, and were selected as the nation's number-one team by a 226–119 margin over Notre Dame
in an unprecedented post-bowl Associated Press poll. The 1947 team has been selected as the best team in the history of Michigan football. Led by team captain, Bruce Hilkene
, quarterback Howard Yerges
, and All-American
halfbacks Bob Chappuis
and Bump Elliott
, the 1947 Wolverines outscored their opponents, 394–53. The Wolverines victory in the 1948 Rose Bowl still is tied for the most points scored, and the largest margin of victory, in Rose Bowl
history.
The 1947 Wolverines are also remembered as the first fully to embrace the concept of defensive and offensive specialization. Previously, most players had played their positions on both offense and defense. But in 1947, Coach Fritz Crisler established separate offensive and defensive squads. Only Bump Elliott and Jack Weisenberger played on both squads. In November 1947, Time
magazine ran a feature article about the 1947 Wolverines (with Bob Chappuis
’ photograph on the cover) called, "The Specialist". The Time article focused on the new era of specialization marked by Crisler’s decision to field separate offensive and defensive units. The article noted: "Michigan's sleight-of-hand repertory is a baffling assortment of double reverses
, buck-reverse laterals, crisscrosses, quick-hits and spins from seven different formations. Sometimes, watching from the side lines, even Coach Crisler isn't sure which Michigan man has the ball. Michigan plays one team on offense, one on defense...Whenever Michigan's defensive team regains the ball, Crisler orders: 'Offense unit, up and out,' and nine men pour onto the field at once." Crisler's single-wing formation in action was "so dazzling in its deception" that the media nicknamed the 1947 team the "Mad Magicians".
had traded the top spot in the polls through much of the season. Michigan took the #1 spot in the AP poll on November 16, 1947, and Notre Dame moved into the #1 spot on November 23, 1947, by a margin of 1,410 points to 1,289 points. This last regular season poll determined the recipient of the AP's national championship trophy.
, a greater margin that by which Notre Dame had beaten USC, and the most points scored, and greatest margin of victory, in Rose Bowl history.
Football writer Pete Rozelle
reported the day after the Rose Bowl on the reaction of the assembled writers in the Rose Bowl press box. "From Grantland Rice down through the ranks of the nation's top sports writers assembled in the Rose Bowl press box yesterday there was nothing but glowing expletives for the synchronized Michigan Wolverine wrecking crew that powered over Southern California, 49-0. While for the most part hedging from a comparison of Michigan with Notre Dame, the consensus of the scribes was that the offensive-minded Ann Arbor squad deserved no less than a co-rating with the Irish as America's Number One Collegiate eleven."
Grantland Rice
, the dean of the nation's sports writers, lauded the Wolverines, saying, "It is the best all-around college football team I've seen this year. The backfield's brilliant passing and running skill gives Michigan the most powerful offense in the country." Red Smith
of the New York Herald Tribune
said, "No other team that I have seen this season did things with so little effort. Crisler has so many that do so much."
Detroit Free Press
sports editor, Lyall Smith, argued the debate should be answered by comparing the two team's performance against common opponents. Smith noted: "They played three common foes. Notre Dame beat Pitt, 40–6, a margin of 34 points: Michigan beat Pitt 59–0. Notre Dame defeated Northwestern, 26 to 19, a margin of seven points: Michigan beat the 'Cats 49 to 21, for a 28-point advantage. Notre Dame dropped USC, 36 to 7, in what Coach Frank Leahy
termed his team's 'greatest game of the year,' while Michigan slaughtered the same Trojans, 49 to 0. Against those three common opponents the Irish scored 104 points to 32. Michigan's margin was 167 to 21."
Smith also pointed to Michigan's tougher strength of schedule: "The teams Michigan played won 42 games, lost 48 and tied five. Notre Dame's adversaries won only 30, lost 45, and tied 6."
decided to hold a post-bowl poll. The AP reported on the rationale for the special poll this way: "The Associated Press is polling sports editors of its member papers throughout the country to help settle the argument as to which is the better football team -- Michigan or Notre Dame. The AP's final poll of the top ten teams, released Dec. 8 at the conclusion of the regulation season, resulted in Notre Dame winning first place with 1,410 points. MIchigan was second with 1,289. . . . Returns so far received indicate that voting in this latest poll is likely to be the heaviest ever recorded." Another AP report indicated the special poll was "conducted by popular demand" to answer "the burning sports question of the day" and to do so "at the ballot box."
reported on the results of its poll as follows: "The nation's sports writers gave the final answer Tuesday to the raging controversy on the relative strength of the Notre Dame and Michigan football teams, and it was the Wolverines over the Irish by almost two to one—including those who saw both powerhouses perform. . . . In the over-all total, 226 writers in 48 states and the District of Columbia picked Michigan, 119 balloted for Notre Dame, and 12 called it a draw. Opinion of the 54 writers who saw both in action last fall coincided at almost the same ratio, with 33 giving the nod to Michigan, 17 to Notre Dame, and four voting for a tie." The 357 votes cast in the special post-bowl poll represented "the largest ever to take part in such an AP voting."
Commenting on the special poll, Michigan coach Fritz Crisler
said "the men who voted couldn't have made a mistake if they had picked either team." He described Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy
as a "superb coach." Notre Dame President, Father John Cavanagh said, "We at Notre Dame feel grateful for the magnanimous statement of Coach Crisler. I listened to Michigan against Southern California and have only praise for the skill and accomplishment of your fine team."
Forty years later, the debate was still ongoing. In 1988, Michigan All-American Dan Dworsky
noted: "Notre Dame still claims that national championship and so do we."
The NCAA, the governing body for college athletics, presently cites Notre Dame as the official AP title winner. The NCAA, however, does not control the college football national title selection process, unlike in other college sports.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the 1947 college football season
1947 college football season
The 1947 college football season finished with Notre Dame, Michigan and Penn State all unbeaten and untied, but the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame were the first place choice for 107 of the 142 voters in the AP writers poll, and repeated as national champions...
. Coached by Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
, the Wolverines finished undefeated and untied with a 10–0 record. Although ranked second in the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
poll at the end of the regular season, the Wolverines defeated the USC Trojans by a score of 49–0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl
1948 Rose Bowl
The 1948 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1948. It was the 34th Rose Bowl Game, and the second since the Big Nine Conference and the Pacific Coast Conference reached an exclusive agreement to match their champions in the game each year. In the game, the Michigan...
game, and were selected as the nation's number-one team by a 226–119 margin over Notre Dame
1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1947 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 9 wins and no losses, winning the national championship. The 1947 team became the sixth Irish team to win the...
in an unprecedented post-bowl Associated Press poll. The 1947 team has been selected as the best team in the history of Michigan football. Led by team captain, Bruce Hilkene
Bruce Hilkene
Bruce L. Hilkene was the captain and starting left tackle of the undefeated 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team. The team defeated the USC Trojans 49-0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl and has been selected as the greatest Michigan football team of all time...
, quarterback Howard Yerges
Howard Yerges
Howard Frederick Yerges, Jr. was an American football player who played quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team in 1943 and the University of Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1944 to 1947...
, and All-American
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
halfbacks Bob Chappuis
Bob Chappuis
Robert Richard "Bob" Chappuis is a former American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II...
and Bump Elliott
Bump Elliott
Chalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan...
, the 1947 Wolverines outscored their opponents, 394–53. The Wolverines victory in the 1948 Rose Bowl still is tied for the most points scored, and the largest margin of victory, in Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
history.
The 1947 Wolverines are also remembered as the first fully to embrace the concept of defensive and offensive specialization. Previously, most players had played their positions on both offense and defense. But in 1947, Coach Fritz Crisler established separate offensive and defensive squads. Only Bump Elliott and Jack Weisenberger played on both squads. In November 1947, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine ran a feature article about the 1947 Wolverines (with Bob Chappuis
Bob Chappuis
Robert Richard "Bob" Chappuis is a former American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II...
’ photograph on the cover) called, "The Specialist". The Time article focused on the new era of specialization marked by Crisler’s decision to field separate offensive and defensive units. The article noted: "Michigan's sleight-of-hand repertory is a baffling assortment of double reverses
Reverse (American football)
A reverse is a relatively common trick play in American football that involves one or more abrupt changes in the lateral flow of a rushing play.-Variations:...
, buck-reverse laterals, crisscrosses, quick-hits and spins from seven different formations. Sometimes, watching from the side lines, even Coach Crisler isn't sure which Michigan man has the ball. Michigan plays one team on offense, one on defense...Whenever Michigan's defensive team regains the ball, Crisler orders: 'Offense unit, up and out,' and nine men pour onto the field at once." Crisler's single-wing formation in action was "so dazzling in its deception" that the media nicknamed the 1947 team the "Mad Magicians".
Schedule
The regular season AP polls
Michigan and Notre Dame1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1947 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 9 wins and no losses, winning the national championship. The 1947 team became the sixth Irish team to win the...
had traded the top spot in the polls through much of the season. Michigan took the #1 spot in the AP poll on November 16, 1947, and Notre Dame moved into the #1 spot on November 23, 1947, by a margin of 1,410 points to 1,289 points. This last regular season poll determined the recipient of the AP's national championship trophy.
Press and public reaction to Michigan's win in the Rose Bowl
After the final AP poll, Michigan went on to beat USC, 49–0, in the 1948 Rose Bowl1948 Rose Bowl
The 1948 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1948. It was the 34th Rose Bowl Game, and the second since the Big Nine Conference and the Pacific Coast Conference reached an exclusive agreement to match their champions in the game each year. In the game, the Michigan...
, a greater margin that by which Notre Dame had beaten USC, and the most points scored, and greatest margin of victory, in Rose Bowl history.
Football writer Pete Rozelle
Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....
reported the day after the Rose Bowl on the reaction of the assembled writers in the Rose Bowl press box. "From Grantland Rice down through the ranks of the nation's top sports writers assembled in the Rose Bowl press box yesterday there was nothing but glowing expletives for the synchronized Michigan Wolverine wrecking crew that powered over Southern California, 49-0. While for the most part hedging from a comparison of Michigan with Notre Dame, the consensus of the scribes was that the offensive-minded Ann Arbor squad deserved no less than a co-rating with the Irish as America's Number One Collegiate eleven."
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
, the dean of the nation's sports writers, lauded the Wolverines, saying, "It is the best all-around college football team I've seen this year. The backfield's brilliant passing and running skill gives Michigan the most powerful offense in the country." Red Smith
Red Smith
Red Smith may refer to:* Red Smith , 1910s baseball third baseman* Red Smith , Pittsburgh Pirates catcher, 1917–1918* Red Smith , MLB shortstop in the 1925 season...
of the New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
said, "No other team that I have seen this season did things with so little effort. Crisler has so many that do so much."
The debate over which team was best
Notre Dame supporters argued that the post-season AP poll was final and should not be revisited. They contended that Michigan had run up the score on USC, noted that Notre Dame had not had an opportunity to play in a bowl game, and asserted that Michigan and other Big Nine schools were unwilling to schedule Notre Dame in the regular season.Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
sports editor, Lyall Smith, argued the debate should be answered by comparing the two team's performance against common opponents. Smith noted: "They played three common foes. Notre Dame beat Pitt, 40–6, a margin of 34 points: Michigan beat Pitt 59–0. Notre Dame defeated Northwestern, 26 to 19, a margin of seven points: Michigan beat the 'Cats 49 to 21, for a 28-point advantage. Notre Dame dropped USC, 36 to 7, in what Coach Frank Leahy
Frank Leahy
Francis William Leahy was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive...
termed his team's 'greatest game of the year,' while Michigan slaughtered the same Trojans, 49 to 0. Against those three common opponents the Irish scored 104 points to 32. Michigan's margin was 167 to 21."
Smith also pointed to Michigan's tougher strength of schedule: "The teams Michigan played won 42 games, lost 48 and tied five. Notre Dame's adversaries won only 30, lost 45, and tied 6."
The AP holds a special poll to "settle the argument" at "the ballot box"
In response to the debate over which team truly deserved to be recognized as the nation's best, the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
decided to hold a post-bowl poll. The AP reported on the rationale for the special poll this way: "The Associated Press is polling sports editors of its member papers throughout the country to help settle the argument as to which is the better football team -- Michigan or Notre Dame. The AP's final poll of the top ten teams, released Dec. 8 at the conclusion of the regulation season, resulted in Notre Dame winning first place with 1,410 points. MIchigan was second with 1,289. . . . Returns so far received indicate that voting in this latest poll is likely to be the heaviest ever recorded." Another AP report indicated the special poll was "conducted by popular demand" to answer "the burning sports question of the day" and to do so "at the ballot box."
Michigan voted #1 in the special poll by a vote of 226 to 119
Michigan was voted #1 in the special poll by a vote of 226 to 119. The Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported on the results of its poll as follows: "The nation's sports writers gave the final answer Tuesday to the raging controversy on the relative strength of the Notre Dame and Michigan football teams, and it was the Wolverines over the Irish by almost two to one—including those who saw both powerhouses perform. . . . In the over-all total, 226 writers in 48 states and the District of Columbia picked Michigan, 119 balloted for Notre Dame, and 12 called it a draw. Opinion of the 54 writers who saw both in action last fall coincided at almost the same ratio, with 33 giving the nod to Michigan, 17 to Notre Dame, and four voting for a tie." The 357 votes cast in the special post-bowl poll represented "the largest ever to take part in such an AP voting."
Commenting on the special poll, Michigan coach Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
said "the men who voted couldn't have made a mistake if they had picked either team." He described Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy
Frank Leahy
Francis William Leahy was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive...
as a "superb coach." Notre Dame President, Father John Cavanagh said, "We at Notre Dame feel grateful for the magnanimous statement of Coach Crisler. I listened to Michigan against Southern California and have only praise for the skill and accomplishment of your fine team."
The debate continues despite the special poll
Despite the magnanimous statements of Coach Crisler and Father Cavanagh, the reversed decision in the post-bowl poll only stoked the debate over which team was best. Said one columnist: "Hottest argument of the moment is the one over which had the better football team, Michigan or Notre Dame. To settle it the Associated Press polled better than 350 sports writers in 48 states . . . with a two to one nod for the Wolverines."Forty years later, the debate was still ongoing. In 1988, Michigan All-American Dan Dworsky
Dan Dworsky
Daniel Leonard Dworsky has been a leading Southern California architect since the early 1950s. He is a longstanding member of the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. Among other works, Dworsky designed Crisler Arena, the basketball arena at the University of Michigan named for...
noted: "Notre Dame still claims that national championship and so do we."
The NCAA, the governing body for college athletics, presently cites Notre Dame as the official AP title winner. The NCAA, however, does not control the college football national title selection process, unlike in other college sports.
Starting lineup
- Jim BrieskeJim BrieskeJames F. Brieske was an American football placekicker. He played college football for the University of Michigan in 1942, 1946 and 1947. He set Michigan, Rose Bowl, Big Ten Conference, and national collegiate placekicking records and was the second leading scorer on Michigan's undefeated 1947...
- placekicker, and started 1 game at center - Bob ChappuisBob ChappuisRobert Richard "Bob" Chappuis is a former American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II...
- left halfback (9 games) - Gene DerricotteGene DerricotteEugene "Gene" Derricotte is a former American football player who played with the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1944 to 1948. He was one of the University's first African American athletes in the era when NCAA Division I college football was beginning to integrate...
- quarterback (1 game) - Dan DworskyDan DworskyDaniel Leonard Dworsky has been a leading Southern California architect since the early 1950s. He is a longstanding member of the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. Among other works, Dworsky designed Crisler Arena, the basketball arena at the University of Michigan named for...
- fullback (1 game), center (1 game) - Bump ElliottBump ElliottChalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan...
- right halfback (10 games) - Len FordLen FordLeonard Guy Ford, Jr. was an American football defensive end. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976.He played two years for the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference...
- left end (1 game) - Bruce HilkeneBruce HilkeneBruce L. Hilkene was the captain and starting left tackle of the undefeated 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team. The team defeated the USC Trojans 49-0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl and has been selected as the greatest Michigan football team of all time...
- left tackle (8 games) - Dick KempthornDick KempthornRichard James "Dick" Kempthorn is a former collegiate athlete, Air Force pilot, and businessman from Canton, Ohio, USA. He played college football on the undefeated National Champion 1947 and 1948 Michigan Wolverines football teams and was the Most Valuable Player on the 1949 team...
- fullback (1 game) - Ralph KohlRalph KohlRalph Anson Kohl was an American football player, coach and scout. He played at the tackle position on the University of Michigan's undefeated 1947 and 1948 football teams. He signed to play with the Baltimore Colts, but a knee injury prevented him from playing in the NFL...
- right tackle (1 game) - Bob MannBob Mann (American football)Robert "Bob" Mann was an American football end. A native of New Bern, North Carolina, Mann played college football at Hampton Institute in 1942 and 1943 and at the University of Michigan in 1944, 1946 and 1947. He broke the Big Ten Conference record for receiving yardage in 1946 and again in 1947...
- left end (8 games) - Edward D. McNeill - left end (1 game), right end (1 game)
- Tom Peterson - fullback (1 game)
- Bill Pritula - right tackle (9 games)
- Dick RifenburgDick RifenburgRichard Gale "Dick" Rifenburg was a pioneering television broadcaster for the forerunner to WIVB-TV in Buffalo. He was also a professional American football wide receiver who played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions in 1950 and had been an All-American end for the University of Michigan Wolverines...
- right end (9 games) - Quentin SickelsQuentin SickelsQuentin Brian "Quent" Sickels is a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Michigan in 1944 and from 1946 to 1948. He played on Michigan's undefeated 1947 and 1948 national championship teams...
- right guard (1 game) - Joe SoboleskiJoe SoboleskiJoseph Robert Soboleski, Jr. is a former American football guard.Soboleski began his football career playing for Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from high school, Soboleski spent 18 months in the United States Navy, including eight months in the Pacific...
- left guard (3 games) - Dominic TomasiDominic TomasiDominic Tomasi was an American football player who played guard for the University of Michigan Wolverines. He was a four-year starter and was selected as both the captain and Most Valuable Player of the National Champion 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team.-High school:A native of Flint,...
- left guard (7 games) - J.T. White - center (8 games)
- Jack WeisenburgerJack WeisenburgerJohn Edward "Jack" Weisenburger is a former American football and baseball player. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1944 to 1947 and was the starting fullback for the undefeated 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team that became known as the "Mad Magicians" and has...
- fullback (7 games), left halfback (1 game) - Stu WilkinsF. Stuart WilkinsF. Stuart "Stu" Wilkins is a former American football player, lawyer, and businessman. He played at the guard position for the University of Michigan football team from 1945 to 1948 and was a starter on the Wolverines undefeated teams in 1947 and 1948. He practiced law for more than 50 years...
- right guard (9 games) - Alvin WistertAlvin WistertAlvin Lawrence "Moose" Wistert was an American football player. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he played college football at the tackle position for Boston University in 1946 and at the University of Michigan from 1947 to 1949...
- left tackle (2 games) - Howard YergesHoward YergesHoward Frederick Yerges, Jr. was an American football player who played quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team in 1943 and the University of Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1944 to 1947...
- Donald P. Boor - fullback
Individual awards and honors
- Captain: Bruce HilkeneBruce HilkeneBruce L. Hilkene was the captain and starting left tackle of the undefeated 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team. The team defeated the USC Trojans 49-0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl and has been selected as the greatest Michigan football team of all time...
- 1947 All-Americans1947 College Football All-America TeamThe 1947 College Football All-America team was composed of college football players selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers. The organizations choosing the teams included: the United Press, the Associated Press, Collier's Weekly, the International News Service , and the...
: Bob ChappuisBob ChappuisRobert Richard "Bob" Chappuis is a former American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II...
(first-team All-American on teams selected by the Associated Press, United Press, Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly, the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Football Writers Association of America, and the Central PressCentral Press AssociationThe Central Press Association was an American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. At its peak, the Central Press supplied features, columns, and photographs to more than 400 newspapers and 12 million daily readers.-History:Virgil Venice...
, NEA and INS wire services); Bump ElliottBump ElliottChalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan...
(first-team All-American on the Saturday Evening Post team; second-team on teams selected by the Associated Press, the United Press, the Central Press, and the Football Writers Association of America); Len FordLen FordLeonard Guy Ford, Jr. was an American football defensive end. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976.He played two years for the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference...
(second-team All-American on teams selected by the United Press and Central Press); Bob MannBob Mann (American football)Robert "Bob" Mann was an American football end. A native of New Bern, North Carolina, Mann played college football at Hampton Institute in 1942 and 1943 and at the University of Michigan in 1944, 1946 and 1947. He broke the Big Ten Conference record for receiving yardage in 1946 and again in 1947...
(second-team All-American on the team selected by the Associated Press); J.T. White (second-team All-American on the team selected by the Football Writers Association of America). - All-Conference: Bob MannBob Mann (American football)Robert "Bob" Mann was an American football end. A native of New Bern, North Carolina, Mann played college football at Hampton Institute in 1942 and 1943 and at the University of Michigan in 1944, 1946 and 1947. He broke the Big Ten Conference record for receiving yardage in 1946 and again in 1947...
, Howard Yerges, Bob ChappuisBob ChappuisRobert Richard "Bob" Chappuis is a former American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II...
, Bump ElliottBump ElliottChalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan... - Most Valuable Player: Bump ElliottBump ElliottChalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan...
- Meyer Morton Award: Alvin WistertAlvin WistertAlvin Lawrence "Moose" Wistert was an American football player. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he played college football at the tackle position for Boston University in 1946 and at the University of Michigan from 1947 to 1949...
- Heisman Trophy voting: Bob ChappuisBob ChappuisRobert Richard "Bob" Chappuis is a former American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II...
finished 2nd in the Heisman voting behind Johnny LujackJohnny LujackJohn Christopher Lujack Jr. is a former American football quarterback and 1947 Heisman Trophy winner.Lujack was born on January 4, 1925, in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame, and professionally for the Chicago Bears. Lujack was the first of...
. Lujack had 742 points, and Chappuis had 555. - College Football Hall of Fame: Bob ChappuisBob ChappuisRobert Richard "Bob" Chappuis is a former American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II...
, Bump ElliottBump ElliottChalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan...
, Al WistertAl WistertAlbert Alexander "Ox" Wistert is a former All-Pro American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played his entire nine-year NFL career for the Eagles and became their team captain. He was named to play in the NFL's first Pro Bowl as an Eagle...
Coaching staff
- Head coach: Fritz CrislerFritz CrislerHerbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
- Assistant coaches: Jack BlottJack BlottJack Leonard Blott was an All-American football center and place kicker for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1922–1923. He was also a baseball catcher for the Wolverines from 1922–1924. After a two-game Major League Baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1924, he worked as...
, George CeithamlGeorge CeithamlGeorge F. Ceithaml is a former American football quarterback and coach. He was the starting quarterback for Fritz Crisler's University of Michigan football teams in 1941 and 1942...
, Forrest Jordan, Clifford KeenCliff KeenClifford Patrick Keen was an American coach who served as the head coach of the University of Michigan collegiate wrestling team from 1925 to 1970. He led the Michigan Wolverines to 13 Big Ten Conference championships, and coached 68 All-American wrestlers...
, Ernest McCoyErnie McCoy (athletic director)Ernest B. "Ernie" McCoy was an All-American basketball player at the University of Michigan from 1927 to 1929. After graduating, he spent his entire professional career in college athletics, serving as the athletic director at Penn State , the athletic director at the University of Miami , and a...
, Bennie OosterbaanBennie OosterbaanBenjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
, Arthur ValpeyArthur ValpeyArthur L. Valpey was an American football player and coach.A native of Dayton, Ohio, Valpey was an all-state halfback at Dayton's Steele High School. Valpey enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1934, where freshman football coach Wally Weber moved him to the end position...
, Walter WeberWally WeberWalter J. Weber was an American football player and coach at the University of Michigan. He played halfback and fullback for the Wolverines in 1925 and 1926 on the same teams as Benny Friedman and Bennie Oosterbaan. He later became an assistant football coach at Michigan for 28 years from 1931 to... - Trainer: James E. Hunt
- Manager: E. Kirk McKinney Jr.
External links
- 1947 Football Team -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History
- Time magazine article: The Specialist
- Maybe the Best from College Football Historical Society Newsletter, 1996