Jim Detwiler
Encyclopedia
Jim Detwiler is a former American football
halfback
who was the 20th pick in the first round of the 1967 NFL Draft
. Before this he had been an All= Big Ten Conference
player for the Michigan Wolverines
from 1964 to 1966. A native of Toledo, Ohio
, Detwiler was an All-City, All-Ohio and All-American running back as a senior at Toledo's DeVilbiss High School
in 1962.
One of the most sought after players in Ohio in 1962, Detwiler "refused an invitation to visit Ohio State
, prompting Coach Woody Hayes
to harangue him on the telephone one night for more than half an hour about being disloyal to the state of Ohio."
In 1964, Detwiler was part of Bump Elliott
's Big Ten Conference and Rose Bowl championship team. The Wolverines narrowly missed a National Championship in 1964, in part due to a critical fumble by Detwiler into the end zone in the team's only defeat, a 21-20 loss to Purdue. As he ran toward what appeared to be a touchdown, a Purdue
defender hit Detwiler from behind, sending the ball flying into the end zone
where it was recovered by Purdue.
Detwiler redeemed himself by scoring the only touchdown in the 1964 Michigan-Ohio State
game (Michigan - 10; Ohio State - 0). Both teams were in the Top 10, and Detwiler scored on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Bob Timberlake in the final minute of the first half. Ironically, all of Michigan's scoring in the 1964 game came from Detwiler and Timberlake, both of whom were natives of Ohio. Detwiler later recalled: "My freshman year at Michigan, 21 of the top 30 guys on our team were from Ohio. We had a huge contingent, I think, primarily because Woody
was a little bit off the deep end in those years."
In the 1965 Rose Bowl, Michigan beat the Oregon State Beavers
34-7, and Detwiler had a 30-yard reception from Timberlake on a key scoring drive in the third quarter.
In the 1965 season, a knee injury limited Detwiler to three games. He had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament
.
In 1966, he returned from his injury, but he never fully recovered as his knee swelled after every game. He had the best game of his career against Ohio State in 1966, gaining 140 yards, and scoring a touchdown, on 20 carries -- all in the first half. The Wolverines won, 17-3, and Detwiler later recalled: "We knew after the first two series that we were the better team. They couldn't stop us, and they couldn't do much against us. But I'll tell you what: That game got me a pro contract." As for why he did not play in the second half, Detwiler recalled: "I ran the ball more times in the first half than I had ever run it before, but I ran out of gas. The coach very kindly told the media that I had the flu. I actually was rubber-legged and couldn't play much after that."
For his career at Michigan, Detwiler had 788 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Detwiler was named to the first-team All Big Ten team, and he rushed for over 100 yards in the Blue-Gray Football Classic
in 1966, earning himself the game's most valuable back award.
picked Detwiler in the first round of the 1967 NFL Draft as the 20th pick overall. This was the first year that the 20th overall selection in the National Football League Draft occurred in the first round because the American Football League
(AFL) and NFL drafted together for the first time. Detwiler was part of a class of six NFL draftees from Michigan that year (Mike Bass
, Frank Nunley
, John Rowser
, Rick Volk
, and Carl Ward
). Detwiler received a $50,000 signing bonus and played in a couple preseason games in 1969, but his knee was still hurting. He had more surgery on the knee and missed the entire 1967 season. He failed to make the team in 1968, and his professional football career was over. He is the most recent 1st round NFL Draft choice to have never played a game in the NFL.
Detwiler enrolled in dental school while trying to rehabilitate his knee. He used his $50,000 signing bonus to put himself through dental school.
In 1971, Detwiler returned to Toledo and set up a dental practice near Perrysburg, Ohio
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
who was the 20th pick in the first round of the 1967 NFL Draft
1967 NFL Draft
The 1967 National Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft in the first year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players on March 14–15.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
. Before this he had been an All= Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
player for the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
from 1964 to 1966. A native of Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, Detwiler was an All-City, All-Ohio and All-American running back as a senior at Toledo's DeVilbiss High School
DeVilbiss High School (Toledo, Ohio)
Thomas A. DeVilbiss High School was a public high school in Toledo, Ohio, United States from 1931 to June 1991. It was part of the Toledo Public School District and served students from the following elementary schools: DeVeaux, Elmhurst, Grove Patterson, Longfellow, Mayfair, McKinley, Nathan...
in 1962.
College
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
, prompting Coach Woody Hayes
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
to harangue him on the telephone one night for more than half an hour about being disloyal to the state of Ohio."
In 1964, Detwiler was part of 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...
's Big Ten Conference and Rose Bowl championship team. The Wolverines narrowly missed a National Championship in 1964, in part due to a critical fumble by Detwiler into the end zone in the team's only defeat, a 21-20 loss to Purdue. As he ran toward what appeared to be a touchdown, a Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
defender hit Detwiler from behind, sending the ball flying into the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
where it was recovered by Purdue.
Detwiler redeemed himself by scoring the only touchdown in the 1964 Michigan-Ohio State
Michigan-Ohio State rivalry
The Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry, also known as The Game, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Wolverines of the University of Michigan and the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University...
game (Michigan - 10; Ohio State - 0). Both teams were in the Top 10, and Detwiler scored on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Bob Timberlake in the final minute of the first half. Ironically, all of Michigan's scoring in the 1964 game came from Detwiler and Timberlake, both of whom were natives of Ohio. Detwiler later recalled: "My freshman year at Michigan, 21 of the top 30 guys on our team were from Ohio. We had a huge contingent, I think, primarily because Woody
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
was a little bit off the deep end in those years."
In the 1965 Rose Bowl, Michigan beat the Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers is a name shared by all sports teams at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers are part of the Pacific-12 Conference . Oregon State's mascot is Benny the Beaver...
34-7, and Detwiler had a 30-yard reception from Timberlake on a key scoring drive in the third quarter.
In the 1965 season, a knee injury limited Detwiler to three games. He had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
.
In 1966, he returned from his injury, but he never fully recovered as his knee swelled after every game. He had the best game of his career against Ohio State in 1966, gaining 140 yards, and scoring a touchdown, on 20 carries -- all in the first half. The Wolverines won, 17-3, and Detwiler later recalled: "We knew after the first two series that we were the better team. They couldn't stop us, and they couldn't do much against us. But I'll tell you what: That game got me a pro contract." As for why he did not play in the second half, Detwiler recalled: "I ran the ball more times in the first half than I had ever run it before, but I ran out of gas. The coach very kindly told the media that I had the flu. I actually was rubber-legged and couldn't play much after that."
For his career at Michigan, Detwiler had 788 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Detwiler was named to the first-team All Big Ten team, and he rushed for over 100 yards in the Blue-Gray Football Classic
Blue-Gray Football Classic
The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama usually on Christmas Day. It was begun in 1939 and held annually through 2001 at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The game was not contested in 2002 and was subsequently revived in 2003 in...
in 1966, earning himself the game's most valuable back award.
Professional career
The Baltimore ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
picked Detwiler in the first round of the 1967 NFL Draft as the 20th pick overall. This was the first year that the 20th overall selection in the National Football League Draft occurred in the first round because the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(AFL) and NFL drafted together for the first time. Detwiler was part of a class of six NFL draftees from Michigan that year (Mike Bass
Mike Bass
Michael Thomas Bass is a former professional American football player who played defensive back for the Detroit Lions and the Washington Redskins...
, Frank Nunley
Frank Nunley
Frank Hembre Nunley is a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Michigan and spent ten seasons in the National Football League , all with the San Francisco 49ers...
, John Rowser
John Rowser
John Felix Rowser was an football player. He played as a defensive back for ten seasons in the NFL. He was a part of the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl II winning team....
, Rick Volk
Rick Volk
Richard Robert Volk is a former American football player.Volk played college football for the University of Michigan from 1964 to 1966 and was a member of the 1964 team that won the Big Ten Conference championship and defeated Oregon State in the 1965 Rose Bowl...
, and Carl Ward
Carl Ward
Carl Davis Ward is a former American football player. He played college football as a halfback for the University of Michigan from 1964 to 1966 and professional football in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints from 1967 to 1969.-Early years:Ward was born in...
). Detwiler received a $50,000 signing bonus and played in a couple preseason games in 1969, but his knee was still hurting. He had more surgery on the knee and missed the entire 1967 season. He failed to make the team in 1968, and his professional football career was over. He is the most recent 1st round NFL Draft choice to have never played a game in the NFL.
Detwiler enrolled in dental school while trying to rehabilitate his knee. He used his $50,000 signing bonus to put himself through dental school.
In 1971, Detwiler returned to Toledo and set up a dental practice near Perrysburg, Ohio
Perrysburg, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,945 people, 6,592 households, and 4,561 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,899.2 people per square mile . There were 6,964 housing units at an average density of 780.5 per square mile...
.