1951 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 1951 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1951 Big Ten Conference football season. In its fourth year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan compiled a 4–5 record (4–2 against conference opponents), finished in fourth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 135 to 122.^[1][2] For the first time since 1937, Michigan was not ranked in the final AP Poll. It was ranked at No. 29 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.^[3]

1951 Michigan Wolverines football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	4–5 (4–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bennie Oosterbaan (4th season)
MVP	Don Peterson
Captain	Bill Putich
Home stadium	Michigan Stadium
Seasons ← 1950 1952 →

1951 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Illinois $	5	–	0	–	1			9	–	0	–	1
Purdue	4	–	1	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
No. 8 Wisconsin	5	–	1	–	1			7	–	1	–	1
Michigan	4	–	2	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Ohio State	2	–	2	–	2			4	–	3	–	2
Northwestern	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Minnesota	1	–	4	–	1			2	–	6	–	1
Indiana	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Iowa	0	–	5	–	1			2	–	5	–	2
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Left halfback/quarterback Bill Putich was the team captain, and fullback Don Peterson received the team's most valuable player award.^[2]

Halfback/safety Lowell Perry was selected by the Central Press Association as a second-team player on the 1951 College Football All-America Team.^[4] Three Michigan players received All-Big Ten honors: Lowell Perry (AP-1, UP-1); offensive tackle Tom Johnson (AP-1, UP-1); and linebacker Roger Zatkoff (AP-1).^[5][6]

The team's statistical leaders included Bill Putich with 390 passing yards, Don Peterson with 549 rushing yards, and Lowell Perry with 395 receiving yards.^[7]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 29	No. 2 Michigan State*	No. 17	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	L 0–25	97,239	^[8]
October 6	Stanford*		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	L 13–23	57,200	^[9]
October 13	Indiana		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	W 33–14	61,100	^[10]
October 20	at Iowa		Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA	W 21–0	53,050	^[11]
October 27	Minnesota		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (Little Brown Jug)	W 54–27	86,200	^[12]
November 3	at No. 3 Illinois	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (series)	L 0–7	71,119	^[13]
November 10	at Cornell*		Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY	L 7–20	35,300	^[14]
November 17	Northwestern		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	L 0–6	58,300	^[15]
November 24	Ohio State		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	W 7–0	95,000	^[16]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Season summary

Michigan State

Week 1: Michigan State at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total • Michigan St. 0 6 13 6 25 Michigan 0 0 0 0 0 Date: September 29 Location: Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI Game attendance: 97,239

On September 29, Michigan, ranked No. 17, lost to Michigan State, ranked No. 2, by a 25-0 score before a sellout crowd of 97,239 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. To that date, it was the most decisive victory for Michigan State in the history of the Michigan–Michigan State football rivalry.

The Spartans limited the Wolverines to 26 passing yards, a net loss of 23 rushing yards, and four first downs. The Detroit Free Press called it "as feeble an attack as any teaam in Michigan's proud football history ever displayed."^[8] The Spartans tallied 21 first downs, 249 rushing yards, 58 passing yards, and four touchdowns.^[8]

Stanford

Indiana

At Iowa

Minnesota

At Illinois

At Cornell

Northwestern

Ohio State

Statistical leaders

Michigan's individual statistical leaders for the 1951 season include those listed below.^[7][17]

Rushing

Player	Attempts	Net yards	Yards per attempt	Touchdowns
Don Peterson	152	549	3.6	4
Wes Bradford	64	348	5.4	2
Bill Putich	115	268	2.3	3

Passing

Player	Attempts	Completions	Interceptions	Comp %	Yards	Yds/Comp	TD	Long
Bill Putich	77	32	7	41.6	390	12.2	2	55
Don Peterson	13	6	3	46.1	184	30.7	1	43
Ted Topor	26	9	2	34.6	171	19.0	2	71

Receiving

Player	Receptions	Yards	Yds/Recp	TD	Long
Lowell Perry	16	395	24.7	3	71
Frederick Pickard	10	204	20.4	2	55
Ted Topor	9	81	9.0	0

Kickoff returns

Player	Returns	Yards	Yds/Return	TD	Long
Bill Putich	3	88	29.3	0	36
Ted Topor	3	72	24.0	0	27
Don Oldham	3	52	17.3	0

Punt returns

Player	Returns	Yards	Yds/Return	TD	Long
Lowell Perry	17	197	11.6	1	75
Bill Putich	11	71	6.5	0	0
Merritt Green	1	10	10.0	0	10

Personnel

Letter winners

The following 36 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1951 team.^[18] Players who started at least four games are shown with their names in bold.^[2]

• James T. Balog, 6'3", 210 pounds, sophomore, Wheaton, IL - tackle
• Bruce A. Bartholomew, 6'3", 200 pounds, junior, Detroit - tackle
• Richard A. Beison, 6'0", 200 pounds, sophomore, East Chicago, IN - guard
• Donald C. Bennett, 6'2", 195 pounds, sophomore, Chicago - center
• William E. Billings, 5'11", 180 pounds, junior, Flint, MI - quarterback
• Wes Bradford, 5'6", 155 pounds, junior, Troy, OH – started 6 games at right halfback
• Robert W. Dingman, 6'0", 180 pounds, senior, Saginaw, MI - end
• Donald R. Dugger, 5'10", 180 pounds, junior, Charleston, WV – started 5 games at defensive left guard, 1 game at offensive left guard
• Merritt Green, 6'0", 180 pounds, junior, Toledo, OH – started 9 games at defensive left end
• Frank Howell, 5'8", 160 pounds, junior, Muskegon Heights, MI - running back
• Tom Johnson, 6'2", 227 pounds, Muskegon Heights, MI – started 9 games at left tackle (offense and defense)
• Ray Thomas Kelsey, 6'2", 195 pounds, senior, Lakewood, OH - guard
• Peter Kinyon, 5'11", 190 pounds, senior, Ann Arbor, MI – started 7 games at offensive left guard, 1 game at offensive right guard
• Eugene Knutson, 6'4", 210 pounds, sophomore, Beloit, WI - end
• Laurence LeClaire, 6'0", 190 pounds, junior, Anaconda, MT - fullback
• Robert Matheson, Detroit - guard
• Duncan McDonald, 6'0", 175 pounds, freshman, Flint, MI - quarterback
• Don Oldham, 5'9", 166 pounds, junior, Indianapolis – started 7 games at defensive back, 1 game at left halfback
• Dick O'Shaughnessy, 5'11", 190 pounds, sophomore, Seaford, NY – started 9 games at center
• Russ Osterman, 5'11", 170 pounds, senior, Baraga, MI – started 9 games at defensive right end
• Ben Pederson, 6'2", 215 pounds, junior, Marquette, MI – started 8 games at right tackle
• Lowell Perry, 6'0", 178 pounds, junior, Ypsilanti, MI – started 8 games at offensive left end, 1 game at right halfback, 3 games at safety
• Don Peterson, 5'11", 175 pounds, senior, Racine, MI – started 7 games at fullback
• Fred Pickard, 6'2", 190 pounds, senior, Grand Rapids, MI – started 8 games at offensive right end
• Bill Putich, 5'9", 170 pounds, senior, Cleveland, OH – started 6 games at left halfback, 2 games at quarterback, 6 games at safety
• Russell G. Rescorla, 6'0", 180 pounds, junior, Grand Haven, MI - fullback
• Leo Schlicht, 6'4", 210 pounds, freshman, Madison, WI - fullback
• Thad Stanford, 6'0", 170 pounds, sophomore, Midland, MI - end
• Ralph Stribe,^[19] 6'1", 200 pounds, junior, Detroit – started 7 games at offensive right tackle
• Robert Timm, 5'11", 185 pounds, junior, Toledo, OH – started 9 games at defensive right guard
• David Tinkham, 5'10", 170 pounds, junior, East Grand Rapids, MI – started 9 games at defensive back, 2 games at left halfback
• Ted Topor, 6'1", 215 pounds, junior, East Chicago, IN – started 7 games at quarterback, 8 games at linebacker
• Thomas Witherspoon, 5'11", 177 pounds, junior, Detroit – started 1 game at fullback
• Jim Wolter, 6'0", 190 pounds, senior, Ypsilanti, MI – started 8 games at offensive right guard, 1 game at offensive left guard
• Donald M. Zanfagna, 5'10", 175 pounds, sophomore, Providence, RI
• Roger Zatkoff, 6'2", 210 pounds, junior, Hamtramck, MI – started 9 games at linebacker, 1 game at fullback

Coaching staff

Michigan's 1951 coaching, training, and support staff included the following persons.^[2]

• Head coach: Bennie Oosterbaan
• Assistant coaches:

• Jack Blott - line coach
• George Ceithaml - backfield coach
• Cliff Keen - head wrestling coach and assistant football coach
• Ernest McCoy - head basketball coach and chief football scout
• Bill Orwig - end coach
• Don Robinson - junior varsity coach and scout
• Wally Weber - freshman coach
• J. T. White - assistant line coach

• Trainer: Jim Hunt
• Manager: Leon Stock

Awards and honors

Honors and awards for the 1951 season went to the following individuals.^[2]

• Captain: Bill Putich
• All-Americans: Lowell Perry (UP 3rd team, Central Press 2nd team), Tom Johnson (Chicago Tribune 1st-team)^[20]
• All-Big Ten: Lowell Perry (AP and UP), Tom Johnson (AP and UP), Roger Zatkoff (UP)
• Most Valuable Player: Don Peterson
• Meyer Morton Award: Merritt Greene

References

1. "1951 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
2. "1951 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
3. "Litkenhous Ratings". The Chattanooga Times. December 15, 1951. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Walter Johns (December 5, 1951). "2 Coast Players on CP All-American Team". Long Beach Press-Telegram.
5. "Coaches Select All-Big Ten Team". The Ludington Daily News. November 26, 1951.
6. "UP Big Ten Team". The Pantagraph. November 21, 1951. p. 10.
7. "1951 Michigan Wolverines Statistics". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
8. "MSC Writes Finis to U-M Reign, 25-0". Detroit Free Press. September 30, 1951. pp. 1C, 3C – via Newspapers.com.
9. Hal Middlesworth (October 7, 1951). "M Falls Again, 23-13: Wolverines Get First Touchdown". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
10. Hal Middlesworth (October 14, 1951). "Michigan Swaggers: Wolverines Ramble Past Indiana, 33-14". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
11. Bert McGrane (October 21, 1951). "Record 53,050 See Iowa Bow, 21-0". The Des Moines Register. p. 3S – via Newspapers.com.
12. Lyall Smith (October 28, 1951). "M Doubles Up Gophers, 54-27". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
13. Wilfrid Smith (November 4, 1951). "Illinois Passes Beat Michigan, 7 To 0". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-7 – via Newspapers.com.
14. George Beahon (November 11, 1951). "Inspired Cornell Routs Michigan, 20-7, with 2nd Half Rally". Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
15. Hal Middlesworth (November 18, 1951). "'Cats Make U-M Mighty Miserable, 6-0". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
16. Hal Middlesworth (November 25, 1951). "Ending Perfect for U-M: Bennie Still Has What It Takes to Beat OSU". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 3C – via Newspapers.com.
17. . University of Michigan. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2017.(statistics retrieved by entering "1951" in the box for "Games & Totals by Season" and then, at the next screen, choosing "Display Season Totals")
18. "36 Gridders Get Letters". The Michigan Daily. November 27, 1951. p. 3 – via Bentley Historical Library.
19. Ralph C. Stribe, Jr., born on March 12, 1928, died December 24, 2010. Graduated from UM 1953 with a degree in religion and ethics. Served as pastor of the Church of Our Saviour in Birmingham, Michigan, chairman of the general council of the Presbyterian Synod of Michigan, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Alma College.
20. Arch Ward (December 9, 1951). . Chicago Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2010.