1950 Michigan Wolverines football team

NCAATeamFootballSeason
Year=1950
Team=Michigan Wolverines


Conference=Big Ten Conference
Division=
ShortConference=Big Ten
CoachRank=
APRank=9
Record=6-3-1
ConfRecord=4-1-1
HeadCoach=Bennie Oosterbaan
OffCoach=
DefCoach=
OScheme=
DScheme=
StadiumArena=Michigan Stadium
Champion=
BowlTourney=Rose Bowl
BowlTourneyResult= Won, 14-6The 1950 Michigan Wolverines football team, coached by Bennie Oosterbaan, won the Big Ten Conference championship with a record of 6-3-1 (4-1-1 in conference) and defeated the California Bears in the 1951 Rose Bowl game, 14-6. The team had two All-Big 10 backs in Don Dufek and Chuck Ortman and All-American tackle R. Allen "Brick" Wahl. After starting the season, the team lost three regular season games, and ended up being ranked #9 in the AP poll and #6 in the UP poll. The Wolverines played a regular season game in Yankee Stadium against Army on October 14, 1950, losing 27-6.

now Bowl

The 1950 team is probably most remembered for its 9-3 victory over Ohio State in the famous Snow Bowl game played on November 25, 1950. The Snow Bowl was played in Columbus in a blizzard, at 10 degrees above zero, on an icy field, and with wind gusting over 30 miles per hour. U-M did not get a first down or complete a pass in the blizzard, punted 24 times, and rushed for only 27 yards, but won 9-7 on a touchdown and a safety, both off blocked punts. Michigan back Don Dufek recalled: "It was very cold. We kept our hands under our armpits in the huddle. Our center (Carl Kreager) didn't wear any gloves. You couldn't get up a head of steam for anything. It was bad news, period." [cite news|author=Woolford, Dave|title="1950 Michigan-Ohio State Snwo Bowl remains frozen in history"|publisher=Toledo Blade| date=2000-11-16|accessdate=2007-11-28]

Both Michigan scores came off blocked punts, one resulting in a safety and the other in a touchdown. All-American "Brick" Wahl was responsible for the safety, blocking a punt by OSU's Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz. The Michigan Daily reported the next day on Wahl's block: "In tallying the safety it was Michigan's captain Al Wahl, who crashed in Janowicz' well-exercised kicking leg. The ball bounced erratically to the right of the onrushing Maize and Blue lineman and was floundering less than a foot outside the end zone border when speedy Al Jackson caught up with it. Six inches closer and the Wolverines could have added six more points." [cite news|author=Connolly, Bill|title=Varsity knocks off Bucks on the frozen gridiron|url=http://www.michigandaily.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=a09a298d-6ffe-4a73-b655-c42adb49580c|publisher=Michigan Daily|accessdate=2007-12-10]

The game became famous because of the weather and the difficulty of playing football when the players can't see the lines on the field; film of the game is often shown during television coverage of their annual meeting or when histories of either team are compiled.

Rose Bowl

The 1950 Wolverines then advanced to the Rose Bowl where they beat the previously undefeated University of California Bears (9-0-1) by a score of 14-6. Michigan was held scoreless and trailed 6-0 after three quarters, but Dufek took over in the fourth quarter. Dufek ran for 113 yards in the game and scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game. [http://www.bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/bowls/1951rose.htm] Dufek was named MVP of the 1951 Rose Bowl game. [http://mgoblue.com/football/article.aspx?id=40074]

chedule

tarting lineup offense

* Left end: Lowell Perry (6 games); Oswald Clark (4 games)
* Left tackle: Thomas Johnson (6 games); John Hess (4 games)
* Left gauard: Peter Kinyon (9 games)
* Center: Carl Kreager (5 games); Jon Padjen (5 games)
* Right guard: Thomas Kelsey (5 games); Jim Wolter (4 games)
* Right tackle: Robert Allen "Brick" Wahl(6 games); Ralph Stribe (3 games)
* Right end: Harry Allis (9 games)
* Quarterback: Bill Putich (10 games)
* Fullback: Don Dufek (10 games)
* Left halfback: Chuck Ortmann (9 games)
* Right halfback: Leo Koceski (4 games); Donald Peterson (2 games); Frank Howll (2 games)

tarting lineup defense

* Left end: Harry Allis (6 games); Merritt Green (4 games)
* Left tackle: Thomas Johnson (10 games)
* Left guard: Dick McWilliams (5 games); Robert Timm (2 games); Thomas Kelsey (1 game); John Powers (1 game); Allen Jackson (1 game)
* Right guard: Allen Jackson (9 games); Dick McWilliams (1 game)
* Right tackle: Robert Allen "Brick" Wahl (10 games)
* Right end: Oswald Clark (9 games); Fred Pickard (1 game)
* Linebacker: Roger Zatkoff (9 games); Ted Topor (1 game)
* Linebacker: Tony Momsen (10 games)
* Left halfback: Don Dufek (9 games); Leo Koceski (1 game)
* Right halfback: Don Peterson (3 games); Don Oldham (2 games); Frank Howell (2 games); Thomas Witherspoon (1); Leo Koceski (2 games)
* Safety: Chuck Ortman (7 games); Leo Koceski (3 games); Lowell Perry (1 game)

Awards

* Captain: Robert Allen "Brick" Wahl
* All-Americans: Robert Allen "Brick" Wahl
* All-Conference: Robert Allen "Brick" Wahl, Chuck Ortmann, Don Dufek
* Most Valuable Player: Don Dufek
* Meyer Morton Award: Roger Zatkoff

Coaching staff

Jack Blott, George Ceithaml, Forrest Jordan, Clifford Keen, Ernest McCoy, Bill Orwig, Don Robinson, Walter Weber, J.T. White

Notes

ee also

* 1951 Rose Bowl

External links

* [http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1950fbt.htm 1950 Football Team -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History]