Page Ten THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, November 20, 1969 Page Ten THE MICHIGAN DAILY "Still without national promi- nence and a distinct underdog to the nation's leading team, Ohio State, the Wolverines continued to tend to their own weekly affairs, waiting, as Elliott often said, 'for the oppor- tunity of the to win it all on the last game year'. -1965 Michiganensian "Ohio State for both my team and this year's team is the most im- portant game of the year. If the Wolverines beat them they'll be only the third Michigan team to do so since 1960. To win they'll have to make their own breaks. Michigan can't wait for Ohio State to make errors." -Mel Anthony reminisces W1oluerine Victory at Columbus: Stjiles and Roses (oach Elliott speaks at pep rally before OSU game 1965 Rose Bowl team about Ohio State, Pasadena The approaching game - of - the - year against W. W. Hayes and his troops from Columbus and the all-but-accepted Rose Bowl invitation bring back memories of the 1964-65 squad as they went into the last game with the same record and same possible future. In the last game of the regular season, the underdog Wolverines were to take on the Buckeyes who, in one of the upsets of the Season. had lost to Penn State the week before. Michigan had lost to Purdue 22-21 earlier to give them a 5 wins and one loss record. Because they played one less conference game that year, the Buckeyes were 5 and 0. The victor of the match earned the Big Ten championship and the right to repre- sent the conference in Pasadena. Led by All-Americans Bob Timberlake and Bill Yearby, the Wolverines surprised everyone by shutting out the Buckeyes 10-0, then going on to defeat Oregon State 34-7 in the Rose Bowl. All the players on the 1964-65 squad agreed that the Rose Bowl was the high- light of their careers, although they un- animously felt that winning the Ohio State game and the Big Ten championship was a greater rewa rd. Below, the 1964-65 players reminisce about the season. Ohio State, the cham- pionship and, of course, the Rose Bowl. They also comment on the Big Ten no- repeat clause and offer some valuable ad- vise for this year's probably Rose Bowli Bound Wolverines. STAN KEMP: End; Former Michigan assistant coach, now an assistant at Wisconsin. "Ohio State was the biggest game for usonly because they were better than Oregon State. "It also seemed that there- was alot more at stake that year. Our loss counted and their's didn't and we wanted to prove we were a better team. "It was a very emotional game. We had overcome bitter weather, Ohio fans and the psychology behind a conference loss. "The Rose Bowl game itself wasn't very exciting because we didn't face a great team out there. But it was a pressure packed game, and one that're more fun to look back on. "I do hope Michigan gets a chance to go this year. I must say that I don't believe that a second place team really deserves to go. The Rose Bowl is the granddaddy of the bowls and the finest team in the conference should go. "But, who knows? Maybe Michigan will truly deserve to go this year. It will de- finitely have to be their finest effort of the season, but they're capable. "A big key is in the Michigan defense. If they. can hold Ohio State, they could win. But it'll be tough because the Buck- eyes are better than they were last year but so it Michian. "All I can say is that it'll be a classic. JIM CONLEY: Defensive End; Captain; Currently working in Ann Arbor, "To me the Ohio State game outshone the Rose Bowl, which was boring. "The Rose Bowl couldn't measure up to what Ohio State meant that year. That game was everything to us. i 44 t1 1 D "But that's not to take away from the bowl itself. I think just the shock from really being there was one of the biggest moments of my life. "Like every little kid, I spent ten years of my life waiting for that game through- out each season. Being out on that field fulfilled my childhood dream. "But we had to beat Ohio State to get there, so naturally it meant just as much. "Michigan certainly has a chance to beat Ohio State and earn an invitation to Pasadena legitimately. The Bucks are vulnerable. "Being a defensive player, I think the way to win is by preventing them from scoring on us. That's how our team felt in both of our last encounters. It supported the morale of our attack too. "I do think Michigan deserves to go even if Ohio States beats them. It's unfair to make the rest of the conference sit spacial flail SPORTS FEATURE by robinmiviright out when one team has a superior group of sophomores and monopolizes all the honors for three years "But I don't feel the Big Ten teams should accept bids for any other bowls. The Rose Bowl is the oldest and the best The others are just 'also-runs'" LOUIE LEE: Halfback; Currently a Law student and freshman coach at Michigan. "To me, the Rose Bowl was the greatest thing in the world. It was the main reason I was at Michigan. The coaches had pre- dicted we'd go when I was recruited--and we did. "It's like the super bowl is to the pros- it means everything. Just to play in the oldest of all bowls was the greatest honor. "One of the things I remember most vividly was the scene in the lockerroom after the game. My locker was number 41, right next to Mel Anthony who had num- ber 37. "There were a million people swarming around him to congratulate him for his great performance. It was great just being in on all that excitement. "In the long run, I know that the game at Pasadena was a more thrilling experi- ence, although at the time, Ohio State meant more in terms of personal accom- plishments, "The team had heard that Woody had been pointing to us for two weeks because beating us meant so much to him, "Many of the reports that came to us had said that Ohio State had lost to Penn State because Woody had been working on moves to stop us rather than Penn State. "We were more nervous before that game than ever. We had to beat them to go to Pasadena. "I think this year's team feels that way too. And the outcome could be the same. "Alot of people have written us off. They don't recognize what a tough battle it'll be. JIM DETWILER: Halfback; Currently a dental student at the University of Tennessee. "The thing I remember most about my last season at Michigan was the game against Ohio State. It was the most ex- citing game in my career. "Winning the Big Ten championship meant far more to us than playing in the Rose Bowl--especially since we had lost one game that year. "The Rose Bowl was less personal, al- though playing in the oldest of all bowls is more of a lasting memory than beating Ohio State. The Rose Bowl has more national significance. "I think the thing we enjoyed most be- sides the honor of playing in the Rose Bowl were the little things-like Disney- land, meeting Tom Harmon and other notables at a party he gave and being able to eat all the ice cream we wanted free at Baskins-Robbins. "I believe Michigan this year has only a slim chance of beating Ohio State, but I definitely feel they have a right to rep- resent the conference at the Rose Bowl, although Ohio State ought to be released so they can accept another bowl invita- tion. "Michigan's real hope is if Ohio State gets overconfident, and then becomes slppy. "Unfortunately I don't think Woody Hayes will let that happen. He hates Michigan and always likes to poor it on us. Besides, since they can't go to the Rose Bowl, their number one ranking is all important to them. MEL ANTHONY: Fullback; Currently working in Ann Arbor. "Ohio State for both my team and this year's team is the most important game of the year. If the Wolverines beat them they'll only be the third Michigan team to do so since 1960. "To win they'll have to make their own breaks. Michigan can't wait for Ohio State to make errors. They'll have to run and tackle as hard as they ever have "I'm sure they want to beat Ohio as much as we did. It meant more to me personally than other games because I was from Cincinnati. The guys from Ohio really wanted to beat Woody. "The Rose Bowl was exhilerating too, al- though we had no doubt that we'd win it. "Besides my run, one of the things that stahds out in my mind is the enthusiastic reaction of the Michigan fans after Ward's touchdown. "Someone released a little pig with a blue 'M' pointed on both sides onto the field. It ran all over the place. They finally had to stop the game to get him off. It really added life and excitement to the game. "I agree with the way the Rose Bowl contract states that no team can go two years in a row. But it might be altered to let the most representative team from the midwest go-including the ones from outside the Big Ten." BOB TIMBERLAKE: Quarterback; All- American; Currently a minister in Hales, Corners, Wisconsin. "I thing Michigan teams will always get more pleasure out of beating Ohio State than playing in the Rose Bowl-- just because of the rivalry between the two schools. "Beating Ohio State was the greatest experience of my career. "Michigan is capable of beating Ohio State this year also. It's a matter of not getting panicked as they did last year when they got behind. They'll have to keep cool even if Ohio State gets ahead. "The Rose Bowl for us was not a partic- ularly good contest because Oregon State was only average. The things I enjoyed most in California were the things we did on our own. "One of the nicest experiences was when Dave Butler and I visited some children stricken with cerebral palsy. It's a warm memory. "Another good feeling was coming home to find the fans waiting for us. It was really nice to think everyone was behind us. "I think the only unpleasant thing about the trip was the publicity. The Los Angeles papers were all opinion and no fact. They weren't fair to either team. "The publicity was such a negative factor to our morale that I'd go as far as warning the guys this year not to let the papers get them down." TOM CECCHINI: Center; Currently an assistant Michigan coach. "Traditionally the Big Ten champion- ship is the most important thing a team strives for, so we naturally got more enjoy- ment out of beating Ohio State than win- ning in the Rose Bowl. "Look at it this way, Ohio State is the climax of the season, whereas California is a reward for the last game. "The great think about the Rose Bowl was the way the people tried so hard to give us a good time. The greatest asset of the trip was that it really made us one group. Traveling, living and seeing the sights brought us together as one body. "For example, one of the Rose Bowl traditions is to have a roast beef dinner in the stadium. The team that eats the most is supposed to win. We out-ate Oregon State by 40 pounds. "I think this year's team has an ex- cellent chance of beating Ohio State. We're a good team, not great like Ohio State, but we're good enough to beat them. "This is the scrappiest team Michigan's had in years, but no one can lick them spirit wise." .l~i(hig(ii J Ill Ore,,,on State (it nryl(i Mlel Antlhony's re~cordl 84, yaril tourc'hidotrc run L, iL mmwmmw *.- a' ww.l e.e wwa u j* LJuJ c