4 Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 17, 1985 Hawkeye AD starred for' Wolverines Elliott pilayed on national champ 'Mad Magicians'squad of '47 4 By PHIL JOHNSON In 1947, football helmets were leather, a good offensive lineman weighed 200 pounds, and Michigan boasted one of the most exciting and productive offenses in the country. The offensive backfield was dubbed the "Mad Magicians" by the media, and one of the main sleight-of-hand artists was Chalmers "Bump" Elliott. ELLIOTT STARRED on Michigan's 1946 and 1947 teams after two years as a Marine trainee at Purdue Univer- sity (where he lettered twice in foot- ball and once each in baseball and basketball) and a stint in the Marine Corps, serving in China near the end of World War II. He was attracted to Ann Arbor after his discharge in 1946 by the fact that his brother Pete had enrolled at Michigan in 1945. The two played together in the same backfield the next two years, helping the team to a combined 16-12-1 record. "I'm not sure if it was anything other than having a lot of great players and a very sophisticated of- fense," Elliott said, referring to the team's success in those years with players like Bob Chappuis, Howard Yerges, and Jack Weisenberger. THE MICHIGAN offense featured numerous fakes and pitches and more passes than most teams of the time. "It was a combination of the T- formation and the single wing. And then we ran some single-wing plays from the T, which really confused the defenses," he said. In 1946, Elliott scored four touch- downs and averaged 5.1 yards per carry for a team that lost only to an Army squad that included Heisman Trophy winners Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard, and Big-Ten champion Illinois. The 1946 team was good, but the 1947 edition was a powerhouse. Elliott scored ten touchdowns that year, leading the league in that category. The offense rarely allowed the op- ponents to stay in the game, averaging 37.4 points per game - im- pressive even by today's standards. IT (THE OFFENSE) was Coach (Fritz) Crisler's invention," Elliott said. "It was complicated, but it was fun to play and we had a lot of good players running it." Elliott was named the conference's Most Valuable Player and received All-America honors as that '47 Wolverine squad finished the season as Big Ten, Rose Bowl, and national champions. Although Elliott played at a time when two-platoon football was becoming the rule, he played both ways and was good enough as a defen- sive back to be named to Michigan's all-time football team at that position. "I liked defense as much as offen- se," Elliott explained. "The fun part about offense was its diversity, but I guess I liked playing defense just as much as playing offense. Coach Crisler, by the way, was ahead of the others on defensive strategy, too." ELLIOTT THINKS some of his former coaches' defensive in- novations have helped to change the way the game is played. "The defen- ses have become much more com- plicated, so passing is more important in the game today. It was important in my day too, but today's offenses are much more wide-open." Elliott did not attempt to copy Crisler when he moved into the coaching ranks, but he did use what he had learned. "I did coach the of- fense we had used, but I just tried to be myself. You can't try to be anyone else." He coached at Oregon State from 1948-1951, then took a job as an assistant at Iowa from 1952 until 1956 when he accepted an assistant coaching position at Michigan. Two years later, he succeeded Bennie Oosterbaan as Michigan's head coach. ELLIOTT COMPILED a 51-42-2 record in his ten years in Ann Arbor. His best teams were the 1964 squad, 9- 1 with a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl victory, and his 1968 team, 8-2 and one win away from the Rose Bowl. After the 1968 season, Elliott decided it was time for a change. "I had been coaching at Michigan for ten years, and I wanted to go into ad- ministration. I talked it over with Don Canham and took a position that had been open, Assistant Athletic Direc- tor. In 1970, Elliott became the Athletic director at Iowa, a position he still holds. He inherited a program that had not had a winning football season in a decade, but had great fan sup- port. Much of Elliott's time as AD was during a time of Ohio St.-Michigan domination of the league in football, but he did not focus on breaking this domination. "We were trying to get our own program stabilized, so we had to be concerned about ourselves before we worried about anybody else." His approach to repairing Iowa's athletic program has paid off in recent years, with Iowa's football and overall athletic programs now recognized among the best in the country. Thus, Bump Elliott continues to work "Magic" in college athletics. Sports Information Bump Elliot's 74 yard punt return for a touchdown in 1947 led Michigan to a victory over Illinois and on to a national championship. Elliot, now the Iowa athletic director, is on the other side of the field as his Hawkeyes vie for the title. CO11 c askei compan edge progressi So the e students y"Is there a {that has leading technologies, ive management, 0 a stimulating work environment and challen g o otunities in re erre ocations? And we said, "Meet Honeyw~elL. GRIDDE PICKS Old Tricky Dick may have something hot, gooey and delicious up his sleeve. Richard Nixon has agreed to settle the dispute over playoff salaries bet- ween major league umpires and owners, and both sides have agreed to accept Nixon's judgement, as he has personal ties with both the umpires and the management. The untold story is that Richard has ties in Ann Arbor - or he thinks he has. Nixon is planning to provide a Dooley's guest pass good for two plus a Pizza Express full-tray Sicilian piz- za, Chicago stuffed pizza, or whole sub sandwich to each umpire. Griddes mathematics says he can't win that many pizzas by the end of the playoffs, but Dick says he'll win the pizzas fair and square. Remember, he is not a crook. 4 4 4 1. MICHIGAN at Iowa (pick total points) 2. Illinois at Michigan State 3. Purdue at Ohio State 4. Minnesota at Indiana 5. Northwestern at Wisconsin 6. Miami (Fla.) at Oklahoma 7. Texas at Arkansas 8. Penn State at Syracuse 9. Tennessee at Alabama 10. Auburn at Georgia Tech 11. Texas A&M at Baylor 12. Kentucky at LSU 13. UCLA at Washington State 14. World Series Game #1: NL at AL 15. Virginia at Virginia Tech 16. Army at Notre Dame 17. Kansas State at Kansas 18. Mississippi Valley State at Gram- bling 19. Eastern Kentucky at Central Florida 20. DAILY LIBELS at Captain Hawkeye Pierce U. of Michigan Business students are invited to meet Honeywell Representatives at the following upcoming event: HONEYWELL INTERVIEWS TUESDAY OCTOBER 29 SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PREGNANT? * Free Pregnancy Test * Abortion Information * Confidential I 11 A