olverine Gridders To Open '49 Season in Enlarg
By MERLE LEVIN
(Sports Co-Editor)
lJ'The Bowl That Yot Built will be filled a little fuller this year.
Mammoth Michigan Stadium, already the largest college-owned
stadium in the country, with a seating capacity of 85,938, has under-
C - gone a face-lifting durng the summer months and seats are now
available for 97,000 gridiron fanatics.
:. a '. PETRMANENT STEEL STANDS hav been erected along the top
a ~of the concrete and brick bowl where temporary seats were formerly
-? f"<erected to handle sellout crowds, and final touches will have been 4 A,.
applied by the time the powerful Wolverines meet their traditional
rivals from Michigan State in the season opener, Sept. 24.
- Long recognized as one of the finest stadiums in the country,
Michigan Stadium was completed in 1927, the result of the dreams
"^ . and planning of Fielding H. Yost, who was even then acknowledged
the outstanding figure in Michigan's brilliant athletic history.> .Y.. ..v., . p 4
, ""'.. ,v>. The huge arena was built in a natural bowl with the top row of
k' ' a **..~... '-k-:.:.permanent seats located at ground level on three sides.
- 2 YOST, with an eye to the future, left a broad concrete strip at
-.the back of the top row, preparing the way for the eventual building I
lei<..-.. of a two deck stadium should the need ever arise for such an edifice.
. It was along this strip that the new stands were erected.
A crowd of 84,401 was on hand to witness the official dedica-
4 tion game with Ohio State, a record which stood only until the
, a h-next game with the Buckeyes two years later.
The present attendance record was set in 1943 when 86,408 fans
-. . - jammed the stadium to see the Wolverines bow to Notre Dame, 35-12.
* That record will likely be broken at the season opener and is cer-
tain to be surpassed on October 8 when Michigan meets Army in a
Daiy Alex Lmanian game which will combine the brilliant pageantry of the marching
MICHIGAN STADIUM corps of Army Cadets and the spectacle of two of the nation's top- MICHIGAN S
. . . air view of old stadium ranking teams battling for new gridiron honors. . . . showing new
_.d Stadium
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FRESHMAN
SPORTS EXTRA
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K6r 43l
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FRESHMAN
SPORTS EXTRA
Latest Deadline in the State
VOL. LIX, No. 36S ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 21, 1949
PRICE FIVE CENTS
1948 Grid Squad
Finished Where It
Started Off, But--
c'ARQUOW
23-Game Streak
At Stake inOpener
Michigan State, First Football Foe,
Nearly Caused Upset Last Season
By PRES HOLMES
(Sports Co-Editor)
Michigan's 1948 football jugger-
naught left off just about where
it started, which is more of an
accomplishment than it appears to
be at first glance.
At the beginning of the season
1 the Wolverines were champions
of the Big Nine, the top team in
the nation (decided by a special
post-season press poll), and had
not lost a game in fourteen starts.
* * *
WHEN THE DUST of another
hectic fall of football had settled
Michigan was still Conference
champ, still the top team in the
nation (no special poll necessary'
this time), and had stretched its
winning streak to 23 games.
Yet last year cannot be classed
.s just another season where
someone turned a crank and out
came nine more victories.
It was a season of many firsts
and many thrills for Michigan.
For Bennie Oosterbaan it was his
first year as head coach of the
mighty Wolverines. He had the
job of taking over for one of the
modern masterminds of the grid-
iron, "Fritz" Crisler, and he prov-
ed he could fill the hill.
IN HIS FRESHMAN year as
coach Oosterbaan not only piloted
the Wolverines to another perfect
season, but also was named "Coach
of the Year"-the second year in
a row Michigan had been awarded
the honor, Crisler taking it in
1947.
Oosterbaan did not have an
easy job. There were some cvt-
ry-overs from what Crisler had
built, but what was, left was not
a team, a unit. Oosterbaan had
to build and experiment.
To find men to fill the shoes of
Bob Chappuis and "Bump" El-
liott was his main problem. His
defense was strong, but it's touch-
downs that win ball games and
he needed some men who could
supply an offensive punch.
* * -
GENE Derricotte wasrcounted
on heavily to carry a large part
of the offensive load, but he was
injured in the very first game of
the season and wasn't in top form
the rest of the year.
For the moment it looked like
Michigan's hopes for another
championship were just about
gone, but no one had figured
on a pair of men up from the
freshmen squad. Two outstand-
ing sophomores, .Chuck Ort-
mann and Leo Koceski, provided
just what was needed and led
the Wolverines to another un-
defeated season.
Ortmann, with his running and
passing ability,- more than ade-
quately filled the hole left by
W. Morton trophy for showing the
most improvement, added , the
speed and shiftiness to the back-
field which "Bump" Elliott had
provided the season before.
With this pair in the back-
field and a hard-charging ag-
gressive line up front Michigan
went through to its second un-
defeated, untied season.
From this line came two more
All-Americans to add to the ever-
growing list of Wolverine greats.
Al Wistert, following in the foot-
steps of his two All-American
brothers from Michigan, was the
bulwark of the Maize and Blue
line, and received the honor for
the second year in a row. The 33-
year-old tackle has also been nam-
ed captain of this year's squad, an
additional tribute to "Pappy."
* * *
DICK RIFENBURG, the other
Wolverine gridder to receive the
honor, is the first Wolverine end
to win All-American recognition
since the playing days of his
coach, Bennie Oosterbaan - al-
most 25 years ago.
Rifenburg's speed, height, and
sticky fingers made him the
teams' top pass catcher as he
rolled up eight markers during
the season.
All this adds up to another great
chapter in Michigan's football his-
tory, typical of those earlier in the
century which earned the Maize
and Blue the title of "Champions
of the West."
DO YOU KNOW that in
March, 1946, the University of
Chicago formally withdrew from
the Conference, leaving nine
schools in competition. Michi-
gan State was voted into the
Conference last December, mak-
ing the Conference the Big Ten
again.
Defending Conference and na-
tional champs for 1947 and 1948,
Michigan heads into the 1949 foot-
ball season riding the crest of a
23-game winning streak, the long-
est since the fabulous point-a-min-
ute teams of Fielding H. Yost.
Coach-of-the-Year Bennie Oos-
terbaan faces some stiff opposi-
tion this season, and the attempt
to continue the string and retain
the Big Nine and national cham-
pionships will be no easy task.
* * *
THE WOLVERINES open the
season against their traditional
state rivals, Michigan State, who
earlier this year were voted into
the Conference but won't compete
officially in football until 1953.
State gave Michigan the biggest
scare of the season in the opener
last year as the Wolverines just
managed to win, 13-7.
The Maize and Blue head west
the next weekend to tangle wit f
Stanford. Little trouble is ex-
pected there, but when the Wol-
verines return they face four
games in a row of the toughest
kind of football.
Army, still strong since the Blan-
chard-Davis era; Northwestern,
last year's runnerup and Rose
Bowl champ; Minnesota, top con-
tender for the crown this year;
and Illinois, always ready to make
things rough for Michigan, will
make October a do-or-die month
for Oosterbaan and his crew.
MICHIGAN plays Purdue and
Indiana the first two Saturdays
in November, and ends the season
against Ohio State. Last year the
DO YOU KNOW .. . that it
wasn't until May, 1940, that the
Conference voted to allow nine
football games per season-six
against Big Ten teams and at
least two at home.
Wolverines just squeezed by OSU,
13-3, in the closing contest of the
season, as the determined Buck-
eyes were out to upset Michigan at
any cost.
The biggest problem facing
Oosterbaan is finding a replace-
ment for ite Elliott at quatter-
back. Veteran Wally Teninga,
one of the 24 lettermen return-
ing, might be used in that posi-
tion. His versatility and all-
around ability make him cap-
able of handling the spot, but
since this is Wally's last season
Oosterbaan would rather find
someone who would be coming
back next year so he won't have
to face the same problem next
fall.
Bill Bartlett, who understudied
Elliott last year, Don Zanfaga,
who showed a lot of promise- in
spring drills, and Bill Putich, up
from the freshman team, are-
the other outstanding possibilities
Oosterbaan and backfield coach
George Ceithaml have to work with
to find a signal caller for this
year's team.
THE HALFBACK positions are
pretty. well taken care of _with
Michigan's sophomore sensations,
Leo Koceski and Chuck Ortmann,
back again. Chuck Lentz, Bob Van-
Summern, Don Soucheck, and Jim
Eldridge will provide the reserve
strength at half.
Tom Peterson will be fighting
with Don Dufek, who won the
Meyer W. Morton trophy last
spring for showing the most im-
provement, for the offensive full-
back slot. The defensive posi-
tion will be held down by hard-
hitting Dick * "Killer" Kenp-
thorn.
Most of the losses on the line
were from the offensive team.
There seems to be enough depth
in each position, though to take
care of the situation.
HARRY ALLIS, Irv Wisniewski,
Ozzie Clark and Bob Hollway are
the top end men, with Captain Al
Wistert, Al Wahl, Jim Atchison,
Bill Ohlenroth, and Tom Johnson
at .tackle. At guard the chief re-
olacements are Lloyd Heneveld,
Al Jackson, and Don McClelland,
while at center Tony Momson, Bob
Erben, and Dick Farrar are the
top candidates.
The coaches are going to have
their hands full getting the team
into top form in time for the
first game September 24. The
game is played at the end of
orientation week whereas last
year a week of school had
elapsed before the first contest.
Remembering how close MSC
came to beating Michigan last
Oosterbaan, Coaching Staff Keep Team
Wining
"V
By PRES HOLMES
(Sports Co-Editor)
When Bennie Oosterbaan was
named "Coach of the Year" last
December, it made the second year
in a row that a Michigan coach
had received the honor.
Oosterbaan followed the foot-
steps of his predecessor, "Fritz"
Crisler, to the letter as he guided
Michigan to another all-victori-
ous season, won the mythical na-
tional championship, and became
"Coach of the Year."
THE TITLE is decided by a vote
ated with Michigan since 1925
when he was a three-sport ath-
lete. He was outstanding at end
on the gridiron, so outstanding
as a matter of fact that he was
selected as an All-American at
that position for the three years
he played in varsity competi-
tion.
Upon graduation, Oosterbaan
joined the Michigan coaching staff.
Since that time he has devoted
himself to the University and it
has become an integral part of
him. This strong attachment for
Bennie, and each one played his
heart out to preserve what Oos-
terbaan stood for.
In the last game of the season,
for instance, Ohio State kicked a
field goal and took the lead over
the Wolverines. But with the spirit
and determination of a truly great
team playing to win for a truly
great coach, the Michigan grid-
ders charged back to score two
touchdowns and give Oosterbaan
a perfect season.
* * * |
AT THE BEGINNING of the
Football
Schedule
Sept. 24. .Michigan State; Here
Oct. 1... Stanford Univ., There
Oct. 8 ............ Army, Here
Oct. 15 Northwestern, U. There
Oct. 22......Minnesota, Here
Oct. 29........Illinois, There
Nov. 5.........Purdue, Here
Nov. 12........Indiana, Here
Nov. 19......Ohio State, Here
Don Robinson, who coaches the
junior varsity squad, works much
in the same way as Weber giving
the boys more seasoning and ex-
perience.
Blott is one of the reasons why
Michigan is traditionally strong
through the center. His lines
have been characterzed by speed
and smartness rather than rug-
gedness in size, which seems to
have paid off in victories.
Ceithaml received the backfield
coaching spot last year when Oos-
terbaan was moved up to head
recognition, which can certainly
be considered a feather in Orwig's
cap, too.
Robinson is also a new mem-
ber to the coaching staff. He
joined the organization last year
after having graduated from
Michigan the year before.
Weber, besides being a good
coach, is widely noted for his
ready wit and tremendous vocabu-
lary. A game is never a tilt, con-
test, or battle with Weber, it's an
embroglio.