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" .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 ...'. -."~-X..-. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- --- --- -} 2i - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- - -- -- - -- -- - -- - .*.. .-a..-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . dDaily-Alex Lrnaniau TADIUM construction i l ,. . e. ... ,... , _a _.. . .. ... FRESHMAN SPORTS EXTRA Y K6r 43l iiu 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.