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September 21, 1949 - Image 15

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
Michigan Daily, 1949-09-21

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 21, 1949

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

PAGE SEVEN

Lightweight Gridders Bow Out as Co- Cha

mn ions

GRIDIRON GREAT FOR 25 YEARS:
Yost Hit Peak From Start

Managers' Hard Work
Aids Gridiron Efficiency

Western Conference Drops Midget Grid
Sport from List of 1949 Official Activities

I

I

Back at the turn of the century,
Fielding H. Yost left his football
coaching duties at Stanford Uni-
versity to serve as Michigan grid-
iron mentor and no sooner had he
taken over at Ann Arbor than his
teams began to make football
history.
In his 25 years of coaching the
Wolverines, Yost turned out many
great teams but none surpassed
the products of his first five years
With the Maize and Blue.
FROM THE fall of 1901 to the
final game of the 1905 season,
Yost directed his charges through
56 undefeated games. Only a 6-6
tie with Minnesota in 1903 kept
his Wolverines from a clean vic-
torious slate.
Only once in the history of the
history of the sport-when the
University of Washington from
1907 to 1917 swept through .63
games without defeat-has this
record been bettered.
During Michigan's undefeated
reign the Wolverines piled up the
amazing total of 2,841 points while
holding their opponents to a mere
40. And in the 1901 season not
one of eleven opponents was able
to score against the Maize and
Blue.
EVEN TODAY the scoring feats
of four of these teams (1901, 1902,
1903 and 1904) remain among the
20 highest scoring college elevens
in football history.
These record - breaking years
also produced the first victory
of the modern Rose Bowl games
and Michigan's first unanimous
All-American.
On January 1, 1902, eleven men
of Michigan, playing without sub-
stitution, handed a highly-regard-
ed Stanford team a decisive 49-0
setback in the first Rose Bowl
game.
* * *M
ALTHOUGH another Michigan

-n1

FIELDING H. YOST
. phenomenal
*~ * *
team duplicated this score in 1948,
no team has ever equalled the 1902
feat of scoring eight touchdowns,
one field goal and four points-af-
ter-touchdown, as touchdowns and
field goals both counted five points
in those days.
Fullback Willie Heston became
the first Wolverine All-Ameri-
can in 1903 and was renamed to
that post the next year. Heston
still holds the all-time record
for collegiate scoring.
In four seasons he scored 93
touchdowns for a 465 point total.
Under modern scoring rules this
would amount to an even more
amazing 558 points.
HIGH SCORES were nothing
unusual for Yost's undefeated'
rulers of the gridiron. Four times
his rampaging Wolverines rolled
up scores exceeding 100 points. A'
130-0 rout of West Virginia in
1904 was the highest score of the
unbeaten reign and twice in 1902

;he 100 mark was surpassed. One
Af these was a 119-0 total at the
expense of Michigan State.
In the 1904 game with Chi-
cago the Maroons scored 12
points to boast the highest to-
tal any team posted against the
Wolverines during their 56 un-
defeated contests.
Then just one year later the
immortal Walter Eckersall led this
same Chicago eleven to a stunning
2-0 upset over Michigan and
brought the Wolverines' unbeaten
streak to an end.
In this final game of the 1905
season Michigan was unable to
score against the Maroons for
the first time in the 14-game-old
series between the two schools.
And when the Chicago ends
downed Wolverine back Denny
Clark in the end zone with less
than five minutes to play in the
game, the Maroons were able to
post their two-point margin of
victory on the resulting safety.
Clark had attempted to run
back an Eckersall punt from be-
hind his own goal line, but was
caught on the two-yard line and
forced back into the end zone to
give Chicago the safety that ended
Michigan's undefeated streak at
56.
AllStars
ALL-AMERICANS
Al Wistert ............... tackle
Dick Rifenburg ............ end
ALL-AMERICAN
2nd Team
Chuck Ortmann ...........back
ALL-CONFERENCE
Dom Tomasi .............guard
Pete Elliott ...............back
Al Wistert ...............tackle
Dick Rifenburg ............. end
ALL-MIDWESTERN
Pete Elliott ................ back
Al Wistert ...............tackle

By RAY COLLINS
Behind the spectacle of a Sat-
urday afternoon football game lay
the efforts of many people, peo-
ple who in one way or another
work quietly in the background
to contribute to the efficiency of
of the smooth-working Maize and
Blue eleven.
One group of these people is
the 'team' of football managers.
PROBABLY the best way to
meet the football managers is to
try to get into a secret practice
session, for one of their most im-
portant duties is to keep any and
all unauthorized persons from ob-
serving the intricate patterns of
the Michigan system.
Without an authorized pass
the manager can only show you
the most convenient exit.
After getting rid of all such'
people, the managers then turn
to their tasks on the field. Their
job is to keep all the various
squads-Varsity, Junior Varsity,
and Freshman-supplied with the
football equipment necessary. They
also help the players practice
their specialties such as place
kicking, kick-offs, punting and
field goals.
"AUTOMATIC JIM" Brieske
used to keep three managers busy
for nearly an hour every day to
insure the mechanical accuracy
he became famous for.
To handle football there is a
13-man team of managers. This
team consists of eight sopho-
mores, four juniors and one sen-
ior. The eight sophomores are
picked from the group of try-
outs on basis of their interest,
industry and competence. These
eight are then split up among
the various squads.
The junior managers are re-
sponsible for all the equipment
on the field from the time it leaves
the supply room until it is re-

turned. They are also in charge
of the sophomores and instruct
them as to the details of their
duties.
AT THE END of the season the
four juniors vote to decide which
four of the eight sophomores will
be their successors for the next
year.
At the head of this 'team' is
the senior manager. He is in
charge of all of the managers.
He co-ordinates the junior man-
agers and sets up the work
schedules for the group.
However, he leaves most of the
field work in charge of the junior
managers and utilizes his time in
taking care of much of the busi-
ness for the team. He is in charge
of the team trips; assigns them
their train berths, and checks on
the meals for the team. He ac-
companies the team wherever they
go.
HE IS SELECTED from the
four junior managers by a five'
man committee consisting of the
head Coach, Director of Athletics,
Assistant Director of Athletics,
the equipment manager and the
retiring senior manager.
It is not all work with the
managers. There are a series of
sweater awards. The sophomores
receive a sweater with small
outline numerals across the
chest denoting the year. The
juniors get one similar with.
larger numerals and only the
last two numerals of the year.
The senior gets an outline
block 'M' and membership in the
Manager's Club.
The three junior managers who
aren't chosen as senior managers
have an opportunity to become
senior manager in one of the
smaller sports of their own choice.
This provides these sports with a
manager and at the same time,
rewards the junior managers for
their two years' work and effort.

By MERLE LEVIN
(Sports Co-Editor)
Lightweight football at Michi-
gan went out in a blaze of glory
as the Wolveiine 150-pounders
wound up with their second co-
championship in two years last
season.
Seven months later, Western
Conference officials agreed to drop
the sport as an official Conference
activity because of "lack of in-
terest at other Big Ten schools
and heavy traveling costs."
Only four schools, Michigan,
Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio State
had fielded teams during the
sport's brief two-year history.
Michigan State had indicated a
willingness to field a team in 1949
but officials decided that the ad-
dition of one team did not war-
rant continuation of the game.
Coached by veteran Cliff Keen
the lightweightsehad tied Wiscon-
sin for the Conference champion-
ship in 1947 and were rated the
team to beat as the 1948 season
got under way.
However, lightly regarded Illi-
nois put a damper on the 150-
pounders title hopes in the first"
game of the season, handing them
a stunning 13-6 defeat.
The Wolverines started strong-
ly, driving deep into Illinois ter-
ritory the first time they got their
hands on the ball, but an injury
to starting end Frank Whitehouse,
Michigan's ace punter, seemed to
bog down the Wolverine attack
and they never got back into the
game.
A last-second touchdown by full-
back Bud Marshall prevented a
shutout, but it was little compen-
sation to the disheartened Wol-
verines.
An open date on the following
week gave the Wolverines a chance
to recover, however, and they were
a vastly - improved team as they
proceeded to whip Ohio State,
13-6 in their next game.
Michigan seemed to lack a scor-

DON O'CONNELL
. . . valuable
ing punch as they repeatedly lost
the ball within the shadow of the
goal posts but a great line headed
by guards Jere Ogle and Don
O'Connell never permitted - the
Buckeyes to threaten the Maize
and Blue goal line and it was just
a question of when the Wolverines
would finally hit paydirt.
Things looked black for a mo-
ment when Ohio's Earl Eltzroth
intercepted a pass and ran 28
yards unmolested for a Buckeye
touchdown but the Wolverines
finally found the combination and
rolled to two third period touch-
downs to pile up their victory mar-
gin.
Eltzroth's touchdown dash
marked the only time Ohio was
able to penetrate the Michigan 30-
yd. line.
The following week found the
Wolverines facing unbeaten Wis-
consin before the largest crowd
ever to attend a lightweight game
here and the lightweights didn't
let their supporters down as they

powered to three third period
touchdowns and a thrilling 20-12
victory.
The Little Wolverines muffed
two first period scoring chances
and found themselves in exactly
the same situation they had been
in the previous week as a long
Wisconsin pass gave the Badgers
a 6-0 halftime lead.
Coach Keen, however, apparent-
ly fed hischarges a large bowl of
their favorite cereal at halftime
for they charged back onto the
field to score the first three times
they laid hands on the ball.
Marshall scored twice for the
Wolverines and Pren Ryan, a shif-
ty halfback who stood out all sea-
son as Michigan's best breakaway
runner, scored the other on a nine
yard dash.
The win proved to be the "big
one" for the Maize and Blue as
they traveled down to Columbus
for a return match and second
victory over Ohio State to clinch
another tie with Wisconsin for the
championship.
The second Ohio game, played
in a sea of mud, saw the Wolver-
ines score three times in the first
half sparked by the passing of
quarterback Jerry Burns and the
running of Ryan who scampered
52 yards for one of the scores.
The second half turned into a
comedy of errors as both teams,
unrecognizable for the mud that
covered them, sought desperately
to hang on to the slippery pigskin.
With only two regulars lost from
that championship team the 150-
pounders were looking forward to
another successful season in 1949
but the front office had other
ideas.
Capt. Don O'Connell who was a
consistent standout on the line
was elected "most valuable play-
er" by his teammates and Mar-
shall and tackle Barry Breakey
were named to co-captain the now
defunct 1949 squad in a post-sea-
son meeting of the team.

II

The Importance of being in earnest!

....::: .
. w,::.r.": :::::

No

MATTER how

efficient

he may actually

be, how well

equipped to handle the academic life at the University of Mich-
igan, a young man can seriously handicap himself by careless-
ness in attire . . . can automatically suggest carelessness in
other matters.
AND JUST as surely the right clothes can give the impression
that he means business . . . that he's in earnest about his life's

,
'4
w . 4
t
4.
ti
1 ',
y

ambition

(an education).

SAFFELL & BUSH are in earnest, too.. . very much in earnest
. . . in putting the experience of nearly a quarter of a century
behind consistent and successful efforts to maintain the high
standards to which is it dedicated.
THE SAFFELL & BUSH LABEL signifies the man who wears it
as a perfectionist who carries that attribute into other aspects
of his life and work.

I I l-p.-%. .

I

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