The Wolverine

December 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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60 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2019 BY JOHN BORTON M any great football players per- formed at Michigan down through the years. Others made more of a mark via their education in Ann Arbor. Few ever put the student-athlete combination together better than Tom Mack. One of Michigan's best- ever offensive linemen, Mack went on to become an 11-time NFL Pro Bowl participant and worked 40 years as an engineer. He never saw the first part of that combination coming. "I had no intention or no vision of ever having the chance to play profes- sional football," Mack said. "I never even thought about it until after my junior year, when everybody said 'You're really good and really fast and could probably play in the pros.'" Before then, the Cleveland native who came to Michigan largely be- cause of his strong academics, just couldn't see it — or much of any- thing else. His 20/400 vision rendered him a better swimmer than a football player in high school and not terribly effec- tive as an offensive end at Michigan. Freshmen weren't eligible to play then, but Mack struggled to find his way even in his second season. "My sophomore year, I did not even get a letter," he recalled. "I was at the end of the bench at the time." He arrived at Michigan in 1962, when performers were still playing on both sides of the ball, with 35-man travel rosters. "I wasn't a bad defensive end, but I was absolutely worthless as an of- fensive threat," he said. "I couldn't see the ball until it just about hit me in the head. They didn't bother wasting any time trying to throw me the football." Mack experienced a breakthrough prior to his junior season. Tony Ma- son — a highly successful prep coach from Ohio — arrived to join head coach Bump Elliott's staff as an of- fensive line coach. He asked the ris- ing junior if he wanted to play tackle. Mack embraced any chance to get on the field and gave it a shot. Thus com- menced arguably the most successful position switch in U-M football history. He earned the Meyer-Morton Award as Michigan's best spring practice player, months prior to the fateful 1964 season. In the months that followed, Mack and the Wolver- ines trucked nearly all comers. They hadn't won the Big Ten since 1950, a historic drought, and finished at the bottom of the league in 1962, That was about to change. "Michigan had really gone through some bad times, to the point where my freshman year, they still came in last in the Big Ten," Mack said. "Bump and the coaches he had at the time — and the addition of Tony Mason — were just a huge help. "It was just a mix of the right kids at the right place at the right time. We went from not just knowing we were good ourselves to really starting to believe we could beat other teams." The Wolverines became convinced of it when they took down Roger Staubach and No. 6 Navy in the sea- son's second contest, 21-0. A week later, they conquered Michigan State in East Lansing, 17-10, and appeared on their way. "All of a sudden, we just felt like, holy cow, we can do this," Mack said. One week later, they hosted un- ranked Purdue, and the Boilermakers pulled off a stunner of an upset in Michigan Stadium, 21-20. Bob Griese — future NFL great and father of Michigan's own national champion, Brian — guided the Boil- ermakers to victory. A crucial U-M fumble opened the door, and the visi- tors snuck through. "The sad part is, we really beat the hell out of Purdue, physically," Mack said. "We ended up losing the game, which was the only loss we had the whole year." The Wolverines, behind quar- terback Bob Timberlake, powered through five straight victories to end the regular season. The streak cul- minated in a 10-0 shutout of Woody Hayes and his Buckeyes in Columbus. "We had eight or 10 kids from Ohio who were starters on our team," Mack recalled. "On top of that, going into the last game, if Ohio State had won, they'd have been the Big Ten champs. "We beat them, so we got to be the Big Ten champs. That was quite a game down in Columbus. It was a big deal." Big enough for someone to pro- duce yellow roses, which Mack and his teammates clenched in their teeth for photos. "Everybody was standing around with the stems in our mouths, biting them," he said. "We looked like a bunch of idiots, but it was a bigger deal than I think any of us realized. "I don't think any of us knew it had been 15 years since Michigan won the Big Ten." After switching from offensive end to tackle, Mack was a key member of the 1964 Big Ten cham- pionship team that won the Rose Bowl and then was named an All-American the following year. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY   WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Tom Mack Excelled In Football And Business

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