The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 23 in the Rose Bowl. In between, Crisler's crew won every game by at least three touchdowns, except for two, right in the middle of the schedule. They hung on to beat Minnesota 13-6 at Homecoming, then held off Il- linois 14-7 on the road a week later. They didn't play Notre Dame that sea- son, and Irish fans claim the national title to this day. But the Associated Press conducted an unprecedented post-bowl poll after the Wolverines destroyed the Trojans in Pasadena. It voted Michigan No. 1 by a two-to-one margin, sealing its national title status. 3. 1997 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Lloyd Carr 's Wolverines broke a half-century national title drought when they scaled the mountain in 1997. Led by Heisman Trophy win- ner Charles Woodson and quarterback Brian Griese, Michigan fought its way to 12-0 and the national crown. Opponents averaged a mere 9.5 points per game against one of the all- time great Michigan defenses. From stalwarts such as Glen Steele and Rob Renes on the defensive line; to Sam Sword, Ian Gold and Dhani Jones at linebacker; to a secondary paced by the first (and still only) primarily defensive player to win a Heisman, the Wolver- ines remained in lockdown mode all year. Beginning with a resounding 27-3 win in the opener against Colorado and ending in a 21-16 victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines simply found a way to win. Along the way, they held off Notre Dame, 21-14; rallied from a half- time deficit at home to beat Iowa, 28- 24; and willed themselves to a 20-14 victory over Ohio State, sparked by Woodson's 78-yard punt return touch- down. When U-M's offense needed to come through, Griese delivered. His three touchdown passes — 53 and 58 yards to wideout Tai Streets, and 23 to tight end Jerame Tuman — gave the Wol- verines what they needed to win the Rose Bowl. Michigan jumped to No. 1 following its resounding 34-8 "Judgment Day" victory at Penn State, and after the bowl, the Associated Press confirmed the status. 4. 1948 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, NATIONAL CHAMPIONS The head coaching transition from Crisler to the former three-time All- American Oosterbaan couldn't have been much smoother. Crisler's Mad Magicians rolled to 10-0 in 1947, and Oosterbaan's crew kept it going through nine more victories the fol- lowing year. The '48 Wolverines weren't as high scoring as they were the previous sea- son, but the results were the same. They won a tough road game at Michi- gan State in the opener, 13-7; then shut out Oregon, Purdue and Northwest- ern; before taking on tough Minnesota and Illinois teams. U-M won 27-14 at Minnesota, before returning home to edge the Illini 28-0 on Homecoming. Shutouts over Navy and Indiana followed, before U-M went on the road again to lock down Ohio State, 13-3. The Big Ten's no-repeat rule kept the Wolverines from going to the Rose Bowl for a second straight season. Nobody could keep them from a sec- ond straight national championship, though, with a team featuring five All- Americans. Quarterback Pete Elliott headed that list, joined by halfback Chuck Ort- mann, end Dick Rifenburg, captain and most valuable player Dom Tomasi — a guard — and tackle Alvin Wistert. Michigan's defense stood out, sur- rendering an average of just 4.9 points per game against a schedule featuring four opponents ranked in the top 20 of the final AP poll. U-M posted five shut- outs in nine games, leaving no doubt about the apex of the poll. 5. 1901 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Yost's first U-M squad will never be topped, in terms of defensive excel- lence. The Wolverines didn't allow a point through an 11-game schedule, pouring it on by outscoring foes 550-0. Buffalo got stampeded the worst, 128-0, while the Wolverines captured harder-fought shutouts over Ohio State (21-0) and fierce rival Chicago (22-0) at Homecoming. The Wolverines won the first contest in what was to become the Rose Bowl, 49-0, over Stanford. Michigan's 550 points — an average of 50 per game — stands even more impressive when one considers that a touchdown was worth five points in those days. The flip side involved 70-minute contests, although those were occasionally shortened. Heston starred for Yost's first squad, along with end/fullback Neil Snow. Heston wound up rushing for more than 5,000 yards over the course of his career, while averaging better than eight yards per carry. He led the Wolverines with 20 touchdowns in 1901. Three of them oc- curred against Buffalo, which entered the game fresh off a win over eastern powerhouse Columbia. Albert Her- rnstein paced the offensive assault in that one with five touchdowns, while Snow scored four. Michigan made the eight-day train trip to Pasadena to perform on New Year's Day. Snow scored five touch- downs in that one, on his way to Player of the Game honors. Stanford captain Ralph Fisher offered to concede the game with eight minutes remaining, and Yost accepted. 6. 1973 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS Arguably the best team Bo Schem- bechler put on the field in 21 seasons, Michigan's 1973 squad never lost a game. But it lost a vote that would stay with the head coach for the remainder of his days. All-Big Ten quarterback Dennis Franklin led the offensive attack for the Wolverines, while defensive All- Quarterback Brian Griese (left) and head coach Lloyd Carr (right) combined with Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson to help U-M break a half-century national title drought when they won it all in 1997. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY