The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 61 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? On their way to a 10-2 record, the Wol- verines were rolling over opponents. They moved to 8-0 and No. 1 in the nation, outscoring three Big Ten opponents after MSU by a combined score of 118-7. Then came Purdue. The Wolverines traveled to West Lafay- ette, enjoyed numerous chances to win, but dropped a heartbreaker. The devas- tating 16-14 defeat occurred despite Zu- ver's sterling effort. "I had two interceptions, but losing, it didn't matter really what you did do," he said. "It's what you didn't do." The Wolverines didn't slow down standout Purdue back Scott Dierking, and didn't make key plays when opportunities presented themselves. "We had two chances to win," Zuver said. "Rick Leach hit Jimmy Smith on about the 10-yard line, behind the de- fender. I don't know what happened, but it hit his hands and he was unable to con- trol the ball. "Still, we had Bobby Wood, who was a great kicker. We had a chance there, late in the game, to win the game, 17-16. Bobby had a great kick. It was going right to the middle of the uprights. I was the holder. I was standing there watching it. "It couldn't have been much more than 15 yards until it got to the goal post, then a gust of wind came up and blew it left. That just ended our dream of going un- defeated that year." Ohio State remained. The Wolverines ached to invade OSU's Horseshoe, play mistake-free and pound the Buckeyes. A 22-0 final score said it all. "It was quite the joy, as a defense, to give them a goose egg in their own sta- dium," Zuver assured. Once again, Zuver added to the scoring. Schembechler had them practice a fake extra point for weeks, and they eventually discovered why. "He had a plan," Zuver said. "He had been watching things, all year long. The night before the game, on Bo's trip around the rooms to all the seniors — to sit with them, talk to them and thank them for all the years of playing for him — before he left the room, his last words to me were: 'You know we've practiced this fake extra point for four weeks now.' "I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'After we score our second touchdown, we're going to run the two-point conversion, and it's going to work. And then he left the room." That's precisely how it happened. Fol- lowing a touchdown by fullback Russell Davis, Zuver had been given three options on the fake — run it in, throw it to tight end Gene Johnson, or toss it to wingback Rob Lytle. "There was one defender for all three of us," Zuver said. "Listening to Bo, Lytle gave a little block to the Ohio State de- fensive back, and I ran it in for the two- point conversion to make it 15-0. "It was quite an experience and quite a memory I have. I didn't see it, but teammates told me on the sideline. They looked across to the Ohio State side, and Woody had turned his back to the play. All of a sudden he looked up and saw the score, 15-0, and he was a little upset, as Woody could be." Zuver's late-game interception re- tained the shutout and set up Michi- gan's final TD. "We were down on Ohio State's end of the field," he remembered. "We all knew Ohio State wasn't a very good passing team. I ended up intercepting it and re- turning it to the 15-yard line or so. The offense, from there, took it in. "It gave us a great victory, in the 'Shoe, against the Buckeyes. It was a great afternoon. Probably 40 percent of us were from the state of Ohio. So that even made it sweeter. "It made it very sweet for me, because Woody showed no interest in me at all." Zuver got knocked out of the Rose Bowl early, catching a knee in the chin from USC freshman Charles White dur- ing a loss to the Trojans. Zuver spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach for Schembechler before realiz- ing coaches' innumerable hours weren't for him. He chose instead a career in business, buttressed by a lifetime of memories in maize and blue. ❏ After two seasons as a Michigan graduate assistant coach, Zuver went into a career in business, and he still cherishes his Michigan memories. PHOTO COURTESY JERRY ZUVER The Jerry Zuver File Michigan Accomplishments: Became a part of Michigan teams that went 38-5-3 and won three Big Ten championships … Served as a wolfman (combo linebacker/ defensive back) and holder for placekicks … Secured six interceptions, all as a senior, and 65 tackles in his career … Ran in a two-point conversion in a 22-0 win at Ohio State. Professional Accomplishments: Spent two seasons as a Michigan graduate as- sistant coach … Worked for three years as vice president of sales for Ohio Art Co. … Became a plant supervisor for countertop manufacturer L.E. Smith Co. for nearly 14 years … In his 20th year as inside sales manager for Allied Moulded Products Inc., a Bryan, Ohio, company manufacturing electrical outlet boxes. Education: Earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1977 and a master's in sec- ondary education and administration in December 1978. Michigan Memory: "My biggest memory of Michigan is the Michigan-Ohio State game. Having the opportunity to go to Michigan when your home-state college showed no interest in you, and being part of the team that shut them out in their own stadium. That's something I have a lot of great memories of: the plane ride back, Bob Ufer going nuts, and we were all just having a great time. Playing with some of the greatest athletes I ever knew, and having great teammates. I was fortunate to room with Rob Lytle for four years. The success and work ethic he had was just amaz- ing … and playing for Bo for four years is an experience I'll always treasure." Family: Has two daughters, 36-year-old Brette Walker and 32-year-old Olivia Arend, and is married to Denise Ludtke.