WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
All-American, All-Pro and member of
the College and Pro Football Halls of
Fame."
It all coalesced into a squad that
made Michigan's promised land in
Pasadena. Wilhite earned his way onto
that travel squad as a defensive end,
playing behind Conley, and he will
never forget the softball practice field
adjacent to the Rose Bowl.
"I swear it was pure concrete, but
they said it was dirt," Wilhite said with
a smile.
Wilhite takes great pride in the gritty,
hard-hitting scrimmages that led up
to the game, in which demonstration
players prepped the starters. Michi-
gan's reward — a dominating Rose
Bowl performance, and an unexpected
on-field opportunity.
"Because of the score, all of us got
a chance to play a couple of series
of downs," Wilhite recalled. "I was
the kickoff man behind Bob Timber-
lake. I'd never kicked off during the
season."
Wilhite performed as a backup defensive end on Michigan's 1964 Big Ten and Rose Bowl
championship squad, and also played in 10 games as a senior tight end in 1966, securing
eight catches for 136 yards and one touchdown.
PHOTO COURTESY BENLEY HISTORIC LIBRARY
