The 1954 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1954 Big Ten Conference football season. In its seventh year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan compiled a 6–3 record (5–2 against conference opponents), tied for second place in the Big Ten, outscored opponents by a combined total of 139 to 87, and was ranked No. 15 in the final AP and Coaches Polls.[1][2]
| 1954 Michigan Wolverines football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 15 |
| AP | No. 15 |
| Record | 6–3 (5–2 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| MVP | Fred Baer |
| Captain | Ted Cachey |
| Home stadium | Michigan Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Ohio State $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Wisconsin | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Michigan | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Left guard Ted Cachey was the team captain, and fullback Fred Baer received the team's most valuable player award,[2]
Two Michigan players received All-American honors: left end Ron Kramer was selected as a first-team All-American by the Central Press Association,[3] and left tackle Art Walker received first-team honors from the All-America Board and the Football Writers Association of America.[4][5]
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jim Maddock with 293 passing yards, Fred Baer with 439 rushing yards, and Ron Kramer with 303 receiving yards.[6]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | at Washington* | W 14–0 | 35,076 | ||
| October 2 | Army* | L 7–26 | 69,161 | ||
| October 9 | No. 4 Iowa |
| W 14–13 | 64,283 | |
| October 16 | at Northwestern | W 7–0 | 32,972 | ||
| October 23 | No. 8 Minnesota |
| W 34–0 | 70,740 | |
| October 30 | Indiana | No. 11 |
| L 9–13 | 49,817 |
| November 6 | Illinois |
| W 14–7 | 58,777 | |
| November 13 | Michigan State |
| W 33–7 | 97,239 | |
| November 20 | at No. 1 Ohio State | No. 12 | L 7–21 | 78,447 | |
| |||||
Statistical leaders
editMichigan's individual statistical leaders for the 1954 season include those listed below.[6][7]
Rushing
edit| Player | Attempts | Net yards | Yards per attempt | Touchdowns |
| Fred Baer | 107 | 439 | 4.1 | 3 |
| Dan Cline | 97 | 340 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Ed Hickey | 45 | 169 | 3.8 | 0 |
| Lou Baldacci | 46 | 152 | 3.3 | 4 |
Passing
edit| Player | Attempts | Completions | Interceptions | Comp % | Yards | Yds/Comp | TD | Long |
| Jim Maddock | 35 | 16 | 5 | 45.7 | 293 | 18.3 | 1 | 33 |
| Dan Cline | 43 | 15 | 4 | 34.9 | 281 | 18.7 | 3 | 63 |
| Duncan McDonald | 36 | 15 | 6 | 41.7 | 237 | 15.8 | 1 | 32 |
Receiving
edit| Player | Receptions | Yards | Yds/Recp | TD | Long |
| Ron Kramer | 23 | 303 | 13.2 | 2 | 29 |
| Lou Baldacci | 8 | 211 | 26.4 | 1 | 63 |
| Dan Cline | 6 | 61 | 10.2 | 0 | 33 |
Kickoff returns
edit| Player | Returns | Yards | Yds/Return | TD | Long |
| Dan Cline | 8 | 164 | 20.5 | 0 | 34 |
| Ed Hickey | 2 | 32 | 16.0 | 0 | 24 |
Punt returns
edit| Player | Returns | Yards | Yds/Return | TD | Long |
| Dan Cline | 13 | 113 | 8.7 | 0 | 22 |
| Tom Hendricks | 1 | 67 | 67.0 | 1 | 67 |
| Terry Barr | 4 | 56 | 14.0 | 0 | 25 |
| Ron Kramer | 3 | 43 | 14.3 | 0 | 26 |
Scoring
edit| Player | TD (rush) | TD (rec.) | TD (oth.) | Other type | PAT att | PAT made | Points |
| Ron Kramer | 0 | 2 | 1 | Blk Punt | 14 | 13 | 31 |
| Lou Baldacci | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31 | |
| Fred Baer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| Dan Cline | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
Personnel
editLetter winners
editThe following 33 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1954 team.[8] Players who started at least four games are shown with their names in bold.[2]
- Fred Baer, 5'11", 188 pounds, senior, LaGrange, IL – started 6 games at fullback
- Lou Baldacci, 6'1", 196 pounds, junior, Akron, OH – started 5 games at quarterback, 1 game at fullback
- Terry Barr, 6'1", 172 pounds, sophomore, Grand Rapids, MI - halfback
- James Bates, 6'0", 198 pounds, senior, Farmington, MI – started 4 games at center
- Tony Branoff, 5'11", 188 pounds, junior, Flint, MI – started 2 games at right halfback
- Charles Brooks, 6'1", 202 pounds, sophomore, Marshall, MI - end
- Ted Cachey, 5'10", 178 pounds, senior, Chicago – started 9 games at left guard
- Daniel Cline, 5'10" 175 pounds, senior, Brockport, NY – started 9 games at left halfback
- George Corey, 5'10", 163 pounds, junior, Baden, PA - halfback
- Don Drake, 5'11", 213 pounds, senior, Ypsilanti, MI - center
- Jim Fox, 6'0", 190 pounds, junior, Saginaw, MI - guard
- Ronald Geyer, 6'2", 225 pounds, senior, Toledo, OH – started 6 games at right tackle
- Jerry Goebel, 6'3", 214 pounds, sophomore, Grosse Pointe, MI - center
- Tom Hendricks, 5'11", 181 pounds, junior, Detroit - halfback
- Edward Hickey, 5'8", 173 pounds, senior, Anaconda, MT – started 1 game at right halfback
- Dave Hill, 6'0", 188 pounds, junior, Ypsilanti, MI – started 2 games at fullback
- Stan Knickerbocker, 5'11", 173 pounds, senior, Chelsea, MI - halfback
- Bill Kolesar, 6'0", 221 pounds, junior, Mentor, OH - tackle
- Ron Kramer, 6'3", 210 pounds, sophomore, East Detroit, MI – started 9 games at left end
- Jim Maddock, 6'0", 187 pounds, sophomore, Chicago – started 1 game at quarterback
- Tom Maentz, 6'2", 205 pounds, sophomore, Holland, MI – started 5 games at right end
- Bob Marion, 5'10", 192 pounds, junior, Muskegon Heights, MI - guard
- Duncan McDonald, 6'0", 170 pounds, senior, Flint, MI – started 3 games at quarterback
- Ed Meads, 6'0", 199 pounds, junior, Oxford, MI – started 9 games at right guard
- John Morrow, 6'2", 228 pounds, junior, Ann Arbor, MI – started 3 games at right tackle
- John Peckham, 6'2", 227 pounds, junior, Sioux Falls, SD – started 2 games at center
- Chuck Ritter, 6'0", 195 pounds, senior, Cassopolis, MI - guard
- Mike Rotunno, 6'0", 187 pounds, sophomore, Canton, OH - guard
- Ed Shannon, 5'8", 172 pounds, sophomore, River Forest, IL – started 6 games at right halfback
- Gene Snider, 6'0", 195 pounds, sophomore, Hamtramck, MI – started 3 games at center
- John Veselenak, 6'2", 192 pounds, senior, Flint, MI - end
- Art Walker, 5'11", 218 pounds, senior, South Haven, MI – started 9 games at left tackle
- Gerry Williams, 6'2", 189 pounds, junior, Flint, MI – started 4 games at right end
Coaches and staff
editMichigan's 1954 coaching, training, and support staff included the following persons.[2]
- Head coach: Bennie Oosterbaan
- Assistant coaches: Jack Blott, Don Dufek, Robert Hollway, Cliff Keen, Pete Kinyon,[9] Matt Patanelli, Don Robinson, Walter Weber, J. T. White
- Trainer: Jim Hunt
- Manager: Glenn Bearss
Awards and honors
editHonors and awards for the 1954 season went to the following individuals.[2]
- Captain: Ted Cachey
- All-Americans: Art Walker
- All-Conference: Art Walker, Ron Kramer
- Most Valuable Player: Fred Baer
- Meyer Morton Award: Don Dugger
References
edit- ^ a b "1954 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "1954 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ Walter Johns (November 28, 1954). "Penn State's Lenny Moore Named To Captains' All-America". Reading Eagle. p. 34.
- ^ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. 2005. p. 1236. ISBN 1401337031.
- ^ "FWAA All America" (PDF). Football Writers Association of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ a b "1954 Michigan Wolverines Statistics". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2017.(statistics retrieved by entering "1954" in the box for "Games & Totals by Season" and then, at the next screen, choosing "Display Season Totals")
- ^ "Oosterbaan Awards 34 Grid Letters". The Michigan Daily. November 23, 1954. p. 3 – via Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ Peter Chatfield Kinyon, born December 5, 1929, died November 16, 2012. Played football at Michigan 1948–1951 (varsity 1950–51). Coached football at Michigan 1954–56.