1954 Michigan Wolverines football team
Encyclopedia
The 1954 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan
in the 1954 college football season
. The team's head coach was Bennie Oosterbaan
. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium
.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the 1954 college football season
1954 college football season
The 1954 college football season saw three teams finish unbeaten and untied, with Ohio State Buckeyes and the UCLA Bruins sharing the national championship as the #1 picks of the AP Poll and the UPI Poll, respectively. Although the winners of the Big Ten and the Pacific conferences normally met in...
. The team's head coach was Bennie Oosterbaan
Bennie Oosterbaan
Benjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
.
Schedule
Rushing
| Player | Attempts | Net yards | Yards per attempt | Touchdowns |
| Fred Baer Fred Baer Frederick N. Baer was an American football player. He played at the fullback position for the University of Michigan from 1952 to 1954. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1954 Michigan Wolverines football team.-Early years:Baer's home town was LaGrange, Illinois. He attended... |
107 | 439 | 4.1 | 3 |
| Dan Cline | 97 | 340 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Ed Hickey | 45 | 169 | 3.8 | 0 |
Passing
| Player | Attempts | Completions | Interceptions | Comp % | Yards | Yds/Comp | TD | Long |
| Jim Maddock Jim Maddock James Andrew 'Mad Dog' Maddock was an American football player. He played at the quarterback position for the University of Michigan from 1954 to 1956. He appeared in all 127 games for the Wolverines during his sophomore, junior and senior years, and led the teams to final Associated Press... |
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
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Yds/Recp | TD | Long |
| Ron Kramer Ron Kramer Ronald J. Kramer was a multi-sport college athlete and professional American football player. Before embarking on a career in the National Football League, he lettered in football, basketball, and track at the University of Michigan in the 1950s... |
23 | 303 | 13.2 | 29 | |
| Lou Baldacci Lou Baldacci Louis Granville Baldacci is a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1953 to 1955 and was the starting quarterback for the 1953 and 1954 Michigan Wolverines football teams... |
8 | 211 | 26.4 | 1 | 63 |
| Dan Cline | 6 | 61 | 10.2 | 0 | 33 |
Kickoff returns
| Player | Returns | Yards | Yds/Return | TD | Long |
| Dan Cline | 8 | 164 | 20.5 | 0 | 34 |
Punt returns
| 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 Terry Barr Terry Albert Barr was an American football wide receiver. He played for nine seasons in the NFL, all with the Detroit Lions.... |
4 | 56 | 14.0 | 0 | 25 |
Players
- Fred BaerFred BaerFrederick N. Baer was an American football player. He played at the fullback position for the University of Michigan from 1952 to 1954. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1954 Michigan Wolverines football team.-Early years:Baer's home town was LaGrange, Illinois. He attended...
- started 6 games at fullback - Lou BaldacciLou BaldacciLouis Granville Baldacci is a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1953 to 1955 and was the starting quarterback for the 1953 and 1954 Michigan Wolverines football teams...
- started 5 games at quarterback, 1 game at fullback - James Bates - started 4 games at center
- Tony BranoffTony BranoffAnthony "Tony" Branoff is a former American football player. He played at the halfback position for the University of Michigan from 1952 to 1955. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1953 Michigan Wolverines football team. He was the first sophomore to win the award...
- started 2 games at right halfback - Ted Cachey - started 9 games at left guard
- Daniel Cline - started 9 games at left halfback
- Ronald Geyer - started 6 games at right tackle
- Edward Hickey - started 1 game at right halfback
- Dave Hill - started 2 games at fullback
- Ron KramerRon KramerRonald J. Kramer was a multi-sport college athlete and professional American football player. Before embarking on a career in the National Football League, he lettered in football, basketball, and track at the University of Michigan in the 1950s...
- started 9 games at left end - Jim MaddockJim MaddockJames Andrew 'Mad Dog' Maddock was an American football player. He played at the quarterback position for the University of Michigan from 1954 to 1956. He appeared in all 127 games for the Wolverines during his sophomore, junior and senior years, and led the teams to final Associated Press...
- started 1 game at quarterback - Duncan McDonald - started 3 games at quarterback
- Tom MaentzTom MaentzTom Maentz is a former American football player who played end for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1954-1956. Maentz played on offense and defense and also served as the punter for the Michigan football team...
- started 5 games at right end - Ed Meads - started 9 games at right guard
- John Morrow - started 3 games at right tackle
- John Peckham - started 2 games at center
- Ed Shannon - started 6 games at right halfback
- Gene Snider - started 3 games at center
- Art WalkerArt WalkerArthur D. Walker, Jr. was an American football player. He was an All-American at the University of Michigan in 1954 and played seven seasons of professional football with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League from 1955-1961.-Early years:Walker, an African-American who grew up four...
- started 9 games at left tackle - Jerry Williams - started 4 games at right end
Awards and honors
- Captain: Ted Cachey
- All-Americans: Art WalkerArt WalkerArthur D. Walker, Jr. was an American football player. He was an All-American at the University of Michigan in 1954 and played seven seasons of professional football with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League from 1955-1961.-Early years:Walker, an African-American who grew up four...
- All-Conference: Art Walker, Ron KramerRon KramerRonald J. Kramer was a multi-sport college athlete and professional American football player. Before embarking on a career in the National Football League, he lettered in football, basketball, and track at the University of Michigan in the 1950s...
- Most Valuable Player: Fred BaerFred BaerFrederick N. Baer was an American football player. He played at the fullback position for the University of Michigan from 1952 to 1954. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1954 Michigan Wolverines football team.-Early years:Baer's home town was LaGrange, Illinois. He attended...
- Meyer Morton Award: Don Dugger
Coaching staff
- Head coach: Bennie OosterbaanBennie OosterbaanBenjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
- Assistant coaches: Jack BlottJack BlottJack Leonard Blott was an All-American football center and place kicker for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1922–1923. He was also a baseball catcher for the Wolverines from 1922–1924. After a two-game Major League Baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1924, he worked as...
, Don DufekDon Dufek, Sr.Don Dufek, Sr. is a former American football player and athletic director at Grand Valley State University and Kent State University. He is the father of All-American football players Don, and Bill as well as Joe who all played in the National Football League....
, Robert Holloway, Cliff KeenCliff KeenClifford Patrick Keen was an American coach who served as the head coach of the University of Michigan collegiate wrestling team from 1925 to 1970. He led the Michigan Wolverines to 13 Big Ten Conference championships, and coached 68 All-American wrestlers...
, Pete Kinyon, Matt PatanelliMatt PatanelliMatthew L. "Matt" Patanelli was an American football, baseball and basketball player and coach. He played and coached all three sports at the University of Michigan and was selected as the Most Valuable Player on the 1936 Michigan Wolverines football team. He was also the first University of...
, Don Robinson, Walter WeberWally WeberWalter J. Weber was an American football player and coach at the University of Michigan. He played halfback and fullback for the Wolverines in 1925 and 1926 on the same teams as Benny Friedman and Bennie Oosterbaan. He later became an assistant football coach at Michigan for 28 years from 1931 to...
, J. T. WhiteJ. T. WhiteJohn T. "J.T." White was a college football assistant coach, and a second-team 1947 College Football All-American center who played for national championship teams at both the University of Michigan and Ohio State University. White also played basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's... - Trainer: Jim Hunt
- Manager: Glenn Bearss