History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Crisler years
Players

History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Crisler years

Section Title: Players
Table Section Text: None

Name	Start Year	Last Year	Position(s)	Notes

John Brennan	1936	1938	Guard	Voted "queen" of UM's 1939 ice festival; played for the Green Bay Packers (1939).

Jim Brieske	1942	1947	Placekicker, center	Set collegiate, Big Ten, Rose Bowl, and Michigan placekicking records

Jerry Burns	1947	1950	Quarterback	Served as coach at Iowa (assistant, 1954–1960, head coach, 1961–1965) and for the Minnesota Vikings (assistant, 1968–1985, head coach, 1986–1991)

Bob Callahan	1945	1946	Center, Tackle	Played for the Buffalo Bills (AAFC) (1948)

Jack Carpenter	1946	1946	Tackle	Played for the Buffalo Bills (AAFC)(1947–1949), San Francisco 49ers (1949), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1950–1951) Toronto Argonauts (1952–1954).

George Ceithaml	1940	1942	Quarterback	All-Big Ten quarterback, 1942; Crisler called him "the smartest player he ever taught"; served as an assistant coach at Michigan and USC

Bob Chappuis	1946	1947	Halfback	Shot down over Italy in World War II; All-American and 2nd in Heisman Trophy voting (1947); played for Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) (1948) and Chicago Hornets (1949)

Bill Daley	1943	1943	Fullback	All-American, 1943; Played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) (1946), Miami Seahawks (1946), Chicago Rockets (1947), and New York Yankees (AAFC) (1948)

Fred Dawley	1939	1941	Fullback	Played for the Detroit Lions (1944) and Los Angeles Bulldogs (1945)

Robert Derleth	1942	1946	Tackle	Played for the Detroit Lions (1947)

Gene Derricotte	1946	1948	Halfback, Quarterback	Served as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II; holds Michigan's single season record for punt return average

Wally Dreyer	1943	1943	Halfback	Played for Chicago Bears (1949) and Green Bay Packers (1950); head football coach for the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panthers.

Dan Dworsky	1945	1948	Fullback, Center, Quarterback	Played for the Los Angeles Dons (1949); later became an architect and designed Crisler Arena and Drake Stadium (UCLA).

Bump Elliott	1946	1947	Halfback	Michigan's head coach, 1959–1968; inducted into College Football Hall of Fame, 1989

Pete Elliott	1945	1948	Quarterback, Halfback	Later served as head football coach at Nebraska(1956), California (1957–59), Illinois(1960–66), and Miami (1973–74); inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, 1994

Forest Evashevski	1938	1940	Quarterback	All-Big Ten quarterback three straight years; head football coach at Iowa 1952–1960; inducted into College Football Hall of Fame in 2000

Henry Fonde	1945	1947	Halfback	Threw a 47-yard touchdown pass in 1948 Rose Bowl; Head coach at Ann Arbor Pioneer HS for 10 years; Asst. coach at Michigan for 10 years

Len Ford	1945	1947	End	Played 11 years in the AAFC and NFL with the Dons, Browns and Packers; inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976

Julius Franks	1941	1942	Guard	First-team All-American 1942; Michigan's first African-American All-American

Ralph Fritz	1939	1940	Guard	Played 1 year in the NFL for the Eagles

Ed Frutig	1938	1940	End	First-team All-American 1940; Played 3 years in the NFL with the Packers and Lions

Elmer Gedeon	1936	1938	End	Played baseball for the Washington Senators; one of two MLB players killed in action during World War II after being shot down while piloting a B-26 bomber in 1944

John Ghindia	1947	1949	Quarterback, Fullback, Halfback	Starting quarterback on the 1949 Michigan Wolverines football team that finished the season ranked No. 7 in the country; later served as a high school football and tennis coach in Wyandotte and Ecorse, Michigan.

John Greene	1940	1943	Tackle, Quarterback	Later played 7 years in the NFL with the Lions

Tom Harmon	1938	1940	Halfback	1940 Heisman Trophy winner

Ralph Heikkinen	1936	1938	Guard	All-American 1939; MVP of the 1937 and 1938 Michigan football teams; Played 1 year in the NFL for the Brooklyn Dodgers

Bruce Hilkene	1943	1947	Tackle	Captain of the undefeated 1947 Michigan team known as the "Mad Magicians"

Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch	1943	1943	Halfback	Only Michigan athlete to letter in football, baseball, basketball and track in the same year; Played 12 years in AAFC and NFL for Rockets and Rams; Inducted into College (1974) and Pro Football Hall of Fame (1968).

Bob Hollway	1947	1949	End	Later served as head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, 1971–1972

Robert Ingalls	1939	1941	Center	Later played for the Green Bay Packers, 1942; served as the head football coach at the University of Connecticut, 1952–1963

Fred Janke	1936	1938	Tackle, Fullback	Later became the president and chairman of the board of Hancock Industries; also served as the mayorJackson, Michigan, in the 1970s.

Farnham Johnson	1943	1943	End	Later played with the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference in 1948.

Jack Karwales	1941	1942	End, tackle	Later played professional football for theChicago Bears in 1946 and for theChicago Cardinals in 1947.

Reuben Kelto	1939	1941	Tackle	MVP 1941 Michigan team; Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame

Dick Kempthorn	1947	1949	Fullback	MVP 1949 Michigan team; Won Distinguished Flying Cross as a jet fighter pilot in the Korean War

Archie Kodros	1937	1939	Center	Later served as head football coach at Whitman and Hawaii; assistant coach at Iowa for 14 years

Ralph Kohl	1947	1948	Tackle	Later coached at Eastern Illinois and was head scout for the Minnesota Vikings

Robert Kolesar	1940	1942	Guard	Played for Cleveland Browns, 1946

Paul Kromer	1938	1940	Halfback	Formed the "Touchdown Twins" combination with Tom Harmon in 1938

Tom Kuzma	1941	1942	Halfback	Followed Tom Harmon as Michigan's main running back; Finished 2nd in the Big Ten in total offense, 1941

Milan Lazetich	1944	1944	Tackle, Guard, Linebacker	First-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American, 1944; Played 6 years in the NFL for the Rams; First-team All-NFL, 1948–1949

Don Lund	1942	1944	Fullback	Played 10 years in Major League Baseball

Elmer Madar	1941	1946	End, Quarterback	Part of the "Seven Oak Posts' line in 1942; played for the Baltimore Colts (1947)

Bob Mann	1944	1947	End	All-Big Ten, 1947; Broke the Big Ten record for receiving yards in 1946 and again in 1947; Played 7 years in the NFL with the Lions and Packers; First African-American for both NFL teams; Led the NFL in receiving yards and yards per catch in 1949

Earl Maves	1943	1943	Fullback	Later played for the Detroit Lions (1948)

Tony Momsen	1945	1950	Center	Played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and washington Redskins

Vincent Mroz	1943	1943	End	Served for 26 years in United States Secret Service, shot attempted assassin of Pres. Harry S. Truman in 1950

Fred Negus	1943	1943	Center	Later played pro football for the Chicago Rockets and Chicago Bears

David M. Nelson	1939	1941	Halfback	Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach

Bob Nussbaumer	1943	1945	Halfback	Later played for theWashington Redskins (1947–48), Green Bay Packers (1946, 1951), and the Chicago Cardinals (1949–1950)

Jack Petoskey	1941	1943	End	Later coached football at Hillsdale College and Western Michigan University

Joseph Ponsetto	1944	1945	Quarterback	All-Big Ten quarterback, 1944

Merv Pregulman	1941	1943	Center, Tackle	Played 4 years in NFL; inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

Bill Pritula	1942	1947	Tackle	One of Michigan's "Seven Oak Posts" in 1942

Tubby Raymond	1946	1948	Quarterback, Linebacker	Coach at Delaware, 1966–2001; inducted to College Football Hall of Fame

Russ Reader	1945	1945	Halfback	Later played professional football for the Chicago Bears (1947) and Toronto Argonauts (1949)

Hercules Renda	1937	1939	Halfback	Later served as assistant coach under Crisler (1940–1941_ to 1941); also as a high school football and track coach in Pontiac, Michigan; inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame.

Art Renner	1943	1946	End	Captain of the 1946 team

Dick Rifenburg	1944	1948	End	Played for the Detroit Lions, 1950

Don Robinson	1941	1946	Halfback, Quarterback	Assistant football coach at Michigan, 1948–1956

Quentin Sickels	1944	1948	Guard	Played on Michigan's undefeated 1947 and 1948 national championship teams

Rudy Smeja	1941	1943	End	Later played three years in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles

Joe Soboleski	1945	1948	Guard, Tackle	Played 4 years for Chicago Hornets, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, New York Yanks, and Dallas Texans

Milo Sukup	1938	1940	Guard	Running guard and key blocker for Tom Harmon; later football coach in Grand Rapids 1942–1971

Wally Teninga	1945	1949	Halfback	Played on back-to-back undefeated teams (1947–48); later became the vice chairman and chief financial officer of the Kmart Corporation

Dominic Tomasi	1945	1948	Guard	Captain and Most Valuable Player of the National Champion 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team

Fred Trosko	1937	1939	Halfback	Meyer Morton Award in 1937; head football coach at Eastern Michigan, 1952–64

Harold Watts	1943	1946	Center	MVP 1945 Michigan team; All-Big Ten, 1945

Jack Weisenburger	1944	1947	Fullback, halfback, quarterback	Starting fullback for the 1947 "Mad Magicians" team

Bob Westfall	1939	1941	Fullback	All-American, 1941; Played 4 years in the NFL with the Lions; All-Pro in 1945; Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame in 1987

J. T. White	1946	1947	Center	2nd team All-American 1947; Played for Big Ten championship teams at Michigan (1947) and Ohio State (1942); Later served as an assistant coach and assistant athletic director at Penn State

Paul White	1941	1946	Halfback	Played 1 year in the NFL for the Steelers

Bob Wiese	1942	1946	Fullback, Quarterback	Played 2 years in the NFL with the Lions

F. Stuart Wilkins	1945	1948	Guard	Founding director and chairman of the board (1984–1997) of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio; Served as chairman of the board of the American Automobile Association

Jack Wink	1943	1943	Quarterback	Also played at Wisconsin (1942, 1946–1947); head football coach at Wayne State (NE), Wisconsin–Stout, St. Cloud State

Al Wistert	1940	1942	Tackle	All-American, 1942; MVP 1942 Michigan team; Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame, 1967; His No. 11 is 1 of 5 retired numbers at Michigan; Played 9 years in the NFL for the Steagles and Eagles; 8-time All-Pro

Alvin Wistert	1947	1949	Tackle	All-American, 1948 and 1949; Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame, 1967; Oldest college football player ever selected as an All-American at age 33; His No.

Irv Wisniewski	1946	1949	End	Later coached football and basketball at Hillsdale College and the University of Delaware

Howard Yerges	1944	1947	Quarterback	Played for Ohio State in 1943; Quarterback of the undefeated 1947 team known as the "Mad Magicians"; All-Big Ten 1947

Sentence(s)

Tom Harmon played for the Wolverines from 1938 to 1940 and in 1940 he won the Heisman Trophy.

final_sentence: Tom Harmon played for the Wolverines from 1938 to 1940 and in 1940 he won the Heisman Trophy.