page_title: History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Elliott years
section_title: 1965 to 1967 seasons
hierarchical_section_title: History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Elliott years / Overview / 1965 to 1967 seasons
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of Dick Vidmer (No. 27)
context_page_description: The History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Elliott years covers the history of the University of Michigan Wolverines football program during the period from the promotion of Bump Elliott as head coach in 1959 through his resignation after the 1968 season. Michigan was a member of the Big Ten Conference and played its home games at Michigan Stadium during the Elliott years. During the 10 years in which Elliott served as head football coach, Michigan compiled a record of 51–42–2 and claimed one Big Ten championship, one Rose Bowl victory, and two Chicago Tribune Silver Football awards for the most valuable player in the Big Ten. However, the Wolverines finished higher than third place in the Big Ten only twice.
  The 1964 team compiled a 9–1 record, won the Big Ten championship, defeated Oregon State in the 1965 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 4 in both the AP and UPI polls. Quarterback Bob Timberlake was selected as an All-American and won the 1964 Chicago Tribune Silver Football award. After losing to Michigan by a 34–7 score in the Rose Bowl, Oregon State coach Tommy Prothro opined that the 1964 Wolverines were "the greatest football team he has ever seen."
context_section_description: After winning a Big Ten championship in 1964, and then opening the 1965 season with two victories, the 1965 team was ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll after two weeks of play.  However, the team was crippled by multiple injuries and lost six of the eight remaining games.  The 1965 team ultimately compiled a 4–6 record and tied for seventh place in the conference.  Carl Ward led the team with 639 rushing yards, and quarterback Wally Gabler passed for 825 yards.
  The 1966 team improved to 6–4 and tied for third place in the conference standings.  The team featured the strongest passing attack in Michigan history to that point.  Quarterback Dick Vidmer shattered Michigan's single-season records by completing 117 of 225 passes for 1,609 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Vidmer's favorite target was Jack Clancy who caught 76 passes for 1,077 yards in 1966.   After starting the season with impressive victories over Oregon State (41–0) and No. 7-ranked  California (17–7), the Wolverines were ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll.  Three straight losses dropped the team out of the national rankings.  In the final game of the season, the Wolverines defeated rival Ohio State, 17–3.  Dave Fisher led the 1966 team with 672 rushing yards.  Two Wolverines were selected as All-Americans in 1966: safety Rick Volk and end Jack Clancy.   A record five Michigan players were selected as All-Big Ten players in 1966: Volk, Clancy, right guard Don Bailey, halfback Jim Detwiler, fullback Dave Fisher, and linebacker Frank Nunley.
  The 1967 team lost five of its first six games, compiled a 4–6 record, and tied for fifth place in the Big Ten standings.  Ron Johnson led the team with 982 rushing yards, while quarterback Dennis Brown led the team in total offense with 928 passing yards and 358 rushing yards.  Center Joe Dayton, linebacker Tom Stincic, and Ron Johnson were  selected as All-Big Ten players in 1967.
caption: Quarterback Dick Vidmer set a Michigan record with 1,609 passing yards in 1966.
exif: {}