page_title: History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Elliott years
section_title: 1964 season
hierarchical_section_title: History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Elliott years / Overview / 1964 season
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of Mel Anthony, accompanied by [{Tom Mack]] (No. 96) running 84 yards for a touchdown in the 1965 Rose Bowl.
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: In its sixth year under Bump Elliott, the 1964 Michigan team compiled a 9–1 record and won the Big Ten Conference championship for the first time since 1950.  Although no post-bowl polls were taken in the 1964 season, the Wolverines finished the regular season ranked No. 4 in both the AP and UPI polls.
  In the second game of the season, Michigan avenged its 1963 loss to Navy and 1963 Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach.  Navy came into the game ranked No. 5 in the country.  This time, the Wolverines were able to stop Staubach and won the game, 21–0.  Michigan intercepted three Navy passes, including two thrown by Staubach.  Staubach was eventually forced from the game, limping after being knocked to the turf by Michigan defensive tackle Bill Yearby.  The game broke a 20-game streak during which the Midshipmen had not been shut out under Staubach.  The New York Times wrote that the Wolverines "brought Roger Staubach, the heroic middie quarterback, back into focus as an ordinary mortal."
  The 1964 team narrowly missed an undefeated season, with its only loss coming against a Purdue team led by Bob Griese.  The Wolverines lost to Purdue by a score of 21–20.  Michigan had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Bob Timberlake carried the ball for an attempted two-point conversion and was stopped short of the goal line.
  On offense, Timberlake was a triple threat who rushed for 631 yards, passed for 884 yards, and also handled field goals and extra points.  He won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award as the most valuable player in the conference and was selected as an All-American.  The 1964 team also had a strong running game with Mel Anthony and Carl Ward in the backfield.  The Wolverines rushed for 2,473 yards in 1964 and had four games (Air Force, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Oregon State) in which they rushed for over 300 yards.
  On defense, Michigan registered three shutouts (a feat not accomplished by a Michigan team since 1948) and gave up only 83 points, an average of 8.3 points per game.  Team leaders on defense included All-American defensive tackle Bill Yearby, All-Big Ten linebacker Tom Cecchini, and team captain and All-Big Ten end Jim Conley.
caption: Mel Anthony runs 84 yards for a record-setting touchdown in the 1965 Rose Bowl.
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