Marty Huff Ralph Martin Huff ( born December 19 , 1948 , in Houston , Texas ) is a former American football linebacker . He played for the University of Michigan from 1968 to 1970 . As a senior , he was selected as a first - team All - American by the American Football Coaches Association . After graduating from Michigan , Huff played professional football for the San Francisco 49ers ( 1972 ) , Edmonton Eskimos ( 1973 ) , and Charlotte Hornets ( 1974 – 1975 ) . Early years . Huff was born in Houston , Texas in 1948 , but he grew up in the Old West End of Toledo , Ohio . He was one of the five sons of Ralph and Martha Huff . Ralph Huff was an All - Indiana football player who attended Indiana University in the 1930s . Each of the five Huff sons played football at St . Francis de Sales High School in Toledo . Huff later recalled : " It was kind of crazy . I had two brothers who picked on me , but I had two other brothers to pick on . Dad was a pretty big guy , so we didn ' t mess around too much in the house . As far as football goes , Dad never forced the issue . If we didn ' t want to play , that was OK with him . " As a freshman at St . Francis de Sales , Huff was 6 feet , 2 inches tall , weighed 145 pounds , and had no intention to play football . He liked basketball , but the school ' s football coach , Dick Mattingly , persuaded Huff ' s brother to get Marty to try out for the team . Huff became a multi - sport star at St . Francis de Sales . He received two varsity letter s in basketball , four in track and three in football . In track , he won the City League discus and shot put championships and set a school record in the shot put with a throw of 59 feet , 2 inches . He played fullback for the St . Francis de Sales and , along with his brother Andy Huff ( who later starred for Notre Dame ) , led the team to a City League championship and a 10 - 0 record in 1966 . That same year , Huff also set the school ' s single season record with 1 , 191 rushing yards , a record that stood for 10 years . University of Michigan . 1967 season . Huff enrolled at the University of Michigan on a football scholarship in 1967 . He played fullback for the freshman team in 1967 , but switched to linebacker in his sophomore year . He recalled the transition from fullback to linebacker as follows : " As a freshman you were there to be meat . One day in practice I ' m playing fullback and , when I go out for a pass , this little linebacker named Dennis Morgan who had forearms like Popeye just about ripped my head off . Right then and there I said ' I want to be that guy , not this guy . ' I had no problem switching to linebacker . " 1968 season . As a sophomore , Huff made his college football debut with the 1968 Michigan football team . In his first game for Michigan , a 31 - 10 victory over Duke in September 1968 , Huff intercepted a pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown . He also accumulated 16 tackles and a fumble recovery in six games for the 1968 team . 1969 season . As a junior , Huff started at linebacker in all 11 games for the 1969 Michigan Wolverines football team . He also started three games for the offense , two at right tackle and one at left halfback . The 1969 team was the first Michigan team coached by Bo Schembechler . In Schembechler ' s first game as head coach , Huff returned a blocked punt 31 yards for a touchdown in a 42 - 14 win against Vanderbilt . In an October 1969 game against Purdue , Huff intercepted three passes thrown by quarterback Mike Phipps ( later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame ) to help Michigan win a close game , 31 - 30 . In November 1969 , the Wolverines upset Ohio State , 24 - 12 . Huff had 10 tackles in the game and later recalled it as his college highlight . He said , " They were a powerhouse and nobody gave us a chance . I think we took them by surprise . We were psyched up , in control but high as a kite . Everything clicked for us . " After the 1969 season , Huff was selected as a first - team All - Big Ten Conference player by the " Associated Press " . 1970 season . Huff started all ten games at middle linebacker for the 1970 Michigan Wolverines football team that finished the season with a 9 - 1 record . Huff had 124 tackles , 5 interceptions , 85 interception return yards , and 4 pass break - ups in 1970 . After the 1970 season , Huff was selected as a first - team All - American by the American Football Coaches Association . He was also selected to play on the East All - Star team in the 1970 East – West Shrine Game . Career statistics . In three years playing football at Michigan , Huff accumulated 266 tackles , nine pass interceptions , and 159 interception return yards . Professional football . Huff was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 5th round ( 127th overall pick ) of the 1971 NFL Draft . He appeared in three games for the 49ers during the 1972 NFL season . In September 1973 , the 49ers traded Huff to the Buffalo Bills . Huff opted to play for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League during the 1973 season . In September 1974 , Huff signed to play for the New York Stars in the new World Football League . Huff stayed with the team when it moved to Charlotte , North Carolina and became the Charlotte Hornets . He played for Charlotte in the 1974 and 1975 seasons . In April 1976 , Huff signed with the Washington Redskins , but he did not play in the 1976 NFL regular season . Later years and family . In 1976 , Huff moved to Rock Hill , South Carolina , where he started a stonemasonry business . He remained in that business for 16 years . In 1992 , Huff moved to Temperance , Michigan , and became a supervisor at Toledo Molding & Die . Huff has a daughter and two sons from his first marriage . His youngest son , Ben Huff , played linebacker at Michigan from 1994 to 1996 and with the Atlanta Falcons from 1998 to 1999 .