1976 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1976 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1976 college football season . In their eighth year under head coach Bo Schembechler , the Wolverines finished the season with a 10 – 2 record , won the Big Ten Conference championship , and played in the 1977 Rose Bowl . The Wolverines outscored their opponents 432 to 95 and ranked first in the country in total offense ( 448 . 1 yards per game ) , scoring offense ( 38 . 7 points per game ) , and scoring defense ( 7 . 2 points per game ) . In the final AP and UPI Poll s , Michigan was ranked # 3 . Highlights of the season included a 51 - 0 victory over Stanford in which three Michigan running backs rushed for over 100 yards . Michigan ' s 70 - 14 victory over Navy was the worst defeat in the history of the Naval Academy ' s football program . Michigan spent most of the season ranked # 1 in the polls , but a 16 - 14 loss to Purdue in the ninth game of the season dropped the Wolverines out of the top spot . In the final game of the regular season , Michigan defeated Ohio State , 22 - 0 , to win the Big Ten championship . The game marked the first time the Buckeyes had been held scoreless since 1964 . In the 1977 Rose Bowl , Michigan lost to USC , 14 - 6 , as the Wolverines completed only four passes and were held to 155 rushing yards . On offense , senior running back Rob Lytle was selected as the team ' s most valuable player , finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy , and led the Wolverines with 1 , 469 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns . Lytle finished the season as Michigan ' s all - time career rushing leader with 3 , 307 rushing yards gained from 1974 to 1976 . Quarterback Rick Leach passed for 973 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for another 638 yards and 10 touchdowns . His 13 touchdown passes tied a team record set by Bob Chappuis in 1947 . Harlan Huckleby added 912 rushing yards , and wing back Jim Smith caught 26 passes for 973 yards and six touchdowns . Lytle , Smith , offensive right guard Mark Donahue , and offensive right tackle Bill Dufek were selected as first - team All - Americans . On defense , Calvin O ' Neal started all 12 games at middle linebacker , led the team with 139 tackles , and was a consensus first - team All - American . Nine Michigan players were selected as first - team All - Big Ten Conference players . Twenty - one players from the 1976 team went on to play in the National Football League , and another ( Rick Leach ) was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 1979 NFL Draft , but opted instead to play Major League Baseball . Season summary . Week 1 : Wisconsin . Michigan opened the season on September 11 , 1976 with a 40 – 27 victory over Wisconsin . Michigan scored two points on a safety on the second play from scrimmage as Wisconsin running back Mike Morgan fumbled the handoff on a reverse play and the ball rolled out of the end zone . Harlan Huckleby then extended the lead to 9 - 0 with a 56 - yard touchdown run on Michigan ' s third play from scrimmage . Michigan led the game 23 – 0 at the end of the first quarter and held on for a 40 - 27 win . Michigan ' s offense was led by tailback Harlan Huckleby who rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries . Rick Leach completed six of eight passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns . Leach also rushed for 84 yards on nine carries . Wing back Jim Smith scored two touchdowns and netted 174 yards in the game , including gains on kickoff and punt returns , receptions , and reverse plays . Team captain Rob Lytle gained 76 yards on 16 attempts , but also fumbled three times . Mike Kenn and Gerry Szara were credited with leading an offensive line that " completely controlled the line of scrimmage . " Defensively , the game was a disappointment for Michigan . Wisconsin ' s 27 points was the most allowed by a Michigan team since 1969 , and Wisconsin ' s 426 yards of offense was the most allowed by Michigan since before Bo Schembechler took over as head coach . After the game , Schembechler told the press : " Twenty seven points that ' s what we usually give up in the first half of the season . I wasn ' t happy with the movement , I wasn ' t happy with the pursuit , I wasn ' t happy with the tackling , I wasn ' t happy with the playing of the ball in the secondary and I wasn ' t happy with the heat we put on the passer . " In the AP Poll released after the game , Michigan was ranked # 1 with Ohio State at # 2 . Michigan ' s move to # 1 was aided by upsets of Alabama and Texas and a tie between Nebraska and LSU . Week 2 : Stanford . On September 18 , 1976 , Michigan played Stanford at Michigan Stadium . Michigan and Stanford had played to a 19 - 19 tie in 1975 , and the Associated Press picked the rematch as its " Upset Special of the Week , " predicting a Stanford win by a 24 - 20 score . Instead , Michigan defeated Stanford by a score of 51 – 0 . Three Michigan running backs rushed for at least 100 yards in the game . Harlan Huckleby led the group with 160 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries . Russell Davis added 115 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries , including an 85 - yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter . Rob Lytle had 101 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries . Rick Leach completed only two of eight passes for 15 yards , but added 70 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries . One of Leach ' s completions went three yards to tight end Gene Johnson for a touchdown in the third quarter . In total , the Wolverines gained 531 rushing yards against the Cardinal . On defense , Michigan intercepted three Stanford passes . Calvin O ' Neal led the team with 11 total tackles . Place - kicker Bob Wood converted on six of seven extra point attempts and kicked a 49 - yard field goal in the second quarter . The game marked the first time a Stanford team had been shut out since 1967 . On the Wednesday before the Stanford game , the # 1 - ranked Michigan team received a visit from President Gerald Ford . Ford , who was the most valuable player of the 1934 Michigan Wolverines football team , spent time with team during a practice session and later ate with the team . Ford noted , " They ' re an awful lot bigger today . Not only are they bigger but they ' re better . " Split end Curt Stephenson later recalled the dinner : " A tray appeared with a big New York steak in front of the President . . . . What happened next is kind of a blur . President Ford started to choke and the secret service started to circle the table . I don ' t know why , but in one immediate action , I reached back and gave him a good whack on the back . A hunk of beef flew out and across the table . The President turned to me and said , ' Thanks ' . . . . From that point on , there were about six agents who were giving me eagle eyes . " Later that day , Ford formally opened his reelection campaign with a speech to a boisterous crowd of 14 , 000 at Crisler Arena . Week 3 : Navy . On September 25 , 1976 , Michigan faced Navy at Michigan Stadium . Two days before the game , the schools ' most famous alumni ( Gerald Ford of Michigan and Jimmy Carter of the Naval Academy ) faced off in a presidential debate . The Associated Press reported that a survey of registered voters gave Ford a slight edge over Carter in the debate , but noted that things were " not expected to be that close " when the two schools met on the football field . In fact , Michigan defeated Navy by a 70 - 14 score . The game marked the worst defeat in the history of the Naval Academy ' s football program . The point total was also the highest by a Michigan team since an 85 - 0 win over the University of Chicago in 1939 . Navy took an early lead on a touchdown by quarterback John Kurowski and led 14 - 12 half way through the second quarter . Michigan tied the score with its second safety of the second quarter and outscored 49 - 0 in the second half to put the game out of reach . Quarterback Rick Leach completed 8 of 12 passes for 179 yards and led the scoring with two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns . A total of nine players scored for the Wolverines . On offense , touchdowns were scored by Leach , Rob Lytle , Lawrence Reid , Kevin King , Stacy Johson , Jim Smith , and Gene Johnson . Middle linebacker Calvin O ' Neal also scored a touchdown on a 29 - yard return after intercepting a Navy pass . Place - kicker Bob Wood tied a Michigan record with a 41 - yard field goal , his third of the season , and converted all nine extra point kicks . Jim Smith caught four passes for 147 yards and added another 55 yards on kickoff and punt returns . Harlan Huckleby rushed for 79 yards on 11 carries but did not score and left the game early after sustaining a shoulder injury . After the game , Bo Schembechler denied running up the score , having used 53 players in the game . Schembechler told the press told the press that his squad was not a great team and that he would prefer not to be ranked # 1 . Week 4 : Wake Forest . On October 2 , 1976 , Michigan faced the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the team ' s fourth consecutive home game at Michigan Stadium . In the week before the game , Wake Forest head coach Chuck Mills noted that he had heard that Bear Bryant endorsed Gerald Ford and joked , " I ' m withholding my endorsement until after the Michigan game to see what kind of hosts they are . " The Wolverines shut out the Demon Deacons by a score of 31 - 0 . Rob Lytle rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and also caught two passes for 21 yards . With the total , Lytle moved past Tom Harmon for fourth place on Michigan ' s all - time career rushing list . Harlan Huckleby added 89 yards , and quarterback Rick Leach completed only three of 14 passes and threw three interceptions . Commenting on Leach ' s passing , one sportswriter noted : " [ W ] hen the Wolverines are rolling up a shutout , and 340 yards rushing , hardly anybody notices the passing . Maybe that ' s a good thing . . . . [ Leach ] was wild high , and wild low , but in games like these it really doesn ' t matter . " Bo Schembechler told the press after the game : " You people like passing and there it is . That ' s how we keep the score down . " Week 5 : Michigan State . On October 9 , 1976 , Michigan played its cross - state rival Michigan State in the annual battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy . The Wolverines had won six straight games with the last victory for the Spartans dating back to 1969 . Michigan extended the streak to seven games with a 42 - 10 victory at Michigan Stadium . Michigan ' s 42 points was the most it had scored against Michigan State since 1947 . Fullback Rob Lytle rushed for 180 yards on 10 carries , including a 45 - yard gain on a fake punt and a 75 - yard touchdown run in the first quarter . After the game , Bo Schembechler said of Lytle , " If that guy isn ' t an All - American , I don ' t know who is . " Lytle added , " All backs like to break away on a long one like that . It was the longest run I ' ve had at Michigan . In fact , I think this was my biggest day ever . " Harlan Huckleby rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries . Russell Davis added 91 yards on 13 carries . In all , the Wolverines rushed for 442 yards on 62 carries against the Spartans . Quarterback Rick Leach completed five of seven passes for 93 yards and rushed for 36 yards on 11 carries . Wolfman Jerry Zuver scored Michigan ' s final touchdown on a 60 - yard interception return in the fourth quarter . In the AP Poll released on the Monday after the game , Michigan retained its # 1 ranking with 57 out of 60 first - place votes and 1 , 194 points out of a possible 1 , 200 points . Pittsburgh was ranked # 2 with the remaining three first - place votes . Week 6 : at Northwestern . On October 16 , 1976 , Michigan faced Northwestern for its first game on the road . Playing at Dyche Stadium , the Wolverines scored 28 points in the second quarter , compiled 346 yard of total offense in the first half , and led 31 - 0 at halftime . Michigan applied the brakes in the second half , and both teams scored single touchdowns in the fourth quarter . Michigan won by a final score of 38 - 7 . Rob Lytle , who moved from fullback to tailback in the game , rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries . With his performance against Northwestern , Lytle moved past Ron Johnson and into third place on Michigan ' s all - time rushing yardage list . Harlan Huckleby gained 80 yards and scored a touchdown on 17 carries , while Russell Davis rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries . Rick Leach completed only three of seven passes and threw two interceptions . One of Leach ' s passes went 57 yards for a touchdown to Jim Smith . Bob Wood kicked a field goal in the first quarter and converted on all four extra point attempts . Michigan remained ranked # 1 in both polls after its victory over Northwestern . It captured 40 out of 42 first place votes from the UPI Board of Coaches . Week 7 : at Indiana . For its seventh game of the year , Michigan defeated Indiana by a 35 - 0 score in cold , wet conditions at Bloomington . Rick Leach completed all four of his passes for 102 yards , including a nine - yard touchdown pass to Gene Johnson in the second quarter and a 15 - yard touchdown pass to Russell Davis and the third period . Rob Lytle rushed for 175 yards on 25 carries and scored touchdowns on runs of 14 yards and one yard . Russell Davis also rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown , while Harlan Huckleby rushed for 67 yards , including a one - yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter . While Michigan defeated Indiana , Tony Dorsett of # 2 Pitt rushed for 180 yards in Pitt ' s 45 - 0 victory over Navy , breaking the all - time NCAA rushing record previously held by Archie Griffin . Week 8 : Minnesota . On October 30 , 1976 , Michigan defeated Minnesota 45 - 0 in the annual battle for the Little Brown Jug . The game was played in steady rain and cold conditions before a homecoming crowd of 104 , 426 , at that time the fifth largest crowd to watch a game at Michigan Stadium . Quarterback Rick Leach accounted for four touchdowns , two rushing and two passing . He rushed for a career - high 114 yards on 10 carries , including a 28 - yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a six - yard touchdown run in the third quarter . Leach also completed all four of his passes for 40 passing yards , including a 13 - yard touchdown pass to Rob Lytle in the second quarter and a 22 - yard touchdown pass to Jim Smith in the third quarter . Lytle alternated at the tailback and fullback positions and rushed for 129 rushing yards ( 107 in the first half ) , including a two - yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter . Harlan Huckleby gained 55 yards on 12 carries , including a six - yard touchdown run on an option pitch from Leach in the first quarter . In the " Toledo Blade " , John Hannen wrote after the game that " Leach handles the option with the light fingers of a pick pocket " and opined that Michigan ' s combination of Lytle , Huckleby , Smith and Davis " may be the fastest backfield in collegiate history . " Place - kicker Bob Wood also kicked a 46 - yard field goal in the third quarter and converted on all six extra point kicks . Defensively , Michigan held Minnesota to 80 rushing yards . Minnesota quarterback Tony Dungy completed 12 of 20 passes for 85 yards , but Dwight Hicks intercepted a Dungy pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 51 yards . Freshman Ron Simpkins intercepted another Dungy pass with a minute left in the game . After the game , Bo Schembechler told the press , " If we can keep improving , we will be very difficult to beat . We are playing with more confidence now and our defense is getting better . It seems to be improving every week . " Schembechler also praised Lytle : " There is no back in the United States of America who does more for his team than Rob Lytle does for Michigan . " With a convincing victory over Minnesota , Michigan solidified its # 1 ranking . The Wolverines received 40 of 41 first place votes from the UPI Board of Coaches . Week 9 : at Purdue . Michigan traveled to West Lafayette , Indiana to play Purdue on November 6 , 1976 . Michigan was heavily favored and had not lost a game to Purdue since 1966 . The Boilermakers came into the game with a 3 - 4 record , but proceeded to stun the college football world with a 16 - 14 upset victory over the Wolverines . It was the first time Michigan had lost to a Big Ten Conference team other than Ohio State since its loss to Michigan State in 1969 . Michigan took a 7 - 0 lead in the first quarter on an eight - yard touchdown run by Rick Leach . Leach ' s score was set up by linebacker Jerry Vogele ' s recovery of a fumble at the Michigan 42 - yard line . Purdue ' s Scott Dierking responded with two touchdown runs , one each in the first and second quarters . Purdue held a 13 - 7 lead at halftime . Early in the third quarter , Michigan drove to Purdue ' s one - yard line , but Leach fumbled and the ball was turned over to Purdue . Later in the third quarter , Leach threw a 64 - yard touchdown pass to Jim Smith , and Bob Wood kicked the extra point to give Michigan a 14 - 13 lead . On the next drive , Jerry Zuver intercepted a pass to stop a Purdue drive at Michigan ' s 22 - yard line . However , Rob Lytle fumbled on the next drive , and Purdue recovered the ball at its own 29 - yard line . Purdue drove to the Michigan six - yard line . While Michigan ' s defense held , Rock Supan kicked a field goal on fourth down with four minutes remaining in the game . With nine second left in the game , Bob Wood ' s attempt at a 37 - yard field goal went wide to the left . Rob Lytle rushed for 153 yards in the game to pass Gordon Bell at the number two position on Michigan ' s career rushing yardage list . Purdue rushed for 251 yards in the game , including 162 yards by Dierking . After the game , Bo Schembechler told reporters , " It hurts a lot . We don ' t accept it . . . . We shouldn ' t accept it . . . because we should have won . No defeat is good . we got down there at the end and we should have scored . But when you depend on winning on a forward pass or a field goal , you ' re in trouble . " In a post - game account , the UPI dubbed Purdue the " Spoilermakers " , noting that Purdue had upset a # 1 ranked Notre Dame team in 1974 before upsetting # 1 ranked Michigan . Four days before the Wolverines lost to Purdue , the team ' s most famous alumnus lost the 1976 presidential election to Jimmy Carter . After losing a close election , Ford harkened back to his days as a football player , " We lost , in the last quarter . " Week 10 : Illinois . After the loss to Purdue , Michigan returned to Ann Arbor and played Illinois on November 13 , 1976 . Prior to the game , Associated Press writer Fred Rothenberg noted that Illinois was in the unenviable position of playing Michigan on the heels of the Purdue game . Rothenberg wrote : " The University of Michigan and its most famous alumnus both lost their No . 1 positions last week . President Ford immediately went on vacation ; the Wolverines went back to work . Pity poor Illinois . " Michigan defeated the Illini by a score of 38 - 7 . Rob Lytle rushed for 89 yards on 21 carries and scored three touchdowns , a five - yard touchdown reception in the second quarter and a pair of touchdown runs in the third quarter . With his rushing yards against Illinois , Lytle became Michigan ' s all - time career rushing leader . Lytle totaled 3 , 085 career rushing yards after the Illinois game , surpassing Billy Taylor ' s school record by 13 yards . Rick Leach rushed for 65 yards and completed 9 of 15 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns . With Illinois putting seven or eight men on the line at times , no Michigan player was able to rush for 100 yards in the game . Accordingly , Michigan opened up the passing attack . Bo Schembechler said after the game , " When they put that many people on the line of scrimmage , you have to throw the ball over their heads . " In addition to the touchdown pass to Lytle , Leach connected with tight end Mark Shmerge in the second quarter for a seven - yard touchdown pass . Jim Smith also caught six passes for 127 yards . Leach ' s two touchdown passes gave him 13 for the season , tying the Michigan record set in 1947 by Bob Chappuis . After the game , Illinois coach Bob Blackman said , " Leach is not just a good quarterback , he is a great quarterback . We knew he could run the option , but he can also pass the ball . " On defense , Michigan held Illinois to 101 rushing yards and 79 passing yards . Calvin O ' Neal also intercepted a Kurt Steger pass late in the second quarter to set up Michigan ' s third touchdown of the half . Dom Tedesco also intercepted a Steger pass to set up Michigan ' s fifth touchdown in the third quarter . Tackle Greg Morton led the team with 15 tackles in the game . Michigan concluded its home schedule with an average of 103 , 159 spectators per game , setting a new record for college football attendance . The prior record had been set by Michigan in 1975 with an average attendance of 98 , 449 . Week 11 : at Ohio State . In the final game of the regular season , Michigan ( ranked # 4 ) traveled to Columbus , Ohio , for its annual rivalry game with Ohio State ( ranked # 8 ) . Each team entered the game with one loss on its record , but Ohio State was undefeated in conference play . For the eighth time in nine years , the winner of the game would become the Big Ten Conference champion and earn the conference ' s berth in the Rose Bowl . The Wolverines had not beaten the Buckeyes since 1971 , and Bo Schembechler had not won a game in Ohio Stadium . Stories ran about Schembechler being jinxed or hexed at Ohio Stadium , but Schembechler rejected the notion : " I don ' t look at it as a jinx . " On learning that his team was favored by 5 - 1 / 2 points , Schembechler said , " Being the favorite doesn ' t put any points on the board . " Michigan defeated Ohio State by a 22 - 0 score . The game drew a record crowd of 88 , 250 to Ohio Stadium and was broadcast to a national television audience . The game was the worst home loss for Ohio State since 1967 , and it snapped Ohio State ' s streak of 122 games without being shut out . The last time an Ohio State team had been shut out was Michigan ' s 10 - 0 victory in 1964 . After a scoreless first half , Russell Davis scored two touchdowns for Michigan in the third quarter . Davis tallied 83 yards on 24 carries . After Davis ' s second touchdown , holder Jerry Zuver ran for a two - point conversion . Rob Lytle rushed for 165 yards on 29 carries , including a touchdown in the fourth quarter . Rick Leach completed none of his six passes and threw an interception . Bob Wood converted on both of his extra point kicks . On defense , the Wolverines became the first team to hold the Buckeyes scoreless since 1964 . They held Ohio State to 173 yards of total offense , including 101 rushing yards and only five pass receptions . Defensive tackle Greg Morton led the team with 14 tackles , and Jim Pickens and Jerry Zuver each had an interception . Late in the second quarter , with the game still scoreless , Ohio State drove the ball to the Michigan 10 - yard line when Pickens intercepted a pass in the end zone . After the game , Woody Hayes cited Pickens ' interception as a turning point : " The interception at the end of the first half was a costly error on our part . It was my call all the way , and it was just a bad call . If we had scored then , it might have affected the second half outcome . " Michigan ended the season ranked first in the country in total offense ( 448 . 1 yards per game ) , scoring offense ( 38 . 7 points per game ) , and scoring defense ( 7 . 2 points per game ) . Rose Bowl . With its victory over Ohio State , Michigan advanced to play the USC Trojans in the 1977 Rose Bowl on New Year ' s Day . Michigan came into the game ranked # 2 in the AP Poll and # 3 in the UPI coaches poll . USC was ranked # 3 by the AP and # 2 by the UPI . Michigan lost to the Trojans , 14 - 6 . In the first quarter , neither team scored , and USC ' s Heisman Trophy runner - up Ricky Bell was injured and unable to return to the game . Michigan took a 6 - 0 lead on a one - yard touchdown run by Rob Lytle in the second quarter , but Bob Wood ' s extra point kick was blocked . The Trojans moved down field on the next drive , and quarterback Vince Evans put USC in the lead on a one - yard touchdown run with a minute - and - a - half left in the first half . Neither team scored in the third quarter , and freshman tailback Charles White scored USC ' s second touchdown with three minutes left in the game . White rushed for 122 yards in the game . Michigan ' s offense was held to 155 rushing yards and 76 passing yards . Rob Lytle gained 67 yards on 18 carries , and Russell Davis was limited to 39 yards on 10 carries . Rick Leach completed only 4 of 12 passes and was held to 34 rushing yards on 13 carries . Press coverage of the game focused on Michigan ' s conservative , run - oriented offense and USC ' s more versatile attack . " Los Angeles Times " columnist Jim Murray wrote : " Of course , it ' s possible Michigan doesn ' t know how to catch a pass . They never throw any , so may not know it ' s legal . The way they play the game you could hold it in a cave . " An Associated Press story noted : " It was the same old story . The Big Ten ' s Rose Bowl representative , a stick - to - the - ground team . . . just couldn ' t cope with the versatility of its Pacific Eight Conference opponent . " Another writer noted that the Rose Bowl had become an annual " wake " for the Big 10 : " It is rapidly becoming an annual event . Only the corpses are different . " Post - season . Several Michigan players , led by Rob Lytle , received post - season honors and awards . Lytle , called " the greatest back I ever coached " by Bo Schembechler , was selected as a first - team All - American by both the AP , UPI , Walter Camp Foundation , American Football Coaches Association ( AFCA ) , " Football News " , and " College Football News " . In balloting for the Heisman Trophy , Lytle finished third with 35 first - place votes and 413 points , trailing Tony Dorsett ( 701 first - place votes , 2 , 357 points ) and Ricky Bell ( 73 first - place votes , 1 , 346 points ) . Lytle also won the 1976 Wiseman Trophy , presented each year to person selected as " the nation ' s best football player . " Other Michigan players selected as All - Americans were Calvin O ' Neal ( UPI first team , Walter Camp Foundation first team , " Sporting News " first team , " College Football News " first team , AP second team ) , Jim Smith ( AP first team , FWAA first team [ returner ] , " Sporting News " first team , " Football News " first team , UPI second team ) , Mark Donahue ( UPI first team , NEA first team , FWAA first team , " Football News " first team , Walter Camp Foundation first team ) , and Bill Dufek ( " College Football News " first team ) . Nine Michigan players were selected for first - team All - Big Ten Conference honors . The Associated Press selected six offensive players ( Jim Smith , Bill Dufek , Mark Donahue , Walt Downing , Rick Leach , and Rob Lytle ) and two defensive players ( Greg Morton Calvin O ' Neal ) . The UPI selected the same eight players plus defensive end John Anderson . Players . NFL . Twenty - one of the players from the 1976 Michigan team went on to play in the National Football League . They are John Anderson ( Green Bay Packers , 1978 - 1989 ) , Ralph Clayton ( St . Louis Carinals , 1981 ) , Russell Davis ( Pittsburgh Steelers , 1980 - 1983 ) , Walt Downing ( San Francisco 49ers , 1978 - 1983 ) , Jon Giesler ( Miami Dolphins , 1979 - 1988 ) , Chris Godfrey ( New York Jets , 1980 ; New York Giants , 1984 - 1987 ; Seattle Seahawks , 1988 ) ; Curtis Greer ( St . Louis Cardinals , 1980 - 1987 ) , Mike Harden ( Denver Broncos , 1980 - 1988 ; Los Angeles Raiders , 1989 - 1990 ) ; John Hennessy ( New York Jets , 1977 - 1979 ) , Dwight Hicks ( San Francisco 49ers , 1979 - 1985 , Indianapolis Colts , 1986 ) , Harlan Huckleby ( Green Bay Packers , 1980 - 1985 ) , Mike Jolly ( Green Bay Packers , 1980 - 1983 ) , Mike Kenn ( Atlanta Falcons , 1978 - 1994 ) , Rob Lytle ( Denver Broncos , 1977 - 1983 ) , Doug Marsh ( St . Louis Cardinals , 1980 - 1986 ) , Greg Morton ( Buffalo Bills , 1977 ) , Calvin O ' Neal ( Baltimore Colts , 1978 ) , Mel Owens ( Los Angeles Rams , 1981 - 1989 ) , Tom Seabron ( San Francisco 49ers , 1979 - 1980 ) , St . Louis Cardinals , 1980 ) , and Ron Simpkins ( Cincinnati Bengals , 1980 - 1986 , Green Bay Packers , 1988 ) , and Jim Smith ( Pittsburgh Steelers , 1977 - 1982 , Los Angeles Raiders , 1985 ) . A 22nd player , Rick Leach , was drafted by the Denver Broncos , but opted instead to play Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers . Leach went on to play for 10 years in the major leagues . Another , Mark Donahue , spent two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals , but did not appear in a regular season game .