1948 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan during the 1948 college football season . In its first year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan , Michigan compiled a 9 – 0 record , defeated six ranked opponents by a combined score of 122 – 17 , and won both the Big Nine Conference and national football championships . In the final AP Poll , Michigan received 192 first place votes , twice as many as second - place Notre Dame which garnered 97 first place votes . The 1948 season was Michigan ' s second straight undefeated , untied season . After Fritz Crisler led the 1947 team to a perfect 10 – 0 record , the Wolverines entered the 1948 season with a 14 - game winning streak dating back to October 1946 . Despite the loss of all four backfield starters from the 1947 team ( including Big Nine MVP Bump Elliott and Heisman Trophy runner - up Bob Chappuis ) , the 1948 team extended the winning streak to 23 games . On offense , Michigan was led by a new backfield that included All - American quarterback Pete Elliott and halfbacks Chuck Ortmann and Leo Koceski . The team scored 252 points , an average of 28 points per game . With Ortmann as the principal passer , the Wolverines relied on an air attack , gaining more yards in the air ( 1 , 355 ) than on the ground ( 1 , 262 ) . Dick Rifenburg , the team ' s leading receiver , was picked as a first - team All - American at the end position . Team captain Dominic Tomasi was selected as the team ' s Most Valuable Player . The 1949 " Michiganensian " wrote of the 250 - pound guard , " Famous for his sharp shattering blocking , Dom tore huge gaps in the opposing lines to pave the way for Michigan ' s steam roller offense . " On defense , the Wolverines allowed only 44 points , an average of 4 . 8 points per game . The defense was led by tackles Alvin Wistert and Al Wahl , center Dan Dworsky , and fullback Dick Kempthorn . Michigan gave up 935 passing yards and 851 rushing yards . The team shut out Oregon despite the passing game of College and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Norm Van Brocklin . It also held ranked Purdue and Northwestern teams to 36 and 47 rushing yards , respectively . The defense forced a total of 32 turnovers ( including 21 interceptions ) , an average of three - and - a - half turnovers per game . Schedule . Season summary . Pre - season . The 1947 Michigan team finished undefeated and untied with a 10 – 0 record . In March 1948 , Fritz Crisler , who had been the Wolverine ' s head football coach since 1938 , resigned as head coach but stayed on as athletic director . Crisler selected his backfield coach , Bennie Oosterbaan , as the new head coach . Oosterbaan had been affiliated with the Michigan football program for 24 years , as an All - American end from 1925 to 1927 and as an assistant football coach from 1928 to 1947 . When the selection of Oosterbaan was announced , Crisler told the press , " Bennie has the best offense mind in football . He is the ablest assistant that I have ever had . " Others questioned the choice , noting that Oosterbaan had compiled only a middling 81 - 72 record as Michigan ' s basketball coach from 1938 to 1946 . Michigan entered the 1948 season with a 14 - game winning streak dating back to October 29 , 1946 . Despite the winning streak , Michigan entered the 1948 season expected by many to finish third in the Big Nine behind Minnesota and Purdue . In addition to the coaching change , the team lost a number of key players from the 1947 team , including all four backfield starters . Bob Chappuis , who was the runner - up in voting for the 1947 Heisman Trophy , and Bump Elliott , who won the 1947 Big Nine MVP Trophy , were both gone , as were fullback Jack Weisenburger ( the 1948 Big Nine rushing leader ) and quarterback Howard Yerges . The 1948 team also lost its top two scorers ( Chappuis and kicker Jim Brieske ) , two starting tackles ( Bruce Hilkene and Bill Pritula ) , starting center ( J . T . White ) , and two ends ( Len Ford and Bob Mann ) who went on to have successful careers in the NFL . The Wolverines suffered another setback when Gene Derricotte sustained an injury that limited his playing time . " The Sporting News " had picked Derricotte to be one of the Big Nine ' s two most valuable players in a pre - season feature story , calling him Michigan ' s best broken field runner since Tom Harmon . Derricotte began the season as Michigan ' s starting left halfback , but was injured in the first game against Michigan State . The new starting backfield in 1948 consisted of quarterback Pete Elliott , left halfback Chuck Ortmann , fullback Tom Peterson , and right halfbacks Leo Koceski and Wally Teninga . Week 1 : at Michigan State . Michigan opened the Oosterbaan era with a 13 – 7 victory over Michigan State College in East Lansing . The game was also the first to be played at Michigan State ' s new Macklin Stadium . Early in the opening quarter , fullback Don Peterson threw a 40 - yard touchdown pass to Dick Rifenburg . Peterson kicked the extra point , and Michigan ' s 7 – 0 lead held through halftime . Michigan State tied the game in the third quarter on a disputed play in which a pass from Lynn Chandnois was caught by both Hank Minarik and Wally Teninga . The official ruled that possession went to the offensive player as a touchdown . Peterson scored the winning touchdown for Michigan on a five - yard run in the fourth quarter , but failed to convert the extra point attempt . Late in the fourth quarter , Michigan State drove the ball to Michigan ' s two - yard line . With time running out , Teninga intercepted a Michigan State pass . Michigan ' s offense was held to 106 rushing yards and 117 passing yards in the game . A sluggish offensive performance and a narrow margin of victory over a team the Wolverines had beaten 55 - 0 in 1947 led some in the media to question Oosterbaan ' s selection as Michigan ' s new coach . " The New York Times " opined that Michigan ' s performance " lacked most of the precision which it had last year under H . O . Crisler . " H . G . Salsinger of " The Detroit News " wrote : " Michigan ' s first game under Oosterbaan . . . was not impressive . They lacked the spark that distinguished them through the 1947 season . The offense was dull and poorly directed . . . . The critics who had judged Oosterbaan ' s football coaching skills on his record as a basketball coach considered their appraisal justified . The future looked dark for Michigan and Oosterbaan . " Opinions of Oosterbaan changed as Michigan shut out ranked opponents in each of the next three games . The Spartans , under second - year head coach " Biggie " Munn proved to be stronger than expected , finishing the season ranked No . 14 in the final AP Poll . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Michigan State was Rifenburg ( left end ) , Atchison ( left tackle ) , Tomasi ( left guard ) , Dworsky ( center ) , Heneveld ( right guard ) , Wistert ( right tackle ) , McNeill ( right end ) , Elliott ( quarterback ) , Derricotte ( left halfback ) , Van Summern ( right halfback ) , and Ghindia ( fullback ) . Week 2 : Oregon . In its home opener , Michigan defeated the Oregon Ducks , 14 – 0 . Oregon came into the game with a highly touted passing game led by quarterback Norm Van Brocklin , who was later inducted into both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame . Michigan ' s defensive fullback , Dick Kempthorn , was credited with playing a major role in stopping Van Brocklin ' s passing game . Northwestern coach Bob Voigts said he would pick Kempthorn if he had his choice of all the players in college football . In the second quarter , Michigan drove 93 yards , culminating in a 60 - yard touchdown pass ( 30 yards in the air ) from halfback Chuck Ortmann to Dick Rifenburg . Harry Allis kicked the extra point , and Michigan led 7 – 0 at halftime . An Oregon drive into Michigan territory was stopped in the third quarter when Ortmann intercepted a Van Brocklin pass . On the next drive , Charlie Lentz made his season debut for Michigan and threw a 42 - yard pass to Pete Elliott who was downed inside the Oregon ten - yard line . Lentz then threw a short pass to Tom Peterson for the final touchdown , and Allis kicked the extra point . In the fourth quarter , Oregon drove the ball to the Michigan two - yard line , but Michigan ' s defense held and the ball went to Michigan on downs . Despite Van Brocklin ' s reputation , Michigan outgained Oregon 217 to 194 in passing yardage . The 1948 Oregon Ducks finished the season with a record of 9 – 1 , as co - champion of the Pacific Coast Conference , and ranked No . 9 in the final AP Poll . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Oregon was Rifenburg ( left end ) , Soboleski ( left tackle ) , Tomasi ( left guard ) , Erben ( center ) , Wilkins ( right guard ) , Kohl ( right tackle ) , McNeill ( right end ) , Elliott ( quarterback ) , Ortmann ( left halfback ) , Koceski ( right halfback ) , and Peterson ( fullback ) . Week 3 : at Purdue . In its third game , Michigan went on the road against a Purdue team that was ranked No . 15 in the AP Poll . Michigan won by a convincing score of 40 – 0 . The game drew a crowd of 45 , 996 , the largest in the history of Ross – Ade Stadium up to that time . Michigan ' s offense confused Purdue with a fake T formation that disguised a single - wing formation . Leo Koceski scored on a three - yard run to cap Michigan ' s opening drive . Michigan scored another first quarter touchdown after Dan Dworsky intercepted a Bob DeMoss pass near midfield . Peterson scored on a two - yard run on a fake buck - lateral . Harry Allis converted the first extra point but missed on his second attempt . In the second quarter , Purdue drove the ball to Michigan ' s one - yard line , but Michigan ' s line , led by Wistert and Wahl , and backed up by Dworsky and Kempthorn , held and took over on downs . Michigan scored again in the second quarter on a 23 - yard touchdown pass from Chuck Ortmann to Dick Rifenburg . Allis missed the extra point , and Michigan led 19 – 0 at halftime . In the third quarter , Wally Teninga threw a 57 - yard touchdown pass to Rifenburg to extend the lead to 26 – 0 . Early in the fourth quarter , Dick Kempthorn intercepted a DeMoss pass on the Purdue 22 - yard line , and Teninga scored on a 10 - yard run . On the next drive , Bob Samsen of Purdue fumbled , and Dworsky recovered the ball at the Purdue 34 - yard line . Michigan did not score on that possession , but Purdue fumbled again , this time at its own 23 - yard line . Once again , Michigan failed to capitalize on the turnover . Michigan scored its final touchdown later in the fourth quarter on a six - yard run by Charlie Lentz . Michigan ' s defense forced five turnovers ( three interceptions and two fumble recoveries ) and held Purdue to only 36 rushing yards and 122 passing yards in the game . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Purdue was Rifenburg ( left end ) , Soboleski ( left tackle ) , Tomasi ( left guard ) , Dworsky ( center ) , Wilkins ( right guard ) , Kohl ( right tackle ) , McNeill ( right end ) , Elliott ( quarterback ) , Ortmann ( left halfback ) , Koceski ( right halfback ) , and Peterson ( fullback ) . Week 4 : Northwestern . In the fourth game of the season , Michigan faced Northwestern in Ann Arbor . The game matched the No . 3 team in the country ( Northwestern ) against the No . 4 team ( Michigan ) . The Wolverines outgained the Wildcats 166 to 47 in rushing yards , as halfback Leo Koceski scored three touchdowns . Michigan scored late in the first quarter after Koceski returned a punt 37 yards to the Northwestern 33 - yard line . In the third quarter , Michigan drove inside Northwestern ' s one - yard line , but the Wildcats ' defense held and took over on downs . The game remained close with Michigan leading 7 – 0 until late in the third quarter . Then , Michigan scored three touchdowns on seven plays . The scoring flurry began with a 45 - yard punt return by Koceski to the Northwestern 22 - yard line . With two seconds remaining in the third period , Teninga threw a jump pass to Koceski in the end zone to give Michigan a 14 – 0 lead . George Sundheim of Purdue fumbled the kickoff , and Harry Allis recovered the ball . On Michigan ' s second play from scrimmage , Chuck Ortmann threw a touchdown pass to Koceski . On Northwestern ' s first play from scrimmage after the next kickoff , Northwestern ' s Don Burson threw a pass that was intercepted by Irv Wisniewski at the 35 - yard line . Wisniewski returned the ball to Northwestern ' s 13 - yard line . On Michigan ' s second play after the interception , Koceski fumbled the ball into the endzone , but the ball was recovered by center Bob Erben to give Michigan a 28 – 0 lead . Northwestern drove deep into Michigan territory late in the fourth quarter , but the drive ended when Charlie Lentz intercepted a Don Burson pass at the seven - yard line . Michigan ' s defense forced four turnovers in the game , three on interceptions and one on a fumble recovery . Through the first four games , Michigan had given up only seven points , and those points came on a disputed touchdown call against Michigan State . Allison Danzig in " The New York Times " called Michigan the " Defensive Standout Among Nation ' s College Elevens " and singled out two players : " Two players , in particular , are credited with the success of the Wolverine defense . Dan Dworsky , center and Fullback Dick Kempthorn would seem to be the best pair of backers - up in the inter - collegiate ranks . " Michigan ' s starting lineup against Northwestern was Wisniewski ( left end ) , Wistert ( left tackle ) , Heneveld ( left guard ) , Dworsky ( center ) , Sickels ( right guard ) , Wahl ( right tackle ) , Clark ( right end ) , Elliott ( quarterback ) , Allis ( left halfback ) , Teninga ( right halfback ) , and Kempthorn ( fullback ) . Week 5 : at Minnesota . In week 5 , Michigan traveled to Minneapolis for the annual Little Brown Jug game . The game was matched No . 1 Michigan against No . 13 Minnesota . Michigan won the game , 27 – 14 . Despite being held to 22 rushing yards , Michigan gained 261 yards on forward passes . At the start of the second quarter , Gene Derricotte fumbled a punt on Michigan ' s 15 - yard line , recovered the ball , ran backward to the two - yard line , and fumbled again . All - American Leo Nomellini recovered the ball and carried it into the endzone to give Minnesota a 7 – 0 lead . Michigan drove to the Minnesota one - yard line on the next drive , but Tom Peterson fumbled and Minnesota recovered the ball at the 16 - yard line . Two drives later , Michigan finally converted on a seven - yard touchdown pass from Wally Teninga to Tom Peterson . Less than 90 seconds after Peterson ' s tying touchdown , Michigan took the lead when Ed McNeill blocked a Minnesota punt , and Quentin Sickels recovered the ball at the one - yard line . Peterson ran it in for his second touchdown . Minnesota drove to Michigan ' s one - yard line at the end of the second quarter , but the clock expired and Michigan led 13 – 7 at halftime . Minnesota took a 14 – 13 lead in the third quarter on a 69 - yard drive capped by a touchdown run by Everett Faunce . On the next possession , Michigan drove 77 yards and took a 20 – 14 lead on a 37 - yard touchdown pass to Dick Rifenburg . Rifenburg fumbled the ball at the five - yard line , but recovered his own fumble and continued into the endzone . In the fourth quarter , Wally Teninga intercepted a Bill Elliott pass on Michigan ' s 11 - yard line and returned the ball 26 yards . Chuck Ortman connected with Leo Koceski on a jump pass that covered 62 yards ( the last 50 by Koceski after the reception ) to give Michigan its fourth touchdown . After watching Michigan ' s dominating performances over the best teams in the Big Nine Conference , Walter W . Ruch wrote in " The New York Times " that there could not be much doubt that " Oosterbaan has fashioned perhaps the finest team in the country . " Michigan ' s starting lineup against Minnesota was Rifenburg ( left end ) , Soboleski ( left tackle ) , Tomasi ( left guard ) , Erben ( center ) , Wilkins ( right guard ) , Kohl ( right tackle ) , McNeill ( right end ) , Elliott ( quarterback ) , Ortmann ( left halfback ) , Koceski ( right halfback ) , and Peterson ( fullback ) . Week 6 : Illinois . In the sixth week of the season , Michigan held its homecoming festivities and extended its winning streak to 20 games with a 28 – 20 win over Illinois . Michigan held on a goal - line stand in the first quarter ( first - and - goal from the five - yard line ) , and Illinois failed to convert a field goal on fourth down . After a scoreless first quarter , Michigan went 98 yards on a drive that included a Statue of Liberty play by Leo Koceski and ended with a 15 - yard bullet pass from Pete Elliott to Ed McNeill . Illinois followed with its own touchdown drive , capped by long touchdown run off a screen pass to Paul Patterson . The game was tied 7 – 7 at halftime . On the opening kickoff in the second half , Illinois ' Dwight Eddleman returned the kick 95 yards for an apparent touchdown , but the play was nullified due to an offside penalty . Michigan reclaimed the lead in the third quarter with 14 - yard touchdown pass from Peterson to Rifenburg . Michigan extended its lead to 21 – 7 on a two - yard run by Wally Teninga later in the third quarter . Illinois scored its own third quarter touchdown after Leo Koceski fumbled and Illinois recovered the ball at the Michigan 29 - yard line . Early in the fourth quarter , Bernie Krueger scored on a quarterback sneak to cut Michigan ' s lead to 21 – 20 . Michigan ' s final touchdown came on a 38 - yard pass from Chuck Ortmann to Harry Allis . Allis converted all four extra point attempts in the game . Michigan outgained Illinois on the ground 102 to 40 , but Illinois dominated in the air with 256 passing yards to 132 for Michigan . " The New York Times " called the game , witnessed by a homecoming crowd of 85 , 938 , " one of the wildest fights in Big Nine history " and added , " What a battle this was ! Not for a second could one be sure of the outcome . " Michigan ' s starting lineup against Illinois was Rifenburg ( left end ) , Soboleski ( left tackle ) , Tomasi ( left guard ) , Erben ( center ) , Wilkins ( right guard ) , Kohl ( right tackle ) , McNeill ( right end ) , Elliott ( quarterback ) , Ortmann ( left halfback ) , Koceski ( right halfback ) , and Peterson ( fullback ) . Week 7 : Navy . In the seventh game of the 1948 season , Michigan defeated Navy , 35 – 0 , in front of a sellout crowd at Michigan Stadium . Michigan scored in the first quarter on a one - yard run by Chuck Ortmann . Tom Peterson extended Michigan ' s lead with a touchdown run in the second quarter . Michigan added two touchdowns in the third quarter on a run by Wally Teninga and an 18 - yard touchdown pass from Bob Van Summern to Dick Rifenburg . The final touchdown came in the fourth quarter on a 60 - yard touchdown pass from Ortmann to Rifenburg . Michigan outgained Navy on the ground 231 yards to 73 yards . Michigan ' s defense allowed only 119 yards of total offense ( 73 rushing yards and 46 passing yards ) , recovered three Navy fumbles and intercepted two passes , one by Dick Kempthorn and the other by Dan Dworsky . With the game in hand , Oosterbaan played the reserves , reportedly placing 44 players into the game . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Navy was Rifenburg ( left end ) , Soboleski ( left tackle ) , Tomasi ( left guard ) , Erben ( center ) , Wilkins ( right guard ) , Kohl ( right tackle ) , McNeill ( right end ) , Elliott ( quarterback ) , Ortmann ( left halfback ) , Koceski ( right halfback ) , and Peterson ( fullback ) . Week 8 : Indiana . In the eighth game of the 1948 season , Michigan defeated Indiana , 54 – 0 , for its most decisive win of the year . Michigan gained 435 yards of total offense , 285 on the ground and 150 in the air . The defense held Indiana , which was led by George Taliaferro , to 159 yards of total offense , 96 rushing and 63 passing . Michigan ' s eight touchdowns were scored by Tom Peterson , Dick Kempthorn , Harry Allis , Chuck Ortmann , Dick Rifenburg , Wally Teninga , Don Dufek and fullback Al Jackson . Ortmann completed eight of 15 passes for 123 yards , including a 13 - yard touchdown toss to Allis in the second quarter . Pete Elliott also threw a five - yard touchdown pass to Rifenburg in the third quarter . Allis ' s streak of 14 straight extra point conversions was broken , as he kicked six extra points on eight tries . In its account of the game , the 1949 " Michiganensian " quipped , " Every man on the Michigan bench got into the ball game , and some spectators claimed that it was Hank Hatch , the equipment manager , who tallied the last Wolverine touchdown . " Michigan ' s starting lineup against Indiana was Clark ( left end ) , Wistert ( left tackle ) , Heneveld ( left guard ) , Dworsky ( center ) , Sickels ( right guard ) , Allis ( right tackle ) , McNeill ( right end ) , Elliott ( quarterback ) , Derricotte ( left halfback ) , Teninga ( right halfback ) , and Kempthorn ( fullback ) . Week 9 : at Ohio State . Michigan concluded its 1948 season with a 13 – 3 win over Ohio State in Columbus . The game was played in front of a crowd of 82 , 754 spectators – the second largest crowd in Ohio Stadium history up to that time . Although Michigan was favored in the game by 14 points , Ohio State dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half , allowing only three first downs by Michigan , one of which came on a penalty . Ohio State took a 3 – 0 lead in the first quarter on a 26 - yard field goal by Jim Hague . The kick followed a fumble recovery by Jack Lininger after an errant lateral by Chuck Ortmann . Michigan took the lead in the second quarter on a 92 - yard drive culminating with a 44 - yard touchdown pass from Ortmann to Harry Allis . In the fourth quarter , Michigan drove 62 yards for a second touchdown led by the passing of Wally Teninga and Pete Elliott . The touchdown was scored by fullback Tom Peterson . Allis converted the first extra point , but missed on the second . Ohio State outgained Michigan on the ground 130 yards to 54 , but Michigan outgained Ohio State in the air 116 yards to 73 . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Ohio State was Rifenburg ( left end ) , Soboleski ( left tackle ) , Tomasi ( left guard ) , Erben ( center ) , Wilkins ( right guard ) , Kohl ( right tackle ) , McNeill ( right end ) , Elliott ( quarterback ) , Ortmann ( left halfback ) , Koceski ( right halfback ) , and Peterson ( fullback ) . National championship and post - season honors . In the final AP Poll released at the end of November 1958 , Michigan was the consensus pick for " the mythical national football championship . " The sports writers voting in the final poll cast their first place votes as follows : Michigan ( 192 ) , Notre Dame ( 97 ) , North Carolina ( 31 ) , and Oklahoma ( 30 ) . Notre Dame finished the 1948 season with an undefeated 9 – 0 – 1 record , but Michigan ' s record was better against four of five common opponents . Writing in " The New York Times " , sports writer Allison Danzig wrote : " Another college football season ends with Michigan and Notre Dame again at the top . " Despite winning the Big Nine championship , Michigan was ineligible to represent the conference in the 1949 Rose Bowl . A Big Nine rule prohibited any team from making more than one Rose Bowl appearance in three years . Having represented the Big Nine in the 1948 Rose Bowl , Michigan would not be eligible to return to Pasadena until the 1950 season . " The New York Times " wrote that Michigan ' s victories " made a mockery of the arrangement which prevents a Big Nine team from succeeding itself in the Rose Bowl assignment . " In early December 1948 , Bennie Oosterbaan was selected as the " Coach of the Year " in a nationwide poll of football coaches . Oosterbaan received 61 first place votes , nearly double the 33 first place votes cast for runner - up Lynn Waldorf of California . With Fritz Crisler having received the honor in 1947 , Oosterbaan ' s selection was the first time the award had been given in consecutive years to coaches from the same university . Writing in the " New York World - Telegram " , Lawrence Robinson described the coaches ' rationale for honoring Oosterbaan : " They knew what Oosterbaan must have faced , taking over a championship team , generally rated No . 1 in the country in 1947 . . . and that had lost its entire backfield , both tackles , the center and the star end . They realize what it took to rebuild a team and keep it at a winning tempo . . . . They also knew that in all football there is no more solid citizen than quiet , modest Bennie Oosterbaan . . . " End Dick Rifenburg and tackle Al Wistert were also honored in the post - season as consensus first - team players on the 1948 College Football All - America Team . Pete Elliott was also picked by the INS ( the Hearst newspaper wire service ) as a first - team All - American at defensive quarterback . Those same three players , as well as guard Dominic Tomasi , were selected as first - team All - Big Nine Conference players . Although Chuck Ortmann was not selected as a first - team All - American , Tommy Devine opined in " The Sporting News " : " This blond , tousled - haired youngster from Milwaukee played the key role in moving Michigan to its second straight Western Conference championship and another claim to the national title . . . . Off his 1948 performance , Ortmann already is being rated along with the scintillating Tom Harmon and brilliant Bob Chappuis among Michigan ' s modern great backs . "