Maynard Morrison ( American football ) Maynard Davis " Doc " Morrison ( May 28 , 1909June 2 , 2006 ) was an All - American football fullback and center for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1929 - 1931 . Michigan football coach Harry Kipke ranked Morrison as the finest linebacker he ever saw . " No one ever got past him , " Kipke said . In 1931 , he was chosen by Grantland Rice and the NEA Service as a first - team All - American at center and helped lead Michigan to a Big Ten Conference championship . 1929 season . As a sophomore in 1929 , Morrison was already a significant contributor at the fullback position . When Morrison finished his freshman year , he " was rated the outstanding fullback prospect in Michigan history . " In the fall of 1929 , Morrison missed five games at the beginning of the season due to injury . Then , against Illinois , he was placed in the lineup at tackle and became " the individual star of the Wolverines by a wide , handsome and undisputed margin . " On defense , he was taken out of the line and played at defensive fullback , and when an Illinois back found a hole in the line , Grantland Rice wrote that “ Morrison usually picked him up bodily and hurled him back into the breach in the wall . ” And occasionally , " he was content with merely smacking the ball carriers against the ground as they had never been smacked before . " After the Illinois game , Coach Kipke said of Morrison , " That boy will develop into the finest defensive back in Michigan ’ s history . His injured knee isn ' t entirely well , and when it is he will add more speed to his play . " At the end of the 1929 season , Coach Kipke touted Morrison as the best back to wear the Michigan uniform in 15 years : " Coach Harry Kipke says Maynard Morrison . . . is the nearest approach to Johnny Maulbetsch the Wolverines have seen in the last 15 years . Morrison is a husky sophomore of more than 200 pounds and hits the line with all the force and power that made Maulbetsch famous as a line smasher . Morrison suffered early season injuries that kept him from play during the first month but he is expected to show his stuff in the closing games . " He scored a touchdown in a 14 - 12 victory over Harvard , as he " hurled his 210 pound bulk through the Crimson forward wall for a touchdown . " After a scoreless tie with Iowa , the Associated Press reported that Morrison “ was responsible for most of the Wolverine ’ s first downs . ” 1930 season . In the summer of 1930 , Coach Kipke reported that he had 15 varsity caliber backs but was lacking in talent in the line . Accordingly , Kipke reported he was considering moving Morrison to the center position . Again in early September , Kipke announced that “ so great is the lack of linemen ” that he proposed making a center of Morrison . However , before making the move , Kipke had to persuade Morrison ' s father . One newspaper account in 1930 reported : " Maynard Morrison was a pretty good fullback last year at Michigan . Coach Harry Kipke though he saw great center possibilities in the young man from Royal Oak . But Morrison ’ s father wanted him to carry the ball . Kipke made the trip himself to Royal Oak to persuade Papa Morrison that Maynard would be better at flipping the ball than lugging it . " After ten days of experimenting during fall practice , Kipke made the switch , moving Maynard from fullback to center . Morrison performed well at his new position in 1930 , being praised by the AP for his “ defensive genius . ” At the end of the 1930 season , Morrison was named to All - Big Ten teams by the United Press and the NEA ( Newspaper Enterprise Association ) Service . One reporter noted that Morrison " was just about everything a coach could ask for in a center . " 1931 season . In 1931 , Morrison started nine games for the 8 - 1 - 1 Wolverines team that tied for the Big Ten Conference championship . Morrison was selected as a first - team All - American in 1931 by Grantland Rice for Collier ’ s magazine and by the NEA Service All - America Board . The NEA Service All - America Board made their All - American selections based on more than 680 reports from coaches , writers and officials representing every section of the country where football was played . According to newspaper accounts reporting on Morrison being the consensus selection by the board members at the center position , it was noted that his " great defensive ability gave him the call . " Thomas Yarr of Notre Dame was named the first - team center by the Associated Press in 1931 . In announcing Morrison as its All - Big Ten team center , the Associated Press described him as " Michigan ’ s 210 pound center from Royal Oak , Michigan , " a player who was " big , shifty and fast , " and " the key man of Michigan ' s defense . " Football writer Merle Oliver called Morrison Michigan ’ s “ diagnostician of enemy plays . ” Morrison was part of a long line of All - American centers at Michigan , starting with William Cunningham and Germany Schulz followed by Ernie Vick , Jack Blott , Bob Brown , and Chuck Bernard . Honors and accolades . Among the honors received by Morrison are the following :