Paul G . Goebel Paul Gordon Goebel ( May 28 , 1901 – January 26 , 1988 ) was an American football end who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1920 to 1922 . He was an All - American in 1921 and was the team ' s captain in 1922 . He played professional football from 1923 to 1926 with the Columbus Tigers , Chicago Bears , and New York Yankees . He was named to the NFL All - Pro team in 1923 and 1924 . After his football career ended , he operated a sporting good store in Grand Rapids . He officiated football games for the Big Ten Conference for 16 years and also served in the U . S . Navy on an aircraft carrier in World War II . He was active in Republican Party politics in Grand Rapids , Michigan , and was one of the organizers of a reform movement to oust the city ' s political boss , Frank McKay . As an anti - McKay reform candidate , Goebel was three times elected mayor of Grand Rapids in the 1950s . He was later elected to the University of Michigan Board of Regents , where he served from 1962 to 1970 . Goebel also played an important role in the career of U . S . President Gerald R . Ford . Goebel was friends with Ford ' s mother and stepfather and recommended Ford to head football coach Harry Kipke at the University of Michigan . When Ford returned from World War II , Goebel urged him to run for U . S . Congress and was part of the original Ford - for - Congress committee . Goebel was later the chairman of a committee formed in 1960 to name Ford as the Republican Party ' s Vice Presidential candidate on the ticket with Richard Nixon . Football player at the University of Michigan . Goebel enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1919 . He studied engineering and received his degree in 1923 . While at Michigan , he played football under head coach Fielding H . Yost . He played at the end where he developed a reputation as one of the country ' s best forward pass receivers and as a tenacious defensive player . At 6 - feet , 3 - inches , Goebel was a tall player in his era . He started seven games in each of the 1920 and 1921 seasons at right end for the Wolverines , and was limited due to injury to five games in 1922 . In 1921 , he was chosen as an All - American and was voted the captain of the 1922 team . Goebel also excelled as an honor student in the University ' s engineering school . Goebel also earned the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor for proficiency in academics and athletics . Goebel ' s steel knee brace . Prior to the 1922 season , Goebel " threw out his knee " and was fitted with a steel hinge – an early version of a knee brace . However , the steel contraption required oiling and overheated when the oil dried , thus limiting Goebel ' s ability to play a complete game in 1922 . One 1922 newspaper article described Goebel ' s knee brace this way : " To enable Goebel to play , the Michigan trainers devised a steel brace – a hinge . This apparatus attached above and below the knee gave Goebel fairly good leg action because of the hinge . Before each game , Goebel liberally oiled the hinge to get free action because of the hinge . " Goebel ' s playing time was limited because " the constant action would dry the oil and then the steel would become so hot that Goebel could not continue playing . " During the 1922 game against Illinois , Goebel ' s skin was burned by the steel . Dedication Day at Ohio Stadium . Despite the limitations of the knee brace , Goebel led the Wolverines to victory in the first game played at Ohio Stadium . The official " Dedication Day " for the stadium was October 21 , 1922 , and the opponent was Michigan . Ohio State fans recalled for years afterward how Goebel and his teammate Harry Kipke managed to turn Dedication Day sour for the Buckeyes . Michigan shut out the Buckeyes , 19 - 0 , with Goebel and Kipke scoring all the points . In the first period , Goebel blocked a punt and then kicked a long field goal from the 30 - yard line for the game ' s first points . He also penetrated into the Ohio State backfield in the second quarter to recover a fumble . As the game wore on , the Buckeyes " seemed to realize ( Goebel ' s ) importance in the Michigan lineup because he was forced to take plenty of punishment . " Football writer Billy Evans described Goebel ' s performance against Ohio State this way : " No end in recent years has played a greater game ( than ) that which Goebel put up against Ohio State . For three periods Goebel was the mainspring of the Michigan eleven . He seemed to be in every play . It was always Goebel who was gumming things up for State . No man could go through an entire game at the speed with which Goebel played in the first three quarters . It was beyond the power of any human being . With a few minutes to play in the third period the big fellow practically collapsed . Even when three or four of his teammates were carrying him off the field the old spirit was still there . He tried to induce his teammates that he was able to play , and tried to break away from their grasp , but the punch was gone and he was forced to give way as the big crowd cheered him to the echo . If any one man made possible the defeat of State by Michigan , it was Captain Paul Goebel . " The rotunda at Ohio Stadium is painted with maize flowers on a blue background due to the outcome of the 1922 dedication game against , an enduring tribute to Goebel ' s performance that day . Another writer summed up Goebel ' s 1922 season : " Captain Paul Goebel of Michigan has commanded no little attention this season . He is fast and furious . His particular forte lies in his ability to not only plunge in and break up the interference of the opposing team , but after so doing , nail the man with the ball and down him in his tracks . " The tradition of the # 1 jersey at Michigan . Goebel was particularly adept as a pass receiver . A 1923 wire service report in the " Capital Times " noted that Goebel was " considered one of the best ends in the country and his work on receiving forward passes hasn ' t been excelled on the gridiron . " In what would become a tradition at Michigan 60 years later , Goebel was the first All - American receiver at Michigan to wear the # 1 jersey . Others to follow that tradition are Anthony Carter , Derrick Alexander , David Terrell , and Braylon Edwards . The death of Bernard Kirk . Across the field from right end Goebel , Bernard Kirk played left end for the Wolverines in 1921 and 1922 . Kirk was a talented player who was set to graduate with Goebel in 1923 . However , Kirk died in an automobile accident on December 17 , 1922 . Goebel was a pall - bearer along with Harry Kipke , Frank Steketee , and other Michigan football players at Kirk ' s funeral in Ypsilanti , Michigan . Kirk had been a popular figure , and his funeral was covered widely in the national press , with Michigan Governor Alex Groesbeck , U - M President Marion LeRoy Burton , and the coaches of the Big Ten Conference football teams all in attendance . Goebel also served years later as a pall bearer at the funeral of his coach , Fielding H . Yost , in August 1946 . Professional football . In February 1923 , Goebel refused an offer to become the head football coach at Wichita State University ( then known as Fairmount College ) , saying he planned to enter the engineering profession after graduation . Instead , Goebel opted to play professional football . He played professional football for the Columbus Tigers from 1923 - 1925 , the Chicago Bears in 1925 , and the New York Yankees ( the football team ) in 1926 . In his first year in the NFL , Goebel played in all ten of the team ' s games for the Columbus Tigers and was named to the All - Pro Team . He threw one touchdown pass and caught another . He was credited with eight points scored including two extra points . In 1924 , Goebel was again selected as an All - Pro player with the Tigers , playing in ten games , making two touchdown receptions , and returning a fumble for a touchdown . In all , he was credited with three touchdowns and 18 points in 1924 . While playing end for the Columbus Tigers in 1924 , Goebel was involved in one of the oddest plays in NFL history . Goebel was the intended receiver of a forward pass , but the ball popped out of his arms and was snatched out of the air by Oscar Knop of the Chicago Bears . Knop began running for the goal line with the ball , but he was running the wrong way toward a safety . After running 30 yards , Knop was caught from behind and tackled by his teammate Ed Healey on the four - yard line . In 1926 , Goebel played for the Yankees alongside Red Grange . After the close of the 1926 football season , he went to Los Angeles where he took a minor role in Grange ' s latest film . In May 1927 , Goebel announced his retirement from professional football . He said he would devote his time to the sporting goods store he operated in Grand Rapids . Goebel had been playing professional football every season since he finished at Michigan . Football official and sporting good businessman . After retiring from professional football , Goebel worked in his sporting good business in Grand Rapids , and also worked during football season as a game official for the Big Ten Conference . For 16 years between 1935 to 1952 , he was a Big Ten football official . He also officiated in Rose Bowl , Notre Dame , and Army - Navy games . Goebel played a role in a famous Ohio State - Illinois game on November 13 , 1943 . The game was Paul Brown ' s last game as coach of the Buckeyes . With the score tied 26 - 26 , Ohio State threw an incomplete forward pass into the end zone as the gun sounded . The game appeared to have ended in a tie , the teams left the field , and the stands emptied . However , Ohio State assistant coach Ernie Godfrey had noticed Goebel , who was the head linesman , drop a handkerchief to signal a penalty . On hearing the gun sound , Goebel had picked up the handkerchief and put it back in his back pocket . Godfrey confronted Goebel , who conceded that Illinois was offsides . Twenty minutes later , the teams came back onto the field and the Buckeyes kicked a 33 - yard field goal to give Coach Brown a 29 - 26 win in his final game . During World War II , Goebel served in the U . S . Navy as Lieutenant Commander on an aircraft carrier . His final game as an official was the 1952 Rose Bowl between Illinois and Stanford , in which he was the head linesman . Goebel was also a fisherman , winning the title of Trout King at the National Trout Festival in 1949 . Relationship with Gerald R . Ford . Goebel was a friend of Gerald R . Ford ' s mother and stepfather in Grand Rapids . Goebel played an important role in guiding Ford to the University of Michigan . When Ford graduated from Grand Rapids South High School , Goebel recognized Ford ’ s ability as a football player and recommended him to his former teammate Harry Kipke , who had taken over as Michigan ’ s head football coach . Kipke recruited Ford , who became Michigan ' s Most Valuable Player in 1934 . In 1940 , Goebel was part of a citizen ' s group in Grand Rapids seeking to overthrow Grand Rapids ' political boss , Frank McKay . McKay had dismissed Ford ’ s political interest in 1940 , and this led to a long political alliance between Goebel and Ford . Ford went to work with Goebel as part of the anti - McKay citizen ’ s group . Together , they organized the " Home Front , " the purpose of which was to throw out Boss McKay . Ford was elected president of the organization , his first experience in political organizing . Ford and Goebel both served in the U . S . Navy during World War II , and after the war , Ford urged Goebel to run for Congress against the incumbent , an isolationist named Barney Jonkman . Goebel declined to run , but suggested to Ford that , " if you think he ought to be beaten , why don ' t you run ? " Ford did run for Congress in 1948 , and Goebel was one of his close circle of early supporters , the original Ford - for - Congress group . Ford won the election and won re - election for twelve more terms . In 1960 , Goebel was a leader in the movement to nominate Ford as the Vice Presidential candidate on the ticket with Richard Nixon , serving as Chairman of the " Ford for Vice President Committee " at the Republican National Convention in Chicago . When Goebel ' s son , Paul G . Goebel , Jr . , ran for Ford ' s Congressional seat in 1974 , then President Ford returned to Grand Rapids to campaign for Goebel ' s son . Ford delivered a speech at Calvin College in Grand Rapids the week before the election in which he said : " Paul Goebel I have known since he was just a lad . His dad knew me when I was back at South High - - an inspired if not very competent football player . But I have known the Goebel family a long time , and they are strong and they are tall , and they are the kind of people who are dedicated to public service . Paul , Jr . ' s , father was ; Paul , Jr . , himself is . And I have seen nothing but the finest in that family , and young Paul , he epitomizes all the great characteristics of that family . " Political career . Mayor of Grand Rapids . Goebel himself ran for office in 1950 . He ran for mayor of Grand Rapids as part of the same anti - McKay reform movement that brought Gerald Ford to office . According to one newspaper account , Goebel " spearheaded a reform movement which brought him into office in 1950 , " ousting incumbent George W . Welsh , who had been elected mayor five times and also served as the state ' s lieutenant governor . At the time , Goebel was the partner in a sporting goods store and was described in the press as tall and rangy , a candidate " who looks like a blond Abraham Lincoln without a beard . " Goebel was re - elected in 1952 for a second two - year term . In October 1953 , Goebel announced he would not run for a third term , saying he had no further political ambitions and would devote his time to his family and business . Within a short time , however , he changed his mind and ran for a third term with the support of the reformist Citizens Action Group . In February 1954 , Goebel received the most votes of any candidate in his third race for mayor ( 19 , 564 for Goebel to 10 , 831 for George Veldman ) , but he failed to secure a majority , and a runoff was held . Veldman defeated Goebel in the runoff by a margin of 203 votes . Goebel requested a recount , but he was unsuccessful . In 1956 , he won re - election as mayor of Grand Rapids and served a final term from 1956 - 1958 . In 1957 , Goebel was included in published lists of potential candidates to run as the Republican candidate for governor . In January 1958 , Goebel announced that he would not seek re - election as mayor . He said he had no plans to seek another political office . University of Michigan Board of Regents . In 1962 , Goebel returned to politics , winning a seat on the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan , where he served from 1962 - 1970 . In 1968 , the Regents voted to eliminate curfews for all women students in residence halls and to allow each housing unit to set its own visitation hours . Goebel was the sole dissenter , saying : " If my judgment is proved wrong , no one will be happier than I . " In July 1970 , Goebel announced that he would retire from the Regents at the end of his term on December 31 , 1970 . At age 69 , he said the expected strain of another campaign influenced his decision . Other civic and political roles . Through the 1950s and 1960s , Goebel also occupied himself with other civic and political projects , including serving as a member of the YMCA International World Service Committee in the 1960s , representing Governor George Romney and the State of Michigan at the 1965 Rose Bowl game , acting as chairman of the national committee of the University of Michigan in the mid - 1960s to raise $ 55 million , acting as a delegate to Republican National Convention in 1956 and a delegate to Michigan state constitutional convention from 1961 - 1962 , and serving as a member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee in 1969 . He was also a member of the State of Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority , Chairman of the State of Michigan Board of Ethics , Director of the U - M National Alumni Association and President of the Varsity “ M " Club . Goebel was a Congregationalist and a member of the Freemasons , the Rotary Club , and Tau Beta Pi . Family . Goebel ' s wife , Margaret Goebel , was a graduate nurse , a columnist for a Grand Rapids newspaper , and Chairman of Governor George Romney ’ s Commission on the Status of Women . She also worked with the Grand Rapids Red Cross , the Council on World Affairs , the Urban League and was appointed by President Kennedy in 1962 to the Civil Defense Advisory Council . Goebel and his wife had two children . Their son Paul G . Goebel , Jr . , was an aide to Rep . Gerald R . Ford and Vice President Richard M . Nixon . Paul Gobel , Jr . , also operated an insurance business in Grand Rapids known as the Paul Goebel group . Honors and accolades . Goebel ' s honors over the years include the following :