Ted Kress Edward S . " Ted " Kress ( March 26 , 1931 – February 15 , 2003 ) was an American football player and businessman . He was the starting left halfback for the University of Michigan in 1952 and 1953 and set a Big Ten Conference single - game rush ing record with 218 yards in October 1952 . He later founded the Kress Corporation , a manufacturer of heavy industrial hauling vehicles , in Brimfield , Illinois . University of Michigan . Kress played college football at the University of Michigan from 1951 to 1953 . He was Michigan ' s starter at left halfback in all 18 games of the 1952 and 1953 football seasons . In his first Big Ten Conference game as a starter , he completed 11 of 14 passes for 180 yards in a 26 – 13 win over Indiana . In his second Big Ten game as a starter , Kress set a new Big Ten Conference single - game rushing record with 218 yards in 20 carries against Northwestern . He scored three touchdowns in the first half of the game and broke the prior record of 216 yards set in 1943 by Bill Daley . At the time , the Associated Press wrote : " Halfback , Ted Kress , flitting like a frightened phantom , darted to three touchdowns and a new Big Ten rushing record . " In his first two Big Ten games , Kress accumulated 474 yards of total offense and averaged 8 . 94 yards per play . Kress also rushed for 92 yards and passed for 58 yards against Illinois in early November 1952 , making him the Big Ten offensive leader at that stage of the season . Kress started all nine games at left halfback for the 1952 Michigan Wolverines football team . He finished the 1952 season with 627 rushing yards and 559 passing yards , leading the Wolverines in both categories . Kress also started all nine games at the left halfback position for the 1953 Michigan Wolverines football team . During the 1953 season , Kress compiled 339 rushing yards , 238 passing yards , 203 yards on kickoff returns and 142 receiving yards . He was also selected as an All - Big Ten Conference player in 1953 . Kress earned a bachelor of science degree in production engineering from the University of Michigan in 1954 . Washington Redskins . Kress was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 29th round ( 344rd overall pick ) in the 1954 NFL Draft . In March 1954 , Kress signed with the Redskins . During the Redskins ' summer training camp at Occidental College in Southern California , Redskins ' coach Curly Lambeau moved Kress to the safety position . Kress suffered a slight concussion during a practice session at the end of July 1954 . Kress did not play in any regular season games for the Redskins . Business career . Kress was the son of Ralph H . Kress ( July 10 , 1904 – June 28 , 1995 ) , who was known in mining and engineering circles as the " father of the off - highway truck . " In 1965 , Ted Kress founded the Kress Corporation in Brimfield , Illinois . During his lifetime and thereafter , the company has been a manufacturer of specialized industrial equipment for transporting and handling steel , slag , coal and other heavy materials for the steel mills , for the mining industry , and also for earth moving . His father joined the company in 1969 . The company ' s first product was a slag pot carrier that was used to pick up , transfer , pour and skull slag pots from blast furnaces . It later expanded into the manufacture of coal haulers and slab carriers used to pick up and carried 100 tons of steel slabs and coils . Family and death . Kress was married to Rita Kress . They had one son , Nathan Kress . During his lifetime , Ted was the president and CEO of Kress Corp . , and Rita was the treasurer . Kress died in February 2003 at the OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria , Illinois . Following his death , his wife Rita became president and CEO of Kress Corp .