Tony Rio Tony Rio ( July 9 , 1937 – June 1987 ) was an American football player . He played at the fullback position for the University of Michigan from 1957 to 1959 . He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team . A native of Lombard , Illinois , he attended Chicago ' s St . Philip High School where he played fullback for the St . Philip Gaels football team . Rio received a football scholarship to attend the University of Michigan and played fullback for the Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1957 to 1959 . As a sophomore in 1957 , Rio appeared as a back - up fullback in games against Indiana and Ohio State , gaining 33 yards in 6 carries . As a junior in 1958 , Rio played in the Wolverines ' first five games , including two games as the starting fullback . He scored his first collegiate touchdown on October 11 , 1958 , against the Navy Midshipmen . Two weeks after scoring his first Michigan touchdown , Rio was arrested by campus police on charges of engaging in an illegal occupation . Six other students were also arrested , including Rio ' s roommate , Jack Lewis , who was the captain of Michigan ' s basketball team , and Carl Riseman , associate sports editor of the campus newspaper . Rio was accused of being part of a " $ 10 , 000 - a - week football gambling ring " involved in selling " football spot cards , " in which the purchaser bet on a series of football games and won prizes if he did better than the spread on a certain number of games . Michigan ' s athletic director Fritz Crisler immediately suspended both Rio and Lewis from their respective teams until the criminal charges were resolved . The story drew national media attention , including a photo - story in " Life " , noting that the informant , an editor at " The Michigan Daily " , had been hung in effigy . After initially pleading not guilty , Rio and Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in November 1958 and were placed on probation by the university for the remainder of the academic year . The university announced at the time that Rio and Lewis could appear before the university ' s dean of men and the joint judiciary council to seek to restore their athletic eligibility , but a “ high university source ” said it was doubtful the two would receive " a clean bill of health . " Newspapers reported that there was " only a remote possibility " that their eligibility would be restored . In August 1959 , the university restored Rio ' s athletic eligibility , allowing him to play football in his senior year . Bump Elliott , in his first year as Michigan ' s head football coach , announced that Rio had been invited to join 75 others when practice opened and added , " As far as I ' m concerned the whole thing is past . " Rio responded to his reinstatement with the best year of his football career , starting all nine games at fullback for the 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team . He gained 58 yards on 12 carries in an 18 - 7 win over Oregon State and had a career - long 50 - yard run in a 14 - 7 win over Minnesota . In his final game for Michigan , Rio scored two touchdown s in a 23 - 14 win over Ohio State . His first touchdown came 70 seconds into the game on a pass into the end zone from quarterback Stan Noskin . The second came on a one - yard run in the third quarter . At the conclusion of the 1959 season , Rio was named the Most Valuable Player on the 1959 Michigan team . Rio tried out with the New York Titans of the newly formed American Football League in the summer of 1960 , but he was cut by the Titans on July 19 , 1960 . In June 1987 , Rio died at age 49 .