1944 Michigan Wolverines football team
| 1944 Michigan Wolverines football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | #8 |
| 1944 record | 8–2 (5–2 Big Ten) |
| Head coach | Fritz Crisler (7th year) |
| Offensive scheme | Single-wing formation |
| MVP | Don Lund |
| Captain | Bob Wiese (until November 1) |
| Captain | Don Lund (after November 1) |
| Captain | Joseph Ponsetto (after November 1) |
| Home stadium | Michigan Stadium |
| 1944 Big Ten football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #2 Ohio State † | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #8 Michigan | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #15 Illinois | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1944 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1944 college football season. The team's head coach was Fritz Crisler. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16, 1944 | Iowa Pre-Flight* | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | W 12–7 | 20,243 | ||||
| September 23, 1944 | at Marquette* | Marquette Stadium • Milwaukee, WI | W 14–0 | 12,366 | ||||
| September 30, 1944 | Indiana | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | L 0–20 | 18,477 | ||||
| October 7, 1944 | at Minnesota | Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | W 28–13 | 37,256 | ||||
| October 14, 1944 | Northwestern | #12 | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | W 27–0 | 30,861 | |||
| October 28, 1944 | Purdue | #10 | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | W 40–14 | 44,276 | |||
| November 4, 1944 | at Penn* | #10 | Franklin Field • Philadelphia, PA | W 41–19 | 39,557 | |||
| November 11, 1944 | #10 Illinois |
#8 | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | W 14–0 | 43,922 | |||
| November 18, 1944 | Wisconsin | #5 | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | W 14–0 | 20,885 | |||
| November 25, 1944 | at #3 Ohio State | #6 | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | L 14–18 | 71,958 | |||
| *Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
Players
Varsity letter winners
The following 30 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1944 Michigan football team.[1] For players who were starters, the list also includes the number of games started by position.[2]
- James J. Aliber, quarterback, Detroit, Michigan
- Clement "Clem" L. Bauman, tackle, Dayton, Ohio[3] - started 10 games at right tackle
- Warren W. Bentz, halfback, Washington, D.C.
- Gerald E. Brielmaier, tackle, Detroit, Michigan
- George Burg, guard, Winnetka, Illinois - started 10 games at left guard
- George Chiaverini, guard, Detroit, Michigan
- Ralph L. Chubb, fullback, Ann Arbor, Michigan[4] - started 3 games at right halfback
- William L. Culligan, halfback, Detroit, Michigan[5] - started 1 game at left halfback
- Gene Derricotte, halfback, Defiance, Ohio - started 9 games at left halfback
- Cecil Freihofer, end, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Edward Greer, end, Wayzata, Minnesota
- Bruce Hilkene, end, Indianapolis, Indiana - started 9 games at left end
- Milan Lazetich, tackle, Anaconda, Montana - started 8 games at left tackle
- Arthur N. LeRoux, tackle, Muskegon Heights, Michigan[6] - started 2 games at left tackle
- John Lintol, center, Detroit, Michigan[7] - started 5 games at center
- Don Lund, fullback, Detroit, Michigan - started 3 games at fullback
- Howard Mehaffey, guard, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Bob Nussbaumer, running back, Oak Park, Illinois - started 7 games at right halfback
- Thomas R. Peterson, fullback, Racine, Wisconsin
- Joe Ponsetto, quarterback, Flint, Michigan - started 10 games at quarterback
- Art Renner, end, Sturgis, Michigan - started 9 games at right end, 1 game at left end
- Dick Rifenburg, end, Saginaw, Michigan - started 1 game at right end
- Quentin Sickels, guard, Benton Harbor, Michigan - started 10 games at right guard
- Thomas Swift, guard, Kansas City, Missouri
- Charles Wahl, center, Defiance, Ohio
- Harold Watts, center, Birmingham, Michigan - started 5 games at center
- Jack Weisenburger, halfback, Muskegon Heights, Michigan - halfback
- John Weyers, guard, Page, North Dakota
- Bob Wiese, fullback, Jamestown, North Dakota - started 7 games at fullback
- Howard Yerges, quarterback, Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Non-varsity letter winners
The following 36 players appeared on the roster of the 1944 Michigan football team but did not receive varsity letters.[1]
- George Abbott, end, Lansing, Michigan
- Dave Adams, quarterback, Shawano, Michigan
- James M. Artley, quarterback, Savannah, Georgia
- George Babe, guard, Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania
- John Babyak, halfback, Campbell, Ohio
- Richard DeMark, halback, Detroit, Michigan
- Donald Drake, center, Ypsilanti, Michigan
- Maurice Dunne, tackle, Winnetka, Illinois
- Roger Ely, halfback, Montpelier, Ohio
- Don Farrand, end, Los Angeles, California
- Donald Fate, tackle, Bellaire, Michigan
- Henry Fonde, halfback, Knoxville, Tennessee
- Jack Hackstadt, end, Saginaw, Michigan
- Claude Hessee, end, Bellward, Illinois
- Frank Honigsbaum, end, Troy, New York
- George Hutter, quarterback, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
- Shelden M. Kavieff, end, Detroit, Michigan
- Max Kelly, end, Loda, Illinois
- William Kerr, guard, Melbourne, Florida
- John Lunenschloss, tackle, Madison, Wisconsin
- Robert Mann, guard, New Bern, North Carolina
- Henry L. Mantho, guard, Alliance, Ohio
- Fred Matthei, end, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Henry Milczuk, tackle, Hamtramck, Michigan
- Frank Nakamura, guard, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Joseph A. Oeming, guard, Saginaw, Michigan
- Robert Oren, tackle, Evart, Michigan
- Joseph Pullo, tackle, Cleveland, Ohio
- Charles Sampson, end, Wausau, Wisconsin
- Marvin Shebel, guard, Marshall, Michigan
- Richard Smith, guard, LaGrange, Illinois
- Edward Sohacki, guard, Detroit, Michigan
- Don Spink, defensive back, Rochester, New York
- William Wenzlau, halfback, Toledo, Ohio
- D.E. Williamson, tackle, Utica, New York
- Thomas Wright, tackle, Fairfield, Ohio
Awards and honors
- Captain: Bob Wiese
- All-Conference: Bob Wiese, Milan Lazetich, Joseph Ponsetto
- Most Valuable Player: Don Lund
Coaching staff
- Head coach: Fritz Crisler
- Assistant coaches: William Barclay, Ray Fisher, Earl Martineau, Clarence "Biggie" Munn, Bennie Oosterbaan, Arthur Valpey, Walter Weber
- Trainer: Ray Roberts
- Manager: William Hart, Rawland Sylvester
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "University of Michigan Football Rosters: 1944". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
- ↑ "1944 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
- ↑ Clement Bauman, born January 19, 1925, died April 1968, SSN issued Ohio
- ↑ Ralph L. Chubb, born March 24, 1924, died February 25, 2002, SSN issued Michigan, last address Green Valley, Arizona
- ↑ William L. Culligan, born March 11, 1924, died September 25, 2008, SSN issued Michigan, last address Jackson, Michigan
- ↑ Arthur N. Leroux, born September 7, 1924, died February 18, 2005, SSN issued Michigan, last address Muskegon, Michigan
- ↑ John Lintol, born December 21, 1924, died September 1973, SSN issued Michigan