1952 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 1952 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1952 Big Ten Conference football season. In its fifth year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan compiled a 5–4 record (4–2 against conference opponents), tied for fourth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 207 to 134.[1][2]

1952 Michigan Wolverines football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
1952 record5–4 (4–2 Big Ten)
Head coachBennie Oosterbaan (5th season)
MVPTed Topor
CaptainMerritt Green
Home stadiumMichigan Stadium
1952 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 11 Wisconsin + 4 –1 –1  6 –3 –1
No. 18 Purdue + 4 –1 –1  4 –3 –2
No. 17 Ohio State 5 –2 –0  6 –3 –0
Michigan 4 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Minnesota 3 –1 –2  4 –3 –2
Illinois 2 –5 –0  4 –5 –0
Northwestern 2 –5 –0  2 –6 –1
Iowa 2 –5 –0  2 –7 –0
Indiana 1 –5 –0  2 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Defensive end Merritt Green was the team captain, and quarterback Tony Branoff received the team's most valuable player award.[2]

Lowell Perry was selected by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) as a first-team defensive back on the 1952 College Football All-America Team.[3] Five Michigan players received All-Big Ten honors: linebacker Roger Zatkoff (AP-1, UP-1); guard Bob Timm (AP-1); center Dick O'Shaugnessy (UP-1); left halfback Ted Kress (UP-1); and defensive tackle Art Walker (AP-1).[4][5]

The team's statistical leaders included Ted Kress with 559 passing yards and 623 rushing yards and Lowell Perry with 492 receiving yards.[6]

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendance
September 27No. 1 Michigan State*
L 13–2796,490
October 4at Stanford*
L 7–1425,000
October 11Indiana
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI
W 28–1353,840
October 18at Northwestern
W 48–1440,000
October 25MinnesotaNo. 19
W 21–072,404
November 1IllinoisNo. 15
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI (series)
L 13–2265,595
November 8Cornell*
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI
W 49–748,614
November 15No. 10 PurdueNo. 20
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI
W 21–1058,964
November 22at Ohio StateNo. 12
L 7–2781,541
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game

[1][2]

Game summaries

Northwestern

Statistical leaders

Michigan's individual statistical leaders for the 1952 season include those listed below.[6][8]

Rushing
PlayerAttemptsNet yardsYards per attemptTouchdowns
Ted Kress1356274.66
Tony Branoff863424.02
Dick Balzhiser753274.42

Passing
PlayerAttemptsCompletionsInterceptionsComp %YardsYds/CompTDLong
Ted Kress8545752.955912.4452
Ted Topor5833456.944013.3225
Duncan McDonald177241.29012.9238

Receiving
PlayerReceptionsYardsYds/RecpTDLong
Lowell Perry3149215.9552
Ted Topor1820811.6432
Thad Stanford1220016.7048

Kickoff returns
PlayerReturnsYardsYds/ReturnTDLong
Tony Branoff614524.2031
Don Oldham712317.6030
Frank Howell610016.7026

Punt returns
PlayerReturnsYardsYds/ReturnTDLong
Lowell Perry12736.1015
Don Oldham5316.20
Dave Tinkham4276.806

Personnel

Letter winners
Merritt "Tim" Green, captain of the 1952 team

The following players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1953 team. Players who started at least four games are shown with their names in bold.[2]

  • Fred Baer, 5'11", 180 pounds, sophomore, La Grange, IL – started 3 games at fullback
  • James Balog, 6'3", 210 pounds, junior, Wheaton, IL – started 8 games as defensive right tackle
  • Richard Balzhiser[9] 6'1", 185 pounds, junior, Wheaton, IL – started 5 games at fullback
  • James V. Bates, 6'0", 195 pounds, sophomore, Farmington, MI - end
  • Richard Beison, 6'0", 200 pounds, junior, East Chicago, IN – started 8 games at offensive right guard
  • Donald Bennett, 6'2", 195 pounds, junior, Chicago, IL – started 4 games as offensive left tackle
  • William E. Billings, 5'11", 180 pounds, senior, Flint, MI - quarterback
  • Tony Branoff, 5'1", 180 pounds, freshman, Flint, MI – started 6 games as right halfback
  • Ted Cachey, 5'11", 185 pounds, junior, Chicago, IL - guard
  • J. Daniel Cline, 5'10", 168 pounds, sophomore, Brockport, NY - halfback
  • Robert Dingman, 6'0", 180 pounds, senior, Saginaw, MI - end
  • Donald Dugger, 5'10", 178 pounds, junior, Charlesto, WV - guard
  • George Dutter, 6'2", 190 pounds, junior, Fort Wayne, IN – started 9 games as defensive right guard
  • H. Ronald Geyer, 6'2", 215 pounds, sophomore, Toledo, OH - tackle
  • Merritt Green, 6'0", 180 pounds, senior, Toledo, OH – started 9 games as defensive left end
  • Frank Howell, 5'8", 165 pounds, senior, Muskegon Heights, MI – started 3 games as right halfback, 1 game as safety
  • Robert Hurley, 5'10", 185 pounds, junior, Alaamosa, CO - fullback
  • Stanley Knickerbocker, 5'10", 165 pounds, sophomore, Chelsea, MI - halfback
  • Gene Knutson, 6'4", 210 pounds, junior, Beloit, WI – started 9 games as defensive right end
  • Ted Kress, 5'11", 175 pounds, junior, Detroit – started 9 games as left halfback
  • Laurence LeClair, 6'0", 190 pounds, senior, Anaconda, MT – started 9 games as linebacker
  • Robert K. Matheson, 5'10", 190 pounds, senior, Detroit - guard
  • Duncan McDonald, 6'0", 175 pounds, sophomore, Flint, MI - quarterback
  • Wayne F. Melchiori, 6'0", 185 pounds, senior, Stambaugh, MI - center
  • Don Oldham, 5'9", 167 pounds, senior, Indianapolis – started 4 games as defensive back, 2 games as safety
  • Dick O'Shaughnessy, 5'11", 190 pounds, junior, Seaford, NY – started 9 games at center
  • Bernhardt Pederson, 6'2", 215 pounds, senior, Marquette, MI -started 6 games at offensive right tackle
  • Lowell Perry, 6'0", 180 pounds, senior, Ypsilanti, MI – started 9 games as offensive left end, 4 games as safety
  • Russell Rescorla, 5'11", 180 pounds, senior, Grand Haven, MI – started 3 games as defensive back
  • Thad Stanford, 6'0", 190 pounds, junior, Midland, MI – started 9 games at offensive right end
  • Ralph Stribe, 6'1", 205 pounds, senior, Detroit - tackle
  • Dick Strozewski, 6'0", 200 pounds, senior, South Bend, IN – started 5 games as offensive left tackle
  • Bob Timm, 5'11", 185 pounds, senior, Toledo, OH – started 8 games as offensive left guard
  • David Tinkham, 5'10", 178 pounds, senior, East Grand Rapids, MI – started 9 games as defensive back
  • Ted Topor, 6'1", 212 pounds, senior, East Chicago, IN – started 9 games as quarterback
  • Bob Topp, 6'2", 190 pounds, junior, Kalamazoo, MI - end
  • Art Walker, 5'11", 198 pounds, sophomore, South Haven, MI – started 9 games as defensive left tackle
  • Ronald Williams, 5'9", 185 pounds, junior, Massillon, OH – started 7 games as defensive left guard
  • Thomas Witherspoon, 5'11", 185 pounds, senior, Detroit - halfback
  • Roger Zatkoff, 6'2", 210 pounds, senior, Hamtramck, MI – started 9 games as linebacker, 1 game as offensive right tackle

Coaching staff

Awards and honors

Honors and awards for the 1952 season went to the following individuals.[2]

gollark: They ALLEGEDLY use it for that, but in practice... not really.
gollark: Education that prepares you for BEES prepares you for life, by that sort of logic.
gollark: A very small one, though.
gollark: Bees are also a part of life.
gollark: Er, no.

References
  1. "1952 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  2. "1952 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  3. ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. 2005. p. 1228. ISBN 1401337031.
  4. "3 Badgers on AP All Big Ten Team". The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin. November 24, 1952. p. 19.
  5. Ed Sainsbury (November 26, 1952). "Michigan, Badgers Each Land Trio On All-Big Ten Squad". Nevada State Journal. p. 11.
  6. "1952 Michigan Wolverines Statistics". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  7. University of Michigan Football Record Book Pt. 1
  8. "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2017.(statistics retrieved by entering "1952" in the box for "Games & Totals by Season" and then, at the next screen, choosing "Display Season Totals")
  9. Balzhiser was the first University of Michigan athlete to be inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
  10. "Expert Coaching Staff Makes Wolverines Grid Power". The Michigan Daily. September 17, 1952. pp. 1, 10 – via Bentley Historical Library.
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