1953 Michigan Wolverines football team

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1953 Michigan Wolverines football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 20
Record6–3 (3–3 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPTony Branoff
CaptainDick O'Shaughnessy
Home stadiumMichigan Stadium
Seasons
← 1952
1954 →
1953 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Michigan State + 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
No. 7 Illinois + 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 1
No. 15 Wisconsin 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1
Ohio State 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Minnesota 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 4 – 1
No. 20 Michigan 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
No. 9 Iowa 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 1
Purdue 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Indiana 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Northwestern 0 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from
AP Poll

The 1953 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the

AP Poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Polls.[1][2]

Center Dick O'Shaughnessy was the team captain, and right halfback Tony Branoff received the team's most valuable player award.[2] Two Michigan players received All-Big Ten honors: left end Bob Topp was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team player, and left halfback Ted Kress.[2][3]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Duncan McDonald with 293 passing yards, Tony Branoff with 501 rushing yards, and Bob Topp with 331 receiving yards.[4]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 26Washington*
W 50–044,086
October 3Tulane*No. 4
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI
W 26–751,960
October 10IowaNo. 5
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI
W 14–1349,551
October 17
rivalry
)		W 20–1264,420
October 24at MinnesotaNo. 5
L 0–2262,795
October 31Penn*daggerNo. 16
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI
W 24–1456,795[5]
November 7at No. 4
Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (series
    • )    		L 3–1969,507
    November 14at No. 4 Michigan State
    		L 6–1451,421
    November 21Ohio State
    • Michigan Stadium
    • Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)
    		W 20–087,048
    • *Non-conference game
    • daggerHomecoming
    • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

    [1][2]

    Statistical leaders

    Michigan's individual statistical leaders for the 1953 season include those listed below.[4][6]

    Rushing

    Player Attempts Net yards Yards per attempt Touchdowns
    Tony Branoff 100 501 5.0 5
    Ted Kress 101 339 3.4 5
    Bob Hurley 47 282 6.0 1

    Passing

    Player Attempts Completions Interceptions Comp % Yards Yds/Comp TD Long
    Duncan McDonald 46 20 3 43.5 293 14.7 4 49
    Lou Baldacci 51 21 6 41.2 285 13.6 1 36
    Ted Kress 43 19 7 44.2 238 12.5 1 44

    Receiving

    Player Receptions Yards Yds/Recp TD Long
    Bob Topp 23 331 14.4 2 66
    Gene Knutson 11 201 18.3 1 33
    Tony Branoff 11 151 13.7 1 44

    Kickoff returns

    Player Returns Yards Yds/Return TD Long
    Ted Kress 10 203 20.3 0 33
    Tony Branoff 6 130 21.7 0 28

    Punt returns

    Player Returns Yards Yds/Return TD Long
    Tony Branoff 8 90 11.3 0 18
    Ted Kress 12 63 5.3 0 16

    Personnel

    Letter winners

    Dick O'Shaughnessy, captain of the 1953 team
    End Bob Topp

    The following 31 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1953 team.[7] Players who started at least four games are shown with their names in bold.[2]

    • Fred Baer, 5'11", 180 pounds, junior, LaGrange, IL - fullback
    • Lou Baldacci, 6'0", 205 pounds, sophomore, Akron, OH - started 9 games at quarterback
    • James T. Balog, 6'3", 210 pounds, senior, Wheaton, IL - started 9 games at left tackle
    • Richard E. Balzhiser,[8] 6'0", 186 pounds, senior, Wheaton, IL - started 9 games at fullback
    • Richard A. Beison, 6'0", 200 pounds, senior, East Chicago, IN - started 9 games at right guard
    • Donald C. Bennett, 6'2", 195 pounds, senior, Chicago - tackle
    • Tony Branoff, 5'11", 180 pounds, sophomore, Flint, MI - started 9 games at right halfback
    • Theodore J. Cachey, 5'11", 185 pounds, senior, Chicago - guard
    • J. Daniel Cline, 5'10", 168 pounds, junior, Brockport, NY - halfback
    • Donald Dugger, 5'10", 185 pounds, senior, Charleston, WV - started 9 games at left end
    • George S. Dutter, 6'2", 190 pounds, senior, Fort Wayne, IN - end
    • James W. Fox, 6'0", 185 pounds, sophomore, Saginaw, MI - guard
    • H. Ronald Geyer, 6'2", 220 pounds, junior, Toledo, OH - tackle
    • Edward L. Hickey, 5'8", 160 pounds, senior, Anaconda, MT - halfback
    • Robert S. Hurley, 5'10", 180 pounds, senior, Alamosa, CO- fullback
    • Raymond K. Kenaga, 5'11", 170 pounds, junior, Sterling, IL - quarterback
    • Eugene P. Knutson, 6'4", 210 pounds, senior, Beloit, WI - started 8 games at right end
    • William P. Kolesar, 6'0", 190 pounds, sophomore, Mentor, OH - tackle
    • Ted Kress, 5'11", 175 pounds, senior, Kansas City, MO - started 9 games at left halfback
    • Duncan B. McDonald, 6'0", 175 pounds, junior, Flint, MI - quarterback
    • G. Edgar Meads, 6'0", 190 pounds, sophomore, Oxford, MI - guard
    • John M. Morrow, 6'2", 220 pounds, sophomore, Ann Arbor, MI - started 4 games at center
    • Dick O'Shaughnessy, 5'11", 190 pounds, senior, Seaford, NY - started 5 games at center
    • H. John Peckham Jr., 6'2", 220 pounds, sophomore, Sioux Falls, SD - center
    • Thad C. Stanford, 6'0", 175 pounds, senior, Midland, MI - end
    • Dick Strozewski, 6'0", 205 pounds, senior, South Bend, IN - started 9 games at left tackle
    • Bob Topp, 6'2", 190 pounds, senior, Kalamazoo, MI - started 8 games at left end, 1 game at right end
    • John J. Veselenak, 6'2", 190 pounds, junior, Flint, MI - end
    • Art Walker, 5'11" 200 pounds, junior, South Haven, MI - tackle
    • Gerald H. Williams, 6'2", 188 pounds, sophomore, Flint, MI - started 1 game at left end
    • Ronald M. Williams, 5'9", 185 pounds, senior, Massillon, OH - guard

    Coaches and staff

    Michigan's 1953 coaching, training, and support staff included the following persons.[2]

    Oosterbaan lifted to players' shoulders after 20-0 win over Ohio State
    • Trainer: Jim Hunt
    • Manager: Richard Petrie

    Awards and honors

    Tony Branoff, 1954 Most Valuable Player

    Honors and awards for the 1953 season went to the following individuals.[2]

    References

    1. ^ a b "1953 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
    2. ^ a b c d e f g "1953 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
    3. ^ "Coaches Pick Gopher's Giel". Ludington Daily News. November 24, 1953. p. 6.
    4. ^ a b "1953 Michigan Wolverines Statistics". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
    5. Newspapers.com
      .
    6. ^ "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 "1953" in the box for "Games & Totals by Season" and then, at the next screen, choosing "Display Season Totals")
    7. ^ "31 Wolverines Given Major Grid Letters". The Michigan Daily. November 24, 1953. p. 3.
    8. ^ Balzhiser was the first University of Michigan athlete to be inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
    9. ^ a b c d "Robinson, Orwig In New Grid Jobs". March 26, 1953. p. 3 – via Bentley Historical Library.
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