1952 Michigan Wolverines football team

American college football season

1952 Michigan Wolverines football

Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	5–4 (4–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bennie Oosterbaan (5th season)
MVP	Ted Topor
Captain	Merritt Green
Home stadium	Michigan Stadium
Seasons← 1951 1953 →

1952 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		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

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. For the second consecutive season, Michigan was not ranked in the final AP Poll; it was ranked at No. 17 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.

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

Lowell Perry was selected by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) as a first-team defensive back on the 1952 College Football All-America Team. 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).

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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 27	No. 1 Michigan State*		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	L 13–27	96,490
October 4	at Stanford*		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 7–14	25,000
October 11	Indiana		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	W 28–13	53,840
October 18	at Northwestern		Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (rivalry)	W 48–14	40,000
October 25	Minnesota	No. 19	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (Little Brown Jug)	W 21–0	72,404
November 1	Illinois	No. 15	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	L 13–22	65,595
November 8	Cornell*		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	W 49–7	48,614
November 15	No. 10 Purdue	No. 20	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	W 21–10	58,964
November 22	at Ohio State	No. 12	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry)	L 7–27	81,541
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

Northwestern

Ted Kress 20 Rush, 218 Yds

Statistical leaders

Michigan's individual statistical leaders for the 1952 season include those listed below.

Rushing

Player	Attempts	Net yards	Yards per attempt	Touchdowns
Ted Kress	135	627	4.6	6
Tony Branoff	86	342	4.0	2
Dick Balzhiser	75	327	4.4	2

Passing

Player	Attempts	Completions	Interceptions	Comp %	Yards	Yds/Comp	TD	Long
Ted Kress	85	45	7	52.9	559	12.4	4	52
Ted Topor	58	33	4	56.9	440	13.3	2	25
Duncan McDonald	17	7	2	41.2	90	12.9	2	38

Receiving

Player	Receptions	Yards	Yds/Recp	TD	Long
Lowell Perry	31	492	15.9	5	52
Ted Topor	18	208	11.6	4	32
Thad Stanford	12	200	16.7	0	48

Kickoff returns

Player	Returns	Yards	Yds/Return	TD	Long
Tony Branoff	6	145	24.2	0	31
Don Oldham	7	123	17.6	0	30
Frank Howell	6	100	16.7	0	26

Punt returns

Player	Returns	Yards	Yds/Return	TD	Long
Lowell Perry	12	73	6.1	0	15
Don Oldham	5	31	6.2	0
Dave Tinkham	4	27	6.8	0	6

Personnel

Letter winners

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.

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 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, Charleston, 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

Head coach: Bennie Oosterbaan
Assistant coaches:

Jack Blott - line coach
George Ceithaml - backfield coach
Cliff Keen - head wrestling coach and assistant football coach
Bill Orwig - end coach
Don Robinson - junior varsity coach
Wally Weber - freshman coach and scout
J. T. White - assistant line coach

Trainer: Jim Hunt
Manager: Gerry Dudley

Awards and honors

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

Captain: Merritt Green
All-Americans: Lowell Perry
All-Conference: Roger Zatkoff, Art Walker, Bob Timm, Dick O'Shaughnessy, Ted Kress
Most Valuable Player: Ted Topor
Meyer Morton Award: Gene Knutson

References

^ "1952 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
^ "1952 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
"Michigan State Tops Litratings; Tech Is Runnerup". The Nashville Banner. October 19, 1952. p. 38 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. 2005. p. 1228. ISBN 1401337031.
"3 Badgers on AP All Big Ten Team". The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin. November 24, 1952. p. 19.
Ed Sainsbury (November 26, 1952). "Michigan, Badgers Each Land Trio On All-Big Ten Squad". Nevada State Journal. p. 11.
^ "1952 Michigan Wolverines Statistics". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
George S. Alderton (September 28, 1952). "State Racks Up 16th Win in Row". Lansing State Journal. pp. 1, 51 – via Newspapers.com.
Middlesworth, Hal (November 9, 1952). "Cornell Pays Penalty for Upset, 49-7". The Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Mich. p. 48 – via Newspapers.com.
University of Michigan Football Record Book Pt. 1
"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")
Balzhiser was the first University of Michigan athlete to be inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
"Expert Coaching Staff Makes Wolverines Grid Power". The Michigan Daily. September 17, 1952. pp. 1, 10 – via Bentley Historical Library.

v t e Michigan Wolverines football
Venues	Washtenaw County Fairgrounds (1883–1892) Regents Field (1893–1905) Ferry Field (1906–1926) Michigan Stadium (1927–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Chicago (defunct) Illinois Michigan State Minnesota: Little Brown Jug Northwestern: George Jewett Trophy Notre Dame Ohio State (The Ten Year War) Penn State
Culture & lore	Early years Yost era Kipke years Crisler years Oosterbaan years Elliott years The Ten Year War Snow Bowl 1969 Ohio State game 1973 Ohio State game Miracle at Michigan 2001 Michigan State game 2006 Ohio State game 2007 Appalachian State game 2015 Michigan State game Sign-stealing scandal Biff M Club banner "The Victors" "Varsity" "We Don't Give a Damn" "Mr. Brightside" Marching band
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National championship seasons in bold

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