The 1960 Michigan Wolverines football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team that represented the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in the 1960 Big Ten Conference football season. In its second year under head coach

Bump Elliott Chalmers William "Bump" Elliott (January 30, 1925 – December 7, 2019) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University (1943–1944) and the University of Michigan (1946–19 ...

, Michigan compiled a 5–4 record (3–4 against conference opponents), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 133 to 84. Gerald Smith was the team captain and was selected by both the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

and

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as the second-team center on the 1960 All-Big Ten Conference football team. Halfback

Dennis Fitzgerald Joseph Dennis Fitzgerald (March 13, 1936 – January 14, 2001) was an American freestyle wrestler and football player and coach. Fitzgerald played college football as a halfback at the University of Michigan and was selected as named the most val ...

received the team's most valuable player award. The team's statistical leaders included

Dave Glinka David J. Glinka (born January 22, 1941) is a retired American football player. He played at the quarterback position for the University of Michigan from 1960 to 1962. Early years A native of Toledo, Ohio, Glinka attended Toledo Catholic Central ...

with 755 passing yards,

Bennie McRae Benjamin Prince "Bennie" McRae (December 8, 1939November 22, 2012) was an American football player. A native of Newport News, Virginia, McRae played college football as a halfback at the University of Michigan from 1959 to 1961 and profession ...

with 342 rushing yards, Robert Johnson with 230 receiving yards, and Dave Raimey with 36 points scored.

Schedule

Season summary

Preseason

The 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team compiled a 4–5 in its first season under head coach

. Several players from the 1959 team were lost to graduation, including fullback and most valuable player

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 t ...

, halfback

Fred Julian Alfred J. Julian Jr. (January 27, 1938 – May 4, 2013) was an American football player and coach. He was a starting defensive back for the New York Titans (football), New York Titans (renamed the Jets in 1963) during their 1960 New York Titans s ...

, quarterback

Stan Noskin Stanton Charles Noskin (born June 12, 1938) is a former American football player. He played at the quarterback position for the University of Michigan from 1957 to 1959. He was the starting quarterback for the 1959 Michigan Wolverines football t ...

, and 1959 team captain

George Genyk George William Genyk (June 6, 1938 – April 29, 2017) was an American football lineman and coach. Genyk played college football for the University of Michigan from 1957 to 1959 and was the captain of the 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team, ...

. In May 1960, end

Bill Freehan William Ashley Freehan (November 29, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers. The premier catcher in the American League for several years from the 19 ...

received the team's Meyer Morton Award as the most improved player in the team's spring practice. In June 1960, halfback Jack Strobel received the team's John Maulbetsch Award on the basis of "need, scholastic ability, together with a capacity, promise and desire for leadership and success."

Oregon

On September 24, Michigan opened its season with a 21–0 victory over

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The game was played before a crowd of 50,889 at

Michigan Stadium Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third largest stadium in the world, and the ...

. On the opening drive, Michigan drove 53 yards for a touchdown. Sophomore halfback Dave Raimey ran 25 yards for the score on the first carry of his collegiate career. Sophomore quarterback

, also playing in his first collegiate game, threw touchdown passes of 10 yards to

George Mans George W. Mans Jr. (January 31, 1940 – December 20, 2017) was an American college football player and coach and politician. He was the captain of the 1961 Michigan Wolverines football team, an assistant football coach at the University of Michig ...

and nine yards to Scott Maentz. Michigan out-gained the Webfoots by a total of 377 yards to 135. Mans caught four passes for 65 yards and, playing on defense as well, recovered an Oregon fumble. Ken Tureaud led the Wolverines with 58 rushing yards.

Michigan State

On October 1, Michigan lost its annual

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

game with

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

, 24–17, before a record-setting crowd of 76,490 at Spartan Stadium in

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

. Michigan held a 17–14 lead at halftime. The highlight of the first half was a 99-yard kickoff return by Michigan halfback

. In a game that saw seven changes in the lead, Michigan State fullback Carl Charon scored the game-winning touchdown on a three-yard run with less than three minutes remaining in the game. In the ''Detroit Free Press'',

Lyall Smith Lyall F. Smith (November 22, 1914 – October 8, 1991) was an American sports writer and editor. He was the sports editor and columnist for the Detroit Free Press from 1945 to 1965 and the president of the Baseball Writers' Association of Ame ...

called it one of the most sensational matches in the history of the rivalry: "It had everything. It had more than everything. It was one of collegiate football's greatest days and, if you don't believe it, wait about 20 years from now. They'll still be talking about it."

Duke

On October 8, Michigan defeated

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, 31–6, before a crowd of 77,183 at Michigan Stadium. Sophomore halfback Dave Raimey rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

also scored twice on a one-yard run and five-yard pass reception.

Northwestern

On October 15, Michigan defeated Northwestern, 14–7, before a crowd of 64,514 at

. Michigan took a 6–0 lead in the second quarter on a 35-yard touchdown pass from

to Bob Johnson, but John Halsted's extra-point kick went wide. Early in the fourth quarter, Dave Raimey fumbled a punt at the Wolverines' 27-yard line. On fourth-and-two, Northwestern took the lead on a 19-yard pitchout and run by Al Kimbrough. Glinka then completed a 50-yard pass to Johnson at the one-yard line. The pass was nearly intercepted by two Northwestern defenders, but the ball was bumped from the defenders into Johnson's hands. Fullback Bill Tunnicliff then ran the remaining yard for the game-winning touchdown, and Glinka passed to

for a two-point conversion. After the game, Northwestern coach

Ara Parseghian Ara Raoul Parseghian (; hy, Արա Ռաուլ Պարսեղյան; May 21, 1923 – August 2, 2017) was an American football player and coach who guided the University of Notre Dame to national championships in 1966 and 1973. He is noted for br ...

credited Michigan's line: "Michigan's line is much better than we expected and much faster than last year."

Minnesota

On October 22, Michigan lost to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

by a 10–0 score in the annual Little Brown Jug game before a crowd of 69,352 at

. Michigan turned the ball over seven times on five fumbles and two interceptions. Jim Rogers scored all 10 points for Minnesota on a two-yard run, an extra point, and a field goal. After the game, Minnesota players carried coach

Murray Warmath Murray Warmath (December 26, 1912 – March 16, 2011) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi State University from 1952 to 1953 and at the University of Minnesota from 1954 to 1971, compili ...

off the field.

Wisconsin

On October 29, Michigan lost to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, 16–13, before a crowd of 57,629 at

Camp Randall Stadium Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895 ...

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. Michigan halfback Dave Raimey scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half to give Michigan a 13–6 lead at halftime.

Jim Bakken James LeRoy Bakken (born November 2, 1940) is an American former professional football player who was a punter and placekicker for the National Football League’s St. Louis Cardinals. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and was named to the ...

kicked a game-winning 19-yard field goal with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

Illinois

On November 5, Michigan defeated

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, 8–7, before a crowd of 62,927 at Michigan Stadium. The game matched brothers

and

Pete Elliott Peter R. Elliott (September 29, 1926 – January 4, 2013) was an American football player and coach. Elliott served as the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (1956), the University of California, Berkeley (1957–1959), ...

, head coaches of the Wolverines and Illini. Illinois took a 7–0 lead on a four-yard pass from Johnny Easterbrook to Marshall Starks. In the second quarter, Michigan gambled on a fake punt on fourth-and-seven;

took the snap on the fake and threw for a 17-yard gain to Bob Johnson at Illinois' 26-yard line. The Wolverines' then drove to the one-yard line with Bill Tunnicliff scoring on a one-yard run. Glinka then passed to Fitzgerald for a two-point conversion, giving Michigan its winning margin of one point. Neither team scored in the second half.

Indiana

On November 12, Michigan defeated

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 29–7, before a crowd of 51,936 at Michigan Stadium. Indiana, which had beaten Michigan in the prior two meetings, drove 85 yards on its opening possession, capped by a 58-yard run by Mike Lopa. Michigan took the lead in the second quarter on a 31-yard pass from

to Scott Maentz. The score was 8–7 at halftime, but Michigan held Indiana to only seven yards in the second half. Michigan scored three touchdowns in the second half on runs by Bill Tunnicliff, Ken Tureaud, and John Kowalik. Two of Michigan's second-half touchdowns were aided by Indiana fumbles inside its 20-yard line.

led Michigan's backs with 87 rushing yards. Substituting extensively, Michigan used 56 players in the game. Michigan's leading scorer Dave Raimey did not play due to an ankle injury. The Indiana game did not count in the Big Ten standings as a penalty for Indiana's violation of recruiting rules. After the game, Indiana coach

Phil Dickens William Phillip Dickens (June 29, 1914 – November 16, 1983) was an American football player, coach of football, basketball and baseball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Wofford College (1947–1952), ...

commented on the talent disparity between the teams: "You don't go bear hunting with a switch."

Ohio State

On November 19, Michigan defeated

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

, 7–0, before a crowd of 83,107 at

Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is also the site for the university's Spring Commencement c ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. The game was scoreless through three quarters. Early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State fullback Bob Ferguson ran 17 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Michigan's defense held the Buckeyes, the leading offense in the Big Ten with an average of 335 yards per game, to 168 yards of

total offense Total offense (or total offence) is a gridiron football statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a team or player. Total offense differs from yards from scrimmage, which gives credit for passing yardage to the ...

. Michigan totaled 218 yards. After the game, Michigan coach

said: "We played good football, but we didn't get the big play. It was a shame to lose after playing so well." Ohio State coach

Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University (1946–1948), Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (1949–1950), and Ohio State University (1951 ...

also praised Michigan's defense: "Michigan was the hardest-hitting defensive team we played all year."

Award season

No Michigan players were named to the 1960 All-America team. Team captain and center Gerald Smith received second-team honors from the

and

on the 1960 All-Big Ten Conference football team. At the school's annual football "bust" on November 28, senior halfback

received the team's most valuable player award.

Personnel

Players

The following 38 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1960 Michigan football team. Players who started at least four games are shown with their names in bold. * Reid Bushong, 6'1", 185 pounds, senior Toledo, OH – started 1 game at left halfback * Keith E. Cowan – end * Guy Curtis – tackle * Guy J. DeStefano – fullback *

, 5'10", 185 pounds, senior, Ann Arbor, MI – started 2 games at right halfback *

, 6'3", 195 pounds, end, Royal Oak, MI – started 2 games at left end *

, 6'1", 198 pounds, quarterback, Toledo, OH – started 3 games at quarterback * Todd Grant – center * Lee Hall, 6'0", 208 pounds, junior, Charlotte, MI – started 2 games at left guard * John Halsted, 6'2", 208 pounds, senior, Bay City, MI – started 1 game at left end * Donald Hannah – quarterback * Willard R. Hildebrand – tackle * John Houtman – center * Thomas Jobson, 6'0", 215 pounds, senior, Flint, MI – started 9 games at left tackle * Robert Johnson, 6'2", 201 pounds, senior, Chicago – started 9 games at right end * Thomas Kerr – center * Scott Maentz, 6'3", 206 pounds, junior, East Grand Rapids, MI – started 6 games at left end *

– tackle * Gary McNitt, 5'10", 191 pounds, senior, Mesick, MI – started 4 games at right halfback *

, 6'0", 170 pounds, junior, Newport News, VA – started 8 games at left halfback * John Minko – guard * Joe O'Donnell – fullback * David Palomaki – tackle * Paul Poulos, 5'11", 205 pounds, senior, Ambridge, PA – started 7 games at left guard * J. Paul Raeder – halfback * Dave Raimey, 5'10", 190 pounds, sophomore, Dayton, OH – started 3 games at right halfback * Jon Schopf, 6'2", 228 pounds, junior, Grand Rapids, MI – started 9 games at right tackle * Gerald Smith, 5'11", 190 pounds, senior, Detroit – started 9 games at center * John Stamos, 6'1", 208 pounds, junior, Chicago – started 6 games at quarterback * William R. Stine – tackle * Jack Strobel – halfback * Dick Syring, 6'0", 192 pounds, senior, Bay City, MI – started 9 games at right guard * Bill Tunnicliff, 6'1", 210 pounds, junior, Ferndale, MI – started 1 game at fullback * Ken Tureaud, 6'1", 198 pounds, junior, Detroit – started 7 games at fullback * Rudd Van Dyne, 6'0", 198 pounds, senior, Sedalia, MO – started 1 game at fullback * John C. Walker – center * Grant W. Walls Jr. – tackle * James A. Ward – halfback

Coaches and other staff

* Head coach:

* Assistant coaches: :*

Don Dufek Donald Patrick Dufek Jr. (born April 28, 1954) is a former American football player who played safety and special teams for eight seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He had previously played for the Michigan W ...

– freshman coach :*

Henry Fonde Henry Fonde (January 13, 1924 – May 3, 2009) was an American football player and coach. He played for the University of Michigan from 1945 to 1947 under head coach Fritz Crisler. In ten years as the head football coach at Ann Arbor Pioneer ...

– backfield coach :*

Jack Fouts Jack D. Fouts (September 8, 1925 – March 1, 2012) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Ohio Wesleyan University from 1964 to 1983 and at Cornell University Cornell University is a priv ...

– interior line coach :* Robert Hollway – defensive and line coach :* Jack "Jocko" Nelson -–end coach * Trainer:

Jim Hunt James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American politician and retired attorney who was the List of governors of North Carolina, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governo ...

* Team doctor: A. W. Coxon * Manager: Fred Nemancheck

Statistical leaders

Michigan's individual statistical leaders for the 1960 season include those listed below.(statistics retrieved by entering "1960" in the box for "Games & Totals by Season" and then, at the next screen, choosing "Display Season Totals")

Rushing

Passing

Receiving

Scoring

Kickoff returns

Punt returns

References

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Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Michigan Wolverines football seasons

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its ...