The 1996 Michigan Wolverines football team 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

1996 NCAA Division I-A football season The 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Florida Gators being crowned National Champions after defeating rival Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, which was the season's designated Bowl Alliance national championship game. Florida ha ...

. The team's head coach was

Lloyd Carr Lloyd Henry Carr Jr. (born July 30, 1945) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season. Under Carr, the Michigan Wolverines compiled a record ...

. The Wolverines played their home games 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 ...

. That year

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 ...

competed in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

in almost all intercollegiate sports including men's

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

. The 1996 Wolverines finished the season with an 8–4 record (5–3 in the Big Ten) and lost 17–14 to the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

in the

1997 Outback Bowl The 1997 Outback Bowl, part of the 1996 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1997, at Houlihan's Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 11th edition of the Outback Bowl featured the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference ( ...

. The team was ranked #20 in both the final coaches and AP polls.

Schedule

Game summaries

Illinois

Scott Dreisbach ran for 77 yards and a touchdown, completed 11 of 23 passes for 117 yards and threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Russell Shaw to lead the #12 ranked Wolverines to a 20-8 victory over Illinois at Michigan Stadium. Clarence Williams added 95 yards rushing and Remy Hamilton kicked two field goals.

at Colorado

The #11 ranked Wolverines traveled to Boulder to play #5 Colorado at Folsom Field. Michigan managed only 247 yards of total offense but held on for a 20-13 victory. The Buffaloes held a 13-10 halftime lead, but the Wolverine defense shut Colorado out in the 2nd half and scored on a Remy Hamilton 42 yard field goal and a 3 yard TD pass from Scott Dreisbach to Matt Tuman to complete the comeback. Colorado had one last chance on the final play of the game from the Michigan 37 yard line, called the same (Hail Mary) play as last year, only to have it knocked down in the end zone by Charles Woodson.

Boston College

Scott Dreisbach ran for a touchdown and completed 19 of 28 passes for 292 yards with two touchdown passes as the #8 ranked Wolverines held on for a 20-14 victory over Boston College at Michigan Stadium. Dreisbach’s TD passes went to Jerame Tuman and Russell Shaw. Tuman caught 4 passes for 99 yards. Jarrett Irons led the defense with 10 tackles and an interception. Clarence Williams ran for 133 yards on 25 carries.

UCLA

Chris Howard ran for 109 yards and scored 4 touchdowns as the #7 ranked Wolverines routed UCLA 38-9 before over 106,000 fans at Michigan Stadium. Scott Dreisbach completed 13 of 25 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown pass to Clarence Williams. Rob Sweet had an interception and Charles Woodson intercepted two passes to lead the defense.

at Northwestern

Michigan took a 16-0 lead into the 4th quarter only to see the #22 Wildcats storm back and score 17 straight points to upset the #5 Wolverines, 17-16. Brian Gowins kicked three field goals and LaValle Brown ran for a touchdown as Northwestern stunned Michigan with their 4th quarter comeback. Michigan forged a lead on Chris Howard’s touchdown run and three Remy Hamilton field goals. Scott Dreisbach completed 20 of 28 passes for 214 yards. Tai Streets caught 12 of those passes for 150 yards.

Indiana

Charles Woodson scored on a 48 yard reverse and caught 4 passes for 55 yards to lead #13 Michigan to a 27-20 victory over the Hoosiers before over 106,000 fans at Michigan Stadium. John Anes added a 1 yard touchdown while Scott Dreisbach completed 17 of 35 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown pass to Jerame Tuman. Dreisbach threw two interceptions, while Clarence Williams rushed for 93 yards on 22 carries.

at Minnesota

Michigan traveled to Minneapolis to play the Golden Gophers. The #10 ranked Wolverines rolled up 489 yards of total offense as they routed Minnesota, 44-10. Chris Howard ran for 129 yards and scored two touchdowns while Clarence Williams and John Anes ran for touchdowns. Scott Dreisbach, Brian Griese and Tom Brady combined for 237 yards passing with Dreisbach and Griese each throwing a TD pass. Marcus Knight and Tai Streets were on the receiving end of those TD passes.

Michigan State

Michigan retained the Paul Bunyan Trophy with a 45-29 victory over the Spartans before over 106,000 fans at Michigan Stadium. Chris Howard ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns while Clarence Williams added 100 yards on 19 carries. Scott Dreisbach completed 14 of 23 passes for 203 yards with 4 touchdown passes. Jerame Tuman caught two TD passes with Russell Shaw and Charles Woodson each catching one. The Wolverine defense intercepted 4 Spartan passes. Marcus Ray had two INT’s while Charles Woodson and Clint Copenhaver each had one.

at Purdue

The game was tied 3-3 heading into the 4th quarter and the Boilermakers scored on a Brian Alford 5 yard pass to Rick Trefzger to upset the #9 ranked Wolverines at Ross-Ade Stadium. Michigan’s only points were a Remy Hamilton 21 yard field goal. They managed only 56 yards on the ground. Scott Dreisbach completed 18 of 37 passes for 233 yards and threw two interceptions.

Penn State

The #11 ranked Nittany Lions intercepted four Michigan passes and left Michigan Stadium with a 29-17 victory over #16 Michigan. Chris Howard ran for 120 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough for the Wolverines to overcome the staunch Penn State defense. Scott Dreisbach completed 12 of 26 passes for 191 yards and a 25 yard TD pass to Aaron Shea, but threw 3 interceptions. Tai Streets caught 6 passes for 93 yards.

at Ohio State

Brian Griese came off the bench to direct a comeback from a 9-0 halftime deficit and lead the Wolverines to one its most memorable comebacks against its biggest rival as they upset the #2 ranked Buckeyes, 13-9. Remy Hamilton kick two field goals (44 yards and 39 yards) which were preceded by Tai Streets 68 yard touchdown reception from Griese. Chris Howard rushed for 105 yards. Marcus Ray’s interception on the final play sealed the victory for Michigan.

Outback Bowl

Alabama scored first on a 43 yard field goal from placekicker Jon Brock to take an early 3–0 lead. Remy Hamilton of Michigan answered in the second quarter with 44 and 22 yard field goals to take a 6–3 advantage at the half. In the fourth quarter, Michigan was driving for another touchdown, when Brian Griese threw a pass that was intercepted at the 12 yard line by Dwayne Rudd of Alabama, and returned 88 yards for a touchdown, and a 10–6 Alabama lead. Running back Shaun Alexander put the game out of reach with 2:46 left, by running for a 46 yard touchdown run, increasing Alabama's lead to 17–6. Griese threw a 9 yard touchdown pass to Russell Shaw to close the gap to 17–14, but that would be the final score.

Roster

Statistical achievements

On October 5,

Tai Streets Tai Lamar Streets (born April 20, 1977) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected with the second pick of the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. H ...

tied the school record of 12 single-game receptions set in 1958 by Brad Myers and broken in 2001 by

Marquise Walker Marquise Walker (born December 11, 1978) is a former professional American football wide receiver and punt returner who signed to play in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Michigan where he se ...

Remy Hamilton Remy Martin Hamilton (born August 30, 1974) is a former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). In college, he was an All-American for the Michigan Wolverines football team. A ...

, set the school record for consecutive

field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

made (14). The closest challenger in

history has made 9 consecutive (K.C. Lopata, 2007). The streak fell one short of

Vlade Janakievski Vlade Janakievski (born April 10, 1957) is a former American football placekicker for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Janakievski was born in North Macedonia while it was part of Yugoslavia and moved to the United States with his parents in 1967 at the ...

's Big Ten record set in 1979–80. Hamilton concluded his career with the 1st (25, 1994), 2nd (19, 1995) and 3rd (18, 1996) highest single-season field goal totals in Michigan history, but

Garrett Rivas Garrett Rivas (born June 1, 1985) is a former American football kicker who played in af2 and the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Michigan where he held the former school records for career scoring, field goals and poi ...

has tied him for second twice (2005 & 2006). Mike Gillette had previously held the record with 18 in 1988. The 25 continues to be the Big Ten record. Hamilton also established the Michigan career field goals made record (63), which Rivas has since surpassed by one. Gillette had totaled 57 in his career ending in 1988. Hamilton fell two shy of the Big Ten record by Todd Gregoire.

Awards and honors

*Co-captains:

Jarrett Irons Jarrett Irons is a former American football player. A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Irons played college football as a linebacker at the University of Michigan from 1993 to 1996. He was a team co-captain of the 1995 and 1996 teams and was s ...

Rod Payne Rod Payne (born June 14, 1974) is a former professional American football center who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He is also a former All-American center who played for the University of Michigan ...

*All-Americans: Rod Payne, Jarrett Irons, William Carr, Charles Woodson *All-Conference: Jarret Irons, Rod Payne,

David Bowens David Walter Bowens (born July 3, 1977) is a former American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college footbal ...

, William Carr, Damon Denson,

Marcus Ray Marcus Kenyon Ray (born August 14, 1976) is an American football coach and former player. In college, he played for the Michigan Wolverines football team and was a member of the 1997 squad that won a national championship. Ray played professio ...

Jerame Tuman Jerame Dean Tuman (born March 24, 1976) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers, defeating the Seattle Seahawks. He played ...

, Charles Woodson *Most Valuable Player: Rod Payne *Meyer Morton Award: Damon Denson *John Maulbetsch Award: Charles Woodson *Frederick Matthei Award:

Jon Jansen Jonathan Ward Jansen (born January 28, 1976) is a former American football offensive tackle. He previously played for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the s ...

*Arthur Robinson Scholarship Award:

Brian Griese Brian David Griese ( ; born March 18, 1975) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the th ...

*Dick Katcher Award: William Carr *Hugh Rader Jr. Award: Rod Payne *Robert P. Ufer Award: Damon Denson *Roger Zatkoff Award: Jarrett Irons

Coaching staff

*Head coach:

*Assistant coaches:

Vance Bedford Vance Juano Bedford (born August 20, 1958) is an American football coach who last served as defensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin for head coach Charlie Strong. He was previously the defensive coordinator at the University ...

Erik Campbell John Erik Campbell (born January 21, 1966) is an American gridiron football coach and former player. He is currently the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Bowling Green State University football team. Campbell played c ...

Mike DeBord Mike DeBord (born February 7, 1956) is an American football coach who was most recently the offensive coordinator at the University of Kansas. He was previously the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football ...

Jim Herrmann James Herrmann (born December 8, 1960) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL and was recently the defensive coordinator for the New York Guardians of ...

Brady Hoke Brady Patrick Hoke (; born November 3, 1958) is an American football coach in his second stint as the head coach at San Diego State University. He was previously the head coach at the University of Michigan from 2011 to 2014. Hoke grew up in O ...

, Fred Jackson,

Greg Mattison Greg Mattison (born November 15, 1949) is a former American football coach, and former player. He spent most of his career in college football as a defensive coach. Mattison coached at Michigan for eleven years, at Notre Dame for seven years, ...

, Bobby Morrison, Stan Parrish *Trainer: Paul Schmidt *Managers: Jason Armstrong, Rob Avin, Adam Bahr, Patrick Bolger, Adam Clous, Jon Datz, Jared Drinkwater, Michael Levine, Eddie Magnus, Mike Sajdak, Tibor Tuske, Mike Youtan

References

External links

1996 Football Team -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History
{{Michigan Wolverines football navbox

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