The 1928 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 1928 Big Ten Conference football season. The Wolverines compiled a 3–4–1 record (2–3 against Big Ten opponents), tied for seventh place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by their opponents by a total of 62 to 36. Before and during the season, a feud developed between head coach

Tad Wieman Elton Ewart "Tad" Wieman (October 4, 1896 – December 26, 1971) was an American football collegiate player, coach and athletic director. He played football for the University of Michigan from 1915 to 1917 and 1920 under head coach Fielding H. Yo ...

and

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

Fielding H. Yost Fielding Harris Yost (; April 30, 1871 – August 20, 1946) was an American football player, coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at: Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska, the University ...

, who had been the head coach until 1927. The team opened the season with four consecutive losses, the worst start by a Michigan football team to that point in time. During the losing streak, the Wolverines lost to

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 ...

, a program that had never beaten or even scored a point against a Michigan team, and

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 ...

, a program that had not beaten a Michigan team since 1899. The Wolverines finished the season with three wins and a tie; their victory over Big Ten champion

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 ...

spoiled an otherwise perfect season for the Illini. After the season, Wieman was removed as the team's head coach and replaced with

Harry Kipke Harry George Kipke (; March 26, 1899 – September 14, 1972) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was the head football coach at Michigan State College in 1928 and at the University of Michigan from 1929 to 1937 ...

Quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

/ halfback George Rich was the team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. Left tackle Otto Pommerening was selected as the team's most valuable player and as a consensus first-team player on the 1928 College Football All-America Team. Fullback

Joe Gembis Joseph George Gembis (September 29, 1907 – July 5, 1969), sometimes known by the nickname "Dynamite Joe", was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1926 to 1929 and professional foot ...

was the team's leading scorer with nine points on three

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

s and two

field goal 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 ...

Schedule

Season summary

Pre-season and Wieman-Yost feud

In 1927, Michigan compiled a 6–2 record with

Bennie Oosterbaan Benjamin Oosterbaan ( ; February 24, 1906 – October 25, 1990) was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team, and an All-Big Ten C ...

winning All-American honors for the third consecutive year. The 1927 team also included All-Big Ten Conference honorees

Louis Gilbert Louis Matthew Gilbert (September 15, 1906 – May 9, 1987) was an American football player. He played at the halfback position for the Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1925 to 1927. He was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Confer ...

at halfback and Ray Baer at guard. Oosterbaan, Gilbert, and Baer graduated in 1928, leaving coach

to rebuild the core of his team with new personnel. The 1928 season saw conflict between Wieman and athletic director

. Before the season began, Yost became restless and announced that he would return to his head coaching responsibilities. After taking control from Wieman, Yost then announced to newspapers the night before the season opener that Wieman was once again the head football coach. Wieman told friends that Yost had failed to notify him in advance, and "he was the most surprised man in the country" when Yost made the announcement. In October 1928, newspapers across the country reported that there had been a break between Yost and Wieman. The ''Detroit News'' reported, "While no official word of any eruption has been issued, it is well known in inner circles that Wieman is in rebellion and thinking seriously of leaving Ann Arbor." Wieman reportedly contended that he had never really been allowed to take control of the team and felt that he was being used as a scapegoat for the team's poor showing. In late October 1928, the athletic department issued a joint statement from Wieman and Yost denying any estrangement and noting that their relationship was too long and intimate to be jeopardized by "any minor misunderstandings." In an apparent compromise over responsibility for the team's poor showing, the statement noted, "For the handling of the football team up to October 5, Mr. Yost assumes full responsibility. Since the above date Mr. Wieman has been in charge as head coach."

Week 1: Ohio Wesleyan

On October 6, 1928, the inexperienced Michigan team opened its 1928 season with a 17–7 loss to 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 ...

. The game drew a crowd of between 50,000 and 55,000 persons, the largest crowd to watch an opening game in Michigan history. Michigan's lone touchdown was set up when Danny Holmes intercepted a pass and returned the ball to the Ohio Wesleyan two-yard line. George Rich then ran for the touchdown, and

kicked the extra point. Ohio Wesleyan scored touchdowns in the second and third quarters and kicked a field goal from the 27-yard line in the fourth quarter. The Ohio Wesleyan band played "that old familiar

air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

, ' We Don't Give a D--m for the Whole State of Michigan'" as it marched onto the field. The song was credited with inspiring Ohio Wesleyan to upset the Wolverines. According to another account, Ohio Wesleyan coach George Gauthier, a Michigan State alumnus, led his team in singing the song in the locker room before the game began. Ohio Wesleyan's victory was branded "the greatest upset" in Michigan football history. It was also the first for a team from Ohio over the Wolverines since 1921.

Week 2: Indiana

On October 13, 1928, Michigan lost to

by a 6–0 score before a crowd of 40,000 at Michigan Stadium. There were nearly 55,000 empty seats in the stadium. Harry Bullion of the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' criticized Michigan's tackling and blocking and described the match as "a listless game". Neither team scored through the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Indiana drove for a touchdown. Hoosier halfback Frank Faunce faked an end run and cut back to the inside, running 18 yards for the game's only score. Indiana missed the kick for extra point. The victory was Indiana's first ever against the Wolverines, and Faunce's touchdown marked the first time in a series dating back to 1900 that an Indiana team had scored a single point against a Michigan team. The Hoosiers out-gained the Wolverines by 206 rushing yards to 40. ''The Indianapolis Star'' described the game as "the greatest football day in Indiana's history within recent years."

Week 3: at Ohio State

On October 20, 1928, Michigan lost its rivalry game with

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 ...

by a 19–7 score before a crowd of 72,723 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 ...

. Ohio State dominated the game with 13 first downs to only one for Michigan. Byron Eby led the Buckeyes with 74 rushing yards on 17 carries. Michigan's touchdown was scored in the first quarter after a Michigan punt took an unexpected bounce, grazed Ohio State back Charles Coffee, and bounded into the end zone where it was recovered by

Leo Draveling Leo Frank "Firpo" Draveling (born June 23, 1907 – July 2, 1955) was an American football player. He played for the Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1928–1930 and for the Cincinnati Reds (NFL), Cincinnati Reds of the NFL in 1933. ...

for a touchdown.

kicked the extra point. The defeat broke Michigan's six-game winning streak against Ohio State, a streak that dated back to 1922.

Week 4: Wisconsin

On October 27, 1928, Michigan lost to

by a 7–0 score before a crowd of 55,000 on a partially rain-soaked field at Michigan Stadium. The game remained scoreless until the final two minutes of the fourth quarter when the Badgers' Sammy Behr threw a pass to Bo Cuisinier who grabbed the ball from the arms of a Michigan defender and ran the remaining 25 yards for a touchdown. It was Wisconsin's first victory over a Michigan football team since 1899. The loss was Michigan's fourth in a row to open the 1928 season, the first time in school history that Michigan had opened a season so poorly.

Week 5: Illinois

On November 3, 1928, Michigan defeated

by a 3–0 before a crowd estimated at 90,000 persons at Michigan Stadium. In a match dominated by defense, Michigan gained 95 yards from scrimmage on 43 attempts, while Illinois gained 122 yards on 50 attempts.

scored the game's only points in the first quarter on a field goal from placement from the 35-yard line. Gembis' field goal was set up when Alvin Dahlem intercepted a pass and returned it to the Illini 20-yard line.

Frosty Peters Forrest Ingram "Frosty" Peters (April 22, 1904 – April 17, 1980) was an American football player who played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Providence Steam Roller, Portsmouth Spartans, Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago ...

missed on two field goal attempts for the Illini. The outcome proved to be the only defeat for

Robert Zuppke Robert Carl Zuppke (July 2, 1879 – December 22, 1957) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1913 until 1941, compiling a career college football record of 131–81 ...

's Illini during the 1928 season, as Illinois won the Big Ten championship and shut out Northwestern, Chicago, and Ohio State.

Week 6: at Navy

On November 10, 1928, Michigan played

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

to a 6–6 tie before a crowd of approximately 35,000 at Municipal Stadium in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. After a scoreless first half, Johnny Gannon of Navy returned the second-half kickoff for 72 yards to Michigan's eight-yard lines. Gannon then ran for the touchdown on third down. Gannon's kick for extra point went wide. Michigan fullback

was injured prior to the game and was unavailable to play against Navy. Michigan tied the game in the fourth quarter when backup fullback Stanley Hozer led a 50-yard drive culminating with a short touchdown run. Michigan's kick for extra point was blocked. As time ran out, Navy attempted a field goal that went wide of the goal post. Michigan wore "bright yellow jerseys" for the game. One newspaper account described the new jerseys, unveiled for the Navy game, as "screeching yellow" and "of almost a screaming canary" color. The new jerseys "caused quite a stir", and was the first time in "many, many years" that Michigan had discarded its regular blue outfits. Coach Wieman ordered the yellow jerseys after Navy refused to depart from its traditional blue jerseys.

Week 7: Michigan State

On November 17, 1928, Michigan won its

rivalry game Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both ...

against

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 ...

by a 3–0 score before a crowd of 28,067 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Morris Hughes kicked a field goal from placement for Michigan in the second quarter. Michigan out-gained Michigan State by 110 net rushing yards to 29, and Michigan State out-gained Michigan in passing yards by 74 yards to 33 yards. Despite the victory, Harry Bullion wrote in the ''

'' that Michigan "played one of the worst football games they ever thought the system in force at Ann Arbor could display to public scrutiny." Michigan State's head coach for the 1928 season was

, the former Wolverine All-American who became Michigan's head coach starting in 1929.

Week 8: Iowa

On November 24, 1928, Michigan defeated

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

by a 10–7 score before a crowd of nearly 70,000 at Michigan Stadium. Michigan again wore its "screaming yellow jerseys" rather than the traditional blue jerseys. Iowa halfback

Willis Glassgow Willis Allen "Bill" Glassgow (April 21, 1907 – November 1, 1959) graduated from Shenandoah Iowa high school. Willis was an American football player and attorney. He played halfback for the University of Iowa from 1927 to 1929, was selected ...

ran 55 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Michigan fullback

kicked a field goal from the 27-yard line in the second period. Michigan halfback Alvin Dahlem ran 15 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to put Michigan in the lead. Gembis kicked the extra point.

Post-season

After the season, tackle Otto Pommerening was named the most valuable player on the 1928 Michigan team. He was also a consensus first-team tackle on the 1928 All-America team, receiving first-team honors from the

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, ''

Collier's Weekly ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...

'' (

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...

), and the

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

. Pommerening was also the only Michigan player to be honored on the 1928 All-Big Ten Conference football teams.(Walter Eckersall) Wieman was removed as the team's head coach in late May 1929.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

The following players won varsity letters for their work on the 1928 football team: Players who started at least half of Michigan's games are displayed in bold. *Marshall H. Boden - end * Alan Bovard - started 6 games at center *Francis M. Cornwell - end *Raymond A. Cragin - started 2 games at center, 2 games at left guard, 1 game at right tackle *Alvin G. Dahlem - started 2 games at right halfback, 1 game at left halfback *

- started 7 games at right end *

- started 5 games at fullback *Walter E. Geistert - halfback *Daniel W. Holmes - halfback *Stanley J. Hozer - started 2 games at fullback *Bruce W. Hulburt - started 4 games at right tackle * J. Wilfred Orwig - started 1 games at right end *Howard W. Poe - started 6 games at left guard, 1 game at right guard * Otto Pommerening - started 7 games at left tackle, 1 game at left end *Edwin B. Poorman - tackle *George E. Rich - started 4 games at quarterback, 2 games at left halfback, 1 game at right halfback, 1 game at fullback *

James Simrall James Orlando Harrison Simrall Jr. (November 16, 1909 – September 8, 1982) was an American football player and medical doctor. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Simrall enrolled at the University of Michigan where he played quarterback and Halfb ...

- started 3 games at left halfback, 2 games at right halfback *George G. Squier - started 1 game at right guard, 1 game at right tackle *Alfred E. Steinke - started 6 games at right guard *Harvey G. Straub - started 3 games at quarterback *John H. G. Totzke - started 1 game at left halfback, 1 game at right halfback * Joseph Truskowski - started 7 games at left end, 1 game at left tackle * John R. Wheeler - started 2 games at right halfback, 1 game at left halfback *Richard Jamison Williams - started 2 games at right tackle

aMa letter winners

The following players won aMa letters for their work on the 1928 football team:1929 Michiganesian, "1928 Varsity Football Team," page 190. *Carl J. Bauer *Milton E. Bergman - tackle *Clarence A. Biedenweg - halfback *Frank P. Brown - quarterback *William A. Brown - center *Clare F. Carter - end *Thomas M. Cook - center *William J. Dansby - fullback *Harold H. Hager - tackle *Morris Hughes - fullback *Douglass Kerr - end *Richard M. Lytle - fullback *Jennings McBride - halfback * Ernest B. McCoy - end *Robert O. Morgan - guard *Ray F. Parker - guard *Robert J. Patton - center *Marion A. Sherwood - center *Harsen A. Smith - end *Dominic E. Sullo *John C. Widman - halfback *John D. Whittle - halfback; started 1 game at quarterback *Donald L. Wilson

Awards and honors

*Captain: George Rich *All-Americans: Otto Pommerening *All-Conference: Otto Pommerening *Most Valuable Player: Otto Pommerening * Meyer Morton Award: Danny Holmes

Coaching staff

*Head coach:

*Assistant coaches:

Jack Blott Jack Leonard Blott (August 24, 1902 – June 11, 1964) was an All-American football center and place kicker for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1922–1923. He was also a baseball catcher for the Wolverines from 1922–1924. After ...

, Robert J. Brown,

Franklin Cappon Franklin C. "Cappy" Cappon (October 17, 1900 – November 29, 1961) was an American college football and college basketball player and coach. He played football and basketball at Phillips University and the University of Michigan and coached at Lu ...

Ray Courtright Raymond O. Courtright (September 19, 1891 – August 1979) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach of football, basketball, golf, and wrestling, and college athletics administrator. Courtright attended the University of Okl ...

Cliff Keen Clifford Patrick Keen (June 13, 1901 – November 4, 1991) was an American coach who served as the head coach of the University of Michigan collegiate wrestling team from 1925 to 1970. He led the Michigan Wolverines to 13 Big Ten Conference cha ...

, Ray Fisher, William Flora, James Miller,

, B.P. Traynor, George F. Veenker,

*Trainer: Charles B. Hoyt *Manager: Dana M. Norton, Edward J. Bellaire (assistant), Fred Widmann (assistant), Richard B. Fogarty (assistant), Harry W. Wallace (assistant)

Scoring leaders

References

External links

1928 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

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 ...