1945 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 1945 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1945 college football season. In their eighth year under head coach was Fritz Crisler, the Wolverines compiled a 7-3 record (5-1 Big Ten) and finished the season ranked #6in the final Associated Press Poll. Quarterback Joe Ponsetto was the team captain, and center Harold Watts won the Most Valuable Player award and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player.

On October 13, 1945, the Wolverines lost, 28-7, to Army at Yankee Stadium in New York. Outmanned by an Army team that was loaded with talent that included 1945 and 1946 Heisman Trophy winners Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis, Crisler unveiled a platoon system in which separate groups played offense and defense. According to one account, Crisler developed the two-platoon system "in a bout of desperation." Crisler later recalled, "I reported the plan to the players and told them we might have a lot of fun. At the end of three periods we were tied 7-7 and I knew it couldn't last. I knew sooner or later Army would overpower us. And that's what happened. We lost 28 to 7—but we had a lot of fun."

Michigan's three losses during the 1945 season came against teams ranked in the top four in the final AP Poll: #1 Army (28-7 loss at Yankee Stadium), #2 Navy (33-7 loss at Baltimore Stadium), and #4 Indiana (13-7 loss at Michigan Stadium). The Wolverines also defeated three ranked opponents in Illinois, Minnesota, and Ohio State. In their seven victories, the team registered three shutouts and outscored the teams 166 to 25, including margins of 40-0 and 26-0 in rivalry games against Michigan State and Minnesota.

Varsity letter winners
The following 29 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1945 Michigan football team. For players who were starters, the list also includes the number of games started by position.
 * Warren W. Bentz - started 1 game at right halfback
 * Bob Callahan, tackle, St. Louis, Missouri
 * George J. Chiames, fullback, Freeport, Illinois
 * Robert Derleth, tackle, Marquette, Michigan
 * Dan Dworsky, fullback, Sioux Falls, South Dakota - started 5 games at fullback, 2 games at quarterback
 * Pete Elliott, halfback, Bloomington, Illinois - started 2 games at left halfback
 * James H. Foltz, fullback, Toledo, Ohio
 * Henry Fonde, halfback, Knoxville, Tennessee - started 2 games at right halfback
 * Len Ford, end, Washington, D.C.
 * Cecil Freihofer, guard, Indianapolis, Indiana
 * Donovan P. Hershberger, end, Freeport, Illinois - started 7 games at left end, 1 game at right end
 * Eugene "Gene" Hinton, tackle, Drumright, Oklahoma - started 10 games at right tackle
 * George H. Johnson, tackle, Columbus, Ohio - started 10 games at left tackle
 * John F. Lintol, guard, Detroit, Michigan - started 2 games at right guard
 * Edward D. McNeill, end, Toledo, Ohio - started 3 games at left end, 2 games at right end
 * Tony Momsen, center, Toledo, Ohio - 2 games at center
 * Wesley W. Muelder, halfback, Colfax, Illinois
 * Bob Nussbaumer, halfback, Oak Park, Illinois - started 7 games at right halfback
 * Joe Ponsetto, quarterback, Flint, Michigan - started 6 games at quarterback
 * Michael Prashaw, tackle, Massena, New York
 * Art Renner, end, Sturgis, Michigan - started 7 games at right end
 * John E. Smith, guard, Muncie, Indiana - started 1 game at left guard
 * Joe Soboleski, guard, Grand Rapids, Michigan - guard
 * Wally Teninga, halfback, Chicago, Illinois - started 7 games at left halfback
 * Dominic Tomasi, guard, Flint, Michigan - started 9 games at left guard
 * Harold Watts, center, Birmingham, Michigan - started 8 games at center
 * Jack Weisenburger, halfback, Muskegon Heights, Michigan - started 5 games at fullback, 1 game at left halfback
 * Stu Wilkins, guard, Canton, Ohio - started 8 games at right guard
 * Howard Yerges, quarterback, Point Pleasant, West Virginia - started 2 games at quarterback

Non-varsity letter winners
The following players appeared on the roster of the 1945 Michigan football team but did not receive varsity letters.
 * Earl C. Albright, halfback, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 * James M. Artley, quarterback, Savannah, Georgia
 * Louis A. Brunstig, Jr., end, Rochester, Minnesota
 * Horace Coleman, halfback, Hamtramck, Michigan
 * William F. Crockett, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
 * Richard M. Davis, fullback, Downers Grove, Illinois
 * Howard R. Doty, quarterback, Downers Grove, Illinois
 * Edward Grenkoski, end, Saginaw, Michigan
 * George Hutter, quarterback, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
 * C. Robert Johnson, tackle, Dearborn, Michigan
 * Russell L. Kavanaugh, center, Detroit, Michigan
 * Stanley J. Kuick, end, Midland, Michigan
 * Frank Nakamura, guard, Ann Arbor, Michigan
 * John A. Ott, halfback, Traverse City, Michigan
 * William Pratt, tackle, Traverse City, Michigan
 * Russell Reader, halfback, Dearborn, Michigan
 * William A. Redmnd, quarterback, Kalamazoo, Michigan
 * Don Robinson, halfback, Detroit, Michigan
 * Reginald G. Sauls, halfback, Detroit, Michigan
 * Philip Stangle, tackle, St. Cloud, Minnesota
 * Robert L. Swanson, center, Lansing, Michigan
 * Robert Wahl, tackle, Oak Park, Illinois
 * John Weyers, guard, Page, North Dakota
 * Dennis Youngblood, end, Rochester, Michigan

Awards and honors

 * Captain: Joseph Ponsetto
 * All-Conference: Harold Watts
 * Most Valuable Player: Harold Watts

Coaching staff

 * Head coach: Fritz Crisler
 * Assistant coaches: William Barclay, Ray Fisher, Earl Martineau, Ernest McCoy, Clarence "Biggie" Munn, Bennie Oosterbaan, Arthur Valpey, Walter Weber
 * Trainer: Ray Roberts
 * Manager: Donald MacMullan, John Tishman, Leonard Budzen (assistant), Robert Keselring (assistant)