Otto Pommerening

Otto P. Pommerening (January 26, 1904 – February 1, 1992) was an All-American football player for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1927-1928. He was a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

During the 1928 season, Pommerening became the first player in the history of the Big Ten Conference to play every minute of every game for his team. One wire service report noted that he set the endurance record despite having suffered a severe head injury early in the season.

An Iowa newspaper credited Michigan's "big tackle" Pommerening as one of the players deserving credit in Michigan's 10-7 win over Iowa in 1928. The paper wrote that Pommerening "ripped wide holes in the Iowa line as Michigan started their winning drive."

Pommerening was a unanimous All-American for his play at tackle in 1928. In December 1928, the United Press named Pommerening to its All-American team at tackle, noting that Pommerening, "in a weak Michigan line stood out as the greatest in many a 'Big Ten' season." He was listed at 5 feet, 11 inches, and 178 pounds. Pommerening also finished fourth in the voting for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy, awarded to the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference. He also was selected as the Most Valuable Player on the 1928 Wolverines football team and is regarded as one of the best linemen ever to play for the Michigan Wolverines.

Pommerening had hoped to play in 1929 but was ruled ineligible in November 1928 because he played five minutes in a game against Oklahoma A & M during his sophomore year.

Pommerening appeared in the 1930 film "Maybe It's Love." The film, directed by William A. Wellman, was a genre football comedy starring Joan Bennett, Joe E. Brown, and members of the 1928 and 1929 All-American football teams and USC coach Howard Jones.

On May 8, 1932, Pommerening married Laura Mercer, a graduate nurse of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. At the time, Pommerening was employed as an engineer. In 1936, he was reported to be working for Ford Motor Company in Detroit.

In 1963, Pommerening was one of the pallbearers (along with Ernie Vick, Jack Blott, Bennie Oosterbaan, Whitey Wistert, and Harry Newman) at the funeral of Michigan football legend Willie Heston.

Pommerening died in 1992 at West Bloomfield, Michigan. He was a resident of Livonia, Michigan at the time of his death.