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1959 Michigan Wolverines football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
1959 record4–5 (3–4 Big Ten)
Head coachBump Elliott (1st season)
MVPTony Rio
CaptainGeorge Genyk
Home stadiumMichigan Stadium
Seasons
← 1958
1960 →
1959 Big Ten football standings
v · d · e Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#6/6 Wisconsin 5 2 0     7 3 0
#NR/16 Michigan State 4 2 0     5 4 0
Purdue 4 2 1     5 2 2
#13/12 Illinois 4 2 1     5 3 1
Northwestern 4 3 0     6 3 0
Iowa 3 3 0     5 4 0
Michigan 3 4 0     4 5 0
Indiana 2 4 1     4 4 1
Ohio State 2 4 1     3 5 1
Minnesota 1 6 0     2 7 0
† – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll

The 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1959 college football season. The team's head coach was Bump Elliott. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.

Schedule[]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 26, 1959* Missouri Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI L 20–15   52,756
October 3, 1959 Michigan State Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI L 34–8   103,234
October 10, 1959* Oregon State Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI W 18–7   76,020
October 17, 1959 #2/2 Northwestern Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI L 20–7   68,393
October 24, 1959 at Minnesota Memorial StadiumMinneapolis, MN W 14–7   56,082
October 31, 1959† #10/9 Wisconsin Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI L 19–10   68,756
November 7, 1959 at #NR/16 Illinois Memorial StadiumChampaign, Il W 20–15   44,768
November 14, 1959 at Indiana Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN L 26–7   24,171
November 21, 1959 Ohio State Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI W 23–14   88,804
*Non-Conference Game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Statistical leaders[]

Rushing[]

Player Attempts Net yards Yards per attempt Touchdowns
Fred Julian 72 289 4.0 2
Bennie McRae 76 242 3.2 1
Darrell Harper 67 224 3.3 2

Passing[]

Player Attempts Completions Interceptions Comp % Yards Yds/Comp TD Long
Stan Noskin 115 61 15 53.0 697 11.4 5 46

Receiving[]

Player Receptions Yards Yds/Recp TD Long
Robert Johnson 20 264 13.2 0 20
Bennie McRae 4 102 25.5 1 46
Tony Rio 8 90 11.3 2 26

Kickoff returns[]

Player Returns Yards Yds/Return TD Long
Bennie McRae 7 148 21.1 0 30
Fred Julian 5 90 18.0 0 21
Darrell Harper 4 62 15.5 0 22

Punt returns[]

Player Returns Yards Yds/Return TD Long
Darrell Harper 3 101 33.7 1 83
Reid Bushong 4 62 15.5 0 21
Jim Raeder 3 38 12.7 0 25

Players[]

  • Jared Bushong - started 5 games at right tackle
  • Alex Callahan - started 8 games at right guard
  • Donald R. Deskins - started 2 games at right tackle
  • Mike Fillichio - started 1 game at left guard, 1 games at right guard
  • George Genyk - started 8 games at left guard
  • John Halstead - started 9 games at left end
  • Darrell Harper - started 9 games at left halfback
  • Willard Hildebrand - started 1 game at right tackle
  • Thomas Jobson - started 9 games at left tackle
  • Robert Johnson - started 9 games at right end
  • Fred Julian - started 7 games at right halfback
  • Brad Myers - started 2 games at right halfback
  • Stan Noskin - started 9 games at quarterback
  • Tony Rio - started 9 games at fullback
  • Jon Schopf - started 2 games at right tackle
  • Jerry Smith - started 9 games at center

Awards and honors[]

  • Captain: George Genyk
  • Most Valuable Player: Tony Rio
  • Meyer Morton Award: Willard Hildebrand
  • John Maulbetsch Award: Bob Brown

Coaching staff[]

References[]

External links[]

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