1968 Michigan Wolverines football team

	1968 Big Ten football standings
	† – Conference champion ; Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll

Michigan Wolverines football
	1968 Michigan Wolverines football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 12
1968 record	8–2 (6–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bump Elliott (10th season)
MVP	Ron Johnson
Captain	Ron Johnson
Home stadium	Michigan Stadium
	Seasons ← 1967 1969 →

The 1968 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1968 college football season. Bump Elliott served as the team's head coach for his tenth and final season. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.

Schedule[]

Date	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 21, 1968*	California		Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	L 21–7	71,386
September 28, 1968*	at Duke		Wallace Wade Stadium • Durham, NC	W 31–10	25,000
October 5, 1968*	Navy		Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	W 32–9	56,501
October 12, 1968	#12/NA Michigan State		Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	W 28–14	102,785
October 19, 1968	at #19/NR Indiana	#18/18	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	W 27–22	51,951
October 26, 1968†	Minnesota	#12/14	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	W 33–20	69,384
November 2, 1968	at Northwestern	#9/10	Dyche Stadium • Evanston, IL	W 35–0	40,101
November 9, 1968	Illinois	#7/7	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	W 36–0	56,775
November 16, 1968	Wisconsin	#4/4	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	W 34–9	51,117
November 23, 1968	at #2/2 Ohio State	#4/4	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	L 50–14	85,371
*Non-Conference Game. ^†Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players[]

Offense[]

Robert Baumgartner, offensive guard, sophomore, Hamilton, Ohio
Jim Betts, sophomore, Cleveland, Ohio - started 1 game at right halfback
Stanley Broadnax, offensive guard, senior, Cincinnati, Ohio - started 8 games at right guard
Dennis Brown, quarterback, senior, Lincoln Park, Michigan - started 9 games at quarterback
Richard Caldarazzo, offensive guard, junior, Melrose Park, Illinois - started 9 games at left guard
Garvie Craw, fullback, junior, Montclair, New Jersey - started 9 games at fullback
David Denzin, center, senior, Xenia, Ohio - started 9 games at center
Dan Dierdorf, offensive tackle, sophomore, Canton, Ohio - started 9 games at right tackle
Peter Drehmann, offensive tackle, junior, Abington, Pennsylvania
David Farabee, halback, senior, Holland, Michigan
Eric Federico, fullback, junior, Trenton, Michigan
John H. Gabler, halfback, junior, Royal Oak, Michigan - started 7 games at halfback (5 at left halfback, 2 at right halfback)
Werner W. Hall, offensive tackle, junior, Sandusky, Ohio
Mike Hankwitz, end, junior, Scottville, Michigan - started 1 game at left end
Jack Harpring, offensive tackle, sophomore, Cincinnati, Ohio
William J. Harris, end, junior, Mt. Clemens, Michigan - started 2 games at right end
Jerry Imsland, end, junior, Northville, Michigan - started 7 games at right end
Ron Johnson, halfback, senior, Detroit, Michigan - started 9 games at halfback (6 at right halfback, 3 at left halfback)
Robert Kieta, halfback, senior, Chicago, Illinois
Joseph J. Kunsa, offensive guard, senior, West Braddock, Pennsylvania
Jim Mandich, end, junior, Solon, Ohio - started 8 games at left end
Don Moorhead, quarterback, sophomore, South Haven, Michigan
Bob Penska, offensive tackle, senior, Niles, Michigan - started 9 games at left tackle
Fred Sample, center, sophomore, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Lance G. Scheffler, halfback, sophomore, Trenton, Michigan - started 1 game at right guard
Warren Sipp, fullback, senior, Akron, Ohio
Paul Staroba, end, sophomore, Flint, Michigan
John R. Thomas, quarterback, senior, Walled Lake, Michigan
Frank Titas, offensive guard, junior, Cleveland, Ohio
Martin Washington, offensive guard, junior, Ecorse, Michigan

Defense[]

James Banar, defensive tackle, junior, Detroit, Michigan
Tom Curtis, defensive halfback, junior, Aurora, Ohio - started all 10 games at left safety (also started 1 game at left halfback on offense)
Thomas Doane, linebacker, junior, Wauseon, Ohio
Alan Francis, defensive guard, junior, Euclid, Ohio
Terry Frysinger, defensive tackle, senior, Ecorse, Michigan
Tom Goss, defensive tackle, senior, Knoxville, Tennessee - started all 10 games at left defensive tackle (also started 1 game at left tackle on offense)
Gerald "Jerry" Hartman, defensive halfback, senior, Ann Arbor, Michigan - started 4 games at left defensive halfback and 2 games at right safety
Brian Healy, defensive halfback, junior, Sandusky, Ohio - started 6 games at left defensive halfback (also started 1 game at quarterback on offense)
Henry Hill, defensive guard, sophomore, Detroit, Michigan - started 7 games at middle guard
George Hoey, defensive halfback, senior, Flint, Michigan - started all 10 games at right defensive halfback (also started 1 game at fullback and 1 game at left halfback on offense)
Marty Huff, linebacker, sophomore, Toledo, Ohio
Timothy Killian, linebacker, sophomore, Lincoln Park, Michigan
Jon E. Kramer, defensive end, senior, Toledo, Ohio - started 1 game at right defensive end
John Lynch, defensive back, freshman, Chicago, Illinois
Richard McCoy, Jr., defensive tackle, sophomore, Alliance, Ohio
Gerald Miklos, defensive guard, senior, Chicago, Illinois - started 3 games at middle guard (also started 1 game at center on offense)
Edward M. "Ed" Moore, linebacker, sophomore, Youngstown, Ohio - started all 10 games at linebacker (also started 1 game at right guard on offense)
Pete Newell, defensive end, sophomore, Park Ridge, Illinois
Daniel Parks, defensive tackle, sophomore, Birmingham, Michigan - started all 10 games at right defensive tackle (also started 1 game at right tackle on offense)
Barry Pierson, defensive halfback, junior, St. Ignace, Michigan
Cecil Pryor, linebacker, junior, Corpus Christi, Texas - started 8 games at right defensive end (also started 1 game at right end on offense)
Elijah Sansom, defensive halfback, senior, Detroit, Michigan
Phil Seymour, defensive end, junior, Berkley, Michigan - started all 10 games at left defensive end (also started 1 game at left end on offense)
Dennis Sirosky, linebacker, senior, Ecorse, Michigan
Tom Stincic, defensive end, senior, Cleveland, Ohio - started all 10 games at linebacker (also started 1 game at left guard on offense)
Robert Wedge, defensive halfback, senior, Port Huron, Michigan - started 8 games at right safety (also started 1 game at right halfback on offense)
Mark Werner, defensive halfback, junior, Cincinnati, Ohio
James Wilhite, defensive guard, junior, Bay City, Michigan - started 1 game at right defensive end
Edwin Woolley, defensive end, junior, Pitman, New Jersey

Game notes[]

Duke[]

Ron Johnson 31 Rush, 205 Yds ^[1]

Wisconsin[]

Ron Johnson 31 Rush, 347 Yds (single game school record) ^[2]

Statistical leaders[]

Rushing[]

Player	Attempts	Net yards	Yards per attempt	Touchdowns	Long
Ron Johnson	255	1391	5.5	19	53
Garvie Craw	81	307	3.8	1	14
Dennis Brown	115	215	1.9	1	5

Passing[]

Player	Attempts	Completions	Interceptions	Comp %	Yards	Yds/Comp	TD	Long
Dennis Brown	229	109	10	47.6	1562	14.3	12	33
Don Moorhead	25	10	2	40.0	122	12.2	1	10

Receiving[]

Player	Receptions	Yards	Yds/Recp	TD	Long
Jim Mandich	42	565	13.4	3	12
Bill Harris	16	369	23.1	4	69
Jerry Imsland	19	269	14.2	1	33

Kickoff returns[]

Player	Returns	Yards	Yds/Return	TD	Long
George Hoey	12	221	18.4	0	39
Ron Johnson	9	147	16.3	0	24
Lance Scheffler	3	69	23.0	0	48

Punt returns[]

Player	Returns	Yards	Yds/Return	TD	Long
George Hoey	19	238	12.5	0	63
Tom Curtis	8	49	6.1	0	21

Awards and honors[]

Captain: Ron Johnson
All-Americans: Ron Johnson
All-Conference: Ron Johnson, Tom Stincic, Jim Mandich, Dennis Brown, Phil Seymour, Tom Goss, Tom Curtis
Most Valuable Player: Ron Johnson
Meyer Morton Award: Bob Baumgartner
John Maulbetsch Award: Marty Huff
Frederick Matthei Award: Tom Curtis
Arthur Robinson Scholarship Award: John Denzin

Coaching staff[]

Head coach: Bump Elliott
Assistant coaches: William Dodd,^[3] Dennis Fitzgerald, Henry Fonde, Frank Maloney, George Mans, Tony Mason, Robert Shaw^[4]
Trainer: Lindsy McLean
Manager: Rik Kohn

References[]

↑ University of Michigan Football Record Book, Pt. 1
↑ University of Michigan Football Record Book, Pt. 1
↑ William Dodd, born c. 1942, played fullback for Michigan in 1962 and 1963. He listed his hometown as Virden, Illinois. He coached high school football in Northlake, Illinois for two years and then became the freshman coach at Michigan in 1967 and 1968. In 1969, he became a backfield assistant at the University of Idaho, joining the staff of Y C McNease. See Spokane Daily Chronicle.
↑ Robert "Bob" Shaw, a native of Clarion, Pennsylvania, was a football coach at Niles High School in Niles, Ohio. He became an assistant coach at Bucknell in 1967 before joining Bump Elliott's staff in 1968. See Youngstown Vindicator.

External links[]

1968 Football Team -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History

[1] University of Michigan Football Record Book, Pt. 1

[2] University of Michigan Football Record Book, Pt. 1

[3] William Dodd, born c. 1942, played fullback for Michigan in 1962 and 1963. He listed his hometown as Virden, Illinois. He coached high school football in Northlake, Illinois for two years and then became the freshman coach at Michigan in 1967 and 1968. In 1969, he became a backfield assistant at the University of Idaho, joining the staff of Y C McNease. See Spokane Daily Chronicle.

[4] Robert "Bob" Shaw, a native of Clarion, Pennsylvania, was a football coach at Niles High School in Niles, Ohio. He became an assistant coach at Bucknell in 1967 before joining Bump Elliott's staff in 1968. See Youngstown Vindicator.

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