The 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1974 college football season . In his sixth year as Michigan's head coach, Bo Schembechler led the team to a 10–1 record. The Wolverines outscored their opponents 324 to 75. Michigan was ranked #3 in final AP Poll of the 1974 season.
Michigan won the first ten games of the 1974 season in convincing fashion, including blowout victories over Colorado (31-0), Navy (52-0), Minnesota (49-0), and Purdue (51-0). In the final game of the season, #3 Michigan faced #2 Ohio State. The Wolverines lost by a score of 12-10. Place-kicker Mike Lantry missed a last-minute field goal that would have given Michigan a victory.
On offense, the team was led by quarterback Dennis Franklin who completed 58 of 104 passes for 933 yards and rushed 108 times for 209 yards. Three Michigan running backs combined for 2,510 rushing yards. Gordon Bell led the way with 1,048 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Rob Lytle added 802 rushing yards, and Chuck Heater 660 yards. Center Dennis Franks and end Dan Jilek were selected as All-Big Ten Conference players.
On defense, the Wolverines held opponents to 75 points, an average of 6.8 points per game. Cornerback Dave Brown was selected as first-team All-American for the second straight year. Five Wolverine defenders were selected for the All-Big Ten Conference team, including Brown, middle linebacker Steve Strinko , wolfman Don Dufek , left tackle Jeff Perlinger, and middle guard Tim Davis. Strinko led the team in total tackles for the second consecutive year and was selected as the team's most valuable player.
Schedule [ ]
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank #
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
September 14, 1974
Iowa
#6/NA
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
W 24–7 76,802
September 21, 1974*
Colorado
#6/5
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
W 31–0 91,203
September 28, 1974*
Navy
#5/4
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
W 52–0 104,232
October 5, 1974*
at Stanford
#4/3
Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
W 27–16 52,500
October 12, 1974
Michigan State
#4/3
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
W 21–7 104,682
October 19, 1974
at Wisconsin
#3/2
Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI
W 24–20 78,911
October 26, 1974†
Minnesota
#3/2
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
W 49–0 96,284
November 2, 1974
at Indiana
#3/2
Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN
W 21–7 32,873
November 9, 1974
at Illinois
#4/2
Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Il
W 14–6 60,670
November 16, 1974
Purdue
#3/2
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
W 51–0 88,902
November 23, 1974
at #4/3 Ohio State
#3/2
Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH
L 12–10 88,243
*Non-Conference Game. † Homecoming. # Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time .
Season summary [ ] Iowa [ ]
Iowa at Michigan
by Quarter
1
2
3
4
Total
Iowa
0
0
0
7
7
• Michigan
14
0
7
3
24
Scoring summary 1
Michigan Heater 2 yard run (Lantry kick) Michigan 7-0 1
Michigan Heater 1 yard run (Lantry kick) Michigan 14-0 3
Michigan Chapman 10 yard pass from Elzinga (Lantry kick) Michigan 21-0 4
Michigan Lantry 30 yard field goal Michigan 24-0 4
Iowa Wellington 1 yard run (Quartaro kick) Michigan 24-7
[1]
Colorado [ ] Navy [ ] Stanford [ ] Michigan State [ ] Wisconsin [ ] Minnesota [ ] Indiana [ ] Illinois [ ] Purdue [ ] Ohio State [ ] Players [ ] Offense [ ] James Armour, offensive guard, senior, Detroit , Michigan - started 3 games at left offensive guard
Gordon Bell , tailback, junior, Troy, Ohio - started 3 games at tailbackGil Chapman , wing back, senior, Elizabeth, New Jersey - started all 11 games at fullbackScott Corbin, fullback, freshman, Cincinnati, Ohio
James C. Czirr, center, junior, St. Joseph, Michigan
Greg DenBoer, tight end, senior, Kentwood, Michigan - started all 11 games at tight end
Mark Donahue , offensive guard, freshman, Oak Lawn, Illinois Walt Downing , tackle, freshman, Coatesville, Pennsylvania Bill Dufek, tackle, freshman, East Grand Rapids, Michigan
Mark Elzinga, quarterback, junior, Bay City, Michigan - started 2 games at quarterback
Dennis Franklin , quarterback, senior, Massillon, Ohio - started 9 games at quarterbackDennis Franks , center, senior, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania - started all 11 games at centerJames D. Hall, offensive tackle, sophomore, Ypsilanti, Michigan - started 1 game at right offensive tackle
Chuck Heater , tailback, senior, Tiffin, Ohio - started all 11 games at wing backThomas P. Jensen, center, senior, Springfield, Illinois
Keith Johnson, split end, junior, Munster, Indiana
R. Steven King, fullback, senior, Tiffin, Ohio - started 10 games at right offensive tackle
Mike Lantry , place-kicker, senior, Oxford, Michigan Kirk Lewis, offensive guard, junior, Garden City, Michigan
Rob Lytle , tailback, sophomore, Fremont, Ohio - started 8 games at tailbackDavid F. Metz, offensive guard, senior, Harrison, Ohio - started 9 games at left offensive guard
Les Miles , offensive guard, junior, Elyria, Ohio Steve Nauta, center freshman, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
George Przygodski, tight end, junior, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Max Richardson, tailback, freshman, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Jim Smith , split end, sophomore, Blue Island, Illinois - started all 11 games at left endJeff Spahn, quarterback, senior, Steubenville, Ohio
Curt Stephenson, split end, sophomore, La Jolla, California
Pat Tumpane, offensive tackle, senior, Midlothian, Illinois - started all 11 games at left tackle
Jerry Vogele, fullback, sophomore, Cincinnati, Ohio Defense [ ] John Anderson , outside linebacker, freshman, Waukesha, Wisconsin Harry Banks, defensive back, senior, Cleveland, Ohio - started all 11 games at strong side defensive halfback
Larry Banks, defensive end, senior, Cleveland, Ohio - started 8 games at right defensive end, 1 game at left defensive end
Jim Bolden, defensive back, sophomore, Akron, Ohio
Dave Brown , safety, senior, Akron, Ohio - started all 11 games at safetyTim Davis, middle guard, junior, Warren, Ohio - started 6 games at middle guard
David Devich, linebacker, junior, Highland, Indiana
Thomas E. Drake, defensive back, senior, Midland, Michigan - started 6 games at weak-side defensive halfback
Don Dufek , wolfman, junior, East Grand Rapids, Michigan - started all 11 games at wolfmanDavid L. Elliott, defensive back, senior, Coral Gables, Florida - started 5 games at weak-side defensive halfback
John Hennessy , defensive tackle, sophomore, Chicago, IllinoisDwight Hicks , defensive back-running back, freshman, Pennsauken, New Jersey Bill Hoban, defensive tackle, senior, Chicago, Illinois
Michael G. Holmes, defensive end, junior Akron, Ohio
Derek Howard, wide receiver - defensive back, freshman, Hamilton, Ohio
Mark Jacoby, wolf, senior, Toledo, Ohio
Dan Jilek , defensive end, junior, Sterling Heights, Michigan - started all 11 games (10 at left defensive end, 1 at right defensive end)Larry L. Johnson, defensive end, senior, Munster, Indiana - started 2 games at right defensive end
Kurt Kampe III, defensive back, senior, Defiance, Ohio
Richard A. Koschalk, middle guard, junior, Toledo, Ohio - started 5 games at middle guard
Bob Lang, middle guard, sophomore, Chicago, Illinois
Greg Morton , defensive tackle, junior, Akron, Ohio - started all 11 games at right defensive tackleCalvin O'Neal , linebacker, junior, Saginaw, Michigan - started 2 games at wide linebacker, 1 game at middle linebackerJeff Perlinger, defensive tackle, junior, Crystal, Minnesota - started all 11 games at left defensive tackle
Carl Russ , linebacker, senior, Muskegon Heights, Michigan - started 9 games at wide linebackerGeoffrey Steger, wolf, senior, Winnetka, Illinois
Steve Strinko , linebacker, junior, Middletown, Ohio - started 10 games at middle linebackerJerry Zuver, safety, sophomore, Archbold, Ohio Awards and honors [ ] Coaching staff [ ] References [ ]
↑ Eugene Register-Guard. 1974 September 15. Retrieved 2012-12-4.
External links [ ] 
