1958 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1958 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1958 Big Ten Conference football season. In its 11th and final year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan compiled a 2–6–1 record (1–5–1 against conference opponents), finished in eighth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 211 to 132.[1][2]
| 1958 Michigan Wolverines football | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| 1958 record | 2–6–1 (1–5–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach | Bennie Oosterbaan (11th season) |
| MVP | Bob Ptacek |
| Captain | John Herrnstein |
| Home stadium | Michigan Stadium |
| 1958 Big Ten Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Iowa $ | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Wisconsin | 5 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Ohio State | 4 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Purdue | 3 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 0 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team got off to a promising start with a 20–19 victory over USC and a 12–12 tie with a Michigan State team that was ranked No. 2 in the Coaches Poll. After two games, Michigan was ranked No. 12 in the Coaches Poll. The team then lost six of its final seven games. Bennie Oosterbaan resigned after the 1958 season.
Fullback John Herrnstein was the team captain, and quarterback Bob Ptacek received the team's most valuable player award.[2] The team's statistical leaders included Bob Ptacek with 763 passing yards, left halfback Darrell Harper with 309 rushing yards, and left end Gary Prahst with 313 receiving yards.[3]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 27 | USC* | W 20–19 | 77,005 | [4] | ||
| October 4 | at No. 4 Michigan State | No. 16 |
| T 12–12 | 76,434 | [5] |
| October 11 | No. 12 Navy* | No. 14 |
| L 14–20 | 82,220 | [6] |
| October 18 | at No. 17 Northwestern | No. 19 | L 24–55 | 41,345 | [7] | |
| October 25 | Minnesota |
| W 20–19 | 72,981 | [8] | |
| November 1 | No. 2 Iowa |
| L 14–37 | 68,566 | [9] | |
| November 8 | Illinois |
| L 8–21 | 58,788 | [10] | |
| November 15 | Indiana |
| L 6–8 | 31,000 | [11] | |
| November 22 | at No. 11 Ohio State | L 14–20 | 83,248 | [12] | ||
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Statistical leaders
Michigan's individual statistical leaders for the 1958 season include those listed below.[3][13]
Rushing
| Player | Attempts | Net yards | Yards per attempt | Touchdowns |
| Darrell Harper | 55 | 309 | 5.6 | 2 |
| Brad Myers | 82 | 202 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Fred Julian | 45 | 180 | 4.0 | 0 |
Passing
| Player | Attempts | Completions | Interceptions | Comp % | Yards | Yds/Comp | TD | Long |
| Bob Ptacek | 115 | 65 | 9 | 56.5 | 760 | 11.7 | 3 | 37 |
| Stan Noskin | 29 | 13 | 1 | 44.8 | 204 | 15.7 | 1 | 33 |
| Darrell Harper | 14 | 8 | 0 | 57.1 | 131 | 16.4 | 0 | 56 |
Receiving
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Yds/Recp | TD | Long |
| Gary Prahst | 22 | 313 | 14.2 | 2 | 37 |
| Brad Myers | 17 | 169 | 9.9 | 0 | 35 |
| Darrell Harper | 13 | 137 | 10.5 | 1 | 36 |
Kickoff returns
| Player | Returns | Yards | Yds/Return | TD | Long |
| Brad Myers | 8 | 173 | 21.6 | 0 | 29 |
| Bob Ptacek | 6 | 134 | 22.3 | 0 | 41 |
| Fred Julian | 5 | 88 | 17.6 | 0 | 25 |
Punt returns
| Player | Returns | Yards | Yds/Return | TD | Long |
| Bob Ptacek | 8 | 73 | 9.1 | 0 | 19 |
| Brad Myers | 7 | 63 | 9.0 | 0 | 20 |
| Darrell Harper | 5 | 33 | 6.6 | 0 | 15 |
Players
The starting lineup of the 1958 football team was made up of the following players. Players who started at least four games are shown with their names in bold.[2]
- Jared Bushong – started 1 game at right tackle
- Alex Callahan – started 9 games at left guard
- Donald R. Deskins – started 8 games at right tackle
- James Dickey – started 9 games at center
- George Genyk – started 9 games at left tackle
- Darrell Harper – started 3 games at left halfback
- John Herrnstein – started 3 games at fullback
- Fred Julian – started 9 games at right halfback
- Walter Johnson – started 9 games at right end
- Jerry Marcinak – started 9 games at right guard
- Brad Myers – started 6 games at left halfback
- Gary Prahst – started 9 games at left end
- Bob Ptacek – started 9 games at quarterback
- Tony Rio – started 2 games at fullback
- Gene Sisinyak – started 4 games at fullback
Other players on the team included the following:
- Willie Smith – tackle
Awards and honors
Team honors and awards for the 1958 season went to the following individuals.[2]
- Captain: John Herrnstein
- Most Valuable Player: Bob Ptacek
- Meyer Morton Award: Dick Syring
- John Maulbetsch Award: John Walker
Coaching staff
Michigan's 1958 coaching, training, and support staff included the following persons.[2]
- Head coach: Bennie Oosterbaan
- Assistant coaches: Jack Blott, Don Dufek, Bump Elliott, Robert Hollway, Cliff Keen, Matt Patanelli, Walter Weber
- Trainer: Jim Hunt
- Manager: Tom Hitchman
References
- "1958 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- "1958 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- "1958 Michigan Wolverines Statistics". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- Tommy Devine (September 28, 1958). "13-Yard Conversion Pass Fails: SC's Gamble Is U-M Joy, 20-19". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- Tommy Devine (October 5, 1958). "'M' Ties Mighty Spartans, 12-12". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- Tommy Devine (October 12, 1958). "Navy Smokes M, 20-14: Middie Pass Is Killer". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- Tommy Devine (October 19, 1958). "Wildcats Murder M, 55-24". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- Tommy Devine (October 26, 1958). "M Nips Gophers, 20-19: Minnesota's Two-Point Try Fails". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- Tommy Devine (November 2, 1958). "Iowa Tags U-M as Buck Bow: Hawkeyes Pull 'Fast One,' 37-14". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- Tommy Devine (November 9, 1958). "How The Mighty Have Fallen! U-M, Spartans Beaten Again; Illini Bomb Wolverines Out, 21-8". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- Tommy Devine (November 16, 1958). "Indiana 'Buries' M with 8-6 Loss: Only 31,000 Go To Grid Funeral". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- Tommy Devine (November 23, 1958). "OSU Wins, 20-14, On Goal-Line Fumble: U-M Fights–and Loses–to the End". Detroit Free Press. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
- "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2017.(statistics retrieved by entering "1958" in the box for "Games & Totals by Season" and then, at the next screen, choosing "Display Season Totals")