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
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
1958 record2–6–1 (1–5–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPBob Ptacek
CaptainJohn Herrnstein
Home stadiumMichigan Stadium
1958 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW 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
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

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
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 27USC*
W 20–1977,005[4]
October 4at No. 4 Michigan StateNo. 16
T 12–1276,434[5]
October 11No. 12 Navy*No. 14
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI
L 14–2082,220[6]
October 18at No. 17 NorthwesternNo. 19
L 24–5541,345[7]
October 25Minnesota
W 20–1972,981[8]
November 1No. 2 Iowa
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI
L 14–3768,566[9]
November 8Illinois
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI (series)
L 8–2158,788[10]
November 15Indiana
  • Michigan Stadium
  • Ann Arbor, MI
L 6–831,000[11]
November 22at No. 11 Ohio State
L 14–2083,248[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game

Statistical leaders

Michigan's individual statistical leaders for the 1958 season include those listed below.[3][13]

Rushing
PlayerAttemptsNet yardsYards per attemptTouchdowns
Darrell Harper553095.62
Brad Myers822022.53
Fred Julian451804.00

Passing
PlayerAttemptsCompletionsInterceptionsComp %YardsYds/CompTDLong
Bob Ptacek11565956.576011.7337
Stan Noskin2913144.820415.7133
Darrell Harper148057.113116.4056

Receiving
PlayerReceptionsYardsYds/RecpTDLong
Gary Prahst2231314.2237
Brad Myers171699.9035
Darrell Harper1313710.5136

Kickoff returns
PlayerReturnsYardsYds/ReturnTDLong
Brad Myers817321.6029
Bob Ptacek613422.3041
Fred Julian58817.6025

Punt returns
PlayerReturnsYardsYds/ReturnTDLong
Bob Ptacek8739.1019
Brad Myers7639.0020
Darrell Harper5336.6015

Personnel

Letter winners

The following 40 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1958 team.[14][15] Players who started at least four games are shown with their names in bold.[2]

  • John Batsakes, 5'8", 172 pounds, senior, Ann Arbor, MI - halfback
  • Jared Bushong, 6'2", 209 pounds, junior, Toledo, OH – started 1 game at right tackle
  • Reid J. Bushong, 6'1", 179 pounds, sophomore, Toledo, OH - halfback
  • James Byers, 6'0", 198 pounds, senior, Evansville, IN - center
  • Alex Callahan, 6'0", 195 pounds, senior, Wyandotte, MI – started 9 games at left guard
  • Donald R. Deskins, 6'2", 241 pounds, sophomore, Jamaica, NY – started 8 games at right tackle
  • James Dickey, 6'1", 191 pounds, senior, Miamisburg, OH – started 9 games at center
  • Michael Fillichio, 5'10", 190 pounds, junior, River Forest, IL - guard
  • George Genyk, 6'1", 200 pounds, junior, Detroit – started 9 games at left tackle
  • James P. Gray, 6'3", 233 pounds, senior, Battle Creek, MI - tackle
  • Alvin Groce, 5'11", 166 pounds, junior, Clairton, PA - halfback
  • John Halstead, 6'2", 205 pounds, sophomore, Bay City, MI - end
  • Darrell Harper, 6'1", 195 pounds, junior, Royal Oak, MI – started 3 games at left halfback
  • John Herrnstein, 6'2", 215 pounds, senior, Chillicothe, OH – started 3 games at fullback
  • Willard R. Hildebrand, 6'2", 216 pounds, sophomore, Chillicothe, OH - tackle
  • E. Thomas Jobson, 6'0", 201 pounds, sophomore, Flint, MI - guard
  • Robert Johnson, 6'2", 199 pounds, senior, Chicago - end
  • Walter N. Johnson, 6'2", 214 pounds, senior, Dearborn, MI – started 9 games at right end
  • Fred Julian, 5'9", 184 pounds, junior, Detroit – started 9 games at right halfback
  • Gary F. Kane, 6'2", 215 pounds, sophomore, Elgin, IL - end
  • William MacPhee, 6'0", 191 pounds, senior, Grand Haven, MI - center
  • Jerry Marcinak, 6'2", 236 pounds, Chicago – started 9 games at right guard
  • Gary McNitt, 5'9", 196 pounds, sophomore, Mesick, MI - halfback
  • Brad Myers, 6'0", 196 pounds, junior, Evanston, IL – started 6 games at left halfback
  • Harry Newman Jr., 5'9", 185 pounds, sophomore, Franklin, MI - halfback
  • Stan Noskin, 5'11", 180 pounds, junior, Chicago - quarterback
  • Douglas F. Oppman, 5'10", 192 pounds, junior, Gary, IN - guard
  • Paul Poulos, 5'11", 198 pounds, junior, Freedom, PA - guard
  • Gary Prahst, 6'4", 220 pounds, senior, Berea, OH – started 9 games at left end
  • Bob Ptacek, 6'1", 204 pounds, senior, Cleveland – started 9 games at quarterback
  • Gene Sisinyak, 6'0", 195 pounds, sophomore, Monroe, MI – started 4 games at fullback
  • Gerald Smith, 5'11", 185 pounds, junior, Detroit - center
  • Willie Smith, 6'2", 243 pounds, senior, Little Rock, AR – tackle
  • John Spidel, 5'11", 180 pounds, senior, Greenville, OH - quarterback
  • Maynard Stetten, 6'2", 206 pounds, senior, Gibraltar, MI - tackle
  • William R. Stine, 6'1", 215 pounds, sophomore, Toledo, OH - tackle
  • Richard Syring, 6'0", 189 pounds, sophomore, Bay City, OH - center
  • James Sytek, 5'11", 194 pounds, senior, Detroit - quarterback
  • John C. Walker, 6'0", 195 pounds, sophomore, Milford, MI - fullback
  • John Zachary, 5'9", 174 pounds, senior, Chicago - halfback

Non-letter winners
  • Tony Rio, 6'0", 189 pounds, senior, Chicago – started 2 games at fullback

Freshmen
  • George Mans, 6'4", 205 pounds, Trenton, MI - end
  • Bennie McRae, 6'0", 170 pounds, Newport News, VA - halfback
  • John Stamos, 6'2", 200 pounds, Chicago - quarterback
  • Bill Tunnicliff, 6'1", 200 pounds, Ferndale, MI - fullback

Coaches and staff

Awards and honors

Team honors and awards for the 1958 season went to the following individuals.[2]

References
  1. "1958 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  2. "1958 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  3. "1958 Michigan Wolverines Statistics". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  4. 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.
  5. Tommy Devine (October 5, 1958). "'M' Ties Mighty Spartans, 12-12". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Tommy Devine (October 12, 1958). "Navy Smokes M, 20-14: Middie Pass Is Killer". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Tommy Devine (October 19, 1958). "Wildcats Murder M, 55-24". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Tommy Devine (October 26, 1958). "M Nips Gophers, 20-19: Minnesota's Two-Point Try Fails". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. "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")
  14. "Letter Winners". The Michigan Daily. November 25, 1958. p. 6 – via Bentley Historical Library.
  15. "1958 Roster". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  16. "Former Wolverines Handle 'M' Coaching Chores". The Michigan Daily. September 18, 1958. p. 10 – via Bentley Historical Library.
  17. "Dufek, Weber Assume New Coaching Positions". The Michigan Daily. September 20, 1958. p. 1 – via Bentley Historical Library.
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