August 20, 2008

Greatest Wolverines Of All Time

The alltime Michigan team is a who's who of college football's best

Gennaro Filice

MOST POPULAR

The Alltime Wolverines Team
AS THE winningest program in college football history, Michigan has been blessed with an endless array of talent since fielding its first squad in 1879. We have whittled this group down to the truly legendary Wolverines and come up with SI's Alltime Michigan Team. From Willie Heston to Jake Long, these are the finest players to come through Ann Arbor.
OFFENSE
QB	BENNY FRIEDMAN*	1924-26	Era's top passer earned All-America honors twice
RB	TOM HARMON*	1938-40	The greatest UM player, Old 98 won Michigan's first Heisman
RB	WILLIE HESTON*	1901-04	Led Point-A-Minute teams to a 43-0-1 record by scoring 72 TDs
WR	ANTHONY CARTER*	1979-82	AC had 3,076 receiving yards and 37 TD grabs
WR	DESMOND HOWARD	1989-91	Runaway Heisman Trophy winner scored 23 TDs in '91 alone
E	BENNIE OOSTERBAAN*	1925-27	One of just two Wolverines to be a three-time All-America
TE	RON KRAMER*	1954-56	Basketball and track star also was a standout at defensive end
OL	AL BENBROOK*	1908-10	One of the best linemen of his era and a two-time All-America
OL	DAN DIERDORF*	1968-70	College Football Hall of Famer shined in NFL, broadcast booth
OL	JUMBO ELLIOTT	1984-87	The 6' 7" 306-pounder was Lombardi, Outland finalist in '87
OL	STEVE HUTCHINSON	1997-2000	Hulking guard (6' 5", 298) was first-team All-Big Ten four times
OL	JAKE LONG	2004-07	Nasty blocker allowed just two sacks; was the No. 1 overall pick
DEFENSE
DL	CURTIS GREER	1976-79	All-America selection had 48 tackles for loss for 234 yards
DL	CHRIS HUTCHINSON	1989-92	Big Ten's top defensive lineman and an All-America pick in '92
DL	MARK MESSNER	1985-88	Two-time All-America holds UM record for tackles for loss (70)
DL	LAMARR WOODLEY	2003-06	Prolific pass rusher (24 sacks) won UM's only Lombardi award
LB	ERICK ANDERSON	1988-91	Wolverines' lone Butkus winner racked up 428 career tackles
LB	GERMANY SCHULZ*	1904-05,'07-08	One of the first true linebackers earned All-America in 1907
LB	RON SIMPKINS	1976-79	Michigan's alltime leading tackler (516) was '79 team MVP
DB	DAVE BROWN*	1972-74	Two-time All-America also scored four TDs on returns
DB	TOM CURTIS*	1967-69	Ball-hawking safety holds UM's career mark for interceptions
DB	TRIPP WELBORNE	1987-90	Ferocious hitter earned All-America honors in 1989, '90
DB	CHARLES WOODSON	1995-97	The only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman, in '97
SPECIAL TEAMS
K	REMY HAMILTON	1994-96	School's only All-America kicker twice was a Groza finalist
P	MONTE ROBBINS	1984-87	Holds three UM punting records, including punt average (42.8)
KR	DESMOND HOWARD	1989-91	Multipurpose threat averaged 26.9 yards per kickoff return
PR	STEVE BREASTON	2003-06	The Big Ten's alltime leading punt returner (1,599)
COACH	BO SCHEMBECHLER*	1969-89	Program icon went 194-48-5 and won or shared 13 Big Ten titles
*Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

RON KRAMER
TE
CAREER: 1954-56
HIGHLIGHTS: Two-time All-America (1955, '56)

One of the greatest athletes in school history, Kramer was a nine-time letterman in football, basketball and track. He was named the basketball team's MVP three straight years and dominated on the gridiron with his athleticism (he led the team in scoring twice) and blocking ability. Michigan retired Kramer's number (87) following his senior year.

TOM CURTIS
DB
CAREER: 1967-69
HIGHLIGHTS: 25 career interceptions

Curtis had a nose for the ball unlike any other Wolverine. He is tied for fourth in NCAA history in career interceptions, including eight picks in his All-America '69 season.

LAMARR WOODLEY
DL
CAREER: 2003-06
HIGHLIGHTS: 24 career sacks, 52� tackles for loss, 10 forced fumbles

The Wood was one of the country's most sought-after recruits coming out of Saginaw ( Mich.) High, and he lived up to the billing. A disruptive force for four years, Woodley made a name for himself in '06, headlining the country's stingiest run defense. He tied the single-season school record for sacks (12) and became the first Michigan player to win the Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman) and the Ted Hendricks Award (top defensive end).

WILLIE HESTON
RB
CAREER: 1901-04
HIGHLIGHTS: 72 career TDs, two-time All-America (1903, '04)

Standing just 5' 8", this College Football Hall of Famer was a bona fide superstar on Fielding Yost's Point-A-Minute teams. In the inaugural Rose Bowl in 1902 Heston carried the ball 18 times for 170 yards, a record that stood for 59 years.

STEVE BREASTON
PR
CAREER: 2003-06
HIGHLIGHTS: Four career punt return touchdowns

A terror in the open field, Breaston utilized his ankle-breaking shiftiness to rewrite many special teams records. (He holds the conference record for punt return yardage with 1,599.) The speedster averaged 116.9 all-purpose yards a game and eclipsed the 200-yard mark seven times, including a Rose Bowl-record 315 yards against Texas in 2005.

TOP OF STORY

SI VAULT HOME

	ARTICLES	GALLERIES	VIDEO	COVERS
College Football	16807	267		91
Michigan	2730	41		16
Big Ten Conference	2952	74		67
Erick Anderson	1	0		0
Football Hall	12	1		0

GALLERIES

College Football (267)

COVERS

College Football (91)