Bennie Oosterbaan

Benjamin Oosterbaan ( ; February 24, 1906 – October 25, 1990) was an American football, basketball, baseball player, and head football and basketball coach for the University of Michigan. He was a three-time All-American for the Michigan Wolverines football program, a two-time All-American for the Michigan Wolverines basketball program, and an All-Big Ten Conference selection for the Michigan Wolverines baseball program. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players in Michigan sports history. He was selected by Sports Illustrated as the fourth greatest athlete in the history of the U.S. state of Michigan in 2003, and one of the eleven greatest college football players of the first century of the game (ending in 1968). As a head football coach, Oosterbaan won a national championship with the 1948 team, by way of the Associated Press. He also won in 1932, 1933 and 1947 as an assistant coach.

In high school, he had been an All-American basketball player, a state champion in track and field, and an All-State baseball and football player. During his collegiate athletic career he was a Big Ten batting champion in baseball, the Big Ten scoring champion in basketball, and the Big Ten touchdown leader in football. He was the first University of Michigan athlete to become a first-team All-American in basketball and was the first three-time first-team All-American in football. In addition to his All-American collegiate accolades, Oosterbaan threw three touchdown passes in the dedication game of Michigan Stadium on October 22, 1927.

After his playing career ended, Oosterbaan spent several decades working for the University of Michigan Athletic Department until the 1970s. Oosterbaan served as the football, basketball, and baseball coach for Michigan. As well as winning a national championship in football, his 1950 football team won the 1951 Rose Bowl. He later served as the director of athletic alumni relations.

Athletic career

Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Oosterbaan began his athletic career at Muskegon High School where he was selected by the Detroit News as an All-State end. In his junior year (1923), he led the Muskegon basketball team to a state championship and was named a High School All-American in basketball. He was also an All-State baseball player and state champion discus thrower. According to a Michigan Today article, he probably could have made the 1928 Summer Olympics team in the discus.

At Michigan, Bennie Oosterbaan earned nine letters—three apiece in football, basketball, and baseball. In its obituary of Oosterbaan, The Sporting News described him as a phenomenal student-athlete who in his senior year at Michigan "was captain of the football team, led the Big Ten Conference in scoring in basketball and was the league's leading hitter in baseball, a sport he had not pursued while in high school." That season, he was captain, most valuable player, and an All-American in football; Big Ten scoring champion and All-American in basketball; and Big Ten batting average champion in what may be the most dominant three sport performance in any conference in a single year. As a sophomore in 1925, Oosterbaan led the Big Ten with eight touchdowns. Oosterbaan was also selected as an All-American for the third consecutive season. He is one of only two players at Michigan ever to receive consensus All-American honors three times—Anthony Carter being the other. The Wolverines went 20–4 in Oosterbaan's career at Michigan.

Basketball

In addition to football, Oosterbaan was an All-American basketball forward. He led the Big Ten Conference in scoring (178 points) in his senior year. Oosterbaan was the first Michigan All-American in basketball.

Instead, Oosterbaan stayed on at the University of Michigan as an assistant coach for the football and basketball teams. He began as an assistant football coach immediately after graduating, and he remained an assistant coach of the football team for twenty years before succeeding Fritz Crisler. His 1950 team won the 1951 Rose Bowl after Oosterbaan obtained consent from the Conference to hold extra practices. His teams won Big Ten championships in each of his first three seasons but did not win another under his tenure. He coached at Michigan until 1958, compiling a 63–33–4 record.

Oosterbaan believed success was fleeting. He once was quoted in Time magazine as saying, "I'm on top now, and there is a lot of backslapping. But what of seasons to come? Let me lose the opener or a couple of other games next fall, and then watch how I'm blasted." As coach, he had a reputation as a mild-mannered man who aspired to live by the maxims of his own college football coach, Fielding Yost.

Oosterbaan had a mild-mannered coaching style. "Poise" was his favorite word when it came to inspiring his team. After Oosterbaan quit as football coach he was succeeded by Bump Elliott. In 1959, Oosterbaan became Michigan's director of athletic alumni relations and held that position until he retired in 1972.

Oosterbaan's wife of 57 years, Delmas, had predeceased him a few months earlier on July 23. He was survived by his sister, Grace Hedner; his daughter, Anna Wilson; and two grandsons.

Don Lund, Michigan's associate athletic director for alumni relations who also played basketball for Oosterbaan said: "There's no question he was the greatest athlete we ever had here at Michigan."

In 1954, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a member of the fourth class of inductees into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1958. Oosterbaan was a member of the inaugural 1978 class of inductees into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. The Michigan football indoor practice facility was named Oosterbaan Field House.

American sports-writer, Grantland Rice selected him and Don Hutson as the ends for the all-time All-American team of the first half of the 20th century. A poll of Michigan alumni and friends in 1979 selected Oosterbaan as Michigan's greatest all-time football player.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated published a list of "The 50 Greatest Sports Figures From Michigan" (in all sports), and ranked Oosterbaan fourth on the list behind Joe Louis, Magic Johnson and Charlie Gehringer. He was the highest ranked football player, ahead of Michigan Wolverines Ron Kramer (No. 7), Fielding H. Yost (No. 9), Rick Leach (No. 22), Fritz Crisler (No. 31), and Harry Kipke (No. 40).<!--Hide until sources are found

In the spring of 1927 Oosterbaan was inducted into the senior honor society at the University of Michigan, Michigamua, now known as Order of Angell.-->

Bennie Oosterbaan

Athletic career

Basketball

Head coaching record

Football

Basketball

See also

Notes and references

External links