Bennie Oosterbaan

Football Player

• Born: February 4, 1906
• Birthplace: Muskegon, Michigan
• Died: October 25, 1990
• Place of death: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Sport: Football

Early Life

Benjamin Gaylord “Bennie” Oosterbaan, Jr., was the youngest of three sons and a daughter born to Muskegon, Michigan, postmaster Benjamin Gaylord Oosterbaan, Sr., and his wife Hattie. Bennie’s brother Guy was thirteen years older and died of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1917, when Bennie was only eleven years old. Andy, four years older than Bennie, was also a fine athlete, starring in basketball and football at Muskegon High School. In 1919, Andy was injured playing basketball and developed a streptococcal infection, from which he died later that year.

Rocked by the tragic loss of two sons in two years, Bennie’s parents were reluctant to allow their youngest son to risk his health by participating in sports. However, Bennie eventually persuaded his mother and father to let him play. Between 1921 and 1923, Bennie played football, baseball, and basketball at Muskegon High School. In 1922, he was named as an all-state end on the football team. In 1923, he led the basketball team to the state championship. In both 1923 and 1924, he was selected as a high school all-American in basketball.

The Road to Excellence

In 1924, following high school, Bennie enrolled at the University of Michigan. He emerged as an all-round sports star. In 1925, playing as a receiver and as a defensive end in football, Bennie led the Wolverines to the Big Ten Conference Championship title. During that season, the team outscored its opponents by a wide margin: 227-3. Bennie, a strapping 6-foot-tall, 190-pounder with large hands, caught six of Michigan’s twelve touchdown passes that year and scored 8 touchdowns in all. A skilled passer as well, Bennie threw for 2 touchdowns against rival Ohio State University in 1925. Bennie’s defense was excellent, too. He helped shut down the legendary Red Grange, known as the “Galloping Ghost,” as Michigan beat the University of Illinois 3-0, in 1925. In the three years he played varsity football, Bennie led Michigan to a 20-4 record and two Big Ten Conference titles. From 1925 to 1927, he earned all-American honors in football in three consecutive seasons.

The Emerging Champion

Bennie was not a one-dimensional athlete. During his playing career at Michigan, he also starred as a forward for the Wolverines basketball team, inspiring the squad to two consecutive championships. He twice led the Big Ten Conference in field goals during a low-scoring, defensively minded era. During the 1925-1926 season, he scored 50 field goals. In 1926-1927, he tallied 57 field goals and 129 points. Both years, he was named to all-American basketball teams. Additionally, Bennie was an all-conference baseball player. As a senior at Michigan, he batted .469. A true student athlete, Bennie was awarded the conference medal for proficiency in both scholarship and athletics.

Continuing the Story

After graduation from Michigan, Bennie was flooded with offers to play professional baseball and football. However, he turned them down to remain at Michigan and coach. Beginning in 1928, Bennie was an assistant football coach. Between 1939 and 1946, he was head basketball coach at Michigan, compiling an 81-72 record. In 1948, when head football coach Fritz Crisler became the university’s athletic director, Bennie was named head football coach. That year, he coached Michigan to an undefeated season, 9-0, and the co-national collegiate football championship, shared with Notre Dame. Bennie was named coach of the year.

Under Bennie’s leadership, Michigan, known for its tough defense, won three straight Big Ten football titles. In 1950, the team beat California, 14-6, in the Rose Bowl. During Bennie’s tenure, Michigan went 63-33-4. In 1958, after a 2-6-1 season, Bennie stepped down as head coach. He continued to serve in various capacities within the Michigan athletic department. Bennie finished his career at Michigan as director of athletic alumni relations before retiring in 1972.

Afterward, he lived quietly in Ann Arbor, Michigan, near his alma mater, with his wife, who preceded him in death. The Oosterbaans had a daughter, Anna, who gave birth to two sons. In his last year of life, Bennie was confined to a nursing home after breaking a hip. He died there at the age of eighty-four.

Summary

A three-sport star at the University of Michigan, Bennie Oosterbaan is considered one of the best all-around athletes in Big Ten Conference history. He was one of only two Michigan players to become three-time consensus football all-Americans; the other was fellow receiver Anthony Carter, an all-American from 1980 to 1982. Bennie was also a two-time basketball all-American and an all-conference baseball player. An outstanding athlete, Bennie was named to the all-time all-American football team in 1951 and to the Football Writers’ Association all-time all-American team in 1974. Bennie’s Michigan football jersey, number 47, was the first to be retired by the school. In 1954, he was enshrined in the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Michigan Hall of Honor.

After his playing days were done, Bennie demonstrated the ability to inspire other young athletes. As Michigan head football coach, he won coach of the year honors his first year at the helm. His teams won three conference titles and finished in the top twenty seven times.

Bibliography

Allen, Kevin, Nate Brown, and Art Regner. What It Means to Be a Wolverine: Michigan’s Greatest Players Talk About Michigan Football. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2005.

Brandstatter, Jim. Tales from Michigan Stadium. Champaign, Ill.: Sports, 2002.

Cnockaert, Jim. Michigan: Where Have You Gone? Champaign, Ill.: Sports, 2004.

Kryk, John. Natural Enemies: Major College Football’s Oldest, Fiercest Rivalry—Michigan Versus Notre Dame. Lanham, Md.: Roman and Littlefield, 2004.

Madej, Bruce. Michigan: Champions of the West. Champaign, Ill.: Sagamore, 1997.