Michigan to honor Gerald Ford, Bennie Oosterbaan and Ron Kramer as 'Football Legends'
Desmond Howard and Gerald Ford will have company in the "Michigan Football Legend" department.
After Michigan coach Brady Hoke announced via radio Tuesday that the program plans to honor former President Gerald Ford's No. 48 next season, the university announced that two more retired uniforms will be placed back into circulation next season.
In 2012, Michigan will honor Ford's No. 48, Bennie Oosterbaan's No. 47 and Ron Kramer's No. 87 as "Football Legend" numbers, joining Howard's No. 21.
"The success and acceptance of the Desmond Howard 'Legend' recognition led to conversations with the family members who had retired jerseys, several of whom were never recognized or celebrated in the appropriate manner," Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said in a statement. "The Ford, Kramer and Oosterbaan families want to see their family member honored in this way.
"This program is about tradition and legacy and this is a unique way to recognize these great Wolverines."
Per the release, Michigan will honor Oosterbaan during the Sept. 8 game against Air Force, Kramer during the Sept. 15 game against Massachusetts and Ford during the Oct. 13 game against Illinois.
Bennie Oosterbaan, the first Michigan football player to have his jersey number retired, was a three-time All-American for the Wolverines.
Associated Press file photo
Ron Kramer was a two-time football All-American and earned nine varsity letters in three sports at Michigan.
Courtesy University of Michigan
The school has yet to announce which current players will wear the three soon-to-be unretired jersey numbers.
Currently, Michigan has two other retired numbers -- Tom Harmon's No. 98 and the No. 11 worn by Francis, Albert and Alvin Wistert. Brandon said Michigan has yet to discuss the "Legend" topic with either the Harmon or Wistert family.
"This is an outstanding way to recognize our former greats," Hoke said in a statement. "It speaks to the tradition and success of our program, and it honors those who led the way in the past."
Last season, Michigan unveiled its "Football Legend" distinction by enshrining Howard's No. 21 into the special category prior to a home game against Notre Dame. A year ago, former wideout Junior Hemingway donned the No. 21 with a special "Legend" patch sewn on his shoulder.
Michigan senior receiver Roy Roundtree will wear the No. 21 jersey this season. Moving forward, any player wearing the No. 47, 48 or 87 will also don the special patch on his chest.
Also, the lockers being used by anyone wearing the enshrined numbers will be "customized to reflect the fact that Oosterbaan, Ford and Kramer will forever be Michigan Football Legends."
Ford, the 38th President of the United States, earned three varsity letters at Michigan as a center from 1932-34 and was named the team's most valuable player as a senior. His No. 48 was retired in 1994.
Oosterbaan was the first-ever Michigan football player to have his uniform retired. He was the program's first three-time All-American (1925, 1926 and 1927). From there, he went on to become the program's head coach from 1948-58, compiling a 63-33-4 record. During his time as coach, Oosterbaan led Michigan to three Big Ten titles, the 1948 national championship and the 1951 Rose Bowl crown.
Kramer, meanwhile, was a two-time football All-American (1955-56) who earned nine varsity letters in three sports at Michigan. The two-way player had his uniform retired upon graduation and was eventually the No. 4 overall pick by the Green Bay Packers in 1957.
The College Football Hall of Famer went on to earn All-Pro honors, and is also a member of the Green Bay Packers' Hall of Fame.
Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.
Comments
7718
Thu, Jun 14, 2012 : 12:18 a.m.
Dave Brandon thinks this is good for the brand. Tradition? Who cares! A few more dollars may get into the athletic dept. this way.
Milqueman
Thu, Jun 14, 2012 : 12:11 a.m.
NEWS FLASH: this just in, Reports indicate Dave Brandon called Brett Farve to ask advice on what he should do about Michigan's retired jerseys.
Milqueman
Thu, Jun 14, 2012 : 12:17 a.m.
Brett Farve: Go ahead and un-retire them Dave, you can always retire them again next year, or the year after, or whenever the fans get bored of it. It will mean the same thing, trust me.
SalineBob
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 4:32 p.m.
I think it's a great idea and I think other schools (MSU) should do the same thing. Perhaps the student athletes will have an even greater appreciation for the scholarship they have received and what a privelege it is to play college football. It's a great idea for the college level--not professional sports. That's different. It's their paid profession and today's players will want to carve out their own history to perhaps receive that rare form of extra special distinction.
Dcam
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 3:32 p.m.
What about honoring the football greats before there were numbered jerseys? Harrison "Boss" Weeks comes to mind. He led the UM team to a 22-0 record(the two seasons he played) and 1220 points to 12 for the opponents. He also led UM to a 49-0 thumping of Stanford in the first ever Rose Bowl game. UM was known as the 'A Point a Minute' team and gave us the phrase 'Getting buffaloed' after drubbing Buffalo U 120-0. Too bad he didn't have a number, though; it would have been retired.
SEC Fan
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 5:54 p.m.
yeah...but their schedule was filled with an awful lot of Div III schools...
SEC Fan
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 1:56 p.m.
I thought the act of "retiring" the number was meant to honor the player. So "un-retiring" it is also an honor? If you re-retire the number, which player does it then honor? The original retiree or the 2nd retiree? and what about the next player to wear the number...who is he honoring? The original retiree or the 2nd, 3rd, 4th great player to wear the honor number? or does this mean a player like Roundtree can never be honored in the future? In which case, being chosen to wear the "honor" number is actually an insult to your playing abilities because coach believes you'll never be good enough to be "honored"? ...which also means it's not such an honor to the original player to have a "not so great" player wearing your "retired" number... i'm so confused...
SEC Fan
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 7:03 p.m.
oh yeah...
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 6:53 p.m.
chocolate chip with macadamia nuts?
SEC Fan
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 5:44 p.m.
we have cookies...
SEC Fan
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 5:43 p.m.
ahhh Craig, come to the Dark Side...you hear it calling...
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 2:48 p.m.
again I find myself agreeing with some lost soul who calls himself "SEC Fan" . You make some excellent points despite your allegiance with the devil..... ;) (Its a joke Ann Arbor.com, a joke)
J
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 2:29 p.m.
While I don't agree with your overall sentiment, you do bring up a good point about the "next players" wearing Legends numbers.
JustfortheRecord
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 1:23 p.m.
I love this. I also love that people on ESPN are talking about a former President who was a Wolverine instead of players who have been murdered, coaches who have acted idiotic, people testifying in PA, or conferences suing their school. The sentiment is great, the timing is amazing. And next year during televised games, announcers will be talking about a President having been a Michigan Wolverine.
Andre
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 1:06 p.m.
I don't like putting retired numbers back into circulation. I would rather have the retired numbers displayed in the stadium, like the Tigers do.
dougfair
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 12:37 p.m.
So "retired" means you don't use it again? Until you want to.
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 12:32 p.m.
"This is an outstanding way to recognize our former greats," So was retiring their numbers. I have said in the other story I don't like the plan. I can understand the arguments the other way, I just don't buy them. If Mike Illitch announced a plan like that for the Red Wings the public outrage would be profound. Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams.......
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 4:02 p.m.
Pillow Rock, I understand your point that the potential to run out of numbers is there. And if they never retired another number that would be fine. I just don't think you should undo whats been done. And this new idea of recognizing certain numbers as "special" can ultimately have the same issue you describe. They can run out of available numbers if too many are "special"
PillowRock
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 3:42 p.m.
The comparison between college football teams and pro hockey and baseball teams isn't valid because of the huge difference in roster sizes while having the same pool of possible numbers available. A pro baseball or hockey roster is less than a third the size of a college football roster. They can keep retiring the numbers of their Hall of Famers for a couple more centuries and still not have any issue with having numbers left to assign. Michigan couldn't keep retiring numbers of players who deserved the honor (by the time you include special teams players, they're already using duplicate numbers). The Legend Patch does keep the honored players more alive in the minds of everyone around the program: players as well as fans. Last week, the only number that I would have been to state confidently was retired at Michigan was Harmon. Ford, I would have guessed (not known). The Wisterts, I knew nothing about. Oosterbaan I knew of mostly as a coach who had played, not as a 3 time first team All American. Kramer I knew of, but didn't remember that his number had been retired. And I'm a 50 year old life-long Michigan fan and alumnus. Given that there is no good place at the stadium to put a fully public "ring of honor" sort of thing, I like the Legend Patch idea, so long as it remains a sufficiently exclusive "club". If they start over-awarding it so that most of the jersey's have some old-timer's or other patch on them, then it would cease to have any real meaning.
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 2:43 p.m.
To reiterat my stance... ****lights....good ***night games....good ***numbers on helmet...indifferent. Although it may cost them votes as best college football helmet ***Vintage uniforms... indifferent but please note he never did a vintage uniform. He did a concoction that included parts of various uniforms. Just a point of fact. Are facts old fashion too? *****scoreboard...good ****luxery boxs...indifferent I liked the way the stadium looked prior to the boxes. But I realize they are a sign of the times. ****Rosebowl ...indifferent. I favor an 8 team playoff with no conference ties. (hows that for "ethally-strict traditionalist")
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 2:30 p.m.
"And being way outside the norm is bad because?' I never said it was bad. Nor did i say it was inherently good either. Please reread my stance. "Do you know when Crisler added the wings to the Michigan helmet, it was way outside the norm. too?" Outside the norm but not unique nor the first. "lethally-strict traditionalist like yourself, whose rigidness slowly asphyxiates this program. ' so far this unretiring numbers is the only thing I disagree with you about. I didn't like the halo either. How about the halo? Do we disagree on the halo? If so that would the second thing we disagree on.
RudeJude
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 2:04 p.m.
Catching up? Michigan used to be the leader in this realm. And being way outside the norm is bad because? Do you know that when it was built, Yost's Michigan Stadium, with its massive capacity, was way outside the norm? Do you know that when Michigan installed the first electronic scoreboard, it was way outside the norm? Do you know when Crisler added the wings to the Michigan helmet, it was way outside the norm. too? What about when Michigan played in the inaugural Rose Bowl, way back when there was no tradition in it. Way outside the norm. I wonder, did Yost and Crisler had detractors criticizing their every move back in their day? I'm thankful that great men like Dave Brandon and Coach Hoke are following in their footsteps of being way outside the norm, to the chagrin of lethally-strict traditionalist like yourself, whose rigidness slowly asphyxiates this program. I'm happy that the families of the players they are honoring see the honor in this move and support it, unlike yourself. Please, let me know when they stop singing The Victors and end the tradition of running out of the tunnel to the M Club Supports You banner, will you? Then I'll join in your uproar. And feel free to foolishly call me ignorant on a matter so subjective as this one, but make no mistake, I never meant for my last comment to flatter you. ;) I hope you come around to the renewed Michigan! It's long overdue! Go Blue!
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 1:25 p.m.
lights in stadiums are the norm Numbers on helmets are common night games, again the norm So those changes were moving in to the 21st century. Catching up if you will. Unretiring numbers is not catching up, its way outside the norm. Change for the sake of change is not inherently good or bad. This new found policy of not respecting retired numbers may be the wave of the future for sports. But as of now its smells like the 1993 Detroit Lions to me. Your suggestion that anyone who opposes this is "dusty old curmudgeons in this fanbase. " is both ignorant and insulting.
RudeJude
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 12:38 p.m.
There's a big smile on my face, watching Dave Brandon renew Michigan athletics while unapologetically riling up and sweeping away the hypercritical, dusty old curmudgeons in this fanbase. Mr. Brandon put it best in a recent annarbor.com article: "Every change I have ever proposed has been met with resistance" Brandon said. "'You're going to put lights in Michigan Stadium? You're going to play a night game? You're going to put the kids in a vintage uniform? Oh my God, you're going to put numbers on the helmets? How can you do this? I don't care what it is, any change that's been proposed, this has been a culture that wants to resist it, because we all want to go back to the way it was when we were there, because that's friendly and that's comfortable. Every change I have proposed has been met with resistance. But you know what? I don't care." God bless you, good sir. Go Blue!
RudeJude
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 12:22 p.m.
Yep, pretty sure this is a conspiracy by Dave Brandon and Coach Hoke just to get those numbers back on the field...I don't know how they lived without them all the years they've been retired! ;) - "The Ford, Kramer and Oosterbaan families want to see their family member honored in this way. " - "This program is about tradition and legacy and this is a unique way to recognize these great Wolverines." - "This is an outstanding way to recognize our former greats," Hoke said in a statement. "It speaks to the tradition and success of our program, and it honors those who led the way in the past." - Michigan will honor Oosterbaan during the Sept. 8 game against Air Force, Kramer during the Sept. 15 game against Massachusetts and Ford during the Oct. 13 game against Illinois. They must have REALLY needed those numbers to go through all this trouble!
Theo212
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 12:22 p.m.
Quick Buck Brandon obviously has no concern for dignity and tradition. What's next, special scarlet and grey uniforms to honor our long-time adversary? Give me Bill Martin and RichRod any day.
BornInA2
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 2:40 p.m.
You can have them. Enjoy Arizona. I bet they even have a fan forum where you can post.
Jim Osborn
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 12:13 p.m.
Why was ford so honored? Because of his football team leadership skills. Have you heard the story of Gerald Ford, Willis Ward and the 1934 Michigan-Georgia Tech Game? If not, go see the movie "Black and Blue". The University of Michigan football team was scheduled to play Georgia Tech in 1934 in Ann Arbor. Gerald Ford's best friend and team mate, Willis Ward would not be allowed to play, at the last minute, because he was black and this southern team would not play Michigan if they fielded him. Michigan wimped out and benched Ward. Ford then refused to play as well. The news spread about this and angered of many U-M faculty and students. Protests followed... go read the book or watch the movie. Ford wos too much of a gentleman to have used this in his race against Jimmy Carter.
Jim Osborn
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 12:49 p.m.
What is truely tragic is that Ward beat Jessie Owens several times in track meets, but after this never raced again. This incident sapped his spirit. What could the 1936 Olympics have been like? Ward did quite all right career wise, fIrst at Ford Motor, where Henry Ford begged him not to leave to go to law school, and then as a judge.
RudeJude
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 12:40 p.m.
I'm guessing those covering the Michigan games from now on will, from time to time, mention the history of the people who wore these numbers, I bet we'll hear about Ford-Ward story at least one Saturday this fall. Go Blue!
Dcam
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 11:29 a.m.
Ron Kramer was a great GB Packer receiver, playing opposite Max Magee and Boyd Dowler. He also was the first NFL player to negotiate a contract through a player representative - which got him traded to the Detroit Lions. He said that his attorney told Vince Lombardi that he was representing Ron Kramer and would like to discuss terms. Lombardi, according to Kramer, said, 'Excuse me.' and left the room. When he returned he told the agent that he was talking to the wrong team, he needed to talk to the Lions.
observer
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 10:42 a.m.
I agree, most fans don't know that a certain number is retired, but by having it worn, honors that player again....
jen777
Wed, Jun 13, 2012 : 3:32 a.m.
great idea - like the idea of patch/name on the jersey- also makes it an honor for the current player