1965 Michigan Wolverines football team

1965 Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan quarterback Wally Gabler (No. 29) and halfback Carl Ward (No. 19)
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record4–6 (2–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPBill Yearby
CaptainTom Cecchini
Home stadiumMichigan Stadium
Seasons
← 1964
1966 →
1965 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Michigan State $ 7 0 0 10 1 0
Ohio State 6 1 0 7 2 0
Purdue 5 2 0 7 2 1
Minnesota 5 2 0 5 4 1
Illinois 4 3 0 6 4 0
Northwestern 3 4 0 4 6 0
Michigan 2 5 0 4 6 0
Wisconsin 2 5 0 2 7 1
Indiana 1 6 0 2 8 0
Iowa 0 7 0 1 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1965 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1965 Big Ten Conference football season. In its seventh year under head coach Bump Elliott, Michigan compiled a 4–6 record (2–5 against conference opponents), finished in seventh place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 185 to 161.[1]

Ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP poll, the Wolverines were plagued by injuries throughout the season and lost close games to No. 7 Purdue (17–15, decided by two missed extra points), Minnesota (14–13, decided by a missed two-point conversion), and Ohio State (9–7, decided on a last-minute field goal after Michigan out-gained the Buckeyes).

Linebacker Tom Cecchini was the team captain, and defensive tackle Bill Yearby received the team's most valuable player award.[2] Yearby was also a consensus first-team All-American. Four Michigan players received first-team All-Big Ten honors: Yearby, running back Carl Ward, offensive tackle Tom Mack, and defensive back Rich Volk.

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Wally Gabler with 825 passing yards and 42 points scored, Carl Ward with 639 rushing yards, and right end Jack Clancy with 762 receiving yards.[3]

  1. ^ "1965 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  2. ^ "1965 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  3. ^ "1965 Michigan Wolverines Statistics". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 5, 2017.