Ohio State v Michigan, 1955
Ohio State v Michigan, 1955
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Ohio State defeats a heavily favored Wolverines team 17-0 on November 19, 1955 and prevents them from a Big Ten title and trip to the Rose Bowl. Woody Hayes called his 1955 team, which included Heisman Trophy winning Howard Hopalong Cassidy, the "greatest team I ever coached."
Print features incredible photograph of Ohio State halfback Don Sutherin being wrangled by a Wolverine defender. No penalty was called on the play.
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Ohio State 17, Michigan 0
Ann Arbor, Nov. 19, 1955
The game before a record crowd was for the Big Ten title and was the ‘55 Heisman Trophy winner Howard Hopalong Cassidy’s final game.
Ohio State had two losses but was undefeated in five Big Ten games and rated ninth in the national AP poll. Michigan, holding the No. 6 spot, had only lost to Illinois.
The Wolverines, considered to be one of the best Michigan teams in years, were playing for an undisputed conference title and a Rose Bowl invitation. The Buckeyes had not won at Ann Arbor since 1937, but held the Wolverines to only five first downs, while gaining 333 yards for 20 first downs; spearheaded by Don Sutherin’s effort.
Buckeye fans pulled down the goal post at the north end of the stadium and went to work on the other with 1:15 still remaining. In that time Michigan was penalized for clipping, piling on, and unsportsmanlike conduct.
University of Michigan officials, players, fans and sports writers deplored the fact that the game developed into brawl in the final minutes. Ohio Staters, for the most part played down the incident, as the decisive defeat and the breaking of the 18-year Ann Arbor jinx was what they had been waiting for.
Coach Woody Hayes summarized the achievement after the game: “This was the greatest team today I’ve ever coached. I never saw a team play so close to perfection. You never let up, you kept the pressure on them for 60 minutes. You didn’t give them a chance. You only let them cross your 50-yard line once and that was just barely. You’re the greatest!”
BLADE ARCHIVE PHOTO BY DICK GREENE