Michigan coach Bo Schembechler and his team stunned Ohio State, 24-12, in 1969 in Ann Arbor. (Richard Sheinwald, Associated Press)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nov. 22 was the 50th anniversary of one of the most memorable games in the history of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry when the Wolverines shocked Woody Hayes and the Buckeyes, 24-12, in Ann Arbor.
The Buckeyes, which won the 1968 national championship on the strength of the Super Sophs, committed seven turnovers, four of which were interceptions thrown by quarterback Rex Kern.
Michigan scored 17 points in the second quarter and held the Buckeyes off the board in the second half to secure the upset and ignite the Ten-Year War between OSU and Michigan.
Here’s a look back at nine things you may not know, whether it be about the game itself or in college football.
1. Michigan outgained Ohio State by only one yard
The game will be remembered for how Michigan kept turning Ohio State’s offense over. But a closer look at the box scores shows that the two offenses were near identical in terms of yards.
The Wolverines outgained Ohio State, 374-373. The Buckeyes threw for 155 yards compared to Michigan’s 108. But OSU quarterbacks threw six interceptions to Michigan’s one. Buckeye quarterbacks had 17 combined interceptions that season.
Ohio State’s Jim Otis had a game-high 144 yards and lost only one yard on 28 carries.
2. 1969 was the debut of Michigan Stadium’s turf
1969 was a new era for Michigan football in more than one way. It wasn’t just the debut season for Bo Schembechler as the head coach, but it was the first year for an artificial turf at Michigan Stadium.
The surface known as Tartan Turf was installed at Michigan in 1969, and the stadium had a turf field for 22 years before returning to a natural grass field in 1991.
3. Linemen were much, much lighter than they are now
If you want an idea of how different the players themselves were in 1969, Ohio State middle guard Jim Stillwagon weighed just 216 pounds. To get an idea of how that compares, OSU quarterback Justin Fields weighs 223 pounds.
That alone speaks volumes. Also consider that against Penn State on Saturday, Ohio State’s lightest starting defensive lineman was 265-pound Chase Young. That’s a 49-pound difference between Stillwagon and Young.
Michigan’s middle guard, Henry Hill, was listed at 5-foot-11, 224 pounds (he wasn't anywhere close to that weight, perhaps up to 40 pounds less).
It’s a great example of how the game has changed in 50 years, particularly in strength training.
4. The teams had a combined six future first-round picks
Ohio State and Michigan have always had talented rosters, including in the modern era. And of all the players that were on the two teams in the 1969 game, six eventually became first-round picks.
Four came from Ohio State: running back John Brockington, defensive back Jack Tatum, defensive back William Anderson and running back Leo Hayden. All four went in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft.
A year later, Michigan had two of its players from that team get picked in the first round when cornerback Thom Darden, who had one of the six Michigan interceptions, and linebacker Michael Taylor went in the first 20 picks.
But the player who had the best pro career was Hall of Fame offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf. He was the 43rd pick to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971 and started 150 games in the NFL.
5. The game ended Ohio State’s 1969 season
It’s hard to fathom that a team that goes 8-1 doesn’t go to a bowl game considering the myriad of games out there and that teams with losing records have played in bowls.
But in those days, only one Big Ten team got to go to a bowl game. The rest were done for the season. The Buckeyes were ineligible for a bowl because the conference didn't allow repeat participants in the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines went to Pasadena and Ohio State’s season was over.
That didn’t change until the 1975 season when two Big Ten teams, Michigan and Ohio State, both went to bowl games.
6. The 1969 Heisman Trophy winner would be third in rushing yards in 2019
Oklahoma’s Steve Owens won the Heisman Trophy in 1969 when he had 1,523 yards and 23 touchdowns on 358 carries.
If you compare his stats to those from players in 2019 at this point, he had more rushing attempts and touchdowns than anyone. But he would be third in the nation in yards.
Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard has 1,832 yards and Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor has rushed for 1,685.
It’s worth noting that Owens had those stats in 10 games.
But the real difference is in terms of offensive efficiency. Owens had 4.3 yards per carry, which is bested by 191 runners this season who have at least had 6.25 carries per game.
7. Penn State went 11-0, and it’s best player won a Grammy
Penn State was an independent in those days and had back-to-back undefeated seasons in 1968 and 1969. The Nittany Lions had the nation’s best scoring defense in 1969, allowing just 90 points in 11 games.
The star of that defense was defensive tackle Mike Reid, who had 87 tackles that season, was fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1969 and was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
Reid was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and had a solid five-year NFL career. But the awards didn’t stop after his football career ended.
In 1984, he won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song as a songwriter for Ronnie Milsap’s “Stranger in My House.” Reid and Milsap collaborated for another Grammy nominated song in 1986 with “Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)” which lost to Jimmy Webb’s “Highwayman” for Best Country Song.
8. National champion Texas threw just five touchdown passes
1969 was a time where you didn’t have to throw the football much to win. Texas is a perfect example.
The Longhorns won the national championship that season even though their quarterbacks combined for five touchdowns. James Street had three, but he also threw 10 interceptions.
Compare that to the '69 Buckeyes. Woody Hayes, who has always been famous for a “three yards and a cloud of dust” offense, led a team that had 17 touchdown passes in 1969.
For another comparison, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger has three games this season with four touchdown passes.
9. 11-0 San Diego State was ahead of its time
On the opposite end of the offensive spectrum from Texas was San Diego State. With future NFL head coach Don Coryell running the show in 1969, the Aztecs went 11-0 and won the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.
Starting quarterback Dennis Shaw (a 1970 second-round pick of the Buffalo Bills) threw for 3,185 yards and 39 touchdowns. In comparing those numbers to 2019 stats, Shaw would be third in passing touchdowns behind only Anthony Gordon of Washington State (45) and LSU’s Joe Burrow (41), and 10th in passing yards. But he threw 26 interceptions, 11 more than Utah State quarterback Jordan Love’s 15, which are the most in the country.
Tom Reynolds led the nation with 18 receiving touchdowns.
SDSU’s backup quarterback in 1969 was a sophomore by the name of Brian Sipe.
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