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| Benny Friedman | |
 |
Position: Quarterback |
| Member Biography | |
|
It was 1926, and Michigan was battling for the Big Ten
championship when the Wolverines were trailing Ohio State
10-0 early in their conference showdown. Coach Fielding
Yost suddenly decided to unleash the air attack of two great
Hall of Famers, quarterback Benny Friedman and end Bennie
Oosterbaan. With Oosterbaan making circus catches off
Friedman's soft throws, Michigan roared from behind to win,
17-16. The Wolverines defeated Minnesota 7-6, the following
weekend to clinch the league crown and complete a 7-1
season which was marred only by a 10-0 loss to powerful
Navy. "He never makes a mistake", Yost said while watching
Friedman capture All America honors in 1925 and 1926. He
had poise and remarkable ability. The strapping, handsome
son of a Cleveland, Ohio tailor, Friedman went on to play
professional football, first in his hometown of Cleveland and
then in Detroit before finishing up his career in New York for
six seasons with the gridiron Giants and Dodgers. Friedman
hated to lose, and his combativeness, wild inventiveness and
determination to win drew thousands of fans Sunday after
Sunday. In all of his years as a player, college or pro,
Friedman never suffered an injury and never missed a game.
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