1952 Football Team

Overall Record: 5-4 Conference Record: 4-2
Conference Finish: 4th place tie
Coach: Bennie G. Oosterbaan
Captain: Merritt Green
All-Conference: Roger Zatkoff, Art Walker, Bob Timm, Dick O'Shaughnessy
Most Valuable Player: Ted Topor
Meyer Morton Award: Gene Knutson
Trainer: Jim Hunt
Assistant coaches: Jack Blott, George Ceithaml, Clifford Keen, Bill Orwig, Don Robinson, Walter Weber, J.T. White
Manager: Gerry Dudley

OpponentRankDateSiteResult Attend.
Michigan State   -/1 09/27 H L 13-27 96,490
Stanford   -/- 10/04 A L 7-14 25,000
Indiana   -/- 10/11 H W 28-13 53,840
Northwestern   -/- 10/18 A W 48-14 40,000
Minnesota (HC) 19/- 10/25 H W 21-0 72,404
Illinois 15/- 11/01 H L 13-22 65,595
Cornell   -/- 11/08 H W 49-7 48,614
Purdue 20/10 11/15 H W 21-10 58,964
Ohio State 12/- 11/22 A L 7-27 81,541
Total Points207-134 542,448

Starting Lineups Offense         
PositionPlayer
left end Lowell Perry (9)
left tackle Dick Strozewski (5)
Donald Bennett (4)
left guard Bob Timm (8)
Ted Cachey
center Dick O'Shaughnessy (9)
right guard Richard Beison (8)
Ted Cachey
right tackle Bernhardt Pederson (6)
Ralph Stribe (2)
Roger Zatkoff
right end Thad Stanford (9)
quarterback Ted Topor (9)
fullback Richard Balzhiser (5)
Fred Baer (3)
Robert Hurley
left halfback Ted Kress (9)
right halfback Tony Branoff (6)
Frank Howell (3)
Starting Lineups Defense         
PositionPlayer
left end Merritt Green (9)
left tackle Art Walker (9)
left guard Ronald Williams (7)
Robert Matheson (2)
rignt guard George Dutter (9)
right tackle James Balog (8)
Herbert Geyer (1)
right end Gene Knutson (9)
linebacker Roger Zatkoff (9)
linebacker Laurence LeClair (9)
left haflback David Tinkham (9)
right halfback Don Oldham (4)
Russell Rescorla (3)
Stanley Knickerbocker (2)
safety Lowell Perry (4)
Don Oldham (2)
Dan Cline (2)
Frank Howell (1)

View full 1952 roster (from all-time roster database, includes non-lettermen and freshmen)


1952 Team Photo
1952 team phto
view larger image

[Note: photo includes only varsity letter winners]

Back Row
Don Oldham, Robert Hurley, Stanley Knickerbocker, Fred Baer, James Bates, Art Walker, Lowell Perry, Tom Witherspoon
4th Row
Ted Cachey, Cline Daniel, George Dutter, Duncan McDonald, Herb Geyer, Eugene Knutson, Robert Topp, Robert Strozewski, Tony Branoff
3rd Row
trainer Jim Hunt, Bill Billings, Ted Kress, Richard Balzhiser, Don Bennett, Jim Balog, Thad Stanford, Frank Howell, Ron Wiliams, student manager Gerry Dudley
2nd Row
Robert Matheson, Dave Tinkham, Laurence Leclair, Wayne Melchiori, Roger Zatkoff, Robert Timm, Robert Dingman, Russell Rescorla, Donald Dugger
Front Row
Don Bennett, Richard O'Shaughnessy, Fritz Crisler, Merritt Green, Bennie Oosterbaan, Richard Beison, Ralph Stribe, Ted Topor