1971 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1971 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1971 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 11–1 record, outscored opponents 421 to 83, won the Big Ten Conference championship, and were ranked No. 4 in the final UPI Poll and No. 6 in the final AP Poll. Defensive back Frank Gusich and center Guy Murdock were the team captains.
| 1971 Michigan Wolverines football | |
|---|---|
Big Ten champion | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 4 |
| AP | No. 6 |
| Record | 11–1 (8–0 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Jim Young (3rd season) |
| MVP | Billy Taylor |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Michigan Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Michigan $ | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Wolverines were undefeated in the regular season, including three consecutive shutout victories over Virginia (56–0), UCLA (38–0), and Navy (46–0). Two later victories over Indiana (61–7) and Iowa (63–7) were the Wolverines' highest point totals since a 69-point tally in 1947. The Michigan-Ohio State game set an NCAA record with a crowd of 104,016 at Michigan Stadium. In the 1972 Rose Bowl, Michigan lost to Stanford, 13–12, on a field goal with 12 seconds remaining.
Four Michigan players received first-team honors on the 1971 College Football All-America Team. They are:
- Linebacker Mike Taylor had 97 total tackles in 1971 and was selected as a consensus first-team All-American.
- Offensive guard Reggie McKenzie blocked and opened holes for an offense that compiled 3,977 rushing yards and was also selected as a consensus first-team All-American.
- Running back Billy Taylor rushed for 1,297 yards, was named as the team MVP, broke Michigan's career rushing record with 3,072 yards, and was selected as a first-team All-American by the Football News.
- Defensive back Thom Darden intercepted four passes with returns of 92 and 60 yards, averaged 10.3 yards on 23 punt returns, and was selected as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and The Sporting News.
Linebacker Dana Coin set an NCAA record by successfully converting 55 of 55 extra points without a miss during the 1971 season. He was also the team's leading scorer with 79 points.