1945 Michigan Wolverines football team

1945 Michigan Wolverines football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 6
1945 record	7–3 (5–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Fritz Crisler (8th year)
Offensive scheme	Single-wing formation
MVP	Harold Watts
Captain	Joseph Ponsetto
Home stadium	Michigan Stadium
Seasons ← 1944 1946 →

1945 Big Ten football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#4 Indiana $	5	–	0	–	1			9	–	0	–	1
#6 Michigan	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
#12 Ohio State	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Northwestern	3	–	3	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
Purdue	3	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Wisconsin	2	–	3	–	1			3	–	4	–	2
Illinois	1	–	4	–	1			2	–	6	–	1
Minnesota	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Iowa	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Week 1: Great Lakes Navy at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Great Lakes Navy 2 0 0 0 2 • Michigan 14 0 0 13 27 Date: September 15, 1945 Location: Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI Referee: Mike Layden (Notre Dame)

Week 2: Indiana at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total • Indiana 6 7 0 0 13 Michigan 0 0 7 0 7 Date: September 22, 1945 Location: Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI Referee: Wm. A. Blake (Loras)

Week 3: Michigan State at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Michigan State 0 0 0 0 0 • Michigan 7 13 7 13 40 Date: September 29, 1945 Location: Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI Game attendance: 35,200 Referee: Mike Layden (Notre Dame)

Week 4: Michigan at Northwestern

1 2 3 4 Total • Michigan 6 7 7 0 20 Northwestern 7 0 0 0 7 Date: October 6, 1945 Location: Dyche Stadium, Evanston, IL Referee: Rollie Barnum (Wisconsin)

Week 5: Michigan vs. Army

1 2 3 4 Total Michigan 0 0 7 0 7 • Army 0 14 7 7 28 Date: October 13, 1945 Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY Referee: Thomas A. Timlin (Nigara)

Week 6: Michigan at Illinois

1 2 3 4 Total • Michigan 0 0 0 19 19 Illinois 0 0 0 0 0 Date: October 27, 1945 Location: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Il Game attendance: 54,572

Week 7: Minnesota at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Minnesota 0 0 0 0 0 • Michigan 7 0 0 19 26 Date: November 3, 1945 Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI Game attendance: 85,132 Referee: Dr. R. W. Huegel (Marquette)

Week 8: Michigan at Navy

1 2 3 4 Total Michigan 0 7 0 0 7 • Navy 6 7 14 6 33 Date: November 10, 1945 Location: Baltimore Stadium, Baltimore, MD Game attendance: 59,114

The 1945 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1945 Big Ten Conference football season. In their eighth year under head coach was Fritz Crisler, the Wolverines compiled a 7–3 record (5–1 Big Ten) and finished the season ranked #6 in the final Associated Press Poll. Quarterback Joe Ponsetto was the team captain, and center Harold Watts won the Most Valuable Player award and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player.

Michigan's three losses during the 1945 season came against teams ranked in the top four in the final AP Poll: #1 Army (28–7 loss at Yankee Stadium), #3 Navy (33–7 loss at Baltimore Stadium), and #4 Indiana (13–7 loss at Michigan Stadium). The Wolverines also defeated three ranked opponents in Illinois, Minnesota, and Ohio State. In their seven victories, the team registered three shutouts and outscored the teams 166 to 25, including margins of 40–0 and 26–0 in rivalry games against Michigan State and Minnesota.

The 1944 Michigan Wolverines football team compiled an 8–2 record and finished its season ranked #8 in the final AP Poll. With World War II still ongoing through the summer of 1945, only a few starters from the 1944 team returned for the start of the 1945 season; Michigan's returning starters were led by quarterback Joe Ponsetto and center Harold Watts. Due to either graduation or wartime military service, the majority of the starters from the 1944 team did not return for the start of the 1945 season, including the following:

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