Bill Putich
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| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| College | Michigan |
Bill Putich was an American football player who played quarterback and halfback for the University of Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1949 to 1951.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Putich played only 13 minutes of a possible 540 as a sophomore in 1949. He earned the nickname 'One-Play-Putich' in Michigan's 7–3 win over Michigan State in 1949; Putich appeared for only one play in the game, throwing a touchdown pass to win the game.
Putich took over as the starting quarterback for the 1950 Michigan Wolverines football team. After a 14–7 loss to Michigan State in his first start, some questioned his selection as the starting quarterback. Sports writer John F. Mayhew wrote a column in defense of Putich, noting that he was inexperienced but showed promise. Mayhew noted:
Putich is an eager, hard-working, intelligent football player. He's good enough to have the complete faith of Backfield Coach George Ceithaml, one of Michigan's best quarterbacks and a man who should really know. Given a reasonable break, he'll prove it too.
Putich proved Mayhew correct in leading the 1950 team to a 9–3 win over Ohio State in the famed Snow Bowl game, a Big Ten Conference championship, and a 14–6 win over the University California in the 1951 Rose Bowl. The 1950 team was ranked No. 9 in the final Associated Press poll and No. 6 in the coaches' poll.
In February 1951, Putich was ruled ineligible to compete for Michigan's basketball team due to academic deficiencies.
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