Jack Weisenburger
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Weisenburger from 1944 Muskegon Heights H.S. yearbook
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| Sport(s) | Football, Baseball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
August 2, 1926 Muskegon County, Michigan |
| Playing career | |
| 1944–1947 | Michigan |
| Position(s) | Halfback, Fullback, Quarterback |
John Edward "Jack" Weisenburger (born August 2, 1926) is a former American football and baseball player. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1944 to 1947 and was the starting fullback for the undefeated 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team that became known as the "Mad Magicians" and has been rated as the greatest football team in Michigan history. He later played professional baseball for five years from 1948 to 1952.
Weisenburger was born in Muskegon County, Michigan in August 1926. His father, Merle Weisenburger, was an Ohio native who worked as a laborer in a pattern shop. His mother, Ada Weisenburger, was a Michigan native. At the time of the 1930 United States Census, Weisenburger lived in Norton Shores, Michigan with his parents and two brothers, Robert (born c. 1923) and Kenneth (born c. 1929). He attended Muskegon Heights High School where he played varsity football (three years), basketball (two years), baseball (four years), and track (one year). He was an all-conference basketball player and was selected as the class president in his sophomore, junior and senior years. The 1944 Muskegon Heights High School yearbook said of him, "Ferocious in football, and a good fellow always."
Weisenburger played college football as a halfback, fullback and quarterback at the University of Michigan from 1944 to 1947. He started five games at fullback for the 1944 Michigan Wolverines football team, and played five games at fullback and one at halfback for the 1945 team. In 1946, he started the season as a fullback, but suffered a broken jaw in an early game against Army. Weisenburger ended up starting three games at quarterback and one each at fullback and halfback for the 1946 team. As a senior, Weisenbuger was the starting fullback for the 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team that finished the season with a 10–0 record and outscored opponents 394 to 53. The 1947 team became known as the "Mad Magicians" and is considered by some to be the greatest Michigan team of all time. One sports writer referred to the 1947 backfield (Weisenbuger, Bob Chappuis and Bump Elliott) as "a backfield full of pervasive shadows that flit about like wraiths." The 1947 Michigan team is also notable for head coach Fritz Crisler's innovation of modern platoon football; Weisenburger was one of two Michigan players in 1947 (the other was Bump Elliott) who played both offense and defense. He finished his football career by scoring three touchdowns in the 1948 Rose Bowl against the USC Trojans. He scored the game's first touchdown ten minutes into the game and added two more later in the game. He later recalled, "What astonished me was the ease with which our line opened holes for us. It was one of those days when everything clicked." Michigan won the game 49 to 0.
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