Benjamin Gaylord (Bennie) Oosterbaan

Bennie Oosterbaan

University of Michigan Football, Baseball, Basketball Player (1925 – 1928)
University of Michigan Football Coach (1948 – 1958)
University of Michigan Basketball Coach (1938 – 1946)

Bennie Oosterbaan was born in Muskegon, Michigan and was a multi-sport athlete at Muskegon High School earning all-state honors in baseball, basketball and football while leading the basketball team to a state championship and winning the state championship in the discus. Oosterbaan moved on to the University of Michigan where he excelled once again in all three sports. He was a three-time All-American in football leading the Wolverines to a 20 – 4 record. He was a two-time All-American in basketball leading the conference in scoring during his senior year. In baseball, he was an all-conference performer and won the conference batting title. After graduation, he stayed at the University where he was an assistant football coach for twenty years taking over the program and leading it for eleven seasons (1948 – 1958) winning a National Championship in 1948. He also coached the basketball team for eight seasons (1938 – 1946). The University of Michigan retired Oosterbaan’s #47 in football. In 1969, Sports Illustrated named him to the eleven-man All-Century football team and in 1979 he was named Michigan’s greatest all-time football player. Bennie Oosterbaan was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954, the inaugural class of the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1978 and was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1958. He passed away on October 25, 1990 at 84 years of age.