1947 Michigan

Well, Chris Fields is working on the final 16 players for my 1945 Army team / Dixie league team. The first 22 he sent me are all but done and ready to take the field. We are allowed to use 36 figures so I want to have a complete team for competitive reasons.

I'll post pictures of my art in the 1945 Army thread once I can get up to Beenutt's. He has that special photograph technique. I'm hoping he'll take some shots for me that I can post in my Army thread here.

Lavelle Shelton is currently working on an all-time Notre Dame team. I think most of you have already seen that thread. I'm pretty sure he is making them with an old time Notre Dame look.

So, what's next for BigFranco?

Well, I am starting to get my juices going for making a whole bunch of these all time great old time teams.

ESPN had a TOP TEN list of the Best College Football teams of all-time recently.

Old time teams on that list are:

# 4. Army 1945
# 6. Michigan 1947
# 7. Notre Dame 1947
# 8. Oklahoma 1956


Also receiving votes in that poll but not making the top ten were:

USC 1932
Minnesota 1940
TCU 1938

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So, I think my next project will be 1947 Michigan.

I sure hope Chris Fields does not get tired of doing these type of figures for me. I dont think he is aware of my grand Master plan yet.



I love doing the research on these teams. I have lived my whole life a complete and total NFL history buff. I know so little about these great college teams of the past.

Doing these projects inspires me to tap into a whole new world of Sports History. Its a blast!

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...The soft style is accurate for 1947, but the hard helmet pictured here can help with painting detail

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Michigan 1947

Head Coach Fritz Crisler let loose his "Mad Magicians" with one of the trickiest offenses in college football history. "For sheer deception, there had been nothing like the Magicians before," wrote Ivan Kaye in Michigan Today. "And there has been nothing like them since -- three men handling the ball was just an ordinary play. The plays that really gave them a kick were the ones where four or even five men handled the ball. It would wear out the spectators and drive defenses crazy."

As a result, Michigan, led by tailback Bob Chappius, wingback Chalmers "Bump" Elliott, QB Howard Yerges and fullback Jack Weisenburger, went 10-0 in 1947. While the Irish of Notre Dame were named No. 1 by the AP at the end of the regular season, Michigan forced the voters to reconsider after crushing USC 49-0 in the Rose Bowl, and were ranked No. 1 in an unofficial postseason AP poll.

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I think it's great that you've almost got your Army together ready to go. That is a project that I want to complete earlier than later. Now you need to get a Navy team to go with it.

Mind you: I am an Army man. However, Navy did have great teams in 1943, 1957 and during tre Staubach years ('63-64). Those teams were certainly competitive with Notre Dame, Michigan and the other traditional powers.

Making a Navy team does pose one problem I don't think can be solved. They will always be a step slower than the Army team.

Dean Baker

Originally Posted by dnb294

I think it's great that you've almost got your Army together ready to go. That is a project that I want to complete earlier than later. Now you need to get a Navy team to go with it.

Mind you: I am an Army man. However, Navy did have great teams in 1943, 1957 and during tre Staubach years ('63-64). Those teams were certainly competitive with Notre Dame, Michigan and the other traditional powers.

Making a Navy team does pose one problem I don't think can be solved. They will always be a step slower than the Army team.

Dean Baker

Yes, 1943 Navy is on my horizon