The Bashful Dick Kempthorn (1947)

Gotta love these old candid photos.   Here we have a wire photo currently up on eBay of the undefeated 1947 Michigan football, attending a Hollywood movie premier days before their Rose Bowl game against USC:

dick_kempthorn

That knock-out broad?  That’s Loretta Young, star of film and television from the 1930s and 1940s.  She’s shaking hands with hard-hitting Michigan fullback/linebacker Dick Kempthorn, whose confidence and skill on the field hadn’t yet translated to his off-the-field interactions with the dames.

Reminds me of this shot of Tom Harmon with two actresses from 1941:

This uncomfortable greeting is about the most adversity the Wolverines faced during their trip to LA, as the Trojans didn’t put up much of a fight in the Rose Bowl.  Michigan smoked Southern Cal 49-0 and prompted the AP to take a then-unprecedented postseason vote to name Fritz Crisler’s crew the national champions.

As for Kempthorn, what an amazing guy.    A selection of stories/anecdotes sucked from his extensive Wikipedia entry, on and off the gridiron:

  • He transferred to Michigan after World War II and due to the transfer rules, couldn’t play varsity in 1946.   He suited up for the practice squad, and during one scrimmage with regular team he laid out a couple playing, reportedly prompting Fritz Crisler demanded to the practice squad coach, “get that wild man out of there.”
  • He was member of the 1947 and 1948 national champion teams, and MVP of the 1949 squad.
  • After his playing days were done, Kempthorn stayed on as an assistant to Bennie Oosterbaan.  Check out this little nugget of Wolverine lore, from one of the most famous games in Michigan-Ohio State history–the Snow Bowl.

What’s a Michigan Man?   The Supreme Court would say you know one when you see one.  Kempthorn is a Michigan Man!

Related:
1948 Rose Bowl and the title debate – Notre Dame or Michigan #1?
Honorary Captains, Miami OH game – Pete Elliott photo
Crisler Describes the Spinner – Fritz Book excerpt, diagrams
Rose Bowl Pics – Wire Photos from ’48 Rose Bowl
Moose, Ox, and Whitey – The Wistert Brothers photo
The Snow Bowl – Rose bowl pic, Snow bowl