Basketball: Baseball: Benjamin Oosterbaan (/ˈoʊstərbɑːn/ OH-stər-bahn; February 24, 1906 – October 25, 1990) was an American football end and head coach for the University of Michigan.

As a head coach Oosterbaan won a national championship with the 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team, by way of the Associated Press.

In addition to his All-American collegiate accolades, Oosterbaan threw three touchdown passes in the dedication game of Michigan Stadium on October 22, 1927.

[1] After his playing career ended, Oosterbaan spent several decades working for the University of Michigan Athletic Department until the 1970s.

[5] In its obituary of Oosterbaan, The Sporting News described him as a phenomenal student-athlete who in his senior year at Michigan "was captain of the football team, led the Big Ten Conference in scoring in basketball and was the league's leading hitter in baseball, a sport he had not pursued while in high school.

[6] That season, he was captain, most valuable player, and an All-American in football; Big Ten scoring champion and All-American in basketball; and Big Ten batting average champion in what may be the most dominant three sport performance in any conference in a single year.

Oosterbaan's defensive play was outstanding as well, and he was key in shutting out the Fighting Illini and Red Grange 3–0 in 1925 a year after he scored four touchdowns in the first twelve minutes.

[3][10] In 1926, Friedman and Oosterbaan were both named All-Americans after leading the Wolverines to a 7–1 record and their second consecutive Big Ten Conference championship.

That year, his 60-yard run with a recovered fumble helped Michigan to a 7–6 victory over Minnesota in the annual Little Brown Jug game.

[11] The Wolverines outscored their opponents, 191–38, and suffered their only loss to Navy, 10–0, in front of 80,000 fans at Baltimore Stadium.

The following year, Friedman had moved on to the NFL, and Oosterbaan was named the team's captain and Most Valuable Player.

[12] Oosterbaan was a skilled passer, once throwing for three touchdowns passes in the Michigan Stadium dedication game against rival Ohio State on October 22, 1927.

According to friend and player Ron Kramer, Oosterbaan grew up in the Dutch Reformed Church and did not sign a professional football or baseball contract "because of his religious background and his mother.

Crisler named Oosterbaan as his successor after the 1948 Rose Bowl in which Michigan beat the USC Trojans by a score of 49–0.

"[5] Oosterbaan led the Wolverines to an Associated Press (AP) national championship in his first season and won Coach of the Year honors.

[20] His 1950 team won the 1951 Rose Bowl after Oosterbaan obtained consent from the Conference to hold extra practices.

[10][23] Oosterbaan motivated his players without using sarcasm or losing his temper, and rarely used locker room pep talks.

"[17] When he died he was the most recent Michigan football coach to have a team ranked #1 in the nation at the end of the season.

"[17] Ohio State Buckeyes football coach Woody Hayes once said of Oosterbaan: "If he weren't from Michigan, I'd like to have my own son play for him.

Each player to wear the jersey will also dress at a locker bearing a plaque with Oosterbaan's name and his time of tenure at Michigan.

[29] Oosterbaan was a member of the inaugural 1978 class of inductees into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor.

[31] American sports-writer, Grantland Rice selected him and Don Hutson as the ends for the all-time All-American team of the first half of the 20th century.