Sports writer John F. Mayhew wrote a column in defense of Putich, noting that he was inexperienced but showed promise.

He's good enough to have the complete faith of Backfield Coach George Ceithaml, one of Michigan's best quarterbacks and a man who should really know.

[1]Putich proved Mayhew correct in leading the 1950 team to a 9–3 win over Ohio State in the famed Snow Bowl game, a Big Ten Conference championship, and a 14–6 win over the University of California in the 1951 Rose Bowl.

[3] In February 1951, Putich was ruled ineligible to compete for Michigan's basketball team due to academic deficiencies.

[6][8] An October 1951 feature story "Three P's Put PUNCH in Michigan Attack," Putich was described as a "hard-driving and tricky runner.