Bob Westfall
Encyclopedia
Robert Barton "Bullet Bob" Westfall (May 5, 1919 – October 23, 1980) was an American football
fullback
who played for the University of Michigan
(1939–1941) and the Detroit Lions
(1944–1947). He was a consensus first-team All-American
in 1941 and a first-team All-Pro player in 1945. In 1987, Westfall was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame
.
said Kennedy, "one night before a big Minnesota game-it was for the national championship-Bob had an attack,and they wouldn't let him into health services-he didn't have the right cards or something like that. He had to crawl home on his hands and knees that night, but he played the next day." Westfall was the first Ann Arbor High School graduate to play for the Wolverines since Hall of Famer John Maulbetsch
in 1916. He was the starting fullback in every Michigan football game from 1939-1941. In his sophomore and junior years, he played in a backfield that also included Tom Harmon
and Forest Evashevski
. Westfall rushed for 1,864 yards on 428 carries (4.36 yards per carry) in 24 games (Michigan only played 8 games per season then and freshmen were not eligible for varsity play). This stood as a Michigan fullback career rushing record for 30 years.
said of Westfall, "He has the finest running base I've ever seen in football, and he can run in all kinds of weather."
netted 852 yards, slightly better than Westfall who netted 808 rushing yards. Though Westfall's rushing yards ranked him as the country's fourth leading ground gainer in 1940, his performance that year was initially overshadowed by teammate Harmon who led the country in scoring and won the Heisman Trophy
.
In October 1940, Westfall rushed for 152 yards on 37 carries in a 28-0 win over Illinois. Newspaper coverage of the game finally brought Westfall out of Harmon's shadow. The Associated Press
opened its coverage of the game by focusing on Westfall: "A vengeful Michigan football team, with sure footed Bob Westfall smashing thru the Illinois forwards on a slippery turf, crushed Coach Bob Zuppke's eleven ..." The Hearst newspapers reported on Westfall's performance this way: "In the general practice of watching out for Tom Harmon, the Michigan marvel, to start running, or for Bob Zuppke, the wily Illinois coach, to produce his miracles, no one at first paid much attention to Michigan's fullback, Bob Westfall. That was a mistake."
Westfall outshone Harmon again in a 20-13 win over Northwestern in November 1940. Westfall scored two touchdowns and, with three minutes to play, made "the defensive gem" of the game by tackling Red Hahnenstein a yard short of a first down on the Michigan seven-yard line. Under the headline "WESTFALL IS HERO OF THE HEATED GAME," the Associated Press
reported that Red Grange
was in attendance to watch Harmon try to break Grange's scoring record, "but Bob Westfall, Michigan fullback, stole the show."
By the end of the 1940 season, Westfall had begun to receive the attention of the press. An Associated Press feature on Westfall in mid-November noted:
In October 1941, the Associated Press
published a feature story on Westfall in which they described him as follows: "Westfall is not a flashy type. The triple threat business is for the other boys. He doesn't kick; He doesn't pass. But, boy, how he can spin with that football. Captain Bob is pudgy and built close to the ground. Once he gets rolling, look out!"
In a November 1941 game against Columbia at Baker Field in New York City, Westfall scored three touchdowns for his highest single-game point total. Crisler pulled Westfall early in the third quarter to avoid embarrassing Columbia.
Westfall's final game in a Michigan uniform was a 20-20 tie with Ohio State. Westfall rushed for 162 yards in the game, nearly as much as the entire Ohio State backfield combined. As Michigan had been favored, the Ohio State players celebrated on the field in Ann Arbor. Westfall walked over to the Buckeyes and handed them the battered game ball, reported to have been "a silent admission of the Buckeye's moral victory." Ohio State Coach Paul Brown
said of Westfall's act, "That was a nice gesture; the Ohio State-Michigan sportsmanship still holds."
At the end of the 1941 season, Westfall was a consensus All-American, selected as the first-team fullback by Grantland Rice, the Associated Press ("AP"), United Press, All-America Board, Collier's, the Newspaper Enterprise Association ("NEA"), the International News Service
, the Central Press Association
, the New York Sun and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy
voting. One of the All-America selectors, Harry Grayson
writing for the NEA, explained the selection of Westfall:
Westfall was also selected to play in both major post-season all-star games. He was captain of the Eastern All-Stars in the New Year's Day East-West Shrine Game
in New Orleans. The Shrine game was traditionally played in San Francisco but, less than a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor
, it was moved to New Orleans due to concerns about an attack on the West Coast. The game ended in a 6-6 tie, and Westfall was the leading rusher with 94 yards in 20 carries. The United Press called him "Michigan's human top" and tabbed him as one of the two brightest stars for the East. In July 1942, Westfall was voted as the starting fullback on the College All-American team in an annual game against the NFL championship team. Westfall was unanimously selected by the coaches of the Big Ten Conference.
In late December 1941, the Detroit Lions
selected Westfall as their first-round pick (5th selection overall) in the 1942 NFL Draft
.
In February 1942, Westfall married his college sweetheart, Ruthmary Smith of Wayne, Michigan
. At the time of his wedding, Westfall told reporters that after graduating in June, he might play for the Lions if the Army would not take him.
In the summer of 1942, the Army did take Westfall despite his 4-F rating. Westfall was initially assigned to play for the Eastern All-Army football team, but he broke his left elbow after falling from a horse in August 1942. Westfall had played in the College All-Star game in late August unaware that his elbow was broken.
In August 1943, an Army newspaper reported that Westfall had "washed out" of the Army Air Corps flight school because, "of all things, he was too nervous." According to another account, he "cracked up his plane while training." {In actuality, he suffered from air sickness which culminated in his damaging a training plane during an attempted landing.} Westfall was subsequently reassigned to the Air Corps radio operator program at Scott Field
in Illinois.
In December 1943, Westfall received a medical discharge from the Army Air Corps while still stationed at Scott Field. He was reported to have been discharged as a result of bronchitis and asthma.
he also worked at the B-24 bomber plant in Willow Run, Michigan. Under wartime rules, he was eligible to play for the Michigan football team in the fall of 1944. However, newspapers reported that Big Ten officials were concerned that Westfall might play for the Wolverines in the season's early games while completing his degree, and then play for the Detroit Lions at the end of the 1944 season. The prospect of a player starting the year as a college player and then being paid to play professional football the same year was seen as a potential embarrassement to the conference.
Through the summer months, newspapers reported on the "burning question whether Westfall would play for Michigan or the Detroit Lions." Lions coach Gus Dorais
told the press, "Football salaries are paid for ability and gate appeal, and we are sure Westfall still has both. Naturally, we want Westfall and hope to sign him. He's 25 years old now, and we believe that if he's going to cash in on his football, now's the time."
Westfall finally signed with Lions in August 1944, and played four seasons in the NFL from 1944-1947. In one of his early games in the NFL, Westfall ran for two touchdowns against the defending NFL champions, the Chicago Bears, in a game played at Wrigley Field. Westfall's touchdowns against the Bears included a 75-yard touchdown sprint through the middle of the Bears line. As a rookie, he compiled 342 passing yards for 4 touchdowns, 277 rushing yards, 218 receiving yards, and 117 yards on punt and kickoff returns. He also had a 30-yard interception return in 1944.
Westfall had his best season as a pro in 1945 when he was picked as a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. That year, he scored 54 points in nine games and ranked fourth in the NFL in touchdowns and sixth in scoring.
. He was the secretary-treasurer of the Adrian Salvage Company from 1948–1953 and later served for 27 years as president of Adrian Steel Company. He also coached a semi-pro football team in Adrian, Adrian Athletic Club (also known as The Big Reds), for three years from 1948-1950. Their record was 19-4-3 including a string of eighteen games without a loss. The 1950 team was undefeated, untied, and unscored-upon while outscoring the opposition 203-0. Westfall died in 1980 at age 61. In 1979 Westfall was selected by U of M officials as one of the 25 All-Time Great University of Michigan football players, which was announced on the TV program "Blue Magic", hosted by Tom Harmon. In 1982 Westfall was posthumously inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. In 1986 he was posthumously inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (State of Michigan). He was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1987. In 2000 he was named as a running back (Honorable Mention) to the University of Michigan All-Century Team and as a member of The Backfield of the Century for the years 1900-1999.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
who played for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1939–1941) and the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(1944–1947). He was a consensus first-team All-American
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
in 1941 and a first-team All-Pro player in 1945. In 1987, Westfall was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
.
Biography
Westfall was born in 1919 in Hamtramck, Michigan. His father abandoned the family when Westfall was two years old which necessitated he and his older sister living in foster homes until his mother was able to move them to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1924. There, Westfall's mother worked 14-hour days in a laundry six days per week and the children worked, too, to make ends meet. At age 10 Westfall started as a caddy and worked other jobs while his sister sewed as they struggled to survive during the Great Depression. They lived in a tiny second-floor apartment on Green Street "in the shadow of the Michigan Stadium"-a location perhaps affecting the future. Showing leadership at an early age, Westfall was the class president from 8th grade at Tappan Junior High School through the 12th grade at Ann Arbor High School. Demonstrating a remarkable talent for athletics, Westfall starred in football, basketball, baseball and track at Ann Arbor High School. Engaging in sports at all was remarkable due to severe bronchial asthma that affected him from the age of nine throughout his entire life. He was diagnosed by doctors at the University of Michigan Hospital as having one of the worst cases of asthma that they had ever encountered. Ted Kennedy, who played center in front of Westfall for the four years (1938–1941) they were at Michigan together recalled that Westfall "had asthma attacks so bad he could hardly breathe" but that "he was a very courageous player." "I remember,"said Kennedy, "one night before a big Minnesota game-it was for the national championship-Bob had an attack,and they wouldn't let him into health services-he didn't have the right cards or something like that. He had to crawl home on his hands and knees that night, but he played the next day." Westfall was the first Ann Arbor High School graduate to play for the Wolverines since Hall of Famer John Maulbetsch
John Maulbetsch
John F. "Johnny" Maulbetsch was an All-American football halfback at Adrian College in 1911 and for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1914 to 1916...
in 1916. He was the starting fullback in every Michigan football game from 1939-1941. In his sophomore and junior years, he played in a backfield that also included Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
and Forest Evashevski
Forest Evashevski
Forest "Evy" Evashevski was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks in 1942...
. Westfall rushed for 1,864 yards on 428 carries (4.36 yards per carry) in 24 games (Michigan only played 8 games per season then and freshmen were not eligible for varsity play). This stood as a Michigan fullback career rushing record for 30 years.
Westfall's stocky build
Westfall was a stocky runner, listed in the Michigan program at five-feet, eight-inches tall and weighing 180 pounds (five-feet, seven-inches according to some reports). He actually was 5'6" tall and weighed 165-170 pounds. He had large powerful legs and one newspaper report called him Michigan's "chunky fullback" and noted that he was "generally recognized as the greatest exponent of the spinner play in collegiate ranks." Michigan Coach Fritz CrislerFritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
said of Westfall, "He has the finest running base I've ever seen in football, and he can run in all kinds of weather."
1940 season
In 1940, Michigan had two of the country's four leading ground gainers. Tom HarmonTom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
netted 852 yards, slightly better than Westfall who netted 808 rushing yards. Though Westfall's rushing yards ranked him as the country's fourth leading ground gainer in 1940, his performance that year was initially overshadowed by teammate Harmon who led the country in scoring and won the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
.
In October 1940, Westfall rushed for 152 yards on 37 carries in a 28-0 win over Illinois. Newspaper coverage of the game finally brought Westfall out of Harmon's shadow. The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
opened its coverage of the game by focusing on Westfall: "A vengeful Michigan football team, with sure footed Bob Westfall smashing thru the Illinois forwards on a slippery turf, crushed Coach Bob Zuppke's eleven ..." The Hearst newspapers reported on Westfall's performance this way: "In the general practice of watching out for Tom Harmon, the Michigan marvel, to start running, or for Bob Zuppke, the wily Illinois coach, to produce his miracles, no one at first paid much attention to Michigan's fullback, Bob Westfall. That was a mistake."
Westfall outshone Harmon again in a 20-13 win over Northwestern in November 1940. Westfall scored two touchdowns and, with three minutes to play, made "the defensive gem" of the game by tackling Red Hahnenstein a yard short of a first down on the Michigan seven-yard line. Under the headline "WESTFALL IS HERO OF THE HEATED GAME," the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
was in attendance to watch Harmon try to break Grange's scoring record, "but Bob Westfall, Michigan fullback, stole the show."
By the end of the 1940 season, Westfall had begun to receive the attention of the press. An Associated Press feature on Westfall in mid-November noted:
"Football fans in record numbers are paying their way to see Michigan's Tom Harmon playing his last season, but many of them are coming away from games with the question, 'Who's that guy, Westfall?' Outside the focus of the publicity spotlight, Bullet Bob Westfall, a stocky 180-pound fullback, has matched All-America Tommy almost yard for yard by rushing this fall and in at least three games has stolen the show from his illustrious teammate."
1941 season
As a senior in 1941, Westfall was captain of the Michigan football team that went 6-1-1 and finished the season ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press poll.In October 1941, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
published a feature story on Westfall in which they described him as follows: "Westfall is not a flashy type. The triple threat business is for the other boys. He doesn't kick; He doesn't pass. But, boy, how he can spin with that football. Captain Bob is pudgy and built close to the ground. Once he gets rolling, look out!"
In a November 1941 game against Columbia at Baker Field in New York City, Westfall scored three touchdowns for his highest single-game point total. Crisler pulled Westfall early in the third quarter to avoid embarrassing Columbia.
Westfall's final game in a Michigan uniform was a 20-20 tie with Ohio State. Westfall rushed for 162 yards in the game, nearly as much as the entire Ohio State backfield combined. As Michigan had been favored, the Ohio State players celebrated on the field in Ann Arbor. Westfall walked over to the Buckeyes and handed them the battered game ball, reported to have been "a silent admission of the Buckeye's moral victory." Ohio State Coach Paul Brown
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
said of Westfall's act, "That was a nice gesture; the Ohio State-Michigan sportsmanship still holds."
At the end of the 1941 season, Westfall was a consensus All-American, selected as the first-team fullback by Grantland Rice, the Associated Press ("AP"), United Press, All-America Board, Collier's, the Newspaper Enterprise Association ("NEA"), the International News Service
International News Service
International News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
, the Central Press Association
Central Press Association
The Central Press Association was an American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. At its peak, the Central Press supplied features, columns, and photographs to more than 400 newspapers and 12 million daily readers.-History:Virgil Venice...
, the New York Sun and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
voting. One of the All-America selectors, Harry Grayson
Harry Grayson
Harry Markey Grayson was an American sportswriter. He was the sports editor of the Newspaper Enterprise Association from 1934 to 1963.-Baseball:* , February 5, 1936*, March 18, 1938...
writing for the NEA, explained the selection of Westfall:
"Westfall is one of the slickest spinners the game has known. Fritz Crisier built the Michigan attack around Westfall. A fullback built close to the ground, Bob's 186 pounds is spread over no more than five feet eight inches. He averaged more than four yards per whack against the hardest kind of opposition. He fumbled only once in three years and then, in the Minnesota game this year, when he was bumped by a young wingback coming too shallow on a reverse. A bruising fullback, Westfall also skirted the ends, was a superlative blocker and a stout defender."
Westfall was also selected to play in both major post-season all-star games. He was captain of the Eastern All-Stars in the New Year's Day East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
in New Orleans. The Shrine game was traditionally played in San Francisco but, less than a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, it was moved to New Orleans due to concerns about an attack on the West Coast. The game ended in a 6-6 tie, and Westfall was the leading rusher with 94 yards in 20 carries. The United Press called him "Michigan's human top" and tabbed him as one of the two brightest stars for the East. In July 1942, Westfall was voted as the starting fullback on the College All-American team in an annual game against the NFL championship team. Westfall was unanimously selected by the coaches of the Big Ten Conference.
Service in World War II
In November 1941, the Associated Press ran a story about Westfall being rated as class 4-F and therefore ineligible for the draft. Westfall told reporters that a perforated eardrum and a tendency to asthma resulted in the 4-F classification. The AP noted: "Bullet Bob Westfall may look like a physical wreck to his draft board but he's on his way to national recognition as at least one of the greatest fullbacks again this season." After Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps.In late December 1941, the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
selected Westfall as their first-round pick (5th selection overall) in the 1942 NFL Draft
1942 NFL Draft
The 1942 National Football League Draft was held on December 22, 1941.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:...
.
In February 1942, Westfall married his college sweetheart, Ruthmary Smith of Wayne, Michigan
Wayne, Michigan
Wayne is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan, southwest of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 17,593...
. At the time of his wedding, Westfall told reporters that after graduating in June, he might play for the Lions if the Army would not take him.
In the summer of 1942, the Army did take Westfall despite his 4-F rating. Westfall was initially assigned to play for the Eastern All-Army football team, but he broke his left elbow after falling from a horse in August 1942. Westfall had played in the College All-Star game in late August unaware that his elbow was broken.
In August 1943, an Army newspaper reported that Westfall had "washed out" of the Army Air Corps flight school because, "of all things, he was too nervous." According to another account, he "cracked up his plane while training." {In actuality, he suffered from air sickness which culminated in his damaging a training plane during an attempted landing.} Westfall was subsequently reassigned to the Air Corps radio operator program at Scott Field
Scott Air Force Base
Scott Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force in St. Clair County, Illinois, near Belleville.-Overview:The base is named after Corporal Frank S. Scott, the first enlisted person to be killed in an aviation crash...
in Illinois.
In December 1943, Westfall received a medical discharge from the Army Air Corps while still stationed at Scott Field. He was reported to have been discharged as a result of bronchitis and asthma.
Professional football player
Westfall returned to the University of Michigan in 1944 to complete his degree andhe also worked at the B-24 bomber plant in Willow Run, Michigan. Under wartime rules, he was eligible to play for the Michigan football team in the fall of 1944. However, newspapers reported that Big Ten officials were concerned that Westfall might play for the Wolverines in the season's early games while completing his degree, and then play for the Detroit Lions at the end of the 1944 season. The prospect of a player starting the year as a college player and then being paid to play professional football the same year was seen as a potential embarrassement to the conference.
Through the summer months, newspapers reported on the "burning question whether Westfall would play for Michigan or the Detroit Lions." Lions coach Gus Dorais
Gus Dorais
Charles Emile "Gus" Dorais was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of Notre Dame, where he was an All-American in 1913, and then professionally with the Fort Wayne Friars and Massillon Tigers...
told the press, "Football salaries are paid for ability and gate appeal, and we are sure Westfall still has both. Naturally, we want Westfall and hope to sign him. He's 25 years old now, and we believe that if he's going to cash in on his football, now's the time."
Westfall finally signed with Lions in August 1944, and played four seasons in the NFL from 1944-1947. In one of his early games in the NFL, Westfall ran for two touchdowns against the defending NFL champions, the Chicago Bears, in a game played at Wrigley Field. Westfall's touchdowns against the Bears included a 75-yard touchdown sprint through the middle of the Bears line. As a rookie, he compiled 342 passing yards for 4 touchdowns, 277 rushing yards, 218 receiving yards, and 117 yards on punt and kickoff returns. He also had a 30-yard interception return in 1944.
Westfall had his best season as a pro in 1945 when he was picked as a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. That year, he scored 54 points in nine games and ranked fourth in the NFL in touchdowns and sixth in scoring.
Later years
After retiring from professional football in 1947, Westfall became a businessman in Adrian, MichiganAdrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
. He was the secretary-treasurer of the Adrian Salvage Company from 1948–1953 and later served for 27 years as president of Adrian Steel Company. He also coached a semi-pro football team in Adrian, Adrian Athletic Club (also known as The Big Reds), for three years from 1948-1950. Their record was 19-4-3 including a string of eighteen games without a loss. The 1950 team was undefeated, untied, and unscored-upon while outscoring the opposition 203-0. Westfall died in 1980 at age 61. In 1979 Westfall was selected by U of M officials as one of the 25 All-Time Great University of Michigan football players, which was announced on the TV program "Blue Magic", hosted by Tom Harmon. In 1982 Westfall was posthumously inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. In 1986 he was posthumously inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (State of Michigan). He was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1987. In 2000 he was named as a running back (Honorable Mention) to the University of Michigan All-Century Team and as a member of The Backfield of the Century for the years 1900-1999.
See also
- 1941 College Football All-America Team1941 College Football All-America TeamThe 1941 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers...
- List of Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorThe University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
- Michigan Sports Hall of FameMichigan Sports Hall of FameThe Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports people. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director Biggie Munn, president of the Greater Michigan Foundation Donald Weeks, general manager of the...