Robert Westfall (1982) - University of Michigan Hall of Honor

Robert Westfall

Induction:
1982

After graduating from Ann Arbor High School in 1938, Robert Westfall did not travel far to continue his education. At the University of Michigan, Westfall immediately established himself as another of the Wolverines' great backs. Despite being overshadowed by Tom Harmon and Forest Evashevski in his three-year career, Westfall carved out a career unparalleled by few others in U-M history. Standing at just five feet, seven inches, Westfall’s stature might have been deceiving, but his speed surely was not. As a member of the Harmon-laden backfield in 1939, he finished second on the team in rushing with 368 yards. During Harmon’s Heisman campaign of 1940, Westfall gained 808 yards on the ground, just short of Harmon’s 852. It was Westfall, not Harmon, who led the Big Ten in Conference rushing yards that season. Against Northwestern in 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. Westfall closed out his career in 1941 by rushing for a team-high 688 yards and earning both All-Big Ten and All-America honors as Michigan’s team captain. He also placed eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting that same year. A bruising runner, Westfall skirted the ends with speed and was a superlative blocker and a stout defender. Head coach Fritz Crisler said Westfall “has the finest running base I've ever seen in football, and he can run in all kinds of weather.” It was also noted that Crisler built his ‘spinning offense’ around Westfall. He was the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. Due to his service in the Armed Forces, Westfall did not start playing professionally with the Lions until 1944. Westfall died in 1980 at age 61. He was posthumously inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (State of Michigan) in 1986 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.