Michigan Football Retired Jerseys - University of Michigan Athletics

There are six retired football jerseys representing eight Michigan football greats: No. 11, Albert, Alvin and Whitey Wistert; No. 21, Desmond Howard; No. 47, Bennie Oosterbaan; No. 48, Gerald Ford; No. 87, Ron Kramer; and No. 98, Tom Harmon.

The honored players are recognized at Michigan Stadium with their numbers displayed on the Bill Martin Concourse, located on the upper east side. In addition, there is a retired jerseys display in Towsley Museum at Schembechler Hall.

Wistert Brothers

Alvin Wistert
1947-49 • Tackle

Francis Wistert
1931-33 • Tackle

Albert Wistert
1940-42 • Tackle

Hometown
Chicago, Ill.

Jersey Retired
1949

Desmond Howard

Seasons at Michigan
1989-91

Position
Wide Receiver

Hometown
Cleveland, Ohio

Jersey Retired
November 28, 2015

Bennie Oosterbaan

Seasons at Michigan
1925-27

Position
End

Hometown
Muskegon, Mich.

Jersey Retired
1927

Gerald Ford

Seasons at Michigan
1932-34

Position
Center

Hometown
Grand Rapids, Mich.

Jersey Retired
October 8, 1994

Ron Kramer

Seasons at Michigan
1954-56

Position
End

Hometown
Detroit, Mich.

Jersey Retired
1956

Tom Harmon

Seasons at Michigan
1938-40

Position
Halfback

Hometown
Gary, Ind.

Jersey Retired
November 1940

FRANCIS (WHITEY), ALBERT and ALVIN WISTERT each earned All-America first team honors, an accomplishment that has never been duplicated at any level of intercollegiate competition. Additionally, all three Wisterts have been enshrined in the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame and inducted into the Michigan Hall of Honor.

DESMOND HOWARD raced his way to the 1991 Heisman Trophy. Capping off the season with a 93-yard punt return against Ohio State, he solidified his hold on the Heisman Trophy. He concluded his U-M career as a member of four Big Ten champion teams and participated in three Rose Bowls. He tallied 134 catches for 2,146 yards and 32 touchdowns, in addition to posting 45 kick returns for 1,211 yards and two scores -- a U-M record.

BENNIE OOSTERBAAN was a three-time All-American in football, a two-time All-American in basketball and a Big Ten batting title champion in baseball for the Wolverines. The Muskegon native turned down offers to play professionally, and instead chose to coach, leading Michigan to the 1948 football national championship. He remained an administrator with the athletic department until he retired in 1972.

GERALD FORD, the 38th President of the United States, was a three-year letterman (1932-34) as a center and linebacker and a member of Big Ten and national championship teams in 1932 and 1933. He was the team's Most Valuable Player in 1934. After turning down professional contract offers to play for the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, Ford entered a career in politics. In April 1981, he opened the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library on North Campus, and in 1999 the University renamed its world-renowned School of Public Policy after Ford.

RON KRAMER was a two-time consensus All-American (1955-56) and a three-time All-Big Ten first team selection (1954-56). He was a standout two-way player at offensive and defensive end and also saw time at running back, quarterback, kicker and receiver. The former Green Bay Packers All-Pro tight end was a nine-time letterman in three sports at Michigan: football, basketball and track. Kramer led the Wolverines in scoring for two seasons on the gridiron while doing the same in basketball.

TOM HARMON is regarded as one of the greatest athletes in school history. In three seasons, he rushed for 2,134 yards, scored 33 touchdowns and threw 16 touchdown passes. Harmon added 33 point-after attempts and booted two field goals to his 33 TDs for 237 career points. After a four-year stint as a pilot during World War II, earning a Silver Star and the Purple Heart, he became one of the nation's top sports broadcasters and directors, reporting live on major sporting events from the Olympics to the Rose Bowl.

• Michigan Announces Plans to Retire Jerseys of Legends (July 28, 2015)