Bennie Oosterbaan - Honors and Awards

Honors and Awards

Bennie Oosterbaan's jersey number 47 was the first Michigan football jersey number retired, and, until the Michigan Football Legend program implemented in 2011, it was one of only five numbers retired by the Michigan football program. In 2012, Oosterbaan's jersey was designated as a "Michigan Football Legend" jersey. Under the new program, Oosterbaan's jersey number was worn for the first time in 2012 by linebacker Jake Ryan with a patch (pictured at right) identifying it as the Bennie Oosterbaan Michigan Legends jersey.

In 1954, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a member of the fourth class of inductees into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1958. Oosterbaan was a member of the inaugural 1978 class of inductees into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. The Michigan football indoor practice facility was named Oosterbaan Field House. In 2000, he was selected to the Michigan All-Century team.

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. A poll of Michigan alumni and friends in 1979 selected Oosterbaan as Michigan's greatest all-time football player. In 1969, Sports Illustrated named him to the eleven-man All-Century team for the period 1869–1968.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated published a list of "The 50 Greatest Sports Figures From Michigan" (in all sports), and ranked Oosterbaan fourth on the list behind Joe Louis, Magic Johnson and Charlie Gehringer. He was the highest ranked football player, ahead of Michigan Wolverines Ron Kramer (#7), Fielding H. Yost (#9), Rick Leach (#22), Fritz Crisler (#31), and Harry Kipke (#40).