Rick Volk - University of Michigan

University of Michigan

Volk enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1963. His decision to attend Michigan rather than Ohio State was influenced by family ties, including Bob Chappuis, who was Volk's uncle and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting while playing for the undefeated 1947 Wolverines. Volk noted:

"I had all these stories growing up. He was my hero, so I always wanted to go to Michigan. ... And I didn't like Woody anyway. It was just my Grandpa telling me because he didn't like Woody, and he hoped Woody would choke on his Thanksgiving turkey. ... Because of Uncle Bob going to Michigan, that's where I wanted to go. You know, I loved the helmets, loved the uniforms. I said 'Hey, if I could just sit on the bench, that's all I care about.'"

Volk did more than sit on the bench at Michigan. He was a three-year starter from 1964 to 1966. Prior to the start of the 1964 season, Volk was given jersey no. 49 – the same number worn by his uncle when he played for Michigan. During the 1964 season, Volk played at the halfback position on both offense and defense and also served as a backup at quarterback to Bob Timberlake. In his first game for the Wolverines, Volk intercepted a pass in the end zone against Air Force. In his second game, he helped the Michigan defense hold scoreless a high-scoring Navy team led by Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach. He also threw a 33-yard touchdown pass against Northwestern in October 1964. In a close victory over Minnesota, after the Golden Gophers had cut Michigan's lead to five points and advanced the ball to Michigan's 7-yard line, Volk "smashed through to down the Gopher ball carrier, and save the game on fourth down." Volk was described by sports writer Joe Hendrickson as "instinctive — usually in the right place to mess things up for the opposition." Volk helped the 1964 Michigan team win the Big Ten Conference championship and defeat Oregon State in the 1965 Rose Bowl by a score of 34–7.

As a junior in 1965, Volk started all 10 games for Michigan at cornerback and also started four games on offense as the left halfback. He was selected by both the Associated Press and the United Press International as a first-team All-Big Ten defensive back at the end of the 1965 season.

As a senior in 1966, Volk started all 10 games at safety and also started 2 games at fullback, and even started one game as quarterback. At the conclusion of the 1966 season, he was selected as a first-team All-American by the Sporting News. At the conclusion of his college football career at Michigan, the Newspaper Editors Association distributed a feature story on Volk, describing him as follows:

"Rick Volk is a safety man who conjures up an image of homemade apple pie and pancakes smothered in maple syrup, Saturday night movies and picnics in a wooded grove. He is clear-eyed and smooth-cheeked, with a short tilted nose and a smile that shows white. He couldn't be more pure mid-Americana if he were framed by a billboard."

Volk was invited to play on the College All-Star team following his senior year. At the camp for the All-Star team, Volk was rated by the scouts as "the best all-around athlete among the high-priced talent preparing for pro debuts."

In 1989, Volk was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. He joined his uncle, Bob Chappuis, who was inducted into the Hall of Honor five years earlier in 1984. Volk and Ron Johnson, both inducted in 1989, were the first two football players from the 1960s to be inducted into the Hall of Honor.