Click Here for video of Weisenburger in practice at U of M

A football, basketball and baseball star for Muskegon Heights High School, Jack Weisenburger served as team captain on each squad in his senior year of high school. A summa cum laude honor student, he entered the University of Michigan in the fall of 1944. During his sophomore and junior years, Weisenburger played football in the Wolverines backfield, as well as handling the team’s punting duties. Michigan rolled to second-place finishes in the Big Nine Conference in 1945 and 1946.
Although small for the position, Weisenburger perfected the art of the “spinning” fullback in Fritz Crisler’s complex single-wing backfield formations in the 1947 season – his final year of college play. The Wolverines rolled to a 6-0-0 mark against conference opponents and a 9-0-0 mark overall. The Big Ten’s leading ground gainer, Jack received acclaim as an honorable mention All-American. A member of the All Big Nine second team, he also received the conference medal for scholastic and athletic achievement.
Fritz Crisler’s 1947 Wolverines were ranked second in the nation entering the Rose Bowl contest. Following a 49-0 victory over eighth-ranked USC, Michigan edged past Notre Dame for the top spot in a special poll of sports writers conducted following the bowl games. In 1988, that 1947 squad was selected as one of the top 15 teams in the history of college football by the Sporting News. Jack’s brilliant contribution in the ’48 Rose Bowl rout earned him Most Valuable Player honors for the game. His three one-yard touchdowns in the game tied the Rose Bowl record for individual scoring, set in 1925 by Elmer Layden of Notre Dame.
Although he was drafted by the Washington Redskins of the National Football League, and by the New York Yankees of the All-American Football Conference, Weisenburger shunned the gridiron spotlight to pursue his first love – baseball. He signed with the Boston Braves and enjoyed a productive minor league career for several seasons. He advanced as high as the AAA Milwaukee Brewers, the Braves’ top farm team before retiring in 1951 to begin a successful career in the insurance business in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.