Bob Ufer, Michigan, and Track

After I went to the UM-OSU dual meet last weekend, I was talking about it with my brother, who asked me if the name Bob Ufer meant anything to me.

I must be the only sports fan in the whole country who would reply, "Sure, he ran track at Michigan. Is there any other reason I should know him?"

Ufer was the radio voice of Michigan football for 37 years, from 1944 (just out of UM) until his death in 1981. He was a character who would be hard to forget; he was as biased towards the Wolverines in his announcing as could be. Michigan's library has some clips, but this YouTube piece is apparently the best out there.

How good was Ufer at track? UM hypes him a bit by noting that he set a world indoor record for 440y in 1942. That was his peak performance; he ranked 21st on the yearly list in 1942 and 30th in 1943.

I can only assume Ufer attended UM-OSU dual meets, and if he ever announced them it must have been an interesting radio show.