Jack Weisenburger

Weisenburger was born in Muskegon County, Michigan, in August 1926. His father, Merle Weisenburger, was an Ohio native who worked as a laborer in a pattern shop. His mother, Ada Weisenburger, was a Michigan native. At the time of the 1930 United States Census, Weisenburger lived in Norton Shores, Michigan, with his parents and two brothers, Robert (born c. 1923) and Kenneth (born c. 1929).Census entry for Merle Weisenburger and family. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Census Place: Norton Shores, Muskegon, Michigan; Roll: 1015; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 43; Image: 634.0. He attended Muskegon Heights High School where he played varsity football (three years), basketball (two years), baseball (four years), and track (one year). He was an all-conference basketball player and was selected as the class president in his sophomore, junior and senior years. The 1944 Muskegon Heights High School yearbook said of him, "Ferocious in football, and a good fellow always."1944 Muskegon Heights High School yearbook, p. 63.

File:Jack Weisenburger, scoring TD in 1948 Rose Bowl.jpg

Weisenburger played college football as a halfback, fullback and quarterback at the University of Michigan from 1944 to 1947. He started five games at fullback for the 1944 Michigan Wolverines football team,{{cite web|title=1944 Football Team|publisher=University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library|url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1944fbt.htm}} and played five games at fullback and one at halfback for the 1945 team.{{cite web|title=1945 Football Team|publisher=University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library|url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1945fbt.htm}} In 1946, he started the season as a fullback, but suffered a broken jaw in an early game against Army.{{cite news|title=Michigan Fullback Out With a Fractured Jaw|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 18, 1946|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/10/18/archives/michigan-fullback-out-with-a-fractured-jaw.html}}{{cite news|title=Michigan Loses Ace Back For Tilt With Northwestern|newspaper=The Milwaukee Sentinel|date=October 18, 1946|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pi1QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Wg0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3726,1286559&dq=weisenburger+michigan&hl=en}} Weisenburger ended up starting three games at quarterback and one each at fullback and halfback for the 1946 team.{{cite web|title=1946 Football Team|publisher=University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library|url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1946fbt.htm}} As a senior, Weisenbuger was the starting fullback for the 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team that finished the season with a 10–0 record and outscored opponents 394 to 53.{{cite web|title=1947 Football Team|publisher=University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library|url=https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1947fbt.htm}} The 1947 team became known as the "Mad Magicians" and is considered by some to be the greatest Michigan team of all time.{{cite book | last = Jones | first = Todd | editor= MacCambridge, Michael | title = ESPN Big Ten College Football Encyclopedia |chapter=Michigan | publisher = ESPN Enterprises | year = 2007| isbn = 978-1-933060-49-1}} One sports writer referred to the 1947 backfield (Weisenbuger, Bob Chappuis and Bump Elliott) as "a backfield full of pervasive shadows that flit about like wraiths."Cnockaert, p. 59. The 1947 Michigan team is also notable for head coach Fritz Crisler's innovation of modern platoon football; Weisenburger was one of two Michigan players in 1947 (the other was Bump Elliott) who played both offense and defense.{{cite news|title=The Specialist|publisher=Time|date=1947-11-03}} He finished his football career by scoring three touchdowns in the 1948 Rose Bowl against the USC Trojans.{{cite news|author=Harry Grayson|author-link=Harry Grayson|title=Star College Gridders Hope to Prove Baseball Mixes With It|newspaper=Warsaw Daily Times|date=March 11, 1949|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hbdGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LXwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5542,1168052&dq=weisenburger+michigan&hl=en}} He scored the game's first touchdown ten minutes into the game and added two more later in the game. He later recalled, "What astonished me was the ease with which our line opened holes for us. It was one of those days when everything clicked."{{cite book|author=Jim Cnockaert|title=Michigan Wolverines: Colorful Tales of Maize and Blue|page=72}} Michigan won the game 49 to 0.

Weisenburger also played as an infielder for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team from 1945 to 1948. Weisenburger's contributions to the baseball team were described as follows:

"One of Michigan's outstanding all-around athletes, Jack Weisenburger, the spinning fullback of the Rose Bowl eleven, was equally at home on the Wolverine diamond. In his four year baseball career at Michigan, Weisenburger alternated between shortstop and the outfield. He led the Maize and Blue batting parade last season and will captain the squad during the 1948 campaign."1948 Michiganensian, p. 136.

Weisenburger was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Michigan.1948 Michiganensian, p. 250. He graduated from Michigan in 1948 with a degree in physical education.1948 Michiganensian, p. 211.

Weisenburger was drafted by the Washington Redskins of the National Football League and the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference, but he opted instead to play professional baseball. He played professional baseball from 1948 to 1952 for the Pawtucket Slaters (1948), Milwaukee Brewers (1949–1951), Denver Bears (1949), Evansville Braves (1951) and Tulsa Oilers (1952).{{cite web|title=John Weisenburger|publisher=baseball-reference.com|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=weisen001joh}}{{cite news|title=Jack Weisenburger Optioned to Brewers: Braves Send Former Michigan Athlete to Milwaukee on 24 Hour Recall Basis|author=Sam Levy|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|date=April 11, 1949|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iPQZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=liMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1844,263682&dq=weisenburger+michigan&hl=en}} During his career, he played mostly as a third baseman, but also as an outfielder, second baseman and shortstop. He had his best season in 1950, when he played in 121 games for the Brewers and compiled a .404 slugging average with 20 doubles, 13 home runs, and 43 RBIs.

After retiring from baseball, Weisenburger had a successful career in the insurance business at Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.{{cite web|title=Class of 1991|publisher=Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame|url=http://www.mashf.com/1991_inductees.htm}} From 1948 to 1960, Weisenburger was also a registered official for high school athletics. During that time, he officiated at almost 150 high school football games and almost 600 basketball games.{{cite news|title=News from the Classes|newspaper=The Michigan Alumnus, vol. 67|year=1960|page=256}}

Weisenburger was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

Weisenburger was inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in 1992. He died on March 25, 2019, at the age of 92 in Mount Pleasant.{{Cite web|url=http://obits.mlive.com/obituaries/muskegon/obituary.aspx?n=john-e-weisenburger-jack&pid=191941032&fhid=13014|title=John e. Weisenburger Obituary (1926 - 2019) Muskegon Chronicle}}

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Category:1926 births

Category:2019 deaths

Category:Baseball players from Michigan

Category:Players of American football from Michigan

Category:Denver Bears players

Category:Evansville Braves players

Category:Michigan Wolverines baseball players

Category:Michigan Wolverines football players

Category:Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players

Category:Pawtucket Slaters players

Category:People from Muskegon County, Michigan

Category:Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players

Category:20th-century American sportsmen