Mike Lantry (born c. 1948) is a former All-American football player. He was a left-footed place-kicker who played for Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan from 1972 through 1974. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1973 and set Michigan records for the longest field goal, most field goals, and most point after touchdown kicks. However, he also missed three key field goals in the last minutes of the 1973 and 1974 Michigan–Ohio State games.
A native of Oxford, Michigan, Lantry enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school. He spent three years in the Army, including service in the Vietnam War. Lantry's experiences in Vietnam and Michigan were the subject of Michael Rosenberg's 2008 book, War As They Knew It: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and America in a Time of Unrest. [1] Lantry later recalled, "For a full year, my parents agonized, hoping they wouldn't get the call that so many other parents received." [2] In 2007, Lantry described himself as "a proud Vietnam veteran". [3]
After his discharge from the Army, Lantry enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1971. Unlike most college athletes, Lantry was a 23-year-old freshman who was married, had a young child, and had seen combat action in Vietnam. And he had no scholarship. He made the Michigan football team as a walk-on. Lantry earned a spot on the team in 1971 and was Michigan's first-string place-kicker for all 33 games of the 1972, 1973 and 1974 seasons. In addition to football, Lantry was also a shot putter who earned three varsity letters at Michigan. [3] Lantry graduated from Michigan's School of Education in 1975. [3]
In September 1973, Lantry broke the Michigan record for longest field goal twice in the same quarter of a single football game. Nine seconds into the second quarter of a 47–10 win over Stanford, Lantry kicked a 50-yard field goal to break the school record. In the waning moments of the quarter, Lantry broke his own record by kicking a 51-yard field goal. [4] After the record was broken twice in the span of a 15-minute quarter, Lantry's record stood for 11 years until 1984 when Bob Bergeron kicked a 52-yard field goal for Michigan. [5]
In the 1973 Michigan–Ohio State game, Lantry missed two key fourth-quarter field goal attempts. With the game tied 10–10, and 1:01 remaining in the game, Lantry attempted a 58-yard field goal but the kick was wide to the left, missing by inches. Michigan intercepted an Ohio State pass on the first play of the ensuing drive, and Lantry got another shot at a game-winning field goal with 24 seconds left to play. His attempt at a 44-yard field goal went wide by about three inches, and the game ended in a 10–10 tie. [6] Both teams finished the 1973 season with identical 10–0–1 records, and the Big Ten Conference athletic directors voted to send Ohio State to the 1974 Rose Bowl. Because Big Ten rules at that time allowed only one team to play in a post-season bowl game, Michigan did not play in a bowl game despite having an undefeated season.
Lantry was selected by Football News as a first-team All-American in 1973. [7] [8]
In his senior season in 1974, Lantry broke the Michigan school record for most field goals and point after touchdown kicks. The prior record of 107 point after touchdown kicks had stood since 1947. [9]
Lantry was again called on to attempt a critical field goal in the 1974 Michigan-Ohio State game. Ohio State led 12–10 nearing the end of the fourth quarter. Lantry was brought in to attempt a game-winning field goal and a chance for redemption. One newspaper described the scene as follows:
There were 16 seconds to play when Mike Lantry's left leg boomed the ball. The distance was 33 yards. The angle was very bad and very tough and from a wide side of the field. Mike Lantry's kick was very high. The officials looked for an agonizingly long, long time. They finally made their signal No good. Wide. Not by much. Inches again. But still no good. Close. There was that word again, that awful word that had tormented Mike Lantry for a whole year. Close." [10]
The game was broadcast on national television, and as Ohio State fans came flooding onto the field to celebrate, the camera followed Lantry as he picked up his tee, and in the words of game announcer Keith Jackson "walked disconsolately toward the sideline." [11] The image of Lantry walking slowly to the sideline became one of the iconic images of the Michigan–Ohio State rivalry. Because of the severe angle, several people believed Lantry's kick was actually good, and this has been used to advocate for the use of cameras on the uprights to permit replay review of ambiguous kicks in the future. [12]
The Chicago Tribune opened its coverage of the game with the line, "Mike Lantry served in the Viet Nam War and he had reason to believe the worst was over—until Saturday." [13] After consecutive years with disappointments on last-minute field goal attempts, one sports writer joked that "perhaps the state of Michigan was going to form a lynch mob for Mike Lantry." [10] Instead, Lantry received thousands of letters from fans expressing compassion, sympathy and encouragement. [2] [10] Even Ohio State Coach Woody Hayes expressed his sympathy for Lantry: "I hate to see that happen to a kid like that because he served his country in Vietnam, but if it had to happen, I'm glad it happened against us." [14] Lantry told reporters at the time, "I guess the biggest surprise is the way people have acted. They're suffering with me. They've been more than kind. I wish there was a way I could thank them all." [10]
Interviewed in 2004 about the missed kick in the 1974 Ohio State game, Lantry recalled: "I was numb. That was the final play of my college career right there. Everything you worked for, those glorious years of competition, my teammates. ... If we had won that game, we would have played in the Rose Bowl. We could have shot to the top of the AP and UPI rankings. Who knows? That was like the World Series: bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, two outs, a 3–2 count. It was on my foot, but it didn't happen." [2]
Wayne Woodrow Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University (1946–1948), Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (1949–1950), and Ohio State University (1951–1978), compiling a career college football record of 238 wins, 72 losses, and 10 ties. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1983.
The 1973 Ohio State vs. Michigan football game was one of the most controversial games in NCAA history. In this game, both teams were undefeated, with Ohio State ranked first, and Michigan ranked fourth. A conference championship, Rose Bowl appearance, and possible national championship was on the line in this monumental game, part of the hotly contested stretch of the rivalry known as The Ten Year War. A then-NCAA record crowd of 105,233 watched the game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
The 1969 Ohio State vs. Michigan football game is considered to be one of the best-known games of the series, as well as one of the biggest upsets in college football history. The Buckeyes went into the game as the top-ranked team in the country, with a 22-game winning streak under the direction of head coach Woody Hayes. They were also defending national champions. The Wolverines went into the game under a new head coach, Bo Schembechler, who was trying to redefine a college football power that had fallen on hard times. Ohio State was playing for its second straight national title, while Michigan was playing for the Rose Bowl, and the championship of the Big Ten Conference was on the line. The game was witnessed by a (then) stadium-record crowd of 103,588 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, and began the highly combative stretch of the rivalry informally known as The Ten Year War.
The 1976 Rose Bowl was the 62nd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Thursday, January 1. The UCLA Bruins of the Pacific-8 Conference defeated the top-ranked and undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference 23–10 in a rare bowl rematch of a regular season game. UCLA quarterback John Sciarra was named the Player of the Game.
The 1974 Rose Bowl was the 60th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Tuesday, January 1. The Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference defeated the USC Trojans of the Pacific-8 Conference, 42–21. Sophomore quarterback Cornelius Greene of Ohio State was named Player of the Game. This was the sole win for the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl in the 1970s.
The 1975 Rose Bowl was the 61st edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday, January 1. The fifth-ranked USC Trojans of the Pacific-8 Conference defeated #3 Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference, 18–17 in one of the most exciting games in the history of the Rose Bowl.
The 1969 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1969 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 8–3 record, played in the 1970 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll and No. 8 in the final UPI poll.
The 1972 Rose Bowl was the 58th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Saturday, January 1. The Stanford Indians of the Pacific-8 Conference upset the undefeated and fourth-ranked Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference by a point, 13–12, repeating as Rose Bowl champions. The Player of the Game was Stanford quarterback Don Bunce.
The 1979 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1979 Big Ten Conference football season. In its 100th season of intercollegiate football, the 11th under head coach Bo Schembechler, Michigan compiled an 8–4 record, lost to North Carolina in the 1979 Gator Bowl, was ranked No. 18 in the final AP Poll, and outscored opponents by a total of 312 to 151.
The 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1974 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–1 record, outscored opponents 324 to 75, and were ranked #3 in final AP Poll. Michigan won the first ten games of the 1974 season in convincing fashion, including blowout victories over Colorado (31-0), Navy (52-0), Minnesota (49-0), and Purdue (51-0). In the final game of the season, #2 Michigan faced #3 Ohio State. The Wolverines lost by a score of 12-10, as place-kicker Mike Lantry missed a last-minute field goal that would have given Michigan a victory.
The 1973 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1973 Big Ten Conference football season. In his fifth year as Michigan's head coach, Bo Schembechler led the team to a 10–0–1 record. It was Michigan's first undefeated season since 1948. The Wolverines outscored their opponents 330 to 68. Michigan was ranked No. 6 in both of the major post-season polls. Two other selectors, the National Championship Foundation and the Poling System, recognize Michigan as a co-national champion for the 1973 season.
The 1972 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1972 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–1 record, outscored opponents 264–57, and were ranked sixth in both final polls. Offensive guard Tom Coyle and defensive back Randy Logan were the team captains.
The 1971 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1971 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 11–1 record, outscored opponents 421 to 83, won the Big Ten Conference championship, and were ranked No. 4 in the final UPI Poll and No. 6 in the final AP Poll. Defensive back Frank Gusich and center Guy Murdock were the team captains.
The 1970 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1970 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 9–1 record, tied for second place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 288 to 90. Michigan's victories included intersectional contests with Arizona (20–9), Washington (17–3), and Texas A&M (14–10). The team won its first nine games before losing to rival Ohio State and was ranked No. 7 in the final UPI Poll and No. 9 in the final AP Poll
The Ten Year War was a series of college football games in the Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry, played between 1969 and 1978. This series of games pitted coaches Woody Hayes of Ohio State and Bo Schembechler of Michigan against each other in classic teacher-versus-student matchups. In most contests, the Big Ten conference championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl were at stake, and in some cases, a possible national championship.
The History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Elliott years covers the history of the University of Michigan Wolverines football program during the period from the promotion of Bump Elliott as head coach in 1959 through his resignation after the 1968 season. Michigan was a member of the Big Ten Conference and played its home games at Michigan Stadium during the Elliott years. During the 10 years in which Elliott served as head football coach, Michigan compiled a record of 51–42–2 (.547) and claimed one Big Ten championship, one Rose Bowl victory, and two Chicago Tribune Silver Football awards for the most valuable player in the Big Ten. However, the Wolverines finished higher than third place in the Big Ten only twice.
Dana S. Coin is a former American football player and coach. He played as a linebacker and placekicker for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1969 to 1971. He set a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) record in 1971 by successfully converting 55 of 55 extra point attempts. He also extended the Michigan school record for the longest field goal in 1970 and kicked a game-winning field goal in November 1971 that clinched a Big Ten Conference championship for the Wolverines. He later served as the defensive coordinator at Eastern Michigan University.
The 1972 Big Ten Conference football season was the 77th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1972 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1974 Big Ten Conference football season was the 79th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1974 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1975 Big Ten Conference football season was the 80th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1975 NCAA Division I football season.