Former Michigan tight end Jim Mandich, captain of the Wolverines football team that upset Ohio State on 1969 and an All-American that season, died on Tuesday after a battle with bile duct cancer. He was 62 years old.
↵A native of Solon, Ohio, Mandich played at Michigan from 1967 to 1969. He played 30 games for the Wolverines, finishing his career with 119 catches for 1,494 yards and seven touchdowns. Michigan was 20-11 during Mandich's career, capped off by a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl bid.
↵Former teammates remembered Mandich as the leader of that 1969 team, someone head coach Bo Schembechler depended on to be a coach on the field.
↵↵↵↵"The first thing that I remembered was that Bo always addressed him as Captain Mandich," former offensive lineman Dick Caldarazzo said Wednesday. " 'Captain Mandich, get up here and lead the team.' "
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Mandich was inducted into Michigan's Athletic Hall of Honor in 1994. In 2004, he was awarded with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
↵Mandich was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1970 as the 29th overall pick. He went on to play eight years with the Dolphins, including their 1972 undefeated season, and was a part of three Super Bowl championship teams. Mandich played his final NFL season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978. Overall, he compiled 121 catches for 1,406 yards and 23 touchdowns during his professional career.