In the fall of 1951, with his eligibility restored, head coach Bennie Oosterbaan moved Putich from the quarterback position to the left halfback position. Putich was also the captain of the 1951 team. An October 1951 feature story "Three P's Put PUNCH in Michigan Attack," Putich was described as a "hard-driving and tricky runner." (The other two "P's" profiled in the story were end Lowell Perry fullback Don Peterson.)
