Background
Baldacci was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1934.
Baldacci was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1934.
He attended Saint Vincent High School in Akron, Ohio. The 1953 team finished with a record of 6-3 and was ranked Number.
He played college football for the from 1953 to 1955 and was the starting quarterback for the 1953 and 1954 Michigan Wolverines football teams. He was selected by the in the 1956 NFL Draft and played ten games as a halfback in the 1956 NFL season. Baldacci enrolled at the in 1952 and played for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1953 to 1955.
1953 season
As a sophomore in 1953, Baldacci was the starting quarterback for all nine games played by Michigan.
19 in the final United Press International poll and Number. 20 in the final Associated Press poll.
Baldacci had his best game as a forward passer in a 14-13 victory over Iowa on October 10, 1953. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 100 yards, including a 31-yard completion to Editor Hickey.
Baldacci also kicked a 38-yard field goal against Illinois in 1953, breaking the prior record set by Tom Harmon in 1940.
Baldacci"s record was broken in 1961 by Doug Bickle. 1954 season
As a junior in 1954, Baldacci split his time between the quarterback and fullback positions, playing in 309 of 540 minutes over the course of the nine-game season. He started five games at quarterback and one game at fullback for a Michigan team that again finished with a 6-3 record.
The 1954 team was ranked Number.
15 in the both the final United Press International and Associated Press polls. Baldacci scored Michigan"s first touchdown on a four-yard run and later caught a 63-yard pass from Dan Cline to set up another touchdown.
1955 season
As a senior in 1955, Baldacci moved to the fullback position, starting seven of nine games for the Wolverines. The 1955 team improved to 7-2 and were ranked Number.
12 in the final Associated Press poll and Number.
13 in the final United Press International poll. He had two rushing touchdowns and also threw two passes, both of them completed for touchdowns. His best rushing total was 65 yards on 13 carries against Indiana in November 1955.
After the 1955 season, Baldacci was invited to play in two post-season all-star games.
He played in the 1955 Blue-Gray All-Star Football Classic and the 1956 Senior Bowl. He scored the first touchdown for the Blue team in a 20-19 loss to the Gray team