Bowser was replaced by Clark Shaughnessy in 1943; and in 1945, with new university chancellor Rufus Fitzgerald at the helm, athletic scholarships and recruiting were reinstated. However, substantial damage had already been done to the football program. Shaughnessy was replaced in 1946 by Wes Fesler, who left after his only season at Pitt to coach his alma mater Ohio State. Walter "Mike" Milligan took over head coaching duties in 1947 and scored one of the most satisfying wins in Pitt history when the Panthers defeated the Fesler-coached Ohio State team 12–0 for their only win of the season. During this era Pitt's first African-American player, Jimmy Joe Robinson, led the team in receiving and rushing, and also excelled at returning punts and kickoffs. Milligan brought Pitt back to winning records in 1948 and 1949, achieving consecutive 6–3 seasons that included appearances in the national rankings and back-to-back shutouts of Penn State. However, Milligan resigned after the 1949 season, never to return to head coaching, due to a perceived snub by the university offering him only a one-year contract. During this same period, Pitt sought entry into the Big Ten Conference as the replacement for the University of Chicago, which had withdrawn from the conference. Pitt had placed its athletic programs under the Big Ten's supervision in 1939, which newspapers of the time characterized as a probationary admission likely to result in eventual full membership. Pitt's application for membership was never approved, partly due to opposition by Ohio State, out of their concern that conference membership for Pittsburgh would diminish a possible recruiting advantage such membership gave to the Buckeyes in talent-rich Pennsylvania. Instead, Michigan State, rather than Pitt, was eventually selected for Big Ten membership in May 1949.