| abstract | - Michael Thomas Bass (born March 31, 1945) is a former professional American football player who played defensive back for the Detroit Lions (1967) and the Washington Redskins (1969–1975). Before his National Football League career, Bass played for the University of Michigan. In his 8 NFL seasons as a cornerback, Bass recorded 30 interceptions for 478 return yards and three touchdowns. He also recovered five fumbles and gained 105 yards on eight kickoff returns. In 1972, the Redskins won the NFC championship game of the 1972-73 NFL playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys, when they limited the Cowboys to 3 points and Roger Staubach, their quarterback, to 9 completions in 20 attempts for 98 passing yards, Bass and the other cornerback, Pat Fischer, being instrumental in shutting down their wide receivers. But, though the defense allowed only 14 points, the team lost Super Bowl VII to the Miami Dolphins. Bass scored the only touchdown for the Redskins in that game as a special teams player, returning a botched pass attempt from Miami Dolphins placekicker Garo Yepremian after a blocked field goal 49 yards for a fumble return touchdown, making him the last man drafted by legendary coach Vince Lombardi to score in a Super Bowl game. In 1976, he was replaced as a starting cornerback by Joe Lavender. During a brief stint with the Detroit Lions, Bass had a small speaking part in the 1968 film adaptation of George Plimpton's book Paper Lion. In 1976, Bass was among several Washington Redskins players who appeared in the blaxploitation film Brotherhood of Death. However, when that film was released to DVD in 2005, Bass expressed dismay at the news, saying that he hadn't cared for the script and that to that date, he had never seen the picture. Bass is employed by Montauk Resorts of North Carolina.
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