During the 1928 season, Pommerening became the first player in the history of the Big Ten Conference to play every minute of every game for his team. One wire service report noted that he set the endurance record despite having suffered a severe head injury early in the season. An Iowa newspaper credited Michigan's "big tackle" Pommerening as one of the players deserving credit in Michigan's 10-7 win over Iowa in 1928. The paper wrote that Pommerening "ripped wide holes in the Iowa line as Michigan started their winning drive."