Charles Robinson, rookie guard; Clarence McGreary, second-year tackle; Steve Pritko, veteran end, and Art Felker, rookie end from Marquette. Fritsch leaves the club as its second high scorer of all-time with 392 points. Don Hutson is the all-time leader with 825. The Packers returned home Monday evening from Alexandria, VA, and immediately held a skull session in preparation for Sunday's league opener here with the Chicago Bears.
HUTSON TO OPEN AUTO DEALERSHIP
SEPTEMBER 25 (Racine) - Don Hutson, all-time All-America pro end of the Packers, announced today he will open an automobile agency here October 15th. Hutson said he had disposed of his business interests at Green Bay and would move his family to this city.
BEARS TO PLAY PACKERS 66TH TIME SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 25 (Chicago Tribune) - This is the week
leading up to the opening of the NFL's 32nd season.
For the Chicago Bears, it's a resumption of the same
old story - the Green Bay Packers. Sunday afternoon
the Bears will be in Green Bay to meet the Packers
for the 66th time since their formal introduction in
1921. The same afternoon, in Comiskey Park, an
almost spanking new edition of the Chicago Cardinals,
under Curly Lambeau, the old master, will try to give
the heave ho to Bo McMillin's Philadelphia Eagles.
But even before these two struggles, the league race
will have begun. Friday night, the New York Yanks
will appears in the Los Angeles Coliseum against the
Rams, one of the clubs the Bears must circumvent to
win the title for the first time since 1946. The site of
this game was changed because of the strong
possibility of the baseball Yankees winning the
American League title. The record breaking, five time
champion Cleveland Browns will start their sixth title
prowl Sunday afternoon in San Francisco against the
49ers, who were of their most persistent rivals in four
All-America conference seasons. Another Sunday
opener will match the Washington Redskins at Detroit against the Lions. A Monday night kickoff will involve the New York Giants against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Bears, one of the foremost exponents of the cloak and dagger system, will start drills for the Packers at an undisclosed spot today. Just to give Gene Ronzani and his Green Bay brain trust a clue, the rendezvous will be within a 50 mile radius of Chicago. In some 40-odd exhibition games throughout the nation, the 12 league teams have played to approximately three quarters of a million customers. Yet, the results of their games are not to be taken as conclusive evidence of what is to come. Many clubs, among them the Bears and Cardinals, experimented more than ever before because of the necessity of testing an unprecedented number of rookies. The series of warmups did indicate, however, that the races in both the eastern and western divisions are tossups. The 12 week schedule will be concluded December 16 unless ties exist for the top spot. Last year, playoffs were required in both sections. If all proceeds according the plan, the divisional champions will meet in the western city December 23. The Browns won the crown last year on December 24 by beating the Rams, 30 to 28, on a field goal by Lou Groza in the final half minute. Out of this extensive shadow boxing, six team have been prominent. They are Cleveland, the New York Giants and Washington in the eastern division, Detroit, Los Angeles and the Bears in the west. An upset team in the eastern section could be the Cardinals if Charlie Trippi makes good as a T quarterback. The San Francisco 49ers rate a dark horse role in the western flight. In 78 league games last year, the National League played to 1,977,735 customers, an average of 25,355. Against this league average, the Bears averaged in excess of 40,000 a game as a decisive leader in home attendance. Bear officials say that advance ticket sales indicate an increase in attendance this fall for the six games to be played in Wrigley field. Trippi suffered only an arm muscle bruise in Sunday's loss to San Francisco in Omaha and will be able to play the Eagles. Lynn Lynch, rookie guard from Illinois, is definitely out with an injured knee. Tom Wham, star defensive end, may not shake his ankle injury in time, however. The Cards will open drills this morning at the University of Chicago. The Bears announced that Paul Lea, rookie tackle from Tulane, has been traded to Pittsburgh for one of the Steelers' player choices in the draft for 1952.
DREYER CUT BY PACKERS
SEPTEMBER 26 (Green Bay) - The Packers cut two more veterans from their roster Wednesday. Coach Gene Ronzani asked waivers on Ray DiPierro, a guard, and Wally Dreyer, defensive back. Both joined the club last year. DiPierro played his college ball at Ohio State and Dreyer is a former Wisconsin star. The Packers are now down to 31, two under the player limit. As a result, it is generally believed that Ronzani is in the process of making deals for new players to replace DiPierro and Dreyer.
THREE NEW PLAYERS OBTAINED BY PACKERS
SEPTEMBER 28 (Green Bay) - The Packers Thursday announced the signing of three players obtained from rival NFL clubs. Dave Stephenson, 235-pound guard, and Dick Moje, 210-pound end, were added via a straight purchase deal with the Los Angeles Rams. Harper Davis, halfback claimed by several clubs after the Chicago Bears had asked waivers on him, was awarded to the Packers for the waiver price. Stephenson, West Virginia grad, played both offensive and defensive guard for the Rams last year, his first as a pro. Moje, Loyola of Los Angeles star, was recalled at the start of this season season from the Richmond Rebels. Davis joined the Bears last year after graduating at Mississippi State. Although blessed with unusual speed, the 172-pounder has been used mainly on defense. The latest acquisitions boosted the official roster to 34, over over the player limit. Under league rules, it will be necessary to cut back to 33 by Saturday noon.
BEARS SLIGHT CHOICE OVER BAYS
SEPTEMBER 29 (Green Bay) - The Chicago Bears unleash their tremendous speed against the defense-minded Green Bay Packers and 25,000 partisan fans in the 66th renewal of the traditional Packer-Bear series at City Stadium Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is at 1:30 PM, a half hour earlier than in the past. George Halas' Bears will be seeking revenge for that 31-21 defeat the Packers posted a year ago, though they got a measure of revenge by taking the nightcap in Chicago, 28-14. Gene Ronzani, starting his second season as Packer coach, has designs on an upset but the experts are figuring the Bears a 14-point favorite. The Bears will likely go with veteran quarterback Johnny Lujack. Their starting lineup shows two rookies, end Gene (Another Hutson) Schroeder and left half Whizzer White, both lightning fast. Veteran Fred Morrison will be at fullback, with promising rookie John Dottley in reserve. Ronzani has two veteran quarterbacks, a far cry from a year ago when he had the aging Paul Christman and rookie Tobin Rote. Working with Rote this season is Bobby Thomason, sharp-shooter formerly with the Los Angeles Rams. Only rookies in the Packer backfield are Ray Pelfrey and Ace Loomis, both left halfbacks, and fullback Fred Cone. The Bears are rated favorites chiefly on the basis of their pre-season showing and the fact that they have exceptional rookies to go with the veterans. The Packers are still in the process of rebuilding, and many new players were tried during the past two weeks.
BEARS RESUME OLD FEUD WITH PACKERS
SEPTEMBER 29 (Green Bay) - The Chicago Bears
and the Green Bay Packers, who were not exactly
sensations in the recent warmup weeks. tomorrow
will add another hit to one of the oldest rivalries in
football when they knuckle down to business for the
66th time. All the familiar old trappings are there. City
Stadium will be jammed to its 25,000 capacity. The
Lumberjack band will toot into the crisp Wisconsin air
from its bandome at one end of the field. It tooted with
a frenzy here last September when the Packers rose
up and whipped the Bears, 31 to 21. Adding to the
festivities will be a reunion of the 1919 Packer team
following the game. Members of the first team to
represent Green Bay in pro football on hand for the
ceremonies will be Art Schmael, Sam Powers, Gus
Rosenow, Herman Nartell, H.J. Bers, G.W. Calhoun,
Andy Muldoon, John Des Jardins, Jim Coffeen, Al
Petcka, Wally Ladrow and Carl and Martin Zoll. After
each disappointing experience against league rivals
in exhibitions the Bears have explained everything off
by insisting they were experimenting. Tomorrow's
opening offensive lineup show the Bears have made a
few changes at that. They're new at the ends, with
ex-fullback John Hoffman on the left side and Gene
Schroeder from the University of Virginia, at right end.
Frank Dempsey of Florida is at right guard over the
old standby, Ray Bray, who, however, still is around
and healthy. Whizzer White, the spectacular rookie
from Tempe (Ariz.) State, is a left half and Billy Stone,
a refugee from the Baltimore Colts, a right half. Paul
Stenn and George (Moose) Connor are back at the
tackles. The left guard is Dick Barwegen, one of the most capable at his trade. The Packers, under energetic Gene Ronzani, ended their unimpressive exhibition season with a victory over the Washington Redskins. Five of their 11 offensive starters are from other clubs. Bob Mann, left end, came form the Detroit Lions. Ham Nichols, right guard, is an ex-Cardinal. Joe Spencer at right tackle is a Cleveland castoff. Robert Lee Thomason, the quarterback, is from the Los Angeles Rams, and Billy Grimes, right half, is a former All-America star at Baltimore.