Professional Football AGE - Age at Start of Season G - Games Played FA - Free Agent
1954 PACKERS DRAFT (January 28, 1954)
RND-PICK NAME POS COLLEGE
1a - 3 Art Hunter T Notre Dame
1b - 4 Veryl Switzer (A) HB Kansas State
2 - 15 Bob Fleck T Syracuse
3 - 27 George Timberlake G USC
4a - 39 to Washington Redskins for Johnny Papit
4b - 40 Tom Allman (B) FB West Virginia
5 - 51 Max McGee E Tulane
6 - 63 to Detroit Lions for Gus Cifelli
7 - 75 Sam Marshall T Florida A&M
8 - 87 Jimmie Williams T Texas Tech
9 - 99 Dave Davis E Georgia Tech
10 - 111 Gene Knutson E Michigan
11 - 123 Ken Hall E North Texas State
12 - 135 Bill Oliver HB Alabama
13 - 147 Mike Takacs G Ohio State
14 - 159 Dave Johnson HB Rice
15 - 171 to San Francisco 49ers for Ben Aldridge
16 - 183 Desmond Koch HB USC
17 - 195 J.D. Roberts G Oklahoma
18 - 207 Emery Barnes E Oregon
19 - 219 Ken Hall C Springfield
20 - 231 Herbert Lowell G Pacific
21 - 243 Art Liebscher HB Pacific
22 - 255 Bill Buford T Morgan State
23 - 267 Clint Sathrum QB St. Olaf
24 - 279 Marvin Tennefoss E Stanford
25 - 291 Jack Smalley T Alabama
26 - 303 *-Ralph Baierl T Maryland
27 - 315 Hosea Sims E Marquette
28 - 327 Evan Slonac FB Michigan State
29 - 339 Jerry Dufek T St. Norbert
30 - 351 Terry Campbell QB Washington St
A - from New York Giants (1953) B - from Baltimore Colts * - Juniors
Bold - Played for the Green Bay Packers
NAME NO POS HGT WGT COLLEGE YR PR AG G HOW ACQUIRED
Dick Afflis 75 G 6- 0 250 Nevada 4 4 25 12 1951 Draft - 16th round
Al Barry 63 G 6- 2 225 USC 1 1 23 12 1953 Draft - 30th round
Buddy Brown 62 G 6- 1 225 Arkansas 2 4 27 12 1953 FA - Wash (1952)
Al Carmichael 42 HB 6- 1 190 USC 2 2 25 10 1953 Draft - 1st round
Fred Cone 31 FB 5-11 200 Clemson 4 4 28 12 1951 Draft - 3rd round
Bobby Dillon 44 DB 6- 1 180 Texas 3 3 24 12 1952 Draft - 3rd round
Carlton Elliott 80 E 6- 4 230 Virginia 4 4 26 12 1950 Draft - 13th round
Howie Ferguson 37 FB 6- 2 210 No College 2 2 24 12 1953 FA
Bill Forrester 69 DT 6- 3 235 SMU 2 2 22 12 1953 Draft - 3rd round
Bob Garrett 15 QB 6- 1 198 Stanford 1 1 22 9 1954 Trade - Cleveland
Dave Hanner 77 DT 6- 2 260 Arkansas 3 3 24 12 1952 Draft - 5th round
Jerry Helluin 72 DT 6- 2 280 Tulane 1 3 25 12 1954 Trade - Cleveland
Billy Howton 86 E 6- 2 190 Rice 3 3 24 12 1952 Draft - 2nd round
Art Hunter 70 T 6- 4 240 Notre Dame 1 1 21 12 1954 Draft - 1st round
Joe Johnson 40 HB 6- 0 185 Boston College 1 1 24 12 1953 Draft - 11th round
Gary Knafelc 84 E 6- 4 205 Colorado 1 1 22 8 1954 FA - Chi Cardinals
Gene Knutson 81 E 6- 2 205 Michigan 1 1 21 12 1954 Draft - 10th round
Bob Mann 87 E 5-11 175 Michigan 5 7 30 3 FA - 1950 - Detroit
John Martinkovic 83 DE 6- 3 245 Xavier 4 4 27 12 1951 Trade - Washington
Max McGee 88 E 6- 3 203 Tulane 1 1 22 12 1954 draft - 5th round
Lou Mihajlovich 41 E 5-11 175 Indiana 1 1 29 3 1954 FA - Detroit
Don Miller 20 DB 6- 2 195 SMU 1 1 22 1 1954 FA
Jim Psaltis 48 HB 6- 1 190 USC 1 2 26 11 1954 FA - Cards (1953)
Floyd (Breezy) Reid 24 HB 5-10 190 Georgia 5 5 27 12 1950 FA - Chicago Bears
Jim Ringo 51 C 6- 1 230 Syracuse 2 2 24 12 1953 Draft - 7th round
Tobin Rote 18 QB 6- 3 205 Rice 5 5 26 12 1950 Draft - 2nd round
Steve Ruzich 61 G 6- 2 230 Ohio State 3 3 25 12 1952 FA
Clarence Self 28 DB 5- 9 185 Wisconsin 2 5 28 12 1954 FA - GB (1952)
Dave Stephenson 53 G 6- 2 225 West Virginia 4 5 28 12 1951 FA - LA (1950)
Veryl Switzer 27 HB 5-11 190 Kansas State 1 1 22 12 1954 Draft - 1st round
Len Szafaryn 68 G 6- 2 225 North Carolina 3 4 26 12 1950 Trade - Washington
Deral Teteak 66 LB 5-10 210 Wisconsin 3 3 24 6 1952 Draft - 9th round
Clayton Tonnemaker 58 LB 6- 2 240 Minnesota 3 3 26 12 1950 Draft - 1st round
Val Joe Walker 47 DB 6- 1 179 SMU 2 2 24 10 1953 Trade - New York
Gene White 88 DB 6- 2 205 Georgia 1 1 24 8 1954 FA
Roger Zatkoff 74 T 6- 2 215 Michigan 2 2 23 12 1953 Draft - 5th round
NO - Jersey Number POS - Position HGT - Height WGT - Weight YR - Years with Packers PR - Years of
Steelers at Packers
September 26th
Browns at Packers
August 21st
Rams at Packers
October 17th
Packers at Eagles
October 30th
Packers at Bears
November 7th
1954 IN REVIEW
New coach Lisle Blackbourn hardly endeared himselves to the faithful as the Packers lost their first three games, but the team suddenly came around, beating the Rams, Eagles and Colts (twice) for four wins in their next five games. Blackbourn hardly had time to enjoy the renaissance, though, as the Lions (twice), 49ers and Rams handed Green Bay four painful losses to end the season.
PACKER GENERAL MANAGERS
For the first three decades of the Packer franchise, the general manager could be easily identified. He was the head coach - Curly Lambeau and, then, Gene Ronzani. In 1954, the Executive Committee decided it was time to make a change in the management structure. As the NFL became more complex, it was apparent that one person would be hard pressed to put together a team, coach that team, keep on top of the free
agent talent, prepare for a college draft, and handle the administrative details. As a result, former Packer legend Verne Lewellen was handed the reins as the first "true" general manager in team
history. In 1928, while still playing for Green Bay, he ran successfully for Brown County district attorney, as a Republican, against teammate Lavie Dilweg. Re-elected in 1930, he was swept out of
office in the Roosevelt-Democratic landslide of 1932. In 1950, he rejoined the Packers as a member of the executive committee. He was general manager from 1954-58, and remained with the
franchise as the business manager from 1961-67. Lewellen's claim to fame may have been moving the Packer training camp to St. Norbert College in 1958. The Packers had practiced in Grand
Rapids, Minnesota (1951-53) and at Stevens Point State College (1954-57) prior to the decision to relocate closer to home. Vince Lombardi came to Green Bay in 1959 as head coach and general
manager, ending Lewellen's tenure.
PACKER GENERAL MANAGERS SINCE 1959
VINCE LOMBARDI (1959-68) - In all but his final year, Lombardi served as both head coach and general manager. After one uncomfortable year in the front officer, the Hall-of-Famer moved on to
Washington, where cancer cut his life short.
PHIL BENGSTON (1969-70) - Bengston picked up the reins as GM from Lombardi, but his draft record during his two-year dual reign was questionable at best.
DAN DEVINE (1971-74) - Devine may have won a division title in 1972, and had a number of productive draft choices, his overall report card as general manager could be summed up in one word:
John Hadl, a trade which backfired.
BART STARR (1975-80) - After five years as head coach and GM, Starr had a record of 31-57-2. The Executive Committee stripped him of the GM role following a 5-11 record in 1980, and the position
remained open for seven years.
TOM BRAATZ (1987-91) - Other than a productive draft in 1990, Braatz, whose official title was Executive Vice President of football operations , accomplished little in his tenure, and was fired in the
middle of a 4-12 season.
RON WOLF (1991-2001) - Wolf acted quickly as the new GM, firing Lindy Infante, hiring Mike Holmgren, and acquiring Brett Favre in his first six months. For most, his tenure was the most successful as a GM in Green Bay.
MIKE SHERMAN (2001-05) - By the end of Sherman's dual tenure, the debate over having one person in both roles was raging again. Team CEO Bob Harlan restructured the team's football operations, and removed Sherman as GM after the 2004 season.
TED THOMPSON (2005-now) - Thompson has definitely left his fingerprints on the franchise - firing Sherman one year after taking over as GM, ushering in the end of the Brett Favre era, and trying to restore the Packers to Super Bowl contention. While not always popular with the fans, he has become best known as being allegedly adverse to free agency and trades, preferring to build the team through the draft. Thompson has already brought home one Super Bowl trophy, and has the team in position to contend for even more hardware for the trophy case.
Packers at 49ers
December 5th
Packers at Rams
December 12th
1954 PACKER TRADES
JUNE 23 - Traded 1955 4th round pick to CLEVELAND for DL Jerry Helluin
JUNE 27 - Signed E Gene White and E Wayne Hopkins.
AUG 5 - Traded QB Babe Parilli and OT Bob Fleck to CLEVELAND for QB Bob Garrett, OT John Bauer, DB Don Miller and OT Chester Gierula. Signed E Lou Mihajlovic off waivers from DETROIT.
SEPT 20 - Traded OT John Bauer to NEW YORK for 1955 20th round pick. Released QB Elroy Falkenstein, FB Clyde Sanders, HB Bub Roffler, HB Evan Slonac, HB Tom Pagna, LB Nick Adduci, LB Lou Mihajlovich, LB Mike Maccloli, G Dick Doleman, G Mike Takacs, C Charles Grant and E Hosea Sims.
OCT 4 - Released DB Don Miller. Signed E Gary Knafelc off waivers from CHICAGO CARDINALS.
NOV 10 - Placed DB Gene White on injured reserve. Signed LB Lou Mihajlovich.
(MINNEAPOLIS) - The Chicago Cardinals came alive with 17 points in the second period and went on to breeze past the Packers Saturday night. The first Packer team coached by Lisle Blackbourn was handicapped by recent injuries to such key men as Bobby Dillion, Deral Teteak, Al Barry and David Davis. The Packers lost another man, fullback Fred Cone, because of a back injury late in the first half. Cone is expected to be out of action for about two weeks. Bob Burkhart was forced to handle the kicking duties. In the first quarter, the Packers looked as though they had the stuff to win. They took a 3-0 lead on Cone's 23-yard field goal and came close to scoring a touchdown.
CHI CARDS - 0 17 3 7 - 27
GREEN BAY - 3 0 7 0 - 10
GB – Cone, 23-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
CHI – Johnny Olszewski, 5-yard pass from Jim Root (Pat Summerall kick) CHICAGO 7-3
CHI – Charley Trippi, 21-yard pass from Rotot (Summerall kick) CHICAGO 14-3
CHI – Summerall, 49-yard field goal CHICAGO 17-3
CHI – Summerall, 32-yard field goal CHICAGO 20-3
GB – Rote, 1-yard run (Burkhart kick) CHICAGO 20-10
GB – Olszewski, 3-yard run (Lou Sawchick kick) CHICAGO 27-10
(GREEN BAY) - Liz Blackbourn has himself the makings of a pretty good football team on the banks of the Fox River, and appears to be just the coach to make it one. Blackbourn brought his Packers into City Stadium Saturday night for his and their 1954 debut before the local fans and emerged from a thrilling exhibition game with a loss to the always impressive Browns. The 15,747 fans in attendance disappointed that the Packers failed to tie the score and even win the game in the waning minutes, but they were surprised the Packers did so remarkably well against the veteran lineup fielded by the Browns under the expert guidance of Coach Paul Brown and QB Otto Graham. Bobby Garrett, just acquired from Cleveland, missed a conversion to give the Browns the narrow win. On their final drive, rookie Veryl Switzer called a fair catch on the Packer 32. Al Carmichael ripped off 19 yards and then rookie Joe Johnson went for another 12. Going through the middle on the next play, Johnson ran to the Browns' 17. Tobin Rote called for a pass, and it landed in the arms of Cleveland's Tom Catlin.
CLEVELAND - 14 0 0 0 - 14
GREEN BAY - 0 0 13 0 - 13
CLE – Sherman Howard, 9-yard run (Lou Groza kick) CLEVELAND 7-0
CLE – Fred Morrison, 7-yard run (Groza kick) CLEVELAND 14-0
GB – Howton, 17-yard pass from Rote (Garrett kick) CLEVELAND 14-7
GB – Howton, 31-yard pass from Rote (Kick failed) CLEVELAND 14-13
(PITTSBURGH) – The Packers combined midseason form with loose Pittsburgh play Saturday night to trounce the Steelers before 14,012 fans. The Packers converted two Pittsburgh fumbles into field goals in the first and second periods, a blocked kick into a touchdown in the first, and an intercepted pass into another TD in the fourth. Green Bay opened the scoring with a field goal from the 36 after the first series of plays, and was never headed throughout the game. Fred Cone added another field goal from the 28, four plays after Fran Rogel fumbled on Pittsburgh's first running play of the contest. After the game, Steeler head coach Joe Bach announced his resignation.
GREEN BAY - 13 10 0 13 - 36
PITTSBURGH - 7 0 7 0 - 14
GB – Cone, 36-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
GB – Cone, 28-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-0
GB – Brown, 20-yard fumble recovery (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 13-0
PIT – Lynn Chadnois, 1-yard run (Nick Bolkovac kick) GREEN BAY 13-7
GB – Switzer, 23-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 20-7
GB – Cone, 28-yard field goal GREEN BAY 23-7
PIT – Jim Brandt, 2-yard run (Bolkovac kick) GREEN BAY 23-14
GB – Mann, 16-yard pass from Rote (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 29-14
GB – Reid, 9-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 36-14
1954 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (2-4)
AUGUST (1-2) RESULT RECORD ATT STARTING QB LEADING RUSHER LEADING PASSER LEADING RECEIVER
14 Chicago Cardinals at Minneapolis L 10-27 0- 1-0 21,000
21 G-CLEVELAND BROWNS L 13-14 0- 2-0 15,747
28 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 36-14 1- 2-0 14,012
SEPTEMBER (1-2)
4 Philadelphia Eagles at Hershey, PA L 13-24 1- 3-0 6,134
11 Washington Redskins at Raleigh, NC W 31- 3 2- 3-0 16,000
18 M-NEW YORK GIANTS L 27-38 2- 4-0 17,000
1954 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS (4-8)
SEPTEMBER (0-1) RESULT RECORD ATT STARTING QB LEADING RUSHER LEADING PASSER LEADING RECEIVER
26 G-PITTSBURGH STEELERS (0-0) L 20-21 0- 1-0 20,675 Tobin Rote
OCTOBER (3-2)
3 G-CHICAGO BEARS (0-1) L 3-10 0- 2-0 24,414 Tobin Rote Billy Howton (4-100)
10 M-SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (1-0-1) L 17-23 0- 3-0 15,571 Tobin Rote
17 M-LOS ANGELES RAMS (1-1-1) W 35-17 1- 3-0 17,455 Tobin Rote Billy Howton (5-105)
24 at Baltimore Colts (1-3) W 7- 6 2- 3-0 28,680 Tobin Rote Billy Howton (11-147)
30 at Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) W 37-14 3- 3-0 25,378 Tobin Rote Max McGee (3-104)
NOVEMBER (1-3)
7 at Chicago Bears (3-3) L 23-28 3- 4-0 47,038 Tobin Rote
13 M-BALTIMORE COLTS (1-6) W 24-13 4- 4-0 19,786 Tobin Rote Howie Ferguson (112)
21 G-DETROIT LIONS (6-1) L 17-21 4- 5-0 20,767 Tobin Rote Billy Howton (7-101)
25 at Detroit Lions (7-1) L 24-28 4- 6-0 55,532 Tobin Rote
DECEMBER (0-2)
5 at San Francisco 49ers (5-4-1) L 0-35 4- 7-0 32,012 Tobin Rote
12 at Los Angeles Rams (5-5-1) L 27-35 4- 8-0 38,839 Tobin Rote Max McGee (9-105)
G - Green Bay M - Milwaukee
(HERSHEY, PA) – A scoring burst which lasted 2 1/2 minutes netted the Eagles 17 points and a victory Saturday night in Hershey Stadium. The pre-season meeting drew 6,124 paying fans. Though Veryl Switzer provided Green Bay the lead with a 73-yard scoring run in the opening minute of the game, the Eagles' defense held firm.
GREEN BAY - 7 6 0 7 - 13
PHILADELPHIA - 0 17 7 7 - 24
GB – Switzer, 73-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
GB – Rote run (Kick failed)
PHIL – TD – Norm Wiley, Bob Hudson (INT), Bobby Walston XP – Walston FG - Walston
Washington Redskin running back Charlie Justice evades a tackler after catching a pass for an eleven-yard gain during an exhibition game against the Green Bay Packers at Riddick Stadium, Raleigh, N.C. on September 11, 1954. (Photo courtesy of "Processing Hugh Morton Photographs and Films")
(RALEIGH, NC) - Al Carmichael's 96-yard touchdown run was the highlight Saturday as the Packers routed the Redskins before a crowd of 16,000. It was Washington's fifth successive loss of the season. Green Bay has a 3-2 record.
GREEN BAY - 7 10 7 7 - 31
WASHINGTON - 0 3 0 0 - 3
GB – Cone, 1-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
GB – Cone, 12-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-0
WASH – Ben Agajanian, 23-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-3
GB – Carmichael, 96-yard kickoff return (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 17-3
GB – Elliott, 4-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 24-3
GB – Switzer, 18-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 31-3
(MILWAUKEE) – Liz Blackbourn returned to Milwaukee Saturday night but the occasion was far from a happy one as the Packers lost to the Giants in an exhibition football game. The Giants capitalized on a pair of bad passes by Packer centers and a porous Green Bay defense.
NEW YORK - 14 3 14 7 - 38
GREEN BAY - 7 13 0 7 - 27
NY – Eddie Price, 3-yard run (Ben Agajanian kick) NEW YORK 7-0
GB – Rote, 1-yard run (Cone kick) TIED 7-7
NY – Bob Schnelker, 31-yard pass from Bobby Clatterback (Agajanian kick) NEW YORK 14-7
GB – Rote, 31-yard run (Kick failed) NEW YORK 14-13
GB – Carmichael, 75-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 20-14
NY – Agajanian, 31-yard field goal GREEN BAY 20-17
NY – Price run (Agajanian kick) NEW YORK 24-20
NY – Buford Long, 1-yard run (Agajanian kick) NEW YORK 31-20
GB – Reid fumble recovery (Cone kick) NEW YORK 31-27
NY – Jim Monachino, 7-yard pass from Don Heinrich (Agajanian kick) NY 38-27
(GREEN BAY) - Jim Finks, veteran Pittsburgh quarterback, passed for three touchdowns as the Steelers nosed out the Green Bay Packers 21-20 in the first regular season game for head coach Lisle Blackbourn. The Packers, who had beaten Pittsburgh in an exhibition game, matched the Steelers on the ground but they had little defense against the sharp shots by Finks. Sharing honors with Finks in the Pittsburgh victory was Johnny Lattner and Ray Matthews. It was a 37-yard pass from Finks to Matthews in the last five minutes of play that pulled the Steelers up to a tie with Green Bay. Ed Kissell, who kicked Pittsburgh's first two extra points, aggravated a back injury and Paul Held came in to kick the game-winning point, his boot just clearing the crossbar.
PITTSBURGH - 7 7 0 7 - 21
GREEN BAY - 7 10 3 0 - 20
1st - GB - Reid, 69-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - PITT - Johnny Lattner, 14-yard pass from Jim Finks (Ed Kissell kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - GB - Howton, 44-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
2nd - GB - Cone, 45-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-7
2nd - PITT - Elbie Nickel, 2-yard pass from Finks (Kissell kick) GREEN BAY 17-14
3rd - GB - Cone, 32-yard field goal GREEN BAY 20-14
4th - PITT - Ray Matthews, 37-yard pass from Finks (Paul Held kick) PITTSBURGH 21-20
(GREEN BAY) - Bob Mann returned from a pre-season injury, and saw the Packers blow another lead late as the Bears scored twice in the fourth quarter. The Bears rallied for a field goal and George Blanda-to-Billy Stone touchdown pass in the final period to beat the Packers. A Packer fumble on their own seven set up the TD and Blanda added a 23-yard three-pointer moments later.
CHICAGO BEARS - 0 0 0 10 - 10
GREEN BAY - 0 0 3 0 - 3
3rd - GB - Cone, 40-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
4th - CHI - Billy Stone, 5-yard pass from George Blanda (Blanda kick) CHICAGO 7-3
4th - CHI - Blanda, 23-yard field goal CHICAGO 10-3
(MILWAUKEE) - After three games, Green Bay had blown three straight leads and had been outscored in the fourth quarter 30-0. This week, it was Y.A.Tittle and Joe Perry who kept the Packers winless. Tittle dropped his warmup jacket to the ground in the fourth quarter to spark a completely unexpected two-touchdown rally which gave the 49ers a 23-17 win on a wet and muddy field. A slim crowd of 15,571 watched the game in County Stadium, despite a steady rain which let up at intermission. San Francisco, with defensive talfback Jim Carson handling the quarterbacking duties at the start, moved to a 10-point lead in the first quarter, scoring the first two times it had the ball. The 49ers needed only three plays to cover 57 yards, with Hugh McElhenny scoring. The 49ers marched back again, but when the drive stalled on the Green Bay 37, Gordie Soltau kicked a field goal. Tobin Rote, hitting on five of eight passes after the second half kickoff, drove the Packers 66 yards for their first touchdown. A five-yard pass to Veryl Switzer capped the all-aerial march. Later in the period, Rote pitched the Packers into scoring territory where Cone kicked a 45-yard field goal to tie the game.
SAN FRANCISCO - 10 0 0 13 - 23
GREEN BAY - 0 0 17 0 - 17
1st - SF - Hugh McIlhenny, 17-yard run (Gordie Soltau kick) SAN FRANCISCO 7-0
1st - SF - Soltau, 37-yard field goal SAN FRANCISCO 10-0
3rd - GB - Switzer, 5-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) SAN FRANCISCO 10-7
3rd - GB - Cone, 45-yard field goal TIED 10-10
3rd - GB - McGee, 19-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 17-10
4th - SF - Joe Perry, 8-yard run (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 17-16
4th - SF - Y.A.Tittle, 2-yard run (Soltau kick) SAN FRANCISCO 23-17
(MILWAUKEE) - The Packers picked up their first win of the season by beating Los Angeles for the first time in six years. Tobin Rote passed for three touchdowns and 284 yards. Rote was the main thorn in the side of the Rams for the Packers. He ran for one score to give new Coach Liz Blackbourn his first victory. Going into the final period, the Packers held a 14-10 margin. But they exploded for three touchdowns in the last 15 minutes.
LOS ANGELES - 0 7 3 7 - 17
GREEN BAY - 0 7 7 21 - 35
2nd - LA - Tank Younger, 1-yard run (Les Richter kick) LOS ANGELES 7-0
2nd - GB - McGee, 14-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) TIED 7-7
3rd - GB - Switzer, 14-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
3rd - LA - Richter, 35-yard field goal GREEN BAY 14-10
4th - GB - Rote, 1-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 21-10
4th - LA - Bob Boyd, 71-yard pass from Norm Van Brocklin (Richter kick) GREEN BAY 21-17
4th - GB - Howton, 28-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 28-17
4th - GB - Reid, 2-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 35-17
(BALTIMORE) - Two days after Bob Mann was waived, Billy Howton caught 11 passes for 147 yards, and Breezy Reid ran for 77 yards to give the Packers the first win on the road. The Packers escaped from the Baltimore Colts by one point, 7-6. A recovered fumble on the Baltimore seven gave the Packers the break they needed to score a touchdown in the third quarter and win over the Colts, who had led on two field goals by quarterback Gary Kerkorian. The Colts' rigid defense had stopped Green Bay on the Baltimore seven only to have fullback John Huzvar fumble on the first play. Dave Hanner fell on the ball and Green Bay scored in two plays, a pass to Bill Howton and a three-yard plunge by Floyd Reid. Fred Cone, who had missed a 13-yard field goal just as the first half ended, converted for the winning point.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 7 0 - 7
BALTIMORE - 3 0 3 0 - 6
1st - BALT - Gary Kerkorian, 26-yard field goal BALTIMORE 3-0
3rd - BALT - Kerkorian, 26-yard field goal BALTIMORE 6-0
3rd - GB - Reid, 3-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 7-6
(PHILADELPHIA) - On a Saturday night in Philadelphia, Green Bay evened its record at .500 thanks to Max McGee, who caught three passes for three touchdowns and 104 yards. Tobin Rote tossed all three touchdown passes to McGee, as the underdog Packers took advantage of two intercepted passes, a fumble and a fourth-down Philadelphia gamble to rout the Eagles, 37-14. Green Bay maintained one of pro football's long-standing jinxes in dropping the Eagles out of the three-way tie for first place in the NFL's Eastern Division. The Eagles have won only one league game from the Packers in the 13 meetings between the two teams. The 11-point-favorite Eagles never were in the ball game as Veryl Switzer took the opening kickoff back 88 yards to the Eagles' 10. Unable to gain any yards, Fred Cone kicked an 11-yard field goal. Bobby Dillon made it 10-0 with a 59-yard touchdown return of an intercepted pass. After the Eagles closed the gap to 10-7 on a 26-yard TD pass from Bobby Thomason to Toy Ledbetter, the Packers turned the game into a rout. Rote passed 25 yards to McGee for a touchdown in the second quarter and hit his favorite target for 49- and 30-yard scores in the third period. Rote himself smashed over for a score in the final quarter after a pass interference penalty gave Green Bay a first down on the Eagles three.
GREEN BAY - 10 7 13 7 - 37
PHILADELPHIA - 0 7 0 7 - 14
1st - GB - Cone, 11-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
1st - GB - Dillon, 59-yard interception return (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 10-0
2nd - PHIL - Toy Ledbetter, 26-yard pass from Bobby Thomason (Bobby Walston kick) GREEN BAY 10-7
2nd - GB - McGee, 25-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 17-7
3rd - GB - McGee, 49-yard pass from Rote (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 23-7
3rd - GB - McGee, 30-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 30-7
4th - GB - Rote, 1-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 37-7
4th - PHIL - Dom Moselle, 2-yard run (Walston kick) GREEN BAY 37-14
Photos above from the November 21st 1954 Program versus the Lions (SOURCE: Packerville.blogspot.com)
(CHICAGO) - In line with the pattern of losing leads, the Packers saw George Blanda tossed a touchdown pass to Jack Hoffman with 2:05 remaining. Green Bay tried to rally as Tobin Rote, who had broken his nose in the game, led the Packers down to the Bear 16. On the final play, Rote was sacked to end the Packers' threat. The Bears had a 14-point lead over the Packers in the first half, but had to come from behind in the final period to salvage the victory. In between, the Packers scored all 23 of their points. With three minutes left, the Bears still were trailing by two points. Blanda completed five successive passes for the winning touchdown.
GREEN BAY - 0 13 3 7 - 23
CHICAGO BEARS - 7 7 0 14 - 28
1st - CHI - Jim Dooley, 40-yard pass from George Blanda (Blanda kick) CHI 7-0
2nd - CHI - Chick Jagade, 2-yard run (Blanda kick) CHICAGO 14-0
2nd - GB - McGee, 4-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) CHICAGO 14-7
2nd - GB - Switzer, 93-yard punt return (Kick failed) CHICAGO 14-13
3rd - GB - Cone, 30-yard field goal GREEN BAY 16-14
4th - GB - McGee, 37-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 23-14
4th - CHI - Wayne Hansen, 35-yard fumble return (Blanda kick) GREEN BAY 23-21
4th - CHI - Jack Hoffman, 7-yard pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) CHICAGO 28-23
(MILWAUKEE) - The Green Bay Packers spotted Baltimore a 13-point lead in the first 26 minutes, then roared back on a Saturday night in a nationally-televised game. Tobin Rote ran for all three Green Bay touchdowns, all from the one-yard line. Rote, whose passing sparked the comeback, shared honors with battering fullback Howie Ferguson, who picked up all his pre-professional football experience in high school at New Iberia, LA and in the service. Ferguson ran for 112 yards.
BALTIMORE - 10 3 0 0 - 13
GREEN BAY - 0 10 7 7 - 24
1st - BALT - Bert Rechichar, 41-yard field goal BALTIMORE 3-0
1st - BALT - George Taliaferro, 29-yd pass fr Gary Kerkorian (Kerkorian kick) BALTIMORE 10-0
2nd - BALT - Kerkorian, 32-yard field goal BALTIMORE 13-0
2nd - GB - Cone, 11-yard field goal BALTIMORE 13-3
2nd - GB - Rote, 1-yard run (Cone kick) BALTIMORE 13-10
3rd - GB - Rote, 1-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 17-13
4th - GB - Rote, 1-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 24-13
(GREEN BAY) - The defending champion Detroit Lions, two-touchdown favorites over Green Bay, had their hands full before eking out a 21-17 victory on Bobby Layne's pair of scoring passes and his 1-yard sneak through the middle. The game, rough all the way, ended in a midfield melee as the Lions' Lou Creekmur and the Packers' Carlton Elliott traded punches. A good share of the 20,767 fans in cozy City Stadium swarmed onto the field, but impending trouble was averted by the local officials. The Packers lost a chance to spring the major upset of the season early in the fourth period when Max McGee, a good three steps ahead of the nearest Lion defender, dropped a perfect pass from Tobin Rote in the end zone. Howie Ferguson fumbled late in the game to end the Packers' last scoring chance.
DETROIT - 0 14 7 0 - 21
GREEN BAY - 7 3 7 0 - 17
1st - GB - Reid, 1-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
2nd - DET - Bobby Layne, 1-yard run (Doak Walker kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - DET - Jug Girard, 5-yard pass from Layne (Walker kick) DETROIT 14-7
2nd - GB - Cone, 17-yard field goal DETROIT 14-10
3rd - DET - Dorne Dibble, 22-yard pass from Layne (Walker kick) DETROIT 21-10
3rd - GB - Rote, 1-yard run (Cone kick) DETROIT 21-17
(DETROIT) - On Thanksgiving Day, Detroit barely found a way to contain Tobin Rote. Rote handled the ball on 98 plays, tossed one touchdown pass, scored another and pressured Detroit's defenses, reputedly the best in the leagu, from start to finish. One of the passes backfired, as Jack Christiansen snagged it and ran it back for a touchdown. Bobby Layne pitched two touchdown passes to help Detroit record its eighth victory of the season against one loss. It was another heartbreaker for Coach Lisle Blackbourn's Packers, who have lost six league games by a combined total of only 27 points. It wasn't until 37 minutes were left that the champions took over the lead. Trailing, 17-14, Layne put Detroit ahead to stay when he pitched a swing pass to halfback Lew Carpenter who faked one Green Bay defender and dashed in for the score. With less than a minute left in the third quarter, Christiansen raced 61 yards with a punt return to make it 28-17. But Green Bay and Rote were not through. They jolted the Lions with the game's most electrifying maneuver, Rote combining with end Max McGee on an 82-yard touchdown pass play. McGee took the ball on Detroit's 35 and romped the rest of the way with not a Lion in sight.
GREEN BAY - 7 7 10 0 - 24
DETROIT - 0 14 14 0 - 28
1st - GB - Reid, 48-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
2nd - DET-Doak Walker, 18-yard pass from Bobby Layne (Walker kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - GB - Rote, 1-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
2nd - DET - Jack Christiansen, 30-yard interception (Walker kick) TIED 14-14
3rd - GB - Cone, 26-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-14
3rd - DET - Lew Carpenter, 8-yard pass from Layne (Walker kick) DETROIT 21-17
3rd - DET - Christiansen, 68-yard punt return (Walker kick) DETROIT 28-17
3rd - GB - McGee, 82-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) DETROIT 28-24
(SAN FRANCISCO) - Green Bay continued its dismal record of not winning a game in December since beating Detroit 35-14 in 1947. Joe Perry rolled up 137 yards to go beyond the 1,000-yard mark for his second season, as San Francisco overwhelmed Green Bay, 35-0. The 49ers scored three times in the first quarter and once each in the second and fourth. Quarterback Y. A. Tittle's brilliant passing was another factor. The loss was the worst of the season for the Packers.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 0 0 - 0
SAN FRANCISCO - 21 7 0 7 - 35
1st - SF - Bill Jessup, 68-yard pass from Y.A.Tittle (Gordie Soltau kick) SAN FRANCISCO 7-0
1st - SF - Tittle, 8-yard run (Soltau kick) SAN FRANCISCO 14-0
1st - SF - Joe Perry, 5-yard run (Soltau kick) SAN FRANCISCO 21-0
2nd - SF - Soltau, 6-yard pass from Tittle (Soltau kick) SAN FRANCISCO 28-0
4th - SF - Pete Schabarum, 5-yard run (Soltau kick) SAN FRANCISCO 35-0
(LOS ANGELES) - Los Angeles clinched a winning season as they scored three unanswered touchdowns when trailing 21-14. The loss was Green Bay's fourth in a row to end the 1954 campaign. Dan Towler scored three of the Rams' touchdowns against the Packers. Elroy Hirsch, star Ram end, played his last NFL game and raced off the field in his shorts after souvenir-happy fans ripped off his uniform.
GREEN BAY - 7 13 0 7 - 27
LOS ANGELES - 14 7 7 7 - 35
1st - GB - Rote, 16-yard run (Cone kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - LA - Dan Towler, 1-yard run (Les Richter kick) TIED 7-7
1st - LA - Towler, 1-yard run (Richter kick) LOS ANGELES 14-7
2nd - GB - McGee, 22-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) TIED 14-14
2nd - GB - Johnson, 8-yard pass from Rote (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 20-14
2nd - LA - Towler, 1-yard run (Richter kick) LOS ANGELES 21-20
3rd - LA - Andy Robustelli, 49-yd pass fr Norm Van Brocklin (Richter kick) LOS ANGELES 28-20
4th - LA - Tom Fears, 12-yard pass from Van Brocklin (Richter kick) LOS ANGELES 35-20
4th - GB - Switzer recovered Garrett's fumble in the end zone (Cone kick) LOS ANGELES 35-27
