1975 IN REVIEW
On Christmas Eve, 1974, Bart Starr, a five-time NFL champion as a player, was named Packers head coach and general manager with the hope he could lead the team to additional
titles in his new role. Starr faced a number of challenges. Dan Devine had traded away many of the team's top draft choices. All-Pro linebacker Ted Hendricks became a free agent
after contract talks broke off in July. Four days later, cornerback Ken Ellis walked out of camp in a contract dispute. In August, offensive lineman Bill Lueck asked to be traded.
Hendricks was sent to Oakland in return for two first-round draft choices (1976 and 1977). Ellis was fined and suspended for a weel. Lueck was shipped to Philadelphia for a fourth
round pick in 1976. In Starr's first trek as coach the Packers struggled early and got off to an 0-4 start after stunning the Cowboys for Bart Starr's first coaching win the Pack continued
to struggle eventually going 1-8. However, the Packers would end the season winning 3 of their final 5.
JOHN BROCKINGTON - WHAT WENT WRONG?
For three glorious years, John Brockington was one of the premier running backs in the NFL. He was the first NFL player to ever rush for 1,000 or more yards in each of his first three
seasons. In 1971 Brockington was named AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Brockington was also selected to 3 consecutive Pro Bowls (1971-1973). Then, in 1974, Brockington
ran for "just" 883 yards. The following year was even worse, with 434 yards, followed by 406 yards in 1976. On September 21, 1977, the Packers cut their former workhorse, three days
after he passed the 5,000-yard rushing mark for his career, leaving fans to wonder what went wrong:
WEAR AND TEAR - Brockington was the featured running back at Ohio State in his senior year and finished with 1,142 rushing yards, which was, at the time, the Ohio State
single-season record. In his first four years in Green Bay, he carried the ball 1,021 times, leaving many to believe his body simply gave out similar to what happened to Earl Campbell.
MACARTHUR LANE - Prior to the 1975 season, the Packers traded Lane to Kansas City for a draft choice. At the time, there were indications the Packers thought the clock had run out
on the brusing back, but he put in four productive years with the Chiefs, including a NFL-leading 66 receptions in 1976. Without Lane, Brockington lost the one compliment he needed
to succeed.
OFFENSIVE LINE/QUARTERBACK - Trouble at these positions spelled disaster for Brockington. Opposing defenses knew that the Packers had little to no passing game in the final
years of Brockington's tenure, and he openly complained about the poor offensive line play in his last few seasons.
WFL - The Chicago Fire drafted Brockington in 1974, and Dan Devine panicked. He signed Brockington to a 3-year, no-cut contract worth $150-200,000 per year. The size of the deal
made it virtually impossible to trade Brockington, even when he asked for one in 1975.
NAME NO POS HGT WGT COLLEGE YR PR AG G HOW ACQUIRED
Ron Acks 52 LB 6- 2 225 Illinois 2 8 30 14 1974 FA - New England
Bert Askson 88 TE 6- 2 225 Texas Southern 1 3 29 14 1975 FA - NO (1973)
Bill Bain 69 G 6- 4 269 USC 1 1 23 14 1975 Draft - 2nd round
David Beverly 11 P 6- 2 180 Auburn 1 2 25 10 1975 FA - Houston
John Brockington 42 RB 6- 1 225 Ohio State 5 5 26 14 1971 Draft - 1st round
Steve Broussard 11 P 6- 0 200 SMU 1 1 26 4 1975 FA
Carlos Brown 19 QB 6- 3 210 Pacific 1 1 23 13 1975 Draft - 12th round
Willie Buchanon 28 CB 6- 0 190 San Diego State 4 4 24 2 1972 Draft - 1st round
Fred Carr 53 LB 6- 5 240 Texas-El Paso 8 8 29 14 1968 Draft - 1st round
Jim Carter 50 LB 6- 3 245 Minnesota 6 6 26 12 1970 Draft - 3rd round
Bill Cooke 78 T 6- 5 251 Massachusetts 1 1 24 5 1975 Draft - 10th round
Joe Danelo 18 K 5- 9 168 Washington State 1 1 21 12 1975 FA
Ken Ellis 48 CB 5-10 195 Southern 6 6 27 14 1970 Draft - 4th round
Kent Gaydos 86 WR 6- 6 228 Florida State 1 1 25 4 1975 FA
Johnnie Gray 24 S 5-11 185 Cal St-Fullerton 1 1 21 14 1975 FA
John Hadl 21 QB 6- 1 214 Kansas 2 14 35 14 1974 Trade - L. Angeles
Charlie Hall 44 CB 6- 1 190 Pittsburgh 5 5 27 14 1971 Draft - 3rd round
Willard Harrell 40 RB 5- 9 182 Pacific 1 1 22 14 1975 Draft - 3rd round
Larry Hefner 51 LB 6- 2 230 Clemson 4 4 26 4 1972 Draft - 14th round
Dick Himes 72 T 6- 4 260 Ohio State 8 8 29 14 1968 Draft - 3rd round
Tom Hull 55 LB 6- 3 230 Penn State 1 2 23 12 1975 FA - SF (1974)
Ernie Janet 63 G 6- 4 255 Washington 1 4 26 1 1975 FA - Chi (1974)
Steve Luke 46 DB 6- 2 205 Ohio State 1 1 21 14 1975 Draft - 4th round
Chester Marcol 13 K 6- 0 190 Hillsdale 4 4 25 1 1972 Draft - 2nd round
Pat Matson 62 G 6- 1 245 Oregon 1 10 31 14 1975 Trade - Cincinnati
Al Matthews 29 DB 5-11 190 Texas A&I 6 6 27 14 1970 Draft - 2nd round
Bob McCaffrey 58 C 6- 3 245 USC 1 1 23 13 1975 Draft - 16th round
Larry McCarren 54 C 6- 3 248 Illinois 3 3 23 14 1973 Draft - 12th round
Mike McCoy 76 DT 6- 5 275 Notre Dame 6 6 26 14 1970 Draft - 1st round
Rich McGeorge 81 TE 6- 4 230 Elon 6 6 26 14 1970 Draft - 1st round
Ernie McMillan 70 T 6- 5 265 Illinois 1 15 37 12 1975 FA - STL (1974)
Don Milan 12 QB 6- 3 196 Cal Poly SLO 1 1 26 7 1975 FA - LA (1974)
Steve Odom 84 WR 5- 8 174 Utah 2 2 22 14 1974 Draft - 5th round
Steve Okoniewski 73 DT 6- 4 272 Montana 2 4 26 14 1974 Trade - Buffalo
Ken Payne 85 WR 6- 1 185 Langston 2 2 24 14 1974 Draft - 6th round
Dave Pureifory 75 DE 6- 1 255 E. Michigan 4 4 26 14 1972 Draft - 6th round
Alden Roche 87 DE 6- 4 255 Southern 5 6 30 14 1971 Trade - Denver
Dave Roller 74 DT 6- 2 270 Kentucky 1 2 25 6 1975 FA - S. Cal (WFL)
Hurles Scales 38 DB 6- 1 200 North Texas St 1 2 24 7 1975 FA - STL (1974)
1975 Packers Prospectus
Bears at Packers
August 16th
Patriots at Packers
August 30th
49ers at Packers
September 13th
Dolphins at Packers
October 5th
Packers at Rams
December 14th
1975 PACKER TRADES - TRANSACTIONS
FEB 3 - Signed P Spike Jones (BUFFALO)
MAY 24 - Acquired C Bill Curry from LOS ANGELES for a conditional draft choice.
JUL 2 - Traded a 1976 6th-round choice to HOUSTON for RB Paul Robinson
JUL 8 - Traded RB MacArthur Lane to KANSAS CITY for a 1976 3rd-round draft choice
JUL 18 - Waived P Ron Widby and RB Jay Lynn Hodgin (9th round) after they failed physicals. WR Tony Giaquinto (7th round) and S Bob
Fuhrman (13th round) left camp (88 players)
JUL 21 - Released DE Aaron Brown and OT Harry Schuh after they failed physicals. Released DB Dave Mason, DB McKinney Evans, TE Stan
Blackmon (14th round), DB Tom Raye (17th round), DT Charlie Ullmer and WR Ernie DeChellis.
AUG 6 - LB Ted Hendricks signed with OAKLAND.
AUG 8 - Acquired OG Daryl White from DETROIT for a conditional draft choice.
AUG 14 - Claimed RB Terry Wells on waivers from HOUSTON
AUG 19 - Claimed OL Randy Jackson off waivers from CHICAGO
AUG 20 - Acquired LB Ron Hornsby from NEW YORK GIANTS for a conditional draft choice. Acquired DT Paul Linford from BALTIMORE for a
conditional draft choice (59 players)
AUG 21 - Waived LB VanEss DeCree. Placed OT Bill Hayhoe and S Norm Hodgins on injured reserve (55 players)
AUG 26 - Waived OG Daryl White (53 players)
AUG 27 - Acquired TE Ron Mayo on waivers from BUFFALO (55 players)
AUG 28 - Traded OG Bill Lueck to PHILADELPHIA for a 1976 4th-round draft choice
AUG 29 - Signed P Damien Nygaard (55 players - 3 All-Stars)
SEPT 1 - OG Gale Gillingham retired. Waived P Randy Walker, TE Mike Donohoe and LB Ron Hornsby. Claimed OG Ralph Peretta off waivers
from SAN DIEGO (52 players - 3 All-Stars)
SEPT 2 - Claimed LB Ken Bernich off waivers from SAN DIEGO. Released WR Jeff Baker and DT Paul Linford. Placed DE Mike Fanucci on injured
reserve (50 players - 3 All-Stars)
SEPT 4 - Claimed OL Chuck Brandon on waivers from SAN DIEGO. Released P Spike Jones, WR Randy Allen and QB Jerry Tagge (48 players - 3 All-Stars)
SEPT 6 - Claimed QB Don Milan off waivers from LOS ANGELES (52 players - 3 All-Stars)
SEPT 9 - Traded a 1976 7th-round draft choice to CINCINNATI for OG Pat Matson. Traded a conditional draft choice to ST. LOUIS for RB Jim Germany. C Bill Curry retired. Released OG Ralph Peretta, LB Ken Bernich, DE Bob Martin (11th round), WR Ron Mayo and P Damien Nygaard. Placed OG Chuck Brandon on injured reserve (47 players)
SEPT 10 - Claimed OL Ernie Janet off waivers from CHICAGO. Released OL Lee Nystrom. Placed RB Larry Krause on injured reserve (47 players)
SEPT 11 - Released WR Jon Staggers. Acquired WR Charlie Wade off waivers from CHICAGO (47 players)
SEPT 12 - Green Bay was awarded a 1976 1st-round draft choice and a 1977 1st-round draft choice from OAKLAND for signing LB Ted Hendricks.
SEPT 14 - Released S Jim Hill. Signed P Spike Jones (47 players)
SEPT 15 - Placed OT Randy Jackscon on injured reserve. Released QB Jack Concannon, RB Jim Germany and DE Mike Fanucci (off injured reserve) (43 players)
SEPT 17 - Released P Spike Jones and LB Joe Carroll. Signed P Steve Broussard off waivers from NEW ORLEANS. Signed LB Gary Weaver off waivers from OAKLAND (43 players)
SEPT 25 - Released DE Bill Cooke (10th round). Claimed LB Tom Hull off waivers from SAN FRANCISCO (43 players)
SEPT 26 - Released RB Larry Krause and OT Bill Hayhoe off injured reserve. Placed OG Ernie Janet on injured reserve. Claimed OT Ernie McMillan off waivers from ST. LOUIS (43 players)
OCT 2 - Placed CB Willie Buchanon and WR Charlie Wade on injured reserve. Claimed WR Kent Gaydos off waivers (PHILADELPHIA) (42 players)
OCT 3 - Signed K Joe Danelo off waiver from MIAMI (43 players)
OCT 8 - Waived LB Joe Carroll and OL Chuck Brandon from injured reserve.
OCT 14 - Placed LB Larry Hefner on injured reserve. Signed DE Bill Cooke
OCT 17 - Released P Steve Broussard. Signed P David Beverly off waivers from HOUSTON (43 players)
OCT 23 - Placed K Chester Marcol on injured reserve.
OCT 29 - Claimed DB Hurles Scales off waivers from ST. LOUIS (43 players)
NOV 13 - Signed DE Dave Roller (S.CALIFORNIA-WFL). Claimed WR Gerald Tinker off waivers from ATLANTA. Placed DE Bill Cooke and WR Kent Gaydos on injured reserve (43 players)
NAME NO POS HGT WGT COLLEGE YR PR AG G HOW ACQUIRED
Barry Smith 80 WR 6- 1 190 Florida State 3 3 24 13 1973 Draft - 1st round
Barty Smith 33 FB 6- 3 240 Richmond 2 2 23 14 1974 Draft - 1st round
Perry Smith 45 CB 6- 1 195 Colorado State 3 3 24 14 1973 FA - Oakland
Gerald Tinker 82 WR 5- 9 170 Kent State 1 2 24 6 1975 FA - Atlanta
Tom Toner 59 LB 6- 3 235 Idaho State 2 2 25 14 1973 Draft - 6th round
Eric Torkelson 26 RB 6- 2 194 Connecticut 2 2 23 14 1974 Draft - 11th round
Bruce Van Dyke 61 G 6- 2 255 Missouri 2 10 31 14 1974 Trade - Pittsburgh
Charley Wade 89 WR 5-10 163 Tennessee State 1 2 25 2 1975 FA - Chi (1974)
Gary Weaver 52 LB 6- 1 225 Fresno State 1 3 26 14 1975 FA - Oak (1974)
Terry Wells 37 RB 5-11 195 S. Mississippi 1 2 24 13 1975 FA - Hou (1974)
Clarence Williams 83 DE 6- 5 255 Prairie View 6 6 28 14 1970 Trade - Dallas
Keith Wortman 65 G 6- 2 250 Nebraska 4 4 25 14 1972 Draft - 10th round
NO - Jersey Number POS - Position HGT - Height WGT - Weight YR - Years with Packers PR - Years of Professional Football AGE - Age on September 1 G - Games Played FA - Free Agent
1975 PACKERS DRAFT (January 28-29, 1975)
RND-PCK NAME POS COLLEGE
1 9 Traded to Los Angeles in John Hadl trade
2a 28 Traded to Los Angeles in John Hadl trade (A)
2b 36 Traded to Miami for Jim Del Gaizo
2c 47 Bill Bain (B) OG USC
3a 58 Wlliard Harrell (C) RB Pacific
3b 61 Traded to Los Angeles in John Hadl trade
4 88 Steve Luke S Ohio State
5 113 Traded to Dallas in Jack Concannon trade
6 140 Traded to Los Angeles in Harry Schuh trade
7 165 Tony Giaquinto WR Central Conneticut
8 192 Traded to Baltimore
9 217 Jay Lynn Hodgin RB South Carolina
10 244 William Cooke DE Massachusetts
11 269 Bob Martin DE Washington
12 296 Carlos Brown QB Pacific
13 321 Bob Fuhrman S Utah State
14 348 Stan Blackmon TE North Texas State
15 373 Randy Allen WR Southern
16 400 Bob McCaffrey C USC
17 425 Tom Ray DB Central Michigan
A - From Baltimore in Tom McLeod trade (1974) B - From Washington in Dave Robinson trade (1973) C - From San Diego Chargers in Bob Brown trade (1974) Bold - Played for the Green Bay Packers
1975 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (2-4)
AUGUST (2-2) RESULT RECORD ATT STARTING QB LEADING RUSHER LEADING PASSER LEADING RECEIVER
9 G-BUFFALO BILLS W 23- 6 1- 0-0 56,267 John Hadl Willard Harrell (43) John Hadl (72) Willard Harrell (4-54)
16 M-CHICAGO BEARS W 13- 9 2- 0-0 52,051 John Hadl Willard Harrell (45) Jerry Tagge (92) Barry Smith (3-64)
23 at Cincinnati Bengals L 10-27 2- 1-0 49,752 John Hadl Carlos Brown (29) John Hadl (90) Randy Allen (3-30)
30 M-NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS L 17-20(OT) 2- 2-0 51,769 John Hadl Barty Smith (33) John Hadl (105) Ken Payne (4-122)
SEPTEMBER (0-2)
6 at Kansas City Chiefs L 3-31 2- 3-0 35,543 John Hadl John Brockington (46) John Hadl (121) John Brockington (4-26)
13 G-SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS L 3-24 2- 4-0 56,267 John Hadl John Brockington (46) John Hadl (150) Barry Smith (4-74)
1975 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS (4-10)
SEPTEMBER (0-2)
21 M-DETROIT LIONS (0-0) L 16-30 0- 1-0 50,781 John Hadl John Brockington (55) John Hadl (153) Ken Payne (5-87)
29 at Denver Broncos (1-0) L 13-23 0- 2-0 52,491 John Hadl Willard Harrell (42) John Hadl (273) Ken Payne (12-167)
OCTOBER (1-3)
5 G-MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-1) L 7-31 0- 3-0 55,396 John Hadl Willard Harrell (49) John Hadl (114) Rich McGeorge (4-79)
12 at New Orleans Saints (0-3) L 19-20 0- 4-0 51,371 John Hadl Terry Wells (72) John Hadl (66) Ken Payne (3-35)
19 at Dallas Cowboys (4-0) W 19-17 1- 4-0 64,189 John Hadl Willard Harrell (48) John Hadl (174) Ken Payne (7-81)
26 M-PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-1) L 13-16 1 -5-0 52,258 John Hadl Steve Odom (27) John Hadl (128) John Brockington (4-38)
NOVEMBER (2-3)
2 G-MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-0) L 17-28 1- 6-0 55,378 John Hadl Barty Smith (88) John Hadl (243) Barty Smith (5-45)
9 at Chicago Bears (1-6) L 14-27 1- 7-0 48,738 Don Milan Don Milan (30) Don Milan (127) Ken Payne (4-39)
16 at Detroit Lions (5-3) L 10-13 1- 8-0 76,356 John Hadl John Brockington (72) John Hadl (158) Steve Odom (5-68)
23 M-NEW YORK GIANTS (3-6) W 40-14 2- 8-0 50,150 John Hadl Eric Torkelson (78) John Hadl (275) John Brockington (7-71)
30 G-CHICAGO BEARS (2-8) W 28- 7 3- 8-0 46,821 John Hadl John Brockington (111) John Hadl (127) Ken Payne (5-64)
DECEMBER (1-2)
7 at Minnesota Vikings (10-1) L 3-24 3- 9-0 46,147 John Hadl Willard Harrell (34) John Hadl (93) Rich McGeorge (3-47)
14 at Los Angeles Rams (10-2) L 5-22 3-10-0 59,312 John Hadl John Brockington (18) John Hadl (115) Ken Payne (6-57)
21 G-ATLANTA FALCONS (4-9) W 22-13 4-10-0 38,565 John Hadl Eric Torkelson (86) John Hadl (181) John Brockington (5-31)
G - Green Bay M - Milwaukee
(GREEN BAY) - It could have been a task fit for the "Mission-Impossible" television team: Outshine former all-pro quarterback Bart Starr as he made his pro football coaching debut in the city he helped name Titletown USA. But little Willard Harrell, a rookie, did just that. "You would have to start with Harrell," Starr, the Packers' brilliant quarterback of the 1960s, said of his coaching debut, Saturday's 23-6 victory over Buffalo. Harrell, Green Bay's third round draft choice, returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown, caught a 30-yard scoring pass from rookie Carlos Brown, and collected 224 yards total offense. Eric Torkelson contributed a one-yard scoring run, and rookie Alfred Knapp a 19-yard field goal. Green Bay's defense shut off O. J. Simpson and the rest of the Bills' vaunted ground game, but Starr was quick to note that it was just an exhibition game. John Hadl predicted Green Bay will be hard on lots of teams. "We will be pretty good, we really will," he said. "We have a long way to go offensively, but it is a lot better than it was. We have a better organized and more experienced staff, for one thing, and we have Bart Starr."
BUFFALO - 0 6 0 0 - 6
GREEN BAY - 7 3 7 6 - 23
BUFFALO GREEN BAY
First downs 25 14
Rush-yards 28-37 33-102
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 29-58-298-0-0 13-28-150-1-1
Sacked -14 -4
Net passing yards 284 146
Total yards 321 248
Fumbles-lost 3-0 1-1
Turnovers 0 2
Yards penalized 6-60 7-53
SCORING
1st - GB - Harrell, 82-yard punt return (Knapp kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
2nd - GB - Knapp, 19-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-0
2nd - BUF - Gary Hayman, 1-yard run (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 10-6
3rd - GB - Torkelson, 1-yard run (Knapp kick) GREEN BAY 17-6
4th - GB - Harrell, 30-yard pass from Brown (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 23-6
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Willard Harrell 10-43, Barty Smith 8-15, Les Goodman 2-14, Larry Krause 3-14, Barry Houlihan 2-7, Eric Torkelson 6-5 1 TD, Dave Wehmeyer 1-2, Jack Concannon 1-2
BUFFALO - O.J. Simpson 11-18, Gary Hayman 5-16 1 TD, Haselrig 2-6, Jim Braxton 3-4, Don Calhoun 4-4, Joe Ferguson 1-(-5), Reggie Cherry 2-(-6)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 19-8-72 1 INT, Jack Concannon 6-3-35, Carlos Brown 2-2-43 1 TD, Steve Lainhart 1-0-0
BUFFALO - Joe Ferguson 42-19-182, Gary Marangi 16-10-116
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Willard Harrell 4-54 1 TD, Jon Staggers 3-33, Bert Askson 2-14, Barry Smith 1-20, Jackie Diggs 1-13, Eric Torkelson 1-11, Barty Smith 1-5
BUFFALO - Ahmad Rashad 9-81, Bob Chandler 8-92, Bob Evans 3-44, Reuben Gant 3-37, Paul Seymour 2-23, J.D. Hill 2-17, Gil Chapman 1-13, O.J. Simpson 1-1
(MILWAUKEE) - Barry Smith caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from John Hadl and set up another score with a 34-yard reception Saturday night to spark the Packers over the Chicago Bears in the preseason Midwest Shrine football game. The triumph was the second in a row for the Packers under new head Coach Bart Starr. The Bears, now 1-1 under new Coach Jack Pardee, dominated play early in the game and it wasn't until the closing seconds of the 1st half that the momentum changed as Ken Ellis intercepted a Bobby Douglass pass in the end zone to start Green Bay's first scoring drive.
CHICAGO - 0 0 0 0 - 9
GREEN BAY - 0 0 3 7 - 13
CHICAGO GREEN BAY
First downs 15 13
Rush-yards 44-146 31-88
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 10-21-137-1-2 9-25-129-2-0
Sacked -11 -15
Net passing yards 126 114
Total yards 272 202
Fumbles-lost 2-0 2-1
Turnovers 2 1
Yards penalized 9-85 10-80
SCORING
2nd - CHI - Bo Rather, 51-yard pass from Bobby Douglass (Kick failed) CHICAGO 6-0
2nd - GB - Barty Smity, 12-yard pass from Hadl (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-6
4th - GB - Torkelson, 1-yard pass from Tagge (Kick blocked) GREEN BAY 13-6
4th - CHI - Bob Thomas, 45-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-9
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Willard Harrell 12-45, Barty Smith 6-18, John Brockington 7-17, Larry Krause 3-5, Eric Torkelson 3-3
CHICAGO - Perry Williams 8-40, Carl Garrett 13-36, Bobby Douglass 4-32, Roland Harper 9-25, Cid Edwards 4-7, Clifton Taylor 6-6
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 13-4-37 1 TD, Jerry Tagge 12-5-92 1 TD
CHICAGO - Bobby Douglass 7-5-84 1 TD 1 INT, Gary Huff 14-5-53 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Barry Smith 3-64, Steve Odom 1-33, Rich McGeorge 1-15, Jeff Baker 1-6, Barty Smith 1-6 1 TD, John Brockington 1-4
CHICAGO - Greg Latta 4-34, Roland Harper 3-23, Bo Rather 2-63 1 TD, Clifton Taylor 1-17
(CINCINNATI) - Exhibition game or not, the Cincinnati Bengals were elated after not only defeating the Green Bay Packers, but actually dominating them. "In the past games we always more or less tied them both on offense and defense," said veteran defensive tackle Ron Carpenter. "But this is the first time we ever really beat them. I mean the offense was biting off five and eight yards a play and the defense really bottled them up. "You learn more in a loss," Bart Starr said after losing 27-10 Saturday night. "It points out some of your weaknesses and we had quite a few pointed out. I was hoping that Steve Odom's run would turn the game around but it didn't." Odom took the second half kickoff on the goal line and streaked for a 100-yard touchdown. Green Bay veteran quarterback John Hadl hit nine passes for 90 yards before giving way to rookie Carlos Brown who hit on only two for 19 yards. Starr said he was deeply disappointed in the Packers defense. "They simply beat the heck out of us."
GREEN BAY - 0 3 7 0 - 10
CINCINNATI - 7 13 0 7 - 27
GREEN BAY CINCINNATI
First downs 11 26
Rush-yards 22-112 38-202
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 11-31-109-0-2 14-38-247-3-2
Sacked -13 -4
Net passing yards 96 243
Total yards 208 445
Fumbles-lost 0-0 3-0
Turnovers 2 2
Yards penalized 4-50 8-55
SCORING
1st - CIN - Essex Johnson, 13-yd pass from Ken Anderson (Dave Green kick) CINCINNATI 7-0
2nd - CIN- Lenvil Elliott, 20-yard pass from Anderson (Kick failed) CINCINNATI 13-0
2nd - CIN - Bob Trumpy, 16-yard pass from Anderson (Green kick) CINCINNATI 20-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 52-yard field goal CINCINNATI 20-3
3rd - GB - Odom, 100-yard kickoff return (Marcol kick) CINCINNATI 20-10
4th - CIN - Doug Dressler, 7-yard run (Green kick) CINCINNATI 27-10
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Carlos Brown 2-29, John Brockington 8-23, Willard Harrell 4-19, Steve Odom 1-17, Barty Smith 4-16, Terry Wells 2-5, Eric Torkelson 1-3
CINCINNATI - Stan Fritts 11-47, Ken Anderson 3-36, Lenvil Elliott 4-33, Ed Williams 7-28, Doug Dressler 4-20 1 TD, Boobie Clark 6-17, John McDaniel 1-2
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 21-9-90 1 INT, Carlos Brown 10-2-19 1 INT
CINCINNATI - Ken Anderson 21-15-148 3 TD 1 INT, John Reaves 10-6-56 1 INT, Tom Shuman 7-3-43
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Randy Allen 3-30, Barry Smith 3-24, Ken Payne 2-9, Willard Harrell 1-17, Rich McGeorge 1-17, Jeff Baker 1-12
CINCINNATI - Lenvil Elliott 5-56 1 TD, Boobie Clark 4-29, Doug Dressler 3-15, Isaac Curtis 2-23, Stan Fritts 2-13, Charlie Joiner 1-24, Bob Trumpy 1-16 1 TD, John McDaniel 1-16, Essex Johnson 1-13 1 TD, Chip Myers 1-13, Bruce Coslet 1-13, Jack Novak 1-12, Ed Williams 1-9
(MILWAUKEE) - John Smith, who missed four field goals in the fourth period, connected from 31 yards out midway in a sudden death overtime period to give the Patriots a win over the Packers. New England drove 64 yards to the winning field goal, with the big plays a 16-yard run by Joe Wilson, a 21-yard run by Leon McQuay and an interference penalty on Ken Ellis that put the ball into Packer territory. Green Bay had grabbed its lead on the passing of John Hadl, but Hadl left the game midway through the second quarter.
NEW ENGLAND - 7 0 10 0 3 - 20
GREEN BAY - 7 7 3 0 0 - 17
NEW ENGLAND GREEN BAY
First downs 18 13
Rush-yards 44-189 36-84
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 19-33-209-1-2 14-27-197-1-2
Sacked -8 -20
Net passing yards 201 177
Total yards 390 261
Fumbles-lost 1-1 4-3
Turnovers 3 5
Yards penalized 11-76 6-50
SCORING
1st - GB - Payne, 36-yard pass from Hadl (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - NE - Darryl Stingley, 42-yd pass from Jim Plunkett (John Smith kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - GB - Brockington, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
3rd - NE - Sam Cunningham, 7-yard run (Smith kick) TIED 14-14
3rd - NE - Smith, 21-yard field goal NEW ENGLAND 17-14
3rd - GB - Marcol, 19-yard field goal TIED 17-17
OT - NE - Smith, 31-yard field goal NEW ENGLAND 20-17
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Barty Smith 8-33, Eric Torkelson 10-16, Willard Harrell 7-15, John Hadl 1-6, Terry Wells 3-6, John Brockington 6-5 1 TD, Jack Concannon 1-3
NEW ENGLAND - Leon McQuay 7-63, Allen Carter 8-38, Joe Wilson 5-27, Sam Cunningham 8-23, Andy Johnson 6-21, Jimmy Edwards 6-10, Steve Schubert 1-5, Jim Plunkett 2-4, Darryl Stingley 1-(-2)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 11-8-105 1 TD, Jack Concannon 16-6-92 2 INT
NEW ENGLAND - Jim Plunkett 33-19-209 1 TD 2 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Ken Payne 4-122 1 TD, John Brockington 4-14, Eric Torkelson 2-18, Barty Smith 2-14, Barry Smith 1-26, Terry Wells 1-3
NEW ENGLAND - Sam Cunningham 5-10, Steve Burks 3-51, Darryl Stingley 2-50 1 TD, Steve Schubert 2-45, Randy Vataha 2-37, Jimmy Edwards 2-14, Joe Wilson 1-6, Andy Johnson 1-1, Allen Carter 1-(-5)
(KANSAS CITY) - Ken Avery capped a 21-play first period by romping 36 yards with an intercepted pass and Ed Podolak contributed two touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs rolled to an easy victory over the Packers Saturday night. A crowd of 39,543 watched the game. Avery deflected the pass, thrown by John Hadl, grabbed it out of the air and bulled it into the end zone. The Chiefs scored their first touchdown in the game's first four minutes by driving 24 yards after Morris LeGrand recovered Steve Odom's fumble after a 22-yard return with the opening kickoff. Podolak used Tom Condon's block as the springboard for a three-yard touchdown run. Less than seven minutes later, the Chiefs marched 57 yards on 10 plays for another touchdown, the big gainer Mike Livingston's 20-yard pass to Podolak. Jeff Kinney stabbed over from the one. Except for Jan Stenerud's 28-yard field goal, Kansas City couldn't score again until the closing moments, moving 66 yards with Podolak going over from the three. Chester Marcol kicked a 23-yard field goal for Green Bay in the second period.
GREEN BAY - 0 3 0 0 - 3
KANSAS CITY - 21 0 0 10 - 31
GREEN BAY KANSAS CITY
First downs 13 25
Rush-yards 23-85 43-151
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 15-26-125-0-1 14-19-184-0-0
Sacked -52 -21
Net passing yards 73 163
Total yards 158 314
Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-2
Turnovers 2 2
Yards penalized 9-50 5-58
SCORING
1st - KC - Ed Podolak, 3-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick) KANSAS CITY 7-0
1st - KC - Jeff Kinney, 1-yard run (Stenerud kick) KANSAS CITY 14-0
1st - KC - Ken Avery, 36-yard interception return (Stenerud kick) KANSAS CITY 21-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 23-yard field goal KANSAS CITY 21-3
4th - KC - Stenerud, 28-yard field goal KANSAS CITY 24-3
4th - KC - Podolak, 3-yard run (Stenerud kick) KANSAS CITY 31-3
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 14-46, Terry Wells 2-16, Eric Torkelson 4-10, Barry Smith 1-9, Jack Concannon 1-4, Barty Smith 1-0
KANSAS CITY - Ed Podolak 13-52 2 TD, Cleo Miller 11-46, Jeff Kinney 7-16 1 TD, Morris LaGrand 6-13, Mike Livingston 2-10, MacArthur Lane 2-9, Reggie Craig 1-5, Mike Nott 1-0
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 20-13-112 1 INT, Jack Concannon 6-2-13
KANSAS CITY - Mike Livingston 17-12-157, Tony Adams 2-2-27
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 4-26, Ken Payne 3-22, Terry Wells 3-20, Eric Torkelson 2-11, Rich McGeorge 1-15, Jon Staggers 1-15, Barry Smith 1-6
KANSAS CITY - Barry Pearson 4-55, Andy Hamilton 3-24, Ed Podolak 2-27, Larry Brunson 1-28, Jeff Kinney 1-17, Otis Taylor 1-16, Gary Butler 1-13, Morris LaGrand 1-4
(GREEN BAY) - The Green Bay Packers concluded their exhibition schedule with a fourth straight loss Saturday night, bowing to the San Francisco 49ers. The defeat in the 15th Annual Bishop's Charities Game left the Packers with a 2-4 record, while the 49ers finished out 3-3 going into next weekends openers. San Francisco opened a 7-0 lead 3:46 into the second quarter on a three-yard blast up the middle by Larry Schreiber and conversion kick by Steve Mike-Mayer. The drive started late in the first quarter, covered 76 yards and took eleven plays. Wide receiver Barry Smith was named the Packer's most valuable offensive player of the Charities Game, catching four passes for 74 yards prior to being injured. Defensive end Alden Roche was named defensive player of the game after getting two sacks.
SAN FRANCISCO - 3 0 7 14 - 24
GREEN BAY - 7 9 7 3 - 3
SAN FRANCISCO GREEN BAY
First downs 21 14
Rush-yards 45-191 26-101
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 10-19-129-0-2 13-31-169-0-3
Sacked -14 -40
Net passing yards 115 129
Total yards 306 230
Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-1
Turnovers 2 4
Yards penalized 7-44 9-75
SCORING
2nd - SF - Larry Schreiber, 3-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick) SAN FRANCISCO 7-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 38-yard field goal SAN FRANCISCO 7-3
3rd - SF - Wilbur Jackson, 1-yard run (Mike-Mayer kick) SAN FRANCISCO 14-3
3rd - SF - Mike-Mayer, 29-yard field goal SAN FRANCISCO 17-3
4th - SF - Manfred Moore, 1-yard run (Mike-Mayer kick) SAN FRANCISCO 24-3
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 11-46, Terry Wells 7-29, Barty Smith 4-13, Don Milan 1-11, Willard Harrell 3-2
SAN FRANCISCO - Delvin Williams 7-44, Larry Schreiber 9-42 1 TD, Manfred Moore 11-37 1 TD, Sammy Johnson 5-59, Wilbur Jackson 11-29 1 TD, Tom Mitchell 1-12, Norm Snead 1-(-2)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 21-10-150 3 INT, Don Milan 10-3-19
SAN FRANCISCO - Norm Snead 9-5-67 1 INT, Steve Spurrier 6-4-49 3 INT, Tom Owen 4-1-13
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Barry Smith 4-74, Ken Payne 3-39, Terry Wells 2-31, Willard Harrell 2-11, Eric Torkelson 1-8, John Brockington 1-6
SAN FRANCISCO - Gene Washington 3-58, Manfred Moore 3-29, Larry Schreiber 2-16, Mike Holmes 1-20, Delvin Williams 1-6
(MILWAUKEE) - The Detroit Lions, converting two blocked punts by Levi Johnson and one by Ben Davis into three touchdowns, wore down Green Bay's offensive line and won their opener 30-16. The Lions, one of five teams which lost practice time last week because of the NFL Players' Association strike, used a smothering defense to storm to a 17-0 second- quarter lead, all they needed to ruin Bart Starr's debut as head coach of the Packers. Johnson batted Steve Broussard's punt near the Packer goal and outraced Broussard to the ball in the end zone for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead midway in the first quarter. The Lion CB blocked another punt early in the second quarter and linebacker Larry Ball rambled 34 yards with the recovery to the Packers' end zone. Davis, a reserve CB, blocked a punt and Broussard recovered at the Packers' seven late in the third period, setting up a one-yard scoring run by Dexter Bussey and a 24-10 spread. Chester Marcol saw his season end with a torn quadriceps muscle.
DETROIT - 10 7 7 6 - 30
GREEN BAY - 0 3 7 6 - 16
DETROIT GREEN BAY
First downs 10 15
Rush-yards-TDs 40-117-1 31-93-2
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 8-12-143-0-0 13-33-167-0-2
Sacked-yards 4-30 6-43
Net pass yards 113 124
Total yards 230 217
Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-1
Turnovers 2 3
Penalties-yards 4-26 6-40
SCORING
1st - DET - Errol Mann, 28-yard field goal DETROIT 3-0
1st - DET - Levi Johnson, recovery of a blocked punt in the endzone (Mann kick) DETROIT 10-0
2nd - DET - Larry Ball, 34-yard return of a blocked punt (Mann kick) DETROIT 17-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 21-yard field goal DETROIT 17-3
3rd - GB - Brockington, 5-yard run (Pureifory kick) DETROIT 17-10
3rd - DET - Dexter Bussey, 1-yard run (Mann kick) DETROIT 24-10
4th - DET - Mann, 18-yard field goal DETROIT 27-10
4th - GB - Brockington, 2-yard run (Kick blocked) DETROIT 27-16
4th - DET - Mann, 47-yard field goal DETROIT 30-16
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 18-55 2 TD, Terry Wells 9-36, Willard Harrell 1-3, John Hadl 2-1, Ken Payne 1-(-2)
DETROIT - Altie Taylor 19-60, Dexter Bussey 14-37 1 TD, Greg Landry 5-10, Horace King 2-10
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 21-13-153 2 INT, Don Milan 2-2-14
DETROIT - Greg Landry 12-8-143
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Ken Payne 5-87, Rich McGeorge 2-43, Willard Harrell 2-18, Terry Wells 2-5, Steve Odom 1-9, Barty Smith 1-5
DETROIT - Charlie Sanders 3-73, Dennis Franklin 3-54, Altie Taylor 2-16
It was five years until the Packers appeared on the cover of Sports Illustated again for the fifteenth time. The occasion was the hiring of Bart Starr as head coach and the seeming optimism that brought to the Green Bay organization in the summer of 1975. Starr, of course, had been the Packers’ quarterback from 1956-1971, and was at the helm for all five of Lombardi’s world championships of the 1960’s. Starr is pictured on the magazine’s cover, running out with several players for a preseason game in Milwaukee, with the headline, “Bart Starr Takes Charge of the Packers.” Inside, the article starts under the heading, “A Fresh Start With Bart... Optimism permeates the summer air of Green Bay. Fans are sporting buttons and bumper stickers celebrating the return of Bart Starr, Mr. Nice Guy, and hoping for a renaissance of Lombardi’s winning ways.” The article continues, “After spending 16 years as a player of heroic stature in Green Bay, Starr has returned to the Packers as general manager and head coach, the announcement being made fittingly enough last Christmas Eve (1974). Probably no first-time head coach has ever put more on the line... no one is more aware of this than Starr himself... he is in the position of trying to persuade the fans not to expect too much too soon.” Starr later stated, “This job at Green Bay is like undertaking a personal quest for me. I owe a tremendous amount to the Packers. I want to hear them talked about with pride. I wouldn’t be coaching professional football if it wasn’t at Green Bay. I’ve been offered several head coaching jobs for more money than I’m getting here, and on teams that might have better players, but those teams aren‘t the Packers.” Starr admitted years later that he wasn’t prepared for the head coaching position offered him in 1975, but that he was “intrigued” by the challenge. He would last until 1983, compiling a 52-76-3 record, with one postseason trip to the Playoffs — in the strike-shortened 1982 season. (SOURCE: Packerville, USA)
(DENVER) - The heralded duel between Green Bay quarterback John Hadl and Denver's Charlie Johnson never came off, nor did the running battle between John Brockington and Otis Armstrong. Both Johnson and Armstrong were sidelined early in Monday night's game, leaving it up to reserve quarterback Steve Ramsey and an alert Denver defense to star in the Broncos' 23-13 victory. Ramsey, thrust into.action late in the second quarter after Johnson suffered a split nail on the index finger of his throwing hand, passed 10 yards to Jack Dolbin for a touchdown and guided the Broncos into position for the clinching score, Jim Turner's third field goal of the game. The TD pass was made possible by LB Jim O'Malley's interception near midfield and return to the Packer 12-yard line. After Hadl passed the Packers to within 16-13 late in the game, LB Randy Gradishar came up with another defensive gem, picking off a Hadl pass and running 44 yards for a score with 40 seconds remaining. It was Hadl who almost singlehandedly made a game of it in the late stages. His aerial wizardry helped atone for a meager Packer ground game that accounted for just 71 yards in the face of a surprisingly sound Denver defense. Although he finished with 23 completions in 36 attempts for 273 yards, Hadl had to endure a frustrating first half in which he was sacked four times for losses of 31 yards. The Packers also lost CB Willie Buchanon for the season with a broken leg.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 0 13 - 13
DENVER - 0 6 7 10 - 23
GREEN BAY DENVER
First downs 22 18
Rush-yards-TDs 27-71-1 38-162-0
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 23-36-273-1-2 14-23-184-1-1
Sacked-yards 4-31 1-9
Net pass yards 242 175
Total yards 313 337
Fumbles-lost 1-1 4-1
Turnovers 3 2
Penalties-yards 4-35 5-25
SCORING
2nd - DEN - Jim Turner, 35-yard field goal DENVER 3-0
2nd - DEN - Turner, 39-yard field goal DENVER 6-0
3rd - DEN - Jack Dolbin, 10-yard pass from Steve Ramsey (Turner kick) DENVER 13-0
4th - GB - Harrell, 1-yard pass from Hadl (Kick failed) DENVER 13-6
4th - DEN - Turner, 32-yard field goal DENVER 16-6
4th - GB - Brockington, 1-yard run (Pureifory kick) DENVER 16-13
4th - DEN - Randy Gradishar, 44-yard interception (Turner kick) DENVER 23-13
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Willard Harrell 12-42, John Brockington 10-15 1 TD, Steve Odom 1-12, Terry Wells 4-2
DENVER - Jon Keyworth 14-59, Otis Armstrong 5-45, Floyd Little 9-32, Oliver Ross 7-12, Rick Upchurch 1-12, Billy Van Heusen 1-2, Steve Ramsey 1-0
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 36-23-273 1 TD 2 INT
DENVER - Charley Johnson 12-6-85, Steve Ramsey 11-8-99 1 TD 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Ken Payne 12-167, John Brockington 5-48, Rich McGeorge 4-36, Willard Harrell 2-22 1 TD
DENVER - Jack Dolbin 4-53 1 TD, Billy Van Heusen 2-33, Rick Upchurch 2-29, Riley Odoms 1-19, Haven Moses 1-18, Otis Armstrong 1-10, Jon Keyworth 1-9, Floyd Little 1-7, Oliver Ross 1-6
November 30, 1975 game program - This two-page article summarizes his taking the job the previous Christmas Eve and a full-page letter in the game program from coach Starr, asking Green Bay residents to offer his players off-season jobs so that they could stay in the area and train year-round. (SOURCE: Packerville, USA)
(GREEN BAY) - Mercury Morris rushed for 125 yards and Don Nottingham gained 102 and scored three times to lead the Dolphins over the Packers. Miami took command on the opening kickoff and never let up as the Dolphins dominated things both offensively and defensively, scoring in every quarter except the fourth. Miami marched 80 yards following the opening kickoff with Nottingham getting the final 11. He scored again midway through the second quarter on a one yard run and added his third tally early in the second half on another one-yarder. Miami's other touchdown came on a 58 yard pass from Bob Griese to Freddie Solomon with 1:21 left in the first half and the Dolphins added their final three points on a 31 yard field goal by Garo Yepremian. Griese, who finished with seven completions in 13 attempts for 133 yards, also set up Miami's second touchdown with a 23 yard pass to Nat Moore. That put the ball on the Green Bay 1. The Packers' only offense came from John Hadl and even that didn't get going until midway through the final quarter. Hadl hit Rich McGeorge for 53 yards and a first down on the Miami 22 and Barty Smith, subbing for the injured John Brockington, went the final two yards for the touchdown.
MIAMI - 7 14 10 0 - 31
GREEN BAY - 0 0 0 7 - 7
MIAMI GREEN BAY
First downs 25 10
Rush-yards-TDs 58-281-3 23-104-1
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 7-13-133-1-0 13-19-123-0-0
Sacked-yards 0-0 2-22
Net pass yards 133 101
Total yards 414 205
Fumbles-lost 1-0 0-0
Turnovers 0 0
Penalties-yards 6-45 6-45
SCORING
1st - MIA - Don Nottingham, 11-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick) MIAMI 7-0
2nd - MIA - Nottingham, 1-yard run (Yepremian kick) MIAMI 14-0
2nd - MIA - Fred Solomon, 58-yd pass from Bob Griese (Yepremian kick) MIAMI 21-0
3rd - MIA - Nottingham, 11-yard run (Yepremian kick) MIAMI 28-0
3rd - MIA - Yepremian, 31-yard field goal MIAMI 31-0
4th - GB - Barry Smith, 2-yard run (Danelo kick) MIAMI 31-7
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Willard Harrell 8-49, John Brockington 7-21, Terry Wells 4-18, Barty Smith 4-16 1 TD
MIAMI - Mercury Morris 31-125, Don Nottingham 21-102 3 TD, Freddie Solomon 1-34, Bob Griese 1-8, Nat Moore 1-7, Larry Seiple 1-4, Norm Bulaich 2-1
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 17-11-114, Don Milan 2-2-9
MIAMI - Bob Griese 13-7-133 1 TD
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Rich McGeorge 4-79, Barty Smith 2-14, Barry Smith 2-12, John Brockington 2-6, Willard Harrell 2-3, Ken Payne 1-9
MIAMI - Nat Moore 3-44, Larry Seiple 2-26, Freddie Solomon 1-58 1 TD, Don Nottingham 1-5
(NEW ORLEANS) - Rich Szaro, playing his first game in the NFL, kicked a 20-yard field goal with with 22 seconds left to give the New Orleans their first victory of the season. The Saints spotted Green Bay 16 points, including two Packer touchdowns in the first 1:05 of play, then came from behind to win it. Archie Manning engineered the first two offensive touchdown drives the Saints have managed this season, one for 80 yards and the other for 31 yards. Mike Strachan, who rushed 24 times for 105 yards, capped the 80-yard drive in the second quarter with a two-yard scoring dive, and Joel Parker caught an 11-yard scoring pass from Manning for the other Saints touchdown in the third quarter. Szaro's first field goal, from 36 yards out, came with 8:15 left in the game and put the Saints ahead for the first time, 17-16, but Joe Danelo kicked a 45-yard field goal with two minutes left to regain the lead for Green Bay, 19-17. Szaro, who played college ball at Harvard and played with the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League, was signed four days ago to replace ousted kicker Bill McClard. The Packers, whose record is now 0-4, jumped to an early lead on Steve Odom's 93-yard touchdown runback on the opening kickoff. Three plays later Mike McCoy recovered a Manning fumble and scampered 19 yards into the end zone. Early in the second quarter, Saints P Mike Blanchard got a bouncing snap from center while trying to punt near his own 10 yard line and had to run into his own end zone where he was downed by Tom Toner for a Green Bay safety. New Orleans overwhelmed Green Bay in first downs, 26-8, and outgained the Packers in total yardage, 393-161. Manning completed 17 out of 39 passes for 191 yards. Saints RB Alvin Maxson ran 17 times for 89 yards. Packers QB John Hadl completed 11 of 20 passes for 66 yards. The Packers played most of the game without the services of their top running back John Brockington.
GREEN BAY - 14 2 0 3 - 19
NEW ORLEANS - 0 7 7 6 - 20
GREEN BAY NEW ORLEANS
First downs 8 26
Rush-yards-TDs 27-98-0 45-223-1
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 11-20-66-0-0 17-39-189-1-0
Sacked-yards 1-3 2-20
Net pass yards 63 169
Total yards 161 392
Fumbles-lost 4-3 4-3
Turnovers 3 3
Penalties-yards 6-61 9-80
SCORING
1st - GB - Odom, 93-yard kickoff return (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - GB - McCoy, 19-yard fumble recovery (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 14-0
2nd - GB - Safety, Toner tackled Tom Blanchard in the end zone GREEN BAY 16-0
2nd - NO - Mike Strachan, 2-yard run (Richie Szaro kick) GREEN BAY 16-7
3rd - NO - Joel Parker, 11-yard pass from Archie Manning (Szaro kick) GREEN BAY 16-14
4th - NO - Szaro, 36-yard field goal NEW ORLEANS 17-16
4th - GB - Danelo, 45-yard field goal GREEN BAY 19-17
4th - NO - Szaro, 20-yard field goal NEW ORLEANS 20-19
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Terry Wells 13-72, Barty Smith 8-22, Willard Harrell 5-4, John Hadl 1-0
NEW ORLEANS - Mike Strachan 24-105 1 TD, Alvin Maxson 17-90, Archie Manning 3-16, Andrew Jones 1-12
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 20-11-66
NEW ORLEANS - Archie Manning 39-17-189 1 TD
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Ken Payne 3-35, Terry Wells 3-3, Rich McGeorge 2-25, Barty Smith 2-(-4), Willard Harrell 1-7
NEW ORLEANS - Andy Hamilton 4-75, Paul Seal 3-41, Joel Parker 3-27 1 TD, Mike Strachan 3-10, Larry Burton 2-32, Alvin Maxson 2-4
Week One - Detroit 30, Green Bay 16
Week Three - Miami 31, Green Bay 7
Week Four - New Orleans 20, Green Bay 19
Week Five - Green Bay 19, Dallas 17
Week Six - Pittsburgh 16, Green Bay 13
Week Eight - Chicago 27, Green Bay 14
Week Nine - Detroit 13, Green Bay 10
Week Ten - Green Bay 40, NY Giants 14
Week Eleven - Green Bay 28, Chicago 7
Week Twelve - Minnesota 24, Green Bay 3
(DALLAS) - Bart Starr no longer wears pads and a helmet, but the new Green Bay coach can still work his black magic on the Cowboys. The Packers, apparently on the way to their fifth consecutive loss under Starr, stung the previously unbeaten Dallas Cowboys in the final two minutes on a 26-yard touchdown pass from John Hadl to Rich McGeorge. The 19-17 victory lifted the Packers out of the doldrums of their worst start since 1922. Starr, who beat Dallas seven out of eight times as a quarterback, has suffered during his "fresh start with Bart" rookie season. But a Dallas fumble of a punt and Hadl's touchdown pass with 1:52 left to play finally put Starr in the win column. Rookie Steve Luke gave the Packers the opportunity to win when he recovered Golden Richards' fumble of a punt at the Dallas 31. Hadl ran five yards and on the next play found McGeorge alone in the Dallas secondary. McGeorge outraced Cowboy LB Lee Roy Jordan to the flag for the touchown. Dallas had apparently clinched the game on Tony Fritsch's 24-yard field goal which put the Packers behind 17-9. Joe Danelo's 29-yard field goal brought the Packers to within 17-12 with 9:38 left to play. Green Bay beat back a desperate last-second drive with DB Perry Smith breaking up a pass on fourth down and eight at the Dallas 44 to secure the victory with 57 seconds left. Green Bay jumped to a 3-0 first-period lead on Danelo's 24-yard field goal. Dallas stormed back behind the running Preston Pearson and Robert Newhouse to take a 7-3 lead. Pearson returned the second half kickoff 42 yards and dashed 32 yards to set up Newhouse's one-yard scoring run. Willard Harrell's 26-yard touchdown got the Packers back in the game and leading 9-7. Dallas went 73 yards in 10 plays to regain the lead 14-9 on Doug Dennison's three-yard touchdown bolt up the middle. Jordan recovered Harrrel's fumble on the Green Bay 11 to put Dallas in position for Fritsch's 24-yard field goal with 12:36 left.
GREEN BAY - 3 0 6 10 - 19
DALLAS - 0 0 14 3 - 17
GREEN BAY DALLAS
First downs 14 20
Rush-yards-TDs 32-142-1 38-206-2
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 15-28-174-1-2 16-31-201-0-1
Sacked-yards 3-25 4-33
Net pass yards 149 168
Total yards 291 374
Fumbles-lost 3-1 4-4
Turnovers 3 5
Penalties-yards 6-47 4-34
SCORING
1st - GB - Danelo, 24-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
3rd - DALL - Robert Newhouse, 1-yard run (Toni Fritsch kick) DALLAS 7-3
3rd - GB - Harrell, 26-yard run (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 9-7
3rd - DALL - Doug Dennison, 3-yard run (Fritsch kick) DALLAS 14-9
4th - DALL - Fritsch, 24-yard field goal DALLAS 17-9
4th - GB - Danelo, 29-yard field goal DALLAS 17-12
4th - GB - McGeorge, 26-yard pass from Hadl (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 19-17
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Willard Harrell 10-48 1 TD, John Brockington 12-45, Steve Odom 1-23, John Hadl 5-12, Eric Torkelson 3-11, Barty Smith 1-3
DALLAS - Preston Pearson 15-101, Robert Newhouse 17-92 1 TD, Doug Dennison 5-9 1 TD, Golden Richards 1-4
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 28-15-174 1 TD 2 INT
DALLAS - Roger Staubach 31-16-201 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Ken Payne 7-81, Rich McGeorge 4-80 1 TD, Willard Harrell 2-5, Barty Smith 1-6, John Brockington 1-2
DALLAS - Drew Pearson 5-69, Golden Richards 3-44, Jean Fugett 3-28, Robert Newhouse 2-33, Preston Pearson 2-10, Bill Joe DuPree 1-17
(MILWAUKEE) - Rocky Bleier rushed for 162 yards on the best day of his career, but it took a 29-yard field goal by Roy Gerela with 64 seconds left in the game to lift the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 16-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The Super Bowl champion Steelers were heavily favored, but had to scramble against the Packers, who took advantage of penalties and three Pittsburgh fumbles. The Packer defense held the Steelers offense without a touchdown, although Pittsburgh moved the ball well. Twice the Steelers drove to the Green Bay one-yard-line, but each time they had to settle for field goals of 19 yards by Gerela. Pittsburgh's only touchdown came on a 94-yard kickoff return by Mike Collier midway through the second period. Collier's runback came moments after John Brockington had plunged two yards to give Green Bay a 6-3 lead. It was the first touchdown the Steeler defense had allowed in 10 quarters and came after a 66-yard drive helped by four penalties against Pittsburgh and two key passes from John Hadl to Steve Odom. Green Bay tied the game, 13- 13, with 1:08 remaining in the third quarter when Hadl passed five yards to Brockington. Odom had the key play in the drive, going 27 yards to the Steelers' five on a reverse to set up the score. Bleier carried the ball 34 times in racing to his first 100-yard regular season game ever. The former Notre Dame star had 110 yards in the first half and Pittsburgh built a 13-6 lead. Steeler QB Terry Bradshaw was injured on the drive to the winning field goal when Fred Carr turned him head over heels on a sideline tackle. Bradshaw tried to continue, but was helped from the field and Joe Gilliam came in to complete the drive. The Steelers had the best of the statistics, 248 yards rushing and 84 passing. Green Bay managed only 63 yards rushing.
PITTSBURGH - 3 10 0 3 - 16
GREEN BAY - 0 6 7 0 - 13
PITTSBURGH GREEN BAY
First downs 23 11
Rush-yards-TDs 59-248-0 21-63-1
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 12-23-84-0-0 14-22-128-1-1
Sacked-yards 0-0 4-30
Net pass yards 84 98
Total yards 332 161
Fumbles-lost 3-3 2-1
Turnovers 3 2
Penalties-yards 5-52 1-5
SCORING
1st - PITT - Roy Gerela, 19-yard field goal PITTSBURGH 3-0
2nd - GB - Brockington, 2-yard run (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 6-3
2nd - PITT - Mike Collier, 94-yard kickoff return (Gerela kick) PITTSBURGH 10-6
2nd - PITT - Gerela, 19-yard field goal PITTSBURGH 13-6
3rd - GB - Brockington, 19-yard run (Danelo kick) TIED 13-13
4th - PITT - Gerela, 29-yard field goal PITTSBURGH 16-13
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Steve Odom 1-27, John Brockington 10-16 1 TD, Willard Harrell 7-12, John Hadl 2-5, Barty Smith 1-3
PITTSBURGH - Rocky Bleier 35-163, John Fuqua 13-52, Terry Bradshaw 3-17, Franco Harris 8-16
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 21-14-128 1 TD 1 INT, Willard Harrell 1-0-0
PITTSBURGH - Terry Bradshaw 22-12-84, Joe Gilliam 1-0-0
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 4-38 1 TD, Willard Harrell 4-28, Steve Odom 2-34, Rich McGeorge 2-9, Ken Payne 1-16, Barty Smith 1-3
PITTSBURGH - Reggie Garrett 4-38, Lynn Swann 3-25, Rocky Bleier 2-7, John Fuqua 2-5, Larry Brown 1-9
(GREEN BAY) - Fran Tarkenton passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns, including a 19-yard strike to John Gilliam for the go-ahead score with 10:44 left, rallying the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings to a 28-17 win over Green Bay. Tarkenton completed 24 of 30 passes, seven to Gilliam for 98 yards. Gilliam beat cornerback Ken Ellis to grab Tarkenton's pass in the left corner of the Packer end zone as the Vikings, 7-0, took a 21-17 lead early in the final period. Viking S Paul Krause intercepted a John Hadl pass three plays later and returned 14 yards to the Packer 47. Tarkenton then directed the Vikings to an insurance touchdown score, passing 10 yards to Chuck Foreman with 4:54 left. Krause intercepted the 69th pass of his career, good for second place on the all-time NFL list, and returned 22 yards to the Minnesota 30 with two minutes left in the game. Green Bay, 1-6, took a 17-14 lead early in the third quarter as Barty Smith wrestled a seven-yard pass from Hadl away from LB Floyd Simpson and plunged into the Viking end zone. Smith rushed 16 times for 88 yards in relief of injured John Brockington. Smith gained 38 yards in five carries, including the final three, as the Packers drove 57 yards on their first series for a 7-7 tie. The Vikings marched 83 yards in 13 plays after the opening kickoff, scoring on a five-yard pass from Tarkenton to Stu Voigt. The Packers took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter on Joe Danelo's 23-yard field goal, but a two-yard scoring run by Ed Marinaro gave the Vikings a 14-10 lead less than two minutes before halftime.
MINNESOTA - 7 7 0 14 - 28
GREEN BAY - 7 3 7 0 - 17
MINNESOTA GREEN BAY
First downs 23 15
Rush-yards-TDs 37-101-1 30-132-1
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 24-30-285-3-1 14-21-143-1-3
Sacked-yards 2-19 3-30
Net pass yards 266 113
Total yards 367 245
Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0
Turnovers 2 3
Penalties-yards 5-30 4-20
SCORING
1st - MIN - Stu Voight, 5-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) MINNESOTA 7-0
1st - GB - Barty Smith, 3-yard run (Danelo kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - GB - Danelo, 23-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-7
2nd - MINN - Ed Marinaro, 2-yard run (Cox run) MINNESOTA 14-10
3rd - GB - Barty Smith, 7-yard pass (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 17-14
4th - MIN - John Gilliam, 19-yard pass from Tarkenton (Cox kick) MINNESOTA 21-17
4th - MIN - Chuck Foreman, 10-yard pass from Tarkenton (Cox kick) MINNESOTA 28-17
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Barty Smith 16-88 1 TD, Willard Harrell 10-23, Steve Odom 1-12, John Brockington 1-9, John Hadl 2-0
MINNESOTA - Chuck Foreman 25-72, Ed Marinaro 7-19 1 TD, Brent McClanahan 2-6, Dave Osborn 2-5, Fran Tarkenton 1-(-1)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 21-14-243 1 TD 3 INT
MINNESOTA - Fran Tarkenton 30-24-285 3 TD 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Barty Smith 5-45 1 TD, Willard Harrell 3-20, Steve Odom 2-36, Rich McGeorge 2-15, Ken Payne 1-20, Bert Askson 1-7
MINNESOTA - Chuck Foreman 9-93 1 TD, John Gilliam 7-98 1 TD, Ed Marinaro 4-63, Stu Voight 3-22 1 TD, Jim Lash 1-9
(CHICAGO) - Craig Clemens' 76-yard interception return for a touchdown and the first-half passing of Gary Huff spurred the Chicago Bears to a 27-14 upset of Green Bay in the 112th renewal of the National Football League's oldest rivalry. Clemons picked off a Don Milan pass early in the third quarter and raced down the sidelines untouched for the Bears' first touchdown on an interception in six years. Huff, completing all nine of his 15 pass attempts in the first half for 119 yards, hit Bob Parsons with a 12-yard scoring toss in the first quarter and also set up a five-yard touchdown run by Walter Payton in the second period. Milan, starting in place of the injured John Hadl, connected on a 42-yard touchdown pass to Steve Odom in the second quarter. Earlier Milan and Odom combined for a 56-yard pass for Green Bay's longest gain from scrimmage this season, but the play did not result in a Packer score because Green Bay later missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt.
GREEN BAY - 0 7 0 7 - 14
CHICAGO - 10 7 10 0 - 27
GREEN BAY CHICAGO
First downs 13 15
Rush-yards-TDs 23-41-0 47-148-1
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 21-42-285-2-1 10-16-122-1-1
Sacked-yards 2-17 2-9
Net pass yards 268 113
Total yards 309 261
Fumbles-lost 4-2 3-2
Turnovers 3 3
Penalties-yards 9-94 7-75
SCORING
1st - CHI - Bob Thomas, 34-yard field goal CHICAGO 3-0
1st - CHI - Bob Parsons, 12-yard pass from Gary Huff (Thomas kick) CHICAGO 10-0
2nd - GB - Odom, 42-yard pass from Milan (Danelo kick) CHICAGO 10-7
2nd - CHI - Walter Payton, 5-yard run (Thomas kick) CHICAGO 17-7
3rd - CHI - Thomas, 48-yard field goal CHICAGO 20-7
3rd - CHI - Craig Clemons, 76-yard interception return (Thomas kick) CHICAGO 27-7
4th - GB - Barry Smith, 18-yard pass from Brown (Danelo kick) CHICAGO 27-14
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Don Milan 3-30, Barty Smith 6-16, Willard Harrell 12-14, John Brockington 1-0, Steve Odom 1-(-19)
CHICAGO - Mike Adamle 17-56, Walter Payton 14-49 1 TD, Roland Harper 11-39, Bo Rather 1-8, Cid Edwards 1-2, Bob Avellini 1-(-1), Gary Huff 2-(-5)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Don Milan 20-8-127 1 TD 1 INT, John Hadl 18-10-95, Carlos Brown 4-3-63 1 TD
CHICAGO - Gary Huff 15-9-119 1 TD 1 INT, Bob Avellini 1-1-3
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Ken Payne 4-39, John Brockington 4-6, Willard Harrell 3-28, Steve Odom 2-98 1 TD, Barry Smith 2-38 1 TD, Barty Smith 2-22, Rich McGeorge 1-21, Bert Askson 1-18, Eric Torkelson 1-12, Terry Wells 1-3
CHICAGO - Bob Parsons 4-55 1 TD, Bo Rather 3-24, Mike Adamle 2-24, Walter Payton 1-19
(DETROIT) - Errol Mann's 23-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining gave the Detroit Lions a 13-10 win over the fired-up Green Bay Packers. It had appeared that the game would go into overtime, but the Lions struck in the closing minutes. A 48-yard pass from Joe Reed to Ray Jarvis to the Packers' seven with 54 seconds left set up the winning points. Green Bay had come back earlier on a stunning 24-yard halfback pass from Willard Harrell to Steve Odom for a touchdown with 4:32 gone in the final period, pulling the Packers into the 10-10 tie. Detroit, now 6-3 to the Packers' 1-8 record, seemed like it would have an easy time. The Lions moved in for a touchdown on their first possession, with Reed hitting tight end Charlie Sanders with a nine-yard scoring pass. That was the only score in the first half Joe Danelo put the Packers on the board with a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter and Mann booted a 28-yarder on the first play of the final period for the Lions.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 3 7 - 10
DETROIT - 7 0 0 6 - 13
GREEN BAY DETROIT
First downs 20 17
Rush-yards-TDs 35-127-0 48-166-0
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 17-30-182-1-2 8-21-104-1-2
Sacked-yards 3-32 0-0
Net pass yards 150 104
Total yards 277 270
Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-1
Turnovers 2 3
Penalties-yards 7-65 3-15
SCORING
1st - DET - Charlie Sanders, 9-yard pass from Joe Reed (Errol Mann kick) DETROIT 7-0
3rd - GB - Danelo, 28-yard field goal DETROIT 7-3
4th - DET - Mann, 28-yard field goal DETROIT 10-3
4th - GB - Odom, 24-yard pass from Harrell (Danelo kick) TIED 10-10
4th - DET - Mann, 23-yard field goal DETROIT 13-10
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 19-72, Willard Harrell 13-39, Eric Torkelson 1-12, John Hadl 1-3, Barty Smith 1-1
DETROIT - Altie Taylor 18-61, Dexter Bussey 13-54, Joe Reed 6-23, Bobby Thompson 5-18, Horace King 6-10
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 29-16-158 2 INT, Willard Harrell 1-1-24 1 TD
DETROIT - Joe Reed 21-8-104 1 TD 2 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Steve Odom 5-68 1 TD, Willard Harrell 5-35, Ken Payne 4-55, Rich McGeorge 1-14, John Brockington 1-8, Eric Torkelson 1-2
DETROIT - Ray Jarvis 3-62, Charlie Sanders 2-25 1 TD, Marlin Briscoe 1-8, George Farmer 1-8, Altie Taylor 1-1
(MILWAUKEE) - Rookie Willard Harrell caught one touchdown pass and threw for another while Green Bay smothered two threats with fumble recoveries and held of'f a New York rally for a 40-14 victory over the Giants. John Hadl passed for 275 yards, including 36 to Harrell for a first-quarter touchdown as the Packers took the lead to stay and held on to break a four-game losing streak. Hadl passed 30 yards to reserve Gerald Tinker for the Packers' final score with 6:23 to play.
NEW YORK - 0 0 14 0 - 14
GREEN BAY - 14 10 0 16 - 40
NY GIANTS GREEN BAY
First downs 17 26
Rush-yards-TDs 34-119-1 40-210-2
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 16-37-290-1-1 19-30-298-3-1
Sacked-yards 4-30 0-0
Net pass yards 260 298
Total yards 379 508
Fumbles-lost 5-4 1-0
Turnovers 5 1
Penalties-yards 4-21 7-65
SCORING
1st - GB - Harrell, 36-yard pass from Hadl (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - GB - Torkelson, 2-yard run (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 14-0
2nd - GB - Danelo, 28-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-0
2nd - GB - Odom, 23-yard pass from Harrell (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 24-0
3rd - NYG - Walker Gillette, 12-yd pass from Craig Morton (George Hunt kick) GREEN BAY 24-7
3rd - NYG - Doug Kotar, 10-yard run (Hunt kick) GREEN BAY 24-14
4th - GB - Safety, Giants P Doug Jennings stepped out of the end zone GREEN BAY 26-14
4th - GB - Barty Smith, 3-yard run (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 33-14
4th - GB - Tinker, 35-yard pass from Hadl (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 40-14
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Eric Torkelson 10-78 1 TD, Willard Harrell 10-55, John Brockington 12-47, Barty Smith 4-14, Terry Wells 3-11, John Hadl 1-5
NY GIANTS - Ron Johnson 11-44, Doug Kotar 9-40 1 TD, Joe Dawkins 10-26, Carl Summerell 1-4, Craig Morton 1-3, Larry Watkins 2-2
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 29-18-275 2 TD 1 INT, Willard Harrell 1-1-23 1 TD
NY GIANTS - Craig Morton 32-14-243 1 TD, Carl Summerell 5-2-47 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 7-71, Ken Payne 4-103, Willard Harrell 4-45 1 TD, Gerald Tinker 1-35 1 TD, Steve Odom 1-23 1 TD, Barry Smith 1-12, Rich McGeorge 1-9
NY GIANTS - Walker Gillette 5-83 1 TD, Joe Dawkins 4-12, Ray Rhodes 2-72, Bob Tucker 2-44, Don Clune 1-41, Ron Johnson 1-21, Doug Kotar 1-17
(GREEN BAY) - John Brockington rushed for 111 yards and scored three touchdowns and John Hadl passed for 127 more yards in a swirling snow, leading the Packers to a rout of the hapless Chicago Bears. DT Dave Pureifory, who led a fierce rush on Chicago rookie QB Bob Avellini, recovered one fumble and forced another to set up two touchdowns as the Packers, 3-8, shoved the Bears, 2-9, into the cellar of the Central Division. Will Harrell passed 14 yards to Steve Odom for a touchdown - the rookie halfback's third scoring strike on an option play in the last three games - as the Packers rolled up 16 first downs to the Bears three to storm to a 28-0 first half lead. Brockington scored from a yard out to cap an 84-yard march, the Packers' longest scoring drive of the season, on their first series. Mike McCoy stripped the ball from rookie Walter Payton moments later and Pureifory lumbered 11 yards with the recovery to the Bear 11, setting up Brockington's second TD.
CHICAGO - 0 0 7 0 - 7
GREEN BAY - 7 21 0 0 - 28
CHICAGO GREEN BAY
First downs 11 22
Rush-yards-TDs 25-88-1 52-193-3
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 9-25-109-0-3 12-21-141-1-2
Sacked-yards 4-65 2-25
Net pass yards 44 116
Total yards 132 309
Fumbles-lost 5-3 5-2
Turnovers 6 4
Penalties-yards 8-60 5-39
SCORING
1st - GB - Brockington, 1-yard run (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
2nd - GB - Brockington, 1-yard run (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 14-0
2nd - GB - Odom, 14-yard pass from Harrell (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 21-0
2nd - GB - Brockington, 8-yard run (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 28-0
3rd - CHI - Walter Payton, 1-yard run (Bob Thomas kick) GREEN BAY 28-7
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 26-111 3 TD, Eric Torkelson 4-33, Willard Harrell 16-33, Barty Smith 4-16, John Hadl 1-0
CHICAGO - Walter Payton 12-40 1 TD, Roland Harper 7-32, Mike Adamle 6-16
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 20-11-127 2 INT, Willard Harrell 1-1-14 1 TD
CHICAGO - Bob Avellini 25-9-109 3 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Ken Payne 5-64, John Brockington 3-33, Rich McGeorge 2-25, Steve Odom 1-14 1 TD, Willard Harrell 1-5
CHICAGO - Walter Payton 2-45, Bo Rather 2-21, Bob Parson 2-19, Greg Latta 1-12, Mike Adamle 1-7, Roland Harper 1-5
Steve Odom's 95-yard punt return against the Bears in 1974 is the longest in Packers history. Odom has the most combined punt and kick return yards in team history and scored three return TDs in six years. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1975.
John Hadl (21) hands off to Willard Harrell (40) against the Los Angeles Rams
(MINNESOTA) - The ageless Merlin of the National Football League, Sir Francis Tarkenton, continues to work his magic and the Minnesota Vikings march to music with their seventh division championship in eight years already tucked away. "Tarkenton is just a brilliant quarterback," said Green Bay LB Jim Carter following the Vikings 24-3 victory over the Packers. Green Bay played Minnesota WR John Gilliam man-to-man and played strong against the pass to running backs Chuck Foreman and Ed Marinaro, but Tarkenton needed little time to exploit the Packer strategy. Tarkenton went to work on Packer CB Perry Smith, who was assigned to cover the speedy Gilliam. "I don't think anyone can handle Gilliam one-on- one," said the 35 year-old Tarkenton, who completed 20 of 30 pass attempts for 211 yards and 3 touchdowns, including two to Gilliam. "I don't know why they didn't give him (Smith) any help," said Gilliam, who caught TD passes covering 18 and 37 yards. "It was stupid " Gilliam caught 7 passes for 83 yards and his sixth and seventh touchdowns of the season. Green Bay's only score came on a 22-yard field goal by Joe Danelo in the first period after a Packer drive bogged down after reaching the Minnesota 4.
GREEN BAY - 3 0 0 0 - 3
MINNESOTA - 14 10 0 0 - 24
GREEN BAY MINNESOTA
First downs 6 19
Rush-yards-TDs 20-51-0 42-161-0
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 11-30-93-0-3 23-36-235-3-0
Sacked-yards 3-22 1-9
Net pass yards 71 226
Total yards 122 387
Fumbles-lost 2-0 3-0
Turnovers 3 0
Penalties-yards 5-45 7-41
SCORING
1st - MIN - John Gilliam, 18-yd pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) MINNESOTA 7-0
1st - MIN - Chuck Foreman, 32-yard pass from Tarkenton (Cox kick) MINNESOTA 14-0
1st - GB - Danelo, 22-yard field goal MINNESOTA 14-3
2nd - MINN - Gilliam, 37-yard pass from Tarkenton (Cox kick) MINNESOTA 21-3
2nd - MINN - Cox, 37-yard field goal MINNESOTA 24-3
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Willard Harrell 9-34, John Brockington 10-13, Barty Smith 1-4
MINNESOTA - Chuck Foreman 13-64, Ed Marinaro 6-24, Robert Miller 8-24, Dave Osborn 7-23, Brent McClanahan 6-19, Fran Tarkenton 1-7, Bob Berry 1-0
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 28-11-93 3 INT, Don Milan 2-0-0
MINNESOTA - Fran Tarkenton 30-20-211 3 TD, Bob Berry 6-3-24
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Rich McGeorge 3-47, Willard Harrell 3-21, Ken Payne 2-8, Barry Smith 1-15, Eric Torkelson 1-3, John Brockington 1-(-1)
MINNESOTA - John Gilliam 7-83 2 TD, Chuck Foreman 6-81 1 TD, Stu Voight 3-28, Ed Marinaro 3-22, Clint Haselrig 2-28, Robert Miller 1-(-3), Dave Osborn 1-(-4)
(LOS ANGELES) - Veteran Tom Dempsey booted field goals of 40, 39 and 38 yards as the injury-battered Los Angeles Rams called on reserves Ron Jaworski and Rob Scribner for most of their offense in a 22-5 victory over the Green Bay Packers. With starting QB James Harris out with a shoulder injury after the first three minutes, Jaworski directed the Rams the rest of the way in the battle. Scribner took over when Jim Bertelsen injured a knee and led all rushers with 82 yards in 12 carries. He scored a touchdown on a three-yard smash and his 23-yard run set up Dempsey's first field goal.
GREEN BAY - 2 3 0 0 - 5
LOS ANGELES - 0 9 3 10 - 22
GREEN BAY LOS ANGELES
First downs 9 22
Rush-yards-TDs 24-53-0 43-195-2
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 13-29-146-0-2 15-26-176-0-2
Sacked-yards 6-29 5-37
Net pass yards 117 139
Total yards 170 334
Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-0
Turnovers 4 2
Penalties-yards 4-35 3-20
SCORING
1st - GB - Safety, Pureifory tackled Ron Jaworski in the end zone GREEN BAY 2-0
2nd - GB - Danelo, 48-yard field goal GREEN BAY 5-0
2nd - LA - Tom Dempsey, 40-yard field goal GREEN BAY 5-3
2nd - LA - Rob Scribner, 3-yard run (Kick failed) LOS ANGELES 9-5
3rd - LA - Dempsey, 39-yard field goal LOS ANGELES 12-5
4th - LA - Dempsey, 38-yard field goal LOS ANGELES 15-5
4th - LA - John Cappelletti, 2-yard run (Dempsey kick) LOS ANGELES 22-5
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 10-18, John Hadl 3-14, Don Milan 1-11, Eric Torkelson 2-6, Gerald Tinker 1-5, Willard Harrell 7-(-1)
LOS ANGELES - Rob Scribner 12-82 1 TD, Lawrence McCutcheon 18-73, Cullen Bryant 8-29, Jim Bertelseon 1-6, Ron Jaworski 3-3, John Cappelletti 1-2 1 TD
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 23-10-115 2 INT, Don Milan 6-3-31
LOS ANGELES - Ron Jaworski 24-14-174 1 INT, James Harris 2-1-2 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Ken Payne 6-57, Gerald Tinker 2-32, Willard Harrell 2-24, Barty Smith 1-16, Rich McGeorge 1-9, Eric Torkelson 1-8
LOS ANGELES - Ron Jessie 7-78, Lawrence McCutcheon 3-20, Rob Scribner 2-28, Cullen Bryant 1-19, Jack Snow 1-17, Harold Jackson 1-14
(GREEN BAY) - Eric Torkelson and Barty Smith found plenty of running room, which raises the question whether the Green Bay Packers think they still have room for John Brockington. Brockington hopes so, but the one-time premier fullback doubts it. "We have to make changes, let's face it. I guess I'm trade bait," Brockington said after the Packers, sparked by 86 yards in 22 carries by Torkelson and 60 in 14 by Barty Smith, had closed their otherwise bleak season by defeating the Atlanta Falcons 22-13. Torkelson scored from 15 yards out after a 61-yard interception return by Perry Smith as the Packers took the lead to stay at 9-6 early in the second quarter. Barty Smith's one-yard touchdown run and three Joe Danelo field goals boosted the margin to 22-6 midway through the third quarter. An end zone interception by Al Matthews and a fumble recovery by Alden Roche blunted a Falcon rally led by rookie QB Steve Bartkowski, as both teams finished with 4-10 records. Another hero was John Hadl, who connected on 16 of 32 passes for 181 yards to set a Packer record for completions in a season with 191. And ex-Packer Dave Hampton was a hero in defeat for the Falcons, rushing for 61 yards for a season total of 1,002. That abundance of heroes left Brockington out in the cold - the 12 degree chill that benumbed he and most of his teammates who spent much of the day on the sidelines. Brockington, who had rushed lor 4,159 yards in his four previous NFL seasons, carried eight times for 12 yards Sunday for season totals of 434 yards in 144 tries. After the game, Packer fans tore down the goal posts.
ATLANTA - 6 0 0 7 - 13
GREEN BAY - 3 9 10 0 - 22
ATLANTA GREEN BAY
First downs 14 20
Rush-yards-TDs 26-124-1 46-169-2
Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 13-37-219-1-2 16-33-181-0-1
Sacked-yards 3-41 3-19
Net pass yards 178 162
Total yards 302 331
Fumbles-lost 4-3 3-3
Turnovers 5 4
Penalties-yards 2-20 2-10
SCORING
1st - GB - Danelo, 34-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
1st - ATL - Dave Hampton, 1-yard run (Kick failed) ATLANTA 6-3
2nd - GB - Torkelson, 15-yard run (Kick blocked) GREEN BAY 9-6
2nd - GB - Danelo, 30-yard field goal GREEN BAY 12-6
3rd - GB - Danelo, 19-yard field goal GREEN BAY 15-6
3rd - GB - Barty Smith, 1-yard run (Danelo kick) GREEN BAY 22-6
4th - ATL - Alfred Jenkins, 52-yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) GREEN BAY 22-13
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Eric Torkelson 22-86 1 TD, Barty Smith 14-60 1 TD, John Brockington 8-12, John Hadl 1-7, Willard Harrell 1-4
ATLANTA - Dave Hampton 14-61 1 TD, Haskel Stanback 8-52, Woody Thompson 1-5, Pat Sullivan 1-3, Monroe Ely 1-3, Steve Bartkowski 1-0
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Hadl 32-16-181 1 INT, Willard Harrell 1-0-0
ATLANTA - Steve Bartkowski 34-13-219 1 TD 2 INT, Pat Sullivan 3-0-0
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - John Brockington 5-31, Rich McGeorge 3-46, Ken Payne 3-25, Eric Torkelson 2-12, Barty Smith 1-33, Gerald Tinker 1-17, Steve Odom 1-17
ATLANTA - Ken Burrow 3-33, Alfred Jenkins 2-81 1 TD, Jim Mitchell 2-48, Dave Hampton 2-28, Wallace Francis 2-23, Haskel Stanback 2-6
