Detroit Lions (7-3) 48, Green Bay Packers (6-4) 24
Thursday November 27th 1952 (at Detroit)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(DETROIT) - The Green Bay Packers could be excused today if they considered the Detroit Lions as their No. 1 jinx. Last Oct. 26 in Green Bay, the Detroit Black Cats crossed the Packer path and the Bays promptly lost four fumbles and had five passes intercepted in absorbing a 52-17 pasting. Just yesterday - Thanksgiving day, that is - in Briggs stadium here, the BC's found the Packers a much tougher cookie but they managed to cross the Packer aisle. Net results: (1) The Packers lost six fumbles and had two passes intercepted, and (2) dropped a fiercely-fought 48 to 24 verdict. Thus, in two 1952 outings against the unfortunate Packers, the Lions jinxed our forces out of an even 100 points by recovering 10 fumbles and intercepting seven passes - not to mention killing off numerous Bay scoring opportunities. The Lion triumph booted the Motorists into undisputed possession of first place, with 7-3, in the National conference and dropped the Packers (6-4) into third place behind Los Angeles and San Francisco who clash Sunday. The Packers suffered their misfortune before a shivering live audience of 39,101 spectators and an estimated 30,000,000 television viewers. The weather reduced the attendance by approximately 10,000. While the fumbling was terrorizing, the Packers managed to stay in the game until late in the fourth quarter - a tribute to the brand of rock-'em-sock-'em football the Bays were playing. The first quarter ended in a 3-3 tie and the teams left for the between-halves rest with the Lions in front by seven points, 24-17. Detroit had only a seven-point edge going into the fourth period, 31-24, when the Lions exploded for 17. The first half was most amazing since the Bays committed five of their fumbles during that stretch and still managed to erase a 17-3 early in the second frame. Just before the half, with the score 24-17, the Packers got their only break of the two frames, a pass interception by Marv Johnson on the Detroit 34. Maybe the worm was turning the other way for a change. It looked that way as Bill Howton took Babe Parilli's pass to the Detroit 17, with less than two minutes left, but as Bill started away from two defenders he fumbles and the Lions recovered. It seems a pity that Howton must be accused of a fumble because the Rice rookie came out with three touchdowns on four, six and 54-yard passes from quarterback Tobin Rote to keep the Bays within striking distance. But Howton wasn't alone in the miscue department; fullback Bobby Jack Floyd lost two fumbles and Rote, Billy Grimes and Bill Reichardt one each. Fortunate penalties kept the Packer fumble total from soaring to eight. Detroit drew first blood on Pat Harder's 26-yard field goal midway in the first period but, just before the frame ended, Bill Reichardt tied it up with a perfect shot from the 37. The Lions charged to a 17-3 lead in the first four minutes of the second quarter. Bobby Layne pitched to Cloyce Box for five yards to end a 76-yard TD drive after which the Lions got a "free one". Rote fumbled and the Lions recovered on the Packer nine, with Layne hurling to Leon Hart from three for the TD. The Packers quickly moved 67 yards to score. Rote ran for 26 and then pitched to Howton for 31 and finally to Howton for six and the TD. It was Floyd's turn next, the Lions recovering on the Bay 40, Layne hurling to Box for the last 32 yards and a two-TD edge. Again the Packers charged back 66 yards to score. The big gainer was a 41-yard pass from Parilli to Bob Mann, and Rote pitched four yards to Howton in the end zone for the score. Detroit drove 71 yards to score to start the third period, with Bob Hoernschemeyer throwing four yards to big Box in the end zone for the score. Five minutes later, Rote and Howton completed their 54-yarder to again narrow the lead to a TD, 31-24. Harder opened the last quarter with a field goal after which Parilli got off a 19-yard punt, giving the Lions position on the Packer 26. Harder banged over from the 1-foot line and later Jim Hardy pitched six yards to Hart for the last TD. The heated struggle ended on a hot note as fights blossomed out all over the field. (It was learned later that the Lions gave the Packers a verbal blistering in the last two minutes, setting off the fisticuffs.) Wash Serini and Harder came to blows as did Tony Canadeo and Jim Hardy who had to be separated. While this was going on, the Packers' Breezy Reid and Girard, a former Packer, chatted amiably. While the Packers completed 14 of 29 passes for 299 yards, Parilli and Rote were often hurried as the eager Lions crashed in. A key to the game is that the Packers lost 69 yards attempting passes while the Lions lost only 21 - most of it just before the half. Layne, who generally possesses rare skill against the Packers, was the Lions' big gun. He ran for 63 yards in 13 attempts and pitched for 249 yards and two touchdowns. The Packer line was unable to get at him and the backer-up had to make most of the tackles. The Packer rushing game was off key, thus forcing the Packers to depend almost entirely on the pass. The Bays gained 103 yards on the ground, but Rote made 40 himself - mostly when he was unable to pass. While the statistics reveal that the final trend, the "opponents fumbles' recovered" column shows the unhappy story for the Packers. The Lions fumbled once - a "short" one by Girard who quickly recovered, but the Packers frustrated their own attack and gave the Lions extra shots in the arm with their fumbling. The game was only eight seconds old when the Packers performed the first of five fumbles in the first half. After Bobby Jack Floyd took the kickoff to the Bay 29, Floyd went off left tackle on the first play from scrimmage and fumbled, Dick Flanagan recovering on the Packer 20. The Packers dug in and, with the help of a holding penalty, forced Smith to punt. Parilli punted right back after two runs by Floyd and an incompleted pass gained by five yards. Starting on their own 35, the Lions drove to a field goal in 10 plays. Harder, Girard and Hoernschemeyer made 13 yards and Layne completed two passes - one to Hart for 12 and the other to Box for 13. The Lions had fourth and two to go on the Bay 19 when they decided to kick, Harder splitting the uprights from the 26 in 7:30. Grimes carried the next kickoff back from the eight to the Bay 42 to give the Pack good position but on second down Lary intercepted Parilli's pass. The Bays tightened and forced Smith to punt. Starting from their own 33, the Packers drove to a field goal in seven plays. Parilli hurled to Howton for eight, Floyd ran for three and then took a pass from Parilli for 16. After Parilli hit Howton for five, the Lions held and Bill Reichardt hit on a field goal from the 37 to tie it up. A 45-yard pass from Layne to Box started the Lions off on the first TD drive, the heave putting 'em on the Bay 31. Layne threw to Bill Swiacki for 16, to Hart for 10 and finally five yards to Box in the end zone. Harder's kick made it 10-3. The Lions made it 17-3 two minutes later when Creekmur recovered Rote's fumble on the Bay nine. On second down, Hart took Layne's pass in front of Johnson for the score, and Harder converted. The Packers quickly retaliated, scoring in six plays. Rote hurled to Jim Keane for 13 to the Packer 46 after which Rote ran for 26. Fred Cone lost five and Detroit recovered Rote's fumble, but the Lions were holding and the Bays had a first down on the Detroit 27. Howton made a leaping catch of Rote's perfect pitch for 31 yards to the six, Doll and David going up with him. Rote then threw to Howton in the end zone for the score. Cone converted to make it 17-10. The Bays gave Detroit another break in short order as Grimes fumbled Smith's punt and Earon recovered on the Bay 14. Three Layne passes went incomplete and Harder missed a field goal from the 22. The Packers started moving again, but, bingo, another lost fumble. Floyd made five and Parilli threw to Mann for 13 on the Bay 38, but Floyd's fumble was recovered on the Detroit 43. The Lions scored in two plays, Hart taking Layne's screen pass for 10 and Box bagging Layne's pass going away from Self for the TD. Harder's kick made it 24-10. Again the Packers charged back to creep within seven points. The big gainers were Mann's sparkling catch of Parilli's pass for 41 yards and a screen pass from Parilli to Reid for 22 yards to Detroit's two. Three ground plays lost two yards, so Rote hurled to Howton in the end zone for the TD. Cone converted and it was 24-17. The Packers were within 17 yards of tying the score just before the half. Johnson intercepted Layne's deflected pass on the Detroit 34. On the first play, Parilli pitched to Howton for 17 yards to the 17 but Howton fumbled as he started to get away from a defender and Doll recovered. The Bays got a bad break as the Detroit took the kickoff to start the second half and drove to a TD in 10 plays. After Layne made nearly 20 yards on a keeper over right tackle, defensive halfback Bobby Dillon hurt himself tackling Layne on another keeper. Dillon was helped from the field and never returned. Layne hit Girard for 12 yards and then Harder for 20 to the Bay 7. Finally, from the four, Hoerschemeyer pitched to Girard in the end zone for the TD. Harder's kick made it 31-17. Parilli and Mann worked a 39-yard pass play to Detroit's 27, but the Packers lost the ball on downs. Detroit worked to midfield before Wimberly intercepted and lateraled to Self, who ran 30 yards to Detroit's 35. The teams exchanged two more interceptions, David taking Parilli's pass in front of Howton and Loomis grabbing Layne's throw intended for Hart. Starting from their own 46, the Packers scored in two plays. After Canadeo dropped Rote's throw, Rote caught Howton behind David on the Detroit 20 and Bill outran him into the end zone. Cone kicked to mark the end of Green Bay's scoring for the day. A 35-yard kickoff return to the Packer 43 set up Harder's second field goal. The Lions stalled on the 19 and Harder booted his three-pointer from the 26. Harder's kickoff bounced past Billy Grimes on the 15 and he finally retrieved the ball on the four and returned eight yards. After three plays lost five yards, Parilli got off a 19-yard punt that went out of bounds on the Bay 26. Box took Layne's pass to the three and Harder smashed it over on third down. Harder converted and it was 41-24. Rote made 16 yards on a nifty run but the Lion line smashed Rote, trying to pass, back 27 yards in three attempts. Parilli and Smith exchanged punts and the Bays started on their own 13. Cone was hit hard on the first play for a one-yard and had to be carried off the field on a stretcher, injuring his leg. Bill Reichardt smacked 12 yards up the middle in two tries, and Parilli, working the "all star" series, ran 20 to midfield. But three plays later, Parilli, trapped back 15 yards trying to pass, lateraled to Reichardt, who fumbled, the Lions recovering on the Bay 32. Jim Hardy worked the last TD, pitching to Bailey for 23 yards and finally to Hart for the last six. Hardy kicked the last point. The game ended as Harder kicked off - and then the fight started.
GREEN BAY - 3 14 7 0 - 24
DETROIT - 3 21 7 17 - 48
GREEN BAY DETROIT
First Downs 17 23
Rushing-Yards-TD 20-103-0 41-132-1
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 14-29-265-3-2 19-34-283-5-3
Sacked-Yards 8-69 2-21
Net Passing Yards 196 262
Total Yards 299 394
Fumbles-lost 6-6 1-0
Turnovers 8 3
Yards penalized 3-25 5-35
SCORING
1ST - DET - Pat Harder, 26-yard field goal DETROIT 3-0
1ST - GB - Bill Reichardt, 37-yard field goal TIED 3-3
2ND - DET - Cloyce Box, 5-yard pass from Bobby Layne (Harder kick) DET 10-3
2ND - DET - Leon Hart, 9-yard pass from Layne (Harder kick) DETROIT 17-3
2ND - GB - Billy Howton, 6-yard pass from Tobin Rote (Fred Cone kick) DETROIT 17-10
2ND - DET - Box, 32-yard pass from Layne (Harder kick) DETROIT 24-10
2ND - GB - Howton, 4-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) DETROIT 24-17
3RD - DET - Box, 3-yard pass from Hoernschemeyer (Harder kick) DETROIT 31-17
3RD - GB - Howton, 54-yard pass from Rote (Cone kick) DETROIT 31-24
4TH - DET - Harder, 26-yard field goal DETROIT 34-24
4TH - DET - Harder, 1-yard run (Harder kick) DETROIT 41-24
4TH - DET - Hart, 6-yard pass from Jim Hardy (Harder kick) DETROIT 48-24
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Tobin Rote 3-40, Clarence Self 0-21, Babe Parilli 1-19, Bobby Jack Floyd 2-12, Breezy Reid 3-3, Tony Canadeo 2-(-4), Fred Cone 3-(-4)
DETROIT - Bobby Layne 13-63, Bob Hoernschemeyer 10-28, Jug Girard 6-11, Bob Smith 0-10, Pat Harder 7-8 1 TD, Byron Bailey 2-6, Ollie Cline 2-5, Doak Walker 1-1
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Babe Parilli 21-9-158 2 INT, Tobin Rote 8-5-107 3 TD
DETROIT - Bobby Layne 30-16-249 3 TD 3 INT, Jim Hardy 3-2-30 1 TD, Bob Hoernschemeyer 1-1-4 1 TD
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Billy Howton 7-123 3 TD, Bob Mann 4-91, Breezy Reid 1-22, Bobby Jack Floyd 1-17, Jim Keane 1-12
DETROIT - Cloyce Box 9-155 3 TD, Leon Hart 5-48 2 TD, Pat Harder 2-29, Byron Bailey 1-24, Bill Swiacki 1-16, Jug Girard 1-11
PACKERS' CONE INJURES KNEE; LOST FOR YEAR
NOV 28 (Green Bay) - The Packers will have to get along without Fred Cone, their speedy fullback and place kicking specialist, in the two remaining games at Los Angeles and San Francisco. Cone was carried off the field at Detroit Thursday with a badly twisted knee and thigh injury. He returned with the squad immediately after the game, but was hobbling around on crutches Friday. Coach Gene Ronzani and his Cinderella boys, disappointed but with spirits again reviving, will leave early Saturday morning for Los Angeles, where they will battle the red-hot Rams a week from Sunday. They will arrive in L.A. Monday morning and plan to resume practice immediately. They will be quartered at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Except for Cone, the Bays came out of the bruising battle with the Lions without serious injury. All will be ready for the crucial windup series on the Coast against the Rams and 49ers.
PACKERS LEAVE FOR RAM, 49ER GAMES ON COAST
NOV 29 (Green Bay) - The Packers left Green Bay today for sunny California and what they hope won't be their last two games of the current comeback year. Green Bay, presently resting in third place in the National conference, will oppose the Rams in Los Angeles Dec. 7 and the Forty Niners in San Francisco Dec. 14. A lot of things can happen between next Sunday and Dec. 14 and the Packers packed their duds yesterday afternoon figuring and hoping "something interesting could take place." Of course, the Packers have their work cut out. Barring a tie, the Packers should have company in second place late Sunday afternoon - the loser of the Ram-Forty Niner
fracas in 'Frisco, each with 6-4 records. The winner will go into a first-place knot with the Detroit Lions, each with 7-3 marks. The Lions stopped the Bay excursion in Detroit, 48 to 24, but the Packers, to a man, are convinced that "we gave it away." They were speaking of six lost fumbles and two pass interceptions. Since the Packers are confident enough to feel that they can whip Los Angeles and San Francisco, their biggest question is this: "Who's going to knock off Detroit?" When they returned from Detroit on Thursday night, Coach Gene Ronzani and his boys heard what they considered "good news" - the Texans beat the Chicago Bears. Since the Bears generally bounce back after an upsetting licking, the Packers have a hunch that the Bears might give Detroit an ache next Dec. 7. If Chicago won't do it, the Packers, who have a lot of respect for the Texans, feel that the former Dallas battlers might upset the Lions in the windup Dec. 14. The Packers' chances in California took a sock on the chin yesterday when Ronzani revealed that fullback Fred Cone could not make the west coast trip. Cone suffered knee and hip injuries in the Detroit game and presently is on his way home to Alabama, with crutches as a talking partner. Hard-hitting Freddie, who scored 20 points in the big 41-28 victory over the Bears in Chicago, ranked as the team's No. 2 ground gainer and No. 2 scorer. He had piled up 276 yards in 70 attempts for an average of 3.9. Quarterback Tobin Rote tops the club with 279 yards in 50 attempts for an average of 5.6. Cone scored 53 points on 32 conversions, one field goal and three touchdowns. Topping him is Bill Howton with 66 points on 11 aerial touchdowns. Cone also caught eight passes for 98 yards and one TD. Loss of Cone means that the Packers' fullbacking will be in hands of two rookies - Bobby Jack Floyd of TCU and Bill Reichardt of Iowa. Floyd presently has 188 yards in 48 tries for an average of 3.9, while Reichardt has 76 in 24 attempts for 2.9. As preparations were made to leave yesterday, Ronzani said he was undecided on the player who will take the spot vacated by Cone, who has been placed on the injured list. Among the possibilities are Lindell Pearson, the former Detroit halfback, and veteran tackle Howie Ruetz, who underwent an appendectomy midway in the season. The Packers are scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles Monday noon, Green Bay time. They'll headquarter at the Hollywood-Roosevelt hotel and practice at Gilmore stadium. They were to leave Chicago this noon on the California Limited. Departure of the Packers this morning, scheduled at 7 o'clock, was delayed half an hour while North Western employees thawed out the piping of the tap car, found to have been a casualty of the near-zero temperature Friday night. The delay didn't interfere with the connection in Chicago. Members of the Packers' coaching staff worked with Joe Stydahar, administrative assistant to Ronzani, in preparing the Packers' draft list yesterday afternoon. The coaches are going over "thousands" of names of college stars. The draft meeting generally is scheduled for mid-January. Most of the players closed out their business in Green Bay. Wives of several of the married players left Friday. The players living in Chicago, Ray Bray, Jim Keane and Wash Serini, joined the club this noon there.
DALLAS FRANCHISE TO TORONTO, SAYS ONTARIO SE
NOV 29 (London, ON) - The London Free Press says the NFL may shift its vacated Dallas franchise to Toronto. In a story written by Sports Editor Jack Parks, quoting "as reliable a source as we could care to have," the Free Press says the NFL looked upon Toronto as the logical spot for a drive into Canada after hearing that the semi pro Argos consistently drew better than 20,000 on Saturday afternoons. Parks wrote: "While confirmation was lacking, it was learned that Toronto's Canadian National exhibition field, which already had a stand on one side of a playing area capable of seating 25,000 fans, would be the site of the team's operations. Bleachers could be erected on the other side to swell the capacity to at least 30,000."
BALTIMORE CLAIMS NFL FRANCHISE IN BAG
NOV 30 (Baltimore) - William MacMillan, counsel for the defunct Baltimore Colts, said Sunday the team "definitely will return to the NFL." Bert Bell, league commissioner, earlier had admitted negotiations were underway between league officials and a group of prospective club owners in Baltimore for a franchise but insisted "no agreement has been reached. "Bell's statement was in reply to stories published in Baltimore Sunday that the league chief would announce in a few days that the Dallas Texans' franchise would be shifted here. MacMillan did not disclose details and did not specify that the homeless Dallas Texans would be the team which would operate in Baltimore, but it was assumed by sportswriters of the city that he was referring to the Texas team. He said some details remained to be worked out but that the principal barriers have been overcome. The Colts lawyers said a plan had been drawn up between the league and the Colts and has been approved by George Preston Marshall, owner of the Washington Redskins, who has claimed Baltimore as his territory.
FORTY NINERS LOSE TO RAMS, JOIN PACKERS IN 2ND; PITT WINS 63-7
DEC 1 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers had company today – the once-famous San Francisco Forty Niners – as the tight National conference championship race entered the home stretch. Detroit’s Lions, victors over the Packers Thanksgiving day, and the Los Angeles Rams were locked in first place – each with 7-3 records, while the Packers and Forty Niners, 34 to 21 losers to the Rams Sunday, were in a second place knot – each with 6-4 marks. Green Bay gets it chance at the revitalized Rams in Los Angeles next Sunday, while the Forty Niners take on the amazing Pittsburgh Steelers in Frisco. Back in the midwest, the Chicago Bears, embarrassed by the Texans Thanksgiving day, hope to snap back and beat the Lions in Detroit. The Packers, Rams and Forty Niners all are hoping that the Bears trip the Lions again, thus throwing the race wide open again. The Bears edged Detroit earlier, 24-23. The Packers were scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles at noon today, Green Bay time, and the normal full week of practice is scheduled to start Tuesday in Gilmore stadium. Some of the complication was removed from the tight American conference race yesterday when the Cleveland Browns, defending AC champ, downed the Washington Redskins, 48 to 24, while the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Chicago Cardinals, 28-22, and the New York Giants were snowed under by Pittsburgh, 63-7. This activity left Cleveland in front with 7-3, while Philadelphia and New York were tied in second place with 6-4.
BALTIMORE BACK IN PRO LOOP?
DEC 1 (Philadelphia) - Baltimore is practically back in the NFL, it was learned here today. NFL Commissioner Bert Bell said that the league and officials of the defunct Baltimore Colts were “very close to agreement on conditions that would bring Baltimore back back into the fold.” Bell probably will go to Baltimore Wednesday or Thursday of this week to formally sign a new agreement. Negotiations for return of Baltimore to the NFL have been going on for more than a year. Bell said, however, that the agreement has not been completed yet. He indicated that Baltimore officials were ironing out some details before an official announcement could be made. The commissioner implied that unless there is a last minute change of heart by either side, Baltimore would operate in the NFL in 1953 with a veteran team. He indicated that the team would probably have a new name, instead of Colts…RECEIVE NEW FRANCHISE: Baltimore will receive a new franchise, not the one it turned back to the league a year ago, and not the recently forfeited Dallas Texans franchise. It is believed that the Dallas franchise will now be put in mothballs and the NFL will continue to operate with 12 teams. Unless a very good offer comes along for the Dallas club, it is doubtful that the NFL would admit another team. Bell has said many times that scheduling problems with a 13 team league are very difficult. In all probability, the players of the Dallas team, now owned lock, stock and barrel by the league, will be transferred to Baltimore. Baltimore probably would be given the Dallas rights in the 1953 college draft. None of these details have been confirmed, but they do appear to be the logical plan to follow. Meanwhile, in Baltimore, Walter McMillian, counsel for the Colts, said Sunday night that Baltimore “definitely will return to the NFL.”
WONDER IF STEVE IS MIFFED AT STEELERS? HE WAS AT PACKERS
DEC 1 (Green Bay) - Steve Owen, head coach of the New York Giants, was miffed no end when the Packers kicked a field goal in the last minute of their 17-3 victory over the Giants out in New York Nov. 16. Owen could see no reason for it since, in his opinion, the Packers already had the game won. Bill Reichardt delivered the FG from the 23 on fourth down with 10 yards to go for a first down. The Packers were taking no chances since earlier in the season they had lost a 28-6 lead to the Los Angeles Rams – all in the last quarter. If the Rams could score 24 points in one frame, the Packers could hardly be blamed if they were worried that the Giants could score two TDs in the last minute. Thus, the field goal! This piece today was prompted by the score of the Giant-Pittsburgh game in Forbes field Sunday – a 63 to 7 eye-opener that must have left giant Steve on the other side of furious. Owen’s team was behind, 35-7, at the start of the fourth quarter and the Steelers promptly ripped off 28 more points. And to think that Steve was upset about the Packers kicking the field goal! Tsk, tsk. We’re wondering if the Steelers’ big triumph doesn’t signal the start of a new era in football. A no-defense era! The Giants entered the game with the best defense in professional football – an average permission of only 11 points. That defensive average was ballooned to 17 in 60 minutes of offensive Steeler football. It’s getting so that a defense just isn’t safe anymore. The Packers, for instance, after their 52 to 17 loss to Detroit on Oct. 26, held Philadelphia to 10 points, the lone TD coming on a pass interception runback; the Bears to 28 points, two TD’s coming on kickoff runbacks and the other two after the Packers had a 41-14 lead; the Giants to three points; and the Texans to 14 points. Then what happened? The Detroits scored 48 points on our boys Thanksgiving day, which is a lot of turkey. The Packers gave the Lions at least 21 points on fumbles, which brings to the score down to 27 – still three more than the Packers scored. If the Packers hadn’t fumbled, it is logical to assume that they might have advanced the ball for additional yardage, thus improving their chances to score more. The Lions today rest as the best defensive club in the league on points (too bad they don’t play Pittsburgh next Sunday). The Lions allowed an average of 16.5 in 10 games. Which proves that the Packers’ 24 points on Turkey Day was quite a feast. Funny thing, the Packers’ defense isn’t the worst in the league if you deduct the “one hundred” scored by Detroit in two games. The Lions, who have some sort of hex on the Bays, somehow made us lose 10 fumbles. In addition, they intercepted seven of our passes. The Motorists must be playing with magnets. The Packers have allowed 243 points in 10 games – an average of 24.3. Take off that “hundred”
PACK OPENS DRILLS FOR DO-OR-DIE TILT
DEC 2 (Los Angeles) - The Green Bay Packers started practice in Gilmore stadium here this morning for their do-or-die struggle against the Los Angeles Rams in the Coliseum Sunday afternoon. While the Packers kept an eye out for possible Ram spies, the Rams came forth with two pieces of news, one of which may have a bearing on the crucial game. End Bob Carey, the Rams’ rookie from Michigan State, may miss the contest because of a sprained neck. He suffered the injury when he crashed into the San Francisco Forty Niner players’ bench during last Sunday’s game. The other item concerns the Rams’ Bob Waterfield, one of pro football’s all-time great quarterbacks, who announced that he is retiring from the game at the close of the season. The Ram team captain, with eight years of service in the pro ranks, notified President Dan Reeves that he would not be available for the second year of his $18,000-a-year contract. He has private business interests, is under contract to Sam Katzman, Columbia pictures producer, and may do some coaching. He has appeared in several films and has been encouraged to further his career in that line by his actress, Jane Russell…IN NEED OF A REST: Waterfield has had moments of brilliance this year, but a leg injury has handicapped him and, at 32, he admits he feels “pretty old and in need of a rest.” The Packers will never forget his last “moment of brilliance.” The sharp shooter led his Rams to 24 points and a 30 to 28 victory over the Packers in Milwaukee Oct. 12. The Rams’ only six points in the first three quarters came on field goals by Waterfield. Carey also figured in that once in a lifetime, 24-point rally. He picked up a fumble by teammate Dan Towler and ran for a touchdown. A noted figure in these parts is Jumbo Jim Stydahar, the Packers’ administrative assistant to head coach Gene Ronzani. Stydahar, who joined the Packers Nov. 15 to help the club with its draft, is back in LA for the first time in years as an enemy. Joe head coached the Rams to the conference title in 1950 and the world’s championship last fall. He left the Rams early last October…FAMILIAR WITH PERSONNEL: Since Stydahar is well acquainted in these parts, the Rams aren’t likely to put their spy system to work. Joe, incidentally, is also familiar with the Ram personnel. The Packers will get a full week of practice for the payoff contest. When the trips were arranged several months ago, the Packers planned to move into LA on Wednesday, but the importance of the race forced Ronzani to take advantage of the “off” weekend (due to the Thanksgiving day game in Detroit) and leave sooner.
LAYNE ENJOYS ALMOST COMPLETE IMMUNITY AGAINST PACKERS?
DEC 2 (Green Bay) - The Packers sputtered like mad on the long bus ride from Briggs stadium in Detroit to Willow Run airport Thanksgiving day – especially the defensive linemen. “Those blanket-blanks were holding all afternoon and they got away with it,” some of the Bay players screamed, adding, “we repeatedly told the officials but they only laughed at us.” One of the individuals pointed out, “those films ought to be shown to the commissioner. You know what happened last year to a Cleveland Brown tackle? Everybody complained so much about his holding that they finally did examine the pictures and the guy never ‘held’ again. Both he and the officials were given plenty of warning.” The Packers don’t make a habit of bellowing at the officials – at least, publicly, and that’s why we hesitate to name names. But it seems strange that the Packers, in two games against Detroit, were able to throw Lion passers (Bobby Layne) for only a total loss of 27 yards – six in the 52 to 17 game in City stadium Oct. 26 and 21 in the 48 to 24 beating in Detroit. The Lion offensive line isn’t that good and the Packers’ defensive unit is a darned sight better than 27 yards. In the four victories between the two losses to Detroit, the Bays threw Philadelphia, Chicago Bear, New York and Texan QBs for a total loss of 172 yards attempting to pass. Why should they miss fire against the Lions? Why should Layne get almost complete immunity in the face of such chargers as ends John Martinkovic and Ab Wimberly, tackles Dave Hanner, Wash Serini and Tom Johnson, middle guard Ray Bray and linebackers Bob Forte, Deral Teteak and Hal Faverty? It’s possible for a defensive line to be off key, but the Packers went into that game a highly-keyed team – especially the defensive gents whose play has been one of the highlights of the ’52 Packer season. Of the 21 yards the Packers were able to smash Layne back, 16 were negotiated in the space of 50 seconds just before the half. The Lions recovered a fumble on their own 17 and then worked an 18 yard pass from Layne to Cloyce Box. With about 50 seconds left in the half, Layne was downed for two successive losses – five by Serini and 11 by Martinkovic and Wimberly, as the Lions appeared content to freeze the ball until the half. The other setback occurred the first time the Lions had their hands on the ball in the game, Wimberly dumping Layne back five yards. We’re wondering if the Lions didn’t resort to holding just after this opening play. On the next play, Layne barely got off a pass to Leon Hart, but, on the next, an incompleted pass from Layne to Jug Girard, the Lions were penalized 15 yards for, you guessed it, holding. That was the only holding penalty and the only standard 15-yarder called in the entire game – on either side. Despite the fierceness of play, the officials called only a total of eight penalties for 60 yards – five for 35 on Detroit and three for 25 on the Packers. One time the Packers lost four yards on an interference penalty on Detroit but, of course, got an automatic first down – so they’re not kicking. After Detroit went ahead 17-3, the Packers reached the Detroit 28 on a 26-yard run by Tobin Rote. Fred Cone lost five to the 33. Rote, back to pass, fumbled and Detroit recovered. The official signaled interference (or holding the intended receiver beyond the line of scrimmage) and the ball was placed on Detroit’s 37 – four yards back of the scrimmage line. The Packers went on to score in two plays.
MCFADIN GETS RELEASE, MAY PLAY SUNDAY
DEC 2 (Los Angeles) - Lewis (Bud) McFadin, University of Texas’ All-American guard in 1950, was discharged from the Air Force yesterday and will join the Los Angeles Rams tomorrow. The 235-pound, 6-foot, 3-inch Texan may play for the Rams against Green Bay here Sunday, Coach Hampton Pool announced. McFadin was the Rams’ No. 1 draft choice in 1951 and was voted the most valuable player in the College All-Star game at Chicago that year. “McFadin hurt his foot playing for the Carswell Air Force Base team this season,” Pool said. “If he is all right now we may use him against the Packers.”…MUST RELEASE ONE: Under NFL rules, a discharged veteran can work with a team for two weeks without being place on the active list. However, if McFadin is used Sunday, Pool will have to release another player to keep the roster within the league limit of 33 men. Joe Stydahar, who was ousted as boss of the Rams last Sept. 29, once described McFadin as “the greatest physical specimen I ever have seen.” The titanic Texan, only 22 years old, has tremendous shoulders and a waspish waist. McFadin was rated as one of the fastest lineman in the Southwest Conference in 1949-50. Stydahar, incidentally, returned here yesterday with the Packers…JOE NOT COACHING: Several weeks ago, Jumbo Joe received an emergency call from Coach Gene Ronzani when the Packers’ chief talent scout, Jack Vainisi, was taken ill. “My sole duties with Green Bay have to do with the draft list for 1953,” said Stydahar. “It all paperwork; I don’t do any coaching for Gene.” Joe thinks his old team will win the championship for Hamp Pool, as they did for him last year…STILL GOING UP: “The Rams haven’t reached their peak; they’re still going up,” he said. “Everybody else in the league is down. Detroit, in particular, is in poor physical shape.” He didn’t say the Rams would beat Green Bay, though. Neither club worked out yesterday. The Packers hope to begin practice today, but Pool won’t meet with his Rams until tomorrow. Bob Carey, who suffered a sprained neck in the 49er game Sunday, was placed in a traction yesterday at Queen of Angels Hospital. It is doubtful that the Ram rookie end will be able to play Sunday.
RAMS MAY LOSE CAREY FOR BAY TILT
DEC 2 (Los Angeles) - The Los Angeles Rams may be without the services of their brilliant rookie end, Bob Carey, for Sunday's game at Los Angeles with the Green Bay Packers. The former Michigan State star suffered a badly sprained neck in last Sunday's game with the 49ers.
LEAGUE'S TOP PASSER, RUSHER CLASH IN RAM-PACKER CONTEST
DEC 3 (Los Angeles-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The NFL's leading ground gainer and passer will be opponents when the Packers tangle with the Los Angeles Rams in their vital National conference match in the Coliseum here Sunday afternoon. The Packers will send forth their veteran quarterback, Tobin Rote, who presently is pacing the league in throwing the pigskin - with an average of 8.86 yards. He's the only eight-yard average hurler in the circuit. The Rams possess the top soil scorcher in Deacon Dan Towler, who bounced into the van with a hot performance over San Francisco last Sunday. Towler, who replaced the New York Giants' Eddie Price, has gained 792 yards in 130 attempts for an average of 6.1. Rote will be staging a private battle with the Rams' Norm Van Brocklin who ranks second in passing, with an average of 7.94. Rote completed 64 passes in 120 attempts for 1,063 yards and 12 TDs. Tobin's completion percentage of 53.3 is best in the circuit. Van Brocklin, with a percent of 52.7, completed 87 out of 165 tries for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Packers' Babe Parilli, only rookie among the first six, ranks fourth behind the Cleveland Browns' Otto Graham. Babe completed 58 passes in 136 attempts for 1,005 yards, 11 TDs, a completion percentage of 42.6, and an average gain per pass attempted of 7.39. The Rams are gearing up their defense to stop the Packers' brilliant rookie end, Bill Howton, who caught three TD passes from Rote in the loss to Detroit on Thanksgiving day. Howton ranks fifth in the league with 39 catches for 869 yards and 11 TDs. His yardage total and TDs are tops in the league. He is averaging over 22 yards per catch - also best in the circuit. Howton, with an 18-point spree against Detroit, now ranks fourth in scoring with 66 points. Above him are Gordon Soltau of San Francisco, with 81, Lou Groza of Cleveland, 78, and Bob Walston of Philadelphia, 71. The Rams have two ends among the first 10 in pass catching - Bob Carey, tied for seventh with 35 catches; and Tom Fears, eighth with 34. The Rams' Elroy Hirsch isn't among the top 10 since he was out most of the season with various injuries. He's back in form now, however. The Rams' great quarterback, Bob Waterfield, is three points behind Howton in scoring. Waterfield hasn't scored a TD, but he has 33 extra points and 10 field goals, including three against the Packers in Milwaukee Oct. 12. Both Van Brocklin and Waterfield are rising among the top 10 punters. Van Brocklin is third with an average distance of 44.3 yards, while Waterfield is seventh with 41.9. Parilli held onto 10th, despite a tough afternoon in Detroit, with an average of 40.5. The statistics reveal at least four more worries for the Packers. Woodley Lewis of the Rams leads the league in punt returns, with 15 for 299 yards - an average of 19.9. Volney Quinlan, the Rams' tiny mite, is seventh in punt returns with an average of 11.9 and ninth in kickoff returns with an average of 25.9. Rote and Parilli have been informed that Dick Lane and Herb Rich, Ram defensive back,
are tied with Tom Keane of the Texans for the interception lead, with eight each. Rich returned his for 201 yards and one TD...The Packers are working in the afternoon this week in Gilmore stadium. It's something of a novelty for the Packers, who haven't drill in the afternoon since early in the season. The stadium isn't available in the morning since the Rams use it at that time. Lindell Pearson, the former Detroit back, likely will be added for Sunday's game. He'll replace fullback Fred Cone, who was injured in the Lion game Thanksgiving day. Cone didn't make the trip. Pearson would be at one of the halfback spots, which means that the fullbacking will be in charge of two rookies - Bobby Jack Floyd and Bill Reichardt.
TOBIN ROTE STRENGTHEN HOLD ON PASSING LEAD
DEC 3 (Philadelphia) - Tobin Rote of the Green Bay Packers strengthened his hold as the NFL's leading passer, despite the Packers' defeat by the Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day, the latest averages released Wednesday revealed. Rote boosted his average gain per pass from 8.54 yards to 8.86. He has completed 64 out of 120 for 1,063 yards. His completions include 12 touchdown passes. Norm Van Brocklin of the Los Angeles Rams remained in second place, but his average gain dropped from 8.23 yards to 7.94. Babe Parilli, the other half of the Packer throwing team, slipped from third place to fourth. Parilli has completed 58 out of 136 attempts for 1,005 yards. Bill Howton, Packer end, gained in two divisions. He moved from eight in pass receiving to a tie for fifth with 39 receptions for 869 yards and 11 touchdowns and from sixth to fourth in scoring with 66 points. Gordon Soltau, San Francisco 49er end, leads in scoring with 81 points and Mac Speedie of Cleveland in pass receiving with 55 for 849 yards. Fred Cone, Packer fullback who was injured in the Detroit game, dropped from fifth to 10th in scoring. He has 53 points. Parilli remained in 10th place in punting with a 40.5 yard average. Horace Gillem of Cleveland leads with 46.7. Billy Grimes clung to 10th place among punt return leaders with a 9.9 yard average. Woodley Lewis of the Rams sets the pace with a 19.9 average. Other leaders include Dan Towler of the Rams in ground gaining with 792 yards; Lynn Chadnois of the Pittsburgh Steelers in kickoff returns with a 36.1 yard average, and Herb Rich and Dick Lane of Los Angeles and Tom Keane of the Texans in pass interceptions with eight apiece.
$250,000 TICKET SALE NFL PRICE TO BALTIMORE
DEC 3 (Baltimore) - The NFL hung a steep price on a franchise for Baltimore Wednesday. Bert Bell, league commissioner, offered to restore pro football here if fans will buy $250,000 worth of season tickets within six weeks. When that's done, Bell said, Baltimore will have a franchise after a two year lapse. "I don't have an owner now," he said, "but I guarantee you will have one. The reason I don't have one is I'm not going to make any agreement with an owner who is not going to operate the franchise as a business, 365 days a year." He said he had "two or three" in mind. Players would be those not on the Dallas Texans roster. Baltimore had a franchise for three years in the All-America Conference and then lasted one year in the NFL, when the two were consolidated in 1950. Some among Baltimore's sports element felt 15,000 advance sale was impossibly high. Bell admitted only two teams in the league, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, had been able to see 15,000 or more tickets in advance this season. The selling is to be directed by 12 directors of the board of the old Baltimore Colts. It was felt also that it is going to be hard to "sell" the Baltimore fans on the Texans as a team. The Texans have won only one out of 10 games.
RAMS SHARE PRACTICE FIELD WITH PACKERS
DEC 3 (Los Angeles) - Hoping to kill their opposition with kindness before Sunday's encounter, the Rams will share their Hollywood Baseball Park practice quarters with the Green Bay Packers today. Hamp Pool will put his charges to work for the first time this week in the morning while Gene Ronzani follows up on the afternoon shift at the diamond. The Packers will undoubtedly have a big edge in the efficiency of their outpost guards during the drill. Ex-Ram Head Man Joe Stydahar, now a Green Bay assistant, should be able to spot the enemy from home plate to deep centerfield. Lewis (Bud) McFadin, Los Angeles' first draft choice in 1951, is due today, flying in from Texas on the heels of an Air Force discharge. The former University of Texas All-American guard will be checked out for the possibility of signing immediately for Sunday's game.
EXPECT 50,000 FOR PACKER-RAM CLASH
DEC 4 (Los Angeles-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A crowd of 50,000 - with good weather - is expected for the crucial Packer-Ram football battle in Coliseum here Sunday afternoon. Newspapers out here are joining in adding fuel to the fan fire with "announcements" that the Rams fear the Packers especially because their former head coach, Joe Stydahar, is now in the Packer camp. The importance of the contest, however, in the National conference race has been the biggest reason for the upswing in ticket sales this week, Ram officials say. Both clubs are still in the running for the NC title - or at least a tie for it. Los Angeles and Detroit currently are tied for first place with 7-3 records while Green Bay and San Francisco are knotted in second with 6-4...DETROIT RESULT AT KO: The Detroits will be playing the Chicago Bears in Detroit, and the result of the game will be known just about the time the Packers and Rams kick off. A victory for the Bears, which is not impossible, would put LA in the lead alone, for the moment, and give the Packers a chance to creep into a first place tie - if they can beat the Rams. The press out here is referring to Stydahar, administrative assistant to head coach Gene Ronzani, as one of the Packer coaches. The Rams, as a result, are reportedly readying some "new stuff" for the Packer game -
something, at least, that Joe isn't familiar with. The Packers are working afternoons in Gilmore stadium while the Rams drill in the same spot in the mornings. Both team have guards posted against spies. The Packers, headquartering in the Hollywood-Roosevelt hotel, are meeting every night at 8 o'clock for chalk talks...ROTE VS. VAN BROCKLIN!: Both clubs reportedly are getting ready for a stiff aerial duel between the Bays' Tobin Rote, the top passer in the league, and the Rams' Norm Van Brocklin, rated second in the loop. Backing them up are Bob Waterfield, the Rams' captain and quarterback who generally has a hot time against the Pack, and one of the leading rookies in the league - the Bays' Vito (Babe) Parilli, who is fourth in passing in the circuit. Waterfield, who has been injured most of the season, is 14th. The Packers also face the unhappy task of stopping Deacon Dan Towler, the great Ram fullback, who leads the league in ground gaining. Towler is averaging 6.1 yards in 130 attempts. The Packers do not have a ground gainer in the top 10.
PACKERS' BILL HOWTON SETS AMAZING RECORD
DEC 4 (Los Angeles) - In and around the friendly city of Green Bay, Wis., the natives rank Don Hutson right alongside George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Hutson came off the University of Alabama campus in 1935 to join the Green Bay Packers. He was an instant sensation as a pass receiver and in his 11 seasons with Green Bay he became the greatest touchdown scorer in NFL history. Yet the Packers, who confidently expect to knock off the Rams here Sunday, have a rookie end who is far greater than Hutson was in his freshman year as a pro...TALL TEXAN: Bill Howton's his name. He's a Texan, from Rice University, stands six feet, two inches, weighs 185 pounds, and seemingly is as wraithlike as the immortal Hutson. Better than Hutson? Well, let's see. In 1935, the Alabama ace caught 18 passes, good for 420 yards and seven touchdowns, in 10 games. In 10 games this season, Howton has hauled down 39 passes, cashing them in for 869 yards and 11 touchdowns. Not until his eighth year in the league - 1942 - did Hutson equal or exceed Howton's yardage or touchdown totals. That was his greatest season, when he gained 1,211 yards and scored 17 times. Crazy Legs Hirsch of the Rams tied the touchdown record and beat Hutson's yardage mark last year. We all thought Tommy Fears was stupendous - and he was - as an NFL freshman in 1948, but his 51 receptions for 698 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games don't begin to compare with Howton's first-year feats...WATERFIELD RALLIES: Hamp Pool's rambunctious Rams know all about the baby-faced Texan. Along with his fellow end, Bob Mann, and passers Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli. Howton ran the Hampsters dizzy last Oct. 12 in Milwaukee. Howton caught five passes for 156 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown toss from Rote. Mann, the former Michigan Rose Bowler, only caught four for 58 yards, but two of them were good for six points apiece - one from Rote, another from Parilli. Green Bay had a 28-6 lead going into the fourth quarter, only to see it erased by Bob Waterfield's greatest game of the year. In 12 minutes, the Ram captain rallied his men from a 24-point comeback and a 2-point victory. But for that "impossible" splurge, Green Bay now could be tied with Detroit and Los Angeles would be fighting for a share of first place. Howton, Rote and Parilli, along with the Rams' Norm Van Brocklin, Waterfield, Bob Carey, Tom Fears, Dan Towler, Woodley Lewis, Herb Rich and Night Train Lane, are among the statistical standouts in the latest NFL release. In team standing, Los Angeles leads in total points, with 276; pass interceptions, 28, and yards returned in interceptions, 508. Green Bay is third and Los Angeles fourth in total offense, behind Cleveland and San Francisco.
OFFER TEXANS TO BALTIMORE
DEC 4 (Baltimore) - Baltimore, which seeks a franchise in the NFL, was offered a ready-made team (the Dallas Texans) Wednesday, but at a price. Bert Bell, league commissioner, offered to restore professional football here if the fans would buy $250,000 worth of season tickets within six weeks. If that is done, Bell said, Baltimore will have a franchise again after a two year lapse and then he will find an owner for it. "I don't have an owner now," he told a news conference, "but I guarantee you will have one. The reason I don't have one is because I'm not going to make any agreement with an owner who is not going to operate the franchise as a business, 365 yards a day." He had he "two or three" in mind. The deadline for sale of 15,000 season tickets is January 22, when the annual league meeting will be held. The Texans' franchise was forfeited after being transferred this year to Dallas from the New York Yankees. Baltimore had a franchise three years in the All-America Conference and one year in the NFL after the two were consolidated in 1950.
LAW OF AVERAGE ON PACKERS' SIDE
DEC 5 (Los Angeles-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Green Bay Packers feel that they have the law of averages on their side for Sunday's crucial football battle against the Los Angeles Rams in the Coliseum. The Rams will enter the game with eight straight victories over the Packers under their belts - a string that started in the second game in 1948. The Packers blanked the Rams, 16-0, in the opener that year in Green Bay but the Rams took the nightcap in Los Angeles, 24-10. The Rams roared to lopsided victories the next three years, 48-7 and 35-7 in '49, 45-14 and 51-14 in '50 and 28-0 and 42-14 in 1951. The two clubs didn't play a close one until last Oct. 12, when the Packers lost one of those "once in a lifetime" games, 30 to 28. The Bays held a 28-6 lead with three minutes gone in the fourth quarter when the Rams went on a 24-point rampage. The Packers proceeded to win five of their next seven games and place themselves in a contending position - one game behind the Rams. The Rams lost only one game since the narrow victory over the Packers - a 24-16 decision to Detroit. The Rams, currently deadlocked with Detroit atop the conference standings with 7-3 records, are favored by about 10 points to defeat the Packers. The Packers and San Francisco are tied with 6-4 marks. Detroit plays the Chicago Bears in Detroit Sunday. The Packers will be without the services of fullback Fred Cone, place kicking specialist who was injured Thanksgiving day against Detroit and did not make the trip west. Cone will be replaced by Lindell Pearson, a former Detroiter who can play both offense and defense. With Cone hone, the Packer fullback chores will be handled by two rookies, Bill Riechardt of Iowa and Bobby Jack Floyd of TCU. The Packers worked on defense this afternoon in Gilmore stadium. Their biggest task will be holding down the Rams' powerful passing attack - and especially Elroy Hirsch, who is coming back strong after early season injuries. Norm Van Brocklin has been handing most of the passing, although Bob Waterfield likely will see plenty of action. The Packers, headquartering at the Hollywood-Roosevelt here, will remain in Los Angeles next week to prepare for the San Francisco game.
PACKER DEATH EXAGGERATED: 'TEX' TWAIN
DEC 5 (Green Bay) - Tex Reynolds, the nationally-known humorist and columnist from the Racine Journal Times, liked the Packers' escape from death to Mark Twain's famous quote - "The Story of My Death has been greatly exaggerated" - at the weekly meeting of the Men's Quarterback club at East High school auditorium last night. The public speaking expert recalled "that period when just about everybody in Wisconsin had the Packers dead and buried," but added, "I'm sure the story of the Packers' death has been greatly exaggerated." Reynolds was referring to the 1948-49 period when the Bays were losing games and money hand over fist and in danger of collapsing. Introduced by chief quarterback Ted Fritsch, Reynolds brought forth the story about the golf match between SS Peter and Paul on the Heavenly course - "They each got a hole in one on the first hole and followed with the same kind of shooting on the next few holes. Finally, St. Paul said, 'Look, Pete, let's cut out the miracle.'" Tex, of course, was referring to the Packers' present upsurge in the NFL, saying, "The Packers are as close to a miracle as they could ever come in view of their immediate past seasons."
Reynolds, who generally watches the Packers play in Milwaukee and rarely misses a broadcast, said he thought the new boys like Parilli, Howton, Johnson, Logan and otehrs were "doing a great job." He touched on the Bear castoffs, too. "I hear that all over the state, about the Packer picking up former Bears, but can you imagine where the Packers would be bow without Bray, Serini, Keane and some of the others." Reynolds, who has struck up a fine friendship with Don Hutson, the Packer immortal who is now in business in Racine, brought some interesting quotes from Hutson. "And I supposed you'd be interested in what Don thinks of your Bill Howton (the Packers' pass-catching end, who has been likened to Hutson.) Don says he sees no limit to what Howton can do in the pro league. 'He's got good timing, he can get out in the open and he's got sticky fingers,' Huston said." Reynolds quoted Hutson as saying that "Parilli is the best T-formation quarterback I've ever seen, but you won't see the real Parilli until the Packers are able to get more halfbacks." Speaking of Tony Canadeo, the Packers' great halfback who is playing his last season, Reynolds quoted Don as saying this: "Of all the players I've known, Canadeo was unique in that he gave everything he had on every play; that can't be said about any other players, including myself." Charley Brock, president of the Packer Alumni association which sponsors the QB clubs, thanked members of the Alumni and the quarterbackers for their cooperation in making the current season a success. Since the Packer-Lion game pictures were not back from California yet, the Packer-Texan game was shown. Fritsch said that it is hoped to show the Packer-Lion and Packer-Ram game pictures next Thursday night.
POOL FEARS COMPLACENCY ON RAM TEAM
DEC 5 (Los Angeles) - Hampton Pool, the old spoilsport, keeps hammering away at his Rams that the NFL's western division race still is a four-horse contest, that anything can yet happen...and (sob!) probably will. The kill-joy coach is scared half to death that complacency, a highly contagious disease which has proved practically fatal to a few ball clubs this year, will prove the undoing of his troops on the eve of their finest hour...STATISTICAL INJECTION: Dr. Pool has inoculated the Rams with Green Bay statistics having do with the aerial antics of Bill Howton, Babe Parilli, Tobin Rote and Bob Mann. He figures maybe the shock treatment will help some. He has left them with the sobering thought that if the Dallas Texans can beat the Chicago Bears (who beat Detroit, the 49ers and Green Bay), the only sure way to avoid defeat is to draw a bye. But the Rams don't have a bye Sunday; they gotta play the Packers. Gene Ronzani's Green Bays, along with the 49ers, are only a game behind the Lions and Rams (7-3-0), and with two rounds of play remaining any one of the four teams could win the pennant outright...SAME SITUATION: The same situation held on the very last round last year, with the Rams, Bears, 49ers and Lions in contention. With all the precincts heard from, Los Angeles was nominated; the 49ers and Lions tied for second, half a game behind, and the Bears wound up in fourth place, merely one game in arrears. The possible win-lose-tie combinations involving the four current contenders are too numerous to mention; suffice to say that it could happen here. Sunday will be your last look at Tony Canadeo in moleskins. After 11 years of sterling service, the Packer halfback is hanging 'em up. Like Bob Waterfield, he means it this time. Tony said the biggest thrill of his career came when Green Bay beat the Bears at Wrigley field this season for the first time since 1941 - the year he broke in as a rookie...BEST OPPOSITION: The ex-Gonzaga flash, who has more skin than hair on his dome, was asked to name the greatest players he faced. Here they are: Baugh, Luckman, Stydahar, Standlee, Dudley, Benton, Filchock, Matheson, Waterfield, McAfee, Hewitt, Van Buren and Bray. Canadeo and Ray Bray, the old Bear middle guard, now are roomies when the Packers travel. Bray, who can do 50 pushups with his right arm, said he'd put in with Tony on that all-time list, but added the name of Wilkin, Hein, Goldenberg, Letlow, Barbour and Kinard, and allowed as how the hardest runner he ever tackled was Green Bay's immortal Clarke Hinkle. Bray is an 11-season vet himself.
PACKERS EYE 'MUST' WIN
DEC 5 (Los Angeles) - The Los Angeles Rams will tote a string of eight straight victories over Green Bay into their Sunday clash with the Packers as the two teams battle to stay in contention for the National Conference lead. The Rams, currently deadlocked with Detroit atop the conference standings with 7-3 records, are favored to clip the Wisconsin club which last beat the Coast team in 1948. A win is a must for the Packers, however, if they are to remain in the standings' upper bracket. The Packers will be without the services of fullback Fred Cone, place-kicking specialist, who was injured Thanksgiving Day against Detroit and did not even make the trip west. He will be replaced on the 33-man roster by Lindell Pearson, a defensive halfback picked up from Detroit, with rookies Bobby Jack Floyd and Bill Reichardt handling the offensive chores. The Packers, drilling here daily for the past week, will have a revenge motive in the clash. In their first meeting of the year, at Milwaukee, Green Bay held a 28-6 lead with three minutes gone of the fourth quarter, but the Rams wiped it out with a terrific rally to win, 30-28. Green Bay will remain on the coast to wind up the season next week at San Francisco.
PACKERS TACKLE CHAMPION RAMS IN 'MUST' CONTEST
DEC 6 (Los Angeles) - The Green Bay Packers, bolstered by the telegraphed good wishes of hundreds of fans back home, face the world champion Los Angeles Rams in a crucial National conference football game in the giant Coliseum here Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 4 o'clock, Green Bay time, and a crowd of 60,000 or more - with good weather - is expected. The two teams - each with a chance for the National conference championship - will enter the contest knowing the result of the important Chicago Bear-Detroit Lion game in Detroit. This game starts at 1 o'clock, Green Bay time...TIED FOR FIRST PLACE: The Rams and Detroit are tied in first place with 7-3 records while the Packers and San Francisco Forty Niners are knotted in second place with 6-4 marks. The Forty Niners will be meeting Pittsburgh in Frisco Sunday. A four-way tie is possible if all goes as the Packers hope. This would result if the Packers beat the Rams, the Bears downed the Lions and the Forty Niners beat Pittsburgh. The experts don't figure the Packers to win, however. They rate the Rams a 10-point choice. The Packers are the big surprise out here. Green Bay wasn't figured to have a smell of this year's championship. Yet, the Packers are still much in the running. Los Angeles, with seven victories in its last eight starts, is expecting the Packers to come out with blood in their eyes Sunday. The Bays are still steaming about their 30-28 loss to the Rams in Milwaukee Oct. 12. The Packers lost one of those "once in a lifetime" games that day. They held a 28-6 lead until the Rams went hot and scored 24 points in the last 24 minutes. That one game, it developed, prevented the Packers from holding a first place tie with Detroit today. Packer head coach Gene Ronzani is expected to bank heavily on his pitching attack, with quarterback Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli doing the hurling and such ends as Bill Howton, Bob Mann and Jim Keane catching. Howton is the current rage, what with 11 TD receptions to his credit...WENT 132 YARDS: The Packers' big hope will be their line - especially the two defensive ends, John Martinkovic and Ab Wimberly, who have the best chance of containing the Rams' vaunted air game. Ram head coach Hamp Pool plans to thrown Deacon Dan Towler and Tank Younger, a pair of 225-pounders, against the Packers. Whether the Packers can handle this sort of beef may determine the outcome. Towler went for 132 yards against San Francisco last week, much of it with Younger clearing the way with his powerful blocks. Tank gained 30 yards on his own and had a 97-yard run called back by a penalty. Norm Van Brocklin likely will carry the passing load for the Rams, although the Packers' No. 1 jinx is Bob Waterfield, LA's captain and quarterback who has been injured. Waterfield engineered the winning drive against the Bays in the hectic opener. The Packers, headquartering at the Hollywood-Roosevelt hotel here, are being flooded with good luck messages from Green Bay fans. Captain Bob Forte will read a number of them at dinner tonight and at the usual Saturday night squad meeting. The Bays will remain here next week to prepare for the Forty Niner game in San Francisco Dec. 14.
SLOW TRACK CONFRONTS RAMS AND PACKERS
DEC 6 (Los Angeles) - With the threat of a slow track just one more thing to worry about, the Rams and Green Bay Packers yesterday ended their training chores for tomorrow's important NFL contest at the Coliseum. While the field will be protected by a tarp until game time, a hard or prolonged rain would flood the turf, just as it did prior to the Ram-49er game here two weeks ago...TIE COULD RUIN RAMS: The drainage system at the Coliseum is anything but good. Water cascading down the slopes of the big bowl washes onto the field and seeps under the tarp. Stadium Manager Bill Nicholas has plans to improve the system before the '53 season. By using mud cleats, the Rams were able to run for 149 yards against the 49ers here. They found the center of the field fairly firm, but the sidelines were mushy and squishy...SET CLUB RECORD: A "Mud Bowl" battle on the morrow very likely could result in a scoreless tie. And a tie at this point would be nearly as bad for the Rams as a loss, considering that they're neck and neck with a Detroit team which figures to subdue the Chicago Bears and Dallas as its closing games. Muddy going also would reduce Deacon Dan Towler's chances of becoming the first Ram in history to rush for 1,000 yards. The pious pigskinner, who believes that it is more blessed to give than to receive, has given the opposition its lumps to the tune of 792 yards. He needs 208 strides in two games to hit the jackpot. Last year, he broke Dick Hoerner's club record by galloping 854 yards and he looks like a cinch to exceed that. However, he would have to average 177.5 yards against Green Bay and Pittsburgh (next week) to break Steve Van Buren's NFL rushing record. The great Philadelphia halfback piled up 1,146 yards in 1949. If past performances mean anything, the Deacon won't be the only galloper tomorrow. Green Bay's quarterbacks like to lope a little, too...ROTE LED RUSHERS: Babe Parilli tore off the game's longest run and nearly beat the Rams in last August's College All-Star game. Tobin Rote sported the best rushing average in the league last year, a singular achievement for a quarterback. He averaged 6.9 yards to Towler's 6.8. The Texas sharpshooter also ran 91 yards in 13 tries in the Ram-Packer game at Green Bay last October. Gene Ronzani's team, in training here since Monday, is in good shape. Fullback Fred Cone and tackle Howie Ruetz didn't make the trip, but the others are rarin' to go. The crack Ram ends, Bob Carey and Crazy Legs Hirsch, were wounded up north last Sunday. Carey's neck got jammed, but he hopes to play. All Hirsch wants for Christmas is a new front tooth. Bud McFadin's foot arch is giving him trouble, so the big rookie guard from Texas probably won't even suit up tomorrow.
Texans, who scored win No. 1 at the expense of the Bears Thanksgiving Day. San Francisco, which cooled off after a blistering start, will be at home to the bristling Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers must win in order to retain even the slightest chance of horning in the championship picture.
RAMS, PACKERS BATTLE TODAY
DEC 7 (Los Angeles) - Jumbo Joe Stydahar and his - oops! - Gene Ronzani and his Green Bay Packers present the next-to-last hurdle today for the Los Angeles Rams in their breathtaking comeback. If the Rams can beat the Packers at the Coliseum today and repeat against Pittsburgh next Sunday, they'll have no worse than a tie for their fourth consecutive National Conference championship. It's a 2 o'clock kickoff today, and, weather willing, some 55,000 fans are expected to sit on in what promises to be an extremely tense tussle. Hampton Pool's comeback kids are two-touchdown favorites to sweep their seven straight game. They taken eight in a row from the Packers since 1948...STARTED BALL ROLLING: It was the dramatic 30-to-28 victory over Green Bay last Oct. 12 which started the ball rolling. While dropping a heartbreaker to Detroit the following week, the team "found" itself at Milwaukee and has been playing football ever since. Thanksgiving is long gone, but it's Cold Turkey Day for both Los Angeles and Detroit today. Deadlocked for first place at 7-3-0, both must win to keep ahead of challenging Green Bay and San Francisco (6-4-0)...LIONS VS. BEARS: Detroit hosts the Chicago Bears and the result of this game will be known to the Rams when they take the field for the kickoff. The Bears beat 'em two weeks ago, 24-23, and figure to be pretty hostile following that upset loss to Dallas. I give Halas Tech a strong chance today. Buddy Parker's Lions are hard hit by injuries to such key men as Doak Walker, Cloyce Box and Lou Creekmur. The presence of Stydahar on the Packers' side of the field lends drama to today's presentation. While the former Ram mentor insists he has no coaching duties under his old Bear buddy, Ronzani, it goes without saying that Jumbo Joe has participated in the Packers' councils of war, knowing what he does about the Rams...TOP AERIAL GAME: He'll probably be on the scouting phone high in the stands today. With its brilliant aerial attack, Green Bay is a formidable foe. The Packers split a pair with the Bears; walloped the Giants, 17 to 3, and beat Philadelphia, among others. Their one bad game was against Detroit, when they fumbled all over the joint and blew a 48-24 duke. In Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli, they have the first and third-ranking hurlers in the league, with 12 and 11 touchdown tosses, respectively. They like to run from the spread, too. Rote is the club's top ground gainer with 279 yards in 50 attempts. Parilli, the rookie ace from Kentucky, has a respectable 4.7 average for 23 carries...RANGY MR. HOWTON: Ronzani wouldn't swap his rookie end, Bill Howton, for any guy in the league. The rangy Rice race has notched 11 touchdowns and gained 869 yards on 39 receptions. Don Hutson didn't come close to that record as a Packer rookie. At left end is the equally dangerous Bob Mann, who has caught 27 passes for 467 yards and six touchdowns. Two of his TDs were registered against the Rams, while Howton counted once on a 69-yard thrust. Fiery Tony Canadeo and Breezy Reid will start at halfback, while rookie Bobby Jack Floyd of TCU at fullback and Rote at quarterback...ROUGH OUTFIT: For a team embracing 13 rookies and seven castoffs, the Packers are a rough outfit. They had a 28-6 lead on the Rams going into the fourth quarter last time. Hoping to get a jump this trip, Pool will start his No. 1 backfield of Norm Van Brocklin, Dan Towler, Vitamin Smith and Tank Younger. Van Brocklin is challenging Rote for the aerial crown. Towler is pacing the NFL's rushers, Smith is..well, Smith is Smith, and Younger is the best back on the team, according to Ye Old Rams. We also got guys like Hirsch, Lewis, Carey, Fears, Waterfield and Quinlan to harass our guests, plus a defensive platoon which has made a fine art of repulsing the enemy. In their last six outings, Paul, Rich & Co. have been nicked for an average of only 14 points a game.
PACKERS EYE REVENGE AGAINST RAMS
DEC 6 (Los Angeles) - If ever a football team had a right to seek revenge, it's the Green Bay Packers, who clash with the red hot Los Angeles Rams here Sunday afternoon. The game starts at 4 o'clock Wisconsin time and will broadcast over the Wisconsin network with WEMP as the Milwaukee outlet. It was back in Milwaukee on October 12, that the Packers fell victim to one of the miracle rallies of all time. They were leading the Rams 28-6 going into the fourth quarter. By game's end the Rams were ahead 30-28. But for that unbelievable turnabout, the Packers would be tied with the Lions for the National Conference lead instead of the Rams. As things stand, the Rams and Lions are deadlocked, each with seven wins and three defeats. Green Bay and San Francisco are just a game off the top, with two games to go. So it goes without saying this is a must for coach Gene Ronzani's boys, who have practiced here all week and are fired up by a flood of telegrams from the home folks in Green Bay. The Bays will be without the services of Fred Cone, who was injured Thanksgiving Day at Detroit. Taking the place of the hard running fullback and place kicking specialist will be Bobby Jack Floyd and Bill Reichardt. Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli, who will match passes with Norm Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield, and brilliant pass catcher Bill Howton are the Packers' main offensive hopes as they try to halt the Rams' six-game winning streak. The Lions will try to sew up a piece of the National Conference crown in a return meeting with the well-scrambled Bears at Detroit - a game that shares Sunday's spotlight with the Rams-Packers and Cleveland-Cardinals. The Browns, leading the American section, can clinch at least a tie by knocking off the Cardinals at Chicago or the flag outright, should the current runners-up Giants and Eagles both lose. The injury-riddled Giants entertain Washington while the Eagles play host to the orphan
