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PACKERBANNER.jpg

The 1953 Green Bay Packers - 2-9-1 (6TH - Western Conference)

Head Coaches: Gene Ronzani (2-7-1) and Hugh Devore/Ray McLean (0-2)

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NFL-PACKERS-1951-1954.gif

1953 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (1-4)

                                                                                                                                                               OFF     DEF

AUGUST (1-1)                              RESULT    RECORD    ATT RSH PSS RSH PSS STARTING QB         LEADING RUSHER           LEADING PASSER         LEADING RECEIVER

22 New York Giants at Minneapolis        W 31- 7    1- 0-0 20,560

29 Chicago Cardinals at Spokane, WA      L  7-13    1- 1-0 17,000

SEPTEMBER (0-3)

5  G-WASHINGTON REDSKINS                 L  6-13    1- 2-0 16,425

12 M-PITTSBURGH STEELERS                 L 23-26    1- 3-0 16,859

19 at Cleveland Browns                   L 13-21    1- 4-0 22,336

1953 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS

SEPTEMBER (0-1)

27 M-CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-0)              L  0-27    0- 1-0 22,604  93  55  96 270 Tobin Rote          Fred Cone (35)           Tobin Rote (55)        Three tied with 2 each

OCTOBER (2-3)

4  G-CHICAGO BEARS (0-1)                 L 13-17    0- 2-0 24,835  82 188  81 139 Tobin Rote          Breezy Reid (27)         Tobin Rote (200)       Byron Bailey (4-100)

11 M-LOS ANGELES RAMS (1-1)              L 20-38    0- 3-0 23,353 106 172  92 320 Babe Parilli        Tobin Rote (53)          Tobin Rote (162)       Clive Rush (7-101)

18 G-BALTIMORE COLTS (2-1)               W 37-14    1- 3-0 18,713 303  34  65 128 Tobin Rote          Al Carmichael (73)       Tobin Rote (35)        Breezy Reid (3-25)

24 at Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)          L 14-31    1- 4-0 22,918  34  91 282  69 Babe Parilli        Babe Parilli (16)        Babe Parilli (74)      Billy Howton (7-53)

31 at Baltimore Colts (3-2)              W 35-24    2- 4-0 33,797 231 173 171  97 Tobin Rote          Breezy Reid (120)        Babe Parilli (99)      Two tied with 2 each

NOVEMBER (0-3-1)

8  at Chicago Bears (1-5)                T 21-21    2- 4-1 39,889  94 237  54 234 Tobin Rote          Fred Cone (47)           Tobin Rote (124)       Bob Mann (6-101)

15 G-DETROIT LIONS (5-2)                 L  7-14    2- 5-1 20,834 133 228 132 163 Babe Parilli        Breezy Reid (53)         Tobin Rote (136)       Billy Howton (5-84)

22 M-SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-3)           L  7-37    2- 6-1 16,378 184  32 290  63 Tobin Rote          Breezy Reid (81)         Babe Parilli (54)      Two tied with 2 each

26 at Detroit Lions (7-2)                L 15-34    2- 7-1 52,607 154  73 210 141 Babe Parilli        Breezy Reid (67)         Babe Parilli (103)     Carl Elliott (2-33)

DECEMBER (0-2)

6  at San Francisco 49ers (7-3)          L 14-48    2- 8-1 31,337  94 190 115 176 Babe Parilli        Fred Cone (43)           Babe Parilli (149)     Billy Howton (5-79)

12 at Los Angeles Rams (7-3-1)           L 17-33    2- 9-1 23,069 157  82 158 305 Tobin Rote          Breezy Reid (54)         Tobin Rote (90)        Al Carmichael (2-8)

G - Green Bay  M - Milwaukee

1953 IN REVIEW

The Packers fell back into last place, as the promise of 1952 was quickly extinguished when Green Bay lost its final four exhibition games and first three regular season games. A brief burst in the middle of the season (2-1-1) was quickly forgotten as the Packers lost their last five games. The Executive Committee openly second-guessed head coach Gene Ronzani at every opportunity. Certain members of the committee even asked players what they thought the coach was doing wrong. The players backed up their coach, but the turmoil did not help a team that was weak to start with. Finally, with two games left in a dismal campaign, the committee fired Ronzani, issuing a statement that he had resigned. Assistants Chuck Drulis, Hugh Devore and Ray (Scooter) McLean were appointed to take over, but after three days the committee dropped Drulis from the equation. Regardless, the Packers dropped both games under their new co-coaches to end their worst season since 1949 (2-10), and the hope and promise of their .500 record in 1952 was a distant and fading memory.

JIM RINGO: THE HALL-OF-FAMER WHO ALMOST WAS NOT

SOURCE: Pro Football Researchers.com - Jim Ringo looked around Green Bay's 1953 training camp and decided he didn't below there. Not only was he a lowly seventh round draft choice from a school that had lost its last football game 61-6, but he was also dreadfully small compared to the other centers in camp. Sticking around was a waste of time. He decided to go home. But back in Easton, PA., both his wife and his father jumped all over him. How could he quit after only two weeks without rally giving himself a chance? Besides, asked his father, where else could he earn $5,250 for four months' work? Ringo returned to the Pack, and the rest, as they say, is history. He not only earned the starting center job but went on to become one of the top pivots in the Game's history -- six times all-NFL, ten pro bowl selections and election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981. By 1959, Jim was regularly winning individual honors, but the Packers seldom won any games. Then Vince Lombardi arrived to change all that. As one observer put it: "When Lombardi built the Packers, he started with his only All-Pro, Jim Ringo, and filled in the other All-Stars around him." Ringo anchored the offensive line on championship teams in 1961 and 1962. After a near miss in 1963, Lombardi reshuffled the Pack. Jim was traded to Philadelphia where he put in four more all-star years. His final game was his tenth pro bowl. Jim used quickness, desire, and savvy to make up for anything he may have lacked in bulk. He learned fast and he was durable. After injuries knocked him out of the final seven games of his rookie year, he never again failed to answer the starting gun. When he retired, he held the record (since broken) for consecutive games played -- 182.

Born: Orange, N.J., November 21, 1932  Hgt: 6-1  Wgt: 230  College: Syracuse

Pro Teams: Green Bay Packers 1953 - 1963; Philadelphia Eagles 1964 - 1967

All-Pro: 1957, AP; 1959, AP, UPI; 1960, AP, UPI; 1961, AP, UPI; 1962, AP, UPI; 1963, AP, UPI

Pro Bowl: 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967

Pro Football Hall of Fame: 1981

NAME              NO  POS HGT  WGT COLLEGE        YR PR  A  G HOW ACQUIRED

Dick Afflis       72    G 6- 0 250 Nevada          3  3 24 12 1951 Draft-16th 

Ben Aldridge      40   DB 6- 1 195 Oklahoma State  1  4 26  8 1953 Trade-SF

Byron Bailey      20   HB 5-11 198 Washington St   1  2 22  9 1953 FA-Det (52)

Don Barton        43   HB 5-11 175 Texas           1  1 23  5 1953 FA

J.R. Boone        22   HB 5- 9 167 Tulsa           1  6 28  8 1953 FA-SF (52)

Buddy Brown       62    G 6- 1 220 Arkansas        1  3 26 11 1953 FA-Wash (52)

Al Carmichael     42   HB 6- 1 190 USC             1  1 24 12 1953 Draft-1st 

Gus Cifelli       73    T 6- 4 250 Notre Dame      1  4 27 12 1953 Trade-Detroit

Fred Cone         31   FB 5-11 197 Clemson         3  3 27 12 1951 Draft-3rd 

Larry Coutre      27   HB 5-10 180 Notre Dame      2  2 25  7 1950 Draft-4th 

Gib Dawson        26   HB 5-11 180 Texas           1  1 23  7 1953 Draft-4th 

Bobby Dillon      44   DB 6- 1 185 Texas           2  2 23 10 1952 Draft-3rd 

Carlton Elliott   80    E 6- 4 220 Virginia        3  3 25 12 1950 Draft-13th 

Howie Ferguson    37   FB 6- 2 210 No College      1  1 23 11 1953 FA

Bill Forrester    69   DT 6- 3 230 SMU             1  1 21 12 1953 Draft-3rd 

Bob Forte          8   LB 6- 0 205 Arkansas        7  7 31 11 1943 Draft-11th 

Dave Hanner       77   DT 6- 2 250 Arkansas        2  2 23 12 1952 Draft-5th 

George Hays       88    E 6- 2 185 St. Bonaventure 1  4 28  9 1953 FA-Pitt (52)

Billy Howton      86    E 6- 2 185 Rice            2  2 23  8 1952 Draft-2nd 

Marvin Johnson    41   DB 5-11 185 San Jose State  2  3 26  7 1952 FA-LA

Dick Logan        67   DT 6- 2 230 Ohio State      2  2 23 12 1952 Trade-Cleve

Ace Loomis        43   DB 6- 1 190 UW-La Crosse    3  3 25 10 1952 FA-Cleveland

Bob Mann          87    E 5-11 175 Michigan        4  6 29 10 FA- 1950-Detroit

John Martinkovic  83   DE 6- 3 240 Xavier          3  3 26 12 1951 Trade-Wash

Johnny Papit      22   HB 6- 0 190 Virginia        1  3 25  4 1953 Trade-Wash

Babe Parilli      15   QB 6- 1 190 Kentucky        2  2 23 12 1952 Draft-1st 

Floyd Reid        24   HB 5-10 185 Georgia         4  4 26 12 1950 FA-Bears

Jim Ringo         51    C 6- 1 190 Syracuse        1  1 23  5 1953 Draft-7th 

Tobin Rote        18   QB 6- 3 200 Rice            4  4 25 12 1950 Draft-2nd 

Howard Ruetz      75    T 6- 3 250 Loras           3  3 26  5 1951 FA-LA

Clive Rush        81    E 6- 2 197 Miami (OH)      1  1 22 11 1953 FA-Cardinals

Steve Ruzich      61    G 6- 2 225 Ohio State      2  2 24 12 1952 FA

Dan Sandifer      23   DB 6- 2 190 LSU             2  6 24  1 1952 Trade-Phil

Dave Stephenson   53    G 6- 2 225 West Virginia   3  4 27 12 1951 FA-LA (1950)

Len Szafaryn      68    G 6- 2 230 North Carolina  2  3 25  7 1950 Trade- Wash

Deral Teteak      66   LB 5-10 210 Wisconsin       2  2 23  7 1952 Draft-9th 

Clayton Tonnemaker58   LB 6- 2 235 Minnesota       2  2 25 12 1950 Draft-1st

Val Joe Walker    47   DB 6- 1 179 SMU             1  1 23 12 1953 Trade-NY

Anchor 1

NAME              NO  POS HGT  WGT COLLEGE        YR PR  A  G HOW ACQUIRED

Dick Wildung      70    T 6- 0 230 Minnesota       7  7 32 12 1943 Draft-1st 

Roger Zatkoff     74    T 6- 2 215 Michigan        1  1 22 12 1953 Draft-5th 

NO - Jersey Number POS - Position HGT - Height WGT - Weight YR - Years with Packers PR - Years of Professional Football AGE - Age at Start of Season G - Games  Played FA - Free Agent

1953 PACKERS DRAFT (January 22, 1953)

RND-PICK NAME                  POS COLLEGE

1  -   7 Al Carmichael          HB USC

2  -  19 Gil Reich              HB Kansas

3  -  31 Bill Forester          DT SMU

4  -  43 Gib Dawson             HB Texas

5  -  55 Roger Zatkoff           T Michigan

6  -  67 Bob Kennedy             G Wisconsin

7  -  79 Jim Ringo               C Syracuse

8  -  91 Lauren Hargrove        HB Georgia

9  - 103 Floyd Harrawood         T Tulsa

10 - 115 Victor Rimkus           G Holy Cross

11 - 127 *-Joe Johnson          HB Boston College

12 - 139 *-Dick Curran          HB Arizona State

13 - 151 *-Bob Orders            C West Virginia

14 - 163 *-Charles Wrenn         T Texas Christian

15 - 175 Gene Helwig            HB Tulsa 

16 - 187 John Hlay              FB Ohio State 

17 - 199 Bill Georges            E Texas 

18 - 211 Jim Philbee            HB Bradley 

19 - 223 *-Bill Lucky            T Baylor 

20 - 235 John Harville          HB Texas Christian 

21 - 247 Bob Conway             HB Alabama 

22 - 259 Bill Turnbeaugh         T Auburn 

23 - 271 Bill Murray             E Am. Interna.

24 - 283 Jim Haslam              T Tennessee 

25 - 295 Ike Jones               E UCLA 

26 - 307 *-George Bozanic       HB USC

27 - 319 James McConaughey       E Houston 

28 - 331 Zack Jordan            HB Colorado

29 - 343 Henry O'Brien           G Boston College  

30 - 355 Al Barry                G USC

* - Juniors

1953 PACKER TRANSACTIONS

AUG 12 - Traded 1954 15th round pick to SAN FRANCISCO for DB Benny Aldridge

SEPT 22 - Traded 1954 6th round to DETROIT for OT Gus Cifelli. Traded 1954 4th round to WASHINGTON for RB Johnny Papit

OCT 9 - Traded rights to QB Arnie Galiffa to NEW YORK for 1954 1st round pick and DB Val Joe Walker

1953PACKERS-JAN-BrownsAllFiveWesternClubs.jpg

MONEY WILL BE NO. 1 SUBJECT AT NFL CONFAB

JAN 3 (Green Bay) - The enlarged United States dollar - thousands of 'em - may take the play away from hundreds of college football stars when the 12 clubs in the NFL gather in Philadelphia for their annual meeting Jan. 22. Early reports of League Commissioner Bert Bell in Philly indicate that money will be the No. 1 item of business. Others are returning Baltimore to the circuit, drafting 360 simon-pure athletes, and voting on several Bell-made suggestions - all aimed at saving money. Out east, they're referring to the upcoming meeting as the most vital in league history and entertaining the idea

1953PACKERS-JAN-DraftOrder.jpg

that the entire structure of the league might be overhauled. Bell has publicly stated that he is plenty worried about the future of professional football in the U.S. and he makes no secret of his concerns. Bell feels that "something has to be done about a business where you can lose more in one year than the average team can make in three years; we have to get this game down to a sound business basis where the operation is run with the mind and not the heart." Only four teams in the NFL made what financially minded people would call "real money". One or two teams edged in to the black and the rest wrote in red ink. The commissioner says something has to be done or the four money makers will be playing without the other eight. The commissioner said he will suggest two things that could relieve the dollar pressure: 1 - Cut the player limit from 33 to 30 players. 2 - Urge all clubs to cut their overheard expenses. On the first point the commissioner said that now the teams have a squad list of 33 players plus three on the injured list, which in reality means they're playing 36 players. "I say 30 players on a club are plenty. They'd have three allowed on the injured list so actually they'd have 33. The thing to do is hire more double duty ball players. We can't afford to pay specialists. Football players should be prepared to play offense and defense. It's okay in the colleges where most kids get a chance to play. But we're not giving out letters nor building character. We're in business. We play cold cash. Let's hire as many player as we actually need." On the subject of expenses, Bell also had a definite opinion. "I feel that clubs spend too much money on hotel and food bills. They don't have to stay at the best hotels in town and eat the most expensive food. They can stay at respectable, clean, good eating places. I wouldn't ask a boy to eat or sleep in any place I wouldn't eat or sleep. But, let's face it, our clubs today have to stay at the best." Bell said owners have to learn to judge players with their minds and not their hearts. "When you're paying big money and a man doesn't produce, either cut his salary or get rid of him. You can't be a philanthropist in pro football and make ends meet."...Reportedly, the commissioner is in favor of reducing the guarantee to visiting teams from $20,000 to $15,000. A visiting club receives $20,000 or 40 percent of the gate - whichever is greater...As if the financial structure of the league isn't bad enough, the government's anti-trust suit against the NFL's television policy comes up in federal court in Philadelphia Jan. 26 - the day after the annual meeting ends. The suit means a great deal to NFL clubs, including the Packers, who don't have their home games televised anywhere. If the league loses, salary scales in pro football may take a severe drop. It's this TV money which helps to pay the money day big salaries. Television money doesn't have to split with anybody. It's clear profit...The Packers, like  most of the other clubs, likely will be going after big, hard-running halfbacks. Almost all of the clubs likely will be in the market for Billy Vessels, the highly-publicized halfback from Oklahoma. Packer Coach Gene Ronzani is in Mobile, Ala.. today viewing the Senior bowl game. He'll return next week to complete plans for the Packers' select list. The Packers are one of six clubs still in the running for the bonus pick. These clubs will take part in drawing numbers out of a hat, the lucky coach receiving his choice of any player in the country. The regular draft, in which each club selects 30 players, will follow.

PACKERS IN 'MIDDLE' ON COLLEGE STAR DRAFT

JAN 7 (Green Bay) - The NFL's college player draft, which is designed to make the weak strong and the strong weak, will find the Packers practically in the "middle" when the twelve clubs gather for their annual picking party in Philadelphia Jan. 22. Which is to say the Packers will draft in the No. 6 position. Ahead of them will be Baltimore (Texans), first; the Chicago Cardinals and Washington, second and third; and the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh, fourth and fifth. Behind the Packers will be San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York, seventh, eighth and ninth; Cleveland 10th; the Los Angeles Rams 11th; and champion Detroit 12th. The order of the draft is based on the percentages of the previous season, with the bottom club drafting first, etc. In the case of a tie (with the exception of the champion, which automatically drafts last, or 12th, on each round), the coaches of the tying clubs flip a coin to see who will draw ahead of the other on the opening round. On the succeeding rounds, the clubs will alternate. A year ago, for example, the Packers and Cardinals finished in a tie for the second spot behind the New York Yanks. On the flip, the Cards won and they drafted second and the Packers third on the first round. On the next round, the Packers drew second and Cardinals third. Each team will select 30 players - one each in the 30 rounds. Preceding the draft will be the annual bonus pick, in which six "remaining" clubs, including the Packers, will draw numbers out of a hat. The winner gets his pick of any player in the country...Packer Coach Gene Ronzani, who will handle the selecting for Green Bay, just missed winning bonus pick in the last two years, the New York Giants landing halfback Kyle Rote in '51 and the Rams grabbing quarterback Bill Wade last January. Ronzani isn't revealing any possible draft names. He's merely hoping for "some luck" in the bonus session and, of course, in the entire draft. Ronzani will enter the selection event with lists and cards containing the names of thousands of potential professional players. And by "luck", Ronzani says he hopes the draft turns out as well a year ago, when eight out the 30 (a high percentage) made the team, including the top three picks - Babe Parilli, Bill Howton and Bobby Dillon. Ronzani, like other pro coaches, isn't tipping his hand on his top choices, although it seemed apparent last season that the Packers were in need of halfbacks. Gene feels that "the draft will be a success if we can draft good football players who want to play."...The Packers enter the draft with three "holdovers" from a year ago - boys who were selected in the 1951 draft for use in 1953. Actually, four "extras" were picked last January, but one of them, fullback Bobby Jack Floyd, decided to play pro ball in '52 - and made the team. The threesome already in the safe are tackles Jack Morgan of Michigan State and Charley LaPradd of Florida and halfback Billy Hair of Clemson. Both Morgan and LaPradd are war veterans, which should make them available for '53. Morgan stands 6-2 and packs 235 pounds, while LaPradd, named recently to the AP All-America defensive squad, goes 6-3, 222. Hair, a passer and runner, is slim at six feet, 178 pounds. Ronzani presently is putting the finishing touches on the draft list. Player Scout Jack Vainisi and backfield coach Ray McLean are at the NCAA convention in Washington, conferring with the college coaches on a number of prospects the Packers intend to draft.

BALTIMORE FANS HIT GOAL; SEEK OWNER

JAN 7 (Philadelphia) - A man with the necessary cash and character is all that’s needed today to bring Baltimore back into the NFL family. Pro football fans in Baltimore have signed up for 15,000 season tickets – the goal set by NFL Commissioner Bert Bell before he would grant Baltimore a franchise. Bell said Tuesday night he is ready to live up to his part of the bargain. The next step: To find somebody with about $200,000 to buy the franchise including the players of the defunct Dallas Texans. Baltimore would replace the Texans in the loop. Bell said all money realized from ticket sales in Baltimore – an expected $250,000 – must be used for club operation. There are two leading candidates for ownership: Carroll Rosenbloom, 45-year old wealthy Baltimore clothing manufacturer who played football at the University of Pennsylvania while Bell was coaching there; Bruce Livie, Baltimore owner of the Bluebonnet racing stable and head of the NFL ticket sale drive in Baltimore. Bell says he favors Rosenbloom. He described the Baltimoreans as the sort of civic-minded person the club and league could use. Rosenbloom is willing to purchase the new club, Bell said, except for one thing – he’s not happy about the personal publicity the job may entail. He may withdraw for that reason. Livie said a group of businessmen have asked him to head a syndicate of wealthy purchasers. “All of them are well-to-do and are more interested in keeping a team in Baltimore than merely making money out of the venture,” Livie said. Individual fans bought an estimate 85 percent of the 15,000 seasons tickets already sold. Tuesday night the American Oil company pledged to buy the final 2,000. Bell had set Jan. 22 as a goal for the 15,000 tickets. After the problem of ownership is solved, a coach must be found. For this job, Bell has been plugging Keith Molesworth, backfield coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and former coach at Navy.

AIR POWER? HOWTON AT RH, HIRSCH, BOX AT ENDS IN BOWL TILT

JAN 8 (Los Angeles) - Professional football’s greatest players added another tuneup drill to the schedule today as they prepare for the third annual pro bowl battle in Memorial Coliseum Saturday afternoon. The game, which will be televised – but not locally – by the National Broadcasting company, brings together all-star squads, representing the American and National conferences of the NFL. The rival coaches, Buddy Parker, who steered Detroit to the NFL championship and leads the Nationals, and runner-up Cleveland’s Paul Brown, guiding the Americans, planned a final rough workout today. Los Angeles, home of the Rams, is a National division town and, of course, is pulling for the Parker squad. The Rams are well represented on the all-star team. Included are fullback Dan Towler, end Elroy Hirsch, halfback Tank Younger, quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, linebacker Don Paul and linemen Stan West and Jim Winkler. The Americans will lead off with an offensive backfield that lists quarterback Otto Graham of Cleveland, halfbacks Ray Mathews and Lynn Chandnois of Pittsburgh and fullback Ollie Matson of the Chicago Cards. Parker will shoot first with quarterback Bobby Layne and halfback Bob Hoernschemeyer of the Lions, Towler and, in a switch, Bill Howton, sensational pass catching end for Green Bay, at right half. Parker obviously is air-minded. With Howton, Hirsch and Cloyce Box of Detroit, the latter pair at the ends, he has three of the finest receivers in the business. Alternating with thrower Layne will be Van Brocklin. Other Packers with the Nationals are defensive end Ab Wimberly and Deral Teteak.

FOUR OF SIX BONUS SELECTIONS PLAYING; AP ALL-PROS CHOSEN

JAN 9 (Green Bay) - How would you feel if you won the bonus pick and your selection didn’t make your team? It can happen. Six NFL teams won the right to name their choice in the annual pre-draft, drawing-out-of-a-hat ceremony. Four of the six stars chosen are playing today. One of the two, quarterback Bill Wade of Vanderbilt, never had a chance because Uncle Sam snapped him up before his civilian owners, the Los Angeles Rams, got around to opening the 1952 season. The Chicago Bears, who can get lucky at times, won the first bonus pick in 1947, but their selection, halfback Bob Fennimore of Oklahoma A and M, quit after averaging three yards on 53 carries as a rookie. Of the remaining four choices, only one made an all-pro first team this season – Chuck Bednarik, the elbowing linebacker of the Philadelphia Eagles, who won the honor on the AP squad. The other three players are end Leon Hart of Detroit, halfback Kyle Rote of New York and quarterback Harry Gilmer of Washington. Hart, a 260-pounder, probably is the best of the lot because of his ability to catch a pass, kill somebody when he starts running and play defensive end. Rote was bothered all 1951 with a chronic knee condition but finished seventh among league ground gainers in ’52 with a 4.1 average. Gilmer was moved away from Sammy Baugh’s shadow when Eddie LeBaron arrived and spent most of last fall as a halfback. Gilmer was famous at Alabama for his leaping pass which, of course, is suicide in the pro league. It’s a wonder he never was sliced in two sections, at that. The writers around the league seem to think a quarterback will be the bonus pick this year. Teams competing for the extra star are Green Bay, Cleveland, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Chicago Cardinals and Baltimore. The QB guess is based on the fact that LA’s Bob Waterfield, ‘Frisco’s Frankie Albert and Washington’s Baugh are retiring. LA and Washington can’t bonus anyway, but SF likely will go for the QB. The Cardinals and Baltimore are most hard up for QBs, while the Packers, Cleveland and Pittsburgh are fairly well set, barring a call or two from Uncle Sam. The country isn’t loaded with “name” QBs this year and the report is that the present crop isn’t as skillful as a year ago. The topsters in ’51 were Babe Parilli, the Packer, and LA’s Wade. Maryland’s Jack Scarbath is rated among the best QB bets for the picking party in Philadelphia Jan. 22. Others are Texas’ Tee Jones, Oklahoma’s Eddie Crowder, Charley Maloy of Holy Cross, Ted Marchibroda of Detroit and Dale Samuels of Purdue. Two other QBs who probably would have been high on the list are Tommy O’Connell of Illinois and Harry Agganis of Boston College, but both are unavailable. O’Connell was picked by the Chicago Bears last year after his original class was graduated and Agganis was chosen by the Cleveland Browns. Agganis, however, already has signed for a baseball career with the Boston Red Sox…The AP’s all-pro teams failed to come up with a Packer and only two Bays were given honorable mention – end Bill Howton and quarterback Parilli. Beating out Howton were Cloyce Box of Detroit, who did his damage in the last three games, and Gordon Soltau of San Francisco. We’re wondering if the balloting wasn’t gummed up along the way somewhere because the AP writer in the state cast votes for Packers John Martinkovic and Deral Teteak in addition to Howton and Parilli. Yet, Martinkovic and Teteak failed to get mention. Here are the AP’s two teams (no second teams were picked): Offense – Ends, Box and Soltau; tackles, George Connor, Bears, and Leo Nomellini, Forty Niners; guards, Lou Creekmur, Lions, and Lou Groza, Browns (Groza never played guard in his life); center, Frank Gatzki, Browns; backs, Bobby Layne, Lions, Hugh McElhenny, Forty Niners, Eddie Price, Giants, and Dan Towler, Rams. Defense – Ends, Len Ford, Browns, Pete Pihos, Eagles; tackles, Arnie Weinmeister, Giants, Thurman McGraw, Lions; guards, Stan West, Rams, Bill Willis, Browns; linebackers, Chuck Bednarik, Eagles, Jerry Shipkey, Steelers; halfbacks, Jack Christiansen, Lions, Ollie Matson, Cardinals; safety, Emlen Tunnell, Giants.

HOWTON HELPS NC BEAT AC IN PRO BOWL, 27-7

JAN 12 (Los Angeles) - The Green Bay Packers’ three players in the pro bowl football game made excellent contributions to the National conference’s 27-7 victory here Saturday. And Bill Howton figured as half of the day’s feature attraction. The big play of the game was the 74-yard scoring pass from Norm Van Brocklin of the Los Angeles Rams to the rookie from Rice. It was the first quarter, and the Nationals had scored once. The Americans had been held after the kickoff, and had punted to the Nationals’ 26. Van Brocklin went into the game for the first time. On the first play, he faded back and unlimbered one of the long, soaring tosses which made him the league’s outstanding passer during the 1952 season. Howton was going full speed down the right sideline. Full speed had to be exceptional because the pass was well ahead of him and running hard at his side was one of the best defenders in the league, all-pro Emlen Tunnell of the New York Giants…SEEMED TO STUMBLE: Howton caught the ball on his fingertips and kept right on sprinting. For a second, he seemed to stumble, but even so the speedy Tunnell couldn’t catch him. Cutting sharply out of the latters’ patch, he romped across untouched. As it turned out, it was the score which won the game and it left the crowd of nearly 35,000 gasping. Howton wound up the day with the best reception record on either squad, 81 yards in two catches. He figured in an offensive idea of Nationals’ coach Buddy Parker, which plagued the Americans all day – three top pass-catching ends. Parker used Elroy Hirsch and Cloyce Box on the ends, and worked Howton from the halfback spot. The Americans found the trio most difficult to defend against. Green Bay’s other players, end Abner Wimberly was the fastest down the field getting down under punts, and once drew the crowd’s cheers by driving between two interference runners and spilling Tunnell just when he seemed away after catching a punt…TETEAK ON OFFENSE: Teteak, along with other linemen on both sides, suffered somewhat from an apparent superiority of defense which held ground gains to surprisingly small figures but he was a standout offensively opening holes for the club’s Dan Towler, Joe Perry and Hugh McElhenny, when they needed yardage. The Nationals’ first score came on a 12-yard pass from Towler to McElhenny. Fullback Pat Harder, Detroit, added three extra points and kicked two field goals to help the Nationals along. It wasn’t until the final period that Otto Graham was able to steer his American teammates to a touchdown. The 82-yard drive was the longest of the game. Graham rammed across for the final yard.

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PUT CARDINALS IN NC? BATTLE LOOMS OVER BALTIMORE'S SPOT

JAN 13 (Green Bay) - Commissioner Bert Bell’s prediction last night that there’s “going to be a terrific fight in Philadelphia” over the conference in which Baltimore will be placed, brought a flood of comment from our town’s coffee corners. And it all simmered to something like this: Why not put Baltimore in the American conference and place the Chicago Cardinals in the National conference. Since all coffee drinkers here are Packer fans – first and last – it can be assumed that they had method in their madness. Like this, for instance: The two-game league rivalry between the Packers and Cardinals, dead since 1950 when the two clubs were placed in different conferences, could thus be resumed. The Packer-Card rivalry is the Bays’ second oldest, taking back seat only to the famed Packer-Chicago Bear series which is now 68 games deep in the record books. The Packers and Cardinals have engaged in 51 games, 29 decisions going to the Pack, 19 (including the last seven) to the Cards and three ending in knots. With Baltimore in the American conference, the league could resume its Eastern and Western division setups. The only “odd ball” in the American or Eastern arrangement, as it now stands, is the Chicago Cardinal entry. Baltimore, of course, succeeds Dallas which was in the National or Western conference. Present alignment of the two loops has Green Bay, Chicago Bears, Detroit, Los Angeles, Baltimore and San Francisco in the National and New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago Cardinals, Philadelphia and Cleveland in the American…ELIMINATE SCHEDULE DIFFICULTY: Return of the Cardinals to the Western division would eliminate some of the schedule difficulty brought about by the “must” two-game city league series between the Bears and Cardinals. Under league rules, teams of opposite loops play each other only once in the same season – with that one (Bear-Cardinal) exception. Teams in the same conference are supposed to play each other twice, although the Packers, for instance, only played the San Francisco Forty Niners once in each of the two seasons. Opposition to switching the Cardinals to the National conference could come from George Halas, owner-coach of the Bears. While such a change would continue the two-game Bear-Cardinal series, it would rule out a league championship playoff between the two clubs. The two teams never battled in a league playoff since the circuit was split into two divisions in 1933. Bell’s battle prediction is based on expected pressure from Washington to place Baltimore in the Eastern sector. The two clubs are only 50 miles apart, and Washington wants that two-games series – permissible if they’re in the same loop…COACHES ARE APPOINTED: The Philadelphia meeting, scheduled to start Jan. 22 with a rules session on Jan. 21, will have to decide on Baltimore’s status. The Baltimore team became more or less “official” yesterday with appointment of two coaches and a president and general manager. Appointed head coach was Keith Molesworth, the former Chicago Bear who served as backfield mentor at Pittsburgh last fall. Named line coach was Ray Richards, who held that post with the Los Angeles Rams. Don Kellett of Philadelphia will preside over the front office as president and general manager. In an opening statement, Molesworth said: “Anybody who wants to play with Baltimore is going to have to put out to the limit; if anybody doesn’t want to play football, we don’t want them. I assure you the boys are going to be in shape.” Molesworth went into coaching after six years as a backfield star with the Bears. He tutored in the Navy backfield for seven years and later coached the Honolulu Warriors in the Pacific Coast league. Molesworth also led the Richmond Rebels to championships in the American Football league in 1949 and 1950. Kellett, who admitted he was giving up a radio-television job for a “hazardous and dangerous” position, added his assurance he wanted a hustling, “hungry team”. Those who will be guiding Baltimore’s football fortunes next fall will be working under a make-or-break proposition…TEXANS WON ONE GAME: The grid game had tough sledding under the old Colts. They went out of business after the 1951 season with a showing of one victory in their last 25 league games in both the NFL and the defunct All-America loop. Over four seasons in both circuits, they mustered only 11 victories while losing 41 and tying another. The Texans, who will make up the nucleus of the new team, don’t look any better on the record. In 12 games the past season, they came out on top once. Bell said the Baltimore operators are going to “pay a player what he’s worth and no more just because he was somebody’s All-America in college.” The city won a franchise in the league by purchasing 15,000 season tickets.

PACKERS CLIMBING BACK?

JAN 13 (Milwaukee) - Are the Green Bay Packers climbing back up the financial ladder? The answer will be available after the club's annual meeting within a few weeks and the chances are it will be reassuring because of one major factor - the Packers have started to draw again on the road. A year ago the club lost $18,672. In six games away from home last fall the club attracted just under 50,000 fans more than the same number of appearances in 1951, and about 35,000 more than in 1950. The totals, if you're interested in figures, were 189,483 last season; 139,973 the year before and 155,569 two years ago. Home attendance was up over a year ago, too, but by the surprisingly small margin of only 1,200 fans. The 1952 home draw was 107,151 compared with 105,591 the previous year. Both totals were well below the 118,621 figure in 1950. As a matter of fact, 64 per cent of the fans who saw the Packers perform in 1952 watched them on foreign fields. That's an increase of seven percent over a year ago and eight percent over 1950. There was a consequent drop in the home gate. The percentage of home against road crowds shows where the Packers are hurting most - right in Milwaukee, their own backyard. Fans attending Packer games here have dropped steadily for three years - from an average of 17,282 in 1950 to 14,858 the next year down to 13,833 last fall. Green Bay, for the same years, averaged 21,014, 19,058 and 21,884. That fact might well be mirrored in next year's schedule, which will be drawn within the next few months following the annual NFL meeting in Philadelphia January 22. It's entirely likely that four home games again will be played at Green Bay and only two here, a return to the 1950-51 system after the three-three split tried last fall. Milwaukee officials, with a new baseball stadium which the Packers will try to use for football, certainly will oppose any such move. But past experience with meager Milwaukee gates could be the influencing factor. Black ink, after all, is comforting on anybody's books.

PACKERS START UPSURGE IN 5TH YEAR, FOLLOWING NORMAL TREND

JAN 14 (Green Bay) - The “new” Green Bay Packers are almost three years of age. It’s about time for a review! Looking back briefly, it can be recalled that (1) E.L. (Curly) Lambeau resigned as head coach and general manager on Feb. 1, 1950, and (2) just six days later Gene Ronzani, former Chicago Bear player and assistant coach, signed a three-year contract as Lambeau’s successor. The early 1950 switch represented one of the most drastic changes in the history of major league sports. There were some who predicted the downfall of the sports wonder of the world, but today the Packers rank as one of the bulwarks of the 33-year old league – one of the three charter members still in operation, to be more specific. Have the Packers progressed during the three years of the new regime? Here’s the playing record of the club:

        W  L .PCT  PS   OP

1950    3  9 .250 244  406

1951    3  9 .250 254  375

1952    6  6 .500 295  312

Totals 12 24 .333 794 1094

You’ll note that after two status-quo, 3-9 years, the Ronzani-coached Packers blossomed forth with a 6-6 season. They have shown improvement in the points scoring and allowed departments, the greatest advances being made in ’51 over 1951. The ’52 club scored 41 points more than the ’51 team and last year’s defense allowed opponents 63 fewer points than the ’51 outfit. The overall average shows the Packers’ scoring 20.4 points per game in three years compared to their opponents’ 30.4. Purely for comparative purposes, here are the standings of the Packers during Lambeau’s last three years: 

        W  L T .PCT  PS  OP

1947    6  5 1 .545 274 210

1948    3  9 0 .250 154 290

1949    2 10 0 .167 114 329

Totals 11 24 1 .314 542 829

The Packers of 1947-48-49 averaged 15.1 points per effort and permitted their opponents an average of 23.0. The fall and rise of the Packers in the six seasons is “illustrated” in the standings above. If you’ll recall, 1947 was one of those “toughies” highlighted by the loss of four games by nine points, but still the final record was 6-5-1. The sag started in ’48 and dropped one notch lower in ’49. The big rebuilding job started in ’50 and the result was one more victory than in ’49. Due to military calls and an unfortunate draft, no gain was shown in ’51 with the exception of fatter point columns. The successful draft a year ago set the stage for the upsurge last fall. Professional football experts figure it takes about five years to build a loser – via the draft – into a winner and even longer to reach championship heights. In addition, a certain amount of luck on and off the field is a virtual necessity to assure a .500 or better club. The Packers entered their fifth year since the skid in ’52, following the experts’ pattern. Ronzani set up shop here with a small nucleus from the 1949 team and Lambeau’s last college draft in January of 1950. Of the 30 players Curly selected, five made the ’50 Packers; a sixth, Carleton Elliott, made the grade in ’51; and a seventh player, Gordon Soltau, was traded to Cleveland for tackle Joe Spencer. The remaining five players were Clayton Tonnemaker, Tobin Rote, Larry Coutre, Jack Cloud and Leon Manley. They, together with Billy Grimes, Al Baldwin and Carl Schuette, who were obtained in the pro draft following the merger in ’50, played key roles on Ronzani’s first team. Just when it appeared that the Packers might be building up considerable strength for 1951, the military picture darkened. Tonnemaker, an all-pro as a rookie; Coutre; Len Szafaryn, who had been obtained in a trade for veteran Paul Lipscomb; and veteran Bob Forte were called into service. With the Korean war raging, most of the clubs, including the Packers, drafted married or older players in January of 1951 in the belief that some players would be better than no players. The crop didn’t pan out, however, and only three made the grade – Fred Cone, Dick Afflis and Ray Pelfrey. The No. 1 choice, Bob Gain, decided to play in Canada. Thus, the season of 1951 was all but lost! All of the clubs, again including the Packers, decided to take their chances with the military in the draft a year ago. As a result, the Packers came forth with eight shots in the arm – Babe Parilli, Bill Howton, Bobby Dillon, Dave Hanner, Tom Johnson, Bill Reichardt, Deral Teteak and Bobby Jack Floyd. In addition, the Packers obtained draft choices of three other clubs via trades – Steve Ruzich, Steve Dowden and Dick Logan. Of the 11 players, three or four may be lost to the military. Reichardt, the Iowa fullback, already has gone. But at least two of the ’50 stars are due back next fall – Coutre and Szafaryn – and there is an outside chance Tonnemaker may return for ’53. Coaching changes have been few during the three-year span. Ronzani started in ’40 with a fulltime staff composed of line coach Tarz Taylor, end coach Dick Plasman and backfield coach Ray Nolting. Hired on a temporary basis to help coordinate the T formation in 1950 was Clark Shaughnessy, who worked about a month. The 1951 season saw Ray McLean replace Nolting as backfield mentor and the addition of Chuck Drulis, a Packer in ’50, as line assistant. The same staff operated in ’52, although Joe Stydahar, the former Los Angeles head coach, was named administrative assistant to Ronzani late in the season. The new regime brought two other newcomers to the “team” office – Jug Earp, the former Packer all-time center who serves as public relations director, and Jack Vainisi, the Chicagoan and onetime Notre Dame tackle who works as a player scout and office assistant. The Packers of the last three years have shown up and downs at the gate. Unofficial home attendance for 1950 was 118,621 (six league games), but it dropped to 105,969 in ’51 and gained slightly to 107,151 in ’52. The 1950 road attendance (six league games) was 155,569. It skidded to 140,0332 in ’51, but leaped to an amazing 189,483 in ’52 – an increase of over 49,000. In the old regime’s last year (1949), the Packers drew 104,832 at home and 142,426 on the road. Financially, the Packers are expected to bat around .667. They made around $13,000 in ’50, dropped slightly over $18,000 in ’51, and are expected to show a profit for ’52. In short, they gained in two out of the three seasons. That, in brief, is the story of the new regimes. Chapter II will start immediately after the Jan. 22 draft of college players – the present regime’s third picking party!

PRO GRID SPORT IN CLASS BY ITSELF

JAN 15 (Green Bay) - Professional football sat in a class by itself today, following the killing of the two-platoon system by the colleges. The pro sport remains as the only full-speed-for-60-minutes gridiron nationwide spectacle, barring a chance to the “old days” by the NFL. And this is very unlikely – almost fantastic! Packer coach Gene Ronzani, who played and coaches in both systems as a pro, recalled today that professional football adopted two-platoon (free substitution) football as a means of making the game more spectacular and wide open. “It permits,” Gene said, “professional football players to go at top speed on offense and defense for 60 minutes.” Ronzani, reluctant to opine for or against the colleges’ decision, said he felt that the real purpose behind the move was to curb recruiting of college players. “It will stop the player evils that derived from the two-platoon system,” he said. The Packer coach did point out that the emphasis in college football likely would be on defense. The young athletes, Gene said, will have to learn to pace themselves for each game. The end of the two-platoon system by the colleges probably will be discussed by National league coaches at their annual rules meeting the night before the opening of the league convention in Philadelphia Jan. 22. The pro coaches, like most of the college coaches, undoubtedly are not in favor of returning to the old system. Commissioner Bert Bell recently suggested that pro clubs develop more two-way players in line with his request to reduce rosters from 33 to 30 players. The purpose behind this, of course, was to cut expenses. It is not believed that Bell wants to return to the no-platoon system since it would remove the “spectacular” from the game…While college coaches changed their practice plans for next fall, pro mentors continued plans for the draft in Philadelphia. Ronzani today welcomed Joe Stydahar, his administrative assistant, at the Packer office this morning. Stydahar arrived from his home in Los Angeles last night. Stydahar will assist in the Packers’ college player selections. He will accompany Ronzani, backfield coach Ray McLean and scout Jack Vainisi to Philadelphia. Stydahar joined the Packer staff Nov. 14 for the purpose of preparing the Packers’ draft list in the absence of Vainisi who at the time was recuperating from illness in Chicago…The first rumble was heard today on Commissioner Bell’s prediction that “there’ll be a battle over the conference in which Baltimore is placed.” It came from Pittsburgh where owner Art Rooney of the Steelers said he is considering switching his franchise from the American conference to the National conference. Several owners in both conference already have sounded him out, Rooney said. The question will be decided at the league’s meeting and all 12 clubs must approve the move. Rooney said some owners feel the Baltimore entry is not geographically located to replace the Dallas franchise. Bell awarded the Dallas franchise to Baltimore recently after the Texans folded for lack of money. The most logical team to replace Dallas in the National conference, Rooney said, would be the Chicago Cardinals, but conflicting dates with the Chicago Bears, already members of the National conference, must be considered.

GRID GIANTS TO ADVOCATE 33-MAN LIMIT AT NFL MEET

JAN 17 (New York) - The New York football Giants will advocate a more elastic schedule and a straight 33-man player limit at the NFL meeting, which opens next Thursday in Philadelphia. John V. Mara, Giants’ president, said today he wants a schedule which would bring all 11 other clubs in the NFL into the Polo Grounds over a three-year period. On the agenda for the NFL meeting are proposal to return the schedule making chores to the club owners from Commissioner Bert Bell and to reduce the player limit from 33 to 30. Under the present limit, Mara said, a club may place any number of players on a 30-day injury list. These men are outside the squad limit, so a club may carry 36 or even 40 players for a season. He favors a straight 33-man limit with injured men counted on the injured list at all times.

TAYLOR OUT AS LINE COACH

JAN 18 (Green Bay) - John (Tarzan) Taylor is out as line coach of the Green Bay Packers but reports that he would be replaced by Joe Stydahar, former head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, could not be confirmed Saturday. Coach Gene Ronzani, who has sole power to hire and fire his assistants, was not available for comment. John Torinus, a member of the NFL's club executive board, said Taylor, who three-year contract expired January 1, would not be back. "But I think they're all wet on Stydahar," said Torinus. "I don't know myself but I don't believe Stydahar will be with the Packers next fall." He said Taylor had told several friends that he was going into business and would not return to Green Bay. Stydahar, who resigned his Rams post early last season, later joined Green Bay as an administrative assistant and helped prepare the Packers' plans for the NFL draft.

DICK PLASMAN NOT RETURNING TO PACK IN '53; THREE LEFT!

JAN 19 (Green Bay) - Dick Plasman, the 16-year veteran of professional football as player and coach, said today in a letter to Packer coach Gene Ronzani that he does not plan to return in 1953. Plasman, who came to the Packers as end and defense coach in 1950, said that the press of business in Miami would keep him from rejoining the Packers. Plasman operates two cemeteries in the Florida city and he had planned to open a third. Plasman, who scouted the Orange bowl and a “star” game for the Packers recently, wished Ronzani and the Packers the best of luck in the future and wrote highly of his three years here. Moving his family back and forth and the expansion of his business – plus the fact that he could not give fulltime to his football duties – were reasons given by Plasman for not returning. Plasman joined the Chicago Bears in 1937 after making All-America at Vanderbilt. He played with the Bears through 1941 and gained the ranking as one of the pro game’s top all-around ends. He was called into the Navy late in 1941 and in 1946 he joined the Cardinals as player-coach. He coached under Jimmy Conzelman during the Cards’ championship regime. The Packer staff is now down to three members – Ronzani, backfield coach Ray McLean and line assistant Chuck Drulis. Though no official announcement has been made, line coach Tarz Taylor has told friends that he does not plan to return in ’53. Speculation that Joe Stydahar will take over as line coach has been in the air. Stydahar presently is here assisting scout Jack Vainisi and the coaches with the draft. Joe recently was named administrative assistant to Ronzani.

GENE RONZANI SIGNS 3-YEAR PACKER PACT

JAN 19 (Green Bay) – Head Coach Gene Ronzani has been signed to a new three-year contract with the Green Bay Packers, it was announced this afternoon. No terms were announced. The Packer head man, who came to Green Bay three years ago after Coach Curly Lambeau had resigned to join the Chicago Cardinals, and who has put the Packers on the comeback trail during his three-year regime, was thus given a vote of confidence by Packer officials as he prepared to leave for Philadelphia and the annual NFL meeting.

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RONZANI SET FOR THREE YEARS, POINTS TO DRAFT

JAN 20 (Green Bay) - Packer Coach Gene Ronzani, with a new three-year contract safely in the vault, left today for the NFL convention in Philadelphia and his third stab at improving the Packers via the college player draft. Ronzani actually is preparing for his fourth season as head coach, but this third picking parley. Curly Lambeau, who will be selecting for Washington, presided at the Packers’ 1950 draft, but resigned two weeks later (Feb. 1, 1950). Ronzani was signed to his first three-year contract six days later. Accompanying Ronzani by air to the Quaker City are backfield coach Ray McLean, scout Jack Vainisi and administrative assistant Joe Stydahar, the former Los Angeles Ram head coach. Line assistant coach Chuck Drulis may drive over from his home near Philadelphia to furnish assistance, President Emil R. Fischer, who is expected to fly in from Florida where he is vacationing, and board chairman Lee H. Joannes…Before leaving this afternoon, Ronzani said that “my one ambition is to get the Packers up there and to keep them there.” Obviously pleased and relieved over the executive committee’s action, Ronzani admitted that “the strides have been slow in the last three years, but I feel that we’re on the right track. It started to show up last year and with some luck we might have finished higher.” Ronzani’s 1950-51 teams posted 3-9 records, while the 1952 club finished with 6-6. Ronzani expressed satisfaction that “the Packers are sound financially; it means that we (the coaches and officials) will have to work all the harder to remain in that condition. The fans, too, face the same kind of ‘tough job’ in the future to make the Packers champions again.”…And speaking of work, Ronzani pointed out the giant job of classifying the thousands of prospective Packers will continue on the trip to Philadelphia and possibly late into Wednesday night. The draft is scheduled to start about 10 o’clock (Green Bay time) Thursday morning. Draft preparations generally get complicated a day or two before the actual picking starts. “You hear a lot of different rumors, some good and some bad, about some of the boys you plan to draft. Some of the rumors (as to their ability and availability) are true and some are false. All of these angles must be figured into our final selections.”…Ronzani has been mum on his top choices – names and positions – although he feels that the club needed help at the halfback spots last year. This, oddly enough, seems to fit into the general opinion that the No. 1 choice or bonus pick will be halfback Billy Vessels, the Oklahoma star. Teams in need of quarterbacks may pick Jack Scarbath, Maryland’s fine signal caller and passer. The college crop from 1952 is considered “thin” by comparison to 1951, when there were highly publicized and talented boys in each offensive and defensive position. That situation, plus the fact that the Packers drafted early, helped the Packers to their best draft in history. Eight of their selections, headed by quarterback Babe Parilli, made the club. The Packers will draw sixth this year. They alternated between second and third with the Chicago Cardinals last year…Asked about his assistants for 1953, Ronzani said: “At the moment, I’ve got to devote full time to players and the matter of adding a coach will have to be put off until after the draft meeting.” The coaching staff, not counting Stydahar – a former Chicago Bear tackle, presently has three members – Ronzani, McLean and Drulis. Definitely not returning in 1953 are line coach Tarz Taylor and end-defense coach Dick Plasman. Taylor handled the line along with Drulis while Plasman handled the telephones in the pressbox during games in addition to his coaching duties.

PEACEFUL DRAFT TO OPEN HOT NATIONAL GRID MEETING

JAN 21 (Philadelphia) - The lull before the NFL storm is scheduled to start here about 10 o’clock Thursday morning, Green Bay time. The peace and quiet represents the league’s 18th annual draft of college football players – an eight-hour procedure in which the 12 clubs will select a total of 361 players. Other than a few “oh fudges” and “darns” when one of their prospective stars is selected by some other team, the participating coaches will be a picture of bliss personified under the watchful eye of the master himself – Commissioner Bert Bell. Just before the main draft at the Bellevue-Stratford hotel, the Packers will try for their biggest stroke of luck in history – wining the bonus pick. The Packers are one of six clubs still eligible to select numbers out of a hat. The other five are the Chicago Cardinals, San Francisco, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Based on their finish last year, the Packers will draw sixth behind Baltimore, Washington, Pittsburgh and Chicago Bears and Cardinals. The bonus winning coach can take his pick of any collegian in the country, and the experts are certain the young man will be Billy Vessels of Oklahoma – the halfback who sparked Oklahoma’s great machine…While the coaches are stocking up on meal tickets, club officials likely will be sharpening their swords for all sorts of battles, expected to start officially sometime Thursday night. At least five different phases of business will form the basis for heated discussion, and, Mr. Bell hopes, some definite action. They are economy, conference alignment, game schedule, new playing rules and television. For the past six weeks, Commissioner Bell has expressed concern over the fact that only four or five teams make a decent profit and the rest struggle for survival. This has been the rule rather than the exception in the last 10 years. As an economy step, Bell hopes that the clubs will reduce the player limit from 33 to 30, thus cutting the overhead down to the tune of three players’ salaries – a total saving of approximately $14,000. Bell has indicated that he doesn’t favor cutting salaries, but he will ask clubs to level off salaries gradually and pay players what they are worth…The biggest beef on cutting the player limit is expected to come from the coaches who face the prospect of talking economy-minded club officials into keeping those extra three. Officers of most of the Eastern teams, with the exception of Cleveland, appear to be dead set on economizing via the lower limit. Packer head coach Gene Ronzani feels that reducing the limit will “help the Packers considerably from a strengthening standpoint.” In other words, a three-deep powerhouse like Detroit would have to cut three good players loose from its roster, thus making them available to the less fortunate. Most coaches, however, including Ronzani, also like to have 33 on the bench for the purpose of working a more versatile offense and defense. But the consensus here seems to be that playing rosters are almost certain to be cut from 33 to 30, although a stiff battle is expected…The rhubarb over conference alignment will develop when the clubs try to decide the future division home of the new Baltimore franchise, formerly the Dallas Texans of the National conference. George Marshall, owner of Washington, wants Baltimore in the American (Eastern) conference, which would mean moving the Chicago Cardinals, the only western team in the eastern loop, to the National. However, Managing Director Walter Wolfner of the Cards doesn’t want to leave the AC. Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney says he’d like to get into what he calls the “more lucrative” National conference…On the matter of rules, Bell once again will try to get the extra point eliminated and to have all league games played to a “sudden death” in event of a tie. Bell has been trying for years to cut out the extra point and coaches will discuss it at their rules meeting tonight. Bell’s proposal is based on the grounds that sometimes the contesting teams score the same number of touchdowns, which is a team effort, and then one team wins because of an extra point conversion. Bell contends that if they score the same number of touchdowns, they should keep on playing until one of the teams scores again or kicks a field goal. Bell also will recommend that, once an offensive player is tackles by the defense, he cannot get up and run again. He can get up if slips, but not if contact has been made with a defensive man. This is designed to prevent injuries in pileups. A number of coaches, including Ronzani, are in favor of a limited time penalty for disqualified players. Under the present rule, a player can be thrown out at any stage and he’s done for the day. Some of the coaches and owners would like to modify this to resemble the hockey rule which penalizes a player for seven or 10 minutes…The television situation will be discussed in detail since the government’s anti-trust suit against the league opens in U.S. district court Monday. The result could have a drastic effect on the league because TV money helps to pay big salaries. Still another point to be discussed will be a suggestion by Bell that guarantees be reduced from $20,000 to $15,000 in intra-conference games. The commissioner would maintain the $20,000 guarantee for inter-conference games. One owner reportedly wants to raise the guarantees.

HERE'S WHY THE PACKERS NEED SOME HALFBACKS FROM NL DRAFT

JAN 21 (Philadelphia) - Do the Packers need halfbacks? Look! Our HBs of 1952, and bless their blessed courage, picked up a total of 410 yards by rushing last fall. Tony Canadeo gained almost three times that much alone in 1949, so you can see that the 410 is abnormally low. A better comparison can be made by “matching” the Packer halfback total with that of the world champion Detroit Lions. The Detroit HBs gained, and hold your hat, a total of 1,007 – 476 from the left side and 531 from the right. That a total difference of 597 yards. Come to think of it, how did we ever win six games?! The Packers’ left halfbacks averaged an even 3.0 yards per try; the right halfbacks 2.9. Detroit’s lefties averaged 4.5, the righties 4.2. The Lion figures show exactly why there are in the market for a fullback. Their FBs, mostly Pat Harder, gained 270 yards for an average of 3.8. Maybe Mr. Harder is getting near the end of the line. The two clubs, for further backfield comparison, were about even at quarterback rushing. Babe Parilli and Tobin Rote gained 429 yards, an average of 4.7, while Detroit’s Bobby Layne and helper Jim Hardy piled up 422 – an average of 4.4. Thus getting back to the halfback figures, it is logical to assume that Packer coach Gene Ronzani might pick a halfback or 10. The best guess is that he’ll nab Billy Vessels of Oklahoma if he wins the bonus pick. If somebody else gets all the luck, Ronzani will have to wait until six players have been chosen (the bonus and the five clubs preceding the Bays) and Vessels will certainly be on somebody else’s roster by that time. Ronzani is faced with several problems – other than the natural halfback thing. What about Parilli? Is he due to be called before next season? If Ronzani feels that the boy might be lost, he may find it necessary to draft a quarterback early, thus putting off a halfback until the second round. How about a fullback? Fred Cone says he’s retiring and Bill Reichardt is already in service. Ronzani, of course, is armed with all sorts of possibilities. For instance, he may enter his first pick with the leading “name” backs already gone, but at his disposal might be a great linebacker or tackles – such as Donn Moomaw and Dick Modzelewski, respectively. Such stars, even though they don’t represent the top needs, would be welcome additions. Other than halfbacks and possibly a fullback, the Packers’ top need is an offensive center to fill the shoes of Jay Rhodemyre, who probably won’t return in ’53. Ronzani will be looking for a center who can also work as a linebacker, thus permitting him to carry an extra tackle or back. That, incidentally, will be a must if the league cuts the player limit from 33 to 30. After center, Ronzani will be looking for some big guards and defensive halfbacks. He has a nucleus of a sound tackle corps, what with Jack Morgan of Michigan State and Chuck LaPradd of Florida due to report next fall. They were selected for ’53 delivery a year ago. Ronzani’s main hope is to get “good football players who want to play the game – all the way.” If he managed eight out of the 30 he picks tomorrow (not counting the bonus?), he’ll consider himself extremely lucky!

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CARMICHAEL, REICH, FORESTER FIRST PACKER DRAFT PICKS

JAN 22 (Green Bay) - Diehard University of Wisconsin followers may regard it as traitorous but the Green Bay Packers today selected Al Carmichael, the man who beat the Badgers in the Rose Bowl game New Year’s day, as their No. 1 choice in the NFL’s 1953 college draft here. Carmichael, six feet and 185 pounds, caught the pass from reserve tailback Rudy Bukich that produced the game’s only touchdown as Southern Cal defeated Wisconsin, 7-0, in the Tournament of Roses classic. Packer Head Coach Gene Ronzani, who indicated before leaving for the NFL meeting that halfbacks would be top priority in his selections, picked another in his second choice. He drafted Gil Reich, the all-around back from the University of Kansas who came to the Jayhawks after being dismissed from West Point during the cribbing scandal there two years ago. Bill Forester, versatile Southern Methodist tackle, was the Packers’ third choice. Forester, who plays both offense and defense with equal facility, stands 6-foot, 1-inch and weighs 230 pounds…Ronzani continued his quest for halfbacks in making his fourth selection. He picked Gib Dawson, mercurial Texas runner who does the 100-yard dash in 9.6 seconds. Dawson, 5-11 and 175 pounds, led the Southwest conference in scoring last season with 71 points. In addition to running, he passes well and kicks extra points. Roger Zatkoff, topflight Michigan linebacker, was the fifth choice. He stands 6-1, carries 210 pounds. A homegrown Wisconsin product, Bob Kennedy of the Big Ten co-champion Badgers, was No. 6. The stocky guard – he stacks 222 pounds on a 5-11 frame – is a native of Rhinelander. Kennedy played in Green Bay’s first North-South all state high school classic under West High’s Frosty Ferzacca in 1949…San Francisco’s Forty-Niners won the league’s annual guessing game – the bonus pick - but it is not likely to be of immediate help to them. They chose Harry Babcock, an offensive end from the University of Georgia, who reportedly is also highly talented in baseball and probably will turn to that professionally. As expected, Oklahoma’s Billy Vessels was grabbed off in the first round. The spectacular climax runner was picked by the league’s new-old entry, Baltimore. This came as something of a surprise since the Colts, badly in need of quarterbacks, passed up one of the nation’s No. 1 field generals and one who undoubtedly would have helped them at the gate – Maryland’s Jack Scarbath. Scarbath shortly was snapped up, however, by Head Coach E.L. (Curly) Lambeau of the Redskins to help fill the void left by the departure of Slingin’ Sammy Baugh, who retired in December after a 16-year career. Johnny Olszewski, California’s All-America fullback, was tabbed by the Chicago Cardinals, and another Pacific coast standout, linebacker Donn Moomaw of UCLA, went to the Philadelphia Eagles. But he immediately became the property of the Los Angeles Rams, who obtained the rights to the Eagles’ first draft choice via the trade of Bobby Thomason to Philadelphia last year…Carmichael’s service status makes his selection doubly valuable to the Packers. Al, 24, served in the Marine corps during World War II and was named to the all-Marine eleven in 1945. Considered a good running halfback off the T-formation, Carmichael was an All-American junior college selection while at Santa Ana, Calif. Known, inevitably, as Hoagy, Al carried 68 times for 268 yards, an average of nearly four yards per try, as the Trojans drove to nine victories in 10 games last autumn. He is a native of Inglewood, Calif. Reich, 6 feet and 190 pounds, probably was one of the most accomplished backs in the collegiate ranks in 1952. Gil, who understudied Bob Blaik at West Point before the cribbing scandal broke, is an exceptional punter, an outstanding runner and an able long passer in addition to being a skilled defensive halfback. He was a rarity – a 60-minute player – for the Jayhawks…The league’s rules committee Wednesday night rejected all proposed code changes, leaving the NFL mode of play intact. Rejected by the committee were such proposals as: a “sudden death” playoff for any league game ending in a tie, a seven-point after touchdown eliminated, and short-time penalties for players charged with unnecessary roughness instead of banishment from the game. Commissioner Bert Bell gave out figures Wednesday to show that 1952 was the league’s most successful season. Total attendance for 72 regular season games drew 2,052,126 customers and the National conference and league championship playoffs attracted 97,507 more. That was an 8.6 percent jump over 1951. There’s a spot open in the National, or Western, conference, vacated by the defunct Dallas Texans. Big George Marshall, the influential boss of the Washington Redskins, wants Baltimore in the American conference to promote a natural rivalry against his club. And the new Baltimore owners would like to avoid the expensive trips to the West Coast. They already have put out $200,000 of the franchise and their choice of a rather nondescript lot of players on the league reserve list. That would mean shifting the Chicago Cardinals to the West, a move which would meet with resistance. There also is a proposal for an entirely new divisional alignment, dropping the present conference names…In spite of the apparent prosperity, Bell expressed deep concern over the “gamble” taken by the league’s second division clubs. They’re gambling on the weather and breaks to make a few thousand dollars against possible losses of $100,000 or more, Bell argued. “I’m interested in reaching the stage where there aren’t four or five or six clubs that can lose $100,000,” he said, “and to get there it has to be a business operation right down to the ground.” Bell had a sample of what can happen last fall, when the

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league had to take over the operation of the Dallas club in midseason and lost $69,200 operating it to finish. Outside of cutting the player limit from 33 to 30 players per team, which Bell estimates would have each club $20,000 to $25,000, the commissioner’s only suggested economies were riding in day coaches on occasion instead of chartered planes; stopping at less expensive hotels and refraining from paying huge salaries to untried college players.

NFL'S EASTERN CLUBS CASTING FOND GLANCES AT WESTERN HALF

JAN 22 (Philadelphia) - Most of the money in the world is supposed to be located in the east, but you’d never guess it by the talk at the NFL meeting here. It develops that the “big dough” is out west – in the league, you understand. That’s the consensus of such experts as Pete the Bellhop, the eastern writers and, of course, the owners of teams in the east. The Eastern clubs are tossing loving glance at those in the West. They’re interested in those big gates Los Angeles, Detroit, San Francisco and the Bears have been drawing – not to mention the standard guarantee-plus from the Green Bay Packers. They’ve noticed that the West has started to corner championships – Los Angeles and Detroit in the last two years. They’ve noticed that the West has the big color boys, the gate attractions in such as Elroy Hirsch, Bobby Layne, Leon Hart, Bill Howton, Babe Parilli, Hugh McElhenny – to mention a few. They’ve noticed that their trump card, the Cleveland Browns, are starting to get a bit rusty; that the big-city New York Giants are not packing the Polo Grounds; that their all-time, all-timer, Sammy Baugh, no longer will pull customers in (because he’s retired); and that one of their members, the Pittsburgh Steelers, has publicly stated that it wants to play in the same conference with the money bags of the west. Pittsburgh represents the biggest noise in the Eastern loop. The Steelers’ 63 to 7 whacking of the Giants put their club in the high-scoring Western bracket. And just to prove that they can pull in fans, the Steelers played before nearly 70,000 in Los Angeles in their 1952 finale. Art Rooney, owner of the Steelers who knows the value of a dollar, says he almost broke even for the season on that final game along. He’d like more of the same. Thus, he has told the powers that be that he’d like to go West and let Baltimore in the East. It is doubtful, however, if the league would permit the removal of Pittsburgh from the Eastern sector. The Steeler might be just the shot in the arm the East needs since Cleveland and New York have dominated the scene in the last three years. Pitt lost two games to Cleveland by a total of two points last fall, indicating that the young Steelers are on their way up. Regardless of the positions of Baltimore and Pittsburgh, it appears that the Western teams are in for a long reign. Detroit, largely a gang of kids with the exception of fullback Pat Harder and a few linemen, is an automatic favorite to repeat. LA and SF are on the verge of titledom and the Packers are definitely on the way up. The Bears will have tough sledding unless they can find a quarterback. The sixth team? It will be one of these three – Baltimore, Chicago’s Cardinals or Pittsburgh. Coach Paul Brown of Cleveland has stated that he will lead a battle, due tonight or Friday morning, for a realignment of teams. He said recently, “I’ve been in the league for three years and I still don’t know whether I’m in the American conference or the National. Why not call them East or West and arrange for teams that way? You’ll have at least some logical rivalry.”

BLOOD RESIGNS AS ST. JOHN COACH

JAN 22 (Collegeville, MN) – Johnny Blood, onetime Green Bay Packer great and one of the most colorful players in the game in in his 15-year career in the NFL, resigned as head coach of St. John’s college here Tuesday, effective June 1. Blood’s teams won 13 games and lost nine over a three-year span. He said he probably would go into business. The pro gird immortal played with the Packers’ first three world championship teams in 1929-30-31 and was with them when they gained a fourth title in 1936.

PACK EMERGES FROM DRAFT WITH POTENTIAL SUPER POWER AT HALVES

JAN 23 (Philadelphia) - The Green Bay Packers emerged from the first no-glamour draft in the history of the NFL here today with potential super power at halfback – a non-productive position last year – and all-around additional strength from tackle to tackle. Packer head coach Gene Ronzani, determined to toughen all 1952 weak spots, selected 12 halfbacks and 11 combination guards-tackles. The remaining seven players included three centers, three ends and one fullback. Six of the 30 Packer selections were juniors, which means that they may not play pro ball until 1954, as the Packers, like the 11 other clubs, quickly recognized as the 1952 crop as the leanest in years. After Billy Vessels went early, there wasn’t a big-shot glamour All-American the likes of Babe Parilli, Bill Howton or Hugh McElhenny left in the pile…GOES INTO LATE HOURS: Ronzani, fairly well melted down when the picking ended early today, figured that “we strengthened up where we needed it the most – at halfback and in the line.” Chicago Bear coach George Halas remarked that the Packer draft was “the best balance you’ve had in years.” With two exceptions, the Packers stuck to the big schools, the only small college fellers being speed halfback Jim Philbee of Bradley, the 18th choice, and defensive end Bill Murray of American International college. Ronzani didn’t wait to signal his intentions, selecting all-around halfback Al Carmichael of Southern California first and then following with another halfback, Reich of Kansas, in the No. 2 spot. He nabbed Southern Methodist’s George Connor-like Bill Forester No. 3, and then grabbed another halfback, Gib Dawson of Texas…The Packers’ main hope for 1953 rests with the first 10 choices. The next four are highly-prized juniors and won’t be available until 1954. The next 16 represent a “hopeful” cross-section of the Packers’ needs plus “a sleeper or two”, and Ronzani believes that considerable strength can be expected from this group in 1953, although two are juniors. In all, the pre-draft excitement about halfbacks, the valuable position of middle guard to be vacated by 11-year veteran Ray Bray has been overlooked. However, it appears that Ronzani came up with a similar-sized replacement for Bray in Wisconsin’s Bob Kennedy, who measures almost even with Bray at 5-11, 225…COMES FROM RHINELANDER: Kennedy is the Bray-type guard Ronzani has been looking for. The former all-state guard from Rhinelander High is a mean cuss on defense and effective on offense. Badger coach Ivy Williamson says Kennedy has the fastest charge of any guard he ever coached. Other linemen among the first 10 includes a reversible guard-tackle in Vic Rymkus of Holy Cross, who carries 220 – ideal for guard in the pros; 240-pound tackle Floyd Harrawood of Tulsa; Jim Ringo, a 225-pounder from Syracuse; linebacker-tackle Roger Zatkoff of Michigan; and Forester…Forester actually played three positions in college – offensive halfback, defensive tackle and linebacker. Zatkoff made the All-Players No. 2 All-America as a linebacker – the position that seems to best fit his weight, 210 pounds. Ringo, the leading offensive center in the east, is expected to fill the empty shoes of veteran Jay Rhodemyre, who isn’t expected back next fall. Only one of the halfbacks is a light scatster – Dawson, who measures 5-11 and 175 – while the rest of them range from 185 pounds on up. Dawson is the closest thing to Doak Walker turned out in Texas. He does about everything, makes good use of his speed, 9.6 in the century, on both defense and offense and kicks extra points and field goals. He booted 26 out of 28 PATs and three FGs and averaged five yards rushing last fall…BUILT LIKE CANADEO: The one-two boys, Carmichael and Reich, both are constructed along the Canadeo lines – six feet even and close to 190 pounds. Carmichael, 24, is safe from military service, having served and played football with the Marines. Kansas’ Reich, on the other hand, stands a chance of becoming eligible for another season. The Big Seven will rule on the former Army star’s eligibility next month. The fourth halfback among the first 10 selections, Georgia’s Lauren Hargrove, had a terrific year as a junior. The lanky 193-pounder who runs the 100 in 9.8 sprained his ankle early in his senior year and saw little action…The Packers drafted just one fullback – 218-pound John Hlay of Ohio State. Some of the halfbacks are big enough to crash from the FB spot. Hlay also works as a linebacker. Ronzani provided some history by not drafting a quarterback, which, of course, is an indication that he expects both Tobin Rote and Parilli to return to the pitching hill next fall. However, it can be pointed out that Reich played considerable QB under Bob Blaik before the cribbing scandal at Army. He continued to work some at that position at Kansas. While the main strength is based among the first 10 picks, the remaining “availables” for 1953 are all interesting specimens. Philbee is a hurdler and reached the finals of the Olympics tryouts. Bill Turnbeaugh of Auburn, who packs 265 pounds, is the famous near-sighted tackle known was Earthquake Tremble; tackle Jim Haslam was Tennessee’s regular offensive tackle for three straight years and captained the club as a senior; Ike Jones, the Negro offensive end from UCLA, runs the 100 in 9.9; and Zach Taylor, the back from Colorado, led the nation in punting as a sophomore and then ranked second as a junior and senior. Haslam, who packs only 210 pounds, will be shifted to guard…MIDDLE GUARD PROSPECTS: Besides Kennedy as a middle guard prospect, the Packers drafted 240-pund Henry O’Brien of Boston college in the 29th round for that position. He was recommended by BC coach Mike Holovak, the former Bear. Ward Cuff, former Giants, Cardinal and Packers, recommended the Packers’ 30th choice, 222-pound Al Barry, guard from USC. Mike Michalske suggested several Packer picks, including 215-pound center Jim McConaughey of Houtson and Bill Lucky, Baylor tackle. Mike formerly coaches at Baylor, leaving recently. Ronzani and his assistants were extremely careful in getting swift halfbacks with some weight. Dawson likely will be battling with returning Larry Coutre for what may develop into the "one" scatback job. While the name of the six juniors were just names at this stage of the game, Ronzani pointed out that "you can add those three from last year to the possibilities for next year." He was referring to tackles Chuck LaPradd of Florida and Jack Morgan of Michigan State and halfback Billy Hair, who were drafted in '51 for '53 use. Thus, with today's tackle-guard crop, the Packers have a total of 14 big boys up front to draw from. All of the juniors picked last night are being groomed for All-America honors. Halfback Joe Johnson of Boston college, picked No. 11, is considered "out of this world out east." Two of them are big tackles - 250-pound Chuck Wrenn of TCU and 230-pound Bill Lucky, who got his early grid schooling under Michalske at Baylor. The others are halfback George Bozanic of Southern Cal, center Bob Orders of West Virginia, a former Army star, and halfback Dick Curran of Arizona State at Tempe. All of the clubs went wild picking juniors and, in some cases, sophomores who were eligible because their classes already had graduated. Something like 80 juniors were picked and 20 sophomores. The unusual picks were mostly the result of athletes entering school for a season and then going in the Army. By the time some of them get out, their classes were about to graduate...The peaceful operation of making a bonus choice and drafting college player out of the way, NFL owners rolled up their sleeves today and prepared for their customary knockdown, dragout fight over organizational problems. When Bert Bell called the annual meeting to order for its second session, four items are certain to be brought front and center: 1. A proposal to lower the player limit from 33 to 30. 2. Placing of Baltimore in one of the league's two divisions. 3. The 1953 schedule. 4. Raising or lowering the guarantees to visiting teams...Each problem has plenty of pros and cons among the owners and squabbles appear inevitable. Only one thing seems certain. It takes 10 votes out of 12 to pass on an issue. The usual procedure in this league is for the owners to spend hours arguing and then give up and ask Commissioner Bell to solve the matter. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Bell had the final say on everything. The proposal to lower the player limit has the support of the commissioner, some of the owners and none of the coaches. The idea is to cut about $15,000 to $20,000 off the salary department. Bell has recommended economy all the way down the line to lessen the risk of big losses for the losing clubs. The job of placing Baltimore in one of the two conferences is sure to provide a floor fight. Bell says Baltimore has replaced Dallas in the National conference, which includes most of the western teams on a geographical basis. Don Kellett, general manager of the new Baltimore team, says he doesn't care where his team operates. Some of the other owners do care...George Marshall of the Washington Redskins wants Baltimore in the American conference, or eastern sector of the league. He wants to play Baltimore twice a season to build up what Marshall claims is a natural rivalry between the two teams which operate 30 miles apart. Marshall would send the Chicago Cardinals from the American to the National conference where he insists they belong. Art Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, says he'll be glad to go into the National conference and let Baltimore have his American spot. You would think that makes everything east with Baltimore not caring where it plays and Pittsburgh quite willing to switch. But enter the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles, while not making any official statement, are reported to oppose the moving of Pittsburgh. The Eagles, it is said, feel that they went along playing the Steelers twice a year when the Pittsburgh entry was in bad shape. Now that the Steelers have a pretty good club, the Eagles can see some pretty good gates for battles with their intrastate rivals. Rooney would solve the whole thing by having the league play a round robin schedule which means that fans in each league city would get to see every team in the NFL over a two-year period. He doubts his round-robin idea will get the first base, though...If a group represented by sports promoter Abe Saperstein makes a deal for the San Francisco 49ers, Nate Dolin of the Cleveland Indians would be willing to take a "small" share, the latter said in Cleveland Thursday. Dolin is director of stadium operations and a major shareholder in the Indians. Saperstein, who has the Harlem Globetrotters, makes his headquarters in Chicago. They and Franklin (Whitey) Lewis, sports editor of the Cleveland Press, left San Francisco Wednesday night amid reports they were negotiating to buy the National league professional football club. Dolin related that he met Saperstein in San Francisco on "personal business", heard the club was for sale, and suggested a call to Tony Morabito, co-owner. He said he mentioned "what I though the club was worth", but that Morabito replied he "never would sell at that figure." Morabito had a heart attack last spring and was advised by doctors to sell the club. He and his brother Victor own it. Tony Morabito's version of the incident was that the three men negotiated for a sale. There were reports the price was around $400,000 to $450,000.

BULLETIN

JAN 23 (Philadelphia) - Baltimore, which has replaced the defunct Dallas Texans, will play in the NFL’s National conference in 1953, a reliable source told the Press-Gazette here at noon today. No vote has been taken but the sentiment has been in favor of such an experiment for one year “rather than making any changes at this time,” the informant explained. It was expected, however, that the plan would meet with considerable opposition at this afternoon’s session.

REICH, PACKER DRAFTEE, IS ONE-MAN BACKFIELD

JAN 23 (Lawrence, KS) - The Green Bay Packers could have picked a football player who can do one or two things better than Kansas university’s multi-faceted Gilbert (Gibby) Reich, but they’d look far and long for a back who can do as many things as well as the 6-0, 190 pound Steelton, Pa., product. The specialty – if he has one – of the No. 2 1952 draft choice for Coach Gene Ronzani’s Pack is defense. But don’t bet he can’t do something until he’s been given a thorough trial. You’ll probably lose your money. Furthermore, the poised, raven-haired, dark-complexioned Steelton Stiletto is interested in pro football. That’s despite the fact the onetime West Pointer is a dandy baseball prospect and currently is a starting guard with the surprising K.U. basketball team. Army’s loss was one of the biggest athletic gains in the history of the Jayhawker institution. Gil, whose impromptu comments make one suspect he’s reading from a prepared script, was one of the cadets who got the ill-aimed boot during the cribbing scandal. As a Point sophomore, he was No. 1 defensive safety for the 1950 Red Blaik eleven that fell only to Navy. Gil came up from the plebe team that season – along with boys like Gene Filipski, J.D. Kimmel and Bill Rowekamp – with a whale of a reputation as an offensive quarterback. But the man-under post was bring handled capably by Blaik’s son, Bobby. Gil, however, was slated to take over after Bob left and played some offense, connecting for touchdowns on the only four passes he threw in competition. Realizing that the boy was too good to be kept on the bench, Coach Blaik utilized his tremendous ability at safety. The Big Seven moguls allowed Reich and other Army men transferring to league schools only one year of eligibility after the customary one-year residence. But although this is Gibby’s first and last year as a Mr. Oread athlete, he’s already stamped himself as one of the school’s all-time greats both in football and basketball. His baseball ability – he’s an outfielder – will be known this spring. Folks at Kansas who’d heard of Gil realized they were getting something dandy when Reich, a close friend of Warren Woody, well-known Chicago insurance man and rabid K.U. alumnus and former athlete, announced he had chosen the Lawrence institution. He enrolled in civil engineering and currently is maintaining a B average in the tough subjects such an interest requires. He’d like to work for a large engineering firm once he gets his degree. There are a couple of question marks overhanging the boy’s availability to the Packers. He has more schooling after this year, although he’s listed as a senior. Most K.U. engineering courses take 4 ½ or five years and he needs another semester next fall. Then, too, Gil is a member of school’s Air Force ROTC unit and upon completion of his studies and the reception of his reserve second lieutenant commission, he owes the Air Force two years of his time. By the way, the boy’s as outstanding military as he is in everything else. Gil was selected the No. 1 cadet during his short tour of active duty training at a big eastern AF base last summer. At home in any crowd, Reich is a favorite wherever he goes. He’s clever but not overbearing, reserved but not shy. He has that rare ability to make acquaintances and teammates listen – and then follow. Those in a position to know term him one of the greatest natural leaders and organizers they’ve ever encountered. But on with Reich, the football player who might come to Green Bay. As we’ve said, Gil’s admitted forte is defense. He was top defensive left half with a Kansas team which, though riddled with injuries, mounted with an impressive 7-3 record. You can name at least three of those seven victories that were salvaged simply because Reich’s sure, dead-aim tackling – the kind with the shoulder in it – saved tying or winning enemy scores. Not a blazing runner, he is far faster than average, has a great change of pace, is a clever mover and hit with the power of a fullback if he happens to be carrying the ball. The “defensive” player went nearly 55 minutes in the season opener against Texas Christian, passing for both touchdowns as the Jayhawks notched an impressive triumph. His defensive pyrotechnics were instrumental in victory which saw the score-happy Horned Frogs blanked for the first time in over 50 games. When the Oklahoma game rolled around and the K.U. fullback corps was repleted by wounds, Coach Jules Sikes moved Reich into the fullback spot with only a week’s work. From that midpoint in the backline of the K.U. T-formation, Gil ran and passed lethally until knocked out and benched in the second half. In the last game of the year against Missouri, the versatile gridder took over the left half spot vacated by the great by injured Charlie Hoag. Again Gil was hurt, suffering a broken finger, and again his team lost – this time 19-20 after his running, passing, blocking and defending were gone. A good idea of Reich’s ability can be gained from a glance at a few statistics. Gil was considered good enough by the Football Writers of America to be placed at a first string halfback post on the Look All-American defensive team. He was a unanimous choice for every all-conference aggregation. Gil completed 19 of 43 passes as a quarterback-fullback-halfback for 238 yards (six of them going for touchdowns) and rushed for over 250 yards and three touchdowns from three spots; did most of the team punting, getting off 29 for 297 aces, an average of 35.6; returned 19 enemy punts for 327 yards, over a 17-yard average; took up extra-point kicking when the team’s regular converter was put out at midseason, averaged a pass interception a game as a defender. Coach Sikes considers Reich one of the best all-around backs he’s ever handled or seen and calls him “a mighty terrific pro prospect” because of his amazing versatility. The NCAA’s change from the platoon style of football wouldn’t have affected Gil a bit. One of the shortest and most emphatic of the many compliments the incredible Steelton boy garnered this year came from T.C.U. boss Dutch Meyer, after Gil has led the Jays to victory over the Frogs. Dutch said: “Reich – Well, just say he’s the heart of a Kansas team – a kid who gives this club poise and purpose, offensively and defensively.” There are those who’ll say all this is a fairy tale, that all this can’t be true of one boy. Our reply: You just haven’t met or watched Gil Reich, Green Bay prospect deluxe.

PACK TO PLAY NON-LOOPER WITH BROWNS IN CLEVELAND, REPORT

JAN 23 (Philadelphia) - The Packers will play the Browns in a non-conference game in Cleveland early in September – probably on a Friday night, it has been reported hereabouts. Thus, the two clubs will exchange history-making non-loopers, having started the series in Green Bay last year. And speaking of non-wheelers, an appearance by Curly Lambeau and his Washington Redskins in Green Bay would provide an interesting contest. Nobody seems to be able to figure out why Baltimore didn’t draft home-state quarterback Jack Scarbath first instead of Billy Vessels – unless Baltimore coach Keith Molesworth is fixin’ to deal with the Browns for George Ratterman, the skilled quarterback who played little last year behind Otto Graham. In first 10 rounds, a total of 14 Big Ten players were selected – four by the Browns. The first to get called was end Bernie Flowers of Purdue, who was picked by Baltimore in the second round. The first player from Wisconsin’s Rose Bowl team chosen was guard Bob Kennedy, who was picked by the Packers in the sixth round. There wasn’t a Notre Dame player selected in the first 15 rounds. As predicted, the first meeting day, confined solely to the draft, was unusually quiet. Nobody even would guess a fight for today. Asked if he expected a big rhubarb over the conference issue, Commissioner Bert Bell just shrugged his shoulder and said “Naw.” Bell had to make one touchy ruling during the draft. The Bears picked halfback Billy Anderson, son of Rochester, the radio comedian, in the first round and the Browns promptly announced that they already had him under contract. Bell said Anderson was not eligible at the time he signed. Redskin mentor Lambeau said John Martinkovic never would have left Washington had he been around when the deal was made two years ago. Big John came to the Packers for the rights to Ted Cook. Lambeau, incidentally, sat near the Packer table in the drafting room. He told the Packer group that “your Carmichael is one of the greatest backs in the country.” The Packers had hoped to draft Dave Suminski, the Wisconsin tackle, on the 15th round, but Washington grabbed him three notches ahead of the Bays. The experts in the halls claim that Packers’ Gil Reich is the equal of Glenn Davis, the Army immortal. Los Angeles, dead set on tightening its defense, for the second successive year gains an All-America linebacker. The took Donn Moomaw of UCLA from the Philadelphia Eagles for the final payment in the Bobby Thomason deal. A year ago, the Rams “bought” Les Richter, the other LBing great, from Dallas for 11 players. Richter won’t be available until 1954. Earl Gillespie, former WJPG sportscaster who handled the Packer broadcasts and the championship playoff last year, visited the meeting Thursday. He’s on the road doing the aircasts of the Milwaukee Hawks’ games; they played Philly here last night. Packer Tobin Rote will show Packer and championship game pictures in Texas this winter in the interests of Miller High Life. The “rich get richer” is the way most people looked on the trade that send reserve quarterback-end Tom Dublinski of Detroit to Baltimore for veteran fullback Dick Hoerner. Dick is just what Detroit’s Pat Harder needs, although Hoerner is 30 years of age. The Packers had seven representatives sitting in on the long draft meeting – President Emil R. Fischer, board chairman Lee Joannes, coaches Gene Ronzani, Ray McLean and Chuck Drulis, administrative aide Joe Stydahar and scout Jack Vainisi. The draft finished up at 1 o’clock this morning.

5 NON-LOOP GAMES APPROVED BY PROS

JAN 24 (Philadelphia) - Can you imagine the Packers and Bears playing a non-conference games - an exhibition! This is possible, and highly probable, under the NFL's new non-league rule adopted unanimously at the circuit's meeting early today. The rule states that each club must play five non-conference games with teams of its opposite conference. Then, if the club so desires, it can play additional game, normally only one, with a team in its own division. The game within the conference may be played first - so long as five across-the-loop tilts are scheduled. Thus, the Packers could battle the Bears or other National conference teams in Milwaukee, for instance, or Minneapolis or anywhere for that matter. What effect a P-B non-looper would have on the Packer-Bear league doubleheader is something else again. Officials here believe that it might require considerable study. The new rule also relieves considerable difficulty in scheduling teams for the Packers' successful big three non-league games in Green Bay, Minneapolis and Milwaukee. The Packers already have one non-wheeler in Cleveland set and arrangements for the big trio are now being made, with the possibility that Curly Lambeau might invade Green Bay with his Washington Redskins - something of a natural to say the least. The non-conference law ended Friday's do-nothing meeting on something of a successful note...Earlier in the evening, the clubs booted by an unknown vote an opportunity to cut rosters and (1) thus save approximately $20,000 per season per club and (2) provide for a well-balanced league. Commissioner Bert Bell, concerned for months over the financial condition of some of the teams, stormed out of the meeting rooms at the Hotel Bellevue-Stratford late last night and frankly admitted to the press that "they did nothing." In short, the league refused to reduce rosters from 33 to 30 players and put out the abused injured-player reserve list - both proposals being made by Mr. Bell. Another plan, presented by the New York Giants, called for 35 players for the league opener, 33 for the remainder and no injured-player list. This, too, was killed. Under the present 33-player and reserve plan, clubs carried - and paid for - as many as 40 players. Bell wanted to cut each club to a flat 30 with no injury tomfoolery. His intention, besides saving each club some money, was to help the weaker clubs in player personnel. At the start of next season - if the 30-player thing has been adopted - a total of 36 players would be released, including at least 15 to 20 top-notchers from the "rich" clubs...But the 12 teams decided to go along and let the rich get richer in player talent. Actually, each club can save money by cutting its roster below 33 (the league bottom by law is 25), but an undermanned team isn't going far up in the standings. Bell's plan is to make each team on a par. He and the club officials had a good example in the Western division where four of the five clubs were about on a par for the first nine games. As a result, Bell pointed out, the six clubs in the Western loop drew - and get this - $600,000 more than the six teams in the Eastern circuit last fall. Oddly enough, the weaker clubs weren't all in favor of the 30-player program. Bell put it this way: "I was astonished to see that all of the weaker teams did not favor the 30 players." The commissioner seemed puzzled and furious - all at the same time. But he hadn't lost his wonderful sense of humor. A moment later, the writers, looking for something hot, groaned when Bell announced that the clubs passed a rule requiring an ambulance to be present at all games. A writer yelled, "Who cares", and Bell answered: "I'm darn sure the players care."...The Packers, via Emil R. Fischer, board chairman Lee Joannes and Coach Gene Ronzani, were generally in favor of the 30-player limit. Bell's proposal to raise the game guarantee from $20,000 to $25,000 for league games outside a team's conference and reduce it to $15,000 for games within a conference went down the drain. Edwin J. Anderson, president of the Detroit Lions, told a reporter that economy measures such as cutting the squads and guarantees were not the answer to financial problems. "The only way to operate in professional football is to sell your team to the community. You have to get the big industrial firm in back of your season ticket drive." The Detroit president said "sure, there is risk in pro football. There is in any business. The idea is to circumvent that risk. Cutting squads and guarantees isn't the way to do it. The way to do it is to work hard on that season ticket angle." In another action, the league acted to protect a player, salarywise, who is traded from a championship team before the college All-Star game. If he is traded, he will be paid half of his All-Star game salary by his new team. The first case is Tom Dublinski of Detroit (the Lions play in the star game), who was traded to Baltimore. Dick Hoerner of the Los Angeles Rams, who was traded to Dallas a year ago, was the last player to miss out on the extra half pay. The league also decided that any player who reports and plays in Canada during any season must be cleared at a special hearing held by the league before he plays in the National league. And he must report to his NFL team before the first game; otherwise he must wait until the following year. For certain decision today was the problem of the home conference of Baltimore, which is presently in the National division. The Rams and San Francisco may not like the fact that they each must travel across country each year, meaning that a rhubarb may develop before it's settled. Pittsburgh wants to get into the money-minded NC but the other AC clubs are ready to say nix. This morning, the club officials accomplished three strokes of business. They voted to: (1) Limit player salary cuts to 10 percent. (2) Rename the National and American conferences Eastern and Western divisions. (3) Follow the present television policy in 1953. (Home team now have the right to decide whether their games will be televised.)

RONZANI MAY HAVE COMPLETED PROJECT TO TOUGHEN DEFENSE

JAN 24 (Philadelphia) - Packer coach Gene Ronzani's tightening-the-defense project, started a year ago with the drafting and signing of Bobby Dillon, may have been completed here. Six of the dozen "big, fast" halfbacks chosen are two-way backs and one in particular - Gil Reich - is a cornerstone in the keep-the-enemy-from-scoring-on-passes department. Ronzani's 1952 defense allowed less points than either of his two previous years and one of the reasons was the swift Dillon. Reich plays all three defensive positions - not to mention offense - but he's must at home at safety, where he can roam either way. The other double-up boys are Gib Dawson of Texas, the No. 4 choice; Lauren Hargrove of Georgia, No. 8; Tulsa's Gene Helwig, No. 15; Bradley's Jim Philbee, No. 18; and Alabama Bob Conway, No. 21. Dawson and Hargrove, besides Reich, are safetymen, while the other three play right or left halfback...The Packers will train at Grand Rapids, Minn., for the third straight year in 1953. Final arrangements were ironed out with officials of Minnesota Sports, Inc., here. The training setup also includes a non-conference game in Minneapolis and two or three intra-squad games. The Packers' non-conference game with the Browns in Cleveland early in September will be the Browns' only home non-looper. Arrangements are being made for a Packer-Lambeau (Washington) non-wheeler in Green Bay...Coach Buddy Parker of the Detroit Lions can't be blamed if he's a bit peeved about getting only a one-year contract, which he has signed. After all, his team did win the world's championship. The story around is that Buddy wouldn't have been rehired if he had lost the title. He can thank the Packers for those five fumbles and four pass interceptions in that game Thanksgiving day! And speaking about coaches, Washington, Green Bay, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and the Chicago Cardinals are looking for assistants. The Packers recently lost two in Dick Plasman and Tarz Taylor and it's entirely possible Ronzani will add only one replacement. Curly Lambeau at Washington is looking for a line mentor; the Cards want at least three aides; and Pittsburgh need a backfield mentor. Keith Molesworth and Ray Richards are the only pilots at Baltimore, which means they'll need two more.

BROWNS, ALL FIVE WESTERN CIRCUIT CLUBS ON PACKER HOME SCHEDULE

JAN 26 (Green Bay) - The Packers' schedule worries are over for three years. They'll play home and home series with each team in their own Western division and two games with clubs in the Eastern division - one home and one away, rounding out the 12-game card. The only change over the three-year period will be the opposite-conference opponents. For 1953, the Packers were "awarded" the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers as Eastern division foes. Here are the Packers' 1953 home, Green Bay or Milwaukee, opponents: Chicago Bears, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Baltimore and Cleveland. The Steeler game will be one of the six games on the road, the other five being against Western conference opponents. The schedule program, which will have the Packers playing all of the Eastern division teams once over the three-year plan, thus keeps intact the famed Packer-Bear doubleheader. All of this resulted from an early-Sunday morning announcement by NFL Commissioner Bert Bell that "we have finally agreed on a schedule" at the final session of the league in Philadelphia. The vote on the compact schedule idea, which took about eight hours of arguing, was 11 to 1, Philadelphia being the only dissenter. The agreement included keeping Baltimore in the Western division, despite its eastern location, and turned the problem of setting dates over to Bell. The new program cut out the standard two-game league series between the two Chicago clubs, Bears and Cardinals, and ruined any possible two-game league rivalry between neighboring Washington and Baltimore. Both the Cardinals and Washington conceded plenty in submitting to the three-year plan, since both lost an extra game with their natural rivals. A plan to place Baltimore in the Eastern division and the Cardinals in the Western division and thus maintaining the two-game series involving the Bears-Cards and Redskins-Colts were voted down early. While these two natural rivalries were sliced in half, the league, for the first time, came up with a definite pattern for non-league games, which was explained by Bell as "the one thing they did for the weaker clubs." Under the new exhibition rule, a team must play five non-wheelers with teams in the opposite division before it can schedule a sixth with a team in its own division. This was voted in to prevent the top teams from playing two exhibitions with each other and cutting the lower clubs out of the lucrative exhibition money. For Green Bay, this rule presented a strange twist - a possible non-league game with their traditional rival, the Bears. Under old rules, a team in the same conference wasn't supposed to play exhibitions against its own-loop teams unless the two clubs were scheduled in only one league game. This made it possible for the Packers to play San Francisco in Minneapolis two years ago. The exhibition rule opens the way, of course, for games between the Bears and Cardinals and Baltimore and Washington...One of the sidelights to the meeting was the rumor that the league championship game is headed for the Orange Bowl in Miami. The league reportedly feels that it no longer would incur the wrath of home fans for taking a championship game out of its city because of widespread television. The Orange Bowl thing came up after the league decided to hold the championship game annually on the Sunday between Christmas and New Years's day, regardless of when the regular campaign ended. Thus, the pros would be cutting in on some of the holiday bowl money. Emil R. Fischer, president of the Packers, reportedly was empowered by the Orange Bowl group to start negotiations with the league. Fischer, who is vacationing in Florida, left the league meeting early Saturday for Miami. He said he would return to Green Bay for the annual Packers' meeting early in February. The story is that the pros would receive a $200,000 guarantee for each championship game played in the Orange Bowl, at the same time retaining their fees for television and radio rights. This nets approximately $100,000 a year under a contract with Dumont, which has two years to go...Lee H. Joannes, chairman of the Packer board of directors and a long-time veteran in league affairs, fought for the Packers in the heated Saturday struggle over conference alignment and scheduling. He was accompanied by head coach Gene Ronzani...Before leaving early Sunday, Bell told the press, "we're still going to kick our extra points from the field side of the goal post." He was referring to a suggestion by a Chicago Bear fan that all extra points be kicked from the end zone to the playing field. The fan said it would save $20,000 in footballs. Bell, a tired man, took the press and radio boys out to dinner early Saturday night, and he pointed out, among hundreds of other things, that the league is confident of winning the TV anti-trust suit. He said he expected to be placed on the stand early. Besides the player draft and other actions pointed above, the league accomplished the following: Kept the player limit at 33 players plus an unrestricted injured reserve list. Retained the $20,000 guarantee to visiting teams and - Limited player salary cuts in any one year to 10 percent. Previously, cuts were unlimited.

PACKERS' IKE JONES HAS TOUGH JOB!

JAN 27 (Green Bay) - The Packers have given Ike Davis a tough job. The Negro speedster from UCLA, who negotiates the 100 in 9.9, was the only offensive end drafted by Packer coach Gene Ronzani. He is faced with the task of beating out one of the Packers' Big Offensive End Four - Bill Howton, Bob Mann, Jim Keane and Stretch Elliott - for profession work next fall. Jones, drafted in the No. 25 slot, isn't as tall as most offensive ends go - 5-foot-11 - but Ronzani was attracted by the youngsters' tremendous speed. Ike carries about 185 pounds - 15 more than Mann. Unlike the San Francisco Forty Niners, who were begging for pass catching ends, Ronzani didn't have to worry about wings. Coach Buck Shaw, the lucky stiff, won the bonus choice and promptly picked Harry Babcock, the underrated pass receiving star from Georgia. Then, on his first round selection, he added another - Tom Stolhandke of Texas. And speaking of ends, the nation's leading college pass receiver, Ed Brown of Fordham, wasn't even selected. The general opinion was that Brown was too slow for the type of speed game the pros play. There wasn't a pass catcher in the entire lot who averaged 20 yards or over per reception. A year ago, the Packers' No. 2 pick, Howton, led all receivers with a 22-yard average at Rice. He maintained it with the Packers. Green Bay drafted three other ends - all defensive experts - Bill Murray of American International, Bill Georges of Texas and James McConaughey of Houston. Murray, according to his coach, is better than Andy Robustelli, the crack Los Angles Ram defensive wing. Drafted No. 23, Murray goes 6-3, 215. McConaughey, 27th choice, plays defensive end as well as offensive center; he carries 215 pounds and stands 6-3. Georges, the 17th pick, is considered a rough character on the field; he weighs 195 and stands 6-1...Of the first 60 players selected, 24 were backs, 16 tackles, 12 ends, four guards and four centers. This group included the first five picks of each team.

STYDAHAR NAMED CARDINAL COACH

JAN 29 (Chicago) - Jumbo Joe Stydahar was named today as the new head coach of the Chicago Cardinals, the eighth in the last four seasons. Managing Director Walter Wolfner said that Stydahar would be given a three-year contract at more money than the club paid to Joe Kuharich, fired from the job yesterday. Stydahar led Los Angeles to two divisional titles and one National league crown before relieved early in the 1952 season after a dismal start. He finished out 1952 as an administrative assistant to Head Coach Gene Ronzani of the Green Bay Packers. Wolfner would neither confirm nor deny the hiring of Stydahar, pending a news conference at noon, Green Bay time, today. Earlier, Wolfner had said he expected to announce Kuharich's successor within the next 10 days. Kuharich was fired yesterday and paid off for the remaining season under his two-year contract. "I just couldn't turn down the splendid offer," said Stydahar on his return from the East. He wouldn't discuss the terms, but friends indicated it called for more than one year and a handsome salary...T-QUARTERBACK TOP NEED: Stydahar, 42, whose normal weight is about 280, is no stranger to Chicago. He was long a star of George Halas' Bears. The Cardinals finished fifth in the American Conference last season, and Stydahar conceded he has a job on his hands to make them championship contenders. "I hope we can come up with a good T-quarterback," he said. "The Cardinals drafted plenty of them. They tell me that a boy named Jim Root of Miami University of Ohio could be the answer to our problems." The Cards, who used a made-over halfback, Charley Trippi, in the post last year, also picked up Dale Samuels of Purdue and Jim Lear of Mississippi...ENDED IN TIE FOR CELLAR: Kuharich, hired in 1952 after guiding the University of San Francisco through an undefeated 1951 campaign, compiled a 4-8 record for the Cards. They ended the season in a tie for last place in the Eastern division. The Cardinals, striving to reach championship status, have been directed by seven head coaches in four years. The firing of Kuharich stemmed from Wolfner's insistence that he release two of his assistants, Bill Daddio and Mike Nixon. Kuharich said he wouldn't stay if they had to go. By being fired, rather than pressured into resigning, Kuharich's second year of a two-year contract will be honored. Wolfner said he will pay him off - an estimated $14,000. Kuharich, 35-year old former Notre Dame and Cardinal guard, replaced Curly Lambeau last year. Lambeau lasted through 1950 and until the final two games of 1951. At that time, the Cards finished the campaign under a combine of Cecil Isbell, Phil Handler and Buster Ramsey. Jimmy Conzelman quit after winning the 1948 divisional crown for the Cards. His successors were Handler and Buddy Parker, now coach of the Lions. During the 1949 campaign, Handler stepped down and Parker threw in the towel when the Bears walloped the Cardinals, 52-12, in the 1949 finale.

HOWTON TO TRY KICKING PAT'S; DAWSON ASPIRANT

JAN 30 (Green Bay) - Recent announcement that fullbacks Bill Reichardt and Fred Cone won't return to the Packers next fall pose this question: Who will kick the extra points and field goals next year? Coach Gene Ronzani furnished this answer today: "We'll give Bill Howton a shot at kicking; he's cool our there and he might develop into a good kicker. And don't forget Gib Dawson from the draft." The Packers suffered a foot shortage recently when Reichardt went into the Air corps and Cone reveled his intentions of retiring from the game. Howton kick extra points? If he succeeds, he'll be following in the footsteps of the famed Don Hutson, the Packers' pass catching end. Howton, also an end, started running in Don's elegant foot tracks last fall as a rookie, breaking his yardage mark on passes caught. Hutson booted only four extra points and no field goals in his first four seasons as a Packer. But, at the end of an 11-year career, Hutson had accumulated 174 extra points and seven field goals. For PAT and FG kicking, Howton has a Hutson characteristic - coolness, not to mention excellent timing and coordination, all valuable in kicking PATs and FGs. Dawson handled the point and field goal kicking for the University of Texas last year. He booted three FGs and converted on 26 out of 30 point after touchdown attempts. He's a sure bet to be a leading candidate for Packer kicking chores. Most college kickers find it easier in the pro ranks because the goal posts in college ball are placed on the end line - 10 yards behind the goal line. The standards for the pros are on the goal stripe. Dawson will be the lightest point kicker since Hutson put away his moleskins after the 1945 season. Gib carries 175 pounds on a 5-11 frame. Most of the kicking since '45 was handled by Ted Fritsch, a 200-pound fullback, and Reichardt and Cone, both around the 200 mark. And speaking about moving the ball with the foot, Babe Parilli may have some competition in the punting department next fall. Among the Packers' draft choices is halfback Zach Jordan of Colorado, the nation's not-quite No. 1 college punter last fall. Jordan delivered 57 punts for an average of 43.4, a fraction behind Rudy Koch of Southern California, who averaged 43.5 on 47 boots. Parilli, as a rookie pro punter last fall, averaged 40.7 yards on 65 boots. A number of the Packers' other backfield choices are experienced punters, but Jordan is the only one listed among the top 30 in the nation.

STOCKHOLDERS OF PACKERS TO MEET MONDAY

JAN 31 (Green Bay) - Stockholders of Green Bay Packers, Inc., will meet in the supervisors' room of the courthouse at 8 o'clock Monday night to elect 12 directors and hear reports from President Emil R. Fischer, W.J. Servotte, secretary-treasurer, and Gene Ronzani, head coach. After the meeting, the board of directors will meet to elect officers and executive committee. A new president to succeed Emil R.Fischer may be selected. Fischer, who was chosen president in July of 1947 following the resignation of Lee H. Joanne, has indicated to friends that he would like to retire. Directors up for election are Lee H. Joannes, chairman of the board, Fred N. Trowbridge, John Torinus, Max Cohodas, Frederick C. Miller, Max Murphy, Charles Mathys, Jerry Atkinson, G.W. Calhoun, Art Mongin, William Sullivan and Frank Birch. The nominating committee, composed of Verne Lewellen, chairman, Russ Bodga, Ray Decker, Henry Wintgens and Jack Paeps, recommended reelection of the 12 directors. In its election nomination ballot, the committee stated: "Although not desiring to set a precedent, your nominating committee feels that, because of the diligent efforts put forth by the aforementioned (12) directors, that no additional nominations are to be submitted." Officers of the Packers besides Fischer are Ronzani, vice-president; Servotte, secretary-treasurer; and Joannes, chairman of the board of directors. Members of the executive committee are Fischer, Joannes, Servotte, Ronzani, Max Leicht, Murphy, Bogda, Dominic Olejniczak, Trowbridge, Lewllen, H.J. Bero and Torinus.

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PACKERS' PROFIT - $12,000; NAME RUSS BOGDA PREXY

FEB 3 (Green Bay) - Disclosure that the Green Bay Packers made an operating profit of $12,000 in the 1952 season, and election of Russell W. Bogda as president of the corporation, highlighted the annual meeting of the community-owned football club in the courthouse Monday night. Bogda succeed Emil R. Fischer, who retired to become chairman of the board after heading the football corporation for six years. Other officers elected by the board of directors following the stockholders meeting were Lee H. Joannes and Gene Ronzani, vice presidents, and William J. Servotte, secretary-treasurer. All in all, it was a happy meeting, reflecting the Packers' dramatic comeback since the rebuilding program was started just three years ago. Fischer retired after summing up those three years for some 125 stockholders present. Coach Gene Ronzani discussed his draft choices for the year and said that "prospects for another good year look bright." Servotte read details of the financial report which contrasted the $12,000 profit in 1952 with a loss of $18,000 the previous year, and Joannes said that the attitude toward the Packers at the recent league meeting reflected the change here in the last three years. "In 1950, we had to go around on our knees begging other teams to play us in exhibition games," Joanne said. "This year, they were coming to us to try and get a game." He said that the Packers would probably play five exhibition games this season. Fischer pointed out that the Packers' nest egg of $100,000, raised in the stock drive of 1950, was still intact and is invested in treasury notes. "And this past year we were able to add to that nest egg," he said. Fischer said that the rebuilding program has just started to produce real results last year in a 6-6 record, increased Packer drawing power on the road and an improved financial position. "And that rebuilding program will continue to show improvement as the years go on," he said. Bogda has been a director and member of the executive committee since 1947. He has served on both the finance and promotion-publicity sub-committees and headed last year's season ticket drive. He is 41 years old and is president of the Bogda Motor company. The twelve directors whose terms expired this year were reelected. They included Joannes, Fred N. Trowbridge, John Torinus, Max Murphy, Charles Mathys, Jerry Atkinson, G.W. Calhoun and William Sullivan of Green Bay; Frederick C. Miller and Frank V. Birch of Milwaukee; Max Cahodas of Appleton, and Art Mongin of Kaukauna. The executive committee of the five officers and seven directors was also reelected. In addition to the officers, it includes Trowbridge, Torinus, Murphy, Dominic Olejniczak, Verne C. Lewellen, Fred Leicht and H.J. Bero. In a question and answer period after the close of the regular business, Fischer said that the Packers, in all likelihood, would play three league games in the new stadium in Milwaukee this year in addition to the Shrine exhibition game in Milwaukee. "We have more or less committed ourselves to three games the first year in the new stadium to give Milwaukee a full trial on what it can do to increase attendance," he said. In answer to a question about whether there was a possibility of increasing the seating capacity of

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City stadium here, Fischer said that various proposals in that regard were also under study and that it was obvious that something would have to be done in the near future to give Green Bay a stadium of comparable size with Milwaukee. Ronzani ran down the 1953 draft list, giving salient points about each boy that was picked. He said that he and his assistants had tried not only to get men who could plug holes in this year's squad, but they also tried to get men who could double in positions and on offense and defense. He pointed out that a lot depends upon "how many of these boys Uncle Sam will let us have and how many he'll let us keep off last year's squad," and he concluded by saying that "some clubs in the league are lucky each year and we hope this is our year." Attorney Trowbridge summed up the anti-trust suit now being tried in Philadelphia by the Unites States again the league and each individual club, and he said that it was of terrific importance not only to pro ball but to all other organized sports as well. He said he could not hazard any opinions as to how it might come out and what it may mean as far as radio and television broadcasting is concerned, but said he was sure the case would go all the way to the Supreme Court no matter which side wins the first round. At the directors meeting followed the stockholders meeting the officers were elected and the board passed a resolution thanking Mr. Fischer "on behalf of all Packer fans as well as stockholders" for his service during the past six years. Bogda said, on taking the office, that he hoped to be able to continue the improvements in the Packer setup which had been made in recent years and asked for the help of all officers, directors, stockholders and fans in "carrying the Packers to the top of the heap."

HB HARGROVE SIGNS PACT

FEB 3 (Green Bay) - Packer coach Gene Ronzani reads in the papers today that his eighth draft choice, halfback Lauren Hargrove, has signed a Packer contract. Ronzani reported that he has not received Hargrove's contract in the mail and added that his contract (when it is received) must still be approved by the National league. What's more, Gene pointed out, "Hargrove's eligibility must still be proved." Hargrove made the signing announcement himself in Athens, Ga. Before a player signed can be announced, Ronzani said, Commissioner Bert Bell must give his official approval as to terms and other details. In addition, official proof of eligibility must be obtained from the athlete's school and forwarded to the league office...LOST GOOD PROSPECT: Ronzani pointed out that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears lost good prospects a year ago because they had drafted boys whose classes were not graduated. The Steelers had picked Harry Babcock, the Georgia end, on the 21st round while the Bears nailed Buck McElroy of Mississippi Southern on the 26th round. Both Babcock and McElroy were thrown back into the 1953 draft, and it can be recalled that Babcock was named by the San Francisco Forty Niners as their bonus choice. McElroy was selected by Washington No. 7 and then returned to the Bears as payment on a trade involving the seventh choice. At any rate, Ronzani is nothing short of positive that Hargrove is set for 1953 with the Packers. The Georgia speedster is one of a dozen big halfbacks Ronzani selected to help bolster the left and right HB slots. Hargrove stands 5-11 and packs 190 pounds. Hargrove won a starting berth as a sophomore and then led Bulldog rushers as a junior. An ankle injury kept him on the bench most of last season. Ronzani said Hargrove's ankle "is now sound."

BALTIMORE ELEVEN ONCE AGAIN TO BE KNOWN AS 'COLTS' IN NFL

FEB 3 (Baltimore) - Once again, it will be the Baltimore "Colts" in the NFL. The new Baltimore entry announced last night that it will use that nickname, the same used by the former Baltimore NFL team that bowed out of the league in 1951. The Colts also announced that President Don Kellett will go to Oklahoma "fast" to talk to star halfback Billy Vessels of Oklahoma U. about signing a Colt contract. Vessels was the Colts' No. 1 choice in the recent player draft, but went to Canada last week to discuss playing pro football in the Canadian league.

CHARGES NFL RULES BARRED PACKER 'CASTS

FEB 5 (Philadelphia) - A Milwaukee radio station executive charged Wednesday that the NFL put a two-way enforcement on its 75 mile limit to keep his stations from broadcasting Green Bay Packer games. Lee K. Beznor, an attorney and secretary of WOKY, Milwaukee, was a government witness in a suit challenging the NFL's radio and television policy under the Sherman Anti-Trust Law. The government contends the league is restraining trade by its rule that no game may be televised or broadcast within a radius of 75 miles from each NFL city. Beznor told Federal Judge Allan K. Grim that, in October, 1951, WOKY was all set to broadcast Packer games. Green Bay is 100 miles from Milwaukee and the broadcasts would not be heard in Green Bay, he said. But Beznor declared, the league considered both Green Bay and Milwaukee as home fields for the Packers and applied the 75 mile broadcasting limit to both places. As a result, WOKY could not carry any Packer games, Beznor declared. WEMP, a Milwaukee station, broadcast Packer games last season and WTMJ, also a Milwaukee station, broadcast Packer games in 1951. Don Wirth, vice president of radio station WNAM of Neenah, also appeared as a government witness. He testified his station was unable to broadcast Packer games because of the geographical limit. A federal statistician testified that 52 percent of the nation's television sets are owned by persons living within 60 miles of cities where an NFL franchise is located.

PACKER-BROWN GAME FIRST BIG 'PAY OFF' ON BIG 3 NON-LEAGUE CARD

FEB 9 (Green Bay) - The Packer-Brown non-conference football game in Cleveland Saturday night, Sept. 19, loomed today as the first big "payoff" on the Packers' Big Three non-league insurance policy. For the past two seasons, the Packers bolstered their pocketbook by playing non-wheelers in Green Bay, Milwaukee and Minneapolis - at the same time furnishing visiting teams with a lucrative percentage. The purpose, of course, was to receive unofficial "dealing" rights for return exhibitions with the teams visiting in any one of the three cities. The Chicago Cardinals, then under coach Curly Lambeau, played here in 1950-51 and last fall the Cardinals asked the Packers to Chicago to participate in the Army-Navy relief game. Unfortunately, the game didn't draw and that proverbial big payoff had t put off for another year. The Packer-Brown match, announced in Cleveland Sunday, is a sort of "repayment" for the Packer-Brown test in Green Bay last fall - the first time the Browns had ever visited here. Over 20,000 fans turned out. The rematch may draw an excellent crowd in view of the fact that it will be the Browns' only non-conference game in Cleveland next fall. And it will be the Packers' first appearance against the Browns in that city. The Packers are busy lining up at least four more non-conference games, including opponents and dates for the Big Three. Reportedly, Lambeau will invade Green Bay with his Washington Redskins for one of the games. Opponents for the Milwaukee and Minneapolis games will be selected from the New York Giants, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Chicago Cardinals - all Eastern division finals. To conform with league rules, the Packers must play exhibitions with five of the six Eastern clubs. The first step in the Big Three setup was taken in 1950, when non-conference games were booked in Milwaukee and Green Bay. A year later, the entire three cities played host to the Packers and tough opponents, and the performance was repeated in '52. The Milwaukee non-league battle is known as the Shrine classic. Started in 1950, it is sponsored by the Wisconsin Shrine organization and receives the backing of Shrine clubs throughout the state. Since 1950, a total of eight non-loopers have been played in the three cities and the crowds have averaged 20,000. The Packers split even in the eight "home" battles, winning the first three, losing the next four, and then winning the nightcap last fall in Minneapolis. In 1950, the Packers beat the Cards, 17-14, in Green Bay and then edged Baltimore, 16-14, in Milwaukee. Next season, the Packers again downed the Cards, 17-14, in Green Bay, but lost to Philadelphia in Milwaukee, 14-10, and San Francisco in Minneapolis, 20-0. Last fall, the Packers lost to the Browns, 21-14, in Green Bay and to New York, 7-0, in Milwaukee before beating Pittsburgh in Minneapolis, 23-10.

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CAN PACK'S FIRST THREE CHOICES MATCH '52 TRIO?

FEB 14 (Green Bay) - This is the time of the year all good Packer fans start to get punchy with optimism. As a matter of fact, Packer publicity chief Jug Earp doesn't bat an eye these days when he tells his press and radio friends this: "I don't see how we can lose a game next fall!" This operator got himself a new shot in the arm the other day by just looking at the pictures of 20 of the Packers' 30 draft choices - all husky, serious looking gents. But if you are feeling optimistic this late winter, jump back to the same period in 1952 when you fondled the names of Babe Parilli, Bill Howton and Bobby Dillon - the Packers' top three choices...REPRESENTED ABSOLUTE BEST: Those three represented the absolute best in their particular fields in the college season of 1951 - Parilli, quarterbacking; Howton, pass catching; and Dillon, defensive halfbacking. And to make your optimism come true, those three turned in spectacular records with the Packers. Briefly, Mr. Parilli finished 3rd in the league in passing, throwing the longest completion - 90 yards - twice, and completed 13 for touchdowns; Mr. Howton finished sixth in receiving and first in yards on catches, averaged 23.2 yards per catch, caught 13 for TDs and twice worked 90-yard aerials from Parilli; and Mr. Dillon, intercepting four passes, showed signs of developing into a leading defender. Can the Packers' three top choices of the last draft match the effectiveness of the aforementioned trio? It might be better to ask: "Can lightning strike twice in three places?" It would take a super optimist, even these days, to predict that the top three choices of 1952 would better the achievements of their respective fields, of Messrs. Parilli, Howton and Dillon. Packer coach Gene Ronzani went into the 1952 draft holding a pair of deuces and "filled" with three aces. Last January, he held those same aces and hopes to bag another ace or maybe a pair of kings out of his top three: Halfback Al Carmichael of the University of Southern California, No. 1; all-around back Gil Reich of Kansas, No. 2; and tackle-fullback Bill Forester of Southern Methodist, No. 3. Drafts like the one that brought Parilli, Howton and Dillon - not to mention five others - come along almost once in a lifetime, which is why Ronzani will be extremely thankful if his top three of 1953 make the squad. The heroics, as provided by Parilli and Howton, can come later...TALENTED AS RUNNER: The top two choices of 1953 give the Packers vital strength at halfback. Carmichael is a bruising runner for a HB at 185 pounds, and he's a good pass catcher - as Wisconsin fans know. (His catch in the Rose Bowl beat the Badgers, 7-0.) Reich is particularly talented as a runner- on offense and defense. He's a terrific passer and one of the better quarterbacks in the country last fall, though he had to be used mostly on defense. Gil weighs 188 pounds. Forester provides the Packers with 235 pounds of offensive and defensive dynamite at tackle. He's fast and highly valuable at "sliding" and moving out wide to cover the flat zones. His coaches utilized his size and speed by using him at fullback last fall.

'52 NOT A RUSHING' SUCCESS; SEARS SPEAKS OF CARMICHAEL

FEB 17 (Green Bay) - Packer coach Gene Ronzani knew his top choice, halfback Al Carmichael, was the real goods. But is he as good as the talented Hugh McElhenny, who broke in with the San Francisco Forty Niners last fall? Here's what Jim Sears, Carmichael's teammate at Southern California, says about Al: "The Packers sure knew what they were doing when they made Al Carmichael their first draft choice. He's much better than he may have looked at Southern California. Al was at a disadvantage with us, since there wasn't much opportunity for him to carry the ball in the single wing. Too bad. I'm convinced that he's as fine a running back as there is in the country. I predict he'll be every bit as good as McElhenny." Hurryin' Hugh carried only 98 times as a rookie but rolled up 684 yards for an average of 7.0 per trip - the best ratio in the league...And speaking about ball carrying, the official NFL figures show that the Bays finished ninth in the league, with a total of 1,485 yards - 420 behind the "R" leaders from San Francisco. Los Angeles was second with 1,811 and Cleveland third with 1,786. Other finishers in order: Detroit, 1,780; Chicago Cardinals, 1,748; Washington, 1,655; New York, 1,636; Chicago Bears, 1,543; Packers, 1,485; Dallas, 1,397; Philadelphia, 1,370; and Pittsburgh, 1,204. The 1952 season wasn't a "rushing" success. The 12 clubs totaled 19,320 yards against 21,883 in 1951 - a drop of 2,563. The Bears won the rushing title in '51 with 2,408 yards - 503 more than Frisco's 1952 winning figure. In fact, 1952 was the first season since 1946 that the rushing champion gained under 2,000 yards. Back in '46, the Packers won the ground title with 1,765 yards but in the six following years the figures looked like this: 1947, Los Angeles, 2,171; 1948, Cardinals, 2,560; 1949, Philadelphia, 2,670; 1950, New York Giants, 2,336; 1951, Bears, 2,408; and 1952, San Francisco, 1,905. The 1946 ground title was the first the Packers won since the league started keeping figures in '32...Unlike passing, which has progressed from year to year with higher and higher yardage totals, rushing is fairly stable. The all-time team rushing figure, 2,885, was set away back in 1935 by Detroit. With the emphasis on passing, that record may stand for many, many years. 147 different players were credited with one or more rushing attempts in 1952; back in 1935 an estimated 90 carried the ball. Times have changed!...The pass interception figures, out today, showed that the Bays swiped 22 enemy aerials, or a percentage of 6.47 of all opponents' passes thrown. Los Angeles won the title with 10.56 percent on 38 interceptions. The Packers, it can be noted, intercepted the same number (22) in 1951, but the percentage was 7.03. The Bays grabbed 27 for a percentage of 7.13 in 1950. Going back still another year, the '49 Bays performed 20 interceptions for a percentage of 6.8. Bob Forte, the Packer-captain linebacker, accomplished four interceptions last fall to match the top defensive halfbacks, Ace Loomis and Bobby Dillon. Linebackers aren't generally in position to intercept a raft of passes, which makes Forte's total high. Other Packer interception totals: Dom Moselle three; Dan Sandifer two; Marv Johnson two; Ab Wimberly, Clarence Self and Deral Teteak one each.

WIMBERLY TAKES LSU JOB, 'CRIPPLES' PACK

FEB 20 (Green Bay) - Packer coach Gene Ronzani described today as "news to me" the announcement from Louisiana State university that defensive end Ab Wimberly has been signed as an assistant coach at LSU. Wimberly had been counted on to bolster the Packers' defensive line, and Ronzani stated that "his loss would be a crippling blow." Wimberly, according to dispatches, from Baton Rouge, La., was one of two new assistants signed by the school following the resignation of three others. The other new aide is Charles Y. McClendon, former Vanderbilt line coach. Leaving are Ben Enis, end coach since 1950; Guy B. Hays, end coach in 1948-49 and frosh coach since then; and Joseph T. Reed, backfield aide since 1951. LSU head coach Gaynell Tinsley, a former pro, said that "we feel most fortunate in obtaining the service of coaches McClendon and Wimberly," adding "both men are young, capable and will contribute much to our staff and LSU teams in the future." Wimberly, former LSU All-American who broke into pro ball with the Los Angeles Dons in 1949, played with the Packers three seasons and last fall was one of the leading defensive ends in the league. He was one of three Packers to represent the National conference in the pro bowl game last month, joining Deral Teteak and Bill Howton. Loss of Wimberly leaves the Packers with one regular defensive end - big John Martinkovic. Carleton Elliott filled in on occasion at DE last season...While the loss of Wimberly got today off to a bad start, Ronzani had some consolation in a visit from a former Packer returning from the war. Stopping in at the Packer office today was Larry Coutre, the former Notre Dame halfback who played as a rookie here in 1950. Larry then put in two years with Uncle Sam's Army and recently received his discharge. Coutre wasn't idle footballwise in service, playing two season with Army teams.

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LARRY COUTRE SIGNS WITH PACKERS FOR 1953

FEB 21 (Green Bay) - The little man who looks more like a college professor than a football player will be out to exercise his six-year magic for the Green Bay Packers next fall. He is Larry Coutre, the 175-pound scat back from Notre Dame who today became the first veteran to register for the 1953 campaign. Coutre is one of the four Packers Uncle Sam snapped up after the 1950 season, and he's the second to return. Linebacker Bob Forte got out in time to perform in 1952, while linebacker Clayton Tonnemaker and guard Len Szafaryn are still in service. Packer coach Gene Ronzani expects Coutre to return some of the Packers' lost halfback punch. He'll be battling for the right halfback job and Ronzani is hopeful the tiny but fiery ace will boost the halfback average of under three yards last year to four or better next fall. A long-run specialist, Coutre holds the unique distinction of averaging over six yards per carry in each of his last four seasons. As a senior at Notre Dame, Larry averaged 6.5; he clicked at a 6.9 pace as a rookie with the Packers in '50; and in two campaigns with the Camp Breckenridge, Ky., Screaming Eagles he averaged just under nine yards a try. Playing under Billy Grimes in his lone season here, Coutre carried 41 times for 283 yards, the longest dash being a 53 yarder against the Chicago Bears at City stadium. In addition, he caught 17 passes for 206 yards - one a 77-yard scoring burst against the Los Angeles Rams in Milwaukee. The return of Coutre might spark Grimes, who, in 1951 and 1952, failed to flash his 1950 form. In his best season, Billy led the Packers in rushing with 480 yards in 84 carries for an average of 5.7, caught 17 passes for 261 yards - one a 96-yarder - and ranked second in the league in punt returns. Coutre and Grimes gave the Packers power at right half, with 173-pound Larry handling most of the wide stuff and 195-pound Grimes powering through the line. Coutre made the All-Army team in both of his seasons at Camp Breckenridge, and last fall was named to the all-service team, in addition. He scored 72 points as the Screaming Eagles compiled an 8-4 record in '51 and added 48, with the team posting 9-1, last fall. A native of Chicago, Coutre, who will be 25 next April 11, plans to make his home in Green Bay. He is married and has two children - Christine Ann, 15 months, and Scott Matthew, five weeks. Coutre received his Army discharge as a corporal last Monday. the signing of Coutre took some of the sting away from the loss of veteran defensive end Ab Wimberly Friday. Wimberly signed as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Louisiana State...The Packers developed today as the NFL's team passing champion, with an average gain of 7.04 yards per attempt, thus breaking the Los Angeles Rams' three-year reign as the air leader. The Packers attempted 337 passes and completed 161 for 2,374 yards. The Bays also scored the most touchdowns by passing in the league, 26, and had the best average per catch, 14.7 yards. The Rams ranked second with an average per attempt of 6.97, while Cleveland was third with 6.86. Norm Van Brocklin of the Rams won the individual title with his average per gain of 8.47, nosing out the Packers' Tobin Rote, who had 8.08. The Bays' Babe Parilli placed third with 8.00 even.

HARRAWOOD SAYS HE SIGNED PACKER PACT

FEB 21 (Tulsa) - Floyd Harrawood, Tulsa tackle, announced here today that he had signed a one-year contract with the Green Bay Packers, but did not disclose salary terms. He has been negotiating with the Ottawa, Canada, professional grid team, which recently signed Tulsa's All-American Marvin Matuszak. Harrawood was the Packers' ninth draft choice.

PACK TO COLLECT FIRST PREMIUM ON INSURANCE

FEB 27 (Green Bay) - Two giant tackles and an all-around halfback! These three make up the first premium on the Packers' player-insurance policy, and payment is due next fall. In 1954, coach Gene Ronzani's pro football forces will receive a six-player premium - three backs, two tackles and a center. Ronzani started the club's future insurance program at full speed at the 1951 NFL draft by selecting four juniors for 1953 delivery. The classes of the four had graduated, thus making them eligible to be selected. Of the four, fullback Bobby Jack Floyd decided to leave school in favor of pro football, with the result that Floyd competed last fall as a rookie in the play-for-pay ranks. Floyd, a star at Texas Christian, turned up as one of the club's leading fullbacks, averaging four yards in 61 carries. The other three, all expected to report next fall, are tackle Charley LaPradd of the University of Florida, tackle Jack Morgan of Michigan State and halfbacks Billy Hair of Clemson. Both LaPradd and Morgan are Army service veterans. The 225-pound LaPradd made the Associated Press first defensive team last fall. Extremely fast, Charley stands 6-3. Morgan was an all-Big Ten selection and spearheaded the Spartans' unbeaten season. He packs 240 pounds and specializes in defense. Cut down by injuries last fall, Hair is a triple-threater. He made several All-America clubs in 1951, and packs 178 pounds on a six-foot frame...Now for 1954! Ronzani selected a half dozen highly-prized subjects at last January's draft meeting for delivery a year from next fall. The 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 19th and 26th choices were juniors, meaning that 24 of the 30 players will be available next fall, unless some of the juniors decide to follow in Floyd's footsteps. Two of the '54 crop are lookalikes as far as size is concerned. Halfbacks Joe Johnson of Boston college and Dick Curran of Arizona State each pack 185 pounds on a six-foot frame. Both are noted for their extreme speed. The other back is George Bozanic, a 210-pound blocking quarterback from Southern California. The '54 tackles are Charles Wrenn, a 250-pound specimen from TCU, who stands 6-3, and Bill Lucky of Baylor, who learned his line play under Mike Michalske, the one-time Packer guard great. Lucky packs 230 pounds. The '54 center is Bob Orders of West Virginia, who was an offensive star as a sophomore at West Point. Caught up in the cribbing scandal, Orders moved to WVU and gained All-America mention. Orders stands 6-3 and carries 230 pounds. With the 1954 season still a long ways off, Ronzani is busy these days contacting prospects for next fall. He started his contract signing the other day by announcing the return and signing of Larry Coutre, the former Notre Dame star who played with the Packers in 1950 and then went into the Army for two years.

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ROTE, PARILLI SIGN PACKER PACTS; 'FULL SPEED AHEAD!'

MAR 4 (Green Bay) - Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli, the twin pulses of the Packers, are set for their second season together. In one master stroke today, coach Gene Ronzani announced the signing of the club's versatile quarterbacks, who, as a team in 1952, led the Packers to  the NFL passing championship - their first air crown since 1941. Rote, the league's No. 2 passer last year - finishing just a hair behind Norm Van Brocklin of the Los Angeles Rams, is returning for his fourth campaign. And Parilli, who placed just behind Rote in the final NFL pitching figures, is back for his second season. Thus, in signing the potent pair, Ronzani preserved the unusual change of pace pattern Rote and Parilli provided last year - Rote with his field-length line drives and fullback-like rushing power and Parilli with his uncanny magic in handling the ball under the center and while running. Ronzani, delighted with his double contract conquest, announced that "it's full speed ahead from now on." In short, the Bay mentor intends to follow up quickly with the signing of most of his draft choices and the vets. Rote and Parilli operated on a virtual par last fall, each having his moments and each having his heartaches. But the final figures showed each with 13 touchdown passes completed - the valuable total of 26 being the highest in the league. Rote missed the league passing championship on the last Sunday when Van Brocklin went extremely hot against Pittsburgh. Tobin finished with an average of 8.08 yards per attempt, while Van Brocklin had 8.47. Parilli, by far the league's outstanding rookie QB, averaged an even 8.0 for third in the circuit. Rote attempted 157 and completed 82 for 1,268 yards for a completion percentage of 52.2 - third best in the league. Parilli tried 177 passes and completed 77 for 1,416 yards and a percentage of 43.5. The Babe threw the longest touchdown pass in the league last year, twice hitting end Bill Howton on 90-yard maneuvers. Rote, who led the country in the fewest number of passes

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intercepted at Rice in his senior year, regained that distinction in the NFL last fall, allowing only eight aerials to find enemy defenders. Parilli had 17 intercepted. Both quarterbacks are dangerous runners, thus giving the Packers a head start on their pile driving. For the second straight year, Rote led the Packers in ground gaining, with 313 yards on 58 attempts for an average of 5.4. Parilli, the magic ball-handler, carried 33 times for 106 yards and a 3.3. Rote, who runs like a halfback with the power of a fullback, enjoyed the unusual distinction last year of catching a touchdown pass from Parilli. Rote, with no practice field or game experience at the position, went in at left half against Washington when the regular LHs were injured. On an "in motion" play, Rote circles his own right end, evaded a defender and took Parilli's throw for six points. In three complete seasons with the Packers, Rote has gained just a fraction under three miles in rushing and passing - 2.9, to be exact. He totaled 4,039 yards passing and an average of 6.3 per attempt and 994 yards rushing on an average of 6.2 per try. Rote has thrown 35 touchdown passes in his three Packers campaigns - seven in 1950 when he broke in under veteran Paul Christman, 15 in 1951 when he shared the job with Bob Thomason and 13 last fall. 

NOWASKEY SOUGHT BY PACKERS AS AIDE, HE SAYS

MAR 4 (Baltimore) - Bob Nowaskey, former Chicago Bear, Los Angeles Don and Baltimore end and linebacker, said here today that he has been contacted by the Green Bay Packers regarding a coaching job with the Bays next fall. Packer Coach Gene Ronzani had no comment other than, "I hadn't talked to Bob." Nowaskey presently is football coach at Calvert Hall High in Baltimore. His team won the Catholic conference title last fall. Nowaskey, 25, married and father of three daughters, played with the Bears in 1940-41, served in the Navy until 1945, and then played two years with the Dons and three with the Colts. A "day" was held in his honor when the Packers played the Colts in Baltimore in 1950.

PACKER CONTRACT FOR USE OF NEW STADIUM APPROVED

MAR 14 (Milwaukee) - A tentative contract under which the Green Bay Packers will use Milwaukee's new stadium for four football games this fall was approved Friday by the County Park Commission. Dates for the games were not specified. Three are expected to be NFL games and one an exhibition. The contact calls for the county to be paid 12 1/2 percent of the Packers' gross receipts per game if the receipts are over $10,000. If receipts are below this, the team will pay 15 percent of the take. The contract has not been signed by the Packers, but club officials have agreed on its terms.

PACKERS SIGN SIX COLLEGE STARS, NO. 1 DRAFT CHOICE

MAR 14 (Green Bay) - Green Bay Packer coach Gene Ronzani went on a player-signing binge today and then produced the real live goods. He revealed the inking of six outstanding draft choices, topped by his No. 1 pick - halfback Al Carmichael, the Southern California speedster whose touchdown catch of a pass defeated Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl last Jan. 1. The other five prospective Packers are: Tackle Bill Forester of Southern Methodist, the No. 3 choice; linebacker and tackle Roger Zatkoff of Michigan, No. 5; middle guard Bob Kennedy of Wisconsin, No. 6; defensive halfback Gene Helwig of Tulsa, No. 15; and giant tackle Jack Morgan of Michigan State, who was drafted as a junior in 1951 for 1953 delivery. The half-dozen stars were feted at a big shindig this noon at the Beaumont hotel for Packer officials, special guests and a number of Packer veterans, including Babe Parilli, Tony Canadeo, Deral Teteak, Hal Faverty, Wash Serini, Ray Bray, Fred Cone, Jim Keane - to mention a few. The wholesale signing ceremony easily established a new record in the National league for players announced in one sitting. Ronzani recently established this precedent - on a smaller scale by comparison when he revealed the signing of his two veteran quarterbacks, Tobin Rote and Parilli, at one crack. Signing of the six rookies and the two "brains" gave Ronzani a running start on his 1953 program. And the "grand slam" gave the Packers one of the many needed big halfbacks in Carmichael - a Canadeo-sized driver at 185 pounds; a defensive expert the likes of Bobby Dillon in Helwig; a middle guard to fill the valuable shoes worn by Bray in Mr. Kennedy; an outstanding linebacker in Zatkoff to give Bob Forte and Teteak some help; and, last but not least, some important bolstering at tackle in the persons of Forester and Morgan...EIGHT NOW UNDER CONTRACT: Ronzani's official contract pile now is eight high - the five rookies and veteran Larry Coutre, who is returning after two year in the Army, Rote and Parilli. Two rookies, tackle Floyd Harrawood of Tulsa and halfback Lauren Hargrove, recently announced themselves as signed but the Packer office hasn't confirmed the "transactions" yet. This is the second straight year Ronzani grabbed his No. 1 draft choice first. A year ago, Parilli, then the No. 1 pick, was the first rookie to enter the pro field. Carmichael, rated by USC teammate Jim Sears as "as good as Hugh McElhenny", is billed as a terrific running back out west. He averaged nearly five yard per crack in two collegiate seasons. He ranks as a fine pass receiver - as Wisconsin fans know. Nicknamed Hoagy, Carmichael can play either halfback post. Before enrolling at USC, Carmichael earned all-America honors at Santa Ana Junior college. He also won service honors playing with the Marines. Forester is the No. 1 defensive tackle in the Southwest conference. Recommended by Mike Michalske, the former Packer great, Forester stands 6-3 and weighs 235. The big guy, noted for his speed, scored two touchdowns as a junior fullback and filled in at that spot last fall. He was rated an AP linesman of the week and made the Colliers all-America specialists team..."MIDDLE" PACKER LINE: Zatkoff, who stands 6-1 and weighs 215 pounds, gained all-Big Ten honors and All-American mention as linebacker. He also saw some service as an offensive tackle. Like Forester, Zatkoff started his playing as a fullback. Kennedy is the man the Packers hope to have "middle" the Packer line on defense. The Wisconsin product (he hails from Rhinelander, too) carries 225 pounds and stands 5-11. The 21-year old plays either offense or defense and made the Colliers' specialist team as a guard. He was an all-state prep guard in 1947-48 and played in the state high school all-star game in City stadium. Bob was a regular guard at Wisconsin as a freshman and received all-Big Ten recognition for four straight years. Morgan, who stands 6-2 and weighs 235, was the bulwark in Michigan State's powerful line last fall. The speedy big man, along with Forester, is expected to give the Packers additional strength up front - especially on defense. Morgan was chosen as a junior in the 1952 draft for 1953 delivery. Highly recommended for professional football, Morgan, 24, won't be eligible for Uncle Sam's team since he served two years in the Army. Helwig is a seasoned defensive halfback who specializes in speed. He's built about the same as Dillon - 190 pounds and 6-1.

NEW PACKERS GET DOES OF 'ML' HOSPITALITY

MAR 16 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers gospel, entitled "Major League Hospitality", was spread anew in California, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan and Wisconsin today as six Packer rookies returned to their respective schools. The half-dozen athletes, announced as signed in a 1,290-pound package deal, were feted at a luncheon and party at the Beaumont hotel Saturday afternoon. And, needless to say, they were collectively impressed by endless handshakes with Packer veterans, Packer officials and scads of special guest - some 200 in all. The newcomers - Al Carmichael of Southern California, Gene Helwig of Tulsa, Bill Forester of Southern Methodist, Jack Morgan of Michigan State, Roger Zatkoff of Michigan and Bob Kennedy of Wisconsin - heard these messages repeated many times: "Welcome to Green Bay, son." "You won't be sorry." "You'll be playing for the finest fans in all major league sports." "You can't help but play your best when you know practically everybody, personally, in the stands." "We're shooting for a winner here, son - maybe a championship; you look like a boy who can help bring it back here." "See you next fall, best of luck." In return, the visiting athletes seemed a wee bit bewildered - amazed that they should be so honored for merely signing a contract which calls for employment in a job they all enjoy, football. Carmichael, the 190-pound Trojan halfback who caught the touchdown pass that beat Wisconsin, 7-0, in the Rose Bowl last Jan. 1, was the "villain" of the party for that Rose Bowl deed, but he expressed the feeling of himself and the other boys something like this: "We feel most grateful for this wonderful reception; we feel that this tremendous hospitality will make us all better football players for the Packers." Packer coach Gene Ronzani extended the welcome on behalf of the Packer veterans and coaches, while Russ Bogda, new president of the Packers, officially received the boys into Packerland. Ronzani introduced the new players and then presented the veterans in the gathering - Captain Bob Forte, Babe Parilli, Wash Serini, Hal Faverty, Fred Cone, Deral Teteak and Tony Canadeo. Another guest was Charlie Berndt, the 275-pound University of Wisconsin tackle who is the property of the Chicago Cardinals. Bogda, highly impressed by the new six, stated that "we can't see anything but success in 1953." Another speaker was Russ Winnie, manager of Milwaukee WTMJ who was the "voice" of the Packers during 15 years starting with the three-championship days. Winnie, informed shortly before the meeting that Milwaukee had been made home of the Boston Braves, opined that major league baseball in Milwaukee would help the Packers there. "The fans will have a completely new feeling that will carry over into the football season," Winnie said, adding that "we'er going to back the Packers all the way." All of the boys, except Kennedy, who lives in Rhinelander, came into Green Bay by plane. Forester and Helwig were keeping their fingers crossed because of he tornado that struck part of Texas and Oklahoma. They returned Sunday...Kennedy drove in with his dad - Attorney Earl Kennedy, a onetime All-American center at Marquette. Father Earl, almost as wide as his 225-pound son, said he was offered a contract to play with the Packers- "$125 a game" - back in 1924. The senior Kennedy recalled, "a judge up in Rhinelander advised me to stick with law. He felt that I could make more money in that profession. So I didn't play." Kennedy admitted that "times have changed and a contract now with a professional team is worthwhile and gives a boy an opportunity to save up some money before going into his particular type of work." Young Kennedy plans to become an engineer...HAM AND BEANS: Helwig, a defensive expert who intercepted nine passes at Tulsa last fall, reminds of Bobby Dillon, also a defensive expert. Tackles Forester and Morgan both agreed that they'd like to play fullback again. "More fun to carry the ball," they said. Forester scored three TDs as a FB in '51 and played the positions at times last year. Morgan was a fullback in high school. Most of the newcomers thought that the platoon system would be back in college football in '54. Forester said he'd like to play the "old style - you can get in more action." Serini is only 10 pounds over his playing weight of 242 and "I feel like a new man; I generally get up to 260 this time of the year but I've been doing outdoor laboring work." Serini, Zatkoff, Carmichael and Forester will become fathers late next summer. In fact, Forester slipped out during the party to buy two gifts - "one for a boy and one for a girl," he explained. Forte, Bob Conrad, Eddie Ball and Joe Bur represented the Miller Brewing company, sponsors of Packer broadcasts the last three seasons. Babe Parilli, who was the honored guest at a similar party a year ago, is finishing his school work and instructing physical education at the University of Kentucky. Packer publicist Jug Earp went to Milwaukee after the party to attend the Journal games and spread the Packer word.

PACKERS, STATE LEAGUE VIEW 'MAYBE' MILWAUKEE  BRAVES

MAR 17 (Green Bay) - Reaction in our famous major league football city to Milwaukee's "maybe" major league baseball team centered around these two questions today: (1) Will it help or hinder attendance at Packer games in Milwaukee's new stadium next fall? and (2) Will it threaten the 14-year existence of the Wisconsin State Baseball league, of which Green Bay is a member? Packer coach Gene Ronzani says he "doesn't think it will help attendance because it means that we'll (the Packers) will be in competition for Milwaukee's recreation dollar - especially late in the summer when we'll be starting." On the other hand, Ronzani said that "major league baseball in Milwaukee may make the younger generation there more sports minded and, as a result, help our attendance there in future years." He added that big league baseball in Milwaukee will complicate Packer scheduling of games in the new stadium. The baseball season runs until the end of September and the Packers generally start play the last Sunday in September. Len J. Reis, president of the Bluejays, and Duane Bowman of Madison, president of the State baseball league, felt that major league baseball in Milwaukee would increase baseball enthusiasm and interest in the entire state. "The more you expose people to baseball the more they'll want to see games - in our state league cities or in Milwaukee," they said. Both agreed that "the State league will have to make extra efforts to give it fans good baseball next summer." Bowman added, "if fans have any loyalty for their home team, they'll continue their splendid support." As to fans running down to Milwaukee, Bowman and Reis said they expect people to take advantage of the closeness of the Beer Town to state league points but "certainly not to the extent that it will hurt our attendance." Another "good" about major league baseball in the state is that it will generate more interest among the kid players. Reis asked and answered this question: "Why do you suppose so many major league players come out of the New York area and surrounding areas? Because they're close to major league baseball!?

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IN BAY'S BACKYARD

MAR 19 (Green Bay) - Little Green bay boasted big league baseball in its backyard today - to go with the big league football in the front yard. Our town, representing the sports wonder of the world in the Packers, is now only 115 miles - less than a three-hour drive - from the baseball version of such cities as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, St. Louis, Cincinnati. And in the consensus of the big shift yesterday afternoon that sent the Boston Braves into Milwaukee went something like this: "It's just a tremendous thing for the entire state of Wisconsin." For the average fan, it mean that he could hop down to Milwaukee on a day off and see major league baseball. In the past, a trip to Chicago to see the Cubs or Sox was an annual affair. Our town's veteran baseball leader, Len J. Reis, president of the Bluejays, felt that the arrival of big time ball in Milwaukee will help baseball in Green Bay and in State league points. "It will create a great new interest in the sport in Wisconsin and our circuit should benefit." Reis pointed out. Like most fans in Green Bay, who noticed the support given the Packers in Milwaukee the last few years, Reis presented this friendly note of warning: "They'll have to get out and back the team - better than they did the Packers. The entire state will have to get behind the Braves so that major league baseball will always remain here." Packer Coach Gene Ronzani looked at Milwaukee's good fortune as a "wonderful thing for the state." He figured that the Braves would take some of the recreation dollars away from possible use for Packer football, but, he added, "big league baseball should create more sports fans in the long run." These "sports fans," he indicated, "will eventually help the Packers."..As soon as the news broke yesterday, Packer officials found themselves thinking about the 1953 non-conference and league scheduled. A meeting will be held shortly to iron out any changes brought about by the shift. The shift will complicate the fourth annual Shrine classic, tentatively scheduled against Pittsburgh in Milwaukee Sept. 12. The Brooklyn Dodgers will be in Milwaukee that day - a Saturday. The Braves also will be home on Sept. 27 (against Cincinnati) - the opening day of he NFL season. And the World Series will be on the following Sunday. While the Braves aren't figured to win the pennant this year, the Packers recall an unhappy experience a year ago when only 10,000 turned out for the Packer-Washington game on a Sunday during a World Series telecast. This would seem to mean that the Packers' first two games will have to be played in Green Bay - unless there might be a switch in the Braves' schedule. The Packers expect to get final clearance on their 1953 league and non-loop schedules shortly.

PACKERS AWAIT FINAL APPROVAL ON HOME DATES

MAR 23 (Green Bay) - The Packers are awaiting final approval from NFL Commissioner Bert Bell on the release of their home league dates, President Russ Bogda said today. Six tentative dates have been awarded the club but they are not to be released until a later date. Bogda said the dates and division of games between Green Bay and Milwaukee, as announced in Milwaukee newspapers, are incorrect. The Packer executive committee will meet Tuesday to discuss splitting the games between the two cities and to iron out a conflict with the Milwaukee Braves on Sept. 12. The Packers were scheduled to meet Pittsburgh in the Shrine game in the Milwaukee stadium that day, but the Braves will be home to Brooklyn on the same day. National league firing is scheduled to start Sept. 27.

PACKERS TO PLAY CARDS IN SPOKANE

MAR 24 (Green Bay) - The Packers were awaiting contracts today for a non-conference games against the Chicago Cardinals in Spokane, Wash., next Aug. 20 or 30. The Spokane Athletic Round Table Monday night signed a $40,000 contract for the contest in the 30,000-seat Spokane Memorial stadium. Contracts were to be sent to each team and the National league office today for final approval. Each team would be guaranteed $20,000. The Packer-Cardinal game is the third non-looper on the fire thus far. Earlier a march between the Packers and the Browns in Cleveland Sept. 19 was announced, and the Packers are scheduled to battle Pittsburgh in the third annual Shrine game in Milwaukee Sept. 12. Other non-league games likely will be played in Green Bay, Minneapolis and possibly one other city. The Packer executive committee met today to discuss possible league dates and the non-conference schedule.

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DATE, FOES SET FOR PACKERS' HOME LEAGUE CARD

MAR 25 (Green Bay) - Dates and opponents for the Packers' six home NFL games were announced today by Russ Bogda, Packer president. Equal division of the games between Green Bay and Milwaukee will be made later, pending final approval from NFL Commissioner Bert Bell. Thus, the Packers' first four league games will be in Green Bay and Milwaukee. The last two will be played at home nearly a month later. The first four games will start at 1:30 and the November games, Detroit and San Francisco, will start at 1 o'clock, Bogda announced. This will be the first season since 1950 that the Packers won't be opening against their traditional rival, the Bears. In 1950, the Packers played Detroit and Washington before meeting and beating the

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Bears in Green Bay. It was the last time the Packers had beaten the Bears in Green Bay. The Packers will be meeting the Browns for the first time in a league game when the two clubs open the 1953 season. Oddly enough, the rivals will be playing each other on successive weekend. They are scheduled to meet in Cleveland in a non-conference game Sept. 19. While the announcement cleared away a number of problems, the Packers were still faced today with major league baseball trouble - for the first time in their history in the state. The problem involves tentative plans for opening the season against the Browns in Milwaukee's new county stadium Sept. 27. The Milwaukee Braves are scheduled to close their season with Cincinnati at the same place on the same date. The Packer executive committee met yesterday and discussed the problem considerably. The group will negotiate with stadium officials, the Braves and the NFL office in order to try and work out a solution.

PACKERS' FULL SCHEDULE SET; JONES SIGNED

MAR 26 (Green Bay) - The Packers got a look at their full NFL schedule today - not to mention a contract signed by Isaac J. (Ike) Jones, the UCLA 9.9-second Negro. The 12-game program was 

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rounded out with announcement of home dates by other clubs in the two division. The card shows the Packers playing their first four games at home, the next three on the road, the next two at home and the last three on the road. Division of games between Green Bay and Milwaukee will be announced as soon as a decision can be made on where the opener can be played. The opener against the Browns has been scheduled in Milwaukee but the Braves are carded against Cincinnati in that city's new stadium the same day. The invasion of Detroit again is scheduled for Thanksgiving day - a tradition for Lion teams. The Packers replaced the Chicago Bears as the Lions' Turkey Day opponent in 1951. Like the last few years, the Packers will follow their trip to Detroit with the two-game, season-ending trip to the west coast. The first stop will be at San Francisco and the last at LA; in 1952 it was the other way around. The newest player news broke last night, with the signing of Jones to a Packer contract. He is the 10th officially announced by the Packers; two others - defensive halfback Lauren Hargrove of Georgia and Floyd Harrawood of Tulsa - announced themselves. The 25th player selected by Coach Gene Ronzani in the January draft. Jones thus placed himself in competition against the Packers' Big Four offensive ends - Bob Mann, Bill Howton, Jim Keane and Stretch Elliott - and a flock of defensive backs headed by Bobby Dillon, who is expected to return for his sophomore season next fall. Actually, Jones, 23, played three different position in his three seasons on the coast, filling in as an offensive halfback besides working at end and on defense. The Negro star from Santa Monica, Calif., is at home on either platoon due to his tremendous speed - 9.9 seconds in the century. He stands five feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 181 pounds. Jones led UCLA pass receivers in 1952, grabbing 25 passes for 270 yards and five touchdowns. He was used on the defensive platoon more in '50 and '51, also doubling as a ball carrier. His receiving and running statistics for three years at UCLA: 1950 - Caught seven passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Carried 20 times for 101 yards for a five yard plus average. 1951 - Caught three passes for 28 yards. Ran the ball five times for 31 yards and one touchdown. An all important touchdown in the SC-UCLA game on a 20 yard sprint. 1952 - Caught 25 passes for 270 yards and five touchdowns. Carried eight times for a net for 57 yards, averaging 7.12 per try. The colored star had one of his greatest days in the 1952 California-UCLA game, when he set a new UCLA pass receiving record of nine receptions, scoring a touchdown on the last catch. In addition, Jones broke away for a 60-yard touchdown run only to have it nullified by penalty. Jones is a theater arts major at UCLA and is obviously interested in the motion picture industry. He has played parts in several Hollywood productions. Ike appeared in 20th Century-Fox's "No Way Out", starring Richard Widmark and Linda Darnell, and was in the football film, "Saturday's Hero." Jones got a big break when he was named assistant director on the forthcoming "Joe Louis Story."

PACKERS 'PUNT' ON FIRST LEAGUE DATE

MAR 27 (Green Bay) - When Bert Bell sat down with his schedule dominoes after the league meeting in January, he had two things in minds as regards the Packers' phase of the 1953 NFL schedule: (1) Put the Packers in Milwaukee for a "formal" major league opening of the city's new stadium on Sept. 27. (2) Keep the Packers out of Milwaukee on the first Sunday in October because of the World Series telecast. Mr. Ball, astute czar of pro football, cleared the way for the Packers by appointing the awesome Cleveland Browns as the Packers' Sept. 27 foe and the hated Chicago Bears as the Bays' Oct. 4 opponent. Thus, hizzoner made it easy for the Packers to carry out the aforementioned Nos. 1 and 2 items, giving Milwaukeeans an excellent attraction in their spanking new ball yard and providing our town's fans with their traditional taste of Bear meat. That was the picture until a week ago last Wednesday - March 18, to be exact - when the Boston Braves were suddenly moved to Milwaukee. That one stroke of unprecedented business in Florida gave the Packers a major league baseball park headache for the first time in their 33 yards of operation. Here's why: The Braves are scheduled to play the Cincinnati Reds in Milwaukee stadium Sept. 27 - the same day the Bays are to play the Browns there. The question now is this: Whose team will occupy Milwaukee stadium on Sept. 27 - the Packers or the Braves. Actually, the Packers have first crack at the Sept. 27 date for the simple reason that they contacted for use of the stadium before the baseball shift. Contracts for use of the stadium by the Braves have since been signed. The Braves' Sept. 27 date will be their last at home for the 1953season barring a World Series berth. Packer officials are presently punting (when in doubt, always punt, 'tis said) around three or four different possibilities while awaiting the results of conferences with officials with the Braves, the Milwaukee stadium and Commissioner Bell. The best and most desired solution is to play the game as scheduled in Milwaukee. This could be done if some "arrangement" can be worked out with the Braves. One bug might be the fact that the Braves are also home on the previous day, Sept. 26. If the Packers were to play there the next day, they would not have time to install bleachers along one sideline. Without the choice bleacher seats in use for one game, the Packers' season ticket sales in Milwaukee would be ineffective. Another alternative, and we hate to even mention this, would be to open against Cleveland in Green Bay Sept. 27 and then play the Bear game (oh no!) in Milwaukee Oct. 4, thus taking a chance the Series telecast not hurting due to the drawing power of the Bears. The sentiment of the Packer executive committee has always been to keep the Bear game in Green Bay, although members admitted that if the game ever was to be switched for "test" purposes this would be the year to try it because of the other attractions offered in Green Bay this year - the Browns and Detroit Lions, to mention two. The Lions are world's champs and the Browns won the league title in '50 and the American conference title in 1951-52. Another alternative would be to play four games in Green Bay and two in Milwaukee, meaning that the Bears and Browns would play here on successive Sundays to start the schedule. While the Packers played to small crowds at two of its three league games in Milwaukee last fall, it was decided to attempt three there again in '52 as a means of testing the "drawing power" of the new stadium, giving a real trial for Milwaukee, and finding out once and for all if they will support the Packers...SOMETHING TO START WITH: As to equal division of six home games between the two cities this year, Packer officials have something to start with, traditional foes in each city, the Bears in Green Bay and Los Angeles in Milwaukee. The Rams generally draw well in Milwaukee and the Packers likely will continue them as a "traditional" foe there. Next to the Bears as a traditional opponent in Green Bay is Detroit. The Lions are particularly juicy this year because they're world champs. In addition, the Lions draw well here from nearby Michigan cities. With Cleveland already spoke for by Milwaukee, the remaining two to be split are Baltimore and San Francisco. Let's just try to punt at this point!

BIG BUSINESS, SMALL PROFITS

MAR 28 (Green Bay) - The government's investigation of the restrictions on broadcasting and televising of professional football games by the NFL developed interesting facts. Nick Krebway, general manager of Detroit, testified that the Lions, in winning the national championship in 1953, made $114,000 in profit with the help of $113,000 received from radio and television programs. Judge Grim found it hard to understand how the Lions had kept going for 17 years while losing money for fifteen of those years. Most people who view the professional football scene from a distance have a picture of huge crowds with high prices for seats. They can see thousands of dollars going somewhere. The fact is thousands of dollars are going somewhere but not into the club treasuries. The recent report of the Packers to the stockholders supports the story being revealed in the government's suit. The Packers had a net gain of $11,000 for the past year. This profit could be wiped out if the club had a bad years in the sale of programs or in awarding the hot dog and beer concessions.

PACKERS PONDER HOME TILT SITES

MAR 31 (Green Bay) - With cooperation of the Milwaukee Braves, the Packers today has one-third of their annual "which game to play where" problem already solved. The Braves last night agreed to step aside so the Packers can open their NFL season against Cleveland in Milwaukee's new stadium Sept. 27. The Braves were slated to close their baseball season at home that same day against Cincinnati. But General Manager John Quinn of the Braves said arrangements are being made to switch the finale to Cincinnati. "We realize the importance of the Sept. 27 date to the Packers," Quinn pointed out, "and we know, too, their schedule plans were made when there was no conflict." Plans for use of the stadium, including dates, were made before the Braves were shifted from Boston to Milwaukee. Work on converting the stadium for football audiences can start immediately after the Sept. 25 night game. Sept. 26 is an open date for the Braves. The stadium will have a capacity of 36,000 for football. The Packer-Brown game will formally open the stadium to major league football. The Bay schedule was drawn up by NFL Commissioner Bert Bell with that in mind. The "real" home opener for the Packers will occur in Green Bay's City stadium the following Sunday (Oct. 4) with the hated Chicago Bears as "guests". Thus, the sites of two of the Packers' six home league games have been determined. The Packer executive committee was to hash over the rest of the problem at a luncheon meeting today. The Packers are scheduled to play their first four games at home and the best guess is that they will be alternated between Green Bay and Milwaukee. After the Brown game in Milwaukee and the Bears here, it seems logical that

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that the Packers will return to Milwaukee to battle the Los Angeles Rams Oct. 11 and then hop home to meet the Baltimore Colts the following Sunday, Oct. 18. After three consecutive road games - at Pittsburgh Oct. 25, at Baltimore Nov. 1 and at Bears Nov. 8 - the Packers face Detroit (Nov. 15) and San Francisco (Nov. 22) at home. The world champion Detroit Lions likely will get the Green Bay assignment, and the Forty Niner test probably will be played in Milwaukee. Detroit has been something of a natural rival in Green Bay and generally a good drawing team. Moving the 'Frisco game to Milwaukee would give Sudsville one of its best pro grid schedules in history. In addition, it will give Packer officials a "once and for all" chance to see if Milwaukee will really get out and support the club.

PACKERS PLAY BEARS, COLTS, LIONS HERE

APR 1 (Green Bay) - Wisconsin Packer fans today: (1) Sized up two of the best game schedules in many, many years. (2) Thought over the first Packer ticket increase in eight years. (3) And consulted the calendar to find that the 1953 season is only a vacation and a flock of baseball games away. The Green Bay phase of the Packers' league car brings in the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Colts and world champion Detroit Lions, while the Milwaukee program calls for the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco Forty Niners. The Packers' first four "blood" games will be alternated between the two communities. The Packer-Brown test will officially open Milwaukee's new stadium to football Sept. 27. Then, on the following Sabbath, Oct. 4. the traditional Bear-Packer conflict will be staged in Green Bay. The next Sunday, Oct. 11, Green Bay takes on LA in Milwaukee and a week later the Packers return home to meet the new Colts. The power-packed Lions are due in Green Bay Nov. 15 - incidentally, one of the earliest closing dates in years (barring a playoff) - and the Forty Niners are scheduled in Milwaukee the next Sunday, Nov. 22. Russ Bogda, president of the Packers, said today that 'we have given Milwaukee a schedule this year to do justice to its major league stadium, and we believe the new major league spirit in Milwaukee will carry over right from the Braves to the Packers." Under the new ticket plan, seats formerly selling at $4.80 are raised to $5; $3.60 tickets to $3.75; and $2.40 seats to $2.50 - all including federal tax. The new prices are for league games in Green Bay and Milwaukee. The increase of 20, 15 and 10 cents amount to approximately four percent. In explaining the rise, okayed by the Packer executive committee, at its meeting Tuesday, Bogda pointed out that "this is the first time the Packers have raised ticket prices in eight years despite the period of inflation in which costs went up all along the line in professional football." He added that the decision was also based on a necessity to increase the total revenue at City stadium to satisfy league teams. The boost would raise gross revenues $5,640 for capacity crowds of 24,700 at City stadium. The increases will not apply to non-league games. With completion of the league schedule, the Packers gradually are rounding out their game program. Five non-conference engagements are being lined up but only two of them are considered "official" - the Chicago Cardinal test in Spokane, Wash., Aug. 29 or 30 and the Brown battle in Cleveland Sept. 19. The Packers also have have games pending with Washington, the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Redskins, who are coached by Curly Lambeau, have been rumored as a foe in Green Bay; the Steelers are tabbed to play the Packers in the Milwaukee Shrine classic; and the Giants would appear to be a natural foe for the Pack in Minneapolis since coach Steve Owen's club will train in Minnesota. Under league rules, the Packers' non-league foes are all members of the Eastern division. The only eastern team not being played is Philadelphia. The league schedule calls for home and home games with each team in the same conference and two against teams in the opposite loop. The Packers' two Eastern division foes this year are the Browns and Pittsburgh. Baltimore, incidentally, is playing in the Western division despite its eastern location and the midwest Chicago Cardinals are playing in the eastern wheel.

SZAFARYN, HARRAWOOD, HARGROVE SIGN '53 PACTS

APR 1 (Green Bay) - Not in the least bit superstitious, Packer coach Gene Ronzani stopped at 13 today in his signing of players. He revealed the signing of three more athletes, including veteran guard-tackle Len Szafaryn, produce a full team and two replacement. The other two signees are draft choices Lauren Hargrove of the University of Georgia, a halfback, and Floyd Harrawood of the University of Tulsa, a tackle. Ronzani now has announced he signing of one end, four tackles, two guards (figuring Szafaryn as a guard) and six backs. Four of the signees are veterans - quarterbacks Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli, halfback Larry Coutre and Szafaryn. Szafaryn, who has just completed two years of duty in the Army, came to the Packers from Washington in 1950 in exchange for veteran tackle Paul Lipscomb. Big Len, who packs 230 pounds, was a valuable cog in the Packer line on offense and defense and was especially gifted on getting down under punts. He hails from Ambridge, Pa., and is 25 years of age. He was an all-American at North Carolina. Szafaryn is the second "GI" returning from the 1950 teams. Earlier, Coutre, the onetime Notre Dame star who broke in as a pro in 1950, and then went into the Army, signed his '53 pact. Hargrove, who stands six feet and weighs 190 pounds, is a lefthanded right halfback. On defense, he plays the safety position. Hampered by injuries in 1952, Hargrove averaged nearly five yards a crack in 1951 and scored four touchdowns. His terrific speed, 9.8 seconds in the 100-yard dash, is expected to give the Packers much needed drive for the halfback post. In high school at Fitzgerald, Ga., Hargrove rolled up 476 points in four seasons to set a national scoring mark. Harrawood, son of a Tulsa minister, will add 245 pounds to the Packers' defensive line. An aggressive lineman, Harrawood blocked two kicks at college - one for a touchdown against Bradley and another for a safety in a game against Arkansas. In the 1953 spring alumni game, Harrawood played the full game at defensive tackle, having a field day in rushing players and breaking up plays with deadly tackles. Packer assistant coach Ray McLean was impressed by Harrawood in a recent spring game at Tulsa. McLean was there to take part in a two-day classic of coaching.

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HUGH DEVORE NEW PACKER COACH AIDE

APR 4 (Green Bay) - Hugh Devore, who holds the distinction of being one of the six head coaches in the 64-year football history of Notre Dame university, became an assistant coach of the Packers today. Packer coach Gene Ronzani made the announcement in his first move toward replacing two coaches who resigned after the 1952 season - end and defense coach Dick Plasman and line coach Tarz Taylor. Devore, 41, who coached at six different schools during the past 19 years after a spectacular playing career at Notre Dame, will be making his professional debut with the Packers. He joins backfield coach Ray McLean and line coach Chuck Drulis on the Packer staff. Hugh isn't exactly unfamiliar with pro football. Ronzani, himself, made sure of that back in 1944 when Gene, then an assistant with the Chicago Bears, roomed with Devore at Notre Dame; Ronzani was on "special duty" from the Bears to assist the Notre Dame quarterbacks...WORKED UNDER CROWLEY: The soft-spoken Devore, who turned down a couple of college offers to "turn pro", was left without a home school for the first time in his career after the 1952 season, when New York university decided to quit the sport after nearly 80 seasons of competition. Devore was at NYU for the last three years. Hugh was graduated from Notre Dame in the class of '33 after starring as an end and gaining All-America mention. He was co-captain in his senior year. The next year he worked as the freshman coach at ND. He served as an assistant with Frank Leahy, under Jim Crowley at Fordham from 1935-37 and in the 1938-41 period was head coach at Providence college. After a season as assistant to Tony Scanlan at Holy Cross, Devore went to Notre Dame, working under Leahy in '43 and Ed McKeever in '44. Devore was named head coach at ND in 1945, his team posting a 7-2-1 record. Devore then went to little St. Bonaventure and promptly put that school on the grid map. His teams posted 25 victories and one tie in 35 games in four seasons. He moved on to NYU in 1950, but the de-emphasis was already on. He compiled a 4-17-2 mark and the heavy cost of the game forced NYU to cut out the sport...REPORT JULY 1: At Notre Dame, Devore worked with a number of players who later became pro stars - Bill Fischer, George Connor, John Lujack and others. Packer scout Jack Vainisi played tackle under Devore as a freshman. Devore brought Harry Jacunski, the former Packer end, to Notre Dame for a season after he finished playing here. Ronzani said that Devore will report in Green Bay July 1. He lives in West Orange, N.J., is married, and has three children...Ronzani is the only remaining member of the "original regime" staff that took over the Packer coaching in 1950 following Curly Lambeau's resignation. Ronzani's 1950 staff included line coach Tarz Taylor, backfield coach Ray Nolting, end coach Dick Plasman and Clark Shaughnessy, who was here for a short spell during the training season. Two changes were made in '51. Ray McLean replaced Nolting as backfield coach, and Chuck Drulis, who played here in '50, worked in as a line assistant under Taylor. Plasman remained as end mentor. The same staff assisted Ronzani in 1952 but after the season both Plasman and Taylor resigned.

DEVORE 15TH ASSISTANT COACH IN PACKER HISTORY; SMITH'S THE DEAN

APR 7 (Green Bay) - Appointment of Hugh Devore the other day as a Packer assistant coach prompted an "investigation" -- in the Packer history books. Devore, the yellowed pages of this and that book and newspaper show, is only the 15th individual to actually hold the title "assistant coach", and get paid for same in the 34-year history of the club. This must be considered unusual - on the surface - although the Number 1 wonder of the No. 1 sport wonder of the world is still the fact that the team operated with only two head coaches - Curly Lambeau, the founder of the team and its head coach for 30 years, and Gene Ronzani, the present HC who took over in 1950. Actually, the Packers, like other teams, played as a one-coach unit for the first 15 years; the rosters were small (15 or 16 players made up a busload) and nobody ever heard of the two-platoon system. Red Smith was the Bays' first assistant coach and he remains today as the dean of assistant coaches, with eight years of service. Smith, a Packer guard in 1927 and 1929 and a member of the football New York Giants in 1930-31, started duty as an assistant coach in 1936. Red held the title "line coach"..."OLDEST" MEN ASSISTED: Previous to Smith's time and during his stay, the oldest men on the team in point of service assisted Lambeau with coaching. Among them were Mike Michalske, Verne Lewellen and Jug Earp, the Packers' present publicity director, who also did some scouting in the middle 1930s. Of the 15 assistants, 13 came and went during the last 10 years - the period when professional football really flourished. This period saw the start of the two-platoon system and the expansion of coaching staffs on all teams in the NFL. The Packers became a two-assistant coach (all non-players) team for the first time in 1942, when Eddie Kotal, the former Packer great, joined Smith. Kotal stayed on in '43 but the 1944 season saw a complete aide change. George Trafton replaced Smith as line mentor and Don Hutson worked as a player coach, working with the ends and backs. That was a championship year...SHAUGHNESSY WORKED MONTH: Big Walt Kiesling replaced Trafton in 1945, and Hutson continued to play and coach. Hutson retired after the 1945 season and started four seasons as an assistant and coach in 1946, working with Kiesling. The three-aide staff was hired in 1947 - Hutson, Kiesling and Bo Molenda, the former Bay fullback. This group operated under Lambeau in '48, but a new group was brought in in '49 with the exception of Hutson - Bob Snyder, Tom Stidham and Charley Brock, the all-time Packer center. The new regime, headed by Ronzani, has undergone some assistant coaching changes, too. All of the members of the original aide staff are gone - Ray Nolting, Dick Plasman and Tarz Taylor. Also in this starter campaign, the T-expert, Clark Shaughnessy, worked a month as an assistant. Nolting left after the '50 season and Ray McLean took his place in 1951, while Chuck Drulis was added as a line assistant. Plasman and Taylor resigned after three years each. McLean, the backfield mentor, is presently starting his third campaign; so is Drulis who will be taking over as line coach. While on the subject of coaches, the NFL record book lists approximately 80 head coaches of teams that continued to operate down to the present. Counting some of the old clubs like Canton, Duluth, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Racine and seemingly hundreds of others, a total of 150 individuals must have suffered the heartaches of coaching professional football...CARDINAL GRAVEYARD!: The Chicago Cardinals easily rank as the graveyard of coaches, 17 different men stepping in and out since 1921, including Lambeau. Washington, Lambeau's present base, and Pittsburgh rank second, with 11 changes each. Detroit is next with seven, while the Philadelphia Eagles have had six and the New York Giants five. Lambeau is the dean of all NFL coaches, with 33 years under his belt. Bear owner-coach George Halas is next with 27, having missed six seasons to voluntary retirement and for service in the Navy. Owen is third with 23 seasons.

PACKERS AND BRAVES

APR 10 (Green Bay) - It's heartening to see the Milwaukee Braves clear the way for the Packers to play their opening game in the Milwaukee stadium Sept. 27. The Braves are riding high in Milwaukee. They are in position to demand and get almost anything they fancy. Their welcome to Milwaukee has surpassed anything of that nature hereabouts in decades. It's been more than a noisy demonstration.

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Money in substantial amounts was provided to put the stadium in readiness for the opening game. The demand for tickets has been remarkable - "swamping the ticket office." When the Packers' need for the stadium on the same day  the Braves were scheduled to play their closing home game was presented, the management of the Braves rose above expectations. They understood the Packers' problems. The Packers had planned first and so the Braves would move their game to Cincinnati. It wasn't easy to change the game. The Cincinnati stadium will have to remain open a week longer with additional expense, but the Braves made no big issue of it. It was a friendly act and a fine piece of public relations. No doubt the Milwaukee fans will be pleased with the opportunity to see the Packers and Cleveland Browns in the opener, and Green Bay people recognize a courtesy when they see it.

CENTERS RINGO, SMITH SIGNED BY PACKERS FOR '53

APR 21 (Green Bay) - The Packers threw 444 pounds of beef into the middle of their offensive line today with the signing of two centers - Jim Ringo, a rookie from Syracuse University, and Larry Smith, a refugee from the Chicago Bears and the Canadian league. Addition of the two pivots - first of their position to be added thus far - boosts the number of announced-as-signed players for 1953 to 15, including six backs, one end, four tackles and two guards. Ringo, the ninth draftee signed by coach Gene Ronzani thus far, was selected in the No. 7 sport in the draft last January. The two newcomers represent the start of Ronzani's plan to bolster the center of the Bays' attack wall. And the Bay coach is starting from scratch, since Jay Rhodemyre, the veteran of four seasons, isn't expected back next fall. Rhodemyre came to the rescue just before training started last year to lead the offensive line, beating out rookies George Schmidt, Carl Kraeger and Don Makowski. Schmidt, a Lewis college athlete, remained around most of the season. Ringo comes highly recommended by the Packers' eastern scouts. The former Syracuse captain, a Hungarian, stands 6-2 and packs 220 pounds. An excellent competitor, Ringo, 22, calls the fact that he has been considered professional material as his greatest football accomplishment. He hails from Orange, N.J....SKIPPED OFF TO CANADA: Smith, who packs 224 pounds on a 6-1 frame, was placed on waivers by the Bears just before the Packer-Bear game in Green Bay last fall. Ronzani immediately claimed him on waivers but he skipped off to Canada before the Bay coach had a chance to talk to him. The claim was okayed by the league and Smith was placed on the Packer reserve list. There is a suspicion in some circles that Bear coach George Halas had hopes of bringing Smith back in '53. Halas, however, took a chance on some other club claiming him when he had to place him on waivers to get down to the player limit last fall. Smith, considered a fine blocker - especially on quarterback sneaks - had some experience as a fullback in high school ball in Cadogan, Pa., and at the University of South Carolina. He also plays the linebacking spot. Smith, 23, is called in the SC press manuals "the greatest athlete in South Carolina history," but Packer publicist Jug Earp takes exception to that - "they apparently have forgotten all about Larry Craig (the former Packer defensive end and blocking back) who did a lot of footballing at South Carolina." Smith was an all-Southern center in '51. Ronzani now has announced the signing of nine of his 30 draft selections, including seven of the first 10. Only players missing from the first 10 are halfback Gil Reich of Kansas, second choice; halfback Gib Dawson of Texas, fourth; and guard-tackle Vic Rymkus of Holy Cross, 10th. Six of the 30 selections are juniors and thus unlikely to play next fall, since each has a year of eligibility left.

PACK INKS HALFBACK BILLY HAIR

APR 28 (Green Bay) - APR 28 (Green Bay) – Who will be the Packers’ big “little halfback” in 1953? That question will have to go unanswered until mid-October, but at least for the moment the Packers had another LM candidate – Billy (Sweet William) Hair, the 178-pound halfback from Clemson college. Packer coach Gene Ronzani announced the signing of Hair today, thus boosting the number of revealed inked players to 18. The total includes eight halfbacks, five tackles, two centers, two guards and one end. So-called "little” halfbacks carry under 180 pounds; they’re generally wiry and have the ability to bounce like a ball when they’re hit by 220-poundl linebackers and defensive ends. What’s more, they’re required to have a heart twice their size. Ronzani drafted just one “littler” last January – Gib Dawson, the 175-pound HB from Texas – as he put the emphasis on the heavier type halfback – 185 pounds and up. A year ago, Ronzani snared three lightweights – Hair, who then was a junior, Johnny Pont of Miami university and Billy Burkhalter of Rice…INJURY BENCHED HIM: Hair played in his senior year, though an early injury kept him on the bench most of the campaign. Pont had the heart but his 170 pounds was against him. Burkhalter decided not to play pro ball. The Packers finished 1952 without a less-than-180-pound halfback, although they opened training with two or three. Shortly before practice, 178-pound Jug Girard was traded off to the Detroit Lions in an effort to bolster the line, the result of which produced tackle Steve Dowden. Barring a sleeper or two, the 1953 Packers will have three hot “little” prospects. No. 1, of course, is proven Larry Coutre, the 178-pound flash from Notre Dame who cut quite a figure as a rookie in 1950. Larry went into service after the season and just recently signed for next fall. He played Army ball in 1951-52. The other contenders are Hair and Dawson, who hasn’t signed yet. Gib was Ronzani’s fourth draft choice and he’s highly rated by Southwest conference scouts. Hair, onetime teammate of Packer fullback Fred Cone at Clemson, was a triple-threat back in college – a runner, passer and punter. In addition, he did the punt and kickoff returning…GREATEST ALL-AROUND BACK: After brilliant sophomore and junior years, Hair was boomed as an All-American in 1952 but injuries cut him down. The 23-year old, who stands 5-11, established many records at Clemson – most pass attempts, one season, 164; most completions, one game, 15; most yards passing, one season, 1,004; most offensive plays, one season, 324; most offensive plays, one game, 45; most yards rushing and passing, one season, 1,702; best rushing average, one season, 6.9 yards in 83 tries with net yardage of 573. Rated one of the greatest all-around halfbacks ever to play for Clemson, Hair led the Southeastern conference in 1951 in total offense, receiving all-Southern selection and honorable All-America mention. He was Clemson’s hero in the 1951 Orange Bowl and the Gator Bowl in ’52. A native of Saint Matthews, S.C., Hair played three years of high school football at Walterboro, S.C.

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CAN IT BE TRUE ABOUT PACKERS' TRUEBEAUGH?

MAY 1 (Green Bay) - Twenty-twenty? Packer Coach Gene Ronzani is wondering if it’s true what they say about Bill Turnbeaugh. Or is he? The 265-pound tackle from Auburn university plays – so the story goes – by ground vibrations, because of his extreme nearsightedness. Called one of the marvels (and we might add freaks) of football by the Auburn publicity people, Turnbeaugh’s slogan is this: “Hear ‘em, feel ‘em and grab ‘em.” Ronzani had to laugh himself when he nailed Turnbeaugh on the 22nd round of the National league draft last January. “There’s some copy for you,” he snickered…METHOD IN HUMOR: But it appears Ronzani may have had some method in his humor. The coach saw him play in the Senior bowl at Mobile, Ala., last winter and commented: “For a boy who can’t see, he sure made a lot of tackles. And he moves plenty fast for such a big man.” The mystery of Turnbeaugh will have to wait, of course, until late next July when the Packers start training but, at the moment, Ronzani has high hopes for the bulky beef trust. Actually, Turnbeaugh received much favorable comment in the south for his defensive tackle work, although few people – except opposing coaches and players – gave him much of a tumble because of the emphasis put on his nearsightedness. The give-away, however, was the fact that he was selected to play in the Senior bowl…CALL HIM “EARTHQUAKE”: Nicknamed “Earthquake” for fairly obvious reasons, Turnbeaugh has been playing by ground tremors for the last three or four years, ‘tis said. He broke into college ball at Cameron Junior college at Cameron, Okla., in 1949 and transferred to Auburn in ’51. The 6-foot, 4-inch tackle was a mainstay in Auburn’s defensive line in the last two years. Turnbeaugh played high school football at Tucumcari, N.M., also his birthplace. The Auburn giant is the sixth tackle announced as signed for 1953. A total of 19 signees have been revealed thus far, including eight backs…PRO STUFF: Vic Rymkus, the Holy Cross tackle drafted by the Packers, won four letters in hockey in college. Andy Uram, former Packer back, is now with the sales force of the Premier Autoware company of Cleveland. Packer line coach Chuck Drulis conferred with Coach Ronzani yesterday, coming up from Chicago. Backfield coach Ray McLean has his home here, while the new assistant, Hugh Devore, will report in July. Drulis is in the car business with Ray Bray in Chicago.

TONNEMAKER RETURNS TO PACKERS FOR '53 CAMPAIGN!

MAY 2 (Green Bay) - Clayton Tonnemaker will play for the Packers next fall! The giant linebacker and center – an all-professional as a Packer rookie in 1950 – will be separated from the Army in July! The former University of Minnesota star – a member of every All-America team in ’49 – already has signed his '53 Packer contract and will report for training Aug. 1! Those three paragraphs represent, in brief, the biggest Packer player news in years. For months, Packer fans have been asking, “when’s the big guy coming out?” and the dope last winter was that Tonnemaker wouldn’t be available until 1954. But late Friday afternoon, Packer coach Gene Ronzani announced that Tonnemaker’s discharge papers have been signed. Big Clayton, who will turn 25 years of age next June 8, presently is with an Army medical outfit in Japan. Tonnemaker, the Packers’ first draft choice in 1950, went into the Army a week after the 1950 season ended. After basic training as a private, Tonnemaker enrolled in an officers’ training school and several months later was commissioned a second lieutenant. He has been stationed in Japan for more than a year. Tonnemaker played Army football in 1951-52 and made the all-service eleven both years. Ronzani has been in touch with First Lt. Tonnemaker throughout his Army career and Clayton was intensely interested in the affairs of what he called “my team”. After scanning the Packers’ latest draft list, Tonnemaker wrote Ronzani last March 23 in part: “The draft selection look as if you have added strength enough to make the Packers a contender – if not a winner.”…SAY HELLO TO “MY FRIENDS”: In another letter to Ronzani, Tonnemaker penned this paragraph: “I feel that both you and the Packers have been more than fair to me; I’ll try to do my best to repay you and the Packers.” The gentlemen from Minnesota never fails to ask Gene to “say hello to all my friends in Green Bay.” Ronzani was delicious with joy Friday afternoon. Asked “what you going to do with him,” Ronzani laughed, “you just wait and see.” Return of Tonnemaker gives the Packers three No. 1 linebackers – probably the best trio in the league. The others are Captain Bob Forte and Deral Teteak, who was nicknamed “Little Tonnemaker” by his teammates and fans last year. Also in the LB’ing role is Hal Faverty, who played plenty of good football. The Packers now have two extremes in the middle linebacker spot, Tonnemaker, who stands 6-3 and weighs 235, and Teteak, who stands 5-9 and weighs 205. But Ronzani isn’t complaining!...TERRIFIC IN ROOKIE YEAR: One of the best liked players ever to wear the Packer silks, Tonnemaker was nothing short of terrific in his rookie year. Big Clayt played his first game at City stadium against the Chicago Cardinals, a non-leaguer, and he performed like he’d been in pro ball for years. Amazingly fast for a big man, Tonnemaker made tackles wide to his left and right. One time, he broke through his own left tackle and caught a Cardinal halfback going over the opposite side. Fullback Pat Harder, who is generally good for two or three yards when tackled by one or two men, was stopped cold many times by Tonnemaker. Then there was the Bear game in Chicago. The Bears figured Clayton should leave the playing field, so two of their number coldcocked him. Tonnemaker was helped off the field but he was laughing on the bench before the next play was run off. He was back in action on the following play. One of the two Bears was banished from the game by the officials – so obvious was the “infraction” on Tonnemakers’ jaw and neck…WORKED SOME ON OFFENSE: And how about that snow-bowl game against San Francisco here. Tonnemaker, smelling a third down quick kick, drifted back so fast that he fielded Frankie Albert’s boot on the fly. Unless Jay Rhodemyre returns, Tonnemaker will be the Packers’ only veteran offensive center next fall. The big ex-Gopher worked occasionally at the position in ’50 – especially on the long passbacks on punts and field goals, replacing Ed Neal. Tonnemaker is the last of the four 1950 Packers to return to action. Forte, a World War II veteran, was called into the Korean conflict but was separated in time for the 1952 season. The other two, guard Len Szafaryn and halfback Larry Coutre, were discharged last January and already have signed for 1953.

USC COACH BLASTS LIONS FOR SIGNING ACE TACKLE

MAY 5 (Los Angeles) - Coach Jess Hill of Southern California Monday lashed out at the Detroit Lions pro football team for signing Charley Ane, the Trojans’ star tackle. The Lions recently announced Ane had accepted terms to play next fall, although he had a season left at USC. Hill replied with this bristling statement: “I know the Detroit Lions were within the NFL’s rules in signing Charley Ane, but I am opposed to that rule when it means the signing of boys before they have completed their college football eligibility. I have protested the signing of Ane to Bert Bell, the NFL commissioner, and have written to the coaches of all the league teams, stating my views.” Packer coach Gene Ronzani said today that he has received a letter from Hill. Ronzani drafted a Southern California junior last January, 210-pound quarterback George Bozanic, and explained that “we have no intention of signing him for 1953.” Ronzani said that it is his policy not to contact or tamper win any way with college juniors that he drafted until after their football eligibility. The NFL clubs draft college players as soon as their normal graduation times come up, that is, four years from the time the boy enters school. The 265-pound Ane played one years at Compton college, sat out his sophomore season at USC because he lacked credits, then played the last two years. He is said to be about 20 units short of the graduation requirement. Under the deal with the Lions, it is understood Ane may complete his courses

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and receive a degree at Wayne university in Detroit. With a wide and child to support, Ane said he felt the economic angle was too important to overlook. Both the Lion management and Bell defended the signing of Ane, asserting that the big Hawaiian lineman pleaded to sign a pro contract.

MANLEY JOINS CANADIAN SQUAD

MAY 11 (Green Bay) - Leon Manley, the 1950-51 Packer guard and tackle, who rested out last season with injuries, will play in Canada next fall. The former Oklahoma ace has signed a contract with Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Interprovincial Football Union, according to word today from Edmonton. Manley suffered injuries both his seasons here and, after the 1951 season, announced that he planned to retire from the game. He did some high school coaching last fall...Coach Curly Lambeau of the Washington Redskins was in Green Bay over the weekend, visiting his brothers, mother and son. Lambeau, founder of the Packers and head coach of the club for 30 years, is in his second year in Washington...The radio broadcasting rights for all 1953 Packer games have been awarded the Miller Brewing company. This will be the fourth straight season for Miller. Packers president Russ Bogda said that a network of radio station in Wisconsin and surrounding states would carry all Packer games, both at home and away. The sponsor will announced later which stations will carry the broadcasts and the sportscaster who will describe the games. Larry Clark handled the play by play in 1950-51 and Earl Gillespie did it in 1952...Tarz Taylor, line coach for the Packers in 1950-51-52, came back to Green Bay over the weekend and started work this morning in the city he plans to call "home". He's associated in business with Attorney Victor McCormick and Charles J. Brock. Taylor traveled Big Ten conference camps this spring, scouting for the Chicago Bears. Brock, an all-time Packer center, also worked as a Packer coach in 1948-49.

PACKERS SIGN FORMER RAMS MAYES, FERGUSON

MAY 12 (Green Bay) - Two former Los Angeles Rams - one without any college experience - were signed by the Packers today. They are halfback Carl Mayes, former University of Texas dashman, and fullback Howard Ferguson, who gained his college football degree during four years of Navy service. Signing of the two experiences 23-year-olds gives Coach Gene Ronzani a total of 22 players under contract - one end, 10 backs, six tackles, three centers and two guards. Both rookies, with the Rams in 1952, Mayes and Ferguson were signed as free agents. Mayes remained with the club until late in November and was placed on waivers when veteran halfback Paul Barry returned from service; Ferguson was cut just before league play started. Addition of the two players may add spice to the competition in the Packer backfield. Ferguson, who stands 6-2 1/2 and weighs 215 pounds, at the moment is the only fullback announced as signed. The three FBs from 1952 are still outstanding, although Bill Reichardt already has gone into service. The other two are veterans Fred Cone, who announced his retirement after the '52 season, and Bobby Jack Floyd. Cone, however, wasn't talking retirement when he visited here for a banquet last winter. Ferguson's hard-driving plunges aided the Rams in the touchdown drive that defeated the College All-Stars, 10 to 7. Chicago Cardinal coach Joe Stydahar, coach of the Rams at the time and later an administrative assistant for the Packers, praised Ferguson highly last fall. Ferguson played high school football at New Iberia, La. Mayes can play on both offense and defense, and he was used mostly on defense by the Rams. He carried five times for a total gain of two yards, although he had a "longest gain" of six yards. Ronzani expects to make use of Mayes' tremendous speed. The HB captained the '52 Texas track team and holds records of 9.7 in the century and 21.2 in the 220. Of the 22 players announced as signed thus far, 15 are simon-pure rookies. Five of them are Packer veterans.

PACKERS SIGN RIMKUS, A 60-MINUTE LINEMAN

MAY 15 (Green Bay) - Vic Rimkus' chief claim to fame is that he can toil 60 minutes in a single football game. The strong man from Holy Cross college, who officially became a Packer today, went through his amateur career hardly aware of the two-platoon system. He played four position at HC - guard on offense and defense and tackle both ways. It was not a case of Holy Cross being hard up for material, either. The 225-pounder, who stands 6-1, demonstrated that he is a necessity in a line - even in an all-star wall like the East team presented in the East-West game last January 1. Big Vic worked in that classic to 58 minutes as East made off with a 21 to 20 victory. Packer coach Gene Ronzani drafted Rimkus in the No. 10 slot in the NFL picking last January, and the signing of the quick-footed stalwart gave the Packers eight out of their first 10 draft choices in the sock...OLD MEANY IN LINE: Rimkus has a reputation for being an old meany in the line. And the fact that he earned four letters in hockey (the roughest sport in the business) at HC would indicate the same. There's an old saying that "you just ain't a lineman until you lose a tooth or two." Rimkus lists this as his most humorous football incident: "The game was stopped once while our team took time out to hunt for the pivot tooth lost." Rimkus, a 21-year old Lithuanian, will have plenty of competition next fall. He is the seventh rookie tackle signed so far. Still outstanding among the Packers' 10 top draft choices are quarterback Gil Reich of Kansas, the No. 2 choice, and halfback Gib Dawson of Texas, the No. 4 pick. Of the 30 players selected in the 1953 draft, Ronzani has signed 13. Six of the 30 picks are juniors and five of these won't be available until 1954. One of the juniors, tackle Charles Wrenn of Texas Christian, finished competition and already has signed for 1953 play.

26 GUARD-TACKLES FORM 'BULK' OF '53 PACKERS

MAY 19 (Green Bay) - The Packers listed in their "News and Views" recently the names of 26 elephants, who, in football language, are known as guards or tackles. From this stack of mastodons - minus two or three ticketed for Uncle Sam and the rocking chair plus a late sleeper or two - coach Gene Ronzani will select the "bulk" of the 1953 Packer team. Today's pro entertainment is designed to bring you up to date on the state of the guards and tackles. And they are placed in the same category because most of them can play either position. The 26 big bozos weigh slightly over three tons - 6,072 pounds to be exact, or an average of 233.54 pounds per. They stand an average 6-1. Thirteen of them are amateurs - that is, they haven't drawn a Packer check yet. Of the simon-pure group, nine have signed contracts, including Henry O'Brien, an offensive tackle and a middle guard on defense from Boston college who was announced Monday evening. The remaining unannounced-as-signed four are guard Al Barry of Southern Cal, the 30th draft  choice last January; guard-tackle Jim Haslam of Tennessee, the 24th pick; all-American tackle Chuck LaPradd of Florida, who was drafted as a junior in January 1952 for delivery in '53; and tackle Bill Lucky, a junior from Baylor. Halas, a 210-pounder, has been called in the Army and thus won't be available for two campaigns. At least one of the veterans will be unable to return. He is big Bob Dess, the former Los Angeles Ram tackle who has been called into the Navy...TWO MISFITS AMONG 'EM: In the doubtful class is the powerful guard, Ray Bray, a veteran of 11 National league seasons, 10 with the Chicago Bears. Ray turned 36 last Feb. 1. Only one veteran has been announced as signed. He is Len Szafaryn, the speedster who is returning after two years in the Army. Len played here in 1950, after a season with the Washington Redskins. He was obtained in a trade for tackle Paul Lipscomb. At least two members of the guard-tackle group are misfits, so to speak. One is Deral Teteak, former Wisconsin ace, who toils as a linebacker 99 percent of the game. Another is Roger Zatkogg, the rookie from Michigan who sometimes is even identified as a fullback. Zatkoff, a tackle more than he is a fullback, actually is a star linebacker. He was an all-Big Ten LBer last fall. O'Brien, the latest signee, is the 24th player officially registered for the 1953 campaign. Ronzani's 29th draft choice last January, O'Brien was recommended by his coach, Mike Holovak, former Chicago Bear fullback. O'Brien, known as Babe, carries 240 pounds and can play both offensive tackle and middle guard on defense equally well. Along with Wisconsin's Bob Kennedy, O'Brien will be a candidate for the MG job vacated by Bray. Fast afoot, the 6-2 O'Brien does a terrific job of filling gaps in the line. The BC star, 21, joins a former "enemy" as a pro. He is Vic Rimkus, the Holy Cross guard-tackle signed by the Packers last week. Rimkus and O'Brien met head on in three traditional Holy Cross-Boston college battles. O'Brien is a native of Cambridge, Mass.

PACKERS' SEASON TICKET DRIVE SET IN MILWAUKEE

MAY 20 (Green Bay) - The Packers beamed their season ticket efforts toward baseball-minded Milwaukee today. And Packer fans in Green Bay and area are hereby advised to tune in! Here's why: The four-day campaign, June 9 through 12, to sell season tickets to three NFL games in Sudsville's new stadium is not strictly a Milwaukee deal. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, it was announced today by Russ Bogda, Packer president; Carl Mraz, Packer ticket director; and Charles (Buckets) Goldenberg, chairman of the Milwaukee season ticket campaign. Which means that fans in these parts interested in the best location for the games in Milwaukee can be assured of same by stopping at the Packer ticket office at 349 S. Washington. The home ducat headquarters, of course, is also handling pasteboards for the three league games at City stadium. While Milwaukee presently is wild with the Braves and, incidentally, acting like a major league city, Goldenberg is convinced that Milwaukee is "definitely major league." And he intends to prove it - during the baseball season. Buckets, during a meeting here this week with Packer officials, admitted that he has had some tough jobs before (such as licking the Bears), but "I'm certain this is the year the Packers make their comeback in Milwaukee." Playing in Milwaukee is nothing new for the Packers. This is the 21st year the Packers arranged to play part of their schedule there. The Milwaukee adventure started in 1933, with games being played at State Fair park. A year ago, three league games were played in Marquette stadium. Next fall, the Packers will make their first appearance in the new County stadium. Goldenberg will have the cooperation of the Milwaukee directors of the Packers in the drive. The directorate is composed of Herb Mount, Frederick C. Miller, C.E. Kohlhepp, Joe Krueger and Frank Birch of Milwaukee and Don Hutson of Racine. Goldenberg has special work laid out for his former Packer teammate, Hutson...GOOD SELLING POINT: The first actual dropping of a football in Milwaukee took place today when the Packers opened a season ticket office in the lower lobby of the Schroeder hotel. Representing the Packers there, besides Goldenberg, will be Jug Earp, Packer publicity chief, and Jack Vainisi, scout and office assistant. The June drive will be conducted by two teams of salesmen. It will open with a kickoff breakfast on the morning of June 9 and close with a touchdown luncheon at a meeting following the ticket drive. Packer ticket officials in both Green Bay and Milwaukee have a good selling point - merely a good football team, and one that is expected to improve on last year's 6-6 record. The 1953 Packers already have been bolstered by the return of Clayton Tonnemaker, who gained all-pro honors as a rookie linebacker in 1950. Tonnemaker, already signed, had been in the Army for two years and is expected out this summer. In addition, coach Gene Ronzani has drafted and signed a number of top-flight backs to toughen the club's offensive ground game.

SHADES OF EARP '21! PACK SIGNED MONMOUTH PIVOT, LB

MAY 22 (Green Bay) - Francis J. (Jug) Earp is mighty proud today to relay the following announcement from Packer Coach Gene Ronzani: Thomas J. Hoffman, center and linebacker from Monmouth college, has signed a 1953 contract with the Packers! Mr. Earp, the Packers' tub thumper, has a sentimental interest in the professional registration of young Hoffman, because the Jugger, himself, hailed from that same school 32 years ago. To make it more exciting, Earp played the same positions as Hoffman at the Illinois landmark. Jug went on to play 12 years of professional football centering and linebacking - the last 11 with the Packers. Earp is a legend at Monmouth, and every year he manages to take in the school's annual athletic banquet and spend a few days on the campus, rehashing the "good old days". All he had been hearing the last few years was "Hoffman" and today's revelation offers proof that the 24-year old Hoffman hopes to become the second Jug Earp...MOLESWORTH FROM MONMOUTH: Monmouth hasn't turned out many professional footballers but all of them - all three - developed into stars. The first two were Earp - one of the Packers' all-time pivots - and Ned Scott, who starred in the line for a couple of years with Rock Island. The third "Scot" grad was Keith Molesworth, the former Chicago Bear backfield braintrust and present head coach of the Baltimore Colts. Earp, incidentally, played his first season of pro ball at Rock Island in 1921 and then came to Green Bay in '22. He's been here ever since. Signed as a free agent since he was not picked in the player draft last January, Hoffman carries 220 pounds on a 6-2 frame - about 25 pounds under Earp's playing weight. Highly recommended by Monmouth head coach Glen Robinson for professional football, Hoffman has been a sparkplug of the Fighting Scots for four seasons. The 60-minute player was selected on the all-Midwest conference offensive first team at center and the loop's No. 1 defensive team as a linebacker. Hoffman has served in two wars with the Marines. With about three seasons of Marine football under his belt, the Monmouth star will enter the pro ranks with some seven years of experience to his credit - not counting prep ball...FOURTH CENTER IN: He entered the Marines after graduating from Sterling, Ill., Township High school in 1945 and enrolled at Monmouth in 1948, earning three letters in football, three in baseball, two in track and one each in basketball and swimming. He was recalled to the Marines in 1951, but was out in time to compete at Monmouth last fall. The 23rd Packer announced as signed thus far, Hoffman is the fourth center to officially join.

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MCCONAUGHEY 1ST ASPIRANT FOR WIMBERLY'S PACKER DE POSITION

MAY 26 (Green Bay) - The line forms at the right for candidates for the Packer position vacated by Abner Wimberly. First to be interviewed and signed, Packer coach Gene Ronzani announced today, is James McConaughey, a former student of football at the University of Kentucky and Houston university. Big Jim, the Packers' 27th draft choice last January, is the first defensive end announced as inked by Ronzani; in fact, the only other revealed wing works on offense - Ike Jones, the fast bird from UCLA. Wimberly, in case you're new here, was the Packers' great defensive end of 1950-51-52, who recently retired from the pros to become an assistant coach at Louisiana State university, his alma mater. McConaughey is slightly taller than Wimberly, who carried 215 pounds and stood 6-1. The newcomer stands 6-2 1/2 and weighs 220 pounds; he is 23. Wimberly turned 27, incidentally, just last May 4 - three or four years under normal retirement age. McConaughey apparently improves with age. A so-so player at Kentucky, where he as teammate of Packer Babe Parilli in 1948, James started to catch fire at Houston. When he reached seniorhood, his teammates voted him the most improved player on the squad...MOST OVERLOOKED PLAYER: His coach, Clyde Lee, called McConaughey "the most overlooked player in postseason polls in the Missouri Valley conference." The new Packer was the No. 1 defensive end and on the nations' No. 6 defensive team. A native of Jackson City, Miss., where he also

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played high school football and competed in track. McConaughey followed in the footsteps of his dad, Hugh Donald McConaughey, who was a football and track star at Texas A. and M. nearly 30 years ago. Jim won a track letter at Kentucky in the high hurdles. McConaughey rarely plays on offense, but he got the chance against Arkansas two years ago and caught several passes. Two other defensive ends were drafted for 1953 use. They are Bill Georges of Texas, who carries 195 pounds, and Bill Murray of American International college, 215. McConaughey is the 24th players announced as signed thus far...Jug Earp, publicity chief of the Bays, reported today a "successful start" to the Packer season ticket drive in Milwaukee. A preliminary banquet was held Monday in Milwaukee at which 85 Packer officials and Milwaukee boosters were in attendance. The drive starts June 9. Representing the Packers from here were President Russ Bogda and Max Murphy, a member of the executive committee's public relations committee. Buckets Goldenberg, the former Packer star who recently was appointed chairman of the Milwaukee ticket drive, set a goal of 10,000 season tickets to be sold before the first league game in Milwaukee - Sept. 27 against Cleveland. Goldenberg told the meeting that "we really want to bear down and show the world that Milwaukee can do do the same in football for the Packers as it is doing for the Braves in baseball. We're out to prove once and for all that the Packers are a state institution and that pro football can't get along without them." Among the other speakers were Frederick C. Miller, Herb Mount and Charles Kohlhepp. Earp served as master of ceremonies. The Packers have opened a ticket office in the lower lobby of the Schroeder hotel. In charge are Goldenberg, Earp and Jack Vainisi, Packer scout.

PACKER SEASON TICKET FIGURES IN MILWAUKEE ALREADY OVER '52 TOTAL

MAY 29 (Green Bay) - The Packers came up with two news surprises today. The signing of Howie Reutz, the veteran tackle from Loras College and Raceine, isn't exactly breath-taking, but coach Gene Ronzani's report that Ruetz will henceforth play at round 235 pounds - 30 under his normal weight - sounds rather alarming. The other "amazement" is word from Packer prexy Russ Bogda and ticket chief Carl Mraz that the Packers have already sold more season tickets this fall than they sold last season. This comes as a real surprise since it's no secret that the residents of Sudsville are pouring out a good deal of coin these days for seats at Braves' games. What's more, the season ticket drive in Milwaukee hasn't even started yet; it's scheduled for June 9-10-11...GOAL IS 10,000: Last year, some 3,200 season tickets were sold to the Packers' National league game in Marquette stadium. Those same buyers were given first opportunity to renew their seats for locations in the new County stadium, and some 2,000 seats already have been reserved on that basis. Big Buckets Goldenberg, the onetime Packer guard who is laboring as chairman of the Packers' ticket campaign in Milwaukee, already has sold more than 1,000 season tickets himself, to get the drive of to a spectacular start. Goldenberg is shooting for a goal of 10,000 season tickets in Milwaukee and, with close to 3,500 already in the sock and interest sky-rocketing, the former all-pro appears well on his way. As a word of warning to Green Bay and area fans, it can be reported that choice seats in Milwaukee's new stadium are being reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Which means that Bay and area fans should get their orders in now...And here's another warning. June 1 is the deadline for reserving season ticket seats at Green Bay's City stadium for the three-game card. Some 8,000 seats have already been reserved by last year's season ticket holders but those who have not reserved theirs yet face the chance of losing them unless they notify the Packer office by Monday (June 1). After that date, new season ticket holders will get first choice. And with the Bears and Detroit playing here, both of which are traditionally "sellouts", it looks as if season tickets will be a must...The Ruetz renovation started to take shape after the third league game last fall when big Howie underwent an emergency appendectomy. The large boy worked out later in the season but never regained enough strength to get back into action. Doing construction work to remain in condition, Ruetz has not been able to get above 240 pounds since the day of the operation. Ronzani believes that the loss of weight will give the Racine star much additional speed next fall and thus make him more versatile and valuable. Ruetz is the first of seven veteran tackles to come to 1953 terms. One of the group is missing - Bob Dees, the 245-pound Southwest Missouri State star and former Rams, who has entered the Navy.

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FLOYD EYES PACKERS' GROUND TITLE

JUN 1 (Green Bay) - Bobby Jack Floyd, the Dutchman from Paris, Tex., was the Packers' leading pass catching fullback last fall. But he'd rather pace the Packers in '53 in the football work he was cut out for - ground gaining. The big bolting Texas Christian star, who became the 28th individual today to sign a current Packer contract, might be the Packers' only veteran fullback next fall. Veteran Fred Cone, you might recall, announced his retirement after the 1952 campaign, and Bill Reichardt, the Iowa boy, already has gone into Uncle Sam's service. Floyd was all but lost in the pass catching department last fall, what with such snatchers as Bill Howton, Bob Mann and the other ends, but managed to pace the FBs with 11 catches for 129 yards - one going for 44 stripes. Cone was second with eight for 98. Only one other back out-caught Floyd; he was halfback Floyd Reid, who nailed 12 for 250. In his specialty, Floyd finished third among Packer ground gainers and 31st in the league. He averaged a shade under four yards per try as a freshman, carrying 61 yards for 236 yards. Tobin Rote led with 313 in 58 tries while Cone was next with 276 in 70. Floyd hopes to more than double his soil output next fall. Bobby Jack, 23, became a full fledged pro during an exhibition game against Pittsburgh in Minneapolis last August. He gained more than 100 yards in ripping the Steeler line to shreds. During the season, he spelled the fleet-footed Cone, but handled most of the "heavy" pounding. One of the all-time fullbacks in the Southwest conference, Floyd is the seventh Packer veteran to officially register for 1953. Other vets are tackle Howie Ruetz, center Clayton Tonnemaker, guard Len Szafaryn and backs Rote, Babe Parilli and Larry Coutre. One other fullback has been signed. He is Howard Ferguson, the former Los Angeles Ram who gained his beyond-high school grid education with armed forces teams. With opening practice less than two months away, Packer coach Gene Ronzani is coming down the home stretch in his fourth annual player-signing bee. His has announced as signed half of his draftees and several outstanding sleepers, with many more coming up in the next two weeks. The Packers will open practice in Grand Rapids, Minn., around July 27 - just two months in front of the National league opener against the Cleveland Browns in Milwaukee. Before the Browns game, five non-loopers and several intra-squad games will be played.

PRO FOOTBALL TV 'SAFE'; HOW ABOUT A 'PACKER DRIVE' IN GB?

JUN 2 (Green Bay) - It appears that the professional football brand of television will be the safest for everybody concerned. TVing of boxing, for an example of how others can get hurt, is running hundreds of small boxing clubs out of business in the larger cities. In addition, it will gradually strangle professional mitt promotions in communities of our size. Boxing is all but dead in Green Bay, and, if it hadn't been for Gus Bodart, the Moose promoter, it could have been buried five or six years ago. The only hope here is purely local mitt shows and the Press-Gazette hopes to some day revive its Golden Gloves tournament. Even this may be risky once national boxing is piped into Green Bay on TV. TVing of baseball, they claim, is murdering the minor leagues - especially those near major league cities. TVing of major college football games every Saturday afternoon reduces attendance at small college games. As an example, say the TV networks put a hot big college game into Green Bay on a Saturday afternoon St. Norbert college is home. The Knights might get hurt at the gate. Professional football, on the other hand, probably won't interfere with any other sports group or promotion. The games will be on Saturday nights about the time ma is getting the bath water ready and/or on Sunday afternoons about the time pa is relaxing after dinner. You understand, of course, we're speaking about TVing out-of-town pro football games. When "live" pro grid games are TVd into Green Bay, you can bet the Packers won't be playing here at the same time the TVd game is on. This policy will be followed in the "big towns" as well, so dont' feel short changed...HASH BIN: The boys at the coffee shop are wondering - in the midst of all this discussion about changing street names - why Walnut street and Shawano avenue can't be renamed "Packer Drive". It has always amazed us why our city has never given any sort of official recognition - such as a street name, a plaque, a sign or even some sort of monument - to the Packers. There isn't even a sign outside the city telling visitors that this is the home of the Packers. Of course, gentlemen, we understand sports are the lighter things of life. But we distinctly remember some of our business leaders saying that (1) the Packers help them in making contacts throughout the United States and (2) the city receives publicity and recognition that couldn't be purchase for billions of dollars. These contacts, it seems, help bring (you guessed it) business to our thriving city. As for adverting, it must be admitted that we get a lot of it in some of the finest arcades in the world, but it can' compare with the headlines in the nation's thousands of newspapers. Other than memories, Press-Gazette files and a stadium that someday will have to be replaced, we have no concrete evidence that this is the home of the Packers!

PACKER ROOKIES HAVE FUN, TOP VETS 21-9 IN INK LOOP

JUN 3 (Green Bay) - This is the time of the year the Packer rookies have their fun. The simon-pures are presently leading the veterans, 21 to 9 (three touchdowns to one-plus), in the contract signing league. Come midnight of Sept. 26 - the night before the National league opener against the Cleveland Browns - the veterans no doubt will be leading by a similar score. Maybe 28 to 5, or possibly less if the current crew of newcomers is unusually well heeled. Packer coach Gene Ronzani added rookies No. 21 and 22 with the signing last night of tackle Joe Berkich of the University of West Virginia and guard-tackle Jim Sanford of Louisiana State university. Both newcomers escaped the draft, but scout reports on them indicate that one or both might cut the buck. And both are former co-captains, while one had a season of assistant coaching under his belt. Berkich, 26, a native of Chisholm, Minn., and a resident of Hibbing, was all set to have a banner year at West Virginia last fall but he was declared ineligible shortly before play started. He was added to the coaching staff for the remainder of the campaign. A veteran of two years with the Navy in the Pacific theater, Berkich plays offensive tackle at about 235 pounds. He stands 6-1. Sanford, 22, can play either guard or tackle and works on both defense and offense. Recommended by former Packer Ab Wimberly, now an assistant coach at LSU, Sanford was his team's best defensive lineman at the end of last season. He won three letters in football...NINE HAVE PRO EXPERIENCE: A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., but presently living in Baton Rouge, La., Sanford is the son of Edward Proctor, former Penn State boxing and football star. The LSU ace, who stands 6-1 and weighs 225 pounds, majored in horticulture and tends flowers as a hobby. Both newcomers, incidentally, play musical instruments - Berkich the bass fiddle and Sanford the guitar. Of the 30 players signed to date, nine of them have professional experience and six of these are Packer veterans.

EX-SERVICEMEN WRIGHT, HARLAN SIGN WITH PACKERS

JUN 5 (Green Bay) - The Packers added insurance today against possible losses to Uncle Sam, with the signing of two 25-year old former servicemen. The newcomers, coach Gene Ronzani announced, are Nathan Harlan, an end who played at the University of Minnesota and Cincinnati university, and tackle Rup Wright, a onetime Cleveland Brown draft choice who played at Baylor under former Bay Mike Michalske. Ronzani, thus far, has revealed the signing of 32 players, including 23 rookies and nine with professional experience. They will report along with 25 holdovers from last year and several more draft choices and sleepers at the Grand Rapids, Minn., training camp late in July. Harlan started his after-prep footballing at Minnesota in 1945, then went into the Navy for two seasons and later enrolled at Cincinnati. The native of Austin, Minn. stands 6-1 and packs 210 pounds and plays both offense and defense. Against Kentucky last fall, Harlan caught six passes for 72 yards. Harlan played fullback at St. Augustine High in Austin and saw service as a defensive wing in college. He'll probably be tried at several position with the Packers...PLAYED WITH TONNEMAKER: Wright gained honorable mention All-America and All-Southwest conference in 1950 before he got the thumb from Uncle Sam. He was the Browns' 13th draft choice in 1950 (he entered school in 1946) and spent a brief period in the Browns' camp before going into service. Wright, who carries 248 pounds on a 6-3 frame, gained more football experience in the Army, playing a season with Packer Clayton Tonnemaker on the Brooke Medical team. Rup plays both right and left tackle on offense or defense. Harlan is only the third wing announced as signed thus far. The other two are rookies Ike Jones of UCLA, an offensive expert, and James McConaughey of Houston, a defenser. The Packers are well stocked at tackle, with 10 already under contract. All are rookies except Howie Ruetz, who missed out on 3/4 of the 1952 season because of an appendectomy.

MURRAY, SALVUCCI SIGN PACK CONTRACTS

JUN 8 (Green Bay) - One’s “another Robustelli” and the other “could have made any college team in the country.” And they’re both from little American International college – the latest of two Packer contract signers, tackle-end Bill Murray and halfback Gayton Salvucci. The 35th and 36th players signed by Packer coach Gene Ronzani thus far, the Irishman and Italian are the two best football products ever turned out at the tiny Springfield, Mass., school. What’s more, they’re excellent baseball players but both decided on football as a career. Murray was Ronzani’s 23rd draft selection last January and the streamlines 220-pounder who stands 6-2 plays both end and tackle on defense. He saw considerable action as a short-pass catcher. He’ll likely be one of the top candidates for the defensive wing position vacated by Ab Wimberly, now an assistant coach at LSU. Packer scouts in the east rated the 21-year old on a par with Andy Robustelli, the Los Angeles Rams’ fine defensive end who played at little Arnold college. Robustelli has the same measurements as Murray, 6-2, 220. Salvucci, 24, could be a prize. The 21-year old was rated the best player ever to wear the AIC colors. A six-foot, 175-pounder, Salvucci made the AIC Michigan style single wing offense click, being equally effective as a runner or passer from his left halfback position. Of the 30 touchdowns scored by AIC last year, Gay had a hand in 18, passing for 10 and scoring eight himself. He picked up 1,196 yards rushing and passing, more than half of the yardage made by the entire team in seven games. In three season as a regular, he gained over 3,000 yards and figured in 42 touchdowns with his running and passing…NOT ON ALL-AMERICAN LIST: Benny Friedman, the former Michigan All-American who coaches at Brandeis university at Waltham, Mass., was discussing All-America teams the other day and made those remarks: “Just to show you how silly All-America teams are I’ll tell you about a football player you never heard of who could make any team in the country. His name’s Gayton Salvucci and he played for American International college. You won’t find Salvucci on any All-America list. Matter of fact he didn’t even make the little All-America. Just got honorable mention, that’s all. Salvucci, who, incidentally, is both Irish and Italian, hails from Quincy, Mass., where he started in prep football and baseball. Murray is from Brooklyn where he played at St. John’s Prep. Salvucci is the 12th back signed thus far while Murray is the fourth end.

HOWTON AIDS PACKER TICKET DRIVE

JUN 9 (Milwaukee) - Bill Howton came up from Texas today to “help out” with the Packers’ season ticket drive here and possibly sign his 1953 contract. The Rice star, who caught 13 touchdown passes and broke a Don Hutson yardage mark as a rookie last year, told the drive kickoff breakfast this morning at the Schroeder hotel that “I’m glad to be part of the Packers organization and I hope I can do my part in making the campaign a success.” Packer coach Gene Ronzani and Howton probably will sit down this afternoon and complete the formality in signing a 1953 playing pact. Ronzani told the gathering of 125 workers that “things are looking up with the team and I think that we’ve got the depth that we needed so badly last year.” Ronzani was one of eight Packer representatives at the meeting. Also on deck for the breakfast were Russ Bogda, Packer president; Max Murphy, a member of the Packer publicity committee Jug Earp, publicity director; scout Jack Vainisi; backfield coach Ray McLean; ticket director Carl Mraz; and ticket aide Earl Falk. Also in for the parley was Mike Michalske, former Packer guard who is visiting friends and relatives in Green Bay. Bogda, in official word on behalf of the Packers, expressed his appreciation for the enthusiasm shown by “you Milwaukee workers.” Buckets Goldenberg, chairman of the drive, gave the workers a final pep talk to climax the after-breakfast talk. He announced that “we’re shooting for and will sell 10,000 season tickets in Milwaukee.” Already 4,500 season tickets for the three league games in Milwaukee have been sold. The drive, originally scheduled to close June 11, has been extended to June 22. The Packers are receiving the cooperation of scores of business and industrial leaders in the campaign. Bob Heiss of radio station WTMJ served as master of ceremonies. Among others present were Milwaukee Mayor Frank Ziedler and the aforementioned Huston, now a Packer director out of Racine.

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