Preseason: Chicago Cardinals 13, Green Bay Packers (1-1) 7
Saturday August 29th 1953 (at Spokane, WA)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(SPOKANE, WA) – "We got out-hustles, we got out-tackled and we got out-fought. We've got a lot of work to do." Thus Coach Gene Ronzani outlined the week's program for his Green Bay Packers, who took a 13-7 beating from the Chicago Cardinals in a NFL exhibition here Saturday night. The program will be climaxed against the Washington Redskins in Green Bay's City stadium Saturday night. "The best team won the game," Ronzani said, directing his Packers to the bus after the final gun. "We need more work and we need more ball players." More ball players? He brought 43. "Sure, we need more. We've never had enough." The Packers did not have the right kind, at least, to make any headway on the ground against the bigger Cardinals. They netted only 37 yards in 30 rushing plays - a 1.2 yard average. Ronzani said his boys came out of the battle with the usual bumps and bruises but that there were no serious injuries. A few of the Packers, however, limped aboard the city buses which took them to the train depot and a fast trip back to Green Bay where they're due sometime this afternoon. The 13-7 Cardinal victory amounted to a good study in fundamental football for the 17,000 fans who showed up, but it was far from spectacular. At times, it was pretty dull. Gib Dawson's fine 19-yard run in the second quarter was the longest gain of the night. It was the only time Dawson carried the ball from the line of scrimmage. Vito Parilli, the Babe of Kentucky, carried the offensive chores for Green Bay with his passing. He completed nine of 18 for 124 yards and directed the 56-yard Packer touchdown drive. With the score 13-7 against him, however, Parilli had trouble finding receivers. He completed only two of nine passes in the last 10 minutes and one was thrown for a 10 yard loss trying to get a throw away. Parilli and the Cardinals' Dale Samuels, who hit on 9 of 21, provided the big thrills of the evening with their throwing. Tobin Rote of Green Bay had a bad night, completing only two of eight. Rookie Don Barton of the Packers fumbled the opening kickoff and Green Bay, favored to win by local observers, never looked like the better team even though they led most of the game. The Cards pounced on Barton's bobble on the 31. Don Paul raced 13 yards to the Packer 18, but Green Bay held. On fourth down, Joe Geri angled a field goal and Chicago led, 3-0. After two punt exchanges, the Packers started their only TD march of the game. It opened with Barton returning a kick 24 yards to his own 44. Floyd Reid, the Packer workhorse on the ground with 10 carries for but 23
yards, picked up six. Fred Cone gained on and then Parilli drilled a 10-yard pass to Bill Howton on the Card 38. Howton again got clear and Parilli hit him on the 12 for another 16 yards. Larry Coutre pounded to the three, then to the two for a first down, an offside penalty moved the ball back to the seven. On the next play, Howton button-hooked behind the goal posts but dropped Parilli's perfect pitch. The Babe faded again on second down, found an opening and ran it over for the score. Cone kicked the point and it was 7-3. Geri's second field goal came with less than three minutes to play in the first half. The Cardinals had traveled 31 yards to the Green Bay 28 when the three-point effort was called for. Green Bay's best chance to win was in the third period when Parilli threw twice to J.R. Boone, once for 19 yards and one for five, to bring the ball to Chicago's 15. Reid then lost five and Dawson, who missed a 42-yard field goal in the second quarter, tried another which was blocked. The Cardinals appeared headed for another touchdown in the closing minutes of the game. They went to the Packer 27 before an interception of a Samuels pass stopped them. Reid gained three yards for Green Bay from that point, and Parilli hit Bobby Mann with a 19-yard pass. It seemed the Packers might go but four straight Parilli passes fell incomplete and Chicago took over to run out the clock. Mann made some fine catches for the Packers but the running backs showed little. Al Carmichael gained only eight yards in five tries, Larry Coutre a net 11 in six and Fred Cone two in two.
GREEN BAY - 7 0 0 0 - 7
CHI CARDINALS - 3 3 0 7 - 13
CHI CARDINALS GREEN BAY
First Downs 12 10
Rushing-Yards-TD 41-75-1 30-37-1
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 30-11-113-0-1 26-11-137-0-0
Total Yards 188 174
Fumbles-lost 1 0
Turnovers 2 0
Yards penalized 3-25 4-20
SCORING
1ST - CHI - Joe Geri, 25-yard field goal CHICAGO 3-0
1ST - GB - Babe Parilli, 7-yard run (Fred Cone kick) GREEN BAY 7-3
2ND - CHI - Geri, 37-yard field goal GREEN BAY 7-6
4TH - CHI - Charley Trippi, 3-yard run (Geri kick) CHICAGO 13-7
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Floyd Reid 10-23, Gib Dawson 1-19, Al Carmichael 5-8, Larry Coutre 6-7, Fred Cone 2-2, Howard Ferguson 1-1, Tobin Rote 2-(-10), Babe Parilli 3-(-13) 1 TD
CHI CARDINALS - Ralph Pasquariello 6-29, John Olszewski 8-28, Don Paul 4-26, Bill Svoboda 5-17, Billy Cross 2-5, Charley Trippi 6-2 1 TD, Wally Triplett 2-(-3), Jim Root 3-(-14), Dale Samuels 5-(-15)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Babe Parilli 18-9-124, Tobin Rote 8-2-13
CHI CARDINALS - Dale Samuels 21-9-101 1 INT, Ray Nagi 5-2-12, Jim Root 4-0-0
FURIOUS PACKERS, REDSKINS CLASH IN 'NATURAL' HERE
SEPT 1 (Green Bay) - Two furious football teams - Green Bay and Washington - will meet at City stadium Saturday night. The Packers, back home today for the first time this year as a shoulder-pad-carrying unit, are peeved about their performance against the Chicago Cardinals in Spokane, Wash., Saturday night - a showing that resulted in an unexpected 13-7 setback. This shocker followed by a week the Bays' 31-7 victory over the New York Giants. The Redskins, if you know their coach, Curly Lambeau (and who doesn't in these parts), are a mighty unhappy bunch after losing two straight non-league games, the latest being a 7-0 decision to the Forty Niners in San Francisco Sunday. A week previous, the Redskins looked good in dropping a 20-7 verdict to Los Angeles. Since both the Packers and Redskins are likely to bounce back, the production here could well be one of these proverbial "naturals". Lambeau, too, has a special personal interest in this one. Since leaving Green Bay in 1950, his teams have never been able to beat the Packers - the organization he founded and head coached for 30 years. As head coach of the Chicago Cardinals, Lambeau lost non-league games here in 1950 and 1951 by identical scores of 17-14. The Packers beat Lambeau and his Redskins twice last fall - 13-7 in a non-looper in Kansas City and 35 to 20 in a league game in Milwaukee. Thus, Lambeau will be out to break a four-game losing streak to the "alma mater" that he founded and nursed...Packer coach Gene Ronzani had two workouts planned for the squad today - a 10 to noon session this morning and a brisk 45-minute passing, running and signal workout before the Bluejay game at Joannes park tonight at 7:15. While the sun was blistering today, it helped boil out some of the twists and bumps and bruises picked up in the Cardinal contest at Spokane, Wash., Saturday night. The Spokane field was dotted with holes and "impressions" - not to mention a hump. As a result, trainer Bud Jorgenson was busy this morning with ankle treatments. Ronzani was quick today to dispel any blame on the field for the 13 to 7 loss. "They played on the same field you know," the coach commented, adding that "the best team won the game." Ronzani pointed out that "we looked good in spots but where we looked strong against the Giants (the Packers bear New York 31-7), we looked weak against the Cardinals. And you can't win many games by only scoring seven points." He explained that "the game brought out weaknesses that I knew we had. We'll just have to correct them, if we can, with new players." As to the Cardinals, Ronzani said that "they look like they could win their division; Stydahar (Joe, Card coach) has more speed than we have and they've got more weight. They are definitely improved over a year ago." What about Washington? "They're bigger than the Cardinals and just as fast. And they're always tough" is the way Ronzani explained the Redskins...Packer ticket director Carl Mraz reminded today that the Packer ticket office, 349 S. Washington street, will be open every night this week to accommodate fans wishing to buy Washington tickets or season tickets.
FIVE SUNDAY TILTS ON TV
SEPT 1 (Milwaukee) - Five Sunday NFL games this fall will be televised by WTMJ-TV, The Milwaukee Journal station, it was announced Tuesday by Westinghouse, sponsor of the telecasts. WTMJ-TV will be part of a nation-wide network (DuMont) of approximately 87 stations for the Sunday games. Local telecasts, all starting at 1 p.m., follow: October 25, Cleveland at New York; November 1, New York at Chicago Cardinals; November 29, Los Angeles at Chicago Bears or San Francisco at Baltimore; December 6, Chicago Bears at Detroit; December 13, Cleveland at Philadelphia or Detroit at New York. In addition, three Saturday night Packer games, will be shown on WTMJ-TV. Announced earlier, these contests are Packers at Pittsburgh, October 24; Packers at Baltimore, October 31, and Packers at Los Angeles, December 12. Miller also will sponsor the Packers at Detroit Thanksgiving Day morning and the championship game.
BROKEN ANKLE PUTS BAY ROOKIE ON SHELF
SEPT 1 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers learned from X-rays Tuesday that one of their most promising rookies, halfback Don Barton, suffered a broken ankle in last week's exhibition game. He may be lost for the season. Barton, a speedster from Texas, was injured playing against the Chicago Cardinals. The Packers will be without their veteran fullback when they play the Washington Redskins here Saturday night in another exhibition tile. Fred Cone will be out with an ankle injury and Bobby Jack Floyd is still sidelined with a bad heel. Rookies Howard Ferguson and Bill Forester will share the fullback duties. Another bad ankle case is rookie end Bill Murray, who will be kept on the bench Saturday. Both Green Bay and Washington will be playing their third straight non-league battles. The Packers will be going after their second victory against one setback while the Redskins will be out to break a two-game losing streak. One of the sidelights Saturday night will be the unveiling of a host of crack Packer rookies, including the two lightning-like halfbacks - Gib Dawson and the team's No. 1 draft choice, Al Carmichael. Among other newcomers expected to shine are defensive halfback Val Joe Walker, guard Floyd Harrawood, halfback Billy Hair and linebacker Roger Zatkoff - to mention a few.
INJURIES FORCE PACKERS INTO AIR FOR REDSKIN GAME
SEPT 2 (Green Bay) - Things in the Packer camp weren't all peaches and ice cream today. In the first place, it's just too darned hot to move much less run for a couple of hours. Next place, the Packers face a powerful Washington Redskin team and their revenge-seeking coach, Curly Lambeau, with a badly weakened backfield here Saturday night. On top of that, Packer Coach Gene Ronzani stated flatly today that "I don't see how we were as good as a year ago; we have improved in some spots but not in others; sure we've got good quarterbacking but the quarterbacks are only as good as the other material." From what he's seen on the Packers thus far, Ronzani says: "I don't see how we can beat the Redskins. They're bigger and faster and should be the team to beat in the other division." The Packers got the worst shock yesterday when X-rays revealed that young Don Barton, the fast-stepping Texan, suffered an ankle fracture against the Chicago Cardinals in Spokane, Wash., Saturday night. The rough-neck runner likely will be out for several weeks. He injured the ankle in a pileup early in the contest. The poor condition of the Spokane field floored two Packers - veteran fullback Freddy Cone and defensive end Bill Murray, both of whom have ankle injuries. Both will miss the Washington game. In fact, the Packers will go against Washington's big line with two new fullbacks, one of whom is just trying out for the position. The job will be handed to Bill Forester, the SMU tackle-linebacker-fullback, who wants to make the club as a FB, and Howie Ferguson who had a brief fling with the Los Angeles Rams. The club's other veteran FB, Bobby Jack Floyd, is recuperating from an operation on his heel and won't be ready for some time. The loss of running power indicates that the Packers may be forced to rely heavily on their aerial game - not exactly a healthy situation. At least, it can be safe to predict that the Packers will be exploding a lot of aerial fireworks Saturday night. How effective the air game will be without a "balancing" running attack, however, is something else again. It can be noted that the Packer gained a low 37 yards against the Cardinals and the result was that their air game fell off - not to mention the point producing...That heat? The Packers have one consolation. The Redskins are practicing today in Chicago where the weather is hotter. The Redskins will come up to Green Bay Friday afternoon, by which time the cool mass is expected to be here to stay. The Packers lost all kinds of weight yesterday morning when they scorched through a two-hour workout. Some of the boys estimated the team melted off around 300 pounds - five to eight per man. Quarterback Tobin Rote was down to a "skinny" 192 - "haven't weighed that since college." He normally carries 202. Deral Teteak was down eight pounds. Dick Afflis was just a shadow of his former self. Dan Sandifer admitted that "this is the kind of weather we have down in Louisiana but we don't have to run in it." It was somewhat cooler last night for the practice at Joannes park before the Bluejay game but the sweatshirts were all soaked when it was over. Besides, the prospect of making a speech over a PA system tended to make it "extra hot" for some of the boys. It didn't bother big Clayton Tonnemaker a bit, though. Packer publicitor Jug Earp, acting as master of ceremonies, introduced the big Gopher, who responded: "I've been acting as a one-man Chamber of Commerce for the last two years now and I'm certainly happy to return." Tonnemaker, a rookie in 1950, served in the Army in 1951-52. Earp introduced all of the players, including newcomer Bob Noppinger, the Georgetown end who was drafted by the Packers in 1951 and then went into the Air corps. The Packers got a real thrill out of the sporty pre-baseball occasion - especially a spectacular fireworks display. The players were circling the field and running toward the left field fence when a huge sign, reading "Good luck, PACKERS", flashed into fire above the left field fence. There were also aerial bombs. Also on the speaking program were Coaches Ronzani, Hugh Devore, Ray McLean and Chuck Drulis, Roy Challoner, president of the Association of Commerce, Al Rose, president of the Men's Quarterback club, Mary McMillin Jacobs, president of the Women's Quarterback club, and Phil Seghi, Bluejay manager. In a sidelight, Ronzani hurled an autographed football into the stands and Seghi did the same with an autographed baseball.
INJURIES TO ANKLES COST GREEN BAY THREE MEN
SEPT 2 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers will open their season at home against the Washington Redskins here Saturday without the services of three key men. Coach Gene Ronzani learned Tuesday that rookie halfback Don Barton might be lost for the season because of an ankle fracture received in the exhibition with the Chicago Cardinals at Spokane last Saturday and that veteran Fred Cone and rookie end Bill Murray also had ankle injuries which would keep them out of action for a week at least. With fullback Bobby Jack Floyd also on the sidelines after undergoing an operation on his heel, Ronzani will have only rookie fullback Howard Ferguson and Bill Forester available for duty. This week's exhibition will mark the first appearance of the Washington Redskins in Green Bay. Curly Lambeau, who resigned after the 1949 season as Green Bay coach, now handles the Redskins. While with the Chicago Cardinals in 1950 and 1951, he lost exhibitions to the Packers and last year lost both an exhibition and a league game to them.
CAN SCARBATH PULL A 'BABE PARILLI' IN 'SKIN-PACK TILT?
SEPT 3 (Green Bay) - Can Jack Scarbath, college football’s No. 1 quarterback in 1952, pull a “Babe Parilli” at City stadium Saturday night? As a rookie in 1952, Parilli, the No. 1 gent among college quarterbacks in 1951, got his first big chance against the Washington Redskins in Milwaukee and mystified them to the tune of 35 to 20. Rookie Redskin Scarbath, a hocus-pocus guy with the ball like Parilli, will be getting his first opportunity to really blossom when the Green Bay phase of the Packers’ 1953 program is opened. Scarbath’s sudden leap to the front of the class came about quite by necessity. It appears that Eddie LeBaron, the tiny quarterback veteran, won’t play Saturday night due to some pulled ligaments suffered in the San Francisco game last Sunday, according to word today from Dick McCann, the Redskins’ general manager. Thus, the Packers actually will serve as the “proving ground” for young Scarbath, and they’re hoping Jack’s first try doesn’t prove as successful as Parilli’s. Redskin coach Curly Lambeau is highly pleased with Scarbath’s work. Here’s what he said after Jack was given charge of the club in a recent, full-length scrimmage: “The boy’s got it. He can be a fine quarterback – a tremendous asset to us this season and in the years to come. He is a well-coached boy (played at Maryland) who takes nicely to coaching. He has a football head and a football heart. It figures to be a pleasure working with him this year.” Throughout the drill, Scarbath operated out of Lambeau’s new split-wing formation - a combination of the split-T and the wing-T – which looks very much like spread formation. Scarbath called a baffling selection of optional handoff and pitch-out plays and, against a strong defensive unit, moved the ball in great leaps and bounds up and down the field. Scarbath wasn’t a ball of fire in the College All Star game but there was a reason. He played with a painfully swollen index finger on his pitching hand. Even now, he wears a special pad-bandage. Scarbath is built like the Packers’ Tobin Rote – 6-2, 205 pounds. In Scarbath and LeBaron, the Redskins hope
to field their best one-two punch in history – like the Pack’s Parilli and Rote…While the loss of LeBaron is a rough blow to the 'Skins, the Packers can still go the Washington three better. At least four of the Bays will be out of activity due to injuries: fullbacks Freddy Cone and Bobby Jack Floyd, halfback Don Barton and defensive end Bill Murray. Barton will be lost for several weeks because of a fractured ankle. Floyd is recuperating from a heel operation and Cone has a twisted ankle. The Packer fullbacking will be handled by a gent who tried out with the Los Angeles Rams last year and a rookie who never did much fullbacking at SMU – Howie Ferguson and Bill Forester, respectively…The Packers are happy to announce today, with permission from weatherman Herb Bomalaski, that the weather will be on the footballish side this weekend. The daytime temperature will skid to the 70’s, which means that it should be much cooler at night…MISCELLANEY: The Packers held two workouts yesterday – a shortened two-hour dill under the hot sun shortly before noon and a brief session at 5 p.m. Gib Dawson sharpened up his field goal foot after the morning workout and hit consistently from about 35 yards out. To top it off, backfield coach Ray McLean tried and missed two of his famous drop kicks. Packer ticket chief Carl Mraz reminded readers that the Packer ticket office will be open tonight and Friday night to accommodate fans wishing to purchase tickets for Saturday night’s game. The Redskins, including president-owner George P. Marshall and coach Curly Lambeau, will arrive here on the 3:20 North Western Friday afternoon. They’ll headquarter at the Northland. The Redskins will work out at City stadium Friday night. The ‘Skins drilled in 100-degree heat in Chicago yesterday. Two non-league games are scheduled tonight, the Chicago Bears taking on New York at Des Moines, Ia., and San Francisco visiting Los Angeles. One game is carded Friday night – Cleveland at Detroit.
REDSKINS MAKE IT - AFTER 16 YEARS, FOR 1ST GO HERE
SEPT 4 (Green Bay) - It took a long time – but the Washington Redskins finally got here. They’ve been coming for the last 16 years, but somehow they always stopped off in Milwaukee to carry on their business with the Packers. The entire shooting match, from president George P. Marshall and head coach Curly Lambeau on down to the last rookie, arrived at 3:20 this afternoon and went to the Northland hotel. Tonight, they'll invade City stadium to get the feel of the poor lighting system and then relax for the big encounter with the Packers on the same turf Saturday night. The non-championship match – third for both teams – will mark Washington’s first visit here in history. The Redskins actually played here before, but they were representatives of Boston. That was in 1936 – the year the Packers won their fourth championship. Marshall moved the franchise to Washington to start the 1937 season – a title year for him. The Packers and Redskins played six league games in Milwaukee since 1937 – in ’39-43-47-48-50 and ’52 – in addition to several non-league tilts here. This is the second straight year the Packers have “welcomed” a stranger. A year ago, the Cleveland Browns made their historic appearance here for a non-looper. It was a success for the Browns, 24 to 14. The Redskins, naturally, aren’t exactly strangers. Lambeau, for instance, is a Green Bay native and can supply all of the answers for his curious players. Marshall, we heard, was here with the Redskins when they represented Boston 17 years ago…At least two other guys won’t be strangers in these parts – the Redskins’ Paul Lipscomb and Jack Cloud. Big Paul, an all-pro tackle for two or three seasons, broke in with the Packers in 1945. Former Tennessee star Lipscomb, then 22, was one of the youngest players in the league. He was traded to Washington during the training season of 1950 for guard Len Szafaryn, who likely will be in the Packers’ starting lineup Saturday night. Len is just back from two years in service. Cloud currently is the Redskins’ first string left linebacker and will see plenty of action on defense. Hard-hitting Jack, a Packer in 1950-51 and part of 1952, was one of the most promising fullbacks in the league but was constantly bothered by injuries. Another ex-Packer with Washington is Ed Berrang, who played during the non-loop season last year…Only one of Lambeau’s puils is on the current Packer roster – Captain Bob Forte, linebacker and spare quarterback. Bob came up in 1946 – four years before Curly resigned as head coach…The Packers welcomed cool weather and coach Gene Ronzani sent the players through a combined offensive and defensive workout. There was no change in the injured-player situation, although FB Fred Cone’s injured ankle is feeling better. Halfback Don Barton, of course, is out with an ankle fracture. Also on the
shelf are fullback Bobby Jack Floyd and end Bill Murray. Cone figured he’d be ready to do some field goal and extra point kicking, but Ronzani is taking no chances and has ordered Gib Dawson to work overtime. Under backfield coach Ray McLean, Dawson hit field goals consistently from between 30 and 40 yards away. The Packers won’t work under the lights before or after the Redskin practice tonight. Washington is scheduled to start around 8 o’clock. Ronald Gibbs, veteran NFL official, spoke to the Packer players this afternoon, explaining the various rules changes, etc.
PACKER SONG SHEET MUSIC ON SALE FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS
SEPT 4 (Green Bay) - Sheet music for the Green Bay Packer song, “Go, You Packer, Go!” will go on sale for the first time in almost 25 years at the Packer-Washington game at City stadium Saturday night. The Packer corporation purchased the rights to the song earlier this year from composer Eric Karll of Milwaukee, and has arranged to publish it in sheet music form after numerous requests for the song have been received in recent years. The original publication of the sheet music in 1930 has been unavailable for many years and has become almost a collector’s item. The sheet music is being put out as a souvenir item. Pictures of the Packers’ two home stadiums at Green Bay and Milwaukee are included, and also pictures of Green Bay’s six championship teams. The back page presents a capsule history of the Packers. Words and music of the song, suitable for piano playing and singing, take up three pages. The music will be sold at Packer homes games in Green Bay and Milwaukee and is available at newsstands and music stores in the Green Bay area. Mail orders can also be filled at the Packer office, 349 S. Washington street, Green Bay. The price per copy is 35 cents. The original idea for the Packer song was one of those things which seemed like a “screwball” idea at the time but which caught on and paid off. Karll lived in Green Bay at that time, and wrote the words for the song. He pestered a number of musicians to help him set it to music. One day, he came to the studios of WHBY with his words, and an old-time musician in Green Bay theaters and radio, Billy Burt, sat down at the piano and dashed out some music. Burt and his musician friends used the song a number of times over the air for several years. And then in 1930 Karll had the song copyrighted and published. It sold out over a period of several years, and, until the Packers were able to obtain right to the song this year, it was not available.
PACKERS FACE 'SKINS IN DEBUT AT HOME
SEPT 4 (Milwaukee) - Which way are Gene Ronzani's Packers headed this young football campaign? Some 20,000 fans, having heard a lot of good things, will see for themselves Saturday night when the team opens its season at home against Curly Lambeau's Washington Redskins. The kickoff is scheduled at 8 o'clock. WTMJ will broadcast the game. The impressive debut of the Packers in their first exhibition start against the New York Giants in Minneapolis two weeks ago, 31-7, was followed by an ordinary and losing performance, 13-7, against the Chicago Cardinals at Spokane a week ago. "We were a tired ball club last week after two nights on the train," Ronzani explained. "We just didn't have any desire, although our defense didn't look bad. We'll be a lot better Saturday night after the week at home." The 20,000 fans will be able to see for themselves. The Redskins will be in search of their first victory. They, too, made an impressive debut although beaten 20-7 by the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago. They held an edge in all phases of play until quarterback Eddie Le Baron was knocked out. A week ago, they lost a defensive game to the 49ers, 7-0. Both teams will be crippled. Le Baron has pulled ligaments in his leg and the quarterbacking duties will fall to a talented rookie, Jack Scarbarth of Maryland. The Packers will be without fullbacks Bobby Jack Floyd and Fred Cone, halfback Don Barton, and end Bill Murray, all out with injuries. The game will be Washington's first in Green Bay. All other "home" games between the clubs were played in Milwaukee. Ronzani-coached and Lambeau-coached clubs have met four times since the burly Italian succeeded the big Belgian at Green Bay's helm in 1950 and Lambeau still has to win. As coach of the Chicago Cardinals in 1950 and 1951, he lost exhibition games. As coach of Washington last year, he dropped both an exhibition and a league game. A week hence, the Packers will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in the annual Shrine game at Marquette University Stadium.
EXPECT 20,000 AT PACKER, 'SKINS TILT
SEPT 4 (Green Bay) - Close to 20,000 are expected to see the Packers battle the Washington Redskins in an exhibition game here Saturday night at City Stadium. With an old Packer friend, Curly Lambeau, at their helm, the visitors hope to make the Bays their first victims, having tasted defeat at the hands of Los Angeles and San Francisco in their only starts. Green Bay has split in two games. Since both squads are weakened by injuries, first year men will be given an opportunity to earn their pro ratings. Newcomers Howie Ferguson and Bill Forester will share the fullbacking duties for coach Gene Ronzani's Packers. Veterans Bobby Jack Floyd and Fred Cone are nursing leg injuries. Rookie halfback Don Barton is also sidelined with a broken ankle. Good news, however, was the announcement that Dick Wildung, former Minnesota All-American, has signed a Packer contract after a lapse of two season. Wildung will join the club Saturday night. In the Redskin camp, Jack Scarbarth, first-year signal caller from Maryland, will get the call at the opening whistle. Eddie Le Baron, regular quarterback, is sidelined with a pulled leg ligament. Other ace rookies who shine for the Packers include backs Al Carmichael, Val Joe Walker and Gib Dawson. Returning servicemen are Clayton Tonnemaker, Larry Coutre and Len Szafaryn. Besides Scarbarth, Lambeau plans to start rookies Paul Dekker, end from Michigan State, and guard Dave Suminski from Wisconsin. Two ex-Packers who should see plenty of action against their former mates are tackle Paul Lipscomb and fullback Jack Cloud.
COLD WEATHER GIVES PACKERS BIG ASSIST
SEPT 5 (Green Bay) - Cool weather Friday and Saturday morning revived hopes that a crowd of 20,000 would turn out Saturday night to see Gene Ronzani's Green Bay Packers make their first appearance of the season at home in an exhibition with Curly Lambeau's Washington Redskins. Ticket sales, which dropped off sharply during the recent heat wave, quickly picked up again. The game, which will get underway at 8 o'clock, will be broadcast by WTMJ. Green Bay ruled a one touchdown favorite on the strength of what so far has been a superior offense. The Packers rolled to a 31-7 victory over the New York Giants in Minneapolis two weeks ago, then lost to the Cardinals in Spokane last week, 13-7. The 38 points they have scored far exceeds Washington's output. Lambeau's team lost to the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago, 20-7, then bowed to the San Francisco 49ers last week, 7-0. Veterans Babe Parilli and Tobin Rote will handle the quarterbacking and passing chores for Green Bay, rookie Jack Scarbath for Washington. Eddie LeBaronb, veteran Washington signal caller, has a pulled ligament in his leg and was a very doubtful participant. The game will make the first appearance of a Washington club in Green Bay. All other games between the clubs have been played in Milwaukee or Washington or along the exhibition route. The game will also be the fifth meeting between Ronzani and Lambeau as rival coaches. Ronzani's teams have won all the others. The Packers will make their next start against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the annual Shrine game at Milwaukee next Saturday night.
WILDUNG SIGNS WITH PACKERS
SEPT 5 (Redwood Falls, MN) - Dick Wildung, hardware store operator here, said today he has again signed with the Green Bay Packers, after a lapse of two seasons. Wildung, All-America tackle at the University of Minnesota in 1941 and 1942, played tackle with the Packers for six years before returning here two years ago to go into business. Wildung said he was leaving today to join the Packers.
PACKERS, REDSKINS 'CRASH' TONIGHT AT CITY STADIUM
SEPT 5 (Green Bay) - The great big Washington Redskins and the little bitty Green Bay Packers crash in a game of football at City stadium tonight for three reasons: (1) The sheer enjoyment of what Packer officials hope and rightly expect will be close to 20,000 starved grid fans. (2) The furtherance of championship plans by Coach Gene Ronzani of the Packers and Coach Curly Lambeau of the Redskins. Kickoff in this third game for each club is set for 8 o’clock. The weather will be perfect for football. Tonight’s match will be history in the making. It will be the first time Washington ever played in our town, which means that thousands of folks, who hadn’t seen ‘em in Milwaukee in the last 16 years, will be getting an eyeful. On the sideline, Lambeau – founder of the Packers and head coach of the team for 30 years – will be going for his first victory over his alma mammy. The Ronzanimen have whipped Curly-coached elevens four times – twice by 17-14 counts here in 1950-51 and twice in 1952,
13-7 and 35-20. If you’re superstitious, this means that Lambeau will have the law of averages on his side – sort of a 12th man. But judging by the size of the Redskins, they won’t need a 12th dealer. Lambeau claims that this “is the biggest team I’ve ever coached,” and, it can be added, he has coached some big Packer squads in his day. The Washington line between the tackles averages a good 250 pounds, including such gents as Walt Ashcraft, 260, Don Boll 276, Paul Lipscomb 251, Dick Modzelewski 248, Laurie Niemi 255 and Jim Ricca 267. Ironically, the smallest Redskin won’t play tonight, thus carrying out the “heavy” theme. He is Eddie LeBaron, the tiny, 168-pound quarterback, who has a bad leg. But his place will be filled by the brilliant rookie, Jack Scarbath of Maryland, who packs 205 pounds, and possibly Harry Gilmer, a flashy 175. Providing the beef in the backfield are big Chuck Dravenovich, the 220 pound fullback; Julie Rykovich, 210; and darkhorse Sam Baker, 210. For grace and speed, they’ll come forth with the one and only Charley (Trippi) Justice, only 175. How our pore lil’ boys (Thanks Bo) can go through all of this beef, of course, is one of the mysteries of the game. However, since the best way to get on the other side of a brick wall is to jump, leap or fly over it, it can be expected that the Packers will make considerable use of the crowd-pleasing forward pass tonight. The Packers, defending passing champions in the NFL, have yet to really shine in the air this season. The chief weapons are quarterbacks Tobin Rote and Babe Parilli and ends Bill Howton and Bob Mann – not to mention two sticky-fingered halfbacks named Al Carmichael and Gib Dawson, both rookies. The Packers’ air game is expected (or hoped) to make up some of the difference in weight tonight. Ronzani feels that the Packers of 1953 are “extremely light” by comparison to other teams in the league, and particularly Washington. He’s wondering what the Washington weight will do to the Packers’ ground game since the halfbacks are quite feathery and the two heavy-duty fullbacks, Freddy Cone and Bobby Jack Floyd, won’t play. Cone has a bad ankle and Floyd is just now starting to trot after an operation on his heel. Anyhow, tonight’s game has all the earmarks of a rather rugged battle since the Packers are bristling after a 13-7 loss to the Chicago Cardinals and the Washingtons are bristling even more after two straight losses to the Western division’s best – Los Angeles and San Francisco. One of the sideshows to tonight’s game will be the big man from Minnesota, Clayton Tonnemaker. This gigantic fellow, an all-pro linebacker as a rookie in 1950, is just out of Army service and will be playing his first game before the home folks since ’50. Also back from service and due to see a lot of action are Len Szafaryn, an ex-Redskin, and Larry Coutre, the Notre Dame right half.
DICK WILDUNG MAY SIT IN 'GOLDEN CHAIR'
SEPT 5 (Green Bay) - Dick Wildung was due in town today. If he shows, he’ll occupy a golden chair near the Packer bench at City stadium tonight. The big Minnesota tackle, who announced from his home in Redwood Falls, Minn., yesterday afternoon that he has signed a Packer contract, is coming back after an enforced absence of one season. Wildung, who turned 32 last Aug. 16, gained all-pro ranking with the Packers two or three years. He broke in in 1946, which makes 1953 his seventh full season. Wildung wanted to play last year but two months before the start of practice he was virtually forced into the hardware business due to the death of his brother-in-law. He’s still operating the business but now has a capable manager to carry on in his absence. Wildung’s return is like a shot in the arm to the Packers, who aren’t exactly “powerful” at that position. He’ll probably see limited action against Pittsburgh in Milwaukee a week from tonight…George Marshall, president of the Washington Redskins, is in Green Bay for the first time in 21 years – 1932 – when his Boston Redskins played here. The hard-hitting pro grid magnate is happily looking forward to one of his best seasons in years. An indication is this: “I’m ashamed to say that we are carrying 43 players. Way too many.” The implication was, of course, that the excellent material has made it difficult for Coach Curly Lambeau to cut. Marshall was interviewed by Clair Stone on WBAY-TV, watched the Redskins practice at City stadium, had dinner at the Northland, sat around the lobby chatting with old friends, including former Packer line coach Tarz Taylor, and then spent a few hours at a supper club…Dick McCann, general manager of the Redskins, was quite impressed with the scene at City stadium. “That Curly had to take time out to shake hands with about 70 people – lots of his old friends. You know, coming back here, his home, must do something to a man. It gave me a lump in my throat.” Lambeau spent considerable time with his mother, Mrs. Marcel Lambeau, last night…Jack Cloud represents a success story, they tell us. The former Packer fullback was low man on the Redskin totem pole when he reported for practice this season but he’s now the club’s No. 1 left linebacker. First thing Jack said when he got off the train yesterday was, “How are all my old friends? How’s that Tonnemaker doing?” Big Paul Lipscomb, former Packer with the Redskins, is particularly anxious to beat his “alma mater” tonight. Furious in his play against the Packers since he was traded to Washington in 1950, big Paul likely will be at his sharpest tonight. Ed Barrang, another ex-Packer on the Redskin roster, didn’t make the trip.
