Detroit Lions (1-0) 17, Green Bay Packers (0-1) 14
Sunday September 17th 1961 (at Milwaukee)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(MILWAUKEE) - It was so easy. The first 3 minutes and 23 seconds, that is. The Packers took the opening kickoff and roared 69 yards in eight snappy plays for a 7 to 0 lead over the Lions. Nothing to it. And it appeared the Packers were on their way to an impressive victory. But that the last touchdown for Green Bay this league-opening day of 1961 at County Stadium. The Lions scrounged around and managed two touchdowns by Nick Pietrosante in the first half and a field goal for a 17-13 victory. It was an upset since the Western Division champs were favorites to win this starter. The brutal struggle in perfect weather was seen by the largest crowd ever to see a pro football game in Wisconsin, 44,307 paid, which snaps the 42,560 at the Shrine game last Aug. 26. Ironically, it was the same score by which the Packers lost the championship game in Philadelphia last December, with the Bays getting one touchdown and two field goals in each fracas. But just by way of good cheer, it can be recalled that the Packers also lost their league opener in 1960 - a similar 17-14 setback to the Bears, after which they posted 8-3 in their last 11 games. The Packers now return to Green Bay to launch a three-game stand, opening next Sunday with the shotgun 49ers who smashed the Redskins 35-3 yesterday. The Packers couldn't buy - much less force - a decent break all day. And somehow the Pack's misfortune was reflected by Paul Hornung's unique way of losing a 55-yard field goal. The would-be Packer record boot was on target, but the ball hit the crossbar and bounced back into the playing field. Thus, a three-inch chunk of wood helped change the course of action and strategy. That would have given the Pack a 10-7 edge. The Lions' defense, rated the best in the league, was murder, as indicated by the Pack's 13 points, but Green Bay managed a fair 305 yards. The Packers got deep into scoring territory just four times after the TD drive and came out with 15- and 26-yard field goals by Hornung. The other two times they lost the ball on downs on the Lion 2 in the third quarter and on an interception by Night Train Lane to end the Pack's last chance with 1:06 left in the game. As predicted, this was a game between Detroit's great defense and the Pack's versatile offense - right down to the end. With 3:26 left, Hank Jordan blocked Jim Martin's field goal try on the Lion 36. Now it was a final struggle between offense and defense, and the stalwarts of defense turned out to be the winner. Five plays later Bart Starr's pass aimed at Gary Knafelc was tipped up in a four-player scramble and that man Lane intercepted. Some punting figured in the Lions' manner of winning and the Pack's method of losing. Lion Yale Lary dropped punts on the one, seven and three-yard lines to keep the Bays down deep. The plucky booter, punting on a fourth and two situation on the Packer 42, took off like a scared rabbit instead of punting and gained 14 yards to the Packer 28. This set up the Lions' second TD and a 14-7 edge. While the home rooters cussed he breaks of the sport, the Packers received a "fifth down" on which to kick a field goal on the Pack's last play of the first half, making the score 14-10. The Bays had a first and 10 on the Lion 10 with time running out when Starr completed a nine-yard pass to Jim Taylor. The officials, for no explainable reason, ruled it a first down on the one-yard line even though the advance was only nine yards. Starr lost two, Hornung lost four back to the seven and Starr threw a pass to stop the clock, giving Hornung time to kick a field goal. At any rate, there won't be any official howling - since the Lions won. Like all losers, the Packers could point to the statistics, although their margin was small. The Pack had an edge in first downs, 17-15, yards rushing 132-113, yards passing 173-160, and total yards 305-293. Individually, Max McGee was terrific. The Taxi caught seven passes for 127 yards and once was knocked out. He was revived and refused to leave the game, sending away replacement Lew Carpenter. The Pack's Taylor led rushing with 85 yards on 15 trips but 45 came on a draw play to set up the only TD. Starr out-dueled the Lions'
Earl Morrall, Bart getting 14 out of 26 for 173 yards the game, sending away replacement Lew Carpenter. The Pack's Taylor led rushing with 85 yards on 15 trips against Morrall's 12 out of 24 for 160. Starr had two intercepted, both by Lane, and Morrall had one stolen - by John Symank. The game detail could end right with the first series but here are some highlight: Tom Moore received the opening kickoff and almost broke away for a TD. When brought down on the 31, he fumbled but quickly recovered. With third and six coming up, Starr "drew" Taylor up the middle and the big fullback, behind a good block by McGee, swerved to his left for a 45-yard gain to Detroit's 20. Hornung slammed 9 yards, Taylor hit for 8, Hornung made a half-yard and then Taylor leaped in for the TD. Hornung converted and it was 7-0. The Lions came up with three "homemade" plays on which Morrall, while trapped, got off a short pass, sometimes a shovel, for good yardage. He worked a 14-yard play of this kind after the TD but the Pack tightened and Lary had to punt. The ball was headed for the end zone but Steffen batted it back just on the line. The officials put it on the one. Boyd Dowler, held pass catchless by Lane, returned the punt and the Lions went on a TD drive from their 48. The big play was Gail Cogdill's catch of a 42-yard pass away from Jesse Whittenton, giving the Lions a spot on the Packer 1. Pietrosante scored quickly and Martin's kick made it 7-7. The Packers cracked back with two quick first downs, on Taylor's 11-yard run and Starr's 17-yard pass to McGee but the attack stalled early in the second quarter and Hornung then hit the crossbar with a 55-yard field goal shot. After an exchange of punts, the Lions got possession on the Bays' 46 on Cassady's 19-yard punt return of a Dowler punt. From there the Lions scored in eight plays. The big play was Lary's 14-yard run while in punt formation. Three plays later, from the 15, Morrall was being hit by Bill Quinlan when he flipped the ball to Pietrosante, who ran wild up the middle for a touchdown. Martin's kick made it 14-7. The Packers really snapped back just before the half. Starr started passing, opening with a 22-yard shot to McGee and then following with 11-yard tosses to Hornung and Knafelc. Starr hit McGee for a 16-yard gain to the 10. The Packers then got their five-down field goal. The Lions had score in their eyes at the start of the fourth frame but after two first downs Lary was forced to punt, the ball dropping on the three. The teams then exchanged interceptions. Lane stole Starr's pass aimed at Dowler and a moment later Symank grabbed Morrall's toss to set up the Pack's ill-fated TD drive. Needing six yards on third down, Starr couldn't pass but ran 10 yards to get the drive going. McGee grabbed Bart's 29-yard pass and Tom Moore ran 13 yards. McGee then leaped high for Starr's pass for 17 yards to the four. Then, would you believe it, the Packers couldn't score. Moore made one at right end and Taylor added a yard at left end. Taylor got nothing at right tackle and Moore was nailed for zero at Joe Schmidt on left end. The Packers then just missed a safety. On third down on the two, Dave Hanner broke through and nailed Pietrosante on the goal line. The ball was just over the line. Willie Wood then returned Lary's punt 17 yards to the Detroit 27 but the Pack couldn't move enough, so Hornung tried a field goal from the 26 for a 14-13 score. Martin got that back a moment later when he hit from 44 yards out for a 17-13 lead. With seven minutes left, Starr passed 19 yards to McGee but Starr was smeared back 11 yards on his next throw and Dowler punted. Detroit got to midfield on a first down but the Pack tightened and Martin tried a 52-yard field goal. Jordan cracked in from the right side and blocked it, the ball rolling out of bounds on the Detroit 36. After Taylor made one yard and then tripped or slipped for a 4-yard gain with a screen pass, McGee made a great catch of a Starr pass for a key first down on the Detroit 21 with 2:12 left. Hornung tried the option to Dowler in the end zone but it was kayoed by Lary and Lowe. On the next play, Starr's throw at Knafelc was intercepted by Lane with 1:06 left. The game ended with Lary back to punt.
DETROIT - 7 7 0 3 - 17
GREEN BAY - 7 3 0 3 - 13
DETROIT GREEN BAY
First Downs 15 17
Rushing-Yards-TD 38-128-2 28-132-1
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 23-11-145-0-1 27-14-173-0-2
Sack Yards Lost 1-7 1-11
Total Yards 266 294
Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-0
Turnovers 1 2
Yards penalized 5-45 2-29
SCORING
1st- GB - Jim Taylor, 1-yard run (Paul Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st- DET - Nick Pietrosante, 1-yard run (Jim Martin kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - DET - Pietrosante, 15-yard pass from Earl Morrall (Martin kick) DETROIT 14-7
2nd - GB - Hornung, 15-yard field goal DETROIT 14-10
4th - GB - Hornung, 26-yard field goal DETROIT 14-13
4th - DET - Martin, 44-yard field goal DETROIT 17-13
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 15-85 1 TD, Paul Hornung 7-24, Tom Moore 4-15, Bart Starr 2-8
DETROIT - Nick Pietrosante 15-41 2 TD, Dan Lewis 12-25, Howard Cassady 5-25, Frank Lary 1-14, Earl Morrall 3-5, Johnny Olszewski 1-3
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 26-14-173 2 INT, Paul Hornung 1-0-0
DETROIT - Earl Morrall 24-12-160 1 TD 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Max McGee 7-127, Jim Taylor 3-18, Paul Hornung 3-17, Gary Knafelc 1-11
DETROIT - Nick Pietrosante 5-64 1 TD, Terry Barr 4-31, Gail Cogdill 3-65
'IT WAS THOSE GOAL LINE THINGS,' VINCE
SEPT 18 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - With typical economy, Vince Lombardi wrapped up an afternoon of frustration and disappointment in seven crisp syllables: "It was those two goal line things," he said, glancing up from a sheet of figures, which though imposing, did not contain these painful statistics. As all suffering Packerland now is doubtless aware, the somber Italian had pointed reference to second and third quarter misadventures that cost Green Bay U. dearly en route to a 17-13 defeat at Detroit Lion hands in their 1961 NFL baptismal in Miami-like County Stadium Sunday. The first saw Bart Starr, in a burst of brilliance, hurl the Western Division champions 79 yards to the Lion one in less than a minute's time. Three misfires later, however, the ball rested on the 8 and the Pack reluctantly settled for a 14-yard field goal by Paul Hornung. The second contretemps was even more heartrending. After the artful Max McGee had tightroped out of bounds on the Detroit four with a first down pass late in the third quarter, the crusher came. Villainous Joe Schmidt, a major annoyance all day, and Dick LeBeau wheeled over to short circuit Tom Moore's fourth down sweep on the one-yard line. Both of these cardinal sins left Lombardi slightly incredulous. "We're on the goal line and we don't score," he declared, in obvious disbelief. "You don't get down there that often - if you don't score, you don't win." He steadfastly refused to concede the Lions were lucky, despite several desperation, out-of-the-hat maneuvers by Earl Morrall which had his colleagues fondling their rabbits' feet. "That's the game," he rapped. "I have no excuses." Vince did admit, however, that "third down was a bad down for us today. Or at least you could say," he added dryly, "that it certainly didn't help us. They made the big play when they had to make it." His forces, on the other hand, "didn't get outside of our 10-yard line the whole first half, except for that first drive," Lombardi pointed out. The Packer major-domo deftly parried a question concerning the wisdom of Detroit's last field goal attempt, blocked by Henry Jordan, and quickly converted into a final Packer fling. "They could have assured themselves of a tie, even if we subsequently scored, if they had made it. It was a pretty long field goal, but I don't know what I would have done under the same circumstances." Did he have any reservations about the Milwaukee fans' enthusiasm? "No, none whatsoever. It was excellent. They gave us some sort of ovation when we came off the field, didn't they? It was wonderful." And had he been disappointed in his team's performance, other than in the production of points? "Certainly, I'm disappointed," he shot back. "I expected to win."...All, of course, was sweetness and light in the Detroit dressing room where jovial George Wilson credited "Yale Lary's punting, those two goal line stands and That Man above" with the Lions' success. "There must have been a lot of Hail Marys and Our Fathers said for us today," he grinned, revealed, "We had priests on the bench - friends of Scooter McLean (Lion backfield coach) from Chicago. I even had our Jewish tailor crossing himself." As might be expected, the Lion's head man could find no fault with the near-fatal decision to try a field goal from 52 yards out late in the fourth quarter. "There were a little over two minutes to go," he pointed out. "The worst we can get out of it is a tie. You know how many teams have scored in the last two minutes of the game." On a more pleasant subject, George let it be known, "I could have had it (the fake punt with which Lary set up the Lions' winning touchdown in the second period) the first time we punted. It was wide open, the way the Packers were rushing. I would have done it the second time but the setup wasn't just right." Needless to say, he was delighted with Morrall's performance, particularly his impromptu heroics. "He did a heck of a job," George insisted. "And I don't feel he was lucky - that's just being heads up. We have the safety valve and he used him. Sometimes you can't find him." His behemoths' mental condition had given him cause for concern before the game, Wilson reported. "They were so tight before the ball game, there wasn't a sound in this room," he said, indicating the now littered Lion quarters with a wave of the hand. "I tried everything to get 'em out of it and it didn't work. They wanted to win this one so badly there was no humoring 'em."...The major hero of the piece, Morrall, confessed, "The Packer gave me a lot of pressure, more than I expected But our guys picked 'em off pretty good in the second half. They're a tough defensive club - you sure can't run against them."...MILK AND HONEY: After 27 years, the Packers hit the jackpot in the land of beer, bowling and bratwurst. Scalpers were selling tickets for $10 a copy at downtown hotels by noon Saturday, standing room tickets were grabbed off with alacrity and even the cabdrivers, notorious baseball fanatics, were talking football. Ticket office employees, obviously, were under the gun during this hectic period but were not without a chuckle or two. One member of the staff, Irene Silewski, reported, "When I would tell them on the phone that we had a few upper box seats and standing room left, they would say, 'Standing room? Where can we sit with that?'"...CLOSE UP: John McHale, general manager of the Beaves, and his three young sons, John, Kevin and Brian, were special guests of the Packers in their "dugout" just before the game. The junior McHales watched in awe as the Packers assembled on the dugout step, preparatory to taking the field. "I just wanted them to see how big these fellows are," grinned McHale, who used to play football himself. A Notre Dame alumnus, he says, "that was long ago - before the T-formation."...CONTINENTAL COVERAGE: In addition to the regular Packer network, the game was televised over all 46 stations of the Canadian chain, which extends from Newfoundland to British Columbia...SPECIAL ESCORT: Joe Kobylka, Beloit News photographer, left the sidelines abruptly late in the second quarter. Caught between receiver Max McGee and defender Dick LeBeau as they hurtled out of bounds, friend Kobylka was launched through the air for better than five yards before landing upon his camera and case - and beneath McGee and LeBeau. There were, we are happy to report, no injuries.
'THOUGHT WE COULD HANDLE 'EM,' THURSTON
SEPT 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - What, you ask, happened to the NFL's premier offensive line? The members of that unit, which performs for the Green Bay Packers, are wondering, too. "I thought we could handle the Lions," confided a puzzled Fuzzy Thurston, an unofficial spokesman for his elite group, as the Packer bud rumbled homeward Sunday evening following that 17-13 shock in Milwaukee County Stadium. "I still can't understand why we couldn't put the ball in there (an obvious reference to a pair of failures on the Detroit goal line). I know we figured we had a better ball club and we've done the job against lines as good as the Lions." Had the enemy surprised? "No, we were well prepared for them - we were ready for all their defenses. It was just a case of little mistakes all the time. By that, I don't mean lack of effort," said the deep-chested Valparaiso alumnus. "I think everybody put out 100 percent all the way." He then reminded with good cheer, "It's not the end of the season - I know we have the caliber of men who will come back. Over the season we'll prove we're the better ball club, I'm confident of that. But that's all water over the dam. We're starting to think 49ers and I'm ready for them right now." Earlier, a supremely disgusted Jesse Whittenton hurled socks into a duffle bag at the stadium as he described a first quarter nightmare, one which saw the Lions' Gail Cogdill force a 7-7 tie. "It was a sideliner," Jesse snorted, "and when Morrall saw me on Cogdill, he let it slide off his finger and threw it over both our heads. I slipped trying to stay with Cogdill and that's all he needed - he caught it and was gone. It was one of those freak things." Diagonally across the room, big, balding Henry Jordan passed credit for the blocked field goal to colleague Dave Hanner. "He jerked Willie McClung over so it left the hole for me," Hank, an all-pro selection last season, explained. "Dave noticed it and called my attention to it," Henry added. "Dave should get the credit." Another hero in defeat, fiery John Symank, felt his third quarter interception, which loomed so large at the time, was long overdue. "They informed me after the game, that I missed my direction," he said soberly. "They told me if I'd gone the other way, I could have had a long return." As it was, he emerged with a 13-yard runback. Strapping Bob Skoronski, who was injured in the first quarter and didn't return to action, reported, "I hurt my knee but I think it's all right. It feels pretty good." Another "casualty," bruising Jim Taylor, wasn't so sure about his condition. "I hurt all over," he confesses. "I got kneed in the back somewhere along the line," Jim said, limping as he walked and simultaneously displaying a pair of swollen wrists. Despite these painful mementos, Jim insisted the Lions "don't hit any harder than anybody else. They all," he said wearily, "hit hard." It remained for the pithy Max McGee to sum up. "We're all right," he drawled. "A little pride, that's all that's hurt."
CONFUSION: PACKER FANS GET 'WRONG NUMBER' IN TELECAST
SEPT 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A 1,700-mile "wrong number" confused Green Bay television viewers in the opening moments of the Packer-Lion telecast Sunday afternoon. The voices of Tony Canadeo and Jack Whitaker were coming through on schedule, but viewers familiar with Milwaukee County Stadium were puzzled by the camera's view of the stadium presented to them. During the player introductions, which of course didn't match the sound, a Channel 2 announcement broke in to report that the CBS network was feeding Green Bay the wrong game, and the folks at home were watching the New York-St. Louis preliminaries at Yankee Stadium, New York. That picture was replaced by an announcement of network difficulties. The sound continued without the picture through the Packers' first scoring drive, the ensuing kickoff, and the Packer "blitz" of quarterback Earl Morrall which forced the first punt of the game. The picture came on at 1:25, just before Yale Lary punted. Difficulties apparently continued elsewhere, however, for the next two commercials were without pictures, with the camera trained on the idle players in midfield during timeouts.
PACKER STORY: THREE EXPLOSIONS, ONE TD
SEPT 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers set off three big explosions against the Lions Sunday. But there wasn't any particular noise. They detonated drives of 69, 78 and 80 yards and came out with one touchdown, one field goal and loss of the ball on downs. Noting the steady offensive moves, Coach Vince Lombardi pointed out today: "Sure, we moved the ball all right but you've still got to put it over when you get down there." Lombardi and Aides Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran, Bill Austin and Norb Hecker labored long, hard and late Monday, viewing the Detroit pictures and getting ready for the 49er game in City Stadium next Sunday. Vince felt that the pictures backed up his immediate postgame analysis, explaining that "we were just over-powered on the goal line, but our pass protection was good." The Bays ripped 69 yards on the first eight plays of the game, with Jim Taylor leaping over the line for a TD. Just before the half, Paul Hornung kicked a field goal to end the 78-yard drive on the Detroit 7. On the Pack's last play of the third quarter, the 80-yard move ended with Tom Moore failing to gain on fourth down from the two-yard line. Lombardi, asked about the "fifth down" that led to Hornung's first field goal, said there was no such thing. He said "the ball was just short of the 10" when the series started, adding: "Taylor's catch might have been called a touchdown but I'm not complaining about the officials. They were right on top of it and called it as they saw it. They put the ball down just short of the goal line, so it was 10 yards and a first down." The Packers then ran off four plays, Hornung kicking from the 15 with 12 seconds left. The pictures didn't show the Lions were lucky, as a lot of us diehards felt. "They just played a helluva game and they're a good ball club," Lombardi said. Quarterback Earl Morrall made three uncanny flips of the ball to his always-present fullback, Nick Pietrosante, to get out of trouble and once for a touchdown. They were strictly of the "homemade" variety. This sort of thing made the Pack's job of defensing extremely difficult..."WERE OVER-EAGER": Lombardi was quick to point out that "the defense played a fine game. If anything they were over-eager. They got in there all right but but couldn't bring him (Morrall) down quick enough." Other than the two touchdown moves the Lions never got much beyond midfield. The Lions' TDs, both by Pietrosante, were scored on moves of 52 and 46 yards on the first half. The first was set up on a 45-yard pass from Morrall to Gail Cogdill and the second was set up on Yale Lary's fourth-down 14-yard run from punt formation. The Pack's defense was anchored by Willie
Davis and Hank Jordan, the hard and quick hitters who accounted for 18 tackles. Davis had 10 stops. Jordan, besides his eight tackles, blocked Jim Martin's field goal try in the last three and a half minutes in a combined effort with Dave Hanner...The Packers gathered this morning to see the Lion pictures and get the "word" from Lombardi for the upcoming struggle. The squad came out in good physical condition, although a number of players are pretty well bruised up, especially fullback Taylor. The Packers' offensive line standout of the Lion game was also a standout Monday. That would be Max McGee, who was married Monday afternoon at the First Baptist Church. Maxie the Taxi and Bride Betty were guests of the players at a dinner and party Monday night. McGee had a terrific day vs. Detroit. He caught seven passes, or half of the aerials completed by Bart Starr, and his catches totaled out to 127 of the 173 yards the Packers gained in the air.
THIRD DOWN NIGHTMARE FOR PACK IN SAD DEBUT
SEPT 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - There were 28 third down plays in the Packer-Lion game Sunday. That's a rugged down since it decides whether your team keeps the ball or kicks on the ensuing down. Third Down was a nightmare for the Pack. Coach Vince Lombardi, in quickly analyzing the game for the press, radio and TV gang shortly after the final gun, mentioned third as "a bad down for us today - or at least you could say that it certainly didn't help us." The Packers had 11 first down plays for 68 yards; the Lions 17 for 125. The Bay's best third-downer was on the first one we tried. With third and six yards to go on the Pack's 35, Bart Starr called Jim Taylor on a draw up the middle. The big fullback sprung through the opening like a tiger and then veered to his left behind Max McGee's key block - a gain of 45 yards. The Packers made only 23 yards on the remaining 10 third down plays - an average of 2.3 per. The Lions scored their two touchdowns by Nick Pietrosante on first down plays but each was preceded by a successful third down maneuver. Before the first TD, Earl Morrall and Gail Cogdill worked on a 42-yard aerial gain to the Pack 1-yard line. Before the second TD, Morrall threw an 11-yard pass from Terry Barr, setting up Morrall's "flip" to Pietrosante on a make-shift play (Morrall was being thrown to the ground when he threw) for a TD. The Lions had one "good" third down, as far as the Packers were concerned. That would be John Symank's interception of a pass aimed at Barr on the Packer 15. The steal came on a third and 14 yards to go situation...Sunday's loss was amazingly similar to the Pack's crucial game - the championship playoff in Philadelphia last December. The score was the same, 17-13, and in each game the Bays scored only three points on two occasions from deep in enemy territory. Remember the playoff? The Bays intercepted and recovered a fumble deep in Eagle land - only to falter and came out with a field goal. Sunday, the Pack reached inside the five just before the half and settled for three points and in the third quarter a drive was stalled on the Lion two-yard stripe...BRIEFS: The Lions ran off 61 plays, the Packers 55...The Bays had an individual edge. Jim Taylor led rushers with 85 yards in 15 carries, which topped Nick Pietrosante's 41 in 15; Starr's 14 completions in 26 attempts produced 173 yards; Morrall's 12 out of 24 gained 160; and McGee caught seven passes for 127 yards against Pietrosante's 5 for 64. Pietrosante averaged under three yards a crack; Taylor, despite some painful hurts later in the game, averaged over 5 1/2 yards.
REP. BYRNES EXPLAINS HOW TV BILL AFFECTS PACKERS
SEPT 19 (Washington, D.C.) - A bill to permit football and other sports leagues to negotiate jointly with television networks to televise their games without violating anti-trust laws was approved Monday by the House. According to the report on the bill, the measure is necessary to overrule the effect of a decision of the U.S. district court for the eastern district of Pennsylvania made on July 20 of this year which ruled that the two-year contract between the NFL and the Columbia Broadcasting System granting CBS the exclusive right to televise league games was in violation of the anti-trust laws. Rep. John W. Byrnes, who appeared before the rules committee to urge that it permit the bill to come to the House floor for debate, in an article in the Congressional Record today described the need for the legislation from the point of view of the Green Bay Packers. "Contrary to what we have come to think as the spirit of our anti-trust laws, in the case of the NFL, it would make the strong clubs stronger and the weaker clubs weaker," Byrnes declared. "The reason for this is that the television networks, if the member clubs negotiated separately, would look to their own economic interests and negotiate contracts only with those teams which operate in areas of intense viewer concentration," he continued. "The teams which represent the largest metropolitan areas could obtain lucrative contracts while the other teams would have difficulty in obtaining any kind of contract at all. Thus, the televising of games would be largely under the control of the networks. Many fans would be deprived of watching their home teams play its out-of-town games. Since television revenue is important in the economic structure of football, some teams would become richer and some poorer, but, in the long run, if the teams are not balanced, both financially and competitively, they would all suffer since evenly-matched contests are the essence of a successfully operated league," he told the House. "The Green Bay Packers, one of the first professional football teams in the nation, have been able to compete successfully against teams representing much larger cities because of the wise policies of the NFL which strive for balanced teams," he said. "The team is owned by a non-profit corporation which has had its struggles, through lean years, to field a representative club. In recent years, however, the club has strengthened its financial position through increasingly successful teams. Green Bay, in 1960, was the Western Division champion. With costs mounting, however, Green Bay, like other clubs, is increasingly dependent upon television revenues," he emphasized. "Negotiating singly, it has never been able to sell its television rights at the level of the clubs which represent the large cities. When its present contract expires, and if it is forced to approach the networks on its own, it will be competing against clubs who offer vastly greater TV markets, and it could wind up without any television contract or with one at a greatly reduced figure. The difference the size of the TV market makes can be judged by the fact that Green Bay's present contract, as champions, is $120,000 for radio-TV rights, while the Washington Redskins, who finished last in the Eastern Division last year, have a $250,000 contract. Under a contract negotiated by all of the clubs and subsequently ruled out by the court, Green Bay and all other clubs would have received $325,000 in 1962 for television," he concluded. The committee agreed to an amendment, aimed at making sure professional football telecasts do not compete with college football broadcasts.
APPENDECTOMY BENCHES HANNER
SEPT 20 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Dave Hanner expects to be ready for the Colt game here Oct. 8. "In fact, they'd better let me see Sunday's game," the giant veteran Packer defensive tackle drawled over the telephone from his bed at St. Vincent Hospital where he underwent an appendectomy Tuesday afternoon. "I was walking already this morning but not for long; I got a little dizzy headed," Hanner added. Coach Vince Lombardi, unhappy with the loss of one of his regulars, quickly accepted the football fates today and announced that rookie Ron Kostelnik will step into Hanner's shoes in the crucial game against the 49ers in City Stadium Sunday. The loss looms as serious since it struck at a position where the Packers are "zero" in experienced replacements. In fact, the two men playing behind Coach Phil Bengtson's big four (Hanner, Bill Quinlan, Hank Jordan and Willie Davis) are both rookies - Kostelnik and Ben Davidson. Kostelnik is the replacement at the two tackles spots and Davidson is the end sub. Kostelnik, a 255-pounder who was the Pack's second draft choice, showed flashes of form along the preseason trail. "He should go a good job in there between Davis and Jordan. He's been improving all the time," Hanner said. The 49ers are jinxy folks when they play in Green Bay. Five days before they played here two years ago, Jim Taylor spilled hot grease on his foot and was knocked out of nearly five games. The Bays won the game 21-20. Last year, the 49ers played at Milwaukee. Hanner actually will return sooner than Taylor. The operation puts an end to Dave's consecutive-game playing streak. Hanner has never missed a Packer preseason or league game since he joined the Bays as a rookie in 1952, when he was the club's fifth draft choice. The Arkansas strongman, who is rarely in the training room, played in 109 straight league games through last Sunday's opener vs. the Lions in Milwaukee. With the title game last December, Hanner had played in 110 games in a row - not counting the preseason warmups. Ironically, Hanner broke his "hospital" string during the 1961 training camp. With the heat, tough training and/or the flu in the early training camp of 1959 and 1960, Hanner found himself in the hospital in each of those years. The past drill season was an exception - until Tuesday. Hanner said he felt ill Monday night "and I had to pass up Max McGee's wedding reception. I came out to the hospital Tuesday. They said I'd be out three weeks at the most. I want to make that Colt game." The only other "injury" in camp belongs to another tackle, one Bob Skoronski, who injured his leg vs. Detroit. He'll be ready for the 49ers...The first of the statistics from the National League office arrived today and one of our boys is in a lead position - Max McGee, who shares first place with of all people, a 49er by the name of Monte Stickles. Each caught seven passes last Sunday. McGee moved 127 yards; Stickles 116. Next highest is Jim Taylor, who has gained 85 yards in 15 trips. Above him in fourth is the 49ers' J.D. Smith, who picked up 93 yards. Bart Starr was off to a slow start, placing ninth among the league's passers. John Brodie of the 49ers, who hurled four TD passes vs. Washington, ranks third. Rookie Fran Tarkenton, who was a hero in the Vikings' win over the Bears, made off with the league lead. The newcomer showed that he's a take-charge QB, judging by this story making the rounds: Hugh McIlhenny came back to the buddle and complained that he was getting tired. Tarkenton eyed old Hugh and then called the veteran's signal. Hugh said later, "He's a natural leader. He really lets you know who's running the club." Tarkenton is the only rookie among the major statistical leaders. Milt Plum of Cleveland ranks behind him. Scoringwise, Bob
said later, "He's a natural leader. He really lets you know who's running the club." Tarkenton is the only rookie among the major statistical leaders. Milt Plum of Cleveland ranks behind him. Scoringwise, Bob Walston is leading with 15 points on a touchdown, two field goals and three conversions. Paul Hornung is on the board with seven points on two field goals and one conversion.
49ERS EAGER TO TRY SHOTGUN ON PACK IN GOOD WEATHER
SEPT 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - That silver-haired man carrying a shotgun about town is Dan McGuire. He's just in from the mountains of Northern California for the purpose of telling about the 49er football team which will meet the Packers in City Stadium Sunday afternoon. It's strictly an information mission. No sales job is required since the stadium has been sold out for months. Guest Dan might start pushing for '62. Since we're so busy getting ready for the Press-Gazette's first Sunday paper, let Dapper Dan (with apologies to Dan Currie) handle the following paragraphs: "Everybody's talking about the shotgun (short punt formation) and I only hope it works up here. It's really nothing new. Lots of teams put the quarterback back several yards behind the center but mostly as a desperation deal. The Packers set Tobin Rote back there several years ago and he did exceptionally well. It's not a desperation deal with us. Coach Hickey has installed it permanently and it's used regularly along with the T-formation. It was used first as a surprise and it gave us a 30-22 victory over the Colts and then we beat the Rams with it. It didn't work against you fellas in the rain and mud in San Francisco and we're anxious to try it against the same team Sunday under good weather conditions. We used the T and shotgun on a 50-50 basis during the exhibitions and came up with 1,805 net yards. The shotgun gained a little over 1,000 yards or 60 percent. We gained just about 400 yards in the league opener against Washington and each formation picked up about 200 yards. We got three touchdowns off the T. One thing about using the two formations, it forces the other teams to work on two defenses. We're just starting to exploit the shotgun. There's always something new. You haven't seen anything yet. Do you know we have our first big fullback since Norm Standlee. He's J.W. Lockett, 230 pounds, who is ahead of J.R. Roberts. J.D. Smith is at left half. John Brodie's our No. 1 guy (at quarterback) but Bill Kilmer sure is cut out for the shotgun. He's a tremendous runner - not fast but strong. Kilmer killed the Rams 38-20 in the exhibition. We have the same defense as last year. Leo Nomellini looks good and we have a battle going on at right tackle. Lou Cordileone is giving Monte Clark a good fight. Bob Harrison is getting pushed pretty hard by Carl Kammerer at one of the linebacker spots. One of the surprises is that Aaron Thomas, a real speed demon, is even with R.C. Owens at the flanker end. Bernie Casey is giving Clyde Connor a good fight at left end. Monte Stickles plays the right end. The interior line is the same - St. Clair, Thomas, Bosley, Connolly and Morze. Oh, by the way, good luck with at Sunday paper."...PS: The Packers are hard at work this week, quietly preparing for the 49ers. Two men have been given special alerts - rookies Ron Kostelnik and Ben Davidson, who are ticketed to fill the empty shoes of Dave Hanner, who underwent an appendectomy Tuesday.
QB (BRODIE, KILMER) WAY BACK IN SHOTGUN
SEPT 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - So you want to know something about the shotgun? This would be a good spot for our outdoor editor, John Lee, but J.L. won't have anything to do with this. The Packers hope to neutralize the 49ers' shotgun offense in City Stadium Sunday afternoon. John Lee won't write about that, either. Anyhow, the 49ers "new" offense, which is the old punt formation, is shown in the diagram below. Perhaps we can place the proper athletes in the various positions. Riding shotgun, er, or playing quarterback five paces from the tree known as Center Frank Morze are John Brodie, who threw four touchdown passes last Sunday vs. the Redskins, or Bill Kilmer, the rookie who was "made" for the position right out of UCLA. That left half, who is just about a yard outside the left tackle, will be J.D. Smith, who gained 93 yards in 16 carries last Sunday. The fullback, who is about a yard to the right of right tackle, might be rookie J.W. Lockett, a 230-pounder who can really buzz. He apparently has moved in front of veteran C.R. Roberts. The other back, the right half, is a lonesome hog-calling distance - about 20 yards from the QB. R.C. Owens, who is known as pro football's alley oop because he can chin himself on the light standards, is scheduled to start "out there." But Owens has some good competition, one Aaron Thomas, a fine pass receiving rookie. Both stand 6-3, but Thomas packs 208 pounds, Owens 190. One of the major differences from the usual T setup aside from the placement of the QBs, is the spread of both ends on most occasions. In the slot or tight formation used by the Pack, one of the ends plays "tight in" to the tackle. In the 49er program, the left end spreads out 10 to 15 yards and the right end moves out three to five yards. These things are switched, of course, which is what 49er coach Red Hickey means when he says "many things can be done off the formation." Clyde Connor is the usual left end but here again a real battle is going on with a rookie and that freshman, Bernie Casey, might be the starter. Casey is a 215-pounder out of Bowling Green, standing 6-4, while Connor, a 190-pounder, is in his sixth pro year. The right end is big Monte Stickles, the ex-Notre Damer who caught seven passes last Sunday to share the league lead with Max McGee. Two of Stickles' catches went for touchdowns. Thomas is also listed as a replacement for Stickles. The interior linemen, spaced slightly, are required to hold their blocks a little longer than the quick-hitting T attack. For instance, if the fullback hits off his own left guard, he must run parallel to the right side of his line, take the handoff and then hit. In the T, the FB, in hitting his left guard, goes on a straight line ahead, takes the handoff and hits. The distance is shorter in the T. The 49ers' inner line is solid, veteran and familiar. The tackles are 265-pound Bob St. Clair, who is the offensive captain, and John Thomas, 246. The guards are Bruce Bosley, 240, and Ted Connolly, 242. Morze packs 264. While the shotgun is commanding the headlines, it must be remembered that the 49ers are still basically a T-formation team. Each formation is used about half the offensive time and against the Redskins last Sunday - each offense gaining 200 pounds.
TITLED '61 PACK UNIQUE: SEVEN NEW FACES
SEPT 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The 1961 Packers. What about 'em? They're defending Western Division champions. They won all their preseason games but lost their league opener to the Lions 17-13 in Milwaukee last Sunday. The Packers started the '60 season the same way - by losing. It was a 17-14 verdict to the Bears. Our boys went on to win the title. The 1961 Packers are unique in that they have seven new faces - a four-year veteran by the name of John Roach and a half-dozen rookies with these names: Elijah Pitts, Herb Adderley, Nelson Toburen, Ben Davidson, Ron Kostelnik and Lee Folkins. These seven fellers became Western Division champs the easy way - merely by making the '61 team. They didn't have to sweat, toil and grind out those last three wins in '60. And they didn't have to suffer the "blue" of the Packer dressing room after the championship game in Philadelphia. But playing with a championship team is a treat and a challenge. The six rookies are especially proud of being with a title team. They know the chances of breaking to a championship lineup are much tougher than cracking a second division squad. Barring an unexpected change in fortunes, the new faces don't figure to crack what is loosely termed the "starting" lineup. They have all played on platoons except Roach and Adderley. One player has seen considerable action along the non-league trail. That would be Toburen, the outside linebacker who started four of the five games and looked good. Davidson and Kostelnik are big men, 6-8 and 280 and 6-4 and 255, respectively, but they have big jobs. They are the two replacements for the Pack's Big Defense Four - linemen Dave Hanner, Hank Jordan, Willie Davis and Bill Quinlan. Adderley, Pitts and Folkins are well buried behind some star veterans but don't be surprised at a surprise. Adderley and Pitts each possess more speed than the three powerhouses - Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung and Tom Moore. Folkins has plenty of potential and he's anxious for a test on the fast track. Roach ranks as a valuable insurance policy on the health of Bart Starr, who is "running" the Packer offense as the No. 1 quarterback for the first time. Roach was the Cardinals' top QB last year but then was traded to the Browns, who, in turn, traded him to Green Bay. Eleven members of the 1960 championship team have departed and that accounts for the large number and the quality of rookies. By comparison, the Lions have only three new players. Gone from the scene are Paul Winslow, Ken Beck and Dick Pesonen, who were purchased by the Minnesota Vikings; Lamar McHan, traded to Baltimore; Jim Temp, retired; Steve Meilinger and Andy Cvercko, traded to Dallas; and Joe Francis, Larry Hickman and John Miller, placed on waivers; and Tom Bettis, injured list. There are two changes from the offensive and defensive teams that started in the championship game last Dec. 26. Willie Wood has won a safety position and works with Johnny Symank, who made the Pack's only interception last Sunday. Symank's spot at right safety is now occupied by Wood and Johnny moved over to left safety - the position formerly occupied by Em Tunnell, the league's grand old man on defense. They play behind wings Jess Whittenton and Hank Gremminger, plus Dale Hackbart. The other change has Ron Kramer starting at the tight end position in place of Gary Knafelc. Kramer has started there the first six games but Knafelc has seen considerable action. There has been one change in the interior offensive line. With the trade of Cvercko, Ken Iman becomes the third guard behind Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston. Ken also backs up center Jim Ringo. The tackles are Forrest Gregg, Bob Skoronski and Norm Masters. Toburen backs up Bill Forester or Dan Currie, while Ray Nitschke has been covering middle linebacker. The Bays' No. 1 handyman is Lew Carpenter, who plays right, left or tight end or halfback or fullback. He could even do a good job at quarterback. Another key replacement is Brother Moore, who backs up both Taylor and Hornung. Boyd Dowler, held catchless in the opener, led the club in receiving during the preseason campaign while Max McGee snared seven passes for 127 yards in the league starter. This is the Packers' third season
under Coach Lombardi and members of his staff - Phil Bengtson, Norb Hecker, Bill Austin and Red Cochran. Lombardi selected and hired this staff shortly after arriving in Green Bay in the early winter of 1959 and the fivesome came up with a record of 15-9 in league play, a 15-2 mark in non-league action - not to mention a Western Division championship. And that's a little about the '61 Packers!
RADART FOLLOWED PACK FROM HAGEMEISTER TO NEW STADIUM
SEPT 22 (Luxemburg-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Quick, how many Packer fans have seen every home game in the Bays' 43-year history? Obviously, there can't be too many - but let the record from this day forth show there is at least one. He is Joe Radart, a resident of Luxemburg, Route 3 (better known as Sugar Bush), who hasn't missed a Green Bay game since the Packers first set foot on a gridiron back in 1919. Radart, now 59, watched the Packers made their debut in old Hagemeister Park, later followed them to Bellevue Park, old City Stadium and finally to their present home, beautiful new City Stadium, which he calls a "dream come true." Joe always held season tickets directly below the broadcasting booth in the old stadium and has them in the same place in the new structure...DAUGHTER TO START: Two of Radart's neighbors, Jule Tasquin and Joe Ferry, started attending the game with Joe in '19 and were equally faithful over the years, Tasquin until his death and Ferry until illness forced him to give it up. Radart still has a veteran companion, however. Louie Jossart, another Sugar Bush resident, had been accompanying him for the last 25 years. His son, Myron, also has been going with him since his grade schooldays and his daughter will start this season. His wife does not attend the games. Radart still rates Don Hutson's 80-yard collaboration with Arnie Herber in the opening game against the Chicago Bears in 1936 his greatest thrill. It has a special meaning for him, he says, because he and several other farmer friends drove into Green Bay two or three times each week to watch the Packers practice that season and they had seen the play practiced all week. "I knew what was coming as soon as the Packers got the ball," he says...HINKLE-NAGURSKI COLLISION: He calls Clarke Hinkle's storied collision with Bronko Nagurski and Moose Gardner's overtaking of Cardinal ace Ernie Nevers after a 90-yadd run as close seasons to Hutson's catch. Joe, who graduated from St. Norbert College the same year the Packers were organized, considers the Bears of 1940-41 as the greatest pro teams he has seen and calls Hinkle, who galloped out of Bucknell College to become one of the game's greatest players, as the outstanding athlete he has watched - and one he most enjoyed watching. He rates Pat Harder and Buddy Young the best of the visitors. Radart, incidentally, has detected a change in the fans' attitude. "People were more anxious to see the stars years ago," he says. "You read or heard so much about certain players, that you really wanted to see them - fellows like Red Grange and Hank Gillo, who was from Stanford and used to play for Racine." Joe, who remembers going to Milwaukee in 1923 to see the Packers play in old Borchert Field, had what he terms his greatest disappointment in one of the Bays' Milwaukee appearances. That was in 1952, when they led the Los Angeles Rams by 28-6 at the end of three quarters, but eventually bowed, 30-28. Radart doesn't confine his football interest to the Packers. He also attends all Luxemburg High School games. In his younger days, he often spent a weekend in Milwaukee and Chicago, taking in a Marquette game Friday, Wisconsin-Northwestern on Saturday afternoon and the Packers and Bears in Chicago on Sunday afternoon. His greatest ambition today? To see the Packers play for the NFL championship in City Stadium this fall. His group did not go to Milwaukee in 1939 because Radart and his comrades felt the title game with the Giants should have been played here in Green Bay. That's the kind of fan Joe is.
PACKER-49ER SERIES? IT'S BEEN 'TITILLATING'
SEPT 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Press-Gazette sports editor Art Daley, who probably shares with Packer trainer Bud Jorgensen the unique distinction of being the only persons to witness all the Packer-San Francisco 49er clashes, admits he can't come up with a one-word description of the series. He might, with considerable accuracy, have labeled it "titlll"-ating. If an single word dominates this short but constantly shifting, spectacular rivalry, it is undoubtedly tittle - Y.A. Tittle. Yelberton A. Tittle is gone now, but his memory will linger as the Packers and 49ers open the 21st chapter of their lengthening debate in City Stadium Sunday. More than any other player, his field generalship and clutch heroics - often when apparently shackled by injuries - are responsible for the 49ers' 13-7 edge. But even without Y.A., the series has been a remarkable succession of exciting, high scoring contests, record performances and frustrations. Not the least of its oddities is that it began in a blizzard and closed its latest episode in a mud bath. And now the Packers have won four straight league games from the 49ers. The fireworks were ignited 12 years ago when San Francisco joined the NFL at the close of the war with the short-lived All America Conference. The 49ers had been born with the All America, where they were the only team to challenge seriously the four-year reign of the Cleveland Browns. The Packers and 49ers first met in a raging blizzard at old City Stadium in 1950 and the Packers came off the deck in the fourth quarter to win by 25-21. A punt into the wind from close to his own goal line by Frankie Albert that traveled only seven yards gave Green Bay the big break and it struck for two last gasp touchdowns. Back home in the season finale, however, the 49ers smashed to a 30-14 verdict that began a string of seven straight decisions over the Packers. A 96-yard touchdown dash by Billy Grimes after taking a flat pass from Tobin Rote and a new all-time club rushing record by Tony Canadeo didn't stand up. The two clubs met only once in 1951 and once in 1952, both times on the Coast, and San Francisco swept the boards, coming from behind in the final 11 minutes for a 31-19 decision in '51 and capturing the '52 contest, 24-14. En route to a new season's pass receiving record in the latter, Billy Howton took one aerial from Rote for 90 yards and a TD. It was also Canadeo's last game. The 49ers ran into another snowstorm on their return to Wisconsin in 1953, but blew up quite storm of their own with a 33-7 conquest at Milwaukee. The Packers met Tittle for the first time in a 'Frisco uniform that day and he never let them forget the experience. It was even worst on the Coast as Tittle shredded the Green Bay defenses for a 48-14 rout. He did it again in '54 as the 49ers pulled out a 23-17 thriller in Milwaukee and slaughtered the Packers in San Francisco, 35-0. Sidelined by a broken finger, Tittle came off the bench late in the third quarter with the Packers leading, 17-10, engineered two touchdown drives of 71 and 75 yards and scored the clincher himself. The Coast debacle saw the rangy sharp-shooter completing 15 of 18 passes for 243 yards. Liz Blackbourn took over the Packer reins in 1955 and achieved a double triumph. Despite the ever present threat of Y.A, the Packers not only snapped the 49ers' long domination in Milwaukee with a 27-21 squeaker but took their first victory in Kezar Stadium, 28-7. Down eight points going into the final quarter at Milwaukee, the Pack counted twice in the last 10 minutes, then held off a final Tittle-directed drive. Y.A. still managed to connect on two scoring passes. In San Francisco, Green Bay parlayed a blocked punt, a 60-yard strike from Rote to Breezy Reid and an alert air defense into a 21-point second period. Tittle was back at it again the following year. Once more he came off the bench to lead the 49ers to a 17-16 verdict in the last game ever played in hallowed old City Stadium, then teamed with Hugh McElhenny and Joe Perry for a 38-20 comeback victory in San Francisco on a 21-point final quarter. The Packers' final touchdown that day was directed by a rookie quarterback of then questionable potential named Bart Starr. In the Milwaukee game of 1957, the Packers held the 49ers to 78 yards rushing but couldn't generate any attack themselves and blundered away a 24-14 decision. With 58 seconds to play, Paul Hornung crashed over for his first pro touchdown. The 49ers achieved a tie for the Western Division title in the second game but had to earn it the hard way. They rallied for a 27-20 victory after trailing 20-10 at halftime. and once more it was Tittle who dragged his battered bones into the fray to lead the winning charge in pouring rain. A healthy Y.A. was too much for the Pack in 1958. In the first game, he hit on 20 of 35 throws for 283 yards and three tallies, two of them in the final period when the 49ers broke a 12-12 deadlock to win by 33-12. He played only the first quarter of the game, but that was long enough to give Daley and Jorgensen nightmares the rest of the winter. Tittle completed five aerials for three TDs as the 49ers turned three interceptions and a fumble into 29 points in the macabre first period and romped to a 48-21 triumph. Although the silver lining wasn't easy to recognize that dark afternoon, it was there in the persons of two Packer rookies. Fullback Jim Taylor got his big chance and knifed through the 49ers for 137 yards in 22 carries, while Dan Currie was impressive on defense. A swarthy perfectionist named Vince Lombardi was on the scene in '59 and he signalized the new regime by turning back the 49ers twice, 21-20 at Green Bay and 36-14 on the Coast. The Packers had to rally for the first one after - you guessed it - Tittle had put the visitors in front with a 75-yard scoring toss to R.C. Owens. The balding old hillbilly almost did it again, but a long field goal attempt went astray in the last minute. At San Francisco, the Packers spotted the 49ers a 14-0 lead, then roared back
on brilliant performances by Starr and Hornung that paid off with 16 points in the third quarter. The victory, coupled with a conquest of the Rams a week earlier, gave the Packers their first Pacific Coast sweep. Last year, en route to their first divisional championship since 1944, the Packers walloped the 49ers in Milwaukee, 41-14. After being virtually counted out of the race, the Packers battered their way back into a first place tie in the rain and mud of Kezar Stadium, 13-0. Hornung, who had registered two touchdowns and two field goals in the first game, scored all the points while pairing with Taylor to account for 247 of the Packers' 251 yards on the ground. Taylor sloshes through the clinging muck for 161 yards to set a new club rushing record.
PINCHHITTING FOR HAWG 'WILL BE TOUGH,' KOSTELNIK
SEPT 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Ron Kostelnik will get an unexpected baptism when the Packers play the 49ers at City Stadium Sunday afternoon. The 255-pound tackle from Cincinnati University hadn't figures on playing much during the 1961 season. After all, he's playing behind Dave Hanner and Hank Jordan, two of the top defense tackles in the league. But today, Kostelnik finds himself a starter in place of Hanner, who underwent an appendectomy last Tuesday. Big Dave will be on hand Sunday and he'll be giving Kostelnik plenty of tips. "This is going to be tough," Kostelnik said, quickly adding: "It was all right with Dave on the bench because if I did wrong I knew he'd be ready. But he can't play now." Kostelnik is a big, strong tackle but, like most rookies, quite green. He's a real young one, too; just turned 21 last January. He was 20 when Coach Vince Lombardi selected him as as his second choice last December. "In fact," Vince quipped at the time, "I'll have to spoon feed this boy." Kostelnik, noting the difference in college and pro football, said he felt that "they hit a lot harder in the pros and it's mostly maneuvering. In college, it's possible to overpower an opponent once in a while but in the pros you've got to maneuver an opponent." Kostelnik got a good workout along the preseason trail, seeing quite a bit of action in all but the Chicago and New York games. He started to show considerable promise in the victory over the Cards at St. Louis. The rookie tackle will play across from tackle Bob St. Clair, the 49ers' offensive captain, and guard Ted Connolly. "I'm hoping for some help from Willie Davis and Hank Jordan," Kostelnik said. Kickoff Sunday is set for 1:06, and the introduction of players is scheduled for 1:00. The 49ers are scheduled to arrive in Green Bay today from Milwaukee. They're headquartering in Beertown for this weekend and all next week, getting ready for the Lion game in Detroit a week from Sunday.
PACKERS FACE MUST-WIN STRUGGLE WITH 49ERS
SEPT 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers knew what to do when they face a must-win game. They got out and win it! Enroute to their 1960 Western Division championship, Green Bay faced three such must-win tests and won all three. Remember? The Packers lost the league opener to the Bears 17-14 and then came a must-win test vs. the Lions. They won 28-9. They had to win to gain sole possession of first place in San Francisco in the second-last game of the season. They won 13-0. They had to capture the Western title in
Los Angeles a week later. They won. This afternoon in City Stadium, the Packers again face a must-win situation and the gigantic task at hand seems to dwarf the three crucial games of 1960. The visiting 49ers enter action today with a shiny 1-0 record and the Packers, just like a year ago this time, have an 0-1 mark. The 49ers crumpled the Redskins 35-3, while the Bays lost to the Lions 17-13 in '61 starters last Sunday. A record crowd of 38,500 will watch the first of four league battles in the stadium. More than 6,200 seats were added during the offseason and the stadium has been sold out in season tickets for months. Kickoff is set for 1:06. The Packers are favored by a few points to snap back and square both teams' records at 1-1. Weather could be a factor since possible showers are predicted. The 49ers, picked by some to capture the Western title, received something of an advantage even before leaving San Francisco. They learned that the Packers will be without Dave Hanner, the Bays' 10-year defensive tackle bulwark, who underwent an appendectomy
last Tuesday. His place will be taken by a strong and willing rookie, Ron Kostelnik. Something of this sort took place the last time the 49ers played here in '59. The Tuesday before the game Jim Taylor burned his hand and foot, missed five games, but the Bays won a scorcher 21-20...TWO-PRONGED OFFENSE: The Packer defense, victimized by some rare "homegrown" plays by the Lions' Earl Morrall last year, is charged with stopping the 49ers' two-pronged offense - the shotgun and the T. Regardless of the formation, the actors will be the same experts who rolled up 400 yards on the Redskins - John Brodie, who hurled four TD passes, R.C. Owens, J.D. Smith, Monty Stickles, Clyde Connor and the prize rookie fullback, J.W. Lockett. They'll work behind a veteran interior line headed by Capt. Bob St. Clair. The Packers will try to continue their good rush they had on the Lions last week, with Bill Quinlan, Hank Jordan, Willie Davis and Kostelnik setting the pace. A tough aerial team, the Bays' Dan Currie, Bill Forester, Ray Nitschke, Hank Gremminger, Jess Whittenton, John Symank, Willie Wood will have their hands full. The Packers, needless to say, are hoping to break out in a rash of scoring. They had trouble cracking Detroit last week and quarterback Bart Starr had to settle for one TD and two field goals. The key to the Pack's chances rests with the Bays' point machine, and that "points" to such gents as Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, Tom Moore, Max McGee, Boyd Dowler, Ron Kramer and Starr - plus the offensive linemen, Forrest Gregg and Norm Masters, Jerry Kramer and Fred Thurston and the captain, Jim Ringo. The Packers' hopes of increasing their yardage tempo will be keyed by a 49er defense, headed by one of the league's top defensive all-timers. Leo Nomellini, No. 73 at left tackle. Green Bay will be going after their fifth straight league victory over the visitors but the 49ers hold a 13-7 edge in the 20 games played thus far. The 49ers entered the NFL in 1950. The Packers swept the series in 1959 and 1960.
RAIN ENOUGH TO DEFUSE THEIR SHOTGUN?
SEPT 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Memo to Vince Lombardi: The weatherman forecasts intermittent rain for this afternoon's struggle with the 49ers at City Stadium - but not enough to defuse San Francisco's shotgun. The Packers, it will be fondly remembered, closed in on the 1960 Western Division championship with a soggy 13-0 victory over the 49ers in the mud at San Francisco's Kezar Stadium last December shortly after the Gold
Diggers activated the shotgun. "I expect it to remain clear and on the cool side, with occasional periods of light rain - enough to keep the pavements wet," the weatherman says. "The temperature will range from a low of 46 in the morning to a high of 54 in the afternoon."...This last is of more than casual interest to fiery Howard (Red) Hickey, the man who adapted the shotgun from the familiar short punt-formation late last season to revitalize the 49ers. Hickey is more than somewhat frustrated over four straight losses to the Packers and he doesn't care who knows it. "Red," 49er publicist Dan McGuire says, "would do anything to beat the Packers." Hickey, who played out his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, is in his third season as head coach of the 49ers. The 49ers have been surprising championship contenders during both of his first two years. In 1959, the Diggers were almost unanimously consigned to last place in preseason forecasting. They were in the race all the way and finished in a tie for third. In 1960, the experts tabbed San Francisco no better than fourth but the 49ers battled right down to the wire, as the Packers will recall, and tied for second...Although the game is a sellout, stay-at-homes will be able to follow the Packers' progress via Press-Gazette station WJPG, which will broadcast starting at 1 o'clock. Ted Moore will be at the microphone.
