Green Bay Packers (10-2) 20, New York Giants (9-3) 17
Sunday December 3rd 1961 (at Milwaukee)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(MILWAUKEE) - The Packers are Western Division champions again. They did it the hard way - by beating the Giants in an emotion-packed and bitterly-fought battle before a record crowd of 47,012 in County Stadium Sunday afternoon. The final score was a scorching 20 to 17. And there's no doubt now - the championship game will be played in Green Bay Dec. 31. This was the Packers' 10th victory and made them the best in the West. The Giants were supposed to have an "edge" because they had to win Sunday and the Packers merely had to win one of their final three to take the marbles. But the Packers apparently had made up their rugged minds to finish the job Sunday. And methinks they wanted this one, too, for Coach Vince Lombardi, a former Giant coach, himself. The jubilant Bays carried Lombardi off the field. And now it's California - San Francisco next Sunday and Los Angeles the following Sunday, before returning to Green Bay and the first million-dollar championship game in history, thanks to a $615,000 touch from TV. This was without a doubt one of the most exciting and unpredictable games in the history of pro football. No Packer fan relaxed until he checked with the scoreboard after the huge crowd counted down the last few seconds. This was an offensive show for the first 16 minutes - a brutal defensive struggle the last 44. Each team fumbled four times - "tribute" to rock and sock football. The Packers recovered three Giant fumbles, the Giants grabbed one from the Pack. The Packers' two touchdowns, both by Jarrin' Jim Taylor, were set up by fumble recoveries, and one of them was the steal of the day - probably of the year. Jesse Whittenton, doing a wonderful job by holding Del Shofner to one pass reception, stole the ball from Alex Webster 30 yards from the Giants' goal line and four plays later the Pack had a lead they never lost - namely 20 to 17 in the fourth quarter. This was a frustrating game for the Pack. While they had the good fortune to score from close in, they actually "lost" three touchdowns in the shadow of the Giants' goal. The Giants recovered a Taylor fumble on the 1 and intercepted Bart Starr passes on the 1 and 3. This was a tennis-neck game at the start. On the game's first five series, the Giants see-sawed to a 14-13 lead. First, Paul Hornung kicked the first of two field goals for a 3-0 lead on the opening kickoff. Next the Giants rolled 71 yards to take a 7-3 lead in Y.A. Tittle's sneak. The Packers rammed right back to make it 7-6 on Hornung's second field goal. Willie Davis recovered a fumble to set off Taylor's first TD - a 14-yard bolt that made it 13-7. Then early in the second quarter Bob Gaiters ripped two yards to end a 70-yard march for a 14-13 Giant lead. The defenses then proceeded to slam the doors shit. The only other scoring was Pat Summerall's 41-yard field goal just before the half and Taylor's second TD, a three-yard smash. Davis recovered two fumbles and his second, on which he collaborated with Tom Bettis, might have saved the game. The Giants, after intercepting a batted up Starr pass in the last five minutes, moved down to the 22 with 2:24 left when Bettis mussed up a double reverse between Webster and Gaiters, forcing Gaiters to fumble. Davis fell on the ball, with Bettis on top of him to make sure, and the Bays ran out the clock with four Hornung-Taylor rushes for 21 yards. It would have been a pity if the Packers had lost since they really out-played the New Yorkers. They smashed the Giants' tough defenders for 415 yards, including a fantastic 270 yards rushing. They controlled the ball for 66 plays, against the Giants' run and New York hardly had the ball in the last half except for two late moves - one resulting in a field goal miss by Pat Summerall from 34 yards out and the other leading up to the final fumble. Taylor was at his best and meanest. The human run-away box car established a new Packer record by gaining 186 yards in 27 attempts, breaking the record of 169 set by Billy Grimes back in 1950. He also broke his own Packer season record of 1,101, set last year, by running his total to 1,107. Big Jim was getting daylight on the left side of
New York Giants QB Chuck Conerly (42) at line of scrimmage before snap during game vs Green Bay Packers (Photo by Marvin E. Newman/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
the Packer line - thanks to Bob Skoronski and Fred Thurston, who were handling the gigantic Rosey Grier and his mates, and the fullback was doing the rest in the open. On his 74-yard TD run, Taylor spun Jimmy Patton clear around on the two-yard line. The entire squad had a finger in this championship pie. The offense, guided by Starr, was anchored by the front line - Skoronski, Thurston, Jim Ringo, Norm Masters and Forrest Gregg, and the big-yard funs all got in their licks at holding the ball - Taylor, Hornung, who averaged nearly five yards in 11 cracks despite those GI legs of his, Dowler, who caught two and once knocked over the highly-publicized Sam Huff, McGee, who caught two and lost a couple on "interference," Ron Kramer, who snagged three including one that preceded the first TD. The Bays made 25 first downs. The Bays' defense faced a Giant offense that had averaged 42 points a game for four weeks. New York got only seven first downs after the score was 14-13 and the losers made only 69 yards rushing, which is practically unbelievable. The Giants got 210 yards passing but roughly 125 of that came in the first 16 minutes. The Packers went through without an interception but the receivers were closely guarded and let's settle for three fumble grabs, anyhow. The defense line (Hank Jordan, Bill Quinlan, Willie Davis and Dave Hanner, who was sick with the flu) just would not budge. This unit pitched Tittle back for two losses totaling 17 yards on the two series after the Giants' second TD. Behind the line, Bill Forester, Dan Currie and Bettis were exceptionally eager - along with Whittenton, Hank Gremminger who was bothered with sore ribs, Johnny Symank and Willie Wood. The officials had a field day, calling 11 penalties - eight on the Pack for 102 yards and three on NY for 45. Both teams were roughing aplenty and the officials seemed to have trouble getting together on pass interference. A personal foul penalty on the Giants helped the Pack in their opening field goal drive. After Taylor made 13 on the first play on which the Pack used the double wing, Kramer caught a Starr pass for 7 and that personal foul set the ball on the Giant 41. Starr caught the Giants in a red dog so he flipped a quickie to McGee who made 18. The attack stalled and Hornung booted a 23-yard field goal at 4:18. Now it was the Giants' turn, rolling 71 yards for a 7-3 lead. The big play was a 25-yard third down pass from Tittle to Joe Walton with Currie barely missing Tittle for a loss. Gaiters ran 17 to the eight and three plays later Tittle "snuck" over. Summerall made it 7-3 at 8:35. Strong running by Taylor and McGee's 11-yard catch - plus a dropped pass by Taylor on the Giants' 14, brought on Hornung's second field goal - from 25 yards, at 12:49. On the next kickoff, Ken Iman tackled Joel Wells hard and Davis snared up the fumble on the Giants' 34. Kramer made a great one-handed catch on Hornung's pass to the 14 and Taylor then shot off left tackle for the TD. Hornung converted at 14:14 and it was 13-7. Two successive Tittle to Rote passes for 39 and 18 yards to set up the Giants' lead TD, with Gaiters carrying over from the two. Summerall made it 14-13 at 1:44 of the second heat. It was a stalemate while Chandler and McGee each punted twice. The Bays, on Chandler's 28-yard punt, got a drive started from the Giant 46. Taylor and Tom Moore moved 11 yards and Taylor then took a flare pass for 18 yards to the 14. After Kramer took Starr's pass for 12 yards, Taylor hit off right tackle and fumbled one yard from a TD, with Erich Barnes recovering. Just before the half, in fact at the 1:00 mark, Summerall kicked a 41 yard field goal for a 17-13 lead. After Jordan and Co. forced a punt early in the third period, the Bays moved down for another "TD." Hornung and Taylor made 12 and then Dowler made a fine catch of a Starr pass for 14 yards with three Giants around him. Taylor made 16 on a draw and then Starr ducked from Scott, not to mention a 12-yard loss, and ran 19 yards to the five. Bart fumbled and recovered for a three-yard loss and on the next play his pass was batted up and Patton fielded it on the one and returned 18 yards. Again Chandler and McGee exchanged two punts as the battle moved into the fourth period. McGee's second punt was downed by Elijah Pitts on the eight-yard line.
WHITTENTON 'DIGS' WEBSTER
On the Giants' first play, Webster hit off left tackle and into the wide open space. Whittenton hooked in front of him and started digging the ball out of his arms on the 25. By the time they reached the 30, Jess (and the Pack) had complete possession. The Giants roughed Starr on the first play and that put the ball on the 15. Hornung then cracked left tackle for seven and Taylor hit the same side for five to the three. On first down Taylor shot like a cannon between Skoronski and Thurston for the TD. Hornung made it 20-17 at 3:20. After Summerall missed his field goal try, the Packers made three first downs on six carries by Taylor in seven plays. The first play was a 43-yard burst by Taylor on which McGee and Thurston and Dowler put down good blocks. With first and 10 on the Giants' 11, Starr's pass to the right was batted up twice and Morrison intercepted on the goal line and returned 17 yards. Davis' recovery on Gaiters' fumble on a double reverse on the Packer 27 and the Packs' four time-killing plays followed - and the Packers won it.
NEW YORK - 7 10 0 0 - 17
GREEN BAY - 13 0 0 7 - 20
NEW YORK GREEN BAY
First Downs 18 25
Rushing-Yards-TD 20-69-2 42-270-2
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 28-14-210-0-0 34-10-145-0-2
Sack Yards Lost 2-17 1-11
Total Yards 262 404
Fumbles-lost 4-3 3-1
Turnovers 3 3
Yards penalized 3-45 8-102
SCORING
1st - GB - Paul Hornung, 23-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
1st - NY - Y.A.Tittle, 1-yard run (Pat Summerall kick) NEW YORK 7-3
1st - GB - Hornung, 25-yard field goal NEW YORK 7-6
1st- GB - Jim Taylor, 14-yard run (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 13-7
2nd - NY - Bob Gaiters, 2-yard run (Summerall kick) NEW YORK 14-13
2nd - NY - Summerall, 41-yard field goal NEW YORK 17-13
4th - GB - Taylor, 3-yard run (Hornung kick) GREEN BAY 20-17
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 27-186 2 TD, Paul Hornung 11-54, Bart Starr 2-23, Tom Moore 2-7
NEW YORK - Bob Gaiters 12-39 1 TD, Alex Webster 6-30, Y.A. Tittle 1-1 1 TD, Joel Wells 1-(1)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 23-9-125 2 INT, Paul Hornung 1-1-20
NEW YORK - Y.A. Tittle 22-13-212, Charlie Conerly 6-1-(-2)
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Boyd Dowler 3-52, Ron Kramer 3-39, Max McGee 2-29, Jim Taylor 1-18, Paul Hornung 1-7
NEW YORK - Kyle Rote 4-89, Joe Walton 4-52, Alex Webster 3-33, Bob Gaiters 2-7, Del Shofner 1-29
GREEN BAY TAKES VICTORY IN STRIDE, WAITS FOR WORD ON PLAYOFF TICKETS
DEC 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The 47,012 persons who saw the Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants Sunday afternoon virtually "blew the roof" off Milwaukee County Stadium, but most Packer fans in Green Bay took the Western Division championship in stride. There was no dancing in the streets. There was little, if any, horn honking on downtown streets. Few cars were seen parading up and down Washington and Adams Streets. There were no riots, near-riots, or anything even resembling noisy gatherings. Most people who stayed home and watched the game on television or listened to it on the radio merely opened another can of beer and asked the question that's been on everyone's mind for the past two weeks - How can I get tickets to the championship game? The lack of any celebration downtown was due primarily to the fact that the Packers did not return to Green Bay after the game. Instead, they remained in Milwaukee overnight, then left by plane today for San Francisco and two games on the West Coast. Persons who happened to be diving on downtown streets when the game ended honked their horns a few times, while a few others came downtown to see if anything was happening. During the game itself, city streets were almost deserted. Calls to the Police Department dropped sharply when the game started. Meanwhile, Packer officials turned their attention to the problem at hand - and what a problem! How to distribute tickets for the championship game Dec. 31. Packer President Dominic Olejniczak said the Packer Executive Committee would probably have an announcement to make on the ticket situation by the end of the week. Olejniczak also issued a statement today, on the Packer victory. "It was a wonderful victory and I'm happy the
game is going to be played in Green Bay. I'm happy that we won it (the division crown) ourselves rather than backing into it. It's also wonderful that the championship game was won Sunday to give us more time to get ready for the championship game." Barring a three-way tie for first place in the Eastern Division, the big game will be played Dec. 31. The City Stadium Commission is expected to meet soon to take formal action needed to prepare for the championship game, including a decision on the number and location of temporary bleacher seats. Details of the game itself have yet to be worked out. Olejniczak said league officials and representatives of the NBC Television Network would set the starting time for the game. NBC will carry the game nationally. Olejniczak added that "it's up to the league" whether or not the game will be televised in Green Bay. Meanwhile, hotels and motels in the area report a deluge of reservations for Dec. 31. The Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is handling all reservations for hotels and reports receiving hundreds of requests. Arrangements are also being made to handle an expanded press corps. And thousands of persons are making plans to be at the airport when the Packers return to Green Bay in two weeks.
ROZELLE SEES CROWD CONTROL AS PACKERS' ONLY WEAKNESS
DEC 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "The only weakness the Packers had today was crowd control at the end of the game." With a wink and a smile, this was the way Commissioner Pete Rozelle of the NFL complimented the Packers on their winning of the NFL's Western Division championship. The youthful commissioner observed the game from the County Stadium press box and explained, "You can use any superlatives you want to about this game. It was just tremendous." Rozelle, acknowledging that the Packers had a "great" football team, pointed out that it was "fantastic that they should win this thing with two games left."
TIMING TELLS TITLE TALE: VINCE
DEC 4 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - With frayed nerve ends gnawing at his composure, a still taut but transported Vince Lombardi plopped onto a folding chair in a secluded corner of the teeming Packer dressing room at 3:35 Sunday afternoon. Minutes earlier, the incredibly combative Packers head coach formally secured their second consecutive Western Division championship in misty County Stadium. "I don't get nervous," he joked, fluttering his broad powerful hands for the edification of the press corps, "but look at me now." In a matter of seconds, he revealed the Packers' secret of success. "We got off the ball as quick as we have since the Cleveland game," Vince confessed, "we got off the ball real well." Timing, Lombardi further intimated, was weighed all the way. "We used Hornung (Paul, available on leave from Fort Riley, Kan.) primarily as a blocker. "After all," Vince pointed out, "he can't run - he's lost his timing."...BART STARR 'TREMENDOUS': "But," he admitted, "Hornung blocked the hell out of that end - and those linebackers - at least I assume he did, judging from the day Taylor had." Peerless Paul was not the only Packer hero, Lombardi was quick to note. "Bart Starr," he said, "played a tremendous game. He brought us down there I don't know how many times. Regardless, we were in there close often." Unable to restrain himself, Lombardi sprang out of the chair, inhaled deeply of his cigarette and observed, "We didn't get a break in the first three quarters but we got the big one in the last period, didn't we?" "This was a big one for us," he added with controlled exuberance, "I can tell you that." Vince, never hesitant to apportion honors, insisted, "A great deal of credit should go to the two boys (Paul Hornung and Boyd Dowler) in service. "You must remember," the Packer head man pointed out, "both of them played without relief - and without practice. They're tremendous kids," Vince declared. The situation could have been more productive, he said. "The first half, we were kind of loose," he admitted, "but in the second half, we tightened up." "The wonderful thing, though," Vince admitted, "was that our boys stayed i there all the way - they never quit. They're tremendous kids." He found this last particularly impressive in view of the opposition. "The Giants," Lombardi declared, "are a helluva ball club. They're tremendously improved since they played us in the Bishop's Charities game here. That's a great football team they've got." "As a matter of act," Vince volunteered, "we had to playa a great game to beat them." A number of passes - more than normal - had been batted down by the defensive linemen, it was ventured. Any explanation? "Roosevelt Grier, for example, is like trying to throw over a stone wall. He stands about eight feet when he gets his hands in the air," Vince chuckled. How about the Packers' service personnel? "I don't know," Vince said. "But, certainly, we intend to use them any time they can come. We don't know from week to week." "And," somebody said, "now the draft. "Yes," Vince grinned back, "now he draft,"...Little Allie Sherman, the Giants' freshman head coach, took full responsibility for the Giants' critical fourth period fumble. "That was my call," Sherman insists. "Don't blame Y.A. for it. We knew we were in there for a field goal, but we thought this play could take us in. They were pursuing so sharply," he reasoned. "I thought they could take us. They were pursuing us so sharply. I thought it would be a good local fight, but there were no takers." Terming it "the toughest game of the year," Sherman asserted, "That's a solid ball club. You can't afford to make mistakes against a club like that." The breaks, Lombardi had been quoted as saying, had gone the wrong way for three quarters. Any comment? "I don't look at breaks. I think both teams suffered and both were recipients of some good luck." The Giants' downfall, he said, stemmed from the fact "we weren't moving the ball in the second half as we did in the first." How, in contrast, did he explain the Packers' ability to run against the Giants, long noted for their defense prowess? "Nobody has run on us like that," Allie conceded, "but I can't explain why, I have to see the film." What about the departure of Tittle in favor of venerable Charlie Conerly? "We had lost some continuity," Sherman said, "and they were doing some jumping around on defense so I wanted Y.A. to see what was going on from the sidelines." "And it helped," Allie volunteered. "He saw some passes that were open and they moved us back
out there." There was no intimation that the Giants had been subpar. Sherman, as a matter of fact, insisted, "I was very well satisfied with the boys' efforts. They played a hard, tough football game and it was just a matter of who swung the last one in there."
PACKERS SUBDUED AFTER TITLE CLINCHER; FANS CELEBRATE
DEC 4 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The champagne may have been missing but the sparkle was there nevertheless as the Packers accepted their second straight Western Division Championship of the NFL in almost subdued fashion in their dressing room after the game. The sparkle was present in the grins and obvious satisfaction at a job well done. Willie Wood, a happy rookie on last year's division champs and a tested veteran of this year's champs, probably expresses the emotion of the team as a whole when he declared that "this was a more mature team than last year's was." While flashbulbs were brightening the scene and TV cameras were whirring, the team attempted to settle down to routine dressing, but with the added knowledge that they were "in." Jerry Kramer, a paradox of a figure in the celebration surrounding him, grimaced and said, "I wish I could have been more a part of this game, but I'll tell you one thing, this team was really up. That's been the secret all year,. This team has never let down." Kramer watched the game for the sidelines. He is recovering from a leg injury suffered in the second Viking game but he found a moment in the dressing room to throw his arms around fellow guard Fred (Fuzzy) Thurston and to exclaim simply, "We did it." Wood and Johnny Symank, although noting the more relaxed atmosphere in this year's championship dressing room, pointed out that the satisfaction was bigger than a year ago because of the way in which the crown was won. "I think it was more expected this year, but at least we didn't back into it and I think that's something," Symank said quietly...ALL TOUGH BATTLES: "Don't forget we played two mighty tough teams in a row and won both of them to get this," the impish defensive halfback reminded. "And they were all tough battles this year and we won them," he ended defiantly...Although the dressing room may have been more quiet than expected, the fans cramming the corridors outside in Milwaukee County Stadium jumped with zest. Several thousand delirious Packer supporters were still hanging around the premises when the Packers finally left by bus for downtown Milwaukee. And this was not accomplished without some difficulties. The fans simply revolved around the heroes of the moment seeking not only autographs but just glimpses of favorites. Jimmy Taylor was so besieged by fans that he held back from the bus for almost 10 minutes before Coach Vince Lombardi insisted that he climb aboard...One of the fans delaying Taylor was a gentleman holding a lengthy piece of the goal posts demolished by the rampaging crowd minutes after the final gun. The gentleman had his arms around Taylor and was shaking the hefty splinter in almost menacing manner...Postgame fans included a small band from Duke Whipp's Tavern in Eden, which tooted to the dancing pleasure of the people awaiting the appearance of the champions. All sorts of dancing, yelling and cheering resounded through the corridors in time with the makeshift music...Coaches Lombardi and Bengtson were given a free ride aboard the players' shoulders off the field and they barely escaped the fierce attack on the goal posts generated by kids and adults alike...Milwaukee's finest were at their finest following the game in allowing the fans some extra-curricular liquid celebrating. As one Man in Blue laughed to a quartet partaking from a stock in the trunk of a car, "You'll never make it out of here, ha, ha."...The Packer Lumberjack Band staged its own celebration at Whitey's Altona in New Holsten and Bob Suring brought down the well-filled house down with his Louis Armstrong rendition of Mack the Knife. Leader Wilner Burke didn't do as well with his attempt at vocalizing...SET OFF FIRECRACKERS: Several over-exuberant fans set off a series of firecrackers in the County Stadium corridors and almost set the crown into riot. The Packers did not have a special celebration planned for themselves Sunday night but preferred to wait for their return to Green Bay after the West Coast trip. There were so many photographers and newsmen in the Packer dressing room, Taylor laughingly complained that he didn't even have a chance to get a gash on his nose doctored up...Big Ben Davidson, who came to the Packers from the Giants during the training season, half seriously declared it was the best trade the Giants ever made...Requests for press box seats came from such unexpected sources as the University of Wisconsin Daily Cardinal, causing a delightful headache for Publicist Tom Miller.
LSU'S GROS FIRST PACKER PICK
DEC 4 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Going for "the best football player available," the Packers selected Earl Gros, strapping Louisiana State fullback, as their No. 1 choice in the annual NFL draft here today. Gros, though 6-3 and 220 pound, is blessed with great speed. A quick starter, he runs the 50-yard dash in 5.5 seconds and the '100' in 10.1. "He's an outstanding runner," Coach Vince Lombardi said, "and an explosive blocker." "The best thing about him," Vince added, "is that he's going to get a lot better. His coaches at LSU and our scouts say he will improve." Selection of Gros is in keeping with Lombardi's emphasis on big, strong backs, like the Packers' present trio of Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor and Tom Moore, all well over 200 pounds. Gros also makes Packer fullbacking an exclusive LSU affair since Taylor also is an alumnus of the Southeastern Conference school. The winless Washington Redskins, first to draft, selected Ernie Davis, the Syracuse star who shattered all of Jim Brown's collegiate records this season. Los Angeles, picking second in a draft swap previously obtained from Minnesota, selected quarterback Roman Gabriel of North Carolina State. The Rams, also getting the third choice in the regular rotation, took the prize tackle from Utah State, Merlin Olsen. Dallas traded its fourth choice to the Cleveland
Browns, who chose Gary Collins, Maryland end. The Pittsburgh Steelers, drawing fifth, selected Bob Ferguson of Ohio State. The St. Louis Cardinals, making the sixth draw, took tackle Fate Echols of Northwestern. Cleveland, down for the regular 11th position in the draw, got tackle Bob Lilly of TCU, as Dallas' pick in the No. 4 position because of a pervious trade. The Chicago Bears chose Ronnie Bull, Baylor halfback. The San Francisco 49ers, drawing eighth, took halfback Lance Alworth of Arkansas. The Baltimore Colts, picking ninth, selected halfback Wendell Harris of Louisiana State. Tenth pick in the first round was made by the Detroit Lions, who selected halfback John Hadl of Kansas.
'I JUST TOOK IT OUT OF HIS ARMS,' WHITTENTON
DEC 4 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "I just took it out of his arms," Jess Whittenton grinned. "He was carrying it too loose." He thus capsulized one of the most baldfaced thefts in NFL history, a delightful bit of larceny that triggered the Packers' winning touchdown in Sunday's title-clinching spectacular against the New York Giants here Sunday afternoon. "I couldn't do anything else," Jess added with a laugh. "He (Alex Webster) already had a first down." Admitting "I went for the ball instead of the man," Whittenton explained. "I was lucky on it. My hand went between Webster's arm and his body and I just took the ball out of his left hand. If I had missed, he might have run for 10 or 15 minutes. I'm sure glad the boys took it on in," the lithe Texas Western alumnus declared. Another major hero, Jim Taylor, reported, "Our offensive line was just fantastic in the holes they gave me. We had some tough breaks but just kept grinding away. You have to - and hope for the big break. In this game, you just fight resistance." The bayou bulldozer, sporting a gash on the bridge of his nose, admitted he was "a little bruised up - but you're going to have those things along the way." Dropping a Bart Starr pass in the second quarter had made him a better receiver the rest of the way, he said. "It's a real bad feeling to drop one," Taylor declared. "But it gives you the desire and incentive to get one the next time." Winning the championship this time is even more of a pleasure than it was in 1960," the record-busting veteran said. "Coming up to it last year, we were kind of pleased to just win the division after we thought we were out of it. This year, we wants to get all the eggs." A defensive stalwart, Hank Jordan, lauded the offense. "The offense kept coming back and coming back," he declared. "Our offense won the ball game today." Soldier Paul Hornung admitted "this was the best blocking day I've ever had" after a host of accolades for his efforts in behalf of Taylor, then added, "I think he runs the ball pretty well, too. He's a real tough hombre - you're not going to beat him anywhere, pound for pound. Everybody was blocking out there. Skoronski and Thurston did a fabulous job - they crossblocked so many times. And Ringo, I can't say enough for him." Conceding that military life at Fort Riley, Kan., is not conducive to top football performance, Hornung said, tapping the calves of his legs. "I couldn't go in the first half but I loosened up in the second." This problem will be alleviated somewhat henceforth, he added. "I'm going to start working out at night - the Packers sent me some equipment."
PACKERS, TAYLOR GREAT, GIANTS CHORUS
DEC 4 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - In a dressing room understandably quieted by the pressure of the knowledge that the Eastern Division title race in the NFL had just been thrown into a deadlock, the New York Giants generally agreed to two things, the Packers are a great team and Jim Taylor is a great runner. Dick (Mo) Modzelewski, one of the stalwarts of the league's premier defensive unit, admitted without the slightest hesitation, "The Packers are just a great ball club, just great. And that Taylor is something." Mo, the 260-pound tackle, who, along with the rest of the Giant front wall, took his lumps from the savage Packer attack, quickly added: "They are the nicest guys in the NFL; we got beat by the nicest guys." Jim Katcavage, a forward foursome comrade of Modzelewski, declared, "They were just out to win today. Of course, so were we, but they did. The Packers are a great team." Terming the contest the "roughest game I've played all season," Katcavage also referred to Taylor in awed tones. He's just a great runner. There's little to choose between him and Jim Brown. I don't know where he gets all that drive from." One of the key figures in the contest, Giant halfback Alex Webster, wore the self-admitted goat's mantle while standing dejectedly in front of his locker. "There's no doubt about it, that was the turning point," the veteran runner declared in reference to Jesse Whittenton's sensational larceny that developed into the Packers' winning fourth
quarter touchdown. "I was trying to spin away from someone else." Webster patiently explained in detail. "Then all of sudden he grabbed for the ball, it was either 27 or 47, and he got it. He never really hit me." Webster also volunteered that "this was our worst game of the year on offense," an indirect tribute to the smacking Packer defensive unit. Del Shofner, the lanky Giant end, also had words about Whittenton. "Jess played a great game," Shofner, who nabbed only one pass all day, admitted. "He was right on me all the time. This was a mighty good team out there." Another thing all Giant hands agreed on was that they would like another crack at the Packers in the championship playoff. "I think we can bounce back," Webster opined with an eye toward the Giants' forthcoming battles with the Eagles and Browns. "They're pressure games from here on but I sure would like to play Green Bay again," Modzelewski chimed in. "Besides, there's a lot of money involved," Webster added in pro style...Modzelewski, the nine year veteran from Maryland, had a simple explanation for his error on the high fly tipped pass from Bart Starr deep in Packerland in the first quarter of the game. "In the language of pro football, I heard footsteps," Mo admitted with just the touch of a grin brightening his shower-soaked countenance. The footsteps belonged to Fuzzy Thurston, who whacked Mo just as he tried to field the 'popup.' "I didn't realize at the time how important that would turn out to to be," he then recalled a bit more somberly.
TITLE GAME UNDER LEAGUE'S CONTROL
DEC 5 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - So what's for Dec. 31 in Green Bay? First off, let's point out that the championship game between the Packers and team X of the Eastern Division is a league operation. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle explained Monday at the college player draft in the Sheraton Chicago Hotel here: "We (the league) will establish ticket prices, set the starting time and man other details this week and perhaps we can have an announcement later this week. The Packers, themselves, will decide and announce the breakdown on tickets - how many they will be sold, etc. We anticipate no problems in Green Bay. The Packers have a good operation and their ticket people will handle the sale under our guidance. We'll come into Green Bay several days before the game." Pete smiled when informed that the allotment of tickets is causing quite a stir in Green Bay. "It's up to the Packers, but you can be sure that the small season ticket holder, the guy who buys two and maybe even four, will get the same number of seats," Rozelle laughed. Vince Lombardi, who is equally these days happy in his dual role as head coach and general manager, said announcements on championship game tickets will be made soon. And that goes for the possibility of adding more seats at City Stadium, which holds 38,669. Actually, there is no great hurry - now that the Packers have salted away their second straight championship on the strength of Sunday's 20-17 win over the Giants. The first title game ever played in Green Bay is almost four weeks away - and it could be stretched into five. Eastern clubs figure the Giants, Browns and Eagles could easily wind up in a three-way tie. This would require division playoffs on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 and thus set the title back to Jan. 7. Who will be team X? Here's the story from the three Eastern contenders: NEW YORK GIANTS - NY meets the Eagles and then closes vs. the Browns. Allie Sherman has no illusions about coming to Green Bay but, he asked, "Wouldn't it be a terrific rematch after what happened in Milwaukee?" The Giants are considered the most solid of the three clubs. "We've just got to beat the Eagles and Browns to make it," Sherman whistled, hopefully...PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Philly meets the Giants and then closes vs. the Lions. Nick Skorich, the Eagles' coach who was a Packer aide in '58, put it point blank: "Mark this down, we'd like to be in Green Bay Dec. 31. If this goes into a division playoff, I may have put on the hat. We're hurting. Stan Campbell got a dislocated shoulder and Cross got a slight concussion. My best defensive back is gone (Brookshier) but as long as I've got the best passer and three good receivers maybe we can get up there."...CLEVELAND BROWNS - The Brownies meet the Bears Sunday and then close vs. the Giants. Paul Brown, the Browns' highly-successful coach and general manager, set forth his feelings this way: "We're hoping to get Green Bay," and then touched on a number of interesting subjects: "That's a wonderful team you have in Green Bay. You have those two power backs. We can't do it like the Packers. That Hornung can get out and block and it helps Taylor. Our Mitchell can't do that for Jim Brown. The Packers were a machine when they played in Cleveland. They really gave it to us. It was one of those firsts for you and we run into the same thing in Chicago Sunday. They've never beaten us. I hope people up in Green Bay realize now what a great job of drafting Jack Vainisi did. The fans were a little unhappy with some of his picks, but look at Hornung, Kramer, Taylor and some of the others now." It appears that the Packers will have an interesting foe come the title game - the Giants because of last Sunday's barn burner, the Eagles because the Packers want revenge, and the Browns because they are the Paul Browns.
PACK LANDS 'NEW' TAYLOR, THURSTON IN DRAFT
DEC 5 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Reasonable facsimiles of Jim Taylor, Fred Thurston, Boyd Dowler and Hank Jordan form the meat of the Packers' draft list chosen at the NFL's annual picking party here Monday and today. The four amateurs are far removed, of course, from the aforementioned tried and true pros who played a major part in the Packers' second straight Western Division championship. But they fit the positions so ably handled by the Messrs. Taylor, Thurston, Dowler and Jordan and they are the Pack's first four picks. They are Earl Gros, a 220-pound fullback from LSU, which happens to Taylor's alma mater, who was the No. 1 pick; guard Ed Blaine, a 230-pounder from Missouri who is still growing; flanker end Gary Barnes of Clemson, the third choice who was obtained in a trade with the Giants for Joel Wells; and defensive tackle Ron Gassert, a 240-pounder out of Virginia, the fourth pick. After what Taylor did to the Giants' great defense Sunday, a few of the sideliners were horrified when the Packers selected Gros but Coach Vince Lombardi explained it this way: "You can draft all the speed backs you want. You can stop speed but it's pretty hard to stop power." Gros, 21 and married with two children, is a big, fast power runner. He'll fit nicely into Lombardi's power plan. He hails from Schniever, La., and is LSU's greatest power back since Taylor. Gros topped a 23-player Packer list, swollen by three due to traded with other clubs. Lombardi said, "This is the best draft we've had since I've been here. We were able to get what we wanted for the most part." Blaine, who stands 6-3, is a fine pass blocker. He's fast and stands a good chance to provide the offensive line with additional depth. He has a physical deferment from service. Barnes is one of the two top pass receiving ends in the Atlantic Coach Conference. He stands 6-4 and packs 210, slightly under Dowler. His selection was made in view of the possible loss of Dowler to service in '62. Gassert is a defensive tackle who was coached by Dick Voris, the Packers' chief talent scout, at Virginia. "He'll put on more weight and will get up to 255," said Dick. Gassert has good pursuit and "great desire," said Voris...FIGHT WITH AFL: The Packers will have to fight with the AFL for the services of their top draftees. Gros was named by Houston, Blane and Barnes by New York, and Gassert by Buffalo. Barnes was selected by the Pack in a draft choice deal with the Giants for Wells, who never played in Green Bay. Wells played in Canada and is now in his first year with New York. Ironically, it was Wells' fumble that led to the Pack's first TD in the Giant game Sunday. Green Bay had traded away their third choice to the Browns for QB John Roach. Lombardi picked his first future on the fifth round pick the Bays received from Baltimore for Lamar McHan. He was Chuck Morris, a halfback out of Mississippi who is a junior eligible...OBTAINED FROM WASHINGTON: Another pass blocking guard was selected on the fifth round - one John Schopf, a 240-pounder out of Michigan. Another lineman was selected on the next round pick obtained from Washington via Baltimore for Dale Hackbart. He is John Sutro, 250-pounder from San Jose State. In fact, the Bays nabbed another member of SJ State's great team on the next round - Oscar Donahue, a 205-pound pass catching end. The quarterbacks were selected along the way - Gale Weidener of Colorado on the 10th round and Bob Joiner of Presbyterian College on the 18th. There were two defensive backs names - Pete Schenck of Washington State and James Field, a junior from LSU. The Bays' linemen are good sized. Tackle Kepher, the 13th picks, packs 245; Junias Buchanan, a tackle from Grambling, goes 246. Just one center was selected - Mike Snodgrass of Western Michigan, a 220-pounder who was nabbed on the last round. Snodgrass is also a linebacker. The Packers picked a dozen backs and five tackles and there was a kicking specialist in the group - Tom Pennington of Georgia, a 210-pounder whose
position was listed as "K." Smallest man on the line was 5-11, 185-pound Roger Holdinsky of West Virginia. Lombardi took a flyer on him because of his great speed, 9.8 in the century. Only seven of the 23 players were listed under 200 pounds...BRIEFS: The draft started at 10:10 Monday morning and was finished at 1:15 this morning - some 15 hours later. The 15th round took the least time, 17 minutes. Working at the Packer table with Lombardi were Phil Bengtson, Tom Miller and Voris. All but Vince were off on signing missions today. Lombardi was off for New York early today to receive the Sports Illustrated award and he'll fly most of the night tonight to be in Palo Alto for Wednesday's practice...Top choice Gros can't be signed until Jan. 1 because he'll play in the Orange Bowl...Pittsburgh had few choices, as usual, due to Coach Buddy Parker's excessive trading. They picked Bob Ferguson of OSU on the first round, and then didn't pick again until the seventh when they named HB Jack Collins of Texas, whose dad is vice-president of Sun Oil Co. Later the Steelers picked center Don Donatelli of Florida State, whose dad dispenses hot dogs in the press box at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field.
PACK'S SURPRISE 'ZEPHYR' SET GIANTS THINKING
DEC 5 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers got the Giants to thinking on the first play of the game. They lined up in what the Lions call the "Zephyr" single wing formation, with three flankers on one side and Jim Taylor alone behind Bart Starr. The idea apparently was to give the Giants something new to worry about. How come the spread? "We used it to gain 13 yards on the first play," Vince Lombardi beamed. And did it work. Taylor sailed around right end and Paul Hornung and Forrest Gregg made a couple of good blocks. The Bays never used it again but the seed had been planted. Incidentally, Taylor now has scored the Pack's last five touchdowns. He scored the final six-pointer in the Ram game in Green Bay, a one-yard smash. He ripped for two one-yard TDs in the Thanksgiving Day win at Detroit and in the title-winning game in Milwaukee he scored on blasts of 14 and 3 yards. Jim Vanden Boom, St. Norbert publicist here for a convention, reminded that Sunday's score was the same by which the Pack beat the Giants in the Bishop's Charities game last Labor Day, 20-17. Right now the Packers are the best team in all football - 10-2 record for a percentage of .833. That was the consensus of folks attending the draft. The Packers' enemies have been generous in congratulating the folks at the Packer draft tackle. Lombardi and his aides, Phil Bengtson, Tom Miller and Dick Voris, received congrats all over the place. And it's nice to read this in a New York paper: "If justice is supposed to be established on a football field, the best team won Sunday's game - breaks or no breaks." It looked as if it wasn't the Packers' day in Milwaukee. The Packers blew two big third down plays. New York had third and two on the 50 when Y.A. Tittle went back to pass. Dan Currie had Ya Ya dead back on the Giant 45 but he slid off and the Giant quarterback threw to Joe Walton for a 25-yard gain. Thus, instead of a punt the Giants went on to score and take a 7-3 lead. The Packers had third and eight on the Giants' 17 on the next series when Starr threw a flare pass out to Taylor who was alone on the 14 - a sure first down. But Jimmy dropped the ball. This undoubtedly would have led to a touchdown. Fortunately, the tide turned. Incidentally, Starr threw that flare pass to Taylor off to the right just before the half and this time Taylor squeezed it and ran for 18 yards to the Giants' 14. But, horrors, Taylor fumbled on the one three plays later. Jess Whittenton's steal of the ball from Alex Webster to set up the Pack's winning TD goes down in the game's box score as a fumble recovered. That turned out to be a million-dollar steal because it led the Packers into the first million-buck championship game. Maybe half of that amount should be credited to Willie Davis, who recovered the fumble that removed the ball from the Giants on the Packer 27 with two minutes left. That was a big break. "There were many breaks in the game, but we got the big one," Lombardi told the scribes, referring to Bob Gaiters' fumble, forced by Tom Bettis and recovered by Davis with Bettis on his back to make sure.
PACKERS HOPE TO STRETCH 2 WIN STREAKS ON WEST COAST JUNKET
DEC 6 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers have a couple of winning streaks to keep up on the west coast. They'll be going for their sixth straight victory over the 49ers in Kezar Stadium Sunday. And they'll seek their fifth straight win on the west coast. Both skeins started when Coach Vince Lombardi installed the winning idea in 1959. Lombardi said he wants "everybody to play" against the 49ers, but then added with a note of caution, "we can't let them (the 49ers) get any ideas." Thus, the streaks will serve as a Packer incentive - which is a big drop off from their "purpose" in battling the Giants last Sunday. They were shooting for the Western Division championship and grabbed it by whipping NY 20-17. The 49ers still have a chance to win a berth in the Runner-up Bowl in Miami, with their 6-5-1 record behind Detroit with 7-4-1 and Baltimore with 7-5. San Francisco lost to Baltimore 20-17 last Sunday. The Packers, besides owning the best percentage in the league, .833 on 10 wins and two losses, have scored the most points, 346, and allowed the fewest points, 184. This, the Bays whipped their opposition by an average score of 28.8 to 15.3. The next two games are "extras," so to speak. Normally, league action would be finished on the 12th game but the circuit is playing a 14-game card for the first time this year. The Bays actually will be playing their 18th game Sunday, including five non-leaguers. The championship battle here Dec. 31 will be Game 20 for Green Bay...The Packers are practicing at Stanford University in Palo Alto this week and they're staying at Rickey's Studio Motel. Lombardi joined the club today after an all-night flight from New York, where he received a Sports Illustrated award Tuesday night...
The Giants and Packers played it even in the individual-stix department. They each used four rushers, two passers and five receivers. Jim Taylor, in racing 27 times for 186 yards, averaged 6.8 per try...BRIEFS: The Packers' first draft pick, fullback Earl Gros of LSU, was Houston's second selection...Note the nearby yardmaster: The Packers are the only team in the league which has more yardage rushing than passing. There is a definite connection between those figures and the Pack's won-lost percentage - the best in the league...Quick quote from Weeb Ewbank, coach of the Colts: "Now that we've won both it two years in a row, watch out for that third year. That's when it's rough; it was too rough for us but we'll be back up there."...Quote of the Week: Lombardi, while looking over the college "feenoms" at the draft - "We're not an emotional team. Nothing bothers them. I'm the only emotional one on the team. I laugh, I cry - everything."...Bill Forester was in on seven tackles in the big victory Sunday. Henry Jordan and Dave Hanner each had five. Every defenser got in some good tackles. Hanner was knocked silly for the first time in his long and distinguished career just before the half. But he was back stronger than ever in the second half. Hanner was so sick with the cold and flu Saturday he couldn't get dressed for the day's light drill...The Pack's second choice, guard Ed Blaine, made the Look magazine All-America. The Missouri star's complete name is Edward Homer Blaine...Third choice Gary Barnes, the flanker back-end from Clemson, was listed by scouts as "the Sonny Randle type." He's a strong receiver of both short and long passes. Stands 6-4 and packs 210.
GREEN BAY 'TITLETOWN, U.S.A.'
DEC 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Green Bay has been proclaimed Titletown, U.S.A. More than 100 businessmen in Green Bay agreed to the idea with sharp applause and singing of Titletown, U.S.A., to the tune of Mr. Touchdown at a breakfast to promote Title Week at the Beaumont Hotel this morning. Titletown? In case you haven't heard, the Packers will host the 1961 championship game at City Stadium Dec. 31. They close their regulation season Dec. 17 and from then on will be getting ready, along with all Packer fandom, for the title game. Many events are being planned for the period, which actually will start with the arrival of the Packers from Los Angeles Monday night, Dec. 18. They'll be welcomed home at Austin Straubel Field but there will be no special program. Also in the planning stage is a giant Christmas party at the Arena Dec. 23 for the Packers, their families and fans. "We're leading up to a big weekend that will be climaxed by a big New Year's Eve. You'd better start getting in training for that right now," John Torinus told the audience. A portion of the St. Norbert College band, directed by Norb Ecker, provided the pep music and a trio sang the new composition, Titletown, U.S.A., with words by Jack Yuenger. The audience joined in for a few choruses. The song will be part of the "action" for the next four weeks in Titletown, U.S.A.
PLAY ALL PACK HOME TILTS IN CITY: COUNCIL HANDS OFF
DEC 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - An aldermanic suggestion that the Packers play all their home games in Green Bay was handed off by the City Council to the Packer Corp. Tuesday night without endorsement. A 13-paragraph thesis on why the Packers should end a policy of playing in Milwaukee was introduced by Ald. Robert N. Johnson. The Council limited its discussion to where to send the document. The Packer office won. At first, Mayor Roman Denissen proposed to send it to the Stadium Committee as a matter of routine. The Packers have a seat on the commission, the mayor reasoned. City Attorney Clarence Nier, commission president, objected. "What can be achieved by referring this to the Stadium Commission? We'll just refer it back to the Council. I can tell you that right now," said Nier. Ald. Don Tilleman came up with the idea of sending Johnson's ideas to the Packers, but not before Ald. Robert Houle made certain it was being sent without Council endorsement. "While I might agree with some of the sentiments, this is not a proper government function," said Houle. Johnson said he was motivated by long-time Packer fans from Green Bay worried that they cannot get a ticket to the Dec. 31 playoff because of season tickets sold for Milwaukee league games. "They especially believe that the Green Bay Packers are being used to build a football fandom in Milwaukee. They believe that some day the situation will rebound and go great damage to the Green Bay Packers," Johnson said. Johnson said Green Bay's economy and reputation are wrapped up in the Packers. Any city can support a winner, but Green Bay has demonstrated financial support for a losing team, he said. "Our people cannot rejoice at the many games that have been lost before so many coldly indifferent Milwaukee audiences. When we needed their help, win, lose or draw, they were not there," said Johnson. Johnson said the Council as "chosen representatives of the people" should inform the Packers of the desires of the people.
BENGTSON'S PROBLEMS ALWAYS MEANS PAY RAISE
DEC 7 (San Francisco) - You have to admire Phil Bengtson, the successful coach of the Green Bay Packers' highly successful defensive line. Because every time Phil gets into trouble, he ends up with a pay raise. And you can't hardly beat that: Right now, Phil is riding high with a championship club. His "little" defensive line may be the best in all professional football. "But I would say that the offensive line won the division title for us," says Bengtson with all modesty as he helps prepare his club for San Francisco here Sunday. "These boys opened the holes for our backs against the New York Giants' line that was supposed to be so tough." Bengtson, however, is overlooking the fact that the Green Bay defense he fashioned has allowed the fewest number of points - 184 - of any team in the league. It wasn't always thus, however. When Phil came back from World War II as line coach for Marchy Schwartz at Stanford, the complaint was that the Big Red lines were porous - that a new line coach was needed. So the next thing Phil knows, he catches on with the San Francisco 49ers - at an increase in pay. Through the years with Buck Shaw as head coach, the lines molded by Bengtson were rated as some of the best in the league. Then the late Red Strader came and was followed by Frankie Albert. By this time, Bengtson was being blamed for leaks in the line. So when Red Hickey took over as coach, Bengtson was released and hooked on with the tail-end Green Bay Packers. He took a line that was the worst defensively in the league in 1958 and brought it to the place where in 1960 it tied with New York for the least yards allowed per rush - 3.2 per try. This year the club ranks fifth in the 14-team league in the same department, allowing an average of 4.1 yards per try, with two games to go and the division championship already wrapped up. Last year, Phil cashed in on his share of the championship playoff pot, plus a probably pay raise. He'll be in the same department again this year. So you'll have to admit this is one guy who turned adversity into success.
TAYLOR COULD CATCH BROWN
DEC 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Jim Taylor could still catch and pass Jim Brown for the league's individual rushing championship. The Packers' powerful fullback is 137 yards behind the Browns' beauty, with two games to go. Brown carried 263 times for 1,244 yards in the first 12 games; Taylor moved 203 times for 1,107 yards in 12 tests. Taylor's average gain per lug is 5.5; Brown 4.6. Taylor's chances rest somewhat in Brown's opposition in the last two games - the Bears in Chicago Sunday and those Giants in New York in the windup. The Bears are always hard to run against. And you know the Giants will be extra tough on Brown. The Giants will probably put an imaginary "31" on Brown. Assuming Brown is held to 100 yards in the two crucial games, Taylor would have to get 238 stripes in the two games on the west coast - the 49ers in San Francisco Sunday and the Rams in Los Angeles the following Sunday. Taylor does well in the land of sunshine. As a rookie in 1958, he totaled 243 yards in SF and LA. He was recovering from hand and foot burns in 1959 and carried only 12 times in the last two games for 32 yards. Last year, Taylor piled up 203 yards, including a then-record 161 in the mud of 'Frisco. Taylor gained over a third of his '61 yardage in three games - 130 vs. the Bears here, 158 vs the Browns in Cleveland, and 186 on the Giants, for a total of 474 yards. He had two 90-yard games, 93 at Baltimore and 94 in the mud at Detroit...And speaking about rushing, you'll recall that Em Tunnell told the Mike and Pen Club meeting a week ago that "we can run on the Giants. I know that." The Packers murdered the Giants' defenses for 270 yards in 42 carries. That boils out to an average of 6.4 yards per trip...Out in Palo Alto, where the Packers are training, Coach Vince Lombardi, asked by the AP if his team might ease off after winning the title, stated with emphasis, "I certainly hope not." Lombardi feels that the Packers must go all out in their final two games to stay sharp. Any letdown, they figure, could prove costly in the NFL championship game. Lombardi said he'd know by Friday whether Paul Hornung would get a weekend pass from Fort Riley, Kan. Also expected down for the game are the two servicemen at Fort Lewis, Wash. - Boyd Dowler and Ray Nitschke. All three likely will make it for the championship game in Green Bay Dec. 31. Since holiday leaves probably will be granted, the athletes would be available to drill with the club a few days before the big game. Hornung is leading the league in scoring with 143 points, which is 26 under his record breaking total of 176 in 12 games a year ago. The only other statistical leader is Willie Wood, who tops punt returners with 16.3 yards per.
BUFFALO BILLS SIGN PACKER DRAFT PICK
DEC 7 (Buffalo) - Tom Pennington, placekick specialist from Georgia and 11th draft choice of the Buffalo Bills in the AFL, was signed to a Bills contract Wednesday. Pennington, a 6-foot-2, 205-pounder from Albany, Ga., also plays offensive end and halfback. He was the 14th draft choice of the National League's Green Bay Packers. He was the third top draft choice signed by the Bills in three days.
STATISTICS PROVE '61 PACKERS BETTER THAN '60 PACKERS
DEC 8 (Palo Alto, CA-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Are the present Packers better than the 1960 Packers? The answer throughout Packerland would have to be yes. But why? We have some figures to prove it and, they say, figures don't lie. Fib or not, these numbers are comparable because they're both for 12 games, which was the duration of the 1960 season and the extent of league action thus far this year. Each of Coach Vince Lombardi's prized productions won the Western Division - each by winning the 12th game. The '60 club downed Los Angeles in the final 35-21 and the current club trimmed New York 20-17 in Game 12. The '61 team won 10 and lost 2, which is two games better than the 8-4 of 1960, .833 to .667 percentage. What's more, the '61 outfit played the two best clubs in the Eastern Division, the Browns and Giants, and beat both of them. The '61ers improved in the point department, scoring 346 against 332 a year ago, allowing only 184 compared to 209 last year. The new champs beat their foes by an average score of 28 to 15 compared to 27-17 last year. The yardage figures are interesting (note table) and the major improvement seems to be in passing. And that, of course, is a rose for Bart Starr, who is operating as the Bays' No. 1 quarterback for the first full season under Lombardi. He shared the spot with Lamar McHan in 1959-60. Actually, the Packers rushed and passed less than in '60 but got more mileage. The '60 Packers rushed 463 times for an average of 4.6 per attempt. This year, they ran 405 times but averaged 5.1 yards. Starr threw (other than a few by Paul Hornung) 259 passes in '61 against 279 last year. The twist is in the completions - 146 in '61 against 137 last year. Thus, Starr brewed up a wonderful 56.4 completion percentage in '61 compared to the 49.1 compiled by the two (Starr and McHan) hurlers a year ago. The current club has scored 15 touchdowns on passes compared to nine last year and the air yardage total already has reached 2,026 yards compared to 1,876 in '60. Defensively, Packer opponents
gained more on the ground but less in the air than a year ago. The foes averaged 4.1 yards running this year against 3.2 last season. In the percent of passes completed, the present Pack allowed 51.4 against 52.6 last year. The big difference is in interceptions. The present stealers made off with 27 enemy aerials against only 12 last year...Hornung, who has virtually wrapped up his third successive NFL scoring championship, has been given a pass from Fort Riley, Kan., so he can play against the 49ers Sunday, Lombardi learned here today. Flanker Boyd Dowler and linebacker Ray Nitschke both are stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., and probably will have passes, too, although no official word has been received...Word comes from the 49ers' camp that quarterback Bob Waters may be ready for Sunday's match, and his return may signal a revival of the "shotgun" offense, junked in favor of the T-formation when Waters was hurt. It had been feared that Waters was out for the season, but Coach Red Hickey thinks "he can play against the Packers if needed."
JOE FAN TO BE TAKEN CARE OF: OLE; TITLE TICKETS $10
DEC 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Joe Fan will be taken care of when it comes to tickets for the championship game on Dec. 31. These words summarize the planning of the Green Bay Packer Corp., and General Manager Vince Lombardi spoken by Dominic Olejniczak, corporation president, before the North Side-Preble Kiwanis Club Thursday night. Declaring that the primary concern of the Packers it to make sure that as many fans as possible will receive tickets, especially the average fans who have been longtime backers of the team, Olejniczak revealed the applications will be sent to season ticket holders Monday with a letter explaining how the Packers will handle the ticket situation. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced late Thursday that all tickets will be priced at $10 each and there will be no standing room. He also disclosed that installation of 2,500 temporary seats will boost City Stadium's normal capacity from 38,669 to 41,000. The game will start at 1 o'clock, Wisconsin time, and will be televised nationally, with only Green Bay and an area with a 75-mile radius blacked out. Milwaukee, where the Packers played three home games, will receive the telecast. Because of $600,000 from television, the game will become the first million dollar playoff in NFL history. Should there be a triple tie for first place in the Eastern Conference, a double playoff will force the championship game to be put back to Jan. 7. In the case of a two-way tie, the Eastern playoff would be held on Dec. 24. "The Packers are grateful to those persons who have stood by the team during the lean years, and also the newcomers, the businessmen of today, who are giving their support to the team," Olejniczak said. "We intend to recognize the new as well as the old season ticket holders. We know we cannot satisfy everyone," Olejniczak said. Olejniczak also discounted any thoughts fans may have had that the game would be moved to the roomier Milwaukee County Stadium. He recalled the uproar in Green Bay back in 1939 when the game was moved from Green Bay to Milwaukee, mainly for financial reasons. (The Packers beat the Giants that year, 27-0.) "Green Bay became so incensed over this action that many persons started to boycott the businesses of those men serving on the Packer board of directors," he said. Shortly before the game, Curly Lambeau, then Packer coach, announced that whenever Green Bay participated in another championship game, it would definitely be played in Green Bay. "Little did we realize that the next game here would not be until 1961," Olejniczak observed. He added the Packers intend to honor that announcement, and at no time as consideration given to playing the game in Milwaukee. Television stations closest to Green Bay that will have the game are in Milwaukee, Wausau and Escanaba, Mich. Some can be picked up on TV sets as close as 30 miles from Green Bay, but the point of origin is outside the 75-mile radius.
EX-PACKER BROWN NOW EAGLES' BARGAIN STAR
DEC 8 (Philadelphia) - Tim Brown is another of those bargain basement pro football stories. The one-time Ball State halfback was drafted 27th by the Green Bay Packers for the 1960 season. He didn't impress Coach Vince Lombardi, who wanted husky power runners rather than shifty speedsters. Brown was released reluctantly. Several weeks later, for the cost of a telephone call and a plane ticket, General Manager Vince McNally signed Brown for the Philadelphia Eagles. McNally, who has reaped phenomenal success with players other team didn't want, bought another gold nugget. From mid-season on, Brown caught nine passes for 247 yards, scored two touchdowns and a pair running, returned 11 kickoffs for 295 yards and 10 punts for 47. He was a big factor in the club's drive to its first NFL title in 11 yards. This year, Brown started off returning the kickoff in the opening game against Cleveland 105 yards for a TD. Since then, he's been a jack-of-all-trades, master of all. Take a gander at these impressive statistics - 263 yards in 37 carries for a 7.1 average, eight pass receptions for 195 yards, 28 kickoff returns for 789 yards, and seven punt returns for 104 yards. And when it appeared Irv Cross, a defensive halfback, might not be able to play Sunday against the New York Giants as the two teams try to break a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference, who do you think Coach Nick Skorich had penciled in - Brown is his name. The 24-year-old Negro feels coming to Philadelphia was a big break for him. "Vince Lombardi (Green Bay coach) wanted big power runners for his system. I am the fast, shifty type," Brown says. "I respect Lombardi. He's a good man, a fine coach. He admitted he might be making a mistake in letting me go, but he felt I just didn't fit his style of of play," Brown said as he peeled off his sweat clothes after an Eagles' workout. Brown wasn't in a hurry to join a new club when dropped by Green Bay although a Packer assistant told him both the Baltimore Colts and Chicago Bears were interested in him. "I was a little afraid to join another club after spending the exhibition season and the first three games with the Packers," says the 195 pound speedster.
PACK HAS PRIDE IN HOME, WORK
DEC 9 (Palo Alto, CA-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "What are they saying back home?" That was a stock question aimed at this scribe by Packer players and coaches Friday. The Packer hadn't been in Green Bay since last Saturday morning when they left for Milwaukee and the "little title" game in that city. They flew out to California from Milwaukee Monday morning as Western Division champions. "What's going on? Are they happy?" asked coaching aide Norb Hecker. "What did they do there Sunday night?" asked Tom Bettis and Jess Whittenton added, "I'll bet they had fun." Thus, the Packers displayed pride in their home territory. And speaking about pride, Hank Jordan said, "We've got too much pride to play a bad game against the 49ers." There is a feeling here, hot among the Packers, that the 49ers might have a soft touch since the Packers could conceivably relax too much after winning the championship. Coach Vince Lombardi took care of that, cracking the whip somewhat in Friday's practice. Reportedly, he brought the squad down to reality at Thursday's squad meeting. As a result, the Bays seemed eager today to get at the 49ers. The Packers have a couple of winning streaks to protect. They will be going for their sixth straight wins over the 49ers and their fifth in a row on the West Coast. The Packers came out of the rough New York game in excellent physical condition. One player has a slight problem - Jim Taylor, the big fullback who bruised his knee in gaining 186 yards on the Giants. Taylor laid off kicking field goals in Friday's drill. It appears that the FG kicking will be in the good "hands" of Paul Hornung. Lombardi announced Friday that Pvt. Paul has plane reservations (from Forty Riley, Kan.) to make it here on time but "we're still working to get him back there again on time." Also due in for the game are Army Pvts. Ray Nitschke and Boyd Dowler, who are coming down from Fort Lewis, Wash. Incidentally, Hornung has scored 95 of 141 points the Packers have tallied against the 49ers in the past five games. That compares to only 58 by the 49ers in the same games. Thus, the 49ers have scored an average of 11 points per game. Which makes you chuckle since the Bays' defense coach, Phil Bengtson, was dispatched by the 49ers for supposedly being incompetent at coaching defense. Scout Dick Voris reported to camp today with some smiles, meaning that he had signed some of the Packers' draft choices. Still out on the road signing players is publicist Tom Miller...The Western Champion Green Bay Packers will come marching into Kezar Stadium Sunday to find themselves entrenched as only three-point favorites to beat San Francisco. Nobody in these parts gives the San Francisco club much of a chance against the Packers - but a sellout crowd of about 58,000 will watch the battle anyway. The forecast is for fair and cool weather with a dry field in prospect. In
their last precious meeting, Green Bay waltzed to a 30-10 victory over a San Francisco team that was flying high with the shotgun attack. Since then, the effectiveness of that style of play has proved to be shoddy and the chances are that Coach Red Hickey of the 49ers will use the T formation against the Packers this time.
MINUTEMEN SET PACKER, FAN ARENA PARTY
DEC 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A Christmas party for Packer players and their families and a pep rally for the championship game will be the ingredients for an affair at the Veterans Memorial Arena Saturday, Dec. 23, to mark the formal start of Titletown USA Week in Green Bay. Plans for the Arena gathering and for a brief welcome home for the Packers when they return home from California Dec. 18 were outlined at a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Minutemen Committee this morning at the Beaumont Hotel. Charles Egan is committee chairman. Because of the difficulty of handling large crowds, the weather, and indefinite time of arrival, there will be no formal welcome home program at Austin Straubel Field for the Packers when they return to Green Bay from California Dec. 18. Plans will be made, however, to handle expected traffic and parking problems. Packer fans will get their chance to see the Western Division champions at the Dec. 23 Arena affair, which will start at 1:30 p.m. The tentative program will include a movie of highlights of the 1961 Packer season, music by the Packer Lumberjack Band, recorded messages to Green Bay from national sports and political dignitaries, and the introduction of Packer players and coaches. Tickets for the program will be $1 for adults and 50 cents for children, the money to cover the costs of staging the program and souvenir awards for the season to the Packers. Contributions from the business community will provide Christmas presents for Packer wives and children. Tickets will be on sale at all Arena outlets, and mail orders may be sent to the Chamber of Commerce. The Minutemen Committee also will head up the planning of Titletown USA details the week before the Dec. 31 games. This will include street decorations, housing, traffic, and distinguished visitors expected for the game.
LETDOWN? TITLED PACK DUELS 49ERS
DEC 10 (San Francisco-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers play their first game as 1961 Western Division champions against the 49ers in Kezar Stadium this afternoon. And the big question hereabouts is this: How will the Packers look? Green Bay went through the first 12 games of this second straight title season with 10 victories and two losses. They lost the opener to Detroit. They won six straight, lost to Baltimore, and now have a four-game winning streak going. It goes without saying that the Packers would like
Vince Lombardi and the Packers after clinching the N.F.L.’s Western Conference in 1961. They went on to beat the Giants for the N.F.L. title. (Photo Credit - New York Times)
Paul Hornung runs against the Giants (Photo Credit - Sports Illustrated)
Green Bay Packers Paul Hornung in action, making kick off during game vs New York Giants (Photo by Marvin E. Newman/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
to close out the regulation campaign with a six-game winning streak. This would add up to a 12-2 record for a percentage of .857. This would also be the best won-lost percent since the .900 of 20 years ago when the Bays posted 10-1 in 1941 to force a division playoff. Coach Vince Lombardi explained in simple terms before practice Saturday. "We are out here to win and we want to look our best." He said the squad is sharp mentally and physically now and "we'll want to keep them that way for the championship game." Asked about using more replacements in the final two games, Lombardi laughed, "I'll be a little freer with substitutions than I had been, but boys like Hornung, Dowler and Nitschke will have to be used because this is their only opportunity to work." He said he'd start Paul Hornung and Boyd Dowler and maybe Ray Nitschke. Dowler and Nitschke arrived in time for Saturday's drill from Fort Lewis, Wash., while Hornung came in from Fort Riley, Kan., Saturday night. Hornung wasn't sure he was going to make it. He waited through several delays Saturday but reached Kansas City in time to make connections on a commercial airline to San Francisco. Hornung was 30 minutes late picking up his weekend pass when he began his journey and was further delayed when a heavy overcast held up his scheduled 3:55 flight until 5 p.m. The weather had been good here all week (it rained the previous two weeks), with the temperatures getting into the high 50s at mid-day. There are no flu cases and you get the feeling the Packers are starting a new season. Trainer Bud Jorgenson and Dr. Jim Nellen have one "case" - Dan Currie, who jammed his finger in Friday's practice. Today's task will be especially difficult. The 49ers have enlisted the help of Mr. and Mrs. 'Frisco fan to help the Red Hickeymen upset the champions, and they're responding with a capacity crowd of nearly 60,000. The world won't come to an end if the Packers lose but there's the matter of pride. The Bays seem to enjoy the role of champion. There is a parallel to today's situation. The Colts came into this town in 1958 with the championship safely in sock. The 49ers shocked Baltimore 21 to 12 and the Colts never scored a touchdown until the last play of the game. The Packers have been installed as a 3-point favorite, just as they were a week ago vs. the Giants. The odds reveal a suspicion that Green Bay might be "off" some from last Sunday. At least, the Giants might be figured as a better team than the 49ers. The 49ers have the law of averages on their side since they've lost five straight to Green Bay and the Packers have won four in a row on the West Coast. Limited to an average of 11 points in the last five games against the 49ers, the home forces are expected to cook up an explosion. Thus, the Packers chances will rest largely on their ability to score. That brings up Bart Starr and his two big guns, Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung - plus aerialists Max McGee, Ron Kramer and Dowler. Taylor has always run well in Kezar, including 160 in the mud here last year, and Hornung has found the 49rs receptive to his scoring. He has 95 points against them in the last five games. One of the Packers due for a test Sunday is big Lee Folkins, the massive offensive end from nearby Washington. Lee may work some at flanker behind Dowler or at one of the ends. Also expected to work are Elijah Pitts, Lew Carpenter, Gary Knafelc, Nelson Toburen, Ken Iman, Herb Adderley and Ron Kostelnik. Kostelnik knows the 49ers real well. He did an excellent job working in Dave Hanner's spot in Green Bay while Hanner was recovering from an appendectomy. Since then Hanner has been nothing short of sensational. In fact, Forrest Gregg was saying last night, "Old Hog is the best man in this league at stopping those draw plays." The Packers will stay at Rickey's Studio Inn in Palo Alto until Wednesday when they head for the warmth of the California southland.
PACK INKS BARNES, GASSERT, TWO OTHERS
DEC 10 (San Francisco-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers have signed four of the 23 players obtained in the college talent draft in Chicago last Monday, Coach Vince Lombardi announced Saturday night. In the fold are No. 3 pick Gary Barnes, the end from Clemson; No. 4 pick Ron Gassert, the 240-pound tackle from Virginia; No. 18 pick Bob Joiner, quarterback from Presbyterian, and No. 19 pick Jerry Scattini, defensive halfback from California. Lombardi added that progress in the signing of the other choices, including No. 1 choice Earl Gros, the fullback from LSU, is "very encouraging." He added that the Bays are meeting some resistance from AFL clubs which drafted some of the Packer choices. Barnes was drafted by the New York Titans and Gassert by the Buffalo Bills. The last of the Packer "signers" returned Saturday from face to face with the draft choices. Tom Miller, public relations chief who covered the picks in the southwest and midwest, arrived Saturday. Scout Dick Voris toured the east and southeast and the coaches worked the rest.
