Baltimore Colts (4-4) 45, Green Bay Packers (6-2) 21
Sunday November 5th 1961 (at Baltimore)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(BALTIMORE) - The best thing that happened to the Packers in Memorial Stadium Sunday afternoon was this reading on the big scoreboard: Philadelphia 16, Chicago 14. This message removed some of the sting from a convincing 45 to 21 setback at the hands of the highly-charged and revenge-seeking Colt team. It meant that Green Bay still maintained sole possession of first place in the Western Division, with a 6-2 record against Chicago's 5-3. It also meant, however, that the Pack blew a chance to grab a two-game lead on the Bears. But the Packers won't have o wait long to boot the Bears two notches back. They meet their traditional rivals in Chicago's Wrigley Field next Sunday. The Packers, who had beaten these Colts 45-7 in Green Bay Oct. 8, were going for their seventh straight league victory but they ran smack into (1) a red-hot John Unitas, (2) a souped-up Baltimore eleven - not to mention 57,164 raving Colt fans and (3) a drop off in defensive efficiency. Unitas, the best quarterback in football, hurled four touchdown passes, worked up a 407-yard offensive, and succeeded on 10 third down plays and three fourth downers, including two for touchdowns. Unitas was fantastic but it took such a performance to shape up the Pack's steady defense for the first time. Going into today, the Bays have submitted only 9 points a game on the average - 68 in all. It was only the second time in 31 games that an opponent had scored in the 40s on the Vince Lombardimen. The only other time was that 45-6 loss to the Rams in '59. The Packers came from behind twice on 70 and 75-yard touchdown drives to gain 7-7 and 14-14 ties but the Colts went in front 21-14 with 24 seconds left in the half on an amazing 38-yard run by Lenny Moore with a Unitas pass. A blocked 52-yard field goal attempt by Paul Hornung set up a 12-yard field goal by Steve Myrha for a 24-14 Colt lead. Then came the turning point of the game. Herb Adderley returned the next kickoff to midfield - excellent position to start a TD drive, but he fumbled and the Colts recovered. The Colts exploded, scoring touchdowns on the next three times they had their hands on the ball for a 45-14 lead. In the final moments, Jess Whittenton intercepted a Lamar McHan pass and returned 41 yards for the Pack's third touchdown. The Packers were limited to one first down in the second half and had the ball for only 17 plays, against the Colts 42, in the last two quarters. Green Bay wound up with 10 first downs for the day, while the Colts had 29. The biggest yard difference was in the air, with Unitas gaining 218 on 22 completions n 35 attempts, while Bart Starr, who scored the first TD on a 21-yard run, completed six of 17 for 62 yards. Old Joe Perry rolled up 105 yards in 21 trips to lead both clubs, while Jim Taylor had 93 in 12. Hornung, who missed most of the week's practice, carried seven times for 32 yards and scored the second TD on a 17-yard slant. Unitas spent most of his day throwing short passes wide to the left or right - most of them with the receiver on the line of scrimmage, thus making receivers Raymond Berry and Moore look like rushers. They caught 15 between them for 147 yards - an average of 9.8 yards. Two kickoffs, oddly enough, led to the downfall of the Pack. Besides Adderley's ill-fated return of 42 yards, the game's opening kickoff served to add heat to the Colts' zest. Lenny Lyles took Hornung's boot on the two and returned 64 yards up the middle to the Packer 34 and the crowd yelled for blood. They got it, though the Colts got a bit of luck on the first play. Moore fumbled ahead and the ball went out of bounds for a 12-yard gain. The Colts had a 7-0 lead in six plays. Perry ate up 11 yards, Unitas passed to Berry for two and Perry went over standing up off right tackle. Myhra kicked the first of six extra points at 3:15. The Packers slashed back with a 70-yard trip in seven plays. Taylor opened with a 22-yard jaunt through the right side of the line, in which Norm Masters was making his debut at guard for injured Jerry Kramer. Hornung made nine yards in two trips, Starr passed to Dowler twice, both off to the right, for 21 yards. Taylor lost three on a sweep and Starr, rolling out to the right, found no receiver and took off like Taylor and slammed into the end zone between two defenders. Hornung's kick tied the score at 6:46. The Colts cracked back from their own 20 and a fumble saved the Pack. They reached the Pack 16 chiefly on Moore's 23-yard run and a 15-yarder by Hawkins but Perry fumbled and Willie Davis recovered.
HOLDING PENALTY
A holding penalty kept the Bays in the hold and the Colts were off again, this time moving 60 yards in 13 plays for a 14-7 lead. Two third down passes by Unitas to Moore set the ball down on the Packer 22 and then the Bays got a bad break when interference was called on Willie Wood on Berry in the end zone. This gave the Colts a first down on the two. The Pack dug in and forced Unitas to a fourth down when he threw a perfect shot to Hawkins, who caught the ball from Hank Gremminger in the end zone for a 14-7 edge early in the second period. The Packers quickly tied it up, moving 75 yard in seven plays. Taylor started it off again, ripping 36 yards over center to the Colt 39. Hornung hurled a 12-yard pass to
Ron Kramer. On a crucial third down play, Starr raced 10 yards to the 17 and on the next play Hornung shot off left tackle and carried Glick in the end zone. Hornung kicked he point, his eight of the game, and it was tied at 7:04. After an exchange of punts, Gremminger made a fine interception of a long Unitas pass to Jimmy Orr on the Packer 18. Running shoulder to shoulder with Orr, Gremminger took the ball with his back to Unitas. The Pack couldn't move and the Colts took over on their 38, with a minute left in the half. Hawkins made two at center and then Unitas hurled a little deeper to Berry for a 22-yard gain to the Packer 38. Unitas then fired a shortie to Moore off the right. Moore evaded Gremminger and danced and high-stepped out of the grasp of five other Packers on his way to a TD. Myhra's kick made it 21-14 with 24 seconds left in the half. The Pack's only first down in the second half came on the opening series. Starr hit Max McGee off to his left for 29-yard advance. From then on the Bays made nine yards on five rushes and three completions in eight pass attempts. After McGee's catch, Hornung tried a long field goal but Ordell Brasse blocked it and the Colts moved 41 yards to set up Myhra's 12-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead. Lyle's first kickoff went out of bounds so he tried again, this time from the 35. Adderley ran hard back to the Packer 37 but fumbled and Feagin recovered. The Colts had a 31-14 lead in eight plays. Two 4-yarders, Unitas to Berry and a Perry run up the middle, set up Unitas' 19-yard touchdown pitch to Orr at 11:33.
COLTS OFF AGAIN
Three Starr passes went incomplete and the Colts were off again. Perry led off with a 12-yard run and Unitas threw to Dee Mackey for 14. Short gains ate up most of the other yardage and then, from the 4, Orr made a fingertip catch of a straight-ahead Unitas pass in the end zone for 38-14. Again the Pack had to punt, with Starr getting trapped back 12 yards, and this time Boyd returned the boot 46 yards to the Packer 15. On the first play, Perry went off right guard virtually untouched for the final TD. McHan came in after the final Dowler punt (Boyd averaged 46.3 on six boots) and Whittenton nailed his pass aimed at Orr on the 41 and sailed down the sideline for an easy TD. On the last play of the game, after the Colts were forced to punt, Starr passed to Gary Knafelc for seven yards.
GREEN BAY - 7 7 0 7 - 21
BALTIMORE - 7 14 10 14 - 45
GREEN BAY BALTIMORE
First Downs 10 29
Rushing-Yards-TD 22-161-2 42-189-2
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 18-7-76-0-0 36-22-218-4-2
Sack Yards Lost 1-12 0-0
Total Yards 225 407
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-1
Turnovers 1 3
Yards penalized 4-46 1-5
SCORING
1st - BAL - Joe Perry, 2-yard run (Steve Myrha kick) BALTIMORE 7-0
1st - GB - Bart Starr, 21-yard run (Paul Hornung kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - BAL - Alex Hawkins, 4-yard pass from Johnny Unitas (Myrha kick) BALTIMORE 14-7
2nd - GB - Hornung, 17-yard run (Hornung kick) TIED 14-14
2nd - BAL - Lenny Moore, 38-yard pass from Unitas (Myrha kick) BALTIMORE 21-14
3rd - BAL - Myrha, 12-yard field goal BALTIMORE 24-14
3rd - BAL - Jimmy Orr, 19-yard pass from Unitas (Myrha kick) BALTIMORE 31-14
4th - BAL - Orr, 4-yard pass from Unitas (Myrha kick) BALTIMORE 38-14
4th - BAL - Perry, 15-yard run (Myrha kick) BALTIMORE 45-14
4th - GB - Jess Whittenton, 41-yard interception return (Hornung kick) BALTIMORE 45-21
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 12-93, Paul Hornung 7-32 1 TD, Bart Starr 2-31 1 TD, Tom Moore 1-5
BALTIMORE - Joe Perry 21-105 2 TD, Lenny Moore 7-38, Alex Hawkins 8-36, Tom Matte 3-7, Mark Smolinski 2-4, Lamar McHan 1-(-1)
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 17-6-64 2 TD, Paul Hornung 1-1-12
BALTIMORE - Johnny Unitas 35-22-218 4 TD 1 INT, Lamar McHan 1-0-0 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Boyd Dowler 2-21, Max McGee 1-29, Ron Kramer 1-12, Gary Knafelc 1-8, Jim Taylor 1-5, Tom Moore 1-1
BALTIMORE - Raymond Berry 8-72, Lenny Moore 7-75 1 TD, Jimmy Orr 3-28 2 TD, Dee Mackey 2-30, Joe Perry 1-9, Alex Hawkins 1-4 1 TD
'JUST GOT LICKED,' VINCE; MOORE TD HURT
NOV 6 (Baltimore-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "We just got licked." With those four words, Packer Coach Vince Lombardi capsuled Green Bay's 45 to 21 loss to the Colts here Sunday. And to emphasize his point, Vince added: "That's all, we just got licked." Relaxing in the Pack's United Airlines charter, Lombardi noted that "we did well on offense - when we got the ball, but we couldn't get it, especially in the second half." Vince felt that 'two things hurt us - Moore's touchdown with seconds left in the first half and the fumble on the kickoff return in the third quarter. It was 24-14 when we lost the ball around the 50 and we might have gone in from there and it would have been 24-21." As Lombardi had said in the dressing room after the game, "the final difference was John Unitas. He is the best quarterback in the league by far. There was nothing new about what he did. He did the same things he did out in Green Bay. Only this time they worked. His strategy was to throw shot and he was hitting. And he made nearly 15 third or fourth down plays." Lombardi said "the defense played a poor game," noting that the Colts had the ball for 78 plays against the Pack's 41. The Colts kept the ball for 42 plays in the second half while the Pack had it for only 17. Individually, Lombardi said Norm Master did a "good job out there." Tackle Masters was filling in at an entirely new job, offensive guard, in place of the injured Jerry Kramer. Incidentally, Jerry had hoped to make the trip but pain in his ankle forced him back in the hospital when the team left Saturday...ONE DAY OF PRACTICE: "We asked Hornung to play with only one day of practice and he tired some, but he gave it a good try," Lombardi added. Paul Hornung was at Great Lakes most of last week takin an Army physical. He scored a touchdown, finishing with nine points, and ran seven times for 32 yards. The Packers were pretty well shocked by the loss but their feeling was pretty obvious on the way home, as follows: "Let's forget it and bounce back against the Beas next Sunday. We're still leading the Division alone."...Thinking particularly about the Bears was Tom Bettis, who played his first full (other than a few plays) league game since last Thanksgiving Day. "I can't wait," Bettis mused while explaining how good it felt to be playing again. "That was a lot of action for me all of a sudden. I guess I wasn't used to it." Bettis took over the middle linebacker spot for Private Ray Nitschke who is now with the 32nd Division. Masters found that he "enjoyed playing guard. It was all right. The only thing I didn't enjoy was losing."...Why did Forrest Gregg point his finger at Bob Harrison in the fourth quarter? "He kicked me in the head and I just wanted to tell him," Gregg said later..."Don't discount pride when you try to explain this," Em Tunnell said in the Bay dressing room, referring to the 45 to 7 licking the Packers handed Baltimore in Green Bay. "The Colts have some old fellows who take a lot of pride in their work - men like Art Donovan, Gino Marchetti and Joe Perry. A beating like we gave the Colts in Green Bay hurts."
'45 TO 7' SIGNS PAY OFF FOR COLTS
NOV 6 (Baltimore-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Every locker in the Baltimore Colts' dressing room bore a large sign containing only the figures, "45 to 7." Coach Weeb Ewbank claims he doesn't know who put them there but there is a suspicion it was his way of waving the red flag in front of the bull. Be that as it may, the little Colt coach had a grin almost as big as he is after Sunday's 45-21 romp over the Packers, which avenged that earlier indignity at Green Bay. He also offered a simple explanation of the Hosses' spectacular. "It was a team effort - we planned nothing special for the Packer," he said. "The team worked on the things we could do - and then just went out and did them. Our blocking was particularly good." This turnabout (the Colts had been 3-4 going into action) was possible, he added, because "we have never lost our spirit. Except for a few mistakes at key points, our record could easily be 7 and 1. Whenever we click, we'll win big." At this point, Colt Carroll Rosenbloom injected, "We are going to go all the way." Was there a difference, Ewbank was asked, between this Packer team and the one played earlier? "No, they were the same young, tough ball club. We just didn't make mistakes." King John Unitas, having a swollen finger on his throwing hand repaired, said he was proud to have figured in a victory over what he considered "the finest team I have ever faced." Unitas,
who hurled four touchdown passes in his first big day of the 1961 season, credited Ewbank for the decision "to go for it" on two crucial fourth down plays. "I knew this wasn't going be a three-point game," he smiled. John, who normally launches one long bomb per game, didn't get one Sunday. His explanation: "The Packers have good deep coverage and I had to be content with the short stuff. We went for what they gave us." Colts halfback Alex Hawkins, a former Packer, said revenge did not figure in his inspired play. "I like to win them all," he said, adding, "I was treated well up at Green Bay by the team and the fans." Lamar McHan, another ex-Packer who will be going into the Army at season's end, admitted he wants his Colts to win the Western Division title, "but if we can't, I hope it is the Packers."...BEST IN TWO YEARS: Ancient Joe Perry (he'll be 35 in January), kicking up his heels like a rookie, felt that it had been his best day in three years. "It was a team effort," he said. "I got good blocking." Charlie Winner, the Colts' defensive backfield coach, carried it a little further. "We ran at them and beat them at their own game," he declared. "It's the best game we've played in two years. Our defense made just two mistakes in the first half." It remained, however, for Lennie Moore to make a real cool summation. "Man, we were high," he said. "Those cats just played a game."
BEAR WEEK: PACKERS KEY TO DEFEND LEAD IN 'TITLE' STRUGGLE
NOV 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - This is Bear Week in Packerland. This is the week the Packers get ready to play a special opponent - the Bears in Wrigley Field, which is located on the north side of Chicago. This is the week fans in this neck of the woods get all keyed up. Well, at least it seems that way! The Packers aren't working any harder than they did for the Colts last week or the Browns a few weeks ago. And fans hereabouts are keyed every time a Packer game approaches. However, this particular Packer-Bear game, which is the 85th in pro football's oldest and bitterest rivalry, has special significance, as follows: No. 1, the contest can be a definite stepping stone toward the Western Division championship for Green Bay. No. 2, it will be the last game this year for Paul Hornung and Boyd Dowler, who go into the Army next week. No. 3, the Packers haven't beaten the Bears twice in the same year since 1935, which is the year Hornung was born and two years before Dowler saw the light of day. Points 2 and 3 will be discussed as the week progresses. Let's take Point 1: The Packers, though they were dumped 45-21 in Baltimore, are still leading the Western Division by one full game. For this, they can thank the Eagles who downed the Bears 16-14. Green Bay has a 6-2 record, while the Bears have 5-3. The Lions and 49ers are knotted in third place, one and a half games behind, with 4-3-1 records. The Colts are two back with 4-4. Thus, with six games left, the Western race has five contenders. Besides the Packer-Bear game, the 49ers will visit the Rams (2-6), the Colts invade Minnesota (1-7), and the Lions play the Cardinals in St. Louis. The best thing that could happen to Green Bay would call for victories for the Packers (naturally), the Rams, Vikings and Cardinals. In this case, the Western standings on Monday would look like this:
W L T W L T
Green Bay 7 2 0 Baltimore 4 5 0
Chicago 5 4 0 Los Angeles 3 6 0
Detroit 4 4 1 Minnesota 2 7 0
San Francisco 4 4 1
Anybody else want a drag on this pipe. Leave us now get back to normal as follows: Come in Coach Lombardi. How did the Packers look in the moving picture version of the loss? "We didn't tackle" is the impression Lombardi made after seeing the film with Aides Phil Bengtson, Bill Austin, Norb Hecker and Red Cochran, adding: "We were hurting in the platoons, too. They were running back kickoffs and punts on us." Lombardi noted the loss of four regulars, pointing out the absence of Jerry Kramer and Ray Nitschke. "And Ron Kramer only played half the first quarter when he was hurt and Paul Hornung was at half speed." The Colts returned three kickoffs for 100 yards and five punts for 46 yards. One kickoff return and one punt return set up touchdowns, Len Lyles going 64 yards with the game's opening boot to set off a 7-0 lead and Bob Boyd moving those 46 yards to set up the Colts' last TD. Dowler averaged 46 yards on six punts, including shots of 52 and 59 yards. His shortest was 40 stripes - the one that Boyd returned from his own 39 to the Packer 15...The Colts' 45 points put the Packers second in the league's points-allowed column, with a still stingy 113 in seven games. The Giants, who still have a great defense, are tops with 106. This was only the second time in 32 games any foe has scored in the 40s on the Pack since Vince took over the club in '59. And it's interesting to note that the Bays' defensive average for those 32 games is a strong 14.6 points. In those same games, the Packers scored an average of 25.7 marks. The Bays' 243-point total tops the league. Three clubs are bunched around 50 points behind - Giants 199, 49ers 197 and Eagles 195.
BEARS 'SOUND ENOUGH TEAM TO RECOVER'
NOV 7 (Chicago) - Owner-Coach George Halas of the Chicago Bears was called on for some explaining today of his club's 16-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He was bombarded with questions at the Chicago American's Quarterback Club. In the fourth quarter Sunday, the Bears' Roger LeClerc missed an 18-yard field goal and later quarterback Ed Brown failed on one from the 14. Either would have won the game if made. "This team is sound enough to recover from defeat," said Halas, whose Bears have a home engagement Sunday with the Green Bay Packers, Western leaders of the NFL. "LeClerc is a fine prospect, but he is in his first year. He might have been shaken when he missed that field goal. Although quarterback Bill Wade had done a good job in the first half and we were leading 14-10, I decided t put in Brown in the second half. We thought we had to open up the game more if we expected to win. Brown had been doing a good job on the sidelines in the first half analyzing the Eagles' defense. So we went with Brown instead of Wade," Halas continued in the question-answer session. "Brown did what he was supposed to do -get the team down into scoring territory. He had been practicing placekicks all week. He told us if another field goal situation was called for, he thought he could put it through. Any criticism of Brown is unfair. I think we have a fine one-two punch in Wade and Brown that will show up more games to come." Halas had praise for rookie end Mike Ditka from Pittsburgh and halfback Willie Galimore. Galimore is having his best season and now is combining power with his speed. "He is four pounds heavier," said Halas, "but mainly he has more confidence and is more relaxed. As for Ditka, it wouldn't surprise me if he were named rookie of the year. He is a two-fisted fighter, a good pass catcher and blocker, and really likes to win. Naturally, I don't like to lose. I feel just as badly losing by a few points as Marshall." The last reference was to George Preston Marshall, whose Washington Redskins were trounced 53-0 by New York.
COLTS USES 4 'RUSHING' BACKS AT ONCE VS. PACK
NOV 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It seemed like the
Colts rushed four rushing backs in the same backfield against the Packers Sunday - Joe Perry, Alex Hawkins, Raymond Berry and Lenny Moore. QB John Unitas would either hand off the ball off to Perry or Hawkins or he would make a "long-handoff" into the flat to Berry and Moore. Most times Berry or Moore would be on or near the line of scrimmage and they'd be isolated out there in a fine one-on-one situation. It got to the point where it was Berry vs. Jess Whittenton and Moore against Hank Gremminger. Spats Moore was really stepping and when this lad is carrying firecrackers in his shoes he's all but impossible to stop. Unitas had to have a great day to "hand off" so perfectly to Berry and Moore. Those are tough passes to throw. They can't be slow throws because of the danger of sure touchdowns on an interception. Lamar McHan was a little slow on his pitch to Jimmy Orr and Whittenton ate it up for 41 yards and six points. Berry and Moore "carried" 15 times between them and gained 147 yards. Orr, who gave Moore a rest occasionally, nailed three for 28. Four rushers or not, it seemed like every time the Colts got the ball they made yardage. They wound up 407 stripes, including 218 in the air. Here are some reminders jotted down in our play-by-play book on Sunday's Packer-Colt smash: LATE START, HEAT - The game was five minutes late in starting, which is a real rarity. You can usually set your lock at :06 after the hour on the kickoff. Referee Ron Gibbs was sporting a bad cold Sunday but the warm sun must have helped. It was just under 80...ANKLE - Henry Jordan almost ripped off one of Lenny Moore's spats on the fourth play of the game. Lenny hit up the middle and Jordan got him for a one-yard gain with a one-ankle tackle...FULLBACK SWEEP - Jim Taylor doesn't sweep very often but his number came up for that play on the fourth play of the Pack's first touchdown push. Taylor saddled out to his left wide but ran into half the Colt team and lost three yards, with Gary Glick getting there first...PENALTY CHOICE - It doesn't happen often but the Packers committed two penalties on the play that saw Paul Hornung gain two yards at center. The officials called offside and holding on the Bays. The Colts, of course, said they'd penalize the Pack 15 than 5 yards, thus accepting the holding penalty, and Green Bay was set back to the 13...ORR IN - Jimmy Orr made his first showing for Moore on the second last play in the final quarter. John Unitas baptized him with a short pass out to the right, good for five yards...BOOS - The crowd booed something fierce when Taylor flipped the ball up just after being tackled in the second quarter. Jim was held for no gain on a third down and two play and maybe the Colt fans didn't like the way Jim made with the second and third effort...CRAZY - A hometown scribe, noting the fierce boos at the Pack when they left the field at the half, moaned: "These people are crazy to boo a team like that." Incidentally, Hornung received a tremendous ovation when he was introduced in the starting lineup. The boos were pretty well drowned out by the cheering...WELCOME SIGHT - When Joe Perry shot through a gap in the Packer line for 15 yards and the Colts' last touchdown, the score of the Eagle-Bear game became official on the scoreboard. It couldn't have come at a better time.
BEARS IMPROVED SINCE PACK SHUTOUT
NOV 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It is pretty obvious the Bears have improved several hundred percent since they played in Green Bay Oct. 1. That was the day the Packers scored a 24 to 0 shutout victory over the Monsters of the Midway. That triumph was a springboard to something good for both teams. Each club went on to four straight wins, the Bears beating the Lions, Colts, 49ers and Colts in that order and the Packers beating the Colts, Browns, Vikings and Vikings again. Then both teams stubbed their toes - the Bears in Philadelphia (16-14) and the Pack in Baltimore (45-21). How much have the Bears improved since that blanking spanking? Wally Cruice, the Packers' super scout who speaks in Green Bay every Tuesday noon - before lunch, doesn't pretend to know how much the Bears have improved but, "I'm sure the Bears have all improved since they played here. They didn't play well that day." Cruice, who viewed the Eagles' victory over the Bears, went right down the list of Bears and noted: "Ditka, Anderson, Pyle, Galimore, Whitsell, George - all of them are different and better. Casares is running again and Galimore is heavier." Casares averaged nearly four yards a carry against the Eagles' tough (can we forget) defenses. He moved 17 time for 65 yards while Galimore carried 13 for 42. Since Green Bay, the Bears have allowed just 63 points - an average of 12.6. In the Bears' first three games, they permitted an average of 26 in three games. Thus, the Bear defense could be rated at least twice as tough as it was Oct. 1. "Bill George has made a big difference. He has a free hand since Green Bay and he has been good," Cruice said. The Bears' defense, which pitched a shutout at the 49ers and limited the Colts to only 30 points in two games, is pretty much the same as it was Oct. 1. George is the key. He plays the middle linebacker spot - "all over," as it were, including in the enemy backfield. He's usually middling the defensive line composed of Doug Atkins, Maury Youmans, John
Mellekas and Fred Williams. The other linebackers are Larry Morris on the right side and Joe Fortunato on the left. Dave Whitsell, the former Lion who was obtained in the Wade-Barnes deal involving the Rams and Giants, has found a home in Chicago. The right wingman has intercepted five passes and returned them for 108 yards. He has his biggest day in Detroit Oct. 8, intercepting two passes and blocking a field goal attempt. Rich Petitbon plays the safety behind Whitsell while Harlon Hill, making the conversion from offense end, is the left safety. Roosevelt Taylor and J.C. Caroline change off at the left wing...Despite all the fuss about the shotgun, the zephyr and the BB gun, the Packers are leading the league after eight games with their standard howitzer-type offense. The Bays produced a total of 2,848 yards to lead the other clubs. Philadelphia is second with 2,735. The Packers added 1,440 yards by rushing and 1,408 passing. The Eagles have 1,801 in the air, 854 on the ground. Packer Coach Vince Lombardi has attempted to create a balance in his offense and the figures show almost a perfect blend between passing and rushing. The rushers are averaging 5.6 per try and 58.3 percent of the pass attempts have been completed...Team statistics show today that the Packers and Browns, with look-alike quarterbacks in Bart Starr and Milt Plum, have been nicked for the fewest yards lost attempting to pass. The Packers have lost 89 stripes while trying to throw while the Browns gave up 87. Two clubs are over the 200-yard mark, Washington with 266 and Minnesota with 251. The Bears take particular delight in tossing the quarterbacks with losses, with George leading the onslaught. The Eagles handled the perennial problem with apparent success since Sonny Jurgensen lost just 12 yards trying to pass...It being Bear Week, the "No Visitors" sign was hung out at Packer practice today. The Packers, wary of enemy espionage, moved into City Stadium for today's workout. Practice Thursday and Friday also will be held in secret.
BEARS, PACKERS AGREE! SUNDAY'S THE BIG GAME
NOV 8 (Chicago Tribune) - There is no doubt in the mind of any football observer that Sunday's Wrigley Field battle between the Bears and Green Bay Packers represents the biggest game of the season for both clubs. Certainly, neither of the rival coaches will dispute this. "This is it," George Halas declared yesterday. "Quite obviously, the Packers are the team to beat. I have said repeatedly that we won't know until after this game what our title chances really are." Coach Vince Lombardi is eagerly aware that a victory would give his Packers a two game lead over the Bears in the western division race with only five games remaining. A Bear triumph, on the other hand, would move the Chicagoans into a tie for the leadership...EVERY GAME A BIG ONE: "Talk about showdown games," Lombardi lamented. "Every Sunday we seem to play a big one. And nothing could be bigger than this Bear game." Neither the Bears nor the Packers were dealt any favors by the 1961 schedule makers. Both have had one crucial game after another And there is more to come. The Bears managed to lose the one game which appeared to be a soft touch - the opener at Minneapolis. Their recent four game winning streak was compiled against Detroit, Baltimore, San Francisco and again Baltimore, all of whom were pregame favorites. Not only were the Bears matched out of their division against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday (overmatched, as it turned out), but the Chicago club must play its other interdivisional game against Cleveland's always formidable Browns. The Packers opened the campaign by losing to a Detroit team which was a preseason title favorite. Green Bay then won "showdown" games with San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore and Cleveland before relaxing on two successive weekends against the Minnesota Vikings...MUST MEET GIANTS: Green Bay must venture out of the division on Dec. 3 to play the New York Giants, who will be a rugged foe, if for no other reason than because Lombardi was once a Giant coach. Both the Bears and Packers will go back to work today after enjoying two day vacations from physical activity.
DRAFT DATE SET DEC. 2 BY AFL; NFL'S DEC. 4
NOV 8 (Dallas) - The AFL will hold its annual draft here Saturday, Dec. 2, Commissioner Joe Foss announced today. (The NFL's draft is scheduled in Chicago Dec. 4.) Foss pointed out that the player selection would take place after a majority of the college teams had completed their playing season. "This is in cooperation with a request by the American Football Coaches Assn., that pro league not draft prior to the final Saturday of college football," Foss explained. "We have long insisted, and still do, that it is not the date of the draft but the ethics of a league in signing players that can eliminate premature playing signings," said Foss. "But the coaches have asked us to try later draft dates as a remedy and we want to cooperate with them." Last year, the AFL held a six-round telephonic draft Nov. 23, then completed the remaining 24 rounds Dec. 6.
RON KRAMER STILL HOBBLED; PACK ATTITUDE 'FINE,' VINCE
NOV 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The feeling of the Packers toward the big game is "fine," said Coach Vince Lombardi today, "but we just lack people." And one of those people could be Ron Kramer, the Bays' giant blocking and pass-catching right end. "He's hobbled," Vince said, indicating that his chances of playing are not good at all. Kramer injured his ankle in the Viking game in Milwaukee and played just part of the first half against the Colts in Baltimore last Sunday. He was limping when he caught a pass from Paul Hornung in the second quarter and Gary Knafelc finished out. Actually, the Packers are two under their season-starting strength of 36. Definitely out, of course, are Ray Nitschke, who is in the service, and Jerry Kramer, who is recuperating from an ankle injuiry suffered in the "above" Viking game. Barring a miracle recovery by R. Kramer, the Packers will be down to 33 full-speed athletes for the game. What's more, this will be the last game of the season for Paul Hornung and Boyd Dowler, who go into service next week. This will drop the list to 32. Sunday's game looms as the most important of the season thus far for Green Bay. The Bays are fighting for a 7-2 record and a down-the-chute lift for their annual Sunday-Thursday doubleheader, the Rams in Green Bay and the Lions in Detroit Thanksgiving Day. In effect, the Packers can set themselves up for a three-game win streak - with a victory over the Bears. Lombardi has noted the Bays' snap-back after the 45-21 loss at Baltimore and pointed out today that the "team's feeling toward Sunday's game is fine." Lombardi also pooh-poohed this business about secret practices. "We just went inside (Wednesday) because of the wind. It hurt our passing and the stadium gave us more protection from it." "I'm sure they (the Bears) know everything about us by now anyway," Vince said. The Packers were schedule, as they usually do on Thursdays, to hit the sleds and the blocking dummies, which are out in the open at the Oneida St. drill field. An AP story out of Chicago said today that uniformed guards are patrolling Wrigley Field where the Bears are working. Coach George Halas announced that field goal kicking will be handled by Roger LeClerc, who missed from the 18 Sunday in the Bears' 16-14 loss to Philadelphia...Jerry Kramer, relaxing in the hospital after surgery, says, "Sunday's game is a make or break for us. We've got to win it." Kramer watched the Colt game via TV and pointed out that "they (the Colts) were tremendously hot. That third and one just before the half meant an awful lot to us and then the fumble hurt us." Missing the third and one situation forced the Pack to kick and the Colts went on to a 21-14 lead. Suffering from a badly stretched ligament in his ankle, Kramer said "they put a pin in it to keep the separation from coming apart. I don't know if I'll be able to play this year." Besides losing a chance to "help us win the championship, I had hopes to make the pro bowl this year. I thought I might have had a chance." Kramer had a surprise visitor yesterday - Joe Francis, the former Packer quarterback who played in Canada after leaving here during the non-league season. Joe still has his family here and he's on his way to Boston where he'll undergo an operation on his knee. Joe, bothered by his knee injury, played a couple of halves of two games and helped win one game. He'll likely see considerable action next year...Chicago's pro football fans have gone nutty about the game. There's not a ticket to be hand, the game having been sold out for several weeks. One ticket broker who usually can produce told the AP: "Even if money was absolutely no object, you would bring $1,000 over here right now and I couldn't do yo any good." Sid Luckman, former Bear great who now coaches the quarterbacks and is a successful business executive on the side, said: "I've never seen anything like it in my life. I'm getting requests from all over and have exhausted every means I know. Calls come in from New York, California and everywhere. It's making an old man of me." One fan seeking a ticket is anxiously awaiting word from a friend in Paris. The friend had a season ticket to Bear games and the fan cabled him asking what he did with it.
CALLED UP ATHLETES NOT YELLING 'FOUL!'
NOV 9 (Fort Lewis, WA) - The athletes Uncle Sam pulled into the Army because of the Berlin crisis aren't yelling "foul!" "It's one of those things you have to accept as part of the times," said Pvt. Ray Nitschke, hard-muscled linebacker of the Green Bay Packers. "I took an oath of obligation when I joined the reserves and never considered applying for deferment," Nitschke added. "This," said Pvt. Tony Kubek of the New York Yankees, "is a much bigger thing than any baseball game." Three other prominent soldier-athletes of the 32nd Red Arrow Infantry Division expressed similar sentiment, said Lt. Robert Bjorklund, public information officer. They are Pvts. Bob Taylor, Milwaukee Braves outfielder; George Thomas, Los Angels Angels outfielder; and Doug Mayberry, Minnesota Vikings fullback. Boyd Dowler, Green Bay halfback, is expected to join the division next week. The unit will receive intensive training for battle readiness in the coming weeks. None is overjoyed with the change in uniform, the interruption of career, then cut in wages. Each draws base pay of $85.50 per month. Most, if not all, are in the five-figure class of athletes...KUBEK CHIPS TOOTH: "I didn't make much more when I was down in the minors," grinned Kubek, revealing a chipped tooth - his first Army souvenir. He got it playing touch football with his new buddies in Company A, Third Battle Group, 127th Infantry. "The Army is not an easy thing to accept," Kubek added. "You can hardly blame anyone for feeling a little bitter." Most of the athletes have assignments similar to Kubek's. He's a rifleman. But the Army put the 235-pound Nitschke's muscles to work in the quartermaster corps, carrying sacks of potatoes, after making him a shirt. There wasn't a shirt in stock to fit his size 18 1/2 neck. The five men are listed as "fillers," extra pulled in from the reserves to fill out the division, a Wisconsin National Guard unit...'COULD HAVE USED ME': Kubek says he expected the Yanks to move Cletis Boyer from third base to shortstop but did not know who might step in at third. He is hopeful, saying, "If the world situation eases, the Yanks may not need a replacement, at least not for the whole season." Nitschke watched on television Sunday as Green Bay, losing for the first time in seven games, was defeated by Baltimore. "Guess they could have used me in there," he said. "I tackled Mayberry two weeks ago when we played the Vikings," Nitschke remembered. "As we got up, I told him I'd meet him at Fort Lewis." He hasn't so far, but may yet locate Mayberry somewhere among the 13,000 soldiers in the Red Arrow Division.
BEARS ERECT 'PIGSKIN CURTAIN'
NOV 9 (Chicago Tribune) - Khrushchev could have taken a lesson from the Chicago Bears yesterday. The Bears, preparing for Sunday's showdown with the Green Bay Packers, wrapped Wrigley Field in a security cloak which would have done justice to an iron curtain frontier. A Tribune reporter was challenged by a uniformed guard seconds after he had persuaded a Wrigley Field vendor to admit him through one of the huge iron doors overlooking Waveland Avenue. Another patrolman, stationed in front of the lower box seats, peered anxiously through binoculars into the isolated depths of the stands above, doubtless looking for Vince Lombardi's brother. Inside the cavernous structure, the temperature was an icy 31 degrees, but the Bears generated enough warmth to keep even Coach George Halas comfortable...THE BEARS KNOW REWARDS: "The morale is fine," Halas said. Yes, it's hard to take, losing
the close one at Philadelphia Sunday. But the fellows know they'll be tied for the lead if they beat Green Bay." Assistant Clark Shaughnessy said the Bears were in "as good a shape physically and mentally as we can expect them to be this time of year. They've played 15 games already, including exhibitions. Actually, we have to guard against overworking them in the middle of the week." Luke Johnsos, another coaching aid, pointed out that when the Bears engage the Packers "it will the same as playing for championship money. That's how much this game means to us." After calisthenics, the squad was broken down into individual units for work on specific phases of attack and defense against the Packers...CONFIDENCE IN PLAYS: The offensive line, huffing and puffing through its assignments on a series of plays calculated as most likely to succeed against the Green Bay defense, heard this abrupt declaration from Coach Phil Handler: "These plays should make us 4 or 5 yards every time. If we don't get it, you guys just aren't blocking." Quarterback Bill Wade, missing John Farrington on a long pass play, quickly apologized, "My fault, Bo." Wade then hit Willie Galimore perfectly on the next attempt. Ed Brown, the "goat" of Sunday's loss at Philadelphia as a result of an unsuccessful field goal attempt from the Eagles' 13 yard line, confined his practice kicking to punting, at which he is a journeyman...LECLERC GETS JOB: If it is necessary to try a field goal against the Packers, Halas indicated, the job will be handled by Roger LeClerc, who missed from the 18 last Sunday. One of the many problems facing the Bears is the Mystery of Mike Ditka. The burly rookie end was handcuffed by the Eagles, who assigned middle linebacker Chuck Weber exclusively to Ditka, and got away with it. Weber lined up inside and forced Ditka to release to the outside. Ditka had been successful in earlier games in cutting across the middle to take passes. Ditka revealed that he had been "taking lessons" from Bear teammate Bill George, middle linebacker, and Harlon Hill, former offensive end now playing at defensive safety...HALFBACKS NO PROBLEMS: "It's just a matter of not letting the linebacker bump me so bad that I get off to a late start on the pass pattern," he explained. "I don't have much trouble getting rid of the halfbacks. Our patterns help a lot. With guys like Johnny Morris and Farrington clearing for me, the opposing defense often is opened up so well that my man will drop off just a little bit, and that's enough." Like many of his Bear teammates, Ditka believes the Eagles were "lucky to get away with that defense against us. When they moved Weber over on me, they should have been weak somewhere else. But we just weren't able to pick it up."
CHAMPS! PACK FACES 'BIG GAME' VS. BEARS
NOV 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - In the process of becoming Western Division champions last year, the Packers learned how to win the Big Game. And they won their share. Winning the Big Game is the mark of a champion. But it doesn't come overnight. When Vince Lombardi took over the Pack in '59 he inherited a team that (1) had won just one game and (2) was quite used to losing the Big Game. Lombardi accomplished the impossible by transforming the Packer loser into a 7-5 winner in his freshman year. But winning the Big Game was much too much to ask and the Packers went down fighting in at least two big ones - the Giants in New York and the Colts in Milwaukee. But - almost overnight - the Packers won several Big Games in 1960, enough to put them into the championship game, and they've won at least two already this year. Every game in the NFL is a Big Game, of course, but some are more significant than others. The first Big Game in '60 was that Colt battle in Green Bay; the Pack won 35-21. The next Big Game was the Bears in Chicago; this was do or die and the Packers won it 41-13. That put them into a shot for a title and they faced two more Big Games. They won 'em both and gained the playoff. The Packers of '61, aiming to make Green Bay Titletown, U.S.A., come Dec. 31, already have won two Big Games - the Colts in Green Bay and the Browns in Cleveland. The win over the Colts put the Bays over the .500 mark and the victory over the Browns shattered the so-called Brown Barrier. And now it's the Bear Game - the Big Game. This is the Pack's midseason "title" game...That the Packers are getting themselves ready (and that's a mild term) was noticeable in Thursday's "pad day" practice on the Oneida St. drill field. There was some leather popping but no scrimmage, of course. The Packer defense, belted for 45 points last Sunday, is just sharpening its collective shoulder on the shoulders of the offense...Wrigley Field is sold out completely for Sunday's 86th Packer-Bear game. All standing room "seats" have been peddled and the Bears today urged all fans without a ticket to stay away. Scalpers get over $100 for pasteboards...The Bears have toughened their defenses. They had 10 passes intercepted in the first three games, but have had only five stolen in the last three games. Bill Wade has had seven passes intercepted; Ed Brown eight. Bart Starr, who has thrown 57 more passes than Wade, had seven stolen. Wade likely will start art QB for the Bears. Brown opened in Green Bay Oct. 1. Wade started in the loss to Philly last Sunday and Brown finished...The Bears' three top "stix" men are Willie Galimore with 381 yards in 90 carries; Rick Casares, 341 in 76; and Mike Ditka, with 24 catches for 581 yards and six touchdowns...The Packers leave for Chicago on the 8:40 North Western Saturday morning. They'll loosen up at Wrigley Field upon arrival and then head for the Drake Hotel. The team will fly home in their United Airlines charter, arriving at Austin Straubel Field about 6:40 Sunday evening.
PACKERS VS. BEARS: TEST OF FORTUNES
NOV 10 (Chicago Tribune) - "There are," the late Knute Rockne once observed, "only two kinds of football teams - lucky and unlucky. Unless its an obvious mismatch from the start, very few football games are ever decided on ability alone." George Halas and Vince Lombardi, professional football pioneers accustomed to dealing only with the pick of available talent, frequently opined they would rather be "lucky than good." Lombardi, the Green Bay ringmaster, may join the cult some day. But at the moment, there is no reason for him to make a choice. In addition to being a very fine football team, the Packers Lombardi will bring to Wrigley Field for a showdown with the Chicago Bears on Sunday have not exactly been the stepchildren of fate...A ONE GAME LEAD: They have a one game lead in the western division championship race. Just a little switch in the breaks and they could be training the Bears. Green Bay was as fortunate in Philadelphia last Sunday as the Eagles, though Lombardi and his Packers were 102 miles down the seaboard in Baltimore. Either one of the short field goals or the short pass the Bears missed in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia would have whipped out the Packers' one game advantage...BALL TOUCHES GOAL: This was the second time this season that Lady Luck turned her back on the Bears to smile on the Packers. In the first meeting between the two, in Green Bay on Oct. 1, the Bears crossed the goal on their first drive down the field at a time when a touchdown might have changed the entire complexion of the contest. The touchdown was not allowed. This was the advance that finally came to grief when quarterback Ed Brown called himself on a optional rollout pass from the 1 yards line on fourth down and was trapped on the 15, where the Packers took possession. Brown was roundly criticized for the call. But he never should have had to make it. Two plays before he had rolled out and raced for the corner with Packer defenders closing in, he dived for the goal line. The ball, in his hands, came down first smack on the line. Brown hit the ground later, in the field of play. The ball was placed on the 1 yard line. Rookie Bill Brown, starting at fullback for the injured Rick Casares, failed to get the yard at tackle. Brown then called the unsuccessful rollout. Six National League
officials, when the second down play was presented to them subsequently as a hypothetical case, all declared the second down play was a touchdown automatically when the ball in the possession of a player came to rest on the line. It could have been a big touchdown that afternoon instead of just another grin for the Packers from the lady in charge of breaks. A touchdown lead might have provided sufficient impetus to carry the Bears on to a better fate than a 24 to 0 loss...BEARS FAILS TO PROFIT: There is an axiom in football that a good team makes its breaks. It reads well but does not always hold true. The Bears made three breaks for themselves in the fourth quarter at Philadelphia and only the Eagles and Packers profited. Both teams - the Packers and Bears - are good enough to make some breaks for themselves in Sunday's engagement. But they only put touchdowns and field goals on the scoreboard.
WRIGLEY FIELD A 'BEAR TRAP'
NOV 11 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Chicago's Wrigley Field, as it has nearly half a hundred times in the past 40 years, becomes the center of all Green Bay attention tomorrow. Those robust and bitter gridiron feudists, the Packers and the Chicago Bears, will be squaring off again in the home of the Bears for a battle in which the divisional championship clubs are down. But that's nothing new. The title has ridden on more than one Packer-Bear collision in the part that gum built. For the Packers, Sunday's invasion will be in the nature of walking into a bear trap (spell it with a small B or a capital - it's all the same thing), but that's nothing new, either. The truth is, Wrigley Field hasn't been exactly a cozy love bower for the locals...ONLY TWO TIES: To date they have made the trip 46 times and on only 14 occasions have they staggered out again with the game ball. The overall record there is 14 Bay wins, 30 Bear victories and two ties. In fact, the Packers have never been ahead in the Wrigley Field rivalry. The best they were ever able to do was to pull even at 11-11-1 as far back as 1938. The Bruins went in front again the following year and the gap has widened ever since. The Bears piled up as much of their existing margin in the past 20 years. Between 1941 and 1960, the Packers were able to win only three games in Chicago, and one of them was at the beginning of the period and the other at the very end. In between, they took one in 1952 and salvaged a tie in '53. Very few of the Bear victories have been easy, though - or Packer decisions for that matter. In only 11 of the 46 clashes has the margin been greater than two touchdowns and only six times has one team scored more than 30 points against the other. The trend started in the inaugural clash, just 40 years ago. Then called the Decatur Staleys and en route to their first championship, the Bears condescended to let the fledgling Packers have a shot at them and gave them their come-uppance 20-0...SCORED HIMSELF: The Packers were doing all right until All America Pete Stinchcomb rocketed through the line and sped 45 yards to the first touchdown. In the final quarter, the Bears scored what must still rank for George Halas as the most satisfactory tally in the long history of the rivalry. He made it himself, the only touchdown he ever personally registered against the Pack, although he has engineered enough of them since. As often as not victory has ridden on the One Big Play, a spectacular individual feat that broke up what looked like a standoff or turned apparent defeat into victory. The series is studded with them, and Wrigley Field crowds have thrilled to their share. In 1926, it was Paddy Driscoll, who converted a 13-12 Packer conquest into a 19-13 defeat when he scooped up a fourth quarter fumble and galloped 20 yards for the winning touchdown. Paddy deserved that game, though. He accounted for the other Bear TD by passing 45 yards to Duke Hanny and added two field goals, one of them a soaring 56-yard dropkick that has never been topped...TURN CAME IN '28: A year later the hero - or villain - was Bill Senn, who played what old timers still insist was the greatest individual game the series has ever seen. The Packers couldn't contain him as he took a lateral from Driscoll and whirled 52 yards for one touchdown and a 31-yard aerial from Paddy for the other in a 14-7 Bear decision. It was the Packers' turn in 1928, and this time the Big Play was made by Dick O'Donnell. In the final minute of a closely fought stalemate, Dick snatched a 31-yard throw from Red Dunn out of the clutching fingers of a surrounding swarm of defenders, broke through the blockage, and dashed 15 more yard for a 7-0 Bay win...MICHALSKE TO THE RESCUE: Mike Michalske made the honor roll in 1931 with a pass interception that gave the Pack a 6-2 margin. Big Call Hubbard scared Carl Brumbaugh into throwing wild, Mike picked it off and lumbered 80 yards for the clincher. Brumbaugh redeemed the skull later that season when he grabbed Bo Molenda's gambling toss on the first scrimmage play of the afternoon and promptly fired a TD pass for the score that beat the Packers, 7-6. And, of course, there that historic afternoon in 1935 when Arnie Herber and Don Hutson brought the Packers from the brink of a 14-3 defeat to a 16-14 victory in the last two minutes. Hutson gathered in Arnie's 25-yarder and raced 40 more to make the score 14-10 with only a minute to go. After Ernie Smith had recovered the fumbled kickoff, Don trampled over Keith Molesworth in the end zone to pull down the winning Herber throw. Not all the Big Plays have been offensive, however. In 1932, Tom Nash blocked a punt in the end zone for an automatic safety that meant a 2-0 Packer margin...GRANGE HURT PACK: Red Grange made it in the Bears' 10-7 victory in '33. As Clarke Hinkle was about to crash over for what would have been the winning tally, Grange punched the ball out of his hands just short of the goal line and recovered on the Bear one. That was a frustrating Bear year for Hinkle, anyway. In the third clash, he carried the opening kickoff 94 yards, only to be decked from behind on the Bear four-yard line, and the effort was wasted when the Chicagoans held on the three-inch line. After Bobby Monnett sped 92 yards with a punt in the final quarter, the entire Bear team swarmed in to block the conversion and preserve a 7-6 margin...FRITSCH THE VICTIM: In 1946 Ted Fritsch was the victim of Bulldog Turner's big play. On the second half kickoff, Turner belted Fritsch loose from the ball, Ed Sprinkle picked it up and scooted 20 yards for the icebreaker. Tiny Croft stole the ball on the Bear 15 in the closing minute and Ted carried over, but the Bears won 10-7. The series had been studded with long scoring gallops, from Michalske's interception to Hank Bruder's 59-yard dash through the line in 1936, longest scoring run from scrimmage. Other Wrigley Field standards include a 78-yard Herber-Hutson pass play in 1937, Bill Hewitt's 60-yard dash with a recovered fumble in 1936, and a 93-yard punt return by Veryl Switzer in 1954. Strangely, although Al Carmichael's 106-yard kickoff return in City Stadium in 1956 against the Bears stands as the NFL standard, no kickoff has ever been carted all the way for a score at Wrigley Field. The closest was Hinkle's abortive 94-yarder. The football has continued to take those funny bounces for four decades, with the roster of game heroes reading like a Who's Who of football. Among them have been Stinchcomb, Grange, Driscoll, Michalske, Bronko Nagurski (whose fullback duels with Hinkle have never been duplicated on any gridiron), Hutson, Herber, Bill Hewitt, Sid Luckman, Joe Laws, Hugh Gallarneau and Paul Hornung.
NITSCHKE GIVEN PASS FOR BEAR TILT SUNDAY
NOV 11 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Private Ray Nitschke will play with the Green Bay Packers in their battle to retain sole possession of first place against the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon. Nitschke, Green Bay's driving linebacker, was granted a weekend pass from Janesville's 32nd Quartermaster Company at Ft. Lewis, Wash., and left by plane for Chicago early this morning. He is scheduled to return Sunday evening. CWO Hugo Voelki, 32nd Division weekend duty officer, told the Press-Gazette that Private Nitschke was given a normal weekend pass. He reported that he will be given passes for future games "as long as they do not conflict with normal duties." A spokesman for the division was quoted as saying, "Ray's going on this mission with the blessings and good wishes of all the Wisconsin guys here. We watched that Baltimore slaughter last week on television and don't want it to happen again," the report stated. Nitschke was called into military service 10 days ago.
HORNUNG, DOWLER SEEK 'TITLE' WIN
NOV 11 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Boyd Dowler and Paul Hornung would like to have a "good day" against the Bears in Wrigley Field Sunday. "But most of all we'd like to help the Packers into the championship by winning." This will be their last game of the current season, barring any last-minute changes, and next week they'll go into the Army - Hornung to Fort Riley, Kan., and Dowler to Fort Lewis, Wash. They are the last of the Big Three the Pack lost to Uncle Sam. Ray Nitschke reported a week ago to Fort Lewis. Dowler, also echoing the feelings of Hornung, spoke more of winning "this game" than of departing for the season. "This is like a title game was far as we are concerned. If we beat the Bears, we'll have an excellent chance of winning the championship. We could get a two-game lead by winning," Dowler said, adding: "It also would be nice for both of us to go out with a good taste." The Army Three undoubtedly would share in the championship money if the Bays are able to turn the trick despite these tremendous personnel losses. Besides Nitschke, Hornung and Dowler, the Packers already have lost Jerry Kramer for the season via injury. Thus, only 32 of the starting 36 will be left after Sunday. What will the loss of Hornung and Dowler mean point and yardwise? How much slack must be taken up? Hornung was scoring at an average of 13.8 points per in the first eight games. He was clipping off over 50 yards rushing and one pass catch for 10 yards per game. He had scored 30 extra points, 11 field goals and eight touchdowns for 111 points in the first eight games - nearly four extra points, over one field goal and one TD in each of the first eight games. Dowler was the Packers' long-distance receiver. He had 20 pass catches for 422 yards and two touchdowns. He was averaging a fat 21 yard per reception. He was averaging nearly three catches for 54 yards in each of the first eight games. In addition, Dowler was just starting to climb among the league's punters, with his average of 45 yards on 24 kicks. He ranked fifth after eight games. Hornung is in his fifth Packer season; Dowler his third. Hornung has now scored 466 points for second in the all-time scoring table. Dowler has caught 92 passes in his 32 league games for 1,476 yards and eight touchdowns. Boyd was named rookie of the year in the NFL in '59.
NO MORE TICKETS! BEAR FANS HIT ROAD FOR TV
NOV 11 (Chicago Tribune) - Highways north, east and west out of Chicago will be heavily traveled tomorrow by the overflow from the Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers game. Professional fans, rapidly becoming the most rabid followers in football, will be heading for television sets in the Rockford, Milwaukee, Racine and South Bend areas, including points as close as Crystal Lake and St. Charles. League rules, which specify a blackout belt in the immediate vicinity of a National League contest, prevent the Bears and Packers from airing the title showdown any nearer to Chicago...GREATEST DEMAND EVER: These pilgrimages to the nearest set that can pick up the signal of an authorized outlet are the result of the greatest demand for tickets to a Bear game in history. Pressure on the box office may have been as great for the two Bear-Packer games in Wrigley Field in 1941, but, as one box office veteran pointed out, there are a great many more pro fans today and a greater number is clamoring for credentials to tomorrow's contest...A COMPLETE SELLOUT: Oddly enough, however, the attendance record for Wrigley Field will not
are a great many more pro fans today and a greater number is clamoring for credentials to tomorrow's contest...A COMPLETE SELLOUT: Oddly enough, however, the attendance record for Wrigley Field will not be broken. Back in the '40's, there was at least one crowd of 51,000. The Los Angeles Rams drew 50,286 on the north side in 1951 and 50,187 in 1955, the only home crowds in excess of 50,000 the Bears have drawn in the last decade. Since those Rams visits, field seats and standing room tickets have been reduced by 2,000 for Bear games. Club officials estimate tomorrow's attendance will be 49,100. They also estimate they could have disposed of another 60,000 seats. The game has been a complete sellout for three weeks. The Packers move into the loop this afternoon, following a final drill in Green Bay this morning. Coach Vince Lombardi said yesterday he was advancing south with some trepidation. The Packers, Lombardi opined, are in their annual midseason slump, a letdown for which he has not been able to find an explanation. They had it last year, and there was no explanation then either. "I'm not crying," Lombardi said. "I'm just dying."
PACKER TITLE HOPES REST ON WIN OVER BEARS
NOV 12 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - This is it for the Packers. They must beat the Bears in Wrigley field this afternoon to preserve their chances of repeating as Western Division champions. All will not be lost if they lose, but after today the Packers will have to go without Paul Hornung and Boyd Dowler, their two fine offensive stars. Hornung and Dowler will enter the Army later in the week. A win would give Green Bay a two-game lead on the Bears - with five games left. A loss would reduce the Packers to a 6-3 tie with the fast moving Bears. A crowd that may reach almost 50,000 persons will be lucky enough to see the clash in the flesh. All standing room spots were sold earlier in the week. Bear officials estimated that 60,000 additional tickets could have been sold. Kickoff in this 86th meeting of pro football's bitterest rivals is set for 1:06 and it will be piped back home via TV and radio. The Packers received a manpower lift Saturday. Pvt. Ray Nitschke of Wisconsin's 32nd Division showed up for the final drill in Wrigley Field Saturday. He flew in from Fort Lewis, Wash., with a weekend pass. The big linebacker, who played an outstanding game here a year ago, has been in service nearly two weeks and missed last Saturday's game in Baltimore. He has slimmed down to 230 pounds, confessing that "getting up at 5 in the morning is hard on me. But I've been doing a lot of running." Coach Vince Lombardi wondered if the absence from football would handicap him. Nitschke will likely see action but Tom Bettis will start at middle linebacker. It is less difficult for a defensive player to play on "weekends" than an offensive player who loses his timing. Hornung was handicapped last Sunday after he had missed three days of practice. The Packers will, in effect, be fighting for three wins in this single case. A victory here would send them into their next two games against the Rams and Lions in five days with the Packers in first place. The Packers figure to come up with a powerful defensive performance today in view of what here would send them into their next two games against
the Rams and Lions in five days with the Packers in first place. The Packers figure to come up with a powerful defensive performance today in view of what Lombardi called "a poor game by the defense" in Baltimore. The unit seems highly keyed and ready for Bill Wade, Ed Brown, Rick Casares, Mike Ditka, Willie Galimore and the rest of the them. Green Bay's chances rest largely with its offense, Bart Starr in particular. If the Packers can score they can win but it's been tough since their explosion in Cleveland. They followed with wins over Minnesota, but it was like pulling teeth - painful. Departees Hornung and Dowler could come up with tremendous games since this might be their 1961 finale but the Bears likely will keep a special eye on them for that reason. This, then, might open the way for Jim Taylor, Max McGee and Ron Kramer. Hornung and Dowler are hopeful of having "good days." A key figure today will be Kramer, whose damaged ankle will be noticed with interest by both clubs. He has been limping some in practice this week, but was moving well Saturday. His blocking and pass catching are important factors in the Packer offense. The Bears are likely to give Norm Masters a severe test. The former tackle has replaced Jerry Kramer, who is out for the season with his injured ankle. Masters played the new spot for the first time last Sunday. He'll get special support and tips throughout the game. Jerry, crutches and all, will be on the Packer bench. The two guards, Masters and Fred Thurston, and center Jim Ringo will have to keep an eye on the Bears' greatest defensive player, Bill George, who has been harassing enemy quarterbacks all year. The "boys" might get a little wild. In this case, the targets are the quarterbacks - as Starr well knows from the earlier Bear game in Green Bay. Bart suffered a deep cut around his mouth and was subjected to considerable pounding...BRIEFS: Bill Wade will probably start for the Bears at QB...The Bears came out with "injury" stories about the time the Packers arrived Saturday afternoon. One of the papers carried a long piece about Galimore and Casares being hurt; hadn't heard about it all week...Nitschke, Dowler and Lew Carpenter stayed on the "field" after the workout to get in a few extra passes after Saturday's drill. The Bays couldn't drill on the gridiron since it was covered. Rather than take the team to the lakefront or some other field, Lombardi conducted the loosening up session in the narrow area between the sidelines and the stands.
PACKERS NEED VICTORY OVER BEARS TO SNAP 26-YEAR JINX
NOV 12 (Chicago-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Will the Bears go on a scoring rampage today? Can the Packers snap the oldest jinx in pro football? The Packers and the Bears, representing pro football's oldest rivalry, meet for the 86th time since 1921 in Wrigley Field this afternoon. Chicago leads the series with 50 victories. Green Bay won 29. Six games finished in ties. The Packers haven't been able to beat the Bears twice in the same season in 26 years. If the average life of a pro football player is around five years, that jinx has lasted through more than five "generations." Green Bay last beat the Bears twice in a single season in 1935 when Don Hutson was a rookie. He scored all three touchdowns - one in a 7-0 win in Green Bay and two in the last two minutes for the win in Chicago 17-14. Actually, the Packers have not had many chances in the last 26 seasons to produce a "double." Green Bay produced the opening-game in (always in Green Bay) only nine times in the 26 seasons after 1935. In each case, the Bears won in Chicago. The Bays got their first chance to sweep a pair after 1935 when they won in Green Bay 21-16, but the Bears reversed the count in a bitter Chicago battle 30-27. Green Bay never received another chance until the war year of 1944. The Packers won the starter in Green Bay 44-28 behind Ted Fritsch and Lou Brock but the Bears evened the count in Chicago 21-0. One year later, the Bays won again in Green Bay, this time 31-21, but the Bears took the nightcap 28-24. It was in 1947 when the Packers led off with a Jack Jacobs-inspired 29-20 victory but the Bears won the second game in Chicago 20-17 when Ward Cuff's field goal try was blocked in the final seconds...FURROWS IN NIGHTCAP: In 1950, the Packers stormed to a 31-21 victory but the Bears were furious in the nightcap, winning 28-14. Five years later, the Packers threw up a rugged defense in whipping the Bears 24-3 in Green Bay. The Bears, unhappy about that lone field goal, exploded in Chicago 52-31 in the
highest scoring game in the series. The exciting Stadium Dedication game here in '57 produced a 21-17 Green Bay victory but the Bears got even in Chicago 21-14. In a low-scoring throwback to the old defensive battles, the Packers, in Vince Lombardi's debut in 1959, edged the Bears 9-6. But the Bears wouldn't let the Packers score twice from the one-yard line and got even 28-17. And now its' 1961 and the Packers are just five games removed from their ninth victory at home over the Bears in the last 26 years - that 24 to 0 win last Oct. 8. That 24 to 0 score won't be working for the Packers. It was the same kind of game the Packers won in 1955, a 24 to 3 decision. That riled the Bears something fierce and they went out and scored 52 marks. The 1961 Bears can be expected to be just as ornery today over the October shutout. Unlike this year, the two clubs went into that game in a 3-3 knot in the standings. On the previous Sunday, the Bears beat the Rams 31-20 and the Packers lost to the Colts 14-10. Both teams lost last Sunday and the Pack is leading Chicago by a game in the standings. The Packers have won only six games in Wrigley Field since that historical two-game sweep. Each, of course, followed a loss to the Bears in Green Bay...LAST-MINUTE HEROICS: Hutson's last minute heroics in '35 opened the gates for three straight Packer wins in Chicago - 21 to 10 in '36, 24 to 14 in 1937 and 24 to 17 in 1938. But the Bays couldn't win there until '41 when they upset the greatest Bear team in history, 16-14. The drought really set in after that year. Green Bay couldn't win in Wrigley Field until 1952 when Tony Canadeo led the Packers to a 41 to 28 victory. The last win there was the dedicated 41 to 13 decision a year ago. That victory, one week after the death of the Packers' Jack Vainisi, was the first of three that put Green Bay into the championship game. A win today would put the Packers on the inside of the title track, too!
BEARS BID FOR SHARE OF LEAD TODAY; BATTLE PACKERS
NOV 12 (Chicago Tribune) - Two old line families among professional football's aristocracy, the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, exchange pompous leers for the 86th time today. In Wrigley field, at one time the hub of all the National League's championship activity, they once again match title claims in what undoubtedly will do down as the climatic battle of the season for each. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:06 o'clock, Chicago time. Green Bay, defending western division champion, is a slight favorite. It holds a one game lead over the Bears in the pennant race. Both are coming off defeat, which a week ago snapped winning streaks...PARK SOLD OUT: No football game in recent years has created quite so much excitement. Bear officials estimate they have turned 60,000 fans away empty handed from the box office since the last of 49,100 tickets were sold three weeks ago. Even Curly Lambeau, the man who started it all with Bear Coach George Halas 41 years ago, was shut out. He arrived from Green Bay last night without a ticket. But the founder of the Packers, now retired, will be among those present. Halas vowed to find room for his old adversary and fellow pioneer somewhere, even if it has to be on the Bear bench. No tickets will be on sale at Wrigley field and fans who do not already have tickets are requested to remain away from the park...BEARS LAST CHANCE?: The Bears will be reaching for the rainbow today. Relegated to sixth place in preseason
forecasts, the team that confounded friend and foe alike, will, after a most discouraging start, be striving to go into a first place tie with the Packers by defeating Vince Lombardi's powerhouse for the first time in four meetings, counting a 24 to 14 loss in a preseason contest in Milwaukee last summer. Green Bay has the better passing, the greater power and the better secondary. The Bears have the greater speed and, in the opinion of common opponents, the better defensive line. In linebackers, they are regarded as even. Paul Hornung and Boyd Dowler, important cogs in Lombardi's championship machine a year ago, will be playing their last game, at least for a week or so. They are scheduled for induction on Tuesday. Hornung, a sure shot on field goals and extra points, is the league's leading scorer. If a field goal opportunity presents itself today, the Bears will attempt to match the former Notre Dame All-America with Roger LeClerc, a second year man. LeClerc has been designated as the Bears' kicker under all circumstances, following last week's sad experience in Philadelphia. He comes up to today's game with one week - his first - of concentrated effort on placements. When Hornung leaves, Green Bay plans to turn his halfback assignment over to Tom Moore, a second year man from Vanderbilt, and Moore undoubtedly will see action today. As big and faster than Hornung, Moore does not provide the passing threat that has made Hornung a problem to all opponents. But they are now saying in Green Bay he can block better than Hornung and will be of greater help to Jim Taylor, who has piled up nearly as many yards as the Bears' two leading ground gainers, Willie Galimore and Rick Casares, combined. Latest official statistics give Taylor 711 yards, an average of 5.8 yards per attempt.
