Preseason: Green Bay Packers (2-0) 31, St. Louis Cardinals 10
Friday August 18th 1961 (at St. Louis)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(ST. LOUIS) - The Packers checked on the ground, took to the air to defeat the Cardinals 31 to 10 at Busch Stadium Friday night. It was Green Bay's second straight non-league victory, coming on the heels of a 30-7 win at Dallas a week ago, and the 12th non-loop victory in a row under Vince Lombardi. The Cardinal Glennon Memorial Charity Game drew the largest crowd ever to see a football contest here - 31,056. The Packers were methodically in wiping out the souped-up red shirts, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal the first four times they had their hands on the ball. Green Bay's vaunted rushing game was slowed down to 94 yards, although gunners Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung were used less than a half. QB Bart Starr passed for two touchdowns and set up one other and the field goal with pinpoint pitches. John Roach, the Cards' regular QB last year, engineered the fourth TD and completed four out of five passes along the way. The Packers put up a deadly defense, giving up only a field goal in the third quarter and finally a touchdown in the fourth frame, with three rookies in the defensive line. Green Bay scored the TDs on drive of 63, 52, 80 and 61 yards and the first two came in 12 minutes of the first half. Taylor scored enough points to win the game, getting 13 on a touchdown, a 37-yard field goal and four extra points. Hornung scored the first TD on a one-yard crack into the line and Starr and Max McGee worked on a 39-yard pass for the second. Midway in the second period, Starr passed 38 yards to Ron Kramer for the third TD and early in the fourth frame Taylor counted six on a one-yard fourth-down leap into the end zone. The Cardinals received a wicked blow when their great back, John David Crow, suffered a fractured ankle in the third period. Crow slammed off left and Willie Wood tackled him low and Ron Kostelnik hit him from above. Crow was carried off the field on a stretcher. Crow had gained 34 yards in eight attempts. Taylor, who picked up over 110 in Dallas, was limited to 39 in 13 trips. The Packer defense intercepted three passes - by Dan Currie, John Symank and Em Tunnell, and each steal set up a touchdown or field goal drive. The defense held the Cards to 117 yards rushing and 121 passing - a total of 238. Green Bay never had to punt until halfway through the third quarter and boyd Dowler wound up with two for a 43-yard average.
GAMBLE PAYS OFF
The Packers had a fourth and one situation right at the start at midfield and decided against the punt. The first gamble paid off and Taylor picked up the necessary yard. Oddly enough, the first of Starr's 10 completions in 19 attempts for 193 yards actually lost yardage. It was a five-yard flip to Hornung who was tackled behind the line of scrimmage. On the next play, the Packers drew an
yardage. It was a five-yard flip to Hornung who was tackled behind the line of scrimmage. On the next play, the Packers drew an offside penalty. With 20 yards to go and second down coming up, Starr went to work. He hurled to Taylor for 13, to Ron Kramer for 23 and to Hornung for 19 to the Cardinal 7. From that point, Taylor hit to his right and cut back for six yards to the one and Horning took it over. Taylor's point kick made it 7-0. The Cardinals picked up two first downs to midfield and then Currie snared George Izo's pitch in front of Sonny Randle and returned 14 yards to the Packer 48. Taylor and Hornung cracked to the 39 and then McGee worked behind Hill and took Starr's pass on the 15 and scampered into the end zone. The Pack forced a punt early in the second period but Wood fumbled the catch and the Cards recovered on the Packer 45. Crow's running and Izo's two completions to McGinnis and Stacey set the Cards on the Packer 13. The Bays stiffened and Conrad kicked a field goal from the 22. The Packers then drove 80 yards for a touchdown but it was tough starting. On first down from the 20, the Packers drew a holding penalty, getting set back to the 10. On second down Hornung lost two. Thus, it was third and 22 to go when Starr, on a rollout to the right, passed to Hornung up the right side for a 32-yard gain to the Packer 40. Eight plays later, Starr and Kramer worked a 38-yard TD pass and it was 21-3. Just before the half the Cards threatened, but Symank ended it with an interception.
SLUGGING HILL BOOTED
Larry Hickman and Tom Moore joined the Packer backfield, plus Gary Knafelc and Lew Carpenter to start the second half and the Bays went in for a field goal after taking the kickoff. Moore ran 13 yards and Starr pitched 20 yards to Carpenter. Hill and Knafelc got into a bumping match and Hill was booted out for slugging, the penalty putting the Pack on the Card 30. Three passes went awry so Taylor booted his field goal. The Cards made two first downs, including a 23-yard run by Mestnik, and lost Crow as the teams exchanged two punts. Just before the end of the third period, Tunnell intercepted a throw by Charley Johnson and sprinted 28 yards to the Packer 39 to set up Roach's touchdown drive. The first four plays ate up most of the yardage. Roach passed 15 yards to McGee, Taylor ran eight, Roach passed 15 to Dowler and Kramer went eight on the end-around to the Cardinal 17. Roach was thrown for a 10-yard loss but came right back with a pass to McGee for 22 yards. From the five, Hornung lost two, Roach pitched four yards to the one, Hornung made a foot and Taylor then leaped over. The Cards went 90 yards for their only TD. Along the way, Johnson hurled passes of 29, 13 and 8 to Stacey and Joe Childress raced 11 yards. From the 11, the Cards scored in four plays, with Childress going nine up the middle to the two. Mestnik, the former Marquette star, scored from a foot out. Roach passed to Carpenter for 12 and three plays after the game ended. Now, the Packers continue their preparation for the 1961 championship season against the Bears in the Shrine Game in Milwaukee next Saturday night.
GREEN BAY - 14 7 3 7 - 31
ST. LOUIS - 0 3 0 7 - 10
GREEN BAY ST. LOUIS
First Downs 19 16
Rushing-Yards-TD 30-94-2 24-117-1
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 26-15-257-2-0 28-11-121-0-3
Sack Yards Lost 6 9
Total Yards 351 238
Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0
Turnovers 1 3
Yards penalized 4-37 3-25
SCORING
1st - GB - Paul Hornung, 1-yard run (Jim Taylor kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - GB - Max McGee, 39-yard pass from Bart Starr (Taylor kick) GREEN BAY 14-0
2nd - STL - Gerry Perry, 22-yard field goal GREEN BAY 14-3
2nd - GB - Ron Kramer, 32-yard pass from Starr (Taylor kick) GREEN BAY 21-3
3rd - GB - Taylor, 37-yard field goal GREEN BAY 24-3
4th - GB - Taylor, 1-yard run (Taylor kick) GREEN BAY 31-3
4th - STL - Frank Mestnik, 1-yard run (Bobby Joe Conrad kick) GREEN BAY 31-10
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 13-39 1 TD, Larry Hickman 8-22, Tom Moore 1-13, Ron Kramer 1-8, John Roach 1-6, Paul Hornung 6-6 1 TD
ST. LOUIS - Frank Mestnick 11-52 1 TD, John David Crow 8-34, Joe Childress 2-20, Prentice Gautt 3-11
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 19-10-193 2 TD, John Roach 6-5-64, Paul Hornung 1-0-0
ST. LOUIS - George Izo 19-6-60 2 INT, Charley Johnson 9-5-61 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Max McGee 4-78 1 TD, Paul Hornung 4-45, Ron Kramer 2-55 1 TD, Lew Carpenter 2-31, Jim Taylor 2-29
ST. LOUIS - Sonny Randle 4-41, Bill Stacey 2-37, John David Crow 2-0, Bobby Joe Conrad 1-14, Hugh McInnis 1-13, Prentice Gautt 1-7
'DEFENSE, PASS OFFENSE LOOKS GOOD,' LOMBARDI
AUG 19 (St. Louis-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - How did the Packers look to Coach Vince Lombardi? "Offhand, I'd say the defense looked good overall, and so did the pass offense," In beating the Cardinals 31-10, the defense limited the Cards to 238 yards, including 90 on a TD drive late in the fourth period, with the Bays' top four defensive linemen on the bench. The Pack aerial offense made 257 yards on 15 completions in 26 attempts. Lombardi agreed that "They defensed us for our running, but we used Horning and Taylor only in the first half. They didn't stop our running like the Rams did in the last game last year."...Probably the picture play of the night was Bart Starr's 38-yard pass to Ron Kramer for a touchdown. Lombardi explained that Kramer was the intended receiver and "Starr got it off just in time; he was hit as he threw." Lombardi noted John Roach's touchdown drive and his five completions in six attempts. It was Roach's first test since joining the club. Starr faked off to two backs before fading back to pass. He looked over the field, glancing toward Max McGee on the left side, and then tossed to Kramer coming across. Kramer kept right on going into the end zone with two Cardinals in pursuit...Jim Taylor, held down to 39 yards, didn't like that total. Said Jim in no uncertain terms: "That stinks, doesn't it?" The Cards were really keeping an eye on Jim. They seemed to have a "box" of tackled on him...Walt Kiesling, former Packer and line coach now with the Steelers, added a note of warning and praise: "You've got nothing to worry about, but watch out for the Lions; they ate the Browns up." The Lions beat the Browns 38 to 7 the other night...Moore was used sparingly. He has a broken bone in his wrist and has it in a cast. The Packers got a good look at all of the new men except Lee Folkins, Clarence Mason and Elijah Pitts. The three defensive line rookies, Ron Kostelnik, Bernie Vishneski and Jim Brewington, who worked with Jim Temp, played most of the second half. "I'm not sure but it looked like Kostelnick played a good game," Vince said, adding: "The pictures will show." Everybody wants to play and Dave Hanner expressed the general feeling: "Hank and I hardly played at all, and that new boy (Kostelnik) came in early for me."...Maybe Em Tunnell wasn't kidding when he said he got a 'new set of legs at Prange's." The 14-year veteran ran like a young colt after his interception.
ROACH NEVER COMFORTABLE IN SHORT STAY WITH BROWNS
AUG 19 (St. Louis Globe-Democrat) - The Cleveland Browns, who have long boasted that they don't "check-off" to counteract defensive moves, play that way almost as a point of pride. They feel their offense is strong enough to move any type of defense. "That's the way it appeared to me," said John Roach, the football Cardinals' former quarterback, who was dealt to the Browns July 6 and then to the Green Bay Packers two weeks ago. "I can't put my finger on it," he went on, "but I just couldn't relax at Cleveland. Coach Paul Brown wants everyone to be one of his 'boys,' and I just seemed to be trying too hard." The Cards obtained fullback Prentice Gautt and end Taz Anderson for Roach, and the Browns swapped him for a future draft choice, but Roach was glad to head for northern Wisconsin. "This is a good
team," he said. "Like Cleveland, it's a team that doesn't beat itself." The trade is an integral part of professional sports, and most athletes are resigned to it. Roach didn't feel especially surprised at being traded by the Cardinals, but was slightly startled when he was dealt. "I figured they'd bring us all to training camp and look us over, then trade someone. I thought it might be me, but expected it be during the exhibition season." Roach was impressed by the Browns' attention to detail during early camp work, and also felt that rookie Bob Crespino of Mississippi would be a star in a few years. "Recent injuries to Gene Hickerson and Mike McCormack have really hurt them, though," he added. "Still, they're an awful tough team." Turning to his newest club, the Packers, Roach recalled his first game with them, against Dallas a week ago. "I was in for three plays," he laughed. "Ran one to the right, one to the left, threw a pass and then we punted. Good thing, too. They were the only plays I knew." Roach is keeping his permanent home in Dallas, though his family will join him in Green Bay.
LOMBARDI STRIVES FOR VERSATILE TEAM
AUG 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The midnight buffet tasted good after the Packers beat the Cardinals in St. Louis Friday night. And Coach Vince Lombardi was also savoring various phases of the 31-10 victory - chiefly the Pack's successful switch to the air when the ground game hit a snag. "We want to be a versatile team - be able to adjust to new situations," he explained, adding with emphasis. "Our big objective this year is to be that kind of team on offense and defense." Held to 94 yards rushing, the Packers hauled out the air force and completed 15 of 26 passes for 257 yards. The aerials set up all three touchdowns and the field goal. Defensive versatility? The Packers were facing the intricate double-winged T for the first time in a year. They boiled down the novel system which made the Cards the league's yardage champs last year, to practically nothing. In the first half, with the Pack's regular defensive line (Bill Quinlan, Dave Hanner, Hank Jordan and Willie Davis) in operation, the Cards were limited to 110 yards passing and running and only six completions in 19 passes. Sophomore George Izo handled the Card attack in the first half and rookie Charley Johnson in the second. And that brings up a good point. The Packers, with victories over the Cowboys and Cardinals under their belt, will face a more advanced quarterback (Bill Wade) and team (the Bears) in the annual Shrine game in Milwaukee next Sunday night. The Packer offense vs. St. Louis was subjected to something "new," which would be the Cards' stunting of some of their defensive linemen and blitzing by the linebackers. "Some of those things we've hardly touched on this year yet," Vince pointed out later. Tom Bettis, the injured linebacker who worked on the phones on the sidelines, kept a close eye on the Card linebackers. "They shot in three linebackers sometimes - to get at Starr or stop our running by throwing off our blocking pattern." Incidentally, Bettis, who hoped to be ready before the league opener, said he "didn't like being on the bench, I'd rather play. Our linebackers did a good job. On Symank's interception, they forced the quarterback to throw quicker. He threw it too high and Symank got it." Packer passers went through without an interception. They tried 26 passes and completed 15. The Cards attempted 28 and had three of them intercepted. Incidentally, the Cards had 52 plays (rushes and passes) against the Packers' 56....Gary Knafelc found the contest to be quite a fight. He came across once and bumped Jimmy Hill on a pass play and the unhappy Hill made like a fist-fighter and caught Gary with a sharp right to the mouth. Hill's little fist was well aimed, passing beneath Gary's face guard. Hill was
promptly thrown out; the Packers received a 15-yard advance; the Packers got close enough for a field goal; and Knafelc chuckled. Dr. George McGuire, running for Team Dr. Jim Nellen, closed up Knafelc's lop with a stitch. Methinks, Hill was miserable with his occupation Friday night. Max McGee was beating him most of the time, once for a touchdown, and nothing irritates a defensive back more...The Packers arrived back from St. Louis in their chartered United Airlines plane at 1 o'clock Saturday afternoon. It was a free weekend for the players and the married athletes who had their families here were permitted to go home. The coaches put in some work Sunday, viewing the films and getting ready for the next game. The Bays returned to the practice field this morning.
CONDITIONING, DISTASTE FOR LOSING PAY OFF FOR PACKERS
AUG 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Physical conditioning. The distaste for losing. These are tremendous factors in the daily lives of the Packers. The Packers practiced for one hour and 15 minutes Monday - offense, defense, fundamentals, signal drills, passes, runs, the works. It's all business; nobody rests or relaxes, and that includes the few on the sidelines who are subject to sudden call. When the football-play period of drills was finished, Coach Vince Lombardi yelled "over here." That meant sprints - rugged ones, 20, 30 and 40 yards. Perhaps the sprinting came a bit harder Monday because the Packers had a full day off - Sunday. After the sprints, Lombardi called for the relay runs between the offense and defense. The athletes run over a 50-yard course. This is fun, judging by the cheering and glee, but it's also conditioning. Each athlete sprints 50 yards and then hands off to a teammate. The offense and defense players ran neck and neck until a handoff was stopped by the defense and the offensive men finally won. It would have been close. Distaste for losing? It's not pleasant to lose - even in this sprinting relay. Lombardi ordered a full lap for the losing defense - a distance of about 200 yards, with the goal posts as the lap corners. Physical conditioning and distaste for losing have paid off for the Packers. The Bays haven't been plagued by injuries since Lombardi started to stretch Green Bay's muscles in '59 and the record (27 wins and 12 losses overall) would indicate that Lombardi has implanted a certain distaste for losing. While the Packers are presently in the state of preparation for their Western Division championship, they've been going full tilt in their training tests. Their good physical condition has helped reduce the injury toll, and, what's more, they maintained that winning touch. Now, the Packers approach Phase 3 of their five-point non-league program - the Bears in the 12th annual Shrine Classic in Milwaukee County Stadium Saturday night. The game marks the Packers' first of two straight showings in Wisconsin as Western Division champs. They meet the Giants in the Bishop's Charities game in Green Bay Labor Day night, then close out preseason action against the Redskins in Columbus, Ga., Sept. 9. The Packer-Bear game shapes up as an interesting contest. It'll be the first time the Packers ever played the Bears in a non-loop game as a Division champ...PROCESS OF CHANGE: The Bears are in the process of change, and Packer Scout Wally Cruice, who watched the Chicagoans beat the Redskins Saturday night, says the two major switches have been Bill Wade at quarterback and Charlie Bivins, a 212-pound halfback at offense after a season on defense. Bivins ran wild against the Redskins, getting 113 yards in eight carries. Wade, in two non-league games, has completed 39 out of 65 pass attempts for 405 yards, four touchdowns. Jim Dolley is his top receiver, with 12 catches for 159 yards. Angelo Coia caught eight, Johnny Morris nine and Mike Ditka four...Little Mark Thurston, son of Packer guard Fuzzy, is a Thurston man all the way. About eight youngsters, decked out in football togs, were racing around the Thurston yard over on Carroll Avenue the other night, most of them saying "I'm Paul Hornung," "I'm Bart Starr," etc. Mark, 4, took off on an "end run" and Fuzzy said, "Here comes another Paul Hornung." Mark looked up quickly and said with authority: "No, no, I'm Mark Thurston - the guard."...Paul Hornung tried his foot at field goals after practice Monday but had trouble finding the mark. He was spraying them to the left or right...PRO BRIEFS: Ex-Packer Coach Scooter McLean, now handling the Lions' offensive backs, hopes his golfing luck extends to the gridiron. Scooter recently fired a 130-yard hole-in-one with a 7-iron...Another Packer turned Lion, Ollie Spencer, played next to Harley Sewell in the Detroit line and the two were born just one day apart, Sewell on April 17 and Spence April 18, 1931...Mike Falls, a Packer last year until waived to Dallas, worked in the Cowboys' public relations with teammate Jerry Tubbs during the
offseason and found a typical weekend's duties consisting of: 1. Umpiring a baseball game between Dallas radio and press folks; 2. participating in a cow milking contest; 3. driving Model T cars at the state fair; 4. demonstrating physical fitness to Boy Scouts. Mike also found time to get married.
PACK FROSH IN LUCK; GET HEAVY 'PLAY'
AUG 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packer rookies have been fortunate, indeed. They have been playing considerable in regulation non-league games. There have been seasons when rookies hardly got their feet wet in public and had to show their wares in camp scrimmages. A smaller number of rookies and the progress of the Packers in the business of beating the foe in the non-league games thus far have given Coach Vince Lombardi a good chance to test the freshmen. The Packers' 10 rookies (five on offense and five on defense) have each played an average of two complete halves of football - or just about a full game apiece. Nelson Toburen, the sure-tackling linebacker, heads the cast, having missed just one defensive play in the Packers' two victories over the Cowboys and Cardinals. Toburen lost his helmet strap in St. Louis and missed a play while going to the sidelines for repairs. Toburen has been playing at the right linebacker position, while Bill Forester and Ray Nitschke share the middle and Dan Currie handles left. There could be a traffic jam at linebacker because Tom Bettis is fast recovering from his knee operation. The other rookies are offensemen Herb Adderley, Val Keckin, Lee Folkins, Clarence Mason and Elijah Pitts, and defensemen Phil Nugent, Bernie Vishneski, Ron Kostelnik, and Jim Brewington. Kostelnik and Brewington were in and out of the defensive line in the Cowboy game and played the entire second half with
Vishneski against the Cards. Vishneski wasn't here for the Cowboy tilt. He was obtained from the Giants on waivers early last week. Kostelnik did some good work at times vs. the Cards. Back Adderley, end Folkins and back Pitts got into both games and Folkins and Adderley each caught one pass and Pitts two - all in the Cowboy game. No passes were thrown to them in St. Louis. Keckin, a promising but green rookie, was in for a quarter vs. the Cowboys and set up a field goal with his passes. Nugent and Mason played briefly but both have been bothered by leg injuries. Nugent, who saw some action vs. Dallas, didn't make the St. Louis trip. The rookies' next shot is in the Shrine Classic vs. the Bears in Milwaukee County Stadium Saturday night. For some of them it will be a last chance. The next cutdown figure is 43 and that must be reached next Tuesday. The Packers now have 44 players on the roster, which means that only one player must go. The second-last cutdown must be made by Sept. 5 - the date of the Bishop's Charities game here vs. the Giants. The squad must be cut to 38 by that time. The final cut to 36 is due Tuesday, Sept. 12. Actually, the Packers have a "large" number of rookies on hand. "Some of the clubs have a lot less than 10," Lombardi noted yesterday. Some have only two or three. As the roster stands right now, 33 of the 44 players actually have four years or less experience under their belts, pointing up the youth of the team. Seven of them completed four years and are now in their fifth. Nine of them are just starting their fourth seasons...BRIEFS: Speaking about cuts, the new Minnesota Vikings need not cut until Sept. 12, then only to 42, but can suit only 36 for any league game...The Bears have signed 240-pound guard Ted Karras, a stubborn holdout...Ed Cook, the hard-trying end who was drafted by the Pack several years ago, has finally reached the end of the line. He was released by the Colts yesterday. Ed caught on with the Lions and Browns for brief spells...Coach Nick Skorich of the Eagles likes his backs, explaining: "We have five of the best ball carriers in the league." He referred to Clarence Peaks, Theron Sapp, Billy Barnes, Ted Dean and Tim Brown, the onetime Packer...The Bear coaches were working harder than ever this year in training camp. A fire last winter destroyed the Bears' office in Chicago, ruining most of the play diagrams and instructional film. The Bears were forced to adopt a new teaching system. "We'll let the other teams figure out what that is when we play them," said George Halas. The Packers won't have to wait long.
PACK PRIMES FOR 'SPRINKLE' PASS, MISSES LATE TD
AUG 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers were working on defense late in Wednesday's drill. All of a sudden, Bart Starr shot a short pass to Ron Kramer and the big end galloped for what would have been a 10 or 15-yard gain. The ball didn't travel more than 20 feet. Starr took the ball from center, stood up and rifled it to Kramer who came out of his position at right end like a shot and took the ball a couple of feet behind the defensive line. This is a favorite Bear play. It has been in Papa George Halas' book for years and it's one play that's a sure 10 yards - if the defense is "wrong." Old Ed Sprinkle was among the first of a long line of Bear ends to run that play against the Pack. Kramer reminds a bit of old Sprinkle, who was probably the major reason why folks up here always called Halas' team "the big bad Bears." Ron, like Meanie Ed, runs with elbows and knees flying in all directions. It's a problem for tackler. Sprinkle won't be on hand when the Bears battle the Packers in the Shrine game in Milwaukee Saturday night - at least not in uniform, but the Bears still like to spring the quickie-pass trap. And the big catcher could be Mike Ditka, the Bears' first draft choice who is being groomed for the closed-end position. When yesterday's session ended, Coach Lombardi yelled "two minutes." That was the signal for the Pack's periodic practice-ending drive for a touchdown in the last two minutes. Lombardi and Aides Phil Bengtson, Bill Austin, Norb Hecker and Red Cochran - not to mention the players, have painful memories of the 1960 championship game. The Packers were just eight yards from the world title when the gun ended the game. The Packers had moved 57 yards in seven plays in about a minute and a half that day. Wednesday, Jim Ringo centered the ball up on the 50 and the Bays got about the business of piling up plays and yardage in the shortest amount of time. Yesterday, Starr moved the ball down for a field goal, although it should have been a touchdown. One of the darned "officials" ruled a sweep by Paul Hornung dead on the five-yard line and, with only seconds left, Ringo gathered his offense together quickly for a field goal. The kick by Hornung was good. Hornung was running from about 10 yards out and the interference formed beautifully for him. Hornung would have slithered in for six - for sure. Note to Bart: Try that play on the Bears if you get your team in a similar spot!...PRO BRIEFS: Add Frank Gifford to the athlete-turned-sportscaster corps. Frank is working for a New York station while serving as a Giant scout on
weekends. And Otto Graham has a new network radio show...John Unitas, Colt Mr. Quarterback, will open his second 48-lane bowling alley in September...If the Bears were to dicker for the Vikings' Dave Middleton, it would be understandable. Middleton is an intern at an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital and Bear trainer Ed Rozy has just received a new Seimen diathermy, medico-soncolator, and ten-pad hydroculator...Nick Pietrosante, Lions power runner, feels his pass blocking is better than his blocking for runners because he worked on it more and he adds, "You have to work at it!"...St. Louis Coach Pop Ivy rates fullback Prentice Gautt, obtained from Cleveland by the Cardinals, as an exceptional blocker because of his split-T training at Oklahoma...Just about everybody watches NFL games on TV. The League office received a call recently from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office. Seems a burglary suspect claimed he was watching the 1960 title game, and the DA wanted to know the exact time it was on TV. The answer was between noon and 3 p.m. on Dec. 26, the same day the then President-elect Kennedy spent an afternoon at Palm Beach in front of his TV set watching the game.
HELLUIN, EX-PACK TACKLE, RETIRES
AUG 24 (Houston) - Former Green Bay Packer Jerry Helluin, 10-year pro defensive tackle from Tulane, Wednesday announced his retirement from the Houston Oilers to devote his time to a trucking business in Houma, La. Helluin has been a starter for the past two years.
SAME STORY: BEARS TOUGH!
AUG 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Bears are always tough. The all-time record shows it. George Halas' Midway Monsters are the only team to hold a lopsided edge on Green Bay in the all-time standings. The two clubs played 84 league games and the Bears won 50. The Pack won 28 and six ended in ties. Hark back to 1960. The Packers whaled the Bruins 35-7 in the Shrine Classic in Milwaukee last year, but then they downed our boys 17-14 in the league opener in Green Bay. The windup in Chicago went to Green Bay 41-13. So what's with the 1961 Bears? Will they be as tough as ever for the Packers in the Shrine game in Milwaukee Saturday night? The answer is most emphatically "yes." They are tough by tradition. You can bank on that. And here are a few other reasons as outlined by Dan Desmond, the Bear's advance publicity chief: "We've definitely got added strength at left half with the arrival of Charlie Bivins. Bivins is bigger than Willie Galimore and almost as fast. Charlie might make us an exciting club, with his long runs. He carried a punt back for about 80 yards for a touchdown last week. He caught it, dropped it and then picked it up. Some say the defense relaxes when the ball is dropped but the Redskins didn't. He also went 75 yards for a touchdown on a trap play. Both his runs were great. They were on his own. We got a big guy at our closed end position, Mike Ditka. He'll be the only rookie to start. Mike's out first draft choice and he went 68 yards for a touchdown with a pass. For his size (230), Mike's speed amazes everybody. Rick Casares, Bill Brown (the new back from Illinois) and Ed Brown didn't play last week because of injuries but they'll all be ready for the Packers. Bill Brown is playing left half along with Bivins. Ed Brown started the first two games (at quarterback) and Bill Wade started last week. I believe Ward will probably start against the Packers. Angelo Coia is our left out. We call him a "log," which stands for the outside left end. Farrington plays behind him. Jim Dooley is our No. 1 "rock." That's our outside right end or flanker. Johnny Morris is behind Dooley. We've had a lot of changes on defense. Zucco retired in favor of the insurance business, Barnes went in a trade and Sumner went to the Vikings. Pettibon, Carolina, Manning and Rollins have been playing in the secondary. Harlon Hill has been on offense and defense, which is quite a switch for him. He still looks good." And, we might add, the Bears "look good" from up here...BRIEFS: The Packers were scheduled to leave for Milwaukee on the 4 o'clock North Western this afternoon. They are headquartering at the Hotel Astor...The Eagles and Lions play in Detroit tonight. That should be interesting and could give fans an idea how tough the Eagles will be without Norm Van Brocklin. The Lion defense is murder.
Rookie Warren Rabb will start for the Lions at QB. In another game tonight, the Rams host the Browns (Channel 5, 10:15)...Three players are tied for the Packers' pass catching lead after two games - Boyd Dowler, Max McGee and Lew Carpenter, each with five catches. Paul Hornung caught four and Ron Kramer three. Jim Taylor leads in rushing with 151 yards in 26 trips. Larry Hickman has 47 yards in 18 tries and Tom Moore 44 in 8...Tickets are moving well for the Shrine Classic and the gate could reach 35,000 - or more,
with good weather.
BEARS TO THROW 'NEW LOOK' AT PACK TONIGHT
AUG 26 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Bears will throw a "new look" at the Packers in the 12th annual Midwest Shrine Classic in County Stadium tonight. Two people are chiefly responsible for the Chicago's different theme - at least for now. They are Bill Wade, the onetime Ram quarterback, and Charlie Bivins, a sophomore halfback. Wade was obtained from Los Angeles last winter in a three-team swap. He is the first veteran QB brought in by the Bears in years but Papa George Halas had good reason for "changing" his offense. The Bears were limited to 13 points in their last three league games last season. Halas parted with Erich Barnes, a crack defense back, and QB Zeke Bratkowski to get Wade. The new QB, always troublesome for Green Bay as a Ram, is due to start for the Bears tonight, with Ed Brown in reserve. Wade's opposite number with the Packers will be Bart Starr. A crowd of 35,000 - or more with good weather, is expected for tonight's battle. Kickoff is set for 8 o'clock and if you can't be there, listen to the action on WJPG. The game could shape up as a big defensive problem for Green Bay. This will be the first time the Pack has faced a proven veteran quarterback - not to mention a fullback the likes of Rick Casares and ends Jim Dooley, Angelo Coia and the fine newcomer, Mike Ditka. The Bears' aerial attack is a challenge to the Packer linebacking and secondary units which have intercepted six passes in the last two games. Opening at deep safety will be Willie Wood at right safety and John Symank at left safety. This new twosome (last year Symank was at right and Em Tunnell at left) is starting its third straight game. Also due to start again is Nelson Toburen, the promising outside linebacker who missed just one series in the last two games. Testing likely will continue for the Packer defense, and this chiefly will be done in the defense line where rookies Ron Kostelnik, Jim Brewington and Bernie Vishneski and veteran Jim Temp replace the No. 1 line of Willie Davis, Bill Quinlan, Hank Jordan and the 10-year gent, Dave Hanner. Green Bay's defense should see a lot of the aforementioned Bivins who is starting in front of Willie Galimore at left half. Bivins has a couple of 70-yard runs to his credit
thus far and he could give the Bears added strength. Offensively, the Packers have averaged 30 1/2 points per start in toppling the Cowboys and Cardinals. They scored eight touchdowns and all of them were on lengthy drives, as well as two field goals. Green Bay's running game went wild against the Cowboys, then was stopped by the Cards. The aerial machine was successful in both battles. The Bears can expect both offensive barrels, with the regulars starting, including Ron Kramer at the tight end. Kramer, beat out by Gary Knafelc the last two years, will be starting his third straight game. The rest of the cast will be Starr, Hornung, Jim Taylor and Boyd Dowler in the backfield and Taxi McGee, Bob Skoronski, Forrest Gregg, Jim Ringo and Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston up front...TESTING ON OFFENSE: There will be considerable testing on offense, too. This means that the Shrine crowd will see such newcomers as ends Lee Folkins and Clarence Mason and backs Herb Adderley and Elijah Pitts. The new quarterback, John Roach, late of the Browns and Cards, will also see action. He had a short shot against the Cards and completed five out of six and drive in for a touchdown...BRIEFS: Paul Hornung will be back on the placekicking line tonight. The handy halfback has just about fully recovered from a knee injury. Jim Taylor had kicked in the previous games. Jerry Kramer probably will continue to kick off. The big guard reached the goal line consistently vs. the Cards...Defense halfback Willie Wood is looking for a furnished house or apartment. The Woods have one child. Anyone with places available is asked to call the Packer office, HE 2-4873...The Packers are staying at the Astor Hotel here. They'll return to Green Bay by bus Sunday morning...The Packers will be going for their 11th straight preseason victory. Since losing 14-0 to the Giants in Bangor, Me., in 1959, the Vince Lombardi-driven Pack has won 10 straight, including wo in '59, six in a row in '60 and two thus far this year. And the Bays face those Giants in Green Bay Labor Day night - the Bishop's Charities game...This will be the Bears' third straight appearance in the Shrine game. The two clubs split their last two appearances, the Bears taking the first in '59 19-6 and Green Bay winning last year 35-7...The Packers are in good physical condition generally, although Jerry Kramer is troubled with a deep chest cold...Commissioner Pete Rozelle is here to make his annual speech to both teams and will remain for the game. Also here to take in tonight's contest is Jack Cvercko, brother of Packer guard Andy. Jack, who made the Wildcat varsity, is a guard - at Northwestern.