Green Bay Packers (4-0) 9, Detroit Lions (3-1) 7
Sunday October 7th 1962 (at Green Bay)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(GREEN BAY) - A pass interception, and the winning field goal in the last 33 seconds? Those things are for Hollywood but they happened in the rain and mud of City Stadium Sunday afternoon, as the Packers scored what surely must be one of their most thrilling victories in history. It turned out to be a 9 to 7 cliffhanger; the Packers' fourth straight win; the Lions' first loss! It put the defending world champion Packers in first place in the Western Division - alone and happy. The immediate heroes were two - Herb Adderley and Paul Hornung, and they gained their status in the last minute of this savagely-fought NFL struggle before 38,669. Here's what happened in the last minute: The Lions were running out the clock on a 7 to 6 victory when some of the fans started to file out. The Lions had just run up two first downs and were perched on their 47-yard line, first and 10, with 2:00 left. Quarterback Milt Plum called two running plays by his best backs, Nick Pietrosante and Danny Lewis, who settled for three yards. The Bays called time out after each play to stop the clock and the big timers showed only 1:25 left when Plum went back to pass on third down. Plum had made the previous two first downs by completing third down passes to his right to Jim Gibbons. This time Plum threw again to his right, but the target was Terry Barr, his best receiver. Herb Adderley crossed in front of Barr, who had slipped momentarily as he cut to his right, grabbed Plum's thrown on the Packer 42 and returned 40 yards to Detroit's 18. The clock showed one minute left when the crowd went silly and the Packer offensive team raced off the bench. The Bays had but one timeout left and it was invoked to stop the clock at 33 seconds after Hornung and Jim Taylor each gained two yards and moved the ball in the "center" of the goal posts on the 14. With a timeout, the field goal team came forth and sweated out, along with the Lions, those last seconds before the kick. Dan Currie ran out with a towel and wiped off the square toe of Hornung's kicking shoe - just in case any mud had caked from a soggy-with-rain field. Jim Ringo's passback was perfect, Bart Starr set the ball down accurately, the snarling Lions were held off and Hornung got off a "long" boot from the 21. It was perfect but the unbelieving crowd didn't let loose until the official leaped his arms into the air. Everything flew then. The Lions still had a chance but the Paker defense wouldn't let this one slip away. Plum completed the fourth of his final four flings and the gun ended the game with the Lions on their own 45. Until something better comes along, that one minute looms as the Pack's most precious period of the season. The next most important 60 minutes are set for Minnesota Sunday when the Bays battle the Vikings. Hornung wound up with all the points and there's little doubt that this wonderful guy really has a golden toe. The Golden Boy kicked a 15-yard field goal to put the Pack ahead 3-0 in the first quarter and added another 15-yarder to cut Detroit's lead to 7-6 in the third period. Adderley, who made a similar interception to break last year's Thanksgiving Day Packer-Lion game in favor of the Pack, robbed the Lions of a 3-3 tie in the second period when he broke through to block a 25-yard field goal try by Wayne Walker. This was a tremendous game between two fine defenses. The Packers had the offensive edge, 19 first downs to 12 and 319 total yards to 199, but the Lions had the point lead (7-6) until you know when. The Packers moved the ball well but shackled themselves with two pass interceptions - on option throws by Tom Moore and Hornung; a fumble by Starr on the Packer 34 in the second period and another by Jim Taylor in the first; and at least three penalties. The Lions turned Starr's fumble into the game's lone TD, a six-yard dash by Danny Lewis. It would have been a shame if the Pack has lost 7-6 because the defense had the Lions' high-scoring (nearly 40 a game) well in control - but for the surge after the fumble recovery. This was a most bitter pill for the Lions, who kept the Pack's vaunted offense from scoring a touchdown for the first time since the 21-3 Giant game of 1959. But the Packers were able to move the pigskin. The first two field goals followed long drives, which were highly commendable in view of the Lions' murderous defense plus the rain and mud. The
prime mover was the bullish Taylor, who was less than 24 hours from a 103-degree temperature. The blasting fullback rolled for 95 yards in 20 carries and caught three passes for 25 yards. Starr completed 18 out of 26 pass attempts for 198 yards and Max McGee caught five of them for 69. The Bays rolled to a 3-0 lead the first time they had the ball and they hit the Lions where they are strongest - rush defense, right away, Hornung and Taylor hit four times for 25 yards on the first four plays. Starr passed to McGee for 14 and Taylor ran for another 14 to the Lion 14. It looked easy - especially after LeBeau slugged McGee and the penalty put the ball on the Lion 8. But the Lions asserted themselves as Taylor gained zero in two tries and Starr's rollout pass to Kramer was incomplete. Hornung then booted a field goal from the 15 at 5:06 of the first quarter. Lary punted twice and Dowler once as the Packers took the advantage on a 22-yard punt return by Willie Wood after Elijah Pitts put down a key block. With the ball on the Packer 41, Taylor fumbled and Wayne Walker recovered on the Packer 42. The Lions picked up two first downs, chiefly on Plum's 13-yard run, a pass and four runs, but the Packers forced a field goal thanks to a key tackle by Bill Quinlan and Hank Jordan and a smear of Plum by Bill Forester. Walker was booting from the 25 when Adderley zipped in to block it with Forester recovering. This stroke of good fortune was a moment later when, after a first down, Alex Karras recovered a fumble by Starr, who was running when his passing targets were closed off. The Lions ate up the 34 yards for the game's only TD in six plays. The big plays were an 11-yard run by Lewis, a 15-yard run by Plum and the six-yard TD scamper by Lewis. Plum was trapped by Willie Davis but the slippery turf was an advantage for the flee-er and Plum broke away to the six. The Packers smacked right back and thanks to Starr's 24-yard pass to Taylor who ran over three people along the way, reached the Lion 27. Starr then threw to McGee for 12 and the Packers appeared on their way. Moore, subbing for Hornung, lofted a high pass to Dowler who was behind Lary in the end zone, and it seemed like a sure TD but Lary leaped high and intercepted on the one. The game moved into the dog-fight stage again with Lions punting twice shortly before the half ended and after the Packers held them at the start of the second half. Green Bay took over on the 22 and started a drive that sure looked good. Until Starr went to the air and hit Hornung for 7, Dowler for 20, Dowler for 9, and McGee for 14 to the Lion 27. Hornung ran for 4 to the 23 up the middle. The option pass-run play was next but Hornung's short flip was intercepted by Carl Brettschneider and another drive went down the drain. With Ray Nitschke getting the key tackle, the defense gave the ball right back to Starr's crew on the 20. Again Starr went to the air, targeting Moore for 13, McGee for 30, and McGee again for 18, setting the ball up nicely on Detroit's 12. Hornung then made five to the 7. Sure TD this time? Earl Gros lost one and Starr's pass to McGee in the end zone was incomplete. On the last play of the third period, Hornung kicked his second FG for a 7-6 score. Now the dog-fight was really on. Lary and Dowler exchanged punts and the two clubs exchanged missed field goals. Walker was wide to the left from the 41, and Hornung was low and short on his try from the 47. The big clock showed only 6:01 left when the Lions took over on their own 22 after Pat Studstill ran Hornung's field goal try back from the 5. The one point loomed large as the Lions ran up two first downs. Each series started with two runs and on each third down Plum completed first down passes to Cogdill, the first for nine yards to the 34 and the second for 12 to the Lion 47. That's where the ball was when the officials took time out. Pietrosante ran right end for three to the 50. Lewis tried to go wide around left end but was stopped cold. Each play was followed by a timeout by the Pack to stop the ticker. On the third play, Plum tried another pas - and that's where we came in!
DETROIT - 0 7 0 0 - 7
GREEN BAY - 3 0 3 3 - 9
DETROIT GREEN BAY
First Downs 12 20
Rushing-Yards-TD 27-107-1 34-129-0
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 26-11-107-0-1 28-18-198-0-2
Sack Yards Lost 15 8
Total Yards 199 319
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-2
Turnovers 1 4
Yards penalized 3-47 6-67
SCORING
1st - GB - Paul Hornung, 13-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - DET - Dan Lewis, 6-yard run (Wayne Walker kick) DETROIT 7-3
3rd - GB - Hornung, 15-yard field goal DETROIT 7-6
4th - GB - Hornung, 26-yard field goal GREEN BAY 9-7
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 20-95, Paul Hornung 10-37, Bart Starr 1-4, Tom Moore 1-(-1), Earl Gros 1-(-2), Ron Kramer 1-(-4)
DETROIT - Milt Plum 7-58, Dan Lewis 12-30 1 TD, Nick Pietrosante 8-19
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 26-18-198, Paul Hornung 1-0-0 1 INT, Tom Moore 1-0-0 1 INT
DETROIT- Milt Plum 26-11-107 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Max McGee 5-69, Boyd Dowler 3-45, Jim Taylor 3-25, Tom Moore 3-23, Ron Kramer 2-26, Paul Hornung 2-10
DETROIT - Jim Gibbons 3-41, Dan Lewis 3-13, Pay Studstill 2-32, Terry Barr 2-12, Gail Cogdill 1-9
Fifty-nine and a half minutes of frustration are wiped out in a twinkling and the Green Bay Packers bench goes wild as Paul Hornung boots a field goal to beat the Lions. Max McGee runs onto the field while rookie Ed Blaine (60), star fullback Jim Taylor (31) and defensive end Bill Quinlan (83) celebrate. Coach Vince Lombardi (with hat) is seen in the middle of the group. (Credit: Ernie Anheuser, Milwaukee Sentinel)
VINCE PRAISES BOTH TEAMS; 'I CALLED THE PASS' - WILSON
OCT 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "What was the turning point, Vince?" Still transported by Herb Adderley's last minute larceny and Paul Hornung's subsequent clutch field goal, items that had just triggered a titillating, come-from-behind victory over Detroit's stunned Lions, Vince Lombardi greeted this facetious query from a reporter with an eloquent lift of the eyebrows and an expansive grin. The grin, it might be added, did not fully evaporate for the duration of an effervescent press conference in his crowded City Stadium headquarters last Sunday afternoon, a session punctuated by heartfelt Lombardi tributes to both his unyielding forces and the enemy. Speaking of turning points, what about Detroit's decision to throw that ill-fated third down pass? As might be expected, Lombardi side-stepped that one, replying dryly, "I'm making no comment on that." Though Green Bay's favorite sons had made life somewhat suspenseful for him, the Packer major-domo understandably had no fault to find with his swashbuckling athletes, declaring, "Everybody played well. We moved the hell out of the ball," he went on. "You have to realize we were playing against probably the best defensive four in the country (Alex Karras, Roger Brown, Darris McCord and Dave Lloyd). That's a great front four. Man, are they active and big." Elaborating on this theme, he added, "You don't run up and down the field on the Lions. They're just a damned good defensive ball club." Things might have been easier, however, the ex-Fordham Block of Granite pointed out, "We stopped ourselves four times, including once on a holding penalty and once on an offside after a first down when we were way down in there. And Dowler (Boyd) was wide open in the end zone on that pass from Tom Moore just before the half. That could have made quite a difference, too. Of course, Lary (Yale) made a great play on that one." There was a brief interruption in the Sunday quiz as first William Ford, president of the Lions, and General Manager Edwin Anderson came in to felicitate Lombardi, Anderson quipping, "This is getting to be old stuff, Vince." As they left, the Packer chieftain turned to the press corps and asserted with some fervor, "That's a helluva football team." "Another thing, Taylor (Jim) had a 101 temperature last night so he was a little bit below par," Vince revealed, adding in almost the same breath, "he must have had a great first half, though." Had the Lions, he was asked, done anything different defensively? "They did some things different," Lombardi said. "The explanation would be so long and involved but I can tell you they did use a different type of defense." Did the Packers have to make any adjustments as a result? "No, we didn't," was the somewhat surprising reply. "Plum didn't do too much to us today," he said in response to another question. "It seemed most of it was pulling the ball down and running with it." The realization of what had just transpired apparently was borne in upon him afresh for he enthusiastically appended, "It was a hell of a game, that's all I can say. There were two great squads out there." Somebody reminded him of next week's date with the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis-St. Paul. "Yes, for the first time this season," Vince noted with a smile, "we'll be playing a team that isn't in first place."...A downcast George Wilson, who freely admitted "we definitely came here believing we were going to win" confided, "I said the team that got the break was going to win it. And that interception was the break." The forthright Wilson, never loath to speak his mind, took full responsibility for the pass that produced Adderley's key interception. "I called that - I don't want Plum to be blamed for it." Analyzing the situation as he saw it at the time of decision, Wilson said, "We were just going for the first down. And, remember, we had made two in a row on the same play. Supposing we had kicked the ball? They complete a long pass and kick a 35-yard field goal." Defeat, he added, had not diminished his esteem for Plum, acquired in an offseason deal with the Cleveland Browns after Milt and Paul Brown became mutually disenchanted. "I still think Plum's one of the top quarterbacks in the league," Wilson declared. Had the Packers done anything unexpected? "No, nothing at all," George replied softly. Did he think his tigers might have fared better on a dry field? "That's hard to say," Wilson said. "This type of field helps the defense, of course. The offense can't do much - you have to pussyfoot around so you don't fall. We and the Packers played exactly the same kind of game - all short passes and runs, nothing
very fancy." Did he feel the defeat had diminished the Lions' title chances? "Definitely not," was the firm and unhesitating reply for the ex-Chicago Bear end, who calls his '62 team "the best team I've ever had" since taking over as head coach in 1957. What about the Packers? Did he think they could go through unbeaten? "No. Somebody will beat 'em, probably before we play 'em in Detroit Thanksgiving Day. They're not going to go through unbeaten."...Deep gloom is customary in the loser's dressing room but the Lions' quarters was almost funeral. And none was more disconsolate than Michigan alumnus Terry Barr, who slipped to the turf in maneuvering for the pass Adderley intercepted. The last Lion to shower and dress, he disgustedly formed a knot in his tie in a corner of the almost deserted room and rapped, "I made my second move and fell down - but they don't count that."...TAYLOR FAN: Aldo Forte, the Lions' veteran defense coach, was highly impressed with Jim Taylor's performance. "That Taylor's a great back," he asserted, shaking his head in admiration. "You don't have to make a hole for him - he makes his own. All they have to do is give him the ball and block straight ahead - he'll bounce off somebody to run over somebody."...EM'S PRIVATE EYE: Emlen Tunnell, the most prolific pass interceptor in NFL history who toiled in Packer livery the last three seasons before retiring last winter, returned to City Stadium Sunday - as a scout. Tunnell, who headquarters in his native Philadelphia, diagrammed the Lions on behalf of the New York Giants. Em also is employed as a Packer talent scout...MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC: West High's marching band, long one of the state's finest, presented a polished - and pleasing - performance between halves, under the direction of L.A. Skornicka, embellishing its sprightly music with a number of complex and precise maneuvers.
ADDERLEY PLAYED THE WAITING GAME
OCT 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Lithe, muscular Herb Adderley, a justly famed speed merchant, also can play the waiting game. It may come as a surprise to some, who only saw him explode into the City Stadium gloom Sunday, but this shrewd stratagem triggered his game-saving interception with an assist from the greasy turf. "I was playing him (the Lions' Terry Barr) to the inside," the jet-like Michigan State alumnus soberly confided in the Packer dressing room, minutes after he had electrified 38,669 of the despairing faithful by waylaying a Milt Plum pass to swiftly convert looming defeat into imminent victory. "I knew if he cut to the outside, I could recover in time. I waited for him to make his second move - there's no receiver in this league who just makes a single move," Adderley explained. "He did and he slipped." "I knew he couldn't recover in time to get behind me," Herb continued, still dripping from a happy shower. "I looked up the field at the quarterback and saw the ball coming - and I went for it." Did he think he might go all the way? "No, I saw too many white shirts," confessed Adderley, who blurred 40 yards to the Detroit 18 before being felled. "I just wanted to get it back close enough for a field goal - I wanted to win this game." How did it feel? "It felt great," he grinned, "after Hornung kicked that field goal." The golden one, who had forged Adderley's eleventh hour spectacular into victory with a lofty 21-yard bullseye, discussed his climatic contribution matter-of-factly. "I was just thinking about making an extra point," Paul, sprawled full length upon a training table, reported. "That's all I was thinking about. I was just thinking about hitting the ball hard. You start aiming the ball on that kind and you're in trouble." Although a placekicker must keep his eyes riveted on the ball "until after the follow-through," the NFL's three-time scoring champion admitted with a slight smile, "It was almost impossible to keep my head down all the way on that one. I had to look up." His incredibly hard-nosed running mate, Jim Taylor, was exhausted. "I'm still real weak," Jim confided. "I had a touch of the flu the last few days (he had a 101 temperature Saturday)." "I got winded real quick - couldn't catch my wind," the bayou blaster explained. "That's why I was coming out. I was blowing even after a short run." A limp Henry Jordan, inhaling a bottle of pop with great relish in front of his locker, drawled, "Was I ready to kiss Herb Adderley on that one. I'll tell you one thing, though," the all-pro defensive tackle volunteered, "that Milt Plum is a cool quarterback. He's doing a helluva job. We were after him, yelling at him and scratching at him, and he was standing back there just as cool and completing those passes." Willie Davis, who tacitly concurred in this sentiment, added, "On a dry field, we could have done better against him, though. The time I had him cold back there and he got away, I slipped. But I have to admit, he's active." Jaunty Max McGee, fully recovered from the afternoon's harrowing experience and already looking to the future, imparted over his shoulder to no one in particular, "That was one giant step toward the big one." Elder statesman Dave Hanner, the Pack's 11-year veteran, put it another way, "When you got a man who gets out of a sick bed to play football and runs like that Taylor did," he summarized softly, "you're hard to beat."
'NO CHANCE TO BLOCK HORNUNG KICK'
OCT 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The beauty of football moving pictures - even without the talkie - is that great moments can be replayed again and again. Vince Lombardi and his coaching teammates - Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran, Norb Hecker, Bill Austin and Tom Fears - viewed the celluloid Monday on the Pack's shivering 9-7 win over the Lions. And Vince, asked about Herb Adderley's interception, pointed out: "That was a poorly thrown ball and nobody slipped. Adderley just came up and caught it." Milt Plum had a third-and-seven situation and elected to pass to Terry Barr, the Lions' leading receiver, about 20 yards deep off to the right, in an effort to make a first down and thus preserve a 7-6 victory. After the game, some of the warriors felt that Barr had a fleeting shot at tackling Adderley who returned the precious "steal" 40 yards. Thrill II in one of the Packers' thrillingest wins on record was Paul Hornung's field goal. And were there any anxious moments? "The kick was so high nobody had a chance to block it," Lombardi said. All worked well - Jim Ringo's snap-back, the setdown by Bart Starr, the blocking up front, and of course the kick. "It was just like an extra point," Hornung said, "and I made up my mind to kick it as hard as I could. You can't aim those things. That might have been good from the 45." The Packers went back to work today, loosening up on the field before hearing a report on the Vikings on Scout Wally Cruice. Lombardi said the Packers came through the game okay injurywise and the Bays should be in good condition for their battle at Minneapolis. Lombardi, asked about events before the interception, noted that "we gave up the ball too many times when we were down in there." The Bays lost it twice on interceptions (of Tom Moore and Hornung passes) and twice on fumbles (Jim Taylor and Bart Starr). They also punted twice, making a total of six times the Bays gave the ball to Detroit. The Lions were forced to give up the ball seven times - six on punts and, of course, on the interception. Thus the Bays won the give-up-the-ball battle, 7-6. The Packers ran off 62 plays against Detroit's 53. Green Bay called 34 rushing plays, the Lions 27. Plum, who entered the game as the No. 1 passer in the league, including a completion percentage of 64.6, settled for 42 percent on 11 out of 26. Starr threw the same number of passes and completed 18 for 69 percent. Thus, for the first four games, Starr has passed Plum in the accuracy department. Starr had 61.5 on 48 completions in 78 attempts; Plum 59.3 on 64 out of 108...Adderley's interception puts him in Jess Whittenton's exclusive Jesse James Club. Whittenton created the club by stealing the ball out of Alex Webster's arms in the Crucial Giant game last Dec. 3 and thus set up the Pack's winning TD. Actually, Adderley pulled his second theft in two years - against the same team. He grabbed a pass last Thanksgiving Day in Detroit to set up the payoff TD...The Packers are now even in the "last second" heartbreak department. Remember 1960 when they lost to the Rams on that field goal in the last few seconds? It was 33-31 and four days later they lost at Detroit. That loss to the Rams "beat" the Pack emotionally and they had a difficult time vs. the Lions. Now, the Lions face a similar situation, although they have a full week (that '60 game was on Thursday) to recuperate and it's still early in the season. In addition, the Detroits will be playing home, against the Rams.
PLUM'S PASS NO SURPRISE: FORESTER
OCT 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Grandstand quarterbacks stared in collective disbelief as Detroit's Milt Plum pitched his now famous last-minute pass at City Stadium Sunday afternoon (fortuitously intercepted by Herb Adderley), but it came as no surprise to the Packer defense. The highly reliable authority for the foregoing is soft-spoken Bill Forester, the Pack's battle-tested defensive captain, who imparted this intelligence to the Mike & Pen Sports Club at the Elks Monday noon. Forester and his fellow defenders had been named "sportsmen of the month" for September and he was present to accept the club's award in their behalf. "We were pretty much looking for a pass," the drawling Southern Methodist University alumnus reported. "I know I was thinking pass - I never did consider a run." Why? he was asked. "The Lions had picked up two first downs in a row on passes just before that," Forester said, "so it seemed, with third down, the logical thing for them to do."..."WE HOLLER BINGO": The interference had formed for Adderley with remarkable speed, it was suggested. This was not accidental, Forester observed, pointing out, "We work on that in practice. As soon as a pass is intercepted, we holler 'bingo' and somebody goes for the quarterback, because he usually is in the best position to make a tackle. The rest of us form the interference as fast as we can." Had there been any defensive changes in the final seconds when Forester and his colleagues throttled the Lions' last gasp? "We have a victory defense we normally go into just before the half or the end of a game," Bill explained, "but we just stayed in the defense we were in most of the day. In the defense we used, we had three deep safeties. In fact, we actually had four deep - we were concentrating more or less on Barr (Terry). Two of the safeties were playing the two guys on the strong side in and out."..."LINEBACKERS FORCE": "In the first half, Detroit killed us on those rollouts," the 10-year Packer noted, "mostly because the linebackers were dropping off. We adjusted between halves and had the linebackers force. Plum had made a lot running, so we were going to sacrifice our short coverage for a better rush." The Lions' offensive line, it was ventured, seemed much improved. "It's a lot better," Forester agreed with alacrity. "We only got in there once or twice all afternoon. Of course, Plum gets the ball off faster than most quarterbacks in the league." How did he explain the spectacular improvement in the Packer defense? "The main thing is playing together," Bill responded, after brief reflection. "Of course," he added with a slight smile, "we don't want to talk too much about the defense now - we'll just wait until the end of the season." He did concede with heartfelt admiration, however, the efforts of Hank Jordan and Willie Davis. "They're all over the field," Forester declared. "It's unbelievable."..."LIKE TO REST": Does the shutout-minded defense talk it up? "Usually, when we go in, we're talking it up at the start of a series. We try to get three plays in and get back on that bench," Bill said with a sly grin. "We like to rest." Did the enemy try to steal the Packers' defensive signals (flashed from the sidelines by Bengtson)? "They try to, but he changes 'em up pretty often so it would be pretty hard to catch 'em." How did he like the system (the Packers are the only team in pro football to call defensive signals from the bench)? "It's real good because it leaves the calling to someone on the bench who has someone in the press box who has a clearer look at the game. When I was going it (during the Lisle Blackbourn regime), somebody in the huddle would say, 'Let's use such-and-such a defense.' This way you get the defense that's called - there's no question about it." Did he think the intensity of the struggle would be an advantage or disadvantage in next Sunday's match with the Vikings? "It probably will be to our advantage to us in winning like we did," he replied. "There is a chance of being a little complacent if you win big. When the coach gets hold of us Tuesday morning," Bill added with a wry smile, "there won't be much complacency."
LIONS NEVER CROSSED MID-FIELD AREA ON OWN
OCT 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers still have allowed only two touchdowns in four games and just one of the those came on a drive past midfield. The Vikings of Minnesota moved 65 yards in seven plays in the 1962 opener here, with Fran Tarkenton hurling to Jerry Reichow for 17 yards and the TD. Tarkenton was fleeing for his life and the original play was long broken when he spotted Reichow in the end zone with the pitch. St. Louis and Chicago were blanked in the next two games and then came the league's highest-scoring team, the Lions. They never crossed the midfield area under their own power all day but reached the promised land by recovering fumbles or intercepting passes. They recovered Bart Starr's fumble on the Packer 34 and drove from there for their lone TD. But enough of those pleasant reminders. Here are some of the circled notations we made in the "play" book during Sunday's action: PERFECT PASS - Bart Starr's passing was of the pinpoint variety and the two interceptions were made off throws by Paul Hornung and Tom Moore. Starr's first bulls-eye was a tummy high pitch to Max McGee in the first quarter to set up Hornung's first field goal...DEFENSE CHEERED - The Packer defense, with two shutouts under its belt, made its debut with more than five minutes fone in the first quarter and the big audience let out with a mighty cheer...MEETING PLACE - Ron Kramer's strong hands helped him catch a pass in the first period. Starr's throw, Lion defender Yale Lary and Kramer all made contact at the same time, but Kramer came up with the ball...STRAIGHT IN - On a third and five situation on the Packer 10, early in the second quarter, Milt Plum went back to pass and Bill Forester went right back with him for an eight-yard Lion loss. Forester red-dogged through the line with nary a hand touching him. That set up a field goal try by Wayne Walker that was blocked by Herb Adderley...FIRST TIME - When Danny Lewis scored on a six-yard run in the second quarter, the Packers went back behind for the first time of the new season, 7-3. And they never went ahead until the last 33 seconds...COACH'S DOWN - Coach Vince Lombardi was knocked to the ground by big Nick Pietrosante just before the half. Plum had thrown a pass to Pietrosante and he went out of bounds in the Pack's bench area along with Ray Nitschke. Big Ray helped Vince up and the action went on...THIRD BAD PENALTY - The Bay shackled themselves with costly penalties int he first half, but early in the third period the defense hurt the cause. Plum had a third and seven situation when he went back to pass. He was roughed and the Bays drew 15. And the Lions got a first down...FALLING DOWN - The two third-down passes that gave the Lions two time-consuming first downs late in the game were both caught while receiver Jim Gibbons was falling down...UNLUCKY? - Herb Adderley's interception that set up the winning field goal by Paul Hornung was the 13th for the Packers this season. What's that about 13 being unlucky? Bosh! And then there was the rabbit that ran out on the field after the interception!
PACKERS HUNT ON DAY OFF - IN RAIN, MUCK
OCT 9 (Leeman-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - At least three Green Bay Packers didn't have enough of mire and rain Sunday when they sloshed over the Detroit Lions 9-7. On Monday, their day off, three of Green Bay's finest, Ken Iman, Jerry Kramer and Bob Skoronski, slogged through rain and muck to shoot some pheasants at the K and S Game Farm, Shiocton, Rt. 1. Last year, when a group of Packers hunted at Van Zeeland's Game Farm near Crivitz, with a dry field they succeeded in proving that a bird dog is no match for a well-conditioned Packer in a race for a downed bird. But in the slippery, splashy going of the hunt Monday, the dogs had every advantage and the portion of the Pack that chose a miserable day to relax in Wisconsin's out-of-doors were content to let the dogs have their way...WET HANDICAPS PHEASANTS: However, the wet weather handicapped the pheasants. The dogs took turns proving that a wey pheasant is no match for a keen dog, especially a quick, hard-driving little springer spaniel bitch, who found herself surrounded by wet birds and proceeded to save the reputation of all shooters by catching about a dozen. In England, where the springer originated this sort of activity, known as "pegging," is looked upon with about as much favor as an offside penalty which nullifies a touchdown run. But many U.S. hunters are only too happy to come home with a bird, regardless of how it is acquired...ABLE TO CONNECT: In any event, there seemed to be an inverse ratio between the number of shots fired and the number of birds in the bag as one party led by Father William Spaulding, Green Bay, and his two golden retrievers, Susie and Tiger, and a second group led by Dave Duffey, Clintonville, and his two spaniels, Flirt and McGurk, plunged through the dripping cover. But when the birds flew, the Packers were able to connect. Skoronski, whose teammates have dubbed him "The Great White Hunter," had the day's record, downing five birds with five shots. Kramer and Iman also acquitted themselves well on the firing line. The Packer hunters actually roamed over only a small portion of the 1,100-acre shooting area which is owned and operated by Don Killoren and John Spaulding, Appleton. After a short break to consume some warming coffee, the Pack went out again, this time to shoot over a pointing dog, Briar, a German wire-haired pointer owned and handled by Duffey...'WE GIVE UP': With dryer birds and a dog that pointed rather than flushed, the flight of the birds was better and provided better sport. One very wet cock pheasant scooted out of a cornfield into a stand of roadside cover. After beating the bush, the gridders gave up and Kramer shouted, "We give up, bring the dog over." The dog moves in cautiously and pointed. But five good sized pairs of feet pounding through the cover couldn't move a bird. The dog still insisted it was there. Finally, given the okay to move off point, he bent down and pulled the pheasant out of a hole by the tail feathers. Other Wisconsin hunters, however, might make a thankful offering that the world's champion gridders have to work during the time hunting season is on, getting only Mondays off. For from the way these guys walk and the way they shoot, they could be as much a scourge of the state game as they are on the nation's gridiron.
WANT TO SEE PACK ON ROAD? YOU'LL HAVE TO GO TO LA!
OCT 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers are unquestionably the best draw in pro football. And if you want to see them on the road you'll have to go all the way to Los Angeles. With four homes games under their belt, the Packers now take to the road for the first time - the Vikings in Bloomington, Minn., Sunday. And the game is a sellout - 40,800, but that's just the beginning. "We're sold out on all of our road games except the last one - the Coliseum in Los Angeles," said Packer Publicist Tom Miller today before departing for Minneapolis. There is room to burn in the Coliseum, in case somebody in these parts wants to get up a gang and make the 2,000-mile trip. The Coliseum's capacity is 101,296, and that would take care of our entire town and suburbs - plus Pulaski and a few others. Actually, the Packers will have played before packed (and in some cases standing room) houses in 13 of their 14 league games, the lone empty-seater being LA. With a 13-1 record assured in the Attendance League and a 4-0 going in the NFL, General Manager Vince Lombardi has sort of a double-championship record in the works. The Bays' seven home league games are sellouts. The four in Green Bay (the Nov. 18 vs. Baltimore) each drew 38,669 - eve since last spring. The three in Milwaukee will be capacity-plus, depending on the number of standing room sold. The league opener in Milwaukee drew 44,885, which included several hundred standing-roomers. Col. Ockie Krueger, the Pack's man in Milwaukee, laughed and bled at the same time at the Detroit game: "I'm just about out of business." He was referring to the sale for the Pack's last two games in County Stadium - the 49ers Oct. 21 and Rams Dec. 2. Besides Minnesota, the Packers play at Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco and Los Angeles in that order. The first six are sold out like so: Minnesota; Baltimore, 57,641; Chicago Bears 49,200; Philadelphia 60,671; Detroit 52,555; and San Francisco 59,636. The Packers likely will have a big backing in Minnesota. That was once Packer "territory." What's more, several thousand fans likely will be coming over from the western part of Wisconsin...The Packers practice in the rain, but for about 20 minutes before, thunder, lightning, hail and a heavy downpour forced them off the field. But the Bays did pull something new Tuesday. They worked out on their own while Lombardi and Aides Phil Bengtson, Norb Hecker, Bill Austin, Red Cochran and Tom Fears - plus Scout Wally Cruice, worked inside. The Packers divided into four groups and played two games of touch football. The big men, roughly 220 on up, played in the west field and the "little men" used the east field. Nobody kept score but somebody remarked that "it was the hardest Tuesday workout we've had all year." It was nice to be out Tuesday. The sun was shining, Herb!...Team statistics showed the Packers leading in 10 of the 16 defensive departments - including three of the top four: Points allowed 14, total yards 683, passing yards 346. The Bays and Detroit are virtually even in yards allowed rushing, Detroit gave 332, Green Bay 337...The Vikings had so much trouble scoring on the Bears (13-0) they asked waivers on kicker Mike Mercer and activated a young but talented flanker back by the name of Charley Ferguson. The Vikes' placekicking will be handled by Jim Christopherson and Mercer's punting chores will be carried out by John McCormick, rookie QB. Coach Norm Van Brocklin hopes to give Ferguson an early shot at flanker. He will move Jerry Reichow to spread end in an effort to shake the team's scoring slump.
TAYLOR RIPS AHEAD OF '61 SOIL PACE; BART STARR 'EVEN'
OCT 11 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The 1961 Packers won three of their first four games. The current Packers won their first four. That's a healthy improvement! But what about the department of coin tossing? The 1961 Packers won the first four tosses (league games, of course). The present Pack is batting. 500, having won two tosses and lost two. That's not an improvement! Seriously, let's compare some of the major individual statistics of the first four games this year with the front four of 1961. The world champs played the Lions, 49ers, Bear and Colts in that order last year. This year's foes were the Vikings, Cardinals, Bears and Lions. RUSHING - Jim Taylor thus far has 77 attempts for 418 yards and an average of 5.4, which ranks him first in the league. Jim Brown has 67 trips for 331 yards and 4.9. A year ago Taylor also was leading the loop with 360 yards in 60 trips for an even 6. Brown had 315 in 80 carries for 3.9. Taylor has 17 more carries than a year ago but that might be traceable to the fact that his plunging partner, Paul Hornung, was hurt in the third game and sat out (carryingwise) after two trips. Hornung has 33 carries for 152 yards. In 1961, Hornung had 44 for 245. Thus, if it hadn't been for the injury Taylor and Hornung probably would be even with their 1961 schedule...PASSING - Bart Starr presently ranks fifth with 78 throws, 48 completions, a completion percentage of 61.5, 633
yards, 3 touchdowns passes, 3 interceptions. The number of passes ordered, of course, varies from week to week with the type of defenses opposed but the differences from a year ago are tiny. The 1961 Starr hurled 90 times and completed 51 for 602 yards, a completion percentage of 56.7, 4 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. What's more, Starr was fifth at this stage a year ago, too!...PASS RECEIVING - Boyd Dowler tops the current list with 16 catches for 279 yards. A year ago, Max McGee was leading with 16 with 257 yards...INTERCEPTIONS - The present Bays are leading that department with two four-interception players, Herb Adderley and Willie Wood. The 1961 club at this point was topped by Johnny Symank, who also had four. While these figures show certain "human" trends, the really big "stix" are the four "Teamsters" in the standings: Won, Lost, Points Scored and Opponents Points. After the first four games last year, the Packers had scored 112 points and allowed 34. This year, the figures are 109 marks scored and that Fantastic Fourteen allowed. A year ago, the Pack was tied with the 49ers, each with 3-1...The Packers held their first full-length drill of the week today. Coach Vince Lombardi sent the boys out on their own Tuesday - for a game of touch football, and Wednesday's drill was halted after about 15 minutes by thunder, lightning, a driving rain and hail - - plus wind. The fall "shower" ended shortly but the squad stayed instead and continued blackboard and movie work. All hands are in excellent condition for the shot for No. 5 - the Vikings in Bloomington, Minn., Sunday.
PLUM DOESN'T PASS? PACKERS GET FG ANYWAY - IN PRACTICE! VIKINGS NEXT
OCT 12 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - So Milt Plum doesn't pass on that third down last Sunday? The Lions, needing seven yards for a first down, run instead with 1:46 left. They are held and forced to punt. And the Packers make a last-ditch flight for victory. Can they do it? Coach Vince Lombardi must have been curious about that, too. He recreated the situation as a windup to Thursday's practice. He's put the ball on the Pack's 20 and yelled, "We got a minute and a half left to score. There's one timeout and keep the watch on us." Coach Norb Hecker set the watch and the Packer offense went to work - just as if Yale Lary had punted Sunday. Bart Starr, facing the rugged Packer defense, completed three straight 10 to 20-yard passes to Boyd Dowler, Paul Hornung and Ron Kramer without huddling the team, using up about 50 seconds. He tried a fourth, to Dowler, but it was wide, stopping the clock. A timeout was called anyway and the field goal team went into action around the 30 with just 34 seconds left. Hornung kicked from around 35 yards and it was far and perfect. And Lombardi beamed at his squad, "I knew you could do it." All good Packer fans were convinced Sunday that if Lary had been forced to punt the Bays somehow would have surged back close enough for a game winning Hornung field goal. As it developed Herb Adderley's interception and 40-yard return on "that" third down made Hornung's field goal and 9-7 victory readily possible...JUST IN CASE: Lombardi observed after the practice field goal that "we probably would have called a timeout," if the Lions had run on third down. "And then we wouldn't have had a timeout left when we came back down the field," he laughed. Scoring in the last two minutes or less isn't anything to the Packers. They practice it once or twice a week - just in case the unwelcome situation presents itself. You can bet the Bays were ready to fight the clock and the Lions Sunday - if there had been a punt...The Packers will leave for their next assignment, the Minnesota Vikings, in Bloomington, Minn., from Austin Straubel Field via United Airlines at 10 o'clock Saturday morning. They'll drill at Metropolitan Stadium in the afternoon and then headquarter at the Leamington Hotel in Minneapolis. Kickoff Sunday is 1:35...The Vikings will be bolstered by the return of linebacker Cliff Livingston, the one-time Giant. Cliff missed the last two games with strained leg ligaments...A new crowd record might be set Sunday. The Vikings added 200 bleachers at the north end of the field, raising the capacity to 42,275. The
expected sale of standing room thus makes it possible to crack the al-time stadium record of 42,007 set at last year's Packer-Viking game...CORRECTION PLEASE: We said the Lions never crossed the 50 under their own power against the Pack last Sunday. Early in the fourth quarter they started a drive on their own 46 that reached the Packer 34. This ended with the missed field goal. The Lions reached the 46 when Elijah Pitts was called for bumping the fair-catch receiver of a punt. Otherwise, the Lions would have started from their own 31.
PACKER NOTE: VIKES SCORED THEIR 21 IN 4TH QUARTER
OCT 13 (Minneapolis-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Vikings have yet to score in the first, second and third quarters of their first four games. They scored all their points, 21, in the fourth quarter and seven of those came at the expense of the Packers in Green Bay Sept. 16. But the drought of the first three framed almost ended last week on a freak play. The Vikings were trying a field goal from in close against the Bears in the first period but the slippery ball went through QB Fran Tarkenton's hands as he attempted to hold for Mike Mercer. The kicker grabbed the ball and lateraled to Tarkenton, but a pass into the end zone by Tarkenton was too high for Doug Mayberry. The Packers are hoping the Vikings don't start to run hot in the first three periods when they collide at Metropolitan Stadium here Sunday afternoon. A former Packer by the name of Oscar Donahue almost put the Vikings on the board versus the Bears. He caught a pass on the five-yard line and then dropped one on the goal line, setting up a field goal. Observers here felt that if the Vikings had been
able to score earlier they might have beaten the Bears. Donahue, incidentally, is the Vikings' No. 2 receiver. The San Jose rookie, who was the last end cut by the Pack, caught 11 for 104 yards. The top receiver is Jerry Reichow, who has 14 for 210. The Pack's big scoring quarter has been the third. They counted 41 in that period in the four games. Green Bay has only been scored on in the second and fourth quarters. The Lions got their TD last Sunday on a 34-yard move after recovering Bart Starr's fumble in the second quarter. The Vikings are still the only team to score on a sustained drive against the Pack. They moved 65 yards in seven plays in the fourth frame and scored on a 17-yard pass from Tarkenton to Reichow with 1:45 left in the game. En route Tarkenton threw a 25-yard pass to Bill Brown, the ex-Bear, and a 23-yarder to Reichow. Doug Mayberry is the Vikings' leading ground gainer with 124 yards in 28 trips for a 4.4 yard average. Tommy Mason, who kept Hugh McElhenny out of last Sunday's game with his fine running, is next with 114 yards in 33 trips. Mason will be rewarded with a start against the Pack. The Packers are headquartering at the Leamington Hotel here.
VIKES HOPE FOR 'GIVEN SUNDAY' AGAINST PACK
OCT 14 (Minneapolis-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Beware of Given Sunday! That's a warning to the Packers. And it represents hope for the Vikings. The old pro football truth goes: "Any team can beat any other team on a given Sunday." The late NFL commissioner, Bert Bell, composed it. There seems to be two or three Given Sundays every season. The 1962 campaign already has one - the Redskins' 17-16 win over the Browns in Cleveland. Maybe that doesn't seem like a GS now, since the Redskins have added two more wins, but at the time the chances of Washington winning seemed remote, indeed. The chances of the un-won Vikings (0-4) beating the unbeaten Packers (0-4) in Metropolitan Stadium this afternoon appear extremely thin. The experts have tabbed the Bays a three-touchdown favorite. Kickoff is set for 1:35 and the gate could approach a record 43,000. The Vikings have been getting keyed up all week in hopes of knocking off the world champions. Coach Norm Van Brocklin has convinced his charges that it's entirely possible and Coach Vince Lombardi has warned the Packers. The Vikings are hoping the Packers have a "drop off" after their all-out effort against the Lions last Sunday. This happened a year ago when the Bays visited Minneapolis after walloping the Browns. The Bays had a difficult time with the Vikings and finally settled the issue, 33-7, with 17 points in the fourth quarter. It was 13-7 at the half. Paul Hornung kicked four field goals...OFFENSIVELY MINDED: Both teams will have offense on their minds today since both failed to score a touchdown last Sunday. The Packers won a 9-7 contest thanks to Hornung's three field goals. the Vikings lost 13-0 to the Bears. Fran Tarkenton, the Vikings' hard-to catch quarterback, had his team down deep in Bear territory most of the first half but couldn't score. Tarkenton hopes to dent the Bays with rushers Tommy Mason, who is playing in place of Hugh McElhenny, and Doug Mayberry - plus receivers Jerry Reichow and Oscar Donahue. Van Brocklin has made a few changes since the Bays walloped his team 34-7 in the opener in Green Bay. Gone is kicker Mike Mercer. Added is flanker back Charley Ferguson, who could move into Reichow's spot while the former Iowa QB moves to the wide end. Kicking will be linebacker Jim Christopherson of Concordia of Minnesota. John McCormick, rookie QB, will do the punting and some signal calling if Tarkenton has trouble...POINT STARVED: The Packer defense, which has permitted only two touchdowns (and no field goal) in four games, will be subjected to a frenzied offense in that the Vikings points machine is virtually starved. Minnesota scored only 21 points in four tests - all in the last quarters. Bart Starr is anxious to get onto the touchdown trail and he'll undoubtedly want one in a hurry. A year ago in this park, the Bays scored the first time they had their hands on the ball, with a long pass from Starr to Boyd Dowler...TAYLOR READY: Jim Taylor is pretty well recovered from the "flu" and high temperature that weakened him in the Lion game, and he should be at full strength - along with his noted partner, Hornung. The Packers will be going for their 13th straight win since they dropped a 22-21 decision in San Francisco last December. They then whipped LA in the league windup, trimmed the Giants in the title game, won six straight non-leaguers and now have four straight loop wins going.
