Green Bay Packers (7-0) 17, Baltimore Colts (3-4) 6
Sunday October 28th 1962 (at Baltimore)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(BALTIMORE) - No. 7 was the toughest, and the meanest! The Packers, showing their championship class, put down a mighty effort by the highly-charged Colts in a bitterly-fought battle that drew 163 yards in penalties in Memorial Stadium Sunday afternoon before 57,966 fans. The final score was 17 to 6 and the hard-earned triumph left Green Bay as the only unbeaten team in the NFL at the halfway mark in the '62 season. The Packers worked two perfect touchdowns plays - a 25-yard Bart Starr to Ron Kramer pass and a 37-yard run by Jim Taylor, plus a 23-yard field goal by Jerry Kramer, but that was all, and enough. Green Bay launches the second half against the Bears in Chicago next Sunday and the Bruins are unhappy after losing to the Lions Sunday. Detroit remained as Green Bay's closest pursuer - two games back. Green Bay had to come up with a super showing because the Colts were keyed to a frenzy - especially their defensemen who limited the Bays to 252 yards all day. As champs, the Packers were special targets - and the Colts were facing their fourth loss. These factors "fed" the Colts. Both teams were nicked heavily with personal fouls (roughing) but the Colts apparently started it. The first P.F. fouls, two of them with 58 seconds left in the half, were on the Colts and they set up the first Bay TD. The Colts were after Taylor's hide and the big fullback's bolting TD was pure pleasure. When removed from the field after the last play, Taylor was booed roundly by the fans and Jimmy bowed and waved his hands toward the stands - while his teammates on the sidelines clapped their hands in applause. Taylor finished with 68 yards in 16 carries - a sort of miserable in view of the Colts' elbows, knees and fists. In all, the Colts drew 89 yards in penalties and the Packers were touched for 74. Worse yet, one of the personal fouls nullified a 64-yard Starr to Boyd Dowler touchdown aerial just before the end of the third period. Green Bay never went behind, taking a 3-0 lead on J. Kramer's field goal in the second quarter. The first of two 34-yard field goals by Dick Bielski tied the score a few minutes later but just before the half the Bays moved 88 yards in five plays to go ahead on R. Kramer's TD catch of Starr's pass with 11 seconds left. Bielski missed a field goal from the 47 and then hit from the 34 to make it 10-6 in the third period. With Ray Nitschke intercepting Lamar McHan's only pass and returning 37 yards to the 42, the Packers went on to score the clinching TD on Taylor's run with about nearly six minutes left in the game. The Colts won the statistics except where it really counts - on points. They had the edge in first downs 18-14, total yards 309 to 252, rushing yards 151 to 111, and passing yards 154-141. The game marked the return of Lenny Moore, the Colts' great back who has been out for six weeks with a knee injury. He opened at left halfback, played some flanker and closed at left end. He ran 18 times for 77 yards and caught four passes for 36 yards. This is the second straight game and the third of the season in which the Bay defense has held the enemy without a touchdown. The Packers intercepted two passes (by Jess Whittenton and Nitschke) and recovered one fumble (by Bill Forester). The Colts' big defense, led by rough Bill Pellington, limited the Bays to 48 offensive plays, while the Colts managed 71. The Bays gained 5.2 yards per play, the Colts 4.3, though. Starr finished with 11 completions in 19 pass attempts, including 7 for 11 in the first half. John Unitas completed 18 out of 31 and this was one of a few times Unitas ever was held touchdown-less. Here's the story, in brief: After the Bays couldn't budge on the opening kickoff, each team rolled up three first downs and then saw a pass get intercepted. Moore was the Colts' first ball carrier and the clever back added up four yards. The Colt drive ended when Bill Quinlan and Willie Davis forced Unitas to throw in too big a hurry and Whittenton intercepted the wobbly pitch. The Packers moved into scoring position chiefly on Starr's pass to R. Kramer for 24 and an interference penalty on Lenny Lyles on Max McGee. The attack stalled and on third down and four to go Pellington dropped Starr's pass and returned 18 yards. The Bays had a 3-0 lead a few moments later. Forester scooped up a Unitas fumble and quickly lateraled to Willie Wood, who ran 35 yards to the Colt 45. A 23-yard Starr pass to McGee put the Pack closer but the Colts held and J. Kramer hit the field goal from 23. After an exchange of punts, the Colts moved in for the tying field goal. A Unitas to Moore pass gained 13 and four plays later Bielski hit his field goal from the 34. The Packers scored quickly - thanks to a couple of penalties. Taylor carried twice and after each lug the Colts were nipped 15 for personal fouls. This put the ball, thank you, on the Colt 48. Starr quickly threw to R. Kramer for 27 and two plays later Starr and R. Kramer connected again - this time for a 25-yard TD with only 11 seconds left in the half. Bielski got the second half off by missing a field goal from the 47. Dowler was asked to punt quickly and the Colts went on a field goal march. Unitas' 8-yard pass to Orr and short runs by Moore set up Bielski's 34-yard field goal and the score was 10-6. The game developed into a dog fight and Starr was forced into a punting situation after he was thrown for an 11-yard loss. Unitas moved the Colts pretty good, chiefly on a 13-yard pass to Berry, but the Bays stiffened and Bielski tried a 38-yard field goal - only to miss. The Bays couldn't budge after Dowler's long "touchdown" was called back - so the Colts set sail again. They ran up two first downs as the game moved into the fourth quarter, mainly on Unitas' 15-yard pass to Bielski. On a third down and nine situation, Unitas ran (when he couldn't pass) and injured his ankle. McHan came forth and called Tom Matte's play, falling short by one foot on a fourth down. The Packers took over on their own 42 but on third down, after running 17 yards, Starr overthrew Dowler and Boyd intercepted, returning 34 yards to the Bay 26. McHan moved the Colts to the 19 on a fourth down and three play. His pass up the middle was intercepted by Ray Nitschke who cut in front of the intended receiver. Nitschke galloped like a scat back for 37 yards. The Bays had a touchdown in three plays. Taylor hit right end for three and Starr passed to McGee on the left side for 18 to the 37. Taylor then hit straight up the middle, veered sharply to his left and shot through an open hole and into the clear for the TD at
8:55. The Colts moved quickly for two first downs but the Bay defense took it away on downs, Unitas losing a yard on a pass to Mark Smolinski on fourth down. The Packers then ran out the clock with Taylor and Tom Moore running after Starr opened with a 10-yarder to McGee. And there it was - the Pack's first victory in Baltimore since 1957.
GREEN BAY - 0 10 0 7 - 17
BALTIMORE - 0 3 3 0 - 6
GREEN BAY BALTIMORE
First Downs 14 18
Rushing-Yards-TD 29-111-1 38-155-0
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 19-11-152-1-2 31-18-161-0-2
Sack Yards Lost 11 7
Total Yards 252 309
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Turnovers 2 3
Yards penalized 5-74 5-89
SCORING
2nd - GB - Jerry Kramer, 23-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - BALT - Dick Bielski, 34-yard field goal TIED 3-3
2nd - GB - Ron Kramer, 25-yard pass from Bart Starr (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 10-3
3rd - BALT - Bielski, 34-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-6
4th - GB - Jim Taylor, 37-yard run (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 17-6
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 16-68 1 TD, Tom Moore 11-25, Bart Starr 1-18, Elijah Pitts 1-0
BALTIMORE - Lenny Moore 18-77, Joe Perry 16-70, Alex Hawkins 1-7, Johnny Unitas 2-1, Tom Matte 1-0
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 19-11-152 1 TD 2 INT
BALTIMORE - Johnny Unitas 30-18-161 1 INT, Lamar McHan 1-0-0 1 INT
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Ron Kramer 3-76 1 TD, Max McGee 3-51, Jim Taylor 2-(-4), Lew Carpenter 1-22, Boyd Dowler 1-6, Tom Moore 1-1
BALTIMORE - Jimmy Orr 4-42, Lenny Moore 4-36, Joe Perry 4-22, Raymond Berry 3-36, Dick Biekski 2-25, Mark Smolinski 1-0
VINCE FINDS ONE WORD: TREMENDOUS
OCT 29 (Baltimore-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vince Lombardi wrapped up the Packers' play in one word - "Tremendous." The Packer coach was pleased as punch with this seventh straight victory because, as he put it, "this was a team victory, not the offense or the defense, the entire team." Both units did their duty - the defense holding off Unitas and Co. on seven invasions of Packer territory and the offense scoring two touchdowns. Asked what he considered a turning point, Lombardi pointed to "the last 51 seconds of the first half." The Colts had just tied the game and the Packers charged back to their first touchdown and a 10-3 lead. The Colts helped along with two penalties but once at midfield the Bays scored in three plays, Bart Starr to Ron Kramer, 25 yards. This was no mean feat. "Ewbank (Weeb, Colt coach) told me after the game that this is the highest he's ever seen a Colt defensive team. He said they were that way all week," Lombardi said. Vince agreed that the frequent personal fouling (roughing) penalties likely were the result of the Colts' "highness." The Bays were held to 111 yards rushing. Lombardi told newsmen earlier in the Packer dressing room that "this was the toughest defensive team we've met all year. Everybody's up for us and it's getting tougher every Sunday." The Packers were high in their praise of the Colts' play. Quarterback Bart Starr thought the Colts "didn't do anything we didn't expect but they were really buzzing in there." Somebody said, "Big Ron (Kramer) was having a tough time blocking out there and they had to be tough." In fact, R.K. knocked himself dizzy blocking, of all people, Forrest Gregg. "He was going one way and I was going the other and we just met when our paths crossed. I've never been blocked that hard by anybody," said Gregg. Ron hurled the same compliment at Gregg and he saw stars to prove it. Jimmy Taylor was still riled up after the game - but happy with the win. "I just wanted to recognize them, you know," Taylor said in reference to the bow he gave the booing fans when he was taken from the game near the end. Jim took quite a "pounding," and that's a mild word. "That stuff doesn't go," Taylor grinned. Starr had to stop calling signals and wave for quiet from the booing fans early in the game. "They're poor sports," Starr emphasized, "that's just terrible. The flankers can't hear the signals and I can't change up at all. Pellington (Bill, Colt linebacker) tried to quiet them, too, and I told him I appreciated that." Lenny Moore's showing impressed the Packer defensive player. Out with an injury for six weeks, Lenny appeared as the Moore of previous years. "That Lenny Moore is great, isn't he," Bill Forester marveled, and Herb Adderley added: "I'm glad he wasn't playing flanker. He was out there for one play and he caught one for 13 yards." Moore played left half, a new spot for him, moved to flanker for a bit and then finished the game at left end. And speaking about outstanding individual jobs, Lombardi pointed to Bill Quinlan with this comment: "Quinlan played a
good game."
PACK CAN BE BEATEN, COLTS CONVINCED
OCT 29 (Baltimore-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A funny thing happened to the Packers on their way to the championship in the NFL West. They failed to convince the Colts that they can't be beat. In other words, while the Hornung-less Green Bays are 7-and-0 after that 17-6 squeaker in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium Sunday, they won't win all the 14 - in the opinion of the Colts' players, just as the woebegone Los Angeles Rams can't lose 'em all now that they have beaten the San Francisco 49ers. The Detroit Lions are the team the Baltimores believe knock off the Bays. That would be on Thanksgiving Day...'DESERVED TO WIN': Even the headmaster of Unitas U., quarterback John Unitas himself, who sprained his left ankle, agreed. John never has much to say but as he limped away from the dressing room en route to the hospital for x-rays, he allowed: "The Packers played a good game and deserved to win it today, but they can be beat." About the two foul-ups with Lenny
Moore, back in full time action for the first time this season, Unitas explained: "We were trying to run a trap play but we must have run it too tight." Unitas added, "The ankle really pains me. You'll have to excuse me. I'll be all right by Wednesday though." Weeb Ewbank, the little round man and newly established Baltimore "oil tycoon" who coaches the Colts, added, "Lenny hasn't had much time to work on that play, you know." Yesterday was the first time fleet-footed Moore handled the ball in a game since he cracked a kneecap in the last preseason exhibition. Against the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears, he made only token appearances. Yesterday he went the route, mainly as a tight halfback. Weeb explained: "The game plan was to alternate Moore but Lenny was 'hot' so you have to go with him all the way. We'll use Lenny at both tight halfback and wide end." Why did the Colts keep running the ends? "Our plan was not to throw to the out-ends at all because we figured they'd double cover. When the run succeeded, we stayed with it," Ewbank said. Ewbank called the Packers a "great football team. When they get the break, they go right in and get it. Take full advantage of it. Our fellows did a lot of things right but just didn't score enough points." Did the Colts do anything special to stop Jim Taylor and Tom Moore: "Not particularly. They just gave it their all." John Sandusky, defensive coach of the Colts, said, "It's the best we've ever done in containing their running game." That could be the understatement of the century. The coaches also thought Jim Parker, who moved from tackle to guard on offense in a last-minute switch, did a masterful job on Henry Jordan, Packer defensive tackle. Sandusky said, "You didn't see Jordan chasing people around like he normally does, did you?" "I didn't hear No. 7 mentioned all day," Ewbank added. Parker replaced Palmer Pyle at left guard with Tom Gilburg moved into Packer's tackle spot. The move was necessitated by a head injury which has put Pyle on the injured reserve list for the rest of the season. The only practice Parker has at the new position was late Friday when it was decided to hold out Pyle after he complained of a "dizzy sensation" several times. Tests are being made. In his stead, the Colts have signed Bill Kirchiro, University of Maryland guard originally drafted by the Cardinals. As for someone racking the Packers, Baltimore safetyman Andy Nelson made a prediction, "Sure they can be had. Only a play or two differently and we'd have done it today. Detroit will take them, you'll see." Defensive tackle Jim Colvin, when told that Vince Lombardi, Packer coach, has said the Colts' defense was the toughest Green Bay had run into all season, reacted, "At least we did something, even if we didn't win. Can Green Bay be beat? I'd say Detroit has the best chance, but man for man, the Lions' offensive line isn't as good as the Packers." Gino Marchetti, defensive captain of the Colts, conceded the Packers "were good but somebody's going to knock them off." Bob Boyd, defensive halfback, added, "Only a couple of plays made the difference today. I thought we did a good job but, of course, they won." That about sized it up. Fans on the exit ramps agreed the Colts had given it their all but it wasn't quite enough. In view of some past Colt performances this season, many of them had anticipated a rout by the Packers so there was no disgrace. Meanwhile, Green Bay is 7-and-0 and still glowing.
PACKERS 7-0, BUT WORST YET TO COME
OCT 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers have won their first seven league games. They are leading the Western Division by two games - with seven contests to go! That's the story today and it's a big one. It would be nice to take time out and celebrate this 31-year achievement but the Bears are a-snorting and a-pawing just 200 miles away in preparation for Green Bay's annual visit to Wrigley Field. This is no time for frivolity. In fact, banish the thought! With the slate still clean after engagements with the Vikings, Cardinals, Bears, Lions, Vikings, 49ers and Colts - in that order, Coach Vince Lombardi admitted today that: "We're numb!" Reminded that it was quite an accomplishment to win seven in a row, Lombardi agreed that it was "an accomplishment" but quickly turned his thoughts to the future - the next seven. "Each game will get a lot tougher and we'll be fighting for our lives. There are no easy ones," Vince said. The coach felt that the Packers have been taking "bad physical beatings" and the 17-6 victory over the Colts in Baltimore was one of them. This is because all of the other clubs are making extra-special efforts to beat the Packers. The Colts were furious in their attempt to whip the champs. "We didn't get anybody hurt, but it was a bad physical beating," Lombardi explained. Asked about the movies of the game, the coach said the pictures pointed up that "both teams played good on defense, and we only had the ball for 48 plays." The Packers did what seemed like the impossible - holding John Unitas without a touchdown, in his home lot at that. The Colts managed 71 plays and 309 yards but they still scored only two field goals. There were four key defensive plays - Jess Whittenton's interception that ended a Colt threat on the Packer 35; Bill Forester's recovery of a fumble and lateral to Willie Wood to set up Jerry Kramer's field goal and 3-0 lead; taking the ball on downs on the Packer 42 in the fourth quarter with the score 10-6; and Ray Nitschke's interception of Lamar McHan's pass on the Packer 5 and 37-yard runback. Those four plays plus the defense's cussedness all afternoon turned the trick. While the offense was hard-pressed by the Colts' great defensive effort, Bat Starr managed to come up with five key plays - or rather "big plays." Four of those plays were passes and the fifth was the clincher - Jim Taylor's 37-yard run. Play 1 was Starr's 23-yard pass to Max McGee to put the ball close enough for J. Kramer's field goal in the second quarter. Play 2 was Starr's 27-yard pass to Ron Kramer with 37 seconds left in the half and Play 3 was Starr's 25-yard touchdown pass to R. Kramer with 11 seconds left in the half. Plays 4 and 5 came in succession in the fourth quarter, 10 minutes left in the game. Nitschke had just made his
interception return and Taylor ran three yards to the Packer 45. Starr then connected on an 18-yard pass to McGee to put the pigskin on the Colt 37. Play 5 followed, with 7:05 left in the game. That left the Pack with a 17-6 lead and that isn't much. But we got the feeling Sunday that the defense wasn't about to relax. Nine plays later, the unit took it away on downs and the offense ran out the clock. So the Packers downed the Bears 49-0 here recently? "The Bears look a lot different than they did when they played here," Lombardi warned today. PS - The Packers' seven-game opening skein stands second only to the nine straight in 1931. The 1929 team opened with 10 straight while the '30 club has eight. The 1932 team didn't lose in their first nine games but the second game was a scoreless tie with the Bears.
QUIET STRIKES PRESSBOX DURING NATIONAL ANTHEM
OCT 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - There were two more unusuals in the brief moments before the kickoff of the Packer-Colt game in Baltimore Sunday: (1) This was the first time there ever was complete silence in the pressbox during the playing of the national anthem, and (2) it was discovered that the Colts' mascot, a real live pony, isn't stadium-broken. You could hear a pin drop and not even one typewriter or wire service printer was clicking when the strains of Uncle Sam's tune drifted up from the giant band on the field. This quiet just wasn't a coincidence, what with the threat of war. That dog-goned pony marched with the band on the field before the game and come time for the opening kickoff it became necessary to delay the game's start while the barnyard was removed from the city. Anyhow that horse didn't get much chance to exercise Sunday since there were only two scores (field goals) made by the Colts. The hoss runs around the entire outer field after each score. But enough of this...on with the circled notations in the game's playbook: PELLINGTON - The enraged Bill Pellington, playing a fiery game at middle linebacker, made the game's first two tackles. He stopped Jim Taylor on a pitch out around left end for two yards and then hooked Tom Moore for a three-yard gain...SUMMIT - Bart Starr and Ron Kramer ran to the sidelines to talk with Coach Vince Lombardi during a timeout in the first period. On the next play, Starr completed a 24-yard pass to Lombardi - I mean Kramer...LAST HALFBACK - The Bays were down to their last offensive halfback when Moore was hurt in the second quarter. Elijah Pitts was rushed forth when Moore hurt himself on Starr's 23-yard pass from Max McGee. Pitts stayed on a series leading up to Jerry Kramer's 23-yard field goal...DANGEROUS - Boyd Dowler had to punt from seven yards deep in the end zone in the second quarter after a Packer holding penalty. He got off a 42-yard punt after grabbing a high pass-back from center Jim Ringo. (Incidentally, Ringo suffered an injured eye, the result of an errant finger.)...HOLDING BALL - Lamar McHan, the former Packer quarterback, held the ball for both field goals by Bielski...EVERYBODY - Starr, back to pass in the third period, was tackled by what the announcer called "everybody." About six guys threw Bart Starr for an 11-yard loss...LONGEST - The Packers did not have a rush longer than five yards until Moore made 13 on a right end sweep late in the third period. It appeared the Packers were ready to break loose but two plays later Starr's 64-yard touchdown pass to Dowler was killed by a penalty...BEST BACK - Tom Matte was rated the Colts' best back last week but he carried only once - going for a first down on fourth down and one early in the fourth period. Matte didn't get the distance off the right side of the Packers' defensive line...SHAKE, PAT - After Taylor slipped through left guard on his 37-yard touchdown run and on his way to the bench, he quickly shook with guard Fuzz Thurston.
DEFENSE + PASSER STILL = SUCCESS
OCT 30 (Chicago Tribune) - Quarterbacks and defense still are the basic ingredients for outstanding professional football success. And it takes both. One or the other alone is inadequate over a championship campaign. Football's most consistent and unquestionably its best combination of the two is up at Green Bay and today, with all the reruns in on the first half of the title race, only the Packers remain unbeaten. Even the loss of Paul Hornung, at one time considered an unexpendable part of the Packer attack, has failed to stop the Packers from winning against opposition which invariably saves its best effort for the champions...LIONS STILL CHALLENGE: Detroit, with a comparable defense and quarterbacking that is only a trifle less efficient than that which Bart Starr gives Green Bay, remains the only team seriously challenging the Packers in the Western Division at this stage of the race. Chicago's Bears, apparently in a position to make a run for a playoff berth early in the season, have lapsed back into the pack, largely on the failure of their offense. Bill Wade, attempting to operate behind a line that fails to meet all major league requirements, had one of his worst days in Detroit on Sunday and the Bears slipped back to third place...BEARS, PACKERS NEXT: Wade and the Bears get one more chance to right themselves. It comes on Sunday at Wrigley Field where they face the Packers in one of the traditional blood lettings that began back in 1921 and have been getting more intense by the season. A victory for the Bears not only would revive their interest in the race but might start some other opponents believing that the Packers are not unbeatable. Baltimore made a gallant try against the Packers on Sunday. It charged the Packer goal seven times. But on each occasion it found the Packer defense equal to the challenge...SHIFT PARKER TO GUARD: Baltimore, like the Bears, is having pass protection trouble. The loss of guard Palmer Pyle complicated the problem. Pyle was ordered out of football for a year just before the game by team physicians. Tackle Jim Parker, for a number of seasons the pivotal figure in the Colts' protective screen, was shifted to guard against the Packers, but the switch did not improve Unitas' protection. At Detroit, Bear protection for Wade broke down completely on several occasions and the remainder of the time it was so shoddy that Wade was running for his life more often than not. Wade, of course, does not cooperate too well with his defenders. He holds the ball longer than is considered safe by most coaches...CHANGE STANDINGS COMPLEXION: His problems at Detroit were intensified by the dogged and rough house attention the Lions paid to Mike Ditka, a vital receiver in many of the Bears' pass patterns. Ditka was being hard fought, double teamed and even ganged at every move. Consequently, he caught only two passes for a total of 20 yards. On at least two occasions, it took him so much time to free himself that Wade, under a heavy rush, was unable to reach him with the ball. On the other hand, in New York, Y.A. Tittle, who has been around so long he can recall intimate conversations with A.A. Stagg at Yale, threw passes from every position and under every circumstance for touchdowns against Washington. Tittle had seven, tying the National league record. His performance and that of halfback Jon Arnett and fullback Dick Bass against San Francisco changed the complexion of the standings. Tittle removed Washington from the unbeaten class and Bass and Arnett brought Los Angeles its first victory. Every team in the league now has won a game and 13 of the 14 teams have been defeated...JIM BROWN REBOUNDS: Cleveland's surprising 41 to 14 victory over Pittsburgh got Big Jim Brown back into high gear. Brown gained 93 yards in 21 carries. But the Browns suffered a severe blow through the loss of quarterback Jim Ninowski. Even though Ninowski has not been spectacular, he has been Cleveland's No. 1 quarterback. When he went out with a shoulder separation. Cleveland could only turn to Frank Ryan, who has been sitting on the bench all year. He responded admirably, engineering all of the Browns' scored except the first one, which was made by the defense on a fumble recovery. To back up Ryan, the Browns signed rookie quarterback John Furman, from Texas Western college. Furman was on the Browns' training roster last summer but was sent to the Minnesota Vikings before the season began. He has been working out with the Vikings but was not under contract. The Browns said he will be returned to the Vikings next year. Los Angeles' 28 to 14 defeat of the 49ers must rate as one of the big upsets of the season. The Rams, beaten six times in a row, were a two-touchdown underdog. Arnett, who was injured in the opening game of the season in Baltimore, signaled his return to form by scoring his first touchdown of the year, and when he was not doing to the 49er defenses what the gambler figures could not be done on this day, Bass was galloping off on long gains. Coach Bob Waterfield's job, as a result, will be safe for another week.
ROTE TO QUIT CANADIAN GRID
OCT 30 (Toronto) - Tobin Rote, former Detroit and Green Bay quarterback now playing for the Toronto Argonauts, said Monday night he won't play Canadian football again next year, but he might be receptive to U.S. offers. Rote, 34-year-old star in his third year in the Canadian League after an 11-year stay in the U.S. NFL, said, "There's no way I'll play here next year. They could offer me $40,000, and it wouldn't make any difference." Asked whether he might play in the United States, Rote said: "Maybe, but it would take a pretty good offer to get me back into football." Rote, a native of Houston, Tex., owns a concrete conduit business in Detroit and plans to expand it next year. There had been rumors that Rote would not be re-signed next season by the Argos, reportedly looking for a younger quarterback. Rote decided the issue. "After 13 years you have to quit sometime," he said.
TAYLOR NEARING PACKER RUSH RECORD
OCT 31 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Jim Taylor, the Packers' marked man, is on the verge of becoming Green Bay's all-time ground gainer. Jarrin' James passed Clarke Hinkle with his 64-yard advance through the Colts' barbed wire defense in Baltimore Sunday. And he's now just 280 yards away from Tony Canadeo's all-time total of 4,197 yards. Taylor, always a spotlighted target but now "more so" due to the absence of Paul Hornung, has gained 810 yards in 127 attempts in the first seven games this season, according to official NFL figures. Jim's all-time total for his four and a half seasons now stands at 3,917 yards in 772 attempts. Hinkle, the Pack's great of the 1930s, compiled 3,877 yards in 1,180 trips. Canadeo, who played mostly through the Pack's "lean" years, gained 4,197 yards in 1,025 attempts. Hinkle finished with an average of 3.28 yards while Canadeo had 4.07. Taylor is averaging 5.1. Oddly enough, Taylor has played in only two complete seasons. As a rookie in '58, he never saw action until the last two games. The next season, the first under Coach Vince Lombardi, Taylor missed the season when he burned his hand and foot in a home accident. Taylor then broke loose (and does that man break loose) with 1,101 yards in 1960 and 1,307 in 1951. And he's now ahead of 1961 pace. He had 618 yards at the halfway mark last year. Taylor has been separated from his famed partner for almost three complete games now and the Bayou Bronc has responded royally. He reeled off 392 yards in the three games, starting with 164 in the Viking game in Minneapolis. He followed with 160 vs. the 49ers and added 64 last Sunday. Hornung hasn't played since late in the first quarter of the Viking game. Taylor, needless to say, is a marked man and, as big Gino Marchetti of the Colts put it, "You can't let up on Taylor a minute or he'll kill you." And Jimmy is also a marked-up man. Being the No. 1 target in the league, Taylor gets jumped on, stepped on, scratched, clawed, and just about everything. He carries all sorts of bandages to cover the "strawberries." Taylor went into the Colts game pretty well bruised up. He had some trouble running in practice last week - but you never would have noticed it in Baltimore. He's okay now. Mr. Thunder's partner, Lightnin', would like to play vs. the Bears in Chicago Sunday, but you can be sure Lombardi will take no chances. Vince said the verdict on Paul, for this game, would be in by Thursday. Hornung has been running better in practice. The Packers had one other leader in the official statistics. Willie Wood tops the inteceptionists with six while Herb Adderley and Hank Gremminger are among those tied with five each. Boyd Dowler is a "fraction" out of the lead in punting with his average of 46.2. Sam Baker has 46.3. Bart Starr dropped from second to third in passing. Incidentally, Hornung had gained 162 yards in 39 carries for an average of 4.2 before he was hurt. He had completed two out of three passes for 49 yards, scored 62 points, caught five passes for 15 yards, and booted six field goals in nine attempts. Jerry Kramer, who took over Hornung's placekicking chores, has now scored 23 points. Jerry now has four field goals in five attempts and that one "miss" was blocked. He also has made good on all of his 11 extra point kicks. PS - The Packers hold a good scoring edge on their foes in each of the four quarters. The composite tables shows the Bays leading the first quarters 27-3, the second quarters 57-20, the third quarters 62-10, and the fourth quarters 59-21. The total score is 205 to 54 - an average of 29 to 7.
HORNUNG RETURNS TO WORK WITH PACKERS; RUNS WELL
OCT 31 (Chicago Tribune) - Paul Hornung will be in uniform for the first time in three weeks when the Green Bay Packers renew their long-time rivalry with the Chicago Bears Sunday in Wrigley Field, it was learned yesterday. Chances are good that Hornung, Green Bay's star halfback and placement kicker, will play, although a final decision on the extent of his participation will not be made until later in the week...RETURNS TO PRACTICE: Hornung returned to practice yesterday for the first time since suffering an injury to his right knee in the Packers' victory over the Vikings Oct. 14 in Minneapolis. He did not suit up last Sunday in Baltimore or the previous weekend in Milwaukee. Coach Vince Lombardi told the Tribune that "not only did Paul work out, but he wore cleats. He ran pretty well, and we're encouraged. Certainly, we're hopeful he can play against the Bears, but we'll know a lot better Thursday."...IF HE KICKS, HE'LL RUN: Is there a chance that Hornung's participation, if any, will be limited to kicking? "I doubt that," Lombardi answered. "If he can kick, he can also play halfback. Or if he can play halfback, he can kick, too." Green Bay officials repeatedly have denied reports that the blond galloper sustained ligament or cartilage damage. The injury was diagnoses after x-ray examination as "twisted knee." Hornung's slow recovery was due, Lombardi said, to the fact that the knee "keeps filling with fluid."...SOME DISSATISFACTION: Though Lombardi did not say so, the Packer coaching staff is known to have been occasionally dissatisfied with Hornung's performances in games prior to the injury. Hornung reported late to camp last summer from Army duty and was slow to round into shape. Meanwhile, the Bears opened intensive drills yesterday in Wrigley Field after taking the day off Monday. The Bears will work out daily, and the sessions will be closed to the public. The squad is in good physical condition, a spokesman said, and Coach George Halas intends to make certain there are no mental distractions or security leaks.
METHODS IN BEARS' MADNESS: EYE REVENGE FOR 49-0 ROUT
NOV 1 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It gets to sound like a broken record - this business of the Packers' enemies laying an ambush, sharpening their teeth, and zeroing in their big guns. They're all doing it. Earlier in the season, it was a mere natural desire to knock off the champ. Now it's a passion among the opponents - chiefly because the Pack has a seven-game win skein going. It's the Bears' turn Sunday (in Chicago, kickoff 1:06) and the George Halasmen have some real method in their madness. The Bears hate to lose to the Packers more than anybody because the two clubs are pro football's oldest and bitterest rivals. And the Bears have lost four straight league matches to Green Bay - the nightcap in '60 (41-13), both games in '61 (24-0 here and 31-28 there) and the opener this year. What's more, that 49-0 score is a real sore spot with the Bears, as scout Wally Cruice put it: "They were humiliated. They want to correct an impression that exists - that we beat 'em 49 to 0. If you think the Colts were tough, the Bears will make that look like a pink tea party. This will be the toughest game of the year. The Bears want to prove a few things in this league. And don't forget the Bears aren't hurt they were the last time." That last fellow, Packer Backers, is a hot point. The Bears were without Bill George, Fred Williams, Willie Galimore and Mike Ditka when they last played here and several others were below par. If you shrug at the seriousness of their loss, let's remove their equivalents from the Pack. George is captain and middle linebacker. That's like taking away Bill Forester and Ray Nitschke. Williams is a defensive tackle, and his Packer likeness would be Dave Hanner. Galimore is a left half and the Bay left HBs are Paul Hornung, Tom Moore and Elijah Pitts. Ditka is the tight end and his GB equivalent
is Ron Kramer. Take away those Packers and we're hurting, man. The Bears became healthy about the time the Colts came to town and they promptly beat the Baltimores 35 to 15. Chicago then ran into the Lion's great defense and the Detroits held the Bears without a TD - just like they did against GB. After the Bears' loss to the Lions (in Detroit), Wayne Walker, the Lions' fine linebacker, told Detroit scribes: "Ever since Ditka recovered from that injury the Bears have been going good. During the week, we concentrated on stopping him. He's the best strong side end I've ever played against and you can tell that to Ron Kramer." Detroit offers Green Bay something to chew on: The Lions scored the only TD in their games with GB and Chicago. They counted three field goals and a safety and allowed one FG in beating the Bears 11-3. The Packers got just three field goals in the 9-7 win. The Bears' showing proves this: They apparently have developed a tough defense which, of course, is a warning to Bart Starr and the offensive troops. The Bears allowed the Colts 15 and the Lions 11 in successive games - a rugged 13-point average. Coach Vince Lombardi sent the Packers through the regular rough-house drill today, the athletes banging the sled and hitting the blocking dummy. This is Decision Day for Paul Hornung. It he can run today with cleats and perhaps do some kicking, he may play Sunday. Horning was in tennis shoes yesterday and his injured knee was sore but that was the result of a shot of cortisone. He did some light running. Hornung hasn't suited up for the last two games. But it's a pretty good bet Dad Braisher will bring Hornung's suit along to Chicago. Bear Coach Halas, via the AP, said today in regard to Hornung: "Let him play. We have the utmost respect for Hornung, but we don't ever want to see a great competitor on the bench, even if he can beat us." Bill Wade, the Bear's quarterback, added: "I hope Hornung does play. I hate to play a team that has key men out. It gives them an excuse if they lose."
BEARS GRIM AS PACKERS' GAME NEARS
NOV 1 (Chicago Tribune) - There was something grim about the autumn chill which hung over Wrigley Field yesterday. Grim, perhaps, because the Chicago Bears were grim. The Bears, intensifying preparations for Sunday's invasion by the Green Bay Packers, appeared restless and impatient to get on with the game which will make or break the season for them. Levity was lacking as quarterback Bill Wade led calisthenics. Coach George Halas didn't even bother to cook up a spy scare. Even Fred Williams, the team's roving ambassador of good will and funny sayings, was taciturn...WASTES NO WORDS: Halas, moving from group to group with a zeal and quickness which belied his status as a senior citizen among coaches, wasted no words in evaluating the Bears' next task. "They're the champions, and we know what we have to do. We have to get tough," declared Halas as the behemoths huffed and puffed to get down under Bobby Joe Green's booming punts. "Watch Bobby kick," Halas instructed. "Beautiful, isn't it?" The Packers have a great punter, too - Boyd Dowler. And the opponents have been giving Dowler too much time to get them away. Do that and he'll kick 'em right out of the park. We can't allow this Sunday." Halas and the Bears showed little concern over statements from Green Bay that halfback Paul Hornung may return to the lineup after a three-week absence due to injury...WANT NO EXCUSES: "Let him play," Halas snorted. "We have the utmost respect for Hornung, of course. But we don't ever want to see a great competitor on the bench, even if he can beat us." Wade, warming up on the sideline while Rudy Bukich directed the "attack," overheard his boss' remark. "I hope Hornung DOES play," echoed Wade. "I hate to play a team that has key men out. It gives them an excuse if they lose." Halas and Waede interrupted their conversations to watch John Adams make a one-handed catch of a pass from Dick Norman, the third of the Bears' quarterbacks. Adams wore a satisfied smile, but the remainder of the squad displayed a singular lack of enthusiasm over his feat...NORMAN IS "STARR": For this was a defensive drill, and Adams was playing the part of Green Bay's Ron Kramer. The passer - Norman - was mimicking Bart Starr of the Packers. "Let 'em complete passes like that and they'll kill us," roared an assistant coach. Exactly one hour and 30 minutes after Halas had blown the starting whistle, the Bears trotted briskly to the locker room. Fifteen minutes later, after groundskeeper Pete Marcantonio's crew has efficiently replaced the tarpaulins which protect the turf against Jack Frost, two solitary figures still remained on the field. "Isn't that about enough extra patterns for today, Bill?" queried Assistant Coach Jim Dooley to the other overtime toiler. "Guess so. There'll be another practice tomorrow," Wade agreed reluctantly.
GHOSTS OF YESTERDAY'S GREEN BAY GREATS ARE VIVID AS TODAY FOR PADDY DRISCOLL
NOV 2 (Chicago Tribune) - Along about this time every autumn, visions of Hutson, Herber, Hinkle and Hubbard begin dancing through the head of Paddy Driscoll. To Driscoll, assistant Chicago Bear coach, the names are not some frightful mental exercise lost in hoary antiquity. They conjure up images which are as vivid as Paddy's fears for the Bears in Sunday's 88th meeting with the Green Bay Packers. Don Hutson, Arnie Herber, Clarke Hinkle and Cal Hubbard are but four of the Green Bay greats who made it tough for the Bears at one time or another over the years...A WAKING ENCYCLOPEDIA: Driscoll remembers many more, and his memories of Bear-Packer games are tinged with nostalgia both sweet and bitter. Paddy is a walking encyclopedia of the storied 40-year rivalry between Chicago and Green Bay. As a Bear halfback, he played against the Packers from 1926 through 1929. As a coach, he watched them from the Bear bench since 1941. Of all the Packer teams Driscoll has watched and played against prior to the Vince Lombardi era, Paddy selects Curly Lambeau's 1939 club as the most outstanding. "That outfit was great," Driscoll reminisced yesterday. "There was Hutson, and there never was end like him before or since. There were Herber and Cecil Isbell, Joe Laws and Andy Uram - it was a team of outstanding players." The 1939 Packers beat the New York Giants 27 to 0 in the playoff game in Milwaukee, and Driscoll, then coaching at Marquette University, watched the game from the bleachers as a spectator. "It was an exhilarating experience," he recalled. "Exhilarating because the Packers won, and because I nearly froze, and so did everybody else. They had put up temporary seats for the playoff game, and it was windy as the dickens. But Charley Brock warmed up the Packer fans. Remember him - the center from Nebraska? He intercepted a couple of passes and the Giants were a might cold team when they caught their train back to New York."...PADDY, SENN ALTERNATE: When Driscoll joined the Bears in 1926 after starring as a Chicago Cardinal, "I remember our second game with Green Bay that year," Driscoll recounted. "Bill Senn was the other halfback and in the second half the two of us alternated on quick openers to drive all the way downfield for the winning touchdown in a 19 to 13 Bear victory. Which of us got the touchdown? Gosh, I don't remember. (Editor's note: Paddy scored it.) One of Driscoll's favorite memories is of the Bears' game at Green Bay in 1940, the rookie year of Chicago's great George McAfee. "George had a terrific day. The Packers came in to try to block a punt once, and they had him cold. He just tucked the ball under his arm and ran for a touchdown."...MCAFEE FOOLS 'EM: "In that same game, McAfee went around left end and scored an early touchdown - we thought. But it was called back on a penalty. On the very next play, McAfee started around left end again. It looked like an identical play. The whole Packer backfield came up to get him and he appeared to be doomed. But he flipped a left-handed pass to Ken Kavanaugh for a touchdown. Everybody was surprised, including Kavanaugh." In 1941, the only blemish on the Bears' record was administered by the Packers, and the defeat sent the Bears into their final game desperately in need of a victory over the Cards. "That game was played in Comiskey Park," Driscoll recalled, "and the whole Packer team was there to jeer the Bears and cheer the Cards. If the Cards had won, the Packers would have had the divisional title."...VICTORY IS RUINED: "McAfee ran for a touchdown in the final minute to give us the victory, but his great run wasn't the thrill it should have been. It was Dec. 7 and earlier in the game the bombing of Pearl Harbor had been announced over the public address system. Everybody was shocked, and it was hard to think about football. And yet I'm certain that a lot of the players and many of the fans didn't really know at that time what it all meant." Though an old-timer, Driscoll possesses a young man's perception. "I'd like to tell you that one of the teams of my era was the greatest ever," he said. "But that would be dishonest. The current Packer team certainly is the best club ever fielded in Green Bay, and maybe the best of all time. Let's face it. This 1962 Packers team is strong in every position. There simply aren't any weak spots. They're bigger than teams used to be, faster and stronger. And they've got tremendous depth. Hinkle was one of the greatest fullbacks I've ever seen. And Bronko Nagurski, of course, was tremendous. But Jimmy Taylor, the present Packer fullback, is rough as the dickens and has fantastic balance. Taylor has many of Nagurski's mannerisms. He dips that shoulder into tacklers and runs right into them. He weighs 20 pounds less than the old-time fullbacks, but he blasts through a line like a sledge."
HORNUNG TO PLAY 'SOME' VS. BEARS
NOV 2 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Paul Hornung will see "some action" against the Bears Sunday. That was the word from Coach Vince Lombardi today as the Packers tapered off their Bear Week training with a "polishing" drill on offense and defense. How much Hornung will play likely will depend on his performance in workouts today and the brief warmup Saturday morning. Paul will be putting on his famed No. 5 for the first time since Oct. 14 when he injured his knee in the first quarter of the Viking game. Hornung stewed on the sidelines during the last two games while Tom Moore took over at left half in 31-7 and 17-6 wins over the 49ers and Colts. The extent of Hornung's play, of course, is the secret of the week. The Bears won't know until Sunday p.m. Hornung ran hard up and down the sidelines during Thursday's practice. He expected to do the same today...The Packers will depart from a long-standing practice Saturday when they drill at home and then fly out (Staubel Field at noon) via United Airlines charter. In the past, it was always quite a struggle to find room to drill on the narrow sidelines aside of the covered Wrigley Field gridiron The courtesy of an uncovered field was never extended the Lombardimen. Back in 1954, the Bays were quite shocked to find the tarpaulin off the field. Not since!...The Bears announced today that all standing room "spaces" have been sold for the 88th Packer-Bear match. The attendance will be approximately 48,700 but it won't be a record (around 50,000) because over the past few years seats were removed in the interest of spectator comfort..."Dad's at work again," Ken Iman said, pointing to the "Beat the Bears" sign in the Packer dressing room. Last week, propertyman Dad Braisher printed up a card showing a tombstone with the score of the 45-21 loss to the Colts the previous year. A card was placed at each locker. Presently, there's a grim reminder - of what happened in the second half of the Packer-Bear game in Chicago last year. The score of the second half was 21-3, Chicago. Fortunately, the Bays had a 28-7 first half edge...Alex Karras, the Lions' fine defense lineman, was asked by a Detroit News scribe what he thought about the Lions' chances of catching the Packers. Said Alex: "My brother, Ted, plays for the Bears. The last thing he said to me after the game last Sunday was, 'We're going to beat the Packers for you.' We need that one. The Packers are a good ball club, but they've been living in luck. At least we should be 6-1 right now, but we haven't been lucky. Not like the 1957 Lions."...George Halas, the Bears' owner-coach, reports that his team needs no pep talks this week. "They (the Packers) know we're going to show up - and how."...The Bears hold an even 50 league victories over the Packers since the series started in 1921. They've been stuck at that figure for four straight games now and the Bays hope to keep them there. Green Bay holds 31 wins over the Bears and six ended in ties. Chicago is the only team to hold a sizeable "win" advantage over the Pack.
TINSLEY ACHES FOR OLD DAYS, SEES PACK WIN
NOV 2 (Milwaukee) - Former Green Bay Packers never get older - they just wish they were 20 years younger. A champion of the point of view is Pete Tinsley, a 210-pound guard on the Packer team that won the NFL crown in 1944. Now a teacher-coach at Florence High School, Tinsley is in town for the annual teachers' convention. It wasn't hard to get him talking about football, especially with the Packers and Bears scheduled to renew their venerable war in Chicago Sunday. "Man, what I wouldn't give to be in that one again," Tinsley said Thursday. About the 1962 edition of the Packers, Tinsley said, "I believe our guys will keep on rolling and handle those Bears again. The Packers are great - a pleasure to watch and certainly one of the best clubs, if not the best, of modern times." Tinsley put a little special emphasis on that "modern," and added, "We had some fine football players in our time. Not as many as they have today, but real standouts who probably would be stars now." "Football has changed a lot in recent years," Tinsley continued. "One big switch has been two platooning. The boys didn't have to go both ways as we did. Now it's either offense or defense, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are all superior to the good ones of 15, 20 or 25 years ago. Take Clarke Hinkle," Tinsley said, "even at his weight around 200 pounds, he would fit into any modern team at fullback. I doubt that we'll ever see better passers than Arnie Herber and Cecil Isbell. And the case of Don Hutson is well established." Tinsley said he felt a player weighing from 210 to 225 could still play pro football "if he had the necessary toughness and basic love of the game."
PACKERS AHEAD OF '61 PACE; FIVE MORE WINS WOULD APPROACH TITLE
NOV 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers won the Western Division Championship in 1961 with 11 wins and 3 losses. That was a tremendous record - accomplished over the longest league haul in history, 14 games. The 1961 champs posted a 6-1 record in the first half of the season and finished off with 5-2. They lost the first, eighth and 13th games. The 1962 Packers are ahead of that first-half pace with a perfect 7-0 reading. The Bears here Sunday are of immediate concern. The Packers' chances of repeating at champions of the West would be virtually certain if they can duplicate the 5-2 of last year in the final half. Can they do it? The 1961 Packers played the Lions, 49ers, Bears, Colts, Browns, Vikings (again) in that order in the first half. They finished off with the Colts, Bears, Rams, Lions, Giants, 49ers and Rams. The Colts and Giants were home games. The 1962 Packers battled the Vikings, Cardinals, Bears, Lions, Vikings, 49ers and Colts in that order in the first half. They now close out vs. the Bears, Eagles, Colts, Lions, Rams, 49ers and Rams. Only two of these seven are at home - Colts (Green Bay) and Rams (Milwaukee). How did the 1962 Packers do in the first half compared with the '61 Packers in the same period? The present team beat their first seven foes by an average score of 29.3 to 7.7. Last year's team has an average score of 31.7 to 9.7 in the first half. Thus, the defense displayed considerable improvement over a year ago, dropping from 9.7 (on 68 points) to 7.7 (on 54 points). The offense's pointage this season is 205 compared with 222 in the first six last year. All opponents have been making extra-special efforts to whip the Pack this season, and this may account for the slight drop in the offensive figures. The Bays' defense, of course, has more than compensated - especially in the key 9-7 win over Detroit. The Lions were the only team to beat the Bays in the first half last year. The Bays have put a little more emphasis on rushing this year. The '62 team rushed 255 times in the first half, last year's club 236. The 1961 team hurled 157 passes in the first half, the present squad 144. In total rushes and passes, the '62 team had 399, last year's 393. One of the healthy differences shows the '62 team with a 63.9 pass completion percentage compared with 60.5 last year. In total yards, last year's team had 2,623, this year's 2,464. The present defensive team's figures "beat" the 1961 first half totals almost completely. One notable exception is in percent of pass completions permitted. The '61 team had 48.2 compared with 49.7 this year.
YES, BEARS, GREEN BAY LEGEND STILL LIVING
NOV 3 (Chicago) - It seemed happily coincidental that a nearby radio was playing "My Hometown" as Tom Miller talked about Green Bay and the Packers, who play at Wrigley Field Sunday. In most any contemporary lifetime, this has been the longest showmanship run on the boards. Little Green Bay and the Great Big Packers. Time was, of course, when the Packers and Bears dominated pro football. Now they have to await their turns, because the pressure has been built up around them. The cycle has upped and downed such clubs as the Colts and Giants and Browns and Lions, so periodically that it took the Packers 17 years to attain championship status again and the Bears haven't won since 1946. But the legend of Green Bay still lives and flourishes. The Packers continue to be community property, with 1,700 stockholders. Eleven of the 36 squad members live in Green Bay during the offseason and six own their own homes. There are 45 men, including former players, on the Board of Directors and many of them come from 11 other Wisconsin cities. Things remain pretty much the same as in the 30-year of reign of Curly Lambeau, which embraced the halcyon days of Don Hutson, Red Dunn, Verne Lewellen, Cal Hubbard, Johnny Blood, Arnold Herber, Clarke Hinkle and Lavvie Dilweg, among others. Of the 33 former Packers who still live in Green Bay, Charlie Brock, who played center in the late 40's, owns a drugstore and Tony Canadeo is a steel salesman and helps with the color on the Packers' video games. The Fire Chief is Dave Zuidmulder of yesteryear, and Bart Starr of the present manages an office building when he isn't playing quarterback...CLOSE TO PLAYERS: Henry Jordan, defensive tackle, and John Symank, defensive half, work for the E.H. Verhalen Con., which makes acoustical tile. Bob Skoronski, offensive tackle, is with the Marathon Paper Co., and Gary Knafelc, a nine-year veteran, is vice president of a school supply house. Lambeau himself lives in Fish Creek, 60 miles north of Green Bay, and never misses a home game. Buckets Goldenberg runs Pappy's Restaurant in Milwaukee and Huston has a thriving auto business in Racine, Wis. Bigger cities tackle, and John Symank, defensive half, work for the E.H. Verhalen Con., which makes acoustical tile. Bob Skoronski, offensive tackle, is with the Marathon Paper Co., and Gary Knafelc, a nine-year veteran, is vice president of a school supply house. Lambeau himself
lives in Fish Creek, 60 miles north of Green Bay, and never misses a home game. Buckets Goldenberg runs Pappy's Restaurant in Milwaukee and Huston has a thriving auto business in Racine, Wis. Bigger cities may have integrated as many sports figures, but in Green Bay they aren't swallowed up. "The fans stay close to the players, old and new," said Miller, who spreads the Packer gospel. "They get to know the families, like neighbors." So it hasn't changed too much from the old days when Art Shoemaker, an undertaker, told of the two brothers who called for his services because their mother had died at 81. It was planned to have the wake at 1 p.m. next day (Sunday) but the boys through their mother wouldn't mind if it was set back to 6 p.m., so they could listen to the Packers playing at Boston...MILLION-DOLLAR STADIUM: There was an attorney of that time who told of having five divorce cases on his hands, women suing their husbands, charging desertion because the male animals insisted on following the Packers to the exclusion of all other duties or prerogatives. There was a saloon keeper who used to come into his tap each night at 11:45 to be sure there weren't any players drinking beer that late "because I'm a stockholder and I don't want them ruining my business." It was in 1957 that a million-dollar stadium to seat upwards of 35,000 fans was dedicated to Green Bay. Though 1958, when the once-proud Packers won a single game and tied another in 12 starts, it was debatable whether all those seats would be needed or useful. Then came the era of Vince Lombardi, and, in three years, the Packers have won 33 games and lost 12 with no deadlocks and are, of course, unbeaten in this campaign...NOT ENOUGH KEYS: Thus the Green Bay story, serialized these 40-odd years, has become, again, a saga of romance and drama, of the little town with the big name, of Starr and Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor and the likes of Ron Kramer and Tom Moore and Jim Ringo and Lew Carpenter. There aren't enough keys to the city to go around, so they all use the same one, an open sesame to fame and fortune. Maybe the cycle will pick up the Bears one of these years, and restore them to the heights from which they only spoke to the Packers and the Packers only to them.
MAY SHIFT AFL TEAM TO CHICAGO
NOV 3 (Houston) - K.S. (Bud) Adams, president of the Houston Oilers, has ruled out any expansion of the AFL in the near future. Adams, a member of the three-man league expansion committee, said today that stabilization of the Oakland and New York franchises would have to come before the league expands. Adams said Oakland officials probably would move the Raider franchise after this season because of poor attendance. He listed New Orleans, Atlanta, Kansas City and Chicago as possible landing places. "I am not in favor of placing an AFL franchise in a city where there is already pro football, but I think I would go along with Chicago in this case as they would support another team," Adams said. The Oiler official would not elaborate on the New York situation, where Harry Wismer has just named his wife to the executive board. The New York club is faced with another big deficit because of poor attendance.
PACK BEHIND 'EIGHTH' BALL AGAINST BEARS
NOV 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers are being the "eighth" ball. They lost their eighth league game a year ago to the Colts by a rousing 45 to 21 score. They battle the Bears in their eighth game of the 1962 season in Wrigley Field this afternoon. And they haven't won an eighth game in six years. What's more, the Packers will be going for their eighth straight victory of the current championship-defense campaign. This promises to be Green Bay's toughest assignment - this 88th Packer-Bear game, because the Bruins are (1) still very much in the title running with a 4-3 record and (2) still mad about getting plastered 49 to 0 in Green Bay earlier. The Bears were hurt that day - real bad, but, today all the injured are well, including the four stars who missed action - Bill George, Fred Williams, Willie Galimore and Mike Ditka. Green Bay is ranked an 11-point favorite. No Packer-Bear game should have that wide a spread because anything can happen when these old belligerents collide - and usually does. A standing room crowd of mor than 48,000 will witness the collision, including roughly 4,000 Packer diehards. Kickoff is set for 1:06. The pressure on the undefeated Packers is getting worse and there will be no letup today. Two weeks ago, the Bays handed a desperate 49er team its third loss; a week ago, they gave the Colts - after stiff resistance - their fourth loss. Today, the Bears are fighting to escape their fourth setback. The Packers' offense will be exposed to extreme pressure since the Bear defense likely will be highly-charged, just as the Colts were last week. The return of Capt. George at middle linebacker and Fred Williams at defense tackle will make the Bear defense tougher. Chicago held the Lions to 11 points last Sunday and the Colts to 17 the Sunday before. Thus, the Bears are capable of throwing up a stone wall. The Chicagoans are noted for their gambling defense - chiefly rushing (red dogging) linebackers in at the quarterback. The Bears' big objective will be Bart Starr, the Packers' wise quarterback who undoubtedly will have receivers ready to step into spots vacated by fleeing linebackers. At times it gets down to a guessing game. It would be fine, for instance, to have Jim Taylor going up the middle on a draw play when the Bears are rushing. This would expose Bear halfbacks to great danger - tackline a run-away Taylor. The Bays may have a little extra something going for them today. That would be Paul Hornung, the versatile halfback, who figures to see some action. Coach Vince Lombardi was pleased with the injured halfback's stepping in Friday and Saturday drills. Hornung, a real Bear headache here the past two years, will be in uniform for the first time since Oct. 14. It will be interesting to see if the Bears "give" the Packers anything. Starr will determine that in a hurry and either pass considerably to Max McGee, Boyd Dowler or Ron Kramer or call for mostly a running game with Taylor, Tom Moore and maybe Hornung lugging. Dowler, incidentally, may not see much action because of a knee injury suffered in practice this week. He has his usual speed for the straight-away but finds it difficult to cut. Lew Carpenter likely will handle most of the flankerbacking. The defense, which has allowed an amazing average of only 7.7 points in the first seven games, will be the Packers' big hope. This unit didn't have trouble in the earlier Bear game but the Bruins' big gun was missing that day - Ditka. Big Mike is like R. Kramer is to GB. He blocked well enough to make Rick Casares, Ronnie Bull and Willie Galimore gain and he catches the pass well enough to open up the air lanes
for Dick Farrington and Johnny Morris. Bill Wade will be the Packer defense's big target and the job will be to make him throw before his time. The Bays gave him a fit in Green Bay last Sept. 30. The Packers will be trying what seems like the impossible - beating the Bears a fifth straight time. Green Bay won the nightcap in '60, both games in 1961 and the opener this year. The Bays also beat the Bears in two non-league games during that time.
BEARS TO BATTLE PACKERS BEFORE CAPACITY CROWD
NOV 4 (Chicago Tribune) - Humble but hopeful, the Chicago Bears reach for the rainbow today. Beginning at 1:05 o'clock, they engage the unbeaten Green Bay Packers in Wrigley Field. The motive is revenge, the objective is an upset, and the prospects are enthralling. Green Bay, seeking its eighth consecutive victory of the championship season and its 15th (including exhibitions) in a row, is an 11-point favorite in the 88th meeting of the longest unbroken rivalry in football. True to the tradition of the series, excitement is running high, despite Green Bay's apparent advantage over a team it whipped, 49 to 0, five weeks ago. All tickets, including grandstand standing room, have been sold and fans without tickets are requested to remain away from the park...VICTORY IS MANDATORY: Green Bay leads the Bears by three games in the standings and, if the Chicagoans' season is to be an even casual success, victory today is mandatory. Already beaten three times, the Bears cannot hope to make much of a splurge in the second half of the race with four defeats. But this is the Packer-Bear series, a peculiar set which never has run true to form. Bear rooters, and the Bears, remember a similar situation a year ago, when an experiment in defense led to three Packer touchdowns in the second quarter, but the mighty invaders from the north were lucky to get out of town with a 31 to 28 triumph. That game was played three days before Paul Hornung, Green Bay's Golden Boy, and Boyd Dowler, its superb flanker back, were inducted into the Army. There is no service call hanging over Hornung today, but it is not likely that the lucky 49,000 ticket holders will get much of a look at him...MAY SEE LIMITED SERVICE: Despite reports from Green Bay that he may make his first start in three weeks, the impression grows that there is more to his knee injury than the doctor or the club have released. The former Notre Dame All-American has worked only a few days since he was racked up in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. Even if his knee is sufficiently healed, it is not likely that Hornung will be in good enough shape
physically to be a factor. In Hornung's absence, the brunt of the ball carrying burden again will fall on Jim Taylor, the league's leading ground gainer who has averaged 6.4 yards per rush and 18 rushes per game so far. Taylor has been the subject of some special attention in Bear preparations this week. If there is a defense for Taylor, the Bears might just as well be the team to find it...BEARS' DEFENSE IMPROVES: Six of the most important members of the Bears' cast were missing in Green Bay when the Packers, on Sept. 30, handed the Chicagoans the worst defeat in their history. Since that time, the Bears have become something of a defensive giant. Detroit, which scored a touchdown against Green Bay, was unable to cross the Bears' goal line, although it made off with an 11 to 3 victory on three field goals and a safety. The return of the ailing sextet, especially the recovery of Bill George, Rick Casares, Fred Williams and Mike Ditka, should make a great deal of difference today. Whether it will make enough is strictly a matter of conjecture. But the Vikings have scored four touchdowns against the Packers this year and even the 49ers got over the champions' goal in recent weeks. Given no worse than an even shake in the breaks, there might just be a stairway to the rainbow somewhere along the way for the Bears today.
