September 22, 1963 - Green Bay 31, Detroit 10

Green Bay Packers (1-1) 31, Detroit Lions (1-1) 10

Sunday September 22nd 1963 (at Milwaukee)

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1963 PACKERS

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GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)

(MILWAUKEE) - The Packers are still champions. And don't you forget it. The defending world titlists lost some of their luster in a 10-3 loss to the Bears a week ago but they erased that collective mistake by belting the Lions 31 to 10 in County Stadium Sunday afternoon before a standing-room crowd of 45,912. This was sweet revenge for the 26-14 licking the Lions handed Green Bay in Detroit last Thanksgiving Day but, more important, the Packers proved they are worthy champions by beating their chief tormentors under clutch conditions. The Packers now return to City Stadium for their next two games - the Colts Sunday and the Rams Oct. 6. The Lions go home to meet the Bears, who are leading the Western loop with 2-0. The Packers, Lions, Vikings and Colts are all tied with 1-1. The Packers scored in every period, opening a 10-0 halftime edge. They made it 17-3 at the end of three and then broke away with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Tom Moore did the breaking away, with 15 and 77-yard touchdown runs. It was 10-3 in the second quarter when he swept around end for 15 and a 17-3 lead. It was a dangerous 17-10 in the fourth quarter when he dipped around his own left end, slipped from three groups of tacklers and left the crowd limp when he arrived in the end zone 77 stripes later. This was the game breaker but four minutes later Bart Starr and Max McGee worked a 39-yard touchdown aerial to set the final count. The first TD of the day was a one-yard plunge by Jimmy Taylor in the second period. Jerry Kramer opened the scoring with a 24-yard field goal in the first two minutes of the game. The Packer defense was marvelous. Detroit never got into Green Bay territory on its own power all afternoon. The Lions were limited to a mere seven first downs and 147 yards. The Packers intercepted four passes - Herb Adderley, Willie Wood, Jess Whittenton and Dan Currie - and allowed the Lions only six pass completions for 91 yards in 26 attempts. The Lions got but 71 yards rushing. An interception by Dick LeBeau on the Packer 28 set up the Lions' field goal - a 36-yarder by Wayne Walker, and a 33-yard punt by Jerry Norton gave the Lions their touchdown start on the Packer 49. Five plays later - on fourth down and 10 at that, Milt Plum threw a 23-yard pass to Tom Hall for Detroit's only TD. Detroit's defense is rugged and Starr had to break it down. It wasn't east. He engineered the Pack's first league TD of the season in the second quarter on a hard-going, 50-yard, 12-play drive, with Taylor plunging one yard for six. The Packers gained 316 yards for the day, including 204 rushing and 15 first downs. Moore finished with 122 yards in 17 attempts while Taylor wheeled 82 in 22 trips, with the offensive line doing a fine job on the Lions' large and active line. The Lions are rough customers and tempers flared on occasion. Their No. 81 (his name slips me at the moment) was looking for loose heads and once just before the half, in full view of the west stands, he tried to unlatch Taylor's noggin while he was going down on a fine leg tackle by Joe Schmidt. This is ridiculous. The Packers didn't wait long to electrify this noisy crowd. Adderley fumbled the opening kickoff by Walker and Earl Gros picked it up on the 7 and roared 51 yards to the Detroit 42. Moore made a great one-handed catch of a Starr pass just as he was hit but bounced off a defender and kept going to complete a 16-yard gain to the Lion 25. The attack stalled and J. Kramer hit the field goal from 24 at 2:06. The game tightened up at this point and Lary punted twice and Norton once, with Wood getting a 41-yard return to the Lion 38 on Lary's second boot. This backfired when Starr, with third and two, had McGee free behind the secondary but his throw was short and Gary Lowe intercepted. Starr put together two first downs late in the first quarter, with Taylor and Moore running and Bart throwing a 14-yarder to R. Kramer, but the attack was throttled and J. Kramer tried a field goal from the 46. The distance was there but it was a bit wide. With Ray Nitschke making two straight tackles, the Bays got the ball right back and went on the game's first TD drive from the 50. Running by Taylor and Moore and Starr's short pass to R. Kramer and Boyd Dowler set the ball on the 7. Taylor then hit 5, Moore 1 and Taylor leaped over for the TD. Jimmy was thrown back in mid-air, but two officials signaled he had the ball across. J. Kramer kicked the first of four extra points to make it 10-0. Just before the half, the Bays got the ball on Adderley's interception, but the Lions got it right back when Lary recovered Taylor's fumble. Dave Robinson, who popped up as the Pack's kickoff man, booted the second half kickoff eight yards deep into the end zone, with no return. Thanks to a key tackle by Henry Jordan, the Lions had to punt after making only their third down of the day. LeBeau then pulled his interception to set up Walker's field goal from the 36 at 6:58. Wood returned the interception honor, reaching the Lions 15, but the Packers converted the break into a TD. On the first play, Moore, with excellent blocking by Ron Kramer and Norm Masters, swept around right end for the TD and it was 17-3 at 10:27. Lary and Norton each traded punts going into the fourth period and the Lions found themselves on the Packers 45. Plum opened with a 22-yard pass to Gibbons and then Wood and Currie narrowly missed interceptions on his next two passes. After Plum overthrew Cogdill he hit Hall on the 5 near Adderley and

the receiver slid home. Walker converted and it was 17-10 at 3:48. Then came the Moore explosion at 4:29. This was a real delight as Tom headed through three Lions around the 28-yard line. He spun away from two more and then whirled completely around to evade a couple of more before breaking into the clear with McGee and Dowler waving him away. This made it 24-10. The Bays got it right back on Whittenton's interception and 26-yard return to the Packer 45. Starr first threw to Kramer for 11 and then hit McGee, who caught the ball facing Starr behind LeBeau in the left and then whirled into the clear to complete a 39-yard TD. It was 31-10 at 8:31. The last few minute were rare, indeed. John Roach took over at QB along with Lew Carpenter, Marv Fleming and Dan Grimm and Norton went back to punt on his own 7. He decided to run but the Lions stopped him and then took the ball on downs on the Packer 10. Currie promptly took Jerry off the hook by intercepting a Plum pass and running to the 33. Three plays later Compton intercepted a Roach pass and returned 23 to the Packer 24. On the game's final play, Currie threw Ollie Matson for a three-yard loss.

DETROIT - 0 0 3 7 - 10

GREEN BAY - 3 7 7 14 - 31

DETROIT GREEN BAY

First Downs 7 15

Rushing-Yards-TD 26-67-0 43-204-3

Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 27-7-95-1-4 23-10-122-1-3

Sack Yards Lost 15 10

Total Yards 80 112

Fumbles-lost 147 316

Turnovers 4 4

Yards penalized 4-40 2-10

SCORING

1st - GB - J.Kramer, 24-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0

2nd - GB - Taylor, 1-yard run (J.Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 10-0

3rd - DET - Wayne Walker, 36-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-3

3rd - GB - Moore, 15-yard run (J.Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 17-3

4th - DET - Tom Hall, 23-yard pass from Milt Plum (Walker kick) GREEN BAY 17-10

4th - GB - Moore, 77-yard run (J.Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 24-10

4th - GB - McGee, 39-yard pass from Starr (J.Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 31-10

RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Tom Moore 17-122 2 TD, Jim Taylor 22-82 1 TD, Earl Gros 3-4, Jerry Norton 1-(-4)

DETROIT - Nick Pietrosante 10-35, Dan Lewis 3-16, Milt Plum 2-7, Larry Ferguson 5-6, Tom Watkins 5-6, Ollie Matson 1-(-3)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 21-10-122 1 TD 2 INT, John Roach 1-0-0 1 INT, Tom Moore 1-0-0

DETROIT - Milt Plum 21-6-63 1 TD 4 INT, Earl Morrall 6-2-32

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Ron Kramer 3-38, Tom Moore 3-24, Max McGee 2-44 1 TD, Boyd Dowler 1-11, Jim Taylor 1-5

DETROIT - Jim Gibbons 2-29, Tom Hall 2-27 1 TD, Gail Cogdill 1-28, Larry Ferguson 1-7, Nick Pietrosante 1-4

1963 Packers vs. Lions Team Signed, Game Used Football - Presented to Fuzzy Thurston. (Source: Heritage Auctions)

'SEASON'S ONLY A BABY - 12 GAMES TO GO,' VINCE WARNS

SEPT 23 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Scholarly Vince Lombardi and genial George Wilson were not in complete agreement, as is hardly uncommon in the coaching fraternity, on the "big play" in Sunday's fortuitous Packer resurgence in breezy, bulging County Stadium. As a matter of fact, they couldn't have been much farther apart. A surprising solemn Lombardi, who kept insisting it was much too early for uninhibited rejoicing and title talk despite a resounding 31-10 verdict, leaned toward Tom Moore's 15-yard scoring dash in the third quarter. "That would have to be a big play," he said, after due consideration. "That put us two touchdowns ahead, you know. I don't think anybody touched him on that one, did they?" Wilson, never one to mince words, was even more emphatic about his selection. "I still think that if LeBeau (Dick) had caught that one (a budding interception of a Bart Starr pass) down the sidelines in the first quarter, it would have been a difference ball game," the Chicago Bear alumnus declared. "You never know. After all, the Packers were only leading 3-0 at that point." LeBeau, George intimated, would have streaked all the way, had he intercepted, thus staking the Lions to a 7-3 lead. Be that as it may, Lombardi commended both the offense and defense for pulling off yesterday's coup. "Did they get to Starr at all?" he asked. Informed that "they" hadn't, except for one instance when the Packer field general was forced to throw the ball away, Vince observed, "So the whole offensive line did a good job. And the backs did a real good job of picking up the blitzes." And the defense? "The defense," Lombardi replied without hesitation, "played a superb game." Moore, the man of the hour in the eyes of most postgame celebrants, "played very well," Vince also readily conceded. "But," he pointed out, "he's played good football before. He's hardly a newcomer, you know." "A lot of credit should go to Fuzzy Thurston, too," Lombardi volunteered, "because of the job he did against that 300-pounder." The latter in case his identity is in doubt, is the tackle Roger Brown. "You must have cracked the whip all week," one writer opined. "No, no, I didn't," the Packer headmaster averred. "They cracked it themselves." The first showing of the Packers' 10-3 nightmare against the Bears a week earlier was all that was needed, another scribe interposed. Shaking his head in the negative, Vince declared, "Actually, we played so badly last week, there was little I could say that they didn't already know." Inquiring about the statistics, Lombardi asked, "How many yards did we gain? It must have been over 300." Somebody thrust a "stix" sheet into his hand and Vince noted, "Three-sixteen. That's all right." On this note, another writer suggested, "The Packers are back in stride now." "We've got 12 games to go," Vince shot back. "The season's only a baby. If you're expecting enthusiasm and waving of the flag, no. There's a long way to go." Still another newsman, noting the presence of W.C. Heinz (collaborator with Lombardi on his newly-publicized book, ("Run to Daylight") asked, "Is Bill our good luck charm?" Chuckling, Lombardi turned to Heinz and queried, "Are you going to be here next week, Bill?" And so ended the official analysis of "Operation Bounceback."...While hardly overjoyed, Wilson was not inclined to write off the '63 season for his Lions. "We're still tied with the Packers," he was quick to point out. And like Lombardi, he emphasized, "There are still 12 more games." Continuing in this vein, he noted, "I said a long time ago this division is wide open. And now I think you have to put Minnesota in there. I think there are five clubs that can win it - the Bears and Colts and the Vikings, in addition to the Packers and Lions." When, in the course of the afternoon, had victory vanished for his athletes? "That 77-yard run (by Moore) was it," he said. "We could never hope to get back in the ball game then." How did he analyze the Lions' performance, as contrasted with last Thanksgiving's 26-14 sabotage of the Pack in Detroit's gloomy Tiger Stadium. "We were just off today," he replied. "Just the same way as Starr was against the Bears last week." His team had had its share of opportunities, particularly via interceptions, it was noted. "Yes, we had three of them," he agreed, "but when the Packers intercepted, they went in and scored. We only got three points out of our three." "I thought the Packers had a lot more than four interceptions, too," Wilson observed dryly. "It looked to me like our quarterbacks were throwing the ball away all day." Speaking of quarterbacks, why had he returned to employing starter Milt Plum after he had been replaced by Earl Morrall? "I had Morrall in there for a couple of sets, but we scored when we put Plum back in so we stayed with him the rest of the way." The Packers' Starr, George conceded, "is a top notch quarterback, no question about it." Had the Packer signalist sprung any surprises on him? "Yeah," George responded with a sardonic grin. "He threw too well." Wilson noted in this connection that "the Packers' pass protection was very good." Revealing that his tigers "have been thinking about Green Bay for a couple of weeks," George evinced surprise that "we didn't play better. It's something," he concluded, "that's very hard to explain."...LITERARY 'GILD': As Vince Lombardi stepped into the Braves dugout en route to the Packer dressing room seconds after the game, he grinned at literary collaborator W.C. Heinz and quipped, "We did it all for Prentice-Hall." Prentice-Hall, of course, is the publisher of the Lombardi-Heinz tome. George Flynn of P-H, just behind Heinz in the dugout tunnel, was quick to add, "That's our slogan, you know, 'Win 'Em All for Prentice-Hall.'" Heinz was in Milwaukee for autographing sessions, in which Lombardi also acquired writer's cramp at two downtown department stores Saturday afternoon...'PROXY' PITCH: Also much in evidence was Sen. William Proxmire, who stationed himself at a corner of County Stadium two hours before game time for the purpose of shaking hands with as many fans as possible (electioneering is no longer a sometime thing). Proxmire apologetically explained he would not be able to see the game, since his plane was scheduled to leave for Washington at 3:25. "But I'll be pulling for the Packers," he said. Any prediction? "The Pack today," the senator declaimed heartily, "you bet."...NEW NOTE: Marvin Moran, the Braves' official songbird, made his first Packer appearance before Sunday's match, warbling the "Star Spangled Banner" in the warm tenor that has been wafted through County Stadium at all home games ever since the Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953.

'GUYS CAME BACK TO BLOCK FOR ME' - MOORE

SEPT 23 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - What was that about the best laid plans of mice and men going awry? Maybe it should happen more often, judging by Tom Moore's electrifying improvisation which set County Stadium to rocking in the fourth quarter of Sunday's Packer conquest of the Detroit Lions. Recalling his 77-yard excursion with shy pleasure, the pride of Goodlettsville, Tenn., explained, "It was supposed to be a sweep but when I cut back to the inside, the guys came back to block for me." That was the beginning of a tingling maneuver that will linger long in the memories of the 45,912 "live" witnesses, not to mention uncounted TV viewers around the Packer network. "People (the Lions) were coming and sort of grabbing," Paul Hornung's modest successor imparted in reconstructing "The Anatomy of a Breakaway." "I was never really stopped - I was cutting back, and they were over-running the play, it seemed like." The good-looking Vanderbilt alumnus, hit at least four times on his circuitous jaunt, wasn't sure when he realized he might go all the way. "You never think," he said with a slight smile. "You don't have time - you just react." Did he realize he had such a populous Packer escort after he had wheeled past midfield? "I had no idea," he confessed, a little apologetically. "I didn't know if I was bumping into my own men or what." Discussing his first scoring sortie, a 15-yard dash in the third quarter, Moore said, "The boys cleared everyone out down there. There was a good hole and Boyd (Dowler) and Kramer went down and got the deep men. Everyone blocked perfectly on that one." Did he fell this might have been his best game ever? "It's hard to say," said the reluctant hero. "You might feel you played well, but you never know until you see the films. You might have missed some blocks or done something else wrong. You always make enough mistakes to get chewed about," he sighed. "You never know until you see the films." A beaming Willie Wood, another key figure in the Sabbath's heartwarming project, happily discoursed upon his third quarter "first bounce" interception, which immediately preceded Moore's first TD burst. "I got one hand up late," Wood revealed. "I was going across Cogdill (Lion end Gail) and I didn't want to interfere with him." "The ball hit the palm of my outside (left) hand," he went on, "and shot up into the air. But I figured I had it anyway - I had my eye on it all the time." Wood, the NFL's premier pass interceptor in 1962, also had seen visions of a touchdown on his 41-yard punt return in the second quarter, he confessed. "When I first broke, I thought I might go all the way. I had two men in front of me. I also knew they had a safety back there, but the pursuit came from the other side and took my blocking away." Pausing to again reflect upon a pleasant afternoon, Willie shook his head and said, half to himself, "All I can think about was Tom Moore's run. That was a helluva run." Max McGee was quietly enjoying a "reminiscence" of his own - a 39-yard saunter to paydirt after eluding a discomfited Dick LeBeau. "He just gambled once too often," McGee laughed. A few feet away, Henry Gremminger was pausing at Hank Jordan's locker to confide, "They only completed 6 out of 26," he said with a smile. "That's pressure." No, no," Jordan protested mildly and returned the compliment, "that's coverage." Looking up the line, Hank called out, "That's the way to stick with 'em, Lionel." This last was aimed at rookie defensive end Lionel Aldridge, who, Jordan declared to all within earshot, had "played a good game." Bart Starr, who immediately following that 10-3 abomination with the Bears had promised a "better performance" against the Lions, asserted, "It was a great thrill to win this one." "We were a little lucky in places," he admitted, "but you have to be. I thought, though, that our line did an outstanding job of blocking and coming off the ball." Little Jerry Norton, whose booming punts had figured prominently in the Packers' triumph, sheepishly confessed that it had been his decision to run from punt formation in the fourth quarter, a maneuver which had not been a smashing success. "Bill Forester told me they weren't rushing - that's what gave me the idea," Jerry said. "But I stood around too long before I started to run." Hey, fleet foot," Jerry Kramer chided him, "you could still be running if you'd gone to the other side." "I know it," Norton grinned. "But I first decided to run, then I decided to punt, and then I finally decided to run - but then it was too late."...The Lions' Milt Plum, a somewhat ungracious interviewee, insisted the Packers "didn't do a thing we didn't expect." Did he think the Packers had been hungrier, perhaps, that they had been in Detroit last November? "They were up, and we were

up, that's all," he rapped. Asked if he had the impression the Packers were "laying for" the Lions, Plum replied with ill-concealed impatience, "I don't know if they were laying for us. I do know they had to win - they couldn't afford to lose their first two games. That would mean they'd have to win 12 in a row." "We were prepared for everything," the Detroit quarterback, obviously disgusted with his own performance, added. "Those four interceptions didn't help. We just couldn't get a good sequence, that's all." Mellowing ever so slightly, he leaned back in his dressing room chair and said significantly, "It's a long season - that's one thing we have to be thankful for."

PACKERS CRACKED 15-YEAR 'MARK' IN SQUELCHING LIONS

SEPT 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers scored 31 points on the Lions Sunday. Of course you know that, but it's worth hammering home today because of Detroit's big, active and rugged defense. Nobody had scored that many points on Detroit since early in the 1961 season. And this was the highest winning total Green Bay scored on the Lions in 15 years - in 1948 when the Pack won a 33-21 verdict. That's the offense. What about the defense? The Lions were forced to punt nine times and the Packers made four interceptions. That's 13 times Green Bay took the ball away and that's why the Lions never entered Packerland under their own power. The whole business added up to a fine compliment this morning from Coach Vince Lombardi after viewing pictures of the game Monday and sleeping on same: "We played a fine game on offense and defense." What else is there? Vince called the defense's job "superb," adding: "The defensive linemen and linebackers were tackling hard and moving into the right places and the halfbacks had the receivers. It's hard to single out any one player but I thought Willie Wood's interception was the key play of the game." This steal was a 15-yard touchdown run by Tom Moore and put the Pack in front 17-3. The interception and TD run were back to back. The scoring play looked like a real perfecto and Lombardi agreed that "everybody went down." Early in the fourth quarter, Moore scored 77 yards off his own left end for a touchdown and a 24-10 Packer edge. Vince said he received some excellent blocking as he got through the line but then "he got away from three people including Schmidt who had an arm on him." Bob Skoronski and Ron and Jerry Kramer got the big blocks to start Moore off. Jerry Norton's impromptu run off a fourth down and six punt situation came under close scrutiny in the movies, and Lombardi said that "Norton actually the ball too long, waiting for us to get down, and then almost bobbled it. Then it was too late to punt and he had to run." Jerry was nailed on the 10-yard line. This could have been a sort of "unfair" situation for the defense, which had been allowing a touchdown a game, but Dan Currie promptly intercepted. The Packers came out of the game with plenty of bumps and bruises but nothing serious. "It was a tough game," Vince reminded. And it was back to work - a light drill, a look at the Lion game films and a report from Scout Wally Cruice on next Sunday's opponent in City Stadium, the Colts...While the Packers were at work, they had their emissary in Ashland today to meet President Kennedy. That would be Tom Miller, the Packers' publicity chief, who was to present JFK with greetings from the team a Packer blanket and an autographed ball. It might be a good idea to have a member of the Kennedy clan on hand for all Packer-Detroit games. A year ago, Atty. Gen. Robert Kennedy saw the Pack nip the Lions here 9-7. The President only missed the 31-10 game by two days...Suspended Paul Hornung said Monday, "It was good to see Tom Moore have a big day." "He's a remarkably consistent and a great runner," Hornung said while speaking to the Knoxville, Tenn., Quarterback Club. Hornung also said he had asked NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to reinstate him before the 1964 season.

SUN ON SILVER HELMET CHANGED ELIJAH'S MIND

SEPT 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The sun and a shining helmet nearby is enough to make anybody change his mind. Elijah Pitts went back to catch a Yale Lary punt on his own 20, with Willie Wood giving the signal to "take it" in the Packer-Lion game in County Stadium Sunday. But, as Pitts explained, "I was looking into that sun and it was shining off this Lion's helmet, and I wasn't sure whether it was the ball or the helmet, so I decided at the last second to fair catch it." Wood put a block on the "shining" Lion (Ernie Clark) but Clark's momentum carried him into Pitts. "When he hit me, I took off. The rule says you can run if you're hit on the act of making a fair catch." It was kind of a ticklish situation, but Pitts had a good grip on the ball and ran to his left, only to run into a horde of tacklers. The officials stepped off 15 yards, putting the Pack in position on the 35. But let's take a look at some of the notations in our game play book: ROZELLE - The NFL commissioner was in the press box. Asked what brought him out here from New York, Pete explained that "I just want to see the game." FLAT ON BACK - The Lions tried to rile up Jim Taylor's right early. On the game's third play, Jim made five yards and while he's flat on his back Dick LeBeau flopped on him. Taylor kept his temper and went back to his huddle. THROW AWAY - Bart Starr sailed a strike toward the Lion bench when Boyd Dowler came up with two Lion defenders in the first quarter. Bart was taking no chances on an interception in the flat. WOOD HITS - Willie Wood made a driving tackle on Tom Watkins and he promptly fumbled - but Bob Scholtz recovered for the Lions in the first quarter. This was the Lions' only fumble. THEY KNEW - Wayne Walker almost intercepted Bart Starr's pass aimed at Max McGee on the left side, but the strange part was that Walker sensed the play and seemed to be out waiting for the pass along with Max. WE'RE OFF - When Taylor scored from the one in the second quarter, the Packers ended a five-quarter touchdown drought. This was the Pack's first league TD of the year. The score of the Bear opener last week was 10-3, Bears, in case you forgot. BEARS? - When the Lions were penalized for defensive holding in the second frame, PA announcer Van Patton broke the tension with this announcement: "Bears penalized for defensive holding." The audience roared. ONLY THIRD - When Plum passed to Larry Ferguson for six and Nick Pietrosante ran five early in the third period, the Lions had made only their third first down of the game. Yea, Packer defense. QUICKIE - Hank Jordan shot in like a bolt to nail Ferguson before he could hardly move out of his backfield spot in the third period. MAHER AGAIN - Bruce Maher, the Lions' reserve back, almost blocked a Jerry Norton punt in the third quarter and that fired memories of the Thanksgiving Day he blocked a Boyd Dowler boot three years ago. LOOK AT SHOES - Ferguson took Dave Robinson's kickoff seven yards deep in the end zone after the Packers took a 17-3 lead in the third period and then started to run. He stopped shot but had put one foot on the goal line. Wonder what would have happened if the official had been asked to look at Ferguson's shoe? And what would he have done if said official had found some white chalk? Touchdown? But who scores it? DOUBLE INTERCEPTIONS - The Packers twice got back to back shots at interceptions. Late in the third quarter, Herb Adderley almost grabbed a deep shot from Earl Morrall and on the next play Hank Gremminger had his hands on another Morral pass. In the fourth quarter, Wood almost grabbed a Plum throw in the end zone and on the next play Currie just missed an

interception. YAKKITY-YAK - When Currie made his interception right before the end, he ran shoulder to shoulder with Adderley and finally Dan tumbled to the ground. The two Packers got up yakking like crazy, each apparently figuring how this thing could have been turning into a touchdown.

PACK WIN 'BIG GAME' - WITH MOORE

SEPT 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers did more than beat the Lions Sunday. They proved they can win the "big game" without Paul Hornung. The loss of Hornung hit has been overdone, and the less said the better, it seems, but Tom Moore did the job notably at left half in this first critical game since Paul departed. This is important and good news for us worry warts and, of course, bad news to the enemy. The foe knows about Tom: Coach Red Hickey noted last spring upon hearing of Hornung: "Pity those poor Packers. They have to fall all the way down to Tom Moore." The best has always been spoken of Moore, but he was always Hornung's sub - until this season and more specifically Sunday when he dented the Lions' rough and ready defense for touchdown runs of 15 and 77 yards; 17 rushes for 122 yards; three pass catches for 24 yards; and some good blocking for running friend, Jim Taylor. It took a game like to put Tom up front but the Packers are well aware of Moore's value. As Coach Vince Lombardi said after the game: "Moore played very well, but he's played good football before. He's hardly a newcomer, you know." Lombardi referred to the many times Moore came through when Hornung was hurt a year ago and when he was Army-bound part of the time in 1961 - not to mention five years of service. Quarterback Bart Starr pointed out that Moore can go all the way on any play because of his speed and ability to shift into high gear. On his 77-yard run, Starr said, "he had to start from scratch twice - when he started from the backfield and the other time when he practically stopped after whirling around." Moore was one of eight Packers who climbed up among the leaders today in the individual statistics released by the NFL office. Tom ranked fourth with 146 yards in 26 attempts for a 5.6 average. Taylor is next with 135 on 34 trips for 4.0. Jerry Norton maintained his lead among the loop's punters with a 47.0-yard average on nine kicks. Pat Richter of Washington is next with 46.9. Jess Whittenton is in a group of seven with two pass interceptions - one behind rookie Larry Benz of the Browns. Jess returned his steals 33 yards. The Lions have three with two apiece, Dick LeBeau, Dick Lane and Gary Lowe. Starr has jumped up a notch in the passing category and his foe of last Sunday, Milt Plum, dopped behind him. Bart has served up six interceptions - only three less than he had all last year. Plum had 20 in '62 and he has seven already. The Bays are well represented in the punt and kickoff return departments. The amazing Willie Wood carried four punts back for 68 yards and fourth place while hefty Earl Gros is fourth in kickoff returns with three for 106 yards. Herb Adderley is fifth in KO runbacks with 2 for 65...The Packers worked on their own Tuesday, with two games of touch football, and then retired to their quarters to head a scouting report by Wally Cruice. All hands are in good condition for the Colt game here Sunday, including Bill Forester, who pulled a muscle while warming up for the Lions. Bill also was sporting a sore throat...Ben Dunn of the Detroit News wrote these few paragraphs last Thursday: "The Lions haven't had things as they would like this week. They wish they could have found a place to hide. Well, not hide really. Just a place with a little privacy. The squad, which had to vacate the training facilities at Cranbrook and can't get into Tiger Stadium until next Thursday, has worked out on an open field next to the U. of D. Memorial Building. The drills have attracted sideline spectators in numbers up to 300, some of them students idling by between classes at U. of D., businessmen with time to waste and still others who defy identification. Coach George Wilson naturally is sensitive to the possible presence of Green Bay informants at his practices this week but is helpless to do anything about it. If the Lions are concerned over the Packers, the atmosphere is not much different over in Green Bay where Coach Vince Lombardi's minions are working public this week, too." Local comment: Lombardi has practiced the Pack in the open since he came upon the scene in '59 and the Packer and Lion records since then speak for themselves: Pack 41-14, Lions 29-21-2. This doesn't mean that Vince hasn't been a bit wary before some of the games. There are times when those spectators all look like city slickers fresh out of Chicago, Detroit or Baltimore.

COLTS RELEASE LAMAR MCHAN

SEPT 25 (Baltimore) - Lamar McHan, a quarterback in the NFL for nine seasons, was released Tuesday by the Baltimore Colts who make their next start against the Packers in Green Bay Sunday. The 30-year-old McHan, who needs to appear in only three games this season to become eligible for the enriched NFL pension plan, played with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Packers before going to Baltimore. The release of McHan means that Gary Cuozzo, a rookie from Virginia who was signed as a free agent, takes over as understudy to quarterback Johnny Unitas. The Colts had asked waivers on offensive end Raymond Berry, who will be sidelined up to eight weeks with a dislocated shoulder. When another club put in a claim for him, it was necessary to restore him on the active roster, dictating the release of McHan. The Colts, for a similar reason, are carrying halfback Lenny Moore on the roster, although he has not been able to play since his appendix was removed Sept. 13. Another injured Colt, defensive back Bobby Boyd, is expected to be reactivated for the Green Bay game. He's been out with a shoulder injury.

REVAMPED COLTS NOW BOAST LAND GAME, PLUS UNITAS

SEPT 26 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - This is the time of the week the enemy stands eight feet tall, weighs 500 pounds, runs the 100 in 8 flat, and makes no mistakes. This, friends, is Thursday. All day. This is the end of the short honeymoon the Packers and their fans have been on. A sort of twilight period that set in last Sunday afternoon when the finals were posted on the scoreboard: Green Bay 31, Detroit 10. This is the day Coach Vince Lombardi dresses the Packers up in their shoulder armor and they start popping and officially forgetting about what the Lions called a bad day in Milwaukay. This is the day the next opponent looms as in Paragraph 1. And every time the Packers get ready to play the Colts this reporter can't help but recall that 56 to 0 game in Baltimore back in '58. That has nothing to do with Sunday's skirmish in City Stadium, but it's like a ghost. The chief culprit that day was General Johnny Unitas, the Colts' excellent quarterback, who became a championship QB for the first time that year. And when you speak about the enemy looming big, you start with Unitas. Somebody asked Harry Hulmes, the Colts' publicist, at the Mike and Pen meeting at the Elks Wednesday noon, if "Unitas is still the same Unitas." Harry just smiled and smiled and finally admitted that "Unitas is okay." The Colts' quick-throwing signalist hurt his shoulder during the exhibition season, but he's healed now and Hulmes reminded that he threw 44 passes in the 20-14 victory over the 49ers last Sunday. In fact, the Colts ran off a fantastic 88 plays against the 49ers' 39. Unitas has now thrown 77 passes and had only two intercepted. Unitas has something this year that he hasn't had since Alan Ameche did the Colt fullbacking. He has a big fullback and, for good measure, a big back ground attack if needed. The big crusher is J.W. Lockett, a 226-pounder who blossomed forth nicely after earlier trials with the 49ers and Cowboys. On occasion, Hulmes said, the 212-pound Jerry Hill will work across from Lockett at left half. Tom Matte, who

also can pass, is the starting left half, with Hill backing up both Matte and Lockett. Rounding out the backfield is the third end, Jimmy Orr, who is Unitas' favorite receiver, what with Lenny Moore out of there. But don't count Moore out. He had an appendectomy Sept. 13 and could be ready Sunday, which will be 16 days later. Dave Hanner played less than nine days after an appendectomy. Out for sure is Raymond Berry, the left end who hurt his shoulder vs. the 49ers. The Colts feel they have good bench strength and this was demonstrated when both Alex Hawkins and Willie Richardson looked good in Berry's position. Hawkins, the onetime Packer, also can play the flanker or left half. Berry has been cleared on injured waivers, which means they'll probably bring him back in four weeks. Due to take his spot on the roster is Bob Boyd, the healed-up defensive back who likely will trail Boyd Dowler. The Colts actually have another player opening due to the waiving of Lamar McHan, the veteran quarterback. The 49ers have claimed McHan, but Lamar went to his home in Arkansas to think it over. McHan dislikes flying and the prospect of flying in and out of 'Frisco almost every weekend has him bothered. Hulmes spoke highly of the Colts' rookies. The top newcomer seems to be John Mackey, a 217-pound tight end from Syracuse who was likened to the Bears' Mike Ditka. The other rookie starters are offensive left tackle Bob Vogel, a 250-pounder from Ohio State, and defensive right tackle Fred Miller, a 240-pounder from LSU...The Packer showed up today leading four defensive departments - 382 total yards allowed, 204 yards allowed passing, 2.9 average yards per rush, and opponents touchdowns passing (1). Offensively, the Packers are leading in but one department - punting, with a 47.0-yard average by Jerry Norton. The Bays have gained 466 total yards, including 291 rushing, which ranks ninth. The Browns are leading with 966, including a rather unusual 482 rushing.

COLTS RELEASE LAMAR MCHAN

NEW EXPERIENCE: JESS MAY SEE LEN MOORE

SEPT 27 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' Jess Whittenton may have a new experience in City Stadium Sunday. That would be Lenny Moore who could replace Raymond Berry - at least for a short spell - -at offensive left end. Berry was always Jess' big chore and Moore, a previous fixture on the right side, was the "job" for Hank Gremminger and then Herb Adderley last year. Jumping from Berry to Moore is like making that proverbial frying pan into the fire leap but since Lenny is a slow healer he may not see much action there. Moore underwent an appendectomy Sept. 12 and by Sunday he will have had 17 days in which to "return." Our Dave Hanner and the Colts' Gino Marchetti were doing cartwheels less than 10 days after their appendectomies. Moore started running in practice Thursday, Colt publicist Harry Humles reported today. Harry noted that the Colts want to make sure Moore is ready for the Bear game a week from Sunday but that he may be ready for spot duty vs. the Packers...The big debate in Baltimore has been where to play Moore - inside or outside. He saw considerable action inside last year, though a late starter due to a bad knee injury, and the outside man on the right, Jimmy Orr, promptly caught 55 passes and scored 11 touchdowns. So how can you bench Orr in favor of the fleet-footed Moore this year? Orr is one of the best in the league, as Adderley is well aware...The Packers' fourth linebacker, big Dave Robinson, was told that he did a good job at stacking up the interference on a play later in the Lion game Sunday. The first-year player snorted, "Yeah, but on the next play they ran right over me. That makes me .500 but that's not good enough."...The Colts came forth with a new fullback prospect today - one Nat Craddock of Parsons College. Craddock is the crasher (6-1, 250) who looked good against the Packers in the Bishop's Charities game Sept. 2. He ran 29 yards in seven carries and scored on an eight-yard run around left end. A few days after the game the Giants "sent" him to Canada, but he finally wound up with the New York Jets and then made his way down the East Coast to Baltimore...If that old saw, "Youth must be served," proves correct, the Packers will be in for trouble in City Stadium the next two Sundays. Coaches of the next two opponents, Don Shula of the Colts and Harland Svare of the Rams, are only 33...The Colts will fly into Green Bay at noon Saturday and then hold their final drill here. They will stay at the Northland Hotel...The Colts seem to have pass catchers coming out of their ears. All this talk about Orr, Berry, Moore, Mackey and a few others makes a guy forget all about the original jumping jack, R.C. Owens. Old Ally Oop was

injured in an automobile accident, in which his daughter was killed, last spring but has not started to work out with the team. He may play before the season's over...Note to the Pack's offensive line: The Colt defenders failed to toss the enemy quarterback for any kind of a loss in the first two league games. They'll want to break that record at the expense of the Pack line (and Bart Starr) Sunday...The Bays tapered off with a polishing-up drill today after a hard-hitting practice Thursday. Coach Vince Lombardi urged some "cracking in there" yesterday, and you could hear it. The Bays wear the pads on Thursdays and they bump each other around pretty good.

ADD JORDAN-PARKER TO GREGG-MARCHETTI TUSSLE

SEPT 28 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - And come out fighting! Each football game has its share of fierce individual battles but when you place a couple of all-pros head to head you have a real explosion. Packer-Colt games have featured for the last few years great combat between the Packers' rugged right offensive tackle and the Colts' talented Gino Marchetti. Besides that individual sideshow in City Stadium Sunday, there will be a third meeting in a new all-pro vs. all-pro battle - this one between the Pack's Henry Jordan and Baltimore's Jim Parker. Jordan will be at his usual spot - right tackle on defense and Parker is at left guard. Parker was shifted to that spot from left tackle during the first Packer-Colt game in Baltimore last year and giant Jim did so well that he was told to forget about left tackle. "This here Jim Parker is good, make no mistake about that, and so is their whole offensive line, but Jim gives me a nightmare," Jordan said. "Everybody's telling me how to play against Parker - the coaches, the players and even some of my friends around town," Henry laughed, "but I really enjoy playing against him because he represents quite a challenge." Jordan reminded that "a guard is just as good as the men around him and he has some good ones, too," pointing to center Dick Szymanski and tackle Bob Vogel. Gregg and Marchetti have had some historic battles and big Gino, despite his 36 years, is off to one of his best starts in years. Forrest hasn't been slowing down either, thank you, so you backfield watcher might cast a glance on the line Sunday. The beneficiaries in each case are the opposing quarterbacks - Packer Bart Starr and Colt John Unitas. Both Jordan and Marchetti are highly touted pass rushers and, by the same token, Parker and Gregg are strong at keeping the uniforms of their quarterbacks clean. The Colts' inner offensive line, with one major exception, is a holdover from the club's recent championship day. Vogel is a rookie but one of the best ever to come out of Ohio State, which is also Parker's alma mater. The others are Szymanski, right guard Alex Sandusky, and right tackle George Preas. The Packers also have a rookie looking across the Colt line. That would be Lionel Aldridge, the right end, who, for a switch, will be playing across from a rookie, Vogel. Dave Hanner goes against Sandusky, which is also an interesting test and fleet Willie Davis will have to get around Preas. The Packers are going into Sunday's game on the run - off a 31 to 10 victory over the Lions in Milwaukee and a good practice week. The

Colts flew into Austin Straubel field at 12:20 this afternoon, and then drilled lightly before heading for their Northland Hotel headquarters. Kickoff Sunday is set for 1:06.

CRADDOCK CAN 'SEE' PLAYING IN NATIONAL

SEPT 28 (Baltimore) - Near-sighted Nat Craddock couldn't see anything except playing for a NFL team. After

Appleton Post-Crescent (September 24th 1963)

looking at or being looked at by five other pro teams in two countries, he has his chance with the Baltimore Colts. When the Colts activated the fullback Thursday for Sunday's game at Green Bay, he must have been the best known unsigned player around. The Giants cut him and he went to Ottawa and Montreal in the Canadian League. Next he showed up in the training camp of the Boston Patriots of the AFL. Coach Weeb Ewbank of the New York Jets in the same league yelled foul. He said he had first choice of any players cut by the Giants and the league office upheld him. However, the Colts talked Craddock into joining their band squad - an unofficial group of players who practice regularly without being on the roster. Craddock explains: "The Giants wanted to send me to Canada this year, then bring me to New York in 1963 because this is Alex Webster's last year. But I want to play in the NFL and think I have a good chance to play here in Baltimore." The 22-year-old graduate of Parsons College in Iowa is a 228-pounder with crackling speed. Born in Des Moines, he scored 17 touchdowns for undefeated Parsons last year. Craddock has to wear contact lenses while playing because of weak eyes. The Colts have had to stop several scrimmages while they look for a lens that popped out. Before practice starts, Charley Winner, defensive coach, tells Craddock: "I'll be wearing a blue shirt, be looking for me, Nat." Winner has taken the precaution since the day Craddock ran into him full tilt and knocked him five yards through the air.

PACKERS FACE COLT ROADBLOCKS IN CITY STADIUM

SEPT 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Colts have never won in Green Bay. The Colts cut the Packers' scoring average almost in half in two games last year. The Colts have a gent by the name of John Unitas in their starting lineup. These are among the roadblocks - statistical and real - the Packers face in City Stadium this afternoon before 42,819. The Packers didn't set the stadium on fire the last time they played there, losing the league opener to the Bears two weeks ago today. They smashed back with a strong victory over the Lions in Milwaukee last Sunday. That triumph might have been a sort of cure-all. Today should tell. The Colts are tough - what with a new coach, 33-yard-old Don Shula; a running game to go with Unitas' skillful passing; and just about the same defense that limited the Packers to 34 points (the Bays averaged 30 last year) in the fierce 17-6 and 17-13 wins in '62. The Colts have a reputation of being a passing team, what with such a fine pitcher as Unitas, but they're now bent on adding a ground game - something they haven't had since Alan Ameche retired. Unitas' passing now will be spiced with crashes by such as J.W. Lockett, a 255-pounder who has found himself in his third year, Tom Matte, Jerry Hill and last but not least Nat Craddock, a newcomer. These people will be out to keep the Pack's defense honest. Receivingwise, the Colts have lost the talented Raymond Berry, which is a tough break, but Lenny Moore might be healthy enough from a recent (Sept. 12) appendectomy to take his place. The swift Jimmy Orr will be at flanker a real rookie of the year prospect is at right end, John Mackey. The Packers haven't faced an operator like Unitas thus far in '62 and The General can be murder if allowed to breathe too long. The Packer defense (not to mention the whole team) has a little something extra on its mind today. Being quite a family group, the Bays haven't forgotten that they lost one of their members against the Colts a year ago in City Stadium. That would be Nelson Toburen, who suffered a damaging back injury while tackling Unitas. Nellie hit Johnny so hard he fumbled and the Packers recovered, but Toburen may never play football again. The Packers' tackles and blocks today may carry a Toburen trademark. This will be a special game for Bart Starr, the Packers' heady quarterback who has a great deal of respect and admiration for Unitas. The presence of Unitas is an extra incentive for Starr, who is hopeful of returning to his 1962 form today. The Packer offense, held without a touchdown vs. the Bears, charged back with four six-pointers vs. the Lions - plus a field goal. Starr hopes to continue the explosion but he could be under extreme pressure. The Colts have a mission of their own. They failed to knock a passer for a loss in splitting their first two games. They hope to break that "record" and perhaps they have the law of averages on

their side. The Pack's big hopes will be the two crushers - Jim Taylor and Tom Moore, and from those two it blossoms out to Starr's passing to Max McGee, Ron Kramer and Boyd Dowler. And those fellers don't do much damage unless the front six can keep the Colts' defenders out. This puts it up to Bob Skoronski, Norm Masters, Forrest Gregg, Fuzzy Thurston, Jerry Kramer and Jim Ringo. This will be a "rubber" game, as it were. Each team has won 10. There have been no ties (not today please). The Colts played four times here and lost all of them, 27-14 in 1953, 35-21 in 1960, 45-7 in 1961 and 17-6 in 1962. Kickoff is set for 1:06, with the radio broadcast on WJPG.