Green Bay Packers (7-1) 33, Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3-1) 14
Sunday November 3rd 1963 (at Milwaukee)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(MILWAUKEE) - The Packers just keep on winning - all ways. Two weeks ago they piled up a big lead on the contending Cardinals and then coasted home 30-7. A week ago they lost an early lead, became involved in a fourth quarter tie and then cut loose in the final minutes to whip the Colts. The Packers scored their seventh straight victory Sunday with something a little different. They broke out of a sticky 9-7 first half lead with a 24-point explosion in the final two quarters to ruin the Steelers' championship hopes 33 to 14 in County Stadium before a standing room crowd of 46,293. Jerry Kramer kicked three field goals to keep the Packers ahead in the opening half. The Bays scored four of the five times they had the ball in the second half to win going away. J. Kramer kicked his fourth field goal - a personal record; Elijah Pitts scored two touchdowns; and Jim Taylor one - all on plunges. Thus, the Packers remained in a Western Division first place deadlock with the Bears, who downed the Colts in Baltimore. Green Bay and Chicago have 7-1 records while the Lions, who smothered the 49ers, are closest - three games back with 5-4. The Packers and Bears are now just one game away from their climatic battle in Chicago Nov. 17. Green Bay hosts the Vikings and the Bears are home to the Rams next Sunday. Both teams tangled themselves up in interceptions, fumbles and penalties in a get-the-ball first half, but the Packers settled down with their 24-point second half. John Roach, playing his second game in the absence of Bart Starr, sent the Bays on 73, 63 and 50-yard touchdown drives to ice the verdict.
TAYLOR SETS RECORD
The Packers piled up 399 yards, including a whopping 248 on the ground. Rushing was the big key, and Jim Taylor and Tom Moore were never better against a Steeler defense that was teased and chided all week in Pittsburgh. These two slammed 46 times between 'em and piled up 229 yards. Taylor, a crunching, veering crasher, lugged 30 times (and that's a new Packer record) for 144 yards. The old mark was 28 set by Paul Hornung vs. the 49ers in 1959. Moore, out a game and a half with an injury, was running exceptionally hard. He also caught two passes for 48 yards - one a 35-yarder that set up the Pack's first TD. Roach completed seven of 17 passes and one lengthy completion figured in each TD. Besides Moore's 35-yarder, Roach and Marv Fleming worked a 33-yarder to set up the second TD and finally Roach hit Max McGee with a 20-yarder to lead off the last TD push. That's good mileage. Fleming started and finished at tight end in place of the injured Ron Kramer, who suited up. The Bays' other injuree, Starr, appeared in uniform and held the ball for seven successful kicks by J. Kramer - three extra points and field goals of 23, 36, 12 and 37 yards. J.K. turned out to be the high scorer with 15 points. The Steelers took no liberties with the Packer defense, which allowed but one TD - a 33-yard pass from Ed Brown to Red Mack in the final six minutes. Gary Ballman ran the game's opening kickoff back 93 yards to set up a two-yard plunge by Dick Hoak for the first TD - hardly the fault of the defense. The alert Bays recovered three fumbles (by Willie Davis, Bill Forester and Willie Wood) and intercepted two passes - by Hank Gremminger and Jess Whittenton. The Steelers came up with 278 yards, including 166 in the air. Brown completed 11 of 26 for 147 yards. The game had an explosive start what with Ballman's return. Earl Gros, a 225-pound fullback, displayed his speed by catching the fleet Ballman from behind on the 2-yard line. Lou Michaels kicked the point and the visitors had quieted down the home folks for a moment, with only 21 seconds gone in the game. The Packers slammed right back and put together four straight first downs, with Roach throwing to Fleming for 15 and Roach and Moore each running 11 yards. The attack stalled and J. Kramer kicked a 23-yard field goal at 7:16 for 7-3. Error football set in at this point. In quick order, Whittenton intercepted Brown's pass; Glen Glass recovered Boyd Dowler's fumble; Brown got off a 29-yard punt; Myron Pottios intercepted a Roach pass; and Willie Davis recovered Hoak's fumble. The Dowler and Roach errors were committed deep in Steeler territory. After these oddities,
the Packers took over on the Steeler 41. Fourteen plays and four penalties later, J. Kramer kicked a field goal from the 36 - just five yards in from the starting point. The Packers reached to the 14 to start the odd series but they were nicked for holding. They got to the 13 a moment later but the Bay penalty this time was for offensive holding. They wound up back on their own 46 (where they started) but now the Steelers were nicked for holding. Taylor ran 21 yards to the 15, but a personal foul was called on the Pack (Jim was nailed for stiff-arming with an open hand, of all things) so back it went. But all wasn't for naught. J.K.'s kick was good. A few minutes later, Forester made his interception, Moore ran 31 yards and J.K. kicked a field goal from the 12 for a 9-7 edge. Just before the half, Michaels missed a field from the 40 - with the wind, at that. The Packers were just plain convincing right from the start of the second half, with the offensive line leading the way. Here's how it started - from the Packer 27 - Moore 6, Taylor 5, Taylor 3, Moore 12 and Taylor 7 to the Steeler 40. Then Roach hit Moore with a strike around the 10 and Tom slammed over the goal line, with a Steeler on him. It seemed as if the official wanted to see another play. He claimed Moore "touched" on the 1. The Bays gave him two plays, Taylor going over on his second smash. It was 23 to 7. Brown aimed a pass at Preston Carpenter after the Steels made a first down, but Gremminger was on the spot for the interception, setting the Bays off again from the Steeler 37. Roach hurled to McGee for 9 and Taylor gained 2 but the attack stalled going into the fourth quarter so J. Kramer kicked his fourth field goal - from the 37. Pitt got friskier, as expected, and they latched together three first downs, and reached the Packer 36 where they came to the end of the line. Hoak fumbled when Ray Nitschke and Henry Jordan hit him and Wood recovered on the Bay 30. Roach and Dowler worked a picture bomb on the Steeler 20, but the fleet Packer end caught it just out of bounds. It created a "first" a play later when the Bays were forced to deliver their first punt. Jerry Norton got off a good one - 49 yards. The Steelers, with 10 minutes left, then moved 77 yards for their TD and the nine-play advance featured the pass catching of Buddy Dial, the league's No. 2 receiver who hadn't caught a throw up to this point, and Red Mack. Dial caught two along the way and Mack two, including the 33-yard TD. Michaels tried an onside kickoff, but Fleming recovered on the 50 and the Packers scored quickly. Roach led off with a 20-yard pass to McGee and then ran it over in six plays - Pitts 1, Taylor 11, Taylor 13, Pitts 3, Pitts 1 and Pitts 1 for the sixer.
PITTSBURGH - 7 0 0 7 - 14
GREEN BAY - 3 6 14 10 - 33
PITTSBURGH GREEN BAY
First Downs 17 24
Rushing-Yards-TD 32-123-1 52-248-3
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 28-12-166-1-2 17-7-151-0-1
Sack Yards Lost 11 0
Net Passing Yards 155 151
Total Yards 278 399
Fumbles-lost 4-3 1-1
Turnovers 5 2
Yards penalized 5-41 8-72
SCORING
1st - PITT - Dick Hoak, 2-yard run (Lou Michaels kick) PITTSBURGH 7-0
1st - GB - Jerry Kramer, 23-yard field goal PITTSBURGH 7-3
2nd - GB - J. Kramer, 36-yard field goal PITTSBURGH 7-6
2nd - GB - J. Kramer, 12-yard field goal GREEN BAY 9-7
3rd - GB - Jim Taylor, 1-yard run (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 16-7
3rd - GB - Elijah Pitts, 2-yard run (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 23-7
4th - GB - J. Kramer, 37-yard field goal GREEN BAY 26-7
4th - PIT - Red Mack, 33-yard pass from Ed Brown (Michaels kick) GREEN BAY 26-14
4th - GB - Pitts, 1-yard run (J. Kramer kick) GREEN BAY 33-14
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 30-141 1 TD, Tom Moore 16-88, John Roach 1-11, Elijah Pitts 5-8 2 TD
PITTSBURGH - Dick Hoak 19-77 1 TD, Theron Sapp 6-29, John Henry Johnson 7-17
PASSING
GREEN BAY - John Roach 17-7-151 1 INT
PITTSBURGH - Ed Brown 26-11-147 1 TD 2 INT, Terry Nofsinger 2-1-19
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Tom Moore 2-48, Marv Fleming 2-48, Max McGee 2-29, Boyd Dowler 1-26
PITTSBURGH - Red Mack 5-87 1 TD, Buddy Dial 3-40, John Henry Johnson 2-13, Dick Hoak 1-13, Theron Sapp 1-13
''I'M GETTING MY LEGS UNDER ME,' HAPPY TAYLOR CONCEDES
NOV 4 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Memo to the Packers' NFL brethren (with emphasis on defense): The honeymoon is over. That master of understatement, bulldozing Jim Taylor, announced Sunday in all gravity, "I'm getting my legs under me" - a point in which the Pittsburgh Steelers' battered defenders will ruefully agree. The crunching Bayou Bronco, rebounding from an enervating bout with hepatitis and assorted other miseries, confided in the wake of his devasting 141-yard eruption, "I was weak before I'm starting to feel a little stronger. I feel real good." This last, of course, immediately triggers conjecture of what might happen when 1962's NFL player of the year reaches "full strength." Be that as it may, the 28-year-old Baton Rouge, La., native was happy to report, "I'm getting my legs under me - I'm getting a little quickness. I had more quickness today than I had last week." And where had this item come from? "It's the ankle - it's been weak, but now it's coming around. Before that, I had a knee injury and a groin pull that slowed me up." Wearing a broad smile that wouldn't come off, Taylor noted, "There was nothing but holes in that line. They were on both sides, too - big ones." Some of his success, the 215-pound blaster feely admitted, was traceable to the enemy's defensive strategy. "They were stunting quite a bit, and we caught 'em a couple of times. Made it easier to run to the outside." Taylor, whose bone-jarring "second effort" elicited gasps from fans and Steelers alike, evinced respect for the easterners, however. "They're a good strong club," he said. "They contained us down on the goal line a couple of times - they kept us honest." Asked about the 15-yard "slugging" assessment against him, the eight-year veteran explained, "I used a stiff arm. I had my hand pulled back (he gestured with the arm close to the body and palm face out) at the time. I was along the sidelines and, to avoid getting blown out of there, I pushed my hand out - I couldn't use my forearm." "It may have looked like a punch, but it wasn't," Taylor insisted. "I think my hand hit him on top of the helmet. I guess the officials called it slugging. I don't know - I'm learning something new every week." Had there been much "conversation" with the enemy? "No, I'm trying to keep it down," the square-cut linebuster responded forthrightly. "I'm trying to avoid it." "I guess I always start it," he smiled. "That's what I read." At this juncture, he was informed, "You carried the ball 30 times today." "Thirty!" he whistled. "That's hard to believer. But that's not important - all those things are secondary to winning." Across the room, lank John Roach admitted to feeling more comfortable in his second successful
appearance at quarterback in behalf of Bart Starr, presently recuperating from a broken hand. "I felt a little better but I think probably I didn't play as well as I did in Baltimore," was the ex-SMU field general's candid analysis. "But we won and that's all that counts." Turning to the future, he added, "I think I'll feel even better next week. I think these couple of games are what I've needed. I'm looking forward to the next one more than I did the first two. Maybe I'll settle down now and play better." Another stand-in, rookie Marv Fleming, had a somewhat different reaction. "I felt a lot better last week," the king size University of Utah alumnus concluded. "This time I knew I was going to start (in place of the injured Ron Kramer) and there was a lot of pressure. Last week in Baltimore, it happened so fast I didn't have any time to think about it." He had performed like an old pro despite these handicaps, it was suggested. "Mentally, I'm not an old pro," he rejoined with a smile. "Maybe I look like it physically, but I'm sure not an old pro mentally." "Blocking is my biggest problem," he explained. "I Know I can block, but I have so many things to learn." Willie Davis, just off another big afternoon, was not entirely satisfied. "I think we should have stopped a lot of their drives sooner than we did," the bull-shouldered Grambling alumnus declared. "The Steelers have a real good offensive line," he admitted. "They block real well on the run." Had any adjustments been made between halves to contain the Steelers' sweep? "No, we didn't make any changes," Davis said. "The coaches just told us to be alert for the type of formation which would suggest a sweep."...BETTER THAN CLEVELAND: The principal in these enemy operations, rookie halfback Dick Hoak, understandably presented another point of view. "I didn't think they were that tough," he said glumly. "All we had to do was hold the ball, and we would have beat 'em. We had too many fumbles and interceptions. All you've got to do is hold the ball." He was not holding the Packers cheaply, however, Hoak indicated. "I feel they're better than Cleveland," the Penn State product observed. "They're a better all around team than the Browns. We beat the Giants and we should have beaten the Browns."
PACK 'A LITTLE FACT' IN VICTORY, VINCE; PARKER DUCKS
NOV 4 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "I thought the whole team was a little flat." Although it did not appear to be in the nature of a complaint, perfectionist Vince Lombardi offered this matter-of-fact and somewhat surprising estimate of his Packers' unemotional 33-14 conquest of the bruising Pittsburgh Steelers in breezy Milwaukee County Stadium Sunday afternoon. "I though the crowd was, too," he added. Pressed to elaborate on this point, the Packer GM-coach explained, "You could tell it right from the beginning when they were introducing the players - there wasn't a lot of enthusiasm. When we were down here in September to play Detroit, they made enough noise to blow you out of the place." The Packers' performance had been identical in tone, Lombardi observed. Balling his right hand into a fist and flicking a short "jab" to illustrate his point, Lombardi said, "We had no real verve or zip, or whatever you want to call it." Let the record show, however, that the Packers' resident genius was delighted with certain phases of the day's operation, namely the running attack and the explosive resurgence of Jim Taylor, which appeared to be one and the same thing on this occasion despite a highly commendable output from returnee Tom Moore. "Our running attack was very good," Vince conceded, then fairly bubbled when it was observed that Taylor had closely resembled his old self. "He's well now," the Packer headmaster observed with a hearty chuckle. "This makes quite a difference, doesn't it," a scribe suggested. "Yes, it does," Lombardi agreed with alacrity, flashing an expansive grin, which well may have sprung from titillating visions of the Bayou Bronco churning through the enemy in the critical weeks ahead. "How did you get the boys rolling in the second half," he was asked. "We rolled like hell in the first half," Vince replied. "We just stopped ourselves. We gained a lot of yards - we just didn't score." And what of the defense? "The defense," he acknowledged without hesitation, "was spotty." The Packers, Lombardi noted in answer to another question, had varied their approach from the last week's triumph over the Baltimore Colts. "We ran only one sweep all day," he said, adding with a laugh, "Last week, we must have run 40." The principal in that "one sweep" had not been reinjured, Vince revealed. "Tom's (Moore) all right," he said. "He's just a little bruised up, that's all. He must have had a good day, too." At this point, someone mentioned Gary Ballman's 93-yard return of the opening kickoff, which prompted Lombardi to ejaculate, "That was a good way to start. The ball's on the two-yard line - and one play and it's a touchdown." Had he thought the Steelers could keep it up? "Sure I thought they could," the Packer chieftain fired back with a rueful smile. "And I was afraid they would." "I've seen pictures of this ball club. They're behind 21-0 and, all of a sudden, they're throwing that ball around and they win 24-21. That Dial and Mack are two of the greatest receivers in the league, particularly Dial." Dial had not been too troublesome on this occasion, a writer observed. "That's true," Vince admitted. "We worked like hell on him - Whittenton and Adderley did an outstanding job - but he's a great receiver." Pronouncing himself impressed with the Steelers' attack, Lombardi declared, "They blocked real well for Brown - they play-faked considerably. And he can throw the ball, no question about it." This introduced the subject of John Roach, the Packers' quarterback pro tem, who now has forged a 2-0 record in the injured Bart Starr's absence. "I thought he played well, real well," Lombardi said. "And he'll do better as he gets along." And Starr? "Bart held the ball today," he smiled. "That's an improvement. Bart's squeezing the ball now, too, so." The Packers' first place co-tenants, the Bears, were mentioned - and abruptly dismissed. "I'm not worrying about the Bears until we get to them," Lombardi rapped. "By the way, when do we play them? I don't even know. The week after next? That's when we'll start worrying about 'em."...Lombardi's opposite number, Pittsburgh Coach Raymond (Buddy) Parker, was unavailable for comment. Conspicuous by his absence in the Steelers' quarter, Parker reportedly left their dressing room immediately for the club's airport-bound bus stationed just outside the stadium, presumably to brood over the defeat which all but obliterated Pittsburgh's Eastern Division title hopes. A downcast Dick Hoak, last player to leave the Steeler diggings, was asked, "Did he say anything before he left?" "He hasn't said anything yet," Hoak said dryly, "but I expect him to say something."...'ONE AT A TIME?': One contingent of fans from Walworth, Wis., was obviously looking beyond yesterday's bout with the Steelers. They mounted two huge signs on the bleacher wall, one reading "Go-Go Pack" and the other "Beat the Bears."...'OFFICIAL' TIMEOUT: A rare "official" timeout occurred late in the fourth quarter when play was stopped in order that Packer Trainer Bud Jorgensen might tape the ankle of Field Judge Mike Lisetski, who had just suffered a sprain while avoiding a careening behemoth...REDHEAD RETURNS: Howard (Red) Hickey, who recently resigned as coach of the San Francisco 49ers, turned up in the County Stadium pressbox - as a talent scout for his former employers, the Los Angeles Rams. Also a pressbox observer was Joe Kuharich, ex-Notre Dame, Chicago Cardinal and Washington Redskin coach who now is the NFL's supervisor of officials...PATTEN-TED?: Vince Lombardi was not the only observer shaken by the Steelers' fast getaway. On the Pittsburgh kickoff which followed that opening one-play touchdown, Public Address Announcer Van Patten blooped, "The Steelers were penalized five bounds for that out-of-bounds kickoff."
THREE BIG WINS GET PACKERS OVER HUMP, NO INJURIES!
NOV 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers wound up Sunday's 33-14 victory with 69 plays against the Steelers' 62. But in the first seven minutes of the game the Steelers ran off one play and scored a touchdown, while the Packers labored for 14 plays to score a field goal, with half the period gone. Pittsburgh thus had a 14 to 1 head start on plays. Coach Vince Lombardi chuckled when reminded of the Steelers' big so-quick play edge. "I've seen a game where one team had a 70 to 30 margin in plays but still lost 28 to 7," Vince said. So what's the moral to all this, coach? "Tough luck," he laughed. Actually, the Packers had to battle uphill Sunday and while the play statistics offer nothing concrete (nothing does but the final score) they do pinpoint when the Packers got to the top of the hill. That was in the third quarter when the Pack had a narrow 9-7 edge. Green Bay had the ball for 23 plays against the Steelers' eight in this quarter. This time the Packers came out with two touchdowns and the Steelers ran up one first down, 14 yards net, a 24-yard punt and an intercepted pass (by Hank Gremminger). The Bays coasted to their seventh straight victory. Lombardi said the whole business "looked good" in the films and added that it goes for both the offense and defense. Vince also said "we came out with no injuries," which is a happy note after the events of the past couple of weeks - namely Bart Starr, Ron Kramer, Willie Wood and a few others. The Packers are fresh from their murderous games against top contenders, a 30-7 win over the Cardinals, a 34-20 victory over the Colts and now the 33-14 verdict over Pitt - a composite 97-41. These three triumphs represented a sort of hump for the defending world champions and certainly convinced us yokels that the Bays can win the West again. Six games are left - the Vikings in Green Bay, Bears in Chicago, 49ers in Milwaukee, Lions in Detroit, the Rams in Los Angeles and 49ers in San Francisco. Since the Packers and Bears are tied with 7-1 records, the Packer-Bear game of Nov. 17 looms high, but don't mention it around the Pack - and more specifically Lombardi and aides Phil Bengtson, Norb Hecker, Bill Austin, Red Cochran and Tom Fears. The problem at the moment is Minnesota and after what the Vikings almost did to the Packers last Oct. 23 the Packers could be in for all sorts of trouble. The other problem is in the hands of Dr. Jim Nellen, the Pack's team physician, who holds the secret on Starr and R. Kramer. Starr held the ball for seven kicks, including four field goals by Jerry Kramer and had no misery handling the ball. "The doctor will decide on Starr and we'll see how he feels with that splint off," Vince said. He could be ready for the Bear game, but it will depend actually on how soon he can grip the ball. R. Kramer could be ready for the Viking game. R. Kramer made a friendly wager of a meal that he'd be back before Starr as they sat in front of their adjoining lockers the other day. After Sunday's game, in which John Roach engineered 399 yards in his second start at quarterback, Starr said that "I'll collect on that meal this week." Ron wouldn't buy, reminding Starr that "you didn't play today. Anybody can go out there and hold the ball. You got to get out there and play." And so it goes. Starr and R.K. are both straining under their bandages. And speaking about such things, field judge Mike Lisetski suffered a ruptured achilles tendon with five minutes left in Sunday's game. He was forced to undergo surgery and will have his leg in a cast for six weeks. A school teacher out east, Lisetski will miss a class for the first time in 28 years.
13-YARD GAIN ON 84-YARD DETOUR!
NOV 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Now you take that series the Packers ran off in the second quarter. Man, you can take it. But in the name of journalism let us dig into this rare 14-play stop and go series against the Steelers in Milwaukee Sunday. It boiled down to this: The Packers actually gained only 13 yards, but took an 84-yard detour en route to the modest gain. Fortunately, Jerry Kramer closed out the frustrating business on a happy field goal note to cut the Steel lead to 7-6. The Packers were nicked for three "big" penalties - holding, offensive interference and personal foul, while the Steelers were nabbed for defensive holding. And to top it off, the crowd thought the Pack had been robbed when Boyd Dowler made an illegal catch of a pass tipped by another Packer, Marv Fleming. The series started on the Steeler 41 - put there when Willie Davis recovered Dick Hoak's fumble - and finished on the Steeler 28, with J.K. connecting for three points from the 36. Here's how the series went. And don't five up the ship, ma: PLAY 1 (on Pitt 41) - Jim Taylor gains 12 yards off left tackle. PLAY 2 - Moore runs right tackle for five. PLAY 3 - Taylor runs left tackle for three. PLAY 4 - Taylor runs the left side for seven to the 14. PLAY 5 - Taylor gains 2 at right tackle, but Packers are nailed for holding. Ball goes back to 31. Loss of 17 yards. PLAY 6 - John Roach rushed, pass incomplete. PLAY 7 - Roach passes 18 yards to Dowler on 13. Offensive interference called and ball goes back to 46. Total loss 33 yards. PLAY 8 - Roach pass incomplete. Steelers called for holding. Packers get automatic first down, plus 5-yard penalty, on Steeler 41. PLAY 9 - Moore gains five at right guard to 36. PLAY 10 - Taylor races off left tackle for 21 yards. Packers calls for personal foul - Taylor for stiff-arming Jim Bradshaw too vigorously. Fifteen yard penalty from point of infraction (at 15 where Jim was forced out of bounds) still left enough yardage for first down on 30. Total loss of 30 yards. PLAY 11 - Moore gains 1 at right tackle to 29. PLAY 12 - Taylor makes 1 at left end. PLAY 13 - Roach passes to Fleming on right side but ball skips off fingers and Dowler catches it behind Fleming before it hits the ground. The crowd sets up a howl thinking it should be a completion, but the rules don't allow "volleyball" by offensive pass receivers unless it's touched by a defensive player in between. Defenders, however, are allowed to "tip" it to a neighbor. PLAY 14 - J. Kramer, with Bart Starr holding, kicks a 36-yard field goal and all the effort becomes worthwhile. The 10th play was the most unusual. Here you have the Packers making a first down on the same play they are nailed for a 15-yard penalty. Little did Davis realize what he started by his fumble recovery. He not only set up the field goal, but provided enough grist for this column. Thanks, Willie.
ROBINSON OUT TO 'CHALK UP' KICKOFFS
NOV 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Dave Robinson was told about the picture of him kicking off in the Steeler game. "Was my right knee bent?" he asked. The answer was yes, to which he laughed: "That's where I did wrong. That right knee is supposed to be locked. The whole leg should be stiff." Robinson, practicing his kicking off Tuesday between a couple of touch football game, rubbed a bit of chalk on the ball before setting it on the tee. "That's where I want to hit the ball and if I hit it right there will be chalk on my shoe," Robbie explained. As an afterthought, he grinned, "I haven't seen any chalk on my toe yet." Robinson works every day with Gary Kroner on kickoffs, and the two have quite the opposite takeoffs. Kroner, the former Wisconsin kicking expert who is on the Pack's cab team, used a four-yard area while Robinson get backs almost a dozen yards. Robinson, the Bay's No. 1 draft choice, feels that kicking off is fairly new to him this year. "I haven't kicked much since I was a junior (at Penn State). I hurt my right ankle at the start of my senior season and didn't kick," he said. People usually joke about the Pack's kicking off. The classic was the bit about the Bays finding it necessary to go into a goal line defense after kicking off. That's how tough things have been in the matter. Robinson would like to change that - via practice and game experience. Robinson kicked off 10 times in the Pack's 33-14 win over the Steelers. There is no record in the league book for number of kickoffs, but it's probably fairly rare when a kicker delivers more than 10 kickoffs. The Packers had seven scored, which accounted for seven KOs - plus the game's opening kickoff. In addition, Robinson kicked off twice out of bounds, thus accounting for the 10. By comparison, the Bears kicked off only 12 times in their historic 73-0 victory over the Redskins in the 1940 championship game. The Bears scored 11 times, this producing 11 KOs, and they kicked off to start the second half. Nothing in the record book shows if a boot was made out of bounds, thus requiring a five-yard penalty and a second kick. Robinson faced quite a wind factor vs. the Steelers - gusts of 10 to 20 miles out of the south. He was booting into the wind in the second and third periods. The wind was so stiff that the Steelers set their safety men, Gary Ballman and Brady Keys, on the 18-yard line on Robinson's eighth kick. "You know," Robinson said, "for some reason the wind just died down and the ball went over their heads." It dropped on the two and rolled into the end zone. The Packers also took the wind into consideration. They moved their wedge up 10 yards, from the 10 to the 20, for the power boots of Lou Michaels. Here are Robinson's 10 kicks: FIRST (First quarter) - Kick to 5-yard line, Ballman returned 93 yards. SECOND - Kick out of bounds on 8 THIRD - Kick (from 35) out of bounds on 25 FOURTH - Kick (from 30) to Keys on 18, returned 12. FIFTH (Second quarter) - Kick to Keys on 2, returned 10 yard SIXTH - Kick to Theron Sapp on 25, returned 11 yards SEVENTH (Third quarter) - Kick to Sapp on 29, returned 7 yards EIGHTH - Kick hit on 2, rolled into end zone NINTH (Fourth quarter) - Kick over end line, bounced into stands TENTH - Kick to Ballman on 9, returned 37 yards. The boot that went into the stands was something for Robinson to write home about - even if the wind might have been blowing. And speaking about kicking, Jerry Kramer must like the wind. He booted three in the worst wind conditions possible and he was "perfect" on his four field goal tries vs. Pitt. He counted 15 points in all and ranks second in scoring in the league. The Bays had to contend with a bit of fog this morning as they started the heavy part of their drills for the Viking game in City Stadium Sunday. All hands are on deck.
FRAMEWORK SET FOR PACKER DRAFT DEC. 2
NOV 6 (Green Bay Press) - Four rookies who are playing roles in the Green Bay Packers' drive for a third straight title provide impressive evidence that the NFL champions leave nothing to chance, either on or off the field. The rookies were chosen in the 1963 NFL draft although Green Bay got the last pick in each round because of its finish the season before. While other teams went after big name players no matter what position they played, the Packers sought men to fill weak spots in the Green Bay lineup...FIRST CHOICE: The Packers' first draft choice was Dave Robinson, All-America end from Penn Star, who is handling the kickoff duties for Green Bay and probably would be a starting linebacker on many other teams. Three rounds later Green Bay selected Lionel Aldridge, an unknown guard from Utah State. The 6-foot-4, 240 pound rookie has plugged the hole left by the departure of veteran Bill Quinlan. The two other rookies on the Packer squad are Dan Grimm and Marv Fleming. Grimm, a 6-foot-3, 245 pound guard from Colorado, was selected on the fifth round. He beat out veteran Ed Blaine for the Packers' third guard position behind all-NFL choices Jery Kramer and Fred Thurston. Fleming, a 6-foot-4, 240 pound end from Utah, wasn't selected until the 11th round. He has replaced the injured Ron Kramer at tight end and in two games has caught six passes for 120 yards and one touchdown. Pat Peppler, the Packers' chief talent scout, now is finishing up preparations for the 1964 draft which will take place in Chicago Dec. 2. He explained Green Bay's drafting setup this way...FRAMEWORK: "The framework is set up. We have a good line on the players, and we have to know if these players will play for us," Peppler said. Every Saturday during the college football season, Peppler and Green Bay's assistant coaches scout games for themselves although the Packers have about 60 scouts throughout the country. "Although we feel we have good coverage by scouts, we prefer to have our own people look at the boy," Peppler said. "This gives us a chance to compare the scouts' report with our basis of judging a player." Looking toward the future, the Packers drafted a good crop of eligible college juniors last year because of seven extra draft picks.
STARR TESTS AILING HAND
NOV 6 (Green Bay) - Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr, sidelined with a hand fracture since Oct. 20, hopes to get a medical okay for the Packers' NFL meeting with the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. Starr tested his ailing hand with a few short passes Tuesday and a club spokesman said he will an examination later this week to determine if the broken bone has mended sufficiently for him to return to action. Still wearing a splint to protect the injury, Starr had trouble gripping the ball for his passes as the Packers romped through an unsupervised workout while the coaching staff huddled indoors. The veteran quarterback, who led the NFL in passing last year, said that he can "flex" the hand without too much difficult. He has been strengthening the hand by squeezing a rubber ball. Even if given a medical green light, Starr probably would see only limited action against the Vikings. John Roach has directed the Packers to two straight victories in Starr's absence and will open against Minnesota. Starr returned to uniform last Sunday and held the ball for four field goals and three conversions by Jerry Kramer in Green Bay's 33-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
VIKINGS 'OWE' PACK FOR EARLY HEARTBREAK
NOV 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Vikings have had three heartbreak losses in their young lives. They were beaten 34-33 by the Colts in the last season on a 52-yard field goal by George Mira in 1961. The Vikings were a rookie team that year but avenged the loss with an exciting 28-20 triumph when the Colts played at Minnesota six games later. In 1962, the Vikings were beaten 31 to 30 by the Bears in Chicago when they fumbled the ball away after taking a 30-28 lead with 20 seconds left. The Bears kicked a field goal to win. There was no chance for revenge since that was the second game of the series that year. Less than a month ago, the Vikings - a three-year team now - were just two minutes and a 10-yard field goal away from a possible victory over the world champion Packers in Minneapolis. Herb Adderley blocked the kick and Hank Gremminger picked up the ball and raced 85 yards for a sweating 37-28 victory. That was a heart-wringer for the Vikings and coming that close will spur their desire for a sort of revenge when they play the champs at City Stadium Sunday. The Packers went from that Viking score to whip three straight contenders - the Cardinals, Colts and Steelers. Apparently our boys weren't scared out of their wits. What did the loss do to the Vikings? John Thompson, the Vikings' publicist who is servicing the news media in our town this week, was asked about the club's reaction to the stinger. "There's no doubt that had we won the game we might have won two or all of our three games (two with the Rams and one withe the Lions), but we lost the next two in Los Angeles and in Detroit. We came back strong last Sunday to beat the Rams in Minneapolis. We tried to forget that loss, but we played flat football for two weeks afterward. We lost six in a row after that loss to the Colts in '61 and we never won a game after that tight loss to the Bears the next year. One thing that close loss to the Packers did for us was this: We came away not holding the Packers in awe as we had been doing. This had to be quite an accomplishment because we are a young team." The Vikings came up with a strong defensive game in the 21-13 win over the Rams last Sunday. "Their only touchdown came on a kickoff return," Thompson said. Bob Ferguson, the powerhouse fullback from Ohio State who was obtained from the Steelers recently, is ready after an early injury and will back up FB Bill Brown. Bob Reed will play the flanker spot due to an injury to Ray Poage. Reed thus joins a backfield of quarterback Fran Tarkenton, left half Tommy Mason and Brown. The ends are Paul Flatley on the left side and Jerry Reichow on the right. Flatley tops the receivers with 33. Ron Vander Kelen, the pride of Preble who backs up Tarkenton, will play the same role Sunday and likely will be used only if the proper occasion presents itself. Thompson said, "Ron actually has played a lot for a rookie quarterback. He has played a full quarter in three different league games." Vandy didn't get int the Packer thriller in Minneapolis last Oct. 13...Ron Kramer, bad leg and all, went through his pass receiving paces Wednesday and once yelled "look at those moves" when he made a fancy catch and run. It appears that he may be able to see some action Sunday. The big end was injured early in the second quarter of the Colt game and his spot has been filled since by rookie Marv Fleming. Fleming caught five passes in six-plus quarters for 100 yards and one reception went for a touchdown. The Packers fought a little fog in today's drill. But they had no trouble "finding" the sled and blocking dummy as Coach Vince Lombardi sent them through the usual Thursday hitting practice.
PACKERS HOPEFUL OF HAVING RON KRAMER BACK SUNDAY
NOV 7 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers are hopeful of having tight end Ron Kramer back in the lineup Sunday for their NFL meeting with the Minnesota Vikings at City Stadium. Kramer, who missed last Sunday's 33-14 victory over Pittsburgh because of knee and ankle injuries, ran well as the Packers got down to serious work Wednesday in preparation for the Vikings. Quarterback Bart Starr, who suffered a broken bone in his hand Oct. 20, continued to work out with a split protecting his injury. Scheduled to have the hand examined this week, Starr tossed the ball on the sidelines. "The doctor will decide on Starr, and we'll see how he feels with the splint off," said Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi.
PACKERS RANK FIRST IN RUSHING DEFENSE
NOV 7 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears are headed for their Nov. 17 showdown in Wrigley Field as two of the toughest defensive teams in the NFL. Official league statistics announced Wednesday show that the Bears and Packers rank second and third, respectively, behind the Detroit Lions in team defense. Green Bay is first in rushing defense, having allowed only 703 yards in eight games, and the Bears are second with 762 yards surrendered to opposing runners. The Lions lead the league with an average of 212.9 yards allowed per game. Chicago is next with 237 yards surrendered, followed by Green Bay with 254.8...338.6 AVERAGE: The Packers are fourth in total offense with an average of 338.6 yards per game.
Chicago ranks eighth with an average of 301 yards per outing. St. Louis leads the league with 382.3 a game.
JERRY KRAMER NEEDS ONE MORE FIELD GOAL TO TIE CONE'S RECORD
NOV 8 (Green Bay) - They laughed when guard Jerry Kramer lined up to do a little placekicking for the Green Bay Packers. So did he. That was midway in the 1962 season when Kramer won the title, "The best knuckleball kicker in the NFL." But a year had passes, and now Kramer leads the league with 15 field goals and is second in scoring with 71 points, all of them scored with his toe. He's only a point behind the scoring leader, Cleveland fullback Jim Brown, who has scored 12 touchdowns. Kramer is still laughing. "That's one for Ripley's Believe It or Not," Kramer said Thursday. "Imagine me leading the league. Why, a couple of weeks ago I couldn't even remember how many I kicked." Kramer, who also is one of Green Bay's quickest and hardest hitting offensive guards, said he has no goals - "I'll just keep kicking and see what happens."...KEPT ON KICKING: Something will. He's only one short of the Packer field goal record set by Fred Cone in 1955. It was an injury to Paul Hornung, who kicked 15 field goals in each of the 1960 and 1961 seasons, that started Kramer kicking last year. With Hornung suspended this year, Kramer kept on kicking. After missing three attempts in a game five weeks ago, Kramer has booted 12 field goals, ranging from 12 to 46 yards. He explained the surge saying, "I'm keeping my eye on the ball. All it takes is concentration." He had his best game last Sunday, hitting four field goals in as many attempts as the Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. The league record for a single game is five. "If I'd known that," said Kramer, "I'd have turned around and tackled Elijah Pitts on his last touchdown run." Kramer, one of the few linemen who does his team's kicking, says the wear and tear of leading the Packer interference doesn't make any difference. "When the teams are changing personnel for a field goal, I have a chance to get a second breath," he said.
ADDERLEY SEEKS REDEMPTION VS. VIKINGS; HOMECOMING SUNDAY
NOV 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "Blocking that field goal didn't make up for anything. I still played a terrible game." That's how Herb Adderley feels about the Packers' near loss to the Vikings in Minneapolis last Oct. 23. Adderley blocked a 10-yard field goal try in the last two minutes and Hank Gremminger returned the loose ball 85 yards to turn a very-possible loss into a sure victory. But Herb had a bad day guarding the Vikings' two fine rookie receivers, Paul Flatley and Ray Poage, and he hoped to atone for it when the Packers and Vikings meet in City Stadium Sunday. Flanker Poage caught three passes for 106 yards, one for a touchdown, and Flatley, who switched from his left end spot to flanker, caught four for 90 yards, including one for a TD behind Adderley in the end zone. "I feel I owe it to the rest of the players and the coaches and myself to give a much better performance against this team," Herb said. "I told Jess (Whittenton) that I made a promise to myself that I can cover Flatley or whomever plays in Poage's place. Anywhere he goes, I go," he added. Poage is out of Sunday's game with injuries. "The way I looked in Minneapolis I'm sure they'll be throwing at me. Well, I hope they put Flatley against me," he said. When Adderley blocked the big field goal bid by Fred Cox, nobody put a hand on him. "I've been watching the Viking film and Jerry Reichoe is now bumping the outside guy (same as Adderley) as he comes in. I expected to be touched some when they kick Sunday." Herb almost blocked a Lou Michaels kick in the Steeler game Sunday, "but I stumbled and the kick went between my arms."...Sunday's Packer-Viking game has been dedicated as Homecoming and 50 "old grads" will be on the field benches. A cocktail party and dinner will be held in their honor at the Elks Club Saturday night. Among the out of town players who are coming in are Hank Bruder, Cub Buck, Bill Kuusisto, Billy Grimes, Bud Svendsen and Ade Schwamel who is coming all the way from Hawaii...Who's this Unitas? The Vikings' sprightly quarterback, Fran Tarkenton, has been tougher passingwise on the Packers in the last two games than John Unitas of the Colts in his last two. In the windup of '62 and the series opener of this year - both in Minneapolis, Tarkenton completed 32 of 52 passes for 570 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. In Unitas' two turns vs. the Pack this year, he completed 30 of 53 for 497 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions...Scooter McLean, coach of the Pack in '58 who is now backfield hip surgery a week ago today in University Hospital at Ann Arbor. He was scheduled to remain there to remain there this week for further treatment...Jim Taylor, with a record 30 carries (he snapped the mark of 28 set by Paul Hornung in '59) against the Steelers last Sunday, now has 1,073 carries in his Packer career for 5,220 yards - just a touch under a five-yard average. And speaking of team records, Jerry Kramer needs but two more field goals to break the one-season team mark of 16 set by Fred Cone in 1955. J.K. has kicked 12 of his 15 field goals thus far (out of 26 attempts) in the last four games. This 12 came on 14 attempts, so has been field goaling at an .851 clip in his last four games...Viking Coach Norm Van Brocklin hopes he can play Ron Vander Kelen Sunday. He explains: "The only way Vander Kelen will play is if we get way ahead or Tarkenton throws the ball in the grandstands. Vandy has a long time to play. But you never can tell. He just might play Sunday if the scoreboard cooperates." The Vikings have three injured players besides Poage and Van Brocklin expects the trio to play - Chuck Lamson, pulled muscle; Roy Winston, sprained ankle, and Steve Stonebreaker, effects of mild concussion. "We can beat the Packers if we can hold on to the ball and if we can stop their running. We've got to stop what they do best - that's Jim Taylor."
MEASURE PACKERS' PUNT RETURNS; VIKINGS STINGY
NOV 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - When the Vikings punt at City Stadium Sunday (and the Packers will be making every effort to make them do same) measure the return - if any. The Vikings have what seems like a fantastic defense against returning punts. Minnesota's Fred Cox has punted 36 times to the opponents and only three of them have been run back so much a yard. Larry Fischer of St. Louis holds the longest - and that only seven yards. Detroit's Howie Ferguson holds a four-yard return and Los Angeles' Pervis Atkins a one-yard runback. That's it - only 12 yards. Cox isn't the league's best punter by a long shot, what with his 39.7 yards per punt average. But he is able to get the ball "nice and high," as Vikings Coach Norm Van Brocklin puts it. What's more, Cox has improved his punting greatly in the last three weeks. Viking opponents have resorted to the fair catch or let the ball roll on most occasions. They have tried to return only 10 of the 36 punts, and seven times have been stopped right in their tracks. Van Brocklin attributes some of the club's success in stopping punt returns to the hustle of his punt coverage team. This unit is composed of Karl Kassulke, John Campbell, Mick Tingelhoff, Dave O'Brien, Bill Butler, Chuck Lamson, Tom Franckhauser, Cox and the guards and fullback who happen to be in the game at the time. Speaking of punt returns, Willie Wood leads the Pack with eight returns for 93 yards - an average of 11.6. Elijah Pitts returned three for an average of 11.7. Butler, the onetime Packer, tops the Vikings with 15 for an average of 11.3. Bob Reed returned 8 for an average of 10.5. Fran Tarkenton's scrambling shows up in the
rushing figures of the Vikings. The zippy quarterback ran 16 times for 93 yards - an average of just under six. His understudy, Ron Vander Kelen, who can also scramble, has carried three times for 22 yards, giving Viking QBs a total of 19 carries. The Pack's quarterbacks have carried eight times. Bart Starr has traveled six for 39 yards; John Roach 2 for 9. Minnesota puts an emphasis on the passing. Tarkenton and Vander Kelen have passed 221 times, Starr and Roach 180. The Packers, on the other hand, stress rushing. The Bays' top two, Jim Taylor and Tom Moore, rushed 243 times while the Vikings' Tommy Mason and Bill Brown moved 178. Taylor nearly matched that total himself with 156 carries. Aerialwise, the Vikings' top four receivers (Paul Flatley, Gerry Reichow, Ray Poage and Mason) caught 93 passes while the Pack's top four (Boyd Dowler, Ron Kramer, Max McGee and Tom Moore) nailed 73.
PACKERS OPEN 'BIG PUSH' FOR CROWN VS. VIKINGS
NOV 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers launch the "big push" for their fourth straight Western Division championship - and a shot at a third straight world crown - when they meet the Vikings in City Stadium this afternoon. And a capacity crowd of 42,327 will be on hand to give the champions a sendoff and "best wishes" for another game in Green Bay next month. Today's homecoming game marks the Pack's 1963 league windup here and the start of a rugged six-game finish. After the Vikings, the Bays face the Bears, 49ers, Lions, Rams and 49ers in that order, and they're all on the road except for the first 49er game in Milwaukee. Kickoff is set for 1:06 and the spectators likely will keep a close tab on the scoreboard for news of the Ram-Bear game in Chicago. The Pack and Bears are locked at the head of the Western Division class, with 7-1 records. The Packers, themselves, won't have much time for scoreboard gazing since the Vikings have not to be trifled with. This is a new game, as it were, but the Vikings can't help but hark back to Oct. 13 when they came within 10 yards and two minutes of upsetting the Bays. Minnesota, behind 30-28, had an easy field goal for a 31-30 lead, but Herb Adderley blocked it and Hank Gremminger raced 85 yards with the loose ball to sew up the win. This little business added zest to the rapidly-growing Packer-Viking rivalry and certainly will help spur Minnesota today. What's more, the Vikings are coming off an impressive victory over the huge Rams. The Vikings will find a change or two in the Packer lineup today. John Roach will be making his third straight start at quarterback since Bart Starr broke a bone in his right hand Oct. 20. And Ron Kramer may have to take it easy due to a leg injury. His spot was filled by Marv Fleming the last six quarters and he's ready to go today if R.K. is held out. The Vikings also will encounter a different Jim Taylor. The big fullback was aching in the Minnesota game and departed in favor of Earl Gros after seven carries for 31 yards. Taylor has been like a wild bull in his last three games. That paragraph might sound like a warning to the Vikings, but our boys can be reminded that the Minnesotas played their best defensive game this season just last Sunday. The Rams didn't score a TD on the Viking defense, the lone TD coming on a punt return. And that brings up the Pack's defense. The Vikings scored 28 points in that Oct. 13 tilt - the most this season on the Pack, but 14 of those points came directly off the Bays' offense. Roy Winston returned Gros' fumble 26 yards for one TD, and Ed Sharockman returned an interception of a Starr pass 47 yards for the other. The Bays' defense will have to keep a special eye on Fran Tarkenton, the scrambling quarter who can be murder unless pressed. In the 1962 opener here, Tarkenton was limited to 100 yards on his passing and thrown back 52
yards attempting to pass. The Bays would settle for that today. Today's battle will be witnessed by more than 50 former Packers who will be seated on the field next to the Packer bench. They'll be introduced between halves as part of the homecoming ceremonies.
PACKERS OF 'TWO BIT' DAYS GUESTS OF MILLION $$ CLUB
NOV 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "I knew they were going to continue, but I didn't think they'd grow from a two-bit outfit into a multi-million dollar operation." The speaker, blessed with a resonant, authoritative baritone, was a wiry, dignified 71-year-old, G.A. (Gus) Rosenow, but it might easily have been any one of seven other alumni who along with Rosenow will step to the 50-yard line during homecoming ceremonies at City Stadium this afternoon to resounding applause from 40,000-odd pairs of hands. In the event it hasn't already been deduced, they constitute all but two of the living members of the 1919 Packers, who gave humble birth to what indeed has become "a multi-million dollar operation," not to mention a continuing wonder of the sports world. Such a possibility, they readily admit, hardly occurred to them back in '19. Genial Wally Ladrow, the starting fullback who now is 68 and a retired postal superintendent, confides with a grin, "I don't think anybody ever dreamed it would amount to anything like this." "But it's a good feeling to know you were a part of it, that it would grow into the fantastic big business it is today," he proudly concedes. The man who started it all, leonine Earl Louis (Curly) Lambeau, is equally forthright. "I never thought about it," says the broad-shouldered Belgian, captain and coach of that charter eleven. "I just wanted to play football and have a good football team." Now semi-retired and a resident of nearby Fish Creek, Lambeau will join fellow pioneers Rosenow, a slashing halfback who never let the childhood loss of an arm deter him, Ladrow, Al Petcka, John Des Jardins, Sammy Powers, Milt Wilson and the Zoll brothers, Carl and Martin, in a journey into nostalgia on the field between halves - along with a host of alumni from seasons 1920 to the present. All are Green Bay residents save Powers, a 139-pound tackle who now makes his home in Milwaukee, and Wilson, who lives in Hammond, Ind. The other surviving '19 members are center Fritz Gavin, who is living in California and will not be present, and George W. Calhoun, longtime former secretary and publicity director who called the first meeting of the team, who will follow the game and the ceremonies at his home here by radio...MOMENT OF SILENCE: There also, undoubtedly, will be a personal moment of silence in memory of the ten who are gone - Nate Abrams, H.J. (Tubby) Bero, Herb Nichols, Jim Coffeen, Riggie Dwyer, Knipy Martin, Herman Martell, Wes Leaper, Andy Muldoon and Charlie Sauber. Another charter, quarterback Tudy McLean, is officially unaccounted for, but Rosenow volunteered,
"The last I heard two or three years ago, Tudy was in Texas, and had been killed in an auto accident." And still another, halfback Jennings Gallagher, was last reported to be living in the Escanaba, Mich., are, but cannot be located. For those who remain, there will be some vivid memories of surprise victories over Stambaugh and Ishpeming, whose names admittedly pale by comparison to such as the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns, but whose rugged, bruising miners made those Upper Michigan communities regional football powers of that day. The fledgling Packers, it might be added, quickly became one themselves, amassing an incredible 565 points to their opponents' meager 12 against the best competition available to forge a glittering 10-1 record. It all began on a Green Bay street corner "one day in the middle of August that year," historian Calhoun, then sports editor of the Press-Gazette, remembers. "I was on my way back to the Press-Gazette, which was located on Cherry Street those days, from the 139-pound tackle who now makes his home in Milwaukee, and Wilson, who lives in Hammond, Ind. The other surviving '19 members are center Fritz Gavin, who is living in California and will not be present, and George W. Calhoun, longtime former secretary and publicity director who called the first meeting of the team, who will follow the game and the cermonies at his home here by radio...MOMENT OF SILENCE: There also, undoubtedly, will be a personal moment of silence in memory of the ten who are gone - Nate Abrams, H.J. (Tubby) Bero, Herb Nichols, Jim Coffeen, Riggie Dwyer, Knipy Martin, Herman Martell, Wes Leaper, Andy Muldoon and Charlie Sauber. Another charter, quarterback Tudy McLean, is officially unaccounted for, although Rosenow volunteered, "The last I heard two or three years ago, Tudy was in Texas, and had been killed in an auto accident." And still another, halfback Jennings Gallagher, was last reported to be living in the Escanaba, Mich., are, but cannot be located. For those who remain, there will be some vivid memories of surprise victories over Stambaugh and Ishpeming, whose names admittedly pale by comparison to such as the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns, but whose rugged, bruising miners made those Upper Michigan communities regional football powers of that day. The fledgling Packers, it might be added, quickly became one themselves, amassing an
incredible 565 points to their opponents' meager 12 against the best competition available to forge a glittering 10-1 record. It all began on a Green Bay street corner "one day in the middle of August that year," historian Calhoun, then sports editor of the Press-Gazette, remembers. "I was on my way back to the Press-Gazette, which was located on Cherry Street those days, from the Baltimore Lunch, which was right near where the Vic Theater is now, when I bumped into the Belgian. 'Well, what are we going to do for football this fall?" Lambeau asked me. We got to talking about it and we mutually decided to form a team. So we called a meeting to be held in the Press-Gazette editorial rooms, and we were underway. As I remember," Calhoun added, pulling heavily on his ever-present cigar, "there were about 25 at the meeting." The as-yet unchristened Packers may have been "underway," but problems remained, Calhoun recalls. "The Indian Packer Company bought about 15 or 16 jerseys, as the story goes," the former Buffalo University football and hockey player said, "but we had an awful time getting the other stuff. We had to borrow equipment - some had their own but others had to borrow shoes or pads. We had trouble getting along, too, so a couple of us passed the hat. I think they each got about 17 dollars apiece when they divided up what was left at the end of the season." Like Lambeau and the others, he did not envision this hand-to-mouth operation becoming a pro football legend. "Never in the world did I think such a thing would happen," the 73-year-old Packer patriarch declared. "We were just trying to have a little football." Needless to say, no attendance figures were kept - for a very good reason. "It was hard to figure," Cal explained. "They'd come and go. Some of 'em would ride up in a horse and rig (it was just one year after the end of World War I, remember) and watch from the buggy." Scheduling likewise was a little uncertain. "We went along week to week," Calhoun explained. "We played two Milwaukee teams and the Chicago Boosters. That Chicago game almost broke us. We had to pay their traveling expenses from Chicago, and there wasn't much left after we paid them off. The first game the Packers played out of town that year was at Ishpeming. We went by train, and we had a party ticket for 24 persons but actually there were about 36 or 37," Cal chuckled. "We locked Scottie Schneider in the ladies' toilet until the conductor went through. To tell the truth, I forgot all about Schneider until he pounded on the door. He was almost a wreck from perspiration before I let him out." Transportation costs also were avoided by another inspired maneuver. "Big Carl Zoll was lying on the front edge of his upper berth," the Packers' original drumbeater smirked, "and hiding two fellows behind him." Zoll, one of three brothers to play for the Packers, well remembers the incident, and others that maiden season. "We'd stick a couple of kids under the card table, too," Carl recalled. "They wanted to go to the game, and they didn't have any money for train fare." He also has some vivid recollection of fan reactions on those road appearances. "There wasn't much regulation of the crowds, you know," he smiled. "They'd be pretty tight along the sidelines and once in a while some drunk would come on the field and make some trouble." "After every game, a couple of fellows would be laying for you," said Carl, who found an expeditious method to deal with such belligerents. Then an offseason professional wrestler and a bruising 215 pounds, the burly ex-tackle explained, "You'd just grab one fellow and give him a flip and the rest of 'em would take off - they didn't want the same thing."...ALTERNATE AT GUARD: Zoll's alternate at guard, John Des Jardins, a retired postman who has turned to farming a 160-acre "spread" here, pinpoints one of those road matches in his stroll down memory lane. "They were real tough," he says, "but the thing I remember most is that we were playing in a pasture. It wasn't marked or anything. And was it rough - there was a hill in the middle of it. That was quite an experience." Something of a contrast, admittedly, to the gleaming concrete and steel edifice in which these hardy pioneers - and 42,000 others - will watch the 1963 Packers deploy against the Minnesota Vikings this afternoon, which serves to underscore a postscript from Gavin, dispatched this week from his Santa Cruz, Calif., home. "Give my special regards to G. Whitney Calhoun," he wrote, "without whom the little acorn Packers would never have grown into the great oaks they are today."
