Minnesota Vikings (2-2) 24, Green Bay Packers (2-2) 23
Sunday October 4th 1964 (at Green Bay)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(GREEN BAY) - What does it take to preserve a lead - much less win? There's a minute left and the Vikings have a fourth down and 22 yards to go situation on their own 35-yard line. The odds are pretty good (about a 100 to 1) that the Packers can win. But odds mean nothing to Fran Tarkenton, the frantic little quarterback who seems to pass better on the run. Look: Tarkenton races back, evades a shot by Willie Davis, leaps forward, scans the field and spots Gordy Smith and Tom Hall on the Packer 30. He fires a perfect strike to Smith, who bolts toward the goal line. Willie Wood makes a shoestring tackle to save a touchdown. Two plays later, Fred Cox, with 18 seconds left, kicks a field goal from the 27 to beat Green Bay 24 to 23 before 42,327 disappointed fans in City Stadium Sunday afternoon. One year ago in Minnesota, the Packers staved off defeat by blocking a Cox field goal in the final minutes to preserve a victory. But try as they did, the Packers weren't close to blocking yesterday's boot. Fancy (it should be Francy) that, the Packers now have lost two games by two points. The first one pointer was two weeks ago here Sunday, a 21-20 decision to the Colts and Johnny Unitas. And like that Colt game, the final difference was an extra point muss-up. Paul Hornung missed one vs. Baltimore and against the Vikings his kick was low and blocked by Rip Hawkins. The Packers now are locked in third place with the Vikings and 49ers, who also have a 2-2 record thanks to their win over the Bears Sunday, and it so happens the Bays meet these 49ers in Milwaukee next Sunday. The Vikings go home to play Detroit. The story yesterday was Tarkenton - plain and simple. This 190-pound escape artist drove the Packer defense nuts with his racing around, sometime finally running and other times passing. He rushed six times for 49 yards, completed 12 passes in 17 attempts for 183 yards and one touchdown, and nicked our proud defense for 21 first downs and 338 yards. Spectatorwise, this was an exciting spectacle, what with each team coming from behind twice to take leads. The two clubs piled up 663 yards, 38 first downs and a few fist fights for good measure. There was no scoring in the first quarter, but four TDs were traded in the second quarter. Bill Brown crashed over from a yard out to put the Vikings ahead with four seconds gone in the second quarter. The Packers smashed right back with Bart Starr's 50-yard TD aerial with Boyd Dowler, but Hornung's kick went awry and it was 7-6. The Vikings put on a 77-yard drive, with Brown scoring from a yard out, to make it 14-6, but the Packers crashed back 70 yards to make it 14-13 on Hornung's one-yard TD and extra point. Each team scored a TD in the third quarter. Starr pitched 32 yards to Dowler for his second TD to put the Pack ahead 20-14, but moments later, the Vikings went back in front 21-20 on Tarkenton's six-yard pass to Tom Hall. The teams traded field goals in the fourth period. Hornung's 20-yarder put the Bays ahead 23-21 with six minutes gone and Cox's boot ruined the Packers. The Packers played without Jim Taylor, who sat out due to an injured shoulder, while the Vikings were minus their ace ball carrier, Tommy Mason, who has an arm injury. The Bays got a tough injury break early in the second half when Herb Adderley left action with a muscle pull. Doug Hart took his place and Tarkenton wasted no time pitching toward this area. What's more, Hank Jordan was lost before the half with an injury. The Vikings ran off 68 plays compared the Packers' 50 and put considerable emphasis on rushing. Minnesota rushed 48 times against the Pack's 24. Tarkenton hit 12 out of 17 passes for 183 yards and Starr hit 11 of 21 for 216 yards and two TDs. There wasn't an interception all day. Dowler finished with five catches for 96 yards, while the unheralded Tom Hall had seven for 103. Jerry Norton punted twice and Bobby Walden once before the Vikings went on their first TD drive in the first quarter. Minnesota
moved 67 yards in 10 plays for the 7-0 lead. Willie Davis threw Tarkenton for an eight yard loss on the first play, but Fran ate up most of the yardage with a 25-yard pitch to Hall and a scrambling pass to Michel for 32 yards to the one-yard line. Brown burrowed over from the one at :04 of the second period. The Packers snapped back 69 yards in eight plays. Starr hit Dowler for 11 and Hornung ran seven to reach midfield from where Starr hit Dowler straight up the middle on the 25. Boyd broke out of the grasp of Ed Sharockman and two other Vikings and made the end zone at 3:15 of the period, but the kick failed. The Vikings next went 77 yards in 14 plays to take a 14-6 lead. Michel and Brown ground out steady gains, and Tarkenton hit Hill for 9, Smith for 19 and Hall again for 11. From the 13, Tarkenton ran right end on a sweeper to the one and two plays later Brown sneaked in. The Packers next went 70 yards in nine plays to close the gap to 14-13. Starr opened with a pass to Dowler for 10 yards and then in quick order Hornung ran 14. Starr threw to Dowler for 14, Hornung ran 11 and Starr pitched to Dowler for 11 to the 5. Hornung ran four and then one for the TD. His point kick was good. The Vikings received to start the second half, but the Bays scored on the second play. Brown hit right tackle and fumbled when hit by Jess Whittenton, with Willie Wood recovering on the Viking 32. On the first play, Dowler snaked behind Rose and Kassulke and took Starr's perfect pass for the TD. Hornung's kick made it 20-14 with :59 gone in the third period. The game tightened up considerable after Norton and Walden exchanged punts, but the Vikings drew the break of the day when Hornung fumbled on the Packer 19 and Bill Jobko recovered. The Vikings scored from there in five plays, with Michel rushing 15 plays on the first three plays. Tarkenton, chased by three Packers, and Hall, covered by three Packers, still managed a six-yard TD. Cox's kick put the Vikings in front 21-20. Early in the fourth period, the Bays had to start from their own five and they roared 83 yards in 10 plays before settling for Hornung's field goal. Moore started with a 12-yard run, Starr pitched to Kramer for 12 and then Moore, with a good block from Fuzzy Thurston, zipped 35 yards on a reverse to the Viking 36. After Starr lost eight on a rush, he threw a 32-yard pass to Max McGee to the 10. Starr again was caught for a loss and after Sharockman almost intercepted Hornung's pass and Hornung gained five. The Horn booted his 20-yard field goal for a 23-21 Green Bay lead. Things looked good as the teams exchanged punts and the Vikings started a series from the 20. Tarkenton threw to Hall for 14 and Michel made 13 to midfield. Ray Nitschke threw Tarkenton for an eight-yard loss with 1:11 left and Tarkenton drew a five-yard penalty for passing beyond the line of scrimmage. That sets the stage for the "killer" pass - plus Cox's field goal. The Bays got three plays off in the final 15 seconds, but Starr's first pas to McGee was low, Bart recovered a fumble for a three-yard loss on the next, and his throw to Dowler on the finale was incomplete.
MINNESOTA - 0 14 7 3 - 24
GREEN BAY - 0 13 7 3 - 23
MINNESOTA GREEN BAY
First Downs 21 17
Rushing-Yards-TD 48-179-2 24-128-1
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 16-11-177-1-0 23-11-216-2-0
Sack Yards Lost 3-24 3-19
Net Passing Yards 153 197
Total Yards 332 325
Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-1
Turnovers 1 1
Yards penalized 5-37 1-15
SCORING
2nd - MINN - Bill Brown, 1-yard run (Fred Cox kick) MINNESOTA 7-0
2nd - GB - Boyd Dowler, 50-yard pass from Bart Starr (Kick blocked) MINNESOTA 7-6
2nd - MINN - Brown, 1-yard run (Cox kick) MINNESOTA 14-6
2nd - GB - Paul Hornung, 1-yard run (Hornung kick) MINNESOTA 14-13
3rd - GB - Dowler, 32-yard pass from Starr (Kick blocked) GREEN BAY 20-14
3rd - MINN - Tom Hall, 6-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Cox kick) MINNESOTA 21-20
4th - GB - Hornung, 20-yard field goal GREEN BAY 23-21
4th - MINN - Cox, 27-yard field goal MINNESOTA 24-23
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Tom Moore 12-68, Paul Hornung 12-60 1 TD
MINNESOTA - Bill Brown 24-67 2 TD, Tom Michel 16-55, Fran Tarkenton 6-49, Bill Butler 1-6, Gordie Smith 1-2
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 21-11-216 2 TD, Paul Hornung 2-0-0
MINNESOTA - Fran Tarkenton 16-11-177 1 TD
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Boyd Dowler 6-128 2 TD, Ron Kramer 2-28, Max McGee 1-32, Paul Hornung 1-21, Tom Moore 1-7
MINNESOTA - Tom Hall 6-97 1 TD, Gordie Smith 2-63, Bill Brown 3-17
TARKENTON 'TOUGH LITTLE GUY TO CATCH' - VINCE
OCT 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Nervously tapping the eraser end of a pencil on his desk top, Vince Lombardi managed a mirthless smile and observed, "Amazing little fellow, isn't he." The Packer headmaster, bleakly pondering a second straight one-point defeat on Green Bay soil, was paying obvious and unhappy tribute to the Minnesota Viking' footloose field general, Fran Tarkenton, in the wake of Sunday's last minute misadventure in blustery City Stadium. "A broken pattern with the ball up for grab" has produced the Vikings' first touchdown, a commiserating scribe softly noted in this connection. "He (Tarkenton) had three of those," Vince pointed out. Darkly studying his fingertips, he added, "So it goes...so be it." After a pause - Lombardi was not, understandably, in a talkative mood - it was suggested that two one-point losses (through missed or blocked conversion attempts) were almost unheard of in professional football, particularly in the short span of four games. "Yes," Lombardi agreed, offering no further comment. There was another pause before he was asked why Dan Currie had been replaced at left linebacker (for the second time in the game) on the play prior to Tarkenton's climatic 44-yard pitch to Gordy Smith in the final minute. "We had to tell him something, that's all," Lombardi replied without hesitation. "He came back the next play." The Packers had "moved the ball pretty well," It next was noted. "Yes, we moved the ball pretty well - when we had it," Vince dryly concurred. "We didn't have it much in the first half." Asked whether the ball should have been blown dead on the Viking one-yard line following the final Packer kickoff, when Minnesota's Tom Michel downed the ball with one foot on the field of play, Lombardi said, "I'd be just guessing if I made any comment on it." (Ronald Gibbs, midwest observer of officials for the NFL, earlier had explained in the press box that the officials acted properly in bringing the ball out to the 20-yard line, since the rule provided that a runner must have both feet on the field of play in such a case for it to be judged a runback.) Did he feel te defense had fallen down against Tarkenton? "No, he's just a tough little guy to catch, that's all," the Packer head man declared. "We chased him out of the pocket every time - you can't do any more than that. He threw the ball when an ordinary quarterback wouldn't - he's a great scrambler." Anything "special" that can be done against him? a Milwaukee writer asked. "Yeh," Vince responded with a thin smile, "you have to catch him." Asked about the health of fullback Jim Taylor, held out of the game, Lombardi informed, "Taylor has a shoulder - he'll be all right next week, Jordan (Henry) couldn't go either - after a while. He played most of the first half but not at all the second. He'll be ready next week, too. Adderley (Herb) pulled a leg muscle." The conversation turned to the fateful extra point. "It was a low kick," Lombardi asserted, than qualified that with, "I'm just guessing again. I'll have to see the picture to be sure, but that's the way it looked to me from the sidelines. Nobody broke through that I saw." The Vikings' defense had appeared to hit with more authority than a year ago, it was suggested. "They had just as much last year," Vince disagreed. "The difference was that Tarkenton hit the receivers. We chased him out of the pocket and he hit 'em. That was the difference. I can't make any other analysis."...In rare good humor after watching his Vikings upend the Packers for the first time in their brief history, Norm Van Brocklin attributed said victory to maturity and, of course, the elusive Mr. Tarkenton. "We've got the maturity now," said the Dutchman, explaining the Minnesotans' relative fast (2-2) getaway. "And we had a good draft last year. A year ago, we would have lost a game like this." Tarkenton, he said, flashing an ear-to-ear smile, "was great." Van Brocklin, it was noted, reportedly had been trying to persuade the tantalizing will-o-the-wisp to stay "in the pocket" this season, a policy the gifted Georgian obviously had not followed against the Packers. Defending Tarkenton's free-wheeling performance, Van pointed out," When they come at you like that, it's pretty hard to stay in there. And, of course, he's clever at it." Did he attribute Fran's frequent fee lancing to the Packers' pass rush? "Every team has a pass rush," Van Brocklin said. "It's the game situation that determines it." Asked if he thought Tarkenton was more effective as a scrambler than operating from the standard pocket, he surprised by retorting, "Not necessarily." Turning the tables on the newsmen, Van Brocklin queried, "How did he do in the figures?" After scanning the passing and running statistics, the ex-Eagle field general pointed to another column and observed with satisfaction, "Sixty-eight plays to 58. We had ball control - there's your answer." Only once did Van Brocklin lose his sunny smile - when a Milwaukee newsman asked, "Why does Tarkenton like to scramble? Do you think there is a psychological explanation for it?" "Get out of here if you want to get on that head shrinker stuff," the Viking coach rapped. "If you want to ask something about the game, fine. But if you want to ask about psychology, get out there and ask him - don't ask me."...PACKER PATTER: One of the 42,000 unhappy witnesses was Jerry Kramer, out on a "pass" from St. Vincent Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment for an abdominal abscess. Jerry, who confessed to being "a little weak in the knees," viewed the proceedings from the press box, then immediately returned to the hospital...Appropriately enough, considering the pyrotechnics that followed, the afternoon began with a "circus" - staged shortly before the game by acrobats and clowns from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show which closed out an Arena engagement Sunday night. They were accompanied with gusto and precision by the Packer band. The Beaver Dam High School band, a competent and colorful ensemble, also entertained between halves...When it was reported in the press box that the Phillies were leading the Reds 9-0 and the Mets had a 3-2 edge on the Cardinals, indicating the Phils' chances of tying for the National League pennant were brightening, Col. Ockie Kreuger (manager of the Packers' Milwaukee operation) quipped, "At that rate, if the Phillies should go on and win it, they can win both prizes - flop of the year and comeback of the year."...Later, when Packer partisans protested the officials' decision on Tom Michel's kickoff "runback," the Milwaukee Sentinel's Lloyd Larson laughed and advised, "I wouldn't yell too loud. I think the other one (Minnesota protested an 'incomplete' pass just before the Packers' fourth quarter field goal) was an interception." One of the most piercing yells that followed the indecisive Fred Cox field goal in the closing minutes escaped from the throat of an ex-Packer, Clayton Tonnemaker, dancing with glee - of all places - near the Packer bench. A front row viewer was Warren Knowles, Republican candidate for governor, as a guest of the Ben Lairds.
WRONG RECEIVER GOT FRAN'S PASS
OCT 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Only 11 of Sunday's principals were aware of it at the time, but there was a poetic climax to one of the most frantic afternoons in City Stadium's eight-year history, according to no less an authority than fidgety Fran Tarkenton. His last gasp 44-yard pass that triggered the Vikings' winning field goal in the final seconds went to the "wrong" receiver, the vagabond Viking confessed. Discoursing on the "Anatomy of a Victory" for an attentive cluster of newsmen in the Minnesota dressing room, Tarkenton slipped a tie under his shift collar and explained, "With the Packers in their victory defense, I knew I couldn't stay in the pocket and do the job. I knew I had to scramble - Green Bay was putting as good a rush as they ever put on against me. So I sent two backs in shallow to drag in the defense. Then Tom Hall ran deep and came back, and Gordy Smith ran a shallow pattern. It was money (a sure thing) to Hall, who was the intended receiver," the Viking quarterback revealed. "Hall was open. But, as soon as I started scrambling, Smith began to go deeper. He didn't see Hall and ran right under the ball. At first, I was worried - I thought he might have accidentally knocked the ball down. But Gordy did the right thing." Paying tribute to the Packer rush, Tarkenton declared, "They were coming as hard as I've ever seen them. They were forcing me to run more than I've had to run all year." Would he rather stay in the pocket than scramble? "Lord, yes," was the fervent reply. "I don't get hit as much. But I'll do anything to win. If it's stay in the pocket, fine. If it's running, fine. And I think everybody else feels the same way."...In the Packers' quarters, first year defensive back Doug Hart, "target" of Tarkenton's last-minute bomb in the absence of the injured Herb Adderley, explained, "I wasn't supposed to let anyone get behind me for a touchdown and they were both (Hall and Smith) in front of me. Hall ran a fly, and that takes me deep. Smith just ran a drag and cut up following him." Hart shrugged his shoulders expressively,
do anything to win. If it's stay in the pocket, fine. If it's running, fine. And I think everybody else feels the same way."...In the Packers' quarters, first year defensive back Doug Hart, "target" of Tarkenton's last-minute bomb in the absence of the injured Herb Adderley, explained, "I wasn't supposed to let anyone get behind me for a touchdown and they were both (Hall and Smith) in front of me. Hall ran a fly, and that takes me deep. Smith just ran a drag and cut up following him." Hart shrugged his shoulders expressively, "That's the way it happened." A few feet away, melancholy Hank Jordan pressed an ice pack against his swollen upper right thigh. Forgetting his trouble for the moment, he turned to Hart and said, "You did real well today. It looked like you did real well." Asked about his injury, Jordan shook his head sadly and replied, "I thought I was really ready today. But I pulled it (a groin muscle) again on the first or second play, and I just could not go." A somber Paul Hornung had no explanation for the block of his second quarter conversion attempt. "I don't know what happened," Hornung said in a low voice. "I have to see the pictures - my head was down." Referring to his fumble that led to a third quarter Viking touchdown, Paul asserted, "I was running in there tight for a first down, and it just got a little wild, that's all." The most productive member of the offense this wild and wooly day, rangy Boyd Dowler, smiled wryly and observed, "No, it's not the best day I've had as a pro, but I'll take it every week - if we could win. As it goes, it doesn't mean a thing." Explaining his consistent success against Viking defender George Rose, the towering flanker said, "I think Bart (Starr) was calling the right passes at the right time. And I got a couple of breaks - some broken tackles." "Rose was pressing me up a little bit," he added, "so it was the perfect time on that one for the touchdown at the start of the second half. And we hadn't been throwing that long before." Describing his getaway en route to a first quarter TD, Dowler laughed and said, "Somebody ran into me - hit me in the hip - as I caught the ball. I was lucky enough to keep my balance and, when I turned around, there was nobody there anymore." Elsewhere, members of the Packers' front four and their linebacking colleagues were muttering in disbelief over Tarkenton's antics. "Yeah, we chased him all over the park, but he still seemed to come up with bigger plays every time," Willie Davis, a tireless pursuer of Mr. T. throughout, said with a shake of the head. "I don't know what you do against the guy. He's the best I've seen in scrambling - the best I've seen in my life."...TIRELESS PURSUER: "It's impossible to handle him. When the average guy scrambles, you can sort of figure him, but he always takes the unexpected out." Wearily shedding a shoulder pad nearby, Lee Roy Caffey unhappily documented Davis' testimony. "You couldn't get hold of him," he sighed. "We played him twice when I was with the Eagles last year, and he wasn't the ball player he is now. He's really an improved ball player." Elder statesman Dave Hanner shook his head in wonder. "I can't believe the kind of luck we've been having," he said. "But I know we're due to come back - we've got to come back. It's just .500 and it's early in the season. And we play all the teams again. We've just got to hang together."
PACKER-BALTIMORE REMATCH SOLD OUT
OCT 5 (Baltimore) - The Baltimore Colts announced Monday their NFL game with the Green Bay Packers Oct. 18 was sold out. Memorial Stadium will seat 60,213 for the game. The same number will be available for next Monday night's game with the Cardinals which was transferred here from St. Louis because of the World Series.
FILMS PROVE IT: FRAN 'FANTASTIC'
OCT 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packer coaches "operated on" Fran Tarkenton Monday and the chief surgeon, Vince Lombardi, came up with one diagnosis: "Fantastic." Lombardi and his aides Phil Bengtson, Norb Hecker, Bill Austin, Red Cochran and Tom Fears looked at films of the Pack's 24-23 loss and they discovered some interesting facts about the scrambling Tarkenton. First off, Vince reminded that "our front four played a fine game and they gave him a good chase." But the Packer coach added that "it was just fantastic the way he found his receivers. He had to pinpoint his receivers and that's just what he did. If he can do it all the time...but I doubt he can do it." Tarkenton threw 17 passes and "he stayed in the pocket on only three of them. And he completed but one of those three," Vince noted, revealed in that 14 of his passes came on what he called "broken plays." Tom Hall turned out to be the Vikings' pass receiving star of the game, but Lombardi learned from the pictures that he, too, was scrambling around and out of position. The Vikings' third touchdown best describes their scramblingitis, with a dash of luck. The Packers actually had three men close to the darting Tarkenton, and three men near the unexpected receiver but Fran got the pass off and into Hall's arms in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown. Willie Davis, Lionel Aldridge, and Dan Currie were chasing Tarkenton near the sidelines and Hank Gremminger, Doug Hart and Ray Nitschke were on the receiver...WANDERING NEAR SMITH: Hall, who finished up with seven catches for 103 yards, was wandering near Gordy Smith when Tarkenton uncorked his long throw to Smith to set up the winning field goal in the final seconds. In fact, it appeared that Hall and Smith were both going for the ball. The Vikings' second touchdown drive was climaxed by a 13-yard run around right end to the Packer one-yard line. "That was a broken play, too," Vince laughed, "somebody missed the handoff and he just kept it himself and took off." Asked about the disputed kickoff reception in which Tom Michael caught the ball, stepped on the goal line and touched the ball down on the playing field, Vince said, "We found nothing in the rule book that would make it a touchback." The official put the ball on the 20, just as if the receiver stayed in the end zone. Doug Hart tackled Michel immediately as he knelt with his knee in the end zone and his left foot planted on the goal line but two-thirds in the playing field. The only logical call would have been a safety for the Packers. Or it could have been downed on the one-foot line. There have been cases where a kickoff receiver takes the ball deep in the end zone and then runs hard but stops just short of the goal line. This is clearly a touchback. The "play" came on the kickoff after Paul Hornung's 20-yard field goal put the Packers ahead 21-20. The Packers now get ready to meet the 49ers in Milwaukee Sunday and before discarding the Viking game Vince noted that the Packers "are a fine football team. The players don't have to apologize to anybody and neither do the coaches. We've got a fine team, but the rest are better, too. You can't let things like this upset you." It's full speed ahead and a comeback against the team that whipped the Bears last Sunday 31-21!
POST-MORTEM: 'NO ONE THING BEAT US,' GREGG
OCT 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Trying to figure out the Packers' one-point loss to the Vikings is akin to finding that proverbial needle in the proverbial haystack. There is no mystery as to what ultimately produced the loss. It was Fred Cox' 27-yard field goal in the final seconds. But before! Forrest Gregg, looking back over the struggle Monday, said, "I don't think there is any one thing you can put your finger on. We all tried hard, I'm sure of that." The Vikings actually scored on what could be called a freak play in that they had two receivers standing almost side by side, waiting for the darting Fran Tarkenton to throw the ball. It would have been very easy for Gordon Smith and Tom Hall, the receivers, to bump into each other like a couple of outfielders going for that easy pop fly. There is no logical defense for such a thing - other than to force Tarkenton to throw earlier. But Fran was like a greased pig out there. The Packer offense and defense each had a chance to be the hero in the 10 minutes and 8 seconds left after Paul Hornung's field goal put the Bays ahead 23-21. The defense forced the Vikings to punt by holding them to a minus two yards in three plays. Elijah Pitts brought the punt back eight yards to the Packer 46. Now it was the offense's chance to preserve the win, with 4 minutes left. Bart Starr sent Tom Moore around left end on a sweep but he was hauled down from behind by Carl Eller for a two-yard gain. Paul Hornung then went wide around right end for one yard. On third down, Moore went up the middle for four yards to the Viking 47. The precious first down was lost. The clock showed 2 minutes left when Jerry Norton punted into the end zone. Now it was the defense's turn to put the Pack in a first place tie with the Colts. But the Vikings
made two first downs in two plays - Tarkenton to Hall on the right side for 14 and Michel for 13 on a left end run. This put the ball close to midfield, the Viking 47 to be exact, with 1:20 left. Michel got a yard at right tackle and then the day appeared saved when Ray Nitschke caught Tarkenton for an eight-yard loss. Things looked even brighter when the Vikings were penalized when Tarkenton passed from a point beyond the line of scrimmage. That left it fourth and 22 when Tarkenton pulled the rabbit out. The Packers had their chances to advance themselves or stop the Vikings but so many little things went wrong. Like Gregg said, "I don't think there is any one thing."
PACKERS FACE 1,000-1 SHOT, KILMER; JETER BREAKS FINGER
OCT 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers face a 1,000 to 1 shot named Bill Kilmer in Milwaukee Sunday. Kilmer, the former UCLA All-America, backs up regular left halfback Don Lisbon of the 49ers. And he already has figured in both 49er victories. Kilmer was in a bad auto accident on Dec. 5, 1962. He suffered compound fractures of his leg and wound up in a drainage ditch with sewage, resulting in considerable infection. There was some doubt doctors could save his leg and later considerable doubt he'd ever walk again. "In fact," Art Johnson, the 49ers' publicitor, told the Mike and Pen Club Tuesday, "the doctors had just about written him off. It was a 10 to 1 shot he'd never walk, a 100 to 1 shot he'd never run, and a 1,000 to 1 shot he'd never play football again." He was so determined to play that in midyear of 1963 he asked to go to camp despite a bad limp. He suffered various complications and had no chance to make the '63 team. He played a lot of gold this spring and "you should see him limp to the 18th green. You'd never think he could make it," Johnson said. He made the 1964 team on "sheer guts and now if you look real hard you might be able to detect a limp. He has been an inspiration to the team, and he threw the touchdown pass that beat the Eagles and made the key run that set up Mike Lind's big touchdown in the third quarter against the Bears." Johnson described the 49ers as "mostly a passing team. We have gained only 323 yards rushing in four games, but we're second high in the league in passing offense." He noted that "the defense had held our team together. And the credit goes to Dick Voris (former Packer personnel chief), who is charge of the defense along with Jim David. Our opponents have run off 48 more plays than we have but our defense has allowed only 53 more yards." On other 49er subjects, Johnson said: "We have a rookie at left linebacker, Dave Wilcox, who had a tremendous game against the Bears. Wilcox now has the position until somebody beats him out. Our secondary is coming along, with Kermit Alexander at right safety. Abe Woodson (regular last year) isn't in the first group. Abe is used chiefly on kickoff and punt returns. Mike Dowdle might be the best middle linebacker the 49ers have ever had. He has been tackling hard - going right through the numbers. Bernie Casey has a slight muscle pull, but he'll be ready for the Packers. He is our best receiver. Monte Stickles is a $160 wonder. That's how much it cost the club to buy him contact lenses, and he is a much better receiver."...On the home front, Bob Jeter broke a finger at the joint during a light workout Tuesday. The fleet receiver was going out for a pass from Bart Starr when the ball hit the top and end of his finger and the bones came apart at the join, one of them protruding through the skin. "It's not a broken bone," Jeter explained, and now "it's only a matter of healing the skin. I expect the soreness to be gone by Sunday and I'll be ready by then. I won't have to wear a cast." After Tuesday's drill, the team heard the weekly report from Scout Wally Cruice, who witnessed the 49ers' 31 to 21 victory over the Bears. The entire squad, except Jerry Kramer, who
returned to St. Vincent Hospital after watching the 24-23 loss to the Vikings Sunday, was out for the Tuesday exercise. Two players were slowed down some by injuries - Herb Adderley and Hank Jordan, both with muscle pulls...On the stix front, Paul Hornung forged into the league lead in scoring with 44 points - two in front of the Colts' Lenny Moore. Hornung had four TDs, eight out of 10 extra points, and four out of eight field goal attempts. Moore has seven TDs. Bart Starr, fifth in the complicated pass ratings, has the best completion percentage in the league - 63.7 on 47 completions in 74 attempts. In fact, no other passers has reached 60 percent. Boyd Dowler has moved into a fifth place tie with Bernie Casey of the 49ers in pass receptions, each with 17. Jerry Norton is fourth in punting with his average of 45.6.
PERSONALITY PARADE
OCT 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Mountainous Ron Kostelnik, the massively cherubic Packer defensive tackle, is the latest example of the "all things come to him who waits" theory. Ron, who until the last two weeks had languished on the Packer bench for the better part of four seasons, suddenly has been summoned to active duty and, unhesitatingly admits, "I really enjoy it - it's been a long time coming." Called upon when a pulled groin muscle sidelined all-pro Henry Jordan, the huge University of Cincinnati alumnus went the distance in the Packers' 14-10 squeaker over the Lions Sept. 28 and elicited applause from head man Vince Lombardi and defense coach Phil Bengtson for his performance. It appeared that Kostelnick would return to his bench warming indefinitely, however, when Jordan (who long has maintained "you can't afford to get hurt with a man like Ron behind you - you might never get your job back") recovered sufficiently to start last Sunday's ill-fated match with the Minnesota Vikings. But when Henry aggravated the injury early in that frustrating afternoon, his eager understudy again thrust his ample brogans into the breach. And, it should be noted, with admirable authority, in Bengtson's considered judgment. "He's been doing real well," says Phil, emphasizing, "Ron always has done well for us, whenever we've called upon him." His experience with the Vikings was not entirely an unalloyed delight, Kostelnik admits, since this time he was required to pursue the Minnesotans' tantalizingly elusive Fran Tarkenton. "I'd much rather meet a Plum (Detroit's Milt) every week than a Tarkenton," he observed with considerable fervor. The youthful giant may find himself starting for only the third time in his pro career when the Pack opposes San Francisco's suddenly menacing 49ers at Milwaukee County Stadium Sunday, depending, of course, upon how Jordan's balky muscle responds to treatment. But even if Ron sits out, which seems improbably since Bengtson says "I'm sure he'll play, but we won't know about his starting until game time," he already has more playing time behind him than in any previous season. "I saw a little action my rookie year when Dave (Hanner) was out for an appendectomy," the Culver, Pa., native points out, "but other than that, it's been mostly spot stuff." Because of his generous dimensions (he is 6-4 and scaled 255), Kostelnik necessarily has a different approach to the position than Jordan. "We have two different styles," he explains. "Henry is real quick - his reactions are so quick because he played defensive end before he moved to tackle and, of course, he has good speed." "I try more to overpower them," Ron forthrightly adds. "I have to use my strength while he uses his speed." He already has acquired wholesome respect for at least one of his personal rivals, Kostelnik confided. "I had four or five series against Jim Parker when we played Baltimore two weeks ago and, believe me, there is no comparison between him and the other I've run into. He's really hard to handle." Still a comparative youngster at 24 - he was only 20 when he reported to the Packers in 1961 - the bulky Cincinnatian hopes to be around for some time - "as long as I'm going up hill and not down."
'KEEPER' STILL BEST PACKER PLAY
OCT 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - There are two kinds of sports fans. Those who like to chew on statistics and those who would rather chew on stones. Two or three times a season we analyze the numbers of the benefit of you Figure Filberts. So, while the Packers are healing their injuries and getting ready for the 49er game in Milwaukee Sunday, let's add, subtract and divide: There are two major classifications - scoring and yards and they, in turn, are broken down into two categories, offense and defense. Assuming we win the coin flip, let's try the offense first: The Packers have scored 80 points in four games for an average of 20 in their first four games. The point total ranks eighth in the league. The Bays picked up 10 touchdowns (6 on rushing and 4 on pass), eight extra points (those two misses, you know) and four field goals. The Colts, by comparison, are top scorers with 132 points. Since the Packers aren't used to being eighth in anything, the scoring total must be considered unusually low for our boys. The Bays scored 23 on Chicago, 20 on the Colts, 14 on the Lions and 23 on the Vikings. The Packers rolled up a total of 1,216 offense yards on 614 rushing and 602 passing. The grand total ranks sixth in the league while the rushing figure is third and the passing figure is 10th. The Packers rolled up 294 yards on the Bears, 308 on the Colts, 289 on the Lions and 325 on the Vikings. Thus, the Packers have maintained an average of 304 yards per game. Tops in the league is the Vikings' 355-yards-per-game average. The Packers, over the 14-game haul last year, totaled 4,781 yards for an average of 341. The current Packers are averaging 4.7 yards on 130 rushes, which ranks second only the Cowboys' 5.2. The Packers have attempted 85 passes and completed 51 for 602 yards. That's an average of 7.0 yards per attempt. The Cardinals, by comparison, have gained the most yards passing, 922, and they have a per-attempt average of 8.4 in 109 attempts. The Packers have had the ball for 215 (130 rushes, 85 passes) plays in the four games - an average of 53.7 plays per game. The Giants, by comparison, had the ball for 255 plays, the Cardinals 248, the Rams 246 and the Vikings 245. The Packers are leading the league on defense yards, 924, but the Lions have allowed the fewest number of points, 51. The Packers permitted 67 points - a good average of 16.7. The Packers have permitted the fewest number of yards passing, 484, and their yards permissions via rushing, 440, is among the lower figures in the league. The opponent had the ball for 211 plays against the Packers - an average of 52.7 plays. Thus, the Packers have played virtually even with their opponents in plays - which sort of matches the Packer record of 2-2. Figures can be confusing, of course, when you realize that the Lions, who have given up the fewest points (51) have allowed their opponents to keep the ball for 233 plays (22 more than the Pack). The morals of the Figure Chewing story are (1) keep your eye on the scoreboard because that's what really counts, (2) keep the ball because it's hard to score without it and (3) keep fighting.
WEATHER - OR NOT - WON'T MATTER TO PACK VS. 49ERS
OCT 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It won't make a bit of difference to the Packers if it shows, rains, hails, blows or you name it in Milwaukee Sunday. The Packers went through the weather mill in practice this week. It couldn't be any worse in Siberia. Drills started Tuesday with a howling, biting cold wind that carried the ball around like a wayward balloon. Wednesday it was colder and windier, with a dash of rain. Thursday was the payoff - a driving rain. Quarterbacks Bart Starr, Zeke Bratkowski and Dennis Claridge get more experience throwing a wet ball this week than they'll get in five years of game football. Unlike a game, the ball isn't covered up with a towel after every play in practice. "The wet ball normally isn't so bad," said Zeke, "but when the water runs off your rain jacket on the ball it makes it hard to throw."...And speaking of Siberia, Green Bay was once known as the Siberia of the NFL. In the days before Vince Lombardi turned Packerland into a sunny victoryland, coaches around the league had a real hot spur if their charges weren't performing up to snuff. "If you don't start playing, we 'll send you to Green Bay," they'd say. This was the next thing to an out and out fine because the Packers were habitual loser (11 years of it, 1948 through '58) and, of course, they painted some horrible pictures of the weather up here. Actually, the weather isn't really bad "up here" since it's a rare winter when a heavy snow precedes Christmas. But Lombardi must have thought he was going to Siberia, himself, back in his first winter here (January of 1959). He wasn't here
two weeks when the city was hit with one of the worst snowstorms in history...Incidentally, Vince has put in a tough week himself. "The team's all right. Now it's me," Lombardi quipped after practice Thursday. He developed a tooth infection resulting in a swollen jaw. "And when I got in the dentist chair, my back went out," Vince added. The coach put on the corset and is now walking with extra care, joining Coach Phil Bengtson in the "club." The last time Vince had trouble with his back was out in Pittsburgh on Oct. 30, 1960. "I yelled so hard at the officials my back went out, but I found out later I was wrong," Vince said at the time...And speaking of the officials, hold 'er, boy. Really, it was surprising to see where George Halas popped off about the officiating, much less seeking the dismissal of the chief official, in the public prints. This would have resulted in a stiff fine if any coach by Uncle George had done same...The Jerry Kramers have named their new son Daniel Kevin. Jerry is recuperating at his home now "but it's hard to keep him down," said wife Barbara. Kramer has been stopping out at practice on occasion and may even go to Milwaukee with the team if the weather's good. Barbara says things have settled down "now that we're both home. Jerry will take medication for about a year and of course he won't be able to play football this year. He has a long way to go."...BRIEFS: The Packers leave for Milwaukee on a couple of greyhound buses at 9 o'clock Saturday morning. They'll go direct to County Stadium for a light drill. The team headquarters in Milwaukee at the Astor Hotel...The 49ers' Tommy Davis holds the league record on consecutive extra points without a miss, 167. He tied the mark held by George Blanda this season and then added 11 more...The Packers will be in reasonably good shape for Sunday's game. Two are on the doubtful list, Hank Jordan and Herb Adderley, but sore-shouldered Jim Taylor seems to be ready. He was hitting the blocking sled Thursday.
PERSONALITY PARADE
OCT 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "In those days, they put the ball in play 10 yards from the sidelines. It was third down and Herber (Arnie) said, 'Run it into position so we can punt.'" Sounding not unlike a genial bullfrog, ruddy-cheeked Andy Uram was struggling through the cobwebs of memory to reconstruct what had followed - the longest run from scrimmage in NFL history. That, the NFL record book reveals, was a 97-yard excursion he engineered just 25 years ago yesterday - Oct. 8, 1939 - against the then Chicago Cardinals at Milwaukee's venerable State Fair Park, today a haven for professional hotrods. "I went off right tackle and I must have been behind Baby Ray, because he was our starting right tackle then," said Andy, squinting furrows in his forehead as he strove for a mental re-run. "There was a big hole right off the reel. Hinkle (Clarke) was playing fullback and he ran a fake around right end. After he faked, he blocked for me and I came around behind him. Brock (Charley, now operator of a Walnut Street pharmacy) always says he took out the last man," Andy added with a grin. "I don't know. A couple of guys chased me - they got me on about the one - but I fell over the goal line. Marshall Goldberg was the one who tackled me," Uram, twice an all-Big Ten selection at Minnesota before reporting to the Packers in 1938, rumbled. "I saw him coming at me from the side and I tried to veer to my right and pull away, but Marshall was no slowpoke." Laughing, Andy further volunteered, "Five yards more and he would have got me." Here, it must be reported in the interests of historical accuracy, is where memory - a capricious instrument at best - differs with the record. According to the following day's voluminous account of the game in the Press-Gazette, "Uram...broke around end, was shaken past the line by Hinkle's block, followed by Larry Craig as that individual carved a path through the Cardinal secondary and was off on a 97-yard gallop to the enemy goal. Reed (Joe) and Marshall Goldberg chased him from the 50-yard line and Reed made a diving tackle at the goal line, but Uram powered across with plenty of steam to score. When Hinkle kicked the extra point, the score was 21 to 0." It appeared to be just so much icing on the proverbial cake at that stage, midway through the third quarter, but as it turned out, it was fortunate Uram's heroics eliminated that scheduled punt. Confronted by a bristling Cardinal comeback, the Packers later were forced to hang on for an uncomfortable 27-20 decision. Surprisingly, the Press-Gazette account did not effervesce about Andy's record ramble, perhaps because Herber, firing from his own end zone, had collaborated with the peerless Don Hutson on a 95-yard scoring strike in the first quarter, a performance which could have made the author slightly blasé about the whole thing. It was mentioned only in passing in the fifth paragraph of the story, which chronicled the Packer touchdowns, and then in somewhat terse detail, as reported above, the play-by-play version that followed. The statistics column also contained a matter-of-fact line, "Uram 108 yards in 2 attempts, average 54," which, although necessarily so listed, has to be one of the more understated items in newspaper history. Today, Uram shares a paragraph in the NFL record manual with Bobby Gage of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who duplicated Andy's 97-yard canter against the Bears 10 years later - on Dec. 4, 1949. "I remember reading about it," he says. "Gage got trapped on a punt back there - that's how he happened to run his."...HELPED PACK WIN TITLE: Andy, a member of two national collegiate champions with Bernie Bierman's Golden Gophers in the mid-30s, helped the Packers win the NFL title that year, consummated with a 27-0 rout of the New York Giants. He later went into service following the 1943 season, where he performed with the Camp Perry and Fleet City elevens before calling it a career. Pointing out "I weighed only 175 pounds (miniature by today's pro standards) when I broke in with the Packers and finished at 186," the 48-year-old salesman said soberly. "There's a thought I'd like to leave with the kids. Some of them think they're not big enough for football, but I started out at 125 pounds in high school." (And, it should be added, twice won all-city honors at Minneapolis John
Marshall High). Although there are no more Urams coming up, Andy has fond hopes for three grandsons, offspring of Gary and Sally Uram Lampereur, now in the 5-4-3 age bracket. "They've got footballs and they've got helmets," he grinned. "No pads yet - they can't get into 'em. Can't tell yet whether they've got it - you've just got to wait."
PACK ANSWER TO ABE MAY BE GROUNDED
OCT 10 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' answer to Abe Woodson in the manly art of returning kickoffs may be grounded when the Bays meet the 49ers in County Stadium Sunday. That would be cat-like Herb Adderley, the Bays' ace defensive back and kickoff returner, who is slowed down to painful running with a muscle pull. Woodson is the most feared kickoff returner in the league, and it's not unusual for opposing clubs to kick "away" from him or boot dribblers, which the Packers tried in San Francisco last year. Light-footed Abe is averaging 30.5 yards on 11 returns. Adderley has returned 10 kickoffs for an average of 26.2 yards. Woodson's longest this year is 46 yards, Adderley's 40. Rookie Tom Brown, a swiftee in his own right, likely will take over for Adderley on the goal line. Brown did same vs. the Vikings after Adderley's injury early in the second half and returned one for 21 yards. Brown's running partner will be the dangerous Tom Moore, who has returned three for 80 yards - an average of 26.7. Woodson works aside of Kermit Alexander, another fleetster who has returned four for 144 yards for a whopping average of 36. Loss of Adderley would shift attention (especially from 49er quarterback John Brodie) to Doug Hart, the second-yard rookie (he was on the taxi squad last year) who played most of the second half vs. the Vikings. That was Hart's first appearance in a league game. "It was good to get some game experience," Hart said. Unfortunately, Hart was smack in the middle of Fran Tarkenton's desperation pass in the final seconds to Gordon Smith, who seemed to take away the ball from Tom Hall. Hart had moved behind both of them - to make sure no TD, but Smith broke past Hall, toward Tarkenton, and made the catch. Hart said the two receivers "didn't say a word to each other" as it appeared they might collide. The top Packer and 49er pass receivers are tied, with 17 each for Boyd Dowler and Bernie Casey. There is no similarity in rushing. The Pack's Jim Taylor leads with 227 yards against the 49ers' Don Lisbon, with 117. In fact, the Packers had made 614 yards rushing, the 49ers 323. The 49ers, however, hold an edge on the Pack in passing yards, 803 to 602.
49ERS PASSES THREATEN PACK DEFENSE
OCT 11 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers lost their two games (by two points) to strong passing teams led by John Unitas and Fran Tarkenton. They face another potent aerial club in County Stadium this afternoon. The 49ers specialize in the forward pass, with John Brodie and dangerous Bill Kilmer on the throwing end. Unitas hurled two touchdown passes in leading the Colts to a 21-20 win in Green Bay. Tarkenton threw one for a TD and set up one of the others with his passing in the Vikings' 24-23 win last Sunday. Between 'em, John and Fran nicked the Pack for 19 completions in 29 attempts for 337 yards and three TDs. While the Packers hope to tighten their aerial defense today, they are hurting where it hurts most - on pass defense. The Bays' two handicapped performers are Hank Jordan, who has the speed to tantalize a passer, and swift Herb Adderley, the regular cornerbacker. Both have muscle pulls and are on the doubtful list for today. Ron Kostelnick and Doug Hart will be their replacements. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05 and a record crowd of over 47,300 will watch the fifth NFL struggle for both teams. This is a must for the Packers, of course, since a week hence they visit Baltimore, which looms as a real crucial - if the Packers can stop the 49ers. The Colts will host the Cardinals Monday night. The Packers and 49ers each have 2-2 records, while the Colts have 3-1. Green Bay's big chore today will be scoring. The Packers, with 20 points a game, are well below their normal point average, but Bart Starr has high hopes for boosting the average...BIG GUNS BACK: Starr will have one of his big guns back for Sunday. That would be Jim Taylor, the powerful fullback who sat out the Viking game with a sore shoulder. Paul Hornung has played two games now with a pulled groin muscle, and he may not be one hundred percent. The rest of the offense is back to good health, although one of the unit's famed members, Jerry Kramer, will miss his third straight game. He made the trip, though. Success for the offense will remove some of the heat from the defense, which probably will be exposed to considerable aerial bombing all afternoon. The 49ers have been virtually living by the pass. They gained 803 yards passing against only 323 rushing and aerialists outscored the rushers 7 touchdowns to 4. This is quite unusual (the Bays scored 7 rushing and 3 passing)...MIRA ANXIOUS: San Francisco's chief aerial threat, Bernie Casey, who leads the club with 17 catches, has been slowed down some by a muscle pull and his spot may be taken by Dale Messer. Other receivers for Brodie's throws (plus Kilmer, who throws off the option) are Monte Stickles, who has 12 catches, Don Lisbon, Dave Parks and Mike Lind. If Brodie has trouble, the 49ers may use the heralded George Mira, who is extremely anxious to play. Mira has been pushing Brodie hard and the result has been a better Brodie. The 49ers' chief running threats are Lind, the fullback who has scored four touchdowns, despite his 2.9 rushing average, and Lisbon.
KING JAMES
OCT 11 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Jim Taylor took a pitchout from Babe Parilli and headed around right end. For no gain. That was the LSU rookie's first carry as a Packer in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles in City Stadium on Oct. 26, 1958. Today, Jarrin' Jim stands alone as the Packers' all-time rushing king. The muscled fullback now leads in the six major categories of rushing - career, season and single game attempts, and career, season and single game in yards. Latest to fall was Clarke Hinkle's career total of 1,171 attempts in 10 seasons. Taylor, though he didn't play last Sunday against the Vikings due to injuries, has 1,219 attempts. The other five marks held by Jim are most attempts one season, 272 in 1962; most attempts one game, 30 against Pittsburgh in 1963; most yards in
career, 5,826; most yards in one season, 1,474 in 1962; and most yards in one game, 186 against New York in 1961. Taylor, now in his seventh season, has accomplished his record-breaking feat in 72 games, which includes only four full seasons, 1960 through 1963. He played five games as a rookie and nine as a sophomore in 1959 when injuries to his hand and foot suffered in a home accident kept him out of three games. He played 12 games in 1960 and 14 in each of the next three campaigns. As a rookie, the Bayou Bronc played only when the Packers were far ahead (but once) and when they were far behind until the last two games when he given a starting assignment. That was all Taylor needed. He ran 22 times against the 49ers in San Francisco for 137 yards, and the next Sunday carried 22 times for 106 yards against the Rams. Los Angeles defensive players were shocked with Taylor's power and said "he was like tackling a piano." Little more than a month later, Vince Lombardi took over the Packers and one look at Taylor bouncing defensive backs around in game films convinced the new head coach that this was his kind of power fullback. Going into his "debut" on the West Coast, Taylor worked against the Eagles, finishing with no yards in three attempts; the Colts in that 56-0 loss; and the Bears. The score was 49-0 in the fourth quarter in Baltimore when Jim hit the line for one yard. He later got six yards in two trips. In Chicago, Taylor scored the first of his (62) touchdowns on a two-yard smash in which he kicked himself over while on his back in the fourth quarter. He didn't score in the two games on the coast. Starting in 1960, Taylor had second rushing totals of 1,101, 1,307, 1,474 and 1,018 yards. And, of course, he suddenly became one of the two best fullbacks in the NFL. He shared the honor with the Browns' great fullback, Jimmy Brown. With the presence of Paul Hornung, scoring doesn't seem to characterize Taylor, but the bullish crasher holds a league record for most touchdowns in a single season, 19 in 1962, which broke the record of 17 set by Brown in 1958. He scored one TD in '58, 6 in '59, 11 in '60, 15 in '61, 19 in '62, 9 in '63 and 0 thus far in '64. Taylor, who breaks his Packer scoring record every time he rushes and/or gains a yard, is averaging close to five yards a carry - 4.7, to be exact. "That means a lot to me - just like it does to every back, that average. If you go through with a good average, it makes you feel like you've had a good year," Taylor said, adding: "Conditions have a lot do with it, you know - like a championship game or that game in Cleveland when we were going against the top
rusher, and our game in Milwaukee that won the championship." Taylor carried 31 times in the 1961 title game, tying the championship game record of 31 set by Steve Van Buren of the Eagles against the Rams in 1949. That Cleveland game was Taylor's first head-to-heat meet with Mr. Brown. It was no contest. Jim gained 158 yards in 21 carries - an average of 7.5 per carry, and scored four touchdowns. This was Taylor's day and the entire team, headed by Hornung and his fine blocking, helped him "beat Brown." Taylor set his one-game record of 186 yards when the Packers beat the Giants to clinch the 1961 championship in Milwaukee. He lugged 27 times that day for an average of 6.9. "They gave me tremendous blocking that day and there was all kinds of running room," Jim recalled. Taylor very easily could have had his career ended after the 1962 season when he was floored by hepatitis in January of 1963. He was down in bed for nearly two months and then started the long road back with intensive exercises. He reported to camp in excellent condition and a clean bill of health from his physician. But there was always a feeling that the illness might have weakened him. In addition, Taylor suffered groin and leg injuries. "Looking back now," Jim explained, "my own belief is that the illness did hurt me last year. It was harder to come back after a hard game - much harder than it is now. It must have had a bearing on my play last year." Taylor has taken a lot of banging in his 1,219 carries against the best defenses in football, but the burly rusher says, "I feel as good as ever and I'm thankful because sometimes I get hit by some pretty big groups."
