Preseason: Dallas Cowboys 21, Green Bay Packers (2-1) 12
Saturday August 28th 1965 (at Dallas)
GAME RECAP (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE)
(GREEN BAY) - The Packers rode the sturdy right leg of Don Chandler to a 9-0 halftime lead before a near-capacity house in the sultry Cotton Bowl here Saturday night, then watched it dissolve into a 21-12 disaster as the host Dallas Cowboys erupted in the final 30 minutes. Paul Hornung, triggering his first competitive kick since last December, staked the Pack to a 3-0 first quarter lead with an 18-yard field goal and, after a subsequent 42-yard effort of his was blocked, Chandler came on to toe a 22 and 48-yarder for that 9-0 intermission lead. The loss, the first for the Packers against two exhibition victories, also marked the first time in 34 games they have gone without a touchdown since their league opener in 1963, when they were decisioned by the Bears 10-3. The crowd, which chanted "Go Go" in the hectic final quarter, was the largest ever to watch a Cowboy home game, eclipsing by nearly 7,000 the old mark of 60,057 set in the Packers' preseason appearance here last season. It was the Cowboys' first win over the Pack, exhibition or league. Crashing the scoreboard the second time they acquired the ball, the Packers mounted a 3-0 first quarter lead on Hornung's 18-yard field goal with 7:34 gone, but it might easily have been 10-0 or 14-0. After the first offensive effort of the evening was stalled when they drew a third-down delay of game penalty, the Packers regained possession when Jordan shook Cowboy quarterback Don Meredith loose from the leather and an alert Dave Robinson retrieved it on the Dallas 48. The Pack drove to the field goal in nine plays, Hornung ramming the ball home with his old time authority with Starr holding - five plays after a 27-yard Starr pass was jolted off Carroll Dale's straining fingertips when he was hit by Cowboy cornerback Cornell Green in the end zone as the ball arrived.
CLUTCH THIRD DOWN
Major items along the way were 17 and 14-yard Starr pitched to Dowler, the latter a clutch third down collaboration that gave the Pack a first down on the Dallas 13. After Taylor settled for 2, Starr passed intended for Fleming and Dale, respectively, misfired, Hornung came on to end the scoreless knot. The Packers had another first quarter opportunity, but it went awry in hauntingly familiar fashion. Taking over on their own 26, they quickly moved to the 48 on a 23-yard Starr-to-Taylor screener, with Taylor barging the final 8 yards on his own. Starr shortly hit Dowler for another first down on the Cowboy 37, where a Hornung thrust and two incomplete passes left the Pack with fourth down and 8 at the 35. Hornung was again summoned, but this time the kick from the 42 was low and partially deflected, the Cowboys taking over on their own 10. Continuing to rely on the toe, the Pack added two more field goals in the second quarter - both by the stout-legged Chandler. Willie Davis triggered the first of these by bursting through to hurl Meredith for a 9-yard loss, which left the Cowpokes in somewhat straightened circumstances on their own 1. Two plays later, Willie Wood fair caught Colin Ridgeway's punt on the Dallas 49 and the visitors were off again. Taylor ground out a first down in three thrusts and, after a Starr-Dale effort was incomplete on the goal line, interference was ruled on Cowboy Mel Renfro, guarding Fleming, on the Dallas 24. Taylor bit off two, but Starr was tossed for a 12-yard loss by ex-Marquette giant George Andrie, and, to further compound the difficulties, the Pack drew another delay of game levy. Starr then hit Bob Long on the 27, where he wrestled way from Andrie and continued to the 15,
BEST OFFENSIVE
With fourth and two, Chandler drilled home a 22-yarder at the 4:40 mark and it was 6-0. Following the kickoff, the Cowboys mounted their best offensive of the first half, forging two first downs and moving to midfield before Lee Roy Caffey decked Meredith for a 7-yard deficit to kill the push. Adderley fumbled Ridgeway's short punt out of bounds at the Packer 36 and Moore subsequently wheeled for 20 yards in two sorties, putting the Pack on the Dallas 44. Pitts slashed for 3, but a pair of Claridge to Fleming passes were incomplete, recalling Chandler to the scene. The ex-Giant boomed it high and far over the crossbar, 48 yards distant, from a left angle. The Cowboys, who never had been beyond the Packer 48 in the first half, suddenly began to acquire real estate - and points with great alacrity in the third quarter. Taking the second half kickoff, they flew 80 yards in 7 plays to all but dissolve the Packers' bulge. Meredith and the deceptive Dial were the chief architects of this project, collaborating first on a big 13-yard third down pass that carried the Texans to Green Bay's 48, then working that 46-yard TD two plays later.
STEP ON ADDERLEY
Getting a quick step on Herb Adderley, Dial gathered in Meredith's bomb on the Packer 5 and stepped into the end zone, as Adderley sprawled unhappily in his wake. Danny Villanueva's conversion, with only 2:13 gone in the quarter, left the Pack in front by only 9-07. After an exchange of punts, disaster shortly struck again. Starr, thrown back for a 10-yard loss on the previous play, was badly rushed in the end zone, and vainly attempting to avoid a safety, hurled a "strike" to the Cowboys' eager Chuck Howler. Virtually "along" on the Packer 8, he barged to the 4. On first down, Perkins burst over his right guard and a prostrate Ray Nitschke to send the Cowboys ahead, to the vocal delight of the near-capacity hour. Villanueva then made it 14-9. The Pack appeared en route to a comeback when they flew to the Dallas 41 in three plays following the ensuing kickoff, the chief item being a 32-yard Starr pitch to Elijah Pitts, but Lee Roy Jordan waylaid a Starr pass up the middle and returned to his own 39 to kill the drive. Green Bay's finest were again on their way, however, late in the third quarter, forging to the Dallas 7 just before the period ended, a 27-yard Starr-Fleming effort and a 16-yard Taylor sortie eating up most of the yardage. With the end zone in sight, the Pack again faltered with an "assist" from a militant Cowboy defense. Taylor lost a yard at right tackle and a Starr-Taylor pass netted only two, Chandler again came on to exercise his talented toe, this time drilling home a 13-yarder with 13:18 left, reducing the deficit to two points, 14-12. Throttling the Cowboys when Caffey pitched Meredith for a 14-yard loss, the Bays surged into Dallas country, reaching the 40 before the hour of decision arrived. With fourth and one, the entire Cowboy defensive wall rose up to hurl Taylor for a yard loss and, though 8:21 remained, school was out. The Texans couldn't move on the next series, and the Pack made one last attempt, grinding out two first downs on Starr passes to Taylor and Dale, but Hornung was thrown for a 9-yard loss by Jerry Tubbs and Starr for 11 by Andrie to end the budding drive. Dallas then drove 47 yards in 8 plays to cement the decision, Marsh blasting over from the one with nine seconds remaining.
GREEN BAY - 3 6 0 3 - 12
DALLAS - 0 0 14 7 - 21
GREEN BAY DALLAS
First Downs 16 16
Rushing-Yards-TD 31-142-0 22-84-2
Att-Comp-Yd-TD-Int 31-15-216-0-2 25-15-161-1-0
Sack Yards Lost 3-38 3-27
Net Passing Yards 178 134
Total Yards 320 218
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1
Turnovers 2 1
Yards penalized 5-35 4-43
SCORING
1st - GB - Paul Hornung, 18-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - Don Chandler, 22-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-0
2nd - GB - Chandler, 48-yard field goal GREEN BAY 9-0
3rd - DAL - Buddy Dial, 46-yard pass from Don Meredith (Danny Villanueva kick) GREEN BAY 9-7
3rd - DAL - Don Perkins, 4-yard run (Villanueva kick) DALLAS 14-9
4th - GB - Chandler, 12-yard field goal DALLAS 14-12
4th - DAL - Amos Marsh, 1-yard run (Villanueva kick) DALLAS 21-12
RUSHING
GREEN BAY - Jim Taylor 16-48, Elijah Pitts 5-40, Tom Moore 3-31, Dennis Claridge 1-19, Bart Starr 1-7, Paul Hornung 5-(-3)
DALLAS - Amos Marsh 7-38 1 TD, Don Perkins 12-35 1 TD, Don Meredith 1-7, Perry Lee Dunn 2-4
PASSING
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr 26-15-216 2 INT, Dennis Claridge 4-0-0, Paul Hornung 1-0-0
DALLAS - Don Meredith 25-15-161 1 TD
RECEIVING
GREEN BAY - Boyd Dowler 4-51, Marv Fleming 3-56, Jim Taylor 3-39, Elijah Pitts 3-35, Bob Long 1-24, Carroll Dale 1-11
DALLAS - Buddy Dial 5-109 1 TD, Amos Marsh 5-10, Don Perkins 3-18, Frank Clarke 1-16, Pettis Norman 1-8
HANNER OUT OF UNIFORM; ALUMNI MEET
AUG 29 (Dallas-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - For the first time in his 14-year career (with one rare exception), massive, ruddy-cheeked No. 79 was not wearing green and gold when the Packers cantered onto the floor of the Cotton Bowl here Saturday night. Veteran defensive tackle Dave Hanner, who ranks behind only vagabond halfback Johnny Blood in length of Packer service, was attired in more mundane sports short and slacks - as the team took the field for its pregame exercises. Hanner, as a player-coach since practice opened July 20, amiably declined comment. Now 35, he has appeared in both of the Packers' previous preseason appearances against the Giants and Bears. Queried about the Packer patriarch's competitive "absence," Coach Vince Lombardi laughed and replied, "Yes, he's still on the active roster. We'll have an announcement soon." Hanner has missed only one other game since reporting to the Packers in 1952 off the University of Arkansas campus. That was in 1961, when an appendectomy forced him to give way to rookie Ron Kostelnick for a match with the 49ers. He, however, was back at his old stand the following Sunday - just 10 days following the surgery...The Texas chapter of the far-flung Packer alumni association was well represented here Saturday night. In evidence, among others, were Ed Neal, who flew in from Wichita Fallas, 135 miles distance, Bill Forester and John Roach, both Dallas residents, and Andy Cvercko, who lives in nearby Richardson...Offense Capt. Bob Skoronski had his own personal cheering section. His younger brother, Gene, who recently completed Peace Corps training here, stayed around to leave Sept. 7 for Puerto Rico, where he will "practice my Spanish," then proceed to his assignment in Uruguay early in October...During their stay, the Packers were treated to several examples of the justly famed Texas hospitality, one of them a sign atop the Blue Cross building in downtown Dallas which proclaimed, "Welcome to Dallas, City of Excellence, Green Bay Packers...Beware of the Cowboys."...Bill Forester's No. 2 son, 10-year-old Mike, is a waterboy for the Cowboys, but he toiled with mixed emotions on this occasion. Still mindful of his old ties, he told his mother, "I hate to do it tonight because of the Packers. Maybe I should ask Coach Lombardi to work for him." Bob Blaik, son of coaching immortal Col. Earl (Red) Blaik and a former Army quarterback, was a guest on the Packer bench.
PACKERS TRADE MCDOWELL
AUG 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vince Lombardi, who also made a surprising discovery (surprising, that is, in the wake of a 21-12 scoreboard deficit), today pared his squad to 46 by trading defensive end John McDowell to the New York Giants and placing three rookies on waivers before launching preparations for Saturday night's invasion of Cleveland for a match with the defending world champion Browns. McDowell, the St. John's (Minn.) College alumnus who was the Pack's ninth draft choice a year ago, was dealt to the Giants for an undisclosed draft choice. Lombardi also announced that offensive halfback Bill Symons (Colorado) and
defensive backs Wally Mahle (Syracuse) and Donnie Davis (Southern University) have been released. These moves left the Pack one below the NFL limit 24 hours in advance of Tuesday's deadline. No further cuts will be required until Sept. 7, when the limit will be 43. The surprising discovery? "We actually played a little better game than I thought," Lombardi, who spent Sunday evening viewing game films with his aides, reported. "We made more mental errors than anything else." "The Cowboys are a good football team, but we made a lot of mental errors, not a lot but enough to beat us," he added. Commenting on the Pack's "fourth-and-one" failure in the fourth quarter, when Jim Taylor was jolted for a one-yard loss by all-pro Bob Lilly with 8:21 remaining, Lombardi noted, "That happened because of a missed block." Of two other damaging items, third and fourth quarter interceptions (one of which triggered the Cowboys' go-ahead touchdown), he added, "Starr threw one away, or tried, and on the other he didn't see one (Cowboy), I guess."...In his pre-picture analysis Saturday night, the Packer headmaster made a significant point in declaiming, "The Cowboys have a good defense, but we gained more yards against them than we did in either of our first two games against the Giants and Bears." But, he also noted by way of explaining the seeming paradox, "Bart Starr goes 228 passes with an interception, then throws two in one game, which is hardly to be expected." He admitted the Texans' three-man rush "was a little surprising, but not enough to make the difference." The offense also was hampered to a degree, Lombardi revealed, reporting, "We had trouble finding an able-bodied fullback there in the second half. Junior Coffey is hurt, of course, and so was Tom Moore. And Elijah Pitts also got a severe jolt in the stomach, which slowed him up some." The Packers' major-domo also was keenly aware of the fans' role, observing with a whistle, "That crowd really got behind them, didn't they? Even more so than I've ever seen one do before." The purpose of preseason play was not lost sight of in this time of adversity, he noted with some satisfaction. "Although we didn't play everybody, we did play most of them, including all the offensive and defensive ends. And Claridge (sophomore quarterback Dennis) played a full quarter."...KICKS SHORT AND LONG: Defensive Capt. Hank Gremminger, making his first competitive appearance since suffering a leg injury Aug. 2, "did very well," he observed in this connection. "So did Hart (Doug) and Jeter (Bob)," Who are contending for the retired Jesse Whittenton's left cornerback post. He also indicated the night's proceedings had brought him to one conclusion. "You saw out kicker out there (Chandler)," he said. "He kicks them short and he kicks them long - and he's accurate." The defeat, it was suggested, might have been a blessing in disguise. "I don't know if it is or not," Lombardi said, a trifle morosely. "I never like to lose." "This may indicate to people, however, that our team isn't as good as they think it is. But," he rapped with a significant lift of the Roman chin, "we will have a good one before we're through."...On Sunday's Green Bay-bound return flight, a sadder but wiser Herb Adderley was making a mental note of Cowboy No. 26 for an Oct. 24 rematch in Milwaukee County Stadium. No. 26, for the benefit of the uninitiated, is Buddy Dial, a major villain of the piece. He gathered in a 46-yard touchdown pass from Don Meredith, a step beyond an unhappy Herb, to key the Cowboys' startling second half surge. "He's a good receiver - not too fast, but good moves," Adderley reported. "He runs his patterns on the defensive back, instead of merely running a pattern, such as a turn-in for example. He sets up the defensive back first, then runs his pattern. That makes him tough to cover. That one he ran for the touchdown was just a jog and go," he added. "He jogged about 12 yards, then turned it on. I guess I let him get a little too far behind me." "I'll remember him the next time I see him," Adderley vowed. "We'll have a chance to get even in Milwaukee." Bart Starr, still second-guessing on that ill-fated third quarter pass from the end zone, reported, "A split second before I threw on that first interception, I considered throwing the ball away. We were on the two-yard line, so we could only have been penalized half the distance to the goal. Then I decided to hit the open receiver, Jim Taylor, but I didn't get it to him. I should have taken the safety."
IRON MAN JIM RINGO MISSES FIRST GAME IN 217
AUG 31 (Hershey, PA) - Pro football people call Jim Ringo The Iron Man and the veteran offensive center of the Philadelphia Eagles loves it. Until he suffered a back injury in an exhibition game against Detroit two weeks ago, Ringo had started 216 consecutive NFL games. He missed the Eagles' recent exhibition against Minnesota, making the first time he failed to start in 11 years. Ringo is proud of his endurance record and makes no secret of the fact he hopes to play long enough to top Sammy Baugh's 16 years in the league, the most in history for any active player. The 33-year-old Ringo is starting his 13th season. He sees no reason - barring serious injury or sudden deterioration of his physical abilities - why he can't play at least another four years. "You only come by this post one time and it's human to want to write your name in the league's record book, so that everyone will know that you played," says the rugged native of Easton, Pa...ALL-TIME GREAT: Ringo says he also has his sights on the record of 176 games, most played by any NFL player, and the mark of 174, most consecutive games played in a career in league history. Y.A. Tittle, the retired quarterback, holds the most games played mark, and Leo Nomellini, former San Francisco 49ers' ace, the consecutive games record. One of the game's all-time great downfield blockers and pass protectors, Ringo has started 140 consecutive regular season NFL games. Figuring on 14 games a season - and with expansion this will become 16 - Ringo calculates he will own both records in less than three seasons. If you don't believe Ringo takes his endurance seriously, take a look at these facts: In 1957, he played every game with Green Bay despite a mononucleosis condition. He explains that the Packers - then among the have nots in the NFL - didn't have another center, so he rested in the hospital during the week and played on weekends. The following year, he didn't practice the first two weeks of the season because his blood count still wasn't part, and that same season he suffered a separated shoulder. He played every game. "They taped the shoulder," he observed. In 1962, Ringo suffered a severe infection, his body was loaded with boils, but he played every game. He insists that many players perform with ailments. "We play because we love the game," Ringo asserts. "Of course, we make a good living from it. We have to benefit materially. But 95 percent of the real pros play because they love it. That's what makes it so competitive."
EIGHT PACKER ROOKIES LEFT; JERRY ROBERTS TO DEFENSE
AUG 31 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Something, as the bromide ungrammatically runs, has got to give. If more than two freshmen are to crash the Packers' final two-man roster two weeks hence, that is. Only eight rookies, all but one of them stationed on offense, as now to be found among the remaining 46, following Monday's cuts which saw Vince Lombardi and his aides prune three first year men and deal sophomore tackle John McDowell to the New York Giants for the conventional undisclosed draft choice. These actions, by the elementary process of subtraction, leave the Pack with 38 veterans - and one obvious and inevitable conclusion. Only two of the current fledglings will survive the last cut batting traded and/or retirements. Both of the latter loom as possibilities, of course. Player-Coach Dave Hanner, for example, has indicated from the outset that he has been giving more than casual consideration to calling it a career. The fact that he did not suit up for last Saturday night's ill-fated exchange with the Cowboys in Dallas lends weight to the impression the 14-year veteran, who ranks behind only the itinerant Johnny Blood in point of Packer service, will stash away No. 79 for good. This is based upon the assumption that Rich Marshall, the mountainous (6-4, 272) rookie from Stephen F. Austin, is adjudged equal to the NFL task at defensive tackle. If not, the Pack, as presently constituted, would be left with only five citizens to man the "front four" - Lionel Aldridge, Willie Davis, Lloyd Voss, Henry Jordan and Ron Kostelnik. Any other openings that might occur undoubtedly would have to be created by developments in the trade mart, since no other retirements have been indicated at this point. There is obvious congestion on the offensive platoon, relieved slightly today by shifting of flanker Jerry Roberts (Baldwin-Wallace) to defensive back, where six of the eight freshmen are contending with 21 incumbents for regular season employment. Three of the hopefuls are concentrated on the line,
where tight end Jim Thibert (Toledo) and Rich Koeper (Oregon State) and Eli Strand (Iowa State) are holding forth. Thibert is competing with Marv Fleming and the recently acquired Bill Anderson, while Koeper and Stand are understudying Bob Skoronski and Stever Wright. Also to be considered here, of course, is the possibility that all-pro Forrest Gregg, shifted to guard in midseason of 1964 when Fuzzy Thurston was sidelined by injury in wake of Jerry Kramer's loss, may be returned to tackle. Such a move would leave all-pros Kramer and Thurston and Dan Grimm, who has started all three of the Pack's preseason ventures, to man the guard posts. The other three newcomers in contention for offense occupations are running backs Junior Coffey (Washington) and Allan Jacobs (Utah) and center Bill Curry (Georgia Tech)...PACKER PATTER: Monday morning's scheduled exercise was cancelled because of a steady drizzle, but all was not lost. The Pack retreated indoors, where all hands viewed a film of last November's 28-21 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Milwaukee County Stadium. The Bays, of course, renew their friendship with the Browns in the nightcap of Saturday night's doubleheader in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium... A number of tell-tale statistics could be employed in attempting to explain Saturday night's 21-12 Dallas disaster, but one appears particularly significant. The Packers' third down touch deserted them. Whereas they forged nine first down in 11 first half third down efforts en route to a 31-14 rout of the Bears a week earlier, they managed only three FDs in 13 third down situations against the Cowpokes. And two of those produced unhappily negative results, one an interception that led directly to the Texans' go-ahead touchdown and the other an 11-yard deficit when Bart Starr was ambushed in a passing situation.
EAGLES DROP BARNES
AUG 31 (Hershey, PA) - The Philadelphia Eagles cut nine players from their squad Monday, including veteran tight end Ralph (Catfish) Smith and former Packer, Cowboy and Bear Gary Barnes. Smith had been playing behind Pete Retzlaff in his three seasons with the NFL club.
PLAYING DEFENSE 'A LITTLE NEW,' ROBERTS DISCOVERED
SEPT 1 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "Will the real Jerry Roberts please stand up?" An understandably curious Packer coaching staff Tuesday posed this intriguing question but, in contrast to the TV panel show's format, is not insisting upon an immediate response. Any time within two weeks, it would appear, will do. The board of strategy raised the point by transferring Roberts, a rangy rookie out of Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) College, from flanker on the offensive unit to safety on the defensive platoon in yesterday's lengthy session on South Oneida Street. Need alone did not dictate the move, since the Pack appears adequately fortified in the "outfield," where such accomplished citizens as Capt. Henry Gremminger, Henry Vernell Wood, and the rapidly maturing Tom Brown are available. More to the point, the brain trusters obviously want to determine now where the 6-4, 210-pound Ohioan's talents may be best utiltized, since the roster must be reduced from its present 46 to the NFL limit of 40 by Sept. 14, now only 13 days off. Roberts, who has been strictly a flanker since reporting July 20, admits, "It's going to be a little new. I haven't worked on defense for quite a while." "I hope I can get the feel of it," he added, emphasizing the complexities of professional football by noting, "I felt I was just getting the offense down fairly well." Jerry, rated the finest football player in Baldwin-Wallace history (Packer aide Norb Hecker, please note), is not a total stranger to his new assignment, however. "I played both ways about equally in college," he said. "If I started getting tired, thought, they would spell me on defense rather than on offense." Like most young hopefuls, he is not overly concerned where he is stationed. "Just as long as I play," Roberts says with obvious sincerity, "that's the main thing." His assets as a pass receiver (he led B-W in receptions for three years), as well as his high school ad collegiate experience in basketball, should stand him in good stead in his new role. He is blessed with unusual agility, quick reactions, and the ability to get high off the ground, which, combined with his height, exceptional for a defensive back, indicate abundant potential. Roberts, an all-Ohio Conference selection on both offense and defense as a senior, soberly sums up his present assignment with, "There are so many new things, new moves. It's quite different. A couple of times today I got faked out," he added. "I have to work on getting my moves back, and my timing. I don't have to worry about deciding against running, because I like to tackle. My biggest problem, I suppose, will be defending against passes."...GREW UP IN CLEVELAND: One of eight freshmen now remaining on the Packer roster, the lanky, crew cut blond admits, "It's really a thrill for me to be here. I grew up in Cleveland, which is a big football town, so I've always been gung ho for football." The Pack's No. 7 choice last November, he has no regrets over not having been plucked by his hometown Browns. A practical young man, he confided, "I took a look around the league, and the Browns seemed pretty well fortified with ends, so I was happy they didn't pick me." With the Packers now only six over the player limit, his chances of crashing the final 40 appear fairly bright, it was suggested, particularly if he is able to perform both ways. "I've survived so far," Roberts was happy to admit, but realistically added, "The big ones are coming up, though."...PACKER PATTER: The Pack, deprived of a workout by Monday's morning-long drizzle, toiled 15 minutes longer than normal in Tuesday's drill, devoted primarily to polishing the offense for Saturday night's date with the defending world champion Browns in Cleveland. A leaping interception by Dave Robinson was one of the highlights...Player-Coach Dave Hanner, who didn't suit up for only the second time in his distinguished 14-year career in Dallas last weekend, found it a slightly traumatic experience. "I didn't know what to do with myself," Dave forthrightly confessed. "I felt out of place."
PERSONALITY PARADE
SEPT 1 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - When Don Chandler, a veteran of nine pro football campaigns with his retreating hair line, reported to the Packers' St. Norbert College training camp late in July, he confessed to feeling "a little nervous, being a rookie again." The 31-year-old kicking specialist, lured from New York's Giants during the offseason in what may ultimately rank as one of Vince Lombardi's shrewdest deals, was genuinely concerned about his chances of gaining employment with our heroes. He was well aware incumbent Paul Hornung, not to mention 1963 placekicker Jerry Kramer, stood between him and the regular assignment. Although Chandler still is taking nothing for granted, it is almost a foregone conclusion the quiet, retiring Oklahoman will be doing all of Green Bay's field goal and extra point work in the imminent NFL season, in addition to the punting. Lombardi indicated as much following Saturday night's 21-12 misadventure in Dallas, in which Hornung made his first competitive kicking appearance of the season, rifling a "perfect" 18-yarder squarely between the uprights in his maiden effort, but later falling short with a 42-yard boot, which appeared to have been partially deflected. Vince later significantly observed, "You saw your kicker out there tonight. He kicks them short and he kicks them long - and he's accurate." (Chandler had drilled home four successive field goals ranging from 12 to 48 yards in length after taking over as the Packs' toe in the second quarter.) Don, however, is still adopting the cautious approach. "I'm not sure the coach has decided yet," Chandler quietly confided. "At least, I haven't been told if he has." Although he has emerged as a placekicker only in the past few seasons, after long ranking among the league's premier punters, the personable, soft-spoken Oklahoman began his pro career as a placement artist. "I started when I first came to the Giants, but I hurt my leg and couldn't kick," he imparted. "It was only a pulled muscle, but I didn't do any more placekicking for six years. They brought Ben Agajanian back, and, after he left, Pat Summerall took over in 1958 and had three or four great years." And how did he happen to resume? "I started placekicking again in 1962, when Summerall (now the Washington Redskins' TV 'color' man) decided to retire. Wellington Mara (now president of the Giants) called me in Tulsa and told me to start kicking - that I was going to be the placekicker." This proved to be a happy decision for all concerned. Chandler took to the assignment with such fervor that he emerged with the NFL's scoring championship the following year, amassing 106 points on a collection of 52 conversions and 18 field goals in 29 attempts. It may come as a surprise to the Packer faithful, who know him only as a specialist, but Don was an all-around offensive back in his early days as a Giant. "For the first two or three years, I was a backup man at halfback, but they had Gifford (Frank) and Webster (Alex) there, so there wasn't much room," he explains with a slightly sardonic smile. "It was kind of like Taylor (Jim) and Hornung (Paul) here. I hurt my shoulder in college, that's one of the reasons I didn't play much. It's what they call tendonitis - it comes out of place when I get hit on it. Then, in 1960, I hurt my knee and had it operated on. I've hardly practiced since then. That is, I take part in the calisthenics and things like that, but no contact of any kind."...NOT A SPECTATOR: Chandler is not merely a spectator at practice, however. An ideal team man, he frequently serves as a volunteer "center" in passing drills, a function he previously filled "for years" with the Giants. Although he is not displeased with his field goal efforts (and with good reason, since he has connected on 11 of 12 attempts in four appearances, including the intra-squad game), the amiable Tulsan says, "I'm not real satisfied with my punting (despite plush 48 and 45-yard averages in his last two outings). But it'll come around, I'm sure - I hope." Chandler is an otherwise happy man these days. His family, including three energetic offspring, joined him in Dallas and returned to Green Bay for the season. He still must live in camp for another 10 days, however, a matter which has been a source of deep concern to his three-year-old daughter, Caron. "She's been crying every time I leave the house for camp," Don reports, a typically slow smile lighting up his well tanned features. "She thinks I'm going away again - it's hard for them to understand that."
PACKERS' BILL ANDERSON TO PLAY AGAINST BROWNS
SEPT 1 (De Pere) - Bill Anderson, the once-retired end obtained by Green Bay from the Washington Redskins, faces his first extensive exhibition test against Cleveland Saturday night, and says, "I believe I'm ready. I had better be." With the Packers still six players over the limit for the season opener, Anderson is battling to stay on the squad as a backup man and possible alternate starter with tight end Marv Fleming. "The big thing is learning the Packers' system," said Anderson, who played with the Redskins for six seasons before taking a coaching job last year at the University of Tennesse. Packer Coach Vince Lombardi obtained Anderson in a trade after he returned to the Redskins this year. "I wasn't playing too much and figured I was going to be traded," he said. "My only regret is that I didn't have the opportunity to play for Lombardi sooner." Anderson said he found the Packers worked much harder than the Redskins, particularly in practice drills. The 29-year-old end had a frank answer on why he wants to return to the pro wars: "I missed the game on Sunday and the paychecks on Monday."
WHO'S WARFIELD? BROWNS NOT HURT, PACKERS WARNED
SEPT 2 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Whatever became of "old" Paul Warfield? Incredibly enough, the convalescent pass catcher, a unanimous all-league choice as a rookie last season, has not been missed by the defending world champion Browns, who will loom before the vengeful Packers in Cleveland's cavernous Municipal Stadium Saturday night. "They haven't been hurting too much without him," the Pack's longtime game scout, Wally Cruice, facetiously confided today in assessing the current prowess of pro football's reigning kingpins. "They've been using McNeil (Clifton) and Roberts (Walter) in place of Warfield and they can really fly. They make Warfield look like he's walking. They're not hurting bad," he dryly reiterated. "They probably are glad to give the kids a chance - this is a blessing in disguise for the team." The statistics tend to document Super-Scouts' point, revealing that the pair have snared 14 passes for 295 yards and one touchdown to date for the undefeated Ohioans. McNeil, in fact, is the Browns' No. 2 receiver with 9 catches for 186 yards, while Roberts had nailed 5 for 109. Veteran Gary Collins is the leader with 12 for 276 yards and, it should be noted, 6 touchdowns. Cruice, who watched the Browns dispatch Detroit's Lions with a high degree of efficiency (28-14) in the Motor City over the weekend, had (as many already have been deduced), scant comfort to offer concerning the Pack's immediate assignment. The Browns, now 4-0 (they decisioned the College All-Stars, 24-16, San Francisco 49ers, 37-21, and Los Angeles rams, 21-19, before succumbing the Lions), "look real sharp," he informed. "They've got a lot of confidence in themselves, and they show a lot of physical progress. They look in midseason form. In fact, they're the most advanced team I've seen, except possibly the Colts, who look real strong, too. They've got all the tools to repeat," Cruice added. "They look 50 percent better, for example, than any other Eastern Division team I've seen, and I've looked at Pittsburgh, Washington, New York and Dallas, in addition to the Browns." Offering further "consolation," Cruice rhapsodized about the Detroit performance of recent litigant Jim Brown. "He only played a half against the Lions, but that was enough. He went 43 yards for one touchdown - it looked like they blew him out of a cannon." Aside from McNeil or Roberts standing in for Warfield, who sustained a shoulder injury in the All-Star game, the Browns will field the virtually the same alignment that forged to the world title a year ago. One probable defensive change would find Erich Barnes, just acquired from the Giants in a three-way exchange that saw Detroit's Earl Morrall move to New York, taking over at safety from the veteran Bernie Parish, who reportedly
has become a personnel non grata with the Browns' brass as the result of recent public statements in his capacity as an official of the NFL Players' Association...PACKER PATTER: More than casually concerned about Saturday night's outcome in the wake of that 21-12 embarrassment in Dallas, Coach Vince Lombardi submitted the Pack to an unexpected 15-minute "goal line" scrimmage in Wednesday's resounding workout. Lombardi, openly unhappy over the Bays' failure to register a touchdown in Texas, had them on attack from the 10-yard line in a simulated first down-and-goal situation. Three "touchdowns" resulted, one of which was nullified by an offside "penalty." Paul Hornung counted two of them, the first on a sweep to the right on the very first play. After the session, humorist Hank Jordan dryly commented, "I got a lot of grass stains on the back of my shirt today." Following the scrimmage, the Pack also ran Cleveland's offense against the regular Bay defense, than the Pack attack against the anticipated Cleveland defense...Jim Taylor leads all Green Bay rushers after three games with 104 yards in 31 caries, a 3.4 average, according to latest figures released by Packer publicist Tom Miller. Elijah Pitts is next up with 95 in 20 attempts, a 4.8 mark, followed by Tom Moore with 83 in 16 and a 5.2 average. Marvelous Marv Fleming and Boyd Dowler are tied for the pass catching lead, each with 9 receptions. Mercurial Bob Long has amassed the most yards, however, a total of 128, on only four catches. Bart Starr has completed 37 of 60 passes, a sparkling 61.7 percentage, for 501 yards and two touchdowns. One other intriguing statistic reveals that kicker Don Chandler has connected on all five field goals he has attempted. Overall, the Packers have outgained the collective enemy almost two-to-one, 1,022 to 605.
PACKERS HAVE PROVEN SELVES AT BOX OFFICE
SEPT 2 (Cleveland) - Win, lose or draw in their remaining two exhibition games, the Green Bay Packers have already proven themselves at the box office in the NFL in three games thus far and seems certain to play its final two preseason games before capacity crowds. Ticket Director Merrill Knowlton announced Wednesday that almost 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the Packers' Sept. 11 meeting in Green Bay with the St. Louis Cardinals. The gate may well reveal that of the Packers' exhibition opener Aug. 14 when 50,937 persons jammed Lambeau Field to watch the Packers play the New York Giants. The crowd was the largest ever to attend a professional football game in Wisconsin. A total of 47,066 persons attended the Chicago Bears-Packers game in Milwaukee Aug. 21, a record for the annual Midwest Shrine football game. Attendance was put at 67,954 for last Saturday's Packers-Cowboys game in Dallas, Tex. The crowd was the largest ever at a professional football game in Texas. A sellout crowd is expected Saturday at Cleveland when the Packers clash with the Browns as part of an exhibition doubleheader. If final figures stand up to the pregame estimates, the Packers should close their exhibition season after playing before almost 300,000 fans.
PACKER-BROWN CLASH ANYTHING BUT 'ROUTINE'
SEPT 3 (Cleveland-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' Saturday night invasion of Cleveland's huge Municipal Stadium is routinely listed as a preseason game. But do not be deceived. The impending collision, which will be the finale of what has become pro football's traditional doubleheader, will be considerably more than an exhibition exercise - at least insofar as the principals are concerned. Take, for example, the Pack's all-pro defensive end, Willie Davis, who once wore Brown silks. "This game carries a little more meaning for Jordan (fellow defender Henry) and me because we played over there," he confessed following Thursday's final at-home practice session. "The big thing, of course, is that they're world champs - their overall team is a challenge to us. And I'm sure they look at us as more than just another team. The position they are in is bound to make it more intense." He didn't make mention of it in his analysis, but the Packers were the last team to dispatch Blanton Collier's legions. They outgunned the Ohioans, 28-21, in frigid Milwaukee County Stadium last Nov. 22, just five weeks before the Browns decimated Baltimore's Colts in the title game, 27-0. Analyzing the situation from his side of the line, Willie points out, "Any time you play Cleveland, no matter how you slice it, you have to face the fact that you're going to run into a very effective passing game, and that Jimmy Brown is 60 percent of the Browns' offense. That poses one of the major problems, to get a good pursuit and keep Brown contained, and, of course, they have some very good receivers and a fine passer in Ryan (Frank), so you have to try to put a good rush on the passer at the same time. As a team, the Browns are one of the more balanced teams we play," Willie summed up, "so that make it even more of a challenge." There are two other factors, both psychological, which are likely to affect tomorrow's decision, and each should aid the Pack's cause. The Bays are coming off a somewhat embarrassing 21-12 loss to the lightly regarded Cowboys in Dallas, while the Browns are currently cruising with a perfect 4-0 record and may be inclined to complacency. The Browns, who squeezed out a 20-17 decision in the nightcap of last years' twin bill with 83,736 siting in, hold a 3-2 edge over the Pack in regular season play. Green Bay has a 1-0 margin in postseason competition, however, having riddled the Brownies, 40-23, in 1963's NFL Playoff Bowl in Miami. A standing room crowd of over 80,000 is expected to view Saturday night's spectacular, which will find the Detroit Lions opposing New York's Giants in the opener. Such a turnout would send attendance over 300,000
for the four doubleheaders since they were originated by Brown's owner Art Modell in 1962...PACKER PATTER: The Packers' offensive platoon flashed encouraging form in Thursday's "two-minute" drill, amassing 17 "points" on three successive drives against the clock. Paul Hornung capped the first with a three-yard sweep of right end, with Bart Starr at the controls. Don Chandler, with Dennis Claridge at the throttle, next was called upon to drill home a 42-yard field goal, and Zeke Bratkowski climaxed the session by pitching a 40-yard scoring strike to sophomore flanker Bob Long. Tom Brown earlier sparkled for the defense against a simulated Brown offense, intercepting one pass and batting down another.
PACK, CARDS TO CLASH FOR TITLE: HAND
SEPT 3 (New York) - The Green Bay Packers and the St. Louis Cardinals will meet for the NFL championship, Sunday, Jan. 2, before 50,837 half-frozen customers at Green Bay's Lambeau Field. The Packers, driven hard by taskmaster Vince Lombardi, are revved up for a running start in their drive to recapture the Western Conference championship after watching Chicago win in 1963 and Baltimore in 1964. Baltimore's defending Western champs, intact except for Gino Marchetti and Bill Pellington, should fight it out with Norm Van Brocklin's confident Minnesota Vikings for second money in the West. Los Angeles could be the dark horse if Bill Munson comes through big, but the Chicago Bears,
Detroit and San Francisco look like second division contenders. St. Louis never has won the Eastern Conference crown since the Cardinals moved west from Chicago in 1960. But this could be the year for the Bidwill brothers and Wally Lemm. The Cards have the passer in Charley Johnson and the running backs in Bill Triplett and Joe Childress plus a solid offensive line and a sound defense. If they play up to their capabilities, they should be able to outscramble Cleveland's defending league champs for the right to play Green Bay. The loss of Paul Warfield in the early weeks of the campaign may be too much of a handicap for
Appleton Post-Crescent (September 2nd 1965)
the Browns, who must face an improved Washington team and St. Louis in the first two weeks of the season. Washington, the Eastern dark horse, should know the best or worst - by mid-October. The Skins play the Cardinals twice, Oct. 10 and Oct. 24, in three weeks and open with Cleveland. If Sonny Jurgensen's arm holds up and Charley Taylor suffers no more injuries, the Redskins could be pesky contenders all the way. Dallas had potential scoring punch, but Don Meredith must prove once and for all that he is a No. 1 quarterback. Philadelphia will go as far as the blitz and Tommy Brown will take them. Both New York and Pittsburgh have quarterback questions, although the Giants' stable of big running backs may come fast.
LAMBEAU FIELD DEDICATION PLANNED FOR SEPT. 11 GAME
SEPT 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Official dedication of City Stadium as Lambeau Field will be held before the Packer-St. Louis Cardinal game Saturday night, Sept. 11. The change in name was approved by the City Council Aug. 3 to honor Earl L. (Curly) Lambeau, founder of the Packers and a pioneer of the NFL. He was head coach, general manager, and vice president of the Packers for 31 years, 1919-49. He died June 1. Dedication ceremonies will begin at 7:45 p.m., with Mayor Donald Tilleman making the formal dedication. Don Lambeau, sone of the Packers founder, will acknowledge naming of the stadium in his father's honor. The dedication address will be given by Don Hutson, former Packer star and coach and longtime friend of Mr. Lambeau. Dominic Olejniczak, president of the Packer Corp., and City Attorney Clarence Nier, president of the Stadium Commission, will also speak.
PACK EYES OFFENSIVE BOOST AT CLEVELAND
SEPT 4 (Cleveland-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "Know Thyself," Greek philosopher Thales once advised in the long ago. Thales, obviously, couldn't had had Green Bay's prideful Packers in mind when he was pontificating thusly. Be that as it may, they hope to take some major strikes in the direction of self-knowledge in the balmy atmosphere of teeming Municipal Stadium here tonight (WJPG, 8 p.m.) before a capacity crowd of 80,000 customers. Green Bay's favorite sons, who contend with the defending world champion Cleveland Browns in the nightcap of a now traditional preseason doubleheader (the Detroit Lions and New York Giants exchange amenities in the opener), should be equipped with a few answers along about 10:45, Green Bay time...EARLY OPTIMISM: They earlier were openly optimistic about their immediate NFL future, following methodical 44-7 and 34-14 decisions over the Giants and Chicago Bears. The picture becomes slightly distorted, however, when the Dallas Cowboys subjected our heroes to some highly cavalier treatment in Texas last weekend and cantered off with a 21-12 victory, their first at Packer expenses in their six-year history. Defeat in itself was sufficiently discouraging, but even more disturbing to Vince Lombardi and his coaching colleagues was the Packers' failure to register a touchdown for the first time in 35 games, dating back to their NFL inaugural in 1963, a 10-3 misadventure against the Chicago Bears...FOCUS ON OFFENSE: As a result, there has been heavy focus in recent days upon the arts of offense, particularly those required in the vicinity of the goal line, with the obvious hope that tonight's performance will be somewhat more productive in the matter of touchdowns. The attack will not, of course, be the Bays' only concern. In addition to facing a Brown defense which has yielded only one of four opponents more than two TDs, Lombardi's athletes will have to find some way of dealing with the awesome Jim Brown, always openly anti-social. An indication of how difficult this is likely to be can be gleaned from figures that reveal that the perennial All-Pro has averaged nearly 6 yards per carry to date with 306 in 52 carries - one of his best preseason performances since joining the Browns. And, although the gifted Paul Warfield still is convalescing from a shattered collar bone, the Packer resistance will be called upon to cope with an air assault that admirably complements Mr. Brown's frequent thrusts. Ryan, now possessor of a doctorate, still has Gary Collins, the team's leading receiver, to throw to, along with a mercurial pair who have been standing in for Warfield, Walt Roberts and Clifton McNeil. The Packers, unhappily, will not be at their physical best for tonight's production. Tom Moore, plagued with a leg injury sustained in Dallas, will not play, Lombardi announced, adding that linebacker Ray Nitschke and flanker Carroll Dale are doubtful participants. If Nitschke, who is troubled with a thigh injury, is unable to perform, Lee Roy Caffey will move in to his middle linebacker post and sophomore Tommy Crutcher into Caffey's right side station. Left guard Dan Grimm also has a fractured thumb and rookie halfback Junior Coffey still is favoring a pulled leg muscle, but both are expected to see at least limited action. "We may have to use Coffey," Lombardi said. "As of now, Jim Taylor is our only able-bodied fullback." Tonight's match will be the first meeting between the two NFL titans since last November, when the Packers slowed the Browns' surge to the Eastern Division title by forging a 28-21 victory in frosty Milwaukee County Stadium...PACKER PATTER: The Packers, who are headquartering at the Sheraton Cleveland Hotel, will fly out of here immediately following the game. They are expected to land at Green Bay's Austin Straubel Field at about 2 a.m. Sunday...Dr. Eugene Brusky, a Packer medical aide, will undergo surgery for removal of a cartilage on his right knee Tuesday morning. Dr. James W. Nellen, Packer team physician, will perform the operation. "I guess that means no more golf for me for the rest of the season," Dr. Brusky, 1963 Brown County champion, sadly confessed Friday afternoon. But,
smiling as he looked upon the brighter side, he added, "Maybe now I'll get to know my family (he is the father of 13 children) a little better."