CAMP TOUGEST IN 10 YEARS - JORDAN

JUL 22 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers want another NFL championship, and they are willing to pay the price to get it. Veteran Henry Jordan, a defensive tackle, said this year's training camp so far has been the toughest he has seen in his 10 years as a Packer, the first eight under disciplinarian Vince Lombardi. Head Coach Phil Bengtson has installed a rugged running program designed to put his players in top physical condition. Drills have become shorter since Lombardi left, but they have become more intense. The Super Bowl defeat of the Baltimore Colts by the New York Jets was a bitter one for the Packers to take. They had been the NFL representatives in the first two clashes between the NFL and AFL and had won both, beating the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders...FACTORS OF DECLINE: The Packers decline last season has been blamed on several factors, including an almost unbelievable string of injuries on the defensive line. But complacency has also been advanced as a theory, and several sources have mentioned outside activities by team members that kept them from thinking football 100 per cent of the time. This year, no complacency exists. The conditioning program should help overcome the injury problems. And the Packers, to a man, are dedicated. "Each player is thinking about it right now," said Elijah Pitts, veteran running back. "The new guys want a championship and the older fellows want it again." Ray Nitschke, a linebacker preparing for his 12th season, believes the material for another title is in camp. "It's here," Nitschke said of the championship caliber of the players. "It all depends on the attitude. I think we'll make it." Defensive end Willie Davis has said this will be his last year and he wants to go out as a champion. Nitschke, Davis, Pitts and Jordan will all play vital roles in the Packer fortunes this season. Nitschke, a former Illinois ball carrier, is considered one of the best middle linebackers in pro football. Davis, Pitts and Jordan all are coming back off of an off-year produced by injuries. While Bengtson and his aides try to rebuild the offensive line that was decimated by retirements, observers in Green Bay hint another retirement is in the wind. This one, they said, may take place on the defensive side of the line. Two early-camp standouts have been running backs Perry Williams of Purdue and Dave Hampton of Wyoming. They could give the Packers a break-away threat that has been missing.

PERRY WILLIAMS EMERGES FROM SHADOW OF KEYES
JUL 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Perry Williams, one of the Packers' more talented hopefuls, has a droll sense of humor and the ability to put things in perspective. Both are requisites when an athlete has: (1) Performed in the shadow of such as Leroy Keyes and (2) is striving to make the major league grade. At the moment, the ex-Purdue fullback is in the midst of one of the most concentrated struggles for survival in Phil Bengston's highly spartan camp, but he appraises it with equanimity. "I'm still walking," Williams dryly volunteered while relaxing in his Sensenbrenner Hall room at the Pack's St. Norbert College training base Tuesday night...MOVE FASTER: "We're going to begin to move a lot faster now, though, so I'll have to pay a lot more attention on the field," he added soberly. "I'll have to watch the vets and try to pick up some pointers." Williams is contending with fellow freshmen Dave Hampton of Wyoming, Merlin Walet of McNeese (La.) State and Oklahoma State's Larry Gosney for a niche among the final 40, not to mention such established performers as Donny Anderson, Jim Grabowski, Elijah Pitts, Travis Williams and Chuck Mercein, but he evaluates his prospects with commendable calm. "I think I have a chance and so do all the other rookies here or they wouldn't have asked us to come here," says Perry, whose gold-rimmed spectacles give him a decidedly professorial appearance. "I think it's up to us...WON'T GO UNREWARDED: is a running back and the other is at fullback, but they're both basically the same positions. If Dave is doing something that I ordinarily would be doing, I'll say something to him. And I the situation is reversed, he'll say something to me." Surprisingly enough, considering his primary function the last two years was to clear the way for Keyes, Williams emerged as the No. 2 ground gainer in Purdue history. Keyes, of course, is the all-time leader." "My sophomore year, I was a fullback at 190 pounds." he reported. "We had mostly a passing offense that year - Bob Griese was there. I did what running there was and gained something like 600 or 700 yards. "As a junior - that was Leroy's first yar - he picked up around 1,000 yards and I guess I had over 800. I was playing at 194 pounds then. "Between my junior and senior years, I picked up between 15 and 20 pounds, and some people said I was a couple steps slower, so my senior year I ran the ball less. But," he said, exhibiting an ironic smile, "I had to put on a little weight, those defensive ends were getting bigger." The 6-foot-2-inch Cincinnati native now scales a trim 215 pounds. "That," he said, recalling the afternoon's humid heat, "is before practice."

HIMES SUFFERS MINOR INJURY; TRAVIS RETURNS
JUL 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packer offensive tackle Dick Himes suffered a knee hurt in Tuesday afternoon's practice but it isn't expected to sideline him for long, GM-Coach Phil Bengtson reports. Himes, heir apparent to Forrest Gregg at right tackle, was helped from the field by Trainer Dominic Gentile after being injured in a "live" running drill and did not return to action. "He had the left knee bruised - somebody fell on it," Bengtson reported. "I have no idea how long he will be out, but he
shouldn't be out too long." The Packer major-domo earlier had a more pleasant experience when halfback Travis Williams, absent since Friday because of an intestinal virus, returned at the start of the afternoon session.

STATE NATIVE EYES PACK BERTH

JUL 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Strange as it may seem, it has been more than a decade since a Wisconsin-grown athlete has crashed the Packer roster. The last, in fact, was Jim Temp, who earned a berth under Liz Blackbourn in 1957 after starring for La Crosse Aquinas High School and the University of Wisconsin. Terry Fredenberg is still something of a long shot at this early point but the slender flanker, fresh from shattering all of UW-Milwaukee's season and career pass receiving records, Fredenberg just might end the home state drought. Signed as a free agent, the ex-Milwaukee Washington standout has impressed the Packer brain trust with both his moves and his pass-catching ability, as well as his ingenuity...'VERY PROMISING ATHLETE': Bob Schnelker, rangy overseer of the Pack's passing game, says, "Terry has great hands and he's always thinking about different ways to run his routes...He's a very promising athlete." Since the Packers customarily carry four wide receivers and only veterans Boyd Dowler and Carroll Dale are certain to be in evidence when the NFL season opens Sept. 21, there obviously is great opportunity. Fredenberg, who is contending for employment with Bucky Pope, John Spilis and Andy Beath, among others, still must prove he has the speed to go deep, but he doesn't consider this a major concern. "Most people think I'm slow," he admits, "but I'm actually not. I don't have the burning speed of some of the NFL flankers, like Bob Hayes and Lance Rentzel, but I'm not slow. I ran a 4.7 during the rookie camp here in the 40, which was fourth among the 25 rookies." Although he played only one year of high school football, as a senior, Fredenberg has a brilliant career at UW-M. In four seasons, he caught 206 passes for 2,690 yards and 28 touchdowns, all school records, and also set a single game mark when he caught 15 for 215 yards and three TDs in a game against Eastern Illinois. A quiet, thoughtful athlete, Terry assesses his situation with complete candor...'ALWAYS A CHANCE': "There's still an outside chance," he says. "I knew when I came up here my chances wouldn't be great. I'm hoping to coach later. I'm hoping to make the team, but if I don't what I'm learning here will be a great help to me in coaching later. "And, of course, even if I don't make it, there's always a chance some other club will pick me up. More or less, I just want the coaches to notice me. I want them to know that I'm not just going through the motions. I didn't want to get lost in the crowd. I had a couple of good days and Coach
Schnelker has called me aside and given me a good word or two once or twice. I don't know if he does it to all the rookie receivers or not, but it is some encouragement." Summing up his case, Fredenberg pointed out, "I noticed in the Packer press guide that Coach Schnelker was drafted 16th, and he played in the NFL a long time. And Baby Ray (a part-time Packer scout who was in camp last week) wasn't drafted either and he played 11 years. And Bart Starr was drafted 17th...So there's a hope."

VINYARD FINALLY FEELS LIKE PLACEKICKER

JUL 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "This is the first day," Ken Vinyard said, a trifle apologetically, "that I've felt like a placekicker." The compactly constructed Texan, rated the top senior kicker in the nation when he was drafted by the Packers in the sixth round last January, was taking new heart from a consistent performance in Wednesday's pair of practice sessions...WITECHA HELPS: "I was terrible before today, as far back as rookie camp in June," he explained. "I think the main trouble was in coming down to kick from the ground after using a two-inch tee for everything in college." Ken, who connected on 18 of 35 field goal and 67 of 70 extra point attempts during a three-year varsity career at Texas Tech, is hopeful that kicking coach Ray Wietecha has solved his problem. "Coach Wietecha noticed that I wasn't stepping straight to the ball - I was stepping out to the side and then coming back through," Vinyard informed. "He told me to line my right foot up a little ahead of the left one, like all the kickers do now, instead of behind the left...SLIPPED IN SNOW: "After I started doing that, I kicked fairly well today. In another week or so, I should have it down well and be kicking real good, I hope. I had a lot better punch today than I had before." He didn't make a point of it, but a non-football injury could well have complicated his kicking chores. "I broke my ankle in February," he reported, sheepishly appending, "I slipped down in the snow, just walking down the street. It kept me from working out for a while but it's coming along pretty well now. I just tape it good before I go out to practice and it feels all right." Vinyard is fully aware that his chances of unseating incumbent placekicker Mike Mercer are not overly bright, but he is hopeful the fact he also is a punter may weigh in his favor. The highly personable Amarillo resident, who averaged 39.5 yards during three varsity seasons, says he has been receiving informal assistance in the latter from fellow Texas Tech alumnus Donny Anderson, the Packers punter the last two years...KEEPS BALL HIGH: "Donny's been telling me what I was doing wrong," Vinyard said. "We kick almost the same except that he's left-footed and I'm right-footed... We both try to keep the ball high. I haven't hit the spiral consistently yet, but I've hit the ball good - I haven't muffed a bunch of 'em." Ken, who shared national distance honors as a sophomore in 1966 when he booted a 55-yard field goal, noted he is not necessarily campaigning for Andy's punting assignment. "Donny's done such a great job," he said with obvious sincerity, "but, because he plays so much at halfback, I don't know if they want him punting or not...DEPENDS ON GAMES: "As far as the placekicking is concerned, I know the Packers had a lot of trouble with it last year until Mike Mercer came...I'm sure it will depend on what happens in the ball games. Anyone with ability can kick in practice - it's how you kick in games that counts. I think all three of us (Mercer, Joe Runk and Vinyard) have the potential to do the job. But it'll be tough for us to get around Mike, because he's real good. If I can't make it here, though, I feel I can somewhere else, particularly because I can both punt and placekick. I'd rather play here than anywhere else, but I should be able to play somewhere."...PACKER PATTER: "That Gillie (Gale Gillingham) is something else," veteran defensive tackle Henry Jordan dolefully declared, shaking his head
in awe after two thunderous collisions with the Pack's bruising right guard in Wednesday afternoon's "nutcracker" (one-on-one - with ball carrier) drill. "That's like kissing the front end of a moving train." Another member of the offensive unit, tight end Marv Fleming, elicited informal praise from his teammates for his explosive quickness in the same exercise. Rookie running backs Dave Hampton (Wyoming) and Perry Williams (Purdue), standouts since camp opened, also continued to impress with their efforts in all departments - running, blocking and pass receiving. Flanker Claudis James, recently returned from the Los Angeles Rams when discovery of an old injury voided the trade, viewed practice in street clothes before entering the hospital later in the day preparatory to undergoing knee surgery.

BENGTSON'S SON LOST TO FLORIDA STATE
JUL 24 (Tallahassee, FL) - Brian Bengtson, son of Green Bay Packers Coach Phil Bengtson, has been lost to the Florida State football squad for the 1969 season. The 195-pound end, who came to FSU as a quarterback, fractured a vertebra in a swimming accident near Green Bay. His father, who took over as Packer head man when Vince Lombardi retired in 1968, telephoned Coach Bill Peterson of the Seminoles about his sophomore son. Bengtson said Brian would be in a brace for some time. 'We've had a lot of bad off-the-field luck," Peterson said. Mike Page, a standout defensive back, was killed in a train-auto wreck at Valdosta, Ga., earlier in the year and defensive end Floyd Ratliff was seriously injured in the same mishap. Ratliff is expected to be back in school in the fall but won't play football.

JAMES SEES DIM FUTURE

JUL 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - For Claudis James, the future is dim and the season could be over before it begins. James, veteran Green Bay Packer flanker, was undergoing surgery today to repair cartilage in his knee. He said he could be out six to eight weeks. But the knee is just part of his trouble. After it heals, then what? the former Jackson State, Miss., quarterback asked. Last season, he saw very little action, but made two costly fumbles in close games. "I would get in the game in important situations, but I don't think I played enough," he said. "After sitting on the bench in the snow, what can you expect a player to do?" "If I had played more, I could have caught more passes and people wouldn't remember those fumbles," he said. Shortly before the current training began, the Packers traded James to the Los Angeles Rams for a future draft choice. There, his bad knee was discovered and the trade was nullified. Now James is back with Green Bay, ready to undergo surgery, but unsure of his next move. "I know they don't want me," James said Wednesday. "They already have traded me away, so they must not want me." "I wasn't surprised at being traded. But I was kind of shocked that it was at the last minute," he said.

JERRY KRAMER SIGNS WITH CBS
JUL 24 (New York) - The CBS Television Network signed Jerry Kramer, a former All-Pro offensive guard with the Green Bay Packers, and end Frank Clarke, an 11-year veteran of the NFL Wednesday as commentators for the 1969 pro football season. Kramer played 11 years with the Packers and earned All-Pro honors five times. Clarke played for the Dallas Cowboys in his last eight seasons, retiring in 1967.

VANDERSEA IN ANOTHER NEW HOME, TACKLE
JUL 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Has Phil Vandersea finally found a home? Currently holding forth at his fifth Packer position in four NFL semesters, the 26-year-old New Englander frankly admits, "I'd like to settle down somewhere." His latest assignment finds the deceptively laconic Dutchman at defensive tackle, a position where advancing age and injury have presented him with a glittering opportunity. And, judging by Thursday afternoon's bruising scrimmage on the Pack's South Oneida Street practice field, he intends to make capital of it...INSPIRED HEADKNOCKING: After the inspired headknocking, easily the lustiest of the young training camp, defensive line coach Dave Hanner was prompted to observe, "Vandersea is making a real good showing. He's working hard and improving everyday...He's a real strong boy." The subject of Hanner's assessment, cast a tight end most of the 1968 season, is taken with his new role, although he considers it much more demanding. "I like the position," says the strapping towhead, "but it's a lot different than offense, of course...But I'm sure I can
play there if I can get the experience. It's a lot tougher than tight end. You have to react more. You have to key more - you have more decisions to make at the line of scrimmage...PHYSICALLY TOUGHER: "Physically it's tougher, too. You're facing bigger men and there's more contact - you're more involved in the action. A greater variety of people are blocking you - the center, the guard, the tackle, the fullback and the halfback. You've got five people blocking you. "I think the physical part is the toughest," Vandersea continued. "I'm twice as tired at the end of the day this year than I was last year." Drafted in the 16th round as a future in 1965, the former University of Massachusetts athlete began his Packer career as a fullback but shortly was transferred to linebacker...MOVED TO SAINTS: Following his rookie seasonvin 1966, he moved to New Orleans in the expansion draft but, after a year of linebacking for the Saints, returned to the Packers a year ago and immediately was installed at tight end. There he remained until the last three weeks of the season, when he was shifted to defensive end after injuries riddled the front four. As it turned out, he played only one game there but it was enough to convince the Packer board of strategy that he belongs on defense. Phil, who at 245 is five pounds heavier than his previous top weight, explains with a dry chuckle, "I keep eating myself out of each position."...PACKER PATTER: Rookie linebacker Don Bliss, a member of John Coatta's Wisconsin Badgers last season, suffered a bruised knee during Thursday afternoon's scrimmage but the injury is not believed to be serious. Fellow freshman Chuck Detwiler of Utah State also was knocked groggy while tackling Elijah Pitts in company with Freddie Carr. GM-Coach Phil Bengtson, evaluating the rough stuff, said, "I thought it showed some things... the pass protection generally was pretty good. The offensive blocking in the line was good for passing, although it was not particularly good for running plays, and the quarterbacks were getting rid of the ball pretty well. "There was nothing precise about it. Of course, we used a lot of people attempting to see what progress we've made in a week's time." Individually, he said, "I thought (Bill) Hayhoe and (Lar-ry) Agajanian, among the first year men, both blocked pretty well."...Two freshmen members of the coaching staff stole the show during rookie entertainment at Thursday night's squad dinner in the St. Norbert College Memorial Union. Introduced by emcee Jim Weatherwax as "Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter," Forrest Gregg and Zeke Bratkowski titillated the coaches and players alike with their version of "Daddy Sang Bass". The Brat, sporting a flowing blonde wig, for the performance, occasionally emitted a tremulous falsetto that all but fractured the audience.

DOTSCH LIKES PACK SPIRIT

JUL 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - You can add Rollie Dotsch to the list of those who are confident the Pack will, most assuredly, be back in 1969. Here Thursday for his annual visit to the Packer camp, Northern Michigan University's head football coach was struck, from his intimate sideline vantage point, by the change in atmosphere from 1968. "I'm really impressed with their attitude and the way they're working," Dotsch, shortly to begin his fourth year at NMU, observed. "There's quite a difference from last year...They look like they have great spirit, they really do." Asked if any of the rookies might have caught his eye, Dotsch replied without hesitation, "That boy (Dave) Hampton looks explosive...He's got quick feet on him...COACHED FRANCIS PEAY: "You don't very often get a kid who can move his feet like that. I coached Francis Peay for two years when I was on the staff at the University of Missouri and he has the same kind of ability...I have a lot of respect for Francis, I might add. We worked him hard at Missouri and he never once complained." Turning to more personal concerns, he inquired, "How's Howie's (Kolstad) team going to be...pretty good?" It sounded like a casual question and it could have been, except that Dotsch's Wildcats will be resuming their rivalry with Kolstad's St. Norbert Green Knights this season. "We missed playing them last year," Dotsch noted, "but we played them in our seventh game this year. We aren't scheduled in 1970 but we'll meet again in 1971. We want to keep it going - we enjoy the rivalry."...KROLL AT LINEBACKER: Launching into an informal analysis of his Wildcats, the former Michigan State athlete reported, "Bobby Kroll from Preble High is going to start at linebacker for us. He's doing real well. And Ken Schuettpelz from Suring has a good chance to be a starter, too. If he doesn't start, he'll be our third tackle. "We also have Jim Danilko from Rhinelander, a deep safety, who is a tri-captain this year. And we picked up Gary Pendl from Suring, Larry Bittner from Coleman and Bruce Magnuson from Marinette this year, so we'll have quite a Wisconsin flavor to our team. Overall, I'm encouraged. I think our defense is going to be much improved. We're young in the offensive line, but we have Lonnie Holton, who was a Little All-America halfback the last two years. If our offensive line comes along, we should be all right." Lest he should sound too optimistic, Rollie was quick to add, "We've got a pretty good schedule this year - we start out with Northern Iowa and North Dakota State and then we go to Weber State in Utah. They're pretty tough - they were co-champions of the Big Sky Conference last year. And North Dakota State was unbeaten the last two seasons and won the Pecan Bowl last year. We also play Quantico, St. Norbert, Tampa, Eastern Illinois and Central Michigan." Mustering an ironic smile, the brawny Garden, Mich., native concluded, "We'd better be pretty good or we're going to get laced."

WILLIE DAVIS, JORDAN THINK OF RETIREMENT

JUL 25 (Green Bay) - Two giants in the Green Bay Packer defensive line say they are playing in their final season. "I knew it was time to call it quits when I started thinking about retirement after last season," said Willie Davis, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound end. "This is definitely my last year." Tackle Henry Jordan isn't as emphatic about his plans but does admit his days are numbered. "These boys are getting big- ger and quicker," he said Thursday. "They're really pushing me for my job."...IN BEST SHAPE: Ironically, both Davis and Jordan are in the best shape for this time of the season than they have ever been. They credit their condition to Coach Phil Bengtson's off - season running program. "This is the hardest camp I've ever been at," Jordan said. "Not even Vince Lombardi worked us this hard." Davis, echoing Jordan, said he was glad when the famed nut-cracker drill was practiced. "It's a time to relax," Davis said. "You work for two plays, then you can sit down while someone else is going through the nutcracker."...COMBINED EFFORT: The two defensive linemen combined have played 25 years in the NFL. Davis, who was drafted in the 17th round by the Cleveland Browns in 1956 after finishing at Grambling, La., College, joined the Packers in 1959 in one of the first deals Lombardi made after being named coach at Green Bay. The defensive captain of the Packers, Davis was named to The Associated Press; All-Pro team in 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967.