The 1959 Green Bay Packers - 7-5 (T-3RD - Western Conference)
Head Coach: Vince Lombardi
1959 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (4-2)
OFF DEF
AUGUST (2-1) RESULT RECORD ATT RSH PSS RSH PSS STARTING QB LEADING RUSHER LEADING PASSER LEADING RECEIVER
15 M-CHICAGO BEARS L 16-19 0- 1-0 28,286 190 119 130 183 Bart Starr Tim Brown (61) Bart Starr (67) Max McGee (4-49)
23 at San Francisco 49ers W 24-17 1- 1-0 18,916 163 123 126 268 Babe Parilli Jim Taylor (60) Babe Parilli (130) Max McGee (4-52)
29 Philadelphia Eagles at Portland, OR W 45-28 2- 1-0 25,456 220 185 63 404 Joe Francis Paul Hornung (45) Joe Francis (167) Max McGee (4-52)
SEPTEMBER (2-1)
5 New York Giants at Bangor, ME L 0-14 2- 2-0 20,000 136 105 133 126 Lamar McHan Paul Hornung (35) Lamar McHan (65) Three tied with 3 each
12 Washington at Winston-Salem, NC W 20-13 3- 2-0 15,000 208 66 198 151 Bart Starr Jim Taylor (77) Bart Starr (31) Paul Hornung (2-20)
20 Pittsburgh Steelers at Minneapolis W 13-10 4- 2-0 18,081 92 155 69 184 Bart Starr Jim Taylor (35) Lamar McHan (141) Two tied with 2 each
1959 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS (7-5)
SEPTEMBER (1-0)
27 G-CHICAGO BEARS (0-0) W 9- 6 1- 0-0 32,150 177 85 75 89 Lamar McHan Jim Taylor (98) Lamar McHan (81) Four tied with 1 each
OCTOBER (2-2)
4 G-DETROIT LIONS (0-1) W 28-10 2- 0-0 32,150 113 150 82 142 Lamar McHan Don McIlhenny (52) Lamar McHan (146) Max McGee (3-124)
11 G-SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (2-0) W 21-20 3- 0-0 32,150 284 87 122 117 Lamar McHan Paul Hornung (138) Lamar McHan (94) Gary Knafelc (3-48)
18 M-LOS ANGELES RAMS (1-2) L 6-45 3- 1-0 36,194 117 145 258 198 Lamar McHan Paul Hornung (54) Lamar McHan (148) Paul Hornung (5-58)
25 at Baltimore Colts (3-1) L 21-38 3- 2-0 57,557 139 205 118 191 Lamar McHan Lew Carpenter (88) Lamar McHan (233) Gary Knafelc (5-69)
NOVEMBER (2-3)
1 at New York Giants (4-1) L 3-20 3- 3-0 68,837 69 91 80 135 Lamar McHan Paul Hornung (36) Joe Francis (91) Don McIlhenny (3-54)
8 at Chicago Bears (2-4) L 17-28 3- 4-0 46,205 158 72 172 107 Lamar McHan Jim Taylor (90) Lamar McHan (52) Two tied with 2 each
15 M-BALTIMORE COLTS (4-3) L 24-28 3- 5-0 25,521 218 237 192 317 Bart Starr Jim Taylor (79) Bart Starr (242) Boyd Dowler (8-147)
22 G-WASHINGTON REDSKINS (3-5) W 21- 0 4- 5-0 31,853 186 150 200 38 Bart Starr Jim Taylor (81) Bart Starr (120) Max McGee (5-75)
26 at Detroit Lions (2-6-1) W 24-17 5- 5-0 49,221 73 169 190 164 Bart Starr Jim Taylor (41) Bart Starr (169) Boyd Dowler (4-107)
DECEMBER (0-2)
6 at Los Angeles Rams (2-8) W 38-20 6- 5-0 61,044 143 192 99 187 Bart Starr Paul Hornung (74) Bart Starr (161) Two tied with 4 each
13 at San Francisco 49ers (7-4) W 36-14 7- 5-0 55,997 230 249 182 97 Bart Starr Lew Carpenter (113) Bart Starr (249) Boyd Dowler (6-61)
G - Green Bay M - Milwaukee
1959 IN REVIEW
Vince Lombardi became the fifth head coach on February 2, and the Packer franchise was changed forever. The former Giants' assistant coach immediately changed the face of the team. In April, he traded WR Billy Howton, the top Packer receiver of the decade, to Cleveland for HB Lew Carpenter and DE Bill Quinlan. In May, he acquired QB Lamar McHan from the Cardinals. After Bobby Dillon retired, Lombardi picked up DB Emlen Tunnell from the Giants. He also acquired OG Fuzzy Thurston from the Colts and DT Henry Jordan from the Browns. Lombardi also released Howie Ferguson, Babe Parilli and Al Carmichael, as 16 veterans from the 1958 team were sent elsewhere or released. In posting their first winning record in twelve years, Green Bay opened the season 3-0, lost five straight, then won their last four games. A change at quarterback from McHan to Bart Starr in Week Five re-energized the Green Bay offense, as Starr established himself as the team leader for the next decade. For the first time in years, Packer fans looked forward to the off-season, and the upcoming campaign.
A FATEFUL CHOICE FOR A FORMER TOP PICK
A half century ago, Randy Duncan was the best quarterback in college football and the most sought-after player in the National Football League draft. Duncan had led the Iowa Hawkeyes to the Big Ten title and two consecutive Rose Bowl victories in 1957 and in '58. His senior year, he was a consensus All-American, the Walter Camp Award winner and the Big Ten's most valuable player. The athletic, strong-armed quarterback led the nation in passing and total offense and ended second to Army's Pete Dawkins for the 1958 Heisman Trophy. "I was used to winning," said Duncan, who also excelled in the classroom and aspired to attend law school. So Duncan, who was 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, was less than thrilled when informed that the Green Bay Packers - the worst team in pro football - had chosen him with the No. 1 selection in the 1959 NFL draft. From 1956-'59, the draft consisted of 30 rounds and was held in two separate sessions, two months apart, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. The first four rounds of the 1959 draft were held on December 2, 1958 - as the Packers were in the midst of a seven-game losing streak in an atrocious 1-10-1 season. The remaining 26 rounds of the draft were conducted on Jan. 21, 1959. Duncan had hoped to play for the Los Angeles Rams, who had the No. 2 selection in the draft, in a metropolitan area that offered several options for law school. He received the news of his No. 1 selection via telephone from Jack Vainisi, Green Bay's personnel director, as he waited to catch a flight in Chicago back to Iowa. Duncan was returning from a television appearance in New York featuring the collegiate All-American team. "You have to remember, the Packers had only won one game in 1958," Duncan said. "It wasn't a real popular situation at the time. Nobody could have seen what Lombardi would do. Being the No. 1 draft choice in the league wasn't what it was now. So basically it came down to money. I got more to play in Canada." Jerry Kramer, a guard in his second season, said most Green Bay players did not pay much attention to the draft or rookies. "Pro football and the draft just weren't the big deal they are today," Kramer said. "We didn't get excited about the new guys coming in until they put on a helmet in training camp and you could see if they could play or not. I really don't remember much about drafting Randy Duncan because I was in my second year and worried about my spot." Duncan spurned the Packers offer and signed a two-year, $35,000 deal with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League. His signing bonus was $2,000. "It's hard to believe with what No. 1 draft choices receive now," Duncan said Monday from his law office in Des Moines, Iowa. "But that was a lot of money back in 1959. It was a couple thousand more than Green Bay offered. And I was going to law school." It was a major blow to the reeling Green Bay franchise, whose finances mirrored its on-field performance. The NFL's smallest-market team was not held in high regard by NFL brass and many team owners. "The Packers were not doing well financially at the time," said Lee Remmel, former team public relations director and team historian. "Randy Duncan was very successful at Iowa, but he went to Canada and never played a down in Green Bay." But the Packers had a bigger void to fill. The organization was focused on finding a head coach to replace Ray "Scooter" McLean, who resigned under pressure in December after the worst season in team history. "The Packers underwhelmed 10 opponents, overwhelmed one, and whelmed one," said legendary sportswriter Red Smith. Duncan's coach at Iowa, Forest Evashevski, was the leading candidate for the vacant Green Bay position. Evashevski opted to stay at Iowa after a secret trip to Green Bay to meet with executive committee members. The Packers then pursued Vince Lombardi, an assistant
coach with the New York Giants. The rest is history. Lombardi became the fifth head coach in Green Bay annals and created a dynasty, winning five NFL championships in seven years in the 1960s. But what would have happened if Evashevski would have taken the Packer post? "If he would have gone to Green Bay, I'm sure I would have gone too," Duncan said. "But it didn't work out that way." Duncan played two seasons in British Columbia, throwing for 3,480 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 38 interceptions. In the offseason, he attended law school at Drake University in Des Moines. After his unimpressive CFL experience, he signed with the Dallas Texans of the American Football League in 1961 and continued his education at Southern Methodist University. Head coach Hank Stram traded for Len Dawson, relegating Duncan to a backup role. He appeared in nine games, throwing just one touchdown pass. Duncan's professional football career was over, but his business career was just beginning. "I didn't want to be on the bench," he said, "So I decided to go into law." Duncan completed his studies at Drake and followed in his father's footsteps, operating a successful law practice in Des Moines for more than 45 years. He and his wife, Paula, have been married for nearly 50 years. They raised three boys, two of whom played at Yale and Iowa. Duncan, who was inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1976 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997, closely follows Iowa Hawkeye football and the NFL. "I like the Packers and the Vikings - can you believe it?" Duncan asked with a laugh. He has attended a few games at Lambeau Field over the years, the last time for a Monday night contest against Tennessee in 2004. "I went up with some friends to a game at the renovated stadium. It's a great facility," he said. "We toured the Packers Hall of Fame and had a good time." Duncan said he has no regrets about his decision five decades ago to bypass playing for the Packers. "I'm 72 and golf, play tennis and even play a little handball - I don't have to work that hard anymore," Duncan said. "I have no regrets over the past and no fear of the future." SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 5 May 2009
NAME NO POS HGT WGT COLLEGE YR PR AG G HOW ACQUIRED
Ken Beck 73 DT 6- 2 240 Texas A&M 1 1 24 12 1959 Trade-Cards
Tom Bettis 65 LB 6- 2 225 Purdue 5 5 26 12 1955 Draft-1st
Nate Borden 87 DE 6- 0 240 Indiana 5 5 27 12 1955 Draft-25th
Tim Brown 25 HB 5-10 195 Ball State 1 1 22 1 1959 Draft-27th
Bill Butler 22 HB 5-10 180 Chattanooga 1 1 22 11 1959 Draft-19th
Lew Carpenter 33 FB 6- 2 210 Arkansas 1 6 27 12 1959 Trade-Cleve
Dan Currie 58 LB 6- 3 235 Michigan State 2 2 24 12 1958 Draft-1st
Bobby Dillon 44 DB 6- 1 180 Texas 8 8 29 12 1952 Draft-3rd
John Dittrich 68 OG 6- 1 235 Wisconsin 1 2 26 12 1959 FA-Cards
Boyd Dowler 86 E 6- 5 225 Colorado 1 1 21 12 1959 Draft-3rd
Bill Forrester 69 DT 6- 3 240 SMU 7 7 27 12 1953 Draft-3rd
Joe Francis 20 QB 6- 1 195 Oregon State 2 2 23 12 1958 Draft-5th
Bob Freeman 41 DB 6- 1 205 Auburn 1 3 26 12 1959 Trade-Cleve
Forrest Gregg 75 G 6- 4 245 SMU 3 3 25 12 1956 Draft-2nd
Hank Gremminger 46 DB 6- 1 205 Baylor 4 4 26 12 1956 Draft-7th
Dave Hanner 79 DT 6- 2 260 Arkansas 8 8 29 12 1952 Draft-5th
Paul Hornung 5 HB 6- 2 215 Notre Dame 3 3 23 12 1957 Draft-Bonus
Henry Jordan 74 DT 6- 3 250 Virginia 1 3 24 12 1959 Trade-Cleve
Gary Knafelc 84 E 6- 4 220 Colorado 6 6 27 12 1954 FA-Cards
Jerry Kramer 64 G 6- 3 245 Idaho 2 2 23 12 1958 Draft-4th
Ron Kramer 88 E 6- 3 230 Michigan 2 2 24 12 1957 Draft-1st
Norm Masters 78 T 6- 2 250 Michigan State 3 3 26 12 1957 Trade-Det
Max McGee 85 E 6- 3 205 Tulane 4 4 27 12 1954 Draft-5th
Lamar McHan 17 QB 6- 1 205 Arkansas 1 6 26 12 1959 Trade-Cards
Don McIlhenny 42 HB 6- 0 200 SMU 3 4 24 12 1957 Trade- Det
Ray Nitschke 66 LB 6- 3 230 Illinois 2 2 22 12 1958 Draft-3rd
Bill Quinlan 83 DE 6- 3 250 Michigan State 1 3 27 12 1959 Trade-Cleve
Jim Ringo 51 C 6- 1 230 Syracuse 7 7 29 12 1953 Draft-7th
Bob Skoronski 76 T 6- 3 250 Indiana 2 2 25 12 1956 Draft-5th
Bart Starr 15 QB 6- 1 200 Alabama 4 4 25 12 1956 Draft-17th
John Symank 27 DB 5-11 180 Florida 3 3 24 12 1957 Draft-23rd
Jim Taylor 31 FB 6- 0 212 LSU 2 2 24 12 1958 Draft-2nd
Jim Temp 82 DE 6- 4 250 Wisconsin 3 3 25 12 1955 Draft-2nd
Fuzzy Thurston 63 G 6- 1 245 Valparaiso 1 2 24 12 1959 Trade-Balt
Emlen Tunnell 45 DB 6- 1 215 Iowa 1 12 34 12 1959 Trade-NY
Jesse Whittenton 47 DB 6- 0 195 Texas-El Paso 2 4 25 12 1958 FA-Bears
A.D. Williams 81 E 6- 2 210 Pacific 1 1 25 12 1959 FA-LA
NO - Jersey Number POS - Position HGT - Height WGT - Weight YR - Years with Packers PR - Years of
Professional Football AGE - Age at Start of Season G - Games Played FA - Free Agent
1959 PACKERS DRAFT (December 2, 1958 (1-4) and January 21, 1959 (5-30))
RND-PCK NAME COLLEGE
1 - 1 QB Randy Duncan Iowa
2 - 13 HB Alex Hawkins S.Carolina
3 - 25 E Boyd Dowler Colorado
4 - 37 to Cleveland for Len Ford
5a - 49 to Washington for J.D. Kimmel
5b - 55 G Andy Cvercko (A) Northwestern
6 - 61 C Willie Taylor Florida A&M
7a - 73 HB Bobby Jackson Alabama
7b - 83 T Gary Raid (B) Williamette
8a - 85 E Buddy Mayfield S. Carolina
8b - 95 HB Bob Laraba (C) TX-El Paso
9 - 97 HB George Dixon Bridgeport
10 -109 G/T Sam Tuccio S.Miss.
11 -121 QB Bob Webb St. Ambrose
12 -133 G Larry Hall Misso. Vall
13 -145 *-FB Jim Hurd Albion
14 -157 G Jim Kerr Arizona St
15 -169 C Dick Teteak Wisconsin
16 -181 E Dan Edgington Florida
17 -193 HB Tom Secules Will.& Mary
18 -205 TE Dick Nearents Washington
19 -217 HB Bill Butler Chattanooga
20 -229 *-FB Chuck Sample Arkansas
21 -241 FB Dave Smith Ripon
22 -253 E Charles Anderson Drake
23 -265 *-T Orville Lawver Lewis & Clark
24 -277 C Joe Hergert Florida
25 -289 HB Leroy Hardee Florida A&M
26 -301 *-E Ken Higginbotham Trinity-TX
27 -313 HB Tim Brown Ball State
28 -325 G Jerry Epps W. Texas St
29 -337 HB John Flara Pittsburgh
30 -349 T Dick Emerich West Chester
A - from Pittsburgh for Dick Christy B - from New York for Al Barry C - from Cleveland for Dick Deschaine * - Juniors Bold - Played for the Packers
PACKERS AT COACH CROSSROADS - TOP PRO AIDE OR COLLEGE MENTOR
JAN 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers are at a sort of coaching crossroads. One road leads to coaches who have had pro football experience as a player or coach; the other to the top-flight college coach. Green bay has a rather unique coaching history because one individual, Curly Lambeau, coached for 30 yards and the next three coached only nine years - Gene Ronzani, four, Liz Blacknourn, four, and Scooter McLean, one. When 3-9 and 2-10 season started Lambeau's departure (he resigned early in 1950), the Packers looked for the coach with pro experience and hired Ronzani in a hurry. Lambeau resigned Feb. 1 and Ronzani was hired Feb. 6. Ronzani won 14, lost 33 and tied one, including the last two games (losses) of his final year when McLean and Hugh Devore co-coached the club. The thinking went collegiate as the Ronzani regime failed to produce a winner and Blackbourn was lifted from the Marquette campus. Liz produced the best record of the post-Lambeau trio - 17 wins and 31 losses, but he was dispatched with a year left on a five-year pact. McLean was bought in on a one-year, look-see basis a year ago. Scooter had no luck whatsoever, winning only one, losing 10 and tying one, and resigned recently to become backfield coach at Detroit. The Packers presently don't have a coach of any kid for 1959. Holdover assistants such as Nick Skorich, Ray Richards, Breezy Reid and Jack Morton presently are working out their contracts, some of which have until Feb. 1 to go. Who are the present head coaches in the league and what "road" did they travel? Five of the 11 head coaches now under contract did not work as pro assistants - George Halas of the Bears, Paul Brown of the Browns, Sid Gillman of the Rams, Frank Ivy of the Cardinals and Buck Shaw of the Eagles. Halas, of course, was the original Bear and always pulled the strings even if he did have other head coaches along the way. Brown started with the Browns fresh off the campus when they started play in the old All-America Conference. Shaw did the same thing - with the 49ers. Gillman was snapped off the University of Cincinnati campus to handle the Rams in '54 and he won one Western title. Ivy played with the Cardinals and then coached under Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma for six years. He head coached four seasons in Canada before going to the Cards a year ago. The remaining six all served assistantships - the Lions' George Wilson, with the Lions under Buddy Paker; the 49er' Red Hickey, with the 49ers under Frankie Albert, Red Strader and Shaw; the Colts' Weeb Ewbank, with the Browns under Brown; the Giants' Jim Lee Howell with the Giants under Steve Owen; the Steelers' Parker, with the Lions under Bo McMillin; and the Redskins' mike Nixon, with the Redskins under Joe Kuharich. The Packers undoubtedly are exploring all fields in their search for a new head man. The pro league has any number of assistant coaches who would like to become head coaches in the circuit and there are others who would rather work in the background than accept the responsibility - and grief and glory - that goes with head coaching. Due to pro football's position in the nation's sports picture and its great popularity, many college coaches have set a head coaching post in pro football as a golden goal. Pro head coaching certainly is more hazardous than the college brand but the rewards in the pros are much greater. Thus, the Packer coaching job is a choice morsel. Who are the candidates for the Packer job? Just name anybody but the 11 other head coaches in the league and the long-time established college coaches, and you have a candidate! This town is kicking around every name from Stagg to Evasheski to Dietzel to Wilkinson to Lombardi to Bengtson to Bruhn to Crisler to Skorich to Landry to Collier to Blaik to Pool to Erdalatz to Trimble to Joe Blow. So take our pick. But think it over. As Packer President Dominic Olejniczak said the other day: "We won't be panicked into acting in a big hurry."
DUNCAN OUT OF GAME
JAN 5 (Pasadena, CA) - Iowa quarterback Randy Duncan has decided to follow his doctor's orders and not make the trip to play in the Hula Bowl in Honolulu Sunday. The all-star quarterback suffered a bruised kidney New Year's Day when the Hawkeyes rode over California, 38-12, in the Rose Bowl. Duncan said, "I could make the trip to Honolulu now, but I'd have only one day to learn the offensive plays, and that's not enough." He said he was re-examined and informed that
the injury was not serious. He originally was to have flown to Honolulu Thursday. When questioned about plans to turn professional after his graduation from Iowa, Duncan said he would confer with representatives of the Green Bay Packers and Ottawa of the Canadian pro league when he returns home. He added that he was uncertain about turning pro at all and indicated he planned to attend law school after graduation in June.
PACKER CONFER ON GM, COACH IN CINCY
JAN 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packer general manger-coach scene shifts to Cincinnati this week. And there's a familiar ring to that. The 53rd annual convention of the National Collegiate Athletic Assn., opens informally in Cincy today and formally Wednesday. While the major business of the collegians is of no concern to the Packers and the 11 other pro clubs represented. the pros use the convention as an opportunity to talk over draft prospects with their coaches. Since all major college coaches - and three-fourths of the nation's small-college mentors, are in attendance, the convention provides Packer President Dominic Olejniczak with a good opportunity to meet with prospects including coaches and athletic director, for the Packer positions. Jack Vainisi, Packer scout and administrative assistant, will look into the draft matters, checking with college coaches on a number of recommended prospects. Nick Skorich, Packer assistant coach who scouted the Sugar Bowl and the Senior Bowl, will make his final report in Cincy before officially leaving the Bays. He resigned recently. Olejniczak said today he doesn't expect to come back with a coach or general manager, pointing out that the final hearing of anyone will have to be done by the board of directors. But it's possible that the groundwork for the new general manager or general manager, pointing out that the final hiring of anyone will have to be done by the board of directors. But it's possible that the groundwork for the new general manager and/or coach could be set in Cincinnati. Familiar ring? It was just five years ago Wednesday - and in Cincinnati, that the Packers hired Liz Blackbourn as their head coach. Blackbourn signed Saturday as Marquette football coach...Three recently-resigned Packer assistants will be looking for jobs - or at least making contacts for jobs, at the convention. They are Skorich, Breezy Reid and Jack Morton. Skorich and Morton are expected to have little difficulty since they've been in coaching for a number of years. Reid, former Packer players, may have trouble because the 1958 season was his first in coaching. Breezy also has done some scouting for the Pack...Packer assistant coach Ray Richards, who announced his retirement from football after the Packers' last game, is expected in Green Bay Jan. 12 to close out his affairs. Richards has gone into business on the west coast. He scouted the Rose Bowl game and the East-West game for the Packers. He will make a report here on the two games...And speaking about business, George Sauer, the former Packer player, has been named executive vice-president of the Polarmatic Corp. in Dallas. He resigned recently as athletic director at Baylor.
BROCK HEADS PACKER ALUMNI
JAN 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The top two centers in Packer history headed the Packer Alumni Assn. today following the January meeting of the group at the Beaumont Hotel Monday night. Charley Brock was named president and Jug Earp vice-president. Earp centered in the three championship days and Brock played on two title teams. Brock replaces Tony Canadeo. John Biolo was reelected secretary-treasurer and Carl Zorn was named sergeant at arms. Named directors in addition to the officers were Andy Uram and Charley Tollefson. The Alumni set Feb. 2 for their next meeting and Feb. 7 for their annual party.
SCHWARZWALDER? PACKER PREXY HAS 'NO COMMENT'
JAN 7 (Cincinnati-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Green Bay Packer President Dominic Olejniczak had "no comment" today on an Associated Press report out of the NCAA convention here that the Packers were interested in Floyd (Ben) Schwarzwalder, coach of Syracuse University's Orange Bowl team. Schwarzwalder, himself, said he wasn't interested in a pro football job. Reportedly, the Packers had not made any overtures to Schwarzwalder. Olejniczak is here along with Tony Canadeo, a member of the Packer executive committee, to make contacts relative to the hiring of a new Packer general manager and/or head coach. Jack Vainisi, Packer scout, is checking with college coaches here on possible Packer draft choices.
OTTO GRAHAM TALKS WITH PACK OFFICIALS
JAN 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Otto Graham, former Cleveland Browns quarterback, said in a United Press International dispatch from the NCAA meetings in Cincinnati today that he had a preliminary talk with Green Bay Packer officials Wednesday night. Packer President Dominic Olejniczak refused to comment on Graham, remarking: "All I'll say is no comment." Graham undoubtedly is one of a number of prospects being interviewed by Olejniczak and Tony Canadeo, a member of the Packer executive committee. They'll return this evening along with Jack Vainisi, Packer scout who is interviewing college coaches on draft prospects. Graham indicated he'd rather take a post with the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut than with the Packers. He maintains he will not get into coaching without a long-term contract. Graham actually coached only one team for one game - the 1958 College All Stars who beat Detroit last August. "Naturally, I don't want to take a crack at the present Green Bay situation with anything as short as a two-year contract," Graham told the UPI, adding: "The academy appeals to me as an institution where there would be more stability and security than at an average college. It probably would be a nice place for my wife and family to live, too." Graham indicated that if he entered coaching he would try to lure Tommy O'Connell, another former Cleveland quarterback, away from the Illinois University staff to go with him. "I think Tommy is really fine coaching material," Graham said.
DILLON ON ALL-AP; GINO UNANIMOUS
JAN 8 (Green Bay) - Gino Marchetti, Baltimore's destructive defensive end, led the voting for the Associated Press' 1958 NFL all-pro team, dominated by the champion Colts and the New York Giants. Marchetti, an eight-year veteran from the University of San Francisco, was the only unanimous choice among the 41 writers who covered the NFL campaign this season. The 6-4, 240-pounder was one of six Colts named to the two units, one more than the Giants. Johnny Unitas, the great quarterback; offensive end Ray Berry; offensive tackle Jim Parker; defensive tackle Gene Lipscomb; and fleet halfback Lenny Moore were the other Colts named. Linebacker Sam Huff led the five Giants named to the all-pro squad. The others were offensive tackle Rosey Brown, center Ray Weitecha, defensive end Andy Robustelli and safetyman Jimmy Patton. Los Angeles placed three men on offense, guard Duane Putnam, end Del Shofner and halfback Jon Arnett. Pittsburgh placed two, defensive tackle Ernie Stautner and defensive halfback Jack Butler. Detroit's Lions also won two places on the all-star squad - linebacker Joe Schmidt and defensive halfback Yale Lary. Cleveland's sole representative was Jimmy Brown, who received all but two of the votes for fullback. Green Bay's honored player was safety Bobby Dillon, while middle guard Bill George was the Chicago Bears' man. Offensive guard Dick Stanfel made it for Washington. Philadelphia, San Francisco and the Chicago Cardinals were not represented. Unitas, who received all but one of the 41 votes, made the team for the first time. In the championship ​game with the Giants, he completed 26 of 40 passes for 349 yards, an NFL playoff record. The
Louisville alumnus established a record by tossing a touchdown in 25 consecutive league games. He added another TD in the playoff contest...PERFECT TARGET: Moore, recipient of many of Unitas' passes, was also one of the top ground gainers in the league. His tremendous speed and deceptiveness made him a perfect target for the great Baltimore passer. Arnett, the great broken field runner from USC, and Brown, who wiped out Steve Van Buren's season ground gaining record with 1,527 rushing yards, completed the offensive backfield. Brown, Putnam and Stanfel, all veterans, were repeaters from last year's team. Schmidt and George, a pair of veteran linebacker-uppers, were members of last year's team, too. In the defensive backfield, Dillon, Lary and Butler made the team for the third straight year. Packer center Jim Ringo was named to the second team. He received 11 votes.
STATEMENT DUE FROM PACKERS
JAN 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' three-man delegation at the national collegiate convention in Cincinnati returned to Green Bay Thursday night. And Packer President Dominic Olejniczak said today he expected to have a statement dealing with the general progress of efforts made thus far to obtain a general manager and/or coach for the Packers. Olejniczak and Tony Canadeo, a member of the Packer executive committee, interviewed prospects for the positions in Cincinnati. Also attending was Jack Vainisi, Packer scout who checked out draft prospects with college coaches...From Ottawa, Canada, comes word that the British Columbia Lions are seeking the services of Iowa quarterback Randy Duncan, the Packers' No. 1 draft choice. Duncan had been selected by Ottawa but the Lions offered the Ottawa Rough Riders two U.S. players - end Jerry James and an unnamed tackle - for the privilege of talking terms with Duncan. Ottawa recently signed Boston College QB Don Allard...The Packers plan to talk contract with Duncan as soon as he finishes final examinations in a few weeks. Duncan is a mid-year graduate.
PACKERS SET TO CONSIDER, EYE GM COACH PROSPECTS
JAN 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' time of decision is close. Packer President Dominic Olejniczak, in a statement issued today, indicated that the names now can be placed on the table and closely examined. Olejniczak put it this way: "The time has now arrived when careful consideration and study will be given to all applications as well as to others who have been sought for the position of general manager." Thus, the Packers have been receiving applications and also going out and seeking individuals, which was done this week by Olejniczak and Tony Canadeo, a member of the executive committee, at the NCAA convention in Cincinnati. Selecting a general manager and/or coach won't be a quick and easy matter - like picking a name off the table. The individuals undoubtedly have connections that would have to be severed if they are to come to Green Bay. Quick? Olejniczak said that "we are hopeful that a decision in this matter will be forthcoming within the near future." The Packer president shed some light on the position to be filled. In the first two paragraphs of his prepared statement, Olejniczak said: "Since Dec. 16, we have been busy screening applications for the position of general manager of the Packer. With the assistance of others both from within and without the Packer organization, we have also sought to determine the interest of others in the position."...SITUATION ENCOURAGING: "At present, we are not selecting a coach. However, as it was originally stated, it is altogether possible that certain individuals could serve in a dual capacity." Olejniczak added: "The overall situation is encouraging. Many persons have expressed varying degrees of interest in the challenge which this new position with the Packer poses. However, I want to emphasize that no definite understanding has been reached with any individual. All applications and interviews have been held in strict confidence, and that policy will continue. We appreciate the great public interest in this matter in Wisconsin and throughout the football world. The press and other media have been most cooperative during a period when no public statements could be made. We have not said anything publicly for fear of discouraging certain people from talking with us."...Randy Duncan, the Packers' first draft choice, received a special tribute from his coach, Forest Evashevski, when the Iowa coach addressed an alumni club in Chicago last night. Evashevski said Duncan was "one of the few who could accept headlines and glory and still retain the respect of his teammates." The Iowa mentor gave the squad and coaching staff full credit for Iowa's successful season. "Actually, you might say I had six head coaches and I was the assistant to all of them."
FORMER PLAYER RAPS PACKER CLUB PLANS - SHOULD CUT GROUP FIRST
JAN 12 (Fond du Lac) - A former Packer lineman, Charlie Brock, severely criticized current plans to streamline the Green Bay club's front office and charged here Sunday that "the executive committee has interfered with the coaching staff for years." Brock, speaking at a father-son Holy Name program at St. Mary's, said, "They come out in the papers and say they're going to change the system. They're going to keep a 13 man executive committee, hire a new general manager and coach, hold a stockholders' meeting, then cut the committee down to six. They should hold the meeting first, cut the committee to six, name a president - and then go about the business of selecting a general manager or coach. Everytime something happens they've got to fire the coach. The executive committee has interfered with the coaching staff for years." The former Packer center also stated that the Packer club "has not been honest with the team's fans, who are the people of Wisconsin." He added that everyone would benefit if the entire executive committee resigned so the club could reorganize "from scratch." Brock also indicated that the Packer Alumni Association, composed of former players, might take action at its next meeting February 2. "We've kept our nose out of this but now we feel we should do something about it," he commented. "We can't see why Green Bay should not have good football teams as in the past. Maybe it's the material. Maybe it's the coaching. We have our own ideas." The method of drafting players for the Packers also came in for criticism. Brock said that the club had placed too much emphasis on getting All-American players whose achievements already "have gone to their heads." He emphasized that more stress should be placed on scanning small colleges for talent. "I've never believed in All-American stars," he said. "I've played with a lot of them who couldn't stay in camp two weeks. The kids coming out of college today think they are better than the rest of the people and they look down on them. That's where part of the trouble is. There's no spirit among the players, generally speaking." Brock said that he played for $2,200 a year when he was with the Packers and contrasted that salary with the $15,000 and $20,000 now offered highly publicized players. "Those players should be living football every minute of every day in the year," he said. "When we lost a game we didn't dare walk the streets of Green Bay until the next Sunday when we won. Then we'd show our faces and everybody greeted us. Today the Packers can lose by 40 points and players walk the streets with no one saying a word to them. Green Bay seems to have lost its spirit." Packer officials must learn to be truthful and honest with their fans, Brock said. "If they make a mistake, they should admit it immediately instead of trying to find a scapegoat. They never once asked anyone of any football knowledge or experience as to what to look for and what should be done to improve the team. That's a big mistake," Brock said.
PACKERS' BIG ANNOUNCEMENT COULD COME 'ANY TIME NOW'
JAN 13 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packerland is really buzzin' over the matter of the Packers' new head coach and/or general manager. "Any time now" seems to be the consensus. The Packer executive committee held its weekly (that will become monthly under the committee's new streamlining program) meeting Monday noon and Dominic Olejniczak, Packer president, did not have an announcement. But there was a wave of talk around town and most of it centered on Forest Evashevski, coach of Iowa's Big Ten and Rose Bowl champions. It simmered with such intensity that the Associated Press dug up Forest, himself, for comment. The dispatch out of St. Petersburg, Fla., where he's apparently spending a brief vacation went like this: "Iowa Coach Forest Evashevski said Monday night he has not been contacted concerning the Green Bay Packer coaching post and added, 'I have no comment.' When asked if he would accept the pro job if it were offered, he said, 'I don't know, I have not thought about it. I would have to talk to the Green Bay officials first. I say again I have not been contacted.'" And there you are. We suspect the AP interviewee did not notice that Evashevski had his fingers crossed. Few names have leaked out and only one admitted he has talked with Packer officials. That would be Otto Graham, who could make an admission in view of the fact that he is unemployed footballwise, other than the All-Star game. Evashevski is a likely suspect since he is one of the top two or three college coaches in the nation and thus would seem ripe for the majors. But there are many other prospects - not only from the college field but from the pro-assistant ranks. All names are being named and that, of course, makes them all candidates - on the street corner, that is. Winning-coach pools are even springing up. The Packers would like to have a "man" for the opening of the NFL's annual draft and convention in Philadelphia. That show starts a week from Wednesday in the Hotel Warwick. The Packer delegation will leave by plane one week from today. If a coach and/or general manager is found before then, he or they will head the delegation. If not, a special committee will represent the Packers. Details of the draft are presently being worked out by Jack Vainisi, the club's talent scout who is compiling a master list of draft prospects. The last 26 rounds of the 30-round draft will be chosen Jan. 21. The first four rounds were picked last Dec. 1. Ray Richards, Packer defensive coach who resigned after the last game, was due here from his home on the West Coast today for a report on the East-West and Rose Bowl games. Nick Skorich, Bay offensive coach, isn't expected to return. He reported earlier on the Sugar Bowl and the Senior Bowl. Assistants Breezy Reid and Jack Morton are working until Feb. 1. Scooter McLean, who resigned as Packer head coach shortly after the Packers ended their 1-10-1 season, started work with the Detroit Lions as backfield coach last week. He'll attend the draft with the Lion delegation.
LEGION ASKS PACK OFFICER TO RESIGN
JAN 14 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packer President Dominic Olejniczak and other Packer officers, busy with the crucial task of finding and hiring a general manager and/or head coach, have been asked to drop everything and resign. The request was made by the Sullivan-Walden Post No. 11, American Legion, in a resolution passed at a regular Legion post meeting Tuesday night. The resolution asked for the resignations of Olejniczak and all other present officers of the Packer Corp., and stated that "some well known and public spirited individual, such as Dr. R.L. Cowles, replace the present president of the Packer Corp." Dr. Cowles, presently a member of the Packer board of directors, said today he "felt flattered that they should mention me, but I never have been and am not a candidate for the presidency of the Packers." Olejniczak said today he had "no comment" on the resolution. The resolution, distributed to press, radio and television outlets, including the Associated Press and United Press, was signed by Post Commander John N. Patton. Patton said the resolution passed with 23 yes votes and nine no votes. The Legion has between 750 and 800 members. Patton pointed out today: "This was not an overnight decision. A special Packer committee headed by Lyle Evans worked on the resolution for two months and each committee member was in full accord with the resolution." Reminded that 32 total votes represents a minute section of the post's membership, Patton said that "the members are all informed of the meetings and they're held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month."...The Packers' board of directors voted to streamline their executive committee from 13 down to six members and hire a new general manager and give him broad powers at a meeting last Dec. 16. These changes will be made at the club's annual meeting in early spring...The Packers are in hopes of having a GM-coach combo (one or both) in time for the NFL's annual draft in Philadelphia starting next Wednesday. If negotiations can't be completed in time, the Packers will be represented by a special committee, with Jack Vainisi, talent scout, handling the draft. Ray Richards and Nick Skorich, Packer aides during the past season, turned in their final game reports Tuesday and both to expect to leave Thursday - Richards, with his wife, for California and a non-football life in the chemical business and Skorich for his home in Pittsburgh. Richards, former head coach of the Cardinals, resigned as Packer defense coach after the last game. Asked if he'd miss football, Ray said, "I won't know until next fall." Skorich, who handled the Packers' offensive line, undoubtedly will join another club in the league as an assistant.
CRITICS OF PACKERS SUPPORT LEGION
JAN 15 (Green Lake) - A drive seeking the resignation of all Green Bay Packer officials has drawn the support of two local businessmen who were among the first to organize criticism of the management of the NFL club. Harry Norton and Henry Eaton said Wednesday that they were 100% behind the move initiated by the Sullivan-Walden American Legion Post No. 11 at Green Bay. The post owns substantial Packer stock. At a meeting Tuesday night, the post asked the resignations of Packer President Dominic Olejniczak and all other officers. The legion also asked for a complete reorganizational of the club. Norton also said he and Eaton felt Olejniczak's resignation would be in the best interest of the Packers and the fans. Norton and Eaton have supported the return to the Packers of Curly Lambeau as general manager and coach. Petitions seeking Lambeau's return were supported by the two businessmen who said 2,840 of the documents, with a minimum of 27 signatures each, were presented to the Packers about 10 days ago. Norton said the petitions were not acknowledged.
PACKERS TO GET TWO EXTRA PICKS IN NFL DRAFT
JAN 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers will get two extra picks in the NFL's collegiate draft, to be held at the annual meeting in Philadelphia next Wednesday, the club announced today. They will lose a fifth choice to Washington for tackle J.D. Kimmel but gain a fifth from Pittsburgh for halfback Dick Christy. The Packers "bonus" choices will come in the seventh and eighth rounds, according to Public Relations Director Tom Miller, where they get two picks in each round. The extras will come from the New York Giants, for guard Al Barry, who was traded before the start of last season, and the Cleveland Browns, who gave a No. 8 choice for punter Dick Deschaine.
PACKERS WITHOUT COACH IN PHILLY?
JAN 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Unless there is a last-minute change, the Packers will be without a head coach at the NFL's annual draft and convention opening in Philadelphia Wednesday. The meat of the 1959 draft already has been selected since the first four rounds were completed in Philly last Dec. 1. That picking was conducted under the supervision of Scooter McLean who resigned as head coach Dec. 17. The remaining 26 rounds will be selected starting at 9 o'clock Green Bay time Wednesday morning. The Packer selections will be made by Jack Vainisi, Packer talent scout and administrative assistant. Vainisi works on the draft the year-around compiling information from scouts and bird-dogs, including many former Packers, from throughout the country. He completed work today on master lists on which every prospect, including eligible juniors and sophomores, is graded. Vainisi has worked on the Packers' draft since he joined the club in 1950 but the head coach made the selections. Jack will decide the picks Wednesday. All was not rosy for Vainisi today. He said that Canada has been "exceptionally active and has signed a number of good prospects who were not selected in the early draft." Among those is Ron Stover, the Oregon end who signed with Toronto. There probably will be plenty of agitation to cut out the early draft. Originally intended to get a jump on the Canadians, the early four-round start "slights" a lot of good prospects who decide to go up north - probably the case of Stover. The Packers won't get the first choice Wednesday despite their last place finish. They already owe their fifth round (the first round Wednesday) choice to Washington in exchange for J.D. Kimmel. Green Bay will get a fifth right back as payment from Pittsburgh for Dick Christy. Pittsburgh, however, will draw seventh due to its 7-5 finish. The Packers will get two additional selections in exchange for player traded last season, giving the Packers 28 selections out of the last 26 rounds. The extras will come from the New York Giants for guard Al Barry in the seventh round and the Cleveland Browns for punter Dick Deschaine in the eighth round. The Packers will be represented in Philadelphia by Dominic Olejniczak, club president; Verne Lewellen, general manager; Tom Miler, sales promotion director; and Vainisi. Two other Packer officials likely will make the trip. Olejniczak and Lewellen will take part in the league meetings. Miller will coordinate the flow of Packer news back to Green Bay radio and television outlets. After completion of the draft, the clubs will consider a number of playing rules changes. The more important ones: 1. Allow coaches to wander the sidelines from goal line to goal line, or from 10 yard line to 10 yard line. Currently, coaches are not permitted to go past the 40 yard markers, although they do, and last year it provoked several loud arguments. The Los Angeles Rams criticized George Halas of the Bears for roaming the length of the field, shouting at officials as well as his players. 2. When an onside kickoff fails to go 10 yards and is recovered by the receiving team, the receiving team should have the option of retaining possession or having the ball kicked over. It now is kicked over. 3. Make the umpire official timekeeper instead of the back judge because the ump is in a better position to recognize requests for timeouts, and to know when the ball is dead. 4. When a team scored and still is more than seven points behind, give it the option of kicking off or receiving. Now the team scored on has the option. 5. All kickoffs should be made from the 35 yard line instead of the 40. 6. Punters must kick from 10 yards or less behind the line of scrimmage. 7. When a kickoff is out of bounds, give the receiving team an option of taking the ball at the spot or another kickoff after a five yard penalty against the kicking team. 8. When an official calls a personal foul or holding penalty have him designate the offender. Commissioner Bert Bell listed the following among the number of constitutional amendments to be taken up: In the event of death of any person holding an interest in a league franchise the interest may pass on through a will, but the commissioner must approve the recipient. All tickets for the title game should be reserved; elimination of the early December draft; equalization of stadium rental in that each home team will deduct 10 percent from the gate for rent instead of 15 percent unless they actually pay more; cut the player draft from 30 to 25 rounds; reduce or increase the player limit; bar trading of the first and second draft choices.
PACKERS SHOW $72,612 PROFIT; EYE BEST AVAILABLE IN DRAFT
JAN 20 (Philadelphia-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Three major points will guide the Packers in the NFL's 26-round draft Wednesday. They are: (1) the best player available regardless of position; (2) size; and (3) speed. Jack Vainisi, Packer talent scout who will make the Green Bay choices, explained the three points, explaining "we just want the best boys available when our draft turn comes. We also want good sized players - especially linemen, and we hope to select backs who have considerable speed to go with size." Vainisi will be assisted at the draft table by Verne Lewellen, Packer general manager, and Bernard Darling, a member of the Packer executive committee. Both are former Packer players. Also here from the Packers are Dominic Olejniczak, club president; Tom Miller, sales promotion director; and Fred Trowbridge, Packer attorney. The Packers had hoped to have a head coach hired in time for the league meeting, but apparently negotiations could be not be completed in time. Work on selection of a new coach and/or general manager will continue through the meeting period. (Wednesday to Saturday) Olejniczak indicated today that "all is not lost" in the matter of hiring a new coach and added that "it's no catastrophe that we don't have our coach at the meeting." Olejniczak referred to the fact that the bulk of the draft has been set up in advance - in preparation for the preliminary four-round draft Dec. 1. All of the major games were scouted by members of the previous coaching staff headed by Scooter McLean. The two key games, the Senior Bowl and the East-West, were scouted by Assistants Nick Skorich and Ray Richards, respectively...SELECTED DUNCAN: Vainisi has been compiling the draft since 1950 when he joined the club as an administrative aide under Gene Ronzani. McLean presided over the earlier draft and selected Randy Duncan, the Iowa quarterback, as the club's first choice. Alex Hawkins,a tough 195-pound halfback from South Carolina, was named on the second round and the third choice was Boyd Dowler, Colorado quarterback and end. The fourth choice went to Cleveland in exchange for Len Ford. Hawkins already has signed with the Packers for 1959. Negotiations with Duncan will start early in February - or as soon as he finishes mid-semester examinations. He will be graduated in February and then enter service for six months. Duncan was the first player chosen in the December draft since the Packers' record was the poorest. That kind of record also will give the Bays the first crack in the opening (fifth) round at Wednesday's meeting but they owe it to Washington as payment for J.D. Kimmel, the big defensive tackle who was well worth the choice...GET 28 PLAYERS: The Bays will get a fifth round choice in return, though, since Pittsburgh owes Green Bay its No. 5 in exchange for Dick Christy. The
Packers will get an extra seventh round pick in payment from the New York Giants for Al Barry and an extra eighth round pick in payment from Cleveland for Dick Deschaine. In all, Green Bay will get 28 players out of the last 26 rounds...The NFL Players Assn., with insurance and pension benefits foremost in mind, also opened its annual two-day meeting here today. The Packers' Howton, president of the association, said that the past year the organization has been trying to get an accident, health and hospital plan with various pension benefits. "We feel, however," Howton added, "that before much can be accomplished along these lines a committee or two or three owners who could act on behalf of the league must be delegated authority to enter into negotiations with us." Asked if the association would send representatives to the league meeting, Howton said: "I just talked to Commissioner Bert Bell Monday night. We're going to get together this afternoon and work something out. We're not particularly interested in attending the NFL meeting. We just want an audience with the owners to outline our proposals. Perhaps our association could meet separately with the owners during the break in their sessions." Told that Bell had said that the league cannot afford a pension plan, Howton said: "I can't believe that myself. But possibly it's true. We don't know that much about the operations of the teams. But if they use that to stall us, it could go on for 10 years." Howton said the players intended to press for benefits. He added: "If we can work out insurance and pension benefits along the lines we've planned, it won't make any difference whether the owners lose money or not at the gate. There are possibilities of outside sources of revenue for benefits and it wouldn't be any money out of the owners' pockets." Howton said some of the outside sources being considered to finance players' benefits are postseason games and additional exhibition games. He added that other possibilities are percentages of television and radio receipts and player contributions.
NET CAPITAL AT $277,000
JAN 20 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Green Bay Packers showed a profit of $72,612 before taxes on 1958 operations, according to the report of auditors who completed examinations of the corporation books this week. General Manager Verne C. Lewellen reported to the corporation directors today that "the Packers are today in the best financial position they have ever been in during their many years of operation." He set forth a financial report on operations for the past five years contrasted with the five previous years to back up his statement. The report showed profits before taxes for the last five years, including 1958, have totaled $351,006 compared with a deficit of $105,682 for the period of 1949 through 1953. Lewellen also included in his report to the directors a comparison between the company's balance sheet as of Dec. 31, 1953 and Dec. 31, 1958. This revealed that net working capital has increased from $89,128 to $277,861 during that period. The corporation's surplus account for the same period has gone from a deficit of $2,409 to a surplus of $208,934...The startling increase in profits has come despite constantly increasing costs, Lewellen pointed out. As one example, he said that player salaries had increased 43.4 percent during the five-year period.
PACKER PROFITS UP; NO COACH
JAN 20 (Milwaukee Sentinel) - The Packers, preparing for the NFL player draft in Philadelphia Wednesday, still find themselves without a head coach but in solid financial shape. President Dominic Olejniczak Monday said "there is absolutely no chance we'll have a coach in time for the league meeting." "We've tried," Olejniczak said. "It is something out of our control but certainly not a catastrophe by any means." Meanwhile, it was learned that the club showed a profit of $72,612 (before taxes) for the 1958 season. The auditor's report revealed, as of December 31, 1958, the team had a total capital of $327,000. The Packers have been a money-maker since Verne Lewellen took over as general manager in 1954. During Lewellen's five-year reign the club has shown a profit of $351,000 before taxes. In the previous five years (1949-53), the club suffered a loss of $105,600. Although the Packers are seeking a combination coach-general manager, Lewellen apparently will stay on as business manager. The rosy financial picture has been accomplished even though player salaries have increased 43.4% during the past five years. Attendance at home and away has been mounting every year. The club also gets a boost from CBS television ($75,000 a season) for rights to its league games. Regarding the Philadelphia meeting, Olejniczak said Chief Scout Jack Vainisi will be in charge of the Packers' draft. He will be assisted by Lewellen and Boob Darling, a member of the executive committee. Olejniczak will attend the NFL's annual winter meeting, but will not participate in the draft. The last place Packers, who experienced their worst season in 40 years, will get the 26-round draft underway. They will receive two extra choices: the Giants' seventh pick in payment for guard Al Barry and the Browns' eight for punter Dick Deschaine. Green Bay loses its fifth pick - the first of Wednesday's draft - to Washington as part of the deal for defensive tackle J.D. Kimmel, but gains back a selection in the same round from Pittsburgh for halfback Dick Christy.
EVASHEVSKI EMPHATIC; NO JOB WITH PACKERS
JAN 20 (Milwaukee Journal) - Forest Evashevski, Iowa football coach, whose name has frequently been linked in rumors with the vacant Green Bay job, Monday flatly denied again that he had been offered the job or that he had any interest in it. Evashevski was reached in Minneapolis where earlier in the day he had filled a speaking engagement. "Yes, I know Dominic Olejniczak," he said. Olejniczak, president of the Packers, has been leading the hunt for a successor to Scooter McLean who resigned a month ago after the club's worst record in history (1-10-1). "No, the job has not been offered to me," Evashevski said. "No, I would not take it if it were offered to me." Evashevski, who clearly indicated he preferred the atmosphere of a college campus, has five years to on a 10-year contract with the Hawkeyes. He reportedly gets a salary of between $18,000 and $19,000 a year and almost as much from his television program on a statewide network. The Packers are reportedly ready to pay $40,000 for the combined jobs of general manager and coach. (Lisle Blackbourn in his last year as coach received $25,000 and Verne Lewelle, as general manager in name, $12,000). In Green Bay, Olejniczak confirmed that progress in obtaining a new coach had been slow. As club officials prepared to go to the annual league meeting in Philadelphia starting Wednesday, he said: "We've tried, but there is absolutely no chance we'll have a coach by that time. It is something out of our control. I want to point out, though, it is not a catastrophe." The Packer party at the league meeting will include Olejniczak; Jack Vainisi, chief talent scout; Lewellen, general manager; Tom Miller, publicity director, and Fred Trowbridge, Bernard Darling and H.J. Bero of the club's executive committee. The drafting of players, first order of business in Philadelphia, will be handled by Vainisi with the help of Lewellen and Darling who played with the Packers in their early years. Three other names, following Evashevski's statement that he is not interested in the job, immediately bobbed up in the speculation over who might succeed McLean: Jim Trimble of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian league; Hampton Pool of the Toronto Argonauts of the same league, and Blanton Collier of Kentucky. Collier, a former Paul Brown assistant at Cleveland, has steadfastly denied he was interested in the job. Trimble and Pool, however, are known to be vitally interested. Trimble, who has had unusual success in the Canadian league, was interviewed by Olejniczak at the recent NCAA meeting in Cincinnati. He formerly coached the Philadelphia Eagles. Pool once coached the Los Angeles Rams. Curly Lambeau, who has frequently been mentioned as general manager if this job and that of coach were to be filled separately, and who talked with Olejniczak on a brief visit to Green Bay three weeks ago, was on his way back to Green Bay Tuesday from his home in Los Angeles. He was expected there Wednesday.
PACKERS GRAB CVERCKO, 3 OTHER LINEMEN IN DRAFT
JAN 21 (Philadelphia-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Striving to beef up their forward wall, the Packers tabbed four linemen for 1959 delivery in the first five rounds of the NFL's annual collegiate draft here today. Chief among these was Andy Cvercko, 6-foot, 235-pound Northwestern University tackle, who comes to the Packers from the Pittsburgh Steelers in payment for halfback Dick Christy, traded before the 1958 season. Cvercko actually was the Steelers' fifth choice, since the first four rounds of the draft were conducted at Philadelphia last Dec. 1. The Packers lost their own fifth pick to the Washington Redskins in a trade for tackle J.D. Kimmel. The Redskins picked Bob Wetoska, 238-pound Notre Dame tackle. After Cvercko, the Packers landed Willie Taylor, 6-foot, 232-pound offensive center and defensive tackle from Florida A&M, as their sixth choice. The Green Bay selectors, which including administrative assistant Jack Vainisi, General Manager Verne Lewellen and Bernard (Boob) Darling of the executive committee, claimed two players in the seventh round. They nailed Bobby Jackson, Alabama defensive halfback, as their own No. 7 pick, then acquired Gary Raid, burly 6-2, 255-pound tackle from Willmette University, from the New York Giants in exchange for Al Barry, traded last fall. The Packers also collected two players in the eighth round. Their own choice was Clellon (Buddy) Mayfield, a 6-2, 190-pound offensive end from South Carolina. The other No. 8 is Bob LaRaba, a 6-2, 190-pound quarterback and defensive back from Texas Western. He was turned over by the Cleveland Browns in payment for punter Dick Deschaine. Although Cvercko has been a regular tackle at Northwestern for three years, Packer officials indicated the Big Ten star will be used at guard when he reports to training camp next July. Taylor, who will be a candidate to understudy Jim Ringo at center, is a Negro All-American while the strapping Reid was recommended as an offensive tackle. Reportedly "very agile," he is a gymnast. Mayfield, scout reports contend, could be the sleeper of the draft. Fast, the South Carolinian is the top 220 and 440-yard dash man in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The fleet Jackson, who reportedly runs the 100-yard dash, was drafted as a safety, a position he played with considerable success at Alabama. LaRaba, though a quarterback as well as defensive halfback, was selected for use as a corner man. He was recommended by Carlton (Stretch) Elliott, former Packer end. Since pickings are slim, most clubs began drafting "futures" early and the Packers were expected to follow suit. One of the first "futures" to go was Mitchell Ogiego, highly regarded sophomore quarterback from Iowa who appeared in the '59 Rose Bowl...The NFL Players Assn., got a final briefing Tuesday as it prepared for "the big pitch" to league owners for a pension and insurance program. Bill Dudley outlined to the association the details of a 47-page brochure prepared to show the club owners that pension plan can be a reality for the players. As Dudley went into the meeting with the players, he said all the pension proposals could be substantiated by actuary reports showing them economically feasible. Commissioner Bert Bell previously said the plan "was impossible for a majority of our clubs." Dudley said the proposals recognize that the normal player's career in the NFL is only a little more than four years. Creighton Miller, the association's attorney, said that when pension proposals first were made for major league baseball players, the club owners said they wouldn't work - because an average major leaguer has a career of only about eight years. "Yet, their pension plan is working today and working well. We think we can show the owners our will, too," Miller said. Miller and association president Bill Howton, of the Packers, said there are several possible sources of income for the plan. They mentioned additional exhibition games, postseason games, a share of television ad radio receipts and player, as well as owner, contributions. Miller said a regular insurance program also will be sought. Some teams have group insurance. Other items the players want to talk about with the league owners include payment for exhibition games. Howton said the players were supposed to get $50 for each preseason exhibition, but the Redskins paid nothing and the Giants made deductions from their payments.
DETROIT DELAY REUNITES PACKER HEADS, SCOOTER
JAN 21 (Philadelphia-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Delay in Detroit: The Packers' league-bound party (Dominic Olejniczak, Verne Lewellen, Jack Vainisi and Tom Miller) stopped in Detroit's Willow Run airport en route to Philly from Chicago Tuesday noon. There was time for a scamper to the terminal. And who's sitting here? Scooter McLean. So it's reunion time with the popular former Packer head coach who was waiting with other members of the Detroit Lions party. Yep, they were booked on the Packers' flight, a Capital Airlines Viscount. We settled down to a fine football discussion when, shortly before takeoff time, the plane was rendered unusable and everybody was ushered into a Viscount removed from the nearby Capital garage. The second plane had a "dead" radio and that required a hour of fixin'. Anyhow, the Packers and Lions had seen enough of each other to last until next Thanksgiving Day. Scooter's new card partner is Aldo Forte, a one-time Bear and Packer guard. Incidentally, we ran into Jim Trimble sitting in the Willow Run lobby. He was coming down from Canada and going to Pittsburgh to visit his folks and then on to Philadelphia. The former Philadelphia Eagle coach, who has had considerable coaching success in Canada, says he wants the Packer coaching job...The pro football people in Philly (the trip was peaceful) were curious about the Packers - especially the writers who merely asked: "Who?" There are many rumors concerning the Pack's new setup but few hold water. Being without a head coach, such as we are, isn't completely news: the Rams and Cards ran into a similar snag several years ago...The Washington Redskins have two head coaches - Joe Kuharich, who is also head coach at Notre Dame, and Mike Nixon, new Redskin head coach. Kuharich agreed to help with the draft and work some with the pro club until Feb. 1...This is an exceptionally lean draft from the standpoint of good senior players and eligible juniors. The Detroit coaches said they put in very little work on the '59 draft. Most teams would like to cut the draft from 30 to 20 or 25 players...Commissioner Bert Bell spent a lot of time greeting delegates in the Warwick Hotel lobby Tuesday night. He's still excited about the Baltimore-New York playoff game and sudden death. That's one of the greatest things that happened to and for Bell.
PACK ADDS NEW IOWA TOUCH AT QB: WEBB
JAN 22 (Philadelphia-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers of Green Bay, Wis., added another touch of Iowa to their key quarterback position during Round 2 of the NFL's 27th annual player draft in the Warwick Hotel Wednesday. Newest addition is Bob Webb, the slingshot artist from St. Ambrose College at Davenport who was chosen on the 11th round. Webb is a Little All-America selection and led the nation's small colleges in passing. He had several 300-yard games last fall, amassed a fantastic 5,000 yards passing and looked good against the big-school All-Americans in the Arizona bowl this winter. The other Iowans, of course, is Randy Duncan, the big-college All-American quarterback who was the Packers' No. 1 choice in the preliminary draft last Dec. 1. Webb is well known in Green Bay college circles, having competed against St. Norbert College. Packer scouts reported that he is a take charge type signalist. He has good wrists and can throw in a hurry. Talent scout Jack Vainisi, who handled the Packer draft with help from Verne Lewellen and Bernard Darling, said Webb was one of the players "we had hoped to get." Webb stands 6 feet tall and packs 201 pounds. Duncan goes 6, 180. Vainisi, picking the Packers' still-to-be-chosen head coach, said, "We got pretty much what we wanted except for a good defensive end early. We wanted to get a good one right away but they were gone before we got a chance." The Packer emphasis was on linemen - and heavy ones, and defensive backs. Five of 28 players Green Bay obtained in the final 26 rounds are junior eligibles - for delivery i 1960. The 1959 draft, especially Round 2, was considered poor because of a shortage of top-flight talent. And that made most everybody in the last 10 or 15 rounds a dark horse. Things go so bad in the final few rounds that some clubs started drafting track stars such as Dick Sime (Detroit), Rafer Johnson (Los Angeles) and Bill Austin (Washington). A few clubs even took a chance on some players recently reported signed with Canada, the Lions grabbing Ron Stover, end from Oregon, and the Packers Dick Emerich, 230-pound tackle from West Chester State. "We might as well take a chance with Emerich rather than pick somebody we're sure can't make it," Vainisi pointed out. Everybody, including the Packers, was in the market for a Galimore and the Packers think they might have a resonable facsimile in halfback Leroy Hardee, a six-foot, 180-pound streak of dark lightin' from Florida A and M on the 25th round. Leroy gained 530 yards in 59 trips - a nine yard average...SECOND POSSIBLE 'WILLIE': Another possible "Willie" was chosen in the ninth round - one George Dixon, who was the first offensive back picked by the Bays Wednesday. Dixon goes 6-1, 195, played at the University of Bridgeport, starred in the All-America Bowl game, and carries the title of game breaker. He took the opening kickoff back 85 yards for six in the All-America game. Before Dixon the Packers picked off four linemen and two defensive backs, indicating the positions at which the club needs help. Picked for duty up front were Andy Cvercko of Northwestern, 232 pounds; Willie Taylor of Florida A-M, 235; Gary Raid of Williamette, 255; and Cellon Mayfield of South Carolina, 190, an offensive end. The two defensive backs figure to shore up the pass defense - Bobby Jackson, a safety expert from Alabama who does the 100 in 9.7, and Bob Laraba of Texas Western who was recommended by Stretch Elliott as a cornerbacker. After the 11th round (Webb), Vainisi grabbed off five juniors, including 280-pound tackle Orville Lawver of Lewis and Clark. He snared two 260-pound senior giants - guard Ken Kerry of Arizona State on the 14th round and tackle Dick Nearents of Eastern Washington on the 18th. Pick No. 15 was familiar - one Dick Teteak, young brother of former Packer Deral. The Oshkosh High star stands 6 feet tall and weighs 212 pounds, much bigger than Deral who figured 5-10, 210. Young Dick was recommended by Deral, who said, "He's the toughest kid we have." Dick will put on another 10 pounds. He plays center and linebacker. Two other state players were chosen - Bill Butler, a halfback from Chattanooga, who hails from Berlin, and fullback Dave Smith of Ripon College. And speaking of state players, Washington grabbed off St. Norbert's Roger Wypyszynski, a 6-5, 270-pound tackle, who ranked well up on the Packer list. The draft was off to a miserably slow start and the first two rounds took nearly two hours alone. Shortly before 10:30 Wednesday night, with the draft in the 22nd round, Commissioner Bert Bell entertained a motion to end the draft at the end of 25 rounds. The motion was made by the Bears and seconded by the Colts. Then in the vote, the Bears, Cardinals and Colts yelled yes but Paul Brown boomed a loud "no" and that ended the idea. It had to be unanimous. Several other clubs, including the Packers, likely would have voted no. The picking finished shortly before midnight.
WEBB, KNIGHT 'WHIP' GET NICKS BOOST
JAN 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - St. Norbert College Coach Mel Nicks, an unfortunate victim of Bob Webb's accurate right arm in two out of three meetings, has nothing but praise for the St. Ambrose quarterback drafted by the Packers in the 11th round. "Webb could have played with any major university in the country," Nicks declared. "He's a tremendous passer and can drop back faster than anyone I have ever seen. He's agile and can really move; we chased him all over the stadium this year but could not nail him." Nicks said the Knights always felt that Webb was a bit afraid of contact but that St. Ambrose coaches have told him that, on the contrary, the Little All-America quarterback is a tough and rugged individual.
MIAMI AGAIN AFTER NFL'S TITLE GAME
JAN 22 (Philadelphia-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Bits of brotherly love: The Orange Bowl (Miami) wants the pro championship game again and at least two owners are in favor of switching it there - George Marshall of the Redskins and Walter Wolfner of the Cardinals. "Television will take care of everybody if we play there," GM told a small audience late Tuesday night. And Wolfner added: "New York never saw their Giants on television in the last three weeks of their season - the last game with the Browns, the playoff with the Browns and then the championship game." Wolfner, seconded by his missus, says the Orange Bowl people are fed up with Bud Wilkinson and Oklahoma. "They want us now as bad as they did five years ago," said Walter...The league isn't likely to take any action against Bobby Layne and Ollie Matson for skipping the Pro Bowl game. "What can they do, anyway," is the common question. Mrs. Wolfner explained about Matson: "For four years Ollie just begged off the Pro Bowl game so he could play in Hawaii and take his wife out there and we insisted on him playing in the Pro Bowl every year until this one. That's not fair." Packer Billy Howton, a Pro Bowl steady, said he talked to Commissioner Bert Bell in September, pointing out that he had been invited to play in Hawaii and that "I didn't want to play in the Pro Bowl if I had been fortunate enough to be selected." The selections are made early in December. Incidentally, Howton sat at the Packer drafting table for a brief spell Wednesday afternoon. We told him that "Jack's been drafting nothing but ends" to which Billy smiled: "They better be good ones." Billy, while discussing some of the problems of the Players Assn., touched on the $50 pay for each player in exhibition games, explaining that "we hope to get the Redskins to follow suit but it will be a tough job with that Marshall. They tell me the players are scared to death of him."...Norm Van Brocklin admitted that "I've become a carpet bagger - it looks like the East will be my home." The Philadelphia quarterback reminded that "We needed just one more minute in Green Bay and your win total would have been zero." The Dutchman, hashing personnel with ex-Eagle Bosh Pritchard and Tom Miller, winked: "Anytime you want to trade that McGee just let me know; he can go and get the ball."...Ray Scott, the Packers' television voice, is here from his home base, Pittsburgh, with news that his town will get a new stadium with a roof. Scott hopes to return for Packer telecasts in 1959. Speaking about television, CBS sports officials Bill McPhail and Tex Schramm are here working out details and fine print on the contracts with the individual teams, including the Packers. There is suspicion that television is here to stay...Commissioner Bell asked the clubs to help each other and "Yell if any of those boys have signed with Canada." When the
Packers grabbed Bill Butler, the Berlin, Wis., back from Chattanooga, the Colts screamed Canada, Weeb Ewbank explaining that Steve Owen (now a Canadian coach) was in Chattanooga today waving some money in front of Butler. Jack Vainisi, the Packer picker, said he had just talked with Butler yesterday and was advised that he wouldn't sign with anybody until he heard from the Packers. Vainisi decided to take Butler - on the player's word. Butler was highly recommended by Joe Geri, the onetime Steeler star.
PACK COACH HUNT MAJOR SIDE STORY OF NFL MEETING
JAN 23 (Philadelphia-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers didn't come to this city of brotherly love to select a general manager and/or coach. Their reasons for being at the annual draft and convention of the NFL are to select college players and represents one-twelfth of the league at executive meetings which got off to a delayed start Thursday following the Wednesday draft. It would be wrong to say that the Packers "might" come out of this community with a new face - even a good rumor thereof. But it seems right to say that the Packer quest for a new coach (and folks here generally refer to the person we're looking for as a coach) is the major side story of the parley. So please pardon if we don't show the proper excitement for such matters as player pensions, settlement of the Bear-Cardinal territorial issue, etc. Let's recite a few thoughts on a new Packer fuehrer as gathered in the lobbies and assorted corners of the Warwick Hotel. One feller (believe it was Dick McCann of the Washington Redskins) felt that "you should get somebody from within the league - somebody who knows pro football. You have to commit yourself to rebuilding with a stranger to pro football, that means time. So you want to wait that long?" Another gent in the same group figures that the "right man out of the colleges probably could do himself a great job up there. That's a terrific atmosphere for pro football because those hot fans can help make those players want to win. But this guy must have a mind of his own." So there you have two interesting schools of thought. Jim Trimble, onetime coach of the Philadelphia Eagles who has had three successful years in Canada, makes no bones that he's interested in the Green Bay job. But he also indicated that he wanted no interference, referring specifically to "any trade I might have in mind. With the Eagles I had a good trade going once and by the time it got through all of the owners it was dead." Pro assistants now in the league? Somebody pointed to Herman Ball, an aide at Baltimore who has been in the league for years. Another aimed at Charley Winner, a live-wire guy on the Baltimore staff. A Colt scribe explained Winner this way: "There's a guy that could do it someday. Weeb (Ewbank, Colt head coach) will always beat Paul Brown and Weeb says so. But Winner says he could beat Ewbank just like Weeb can beat Brown." Sounds a little corny but us fellers got to talk about something while cooling our heels in the hall. A flock of names will enter into a conversation - like maybe Forest Evashevski, the Rose Bowl king from Iowa, who spoke in nearby Wilmington the other night. George Marshall, owner of the Redskins, was on the same sports program. Evashevski has been mentioned in many circles as a Packer probable. Packer President Dominic Olejniczak and General Manager Verne Lewellen both are keeping extremely mum about the situation. "There isn't even a good rumor; sure, we can talk about Collier, Lombardi and a flock of others but nobody will say a word," moaned one writer. Olejniczak is anxious to report this: "We have been active in the matter."...Packer Billy Howton apparently was convincing when he addressed club representatives at their opening session Thursday, making some headway in his fight for a player pension. Howton, president of the Players Assn., and Bill Dudley, who is drawing up the pension insurance plan, addressed the group before and after lunch. Commissioner Bert Bell, reporting after hearing the story, conceded he had a "open mind" on the subject. Bell originally was convinced a pension was not feasible within the NFL because of the short length of a players' career. "After hearing their story, I, for one, am perfectly willing to listen, discuss and study the situation." Bell and the others reportedly are pleased to learn that the players do not expect the clubs to contribute any cash to their plan. Howton said a satisfactory pension could be started by raising $213,000 through league sources and by players' contributions totaling $125,000 annually. With at least 75 percent of the players participating, this amount of money would make possible pension payments of $100 monthly at the age of 65 to those playing at least five years. Howton made several suggestions to the clubs as to how the league contribution could be raised: (1) Proceeds from six extra preseason games; (2) play a best of two out of three games for the championship; (3) use a percentage of the proceeds from the Pro Bowl and All Star games; (4) use the money the clubs no longer have to pay the government under the revised federal amusement tax law. The 10 percent tax no longer applied to the first 90 cents on admission. Bell said the clubs would probably appoint a committee to meet with the players in the future. Marshall boycotted the meeting Thursday afternoon while the player pension was discussed. Marshall and George Halas didn't want the player group recognized in the first place and are the foremost
opponents of a possible pension. In another action, the clubs voted to bar players from participating in preseason or postseason games not sanctioned by the NFL. This ruled out chiefly competition in the Hula Bowl in Hawaii. The club also voted against 11 rule change suggestions. Bell ruled on the Bear-Cardinal area dispute, keeping the Bears in open-playing territory as in the past north of Madison Street in Chicago and the Cardinals' are south of that street. Walter Wolfner and his wife, Cardinal owners, were furious and there may be continued court action, which already has been started in Illinois. Wolfner is trying to prove that Bell has no right to rule in the dispute.
PACK ALUMNI HAVE TAKEN NO STAND ON TEAM MANAGEMENT
JAN 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packer Alumni Assn. said today that it has made no formal decision, for or against, the present management of the Packers and has no plans at this time for taking a stand. The statement is contained in a joint announcement by Charles Brock, president, and John Biolo, secretary of the group. The announcement was made following several statements by former Packers, members of the association. The statement follows: "The Green Bay Packer Alumni Association has made no formal decision either for, or against, the present operation of the Green Bay Packer Football Corporation; and at this time has no plans on making any statements. Any comments made by any individual members of the Green Bay Packer Alumni Association are their own personal opinions and not to be considered opinions of the Green Bay Packer Alumni Association. Our next regular meeting will be held on February 2nd, at which time routine business will be conducted."
ROONEY DROPPED 100 G'S ON WINNING STEELERS!
JAN 23 (Philadelphia-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Personal mention: Art Rooney dropped 100 grand on the Steelers last season despite Bobby Layne and a good season, which is a lot of spoiled oats even for wonderful Art. The Steels moved to Pitt Stadium, apparently not the big hit everybody thought it would be, and three of their key games were ruined by foul weather. Rooney's men probably will go back to Forbes Field next year and await the opening of that city's new stadium. The Cardinals also reportedly lost $100,000 on 1958 operations, which isn't anything new. Walter Wolfner should be getting tired of losing money. One other club, supposedly the Eagles, lost a little dough. The other nine, including the Packers, finished in the clover. It is interesting to note here that the Green Bays, despite a last place finish with the worst record, stacked up $72,000-plus on the profit side. Just give us a winner...The Packers were down to two at the league meeting Thursday afternoon, following the departure of scout Jack Vainisi, director Bernard Darling and sales promotion chief Tom Miller earlier in the day. Miller stopped off in Williamsport, Pa., to visit his parents. Club President Dominic Olejniczak and General Manager Verne Lewellen are attending league executive sessions...Add Packer coaching interestees: Pete Pihos, the former Eagle who is now coaching at American Institute.
PACKERS TALK TRADE WITH COLTS; SHAW?
JAN 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Weeb Ewbank was one of a few head coaches still on duty when the NFL closed its 1959 convention at the Warwick Hotel Friday afternoon. George Halas of the Bears and Paul Brown of the Browns had to stick around because they attended league sessions in an executive capacity. Eagle coach Buck Shaw lives here and stayed. The Colts' Ewbank, who ranks as Mr. World Champion because his team won that title last month, might have remained around a little longer to talk trade with the Packers. "We got a few boys that might be of help to your club and I'm wondering about some of the Packers," Ewbank said, indicating that some trade ice had been broken. Packer President Dominic Olejniczak said that Webb had discussed various players in the course of informal conversations in the lobby here but quickly added, "Trading would be a matter for the new coach." Ewbank wouldn't name names - at least on his club. However, when asked if quarterback George Shaw had been mentioned, Weeb admitted that "Shaw was one of those discussed." Weeb, in eyeing the Packers, said. "You seem to have a surplus of good players at offensive end and linebacker and you have a couple of good defensive backs." The Eagles also might be in the market to talk trade and one of the possibles has Philly Clarence Peaks, a strong back, going to the Rams for an offensive end. Something similar could be worked out with the Packers, although Green Bay and Philly would probably rather both deal with talent-rich clubs than try to rob each other. At any rate, trade talk livened up a quiet Friday morning. The parley, which opened Wednesday with the draft, closed unexpectedly Friday afternoon. Commissioner Bert Bell predicted earlier that the meetings would last well into Saturday. The earlier closing enabled Olejniczak and General Manager Verne Lewellen to make a quicker getaway and get Olejniczak closer to home in search for a coach. But they were thwarted in Chicago Friday night, just missing seats on the last North Central plane to Green Bay. They were due home later this morning. Olejniczak is hopeful the GM and/or coach matter can be settled soon. The league, in one of several bits of action Friday, called a players' pension plan conference in Chicago for April 23. Each club will present to discuss the matter and the players will be called in April 26. The decision to have the meeting and hold the discussion was a reverse from the clubs' previous stand that the plan was impractical. Even Commissioner Bell, after hearing Billy Howton (Player Assn. president) explain the pension setup along wit insuranceman Bill Dudley, said he was willing to listen. In another important action, the owners voted to reduce the annual 30-player draft to 20 choices. The draft, first introduced in 1937 with 10 rounds of selections, had increased over the years to 30. Bell said the 20-round draft will be held each year "sometime before the end of the regulation season," pointing out that it would probably be in the first week of December. For the past three years, the NFL had split. Other actions were of a minor nature. Halas, reporting for the committee on expansion, said this was not the proper time to increase the number of league teams. Of the many other amendments proposed, all but one were either withdrawn or defeated. Approved was a measure giving Bell the right to pas on anybody receiving an interest in a club through a will unless the party is a member of the family holding the interest. Turned down or withdrawn were such proposals as making all tickets for the NFL title game reserved, equalization of stadium rental in that each home team would deduct 10 percent from the gate for rent instead of 15 percent; and an effort to bar trading of first and second choices. The owners decided to keep the maximum regular season player limit at 35.
JIM TRIMBLE BECOMES PROSPECT FOR PACKERS
JAN 24 (Milwaukee Journal) - Jim Trimble, former coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and present coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, Saturday became the No. 1 prospect as coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers. These were the developments in a situation the club's screening committee has been working on ever since Ray (Scooter) McLean resigned in mid-December. Trimble, in a taped interview admitted that he had talked with Packer officials several times in the last few weeks. He refused to affirm or deny he would take the job, saying "the timing on any statement at this time would be bad." Packer president Dominic Olejniczak, who first denied he had spoken to Trimble, admitted in Philadelphia that Trimble was one of those under consideration. Trimble, in a newspaper interview in Philadelphia, said he was happy in Hamilton but that he wanted "to win a world championship and the only place to win a world championship is in the NFL." When asked if he had an
interest in the Packer job he answered, "Yes at the right salary." Trimble admitted to friends he was very much interested in returning to the NFL. Other coaches whose names have been mentioned in connection with the Green Bay job have repeatedly denied they wanted it, notably Forest Evashevski of Iowa and Blanton Collier of Kentucky.
HAMILTON CATS DENY STORY
JAN 24 (Hamilton) - Jake Gaudaur, general manager of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Big Four Football League said Saturday a report that coach Jim Trimble would be the 1959 coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers was untrue. Oliver Kuechle, sports editor of the Milwaukee Journal, said in a television broadcast Friday night that a deal to obtain Trimble for the NFL team had all but been completed. Gaudaur admitted Trimble had been talking to the Packers but said he had turned down the offer. Gaudaur said Trimble had advised the Tiger-Cats at that time of the situation. Trimble, who has put the Tiger-Cats into the Grey Cup final in two of the three season he has been coach, is a former coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL.
NO PACKER COMMENT ON TRIMBLE
JAN 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packer officials stuck by their standard answer of "no comment" today after Jim Trimble was rumored as a leading candidate to be the next coach and general manager of the team. Said President Dominic Olejniczak, "We have no announcement to make." He did say Trimble was among those under consideration. Trimble, interviewed by Sportscaster Joe Taylor of Milwaukee station WRIT via telephone Friday night, said, "I have no comment to make. It wouldn't be fair to my bosses or to Green Bay Packer officials. It's a matter of timing." Jake Gaudaur, general manager of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Big Four Football League, said today the report is completely untrue. Gaudaur admitted Trimble had been talking to the Green Bay team but said he had turned down the offer. Gaudaur said it was made two months ago and Trimble advised the Tiger-Cats at that time of the situation. Trimble has been coach of the Hamilton Tiger Cats in the Canadian Football League for three years. His teams took one loop championship and two divisional titles. Before moving to Canada, he coached the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL for three seasons. The Packers posted a 1-10-1 record and finished last in the Western Conference last season and immediately began looking for a new coach. It was the poorest slate in the club's 40 year history. Coach Scooter McLean quit earlier this year to go to the Detroit Lions as an assistant. He acted after Packer directors reorganized the club's management setup and instructed Olejniczak to find a man to lead the team out of the cellar. However, the way was not closed to hiring a coach and a general manager. Another development Friday night found Curly Lambeau, a founder of the Packers, arriving in Milwaukee unannounced. Lambeau was coach and general manager of the club from 1919 through 1949. There has been a spirited effort to get him back on the job and he has indicated he is interested. A recent rumor had it that Lambeau would come from his California home to plug personally for a place in the Packer lineup.
LAMBEAU MOVES TO CITY, EYES PACKERS' GM JOB
JAN 26 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Curly Lambeau has moved back to Green Bay from the west coast. And he's interested in the general managership of the Packers. Lambeau arrived over the weekend from Los Angeles, explaining "I'm closed up there now." He'll live in Green Bay in the winters and at his home in Door County in summer. Lambeau had been the object of a recent public rally asking his return as general manager. The rally was promoted by Fritz Van, local radio announcer, in cooperation with Tom Atkinson, Cal Buehrer, Keith Van Vuren and several others. "I have no connection with those people. They did that on their own," Curly said, adding: "I got especially interested in the general manager's job when the committee outlined its new plans for that position and I wired Ole (Packer President Dominic Olejniczak) my application for the job. I met with him for two hours here during the holidays. I like that new setup and it's certainly a step in the right direction." The Packers recently voted to streamline their executive committee from 13 down to six members, hire a general manager and give him broad powers - among other things. The football veteran, looking back, said, "I left here for unity's sake. I wouldn't be here right now talking this way if there was success by the method that caused me to leave." Lambeau resigned Feb. 1 of 1950 after two losing season and 30 years of Packer coaching. "No, I wouldn't be interested in the coaching and I wouldn't interfere with the coaching," Curly said in an answer to a question, adding: "I don't think anybody can do a good job as general manager and still coach in today's tough competition." Discussing the GM position, Curly said "salary is very secondary to me. I am not thinking of money - whatever the committee feels is proper. My only purpose is to build the team up." Asked if he planned to campaign for the job, Lambeau said: "I really don't know if I'll campaign for it. I think I'll wait and see."
$35,000 BID FOR DUNCAN
JAN 26 (Des Moines) - Iowa's All-American quarterback Randy Duncan, in the midst of studying for final exams, Monday again declined to discuss his future plans. It was reported that Wayne Robinson, new coach of Vancouver in the Canadian league, offered Duncan in the neighborhood of $35,000 for two years. The Packers, who drafted Duncan last December, probably will have to better the Vancouver offer to land the No. 1 collegiate draft choice.
DERAL TETEAK SOLD ON HIS BROTHER'S FOOTBALL ABILITY
JAN 27 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Deral Teteak, the former Packers who is now an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin, is sold on his brother Dick's football ability. Dick is Deral's young brother but by no means his "little" brother. Dick is 21, Deral 29. Dick stands six feet tall and packs 212 pounds; Deral is a midget at 5-9, though he carried 202 as a player. Here's how Deral recommended his kid brother to the Packers: "He is the strongest and toughest kid we have; real tough; doesn't have a lot of speed; he's quick and has good movements; pretty agile." Deral thus displays plenty of family pride - plus a good stack of honesty. Teteak should know the requirements of pro football; he played five seasons, all as a linebacker. Dick was drafted on the 15th round; Deral was an 8th round pick in 1952. Dick is heavier than "big" brother Deral but apparently the elder brother had a hotter reputation. Former Packer Defensive Coach Ray Richards said he liked him in the East-West game. Billy Howton played against him in the Hula Bowl and found that "he worked hard." Dick will put on 5 to 10 pounds. If he has Deral's zest for combat, the Packers might have something!...Thirty of the 144 players chosen in the first 12 rounds were from the Big Ten. The Packers grabbed two Big Tenners in the draft - Randy Duncan of Iowa and Northwestern's Andy Cvercko. The Browns picked seven from this circuit; the Colts two. Baltimore leans heavily toward the Southeast Conference...Television might cover six non-league games this fall. The "tube" has skyrocketed interest in pro football. TV interests claim 40 million people saw the Colt-Giant championship thriller. Which prompted Bear Owner George Halas to explain why the league didn't change any playing rules: "Wouldn't we look foolish trying to confuse 40 million people about our game next year."...Jim Trimble, the former Eagle who now coaches in Canada and has been mentioned for the Packer job, was asked by some writers in Philly what his chances are at Green Bay. Jim said: "I'm afraid Evashevski (Forest, Iowa head coach) will take it." Evashevski was later tracked down for an explanation of Trimble's comment. Said Forest: "I don't want to coach until I'm an old man. I don't want to tackle a new job, but Green Bay is a good job for somebody."
DAVE SMITH WANTS BERTH WITH PACKERS
JAN 28 (Appleton Post-Crescent) - "The old college try" is scoffed at by most rough-and-tough, battle-sophisticated pro football players. But Dave Smith is going to bring along a big hunk of that commodity when he reports to the Green Bay Packers' training camp next summer. In Smith's case, the expression might be paraphrased to "the old (small) college try." If the 3-year Ripon College star fullback survives all the Packers' cut, he will be one of the very few players in the history of the Midwest Conference to play in the NFL. Competitive spirit is the long suit of the 6-1, 194-pound Smith, a twenty-first round Packer draft choice. (He weighs 203 now but played at 194 last season)...STRONG AND EAGER: He's neither exceptionally big or blindingly fast - he's a :10.2 hundred yard dash man. But, he's strong and eager and in his entire grid career he's never been injured. In three years at Ripon, Smith gained 2,672 yards in 142 carries for an average of nearly seven yards a try. He caught 30 passes for 580 yards. As, as the fullback in the Ripon T formation, Dave led most of the plays as a bone-jarring blocker. He's the top scorer and No. 1 ground gainer in Ripon history. The only Midwest Conference performers in recent vintage who come to mind as having much of a career in the NFL were: Lawrence's Eddie Kotal, a Packer halfback, and Ripon's Tiny Croft, who played several seasons as a lineman for the Bays. Appleton's Al Zupek, who starred at Lawrence, put in a season with the Packers after World War II. And, Ripon's Ted Scalissi performed with the Chicago Rockets of the All-American Conference in the late 1940s. Smith considers being drafted by the Packers "quite an opportunity. I want to teach and coach in Wisconsin and playing with the Packers would make me well known in the state." Smith was contacted by eight pro clubs, and two of them - the 49ers and Giants - wired him the week before the draft to verify that he hadn't changed his mind about playing pro ball...GO ALL OUT: He was a bit surprised that the Packers drafted him since his only correspondence with the Bays had been filling out their preliminary questionnaire. And, he had done that for all of the interested NFL teams. Smith, a good-looking, confident lad with his brown hair clipped short in a crew cut, thinks his chances of making the pro grade are better with the Packers than with an NFL contender. "I intend to go to camp with the attitude that I will make the team and to go all out while I'm there," the 21-year old Ripon senior says. A confident attitude would be a departure from Smith's state of mind at graduation time at Wisconsin's Greendale High school four years ago. "I wanted to major in physical education ad there were just three schools in the state where I cold - Wisconsin, La Crosse and Ripon. I passed up Wisconsin because I knew I couldn't play football there. I chose Ripon over La Crosse because it was closer to home." Smith "knew" he couldn't play football at Wisconsin because he was not an outstanding prep player at small Greendale High. (Greendale is a town of 4,000 people, four miles southwest of Milwaukee.) "I wasn't even an all-conference player in high school and I was pretty sure I couldn't even make the team at Ripon," he remembers. Smith's sophomore year at Ripon "I was the only fullback on the ball club and I learned a lot." He learned fast, too. He made the all-Midwest conference outfit (for the first of three times) and was the loop's scoring champ (the first of two point titles). Making the all-MC team as a soph was his biggest football thrill. The game he considers his best was last fall's Lawrence contest, in Appleton. Dave rolled for 215 yards in 25 carries that afternoon and scored three touchdowns in a 27-8 win over the Vikings...AMECHE FAVORITE: Alan Ameche, the great Baltimore Colts fullback, is the player Smith most likes to watch. He's married to a girl from his hometown who now is a secretary in the athletic department office at Ripon. The Smiths are expecting their first child in early August, soon after Dave reports to the Packers. Dave will stay in shape this spring by competing in track (as a 100 and 220 man) in search of his third letter in that sport. After graduating in June with a physical education degree, he'll spend six weeks in ROTC summer camp. He's already inquired about getting out of camp a bit early to report for pro ball, and told that it can be arranged. He wants to be on hand from the opening whistle.
PACKER COACH-GM DECISION NEAR
JAN 28 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - This could be the day of major decision for the Packers. New general manager, coach or both? Front office policy change? Executive shakeup? What is it? This day was set forth as one of importance yesterday morning when Packer President Dominic Olejniczak called a meeting of the 45-man board of directors of Green Bay Packers, Inc., for this noon at the Northland Hotel for the purpose of considering the overall situation in the hiring of a general manager and/or coach. The Packers are coachless - as they have been since Dec. 16 when Scooter McLean resigned. The Bays have a general manager, Verne Lewellen, but they have decided to create a new GM position with wider powers. The hiring of a new coach and/or GM has been a tough problem because, under the present plan, candidates would have to be booted around and examined by a 45-man board. Thus, it's highly probable the 13-man executive committee may ask today for authorization to conclude a deal. The screening committee, seeking out candidates in person and via application, has run into several prospects who refused to be considered if they had to be "argued over" by the large group. If the executive committee is given the authority, it's possible that group could decide on a prospect almost immediately. The Packers have been working on the selection of a coach and/or general manager for the past four weeks. The club was without a coach at the recent draft but Olejniczak said he felt that "it was no catastrophe." The Packer prexy also said earlier that "we are taking our time in hopes that we will get the right man and we won't be panicked into hurrying." Speculation was running wild here today as to possible successors to the coach and/or general manager jobs. The Associated Press carried a story out of New York this noon revealing that Vince Lombardi, backfield coach of the Giants, had been given permission by the Giants to talk with the Packers. "I know Vince has been speaking to them with our permission," said Ray Walsh, Giants' general manager. "Beyond that, I can't say anything. If it has been decided, any announcement will have to come from the Packers."
PACKERS EYE GIANTS COACH
JAN 28 (New York) - An official of the New York Giants said Wednesday that the club had given its permission to the Green Bay Packers to negotiate with backfield coach Vince Lombardi. "I know Vince has been speaking to them with our permission," said Ray Walsh, Giants' general manager. "Beyond that I can't say anything." Lombardi could not be reached. The Packers Board of Directions was to meet at noon Wednesday to discuss the coaching situation in Green Bay. The Packers' 1958 record was the worst in the 40 year history of the club, showing only one victory and one tie in 12 games. Lombardi, 45, has been backfield coach and first assistant to Jim Lee Howell since 1954. He has had full responsibility for the Giants' offense. The Giants won the league championship in 1956 and lost the playoff to the Baltimore Colts in 1958.
THE QUEST ENDS; LOMBARDI IS THE MAN
JAN 29 (Milwaukee Journal - Oliver Kuechle) - The quest for a coach and general manager at Green Bay is over and there can be only hope today that a calm in which some much needed rebuilding can be done will finally settle over the troubled and faction torn football community. The good wishes that are now flooding over Vince Lombardi as successor to Scooter McLean as coach and Verne Lewellen as general manager are fine. They must warm his heart. The new enthusiasm bursting into flame is good. Spirit and enthusiasm always were two of the chief components of Green Bay teams in their golden years under Curly Lambeau. But these things by themselves are far from enough. They were there in the beginning nine years ago, too, when Gene Ronzani succeeded Lambeau. There were there five years ago when Lisle Blackbourn succeeded Ronzani. They were there a year ago when McLean took over for Blackbourn. The heart of the situation still lies with the meddling little men who thus far have found it impossible to divorce themselves into the front row and who themselves unwittingly have contributed to a decade of failure. Won't they please step aside now and give Lombardi a fair chance on the field? Whether Lombardi is the answer to the club's troubles remains to be seen. The fervent hope, of course, is that he will be. Certain basic recommendations he brings. He was one of Fordham's
brightest stars in the middle thirties - a guard. He coached high school ball at St. Cecilia's in Englewood, coached Fordham's freshmen, helped Earl Blaik for five years at the Army. In the last five years, he was assistant to Jim Lee Howell of the New York Giants, collaborating with Ken Kavanaugh in handling the offense while Tom Landry and John Dell Isola handled the defense. Aside from his high school assignment, almost 20 years ago, however, he was never a head coach. And in none of his assignments was he charged with the administrative duties he must now assume in his new position as general manager. That is not to say he cannot fulfill them. He certainly could. But he steps into no ordinary situation. The Packers have floundered around so long that only an exceptionally strong man can straighten things out - unless the meddling little men finally divorce themselves from the operation....GOOD OLD BERT: The fine hand of Bert Bell, commissioner of pro football, could have been the decisive one in the selection. Jim Trimble, coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and a former successful coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, was the first choice as head coach and general manager until Dominic Olejniczak, president of the Packers, spoke to Bell at the draft meeting last week about him. Bell, bluntly, has little use for Trimble. Bell was in the middle of the controversy which preceded Trimble's resignation at Philadelphia. Bell sided with the syndicate of Philadelphia owners when Trimble got into an argument with them over the outside jobs his players held. Trimble spoke his mind and resigned despite a fine record (29-16-3). Bell nodded his head in assent. It was not likely, then, that Olejniczak should win approval from Bell on Trimble as coach. Trimble was not acceptable...BLANK WALL: This is the significant point: Despite Olejniczak's utterances that all was proceeding well in the screening, despite speculation that Forest Evashevski was the No. 1 choice, Bud Wilkinson No. 2, Biggie Munn No. 3, Earl Blaik No. 4 and so forth ad infinitum, Olejniczak had nobody after Trimble until Bell probably suggested Lombardi. No wonder such compete secrecy shrouded the search for so long. There was nobody else. This is the word from Lombardi himself over the telephone Wednesday night: "I was approached for the first time at the draft meeting in Philadelphia last weekend. I was utterly surprised. I went to Green Bay by invitation Monday. I met the executive committee. I told them I would accept if they wanted me. They said they did. That's all there was to it." Won't some of the Fox River oldsters who have bungled so successfully now step aside and give Lombardi the chance he deserves to put the Packers back where they belong? He can do the job but he doesn't need executive committee help - whether from 13 men or six. He needs only Lombardi and the assistants he picks.
LOMBARDI GETS 5-YEAR PACT AS PACKER GM, COACH
JAN 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Brooklyn-born Vince Lombardi held the sports wonder of the world in the palm of his hand today. He is the new general manager and head coach of the Packers. He was given a "completely free hand" by Green Bay Packers Inc., at a momentous meeting Wednesday afternoon. Lombardi, 45, will come to our town Monday to sign a five-year contract. Under Packer policy, no financial figures were told. Offensive backfield coach of the New York Giants for the past five years, Lombardi succeeds General Manager Verne Lewellen and Coach Scooter McLean. Lewellen is still on duty. His status undoubtedly will be clarified after Lombardi works into his dual role. McLean resigned after one season as head coach Dec. 16. The selection of Lombardi as the Packers' fifth head coach in their 40-year history - the fourth in the last 10 seasons, was announced by Packer President Dominic Olejniczak at 3 o'clock Wednesday afternoon in the presence of members of the Packer executive committee and the press, radio and television. The announcement officially ended five frustrating weeks in which Packerland broiled under the heat of rumors, crabbing and discomfort resulting mostly from a lack of leadership following the worst season in Packer history - not to mention 10 years of losing. The matter was settled quickly Wednesday. The executive committee asked the board of directors authorization to conclude a deal for a new head coach and/or general manager. The board members, called in from cities throughout the state, voted 26-1 to give the committee that authority. The purpose was to spare prospects from being worked over by the larger group. Lombardi steps into the sports phenomena known as Green Bay at an opportune time. The Packers recently voted to streamline themselves and, among other things, hire a general manager and give him broad powers. The new Packer chief will be in charge. The major ruling body, the executive committee, will reduce its membership from 13 to 6 at the next stockholders'
meeting and hold monthly meetings instead of weekly as in the past. Vince is ready to go. "Right now I'm in the process of talking with seven or eight men as possible assistants," he said via telephone from New York today, adding: "I'll be there Monday to sign the contract and stay a few days. I'll have to get back here (New York) to close out some odds and ends. I expect to start in about the second week in February." The length of Lombardi's contract was not announced at yesterday's press parley but the new coach revealed in New York that it was for five years. Lombardi said he's "anxious to review the game pictures. I know a few things about the club and I know that there is a fine nucleus of veterans but I'll get a better idea of the personnel from the pictures. It will help me know what we can do on offense and defense. I plan to use the T-formation with some flanking variations." Lombardi said he had "enough football background generally and in particularly with the Giants to handle the general manager position. Of course, I'll have someone to take care of the details." A veteran of 20 years of coaching, Lombardi said "I'm extremely happy to get this opportunity in Green Bay but I'm unhappy about leaving the Giants and their entire organization. The Maras are wonderful people and I'll miss them all." Lombardi has put in 20 years of coaching but his only head coaching assignments have been in high school and now in the pros. He never played pro football. "At 180 and a guard, I was a little light," Lombardi laughed. Lombardi broke into coaching as a means of working himself through law school at his alma mater, Fordham, taking a position as head football coach at St. Cecilia High in Englewood, N.J., in 1939. Success with the T-formation there gave him national recognition - not to mention six state tiles and a string of 36 straight wins, and spelled the end of his law plans. He installed the T for the freshmen at Fordham under Ed Danowski in 1947 and the following year coached the varsity offense. Lombardi started a five-year career at Army in 1949, working on Army's T-attack. "I had never met Coach Blaik before he hired me," Vince recalled, adding: "I had an enjoyable time at the Point and I loved every minute of it." Army had an unbeaten season in Lombardi's first year...'STYLE I LIKE - DARING': Lombardi went to the Giants in 1954 - the year Jim Lee Howell took over as head coach from Steve Owen. Howell commented this: "Vince is on the style I like - daring." Lombardi was Jim Lee's No. 1 aide and the new Packers' basic formation is the T with split-T line spacing. In passing situations he can throw
BROWN, HALAS HAIL LOMBARDI SELECTION AS 'EXCELLENT CHOICE'
JAN 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Fabled Paul Brown, a longtime opponent, feels the Packers "made a very wise decision" in naming Vince Lombardi as general manager and head coach. NFL pioneer George Halas, owner-coach of the Chicago Bears, is in complete agreement. "I think that it was an excellent choice," he declared. Brown contacted by telephone, said, "I think the Packer committee has made a very wise decision. They have taken a man who is right currently in the swim from a successful operation and should give him a running go at it."...'HE'S A GOOD ONE': Paul, who has formed his opinion of the new Packer coach the hard way in annual and not always successful combat with the New York Giants, added, "I think he's a good one. We've competed against him for some period of years. He's tough to lick but a sport." "I think he's been a vital cog in the Giants' success," Brown continued. "My feeling would be that he would do a good job. It's also an opportunity which I would say he has earned." "I certainly wish this fellow well," Brown concluded. "He's a good one." From Chicago, Halas characterized Lombardi as "sharp, smart, alert, and a fine football man. What's more, he's an excellent student of football. He applies himself to the game and the game alone." "It's a feather in the hat of Green Bay to get a man who was being considered for the West Point job," Halas pointed out. Lombardi, assistant to Col. Earl (Red) Blaik before joining the Giants in 1954, had been prominently mentioned for the Army post following Blaik's recent resignation. "He was quite a factor in having the Giants become known as a Cinderella team last fall when they won the Eastern Division championship," George also noted. "They did quite a job in beating the Browns twice in a row to win the title."...'A COACH'S COACH': Declaring "I have a high regard" for Lombardi, Halas said, "He's a coach's coach. It's the greatest tribute you can pay to say a man is a fine man as well as a fine coach." "I wish Green Bay a lot of luck. I am sure they've got the right man to guide the Packers' destinies. That should clarify the entire situation up there." Jim Lee Howell, head coach of the Giants, was on a player signing trip and unavailable for comment but John V. Mara, club president, said the Giants were "sorry to lose" Lombardi. "He's always been well liked here and always done a good job for us," Mara said. "I don't see how he can keep from doing a good job for the Packers."
LOMBARDI 'A TERRIFIC SELECTION,' BELL SAYS
JAN 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Commissioner Bert Bell was highly enthusiastic and excited over the Packers' hiring of Vince Lombardi as head coach and general manager. "Two or three other clubs wanted him as head coach in the last four years. Why, he's a terrific selection," Bell boomed over the telephone from league headquarters in Philadelphia today. "And then they wanted him at West Point, you know," Bert said, adding: "I don't think you could have made a better selection." Referring to hiring a coach new to pro football, Ball said "Lombardi knows he ropes; he knows administration; he knows the pro business; he knows your opposition; he's a student of the game. Another type guy would need two or three years to learn about pro football and something about the other teams' players." Bell added: "Lombardi worked with Howell (Jim Lee, head coach of the Giants) at the Pro Bowl and I heard so many good comments about Lombardi from the players. And another thing. Lombardi's a real disciplinarian and a gentleman. He's a great believer in desire and proper conduct. You'll like him." We just got the feeling that he was extra happy because in his own mind he feels that Lombardi is the answer in Green Bay. Bert always has a special spot in his heart for the Packers...Two Green Bayites had a first hand experience with Lombardi. They are John Martinkovic and Joe Skibinski, former Packers who did a stint with the Giants. John was traded to New York a year ago and played the full 1957 season. Skibinski was traded to the Giants early in the 1958 campaign and retired from the sport after two weeks due to injuries. "Vince liked the looks of Green Bay when we were out here in 1957 and I'm sure he was interested then," big John recalled, adding: "He's a good selection and he's real smart. Vince won't take any nonsense. If anybody's late for a scheduled meeting or practice he'll crack down. he's very methodical and a good organizer. You'll know he's around. And he's all business." Skibinski, who missed the 1957 season here with a broken ankle, put it this way: "I think they got a good man. I wasn't there very long but he sure handled us fellas on offense. He ran the show. He'd get on us pretty good and holler a little but he always had a smile on his face. When he gives it that 'let's go' on the field that's exactly what he means. He's a go-getter himself and that's the way he wants his ball players to be."...Lombardi said he plans to bring his wife, Marie, with him for the contract signing here Monday. "I'll sell my house in Fair Haven (N.J.) first before moving out with the whole family," Vince said, "so maybe it won't be until after school is out." The Lombardis have a son, Vince, 16, and daughter, Susan, 11...The morning Sentinel was the only Milwaukee newspaper represented at the big press, radio and TV conference at the Hotel Northland yesterday. Sports editor Lloyd Larson and pro football writer Bud Lea did that newspaper's honors...Lombardi said the Packers first approached him at the league meeting in Philadelphia last week, although he had been under consideration. "We reached an agreement Monday and Wednesday I was told that I had been unanimously approved by the club." Vince said he was making "a complete break and I'm moving to Green Bay - lock, stock and barrel."...Newspaper, radio and TV are taking special note of the secrecy practiced by the Packer officials during the hiring period. It was revealed yesterday, for instance, that Forest Evashevski, Iowa coach, actually came to Green Bay on a Sunday afternoon, drove around town with Packer President Dominic Olejniczak and then left by plane. And what's more, Lombardi was here Monday unbeknown for a hard-nosed interview. We hear that Vince got the "third degree" and was fully warned about our hot-bed. And he passed with flying colors...Nobody will comment but there's a story around that Lombardi turned down the Army coaching job.
LOMBARDI TO BE SUCCESS, GIANTS INSIST
JAN 29 (New York) - The football Giants said Wednesday they "hated to lose a fine coach" like Vince Lombardi but believe he will make a success of his new job as head coach and general manager for the Packers. "Vince had another year to go on his contract with us but we didn't feel we could stand in his way when Green Bay officials approached him during the NFL meeting in Philadelphia last week," said Ray Walsh, New York's general manager. "We hate to lose Vince but we feel he will do a terrific job for the Packers," Walsh added. In New York, Lombardi said he considered the job "a terrific challenge." He previously had indicated interest in Army's vacant head coaching job after Earl (Red) Blaik resigned recently. "But this is even more of a challenge." Lombardi said. "After all, you can't top the brand of football they play in the NFL." Lombardi roared with laughter when reminded that he also was moving into the pass-conscious Western Division, where the emphasis is on his specialty - offense. "Don't try to scare me so soon," he said with a chuckle. "I've taken only a quick look at the Packer roster," Lombardi said. "I'll get into that when I get to Green Bay on Monday. I understand all the assistant coaches who worked with Scooter McLean are gone. That suits me fine because I'd like pick my own assistants and the Packers have give me the right to do that. The Packers first approached me at the league meeting last week. We reached a tentative agreement last Monday and they notified me Wednesday that I had been approved unanimously by the club's Board of Directors." Lombardi indicated he was going "all out" to make a success of his first head coaching job. He said he was making a complete break with New York to shift to Green Bay, probably the most football-conscious city in the nation. He said he planned to sell his house in Fair Lawn, N.J, and move to Green Bay with his wife and two children. "I certainly appreciate the Giants turning me loose," Lombardi said. "I'm making a complete break and moving to Green Bay - lock, stock and barrel."
FOOTBALL 'ART' TO IDEA-MAN LOMBARDI
JAN 29 (New York) - Green Bay is getting a man after its own heart in Vince Lombardi. Green Bay believes football is the world's best game, and, for its size, is the game's biggest booster. Lombardi agrees. He eats, sleeps and dreams football. And one of his dreams came true Wednesday when the Packers gave him a five-year contract as head coach and general manager. Lombardi, offensive coach for the Giants for the past five years, scribbles plays on envelopes, matchbox covers or anything else he can find when a play is taking shape in his mind. He considers football an art and, for some time, he has been ready and anxious to put his ideas into action as the head artist. The Packers position is his first head coaching job above the high school level, but his position with the Giants gave him an ample opportunity to test his ability to handle NFL players and tactics. Jim Lee Howell, New York's head coach, gave Lombardi complete charge of the team's offense. Vince designed the plays, explained them on the blackboard and the practice field, handled the offense during games, including player changes, and sometimes called plays. Lombardi also had charge of running off New York's game films and it was his booming voice that distributed praise or scorn, depending upon what showed up on the screen. The Packers, who enjoyed some of their great years when they had Don Hutson to thrill their fans with his pass catching, also are getting an alert imaginative coach in Lombardi. "Vince is the kind of coach I like - daring," Howell once said. The Giants opened their 24-21 upset over the Colts last November 9 by surprising their opponents with a 65-yard pass from Frank Gifford to end Bob Schnelker in the opening seconds. It was a typical Lombardi maneuver. Lombardi joins Paul Brown of the Browns as the only men in the NFL holding both the head coach's and general manager's jobs. Like Brown, who has won more games in the last decade than any other NFL coach, Lombardi switched to football after starting to study law. Lombardi specialized in offense during his years as assistant coach with the Giants, Army and Fordham. But - again like Brown - he knows that defense is the key to football success. "I don't know much about the Packer personnel yet," he said while discussing his new job. "But I'll put the best players on defense. That's the best way to build a team."
SHAW WANTS TO BE TRADED; PACKERS, GIANTS INTERESTED
JAN 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - George Shaw, the Baltimore Colts No. 2 quarterback behind John Unitas, wants to be traded. That's the surprise story in Baltimore today. Shaw has asked Coach Weeb Ewbank to be traded so that he can play as a regular. Reportedly, the Packers and Giants - involved in the switch of Vince Lombardi from the Giants to the Packers as head coach - are interested in the hard-riding red-headed QB. Lombardi, reached in New York today said "I know about Shaw but I am going to give our boys a look before doing any trading." Vince was referring to the Packers' present quarterbacks - Bart Starr, Babe Parilli and Joe Francis. The new coach expects to "get an idea of their play - plus what I've seen myself, from the pictures." All three played in an exhibition against the Giants in Boston last
August. Shaw is considered the league's top benched first-team quarterback. When Unitas was injured in the Packer game at Baltimore last fall, he continued the rout and then led the Colts to two key victories in the next three games. The Giants reportedly offered the Colts their first draft choice in 1960 and 1961 or their first and second choice in 1960 for Shaw. Ewbank discussed trade - and admitted that Shaw's name was mentioned - with Packer President Dominic Olejniczak at last week's league meeting in Philadelphia. Olejniczak said at the time that "we discussed trade but any trading will be done by the head coach."
WHO'S THAT? LOMBARDI BEING INTRODUCED IN PACKERLAND
JAN 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Who's that? The folks in the pro football trade know all about Vince Lombardi. Mary over at the coffee house or Joe over at the garage aren't quite sure who is this Mr. Vince Lombardi, the new head coach and general manager of the Packers. And maybe that's good. Packerland's lack of knowledge about Vince (as compared to some widely known figures like Forest Evashevski, Eddie Erdelatz and others) kept this town from blowing an emotional gasket. When people get emotional over a new coach in this town, they mean just one thing - championship next season. We haven't heard the words yet, and that's just wonderful because Lombardi is no miracle man. Vince will come in Monday to sign a five-year contract. Did you say five years? Lombardi laughed about that yesterday and then explained that "we'll have something good going before that." He indicated that he definitely expects to make a winner out of Green Bay in less time. The general attitude around town - after some folks were told the who and what about him - is a mixture of "I hope he makes good; he sounds like he knows his stuff; let's give him time; we can't expect him to set the league on fire right away," etc. Actually, Lombardi is still in the process of being introduced in Green Bay. We in the Press-Gazette sports department hope reader-fans got a "look" at Lombardi in yesterday's stories. There's more tonight - and especially good reading is the piece by Joe King, who was asked by the P-G to give you a personal picture of Lombardi. King is a widely known New York writer who covers the Giants and Yankees. The comment on Lombardi around the county has been exceptionally good. Naturally, nobody will say anything bad about an individual in the public prints but the fact that things are being said is the tipoff that the new Packer chief is a "good man." Dave Condon, columnist for the Chicago Tribune devoted his entire column today to Lombardi and included quotes from Andy Gustafson, Miami coach; Frank Leahy, ex-Notre Dame coach; George Halas of the Bears; several Giants players;' and eve Mrs. Lombardi. Here they are: GUSTAFSON - "Lombardi knows football. At Army he coached the line, later the backfield. I was impressed by a lecture on quarterbacking that Vince gave at a clinic. Lombardi was simple and concise in explaining football's most complex subject." LEAHY - "Recently I had dinner with Frank Gifford, the Giant halfback. He continually praised Lombardi. Gifford said Lombardi concentrated on his work so intently that the players noticed Vince became a greater coach day by
day." HALAS - "It looks as if Green Bay beat Army to an outstanding coach." ANDY ROBUSTELLI, Giant defensive end - "Lombardi very definitely can handle people. He's firm, but a good organizer." MRS. (MARIE) LOMBARDI - "Vince is still very loyal to Fordham; he attended an alumni dinner Tuesday. He likes golf and occasionally plays bridge and gin rummy when traveling with the team - but it's difficult to get him to relax during football season. Now he'll have to leave an offseason banking job he had in New York. I was in New York with him when we got the word. I came out to Fair Haven (N.J.) to be with our children. I'm still numb with excitement. Fair Haven is my family home, so it isn't easy to break way. The best thing would be to pack up the kids and get to Green Bay right away." Anybody in the house still in the dark about Lombardi?
LOMBARDI SET TO CALL OWN SHOTS AS BOSS
JAN 30 (New York) - Vince Lombardi, the new head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers, eats, sleeps and dreams football. The former offensive coach for the New York Giants the past five seasons scribbled plays on envelopes, matchbook covers or anything else he can find when a play is taking shape in his mid. He considers football as an art and, for some time, he has been ready and anxious to put his ideas into action as head artist. The Packer position is his first head coaching job above the high school level but his position with the Giants gave him ample opportunity to test his ability to handle NFL players and tactics...OFFENSE HIS JOB: Jim Lee Howell, New York head coach, gave Lombardi complete charge of the team's offense. Vince designed the team's plays, explained them on the backboard and the practice field, handled the offense during games, including player changes, and sometimes called plays. Lombardi also had charge of running off New York's game film and it was his booming voice that distributed praise or scorn depending upon what showed up on the screen. Vince also installed dozens of successful mechanical devices to facilitate intensive study of game films, aids he undoubtedly will use in his new job. The Packers, who enjoyed some of their great years when they had Don Hutson to thrill their fans with his pass catching, also are getting an alert, imaginative coach in Lombardi. "Vince is the kind of a coach I like - daring," Howell once said. The Giants opened their 24-21 upset triumph over the Baltimore Colts last Nov. 9 by surprising their opponents with a 65-yard pass from halfback Frank Gifford to end Bob Schnelker in the opening seconds. It was a typical Lombardi maneuver. Lombardi joins Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns as the only men in the NFL holding both the head coach's and general manager's jobs. Like Brown, who has won more games in the last decade than any other NFL coach, Lombardi switched to football after starting to study law. Lombardi specialized in offense during his years as an assistant coach with the Giants, Army and Fordham. But - again like Brown - he knows that the defense is the key in football success. "I don't know much about the Packer personnel yet," he said while discussing his new job. "But I'll put the best players on defense. That's the best way to build a team."
FROM JOE KING: A NEW PICTURE OF LOMBARDI...
JAN 30 (New York) - If Vince Lombardi entered Green Bay unheralded, the average Packer stockholder might mistake the new coach for a teacher of romance languages who was about ready to earn his full professorship at an eminent college. The book under Lombardi's arm doubtless would heighten the impression. So would his sober dress, hid kindly, almost benign smile, his self-effacing manners. The horn-rimmed specs would not dispel snap judgment, and if Vince were in one of his introspective fogs, the courteous stockholder no doubt would see the absent-minded "professor" safely across the street. That's one picture. It's the same one Lombardi presented to a group of friends as he said farewell today. But when he had left, a guy remarked "I'd love to be around if Vince doesn't get what he wants after a week or so in camp. That team will feel as if a buzz-saw ripped up the field." That's another picture. Lombardi is an educated man - Cum Laude Fordham - but the book he carries is a football playbook. The fog he sometimes carried with him hides a Machiavellian plot for the next game, or the next hundred games. He is a professor, but only of football. There is no fund of funny stories, cute anecdotes, prankish shenanigans about Lombardi. He is straight football, dead on the level. Those of us who have followed him through the years out of here marvel at his profundity, clarity and imagination in his game. We have seen his ingenuity displayed on the field. To understand Lombardi, you must appreciate that he as been dedicated to football since 1939, when he attended law school while teaching physics and coaching the team at a New Jersey high school. He recalled at the table today: "I just reached the point where I had to find out what I could do in football. Nothing else mattered. Even at college I would figure out what I would do as a coach in certain circumstances. Football got me, and I gave up the law." There is a remarkable parallel there with the career of Paul Brown of the Browns. In Cleveland last November. Brown confided, "I was studying law in my early years as coach at Massillon H.S., but I had to think that my life was in football. I pleaded with my father to give up law, and he said: 'Son, if football is so much in your hear, you have my blessing.'" Lombardi is moody, Latinish, depressed, explosive from time to time. He can throw that playbook into a bottomless abyss in one frustrating moment and in the next seize with the enthusiasm, tenacity and perseverance of a terrier the roots of an idea which will become a touchdown. Against the Browns in the season finale, Alex Webster took a handoff running left, handed off to Frank Gifford running right. It was a reverse, of course, but you can't keep running all day long against the Browns defense. Abruptly, Gifford threw a TD to Bob Schnelker, all along down field. In the 10-0 playoff, the TD play was apparently a quick-witted lateral from Gifford to Chuck Conerly, who hadn't scored a TD all season. It was not impromptu; it was a play Lombardi had rehearsed all week. So was the fake run on the reverse. Lombardi is fundamental. Has to be after serving under Red Blaik at Army. As he says, under Blaik he learned the entire master-plan of organizing a football season, a game therein, and the tiniest details of the most trivial-seeming play...WILD WEST MIRACLES: He was offense coach with the Giants, but as he says, he will concentrate on defense with the Packers. Has to. Without defense, you're dead. But when he has erected a bulwark against touchdowns, do not worry about offense. Around here, we think Lombardi achieved Wild West miracles with the Giants without boasting the high-voltage scoring ingredients of the Western clubs. Nice guy. Sure, call him professor. But look out for that buzz-saw ripping though the academic front when marks are not up to passing.
PACKERS SIGN CVERCKO
JAN 31 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Andy Cvercko, the ironman tackle from Northwestern who was the Packers' first choice in the draft last week, has signed a Green Bay pact for the 1959 season. That was announced today by Publicity Chief Tom Miller, with a telephone smile from Vince Lombardi, the Bays' new general manager and head coach, who is due here Monday to sign a five-year Packer contract. The Packers' drafting was done chiefly by Jack Vainisi, the club's talent scout who made Cvercko his No. 1 signing objective in a signature search over the weekend. Chasing down Cvercko was no picnic, Vainisi called it a 16-hour ordeal and it included a tug-o-war with Hamp Pool, the Canadian coach, in Evanston and Chicago. Actually, Cvercko was the Packers' fifth round choice obtained from Pittsburgh for Dick Christy. The Packers' own fifth round pick went to Washington for J.D. Kimmel. The first four rounds were selected last Dec. 1. Cvercko stands six feet tall and weighs close to 240 pounds. That's a bit small for tackle so he'll be an offensive guard. Big Andy has some brains to go with his brawn. He maintains a "B" average as an electrical engineering major in the university's technological institute. The Campbell, O., veteran played a total of 470 minutes in the Wildcats' nine-game schedule last fall, averaging 52.2 per. Cvercko was at his best when the going was toughest, playing 57 1/2 minutes in the 29-28 win over Washington and the same length of time in Northwestern's 21-0 upset victory over Ohio State. Cvercko threw a key block that enabled Ron Burton to score Northwestern's first touchdown vs. Ohio State. He was instrumental in stopping Bob White, the Buckeyes' All-American fullback on two fourth down tries with less than a yard to go. Cvercko is the second rookie signed thus far. Earlier, halfback Alex Hawkins of South Carolina, the No. 2 choice, signed for 1959...Lombardi likely will be introduced to members of the press, radio and television
here sometime Monday. He'll also sit down with Packer officials to sign his contract...One of Lombardi's first problems will be signing Randy Duncan, the Packers' first draft choice. The Iowa quarterback also is being wooed by Vancouver of the Canadian League. Lombardi will talk with Duncan as soon as he finishes with his final exam...In Detroit, Scooter McLean, former Packer head coach who is now backfield coach of the Lions, had this to say on the Bays' new selection: "Lombardi's got his work cut out. He's a fine fellow and Green Bay was lucky to get him." Incidentally, Scooter's wife, Alice, is recovering rapidly from an emergency appendectomy. The operation was performed Jan. 22 in Detroit.
LOMBARDI DUE TODAY
FEB 2 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vince Lombardi was due in Green Bay via North Central at 2:22 this afternoon. And if you're superstitious and ever turned a pasteboard, you'll know that deuces never "looses." Lombardi's first order of business will be to sign a five-year contract with Green Bay Packers Inc., as general manager and head coach. Then a reception for the press, radio and television. Lombardi was to be accompanied by his wife, Marie. The new Packer figure will return to his home in Fair Haven. N.J., after spending a few days here. He'll return and dig in for heavy duty next week.
4 AIDES, BUSINESS MANAGER FIRST DAY NEEDS: LOMBARDI
FEB 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' immediate personnel needs are four assistant coaches and a business manager. That was the word today from Vince Lombardi, the club's new head coach and general manager who arrived from his home in Fair Haven, N.J., Monday afternoon. "I hope to have three of the four assistants by next week," Lombardi said, "and one of them might be Nick Skorich. I have been in touch with him." Skorich served as line coach under Scooter McLean here last year. The Eagles and Redskins are also interested in Skorich, Lombardi said. Nick would coach the offensive line. Jack Vainisi, the Packers' talent scout, will remain and carry on with his present duties, Lombardi announced. The new GM, accompanied by wife, Marie, said he may "make a decision on a business manager in a few days." Vince said he wanted to look over the Packer setup before acting. Verne Lewellen, who is replaced by Lombardi as general manager, stated earlier that he will be a candidate for the position of business manager. Lewellen and Lombardi met for the first time at the Packer office this morning. Lombardi was officially introduced to the Packer board of directors and the press, radio and television representatives at a luncheon at the Hotel Northland this noon. Lombardi was expected to sign a five-year contract sometime today. The Lombardis will stay here until Thursday or Friday before winging east for the weekend. He'll return early next week to start full-time work. Vince said "we'll rent for a month or two before we buy a home; we'll have to sell our home in Fair Haven." Lombardi was flooded with questions from news hawks practically as soon as he stepped off a North Central Airlines plane Monday. He was greeted by Packer President Dominic Olejniczak. The questions continued even after they checked in at the Northland. Here are some of the answers: "I expect to take a more active part in coaching than Jim (Jim Lee Howell, head coach of the Giant). I'll have a coach in charge of offense and one in charge of defense but I'll work more with my assistants than Jim did with us." (With the Giants, Lombardi handled offense and Tom Landry defense.) Yes, I said I'd put my best players on defense but I certainly don't intend to have Billy Howton, for instance, playing defense. It mean that I'll emphasize defense a little more. A good defense is a great morale factor. It hurts the bench and the offense when a team is getting run over and scored on. Two-way players? There are some players that just can't be considered as two-way players but the offensive and defensive linemen will become familiar with each other's plays. I have given considerable thought to my adjustment in coaching (players in large city as compared to players in small city.) I realize it will be different here where most everybody knows the players personally. The coaches and players have an entirely different problem compared to large-city players who can easily get lost. I hope to hold workouts down to an hour and a half; an hour and 15 minutes if possible. The players will know exactly what they'll do in every minute of practice. We won't be using the slot system as you have been using here. Our emphasis will be on power plays. The end will be required to do some blocking - just as the slot back. I
want to get the assistants lined up quickly because of the monumental job ahead. We've got to look over the films and grade all the offensive players - everyone of them. We'll also grade the defensive players. The grading will be of especial value in judging our offensive material. I know George Shaw (Baltimore quarterback who has asked to be traded), but I won't do any trading until I look over our present quarterbacks in the films. That may take a couple of weeks and I don't know if Baltimore will wait that long. There's a good nucleus of veteran players - boys like Ringo, Currie, a tough linebacker in Nitschke. I understand Forester didn't have a good year in '58, but he might have a great one next season. Duncan? We're going after 'em quite soon, and I may go out to see him (Randy Duncan, Iowa QB, and the Packers' first draft choice.) I understand he's going into the Army for six months but he should be out in time. I understand the training setup here and at St. Norbert is fine. I've already got a telegram from Stevens Point." (The Packers trained at Stevens Point for four seasons before returning home last year.)
COACH'S SON, COP FIGURE IN WELCOME
FEB 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Arrival Day - There were two unusual unusuals connected with the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Lombardi in our town Monday afternoon. No. 1: The Packers' new general manager was surrounded by a flock of news gatherers in the lobby of the terminal at Austin Straubel Field. There came that moment for the first question. Everybody wanted to ask a question. Everybody hesitated for that split second waiting for the next guy. There was a split second of silence. Then it came - the ice breaking question: "What high school will your son enroll in?" Everybody laughed, including Vince. It was an unexpected question in view of the problems of this man - chief of which is to lift the Packers out of a 10-year doldrum. Lombardi's son, Vincent Jr., 16, is a 190-pound fullback and a junior. Vince shot a quick glance at wife Marie and allowed that "we'll let him decided himself where he wants to go to school. Sounds like somebody around here has been building him up." Unusual No. 2 occurred on the way into the city. The Lombardis were riding with Packer President Dominic Olejniczak. Several cars carrying the newsfolks followed Ole's auto. The four or five-car parade followed Ridge Road into town and then turned right on Highway 41 (Highland Avenue). Each car "stopped" ever so briefly at the corner and proceeded down the highway when out of nowhere (that's where they usually come from) appeared the state trooper's car. The procession was flagged down to an abrupt halt just opposite the stadium and the firm but polite trooper lectured each driver on the necessity of coming to a complete stop - "not just hesitating" - at all stop signs. So, Lombardi had a sort of first hand experience with our state's highway patrolmen and this particular trooper was among the first to get a first hand look at the new Packers' chief...Olejniczak took the Lombardis on a brief tour of De Pere and Green Bay, driving past several prospective homes. They plan to rent before buying a home...Asked how she'd like living in a smaller city (both are from the New York area), Mrs. Lombardi said "where we live now is about like Green Bay." They have a home in Fair Haven, N.J...Lombardi had a stack of mail waiting for him. He glanced through some of the letters in his hotel room and commented: "They're well wishing, I'm happy to see, but anonymous."
NFL BRUSHING OFF RIVAL LOOP RUMORS
FEB 4 (Sporting News) - Increasingly, cities and investors are becoming interested in pro football because of the sport's recent boom at the gate and on TV, but as in a third baseball league, newcomers would be forced at this time to operate outside the existing organization. The NFL "expansion" committee, headed by George Halas of the Chicago Bears, reported at the annual meeting in Philadelphia that there was no prospect of additional franchises in the immediate future. Bert Bell, commissioner, emphasized that there would be no thought of enlargement until weaker current members got well. Bell did not that Houston, Dallas, Miami, Buffalo, Louisville, Seattle, Minneapolis, Boston and Denver had approached him with varying offers for franchises, and a number of them, he said, would "pay pretty good money". Whether any independent promoter could assemble these cities and others in a rival league on the NFL level is a matter that would have to be proved. There have been mysterious projected new leagues from time to time. Most recently a New York attorney, Lewis Randall, stated that he aimed to launch the International Football League by 1960. Randall, however, did not specify membership or ownership, and seemed most interested in blasting the NFL draft and contract procedure. Although the vital problems of amassing huge assets and providing proper places to play would be similar to those of a third baseball league, rookie football magnates would have an advantage, because there would be a pool of competent players immediately available to them. That is, they would be entitled to bid against the NFL for the many college heroes who are developed on the campus and hope to play pro. In baseball, the major league outfits must train their prospects, and that entails a financial gamble at the high school level. How many of those who are signed will click in the Big Show?....HIGHER TALENT BIDS NEEDED: Even if money and parks were procured for the new football league, the latter would remain at a disadvantage vis-a-vis the NFL for some time. The history of the powerfully-backed All-America Conference (1946-49) demonstrated that the newcomer would be forced to bid higher for talent, because the average collegian is impressed by the "old, established house" when it comes time for a job. Then there would be the colossal promotion and publicity task of convincing the public that the budding league truly was on a major scale compared to the NFL. That undoubtedly would mean opposing the senior circuit in the same cities, because the NFL is established in nine of the ten largest population centers in the country. Obviously, a good number of them would be needed for a "major" label. The NFL skips Boston, after two failures there, but embraces New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Washington and Cleveland. Most of the aspirants for new NFL franchises, and presumably many of those who might be interested in another circuit, are among the second ten in population...SEEN AS REMOTE POSSIBILITY: A most menacing threat to a projected league would be the ability of the NFL at any time to offer new or switched franchises to the top members of the rival setup. The selling point would be: Why gamble when you can be sure of the best? Whatever the prospect of a new circuit, NFL magnates generally view it as a remote possibility at this time. They certainly are not interested in discussing what they would do to fight a contender, until a group puts on the line a formidable sum of money such as the AAC amassed. That four-year "war" was the most costly in sports. Even with its lush resources, the AAC failed after having taken the NFL by surprise. Today, the old league is in much better shape, geographically and financially, than in 1946, and would take a lot more beating. Anyway, NFL moguls simply brush off the rival-league idea with the remark that the other fellows can go ahead - the field is wide open. The NFL will compete. It has what the new league would lack - experience. The present NFL is directed in the main by men who have devoted many years to football, with Art Rooney, George Halas, Paul Brown, the Maras, George Marshall and Dan Reeves most prominent. Even so, as Bell stresses, the entire circuit is not prosperous, although the commissioner would not deny that the top clubs are handsomely profitable. He points to two clubs in red ink and one on the borderline the past season, when the NFL hit its peak at the gate. A fourth club was saved only through huge windfalls on the road. In comparison, there was only one losing front office in the three seasons prior to '58....TOUGH SLEDDING FOR SEVERAL: The Chicago Cards, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers had a hard wrestle with the ledgers. The Green Bay Packers were saved by season ticket loyalty, for four games in their home town, plus big payoffs in California, even though they were not a drawing card. The Eagles actually gained in attendance last season after moving from Connie Mack Stadium to Franklin Field and might have been a financial winner with more success than a 2-9-1 record on the field. They may be on the way up, if Buck Shaw gets results in rebuilding line power. Rooney at Pittsburgh saw his Steelers go unbeaten through their last seven games, yet take a terrific buffeting at the gate through rain and the move to roofless Pitt Stadium from Forbes Field. The Steelers' owner has denied rumors of a shift, and will operate again in Pitt Stadium. However, he simply must receive more encouraging word at the gate if his club continues to show great improvement. The Packers are reorganizing their unwieldy executive committee and grabbed Vince Lombardi from the Giants as general manager and coach for the next five years. They have not been over .500 since 1947, although they have had a long list of prizes in the player draft. The Cards drew fewer than 100,000 to Comiskey Park last season, and were turned down by Bell in their efforts to move to a new location at Northwestern U's Dyche Stadium at Evanston, Ill. Bell upheld a long-established agreement between the Bears and the Cards limited the Bears to the north side and the Cards to the south side of the city, with both holding rights to play in Soldier Field. Dyche Stadium was considered within the Halas domain, since it is north of his Wrigley Field base. Now the Cards are fretful and unhappy. They do not wish to leave Chicago, but it is possible they will heed the call from Houston. Before that happens, they are waiting on a legal interpretation of the old pact with the Bears. The NFL seems to have settled on the status quo, aside from a possible shift of a franchise or two, and if a second league would like to enter the business, fine and dandy. The history of the AAC will be lesson enough to any challenging outfit to come into the battle of the behemoths well prepared with American money.
BENGTSON, COCHRAN NAMED PACKER ASSISTANTS
FEB 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - John Thurman (Red) Cochran, Jr., and John Phillip (Phil) Bengtson are the first two Packer assistant coaches hired by Vince Lombardi, the Bays' new head coach and general manager! Each newcomer will give the Packers a special peek at two noted Western Division foes, Cochran being fresh from the Detroit Lions and Bengtson likewise from the San Francisco 49ers. Lombardi announced Cochran's signing as backfield coach during a press luncheon at the Northland Hotel Tuesday afternoon. He named Bengtson as defense coach today...DOWN TO THREE: Lombardi also announced Tuesday that Tom Miller, the Packers' sales promotion and publicity director, has been retained. Earlier, he named Scout Jack Vainisi as a remainee. Thus, Lombardi is down to three empty positions - two assistant coaches and a business manager. A prospect for one of the coaching jobs is Nick Skorich, the Bays' offensive line coach a year ago. "I'd like to get him," Lombardi said yesterday...LINKED WITH MCLEAN: Cochran's availability is linked with Scooter McLean, the Packers' coach in '58. Scooter and George Wilson, head coach of the Lions, were roomies during their days with the Bears and they made a promise that each would see that the other would always have a job. When McLean resigned here Dec. 16, Wilson snapped him up and dropped Cochran who was aware of the friends' long-time pact. Wilson had attempted to get Scooter when he was an assistant here. Cochran played halfback with the Chicago Cardinals for four years, including service under then Cardinal Coach Curly Lambeau, after starring at Wake Forest. He closed his pro career in 1950 and then coached at Wake Forest for five years. He joined the Lions in February, 1956...PLAYED WITH BRUHN: A native of Fairfield, Ala., Cochran is 37. He is married and has a daughter, Tracy, 2. Bengtson is 45 - the same age as Lombardi. Phil was an All-American tackle at Minnesota in 1933-34 and played next to Milt Bruhn, Wisconsin coach. Other teammates included Green Bay's Ray Antil and former Packers Bud and George Svendsen. Phil started coaching in 1935 under Don Faurot at the University of Minnesota. He went west with Clark Shaughnessy in 1940 and had an important role in the development of the famed Stanford Cinderella team that trounced Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. He took four years out of his 11-year Stanford career to serve in the Navy during World War II. Bengtson joined the pros as an assistant under Buck Shaw at San Francisco in 1951. He was highly recommended as the 49ers' new head coach when Frankie Albert was under fire last fall. In fact, Bengtson spoke for the club's field operations later in the season. Thus, when Red Hickey was named head coach after the season, Phil left the club...RECOMMENDED BY MORABITO: Bengtson, a native of Rosseau, Minn., was highly recommended by Vic Morabito, owner of the 49ers. Phil is here now looking for a home. And it will have to be good sized. Besides Phil, there are wife Katherine and four children - Jay 15, Bob 12, Betty 10 and Brian 8. Bengtson said he felt the Packers had a "good nucleus of defensive players - Dillon, the linebackers, Hanner, Gremminger and a year before last we thought a lot of Symank. We'll need a good leader back there (defense) - somebody who can appreciate the overall problems of everybody on defense. I suspect Dillon is that type." The new aides, talking about defensive plans in general, pointed out: "We figure to emphasize a good pass defense and that includes rushing the passers. The amount of red dogging we do will depend on our own defensive personnel and the susceptibility of other teams to it."...Lombardi was officially introduced to the press, radio and TV - plus the Packer board of directors, at the luncheon. The former New York Giant spoke briefly but said a mouthful: "I want it understood that I'm in compete control. I expect full cooperation from you people and you will get full cooperation from me in return. You have my confidence and I want yours." Lombardi's straight-to-the-point talk was warmly accepted. He minced no words and explained his position and/or stand on all questions. Under the corporation's new streamlined policy, the GM has been given broad powers. And Lombardi has a five-year contract. The Brooklynite said he's "not against anything that will help the Packers. I've never been associated with a loser and I don't expect to be now." He added: "The Packers are steeped in tradition, I expect, with plenty of hard work to bring them back to the position they were once at. I have held many letter wishing me well and I received one of them from a former coach here, Gene Ronzani. He told me what a wonderful place Green Bay is and how wonderful the people are here."
LOMBARDI WILL 'PICTURE' ENEMY NFL DEFENSES
FEB 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Leftover Vince Lombardi notes, news and views: The Packers new general manager and head coach isn't planning to drop an old sock in the Bays' bag of tricks but...Well, story goes this way: Lombardi started this business of
snapping "still" pictures of enemy defenses with a quick-developing camera; he was the first to use it with the Giants. The pictures were taken from the scouts' box which was directly above the Giants bench in Yankee Stadium. Each picture was dropped down from above in an "old sock," Vince smiled, adding: "We had quite a problem when we played out here (in 1957) because the press box is on the opposite side of the field from our bench. The old sock method wasn't any good." What did you do? "We used runners and it worked out pretty well." Lombardi says he'll use the quick-picture system here and "maybe we'll have to use runners." (Please note you high school track coaches!) The pictures are taken just after the ball is snapped to show the defense's movements. "We then show the pictures to the quarterbacks; it gives them a different view and a good idea of how the defense is reacting. Visual 'education' is much better than telling the quarterbacks the defenses." Lombardi said he'll put two coaches in the press box during the games - "one for defense and the other for offense." Also, he said, "our next opponent will be scouted in person."...Vince was asked about quarterbacks since the Packers could go to camp with five - Bart Starr, Babe Parilli, Joe Francis, Randy Duncan and Bob Webb. "That's not too many for training camp. The ideal setup for the season is three, with one of them as a defensive back or even a fifth man on defense. We're not overstocked at QB for training."...Trading! "I believe in trading future draft choices for proven pro players," Lombardi said, "but I have no trade plans right now. I can't think of trading until I see our pictures and the results of grading the players." He was referring to the talked-about trade involved George Shaw, the Baltimore QB...On the news front, Lombardi said he has rented the late Dr. Walter Tippet resident (222 W. Mission) in Allouez for now. He plans to purchase a home later. Lombardi and his wife Marie left for their home in Fair Haven, N.J., today. He has a few details to clean up there, including putting their home up for sale, before returning Monday to start work on a permanent basis. Lombardi expects to make an addition to his coaching staff next week. He already has named two aides - Red Cochran, who will handle the offensive backfield, and Phil Bengtson, the defense. Cochran is fresh from the Detroit Lions; Bengtson the San Francisco 49ers. The Packer chief hopes to hire Nick Skorich, the Bays' offensive line mentor last season, but he has a medical problem in his family that makes it difficult for him to go too far away from his home in Pittsburgh. Philadelphia and Washington are also interested in his services. However, Skorich may come up to Green Bay to help with the early viewing of the Packers' films of 1958.
BAYS MAKE BIGGER EFFORT TO LAND SMALL-COLLEGE PLAYERS
FEB 5 (Appleton Post-Crescent) - Jack Vainisi's escaping the "broom" in the Packer house-cleaning was no great surprise - particularly after Vince Lombardi dispenses some kind words about Jack in an interview the day of his appointment as head man. Vainisi is accepted in football circles as a pretty keen judge of talent. He has come up with a representative list of draftees in recent years, but too often the coaching staff failed to capitalize on promising newcomers - either keeping them pigeon-holed until the tag-end of the season or else trading them away. A recent comment by this corner that the Bays' scouting needed beefing-up was not aimed at Vainisi but rather at the club for keeping this vital function on a too-low budget. Up to now, the Bays have not invested much manpower or money as most of their NFL rivals. One of our particular gripes was the Packers' failure to exploit the small-college field, which has provided some of the league's biggest stars. In their latest draft, the Bays went into the small-school market with a vengeance, making at 12 of their choices from relatively obscure institutions as Bridgeport, Williamette, Albion, Ball State, West Chester State, etc.
QBS SHAW, DUNCAN OCCUPY PACK
FEB 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It is noteworthy that the Packers have two top-flight quarterbacks on their mind today. There would be Baltimore's George Shaw, the NFL's champion bench signalist, and Randy Duncan, the country's top collegiate QB who happens to be the Packers' No. 1 draftee. It is probably more noteworthy that Jack Vainisi, the Packers' talent scout, is presently in Iowa City for the purpose of talking with the University of Iowa state. These might be the pre-signing chars - likely leading up to a discussion with Vince Lombardi, the Packers' new general manager and head coach. Lombardi, himself, is out in Fair Haven, N.J., where he's cleaning up many personal affairs - such as selling a house. And you are probably thinking how close New Jersey is to Baltimore? Vince isn't likely to act since he stated in his first visit that "I am in no position to trade for him until I've checked our present quarterbacks from the films. I don't know if Baltimore will wait that long." The Colts probably aren't in any hurry. Last week, Shaw told the Colts that he wanted to be traded. Reason: "So I can play," he said. George understudies John Unitas. Four or five clubs are interested in Shaw, so the Colts can wait. The packers, Giants, Eagles and Browns are believed to be Shaw-fired. Colt Coach Weeb Ewbank understandably would rather trade Shaw out of the Western Division. But Green Bay might be an exception, since there is some of that "if we can't win we hope you can" feeling between the two teams. Shaw could conceivably become a sixth Packer quarterback. Green Bay has three holdover signal callers - Bart Starr, Babe Parilli and Joe Francis. Rookies are Duncan and Bob Webb, the St. Ambrose star. Shaw could make it a half dozen. Lombardi should learn some interesting things about the three Bay signal callers in the 1958 movies. Parilli was at the controls for the Packers' only victory, that 38-35 business with the Eagles, in which he hurled four touchdown passes and completed 14 out of 25 throws for 199 yards. Starr was to blossom as the Bays' big gunner this year, but his major difficulty was crossing the goal line. He set two Packers records, for instance, in a narrow loss to Baltimore but scored only 17 points. He attempted 46 throws (a record) and completed a record 26 for 320 yards. But there were four interceptions, the last of which was turned into the Colts' winning TD...Francis was given a starting assignment in the windup at Los Angeles and squeezed out 20 points - six on field goals in the last half. Joe completed seven out of 13 for 84 yards, one interceptions and one touchdown. In addition, he ran 11 times for 87 yards.
SID GILLMAN PRAISES LOMBARDI: DUNCAN WAITS
FEB 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Sports folks around the county have been extremely kind in praising the Packers and Vince Lombardi for joining forces. It's certainly wonderful and gratifying. Latest to Back the Pack's Pick is Sid Gillman, coach of the Los Angeles Rams. Sid, who knows Lombardi well, commented thusly for Braven Dyer in the LA Times: "Vince is an absolutely top coach and will do a really fine job for Green Bay. When I was line coach at West Point, we tried to hire Vince. But he got away. That was about 10 years ago. (Lombardi later joined Army as offensive backfield coach and stayed five years.) Don't worry about the material at Green Bay. A lot of people think it's thin but it isn't. Their draft the past few years has been the best. Their ends are as good as any in the league and their quarterbacks are quite adequate. I know Lombardi will make good as head coach." Dyer recalled getting a call from an old Fordham booster, Tim Cohane, sports editor of Look magazine some years ago. "There's a young chap named Vince Lombardi who could do the Trojans (Southern Cal) a big job as their coach," said Cohane. "Plug him." Dyer said he pushed for Lombardi but SC went elsewhere...Randy Duncan, the Packers' first draft choice, will make up his mind on pro football in about a week. Packer Scout Jack Vainisi was in Des Moines this week talking with the University of Iowa quarterback. Duncan was due to enter the Army for six months at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., today, which would get him out in time to play...NFL Commissioner Bert Bell hopes to get the Packers' usual last two games on the west coast televised back to Packerland. That would give fandom a chance to see the club's entire 12-game schedule. What a treat compared to the pre-TV days!
BEARS, PACKERS IN 5TH 'EXHIBITION' TILT
FEB 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vince Lombardi, the Packers' new general manager-coach, was at work bright and early today. And one of his first chores was nailing down final details on something of a history-making event - a Packer-Bear non-championship game. The exhibition between pro football's oldest and bitterest
rivals is scheduled in Milwaukee County Stadium Saturday night, Aug. 15. It will be the annual Shrine charity game. This will be a rare-bird game because pro football's version of Army and Navy have played only four non-leaguers in their 40 years of jabbing and the last two of those were in the nature of pick-up games. The first "exhibit" battle was played in Chicago in the mid-1920s and in 1934 the Packers and Bears played that type of contest in Milwaukee under the lights. Later in the 1930s, the two clubs played a couple of postseason games on the west coast. Until a few years ago, the NFL objected to exhibitions between teams of the same division. The league even put in a rule making same-division exhibitions possible only if each participant played one exhibition with each member of the opposite division. In other words, the Packers would have had to play all six Eastern Division clubs in order to get one same-division games. This rule apparently has been relaxed because the Western Division Rams and 49ers have been playing each other in a six-game exhibition card for the past four or five years. The Bears thus will meet both of their traditional rivals long the exhibition trail. They started playing the Chicago Cardinals several years ago in the south and likely will continue in '59...Red Cochran, the Packers' new offensive backfield coach, reported for work this morning. He drove in from Detroit. Also expected today was Phil Bengtson, the defensive coach. Cochran was backfield coach with the Lions last year. Bengtson handled the defense for the 49ers...Nick Skorich, the Bays' offensive line coach last year, has signed as line coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, replacing Bruno Banducci, who was released at the end of the '58 season...On the Randy Duncan front, Forest Evashevski, who was Duncan's coach at Iowa, suggested during a talk in Grand Rapids, Mich., that Duncan should forget about a pro career and stick to his law books. The Big Ten's top quarterback, who was the Pack's No. 1 draft choice, left Saturday for six months of duty with the Army at Fort Leonard Wood. He expects to make a football-law decision in a week. Packer Scout Jack Vainisi conferred with Duncan in Des Moines last week.
NAME BILL AUSTIN PACKER LINE AIDE
FEB 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - William Lee (Bill) Austin, 29, former New York Giant guard, has been named offensive line coach of the Packers. That was the announcement today from Vince Lombardi, the Packers' GM-coach, who now has selected three of his planned-on four assistants. Austin joins Red Cochran, offensive line coach, and Phil Bengtson, defensive coach. Still to be chosen under Lombardi'[s desire to have tow offensive and two defensive aides is a defensive line coach. Austin easily ranks as one of the youngest assistants in the league. He ended a seven-year career with the Giants after the '57 season and decided to retire because of a knee injury. Austin was one of Lombardi's prize pupils during his five years as offensive coach of the Giants. The 225-pound guard was line coach at Wichita University (Kansas) last fall and was still with the school when Lombardi provided the Packer opportunity. A native of Woodburn, Ore., Austin played college ball at Oregon State. He starred in the East-West Shrine game in '49, then played in the Hula Bowl, and joined the Giants as their 13th draft choice that fall. With time out for service in 1951-52, Austin put in seven pro seasons. Austin was the Giants' regular offensive tackle as a rookie in '49 despite the fact that he was only 20. He was shifted to guard the following year and played the position throughout his pro career. Austin made all-pro in 1954 and played in the Pro Bowl game in '55. He was a key part in the Giants' big championship '56 season. The new Packer aide gained some coaching experience in service. He was head coach of the Far East champions of the Camp Drake League in Tokyo. Austin, who is married, will report for work this weekend...All three of the Packers' assistant coaches are looking for living accommodations. Bengtson needs an unfurnished four bedroom house. Cochran and Austin need two or three bedroom houses or apartments. Cochran reported Monday...Bob Webb, the Packers' draft pick quarterback
from St. Ambrose, wants to take a drive to relax from schoolwork this week. So he decided to motor from Davenport, Ia., this week to look over Green Bay and maybe sign a contract. He'll probably see plenty of snow - if he gets through.
PACKER ALUMNI 'VERY HAPPY' WITH LOMBARDI
FEB 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packer Alumni Assn. is "very happy" with the selection of Vince Lombardi as head coach and general manager of he Packers. The Association, at its last meeting, voted unanimous approval to the new chief and presented the following tribute on the selection today via Secretary John Biolo: "The Green Bay Packers Alumni Association is very happy with the selection of Vince Lombardi as head coach and general manager. The executive committee is to be commended for its wise selection of Mr. Lombardi. We want it understood that we are 100 percent for the Green Bay Packers and Coach Lombardi and wish him best of luck in returning the Packers to prominence. We feel confident he can do the job and offer him any cooperation he requests. We sincerely hope all the Packer fans join us in "backing the Pack" with renewed vigor and hope; confident that the Lombardi plan for resurgence will pay dividends; and that the thrill of good, sound, and representative football will again be a part of the everyday life of the citizen of Green Bay and Wisconsin."
PACKERS ADD DRAKE PAIR TO DEFENSIVE UNIT
FEB 12 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Defense by Drake? It's a little early yet to create slogans for ;1959 but the Packers' latest signees are ticketed for defense and they're both from Drake University of Des Moines, Iowa. The newcomers are Charlie Anderson, the 22nd draft choice last month, and halfback Tom Newell, who was drafted on the 15th round as a junior eligible a year ago. GM-Coach Vince Lombardi, who announced the signing of the players last night, has slated Newell as a candidate for a defensive cornerbacker position; Anderson will be tried at defensive end. The Packers now have announced the signing of four rookies. Newell and Anderson join halfback Alex Hawkins, the South Carolina halfback who was the No. 2 choice, and guard Andy Cvercko of Northwestern, No. 5. Anderson was the biggest man on the Drake team at 6-5 and 235 pounds. He expects to report at 245 pounds. "Anderson is a big boy with good speed who likes to hit. We will give him a good try at defensive end." Anderson, 25, played two years at Fort Dodge Junior College before enrolling at Drake. The big tackle sat out most of his junior year with a broken ankle but returned to his senior season to be an outstanding lineman. Anderson was in service for two years and played on several Army teams. Newell's vicious tackling and slick pass coverage attracted Packer scouts. Newell knows his way around on offense, too. He played fullback and quarterback during his sophomore and junior seasons and was moved to left halfback for his senior year. His blocking was one of the chief reasons for Drake's passing success last year. Newell is the right size for cornerbacker - 6-2 and 195...Lombardi met press, radio and television folks from Milwaukee at the Milwaukee Athletic Club this afternoon. The publicity gathering followed a meeting with officials of the Wisconsin Shrine which is sponsoring the Packer-Bear exhibition in County Stadium Aug. 15...Weeb Ewbank, the Colts' head coach, told a convention in Chicago yesterday that he wouldn't trade quarterback George Shaw to a team in the Western Division. That's a switch because Weeb already has discussed trade, involving Shaw, with the Packers. Shaw recently asked to be traded...The Ripon Chamber of Commerce has invited the Packers to train on the Ripon College campus next summer. The CC invite offered an "ideal climate and adequate facilities." Stevens Point wants the Packers to return to Central State in '59. The Bays trained at Stevens Point from 1954 through 1957 and then trained in Green Bay in '58, with headquarters at St. Norbert
College...John Sandusky, former Brown and Packer tackle who coached the line the last two years at Villanova, has replaced John Bridgers as line coach of the Colts. Sandusky was scheduled to join Otis Douglas at Calgary but Douglas permitted him to withdraw when the Colt job opened. Bridgers recently became head coach at Baylor.
PACKERS PLAY FIRST FOUR LEAGUE GAMES AT 'HOME'
FEB 13 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers will play their first four league games at home on consecutive Sundays starting Sept. 27 and then play their final two home tests Nov. 15 and 22. This was announced by GM-Coach Vince Lombardi upon receipts of schedule information today from NFL Commissioner Bert Bell. Here are the dates, all Sundays, and opponents for the Bays' six home league battles: Sept. 27 - Chicago Bears; Oct. 4 - Detroit Lions; Oct. 11 - San Francisco 49ers; Oct. 18 - Los Angeles Rams; Nov. 15 - Baltimore Colts; Nov. 22 - Washington. The division of games between Milwaukee and Green Bay probably will be decided shortly. It's expected that four games will be played here and two in Milwaukee - a division that was started for the 1958 season. The major change in the 1959 card as against last year's involves the world champion Colts. Baltimore was Green Bay's third game during the last four seasons. This means that the Packers will test the champion Colts for the first time in Baltimore and the Colts won't invade Wisconsin until the eighth game...ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS: Washington will be making its first league appearance in Badgerland since 1952 and the Bays will be especially cautious. Green Bay invaded Washington for league purposes last fall for the first time since 1949 and came out with a deep scalp wound, 37-21. Assuming that the Packers will play in Detroit Thanksgiving Day and on the west coast for the final pair, the Packers' card is complete except for three road holes - Oct. 25, Nov. 1 and Nov. 8. Two of those dates will be with Western Division clubs - the Chicago Bears and Baltimore, and the third will be an Eastern Division club. The schedule calls for home and home with teams in the same division and two games with teams of the opposite division. The most interesting Eastern foe would be the New York Giants, since Lombardi is fresh from that club. And the Packers haven't played in New York since 1952. Each team announces its own home schedule. Thus, makeup of the Packers' complete 12-game card will have to wait until the other clubs reveal their cards. Lombardi feels the schedule is extremely tough all the way but he got one wish. He pointed out earlier that "it would be better if we didn't have to play those four tough ones right in a row." He was referring to the Bears, Lions, Colts and Rams. The 49ers replaced the Colts in the first four but right today the Golden Gaters look as rough as any of them...The schedule settlement was quite an eye-opener this morning for Lombardi after an interesting day in Milwaukee Thursday by a long night on the way home. The 8:35 North Western never left the Milwaukee launching pad until close to 11. On the way home, the train hit a car near Bellevue. It was 2 o'clock this morning when the Packer party (Lombardi, Dominic Olejniczak, Verne Lewellen and Tom Miller - plus your correspondent) skidded into dear old Green Bay. Lombardi received an especially warm welcome at a press, radio, and television party at the Milwaukee Athletic Club, which followed a luncheon with officials of the Milwaukee Shrine. Herbert L. Mount, Packer director and Shrine game chairman, announced that contracts had been signed for the Packer-Bear non-league game in Milwaukee Aug. 15. It will be the 10th annual Shrine game and Mount expects it to be the biggest. Two seat prices have been established - $4 and $2. Sunday afternoon, Aug. 16, has been set as a rain date. The previous nine Shrine games produced $150,000 for Shrine hospitals, Mount said. Lombardi addressed the press group, which included Milwaukee and downstate directors, and went under the lights and tapes of every radio and TV station in Beer Town. Vince answered the proverbial million question and, among other things, revealed: "We are looking at game films right now, starting at the end of last season because the team that finished the season is the one that we'll start with. Joe Francis showed some possibilities. He's a little awkward at ball handling and moving out from under the center, but as you know he was a single wingback. I haven't formed an opinion yet on the other two quarterbacks. We only went through the last three games thus far. We're also grading each player on technique, speed and hustle. The only thing we can't tell from pictures is the heart the boys have." Lombardi was asked about Duncan and the coach said he expected word on him "almost any time now. He said last week he wanted a week to think it over. We gave him a good offer - probably better than other clubs. We will not go any higher and now it's up to him." Lombardi said he felt that Duncan's father "would rather he didn't play pro ball but the father would want him in Green Bay if he decides to play." The coach said Duncan would need at least a year of seasoning "before he would be of any help to us." He indicated that he's still interested in George Shaw, the Baltimore QB who asked to be traded, but that he won't decide on Shaw until he gets a good look at Francis, Babe Parilli and Bart Starr in the films...MILWAUKEE BRIEFS: Don Hutson, the Packers' immortal end, came up from Racine to meet Lombardi. Incidentally, Hutson is not (repeat not) ill. Buckets Goldenberg was among the Milwaukee directors who wished Vince well...The Bays are scheduled to play the Giants in an exhibition in Bangor, Maine...It was like old home week for Chuck Capaldo of the AP. He and Vince hail from the same New Jersey neighborhood...Milwaukee Director David B. Kuenzli was host to the Packer contingent for dinner at the Wisconsin club after the press affair.
PACKER STANDARDS SET FOR BLOCKING
FEB 14 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packer quarterbacks should be happy to hear this quote from GM-Coach Vince Lombardi: "A quarterback should never get knocked down by a lineman. A red-dogging linebacker will nail a quarterback on a rare occasion but a lineman shouldn't get a quarterback." Those statements made at the Milwaukee press party this week represent good news for Packer Quarterbacks Babe Parilli, Bart Starr, Joe Francis, Randy (if) Duncan, Bob (if) Webb ad George (if) Shaw. Those words also represent a warning for Packer linemen, including the ends. Lombardi and his on-duty aides, Phil Bengston and Red Cochran, are grading the Packers in their 1958 games and one of the biggest and most important jobs is investigating the offensive blocking. Special note is given to blocking for the passer and blocking for the runner. Certain standards have been set forth on grading the offensive blocking. All linemen, including the tackles, guards and centers, should have 85 percent success on pass blocking, Lombardi said. On running plays, the centers should be 70 percent successful, the guard 60 percent, the tackles 65 percent and the ends 55 percent. The guards' percentage is so low because many of their blocks have to be made while pulling out and in open field. Offensive ends block? "They will have to if our running game is going to work. Rote (Kyle, Giants' flanker end) is successful on 65 to 70 percent of his blocks. That helped the Giants," the coach said. The team's average on blocking for running plays should be around 60 percent. The number of minutes played by each athlete will be determined in the picture. "This and the blocking and other factors will help determine a player's salary," he said...It's too early to fret and fume, but Lombardi is a bit concerned over how the Bays will look in the first game next summer. That battle happens to be against the always-hungry Bears in the Shrine game in Milwaukee Aug. 15. "Ugh," Lombardi stated, "I remember when we first put in a new system with the Giants in 1954 and we got the Los Angeles Rams in the first game. It was terrible. Everybody was mixed up." Lombardi will be installing his own slot-less formation in camp next summer...The new Packer chief was amazed to notice the "good condition" look about Don Hutson at the Milwaukee affair. Said Vince: "You look like you're ready to play right now." Don quipped back, "I'm ready to eat right now," as he surveyed a load of shrimp. Hutson said he was flooded with telephone calls and letters from people all over the country inquiring about his health. "They got me dying," Don said, "and my mother even called me from down home and wanted to know." Asked if he had been at Mayo's for a checkup, Don laughed: "No, but maybe I ought to go if everybody seems to think I'm sick. I've never felt better in my life." Hutson developed a back condition two or three years ago but the trouble was found and he received a clean bill of health. Don went through 11 years of pro football without any serious injuries. His biggest trouble on occasion were his dogs - "they really bark at times," he used to say. Which is why he walked sometimes as if he was on eggs.
BEARS, LIONS, 49ERS, REDSKINS AT STADIUM
FEB 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers will play the Bears, Lions, 49ers and the Redskins at City Stadium. And the Rams and Colts in Milwaukee County Stadium. The division of Packer league opponents between Milwaukee and Green Bay, announced today by GM-Coach Vince Lombardi, means that the Packers will continue their 4-2 split between the cities for the second straight year. The Packers brought a fourth game in Green Bay in 1958 after attendance in Beer Town faltered under the 3-3 setup. The third game, usually played in Milwaukee, was shifted to Green Bay to avoid conflict with a possible World Series, Lombardi said. This gives Green Bay three consecutive games at City Stadium and the fourth game seven weeks later. The Packers ran into a tough situation a year ago when the seventh World Series game was played in Milwaukee on a Thursday before the Packers' game against the Colts. With little buildup in Milwaukee paper, due to the emphasis on the Series, the game drew 24,553. The Rams, who played here in 1958, went back to Milwaukee in an alternating move with the other West Coast club. The 49ers played here the last time in 1956, winning a 17-16 decision...ROAD GAMES INDEFINITE: The Redskins' appearance here is history-making because George Marshall's Washingtons never played a league game in Green Bay. The club has been here for non-leaguers but any Wisconsin league games involving the Packers and Redskins were always played in Milwaukee. Baltimore will be making its sixth straight appearance in Milwaukee. The Colts last played in Green Bay in 1953 and started showing up in Milwaukee in 1954. The Packers' six road league games are still indefinite, although reportedly they are scheduled to play in Detroit Thanksgiving Day and on the West Coast for the two-game league-season windup. All of this leaved three holes for engagements at the Chicago Bears, Baltimore and one Eastern Division club. The open dates are the consecutive Sundays of Oct. 25, Nov. 1 and Nov. 8...One of the Milwaukee games might be played on Saturday night. Two reasons could be involved - television and the fact that Milwaukee has been a better draw at night for the Pack...Lombardi was informed of Tim Mara's death at 2 o'clock this morning by long distance telephone. He will leave Thursday to attend the funeral of the Giants' owner and founder. Lombardi, who had been with the Giants for five years, paid tribute to his former employer today as "a great old man, a hard nosed guy and one of the real men in pro football. The league lost one of its founders." The Packer chief, who had intended to leave Friday, will be gone for about a week to complete the process of moving his family from his home in Fair Haven, N.J., to Green Bay. He has rented the Tippet resident in Allouez. The family will live there until a home is purchased...Dan Currie, the Packers' big linebacker who did so well as a rookie last year, was expected in Green Bay for a visit with Packer coaches today. He's coming over from his home in Detroit...Packer draftee Dave Smith, the fullback from Ripon, was presented with an Associated Press Little All-America certificate in ceremonies at Ripon College Monday. The presentation was made by Packer Publicist Tom Miller.
COCHRAN, BENGTSON CAUTIOUS IN FORECASTING BAYS' FUTURE
FEB 17 (Appleton Post-Crescent) - Very cautious optimism and hesitance to criticize their Packer coaching predecessors marked the maiden Fox Cities public speaking venture of new Green Bay Packer assistant coaches Red Cochran and Phil Bengtson. Bengtson, new defensive coach, Coachran, offensive backfield tutor, and Packer Publicitor Tom Miller addressed a joint dinner meeting of the Fox Valley and Brown County Adjusters' Association at Stroebe's Island haven Monday night. Because they've been on their new jobs only about two weeks, Cochran and Bengtson couched their ideas in terms of their previous positions. Through last season, Cochran was backfield coach of the Detroit Lions, Bengtson was in charge of defensive operations of the San Francisco 49ers...PREVIEW FILMS: Bengtson said that after reviewing a number of the Packer films he felt that the 1958 coaching staff "did well with the material on hand." The assistants and Head Coach Vince Lombardi do not feel that the Packer personnel is at, or near, championship caliber. Bengtson, Cochran and Miller all asserted that building a winner is a painstaking process and one that takes more than a season or two. The new assistants revealed a knowledge of noteworthy Packers' tradition and expressed hope that they can help bring back long-gone glory. Both said they're happy to be in Green Bay. Coachran said that he thought the selections of Randy Duncan as the Packers' No. 1 draft choice was a good one. The Lions intended to pick the Iowa quarterback if he hadn't been chosen before Detroit's turn. Will Duncan sign with the Packers? "If he really wants to play pro football and has enough confidence in himself, he'll sign with us," Cochran opined. "As Coach Lombardi said, from now on it's up to Duncan." The new coaches have not given up on Bart Starr and Babe Parilli as possible Packer quarterbacks in 1959. "Who our quarterbacks will be next fall depends on how they, and the others, adapt to the new offensive formations which we will install."...'TERRIFIC ATHLETE': The Bays' Paul Hornung was called a "terrific athlete who can do anything you ask," by Cochran. Hornung, who has been a fullback during most of his 2-year Packer career, may be given a shot at the quarterback spot, and at a Frank Gifford-type runner-passer role, Cochran asserted. Miller defended Hornung against criticism he's received during his two seasons in Green Bay. "Paul is a very fine individual and one of the hardest working players on the team. He has taken a lot of criticism he shouldn't have gotten." Cochran doesn't think that the Packers' chances of getting Baltimore quarterback George Shaw are too good...MAY WANT MORE: "Weeb Ewbank (Baltimore coach) doesn't want to trade Shaw to another Western division club. To deal him within the division, Ewbank may want more than we are able to give him," Cochran, a red head with a crew cut, asserted. Coachran, former Wake Forest and Chicago Cardinal player, said he has answered the "which is best" question on Tobin Rote and Bobby Layne many times, "Physically, I don't know how you could find a better quarterback than Tobin Rote. But, Bobby Layne had a much better grasp of our plays and had the ability to break a game wide open. An ideal situation would be for Layne to call the plays and Tobin to execute them."...FINE OPPORTUNITY: The balding Bengtson, an All-American at the University of Minnesota who later coached at Missouri and Stanford, called his Green Bay post "the finest opportunity in the league since we have nowhere to go but up." "There is no reason why the Packers can't be built back up," he remarked. "We have a fine scouting setup and take no shortcuts, salarywise. We are very impressed with Lombardi." Bengtson said that he realizes that defensive end is a Green Bay weak point. But, rather than converting a player like linebacker Ray Nitschke to end, the Packers should try and strengthen the position by other means. "Linebackers are harder to develop than ends," Bengtson said. "It's very tough to strengthen a weak position in this league," he opined. "With the 49ers, our weakness was in the defensive secondary. You try to draft or two trade to strengthen a weakness but it's a tough job."...SPIRIT GREATER: Cochran asserted that "the spirit around her is greater than anywhere else in the NFL. Detroit is considered a good sports town, But, with 3,000,000 people, you should be able to find 50,000 to attend a pro football game." Miller told the adjusters that no decision has been made on either the Packers' 1959 training site or which of the six home games will be played in Green Bay and which in Milwaukee. "We'll probably have four games in Green Bay again," he said. "Lombardi will be one of the most popular men we've ever had in Green Bay," Miller predicted. "He's gotten a great deal of congratulatory mail and the club has received lots of it too, telling us what a good choice we've made. Vince has been terribly busy. He's trying to answer all those letters."
STATISTICS DON'T INTEREST LOMBARDI
FEB 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Official team and individual statistics on the 1958 NFL season are hot off the Philadelphia press. But Packer coach-GM Vince Lombardi isn't particularly interested in them. "They give us the total yardage but our real information on the past season comes from the pictures," Lombardi explained, adding: "Statistics of that type don't figure in our planning." Vince and staffmen Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran and Bill Austin are dealing right now in the "grades" of each Packer as taken off the films of last year's games. The Philly philberts reflect the Packers' 1-10-1 season. Lookee: Green Bay's leading ground gainer in 1958, Paul Hornung, finished 26th in that department in the league with 310 yards. By comparison, the Giants, who were coached offensively by the aforementioned Lombardi, had four backs who gained more than that - Frank Gifford 468 yards, Mel Triplett 466, Alex Webster 398 and Phil King 316. What balance! The Packers have had different ground gaining leaders in each of the last five seasons and seven in the last 10 years, starting with Tony Canadeo's 1,052. A quarterback, Tobin Rote, led the Packers in three of those 10 campaigns...The Packers weren't the worst rushing team in the league last year. Two clubs, Detroit and Philadelphia, finished behind the Packers who rushed for 1,421 yards. Compare that with Detroit's 1,360 and Philadelphia's 1,093 - not to mention the 2,526 yards stacked up by leader Cleveland! The Packers averaged 4.1 yards per rush, which is just off the league average of 4.2. Cleveland averaged 5.3 and Los Angeles 5.0...BRIEFS: Lombardi is interviewing a prospect for an assistant coaching position today. Three aides, Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran and Bill Austin, already are at work. Lombardi is looking for a defensive partner for Bengtson. The Packer GM-Coach will leave for the East Thursday, instead of Friday, as he originally planned, so that he can attend the funeral of Tim Mara, the Giants' owner and founder who died early Tuesday. Lombardi will move to Green Bay from Fair Haven, N.J., lock, stock and barrel next week...Linebacker Dan Currie is visiting in Green Bay, arriving from his home in Detroit Tuesday.
MUST 'PROVE MYSELF' ALL OVER AGAIN, GARY
FEB 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packers Gary Knafelc and Tom Bettis have purchased home in our town and area, and Jim Temp is looking. Knafelc is on the West side and Bettis is in Alloeuz. Let Gary do the talking 'cause he's the public speaker, anyway: "We have a jinx to break, the mortgage jinx. Breezy (Reid) bought a home and got cut (when he was a player) and Big John (Martinvovic) brought one and got traded. That's what we face - a jinx." Never at a loss for words, long Gary continued: "You ought to see my mortgage. It's got a clause in it that says, 'Gary, you have to block.'" Knafelc long has been kidded about his blocking and the matter came up the other day when Coach Vince Lombardi said he planned to play both ends tight "and they'll both have to block." All is not hilarious with Knafelc, who was leveled midway in both the 1957 and 1958 seasons with knee (opposite) injuries that required surgery. "I've got to prove myself all over again," Knafelc explains, "because I haven't played a full season since 1956." Gary, the Cardinals' No. 2 pick in 1954, was obtained on waivers when Joe Stydahar went on a player purge. He caught five passes in '54, playing under Max McGee; nailed 40 (for eight touchdowns) in '55; and 30 (for 6 teedees) in 1956, with McGee in service. Max returned in 1957. This is it for Knafelc, who now is moving around on two patched but extremely sound legs. The three Packers mentioned in Paragraph 1 all are interested in Green Bay their home. Knafelc and Temp are both selling insurance, Gary with Northwestern National and Jim with Murphy Insurance Co. Bettis is in his third season with Interstate Steel. Temp hails from La Cross; Bettis from Chicago; and Knafelc from Pueblo, Colo. All three pick Green Bay as a good place to work and raise a family.
LOMBARDI NOW HAS 2 PACKER HOLES TO FILL
FEB 20 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Coach Vince Lombardi faced the task of filling two Packer gaps today following a double loss Thursday. The Packers lost their No. 1 draft choice, quarterback Randy Duncan of Iowa, to Canada and veteran guard Hank Bullough to the Michigan State (his alma mater) coaching ranks. Those developments robbed the Packers of (1) a regular starting offensive guard and (2) their No. 2 quarterback prospect behind veterans Bart Starr, Babe Parilli and Joe Francis. Bullough's loss will be tempered by the expected return of Bob Skoronski, the big offensive tackle whose presence could mean the shifting of Forest Gregg from tackle to offensive guard. The loss of Duncan may be offset by Francis who looked so well in spots last year and by maybe even the talented Bob Webb, the St. Ambrose ace. But the loss of the first choice can't be tempered. Lombardi, is his comment on the loss of Duncan Thursday, thought immediately of that first choice in his remarks: "Naturally, we feel badly on losing our first choice. He was given the best offer we possibly could have given - even a little more. Our offer was as good as any first draft choice could get. Evidently, Duncan did not have the confidence to play in our league." Lombardi was first informed of Duncan's decision when he landed in Newark, N.J., airport during a stopover. He was on his way to New York to attend the funeral of Tim Mara, former Giants' owner and Vince's former employer, before moving his family out to Green Bay from their home in Fair Haven, N.J. Duncan apparently has adopted a "get-rich-quickly-and-get-back-to-law" policy toward pro football in turning down a United States major league club in favor of $35,000 offer for two years from the British Columbia Lions. The young athlete, now serving a six-months tour of duty in the Army at Fort Leonard Wood, was quoted thusly yesterday: "I talked with scouts for the Packers and they told me it would take two or three years to become a good quarterback in the NFL. I don't have that much time. I only want to play two or three years and then go back to school and get my law degree." Thus, there is every indication that Duncan wants to get "set up" without putting much into the game. This might be possible in any other position but quarterbacks where the price in work and experience is high. The rewards also are high, though, judging by the $30,000 tag on Bobby Layne and a few others. Duncan told this writer shortly after he was drafted that "playing with the Packers and in the National League would be a great challenge to me." He said then that he was interested in attending law school but that "I wouldn't necessarily have to be a lawyer." Duncan will not attend law school in Canada. Duncan's decision was made known through his father, Hearst R. Duncan of Des Moines, an attorney, yesterday. Duncan said in Des Moines that he had never met or talked with Lombardi and added: "I don't know where he got that idea that I can't play in his league." Negotiations with Duncan were handled by Jack Vainisi, Packer scout, who acted during the period before and after Lombardi joined the Packers Jan. 29. Duncan is the fourth first draft choice lost by the Packers. Marquette halfback John Strzykalski of Marquette, in 1946, and quarterback Ernie Case of UCLA, in 1946, went to teams in the old All-America Conference, and Bob Gain, the tackle out of Kentucky, went to Canada in 1951. Later, draft rights for Gain were traded to Cleveland...Packer President Dominic Olejniczak announced today that the annual meeting of stockholders of Green Bay Packers, Inc., will be held in the Circuit Court room at the courthouse Monday night, March 2. Stockholders were urged by the Packer president to turn in their proxies so that pans to streamline the operation of the club can be completed. Directors will be elected and reports from officers will be received.
LOSS OF BULLOUGH GREATER THAN DUNCAN?
FEB 20 (Milwaukee Journal-Oliver Kuechle) - The Green Bay Packers lost two men Thursday, much publicized quarterback Randy Duncan, their No. 1 draft choice, and relatively little publicized veteran guard, Hank Bullough, and strange as it may seem, the greater loss perhaps was Bullough. Duncan cast his lot with the Vancouver club of the Canadian league. Bullough accepted a job as an assistant with Duff Daugherty at Michigan State. The facts are these: For all of Duncan's contributions to Iowa's cause in a Big Ten championship year, for all of the headlines he made as Herkimer Hawkeye No. 1, he had still to prove he could cut it with the pros. More than one Big Ten coach, when asked at season's end what he thought, shook his head. "A better than average passer, sure, but slow." "Not nimble enough." "What quarterback couldn't look great with a backfield like Iowa's?" Such were comments by the men who know college football players best. Bullough was a proven pro - the best offensive blocker in Green Bay's line...THE BIG MAN: It is never good to lose the No. 1 draft choice, of course. And there was always the chance, whatever some of the observations about Duncan, that he might have cut it in time. But Bullough? He was the big man in the offensive line and Green Bay needs offensive linemen today as much as any quarterback. He was 240 pounds of muscle and agility. He played last season despite injuries which not infrequently keep men out of the lineup. Bullough will not be easily replaced, Duncan might be. Vince Lombardi, in fact, indicated even before Duncan made his choice that he did not think the Hawkeye would get to play a great deal his first year. He touched on the same things when he learned in New York what Duncan had done. "Evidently he didn't have the confidence to play in our league," Lombardi said. It's quite a jump from college rank to the pros...BASS FOR BAIT: What might have been, if the Packers had drafted differently at the December meeting at which they took Duncan, provides some food for thought - and this isn't exactly second guessing. The point was made before the draft. Suppose in what was a lean draft year generally, they had taken with their first choice the man they knew the player rich Los Angeles Rams wanted badly and got themselves on their first choice - Dick Bass of College of Pacific. Bass was a junior eligible. Suppose, then, they had gone to the Rams, the player rich Rams again, and had said, "Here's Bass if you want him so badly, what'll you give me?" The Rams could and would have given plenty. They can't get out of their own way for the ballplayers they have and they run a preseason camp to cut down their roster from 80 or 85 to the maximum 60 permitted in regular camp. Green Bay could have got five or six men if not more. Ordinarily it isn't wise to trade your No. 1 draft choice. But the Packers presented no ordinary case after 10 lean years and the year 1958 was no ordinary draft year. What might have been, indeed? Where has that been uttered before?
STREAMLINING VOTE SET FOR PACKER MEET
FEB 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A major item on the agenda at the annual meeting of the stockholders of Green Bay Packers, Inc., will be a request for approval of the administrative streamlining of the club. The meeting will be held in the Circuit Court room of the courthouse at 8 o'clock Monday night, March 2. Besides electing 15 directors and receiving reports of officers, the stockholders will, according to notice of the meeting sent out by Packer President Dominic Olejniczak, "consider the amendment of the Articles of Incorporation by eliminating the office of Chairman of the Board, one Vice President and changing the designation and duties of the officers from the Articles to the By-Laws. Further, to consider modifying the provision as to the directors in the Articles to read as follows: The number of directors constituting the initial board of directors to the corporation is three (3) and thereafter the number of directors shall be such number not less than three (3) as is fixed from time to time by the by-laws. Said directors may be classified as authorized from time to time by the by-laws." The group also will amend the by-laws in certain respects and act on any other matters that may come before the meeting. A two-third majority of the 4,732 stockholder shares outstanding is needed to approve the changes in articles and by-laws. Proxies were mailed to stockholders this week, and their immediate return is requested. The shares are held by 1,650 stockholders. The Packers will reduce their executive committee from 13 to six members under one streamlining plan. Hiring of a general manager (Vince Lombardi) and giving him complete authority was also part of the program.
HECKER COMPLETES PACKER STAFF
FEB 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' coaching staff is now intact. And the group averages out to a youthful and energetic age of 37! Vince Lombardi, the Packers' new general manager and head coach, completed the unit Monday with the appointment of Norb Hecker, former Los Angeles and Washington defensive back, as the Bays' defensive backfield and offensive end coach. The Packer coaching setup follows with age and pro experience: Lombardi, 45, head coach, five years with New York Giants as assistant coach; Bill Austin, 29, offensive line coach (tackle to tackle), seven year as player with Giants; Phil Bengtson, 45, defensive line and linebacker coach, assistant with San Francisco past eight seasons; Red Cochran, 36, four years as player with Chicago Cardinals, three years as assistant with Detroit. Hecker, 31, three years as player with Los Angeles, three as player with Washington, two (one as player-coach) in Canada. Collegewise, Lombardi coached at Fordham and Army for five years; Austin one year at Wichita; Bengtson five years at Missouri and nine at Stanford; and Cochran five years at Wake Forest. Lombardi, who is now in the process of moving his family from Fair Haven, N.J., to Green Bay, said earlier he will work closely with his assistant coaches. With the Giants, Lombardi had what amounted to complete charge of the offense. Jim Lee Howell, the head coach, acted more in a supervisory capacity. This is the second all-new coaching staff in Packer history. The first was in 1950, when Gene Ronzani became head coach and made a complete break from the old regime. He hired Clark Shaughnessy (for a brief period), Tarz Taylor, Dick Plasman and Ray Nolting. When Liz Blackbourn took over in 1954, he retained Scooter McLean, who has been hired by Ronzani in '51. McLean, himself, stayed on in '58 - as head coach. Hecker, the Bobby Dillon type at 6-2 and 195, played in 86 straight games before injuries caught up to him last season as player-coach of
the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was trying a comeback after a knee operation late in the 1957 season with Washington. Hecker, a prep star in Olmstead Falls, O., won honors as a Little Al-American at Baldwin-Wallace in 1950 and was the Rams' sixth draft choice in 1951. He was traded to Washington with Ed Barker for Hall Haynes in 1954 but decided to play in Toronto. He joined the Redskins in 1955 and played three seasons. Hecker intercepted 28 passes in six NFL seasons and caught nine passes in brief offensive end duty along the way. The new Packer aide is presently living in Berea, O., and will report for work Monday. He is married and has two children.
NOTE AND NOTIONS
FEB 26 (Appleton Post-Crescent) - Have you noticed the surprisingly little crying that's been done over the football milk Randy Duncan spilled by forsaking the Packers for Canada? Perhaps this is because Coach Vince Lombardi had never gone overboard in his praise for Duncan (or in his personal efforts to wrap Randy up) and because several other football men expressed serious doubts about Duncan's stardom potential in the demanding NFL. Though Duncan was the best of a generally sub-par "draftable" collegiate QB crop, perhaps he lacked the tools to become a pro standout. Then again, maybe he does have what it takes. But that kind of academic speculation gets us nowhere. What's more serious than the loss of Duncan as an individual is the dissipation of the No. 1 draft choice. The last-place Packers, of all people, can't afford to lose a chance to beef up with one (anyone) of 1958's most eligible collegians. To invert an old saw, "Them that hasn't, don't git." The Dec. 1 Packer drafting team (Ray McLean, Jack Vainisi, et al) probably had no way of knowing that the Canadian lure would prove so strong and was sincere in its effort to get the Bays a big-name draftee. That's all very well, but this much is sure: if there is any kind of a serious doubt (even 25 or 30 percent) about Duncan's interest in playing for Green Bay (before the draft, pro clubs, of course, poll college stars on their intention) he should have been passed over. With their personnel needs as big as they were (and are), the Packers were in no position to gamble. They could have gone for such other equally-good first-round prospects as quarterback Lee Grosscup, halfback Don Clark, fullback Nick Pietrosante or even a "future" such as Rich Petitbon or Dick Bass. There is some reason to believe that Duncan wasn't against playing in the NFL, per se - only against playing with the Packers. Right after he was drafted, Duncan was quoted as hoping the Packers would trade him to the Bears or Cardinals. Maybe this trade avenue wasn't explored by the Packers - or maybe the fickle Randy didn't give them a chance. After all, he is a bit hard to figure. In a Milwaukee interview some time ago, Duncan said he wasn't sure whether he would play pro football, but that if he did, it would be with the Packers. Anyway, the Packers are left holding the bag (unless Duncan wants to "come back" and play in the NFL after a 2-year Canadian hitch).
LEWELLEN LEAVES ON SCOUTING TREK
FEB 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Verne Lewellen, the former Packer general manager, left today on a three-week scouting tour of the south and southwest. Lewellen will spend most of his time in Texas viewing spring football practices and contacting players already drafted by the Packers. He will meet with Packer veterans along the way. He also will tour Alabama and South Carolina. This is Lewellen's first official outside assignment from General Manager-Coach Vince Lombardi since Lombardi replaced him as GM last Jan. 28. Lombardi is undecided on Lewellen's future status- plus the position of business manager. Vince said recently that he'll decided later on the BM position. Lombardi feels he needs additional time to get acquainted with the Packer operation plus the personnel. He didn't know anyone in the Packer organization, except Jack Vainisi, before he came here...The Packer coaching staff will start work together for the first time Monday when Assistant Norb Hecker reports. Already on duty here besides Lombardi are Phil Bengtson, Bill Austin and Red Cochran. Lombardi is presently moving his family to Green Bay from Fair Haven, N.J...Sullivan-Wallen Post No. 11, American Legion, which asked Packer officials to resign at a meeting Jan. 13, indirectly warned Lombardi about the board of directors in a congratulatory letter to the Packer general manager. The letter, signed and revealed by Post Commander John N. Patton, follows: "The Sullivan-Wallen Post 11 of the American Legion congratulates you on being chosen coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers. We know that your ability as a talented coach and successful leader of championship teams will again place the Green Bay Packers in a position to challenge the best and to compete with honor in the NFL. The recent history of the Packers, however, paints a dismal picture. The American Legion shall continues its efforts to modernize the corporate facility of the Packer organization and to help place on the board of directors men with new energy who can, under your leadership, direct the Packers to future championships. In addition to these specific goals, the American Legion will cooperate and assist you in any way possible to insure your success in Green Bay."...United Airlines captain Ray Nicklas, a Green Bayite who was visiting here the other day, was getting the good word about Lombardi from Harold Goodchild, Press-Gazette classified ad manager, in a recent telephone chat. To which Nicklas answered: "You don't have to tell me a thing. I flew the Giants on their charter flights and I even sat in on some of their squad meetings. You've got a good coach. I know."...It's official. The Packers will play in Detroit Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. Green Bay showed up in the announcement of the Lions' home games.
SECOND TETEAK IN PACKER FOLD
MAR 2 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Dick Teteak, one of three Wisconsin-born athletes selected in the 1959 draft, has signed a Packer contract for next season, it was announced today by Coach-GM Vince Lombardi. Teteak, younger brother of former Packer linebacker, Deral, will be a candidate for center and/or linebacker. He handled the two positions capably in the one-platoon system at Wisconsin. Young Dick is taller than Deral at six feet and 215 pounds. Deral, a Packer linebacker for five seasons, stood 5-10 and packed around 215 pounds. The Packers are not strange to Dick. A onetime star in the Fox Valley Conference at Oshkosh High, he never missed a Packer home game when brother Deral played in Green Bay, Milwaukee or Chicago. The first game Dick missed was when he made Wisconsin's varsity squad. Deral, now an assistant football coach at Wisconsin. recommended his younger brother to the Packers. He was chosen on the 15th round. Deral, incidentally, was a ninth round pick in 1952. Dick has been rated a tough, hard-nosed player - which was also typical of Deral. The other two Badger-born draftees are Dave Smith of Greendale, a halfback-fullback at Ripon College; and Bill Butler of Berlin, a halfback at the University of Chattanooga. On another front, the Packers' annual stockholder meeting will be held in the Circuit Courtroom of the courthouse tonight at 8 o'clock. The meeting will be open only to stockholders. Lombardi will report on his operations thus far plus plans for the future and John B. Torinus, Packer secretary-treasurer, will give the financial picture for the past season.
PACK NETS 70GS; VINCE 'HOPEFUL'
MAR 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A profit of $70,106 on 1958 operations. A "very hopeful" talk from new general manager-coach Vince Lombardi. Election of 16 directors. And a lively discussion on changes in the by-laws! Those were the four highlights of a three-hour meeting of stockholders of Green Bay Packers, Inc., at the courthouse Monday night. More than 150 stockholders almost filled the circuit court room. Before the major action, Stan Wasiak, new manager of the Bluejays, spoke briefly and Lombardi introduced his new assistants - Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran, Bill Austin and Norb Hecker. John B. Torinus, Packer secretary-treasurer, read the rosy report on finances and pointed out that profit in '58 was nearly $20,000 above 1957 when the profit was $50,130. One of the major factors was that income for the games in Green Bay was up $135,000 over 1957. This was due largely to a fourth league game here - plus an exhibition. Player salaries were up $40,000 in 1958 over 1957 and the visitors' share of Packer home games was $24,000 higher than a
year ago. Higher salaries resulted from training camp injuries to Jerry Helluin, Norm Jarock and Earl Miller, who were paid for the entire season; plus additional salaries to replacements for Gary Knafelc, Hank Bullough, Carlton Massey, and Howie Ferguson, who were knocked out of commission by injuries during the league season. Lombardi, introduced by Packer President Dominic Olejniczak, who presided, gave a straight-from-the-shoulder talk and finished off with this firecracker: "I have been hired to do a job without interference and I don't expect to have any. If you don't like me - well, I don't believe that will happen." The new GM was given a rousing cheer at the finish. Vince led off: "A good football team is my No. 1 job and I am keeping that in mid at all times. I cannot make any predictions on the team because I don't know what kind of team I'll have. But I know this much: You will be proud of the team because I will be proud of the team." Just warming up, Lombardi added: "The Packers have many weak points but they also have lots of good points and it's around these good points that we will build our nucleus. We have finished grading every player in each of the 12 league games played last year and we discovered that some players who saw little action had high marks while some other players who we expected would get high marks got low ratings. I am now holding a clinic with my coaches and we are discussing every phase, step by step, of our offense and the kinds of defenses we can use. Hopes? I am very hopeful we'll win some games next fall - somehow, and someway." One new director was elected - Haydn R. Evans, who was named to fill the unexpired term of the late Louis Levitas. The 45-man board of directors is scheduled to meet in the near future and carry out plans to streamline the corporation by cutting the executive committee of 13 to six members as recommended by a special committee. A total of 3,525 shares of the corporation's 4,732 shares of stock was represented in person or by proxy at the meeting. Olejniczak called this "the largest ever to attend a Packer stockholders' meeting." The total shares are held by 1,650 stockholders. Fred N. Trowbridge, counsel for the Packers, explained in detail the proposed changes in bylaws and considerable discussion preceded the voting. When the smoke had cleared about 11 o'clock, the stockholders okayed: (1) changes in the articles of incorporation to place several sections in the bylaws including the designation of officers and the size of the board of directors and (2) changes in the bylaws providing for the continuation of the present 45-man board but eliminating the present offices of chairman of the board and second vice president. A provision was also inserted stating members of the board of directors who miss three consecutive meetings will be considered an automatic resignation.
PACK INKS BOB WEBB, LITTLE ALL-AMERICA QB
MAR 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Bob Webb, the Little All-America quarterback from St. Ambrose College, has signed a Packer contract for 1959. And he'll get a "good" test during the non-league season. Packer GM-Coach Vince Lombardi made those announcements today and added another touch of news: "I have asked Billy Howton to come in for a talk on his future football plans." Howton was due in last night or today from his home in Houston, but may be delayed by the snowstorm. Billy had been considering retiring, and Lombardi wants to discuss the matter with him. Webb was the Packers' 11th draft choice in the pickin' party last January. He stands six feet tall and weighs 205 pounds. The Blond Bomber compiled a record a mile long with his passing at St. Ambrose. And "with a record like that he should show some promise," Lombardi said, adding: "We'll work him in during the non-league season. We also want to get a good look at Starr, Parilli and Francis then. Starr and Parilli will each handle a couple of non-league games and Francis and Webb will get plenty of chances." Webb set 10 new records in a brilliant career at the Iowa school and two of them were national intercollegiate marks - Most yards gained passing in four years with 5,114 and most yards gained in a single game with 326 on 17 completions out of 28 attempts. He set that mark in less than three quarters of the game. The 4-year total broke the record of 4,278 set by Bob Heinderdinger of Northern Illinois in 1948-51. Rated the No. 1 passer in small college football, Webb set these school records: Most passes completed in one game,
small college football, Webb set these school records: Most passes completed in one game, 19, vs. Western Illinois; most passes completed in season, 100 in 1958; most yards gained passing one season, 1,494 in 1958. One of his highest honors came in the All-American Bowl at Tucson last January when he was named the outstanding player of the game involving small college against big college stars...MILITARY BRIEFS: Linebacker Ray Nitschke goes into service this weekend for six months training. He figures to report to the Pack about Sept. 1. Halfback Jack Losch should be out in time to play next fall; he's been in the Air Force for three years.
PACKERS FACE GIANTS IN NEW YORK NOV. 1
MAR 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Another hole in the Packers' 1959 NFL schedule has been filled. The Giants announced Sunday that the Green Bays will invade New York Sunday, Nov. 1. That's an especially interesting development for Packer Coach-GM Vince Lombardi for two reasons: (1) Vince backfield coached the Giants for the last five years and (2) that's home territory to Lombardi, who was born in Brooklyn. The Packers played their last league game in New York in 1952, winning a 17-3 verdict. The next leaguer between the two clubs was in 1957 in Green Bay, with the Giants copping 31-17. With the Giant game, the Packers' card still has two game-less Sundays - Oct. 25 and Nov. 8. Each club is given first crack at announcing its home schedule, and the Packer foes for those two Sundays haven't announced their cards yet. Four clubs haven't put their games out yet - the Bears, Colts, Rams (who are too busy announcing trades) and 49ers. Since the Packers undoubtedly will play the last two games on the west coast, the missing dates probably will be filled by the Colts and Bears. The Packers normally play the Bears early in November. The two games on the West Coast have been reversed from last year when the Packers opened at Frisco and ended at LA...Bob Skoronski, the giant offensive tackle who showed promise as a rookie in 1956 before going into service for two seasons, is in Green Bay - as a civilian. "We plan to move here. We've got an addition to the family now and we're expecting in May. I'm looking for a place to live," Skoronski said here today. Bob officially departed from the military at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., last Tuesday. He played two seasons of football with Bolling and his team lost only one game during that period...Lombardi chatted with Billy Howton Saturday and Howton then left for Houston. Vince, who asked Howton to come in for the talk, had no comment on their discussion. Billy had been thinking about retiring. The Packer end, who is president of the NFL Players Assn., will be in Chicago in April when the player group meets with league clubs...Lombardi, Jack Vainisi and Tom Miller will take in the Journal Games in Milwaukee tonight.
PACKERS TO PLAY WITH 'EVERY FIBRE,' LOMBARDI SAYS
MAR 11 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "We as coaches, an organization and a team shall play every game to the hilt with every ounce of fiber we have in our bodies." Those were the last words spoken by Vince Lombardi, new GM-coach of the Packers in an address before nearly 400 persons attending the Traffic Club's annual Truckers' night dinner at Riverside Tuesday night. The big audience jumped to its feet and gave the Packers' new chief a rousing ovation. Those words spelled new hope and encouragement for the Packers' future and Judge Donald W. Gleason, responding as toastmaster, echoed the feeling of the audience with: "There can be no doubt in any of our minds that the Packers will go a different way (from losing ways). Mr. Lombardi breeds confidence that we will not follow the pattern of the past." This was Lombardi's first public appearance since taking over the club in January. Earlier, he addressed Packer stockholders and repeated some of him remarks last night. Lombardi said he has coached at all three levels and "professional is certainly much more enjoyable and interesting. And this Packer job offers a great challenge to me. I am looking forward with great anticipation to the coming seasons." The coach said he hopes to "give you an interesting offense. It will be different from your slot back offense of the past. We will have a split end and a flanking back. Much will depend on the personnel we have available. Whatever the personnel, we realize football is a violent game and that's the way we'll play it. I have always followed the words of General MacArthur who once told us at West Point, 'Gentlemen, there is no substitute for victory.' That will be applied here." Judge Gleason introduced Lombardi.
LOMBARDI REBUILDS PACK FROM 'GROUND'
MAR 13 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vince Lombardi is really rebuilding the Packers from the ground floor. A few walls are coming out and some new ones are being built on the first floor of the Packer office at 349 S. Washington. "It will make for more efficiency," Lombardi, the Packers' new general manager and head coach, pointed out today. Two new rooms are being built with space salvaged from the ticket office and office rooms formerly occupied by Publicity Chief Tom Miller and Scout Jack Vainisi and a secretary, making three officers in all plus a waiting room lounge. Two of the officers will be occupied by Vainisi and Verne Lewellen and the other by the secretaries. Miller has moved to the second floor of the building and will have his office in a room adjacent to the coaches' office room. Off the coaches' room is a room for showing movies and conducting meetings. Lombardi commutes between two offices, as it were. His headquarters is an office room in the first floor (east end) of the building and a hall connects it with the other offices. His other work room is upstairs with his assistant coaches - Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran, Bill Austin and Norb Hecker. This kind of rebuilding presents no problem for Lombardi. He has started rebuilding in another way - wide coverage of spring football practice in the major schools in the south and southwest. Lewellen is in the midst of a tour through the southwest looking over spring drills, talking with draftees and veterans, and, in general, adding to the Packer "book." Also on the road is Breezy Reid, former Packer back and coaching aide, who is now scouting in the south. Reid knows the Southeast Conference area, having played at the University of Georgia...Lombardi looked over training facilities at St. Norbert College the other day and reported that "they're the finest you could possibly want." The Packers headquartered at St. Norbert College last fall for the first time and trained at their practice field east of the stadium...Defensive Aide Norb Hecker is looking for a three or four-bedroom unfurnished home to rent. The Heckers have four children. Persons with rentals can call the Packer office...Getting fed up with the weather? Defense coach Phil Bengtson, who lived in California the last 18 years, has competed the big job of moving to Green Bay. His family arrived just the other day and one of the first things he had to do was buy boots, coasts, mittens, etc. And spring is so close - yet!
PACKERS TO HEADQUARTER AT ST. NORBERT
MAR 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers will headquarter at St. Norbert College for the 1959 training season, it was announced today by Vince Lombardi, Packer general manager and coach. Arrangements have been made with the Rev. D.M. Burke, president of St. Norbert, for the use of Sensenbrenner Hall as the players' living quarters and other facilities. The Packers will move in about July 25 and leave early in September. Lombardi said "the facilities at St. Norbert College are excellent and are close to our training." The Packers will train at their practice fields on Oneida St., just east of the stadium. The Packers headquartered at St. Norbert for the first time last year - the first time the facilities were made available. Lombardi had received training camp invitations from several cities, including Ripon and Stevens Point, for the '59 period.
VAINISI NAMES BUSINESS MGR. OF PACKERS
MAR 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Jack Vainisi has been named business manager and Verne Lewellen administrative assistant of the Packers, General Manager-Coach Vince Lombardi announced today. Vainisi has been a Packer talent scout for the past nine years. He will continue those duties, Lombardi said, in addition to his new ones which will be similar to those for a baseball team's traveling secretary. Lewellen, former general manager, will handle special assignments, such as helping write radio and TV contracts, game programs and assisting Vainisi in scouting. In a letter prepared for season ticket holders, Lombardi urged Packer fans not to expect miracles in his first season, but he promised them "an interesting offense." Lombardi said he is "no miracle maker" and has "no rabbits in my hat" but he is confidence that with "hard work, intelligent organization and good assistant coaches I can bring back the Packers along that path of glory that they knew so well." He declined to predict how the Packers will finish in the coming season. "I would be out of my mind," he said. Lombardi admitted the club has "many weaknesses" but he added that Green Bay has "some real fine men" around which he hopes to build a squad.
LOMBARDI WOOS FANS IN LETTER
MAR 24 (Green Bay) - The Green Bay Packers are sending out form letters to season ticket holders with a personal message from Coach Vince Lombardi, saying, "I hope and believe I can bring back the Packers along the path of glory that they knew so well." The letter mentions the Packers' red-letter days in the NFL - days which have been few and far between since their last world championship in 1944. "It was here that the greatest pro player of all time was fostered and developed," writes Lombadi, who doubles as general manager. "I speak, of course, of Don Hutson. I want to you to understand I am no miracle maker;I have no rabbits in my hat; I have no illusions of grandeur, but with hard work, intelligent organization and good assistant coaches," his letter continues, "success will not avoid the Packers for long." Lombardi promises "an interesting offense. We shall feature a split end to one side and a flanking back to the other, with generous use of the option pass or run, providing, of course, we have the necessary personnel," the letter says, adding: "I would be out of my mind to make any predictions about this coming season. I wouldn't if I could. There are many weaknesses which I shall not enumerate. But I am far from disheartened....We have a nucleus around which we shall try to build."
PACKERS LEADING LIONS 5 TO 3 IN VETERAN LBERS; ANY TRADES?
MAR 26 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Detroit Lion Roger Zatkoff, the Mad Russian who made his pro football debut and reputation with the Packers, has announced his retirement as a gridder through his head coach, George Wilson. Also contained in the announcement was this: "The loss of Zatkoff will cut our linebacking corps tremendously and he will be a tough man to replace." Zatkoff's retirement leaves the Lions with three veteran linebackers - Joe Schmidt, Bob Long and Wayne
Walker. That points up the point of today's gospel, which might be entitled: "Green Bay Takes Wider Lead Over Detroit in Department of Linebackers." The Packers have five veteran linebackers, you and Coach Vince Lombardi know. They are in, alphabetical order, Tom Bettis, Dan Currie, Bill Forester, Carlton Massey and Marv Matuszak. The Packers are leading the Motors, 5 linebackers to 3. So you're wondering about a trade, too? Lombardi has some very definite thoughts on the matter of trades and he's quite aware of our five-link linebacking crew - as he pronounced today: "Linebacker is our strongest position. If we do make any trade, it would mean trading away linebackers. However, we're not trading good football players like our linebackers unless we can get good football players in return to help in other positions. Any trade would be made for the sole purpose of adding good football players. We aren't interested in draft choices now. There's no reason why they (some of the linebackers) can't be moved to other positions on our club, offensive guard or defensive end as an example. The idea is to get the 22 best football players, if it means shifting some of those linebackers to other positions. We'll want to see them ourselves before we feel they can be shifted successfully to another spot. We're shifting Paul Hornung to halfback, as you know. That's fine now but we'll want to see him at that position before we keep him there." Lombardi also mentioned that Dick Teteak, the University of Wisconsin rookie, will join in with the veteran linebacking crew. Teteak is a brother of former Packer Linebacker Deral. Three of the Packers' five veteran linebackers are home grown as it were - Forester, Bettis and Currie. Bettis and Currie were first draft picks in 1955 and 1958, respectively. Forester was the Packers' third choice in 1953. Matuszak, onetime all-pro with Pittsburgh, was obtained from San Francisco late last season after he helped the 49ers gain a divisional playoff berth in 1957. Massey came from Cleveland in a trade in '56 as a defensive end. He was shifted to linebacker last year and looked good until he injured his leg early in the fourth league game.
PACKERS SELL 7,000 SEASON TICKETS AT START; TWO HALFBACKS SIGNED
Mar 28 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Tickets and players! Packer Coach-GM Vince Lombardi parlayed this combination into some Easter joy, with these announcements today: (1) Approximately 7,000 season tickets have been sold already for the Packers' four league games at City Stadium and (2) two rookie backs have been signed. The season ticket total is fantastic because it represents more than one-fourth of the 26,000 record set in 1958. Less than two weeks ago, Lombardi sent out two letters - one telling about the season ticket campaign (with the renewal cards) and the other containing a heart-to-heart football talk with season ticket holders. Ticket Director Earl Falck and his staff have been extremely busy since. A fourth game was moved to Green Bay (from Milwaukee) a year ago and the Packers astounded everybody by selling more than 26,000 season ducats. The Packers have four games here again this year - plus a brand new program headed by Lombardi. With the exceptional early interest, it's possible the season ticket record could be broken. The new players are Bobby Jackson, the Alabama quarterback who was the seventh draft selection last January, and Bill Butler, Chattanooga halfback who hails from Berlin, Wis. Butler was the 19th pick. Both are ticketed for defensive safety duty but "we'll see what they can do on offense, too," Lombardi said. Jackson, rangy at 6-1 and 185, was a standout as a defensive safety in the Blue-Gray and Senior Bowl games last winter. Jackson worked out of the split-T formation and passed 58 times for 29 completions and 408 yards - not to mention seven touchdowns. He set an Alabama record by having only two passes intercepted all season. The old record was three, set by Harry Gilmer. He rushed 143 times for 472 yards. Jackson was a prep All-America quarterback at Murphy High in Mobile his senior year. One of his coaches there was Ray Pelfrey, former Packer end. Butler is a little feller at 5-10 and 180 but Packer scouts discovered that he has a great amount of desire and ability to make up for his size. He was a regular left halfback at Chattanooga for four seasons and led the club in rushing in 1956-57-58 and in scoring as a junior and senior. Last season, he ran from scrimmage 95 times for 413 yards and caught 15 passes for 313 yards. Butler, rated the best all-around halfback in Chattanooga history by his coach, Scrappy Moore, scored six touchdowns last year. The Badger product is a possibility for kick returns; he lugged 10 kickoffs back for 331 yards and a handsome 33.1 average and 13 punts back for 91 yards.
RIGHT TO SIGN DUNCAN COSTS LIONS $12,000
APR 2 (Ottawa) - The Ottawa Rough Riders have received about $12,000 from the British Columbia Lions for giving the western club the negotiation rights to All-American quarterback Randy Duncan of Iowa, first draft choice of the Green Bay Packers, it was learned
Wednesday. When the Riders handed over the negotiation rights to the Iowa standout, they were given the Lions' first Canadian college draft choice - Ottawa selected Queen's University punter Jocko Thompson - and the choice of either cash or Jerry Janes, a U.S. end. Ottawa General Manager Jim McCaffrey said the club had taken a cash settlement. Janes, a two-year veteran with the Lions, had bought a home in Vancouver and did not want to come east, McCaffrey said. In all, the deal cost the Lions about $47,000 as well as a Canadian player. Duncan's two-year contract was worth a reported $35,000.
BETTER YEAR FORESEEN BY BAY LINEMAN
APR 2 (Neenah) - The promise of better things in the world of the Green Bay Packers was discussed by Bob Skoronski, offensive lineman, at the Wednesday noon meeting of the Neenah Kiwanis club at the Valley Inn. Skoronski, who has been in the service the last two years, touched on the modernization of the Packer organization and described new Coach-General Manager Vince Lombardi as "the supreme commander", one who is concise and "what he tells you, you'll remember." The former Indiana tackles said that the letter sent out by Lombardi to the season ticket holders typifies his character - he doesn't promise 12 wins but good football. Skoronski, who played with the Bays in 1956 and then spent 25 months in the Air Force, played with the championship service team in 1957 and 1958. He said he hopes to be a part of the Bay team and will be competing against three veterans and three new linemen for his position. In service, Skoronski played against Jack Losch, the Packers' No. 1 draft choice in 1956. The Miami halfback is expected to be out of service in three or four weeks. As for Ron Kramer, called by the speaker the finest competitor he ever met, his situation is indefinite. Kramer still is in service but his case is being reviewed because of an injury. The offensive tackle declared all the veterans will be back and that the team will use a new system minus a slotback, the offense used so successfully by the New York Giants and in which Lombardi had a big hand. He told that Paul Hornung probably will be used at a halfback to take advantage of his passing ability. Packer officials hope he may become a Gifford-like player. The speaker said that defensive ends were considered the Bays' weakest positions last year and he has his fingers crossed that some of the linemen may be shifted to those spots. Skoronski said he thinks a lot of Green Bay and th people in it. He pointed out he was born in Connecticut, went to school in Indiana and five days after he was out of service was back in the Packer city. He has been out of service about four weeks.
HORNUNG KEY TO '59 PACK HOPES: VINCE
APR 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Paul Hornung makes quite a story - in triplicate. The versatile Packer is in the news this week chiefly because he told Coach Vince Lombardi that he's looking forward to playing in '59, which is the final year of his three-year contract. Hornung was unhappy last year - along with everybody else, because of the losing season (1-10-1) and he made no bones about his dislike with losing. "Let's face it," Lombardi said yesterday, "Hornung is the guy who can make us go. He's a key player and much of our success will depend on him." So there you have an official opinion on the Notre Dame bonus plum. There's an old yardstick that claims it takes five years to make a good pro quarterback and three years to make a good pro at any other position. Paul is stitched in threes. He's coming up to his third pro season and his third pro coach. He'll play his third different position in three years - quarterback mostly under Liz Blackbourn in 1957, fullback under Scooter McLean in 1958, and now halfback under Lombardi. And he's becoming an expert in kicking three pointers. The 200-pound back from Louisville, Ky., can do three things - run, pass and kick. He's being shifted to left halfback because he can run and pass. Lombardi explained it this way: "He's a good possibiltiy as a pass-run option halfback, and we'd see what he can do. We know he can run and pass but much will depend on how quick he is. Quickness in decision on when to pass or run and where to run. Gifford isn't fast, you know, but he can decide when (and where) to cut the field in a big hurry." Vince was referring to Frank Gifford, the Giants' versatile back, who is the man who makes the New York offense go." Lombardi feels that Hornung has the earmarks of another Gifford. Watching the Packer highlight films the other day, Lombardi commented as Hornung stepped off a long run against the 49ers: "He has movements like Gifford." Hornung led the Packers in two departments last year - yards rushing and scoring. He counted 310 stripes on 69 carries for a 4.5-yard average, while sharing fullback with Howie Ferguson. He scored 67 points on 11 field goals, 22 extra points and two touchdowns, taking up where Fred Cone left off as the club's top kicker...SHIFTED AT NOTRE DAME: As a rookie in '57, Paul was out of the last three battles with an ankle sprain but still managed to finish second in rushing with 319 yards in 60 trips and produced the best average, 5.3. He played only three games at fullback and spots of six at quarterback. Shifting from position to position is nothing new for Hornung, At Notre dame, Hornung moved from quarterback to fullback on special occasions and as a senior played several games at FB when a broken thumb kept him from ball handling or passing at QB. Lombardi hopes to find the right spot for Hornung next year and keep him there.
PACK SEASON TICKET SALE NEAR 11,000
APR 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Ticket business is booming at the Packer office. The season ticket total for the Packers' four home league games is now approaching 11,000. Ticket director Earl Falck reported to General Manager-Coach Vince Lombardi today. The figure was at 10,050 Friday, and this morning's mail was to make the difference. Lombardi is particularly impressed by the figure because no campaign has been conducted yet. He plans separate ticket pushes in Greater Green Bay and in surrounding communities. The object will be to break the all-time record of nearly 27,000 season tickets set a year ago. Most of the orders now are fans making renewals of their previous locations. The deadline on renewals is April 15.
PACKER COAST-TO-COAST TOUR COMPLETE, TWO HALFBACKS SET
APR 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' six state, six-game, coast-to-coast exhibition schedule is complete. And to add an international touch to this yard, Coach-GM Vince Lombardi today announced the signing of a halfback who played in Canada for two years - plus one from the other "country", Texas. The signees are Jim Morse of Notre Dame, the 13th draft choice in 1957, and Ken Wineburg of Texas Christian, the ninth pick that year. The Packer non-league card is a travel agent's dream. The Bays debut under Lombardi against the Chicago Bears in Milwaukee Saturday night, Aug. 15. That's no problem, but the following weekend, on Sunday, Aug. 23, they battle the 49ers in San Francisco. Then it's up to Portland, Ore., for a week of practice and a show against the Eagles Saturday night, Aug. 29. The gang returns to the St. Norbert College training base for about a week of concentrated cutting, home cooking and studying before going East. The first game in East United States is scheduled in Bangor, Maine, against the Giants Saturday night, Sept. 5. The team will stay out East to get ready for the fifth annual tussle with the Redskins in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday night, Sept. 12. Now it's back home again to prepare the sixth state - Minnesota. The Bays play Pittsburgh in Minneapolis Sunday, Sept. 20. Those games are just for fun - unless you happen to be playing in them yourself. Lombardi hopes to stoke up some hot competition along the non-wheel (they'll fly) trail so he can get a good luck at the veterans and provide a better test for the newcomers. After Minneapolis, the Packers step on the fast track. First respected and honorable foe will be the Bears in Green Bay Sept. 27. Getting back to the players, Morse and
Paul Hornung were teammates at Notre Dame. Paul was the Packers' bonus pick in '57 and the two players were guests at a reception here in the spring of that year. Morse decided on Canada, however, and stuck for two campaigns of defensive halfbacking. He asked for his release after the past season for the purpose of trying American pro football - and received it. Lombardi says he plans to try Morse on defense - wing or safety. Morse is a rugged tackler and fast. He stands close to 5-11 and packs about 190 pounds. Wineburg decided to let nothing interfere with his education so he put off pro football for two years while he completed his studies. A 6-3, 200-pounder, Wineburg will get a whirl at both offense and defense...BRIEFS: Halfback Jack Losch, the Packs' top draft pick in '56, will be separated from the Air Force shortly. Stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base near San Rafael, Calif., Losch is raring to go. So is tackle Jerry Helluin, who has recovered completely from the shoulder separation that floored him for the season during the non-league game against the Eagles here last year...Vince Lombardi addressed a Packer Alumni meeting the other night and the Alumni responded with a promise of cooperation. Lombardi and Publicity Agent Tom Miller will be in Milwaukee today and Thursday. Vince will address officials and coaches at the Miller Inn tonight and he'll be on a Press Club Gridiron program Thursday night...The Packers came out with a tentative training camp roster today. Included among the 60-plus players is Volney Peters, former Ram, Cardinal and Redskin tackle.
MASSEY QUITS GRID; PACKERS SIGN PAIR
APR 11 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Coach-GM Vince Lombardi's first training camp roster is off the Packers press. And already there's a change. Delete the name of Carlton Massey, says Carlton Massey, who announced his retirement from pro football in San Antonio, Texas, Friday night. Lombardi commented today: "That's a definite loss. We were counting on him as a linebacker." Massey, 29, is at his peak. A five-year veteran (three with Cleveland), Massey was switched from defensive end to linebacker last year and was an immediate hit. But he broke his leg in the third game and was out for the season. Massey has decided to go into the ranching business with his father-in-law in Dilly, Texas...The Packer roster now contains the names of 67 athletes, including 28 rookies and 39 veterans. Two of the veterans have a fresh "check" in front of their names. They indicate that they are new signers - end Gary Knafelc, the long-geared pass-catching end, and Bob Skoronski, a 250-pound offensive tackle. Their signings were announced Friday...Knafelc is a key figure in Lombardi's plans. This lanky pass catcher will play the tight end position, with possibly both Billy Howton and Max McGee flanking. Gary is coming back with two new knees. He injured one during the '57 season and th other last season, each requiring surgery. He played in three games in '57 and five in '58. Knafelc, who played in eight games as a rookie in '54, and 12 each the next two years, hopes to make a strong comeback next fall. In 40 out of a possible 60 league games in his five Packer seasons, Knafelc caught 92 passes for 1,361 yards and 17 touchdowns. His best years were 40 catches, including eight for TDs, in 1955, and 30 snatches, including six TDers, in 1956...Skoronski is fresh out of service and raring to go. This 250-pound Indiana ace displayed exceptional possibility as a rookie offensive tackle in 1956. He spent the last two years working for Uncle Sam...Two players on the roster are listed on both offensive and defensive prospects - linebacker Dan Currie, who also will back up center Jim Ringo, and Alex Hawkins, the Bays' No. 2 draft pick from South Carolina. Halfback Alex is highly rated on both offense and defense. Now it's up to Lombardi and his staffmen to decide where Hawkins fits best. he's a swift runner, a tough tackler, and a pass defender, which means that he'll probably play defense once the thorough testing is finished...The roster shows four free agents and three of those are veterans - Howie Ferguson, Al Romine and Jim Shanley. The other non-draftee is Jim Yeats, a 235-pound defensive end who hails from Corpus Christi. Thirty-two are listed as defensive players, the other 55 on offense. The list includes nine Big Ten players - Nate Borden of Indiana, Jim Temp of Wisconsin, Norm Masters of Michigan State, Bob Skoronski of Indiana, Tom Bettis of Purdue, Dan Currie of Michigan, Ray Nitschke of Illinois, Dick Teteak of Wisconsin, Andy Cvercko of Northwestern. Twenty-four halfbacks are listed, but not one is from the Big Ten...The Packers have six first choices - plus the bonus pick of Paul Hornung. The top draft choices are Steve Meilinger, who was picked by Washington, Dan Currie, Tom Bettis, Babe Parilli, Al Carmichael and Jack Losch.
LOMBARDI SAYS HE'S READY FOR PRACTICE
APR 14 (Neenah) - Vince Lombardi, the new general manager-coach of the Green Bay Packers, has his preparations for the 1959 season so weel made that "we could go to camp tomorrow," he said here Monday. Interviewed after a luncheon talk to a group of Neenah-Menasha Packer backers at the Valley Inn, the hard-working Lombardi asserted that his two major preseason coaching jobs have been completed. One is the mimeographing of materials for each prospective Packer concerning the things that Lombardi expects from the man next fall. The coach calls this "a carryover from my West Point career." (Vince was an assistant six years at the military academy and the mimeographing of preseason instructions was an annual event there.) It was not done last year at Green Bay...SECOND TASK: The second major task is the grading of films of the Bays' 1958 games. Lombardi and his assistants have reviewed over 15,000 feet of movies. A "bonus" guest at Monday's affair was National League President Warren Giles. Giles was visiting his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Miedke. Mr. Miedke manages the Valley Inn. Giles left for Milwaukee shortly after Monday's luncheon so as to arrive for a Monday night Braves' season "kickoff" banquet. The NL president, who attended the home inaugurals in both Cincinnati and Chicago, was to be on hand in Milwaukee today when the Braves opened their 1959 home campaign...OTHER OFFICIALS: Other Packer officials on hand were President Dominic Olejniczak, Publicitor Tom Miller and Assistant Coaches Red Cochran and Phil Bengtson. Asked for a prediction on the outcome of the NFL flag race, Giles said "you could pick the name of the pennant winner out of a hat this year." He called the Dodgers the most improved club. "The move to Los Angeles was a big one," he said, "and they've had a year to get used to it." He told the luncheon group that he felt right at home before a football audience because "our season opened in football weather." However, privately, he defended 1959's earlier opening day which he was "my idea."...MASTER OF CEREMONIES: Packer Director Hugh Strange, who organized the affair, acted as master of ceremonies. Strange, a sharp critic of the Packer executive committee off-and-on in the past, said this in introducing Olejniczak: "President Olejniczak has sort of asked me to be a special adviser to the club. He put it this way, 'Strange, if I want your advice, I'll ask for it.'" The group of 100 men laughed heartily. Lombardi, who made a good impression here, judging by after-luncheon comments, told his audience that in the two weeks that Packers season tickets have been on sale, 15,700 have been purchased. "The New York Giants (Lombardi's former club) would do well to sell 15,000 in an entire season," he said. "We hope to reach 28,000." he asserted in calling the Packerland area "absolutely amazing." The bespectacled former offensive coach of the Giants said that "Green Bay may look like Grand Central station" next fall, there will be so many players coming and going. "Every time another club releases a man we want to have a look at him," he said. "Our No. 1 job in Green Bay is doing away with the defeatist attitude I know is there," Lombardi observed. "Defeatists won't be with the club very long." Asked, during the question-and-answer period, what the Baltimore Colts would want in a trade for quarterback George Shaw, the graying Lombardi replied, "My arm, your leg, and half of the Packer franchise."...WANTED SHAW: "I wanted to get Shaw when I took the Green Bay job," the GM-coach said. "But now I'm not so sure that our quarterbacks were entirely at fault for our offensive woes." Lombardi said that Green Bay has discontinued negotiations for Shaw. "Any man that can deal (with the Colts) is a better man than I am," he concluded. Where a successful pro team has to be about 85 percent perfect in its blocking to protect a passer. Lombardi observed, films showed that Packer protectors hit just 30-40 percent last season. "Sammy Baugh couldn't have thrown behind last year's line," was the way he put it. Pride is a big quality he wants his club to acquire. "It's the difference between a top player and an average player," he said...NEEDS BOLSTERING: The club's sagging defense needs a lot of bolstering, the coach observed. "The offensive team shouldn't have to go 80 or 90 yards for a touchdown every time it gets the ball. We have some real fine players, but we lack depth," he went on. He repeated an earlier statement that Paul Hornung is the club's "key man" and also cited 1958 rookie Jim Taylor for special mention among last year's backs. Other offensive players who he says he hopes to build around included interior linemen Forrest Gregg, Jerry Kramer and Jim Ringo and end Max McGee. "Ringo is as good as there is," he observed. "Howie Ferguson is one our best men but he's prone to injury," Lombardi went on. Defensive end Jim Temp is "a real strong boy," the coach remarked. Top prospects among the clubs' rookies, Lombardi feels, are Boyd Dowler, as an offensive end; Alex Hawkins, as a defensive or offensive halfback; and Andy Cvercko, as an offensive guard. Concerning possible trades, Vince would say only (with a smile), "we won't stand still." He called the completion of the film-grading and mimeographing of instructions "a load off of our minds." He and his assistants are now in the process of studying opponents. The first combination general manager-coach in Packer history is very busy these days, too, in the GM role. He is doing the arranging for exhibition games, including travel and hotel arrangements. And, he has to sign all payroll checks.
PACKER TICKET SALE OVER 19,000
APR 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packer season ticket sale has passed the 19,000 mark, Ticket Director Earl Falck announced today. And, better yet, Falck reported that the total includes "many new requests for season tickets." In view of the new buyers, Falck urged regular ticket holders to get their renewals back as soon as possible. Vince Lombardi, the Packers' new general manager and coach, is highly pleased with the ticket results - especially since no drive has been conducted yet. The start of the season ticket sale was announced with a straight-from-the-shoulder letter from Lombardi several weeks ago. Renewal cards were included in the letters. The Packers are well ahead of the pace set a year ago, when a record 27,0000-plus seasons were sold for the four games in City Stadium. A fourth game was moved from Milwaukee a year ago and four will be played here this year. As of now, the Packers are only 13,150 season tickets short of selling the entire stadium out for the four games!
STARR, DAN CURRIE SIGN; VINCE, BROWN TALK TRADE
APR 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Bart Starr and Dan Currie, two of Vince Lombardi's "reasons why," have returned their signed contract, it was announced today by the Packer coach. Starr, the darkhorse candidate from the University of Alabama, is starting his fourth season. Currie, the Michigan State All-American who proved himself as a pro last season, is back for No. 2. Shortly after he took over Packer fortunes, Lombardi received an opportunity to deal for George (Trade Me) Shaw from Baltimore. A look at the pictures of past Packer games prompted Vince to pass up negotiations. The reason why? Starr, because he displayed plenty of promise despite poor protection. In fact, Lombardi explained that "there's nothing wrong with our quarterbacks but what a little protection won't cure." Fresh from the New York Giants, Lombardi has seen Starr operate in the flesh only three times and in each case Bart displayed some quality. In 1957, Starr completed 9 out of 12 for 96 yards and one touchdown in an exhibition victory at Boston and in a league game in Green Bay Bart completed 11 out of 27 for 151 yards and one TD in a Bay defeat. In Boston last September, Bart completed 8 out of 14 for 104 yards and one touchdown in a Packer victory. "He did an outstanding job each time he played against the Giants," Lombardi said. Bart started last season as the Bays' No. 1 quarterback but shared the job with veteran Babe Parilli. Rookie Joe Francis stepped in for the last two games. These three plus rookie Bob Webb of St. Ambrose comprise the QB'ing for '59. Though he set two Packer passing records, Starr slipped with the rest of the team (to 1-10-1) last year. He finished below 50 percent (49.7) on completions for the first time as a pro. As a rookie under Tobin Rote in '56, he had 54.5 and the following year he hit 54.4 on 117 completions in 215 attempts. Starr set both his marks against the champion Colts in Milwaukee - 26 completions and 46 attempts. His attempts broke Rote's 42 set against the Bears in 1954 and the completion figure bettered Bobby Thomason's 24 against Detroit in 1951. Currie is one veteran Babe Parilli. Rookie Joe Francis stepped in for the last two games. These three plus rookie Bob Webb of St. Ambrose comprise the QB'ing for '59. Though he
set two Packer passing records, Starr slipped with the rest of the team (to 1-10-1) last year. He finished below 50 percent (49.7) on completions for the first time as a pro. As a rookie under Tobin Rote in '56, he had 54.5 and the following year he hit 54.4 on 117 completions in 215 attempts. Starr set both his marks against the champion Colts in Milwaukee - 26 completions and 46 attempts. His attempts broke Rote's 42 set against the Bears in 1954 and the completion figure bettered Bobby Thomason's 24 against Detroit in 1951. Currie is one of the reasons why Lombardi feels he has a strong corps of linebackers. The new coach felt that Currie came along fast last year, according to the pictures. He probably will work in the middle spot next fall through Carlton Massey's retirement request could force Currie to an outside position. Dan also will understudy Jim Ringo at center. Dan is one of five (not counting Massey) veteran linebackers to return. The others are Tom Bettis, Bill Forester, Marv Matuszak and Ray Nitschke. Rookies expected to try out for LB'ing are Dick Teteak of Wisconsin and Joe Hergert of Florida...Lombardi, always in the market for a trade that will help the Pack, has been talking trade with Coach Paul Brown of Cleveland at the league meeting in Philadelphia. "We got to the point where we mentioned names," Lombardi told a newsman. Lombardi declined to add to that comment. Vince had said earlier that he has discussed trade with a number of clubs. The Packers and Browns have done considerable trading in the past nine years, all between Brown and past Packer coaches Gene Ronzani, Liz Blackbourn and Scooter McLean.
'MAGNANIMOUS,' VINCE
APR 24 (Philadelphia) - Vince Lombardi, coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers, described the NFL's granting of fringe benefits to players as "magnanimous," Lombardi, who attended a special two-day NFL meeting here with Green Bay President Dominic Olejniczak, commented yesterday after Commissioner Bert Bell announced the players would receive a league paid hospitalization, medical, life insurance and retirement benefit program. "I'd say the league was magnanimous," Lombardi said. Olejniczak asserted that he thought the fringe benefit plan would be of mutual advantage. "It is good public relations for the league and gives the players what they wanted," the Packer president said. Olejniczak cautioned that there were many details of the plan which still had to be worked out. "We were given a very generalized description of the thing. We'll have to work out the details."
PACKERS TRADE HOWTON FOR QUINLAN, CARPENTER
APR 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Billy Howton Era in Packer football is ended! The Rice Redhead, who ranked as the No. 2 pass receiver in Packer history - next to the immortal Don Hutson, was traded Friday to the Cleveland Browns for the following two proven veterans: Bill Quinlan, a 245-pound defensive end, and Lew Carpenter, a 205-pound bread-and-butter halfback. The deal was worked out and announced in Philadelphia where the three key trade figures are attending a special league meeting - Vince Lombardi, general manager and coach of the Packers; Paul E. Brown, ditto of the Browns; and Howton. Howton is in Philly as president of the NFL Players' Assn. The trade puts Howton at the doorstep of Creighton Miller, attorney for the player group, who has his offices in Cleveland. Quinlan, 26, was the Browns' regular left defensive end in 1957-58 after a year in Canada and two in service football. Drafted fourth in '56, Quinlan played college ball at Michigan State. Carpenter, 26, was obtained for ex-Packer Roger Zatkoff in a trade with Detroit in 1957. Lew joined the Lions in 1953, played three years, spent '56 in the Army and then played two seasons with the Browns. Lombardi says Quinlan fills a "big need at defensive end." He had said earlier that the club needs strengthening at that position. Vince said he feels Carpenter is the type of fullback-halfback that will keep the Packer offense going. Carpenter is a steady type, averaging an even four years in approximately 400 carries. "Both clubs will be helped by this trade - we have definitely strengthened our ball club," Vince added. "Howton is an experienced and fast end, a quality football player who should give us the kind of help we need on offense," Brown said. He will replace Darrel Brewster, who is retiring. The departure of Howton isn't leaving the Packers high and dry for offensive ends. Blessed with three good pass catching ends before the trade, the Bays probably now will split the other wings - Max McGee and Gary Knafelc, who both played the left wing, while Billy was at right. McGee likely will go to Howton's spot, with Gary staying on the left side. These two will be pushed by Steve Meilinger, the veteran slotback, and three highly-rated rookie catchers - Colorado's Boy Dowler, the No. 3 draft choice; Ken Higginbotham of Texas Trinity; and Buddy Mayfield of South Carolina. Howton played seven seasons with the Packers and caught 303 passes - second only to Hutson's 489 in 11 campaigns. Billy broke two of Hutson's records, piling up 1,231 yards on catches in 1952 (Hutson's top was 1,188) and adding 257 against Los Angeles in 1956 (Hutson's single game top was 237 vs. Brooklyn). Howton caught over 50 passes in three different seasons - 1952, 1954 and 1956, but his production dropped off in 1957. That was Billy's first year without Tobin Rote, who had been traded to Detroit. Howton caught 38 in '57 and 36 last fall. Howton, 28, failed to lead the Packers in pass catching last year for the first time in his career here. McGee beat him out by one catch. Billy was handicapped some last year by his many duties as player prexy. Carpenter, former Arkansas star, was a sort of stopper back for the Browns. He joined the club late in '57 and averaged 3.8 yards on 83 carries, ranking second behind Jimmy Brown. Last year he lugged 73 times and averaged 4.2. He played defense with Detroit as a rookie in '53, but carried 241 times the next two seasons and averaged 4.4 yards per try. His best pass catching year was '55 when he caught 44 for 313 yards. Carpenter figures to toughen a backfield composed of Paul Hornung, Howie Ferguson, Jim Taylor, Jack Losch and Don McIlhenny. Lew hails from Earle, Ark., where he works for an air conditioning firm. He's married and has one child. Quinlan operated a sporting goods store in North Andover, Mass. He's also married and has one child.
QUINLAN WILL REPORT TO PACK AFTER ALL
APR 27 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Bill Quinlan, one of two players obtained from Cleveland in the Billy Howton deal Friday, is coming to Green Bay after all. Quinlan was quoted Sunday night at his home in Lawrence, Mass., as saying that he had been considering and negotiating with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to spend a year as a coach. Reached by telephone this morning by Jack Vainisi, Packer business manager, Quinlan changed his mind and agreed to come to Green Bay. Quinlan, according to Vainisi who called in the absence of Coach-GM Vince Lombardi who is in New York, said he was bitter because he first heard about the trade when he read about it in a newspaper. Quinlan was traded along with halfback Lew Carpenter for Howton in a deal worked out by Lombardi and Cleveland Coach Paul Brown last Friday. Quinlan said he expects to report at 250 pounds. Quinlan, obviously upset by the trade, asked a Lawrence scribe: "Would you want to go from the Yankees to the Athletics?" Quinlan said concerning the trade. "It's the same going from Cleveland to Green Bay. That's a big factor in my thinking. The entire matter at the moment is pending on whatever contract Green Bay forwards to me." Quinlan added that he has a wife and 15-month-old son to consider in weighing the decision. Quinlan said he wasn't surprised at the trade because he received injured ligaments in his left knee in the fifth game with the Chicago Cardinals last fall, then suffered a broken leg two weeks later which finished him for the season. He took the cast off the leg in mid-January and still is using physical therapy and weights to strengthen both legs, but adds he expects to be in top shape by the fall. Quinlan said further that when offensive end Pete Brewster retired at the close of the 1958 season it was obvious the Browns had to find a replacement. Highly rated at his position, Quinlan played for Hamilton in 1954 after leaving Michigan State, then followed with two years of service ball at Fort Carson, Colo.
QUINLAN HASN'T SAID NO TO PACKER COACH
APR 28 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Bill Quinlan "hasn't said he isn't going to play for us." That's how Packer Coach Vince Lombardi reacted today to the latest "word" from Lawrence, Mass., which is Quinlan's home. Browns Quinlan and Lew Carpenter were obtained in the Billy Howton trade with Cleveland last Friday during the league meeting in Philadelphia. Sunday, Quinlan said he was considering a coaching offer from Hamilton (Canada) and probably wouldn't go to Green Bay. Monday, Quinlan indicated that he would play in Green Bay and today said player, a defensive end, explained that "I haven't agreed to play with any club." Lombardi didn't sound like a coach about to lose a highly-touted 250-pound defensive end, as you will note in Paragraph 1. Vince added: "I had a good talk with him, asked him about himself, his family, his work, his physical condition and other things. We didn't talk contract because I haven't received his contract and papers from the Browns yet. We'll talk contract later." Conclusion: It's a good bet Quinlan will wear the Packer silks next season...This is the day Green Bay Packers, Inc., completes the process of streamlining itself, as recommended by a special committee last winter. One of the proposals was selection of a general manage. That task was carried out with the hiring of Lombardi. Next comes reducing the executive committee from 13 to a seven-man policy-making group. This job was to be done today at a meeting of the corporation's board of directors at the Beaumont Hotel. Directors will elect officers - a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. These officers, plus three additional directors, are expected to make up with the new executive committee. Under recommendation of the special committee, the secretary and treasurer positions would be two separate jobs. The new group would be more of a policy-making unit than an executive committee. It no longer would have any administrative functions. These are now being handled by Lombardi...Two more Packer veterans have returned their signed contracts - Bobby Dillon and Nate Borden, Lombardi announced last night. A week ago, Bart Starr and Dan Currie turned in their signatures. Dillon, a skilled defensive back and one of the top stars in the league, is returning for his eighth season. The one-eyed Texan made various all-pro teams in six of his seven completed campaigns. Dillon, who has an athletic equipment repair business going in his native Temple, Tex., returns with 51 interceptions under his belt for seven seasons. Bobby, the Pack's No. 3 pick in 1952, turned 29 last Feb. 23. Borden, the former University of Indiana tackle-end, is returning for season No. 5. Nate grew and worked himself into pro football. The Pack's 25th pick in '55, Borden has always been a tireless worker in practice and added 20 pounds to his usual 220 to better "accommodate" himself as an outside man on a four-man line.
PACKERS ENTER NEW ERA IN FRONT OFFICE
APR 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packer now have entered a new era, which really isn't so new! The administrative operation of the club was officially shifted Tuesday from the Packer executive committee to General Manager and Coach Vince Lombardi at a meeting of the board of directors of Green Bay Packers, Inc., at the Beaumont Hotel Tuesday. The board (30 of the 45 members were present) reduced the committee from 13 to seven members by secret ballot and then elected the following officers: Dominic Olejniczak, president; Dick Bourguignon, vice-president; John Torinus, secretary; Fred Trowbridge, treasurer; and Jerry Atkinson, Tony Canadeo and Les Kelly as additional executive committee members. The new committee will limit itself to policy making. The new program, recommended by a special committee last December, is designed for efficiency in operation that the corporation hopes will some day brin a winning team to Green Bay. The key figure is Lombardi, who with his staff, is thus empowered to make his own decisions and moves that he deems necessary to help the club. While the change seems revolutionary, the Packer headed in that direction when Curly Lambeau was leading the club in the late 1930's and up to the mid-40's. The club shifted back to an all-out democracy in 1950 after Lambeau resigned. While the club prospered financially, the Packers failed to come up with a winning team since 1950. The worst record in history (1-10-1 in 1958) prompted a definite need for streamlining. A committee was appointed by the board of directors to come up with a reorganization plan. That plan, approved last Dec. 16, was completed with the action yesterday. And it's significant that all five members of that committee are on the new executive committee - Atkinson, Bourguignon, Canadeo, Kelly and Trowbridge. As a result of its vote yesterday, directors dropped three long-time Packer officials from the executive committee - plus three others who were placed on the committee in recent years. The three figures are Lee Joannes, president of the Packers for 17 years; H.J. Bero, a member of the first Packer team, and Fred Leicht, an active Packer worker since the mid-20's. The other three are W. Heraly MacDonald, who was placed on the committee in 1954; Bernard Darling, 1955; and Carl Mraz, 1956.
HOWTON-LESS PACKERS PAD AIR ARM: INK MCGEE, HIGGINBOTHAM
APR 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A veteran and a rookie - both key figures in the Packers' Howton-less pass catching plans - have signed contracts for the 1959 season, Coach Vince Lombardi announced today. They are William Max Mcgee, who has three Packer seasons under his belt, and Ken Higginbotham, the sticky-fingered Trinity University phenom who has decided to give up his senior year of college competition in favor of pro football. McGee led the Packers in pass catching last year, beating out the traded Billy Howton (to Cleveland for Bill Quinlan and Lew Carpenter) by one catch, 37-36. Max, who enjoys blocking and making hard catches, will shift over to Howton's old spot at right end while Gary Knafelc stays at left end. McGee will be returning with a new challenge, since he has always played in the shadow of the colorful Redhead from Rice, although last year Max beat out Howton in catches, 37 to 36; yards, 655 to 507; in touchdowns, 7 to 2. That was the first time anyone had edged out Billy in catches since he joined the Pack in '52. Maxie has always been a touchdown threat. He nailed 17 for TDs in his three years - nine as a rookie in 1954, one in nine games in '57 after coming out of service, and seven last year. In those same years, Howton caught nine - two in '54, five in '57, and two in '58. Howton caught 43 touchdown passes in his seven Packer years - an average of 6-plus per season. McGee averaged just under 6 in three seasons...FIFTH DRAFT CHOICE: McGee, who turned 27 next July 16, was the Packers' fifth draft choice in '54. He was a fullback and halfback at Tulane and was selected for the purpose of playing end. He was caught 36 passes for 64 yards and nine TDs as a rookie, more than justifying the selection and switch in positions. Texan McGee, affectionately known as Magoo to his teammates, also happens to be the Packers' punter. Max always figured that "Dick Deschaine gives me a complex about punting," but last season Deschaine was traded to the Cleveland Browns and McGee beat out Dick in the final averages. Max ranked fourth in the league with 42.3 on 62 boots while specialist Deschine was sixth with 41.3 on 50 kicks. Higginbotham (the name, that is) sounds like a start on a British cricket team but this resident of Texas City, Tex., nailed 17 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns as a junior in 1958, indicating that his game is football. Ken is tall and randy at 6-3 and 205. The 22-year old is exceptionally fast and has specialized in making the tough catch.
PACK END OFFENSIVE ON; SIGN ROOKIE PAIR
MAY 2 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Two 235-pound defensive ends - one a free agent and the other the 25th draft choice last winter - have signed 1959 Packer contracts, Coach-GM Vince Lombardi announced today. They are Jim Yeats, a 6-4 non-draftee from Corpus Christi, and Bob Clark, a 6-4 draftee from Louisiana College. The two rookies are among a dozen ends being rounded up by Lombardi for the start of practice late in July, with six going on offense and the others on defense. Still unsigned on the defensive wings are Bill Quinlan, the Cleveland Brown obtained with Lew Carpenter in the Billy Howton trade, and Jim Temp, Packer veteran. Signed besides Clark and Yeats are Nate Borden and Charley Anderson of Drake, the 22nd draft choice. On the offensive side, wing signed are Max McGee a, Gary Knafelc and Ken Higginbotham. Still to come are Steve Meilinger, Boyd Dowler, and Buddy Mayfield. Dowler, the third draft choice from Colorado,
Packers’ coach Vince Lombardi’s second (and most famous) home in Green Bay has been featured widely in the media and can be found easily by doing a Google search. But the first home the Lombardi’s lived in upon their 1959 arrival in Green Bay is much lesser known. Pictured above are Vince Lombardi, Sr. (left), Marie Lombardi (next to Vince, Sr.), Vince Lombardi, Jr., and Susan Lombardi (on lower step). According to “When Pride Still Mattered” by David Maraniss, the coach “impulsively” purchased the home while in Green Bay to interview (and ultimately be offered) the Packers’ head coach and general manager position. This was with no input from his wife or family. One can only imagine the grief he received later. It wasn’t very long before they moved into the second home. (SOURCE: Packerville, USA)
Appleton Post-Crescent - April 15th 1959
and Mayfield, No. 8 from South Carolina, are in spring sports. Meilinger is being shifted to end from slot back in Lombardi's new offensive system. Overlooked in the draft, Yeats had been called "big, rough and willing" by Packer scouts. He played at the University of Florida before going to Corpus Christi. Clark is 26 and served in the Air Force for four years in the Pacific theater. An all-around athlete, Clark played service football and participated in four sports in Louisiana. He also competed in basketball, baseball and track...Len Ford, the giant Cleveland defensive end obtained in a trade year ago, probably won't figure in the Packers' plan for '59. The 33-year old onetime Michigan star was suspended by former coach Scooter McLean shortly before the Bays' last game in Los Angeles last December...Two present Packers and one immediate-ex will play with the Michigan State Alumni against the MSU varsity in Spartan Stadium May 16. The presents are Dan Currie and Norm Masters. The Alumni may call on Hank Bullough, who retired from football recently to join Michigan State as an assistant coach...TWO TACKLES: Packer Tackle and Mrs. Jerry Helluin are sporting another set of twins by the name of Jay and Jon. The youngsters packed 8 pounds and 7 ounces and 8-6 and were born April 6 - at 6:47 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. The Helluins also have twin daughters.
HORNUNG NEEDS TO WORK TO STAR, BRENNAN SAYS
MAY 5 (Milwaukee) - Terry Brennan, businessman from Chicago, has a couple of definite ideas about Paul Hornung, a football player from Louisville. "Give him plenty of work; he thrives on work - all Vinnie can give him. He'll be better for it. Halfback is his best spot with the pros. He's not a great passer as pro quarterbacks go, but he's a good passer - plenty good enough to throw at times from halfback." Brennan, of course, is the ex-Notre Dame coach and the aforementioned Master Hornung was his prize pupil. Packer Coach Vince Lombardi announced the shift of Hornung to halfback several months ago. Hornung, starting his third year with the Pack, will be going to his third different position. He was a quarterback mostly as a rookie; a fullback last year; and now a halfback. "That's the spot for him. We could have used him there but our need was at quarterback. We had him at halfback for the last few games and he was a wonder. He can do anything on that football field," Brennan said in a bull session following a sports banquet at which he gave the main address. Lombardi was one of the "changes" on the Wisconsin sports scene recognized at the banquet attended by over 300 sports fans in the Pfister Hotel Monday afternoon. Others honored were Liz Blackbourn, former Packer coach who now coaches Marquette; Johnny Erickson, new basketball coach at Wisconsin; Bud Foster, former Badger cage coach; Ed Hickey, new Marquette coach; Birdie Tebbets, new Braves executive vice-president; and John McHale, new Braves general manager. Lombardi accepted certificates honoring Packers Bobby Dillon and Jim Ringo as member of the United Press International all-pro first and second teams, respectively...Representatives of the state's four top teams - Braves, Badgers, Packers and Warriors - were each presented gold horseshoes as tokens of good luck...Blackbourn is moving around well on a hip injured "teaching those guards how to pull. You know, none of them know how to do it anymore. Now I'm the fastest man on the field." Liz was referring to a motor scooter he uses in practice...Packer President Dominic Olejniczak was among the guests introduced. Lombardi, in a brief speech, recognized the excellent sports picture in Wisconsin and promised that "we are determined to give the state a good Packer team."...The Packers will employ a cash bonus system, Lombardi told press and radio folks after the banquet. Special $$ awards will be given for blocking punts, intercepting passes, recovering fumbles and for other deeds. He said he also plans to adjust the salaries according to the length of time each man is on the field because "these are the men who must be taken care of."...Brennan, now in the investment business, told scribes that "I am no longer interested in college coaching." He added he would only be receptive to an offer from a professional team. "It would have to be on a part-time basis," he said.
QUINLAN, KEY IN TRADE, SIGNS PACKER PACT
MAY 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Bill Quinlan, the key figure in the Billy Howton trade, has signed a Packer contract for '59, it was verified today by Packer Coach-GM Vince Lombardi. Quinlan announced himself at his home in Lawrence, Mass., yesterday, that he had agreed to join Green Bay. He made his decision after a conference with Phil Bengtson, Packer defensive line coach, in Massachusetts. "He likes the idea of playing in Green Bay and he's anxious to go," Phil said here today. Quinlan and Lew Carpenter were obtained by the Packers in the trade for Howton with the Cleveland Browns. Earlier, Quinlan said he was considering a standing offer to join the Hamilton Tiger Cats as an assistant coach. The 245-pound defensive end said he had been offered more money than he received with the Browns. The ferocious footballer said he "now considered playing with the Packers a challenge since they have a new regime out there." Quinlan is the second veteran defensive end set to go. Nate Borden joined up officially last week. Still unsigned is Jim Temp.
PACKERS INK HBS HARDEE, LARABA
MAY 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Two halfbacks, one for offense and the other for defense, have been signed by the Packers, it was announced today by Coach-GM Vince Lombardi. The newcomers are LeRoy Hardee of Florida A and M, the Packers' 25th draft choice who will be used on offense, and defensive star Bob Laraba of Texas Western, the Bays' eighth draft pick. Hardee stands 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds. He's exceptionally fast and last year gained 704 yards in 87 carries - an average of 8.1. He scored eight touchdowns and caught six passes for 99 yards. Hardee, a junior, averaged 9 yards per try on 59 attempts and scored five touchdowns - three on runs of 95, 69 and 35 yards. Laraba has been rated the best defensive back ever turned out at Texas Western, and the school's backfield honor roll includes Jess Whittenton, Packer defensive veteran. Big at 6-2 and 1995, Laraba played quarterback on offense for the first time as a sophomore and led the team to its first Border Conference championship with an 8-1 record. As a senior, Laraba played offensive end for the last three games. Laraba never played high school football and played center as a freshman at T.W...The Packers staff will scout four spring college games Saturday. Business Manager Jack Vainisi will turn scout to view the Notre Dame-Old Timers battle. Coach Phil Bengtson will be at the Wisconsin-Alumni game in Madison and Coach Norb Hecker will look in on the Marquette contest. Coach Bill Austin will scout Iowa's windup game.
ROOKIE PAIR COULD GIVE PACKERS LIFT
MAY 8 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - If the Packers get surprise help in the line from a couple of rookies, it could come from Willie Taylor and/or Dick Nearents. Coach-GM Vince Lombardi announced the sighing of the 500-pound package today. Taylor is a guard from Florida A and M, and stands 6 feet tall and packs 235 pounds; he was the Bays' sixth draft choice last winter. Nearents, a tackle from Eastern Washington College, stands 6-2 and packs 265; he was the 18th pick. Lombardi is highly impressed with the pair. "We've had good reports on them and they really want to make it," Vince pointed out. Nearents, 24, is described as a mean player who is hated by his opponents. He won the heavyweight Golden Gloves championship in 1957 while in the Marines. Nearents told his hometown press: "I may not make it with the pros, but if I don't they'll know I've been around when I leave the training camp." This defensive tackle prospect is exceptionally fast for his size. Last spring, he ran the 100-year dash in 10.8. He's also a tennis player and ranked No. 2 on the net squad as a senior. Nearents hails from Pasco, Wash., where he played four years of high school football. He also played football in the Marines. Taylor comes from the "right" school and has the "right" given name. Florida A and M has two line stars in pro football - Willie Lee of the Bears and Willie McClung of the Browns, and hopes to make it three with Taylor. Like Lee and McClung, Taylor was selected on the Negro All-American team. W.T. was a key figure in making Florida A and M's ground game a success. He could always be counted on to open a hole...A San Francisco newspaper ran a sports like poll the other day and one question was this: Would you rather see a Ram-49er league game or a Giant-Yankee World Series game? The vote was 60-40 in favor of football...Four weeks ago, the story goes, a couple of Dallas businessmen opened negotiations with the Chicago Cardinals with the idea of moving that team to Dallas, but balked when met with an asking price of $3,000,000. There's a feeling that the NFL won't move into Texas unless the Lone State State can start two clubs there - probably in Dallas and Houston.
TRADED ROTE, HOWTON PILING UP PACKER MILEAGE
MAY 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - When two different Packer coaches drafted two Rice Institute stars as their second choices, they had no idea the Packer football mileage they were starting. Curly Lambeau selected Tobin Rote, a quarterback, as his second pick three weeks before he resigned as Packer coach in February 1950. Gene Ronzani selected Billy Howton, an end, in the No. 2 slot in 1952. Rote, then a senior, started pitching to Howton, a sophomore, at Rice in 1949. Both finished up as All-Americans. Rote turned 31 last Jan. 19; Howton will be 29 July 9. Both played seven years with the Packers; both threatened retirement; and both were traded for the purpose of rebuilding the Packers. And therein lies some of the mileage. Six players were obtained in those two trades and some of them could be around for another five years - long after Rote and Howton are retired. Rote went to Detroit in the spring of 1957 for halfback Don McIlhenny, tackles Norm Masters and Ollie Spencer and guard Jim Salsbury. Howton went to Cleveland for halfback Lew Carpenter and defensive
end Bill Quinlan. McIlhenny is 24; Masters, 25; Salsbury, Carpenter and Quinlan, each 26; and Spencer, 28. Rote was ready to quit midway during the '56 season - especially after the 24-7 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Milwaukee. His spirits picked up after an upset victory over the Lions in Detroit Thanksgiving Day and the Cardinals in Chicago in the next game. But he was always unhappy with moving the family back and forth to Green Bay, etc. He said many times "this is my last season." Howton had his retirement announcement just about ready for the press shortly after the '58 Bear game in Chicago. The Redhead is doing exceptionally well financially in the contracting business in Houston, and he felt he wanted to stay with it the year-around. He later decided not to make any public announcement. Last January, at the league meetings, Billy, who is president of the Players Assn., said he'd "almost have to play if they elect me president again." Howton took an active part in the last special league meeting over the player pension. The players probably won't elect until fall. The "retirements" had little bearing on the trading of Rote and Howton. Liz Blackbourn felt he needed an offensive line and Detroit was willing to add three players to the cause - plus a halfback, for Rote. The Bays won three games in '57; Rote led the Lions to the title. That didn't make the trade look good. Green Bay won one in '58; the Lions, with Rote, four. Vince Lombardi, the Packers' new coach, wanted two front-line players for Howton and got them. The key was Quinlan, a 245-pound defensive end. "We need help badly at defensive end," Vince explained. Carpenter will lend balance not to mention bread-and-butter - to the Packer backfield. When Rote went to Detroit, Packer quarterbacking was entrusted to a bright, young Alabaman by the name of Bart Starr. Lombardi is impressed with Starr - his throwing and intelligence, and feels that generally, there's nothing wrong with the Packer quarterbacking (Starr, Babe Parilli and Joe Francis) that better protection won't cure. That throws it right back to the offensive line. And fellers like Masters, Salsbury, Spencer - to name a few. If these three - plus McIlhenny, Quinlan and Carpenter - help the Packers produce winning football, the No. 2 draft choices of 1950 and 1952 will continue to roll up mileage...NO. 1 PICKS?: The Packers had two six-six seasons during the Rote-Howton regime - in 1952 and 1955. Rotes ranks as the Packers' all-time passer - 826 completions (7 seasons), 180 completions in one year ('54); 1,854 attempts; 382 attempts in one year ('54); 11,835 yards gained passing; 2,311 yards gained passing one year ('54); 335 yards gained passing one game ('51); 89 touchdown passes. Howton rates second to the immortal Don Huston in Packer pass receiving. He broke two of Don's record - most yards pass receiving one season, 1,231 to 1,311; and most years pass receiving one game, 257 to 237. Do you remember the No. 1 picks ahead of Rote and Howton? Lambeau selected Clayton Tonnemaker first in 1950 and Ronzani picked Babe Parilli No. 1 in 1952. Tonnemaker starred in '50, went into service for two years, and then never regained his old form in '53 and '54. Parilli never has matched his rookie year when he placed third in the league.
IS THIS THE YEAR HELLUIN, HANNER GET COMPETITION?
MAY 12 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Is this the year Jerry Helluin and Hawg Hanner get some competition at defensive tackle? Coach-GM Vince Lombardi announced the signing of veteran Helluin and tackle Ken Kerr, a 275-pounder out of Arizona State at Tempe, Monday night and added special word from Kerry that his should is completely healed. Helluin came to the Packers in a trade with the Browns in 1954. He and Hawg Hanner hardly missed a defensive play for four straight years, although Jerry was shaken up a bit in the third game in '54. Some competition was cooked up for the hard-working pair in '58 for the persons of J.D. Kimmel and Ray Krause, both obtained in trades. They went out the window quick like. Krause was awarded to Baltimore when, due to family problems, he asked that he remain the East. And Helluin suffered a shoulder separation during a non-league game and was out for the season, leaving Hanner and Kimmel. Helluin, a 275-pounder who will turn 30 Aug. 8, says he feels "great." For competition, the Packer old-time defensive tackles will have at least two veterans - plus several first-year men. Besides Kimmel, there will be Volney Peters, an eight-year veteran who saw service with Los Angeles, Washington and Chicago Cardinals. Among the top rookies on tackle defense is Ken Nearents, a 255-pounder. Kerr, the Packers' 14th draft choice last winter, is being figured as an offensive tackle - at the moment. The coaches could shift him in practice. The newcomer stands 6-2 and has what scouts called "real good speed." In sprints, Kerr could stay with the backs for 40 or 50 yards - which isn't easy for a 275-pounder. Kerr also can play offensive guard.
LOMBARDI NOW BETTER ACQUAINTED HEREABOUTS!
MAY 14 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vince Lombard is a busy banqueteer these days. And the new general manager and head coach is loosening up with his talks. Lombardi is better acquainted. He has met thousands of people since coming here last January. Vince knows now just how folks in Packerland feel about the Packers. Learning that was part of the adjustment for the efficient workman from out East. And it's no easy task switching your way of living. "When the wife and I went out to dinner at home (New York and New Jersey) we'd get lost; here everybody seems to know us and I guess I know everybody. When I'd speak at a banquet (for the Giants), I'd never get home until 2 or 3 in the morning; here sometimes I'm home at 9:30," Lombardi laughed. Vince is enough "at home" here he feels he can get more personal in his approach. He addressed the YMCA's annual sports dinner Monday night and dropped these personal bits: "Our No. 1 problem is defeating the defeatist attitude. I know it's there. You can't lose that much and still not have it. You can do more than anyone else to defeat that attitude. You are close to the players. Let's make mole hills out of mountains and not mountains out of mole hills." Lombardi was referring to reported after-hours stories about a couple of Packers last year. He learned that the stories were blown out of proportion and actually untrue. Vince feels that such talk about the players is "not Christian." Lombardi and his aides, Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran, Bill Austin and Norb Hecker, have studied 20,000 feet of Packer film. "That's all we know about the Packers - what we see in the pictures," Vince tells his audience, "and you people probably know much more about the team than we do." Thus, Lombardi will go into training next fall with an open mind on the team. And this explains his feelings on the quarterback situation and the availability of George Shaw, the Baltimore QB. Like so: "I gave every thought to a trade with the Colts for Shaw, and I also studied our quarterbacks and the offensive line in front of them. I am not so sure that some of our quarterbacks' problems didn't result from the offensive line. Therefore, I
personally - not in good conscience - can't make a trade for a quarterback until I see the quarterbacks and the offensive line in action." Vince started his QB comments with this: "In order to win in this league you've got to have a good quarterback. That's a must. I'm aware of that." The coach's big aim - other than defeating the defeatist attitude - is defense. "We've got to bolster our defense for reasons of morale. When the other team is running over you, it not only hurts your defense, it hurts your offense," he explained. Generally speaking, Lombardi feels that the 1959 season with be a year of trial and error. And, has he stated on an earlier occasion, "We'll win a few games along the way - somehow!"
OVER 400 FANS JOIN BROWN-CO. TOUCHDOWN CLUB
MAY 14 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Brown County Touchdown Club - an organization designed to help the Packers - now has a card-carrying membership of more than 400 fans, it was revealed today by Club President Charley Cole. Honorary memberships have been given to members of the Packer coaching staff - Vince Lombardi, Phil Bengtson, Bill Austin, Red Cochran and Norb Hecker. The club meets on the second Monday of each month at the Hammond Studios, 599 S. Military, and presently is discussing an auction for the purpose of raising funds for various projects, which include taking underprivileged children to Packer and Bluejay games. The club will meet weekly during the football season. Cole said that "some day we hope to buy property somewhere and build a clubhouse. We're a non-profit organization and we're not a critics group." The club is open to any male or female 21 years of age or older. Membership dues are $1 per year. "All of our members are Packer season ticket buyers and we'd like to help the Packers in their drive to sell season tickets." Other officers besides Cole are Jack Ryan, vice president; Mary Heckler, secretary; and Max Lorry, treasurer.
LOMBARDI 'WISHES' FOR BIGGER KNOTHOLE AREA
MAY 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vince Lombardi, the new Packer coach and general manager, made a special hit with the youngsters at the St. Agnes Father and Son Athletic dinner at Red Banks Monday night when he said during the address: "I wish we had 10 or 12,000 extra seats in that knothole section for you kids. We want you all to come out to the Packer games and help us win." The knothole section at City Stadium holds only 800. Youngsters 12 and under can get a season ticket for $3 (four games). Or they could; they're all sold. Lombardi, who addresses the annual Packer Day in Kaukauna tonight, said the season ticket sale has passed 24,000.
KAUKAUNA HOT PACKER TOWN
MAY 20 (Kaukauna-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Putting it pure and simple, this is a hot Packer town. Despite tornado warnings, severe electrical storms and rain, nearly 150 fans shoehorned their way into the banquet room of the Fox Valley Country Club dining room to hear the official football gossip from Green Bay Tuesday evening. It was Packer Day in Kaukauna. That's not all. Art Mongin, a Packer director who operates a drugstore here, said he's figuring on selling an all-time high of 750 season tickets for the Packers' 1959 schedule in Green Bay. That figure is more than 100 over the total a year ago and 500 more than the same here four years ago! The '59 season sale amounts to over $14,000 in ticket business! Mongin sells the tickets over the counter. In addition, he gets out and booms the Packers throughout the year. Packer Day is Mongin's production, the second annual event of its kind, and featured the appearance of 16 Packer family members - Vince Lombardi, Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran and Norb Hecker of the coaching staff; Jack Vainisi, Verne Lewellen, Tom Miller, Earl Falck and Merrill Knowlton of the office staff; Directors Dominic Olejniczak, club president Dick Bourguignon, Tony Canadeo, and "Jake" Stathas; and players Tom Bettis, Gary Knafelc and Jim Temp. They were guests of the Kaukauna Lions Club at dinner following golf. The program after dinner was open to the fans. Mongin served as master of ceremonies, and introduced Lombardi who presented all Packer representatives. The program opened with remarks by Mayor Doty Bayorgeon who gave the Packers a warm welcome. Lombardi stated flatly that "we are determined as an organization to give the people of the state one day a winner. Right now we know we have a weakness in depth but we have a nucleus of good football players. We need more good football players. They are hard to find but we will get them." The new coach referred to good football players as "winners," explaining that the New York Giants had no more than 20 good football players a year ago when they won the division title and missed the world title by inches. This indicated the scarcity of the real football player. Looking at the three players present, Vince reminded the audience that "these boys are those good football players we are looking for." During the question and answer period that followed his talk, Lombardi said he "definitely wants three quarterbacks and I hope to have one of them be the No. 1 man." A fan wanted to know if the ends would block this year and Lombardi looked at Knafelc for an answer. Gary pointed out: "I got a mortgage (on a new home he recently purchased) that says I must." Lombardi revealed, referring to big Temp, that "we had a man spying him at the Wisconsin alumni game; he's not as slow as we thought he was."
PACKERS GET MCHAN IN 'IF' DEAL
MAY 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Lamar McHan comes to the Packers on an "if" basis! This was revealed today by Packer Coach-GM Vince Lombardi following the trade that sent the veteran quarterback to Green Bay for an undisclosed draft choice Friday night. If McHan makes the final 35-player squad list, the deal will be closed and the Cardinals will receive the draft pick - probably a high one. If McHan fails to make the "35," he will be returned to the Cards and the deal will be nullified. Lombardi was pleased with the trade because, as he explained, "we have nothing to lose. If McHan makes it, we will gain a veteran quarterback, and if he doesn't make it we will retain our draft selection. It amounts to a free look at a good quarterback prospect." Vince added: "I feel very fortunate in being able to get him. The Cards thought enough of him that they wouldn't trade him to any team in the division. He's the best athlete in the National League. He goes 6-1, 205, and he can run." The addition of McHan swells the Packers' quarterback roster to five. The 6-1, 200-pound Cardinal joins Packer veterans Bart Starr, Babe Parilli and Joe Francis, and the good-looking rookie QB from St. Ambrose, Bob Webb. Cardinal Coach Pop Ivy, unless he has another deal going, plans to go with quarterbacks M.C. Reynolds, King Hill and service-returnee John Roach. McHan is the second top veteran traded by Ivy, who recently traded Ollie Matson to the Rams. Lombardi knows McHan - probably better than he knows the Packer veterans, since his former club, the Giants
battled the Cardinals, and McHan, twice a year in Eastern Division competition. McHan's first year was in 1954, which was Vince's first with the Giants. The former University of Arkansas star pitched 50 touchdown passes in his five Card seasons and completed 433 passes for 6,578 yards. He was just a short "pitch" from breaking three all-time Cardinal passing records set by the great Paul Christman. McHan needed 173 yards, one more touchdown pass and 20 more completions to snap Christman's marks. McHan led the Eastern Division in passing in 1957 and ranked fifth in the league in .58. In his best single game, McHan hurled four TD passes against the Eagles in '56, completing 11 out of 16 attempts. The rugged QB, who turned 26 last Dec. 16, is one of the league's better running quarterbacks. He lugged 190 times in five season for 652 yards - just under 4 yard per, and scored 11 touchdowns. McHan won 18 letters in high school athletics at Lake Village, Ark., and then gained All-American honors at the University of Arkansas - besides winning the Heisman Trophy. The Cards drafted him No. 1 in 1954. He is the third Arkansas grad with the Pack. The other two are Lew Carpenter, the back obtained from the Browns, and Dave Hanner. McHan recently finished a 10-week officer training school course for the National Guard. He will marry Shirley Boydston, sister of Cardinal star Max Boydston, in the near future.
PACKERS INK HB OPPOSITES, LEW CARPENTER, BROWN
MAY 26 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers today announced the signing of two halfbacks opposites - a low-drafted rookie from a small college and a highly-touted pro veteran who played on a couple of championship clubs. They are Tim Brown of Ball State, the Packers' 27th draft choice who stands 5-11 and packs 190 pounds, and Lew Carpenter, the former Detroit Lion and Cleveland Brown who came to the Packers along with Bill Quinlan in the Billy Howton trade. However, opposite the two players seem, they both will have a chance to make the 1959 Packers, it was pointed out by Coach-GM Vince Lombardi. Carpenter has a big edge in play-for-pay experience - 404 carries for 1,666 yards and an average of four per trip, plus 15 touchdowns. He spent his rookie season as a defensive back with Detroit in 1953 and then led the Lions in rushing the next two campaigns, piling up 1,019 yards. He spent 1956 in service and then went to Cleveland in the Roger Zatkoff deal. Lew has a reputation as a bread-and-butter back and that's exactly what Lombardi is looking for. Carpenter will be stationed at a halfback position. He's on the fullbackish side at 6-2 and 210. Though he has five pro seasons under his belt, Carpenter is only 26. He won't be 27 until next Jan. 12. He lives in Earle, Ark., and starred at nearby West Memphis, Ark., High before heroing in football at the University of Arkansas. Brown scored 59 points last year, including 54 on nine touchdowns. He carried 112 times for 551 yards and caught 10 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns...Big Andy Cvercko, the Packers' first draft choice, has been given the Big Ten Conference medal for achievement in athletics and scholarship. Andy, a 235-pound guard, is a B student in electrical engineering at Northwestern.
PACKERS A FOUR-PRO-QB '11' WITH LAMAR MCHAN
MAY 28 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Lamar McHan deal is nearly a week old. And we've been thinking: How the Bears didn't bid or get McHan from the Cards? Is the McHan deal a prelude to a new Packer trade? Did McHan asked to be released? And so forth! The Bears are quarterback worried; they indicated as much when they snagged Rudy Bukich from Washington late last season to augment Zeke Bratkowski and Ed Brown. McHan, being a Chicago favorite, would fit at Wrigley Field. How come then? The two clubs never hashed the deal because George Halas and Walter Wolfner aren't on speaking terms. Walter's mad because Papa George wouldn't allows the Cardinals to play in Dyche Stadium. Putting McHan in Packer silks makes the University of Green Bay a four-pro-quarterback team! So we asked Coach-GM Vince Lombardi if he had a trade in mind when he made the McHan deal. Said Vince: "I did not have a trade in mind, but I most certainly would listen to any trade possibilities other clubs have to make." The Packers have what amounts to a corner on young and experienced quarterbacks, what with Bart Starr, Babe Parilli, Joe Francis and McHan. They have thrown a total of 2,119 pro passes and completed 949 for 13,830 yards and 98 touchdowns in 14 years of experience. We hear that McHan asked to be released and reportedly told Commissioner Bert Bell just that. Lamar never got along with Wolfner, who was probably too "close" to the athletes for the head coaches' comfort. The McHan-
Wolfner feud started when Wolfner fined McHan $1,000 in 1956 for refusing to go back into a game. The likeable Ray Richards, then Cardinal coach who was a Packer aide last year, always sympathized with McHan in the incident. In fact, Richards was in the hospital the day McHan was fined and knew nothing about it. The Cards tried to make a deal with Canada but McHan balked at that for an obvious reason: Lamar figured he's better than Canadian football. The Cards refused to trade him to any club in the Eastern Division, which is a recommendation of McHan's talent in itself; Wolfner would have to face McHan twice. Ach. The Packers and Cards aren't league-scheduled this year. They aren't even carded on the same field in preseasons. The McHan deal is an "if" job. And as Lombardi put it: "There aren't many of those around anymore." Vince insisted on the clause and got it, which gives the Pack a free look. If Lamar makes it, the draft choice will be well worth it. Lombardi now has four veteran QBs on his hands who aren't in the habit of playing with winning teams. The composite record of the four is 44 wins, 118 losses and 6 ties. Individually it goes: Parilli 17-41-2, McHan 18-40-2, Starr 8-27-1 and Francis 1-10-1. In the 14 total years for the four, only one experienced the joy of a plus-.500 team - McHan with the '56 Cardinals who posted 7-5. Parilli was next best, a 6-6 Pack finish in '52. That 7-5 record shows that it can be done; Lombardi is sure of that.
TAYLOR ALL-TIME FULLBACK?
MAY 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Jim Taylor could be an all-time Packer fullback - on the basis of his rookie season! That's a heap of statement but look at it this way: Taylor gained 247 yards in 52 carries for a fantastic Jimmy Brown-type average of 4.8. No other Packer fullback had a rookie season like that, although the figures don't include the great Clarke Hinkle, who galloped before anybody took statistics seriously. Starting with Ted Fritsch in 1942, the Packers had six assorted fullbacks - Fritsch, Jack Cloud, Fred Cone, Bobby Jack Floyd, Bill Reichart and Howie Ferguson. But only three of them stayed around long enough to compile a record - Fritsch (10 seasons), Cone (7) and Ferguson (6 and still going). Fritsch carried 74 times for 223 yards and an average of 3.0 as a rookie - quite a drop from Taylor's 4.8. Cone moved 56 times for 190 yards and an average of 3.4 in his freshman year, 1951, while Ferguson lugged 52 times for 134 and a 2.6 average in 1953. Cloud averaged 2.9 in 1950, Floyd 3.0 in '52 and Reichart 3.1 in '52. Taylor, whose signing for the 1959 season was announced Thursday by Coach-GM Vince Lombardi, isn't expected to set the Packers' all-time fullback records a-flaming just because of his rookie crashing average. But the Louisiana State's hard hitting indicated that the Packers at least have the makings of a top-flight fullback. Taylor gained 236 of his yards in 44 trips in the Packers' final two game on the west coast last year. He cracked 22 times for 137 yards and an average of 6.73 against the 49ers in San Francisco in his first starting role. Then on the following Sunday, with the Rams setting their defenses for him, he carried 22 times for 99 yards and an average of 4.5. A couple of Ram defensive linemen confided to Packer Dave Hanner that "it was like tackling a piano when we tackled him." Taylor carries 210 pounds and he's his own piano mover!
PACKERS GET 49ERS' PALATELLA, SIGN DIXON
JUN 2 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Add Lou Palatella to the Veteran Newcomers' Committee of Green Bay Packers, Inc. Palatella comes to the Packers from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice. The deal was worked out Monday evening and announced immediately by Coach-GM Vince Lombardi. The VNC is a new group organized by Lombardi for the purpose of pumping new blood and competition into the 1959 Packers. Palatella, 25, a 230-pound offensive guard with four years of pro service under his belt, is the fourth member of the exclusive group. He joins halfback Lew Carpenter and defensive end Bill Quinlan of the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Lamar McHan of the Chicago Cardinals. Those four players cost the Packers one veteran, Billy Howton, and two draft choice. Howton brought the two players from the Browns. The draft choice given up for McHan was undisclosed and will only be payable IF McHan makes the club. Thus, Lombardi has added four highly-touted and experienced veterans at little cost. The Howton deal balanced itself out since it was a switch of top-flight ends - one for offense and one for defense; Carpenter was added gravy. Draft choices are expendable - especially for good veterans. Palatella is noted for his desire - a qualification that was double checked and verified by Phil Bengtson, the Packers' defensive line coach who spent the past eight years with the 49ers. And Lombardi is in the market for players with desire because he feels that type of player can get better help the Packers held defeat the club's defeatist attitude. While Palatella is highly regarded as a blocker - for the passer or on rushing plays, Coach Red Hickey felt he could part with Lou because the 49ers have a surplus of offensive linemen. Palatella will battle with veterans Jim Salsbury, Forrest Gregg and Jerry Kramer - plus a host of good rookies, including Andy Cvercko of Northwestern for regular duty. The guard corps was hurt earlier this year when Hank Bullough decided to retire in favor of coaching at Michigan State. Palatella, who was married recently, starred at the University of Pittsburgh as a tackle. He made the All-American Scholastic team, with an above-average B average, and gained all-East honors. A native of Vandergrift, Pa., Palatella has been working as a sales manager for a liquor company in Redwood, Calif., where Packer Marv Matuszak, also a former 49er, operated a restaurant...Lombardi also announced the signing of offensive halfback George Dixon, the Packers' ninth draft choice from Bridgeport, Conn., University. Dixon started playing end last season but was shifted to halfback because of his speed and power. He wound up as the No. 4 rusher in all small college football with 1,106 yards in 155 carries for an average of 7.14 per try. Dixon took the opening kickoff in the All-American Bowl game at Tucson last winter and raced 85 yards for a touchdown. He was the leading ground gainer in the East for nine straight weeks last fall and five times he won all-offense honors...PRO BITS: The Cardinals obtained linebacker Bob Dougherty from the Steelers for an undisclosed draft choice. Dougherty, a former Ram, played in 12 games for the Steelers last year. The Steelers also announced the signing of John Nisby, the former Packer, for '59.
BREEZY'S GOT A JOB (AT VPI); EVERYBODY'S GLAD
JUN 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Breezy's got a job. And all the folks know him are real happy about it. Breezy Reid joined the Packers as a halfback in '50. He was placed on waivers after the Bear game i Chicago in 1956. He scouted enemy games for the Pack in '57 and joined the club as backfield coach in 1958. Reid was the last member of the ill-fated '58 coaching staff to land a job, although he scouted for three weeks for the Packers in the southeast last spring. He'll work with the backs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute at Blacksburg, Va., starting in August. No Packer regime arrived and went in such a hurry - less than a year. Scooter McLean, a Packer since '51, became head coach in January of 1958; he resigned in the middle of the following December. Aides Ray Richards, Nick Skorich and Reid resigned several weeks later. Scooter is with the Lions; Skorich with the Eagles; and Richards is out of football. Reid is exceptionally well liked in Green Bay - like Scooter, and a common question among the sportsters the last few months was: "Did Breezy find a job yet?" Reid did a lot of job-hunting in Green Bay and area and actually was too honest to connect. Breezy just had to tell prospective employers that if anything opened up in the coaching field he'd have to take it. A number of Breezy's friends, and they are many, put on a farewell dinner for him at Platten's Grove the other night and gave him a transistor radio. The Reids will leave this week for their original hometown, Hamilton, O., where they will spend the summer before moving East. They didn't figure to leave so soon but, as Breezy put it, "the first person who looked at our home bought it. Just like that." The Reids live at 1465 Rockdale. Reid always has been a Packer fan even as a player. When he arrived here back in '50, he said: "Say, this is a little town. I'm going to like it here; just like back home. This is my team." His parting words: "I really hate to leave, but you can bet that I'll be pulling for the Packers - always. Pull 'em through for me." Reid finished with a lifetime Packer rushing average of 4.3 yards. He carried 459 times for 1,972 yards in 75 games...The Colts want some eye teeth for quarterback George Shaw, which is why they're having trouble trading him. Shaw, who asked the Colts to trade him so he could get a chance to play for his pay, hopes a deal will be worked out. Reportedly, if the Colts can't move Shaw to another club, he will naturally return to Baltimore - but with the provision that he play on an option clause and not a signed contract. This means Shaw could become a free agent at the end of the '59 season.
PACKERS INK QB MCHAN
JUN 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Lamar McHan, the veteran quarterback obtained by the Packers in an "if" trade with the Chicago Cardinals, has signed a Packer contract, it was announced today by Coach-GM Vince Lombardi. The Cardinals will receive a draft choice from Green Bay if McHan makes the club. McHan will be in competition with three holdover veteran QBs - Joe Francis, Babe Parilli and Bart Starr. One rookie QB will also figure in the fight - Bob Webb of St. Ambrose.
PACKERS KEEP STEP WITH ROCKET AGE, INK 'MISSILE' PAIR
JUN 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - They haven't ordered their space suits, as yet, but the Packers are keeping step in this bewildering "Rocket Age." This became manifest today with announcement by their "leader," GM-Coach Vince Lombardi, that he has stocked Green Bay's expanding missile base with a pair of human "Thors." These jets in gym clothing are blond Buddy Mayfield, University of South Carolina end, and Dave Smith, Ripon College's workhorse fullback. Mayfield, a teammate of No. 2 Packer draftee Alex Hawkins at SC, is a real "bomb." Buddy, christened Clellon William Mayfield, streaked the 440-yard dash in 48.2 seconds and the 220 in 21.5 in Atlantic Coast Conference competition this year, winning titles in both events. The 6-2, 190-pound South Carolinian, No. 8 choice in the draft, is a prime candidate to replace the departed Billy Howton, recently dealt to the Cleveland Browns, as a running mate for 1958 holdovers Max McGee and Gary Knafelc. Thought not a Bobby Morrow, Mayfield's fellow signee, Smith, is fleet for a fullback. The 6-1, 194-pound Greendale, Wis., native has been clocked at a brisk 10.2 seconds in the 100-yard dash. A good example of the "old college try," Smith also has other attributes to recommend him. He's rated as strong and eager and isn't likely to add to Trainer Bud Jorgenson's annual burden - he's never been injured...BONE-JARRING BLOCKER: Statistically, too, the record is impressive. In three years at Ripon, Dave piled up 2,672 yards in 142 carries for an average of nearly seven yards per try. Further, the Redmen ace caught 30 passes for 580 yards. And, as the fullback in the Ripon formation, he led most of the plays as a bone-jarring blocker. Last fall, he carried 148 times for 778 yards and a 5.5 average, scoring a Midwest Conference record. Smith was contacted by eight pro clubs and two of them, the 49ers and Giants, wired him the week before the draft to verify that he hadn't changed his mind about playing pro ball. Dave, the Packers' 21st choice, was mildly surprised at being drafted by the Packers because his only correspondence with the club had been filling out the preliminary questionnaire, a service he had performed for all other interested NFL teams. Quietly confident of making the major league grade, always a long shot for a small college alumnus, Smith says, "I intended to go to camp with the attitude that I will make the team and to go all out while I'm there." P.S. Dave already has inquired about getting out of ROTC summer camp early to join the Packers and been given the green light. He wants to be on hand from the opening whistle...Monday was a big day for the Packers. who also hosted 125 press, radio and television representatives, directors and ticket sales representatives at their annual spring soiree at Oneida Golf and Riding Club. Of these, more than 40 toured the spacious Oneida course, former Green Bayite Fred Gage, now of Madison's WIBA, weighing in with the day's best score, a 76. Members of the fourth estate came from as far south as Madison and Racine and from as far north as Escanaba, Mich.
BOBBY DILLON QUITTING GRID
JUN 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Bobby Dillon, the Packers' brilliant defensive halfback, has called it a career. Dillon, bulwark of the Packers' outer defense ever since he came to them from the University of Texas in 1952, notified GM-Coach Vince Lombardi by telephone late this morning from his Temple, Tex., home that he is retiring to pursue a business career. Bobby is assistant sales manager of the Ralph Wilson Plastic Co., in Temple, which he says is "expanding" and offers a bright future. His present duties also will make it possible for him to continue his Bobby Dillon Sports Remodeling Service, he said. Dillon, who already had signed his 1959 contract, has been an annual all-league choice. "Losing him is a very difficult blow," said Lombardi. "He's the best in the league and a man like Dillon is irreplaceable at this time."
PACKERS HUNTING SITE FOR MILWAUKEE DRILLS
JUN 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers are looking for suitable facilities in the Milwaukee area that could be used as a training site for the two weeks preceding the opening of the 1959 season. "It would be foolish to keep the players in camp for seven weeks and then turn them loose for the last two weeks," GM-Coach Vince Lombardi said today in revealing the plan. Lombardi said he planned to check on several possible training sites next week before selecting a location. The Packers will start their training July 25, using living quarters at St. Norbert College and their home stadium for drills. Lombardi said that if suitable Milwaukee area facilities are available, the Packers will stay there after they return from an exhibition game against the Washington Redskins at Winston-Salem, N.C., Sept. 12, travel to Minneapolis for a contest with the Pittsburgh Steelers Sept. 20, and then finish training in Milwaukee.
BOBBY DILLON - 'HE WAS EVERYBODY'S ALL-LEAGUE'
JUN 11 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "He was everybody's all-league." It was the Packers' Tom Miller paying spontaneous tribute to the gifted Texan, Bobby Dan Dillon, who Wednesday put a lump in the throat of Packerland (not to mention the coaching staff) by announcing his retirement from football. Never has the proverbial shoe fit better. As Tom put it, "He was the unanimous choice of the league's coaches and opposing players as well as the sportswriters and press services." The records, alone, bear out the Packer publicitor - in spades. The Texas greyhound, as much a man apart in his specialty (the interception) as the incomparable Don Hutson was in his, was an all-league choice by both major press services in four of the last five years. The true worth of this formal recognition can be fully appreciated only when it is considered that the NFL's most accomplished larcenist played with a break-even Packer team just once during his seven-year career and, sad but true, great athletes with second division clubs are often overlooked in all-league selections because of their association with mediocrity. Not to mention the fact that he attained football's pinnacle despite a major handicap, having been without vision in one eye because of a childhood accident. Then, too, he often had to compensate for the inadequacies of fellow defenders, which left him more vulnerable. In the "trade", he was rated without a peer. Only last autumn Phil Bengtson, now a member of the Packer staff but then assistant coach of the San Francisco Forty Niners, declared, "He's the best in the business." And burly Ray Richards, former Chicago Cardinal head man and Packer defense
coach last year, called him "a coach on the field." What made him great? Friend Miller put his finger on Bobby's No. 1 attribute. "You could beat him," he admits, "but he always could recover - that's what made him great." His ability to "recover" was based upon blinding speed, speed that made him one of the game's greatest threats after an interception - along with what Miller terms "an odd, deceptive sort of run. I don't think any Packer fan who saw him will ever forget the sight of Bobby picking off a pass, tucking it under his arm the way a football player shouldn't, and speeding up field with the odd sort of run." The unassuming Texan had one other attribute - an uncanny ability to set up his blocking once having waylaid an enemy pass. No one ever has done it better, few as well. Even in the sorry 1958 season (1-10-1), blackest in Packer history, Bobby exploited that knack while finishing seventh in the league in what might be considered a "poor year" by his standards. The scholarly defensive specialist from Temple, Tex., averaged a plush 22.3 yards per return on six interceptions, run back a total of 134 yards. Over his seven-year career, begun in 1952, Bobby filched 51 enemy aerials. His high water mark was nine, a figure he reached for the first time in 1953 and matched in both 1955 and 1957. He returned this collection a total of 969 yards, a 19.0 average. His most memorable season was 1956, when he averaged a spectacular 34.9 yards per return on seven snatches.
PACKERS ROLL WITH PUNCH, INK 'TEAM'
JUN 11 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Rolling with Wednesday's Sunday punch, i.e., Bobby Dillon's unexpected retirement, the Packers today bounced back by signing a football "team." This last may be a slight exaggeration but, upon submission of the evidence to be presented, you may agree that rangy, rawboned Boyd Dowler is a pretty good imitation. Signing of the Colorado colossus, a 6-foot, 5-inch, 220-pound man of all work and the Packers' third choice in last autumn's early collegiate draft, was announced today by GM-Coach Vince Lombardi - and it couldn't have come at a better time...RUNS '100' IN :09.9: A physical marvel, the Cheyenne, Wyo., native was clocked at a swift 9.9 seconds in the 100-yard dash during the recent track season, a dazzling figure for a man of his ample proportion. He also cruised over the high hurdles in 14.2 seconds and still owns the Wyoming state high school record, :14.6. With Billy Howton departed from the scene, it is expected that the 22-year old giant will be employed at end to bolster the Packer flanks and simultaneously make use of Boyd's considerable pass-receiving gits - he caught 37 for 567 yards during the last two seasons. These plans could be altered, however, because the multi-talented Dowler also plays quarterback, where he won all-Big Eight Conference honors last season, and halfback, in addition to punting with Deschaine-like authority. Should Bart Starr, Babe Parilli, et al, require assistance, he will be available. Dowler, as a matter of fact, is expected to report ahead of the training season for Lombardi's special skull session with the quarterbacks. His '58 record earned him the preseason excursion. Dowler led Colorado in passing with 35 completions in 77 attempts for 320 yards, no small achievement considering he also led his team in receiving with 10 catches for 154 yards. There is, it might be added, more. The king-sized western-also was Colorado's interception leader with five. Not content with these accomplishments, he carried 14 times from halfback for 45 yards and returned two kickoffs 31 more. Dowler, also an accomplished blocker, embellished this spectacular overall performance by averaging an impressive 43.3 yards on 33 boots. He reportedly authors the high, booming-like kicks that made Dick Deschaine a Packer fixture for four seasons. Boyd, who led the Big Eight in receiving in 1957 when he caught 25 passes for 376 yards, played in the East-West Shrine
Game and in the All-American Bowl at Tucson, Ariz., where he was voted the game's outstanding player. The towering recruit is the son of Walter Dowler, Cheyenne school teacher, himself a former Wyoming football star and high school coach...Elsewhere on the Packer front today, Dillon elaborated on Wednesday's surprise decision from his Temple, Tex., home. "I took this job (an assistant manager of a plastic firm) while still planning to play," Bobby explained, "but it's turned out so well and I've got a chance to make it permanent. I couldn't turn it down. I always said I wouldn't announce quitting until I meant it," he added, "and I mean it now. I know I'll miss playing but I feel lucky that I was able to play as long as I did." Explaining anotehr point, Bobby let it be known "it wasn't entirely a matter of money as I was entirely satisfied with what the Packers paid me. I'd like to play under Lombardi as he sounds like just what the Packers need. But I've got a family with a girl in school, and I have to look to the future."
STATE LEGISLATURE PAUSES TO PAY PACKER TRIBUTE
JUN 12 (Madison) - The legislature paused on its political tasks Thursday to pay tribute to the state's world-famed professional football team. At the motion of Sen. Leo O'Brien of Green Bay, the senate approved the dispatch of a certificate of recognition to the Green Bay Packers, together with good wishes for a successful campaign for the professional championship in the fall season. The assembly will concur in the message when it reaches the lower house. The congratulations will be directed to Coach Vince Lombardi.
DR. SAUNDERS DIES AT AGE 63
JUN 13 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Dr. Otis W. Saunders, retired physician and surgeon and former city health officer, died in a local hospital Friday afternoon following a heart attack at his home earlier. He was 63 years of age and lived at 898 Hubbard St. A native of Oconto Falls, Dr. Saunders had spent his entire professional life in Green Bay, except for three years in military service during World War II. He had retired from practice following a severe heart attack about four years ago. Prior to retirement, he had been active in the Brown-Door-Kewaunee County Medical Society, which he served as president in 1946; as city health officer and for a time as physician for the Green Bay Packers. He was also an active Mason, being a member of the Washington Lodge No. 21 and the Milwaukee Consistory.
270-POUND PREP TACKLES GET TRYOUTS WITH PACKERS
JUN 16 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Whp said 270-ppund tackles are hard to find? That's the usual cry at the draft meetings - chiefly because college tackles and guards are coming lighter. Packer Coach-GM Vince Lombardi has uncovered a couple of "big giants" right in his own backyard - Jerry Sprangers of Green Bay and Bob Eiting of Kaukauna. Both are high school products, six-foot-five inchers, 275-pounders, and anxious to make the long jump from prep to pro without the benefit of college football training. Lombardi said the newcomers will report on the training camp at St. Norbert College July 25 and try out with the team. Spranger, 24, was a star with Premontre High for three years, ending with the 1953 season. He attended Marquette University briefly that fall. He plays offensive and defensive tackles. Eiting, 35, starred at Kaukauna High, graduating in 1952. He'll seek an offensive tackle spot...The Packers' third, fifth and seventh draft choices were selected to play in the College All Star game by Coach Otto Graham. They are end Boyd Dowler, guard Andy Cvercko and halfback Bobby Jackson, respectively. They'll oppose the Baltimore Colts in Chicago Aug. 14. Jackson, pretty much of an unknown, was one of 12 backs chosen and Cvercko is one of 13 Big Ten athletes picked. The Stars start training at Northwestern University July 23...The Packers' Vince Lombardi, considered one of the best blackboard lecturers in football, is taking part in the Fifth annual All-American Coaches' Clinic at Bemidji, Minn., this week. He and Jack Mollenkopf of Purdue are heading the football side of the clinic. They have been joined by Steve Myhra, the Colts' placekicking specialist, and Marv Helling, University of North Dakota coach...Norm Van Brocklin, the Eagles' fast-talking quarterback who almost beat the Pack out here last year, described (for the benefit of a Los Angeles writer) the Howton-Quinlan-Carpenter trade between the Packers and Browns as "a good trade for both teams," and explained thusly: "Green Bay needed a defensive end and it got a good one in Quinlan. He lacks the finesse of Brito and Robustelli, but he's no bargain in a phone booth. Carpenter is the kind of a halfback who will give you 12 great ball games a season. When Darrell Brewster quit, Paul Brown needed an offensive end desperately. He got in Howton, who has as much ability as anybody. I know that Howton wasn't up to par the past couple of seasons, but that Brown is either a swami or a great coach because he's a cinch to get Bill back in his first year form, which was only terrific."...Linebacker Dan Currie is in town looking for a two bedroom furnished house or apartment and anyone with same can call the Packer office, HEmlock 2-4873. Currie returned to Michigan State during the offseason and received his diploma last week. He hopes to get settled here with his family as soon as possible. Big Dan is feeling great and anxious to get on with the football season.
NFL CLUBS SMILE OVER HEAVY ADVANCE SALES
JUN 16 (New York) - NFL owners are smiling because of advance sale of season tickets already indicates the professional game will have another big year in 1959. A United Press International survey showed today that 11 of the 12 clubs are selling tickets faster than in 1958, when they set a record paid attendance of 3,006,124. The league has set attendance records the last seven seasons. The Baltimore Colts, defending league and western division champions, have sold about 33,000 season tickets for their 52,622-capacity field. That's 3,000 more than they had sold last year at this time...A CLUB RECORD: The New York Giants already have sold a club record of 20,000. The Colts, Detroit Lions, San Francisco Forty-Niners, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears of the western division are all selling tickets at a fast clip. The Lions finished only fifth last year but had sold 39,406 season tickets as of June 3 - 400 more than they had sold at the same time in 1958. Los Angeles, which has drawn more than a million fans to its home and road games and exhibitions each of the last two seasons, reported sales were about 5,000 ahead of the 1958 pace. San Francisco, the other California NFL entry, reported 34,000 tickets sold as compared with 27,000 last year at this time. The Bears, who usually have near-sellouts for their home games, said business was "terrific." Business Manager Rudy Custer said sales were 10 percent ahead of last year's pace. The Packers have sold 26,000 season seats for their games at Green Bay, about 4,000 more than they had sold last year in June. They have sold 6,300 for their homes games in Milwaukee, nearly as many as had been purchased for their 1958 games there when the season began. The Cleveland Browns, reported their season tickets sale would finish 20 percent ahead of last year's total "if sales continue at their present pace." Cleveland had a big home attendance last year, 370,781 for six games. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers said they had sold about 12,000 season tickets at this time last year and were about 400 ahead of that figure. The Philadelphia Eagles reported they were about 500 ahead of their 1958 pace. Business Manager Arch Wolfe of the Cardinals said the club was about 70 percent ahead of its 1958 future in season ticket sales. The Cardinals, who have been hurting at the gate, have shifted from Comiskey Park to Soldiers Field for the 1959 season. The Washington Redskins are the only club reporting their sales were trailing the 1958 standard. They have sold 15,731 compared to 16,652 at this time last year.
MEILINGER, PARILL SIGN
JUN 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Quarterback Babe Parilli and end Steve Meilinger have returned their signed 1959 contracts to the Packers, Coach-GM Vince Lombardi said today. Parilli and Meilinger were former University of Kentucky greats. Parilli was the most valuable player in the 1952 All-Star game. He was the Packers' first draft choice in 1951. Meilinger was selected in the first round of the draft by the Washington Redskins in 1954. He came to the Packers last season in a trade with the Redskins. He caught 13 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown. Parilli completed 68 passes in 157 attempts for 1,068 yards and 10 touchdowns. In four seasons with the Packers and one (1956) with the Browns, Parilli completed 282 passes in 651 throws for 4,392 yards and 34 touchdowns. Meilinger came to the Packers along with tackle J.D. Kimmel in a trade last year for defensive back Doyle Nix.
SIX PACKERS QBS TO STUDY HERE NEXT WEEK
JUN 20 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vince Lombardi's first annual one-week preseason summer course for quarterbacks will be held at the Packer office next week. Six signal-callers will be on hand and, quick now, who is that No. 6? That would be Boyd Dowler, the University of Colorado three-man team who plays QB, end and slotback. The other five are veterans Joe Francis, Lamar McHan, Babe Parilli and Bart Starr and first-year man Bob Webb of St. Ambrose. Coach-GM Lombardi will introduce the signalists to the new Packer offensive system in concentrated blackboard studies. In addition, they'll meet the new staff and get the first picture of Lombardi's coaching system. School starts at 9 a.m. After the week's over, the quarterbacks will scatter to their respective homes and study. When they return July 25, Lombardi expects them to be well acquainted with Sir Signal...Bobby Dillon, the Packers' great defensive back who announced his retirement recently, will be remembered for "something" other than his football. As you know, Dillon had only one eye and that made him unique in the toughest competitive sport. During his seven-year pro football career, Dillon answered hundreds of letters and talked to hundreds of people who had only one eye or who had sight problems. Dillon answered each letter religiously and always took time out to talk and console many people who visited him in Green Bay or on the road. Many times he visited people in hospitals. Dillon was a particular source of encouragement to youngsters who developed eye trouble. Professional athletes are heroes to most children. Bobby was active proof that people can get along very well with one eye.
PACKERS SIGN LOU PALATELLA, EARL MILLER; QBS 'IMPRESS'
JUN 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Two more veterans - one with no league experience - have joined the Packer fold for '59, Coach-GM Vince Lombardi announced today. They are Lou Palatella, the offensive guard who was obtained from the 49ers for an undisclosed draft choice, and Earl Wayne Miller, the Packers' 12th draft choice in '57 who suffered a knee lock late in the training season last fall. Palatella, 25, played four seasons with San Francisco. The fighter-type football player, Palatella stands 6-2 and packs 230 pounds. He is expected to bolster and/or provide competition among the club's offensive guards. Miller looked good as a defensive cornerbacker in training camp last year and was awarded a berth on the club's injured reserve list for the '58 season after suffering the injury. Lombardi has him listed as a cornerbacker this season. Miller, who is 6-2 and weighs 200 pounds, played end at Baylor. He made the All-Southwest Conference Team and received All-American honorable mention. Lombardi has announced the signing of 39 players thus far...Coach Lombardi is teaching three straight weeks of football school. Last week, he handled the offensive football phase of the Minnesota Clinic at Bemidji. This week, he's working with the Packers' quarterbacks. Next week, he goes before the blackboard at the Great Glacier, Mont., clinic along with Woody Hayes, George Mikan and Adolph Rupp. The Packers' five quarterbacks - Bart Starr, Babe Parilli, Lamar McHan, Joe Francis and Bob Webb - are here for a week of classroom work along with Boyd Dowler, the freshman end who will miss the early part of the training season due to the All Star game. Working for the first time with Packer players, Lombardi said he was "impressed by the intelligence of the group." He noted that Dowler is "quite a big guy" and "that Starr is well built." The players worked with the entire staff - Phil Bengtson, Bill Austin, Red Cochran, Norb Hecker and Lombardi. They covered formations, terminology, passing game, cadence and some defenses. "We intend to go through our entire offensive attack and acquaint them with our changeup system," Lombardi said.
CARDS JOIN PACKERS IN EIGHT-ROAD GAME DEPARTMENT FOR '59
JUN 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The official 72-game schedule for the NFL's 40th season is for announcement today. And lookee: The Green Bay-Wisconsin Packers have a partner in the Eight Road Game Department - the Chicago-Illinois-Minnesota Cardinals. Green Bay plays four of its six home games in Green Bay. The other two are in Milwaukee, which is still home but still on the road. Sounds confusing, but to football coaches out-of-town cooking means a road game. The Cardinals have a similar setup. They'll play four of their six home games in Chicago (Soldier's Field) and the other two in Minneapolis, Minn. The schedule calls for each team to play 12 league games - six at home and six in enemy cities. The Packers play at the Chicago Bears, Baltimore, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. They play host to Detroit, Bears, San Francisco and Washington in Green Bay and Los Angeles and Baltimore in Milwaukee. The Packers' league debut under Coach Vince Lombardi is against the Bears here Sept. 27. The Cards' try at Minneapolis indicated that they might be viewing that city as a possible new home. However, the Cards are bound by contract to play six league games in Soldier's Field in '60. So, Minneapolis is merely getting a quick look. Card Owner Walter Wolfner may be sorry about his '60 commitment in Chicago if his team draws well in Minneapolis this year. The Packers will play a non-league game in Minneapolis Sept. 20 against Pittsburgh...TELEVISION TERRITORY: The Cards will play the Eagles Oct. 25 and the Giants Nov. 22 in Minneapolis. Minneapolis had been Packer television territory in the past, the Twin City fans getting all 12 games, but this season the Packer telecasts will be blacked out when the Cards play in Minneapolis. The Packers will be playing the world champion Colts in Baltimore Oct. 25 and the Redskins in Green Bay Nov. 22...While the nearby schedule explains itself, it is interesting to note: Detroit plays the powerhouse Colts in two of their first three games, with the Packers playing the middle game in Green Bay. The Bears get the Colts in their second and fourth games, while the Packers don't play the new champs until the fifth game...PITT TO FORBES FIELD: The Packers are one of four clubs going out on nationwide TV. They visit Detroit for the Thanksgiving Day turkey-tube feature and the Colts are at San Francisco and Los Angeles for Saturday afternoon telecasts throughout the land. The Packers play the '58 division champs on consecutive Sundays - the Colts Oct. 25 and the Giants Nov. 1. Pittsburgh, after a year's absence of play at the University of Pittsburgh, will return to Forbes Field. Philadelphia, for the second season in succession, will play its home games on Franklin Field of of the University of Pennsylvania. The Packers will start all of their home games at 1:06, and you can set your watch on the kickoff!
PACKERS GET TUNNELL
JUN 26 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers have purchased the contract of defensive halfback Emlen Tunnell from the New York Giants, it was announced today by Coach-GM Vince Lombardi. Tunnell, 33, the onetime Iowa star, played 11 seasons with the Giants starting in 1948. Tunnell will add experience to the Packers' defensive backfield which was weakened by the recent retirement of Bobby Dillon. Tunnell was in Green Bay today for a conference with Lombardi. They are well acquainted since Vince was a Giant assistant for five years.
EM TUNNELL, 34, OLDER THAN HIS IMMEDIATE PACKER COACH
JUN 27 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Em Tunnell, the daddy of NFL defensive halfbacks, is older than his immediate Packer coach. The rugged defensive strategist, purchased from the Giants Friday, was 34 last March. Norb Hecker, the Bays' defensive backfield coach whose pro career was cut short by a knee injury, is a mere 32. Packer Coach-GM Vince Lombardi, who feels fortunate in being able to get Tunnell from his former team, said Tunnell will be out to win one of the deep defensive spots in his 12th season. The Packers were
left high and dry in one of those positions when Bobby Dillon retired recently. While Tunnell is in an "advanced" age for a pro footballer, Lombardi reminded that Emlen is in an exceptional physical specimen. He stays in condition the year around and always keeps his weight at an even 200 pounds. Tunnell was the biggest bargain in football. He walked into the Giants' office one day in 1948 and asked for a tryout, having been overlooked completely in the draft that year. Em went on to become a perennial all-pro and played in nine straight Pro Bowl games. Em has been called the hardest tackler in the business by the great Steve Van Buren - and for good reason. A head on collision between the two in 1948 left Van Buren out cold. Tunnell holds the league record for most pass interceptions - 74 in 11 seasons. He holds most of the Giants' record for punt and kickoff returns but he was spared this chore in the past few years. Tunnell has always been a great clutch player but a poor one in practice. He has probably been punished by more laps around the practice field than any other Giant. And to go with that, it can be recited that Em was known as "Sleepy" in high school around Philadelphia and at Iowa. His record for 11 years doesn't indicate that he's been sleeping once the league bell rings.
PACKER SIGN RAID, LARRY HALL, HERGERT
JUN 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers closed the book on the 1959 draft list today with the signing of the 7th, 11th and 24th choices. Coach-GM Vince Lombardi announced that signed playing documents have been received from tackle Gary Raid of Williamette, the 7th pick; guard Larry Hall of Missouri Valley, 11th; and linebacker Joe Hergert of Florida, the 24th. All of the '59 draftees, except for one Canadian escapee and the junior eligibles, are now in the fold and will report for the opening of practice next July 25. The lone lossee is Randy Duncan, the Iowa quarterback who was drafted No. 1. Raid actually represents the draft choice payment from the New York Giants for guard Al Barry, the veteran who was traded shortly before the '58 season started. Lombardi announced that Raid will seek employment as an offensive tackle. He's good size for the work - 255 pounds and 6-2. He's a rough blocker. Raid made the All-Northwest Conference team and the Associated Press Little All-America. He played in the All-American Bowl game in Tucson last January. The Williamette ace and his line coach, Bill Austin, both starred at Woodburn High in Woodburn, Ore. Hall was placed on the Williamson Rading System All-Star first team, the Missouri Collegiate Athletic Union Star team and the NAIA Little All-American. Hall, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs 235 pounds, is an aggressive downfield blocker and will be used as an offensive guard. Hergert likes to hit hard and comes highly recommended as a pro-type linebacker. He stands 6-2 and packs 220 pounds. He is finishing up a six month tour of duty with Uncle Sam's Army at the moment...PRO BITS: Coach Lombardi is conducting the offensive football phase of the clinic for coaches in Great Glacier, Mont., this week.
Also on the program is Woody Hayes, Adolph Rupp and George Mikan.
SHANLEY MAY RETIRE FOR PREP COACH POST
JUL 2 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Jim Shanley, the Packers' mighty mite, may seek the quiet, safety and peace of the high school coaching ranks. The former University of Oregon and Rose Bowl halfback star will become assistant football and track coach at Highline High School in Seattle's suburbs, according to the Oregon Journal in Portland. Red Cochran, the Packers' backfield coach, said "it was news to us; we had him listed on our roster as returning. We'll probably be hearing from him shortly," Packer Coach-GM Vince Lombardi is addressing a football clinic at Great Glacier, Mont., this week. Shanley, tiny for the pros at 5-9 and 170, looked like the rage of the league during the non-league season, scoring several touchdowns and averaging over six yards per carry. Shankey was used as a spot player during the league season and finished with 30 yards in 23 attempts for an average of 1.3. He ran 15 yards for a touchdown against the Eagles but the score was nullified by a penalty.
PACKER TICKET TOTAL 25,600; EXPECT NEW RECORD
JUL 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packer season ticket total is pretty well stuck at 25.600 - at the moment, that is. "There's a lull right now but it won't be for long," Packer-Coach-GM Vince Lombardi said today, adding: "The sale should pick up when training starts. We'll be holding a special campaign, too, and we expect the total to exceed that of a year ago." The Packers, mostly rookies, will start gathering July 23 and the entire force will be at Packer headquarters at St. Norbert College July 25. Picture Day is set for Sunday, July 26 and the first official practice will be held the next day. Close to 27,000 seasons were sold for the four games in City Stadium a year ago. The large number of new buyers - plus the renewals, at this early date indicates that a new record will be broken. In case you haven't memorized it, here's the four-game stadium card: Bears Sept. 27; Lions Oct. 4; 49ers Oct. 11; and Redskins Nov. 22...The Packer staff returned to action as a group yesterday, with the return of Lombardi from the Great Glacier Park, Mont., clinic and Assistants Phil Bengtson, Bill Austin and Norb Hecker from vacations. Aide Red Cochran held down the coaching office alone most of last week...Charley Anderson, the 235-pound defensive end from Drake who was drafted No. 22 last winter, stopped in Green Bay on his honeymoon over the weekend. And the new missus was concerned about preparing the proper foods for her football playing hubby...The Packers already have a "personal" agent in Portland, Ore., in preparation for their non-league game there against the Eagles Aug. 29. He is Austin Ordens, a native of Green Bay, who stopped in the Packer office the other day to pick up some player pictures and team information for use in a busy filling station in Ordens' neighborhood. "We're hot for pro football out there," he said...Gene Cook, Toledo University end who showed some possibility in the Packer camp a year ago, will get a trial with the Cleveland Browns at a preliminary camp opening next Tuesday. Gene is a native Clevelander. Cook was the Packers' 13th choice in '58. The Browns will also test Joe Cannavino of Ohio State who was in the Colts' training camp last year...Lombardi, following the week of blackboarding with the quarterbacks, said "we are toying with the idea of using Joe Francis as a pass-run operation halfback." Vince feels the move would depend some on Francis' speed. Joe is a second-year returnee...Gary Knafelc, while out making a living, is keeping his eyes open for two-bedroom furnished homes or apartments for several returning players, including Bart Starr and Dave Hanner. Persons with rentals can call Gary or the Packer office.
KNAFELC SAYS THERE'LL BE NO 'VARIATIONS' IN PACKERS' 1959 TRAINING
JUL 9 (Appleton Post-Crescent) - "We'll be a very conforming type of ball club," said Green Bay's Gary Knafelc here Wednesday in a comment on the 1959 Packer training routine that lies just ahead. In replying to an Appleton Kiwanian's question on whether pro football has training variations such as Ingemar Johansson displays in boxing, Knafelc asserted "we had too much of that kind of variation in training last year."...IMPRESSED BY LOMBARDI: The man both Knafelc and his partner-in-public relations, Bob Skoronski, named as being responsible for a new Packer approach is General Manager-Head Coach Vince Lombardi. During their Kiwanis club appearance in the Conway hotel, both players were unstinting in their praise of Lombardi - and it appeared to be more than a mere bid for boss-approval. "Lombardi is the kind who impresses you the moment he walks into a room," said Knafelc, "and that feeling has carried over to the players who are already in Green Bay." Knafelc added that this year's candidates will put out or they won't be around...KNEES ARE SOUND: Skoronski, who is returning to the Packers after a 2-year stint in the Air Force, said Lombardi is "the type anyone would like for a boss." The new head coach is a "man of very few words" and one who is "very sincere," said the tackle. Some coaches are the "wordy type," added Skoronski, but Lombardi "comes straight to the point and tells you the truth, even if it hurts." Knafelc, who assured his audience that both of his knees are sound again, believes that the Packers are deep in good prospects for every position. "I think our trouble last year was with personality rather than personnel," volunteered Knafelc. One type of difficulty was "passing the buck," according to the lanky end. Because of what he described as keen competition for every job on the team, Knafelc said everyone will have to be in first-class shape. Because Lombardi has a 5-year contract, he'll take a good look at everyone and develop the best possible team, Knafelc said...WON'T VENTURE GUESS: The most popular question about specific personnel concerned the quarterback position. Neither of the speakers would venture a guess as to who would eventually be named No. 1 but said they consider all five candidates very good players. Knafelc said Lombardi will probably settle on three quarterbacks, but that the No. 3 man will have to be one who can also play another position. It's even possible, said Knafelc, that all five will stay with the team in some capacity because of Lombardi's determination to keep the best players regardless of position. Knafelc pointed out that since both Joe Francis and Lamar McHan are good runners, among other things, they could conceivably wind up as halfbacks. Knafelc reiterated that Paul Hornung would be used at halfback to utilize both his speed and passing ability. The offensive end added that fans are likely to see more of Jim Taylor this season. Both speakers, who have been working out every day for a month and are near their playing weights, said they have been impressed by newcomers Boyd Dowler and Alex Hawkins. In pre-camp workouts, both draftees have shown a lot of speed...VICIOUS DEFENSIVE END: Knafelc said the acquisition of Bill Quinlan from Cleveland should help strengthen the defense. Quinlan is one of the most vicious defensive ends in the league and one you're glad to see on your side, Knafelc said. The Packers have assembled a good staff of coaching assistants, Skoronski declared. They're all thoroughly familiar with the mechanics of modern football, and most of them are not too far from their own playing days, he added. Skoronski said he played two years of service ball. One of his '58 teammates was the Packers' Ron Kramer. Skoronski played against Jack Losch, who is expected to rejoin the Packers this year.
OFFENSIVE LINE KEY TO PACK'S RUSHING SUCCESS
JUL 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers rushed with the ball only 345 times last fall and finished with a 1-10-1 record. The Giants ran 804 times and won the Eastern title with 9-3. It doesn't necessarily follow that a team can win by rushing a lot. But it helps! The Giants' attack was developed and operated by Vince Lombardi, the Packers' head coach and GM. Thus, Lombardi comes from a team that rushes by tradition to a club that passes often in a tradition started by Don Hutson. "We've got to establish a rushing game," Lombardi pointed out, "but that's up to our offensive line - our guards in particular. If we can't run, we'll just have to pass more." Lombardi can't be blamed if he dreams a bit next tall about the three fine Giant rushers he left behind - Frank Gifford, Alex Webster and Mel Triplett. Gifford got 468 yards in 115 attempts, Triplett 466 in 118 and Webster 398 in 100. Webster missed two games. Vince hopes to come up with a similar threesome out of a host of backs headed by Paul Hornung, Howie Ferguson, Jim Taylor, Lew Carpenter, Jack Losch and Don McIlhenny. Hornung gained 310 yards in 69 carries last year, Ferguson 268 in 59, McIlhenny 239 in 74, and Taylor 247 in 52. Lombardi thinks a lot of his backs. "Ferguson is as good as there is in the league when he's right," he reminded yesterday. Hornung will be the "Gifford" since he can pass and run. Carpenter can play halfback or fullback. Taylor's blasting in the last few games of 1958 impressed the coaches - via pictures. "But it's up to our offensive line," Vince cautioned, and at the moment all is not peaches and cream with that offensive line. The coach said Lou Palatella, the fighter-type guard obtained from the 49ers, has just about decided not to play due to his job in California. In addition, Jim Salsbury, one of the veterans of a year ago, plans to retire. Earlier, Hank Bullough joined the Michigan State coaching staff. "We'll just have to move Gregg to guard and that might weaken us at offensive tackle," Lombardi pointed out, adding: ""We'll have to experiment some and possibly move someone else into that position." Right now the offensive guard total is down to four - veterans Gregg and Jerry Kramer and freshmen Andy Cvercko of Northwestern and Larry Hall of Missouri Valley. Salsbury, Bullough and Kramer made up the offensive guard corps last year. "I want to carry out four guards and two tackles on offense next season. The guards must work much harder, pulling out and running a lot, and then one of them can fill in at offensive tackle, too." P.S. - Guard your hat! Practice opens the weekend of July 24 with the first officialer set for July 27.
PACKERS AGREE TO HIKE STADIUM RENT $20,000
JUL 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Green Bay Packers have offered to increase their City Stadium rent for 1959 by $20,000, and the Stadium Commission Thursday proposed that the money be used to build additional toilet facilities at the stadium. The Packer Corp. offer to increase its rent dated from an informal meeting of the commission and Packer executive committee last month which discussed enlargement problems at the stadium. In a letter to the Packers Tuesday, the commission proposed the $20,000 figure. The commission letter said when the original agreement for use of the new stadium was made with the Packers annual maintenance costs were "grossly underestimated." The letter also noted that the number of Packer games played at the stadium has increased since the first season and that the team is using stadium facilities now for preseason practice...NEGOTIATIONS NEXT YEAR: "We too appreciate that the stadium facilities are being used by the Green Bay Packers in excess of that contemplated at the time of the execution of the lease," Dominic Olejniczak, Packer Corp. president, said in a letter replying to the commission and containing the $20,000 offer. The commission had proposed that rent after 1959 also become the subject of negotiations next year. The $20,000 Packer increase was limited to 1959. Under terms of the original lease with the Packers, the city receives $30,000 yearly from the corporation for 20 years. The total represents half of the $960,000 stadium bond issue and interest on this half...RECOMMEND ACCEPTANCE: The committee Thursday proposed that the City Council July 21 accept the offer and that it instruct the Board of Public Works to prepare plans and obtain construction bids on a building to house additional toilet facilities. The commission proposes to erect a building at the southwest corner of the stadium, south of the concourse under the west stands, which would increase sanitary facilities by about 50 percent. It would be a 36 by 18 building. In another action, the commission granted the Packers permission to erect 2,000 portable seats behind the present north end zone stands. The Packers plan to erect several hundred of the seats for this season for seating persons from halftime shows and bands. Vince Lombardi, Packer general manager, said today he did not anticipate that the 2,000 extra seats would be erected for this season. He said, however, that it was quite probable that the added seats would be erected for the 1960 season.
FEARS NAMED TO COACH PACKER ENDS
JUL 13 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Tom Fears, former Los Angeles Rams star, will coach the Packers' offensive ends during the early training period, GM-Coach Vince Lombardi announced today. Fears, who closed out his NFL career in 1956, will report for the opening of camp next weekend and assist Lombardi and his staff until the Packers make their trip to the West Coast for a pair of exhibitions late in August. Fears, who now owns and operates a chain of drive-in restaurants in the Los Angeles area, caught more than 400 passes during his nine-year Ram career, including a record 84 in 1950. Tom, now 35, also set the league's single game standard, 19, against the Packers that season...Lombardi also announced today that the Packers will shift their training headquarters to the Milwaukee area Sept. 13 prior to the season opener with the Chicago Bears. He said the temporary training site will enable him to keep the squad together until the Sept. 27 opener here. Lombardi said the Packers' customary training site at St. Norbert College will not be available because the college will be in session. The team will stay at the Oakton Maner resort at Pewaukee Lake and work out daily at St. John's Military Academy in Delafield. The club will play an exhibition contest with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Minneapolis Sept. 20 and open the Milwaukee end of the schedule with a charity exhibition game against the Bears Aug. 15 and follow with league contests Oct. 18 against the Los Angeles Rams and Nov. 15 against the Baltimore Colts.
FANS TO GIVE PACKERS SEASON SENDOFF AUG. 4
JUL 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "Joe Fan" will carry the pigskin on Tuesday, Aug. 4, when football fans gather at the Riverside Ballroom for a season sendoff honoring Coach Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. The event is being sponsored by the Greater Green Bay Civic Clubs, including the Lions, Rotary, Junior Chamber of Commerce, Optimists, Downtown Kiwanis, North Side-Preble Kiwanis, West Side Kiwanis, Southwest Side Kiwanis and De Pere Kiwanis. Backers of the event are hailing it as an opportunity for "Joe Fan" to become acquainted with the members of the coaching staff and players. A buffet-style chicken dinner will be served, players and coaches introduced, a short talk by Lombardi and closed with a showing of the 1959 NFL championship game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. Tickets are $2 each are being sold at major outlets, Prange's, Bosse's News Depot, Packer Ticket Office and the White Store. Members of the various civic clubs also have tickets. Football fans
throughout Northeastern Wisconsin desiring to purchase tickets for the event should write Box 198, Green Bay, Wis., and enclose a check covering the number of tickets desired. Fans will be invited to see the Packers practice at their field south of the Arena in the afternoon and then take in the kickoff banquet at the Riverside, scheduled at 6 p.m. The event is billed as a family night for Packer football fans. The players will be identified with name tags and will sit with the fans at long tables in the main ballroom. Autographed Packer footballs will be given as prizes. Ticket sales opened today.
MARK AUG. 8; PACK UNVEILS 'L-FORMATION' AT STADIUM
JUL 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' new "L-Formation," L in this case standing for Lombardi, will be unveiled at City Stadium Saturday afternoon, Aug. 8. That's the date of the 1959 intra-squad game, the Packers' version of "showdown," a friendly little imbroglio which serves to separate the men from the boys for purpose of NFL employment. Coach Vince Lombardi's offense, similar to the one he engineered with the New York Giants last autumn, features the "tight end," a departure from the slot formation the Packer faithful have been exposed to in recent years. This innovation is designed to beef up the running game with improved blocking, and enhance deception - both of which were Packer weaknesses in 1958. As Backfield Coach Red Cochran points out, "With the tight end, you have the threat of a run while in the slot formation, you can't run without tipping it off. The slot man normally is out there four yards from the offensive tackle and, if he is supposed to help out the tackle in blocking on a run, he has to move in three yards, which is an automatic tipoff." The Packer board of strategy also hopes the new formation "will give us that good blocking end." He, of course, will have to be found during the training season, which opens here next weekend...FIVE PROMINENT ADDITIONS: Lombardi's revamped offense won't be the only new item on display in the Aug. 8 competition. Five prominent, pro-experienced additions will be making their first public appearance - defensive end Bill Quinlan and halfback Lew Carpenter, acquired from the Cleveland Browns in the Billy Howton trade; quarterback Lamar McHan, late of the Cardinals; defensive halfback Emlen Tunnell of the Giants and Volney Peters, a defensive tackle who has been with both the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. There also will be a host of newcomers fighting for their professional lives - among them six "homegrown" Wisconsin products, one a former Green Bay Premontre prep star...BRAATZ MAKES BID: One is Tom Braatz, out of Kenosha and Marquette, who played two seasons with the Washington Redskins; Dave Smith, Ripon College fullback; Dick Teteak, brother of former Packer Deral and a Wisconsin alumnus; Jerry Sprangers, huge ex-Premontre tackle; and Bob Eiting, former Kaukauna High star and, like Sprangers, a 270-pound tackle. These last are scheduled to report Thursday, along with all other '59 recruits. The veterans will join them Sunday, which has been designated as "Picture Day" and two-a-day drills begin Monday...Speaking of Howton, it was announced today that the Rice Redhead has signed his contract with the Browns, who open their training season Thursday at Hiram (O.) College.
PACKERS GET COLT GUARD FOR MATUSZAK
JUL 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Acting to alleviate their offensive guard shortage, the Packers today acquired sophomore Fred Thurston from the Baltimore Colts in exchange for linebacker Marv Matuszak. Thurston, 6-1 and 245 pounds, played the last four games of the 1958 NFL season with the Colts and also helped them outlast the New York Giants in the now famous sudden death championship game. A native of Green Lake, Wis., Thurston played his college football at Valparaiso University. A fifth draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1955, he spent two years in the Army before joining them last fall. He subsequently was acquired by the Chicago Bears, who later dealt him to the Colts. Termed an "ever-hustling sparkplug" by Baltimore Coach Weeb Ewbank, Thurston was a regular member of the Hosse's kickoff and punting platoons and understudied veteran guards Art Spinney and Alex Sandusky, key figures in the Colts' drive to the title. The addition of Thurston is expected to help fill the void left by the retirement of Hank Bullough and Jim Salsbury. Jerry Kramer, a rookie last season, is the only returning offensive guard. Matuszak came to the Packers in mid-November last season, following his release by the San Francisco 49ers, and played the final four league games, beginning with the Packers' first match with the 49ers at Milwaukee Nov. 23.
DEFEATISM NO. 1 PROBLEM AS PACKERS OPEN CAMP: VINCE
JUL 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - When dynamic, purposeful Vince Lombardi christens the Packers' 41st football season Thursday night with a rookie squad meeting, his "No. 1 objective will be to defeat the attitude of defeatism which I know is here." The impressively built Italian, who has an abiding faith in the eventual success of his budding administration, reiterated this earlier declaration today as he analyzed what confronts him on the eve of his first year as head coach of Geen Bay's professional football representatives. And what is the "big problem?" After some deliberation, the New York Giants' erstwhile bench general said, "Although we have a number of weaknesses, and depth is a critical problem, the problem is not one that is discouraging. A pretty fair football team will be forthcoming." Although the spiritual paralysis of defeatism is his prime concern, the defense and the offensive guard situation have not contributed to his peace of mind. "Secondly," he observed in his point-by-point analysis, "we have to bolster our defense, which I believe we have done with the acquisition of Bill Quinlan (defensive end obtained from the Cleveland Browns in the Billy Howton trade). We were hurt pretty bad there with the retirement of Bobby Dillon, too," he pointed out. "Emlen Tunnell (a Lombardi pupil with the Giants) will help that picture. And we're going to continue to try to help ourselves, particularly at defensive halfback with trades or otherwise." Also among the missing are offensive tackle Ollie Spencer and defensive halfbacks Jesse Whittenton and Bill Kinard, and, of course, Howton. "there is an outside chance that Spencer will return," Lombardi feels. "Those losses hurt, too, of course, but I would say, however, that our weakest point at the moment is at offensive guard," the deep-chested Fordham alumnus asserted. "The only veteran guard returning is Jerry Kramer since Jim Salsbury and Hank Bullough have retired. We made a deal for Sam Palatella (with the 49ers), who would have helped a great deal but he feels he can't leave California, so he will not be reporting. That situation is subject to change, however, because football players often change their mind about retiring. But it is the weakest offensive position as of this moment." In an effort to remedy this deficiency, both Forrest Gregg and Tom Bettis, a tackle and linebacker by trade, respectively, will be shifted to guard "unless we help ourselves," Vince said, adding, "I'm working every day toward that end." He admitted, however, that "the crux of the whole offensive situation is quarterback. Our job is to find a No. 1 quarterback. We have McHan (Lamar, obtained from the Chicago Cardinals on a look-see basis), Starr (Bart), Parilli (Babe), Francis (Joe) and Webb (Bob) - we have quite a few. We don't have a speed back, either, and aren't likely to get one - they're pretty hard to come by," Lombardi noted. "But I think we can get by with what we have in the way of backs." Another major switch will fund rugged Paul Hornung moving from fullback to halfback. "Either Francis or McHan will get a shot at a halfback position, too," Lombardi confided. So much for the weaknesses. What about the strengths, if any? "We're strong at linebacker and in the defensive line," he declared. "They're not the best in the league and far from the worst," said the forthright Brooklyn native. "Suffice it to say both departments are good." "The offensive end situation also is adequate and, if Skoronski, just coming out of service, plays some good football, the offensive tackle situation could be fair. And," with a broad smile, "the fullback situation is very good with Jim Taylor, Howie Ferguson and Lew Carpenter around. And at offensive center, we have one of the best in the league in Jim Ringo." A total of 39 players will make up the initial contingent reporting Thursday night, among them 32 rookies, five quarterbacks and two center. An orientation meeting will be held that night and two-a-day drills will begin Friday. The veterans will report Saturday night. Sunday has been designated as "Picture Day," with full-scale two-a-day practices to begin Monday - at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Packers will headquarter at St. Norbert College until Sept. 4, when they break camp for a two-game stint on the East Coast. On their return, they will camp at Oakton Manor, on Pewaukee Lake near Milwaukee, and return to Green Bay for good Sept. 25. Helping Lombardi launch a new Packer era will be an all-new coaching staff. His aides include Phil Bengtson, late of the San Francisco 49ers; Bill Austin, former New York Giant star; Norb Hecker, recent Washington Redskin defensive ace; and John (Red) Cochran, ex-Cardinal back who moved over from the Detroit Lions. Tom Fears, Los Angeles Ram great, will serve as a special assistant, coaching the ends during the early week of the training period.
PACKERS MOVE TO ST. NORBERT; FEARS HERE
JUL 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The 1959 Packers, poised for their 40th NFL season, were "in transit" today. The coaching staff, headed by the new GM-Coach Vince Lombardi, moved to their temporary headquarters at St. Norbert College on the banks of the picturesque Fox River in West De Pere - their summer home until Sept. 4. At the same time, the vanguard of 39 early reportees was streaming into Green Bay from 17 states around the nation. This contingent includes 32 rookies, the five quarterbacks and two centers. Because they have no official reporting time, this process will continue throughout the day. In fact, two plane loads are scheduled to arrive from the West Coast tonight - the first at 6:30, the other at 8 o'clock. The coaching staff was completed this morning with the arrival of Tom Fears, erstwhile Los Angeles Rams star, who comes on special assignment. He will coach the Packers' offensive ends during the first five weeks of the training period. Fears will return to his restaurant chain in Los Angeles when the Packers head West in August for a pair of exhibition appearances in the Pacific northwest. First official item of business on the agenda tonight will be physical examinations, with Dr. H.S. Atkinson, veteran Packer team physician, in charge. They will be followed by the first squad meeting of the new season, at which the rookies will be indoctrinated. Reporting with them will be quarterbacks Bart Starr, Babe Parilli, Lamar McHan and Joe Francis and center Jim Ringo. Although the veterans are not due in until Saturday night, a number of them already have arrived, among them veteran defensive tackles Dave (Hawg) Hanner and Jerry Helluin, who missed the 1958 season because of a fractured arm incurred during the training grind. Other veterans ready and waiting for the '59 gong are Jim Temp, Dan Currie, Tom Bettis, Bob Skoronski and Gary Knafelc, all Green Bay residents, and Jerry Kramer, sophomore guard from Idaho. The rookies will be put through their paces for the first time at 10 o'clock Friday morning, at the practice field adjacent to City Stadium. They will work again at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and another double drill is scheduled for Saturday. Sunday has been set aside as "Picture Day," so there will be no practice, but two-a-day drills will start in earnest Monday for the entire 59-man squad. The first "break" in the training routine will come Aug. 8 when the Packers stage their annual intra-squad game at City Stadium. They hit the exhibition trail the following Saturday against the Chicago Bear in Milwaukee.
PACKERS TO FILM PRACTICES; ROOKIES IN
JUL 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "Produced and directed by Vince Lombardi, with a cast of 60." Sound strange? It should - but not for long. Lombardi, a man with a penchant for perfection, will make local history by filming Packer practices at the City Stadium drill field. This innovation, which the Packer head man is sure will be "tremendously valuable," will be inaugurated with Saturday morning's third rookie session. Said rookies, some of whom were delayed by late plane arrivals, reported Thursday night and were scheduled to hit the practice field for the first time at 10 o'clock this morning. In all, 38 checked in at the Packers' St. Norbert College headquarters, along with veterans Babe Parilli, Bart Starr, Joe Francis and Lamar McHan, all quarterbacks, tackle Jerry Helluin and centers Jim Ringo and Dan Currie. Practice films are not a new thing with Lombardi. The idea dates back to his days at West Point, he revealed, although it hadn't been done during his five years with the New York Giants. Vince, who credits Col. Earl (Red) Blaik with originating the practice at Army, said "a number of colleges do it." Some NFL teams also have adopted the technique, among them the San Francisco 49ers. Lombardi, who points out the movies "will help great in evaluating our material" during the training period and serve to reduce mechanical flaws, said the practices will be filmed regularly - but not daily. To prepare for this venture, a 15-foot scaffold has been erected between the two practice fields adjacent to the stadium - in the exact center of the drills area - which will permit the coaches to focus on any phase of the operations, as directed. The Stiller Co., which annually films all Packer games, also will record the practices. "The pictures will be developed the same night and be ready the next morning," Lombardi points out. Today's opening workouts were to be confined to "calisthenics and wind sprints," according to Lombardi. Saturday's drills will be the last exclusively for the rookies - they will be joined by the veterans Monday. There will be no practice Sunday, designated as "Picture Day." The Packers' new headmaster, who said he will restrict workouts to "an hour and a half," indicated the first scrimmage will be held "early next week."...PACKER PATTER: Helluin, who missed the 1958 season because of a broken arm, happily reports there is no longer a trace of the injury. "I don't have a bit of pain anymore," said the huge Frenchman from Houma, La...All early reportees underwent physical examinations last night, with Dr. H.S. Atkinson, Packer team physician, presiding. He was assisted by Dr. E.L. Bernhard of Milwaukee, former president of the state medical society, who is visiting at the Atkinson home, plus Green Bay's Dr. E.R. Killeen, Dr. James W. Nellen and Drs. P.J. and T.E. Murphy...The players quartered in Sensenbrenner Hall and will meet nightly in St. Norbert's science building, where Lombardi conducted the first squad session last night - after a half hour delay occasioned by late plane arrivals.
LOMBARDI TIGHTENS PACKER DEFENSE WITH FREEMAN
JUL 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Shortly after he was named head coach of the Packers last January, Vince Lombardi said, "A good defense is a great morale factor. It hurts the bench and the offense when a team is getting run over and scored on." There is mounting evidence today that he is living by this philosophy, the latest coming in the form of Friday's deal for cornerback Bobby Freeman, once a star quarterback at Auburn who has toiled on defense for the Cleveland Browns the last two years. Lombardi, who spiced the Packers' first day of practice with this transaction, inaugurated his "help-the-defense" program in March when he shipped seven-year veteran Billy Howton to the Browns for defensive end Bill Quinlan, along with halfback Lew Carpenter. Then, when Bobby Dillon unexpectedly retired, Vince conceded it was a "blow" but wasted no time in brooding, immediately obtaining Emlen Tunnell, veteran New York Giant defensive ace, to fill the void. Now, short of experienced cornerbackers with the retirement of Jesse Whittenton and Billy Kinard, he has acquired Freeman from the Browns for an undisclosed draft choice. The 6-1 Alabaman, reportedly fleet despite his 205 pounds, was a high Cleveland draft choice in 1955 but spent two years in the service before joining the Browns in 1957. Earlier, he had been the principal in a prolonged legal hassle between the Browns and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who also "drafted" him. The Browns, of course, subsequently "won." Lombardi emphasized that the blond Auburn alumnus, who was scheduled to report today from the Browns' Hiram. O., camp, will be used exclusively on defense - he already has five candidates bidding for the quarterback job - Lamar McHan, Babe Parilli, Bart Starr, Joe Francis and Bob Webb...'LOVES THE GAME': Quinlan, a Freeman teammate last season, feels Bobby will be a valuable addition. "I have the utmost respect for Bobby," Bill declared. "He loves the game and if he gets a starting job, he'll sure go all the way, you can depend on that. I don't think Vince will be disappointed." Last fall, the Decatur, Ala., native intercepted three passes, returning them a total of 21 yards. Ken Konz and Don Paul, who waylaid four apiece, were the only Browns to do better. At Auburn, Freeman set four all-time Auburn records and was named the Southeastern Conference's most valuable player as a senior. He led the Southeastern in total offense with 1,132 yards, 865 passing and 267 rushing, then closed his college career by leading Auburn to a stunning victory over Baylor in the Gator Bowl game...Lombardi, pleased with this stroke of business, also was happy to welcome Fred Thurston, offensive guard acquired from the Baltimore Colts, when he arrived during Friday afternoon's rookie drill. Thurston, close to his playing weight of 245, appeared in mid-season trim. A native of Altoona, Wis., where he attended high school, Thurston said he was "very happy to be in Green Bay, even though I'm leaving a championship club, because Wisconsin's my home state." He now makes his home in Green Lake. Fred, who came to the Packers in exchange for linebacker Marv Matuszak, had spent three days in the Colts' camp before the trade was made..."It's hard to say without contact, but we have got some good sized boys," Lombardi admitted at the close of the day's second session. "Tim Brown (Ball State) and George Dixon (Bridgeport) look like they have good speed, along with the halfbacks, and Ken Higgenbotham (Trinity) and Buddy Mayfield (South Carolina) have shown good speed among the ends," Vince said. He also was impressed with Jim Ward, a 6-3, 215-pound no-college end. "He's only played service ball and he's a little rusty," Lombardi conceded, "but he's a strong boy - he looks like he has some possibilities." He also was pleased to find Carpenter and Quinlan in "real good shape." Observing the day's work was "very ragged," Vince pointed out, "It's to be expected first day, of course, particularly since w \e put in a lot of offense for just one day of practice."...PACKER PATTER: "I'm about 18 pounds lighter than I weighed at this time last year," Quinlan reported. "I just weighed in at 248" - three pounds over his playing weight. "The main thing, though, is getting my legs into shape," he said. Quinlan, who broke his left leg in the Browns' 10th game against the Washington Redskins, revealed, "It feels close to 100 percent now - and it should be in a couple of weeks."...Something new has been added to the "torture equipment" - a seven-man sled and a huge pass protection dummy, which "strikes back." Defense Coach Phil Bengtson praised the sled as a "real conditioner - it teaches the guys to hit and it's a good solid target."...Tom Fears, coaching the ends, demonstrated a few of his maneuvers during the afternoon session and, for a moment, struck a chill in the hearts of veteran Packer fans, who remembered the gifted Ram star all too well..."Beating the count" in wind sprints costs the offender a lap around the field. Well organized, the practices move smoothly, with precision. There is no lost time - and little wasted effort. Parking is not permitted along the roadway adjacent to the practice field, county police warn...Packer veterans report tonight.
PACKER ROOKIES SCRIMMAGE - THREE DAYS AFTER ARRIVAL
JUL 27 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packer rookies scrimmage Sunday - just four days after reporting, while a select group of 32 veterans exercised and bumped briefly and had their pictures taken. Thus, the first "practice" was conducted for the entire cast of around 60 Packers at the Oneida Street drill grounds before 500 spectators who sweated out a broiling sun. Official two-a-day workouts were scheduled to open today - at 10 and 3. The picture-snapped veterans included 26 Packer holdovers and six players obtained from other clubs - Lamar McHan, Bill Quinlan, Fred Thurston, Bob Freeman, Emlen Tunnell and Lew Carpenter. Veteran Hank Gremminger was due in today while sophomore Ray Nitschke, now in service, will report early in September. Many familiar faces are missing - Billy Howton, who went to the Browns for Quinlan and Carpenter, Bobby Dillon, Jess Whittenton, Ollie Spencer, Billy Kinard, Jim Shanley, Joe Johnson, Jim Salsbury, Marv Matuzszak, Len Ford and Hank Bullough, all of whom represent almost one-third of the entire 1958 team. All but Howton and Matuszak retired. Matuszak was traded to Baltimore for Thurston. With the departure of these 11 veterans, Lombardi and Aides Phil Bengtson, Bill Austin, Red Cochran, Norb Hecker and Tom Fears wasted no time in looking at the rookies. The freshmen battled for 45 minutes under the watchful eyes of the coaches and Otto Stiller's camera crew. The pictures were inspected by the college at the St. Norbert College headquarters last night. Several cuts were expected today. Bob Webb, the frosh QB from St. Ambrose, handled the offensive team for the entire scrimmage was on target on just about every pass, although he wasn't hampered by red-dogging linebackers. Webb completed about 15 passes and most of them went to Ken Higginbotham, a quick-footed and sticky-fingered product out of Trinity College, who finished up with a 25-yard touchdown reception. The only other touchdown was a 15-yard run by free agent fullback Mel Schmidt, a 220-pounder from Idaho. The first play of the opening scrimmage was a short flat six-yard pass from Webb to Buddy Mayfield, who was dumped hard by cornerbacker Jim Morse. Lombardi was impressed with his ends after the earlier workouts, and they didn't disappoint. Besides good catches by Mayfield and Higginbotham, A.D. Williams and Jim Ward made sparkling catches. Ward skyhooked a high throw between two defenders. Ward put on a good block once to spring Bill Butler, a 180-pound swiftee from Chattanooga U by way of Berlin, Wis., for a sizeable gain. Though he committed the first fumble after a 10-yard giant, Des Koch displayed quite a bit of power. Koch, the country's leading punter in '53, was drafted in '54 and then decided to quit pro football in favor of an Olympic tryout. He's trying to make it after a five-year layoff. Miller, who injured his leg in Packer training last year and stayed out the years, came out of the scrimmage tired but healthy. Three other scrimmagers had training camp experience - Williams, with the Rams; 245-pound guard Dick Grogg, with the Bears; and Tom Braatz, the Marquette end, who played with Washington...Three rookie ends wore 86's - the number vacated by Howton. Mayfield, Higginbotham and Chuck Brockmeyer are sporting the ace pass catcher's number. Brockmeyer, from Miami of Ohio, walked into camp and asked for a tryout. And speaking of numbers, Miller is wearing Dillon's famous 44. "I hope I can inherit it," Miller said...Jack Losch, the Packers' first draft choice in '56, who had planned to report after completing service, has decided not to play...Dick Teteak, brother of
former Packer Deral Teteak, shook his head: "I might as well change my name to Deral. That's what everybody calls me."...Dave Smith, the fullback from Ripon College, reported in time for chicken dinner Sunday night. He was late because of Army service...Lombardi said the rookies "gave me two good workouts." The drills included a line scrimmage and one-on-one contact work. The coach had a special word for the labors of linemen Teteak and Ed Buckingham of Minnesota in the line scrimmage, and the end play of Williams and Ward.
PACKERS GET LION RUSSELL FOR SPENCER
JUL 27 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers have obtained veteran offensive tackle Ken Russell from the Detroit Lions in exchange for veteran offensive tackle Ollie Spencer, Coach Vince Lombardi announced today. Russell is starting his third season, Spencer his fifth. Russell packs 250 pounds, Spencer 245. Spencer came to Green Bay three years ago in the Tobin Rote trade. Waivers were asked on six rookies today - ends Charles Anderson of Drake, Chuck Brockmeye of Miami, O., Harry Hauffe of South Dakota, back LeRoy Hardee of Florida A and M, and tackles Ken Kerr of Arizona State and Dick Nearents of East Washington.
PACKERS TRADE FERGUSON TO STEELERS
JUL 28 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Howie Ferguson went to the Pittsburgh Steelers today. The veteran fullback, who shakes the ground when he runs, was traded to Coach Buddy Parkers for an undisclosed draft choice - probably a high one. Parker had always been trying to get Fergie. The deal was closed by Parker and Packer Coach Vince Lombardi this morning and Ferguson left for Steeler camp at California, PA., this noon. Trading of the seven-year blaster was a new step by Lombard in rebuilding the Packers with new and young blood in positions where he feels the club is strong. The deal elevates young Jim Taylor, the rugged crasher from LSU, to the head of the fullback class. He is joined there by Lew Carpenter, the competent fullback-halfback who was obtained from the Cleveland Browns in the Howton-Quinlan deal. Lombardi was impressed by Ferguson's hard-running. In fact, Vince says "you can hear the ground shake when he runs." Fergie is one of the few backs in the past few years who would run every play at full speed downfield in practice. Now, all of the backs are required to do it. Ferguson, who will be 20 Aug. 5, came to the Packers in '53 after he was placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Rams, who discovered him playing Navy football. He was signed by the Packers as a free agent in '53. As a second-stringer in '53, he carried 52 times for 134 yards and a year later, as the regular, he advanced 276 yards in 83 trips. He also had an amazing year as a pass catcher, snaring 41 for 398 yards. Ferguson had his best year in '55, running second in the league to Alan Ameche with 859 yards on 192 carries for an average of 4.5. He dwindled off in the next 3 years. Shoulder and leg injuries bothered repeatedly, although he always remained as one of the most powerful runners in the league on a healthy Sunday. This was the second deal involving veterans in two days. Yesterday, Lombardi switched veteran offensive right tackles, sending Ollie Spencer to the Lions for Ken Russell. Spencer wasn't going to report anyway due to his good insurance business in the Detroit area, but was willing to play with the close-to-home Lions. Russell is also in the insurance business near Detroit, but he's only a three-year veteran and still coming into his own. Spencer is a five-year vet...The Packers sweated off five to 10 pounds per man in the first double workout Monday. The temperature, the humidity and the discomfort index were all high. A stickler for conditioning, especially the legs, Lombardi ordered sprints, 10, 20 and 30 yards, in the morning and afternoon. Several athletes were given a lap around the field after the practice for not extending themselves in the sprints. Lombardi won't tolerate half-hearted running in practice. "If you need a rest, tell me, and you can take a rest," Lombardi said yesterday. The sprinting opened the eyes of Deral Teteak, the former Packer and present Wisconsin coaching aide who watched practice with Badger Coach Fred Marsh. "The Packers haven't sprinted like that for more than five years," Teteak laughed. Drills yesterday featured pass patterns for the entire squad after group instructions...Lombardi developed a hoarseness during yesterday afternoon's drills and could do little talking or yelling. He quipped: "We were having a bad practice and I couldn't tell them about it." Vince expects to be okay once he gets used to talking so much - three major lectures a day (two workouts and the evening meeting)...The camp got a shocker for a few moments when Jim Ringo went down with a leg injury. Trainer Bud Jorgensen was on the field like a flash and Jim was soon running again. Ringo was hut when fullback Jim Taylor brushed him...Halfback Des Koch, the nation's top punter as a senior at Southern Cal in '53, won a third in the discus for the United States in the 1956 Olympics in Australia. Koch was drafted by the Packers in '54 and stayed in school for the next two years to get his degree, and then competed in the Olympics. Koch is now a 28-year old rookie.
NOTES AND NOTIONS
JUL 29 (Appleton Post-Crescent) - Who'll be the next of the Packers' old guard to leave? With Howie Ferguson's departure, it becomes increasingly clear that the only certain thing about the status of the club's veterans is uncertainty. Admittedly, it is a sentimental blow to staunch Packer backers to lose favorites like "Fergy" and Billy Howton. Yet, I find it hard to argue with Lombardi's apparent policy to uproot the status quo and begin his reconstruction program with as many new faces as possible. It begins to look as though the only "oldtimers" retained will be those with unquestioned superiority over newcomers (or sophomore) or those with an indispensable storehouse of experience. Ferguson falls into the former category - with sophomore Jim Taylor
probably at least on a par with him. A factor that perhaps contributed as much to the Ferguson deal as Howie's advance pro football age (28) is his recent brittleness. In the last two or three years, "Fergy" has been able to contribute no more than a half season - and there's always the chance the knee will give out again. There was never any question, I'm sure, that Howie was part of the "defeatist" element that needed eradicating. Far from it. A real battler, Ferguson gave 100 percent whenever he was in the game - and he'd have run into a concrete wall if it had enhanced the Packers' chances of winning. Yes, the old warhorse - with his distinctive gallop - will be missed in City Stadium. With a better physical break, Fergy might have challenged Clarke Hinkle for all-time Packer fullback honors.
PLANS FOR NEW PRO GRID LEAGUE AIRED
JUL 29 (Washington) - Fans have been promised a new era in sports: More major leagues for both football and baseball, bringing the pros to almost every section of the country. Football was added to the promise Tuesday when Commissioner Bert Bell of the NFL reported that a rival loop planned to start operations next year in six cities. "The more teams and the more competition the better," Bell said. Just the day before, a group in New York had announced that a new major baseball league planned to be in business by 1961. Bell gave out word about the new football league while testifying before the Senate anti-monopoly subcommittee. He spoke in favor of legislation that would exempt some aspects of professional football, baseball, basketball and hockey from the anti-trust laws. The committee hears Ford Frick, commissioner of baseball, on the same matter today. Only skimpy details about the new league were revealed by Bell, who said he planned to meet today with three financial backers. The meeting would be held in either Philadelphia or Atlantic City, Bell said. The commissioner, talking to newsmen after the hearings, said Houston, Denver and Minneapolis surely would have teams in the league. He added that Dallas, New York and Los Angeles were almost certain starters. After the first season, Bell said, the league plans to expand to eight teams. Possible candidates for the added franchises would be Boston, Buffalo, Louisville, Miami, Seattle and San Francisco, he said. Bell said he had talked to the owners of the 12 teams in the 40-year old NFL, now the only pro football league, and had not received any objection. The commissioner would not say who the backers of the proposed league are, but he described them as men with plenty of money. He did name Davey O'Brien of Fort Worth, Tex., a former Texas Christian star, as the man who conferred with Bell for the backers.
PACKER AERIAL GAME POLISHED WITH SCRIMMAGE
JUL 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Coach Vince Lombardi is wasting no time polishing the Packers' aerial game. The emphasis was on pass patterns in the two-a-day drills Monday and the first scrimmage Tuesday afternoon involving the veterans and rookies featured pass protection work. The four defensive linemen were given blocking aprons but the action was swift and upsetting as the offensive linemen seemed to give the quarterbacks some working room. At least plenty of passes were completed. Blocking up front with authority at times were Willie Taylor, Bob Skoronski, Forrest Gregg, Fred Thurston, Jerry Kramer, Dick Groff and Steve Meilinger. The rough action offered the entire staff - Lombardi and Aides Phil Bengtson, Bill Auston, Norb Hecker, Red Cochran and Tom Fears - a good opportunity to check their prospects under more advanced fire. To keep the action fresh, alternate groups were used throughout. One highlight was the speed of Bill Butler, the halfback who is being tried on defense. The Berlin, Wis., ace who says he hasn't been timed since he ran a 10.4 century as a freshman in high school, lost Max McGee once in a pass rundown and then caught up with him. And Maxie is no slow poke! The action was filmed and the pictures will help the coaches determine the ability of the rookies. This scrimmage was preceded by a controlled head-knocking session which had an offensive lineman opposing a defensive lineman or linebacker while a quarterback handed the ball off to a back. The back would proceed at full steam through the "hole" provided by the one offensive linemen. If this linemen missed, the back had to face the defenser head on. There were some ringing smashups and the players applauded at times for a good hit. The applause meter hit a high spot once when Lew Carpenter got off a good crack. There was one light casualty - Tom Braatz, the Marquette end who received a cut over his eye...Four more Packers were placed on waivers today - quarterback Bob Webb of St. Ambrose, tackle Bob Eiting of Kaukauna, guard Larry Hall of Missouri Valley, halfback Tom Newell of Drake. Seven players were dropped Monday. The passing and signal calling now is in the hands of the four veteran quarterbacks - Bart Starr, Babe Parilli, Joe Francis and Lamar McHan. Francis is also working some at halfback...The Packer Alumni Assn., could have had a meeting on the practice field sidelines yesterday. The formers on hand were Teddy Fritsch, who stoked a few memories with Fears, John Martinkovic, Deral Teteak, Fred Cone and Alex Wizbicki. Cone is up from Mobile visiting his wife's folks while Wizbicki is traveling this area for a liquor concern out of Milwaukee. Teteak, now a Wisconsin coaching aide, is visiting with Fred Marsh, also a Badger coach...Late arrival Hank Gremminger took his first workout Tuesday morning. Ken Russell, the tackle obtained from the Lions for Ollie Spencer, arrived Tuesday night...Howie Ferguson, traded to Pittsburgh for a draft choice, flew out at 1 o'clock Tuesday afternoon for California, Pa., where the Steelers are training. He was practicing with Buddy Parker's men today...Watching yesterday's scrimmage was Tom Hearden, former Packer defensive coach who sat on a chair on the sidelines. Tom and Lombardi chatted after the drill. Another spectator was Dr. Tony Pisani, noted orthopedic surgeon from New York and a long-time friend of Lombardi...TOUGH SPORT: Potato Pasqual, hard-hitting third sacker for Fox Cities, got his first glimpse of football at yesterday's drill and shuddered: "I like baseball better for me." The Cuban is out of baseball for a short spell due to a leg injury.
NEW GRID LEAGUE EYES 12-TEAM START IN '60
JUL 29 (New York) - A former professional football star who is "involved" in creating a new major pro football league disclosed today that the loop, tentatively named the "Trans-America Conference," hopes to begin operation next year with 12 teams. Travis Tidwell, former New York Giant passing ace, said the new league would be "just as representative as the NFL, with teams from coast to coast and Miami to New York."...WOULD 'WELCOME' LOOP: Existence of plans for a new pro football league was revealed Tuesday by Bert Bell, commissioner of the NFL, in testimony in Washington, D.C., before a Senate subcommittee which is conducting hearing on anti-trust bills relating to pro sports. Bell said the NFL would "welcome" the new loop. Bell said the league probably would start with teams from Houston, Denver, Minneapolis, New York, Dallas and Los Angeles, and said other possible members are Louisville, Boston,
Miami, Settle, San Francisco and Buffalo. Tidwell, who is vacationing here, stressed that he could "not speak for the league or as representative of the league." "But I can tell you we are making definite plans to play in 1960," he said. Tidwell, 34-year-old Birmingham, Ala., estate counselor who starred at quarterback for Auburn, said that the league as first discussed had been called the "Mid-American Professional Football League."...'NATIONAL IN SCOPE': "But it has mushroomed beyond that now and it truly national in scope," he said. Tidwell said the league would have a "minimum" of 10 teams and "probably" 12 divided into two divisions. Tidwell declined to identify any of the cities being considered "because everybody has to be considered" or any of the persons involved in the promotion. But he said that "some of the same people" who are behind the new Continental major baseball league are backing the new pro football league. "Our plans have been delayed because of the baseball league," he said. "on the theory of first things first."
BELL GIVES FACTS OF PRO GRID TO 'VISITOR'
JUL 30 (Atlantic City) - A representative of the proposed Trans-America League spent 4 1/2 hours Wednesday night learning the facts of professional football life from Commissioner Bert Bell of the NFL. Bell said today he had to refuse information to the press Wednesday night because his unidentified visitor from the new group requested the conference be veiled in secrecy. "The session was very affable. We got along fine. I answered all questions as frankly as possible," the commissioner said. Bell said he presentative of the Trans-America group was accompanied by Davey O'Brien, former college and pro football great. O'Brien, who played for Bell with the Philadelphia Eagles some years ago, acted as intermediary in the setup. "I told them another league was possible, but that they had a lot of hard work ahead of them," Bell said. "It will take three or four years to build qualified teams." "I told hem about television, radio, contracts, the draft, anything they wanted to know. They made no notes." Bell said he was told the new group desired to wait until it had a complete agreement among the proposed clubs before announcing it's plans. The commissioner refused to say who his visitor was, but a reliable source said it was Lamar Hunt, 2nd, son of H.L. Hunt of the rich Texas oil family. Teams expected to form the new league are Houston, Denver, Minneapolis, Dallas, New York and Los Angeles, with possible franchises in Boston, Buffalo, Louisville, Miami, Seattle and San Francisco. Bell said he scheduled no future meetings with the new group.
PACKER SECONDARY EYED; TIM BROWN IN FASTEST '40'
JUL 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' defensive secondary is being watched closely by Coach Vince Lombardi and his defensive halfback coach, Norb Hecker. This is the unit that was damaged by the retirement of All-Pro Bobby Dillon. Actually the right side of the four-man defensive halfback group of 1958 is gone - Dillon at safety and Billy Kinard and Jesse Whittenton, who shared cornerbacker. John Symank, who worked at left safety alongside Dillon for the last two years, has been shifted to Dillon's old position. The remainder of the secondary also is experienced, especially happy Em Tunnell, who is starting his 12th pro season and first away from the New York Giants. The other back is Bob Freeman, the former Cleveland Brown. Tunnell is at left safety and Freeman at right cornerbacker. Hank Gremminger is back at his old stand at left cornerbacker. The four veterans presently form the nucleus of the club's 1959 secondary. The coaches are taking a good look at the other prospects and they'd be delighted to come up with somebody with the speed of Dillon. Earl Miller, who looked so good as a rookie in camp last year until he injured his leg. is sharing left cornerbacker with Gremminger. Billy Butler and Bob Laraba are working in Tunnell's spot while Jim Morse
and Jim Ward are most times at right corner with Freeman. Holdover Al Romine, who plays both deep spots, is sharing Symank's position now. Ward, a surprisingly fast 215-pounder with no college experience, has been shifted to defensive halfback from offensive end. He made an interception with a well-timed leap in practice Wednesday. Speed (plus lots of savvy) is a major factor in the secondary, and Lombardi is calling for sprints almost every day. Forty-yard runs Wednesday showed defensive backs placing high among three sets of halfbacks. Butler was in a dead heat with Paul Hornung and Lew Carpenter; Hank Gremminger led his group which included fast George Dixon; and Ward headed the runners in his group. They all ran it in 4.8 seconds. Fastest man in the camp was Tim Brown, a 190-pound rookie halfback from Ball State. He ran a 4.75. In two groups of ends, the two fastest Wednesday were rookies Buddy Mayfield and Ken Higginbotham. Jerry Kramer beat out guards Forrest Gregg, Fred Thurston and Willie Taylor by a foot. Jim Temp and Norm Masters topped the tackles and Nate Borden the defensive ends. Des Koch and Dan Curie were about tied among the linebackers. Loudest cheered: Bill Quinlan, the giant defensive end who ran it alone - in 5.8. He'll bring that down...Dave Hanner suffered a mild sunstroke under the fierce sun Wednesday morning. He recuperated at Camp St. Norbert in the afternoon...Lance Olson, the Michigan State basketball ace who starred in football and cage at West High, and Vince Lombardi, Jr., are helping Dad Braisher in the property department. Jerry Jorgensen is assisting his dad, Bud Jorgensen, with the training...The first full-scale scrimmage of the young training campaign will be held Saturday. Some limited contact was held Wednesday afternoon.
RINGO, FORESTER NAMED PACKER CO-CAPTAINS; THURSTON INJURED
JUL 31 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Bill Forester and Jim Ringo, a couple of seven-year veterans, will co-captain the Packers for the fourth straight year - under their third coach. The hard-fightin' pair was chosen for the leadership honor by Coach-GM Vince Lombardi Thursday night. Lombardi also named a six-man committee that confer with him on player problems - Dave Hanner, Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Emlen Tunnell, Forester and Ringo. Ringo, a center, will be offensive captain while Linebacker Forester will captain the defense. They operated in that capacity in 1956-57 under Liz Blackbourn and in 1958 under Scooter McLean. Forester and Ringo came to the Packers fresh out of school in 1953, which was Gene Ronzani's last year as head coach. Bill, former Southern Methodist star, was the Pack's third draft choice. Ringo, ex-Syracuse ace, was the Packers' seventh pick. The co-captains will make decisions on the field and, of course, provide the necessary morale. The special committee, besides its go-between-with-the-coach function, will collect all fines, set up squad entertainment and perform other duties...A five-minute, all-out scrimmage was ordered as a windup for Thursday afternoon's practice and the fierce action left little doubt that the boys came to play. This was an especially wicked scrimmage because the defense knew where the offense was going. Despite this, the offense made some good advances, highlight was the running of Don McIlhenny. Don put the shoulder down and tanked forward with a lot of power. There was one casualty - though not serious. Guard Fred Thurston strained a ligament in his knee and went to the sidelines with Trainer Bud Jorgensen, His knee had stiffened up some today. The coaches were extremely busy during the scrimmage. On some of the outside runs, Lombardi and Bill Austin trailed along and made corrections on the spot. Norb Hecker and Phil Bengtson did same on defense while Tom Fears huddled with the ends just before they went to their positions. After each play, coach-player meetings popped up briefly. With the defense "in" on the offense, the passing game had a tough time operating. "It will come along," Lombardi pointed out. Incidentally, Lombardi feels "we're rounding into real good physical condition."...Wally Cruice, veteran Packer scout, made his first appearance at practice and remained on last night to study Lombardi's program and the personnel...Watching drills today is Murray Warmath, head football coach at the University of Minnesota. One of the visitors yesterday was Red Smith, widely-syndicated columnist of the New York Herald-Tribune.
PACKERS ADD TACKLES TOM SAIDOCK, 'WHIP'
AUG 1 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A new face popped up in the Packers' scrimmage Friday afternoon. And another newcomer could be on hand for today's crashing at the Oneida Street drill grounds. Working at defensive
right tackle for the first time was Rog Wypyszynski, the 6-foot-5, 275-pound giant from St. Norbert College, who quit the Washington Redskins camp on his own earlier this week. The Whip, a Green Bay resident, shied away from discussing his reasons for leaving the Washington club, which was in training in Los Angeles. "It would be better if I didn't say," Rog said. Wypyszynski was the Redskins' 12th draft choice. Expected to report today was Tom Saidock, a 6-4, 255-pound defensive tackle, who comes to Green Bay from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a draft choice - if he makes the club, Coach Vince Lombardi announced. Saidock, former Michigan State star, was on the Eagles' injured reserve list last year. He's a two-year veteran. Wypyszynski got quite a bit of work in the Friday rough stuff due to the absence of Dave Hanner, who is spending a few days at St. Vincent Hospital for the purpose of fighting the stomach flu. Dave suffered a mild sunstroke earlier this week. The Packers lost another tackle to St. Vincent Friday - Jerry Raid, a 255-pounder from Williamette. Raid suffered a concussion during a scrimmage. X-rays showed up negative and the rookie prospect should leave the hospital shortly. The action Friday was topped with a 40-yard drive for a touchdown. The offensive team, with Bart Starr at quarterback, produced six points in six plays. Paul Hornung went 12 yards on a short pass from Starr on the first play. Jim Taylor made gains of 2 and 6 yards and Hornung skidded three yards for the first down. Don McIlhenny was stopped for no gain but on second down Starr pitched to Max McGee on the right side for a 17-yard touchdown play...One player was placed on waivers today - halfback Jim Morse of Notre Dame, who played in Canada the last two years. Lombardi has dispatched 12 players thus far and more probably will go over the weekend, following today's scrimmage...With the first week of practice under his belt, Lombardi said, "We were able to get in lots of work and we got a real good effort from everyone, and that includes the veterans." Vince pointed out that the passing game was "slow coming around but that isn't unusual at this stage of practice." And speaking of passing, laps for dropped passes were assessed in the Friday morning drill. On the first or second pitch in the aerial drill, Ken Higginbotham dropped an easy toss just over the scrimmage line. "Take a lap," Vince ordered. There wasn't a dropped pass the rest of the morning...In the 40-yard sprints Friday, Hank Gremminger turned up as the fastest with a 4.75 clocking - the same as Tim Brown's time Wednesday. Brown ran it in 4.8 Friday. Gremminger was practically neck and neck with John Symank. Al Romine came in with 4.8 and George Dixon 4.9. Dan Currie led the linemen with 5.2 while Jerry Kramer had 5.4. Ken Russell, the tackle obtained from Detroit for Ollie Spencer, finished in a dead heat with speedy Bob Skoronski, also a giant tackle...Two of three Packers in the College All Star training camp at Evanston, Ill., have been among the leaders in full-uniform 50-yard sprints. Packer Boyd Dowler ran the distance in 5.9 seconds, just a fraction behind Don Brown and Eddie Dove. Packer tackle-guard Andy Cvercko paced the tackles with 6.4. The other Packer in camp is Bobby Jackson.
PACKER DEFENSE '4-2' WINNER IN SCRIMMAGE BEFORE 4,000
AUG 3 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers scored two touchdowns and stopped four other scoring attempts in Saturday's 40-minute scrimmage. That made the Packer defense a "4 to 2" winner! It was the first full-fledged scrimmage of the training season and more than 4,000 fans banked three sides of the Oneida Street drill grounds for the free show. The fighting squad of Packers - plus the fans, won't have to wait long for a bigger and better presentation. This will be the second annual Packer All Star Intra-Squad game at City Stadium next Saturday afternoon. The Packers will be divided into the Blues and Whites, with Phil Bengtson and Bill Austin coaching the Blues and Norb Hecker and Red Cochran the Whites. Coach Vince Lombardi and End Coach Tom Fears will watch. Before going into Saturday's action, here are some news items: Two rookie players were placed on waivers - tackle Jerry Sprangers, former Premontre star who had no college experience, and linebacker Mel Schmidt of the University of Idaho. Dick Emerich, a 250-pound defensive tackle from West Chester State Teachers, has joined the club. He had already been signed by Canada, when he was drafted No. 30 by the Packers last winter and had reported across the border. Jesse Whittenton, former Ram and Bear defensive back who played nine games with the Packers last year, reported Saturday, ending a short holdout period. Tom Saidock, a two-year tackle veteran who was obtained from the Eagles in exchange for a draft choice, was to report today. Jerry Raid, the defensive tackle who suffered a mild concussion in Thursday's scrimmage, has been sent to the College All Star camp at the request of Coach Otto Graham. The Stars are in need of tackles. The Packers have three other players in the Star camp - Boyd Dowler, Andy Cvercko and Bobby Jackson. The Packers went back to two-a-day workouts this morning after an off Sunday. And all hands were in good condition, including Dave Hanner, who has been floored for four days last week with a stomach flu. George Dixon, a 195-pound back from Bridgeport, Conn., University, scored one touchdown and set up the other in Saturday's fun. He runs exceptionally fast, with power. The unheralded back, who was the Pack's ninth draft choice last winter, took a third-and-16-to-go pass from Babe Parilli in the flat, evaded Dan Currie and then raced 23 yards to the two-yard line. Two plays later Parilli sneaked it over. Late in the scrimmage, with Lamar McHan at quarterback, Dixon streaked up the middle for seven yards and a touchdown. He banged into the unpadded goal posts with his back and luckily escaped without injury. Four players suffered injuries. Nate Borden pinched a nerve in his shoulder but went right back in after Trainer Bud Jorgensen unpinched it. Dick Teteak and Jim Taylor were shaken up, with Jim suffering a cut above the eye. Paul Hornung had a slight leg injury. Scrimmage started from the 50-yard line. Bart Starr worked a backfield composed of Lew Carpenter, Dixon and Alex Hawkins to the 20 where the squad stalled. Parilli got Carpenter off on a 16-yard run and then overshot A.D. Williams in the clear for a touchdown, which brought an immediate display of disgust from Lombardi. Two plays later, Dixon caught a 23-yard pass and Parilli scored. Joe Francis tried QB next and pitched to Don McIlhenny for an eight-yard gain and got good runs out of Taylor, McIlhenny and Hornung. The team stalled on the five when a bad handoff resulted in a fumble. McHan took over the QB-ing next and he had a tough time getting off the mark. Hank Gremminger smeared McHan once on third down for a six yard loss. The next series ended on third down when Hornung lost two. So it was back to the 50 for the third time for McHan. This time McHan fired a 20-yarder to Gary Knafelc. McIlhenny ran six and Max McGee took McHan's pass for 23 yards to the one-yard line. After Hornung was held to a foot, Taylor fumbled when he was injured and Emlen Tunnell recovered. Lombardi brought the ball out to around the six and Dixon scored from there. The defense played it extremely tough throughout. Different units, some composed of all veterans, were alternated. The starting defense had Borden and Bill Quinlan at ends; Jerry Helluin and Dick Wypzpsyski at tackles; Bill Forester, Tom Bettis and Currie at linebackers; and Bob Laraba, Billy Butler, Earl Miller and Al Romine in the secondary. Everybody got a shot at the action.
MEILINGER, ROMINE TO NEW SPOTS; QBS FOR SQUAD TILT SET
AUG 4 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Steve Meilinger and Al Romine, a couple of holdovers from the 1958 Packer season, went to new positions today as Coach Vince Lombardi readied the Bays for the annual Intra-Squad game in City Stadium Saturday afternoon. Meilinger, a slot back last year and an end to start the current training, has been shifted to fullback. Romine, a defensive back by trade, went to offensive end - a position he played at Florida Teachers and in his first few pro seasons. Meilinger, the original one-man team (he played end, fullback and/or quarterback) from Kentucky, starts competition against FBs Jim Taylor, Lew Carpenter and several others. Romine is one of the Pack's fastest back and a good pass catcher. Romine, when he makes an interception, catches the ball like an end. The changes will see action in their new positions in the Intra-Squad contest. The entire squad will be split down the middle for the squad game, but Lombardi pointed out yesterday that "it won't be an easy job." A change in the coaching staffs for the squad game was revealed today.
Originally, Phil Bengtson and Bill Austin were to coach the Blues, and Norb Hecker and Red Cochran the Whites. However, the two "rookie" coaches said they'd like to go it alone so Hecker and Austin will coach the Blues and Bengtson and Cochran the Whites. Phil formerly coached with the 49ers, Cochran the Lions, Austin and Hecker are in their first year of pro coaching. Lombardi announced the quarterbacks for the big battle today. Bart Starr and Lamar McHan will go it for the Bengtson-Cochran Whites and Babe Parilli and Joe Francis will quarterback the Austin-Hecker Blues. Incidentally, tickets for the special battle are tailored to a big crowd - $1 for adults and 25 cents for children and pick your seat. Kickoff is set for 4 o'clock...Ken Russell, the veteran tackle obtained from the Lions for Ollie Spencer, has left camp. He had been complaining about the workload. Lombardi said "we may get another player for Spencer or a draft choice." Two other new tackles leaped into action Monday - Dick Emerich and Tom Saidock. Emerich, of West Chester State Teachers, was the Packers' 30th draft choice and is trying out after a brief stretch in Canada. Saidock comes from the Eagles at the cost of a draft choice. Fullback Howie Ferguson, traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week for a draft choice, is being returned to the Packers. But it's doubtful he'll be playing here. Ferguson has a chronic shoulder injury that could break down at any moment. The Steelers were aware of this, but Coach Buddy Parker said he wanted a look. The disposition of Ferguson was to be worked out today by Lombardi. Ferguson was reportedly on his way here but had not reported this morning. The Packers continued two-a-day drills today and a little rough house was on tap for this afternoon. Emphasis was on running plays yesterday.
NO RAIDING BY NEW GRID LOOP, SAYS HUNT
AUG 4 (Houston) - The embryo American Football League claims it will shoot for the sparkling rookies and not raid its rival NFL for material. Sponsors say simple mathematics will bring rookies into their camp. "We think we have an advantage over the NFL," Dallas franchise holder Lamar Hunt says. "We can tell a boy it's no sense in signing with Pittsburgh, for example. For $8,000 say, he can sign with Dallas and be sure of making the team." Hunt pointed out that each NFL club drafts 30 players (the number has been cut to 20 for the 1959 draft). Of the 30, about four or five make the grade. "If he's a rookie," said Hunt, "chances are 6-1 he won't make it." Hunt, 22-year old son of multi-millionaire oilman H.L. Hunt of Dallas, was here for Houston oilman K.S. (Bud) Adams' announcement that he, Adams, will head the Houston entry. Only Houston and Dallas thus far have been identified the individuals associated with their franchises. They said that there would be definitely four more teams ready for the 1960 season, and that they would be announced within the next 30 days. They are expected to be from New York, Denver, Los Angeles and the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Two additional teams will be added in 1961. Hunt and Adams, both millionaires, said the new league has a verbal agreement with the NFL to honor each other's contracts and that there will be an unlimited television policy. Hunt said the American League will be able to televise anywhere in NFL territory, but there is no definite television connection at present. "It will be sold as a league," he said. Both of the Texas teams appeared to be on sound financial footing. Hunt said the new league will probably have to rely heavily at the start on rookies, but that several well-known stars now in the NFL might be available for the American League. He said John David Crow, former All-American at Texas A&M, is an example. Crow is now a backfield star for the Chicago Cardinals, but lives in Houston and works for Adams. "We'll have some players from the other league for next year," Hunt said. He hinted that every effort will be made to prevail upon Southwest Conference players to play professional football in Texas.
PACKER SCRIMMAGE PLEASING TO THREE
AUG 5 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packer scrimmage Tuesday afternoon was pleasing to many people and three in particular - Coach Vince Lombardi, defensive end Bill Quinlan and offensive end Gary Knafelc. It was a rough-as-a-cob offensive passing drill and just to make sure the heat was on the offense, Lombardi jabbed up the defense by reminding them constantly to apply the pressure. One time he said, "We don't know how good this offense is; keep coming in." Other than a few times when the quarterbacks peeled the pigskin and ate it, the passing worked exceptionally well. The ends and backs many times were down and waiting. There were some good catches and less were dropped. When A.D. Williams made a leaping catch and then dropped the ball, Lombardi yelled: "Right there, that's the difference between a champion and a matter of fact football player." Williams also added some good catches. Ditto Max McGee. Alex Hawkins and Knafelc! Lombardi and aides Norb Hecker, Tom Fears, Phil Bengtson, Bill Austin and Red Cochran really enjoyed their shows after practice Tuesday eve. The rough stuff was especially pleasing for Quinlan and Knafelc because it proved that they had successfully survived injuries sustained a year ago. Quinlan, who came to the Packers with Lew Carpenter for Billy Howton, broke his leg in the 10th league game with the Browns against Washington, and Knafelc underwent an operation during the season for a knee lock. "I got a couple of good hits on it," Quinlan said, pointing to his leg, "and it feels good. I was still in a cast last February. It feels strong Right now, I'm in better shape at this time of the year than I've ever been in." Knafelc took two or three good tackles in the open field and found everything in good working order: "I can forget about it now," Gary said...A visitor during practice was Howie Ferguson, who had just come in from Pittsburgh. Fergie was traded to Pitt last week, but returned after an examination of his shoulder. Ferguson checked in with Lombardi and then
went off to the hospital for removal of a silver pin in his shoulder. Ferguson will be given another physical after the operation and that will likely determine his pro football future. Fergie watched today's drill...Jim Ward, an end with no college experience, was placed on waivers Tuesday...The Packers were split up today for the Squad Game at City Stadium Saturday afternoon at 4 o'clock. Bart Starr and Lamar McHan will quarterback the Bengtson-Cochran Whites and Babe Parilli and Joe Francis will QB the Austin-Hecker Blues. The rest of the White backfield has Jim Taylor, Steve Meilinger, Paul Hornung, Lew Carpenter, Ken Wineburg and Tim Brown. The Blue backs, besides the QBs, are Alex Hawkins, Dave Smith, Don McIlhenny, Al Carmichael and George Dixon.
BLUE TEAM FEATURES DEFENSE, WHITES OFFENSE FOR SQUAD CONTEST SATURDAY
AUG 6 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - If your cup of tea is defense, then pat your five cents on the Blues. If you like offense, then pick the Whites. That's how the "line" shapes up today on the Packers' big Intra-Squad battle at City Stadium Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 4 o'clock and ticket prices are real right - $1 for adults and two-bits for children. It will be the Bengtson-Cochran Whites against the Austin-Hecker Blues. The other two coaches, Vince Lombardi and Tom Fears, will observe from the pressbox. Each team has a "strong suit," as it were - an all-veteran group, and they'll be pitted against each other. The Blues' defense, for instance, has Bill Quinlan and Nate Borden at the ends; Dave Hanner and Jerry Helluin at tackles; Bill Forester, Tom Bettis and Dan Currie at linebackers; and Em Tunnell, John Symank, Hank Gremminger and Bob Freeman at halfbacks. That group will have to handle a White offensive group that is all veteran except for halfbacks Ken Wineburg and Tim Brown. The rest of the White lineup has Max McGee, Gary Knafelc and Al Romine at the ends, Bob Skoronski and Forrest Gregg at tackles, Fred Thurston and Jerry Kramer at guards, Jim Ringo at center; Jim Taylor and Steve Meilinger at fullbacks; and Paul Hornung and Lew Carpenter at halfbacks. The rookies are well scattered among the Blue's offense and the White's defense, and that will make for an interesting battle, too. The Blues will be quarterbacked by Babe Parilli and Joe Francis and the backfield will have Alex Hawkins and Dave Smith at fullbacks and George Dixon, Don McIlhenny and Al Carmichael at halfbacks. They'll operate behind a line composed of Ken Higginbotham, Buddy Mayfield and A.D. Williams at ends; Norm Masters and Ed Buckingham at tackles; Dick Emerich, Dick Grog and Bill Yelverton at guards; and Willie Taylor. This offensive group will be defensed by Jim Temp and Jim Yeats at ends; Roger Wypyczynski and Tom Saidock at tackles; Dick Teteak, Tom Braatz and Des Koch at linebackers, and Jesse Whittenton, Bob Laraba, Bill Butler and Earl Miller at halfbacks. Both teams are as thin as they can get on defense, with 11 players each. Injured personnel will have to be replaced by offensive players...GAME NOTES: If you want to avoid possible lines at the stadium, pick up your Squad Game tickets at the Packer ticket office. Parking in the stadium lots is free for this game. Local officials will handle the game - John Biolo, Charley Tollefson, Nick Miketinac and Mel Nick. Kickoff is set for 4 o'clock...The heat and humidity have helped remove all excess weight from the Packers. Yesterday was a scorcher - not to mention today. The athletes are getting into excellent condition. This will be the final week of two-a-day drills. Next week, the squad will open once-a-day workouts - the schedule for the rest of the season.
'LET'S SCORE!' PACKERS DRILL ATTACK FOR SQUAD CONTEST
AUG 7 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers scored the fewest number (193) of points in the NFL last year. That came to mind Thursday when Coach Lombardi put the ball on the five-yard line and yelled: "Let's score!"
The offense was given two plays to make five yards and the touchdown. The cracking was fierce and when it was all over the Bays had scored more touchdowns than they did all last year, which was 23, and one players was stretched out. That would be Tom Saidock, the former Eagle who hurt a knee. The goal line scoring drill featured mostly running, but a pass was thrown in occasionally to keep the defense honest. Some of the best running was shown by Don McIlhenny, the veteran halfback. He slashed off right tackle once for the TD and then did same on the other side. He powered most of the way. The best two-way collision involved a Jim Taylortruck and a Billy Butlerbile. They cracked head-on going around a curve. Both got up slowly. The rushing practice will help the Blues and Whites in their big Intra-Squad game at City Stadium Saturday afternoon (4 o'clock kickoff) since most of the earlier practices were devoted to passing. The scrimmage Thursday was just a sampling of the stuff expected Saturday when a flock of players will be getting their last chance to show their wares. Lombardi undoubtedly will reduce the squad sharply after the game. The roster now stands close to 55. The Squad game will send a veteran offensive club (of the Whites) against the veteran Blue defense. However, the aforementioned McIlhenny is with the largely-newcomer Blue offense. He's at halfback with Al Carmichael and the highly-touted George Dixon. The fullbacks will be Alex Hawkins and Dave Smith. Hawkins has been coming along fast and seems to get stronger each day - as a pass catcher, blocker and runner. A.D. Williams, the lithe end who started the '58 season in the Ram camp, continues to show plenty of stuff. He's been blocking well on running plays and he can catch the ball. Yesterday, he made a leaping snare of a deep throw again...Fans are reminded that parking in the big lot will
be free for Saturday's game...The squad game will be the first of 19 scheduled public showings by the Packers. Following the game, the Packers will play six non-league games and 12 league games, keeping them busy for 19 straight weekends, starting with this one. The non-league and league opponents of the Packers will be the same - the Chicago Bears. The first Packer-Bear tilt will be the Shrine Show in Milwaukee a week from Saturday night. The real one is set for Sept. 27 at City Stadium.
PACKERS PLAY NEW SQUAD GAME THIS AFTERNOON
AUG 9 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers will play a new kind of Squad Game at City Stadium this afternoon. Kickoff is set for 4 o'clock. Coach Vince Lombardi said the game will pit the Packers' offensive players, dressed in Blue, against the Packers' defensive specialists, in White. Lombardi switched from the standard two-separate-team type of game Friday afternoon, when it was discovered at least three players will be handicapped by injuries - Dave Hanner, Fred Thurston and Tom Saidock. The Offensive Blues will be coached by Bill Austin and Norb Hecker, both offensive assistants, while defense coaches Phil Bengtson and Red Cochran will handle the Defensive Whites. Lombardi said the new game would provide fiercer competition, the players will be in their normal positions, rookies and veterans will be used at the same time. Thirty players will be on offense; 24 on defense. Lombardi and Tom Fears, the temporary end coach, will watch the game from the pressbox. The Baltimore Colts, who annually draw 50,000 for their Squad game, play this type of Offense
vs. Defense game. Lombardi plans to make a big cut in personnel after watching the pictures of today's game. Thus, the athletes will be fighting for their jobs. The Offensive Blues will be in action continually. If a first down is made, the play will continue. If the defense holds, a punt or field goal will be upcoming depending on where the ball is. The offense will work again where the punt is grounded. Due to the change some of the numbers on the free game program will be in error. Clip out the following corrected numbers.
AIR OF MYSTERY OVER PACK SQUAD TILT BEFORE 11,566
AUG 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - There was an air of mystery to the Packers' squad game at City Stadium Saturday afternoon. But that may be nothing compared to the mystery surrounding the Packer-Bear non-leaguer in Milwaukee next Saturday night. The local Packer Public, 11,566 strong, got its first glimpse of the Vince Lombardi-coached Bays in the Team Test and saw a rather surprising reversal of the normal. The Packer offensive team scored four touchdowns, averaged over 5 yards rushing and about 8 yards per pass attempt in a 28-7 victory over the defense. That's the mystery; the defense is usually far ahead of the offense at this stage - the end of two weeks of two-a-day drills. Lombardi said he was cheered by "the lack of offensive mistakes. The defense usually had an advantage and they have a good idea of the plays coming at them, but the offense still moved pretty good." There may be a reason though. The offense is in better physical condition than the defense right now. The offense runs more in practice, while the defense is forced to stand around more. The offense kept extremely busy, running off 64 rushes for 327 yards and 42 passes with 19 completions for 280 yards. Fourteen different ball carriers were employed and there were 12 pass receivers. There were some new and unknown faces among the leaders. Halfback Tim Brown, a swiftee from Ball State, was the leading ground gainer with 75 yards in four carries. Dave Smith, the Ripon fullback, caught the most passes - three. And defensive back Billy Butler of Chattanooga, via Berlin, Wis., made the longest run - a 56-yard return of a punt for a TD. What's more, a quarterback who was playing halfback, made the most spectacular catch of the day. That would be Joe Francis, who made a leaping snare of a 16-yard Lamar McHan pitch to set up the Offense's third touchdown. There were many highlights: All the backs, and when armed with the ball, ran exceptionally hard with abandon; the guards were knocking people down on outside runs; the protection for the passer was good; the offensive team got off the line with the ball real good; there was only one offside - a real rarity at this stage of the game. The defense, composed of 24 players
compared to the offense's 30, had the pleasure of intercepting four passes - two off Francis and one each off Babe Parilli and McHan. Em Tunnell stole two and Jess Whittenton and Tom Braatz one apiece. Hornung missed three field goals - one from the 50 and two from the 37. The longest fell five yards short; another hit the upper upright and bounced toward the sidelines; and the other missed being three points by a foot. Bart Starr started at quarterback and produced a touchdown on an eight-play, 85-yard drive. The push opened with Don McIlhenny running end for 14 yards. Jim Taylor followed with another 14-yard rush and six plays later, Starr faked McIlhenny and Taylor into the line and then drilled a 34-yard pass to Hornung for the score. Paul took the ball behind Whittenton on the 15 and raced in. Hornung kicked all of the extra points. Parilli and McHan tried quarterbacking next but made no headway. This wasn't supposed to be a scoring contest but the defense evened the "score" when Butler took Bob Laraba's punt on the 44, eluded five enemies and scooted down the right sideline for the touchdown. McHan got that touchdown back in six plays. The big plays were McHan's 31-yard pass to Alex Hawkins, who made a fine catch, Lew Carpenter's 13-yard run, a 10-yard run by Smith, and Carpenter's 10-yard touchdown run through a big hole over left guard. The score was 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. The defense slammed the door shut in the second and third quarters. A blocked Laraba punt by Jim Yeats set up the third touchdown. Starting from the enemy 20 and with Francis at halfback. McHan scored in four plays. The second play was for 16 yards on a pass to Francis and the payoff was a three-yard pass from McHan to A.D. Williams in the end zone. Parilli and the unheralded Brown moved 80 yards in five plays for the final touchdown on the next series. Brown scooted 26 yards off right end to start it. Al Carmichael went to the enemy 46 on a run up the middle. Parilli tossed to Al Romine for 10 yards to the 36. Brown hit right end for 7 and then wheeled around left end on a pitchout on a 29-yard touchdown run. Lombardi and Aides Phil Bengtson, Norb Hecker, Bill Austin and Red Cochran looked at movies of the game Sunday morning. Any surprises? Vince told AP sportswriters at dinner with the team Sunday noon that linemen Ed Buckingham, who wears a size 15E show, and Dick Emerich both surprised. Buckingham was at defensive tackle and Emerich at offensive guard.
SEVEN ON WAIVERS
AUG 10 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Seven Packers have been placed on waivers, Coach Vince Lombardi announced today. They are halfbacks Earl Miller, Des Koch and Ken Wineburg and linemen Dick Grogg, Bill Yelverton, Jim Yeats and Roger Qypyczynski. The roster is now at 47, not counting four players in the All Star camp.
PACKERS WILL 'PROBABLY LOOK TERRIBLE' AGAINST BEARS, VINCE
AUG 11 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - And now the Bears! When the snow was flying last winter, Packer Coach-GM Vince Lombardi said: "I hate to think of that exhibition opener against the Bears; we'll be in a new system and the Bears know theirs; we'll probably look terrible. I remember when we started with the Giants (1954); same thing only we opened against the Rams. It was terrible." The other day Lombardi said he felt the same way about the Bears except that now he has a better picture of his own team. "If they stand still we might play them quite a game," Vince laughed, meaning that changing defenses might confuse the still new and untested Packer offense. Just yesterday, Lombardi went to to quarterback himself and asked the defensive linemen to switch as they pleased as he called the signals. He quickly adjusted and sent the play to the "weak" spots, pointing out to the offense: "It's a little early for that yet, but that gives you an idea." The Packer offense is based a lot on "think." As center Jim Ringo yelled yesterday, when the offense went to work: "Let's go and let's think." Lombardi has a two-fold job, teaching the Packers (1) a new offense and (2) to think out a solution when the opposition doesn't use a standard defense. This is particularly true when a pass receiver runs out and finds a defender in the spot where he's supposed to catch the ball. In case you haven't heard, the Packers play the Bears in Milwaukee Saturday night...Howie Ferguson, who went to California, Pa., to join the Steelers and then returned to have a pin removed from his shoulder - all in about 10 days, was running hard in drills yesterday. Howie had been traded but the Steels returned him after examining his shoulder. Now, Fergie is taking part in the regular drills. The Packers have 48 players in camp, with the departure of seven who were placed on waivers yesterday. Four additional players will join the team after the Star game Friday night - Jerry Raid, Andy Cvercko, Boyd Dowler and Bobby Jackson. The next cut will probably be after the Bear game...The two-a-day phase of Packer practice is finished. One-a-day drills were started yesterday. They will be morning practices, starting at 10 o'clock...Ken Russell, the tackle obtained from Detroit in exchange for Ollie Spencer, is out of the pro football picture. He quit the Packer camp and a few days later joined the Browns, who promised the Pack a draft choice. Now, the Browns say he has a shoulder separation and sent him home. The Packers still have a player coming from Detroit in return for Spencer...Steve Meilinger is now back at offensive end. The all-around player came to the Packers a year ago to play slot back, Under Lombardi's no-slot system, he was installed at end. Last week, he went to fullback. After the Squad game, Lombardi put Steve back to end.
PACKERS SWITCH TO DEFENSIVE WORK
AUG 12 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers went on defense Tuesday. And it sure looked off after days and days of offense. Actually, the Packers get defensive practice every day when the offensive teams go through their maneuvers. The defensers automatically cover their position's, that SOP. Like defensive ace Em Tunnell said the other day: "We get our practice in the classroom." But Tuesday the offensive players became the Bears and the defenders got the big instructions from the coaches. Even Head Coach Vince Lombardi planted himself in the defensive secondary and worked with defensive coaches Phil Bengtson and Norb Hecker. Two defenders took it easy on the sidelines with assorted medical problems - Hank Gremminger and Bob Freeman, both cornerbackers. The "Bears" (Green Bay's non-league opponents in the Shrine game in Milwaukee Saturday night) had some success, particularly on some of their passes. Buddy Mayfield, playing the role of Harlon Hill, took a deep pass about 40 yards downfield, with Billy Butler just behind. The ball was thrown by Bart (Ed Brown) Starr, and it made a real picture play. There was one fly in the ointment. The red dog (rush) was on and Bill Forester was standing beside Starr when he threw it. The same situation in a real live game would have had Forester hitting the thrower before he had a chance to pitch. The QB undoubtedly would have taken off like a scared rabbit. The defenders were urged by the coaches to play it rough but the "Bears" still kept their pass game hot. Their best catch was made by Steve Meilinger, who was playing end. He made a one-hand leaping catch of a high throw...The physical condition of the defense is getting special attention. After every three plays against the offense, the defense runs from one side of the field to the other before being replaced by the next group. The Squad game revealed the offense was ahead of the defense in conditioning...With one-a-day drills in progress, the Packers now have two blackboard sessions a day. After the morning drills (10 to noon), the squad meets from 3 to 5 and then again from 7:15 to 9 at St. Norbert College...Packer operations will be moved to Milwaukee at 9 o'clock Friday morning on two chartered buses. The squad will headquarter at the Astor Hotel. A public drill is scheduled for 3 o'clock at Wauwautosa High's football field. The team will return to St. Norbert Sunday morning, leaving Milwaukee at 10 o'clock...Strange as it may seem (for football), a rain date has been set for the Packer-Bear Shrine game. The original time is for an 8 o'clock kickoff Saturday night. In case of rain, the kickoff will be moved to 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon. If it rains Sunday, let 'er rain!
LOMBARDI CITES FANS' CONFIDENCE
AUG 12 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "The confidence shown by you fans is the same confidence I hope rubs off on this football team as they launch their season in the NFL." That was the reaction of General Manager-Coach Vince Lombardi as a capacity crowd jammed the
Riverside Ballroom Tuesday night for a dinner to launch the Packer football season. Lombardi was obviously proud of his players and the Packer fans from throughout Northeastern Wisconsin, who turned out for the first such event in the long Packer history. In talking to "Joe Fan," Lombardi said, "This is your team, it belongs to the City of Green Bay. Without you, we can do nothing. We need your help and support, and I can assure you that the coaches, the Packer organization and the players will give you a team that you can be proud of in the NFL." Lombardi said it has become traditional for Green Bay to give its support to the team, and today this is reflected in the spirit of the team. He then introduced the 48 members of the squad attending the dinner. The players were scattered throughout the audience where fans had a good opportunity to become better acquainted with them. Lombardi has orders that all players dress in suits, shirts and ties for public appearances, and the sight of the entire team lined three deep across the broad Riverside stage was quite impressive. Following introductions, the team and coaches returned to their St. Norbert base. Earlier in the program, Lombardi was presented with a portable battery megaphone by Chairman John Martinkovic, to help solve Lombardi's bout with laryngitis during the current training session. "Joe Fan" was represented by Russell Leddy, a longtime Packer fan, who soon will be moving to the West Coast. He pulled for a successful season for the Packers, and commented that, even though he'll be living in California, he will always be a Packer fan. The Rev. D.M. Burke, president of St. Norbert College, gave the thanksgiving after the dinner, and also plugged the Packers with a report that "there couldn't be a finer group of gentlemen on any college campus." This was the second year that the Packers have used the St. Norbert facilities for a training camp, and Father Burke said he was expressing the opinion of the entire faculty who wished "our students would act like the Packers did all summer." Robert Gallagher, master of ceremonies for the night, introduced Mayor Roman Denissen and members of the Packer staff, who includes assistant coaches Norb Hecker, Bill Austin, Phil Bengtson, Red Cochran, Tom Fears, business manager Jack Vainisi and several of the Packer alumni. Four Packer autographed footballs were presented to Mark Hayes, 10, 251 E. Mission Rd., Gary Andrashki, 9, 1010 Robin St., De Pere, Pat DeWane, Luxemburg, and Mrs. Laveral Pieper, 814 St. George St.
'CHAMP', SERVICE RETURNEE ARE PACKER STARTERS
AUG 13 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - A world champion and a service returnee are in the Packers' starting offensive lineup for the Shrine game against the Bears in Milwaukee Saturday night. The remaining nine player are holdovers from the '58 Packers. Coach Vince Lombardi, announcing the starters today, named
Fred Thurston at left guard and Bob Skoronski at left tackle. Thurston was an important figure in the Colts' stretch drive for the championship and finally the world title last fall. He came to Green Bay in exchange for linebacker Marv Matuszak. Big Skoronski, former Indiana ace, looked good as a rookie in 1956 but then went off to service. He's getting his civilian legs back in a hurry. Bart Starr has been named as the starting quarterback and he'll operate in a backfield composed of Paul Hornung at left halfback, Don McIlhenny at right halfback and Jimmy Taylor at fullback. The rest of the line will have Jim Ringo at center, Max McGee at left end, Jerry Kramer at right guard, Forrest Gregg at right tackle, and Gary Knafelc at right end...While Lombardi is starting an experienced team, he plans to make liberal use of his rookies. In fact, Lombardi, a bit unhappy with the morning drill yesterday, said when asked the rookies: "They'll all play a lot because they all look like rookie today."...Joe Francis spent yesterday in the hospital fighting a case of the flu. Jim Ringo stayed in bed today to right the same thing - plus a cyst on his spine...The Packers leave for Milwaukee at 9 o'clock Friday morning in two chartered buses. They'll headquarter at the Astor Hotel and drill at the Wauwautosa High school field Friday afternoon. A television set will be installed in a room in the Astor Hotel so that the team can watch the All Star game Friday night. Four Packers are in the game - Boyd Dowler, Jerry Raid, Andy Cvercko and Bobby Jackson. Kickoff Saturday night in County Stadium is set for 8:05. The Shrine pageant parade will start at 7:30.
PACKERS DRILL IN MILWAUKEE
AUG 14 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers arrived here today with a full squad of 48 players, including two flu cases. Joe Francis was in the hospital yesterday, but made it for the 9 o'clock departure time this morning from St. Norbert College. So did Jim Ringo, who stayed in bed. Both may see limited action against the Bears in the Shrine game Saturday night. Willie Taylor and Dan Currie may fill in for Ringo. The Bays are staying at the Astor Hotel. They drilled at Wauwautosa High school field this afternoon. The Bears will arrive tonight. Bear Coach George Halas announced that he will start four newcomers - linebacker Rommie Loud and end Joe Robb, who are both rookies, and end Willard Dewveall and Gerald DeLucca. Loud will be taking over for veteran Chuck Howley, who suffered a leg injury this week that may keep him out for the season.
PACK, BEARS BATTLE FOR SHRINE TONIGHT
AUG 15 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - This won't be a typical Bear-Packer battle. It can't be. It's not a league game. Papa George Halas won't be out to cream the still-unsteady Packers in the 10th annual Shrine game in County Stadium tonight. That would be rotten psychology for the real Packer-Bear game in Green Bay Sept. 27 - the league opener, that is. One of the largest crowds ever to see the Packers in a non-league in Milwaukee or Green Bay will be on hand. Estimates are for more than 30,000. The game will be shifted to Sunday afternoon in case of rain. Tonight's fracas, which will start at 8:05, will be a peaceful affair compared to just about all of the 70-plus league games the two clubs have played in pro football's oldest and bitterest rivals. Other than a quickly-booked battle in the 1930s, this is the first non-league game between the two clubs. Don't get us wrong. This show will have its moments because each club is stoked with a lot of new faces. And the Packers are, in a way, all rookies because Coach Vince Lombardi has installed a completely new offense. Halas' big job this year, he has said, is to get more points out of his offense. He feels his defense is good, but lack of more offensive power a year ago left the club in second place with an 8-4 record. So, the Bears may stress offense tonight. Halas will start Ed Brown at quarterback and his lineup will be familiar with the exception of Willard Dewveall, the right end, who is a sophomore. Lombardi will start Bart Starr at QB, and there will be one stranger in the opening offensive lineup - Fred Thurston, the left guard who was obtained from the Colts in exchange for linebacker Marv Matuszak.
SUN SHINING IN MILWAUKEE; PACKER GAME STILL SCHEDULED
AUG 15 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The sun was shining in Milwaukee at noon today and the Green Bay Packer-Chicago Bear game at County Stadium tonight is still scheduled. The Milwaukee forecast was for occasional light showers followed by scattered thundershowers with considerable cloudiness, but the Weather Bureau there saw no indication of any appreciable amount of rain. Should the game be postpone, the decision must be made by 2 p.m. today, under the arrangements made by the Shrine, sponsors of the annual charity event. In that case, the game would be played at 2 p.m. Sunday. However, all indication at noon today were that the game would be played with the blessing of the weatherman.
PACKER, BEAR HEADS CAUTIOUS ON NEW LOOP
AUG 15 (Milwaukee-Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Officials of the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears here greeted the announcement of formation of the new American grid league with cautious optimism, agreeing it could be "good for football." The Packers and Bears were here for tonight's charity exhibition game at Milwaukee County Stadium. Vince Lombardi, head coach and general manager of the Packers, said, "I think it will be a good thing for football." He said there was "plenty" of talent to support two leagues, and he did not believe the addition of a pro team to the Minneapolis-St.
The player pictured on this card is Jim Taylor of the Cardinals, not Jim Taylor of the Packers.
Paul area would hurt the Packers "because we don't draw from that area." Lombardi said he thought it would take the new league "a few years for them to build up team to the caliber of the NFL." The Packers coach said, "I assume they will honor contracts the same as we will." He said it "was not for me to say" whether the two leagues would be able to arrange a playoff for the world title. Lombardi added, "That will be up to the football commissioner." George Halas, Jr., treasurer of the Bears and son of the owner-coach of the Chicagoans, said cautiously, "It could be a good thing and in the long run help football. Competition is always good providing substantial people are behind it." Halas said he doubted whether there would be any contract fight between the two leagues. "I am sure they will honor existing contracts. There has been quite a change in the situation since the time of the All-America Conference." Although he foresaw no difficulty in finding enough players for two leagues, Halas said, "I don't know whether we can get together with them on a player draft. I'd have to know more about it." The Chicago Bear official added, "There are a lot of good players floating around. However, they may have a problem in getting experienced players until their college boys learn the pro game."
SECOND GRID LOOP OFFICIAL; SIX TEAMS
AUG 15 (Chicago) - Formation of a second pro gridiron league, the American Football League, was official today with six cities possession franchises in the newest play-for-pay conference. Millionaire oilman Lamar Hunt of Dallas announced the official birth of the new league, which will have franchises in Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, New York and Los Angeles. "We have definite commitments," Hunt said. "A kitty is being set up to assure the financial success of the league." But the Texan refused to estimate just how much the club owners would divvy up to make the league solvent from the start. Hunt said the league might be expanded to eight teams, but the founders definitely wanted to launch a full schedule of games with the six original clubs in 1960. He hinted the expansion might include two more teams from either Seattle, Buffalo, San Francisco, Miami or Kansas City. There also was a report that New Orleans might seek a spot in the new league. Attending the AFL formation meeting Friday were Barron
Hilton, son of hotel magnate Conrad N. Hilton, who will head the Los Angeles franchise; K.S. "Bud" Adams, Houston oilman and owner of the Houston franchise; Robert Howsam of the Rocky Mountain Empires Sports, Inc., who represented the Denver franchise; Max Winter and Bill Boyer, representatives of Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Harry Wismer, veteran radio and television sportscaster, who represented the New York franchise. Hunt acknowledged that the league had plenty of work ahead of it before the 1960 football season tolled round. "We'll try to beat the NFL on their draft" this fall, Hunt said, indicating a race for top talent on the college campuses this fall. The Texan said no one had any idea how many players would be placed on the AFL draft list. But the league clubs "will bid against" the NFL and Canadian clubs for the top players, he said.
7,500 SCREAM WELCOME TO HOMECOMING PACKERS
DEC 15 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - It was 9 o'clock Monday night and all was momentarily quiet at sprawling Austin Straubel Field, swept by a sleeting rain and a raw, cutting wind. Suddenly, out of the night, a huge blue and silver plane droned into view from the west and a thunderous , ear-splitting ovation went up from 7,500 throats with a single voice. This was the setting as their prideful fans delightedly welcomed home the swashbuckling 1959 Packers, most successful to represent the NFL's smallest city in the last 15 years - a true Cinderella team that wiped out the stigma of a 1-10-1 record in 1958, blackest year in Packer history, with a spectacular 7-5 comeback. For the weather-beaten fans, numbed by 30 degree temperatures and freezing rain, it had been a long wait. Some of them had been on hand since 6:30 and the plane, originally scheduled to arrive at 7:55, didn't land until 9 o'clock because of adverse weather conditions. But these circumstances failed to dampen their zest. Their cheers abated, only temporarily, as the United Airlines 6B nosed off to the north preparatory to setting down. As Green Bay's Capt. Don R. (Bud) Smith slowly taxied his big bird southward to the airport fence, the volume began to mount, reaching a crescendo as the plane rolled to a stop opposite the stage improvised for the occasion. Some of the happy din, accompanied by thousands of waving hands, was lost in the idling engines' roar - but not for long. No sooner were they shut off and the St. Norbert College band, under Norbert Ecker's baton, struck up "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here" as the door to the plane opened up. Big, square-jawed Forrest Gregg, only Sunday named to the Western Division All-Stars for the Jan. 17 Pro Bowl, was the first to alight, which set for another rousing ovation. He was quickly followed by Lew Carpenter, a hero in Sunday's climatic 36-14 rout of the San Francisco 49ers, ace blocker Jerry Kramer and rookie Ken Beck...HUDDLED ON STAGE: As they made their way to the stage through a host of back-slapping well-wishers, the band, again appropriately, swung into "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight." The final notes were just dying out when broad-shouldered Vince Lombardi, the man behind the Packers' electrifying revival, emerged with Mrs. Lombardi on his arm. His appearance triggered a deafening cheer surpassing, of that were possible, all that had gone before. By this time, most of the players were huddled together on the stage, shivering in light rain and trench coats more suited to the California climes they had just left behind. NFL scoring champion Paul Hornung, one of the last to arrive on the platform, was accorded a particularly boisterous, whistling welcome. Lombardi, formally introduced and presented with a key to the city by Mayor Roman P. Denissen after Packer blankets had been given to each of his players and coaching aides, expressed open admiration for the play of his Green Bay team. "I know from the size of this crowd that you must all be as proud of this football team as we all are who are connected with it," said the Packers' GM-Coach, obviously moved by the heartwarming welcome. "This was a team which had a great determination and went down to defeat the hard way."...'GREAT CONTRIBUTION': "And every man on this 36-man squad made a great contribution to this season," he declared. "They never quit. They came back, and kept coming back, when things got tough in the middle of the season, and we finished up in a strong way. I also would like to say right now that I have the finest staff in the NFL. Any accolades at all belong to them and not to me. Thank you ever so much." When his turn came, offensive line coach Bill Austin declared, "It certainly was a pleasure to work with the type of boys we had this year, and I hope we can do as well next season." Norb Hecker, the defensive backfield coach recently named to the NAIA Hall of Fame, said simply, "I think we had a real fine year - and it's nice to be home." Red Cochran, offensive backfield coach, smilingly admitted, "It's great to be with a winner - and great to be back home." Defense Coach Phil Bengtson, asked to compare his unit with the New York Giants' league-leading array, asserted, "We don't have to take a back seat to anybody with our defensive unit. It stacks up with the best in the league." To blend with all this talk of the present and future came voice out of the past. Lanky Verne Lewellen, a key figure in the Packers' drive to their
first championship and now an administrative aide in the club's front office, said with a grin, "This is the first blanket I've had since 1929." Business Manager Jack Vainisi also took note of the more recent past, pointing out, "We learned a lot of humility in the last few years. It's great to be with a winner." In his brief speech, Mayor Denissen said, "In want to congratulate the Packers and particularly Coach Lombardi. They certainly made our job easy for us. They sold Green Bay all over the country." Explosive ovations, as the players were presented with their blankets, went to Bart Starr, the rejuvenated quarterback who escorted the Packers to a third place tie in the highly competitive Western Division race, Hornung and the rookie pass catching marvel, Boyd Dowler. Hornung told the whistling crowd, "I'm just happy the season turned out the way it did - especially the last three or four weeks." Asked by Emcee Les Sturmer if he would return next year, he produced another ovation with an unhesitating "I sure will."...DILLON RETIRING: Old pro Emlen Tunnell, pausing with his blanket, wished "a Merry Christmas to everybody and I hope I'll be back for a championship next year." Even in this moment of great joy there as, however, a note of sadness. WJPG's Bill Howard, who shared the emcee chores with Sturmer, called for "a real cheer for a great career." He had reference to Bobby Dillon, the brilliant defensive back who has announced his retirement after eight Packer seasons. The crowd's enthusiastic response sent Dillon back to Temple, Tex., with cheers in his ears.
'DETERMINATION' KEY TO PACK SUCCESS
DEC 15 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' first and last games of this miracle season of 1959 had three things in common: (1) They won both, beating the Bears 9-6 in Green Bay Sept. 26, and the 49ers 36-14 in San Francisco Dec. 13, (2) they scored a safety in each game, and (3) they were just as determined in the opener as they were in the finisher. "Determination!" That's the simple answer Coach Vince Lombardi had for flabbergasted San Francisco writers when they aimed "how come" questions at him after the windup in Kezar Stadium. "The wonderful thing about this team is its determination. We've had it all year long. We play a real determined game. But we're not the Baltimore Colts yet," Lombardi told a knot of reporters. The fact that Lombardi has been able to keep the Packers a determined team through one dozen grueling NFL games is, of course, a grand tribute to Lombardi. Determination and effort - like Green Bay hasn't enjoyed for many seasons - backboned the club's amazing 7-5 finish. And Lombardi certainly should be awarded with Coach of the Year honors! A real perfectionist, Lombardi will settle for nothing but the division championship. Which is why he won't call this a "good season." He quickly explained during the air trip back to Green Bay: "This had been a satisfactory season and certainly was beyond my expectations. I had expected to win some games, but I didn't expect to win seven." The Packers were bunchy, as it were. They won the first three, lost five in a row, and then finished off with four straight wins. To which Lombardi quipped: "I guess we had better strengthen our middle." He figured the five-game losing streak as "one of those things. Sometimes we played better football in those five losses than we did in some of the games we won. The best game we played all season was the loss to Baltimore in Milwaukee." The Packers were behind 21-3 at the half in that game and then outscored the champs 21-7 in the second half, only to lose 28-24. That game made quarterback Bart Starr, who started the next four games and won all of them. Lombardi pointed to Bart as one of the players who did "a great job." He also mentioned Boyd Dowler and Forrest Gregg and then praised the entire team because "it improved from week to week despite the losses." Vince, who taught offense with the Giants, aimed his first rebuilding moves at the start of the season at the defense and the unit pleased him no end. "That defensive team was the salvation of our club. It pulled us together many times," he explained. The defensive club reflected the squad's determination. The defense got a final long rest in Frisco Sunday when the offense held the ball for the last 8 and a half minutes of the game. "I was supposed to go in for Nate, but we (the defense) never got the ball," Jim Temp said. The entire Packer coaching staff finished on the sidelines. Red Cochran and Norb Hecker, who work the phones in the pressbox, joined the fun on the sidelines with six minutes left in the game. Lombardi, Phil Bengtson and Bill Austin work the sidelines. This was a wonderful experience for Bengtson, who served as a 49er assistant for eight seasons. It was the 49ers' first final-game loss in their history. The 49ers had won 13 straight home windups. At the start of the season, Bengtson said: "That's one record we'll break." The Packers swept the 49er series, winning in Green Bay 21-20; split with the Bears and Rams; beat Detroit twice; and lost to to champion Baltimore - among Western Division opposition. The Bays split with the two Eastern foes, losing to New York and blanking Washington...BRIEFS: Boyd Dowler and Hank Gremminger go into service for six months early in January. They'll be out in July, just in time for you know what. Ron Kramer developed ulcers last spring shortly before sweating out his return to civilian life from the Air Force...Fred Thurston will spend the offseason in Green Lake. "I'll be ice fishing most of the winter," Fuzzy says...Everybody made the United Airlines trip back to Green Bay but A.D. Williams and Tom Bettis. Williams lives in Santa Monica, a couple of blocks from where the team stayed, and Bettis and his family will spend the holidays at his wife's family home in Walnut Creek, Calif...Attendance in Kezar Stadium Sunday was 55,997.
WHAT WOULD THEY DO IF PACKERS WON TITLE?
DEC 15 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - "What would they ever do if we won the championship?" That's what Jesse Whittenton, Max McGee and Jim Ringo chimed when they surveyed the cheering crowd waiting at Austin Straubel Field Monday night. They were looking (and marveling) out the window as the plane rumbled to a halt. Nobody had an answer for that question. But it did not take much of an imagination. "They'd probably give us the town," Maxie the Taxi laughed. The size of the crowd didn't strike anybody home until the plane got close to stopping near the temporary stand. Weather conditions prevented circling over the field, and the scene didn't look like much through the soup above. The ceiling wasn't much more than 600 feet - the minimum for landing. Due to traffic coming and going (North Central planes) at Austin Straubel, the Packer United Airlines charter, which was captained by Bud Smith of Green Bay, flew in a "racetrack" pattern over the city of Green Bay while the field cleared. This pattern was executed completely in the clouds, soup or fog - however it looked, and ground lights couldn't be seen until a few minutes before the big plane came down for a landing. Most of the approach was operated by instrument from engineers at the airport - a common procedure in "weather."...FLY ON TO BERMUDA: The eight-hour flight started in clear sunny weather at San Francisco International Airport at 11 o'clock (1 p.m., Green Bay time) in the morning. It was a scenic flight until the midwest approached, but slow due to what the pilots called unusual and strong winds out of the north, creating something of a head wind. Players for the most part were quiet during the landing operation - ever since the plane dropped into the clouds somewhere above Clintonville. There was considerable worry that the plane could not land at Green Bay due to the low ceiling. "In that case," Smith said on the plane PA system, "we'll just stop in Milwaukee, refuel and fly on to Bermuda." Coach Vince Lombardi, anxiously awaiting the landing, said, "It might be a shame if we couldn't land - all those people waiting." When the rear door of the plane was opened, the road of the crowd caromed around the inside of the plane. Everybody seemed to be shocked, impressed and highly pleased - all at once. Made you wonder what would happen if the Bays brought home the title!
NIXON CONGRATULATES PACKERS ON COMEBACK ABILITY, FANS' SPIRIT
DEC 15 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Vice President Richard Nixon today congratulated the Green Bay Packers for the "great comeback ability which they have displayed throughout the season." Nixon thus joined other leaders in various walks of life who had praised the Packers Monday for rebounding from their worst season in history to their best victory-wise since 1944. Nixon's statement came in response to a query from the Press-Gazette whether he, as a professional football fan who has attended at least two Packer games, has any comment on the fortunes of the team this year. Nixon was the principal speaker at the City Stadium dedication in 1957 and the next year saw the Packers play an exhibition in Boston. Nixon's statement follows: "I wish you would express to the Green Bay Packer players and organization my congratulations on their victory Sunday and my admiration of the great comeback ability which they have displayed throughout the season, often, I must reluctantly admit, at the expense of teams from my own
state, California. Your entire community should be very proud not only of your fine football team, but also of your own spirit which has infused such vitality in the Packers. With every good wish for the holiday season, sincerely: Dick Nixon." Nixon's statement came too late to read at Monday night's homecoming celebration for the team at Austin Straubel Field, when approximately 7,500 fans turned out in drizzly, bone-chilling weather to greet the team. Although city and county police anticipated a traffic jam might occur to and from the airport, snarls generally were averted despite the fact that only one major highway route leads directly to the airport. The apparent initiative on the part of motorists to leave their homes well before the scheduled plane arrival resulted in a steady but generally smooth flow into airport parking area. After the program, the exit road was clear of departing vehicles in 10 minutes. The program ended at 9:30. The county traffic patrol, operating an enlarged night shift in expectation of a major traffic problem, and upwards of 25 Civil Defense auxiliary policemen were on duty to direct vehicle traffic - and there was a mass of autos. County authorities estimated the number of cars at 2,000. The autos overflowed the regular airport parking lots, as anticipated, and were directed beyond this area to the west...WEATHER REDUCES CROWD: The weather - rainy since the afternoon and in the low 30s in temperature - undoubtedly reduced the size of the crowd. The last-hour announcement of the delay in the team plane's arrival, broadcast by local radio and television stations, also may have changed the minds of some fans who originally intended to join the "official" welcome - as it also probably helped to spread out the arrival of vehicles at the airport. Estimates of the crowd's size ranged earlier in the day to as high as 15,000. The first estimated time of the team's arrival, 7:55, was amended to 8:40 well after a large portion of the crowd had arrived. The second estimate subsequently was revised by Federal Aviation Agency authorities at the airport after it received reports that the airliner was encountering strong headwinds during the last segment of its flight from the West Coast. The plane landed a few minutes after 9 p.m.
'FRISCO FREEZE HIGHLIGHT OF PACK'S JINX-BREAKING SPREE
DEC 16 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' jinx-breaking spree on the west coast had many fine moments. In our book, the Bays saved the best (next to winning, that) until the last. That would be the club's freeze of the ball for nearly nine minutes at the end of the 49er victory, with Bart Starr shutting the icebox door. It added to Starr's stature as a saver of time and a waster of same. Just before the half, he engineered six plays in 41 seconds, throwing 22 yards to Gary Knafelc for the game-tying touchdown on Play 6 with actually 14 seconds left. The 62-yard move started with 55 seconds on the clock. With the score 36 to 14 and still time enough for the 49ers to win, Starr became a "wild spender" with slightly less than nine minutes in the game. The Bays started the slow push from their own 10-yard line, where the 49ers had lost it on downs. Starr crunched the Bays offense 75 yards in 17 plays before the official sounded the pistola. Starr threw four passes, all inside the Packer 50, and completed all of them. Once in 49er territory, the Bays stayed on the ground. As Coach Vince Lombardi said later, "we just wanted to keep the ball." Two penalties were involved in the push. A defensive holding penalty gave the Bays a break on the third play, but on Play 4 the Bays got nicked for holding - all the way back to the eight. Starr got out of that fix with three straight completions. That was a wonderful rest for the defense. Sort of a going-away "thank you" from the offense to the defense for playing such fine ball all season!...Coach and General Manager Vince Lombardi returned to his office Tuesday and found his desk piled mighty high. His first order of business was handing out final '59 pay checks and having a chat with each player privately. The players were coming and going all day. Most of the athletes left Green Bay yesterday for their home around the country - one for keeps. That would be Bobby Dillon, the Packers' great defense back who is retiring after eight seasons. Several players are Green Bay taxpayers and others are planning to stay for the winter. Joe Francis and Jerry Kramer are among those planning to find work here during the offseason. The Packer Corp. has a committee set up to help the players find offseason employment.
NOTES AND NOTIONS
DEC 16 (Appleton Post-Crescent) - Happy day! The Green Bay Packers won't need any gimmicks to sell season tickets in 1960. After the Bay's just-concluded fabulous comeback, tickets will practically sell themselves (and this would be a great time to add a few more seats to the City Stadium capacity). There'll be no need to hang the ticket campaign on such pegs as a new stadium, a new coach or a No. 1 draftee. No sir. The best advertisement of all - good, solid, exciting football - will be in the Packers' corner. The Packers delivered that commodity in 1959 and almost certainly will again in '60. In those dark days of a year ago, I commented, in part: "The Packers can be a tremendous advertisement for the state and potentially gave us the chance of seeing the world's best football played in our own neighborhood. But this can only be accomplished if the Packers regain
their big-time vigor, vitality and know-how." What a difference a year makes! The Packers have regained all of these things in one short season. And, the gentleman most responsible, of course, is Vince Lombardi. He is easily "the man of the year" in Wisconsin sports. Prof. Lombardi took over the chair of footballology in late January and has been dishing our remarkable lessons ever since. Lombardi reunited badly-split factions of Packerland fans and officials, he restored the players' confidence in their ability to play high-grade football; and he brough to beat the strategy and training methods that produced a winning machine. What more can you ask of one man - particularly in a single season?...ONLY THREE INTACT TEAMS DID BETTER IN '59: On the strength of the Packers' good exhibition season showing, I predicted a 5-7 league season (somewhat hesitatingly since that appeared quite a lofty target after the 1-10-1 record of '58). I said in this space, "A breakeven season would make Vince's debut a spectacular success." Now, that the Packers have gone me one better than even that, I'm at a loss for an adjective that would do justice to the situation. The Packers got off to an unbelievably swift start, fell into a mid-season slump (which included rare instances for their only bad football of the entire year), then got their second wind for a roaring 4-victory finish. Only three teams complied a better 1959 record than the Packers. They are division champions Baltimore and New York and the western runnerup Bears (who felt the Packers' sting once). Mind you, these three clubs had intact, holdover units that needed little or no reshuffling. By comparison to the job confronting Lombardi, Ewbank, Howell and Halas had only to press the right buttons. Since Lombardi was admittedly building for the future (regardless of how many wins the '59 season might produce), the Packers are in good shape, agewise. Two or three key additions (via draftees or trades) to the comparatively young team, plus some added help in the quality of the squad's depth could improve the Packer position even more next season. But that's in the future. Let's first savor the success of '59.
DEC 17 (Appleton Post-Crescent) - Recent comments by a Chicago Tribune columnist convinces me that provincialism isn't restricted to smaller-sized communities. The scribe, Dave Condon, states - presumably in dead earnest - that "Professional football's coach of 1959 has to be Chicago's George Halas." He brushes off the remarkable Packer achievement with: "Vince Lombardi's 7 won, 5 lost mark in his first season with Green Bay Packers was better than anticipated." That's one of the understatements of the year. If Lombardi doesn't finish ahead of Halas at "coach of the year" time, I'll forever lose my faith in sport polls. Condon's case for Halas is based on the Bears' seven straight wins after a dismal 1-4 start. "The strain on Halas must have been brutal," he writes. Rubbish! In my book, the pressure was all but off after those early losses, for only twice in the 25 yards has a 4-loss record been good enough to take Western honors. It's true Halas deserves credit for pulling the Bears together, but his achievement doesn't compare with Lombardi's. Vince had to pick up the pieces from the preceding season's 1-10-1 record and start from scratch. Halas, on the other hand, began operations with a ready-made title contender - one that had earned an 8-4 record in 1958. Before anyone votes for Halas, he ought to ask himself: Why did the talent-laden Bears lose four of their first five games? Take the season opener, for example. Halas' club unquestionably had a big edge on paper over a rebuilt Packer team. Yet, the Bears fell - and that loss eventually cost them a title tie with Baltimore...The Sporting News' all-pro selections, announced this week, include four Packers on the Western conference unit. They are center Jim Rino and tackle Forrest Gregg, on offense; and tackle Dave Hanner and cornerback Jess Whittenton, on defense...It's possible that the draft-unlucky Packers might wind up with only one of their first five choices - and that's Tom Moore, the No. 1 guy, who's already been signed. The Bays now appear quite certain to lose Bob Jeter (No. 2 pick) to Canada; they gave up No. 3 and 4 in trades; and Dale Hackbart (fifth pick) might conceivably choose pro baseball over football. A clue to the Jeter move came when he said he would defer a decision until he talked with Coach Forest Evashevski. It's likely that "Evy" (rumored a Packer coaching candidate last year) did nothing to encourage Randy Duncan to sign with the Bays - and he probably will be just as "helpful" in the Jeter case. Another good Iowa player, end Don Horn, also joined the Canadian league a week or so ago.
EARP HEADS PACK ALUMNI
DEC 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Francis L. (Jug) Earp has been elected president of the Packer Alumni Assn. for 1960, succeeding Charley Brock, it has been announced. Others named to office include John Martinkovic, vice-president; John B. Biolo, secretary-treasurer; and Carl Zoll, sergeant-at-arms. Andy Uram and W.L. (Whitey) Woodin were elected to the executive committee, which also includes the club's officers and Brock, who will serve in an advisory capacity.
FOUR PACKERS IN PRO BOWL
DEC 17 (Los Angeles) - Four Green Bay Packers today were named to the NFL Western Division All-Star team dominated by the Baltimore Colts and the San Francisco 49ers, represented by seven players each. The western squad will meet the Eastern All-Stars Jan, 17 in the Pro Bowl. Packers named to the offensive unit was center Jim Ringo, halfback Paul Hornung and tackle Forrest Gregg. Representing the Packer defense is linebacker Bill Forester. The Chicago Bears landed six men on the squad, and Detroit and Los Angeles, as well as the Packers, four each. The Los Angeles Ram' Les Richter was the only player selected on both the offensive and defensive units. He was named center and linebacker.
HORNUNG PACKERS' STATISTICAL CHAMPION
DEC 17 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Figure Fun. That Golden Boy from Notre Dame and Louisville, Ky., one Paul Hornung, was the Packers' statistical kind in '59 - his third season in Green Bay silks. Hornung won the league scoring championship and led the Bays in ground gaining. Anchored at one position for the first time as a pro, he was able to concentrate and thus show some of his tremendous potential. He ripped off 94 points to beat out the Giants' Pat Summerall by four marks for league honors. And he added 681 yards for an eighth place finish among the loop's rushers. Hornung was uppish and downish along the way. With Jim Taylor out and the load on his shoulders, Paul rolled for 138 yards in 28 tough carries against the 49ers in Green Bay. He tailed off in the next three games - 54, 22 and 36 yards, and then hit rock bottom against the Bears in Chicago. he carried four times for a minus three yards and fumbled three times. In the five games after Chicago, Hornung charged to 329 yards (nearly half of his final total) in 55 carries, getting 77, 78, 17 (in six minutes), 74 and 83. Hornung scored all of the Packers' points, 33 of them, in their last two exhibition games. He opened the season with one - in the 9-6 victory over the Bears but finished with 22 against the 49ers in San Francisco. Hornung actually scored 48 of his 94 points in the last three games. He counted 18 in the first six minutes at Detroit before injuring his ribs, added eight in Los Angeles and then the 22. He scored five touchdowns and kicked two field goals and 12 extra points in the three games. Hornung is the first Packer to win the scoring title since Ted Fritsch turned the trick in '46. Fritsch reeled off 100 points in that first Don Hutson-less season. Don won the league scoring crowd in seven of the nine seasons previous to '46. Fritsch produced his century on 10 touchdowns, 13 extra points, and nine field goals. Hutson, incidentally, holds the league scoring record - 138 points in 1942 on 17 touchdowns, 33 extra points and one field goal. His second best total was 177 in '43. Halfback Hornung doubled his yardage figures of the last two years when he worked at quarterback, fullback and halfback. He counted 319 in 60 attempts in 1957 and moved 310 in 69 last season. His '59 total was the best since Howie Ferguson made 859 in 1955. Lew Carpenter finished the next highest in league statistics with a second in punt returns. He lugged back 13 for an average of 11.5. Billy Butler was seventh in that department. John Symank was fifth in the league in kickoff returns with 14 for an average of 24.1 Max McGee wound up seventh in punting with an average of 42.4 on 64 kicks. Lamar McHan finished a fraction ahead of Bart Starr in the passing department. "Mac" had an average per gain of 7.45 yards on 108 attempts, while Bart averaged 7.25 on 134 throws. Starr, who played the last five and a half games, had a completion percentage of 52.2. McHan presided at the first three wins and Starr at the last four.
NOTES AND NOTIONS
VINCE, OFFENSE EXPERT, SOLD ON DEFENSE
DEC 18 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers scored 74 points in their historic sweep of the two-game West Coast series, averaging 37 per game. These facts were pointed out to Coach Vince Lombardi on the flight home. To which he answered: "That's fine, but what about the defense!" Vince, in case you haven't guessed, is sold on defense. He's convinced that you can't win in this league without a good defense. "How do you think we won our first three games? Defense!" Lombardi asked and answered. This proves that Vince doesn't operate on a single track. The man has been in offense all his football life, as it were - an offensive guard at Fordham, installer of the T attack for the Fordham freshman in '47 and offense coach of Army and the Giants for 10 years. What about the defense? The Packers ranked third in the league on yards allowed, and that's a musical rose for Defense Coaches Phil Bengtson and Norb Hecker and the defense player platoon. Green Bay allowed 3,552 yards rushing and passing. The Giants' fine defenders gave up only 2,843 for first the Steelers were second with 3,342. Green Bay the No. 2 team in the league on yards allowed by passing - 1,782. Tops was New York with 1,582. Lombardi always said, "they'll run on us," and the Bays finished sixth in yards allowed by rushing. The Bays gave up 1,770 against the Giants' best of 1,261. The Packers allowed 246 points, which is a high average of around 20 per game. But only two teams really point-clubbed the Bays - the Rams in Milwaukee 45-6 wand the Colts in Baltimore 38-21. Remove those 83 points and the Packers' point-allowed total goes down to 163 - an average of 16.3, which is a championship figure. The Bays twice had 28 points scored against them - the Bears (28-17) in Chicago and the Colts (28-14) in Milwaukee. And those are the two games the Packers feel they should have won! The Packers started on a terrific defensive track this year, giving the Bears 6, the Lions 10 and the 49ers 20 in the home sweep. In the five-game loss skein, the Bays allowed 45 to the Rams, 38 to the Colts, 20 to the Giants, 28 to the Bears and 28 to the Colts. The four-game win streak saw the Pack allow the Redskins zero, the Lions 17, the Rams 20 and the 49ers 14. In the three-game win streak, the Bays allowed an average of only 13 points. The average allowance in the four-game was slightly over 12. The "AA" in the losing ride was a hold-your-hat 31.8. The Packers found it difficult to keep anybody from scoring boxcarish figures in the last decade. This is the Bays' best record on points (246) allowed since 1947, when they permitted 210. Next best
along the way was 251 in 1952. The two worst defensive years were 1950, when the foes scored 406, and '58, when the Bays gave up 382. Just think, the '59 Packers allowed 136 fewer points than a year ago. Times have changed!
PACKERS LONG WAY FROM CHAMPS
DEC 18 (Green Bay) - Vince Lombardi succeeded in making the Green Bay Packers the most improved team in professional football this year, but now he admits it's going to be rough improving on that success. Lombardi put himself right among the frontrunners for the NFL's coach of the year by turning a 1-10-1 record in 1958 into a 7-5 record and a third place tie in the Western Division this year. "Next year is going to be tougher. We sneaked up on a few of them in the beginning of the season, and they'll be ready for us next year," Lombardi said. It was Lombardi's first year as a head coach, and while he's not afraid of a "sophomore jinx" in 1960, the demanding Packer boss is certain that another big jump ahead next season that would take Green Bay to a division title is not in the cards. "A title?" cried Lombardi, taken aback with the mere suggestion of it. "We're a long way from a title. We still have to improve tremendously to be in that class." One of the things Lombardi said when Green Bay fans whooped it up for the best Packers team since 1944 was, "We're not the Baltimore Colts yet." Asked what the Packers need to become the Colts, Lombardi laughed and said, "Unitas, Perry, Ameche and Lipscomb." The biggest reason for the Packers' improvement was the team's much stronger defense, molded by Lombardi with several key trades. But Lombardi said he did not expect to be able to trade as freely next year. For one thing, the Packers will not be as willing to give up players from this year's team, so "we'll be more difficult to trade with," Lombardi said. "Also there will be very few people who will want to trade with us" for fear of making the Packers stronger, he added. "We're going to have to polish the men we now have and hope our rookies can give us more spark," Lombardi stated. The Packers have signed their first draft choice, halfback Tom Moore of Vanderbilt, and "we're coming along as good as anybody else" in signing other draftees, Lombardi said. But with the new AFL and the Canadians bidding for football players this year, "everybody is having difficulty signing players," Lombardi said. "The players are waiting to see what they're offered." Lombardi figures to have all of this year's Pack back again in 1960. Paul Hornung, the NFL's leading scorer, finished a three year contract this season, but has already said he's ready to come back. Only one-eyed defenseman Bobby Dillon, who was coaxed out of quitting this year, has said he won't return. But Lombardi said he also expects to see Dillon back. "Ten or 12 players every year say they're going to retire at the end of the season, and show up as usual the next year."
PACK ATTENDANCE UP 78,832; HONOR HUTSON; 'EM' A BONUS
DEC 19 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packers' rip-shortin' play during the '59 season was reflected in the attendance. Green Bay played before 527,850 fans in the 12 NFL games. The dozen gates in '58 totaled 449,018. That's a gain of 78,832. Attendance went up at home and on the road. The '59 team drew 189,998 at home, including 61,695 in the two games in Milwaukee, and 337,852 on the road. The '58 club pulled 167,636 at home and 281,382 on the road...The Packers were the most improved team in the league in '59. Leaping from 1-10-1 last year to 7-5, the Packers, making their debut under Vince Lombardi, had a gain of 5 1/2 games. The Eagles improved by 4 1/2 games, jumping from 2-9-1 to 7-5. The Rams dropped off six games - from 8-4 to 2-10. The Colts and Bears had the same finish as a year ago, 9-3 and 8-4...On a recent player-signing trip to Texas, Packer Publicist Tom Miller saw big Ed Neal, the ex-Packer strong man, in Wichita Falls. Ed asked to be remembered to his friends in Green Bay and told Tom to send him a Green Bay telephone directory. Neal sold his blacksmith business recently and now is making drilling equipment for oil wells...Don Hutson, the Packer immortal who is a member of the National Football Hall of Fame, has been named to the Sports Illustrated Silver Anniversary All-America team (current issue). Hutson and the 24 other winners were selected on the basis of successful living in the intervening quarter century. Sports Illustrated has found that the average starting salary was $1,000, but now (25 years later) the average income of the group is $50,000 a year - and they are working an average of 65 hours a week to earn it. Don now is in business in Racine, starting there in '51 after
closing out his auto dealership in Green Bay. "I loved football," Hutson told the magazine, "but all my life I wanted to be in business for myself and I used football toward that goal." Hutson has the Cadillac and Cheverolet Automobile agency in Racine. In March of 1956, he established the Northern Discount Co., of which he is president, and in '58 he added the sales agency of the Renault automobiles. Don has been a director of the First National Bank and Trust Co., the largest bank in the Racine area, since 1953...After 12 long years in the NFL, the Packers' Emlen Tunnell has finally become a bonus choice. He was selected today by West Pro Coach Red Hickey as a "bonus" for the Pro Bowl game in Los Angeles Jan. 17. East Coach Buck Shaw named Marion Campbell of the Eagles as his bonus. Previous choices were made by vote of the 12 NFL coaches. The Packers have four others in the game - Paul Hornung, Jim Ringo, Forrest Gregg and Bill Forester...Norb Hecker, Packer defensive backfield coach, entered the NAIA Hall of Fame in St. Petersburg. Fla., Friday night along with eight other football stars. Norb was honored at a banquet there last night. He will scout the Holiday Bowl game there this afternoon.
​AFL PRO CLUB OFFERS POST TO BENGTSON
DEC 20 (Minneapolis) - Owners of the Minneapolis-St. Paul club in the new American Football League conferred in Madison Saturday with Phil Bengtson, their apparent No. 1 choice as head coach. Bengtson, a tackle on the University of Minnesota's national championship team of 1934, joined the Green Bay Packers as defensive coach this year after nine seasons as assistant with the San Francisco 49ers. H.P. Skoglund, part owner of the Twin Cities team, said there would be no announcement on selection of the Minneapolis-St. Paul coach for "at least a week." Bengtson was an assistant at Missouri and Stanford before joining the 49ers. Ten years ago he was a strong candidate for the Minnesota athletic directorship, a job that went to Ike Armstrong. Bengtson was believed to be seriously considering the Minneapolis-St. Paul offer, but there was no indication whether he had accepted. Two teams of the new league have signed their coaches. New York picked off Sammy Baugh, former Hardin-Simmons coach and onetime pro great, and Buffalo signed Buster Ramsey.
TWIN CITIES GROUP APPLIES FOR NFL FRANCHISE, EYES '60 START
DEC 21 (Minneapolis) - The new pro football league was confronted today with a fresh challenge in Minneapolis-St. Paul by loyalists of the National League and a man from out of the sport's frontier days. "If the National League extends us a franchise, we expect to be operating in 1960," said Ole Haugsrud, Duluth sportsman and tobacco wholesaler who owned the Duluth Eskimos in the NFL more than three decades ago. With his $25,000 earnest money check to lead headquarters went an application that bore the signature, among others in the combine, of Ernie Nevers of San Francisco, one of football's all-time greats and a member of the old Eskimos. Haugsrud's application, and the apparent encouragement it received from several NFL owners, signaled anoth4er collision between forces of the National League and the new AFL over the Twin Cities territory. The AFL evidently is set to operate here. H.P. Skoglund, part owner of the Minneapolis-St. Paul AFL team, said, "We intend to go right down the line with the American League, no matter what happens." Reports that he and fellow owners might be planning to shift to the NFL themselves have no foundation, he said. Haugsrud said he has talked with seven or eight National League owners and was advised to make his application. "I was told the National League definitely will add two teams in 1960," he said. An estimated million dollars would be needed to get an NFL team going in the Twin Cities, Haugrud said. He claimed to have enough backing from area businessmen to raise the money. In Philadelphia, acting NFL Commissioner Austin Gunsel said the application by Haugsrud's group would be considered along with others at the league meeting next month.
NOT PLANNING TO LEAVE PACKERS NOW: BENGTSON
DEC 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Phil Bengtson, the Packers' defense coach who is being sought as coach of the Minneapolis-St. Paul club in the new AFL, said here today he is "pleased with the Packer setup and I have no intention of leaving now." Bengtson was in Minneapolis over the weekend and talked with officials of the new club. A native of the Minneapolis area, Bengtson also visited his mother. Phil was a tackle on Minnesota's national championship team of 1934. Bengtson handles the Packers' defense, which ranked third in the league and kept the Packers "alive" while the offense was untracking early in the season. Coach-GM Vince Lombardi left today for New York where he'll do a video tape to be used in connection with the telecast of the Colt-Giant championship game Sunday. he also plans to visit his parents there.
PACKERS' VINCE LOMBARDI VOTED COACH OF YEAR
DEC 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The miracle of the Packers' fabulous 1959 comeback season is now complete! Vince Lombardi, who took over the floundering Packers as general manager and head coach less than a year ago, today was voted coach of the year by NFL writers in the annual Associated Press poll. Lombardi, as we know and appreciate in Packerland, did a fantastic job. And it was recognized throughout the league, judging by the emphatic vote. Vince won in a landslide. He received 29 out of th4e 37 votes cast, four votes going to Jim Lee Howell of the New York Giants and two each to Weeb Ewbank of Baltimore and Red Hickey of San Francisco. Ewbank won the award last year. The reason for Lombardi's honor is pure and simple. Vince took over a team which has one only one game, lost 10 and tied one and inspired it to a 7-5 record - not to mention a third place tie in the rugged Western Division. Last year's record was the Packers' worst in 40 years and the '59 finish was the best since the championship year of 1944. Lombardi's biggest job was installing the winning spirit in the team and, if you will, in the fans. He started talking winning - not titles but just plain winning games - away last January. "We'll win some along the way," he'd beam and you had to be confident. That winning spirit started to take shape along the non-league trail. Gone was that old happy ho-hum, oh-well attitude. All was business - with one aim, joy after a win. The non-loop season produced four wins and two losses. Lombardi's impact on the players was shown in the league opener against the Bears. In a spontaneous gesture after the amazing 9-6 victory, the players carried him off the field on their shoulders. The Packers completed a three-game winning streak at home and then went on a five-game losing streak, losing two to the champion Colts, one to the champion Giants, one to the Bears and one to the Rams. It was a rugged period - especially after three
wins, but the Bays never lost heart and kept fighting. That was a grand tribute to Lombardi. They roared back and won their last four games. Vince is a man of action. He wasn't here two weeks last January when the walls in the Packer office came tumbling down. He set up offices for office personnel and streamlined operations. It all pointed up one thing: Organization. Convinced that you can't win in this league without a defense, Lombardi aimed his first trades at bolstering this unit. He obtained Hank Jordan, Bob Freeman and Bill Quinlan from the Browns, parting with Billy Howton and draft choices, and Em Tunnell from the Giants. They figured in a defense that finished third in the league and practically won the first three games, allowing only three TDs in those wins. Lew Carpenter, Lamar McHan and Fred Thurston were obtained to help the offense. Vince killed two birds with one stone in bolstering the defense. "A good defensive team will also help the club's morale," he explained. Lombardi mixed everybody up and came out with some personnel miracles. Paul Hornung, for the first time, revealed some of his tremendous potential as an option halfback. A foot-burning injury for Jim Taylor brought forth Carptenter as a key performer. Forrest Gregg became an all-pro. And so it went. Lombardi had a fire going! Vince's biggest problem was quarterback. He weighed the three many times during the exhibition season. Joe Francis showed so much animation he actually held the edge for a spell during the preseason campaign. Starr was quiet and reserved - maybe not the fiery type Vince wanted. McHan led off because, as Vince said, "he had shown the most stuff and we needed somebody different for the fans and the opposition." After winning three straight, McHan ran into shoulder injuries. He had to be taken out of the crucial Giant game and Lombardi went with his young fireman, Francis. Joe couldn't cope with the league's best defense. The next Sunday, Starr replaced a reinjured McHan and Bart hasn't left yet, winning the last four. Vince recognized Bart's suddenly-adapted fiery attitude and complimented: "Now I know I have two good quarterbacks." Stirring competition among the players has been a tipoff in Lombardi's own fighting spirit and demands for 100 percent effort. The players got to a point where they were made when they were taken out of a game. "I can't do anything on the bench," one said. And so it went as Lombardi's wide smile, easy growl and perhaps a little needle worked wonders. When it was all over, Lombardi paid special tribute to his staff of assistant coaches - Phil Bengtson and Norb Hecker on defense and Bill Austin and Red Cochran on offense. "They are the finest staff in the NFL. Any accolades at all belong to them and not to me," Vince said. Vince was in New York today when the announcement was made. He was out there to visit his parents and cut a video tape as part of the telecast of the Giant-Colt game Sunday.
LOMBARDI RATES GAME 'TOSS-UP'
DEC 23 (New York) - Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers, whose team played both Baltimore and New York, says the Giants-Colts championship contest this Sunday rates as a toss-up. Lombardi, named coach of the year in the annual Associated Press poll, said the Colts may have a little edge on the offense but the Giants have a little advantage on defense. "One thing, I don't believe the game this year will be the thriller it was last year when Baltimore beat New York, 23-17, in a sudden death overtime," Lombardi said. "I think the game may break open early. Either team could do it." Lombardi expressed confidence Tuesday that his surprising Packers will be even better next year. "I don't know whether it will show up in the won and lost column," the 46-year old coach said. "We sneaked up on a few of the teams in the beginning - the Packers won their first three games and now they'll be ready for us. We've got to be a better club because we're a young team. Our team was the youngest in the league, averaging 24 years. Our offensive line, with the exception of center Jim RIno, was made up of second year men. The offensive backfield was young. And we solved our most pressing problem. That was teaching a new system. It took time to do this. We won't have to spend as much time on it next year. That's a great advantage. We've got to be better off." Lombardi said that "great determination" made the Packers go this year. "I know it sounds a little corny," he said. "But that's the way it was. We had no great players. Everyone put out."
DICK TETEAK WILL PLAY IN CANADA
DEC 23 (Oshkosh) - Dick Teteak, former University of Wisconsin center, said Tuesday he has signed a 1960 contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Teteak worked out with the Green Bay Packers last season but did not make the team.
PACKERS' RINGO NAMED TO AP AND UPI ALL-PROS
DEC 23 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Two major newspaper wire services - the Associated Press and United Press International - came out with their all-pro selections today. And Jim Ringo, the Packers' young-old center, made both first teams. Seven other Packers were honored in the selections. Halfback Paul Hornung and tackle Forrest Gregg made both second offensive teams. Linebacker Bill Forester made the UPI second defensive team. Packer honorable mention in the UPI selection went to tackle Dave Hanner, guard Jerry Kramer and linebackers Tom Bettis and Dan Currie. The UPI picked a completed first and second offensive and defensive team and honorable mention. The AP selected a full first team and then selected star players from each club, regardless of position, for a second team/ Voting for the two services was done by league-city sportswriters who covered the teams. The UPI poll included 31 voters; the AP 37. The AP opened up all-pro selections yesterday with announcement of Packer Coach-GM Vince Lombardi as coach of the year. Vince won in a landslide, capturing 29 of 37 votes. Due to the tremendous growth and popularity of pro football, the wire services now place more emphasis on the "all-pros." Not too many years ago, the all-pros was part of the news-feature services of the news agencies and it was mailed out two or three weeks in advance of the release date. Now the wire services are in hot competition and likely to pop major selections almost anytime. Among the "alls" coming up are rookie of the year, player of the year and lineman of the year from both services. The UPI still hasn't announced its coach of the year. Incidentally, the Packers' Boyd Dowler has a good chance to make rookie of the year honors. Ringo, the Packers' offensive captain, is fresh from his seventh season despite the fact that he had just turned 28 (Nov. 21). The Packers' seventh draft choice from Syracuse, Ringo came to the Packers as a rookie in '53 at the tender age of 20. Jim made both the AP and UPI for the first time this season. he was on the AP squad in 1957-58. Ringo has his best year as a pro in '59, spearheading the club's rugged offensive line. This unit, under Coach Bill Austin, was all "kid" with the exception of "old man Ringo." Jim was a steadying influence - plus a fire furnisher. Hornung was a cinch for the second-team backfield, what with the scoring championship in his back pocket. He displayed some of his great potential last season and he stands a good chance to make the No. 1 club in the years ahead. Big Bubba Forester should have made the first team. The big, swift Texan practically owned two or three quarterbacks in the league, and his tackling was sharp. The Packers actually had the best threesome of linebackers in the league with Forester, Bettis and Currie. And Ray Nitschke provided some excellent insurance on the bench. Gregg finished off as the lightest offensive tackle in the league - at around 237. The agile native of Birthright, Tex., played offensive right tackle. He was a bulwark right from the start, providing numerous holes for fine gains and giving the passer excellent protection against some of the toughest, including Gino Marchetti. This was the first honor for the aggressive Kramer. Jerry, who finished off at around 250 pounds, started to improve sharply about mid-season and he figures to be one of the league's finest in future years. The two wire services picked practically the same teams on defense. The only change was in one halfback. The AP selected Andy Nelson, while the UPI named Dean Darby of Pittsburgh in the backfield. In the offensive backfield, the AP picked Lenny Moore of Baltimore at halfback and the UPI took J.D. Smith of San Francisco. The other backs were the same - Frank Gifford of New York at halfback, Jimmy Brown of Cleveland at fullback and John Unitas of Baltimore at quarterback...Lombardi, reached in New York by the AP after his selection as coach of the year, expressed confidence that the Packers will be even better next year. "I don't know whether it will show up in the won and lost column," the 46-year old coach said. "We sneaked up on a few of the teams in the beginning. The Packers won their first three games and now they'll be ready for us. We've got to be a better club because we're a young club. Our team was the youngest in the league, averaging 24 years. Our offensive line, with the exception of center Jim Ringo, was made up of second year men. The offensive backfield was young. And we solved our most pressing problem. That was teaching a new system. It took time to do this. We won't have to spend as much time on it next year. That's a great advantage. We've to be better off." Lombardi said that "great determination" made the Packers go this year. "I know it sounds a little corny," he said. But that's the way it was. We had no great players. Everyone put out." Vince was due back in Green Bay today.
"I'LL BET THESE BOYS REALLY RESPECT VINNIE!"
DEC 24 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - We were talking about Vince Lombardi with the Rev. Thomas Moore. It was an hour before the Packer-Giant game in Yankee Stadium last Nov. 1 and the tension was starting to grip the occupants of the visitors' dressing room. Father Moore is athletic counselor of St. Cecilia High in Englewood, N.J., where Vince coached football and taught for eight years. They care close friends. Maybe it was the pregame jitters during the course of chinning but we asked what now seems like a stupid question: "Can Vince make it in this league?" Father Moore looked around to make sure Lombardi was busy in a far corner of the room and twinkled: "He'll be a success out in Green Bay - just as he would be in any endeavor, and I'll tell you why. He has a wonderful natural ability to command respect from everyone he meets. And he's a good man. We can't forget that. And what a fine teacher. He could teach anything - physics, chemistry, history, English - and we'd send pupils to him with their problems." Motioning toward the athletes, Father Moore added: "I'll bet those boys really respect Vinnie." Truer words were never spoken. This respect toward the head coach was reflected in the Packers' 100 percent effort in each game - win or lose. They just won't let him down. Selection of Lombardi as coach of the year in The Associated Press poll certainly was well received. "He sure had it coming" and "what a wonderful thing" were the reactions...Eight Packer players received special honors thus far - Jim Ringo, first team AP and UPI; Paul Hornung and Forrest Gregg, second team AP and UPI; Bill Forester, second team UPI; and Dave Hanner, Jerry Kramer, Tom Bettis and Dan Currie, honorable mention UPI. One other player, Boyd Dowler, likely will get a special accolade - as rookie of the year. But one deserving gent was shutout completely. That would be Jesse Whittenton, the cornerbacker who at the least should have received honorable mention - or even second team. We're wondering if Jesse might have been inadvertently omitted because we know a couple of guys who voted for him. Anyway, here's a HM toast to Jesse!...Tom Hearden will be home for the holidays. The former Packer, St. Norbert and East coaching veteran, who is recuperating from a stroke suffered in May 1957, is taking timeout from treatment at Veterans' Hospital in Iron Mountain.
NFL SETS GATE MARK 8TH STRAIGHT SEASON
DEC 24 (Philadelphia) - The NFL and two of its clubs had record attendance this year, an Associated Press survey shows. For the NFL, it was the eighth consecutive year in which it topped its previous records. The accomplishment was achieved despite unfavorable economic conditions in three league cities. The new record of 3,314,515 fans exceed the 1958 total by 156,617. Nine clubs had increases and three lost ground. The Green Bay Packers, whose great comeback earned Vince Lombardi Coach of the Year laurels, showed an increase of about 13 percent at the game. They attracted 189,998 fans to six home games (two of which were in Milwaukee) compared with 167,626 for 1958. The biggest single boost was by the Eastern Division champion New York Giants. They had a club record of 389,603 fans sitting in their six home games, 97,617 more than in 1958. The next biggest increase was the 224,518 attendance at Philadelphia Eagles' home games, a club record and an increase of 49,986 fans over 1958 when the Eagles were 2-9-1. This year they were 7-5. The Los Angeles Rams continued as the biggest individual home draw, though experiencing a marked drop in attendance. The Rams had 444,476 fans pass through the Coliseum turnstiles, an average of 74,079. Still the total was 57,608 off their 1958 mark. The Rams won none at home and had their worst overall mark. Acting Commissioner Austin Gunsel said the figures would have been higher except for the effect of the steel strike in Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Of the three, Pittsburgh still had a 19,234 increase. Cleveland had a 32,401 drop and Detroit, with a poor club, dropped 13,583. Gunsel said he thought the new record stemmed in part from the resurgence of the Philadelphia and Green Bay teams and the development of a New York Giants' "alumni" following.
DOWLER NAMED NFL ROOKIE OF YEAR
DEC 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Boyd Dowler is pro football's rookie of the year! And that gives the Packers an amazing half of the four major individual honors set up each year by the Associated Press. Earlier, Packer GM-Coach Vince Lombardi was named coach of the year; the Colts' John Unitas was ranked player of the year; and the Giants' Sam Huff was picked lineman of the year. The selections were made for the AP by writers and sportscasters who actually covered NFL games! Dowler was a convincing winner, getting 14 votes. Bill Stacy of the Chicago Cardinals was second with 7. Others who received votes were Dave Baker of San Francisco and Buddy Dial of Pittsburgh, 4 each; Joe Morrison of New York, John Levotre of Los Angeles, Tommy Davis of San Francisco, 2 each; Richie Petitbon of Chicago Bears and Nick Pietrosante of Detroit, 1 each. Dowler made a big impact in the "veteran" NFL, but not right from the start. The long-legged end and flanker back caught 32 passes for 549 yards and four
touchdowns but wait: He never caught a pass - in fact, never played much - in the first three games and nailed only five in the first half (six games) of the season. But he finished off with 25 catches in the final five games, including eight in one game against the world champion Colts. Boyd, who turned 22 last Oct. 18, stands 6-5 and packs 235. He looks as young as a high school senior - the real All-American boy type. Dowler was the Packers' third draft choice a year ago. He was a combination quarterback and end at Colorado University. He won nine letters in football, basketball and track at Cheyenne, Wyo., High. Lombardi paid tribute today to his young galloper: "Boyd was a real blazer at the end of the season. He has all the tools to be a great one - size, speed, hands and the one thing you must have - desire." From Cheyenne where he's visiting his parents before going into the Army for a six-month hitch Jan. 10, Dowler modestly said he planned to continue pro ball next year "if I can make the team," adding: "I'm thrilled and surprised and want to give tribute to the Packers as a whole and particularly to Vince Lombardi, the coach. We'll be in the championship race next year." Dowler was the prize pupil of Tom Fears, the Ram immortal who coached the Packer ends during the early part of the training season and for the last two weeks on the west coast. "He's going to be a good one because he has all the stuff and almost as important he can be coached. He absorbs coaching very well," Tom said. Red Cochran, the Packers' backfield coach, recalled: "He came to camp half scared to death - tense, fumbleitis, and all. Then he left for the All Star camp in August and I guess he didn't impress them much either. After our regular camp opened, Tom Fears worked with him and he really started to come along with those great hands, although he still tried to catch a pass backward once in a while. When we decided to go with the three-end system, he was the one. We tried it in the Giant game, but it wasn't too successful. We skipped a game or two and kept working in practice. He just didn't realize how fast he was. We give the ends the option to hook if they can get loose and it has taken a while to convince him he never has to hook. Nobody is going to cover him if he steps out. He has developed a double fake, too." Dowler actually became a star in practice when he started running away from Packer defensive backs. "Give him a 20-yard start and no quarterback can overthrow him. He'll get anything," Lombardi beamed one day last fall. Big Boyd still holds the Wyoming high school track record of 14.6 seconds for the 120-yard high hurdles. Boyd is the son of Walter Dowler, former prep coach and outstanding gridder at Wyoming. Two younger brothers are following in Boyd's footsteps. Joe, a sophomore at Colorado, was the second-string QB this season. John, a junior at Cheyenne High, was the team's star passer.
BITTER BATTLE SHAPING UP OVER PRO GRID PATRONAGE IN DALLAS
DEC 29 (Dallas) - A bitter sweet battle over professional football patronage was shaping up today in Dallas. Tom Landry, defensive coach of the New York Giants, signed a contract Monday to coach the proposed Dallas Rangers if the NFL decides to expand and give the club a franchise in 1960. Lamar Hunt, owner of the Dallas Texans of the fledgling AFL, warned that he will continue plans to field a team in 1960 but said he doesn't think the area will support two pro ball clubs. Tex Schramm, who has taken the post of general manager of the Rangers, said he expects the NFL to back up a promise of George Halas, chairman of the league's expansion committee, and award a franchise at the circuit's Jan. 20 meeting. There were indications,
however, that Halas may have difficulty in winning 10 of the necessary votes from the present 12 clubs. Landry said if the expansion vote is unfavorable, his contract with the Rangers will be null and void, but he will be paid a certain sum for the risk he is taking. He said that in such an eventuality, he will be free to take another job, including the post he has just given up with the Giants. Andy Robustelli has been the most prominently mentioned candidate to succeed Landry. If chosen, he may serve as player-coach along with Jimmy Patton, who would coach New York's defensive backs with Robustelli handling the linemen. Giant Coach Jim Lee Howell said the club hadn't "gotten around to thinking about a replacement" for him yet. "I don't think we'll go out of the organization to find a replacement," Howell added. Bedford Wynne and Clint Murchison, Jr., owners of the proposed Rangers, signed Landry to a five-year "personal service" contract since they have no franchise yet. Schramm said the Rangers would play at least part and "probably all" of their games in the Cotton Bowl, which seats 75,500. But the Texans have first call on the big stadium, and plan to play all of their seven AFL championship games and an exhibition in it. It is understood that a clause in Hunt's contract prohibits the use of the stadium for professional football except on Sundays. Wynne expressed confidence, however, that his club would have use of the Cotton Bowl. A native of Dallas who played with the University of Texas, Landry was also sought by Bud Adams, owner of the Houston Oiler franchise in the AFL. Almost to the moment Landry signed with the Rangers, Hunt appeared to consider his chance of bagging Landry a good one. Now Adams has indicated he will go after Lou Rymkus, offensive coach of the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, for his Oilers' head man.
PACKERS OUTYARD, OUTSCORE RIVALS
DEC 30 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Packer team and individual statistics are now complete. And - like the 7-5 finish - the figures are flashy. The Bays scored 248 points against their opponents' 246. That's not much difference but remember these two points: (1) The Packers were cooked once 45 to 6 and (2) that's the first time since 1947 (12 long years) the Bays outscored their foes. Our gents out-yarded their opposition in rushing and passing - which is historical, too. The Bays gained 1,907 yards on the ground compared to the enemy's 1,770. The edge was 1,832 to 1,782 in passing. Total yards: GB 3,739, Joe Foe 3,552. Compared to '58? The Bays passing yardage was just abut the same as last year, 1,820. The big difference was in rushing. Coach Vince Lombardi put the foot back in Green Bay's oval, exceeding the 1958 ground total by 486 yards. There was a great improvement defensively, the '58 Bays allowed 4,615 yards compared to the '59 permission of 3,552. The newest defense thus was nearly 1,100 yards better. The defense had a rarity, though, in that the unit intercepted only 14 passes - a fantastically low figure for a 7-5 team. The '58 Packers, with their 1-10-1 record, intercepted 13. Nobody's complainin' and it's nice to repeat that old saw: They only count what's on the scoreboard! But the lack of interceptions got to be almost funny during the season as some for the defensive backs were wondering if the ball had snoopy eyes. They just couldn't buy an interception for a while during the middle section and the five secondary backs wound up with only eight grabs. John Symank, Bob Freeman and Em Tunnell each hooked two and Bobby Dillon and Hank Gremminger snared one each. The linebackers stole four - Bill Forester two and Dan Currie and Tom Bettis one apiece. Defense ends Jim Temp and
Bill Quinlan each grabbed one. On the offense front, Bart Starr finished off strong to average 52.2 percent on completions. He hit 70 out of 134 for 972 yards and six TDs. Lamar McHan had 44.4 percent on 48-108-805-8. Paul Hornung was the rushing champ with 681 yards, while Jim Taylor was second with 452. Lew Carpenter gained 322 yards for third. And it's interesting to note that Hornung won the Packer "title" a year ago with 310 yards. Hornung also won the team and league scoring crown with 94 points. Boyd Dowler, named rookie of the year in the NFL yesterday, caught the most passes, 32, while Max McGee was second with 30. Gary Knafelc, the tight end who had to block somebody out before taking off himself, grabbed 27. McGee dropped numerous passes during the season and conservatively could have caught 40.
TAYLOR'S RUN, KNAFELC'S CATCH 1959 HIGHLIGHTS
DEC 31 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - The Packer best of '59? We can't forget two plays: Jim Taylor's touchdown run that won the opener against the Bears and Gary Knafelc's catch of a touchdown pass from Lamar McHan that made Green Bay the only unbeaten team in the league for one week. Actually, the two plays didn't win either game. Extra point kicks by Paul Horning provided enough of a difference in both games. Hornung's perfect boot made it 7-6 over the Bears and a safety that followed a few seconds later was so much gravy in the 9-6 triumph. Taylor ran five yards wide around his left end for the six. McHan drilled a 21-yard strike to Clutch Knafelc in the end zone for that Sweet Six against the 49ers. Two of the three guys involved in "handling" the one point that won the game 21-20 were groggy. Six plays earlier, Hornung was stretched out on the ground and the stretcher bearers stood nearby like a couple of undertakers. He stayed in the game. And Bob Skoronski was at center for the touchdown drive because Jim Ringo had been hurt. What happens come time for the extra point? Ringo raced out on the field - the picture of health and snapped the ball back to Bart Starr. The point protection was good, and so was Hornung's kick. Some anxious moments followed but when it was over Green Bay had 21, San Francisco 20. With 3-0, the Packers chuckled at the head of the league for one week. Man, Green Bay was really livin'. Vince Lombardi rated the victory over the Bears in the opener as his top thrill because, as he put it, "I didn't know what to expect." Packerlanders, including this one, felt the same way. The Bays went in against the big, bad Bears with faith, hope, charity and perhaps a prayer or two. Everything was a mystery before game time, but there was no mystery when the countdown started and Lombardi was hoisted off the field. And so it started. The whole business ended on a similarly happy note three months later in San Francisco - with a victory and a gorgeous 7-5 record. What's for '60? The Packers will have to be even tougher and grow stronger because the opposition is expected to do the same. While this is going on, let's not forget that the Bays are still in a state of rebuilding. It doesn't necessarily follow that the Packers will improve on their 7-5 record. But they'll be trying - you can bet your boots. The Packers will face somewhat of a new problem for '60 - rising costs and salaries on their own team and a higher standard of gate receipts throughout the league. Most of the clubs raised seats prices in the last two years and the pre-game guarantee may be increased to $30,000. Thus, the Packers - to keep pace - may have to raise seat prices and increase the number of seats at City Stadium. A sellout here (32,150) will give a visiting team close to $40,000. That should be closer to $50,000 (or more) to match the average taken by the Packers from other parks. With seat prices going up in other parks, Green Bay no longer has what used to be called "the little stadium with the big paycheck." In other words, a 25,000 crowd here used to be equal to a 35,000 crowd elsewhere - moneywise. Not so now!
JOE HOEFFEL HAS MORE THAN CASUAL INTEREST IN BADGERS
DEC 31 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - When the University of Wisconsin's football team sweeps onto the turf
1959 Green Bay Packers "Sneezer's Snack Shop" Original Ashtray - Issued During Lombardi's 1st Packers Season! One of the most attractive Green Bay Packers ashtrays from the Lombardi-era teams, this Mint 5.5" original artifact features facsimile signatures from the legendary coach and the rest of his Western Division Championship squad. Issued by the popular Green Bay restaurant "Sneezer's" (Source: Heritage Auctions)
1959 Green Bay Packers Team Issued Christmas Cards, signed by Legendary Equipment Manager Dad Braisher. The card shows the 1959 team and one of a handful of times coach Lombardi was pictured in a team photo. (Source: Heritage Auctions)
of the Rose Bowl Friday afternoon to meet the Huskies of the University of Washington in the nation's oldest postseason classic, a slight, trim man with iron grey hair will be watching them on a TV screen somewhere in Green Bay and pulling for victory with more than a casual interest. He could have been at Pasadena in a hero's role if he wished, but Joseph Merrill Hoeffel is a modest man who prefers to keep his football record under wraps. But he hasn't been forgotten, either in Big Ten gridiron history or at the university. For Joe Hoeffel was end and captain of the last Wisconsin team to wear an undisputed Western Conference crown - the undefeated champions of 1912. Unless you know him long or well, you'd never realize it. Joe isn't big - he stands only about five-ten and weighs less than 150 pounds - and he's somewhat reluctant to talk about his football days. For all his lack of size, Hoeffel is still rated as one of the finest ends in Badger history. a fiery competitor, a splendid leader and one of Wisconsin's first All Americans. He had to be exceptionally good to play at all, much less tar in the nation's toughest league. Even at his peak he never weighed much over 150 and when he led the great powerhouse of nearly half a century ago, he was the smallest man on the squad. Three physical qualities made him a great player. He was fast, a deadly tackler, and he had a sense of timing that enabled him to get the jump on every play. As Joe explains it, he nearly always beat the snap of the ball and his head start gave him the momentum equivalent of another 20 or 30 pounds. (It doesn't explain how he could wreck the massed power of the old Minnesota Shift, but Joe won't go into that.) End play wasn't the specialty of skyscrapers in those days, although the Big Ten was a leader in the use of the then new forward pass and Joe caught his share. As a result, lack of height was no great handicap. He freely admits, though, that the modern game is better and faster in nearly every way. Although he didn't weigh more than 125 pounds wringing wet in high school, Hoeffel was a star at East High as early as 1907. He played for the Red Devils (they were called the Hilltoppers then) as a freshman in 1905. He didn't get into the first East-West game that year, and it wasn't until after big Fred Schneider graduated that he became the terror of Wisconsin interscholastic teams as a line-shredding fullback. Joe was East High's captain in 1908. Too small to capture a backfield spot at Wisconsin, but too good to be ignored, Hoeffel became an end, earning three letters as a regular and captaining the team in his senior year. As a junior, he made Walter Eckersall's All-Conference and All Western teams, repeated in 1912 and also was named that season by Walter Camp to the second All America, an honor previously conferred only on the legendary Pat O'Dea, Jack Messmer and his own teammate, Butts Butler. He has some real operators working with him, too. The 1912 team so completely dominated the middle west that Eckersall picked nine of them for his All Conference team and six on the All Western. In seven games, the Badgers were unbeaten, united and unextended, rolling up 264 points to opponents' 28. No rival held them closer than two touchdowns, the only ones to manage that being Minnesota and little Lawrence College. The Vikings gave them even more trouble than the Gophers before going under, 13-0, and Hoeffel caught one of the two scoring passes. He also caught one for a touchdown in the 14-0 conquest of Minnesota. The Badgers trampled Northwestern 56-0, Purdue 41-0, Chicago 30-12, Iowa 28-10 and Arkansas 64-6. An odd result of the latter game was a team war cry for the rest of the season. Although badly outclassed, the plucky Razorbacks jumped into every scrimmage with the shout, "Let's Go, Arkansas." So impressed were Hoeffel and Co. that they appropriated it for themselves, much to the mystification of later opponents. After graduation, Hoeffel could have made a career of coaching, but aside from three years as an assistant at Nebraska (where one of his stars was West High's Harold Corey, now chairman of the Hormel Packing Co.) and a short hitch helping out at East High and with the 1920 Packers, he turned down all offers. His family had a good business in Green Bay and Joe was content to fade into the athletic shadows. The Hoeffel name, incidentally, is an old one here, although Joe is one of the last to beat it. His grandfather, the original Joe, came to Green Bay in 1845. Hoeffel's son, a doctor in Philadelphia, is a fourth generation Joseph. Now a spry near-70, Joe Hoeffel has shunned the gridiron spotlight for many years, so successfully that many of his friends are probably unaware that he and the now legendary Badger All America of 1912 are one and the same. But he can't restrain his pride that at long last the Big Ten crowd has returned to Madison and he's looking forward to the 50th reunion of his old champions in 1962.
KRAMER JOINS PISTONS
DEC 31 (Detroit) - Ron Kramer, former All-American football end and basketball star at Michigan, is working out with the Detroit Pistons in hopes of making the NBA team. Kramer is an end with the Green Bay Packers.
The 1959 YEAR IN FOOTBALL
New York Giants (10-2)
Head Coach: Jim Lee Howell
Passing Leader: Charlie Conerly (1706)
Rushing Leader: Frank Gifford (540)
Receiving Leader: Frank Gifford (42-768)
Philadelphia Eagles (7-5)
Head Coach: Buck Shaw
Passing Leader: Norm Van Brocklin (2617)
Rushing Leader: Billy Barnes (687)
Receiving Leader: Tommy McDonald (47-846)
Cleveland Browns (7-5)
Head Coach: Paul Brown
Passing Leader: Milt Plum (1992)
Rushing Leader: Jim Brown (1329)
Receiving Leader: Billy Howton (39-510)
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5-1)
Head Coach: Buddy Parker
Passing Leader: Bobby Layne (1986)
Rushing Leader: Tom Tracy (794)
Receiving Leader: Jimmy Orr (35-604)
Washington Redskins (3-9)
Head Coach: Mike Nixon
Passing Leader: Eddie LeBaron (1077)
Rushing Leader: Don Bosseler (644)
Receiving Leader: Bill Anderson (35-734)
Chicago Cardinals (2-10)
Head Coach: Frank Ivy
Passing Leader: King Hill (1015)
Rushing Leader: John Crow (666)
Receiving Leader: Woodley Lewis (34-534)
RUSHING LEADERS YDS TD LONG RECEIVING LEADERS REC YDS TD LONG
Jim Brown (CLE) 1329 10 70 Raymong Berry (BAL) 66 959 14 55
J.D. Smith (SF) 1036 10 73 Tommy McDonald (PHI) 47 846 10 71
Ollie Matson (LA) 863 6 50 Lenny Moore (BAL) 47 846 6 71
Tom Tracy (PIT) 794 3 51 Del Shofner (LA) 47 936 7 72
Bobby Mitchell (CLE) 743 5 90 Jim Mutscheller (BAL) 44 699 8 40
Rick Casares (CHB) 699 10 47 Billy Wilson (SF) 44 540 4 57
Billy Barnes (PHI) 687 7 61 Frank Gifford (NY) 42 768 4 77
Paul Hornung (GB) 681 7 63 Jim Dooley (CHB) 41 580 3 41
Alan Ameche (BAL) 679 7 26 Billy Howton (CLE) 39 510 1 36
John Crow (CHC) 666 3 73 Jon Arnett (LA) 38 419 1 38
PASSING LEADERS ATT CMP YDS TD INT
Johnny Unitas (BALT) 367 193 2899 32 13
Norm Van Brocklin (PHI) 340 191 2617 16 14
Billy Wade (LA) 261 153 2001 12 17
Milt Plum (CLE) 266 156 1992 14 8
Bobby Layne (PIT) 297 142 1986 20 21
Ed Brown (CHB) 247 125 1881 13 10
Charlie Conerly (NY) 194 113 1706 14 4
Y.A. Tittle (SF) 199 102 1331 10 15
Earl Morrall (DET) 137 65 1102 5 6
Eddie LeBaron (WASH) 173 77 1077 8 11
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26
PITTSBURGH 17, Cleveland 7 New York 23, LOS ANGELES 21
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27
GREEN BAY 9, Chicago Bears 6 BALTIMORE 21, Detroit 9
CHICAGO CARDINALS 49, Washington 21 SAN FRANCISCO 24, Philadelphia 14
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
New York 1 0 0 1.000 23 21 Baltimore 1 0 0 1.000 21 9
Pittsburgh 1 0 0 1.000 17 7 GREEN BAY 1 0 0 1.000 9 6
Chicago Cards 1 0 0 1.000 49 21 San Francisco 1 0 0 1.000 24 14
Cleveland 0 1 0 .000 7 17 Detroit 0 1 0 .000 9 21
Washington 0 1 0 .000 21 49 Los Angeles 0 1 0 .000 21 23
Philadelphia 0 1 0 .000 14 24 Chicago Bears 0 1 0 .000 6 9
SATURDAY OCTOBER 3
Chicago Bears 26, BALTIMORE 21
SUNDAY OCTOBER 4
Cleveland 34, CHICAGO CARDINALS 7 Washington 23, PITTSBURGH 17
SAN FRANCISCO 34, Los Angeles 0 GREEN BAY 28, Detroit 10
PHILADELPHIA 49, New York 21
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
New York 1 1 0 .500 44 70 San Francisco 2 0 0 1.000 58 14
Pittsburgh 1 1 0 .500 34 30 GREEN BAY 2 0 0 1.000 37 16
Chicago Cards 1 1 0 .500 56 55 Baltimore 1 1 0 .500 42 35
Cleveland 1 1 0 .500 41 24 Chicago Bears 1 1 0 .500 32 30
Washington 1 1 0 .500 44 66 Los Angeles 0 2 0 .000 21 57
Philadelphia 1 1 0 .500 63 45 Detroit 0 2 0 .000 19 49
SUNDAY OCTOBER 11
Baltimore 31, DETROIT 24 Los Angeles 28, CHICAGO BEARS 21
New York 10, CLEVELAND 6 GREEN BAY 21, San Francisco 20
WASHINGTON 23, Chicago Cardinals 14 PHILADELPHIA 28, Pittsburgh 24
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
New York 2 1 0 .667 54 76 GREEN BAY 3 0 0 1.000 58 36
Philadelphia 2 1 0 .667 91 69 Baltimore 2 1 0 .667 73 59
Washington 2 1 0 .667 67 80 San Francisco 2 1 0 .667 78 35
Cleveland 1 2 0 .333 47 34 Chicago Bears 1 2 0 .333 53 58
Pittsburgh 1 2 0 .333 58 58 Los Angeles 1 2 0 .333 49 78
Chicago Cards 1 2 0 .333 70 78 Detroit 0 3 0 .000 43 80
SUNDAY OCTOBER 18
Baltimore 21, CHICAGO BEARS 7 CLEVELAND 17, Chicago Cardinals 7
Pittsburgh 27, WASHINGTON 6 NEW YORK 24, Philadelphia 7
San Francisco 34, DETROIT 13 Los Angeles 45, Green Bay 6 at Mil
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
New York 3 1 0 .750 78 83 Baltimore 3 1 0 .750 94 66
Philadelphia 2 2 0 .500 98 93 GREEN BAY 3 1 0 .750 64 81
Washington 2 2 0 .500 73 107 San Francisco 3 1 0 .750 112 48
Cleveland 2 2 0 .500 64 41 Los Angeles 2 2 0 .500 94 84
Pittsburgh 2 2 0 .500 85 64 Chicago Bears 1 3 0 .250 60 79
Chicago Cards 1 3 0 .250 77 95 Detroit 0 4 0 .000 56 114
SUNDAY OCTOBER 25
BALTIMORE 38, Green Bay 21 CLEVELAND 34, Washington 7
New York 21, PITTSBURGH 16 SAN FRANCISCO 20, Chicago Bears 16
Detroit 17, LOS ANGELES 7 Philadelphia 28, Chi Cards 24 at Minneapolis
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
New York 4 1 0 .800 99 99 Baltimore 4 1 0 .800 132 87
Philadelphia 3 2 0 .600 116 117 San Francisco 4 1 0 .800 132 64
Cleveland 3 2 0 .600 98 48 GREEN BAY 3 2 0 .600 85 119
Washington 2 3 0 .400 80 141 Los Angeles 2 3 0 .400 101 101
Pittsburgh 2 3 0 .400 101 85 Chicago Bears 1 4 0 .200 76 99
Chicago Cards 1 4 0 .200 101 123 Detroit 1 4 0 .200 73 121
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1
Cleveland 38, BALTIMORE 31 SAN FRANCISCO 33, Detroit 7
PHILADELPHIA 30, Washington 23 CHICAGO CARDS 45, Pittsburgh 24
Chicago Bears 26, LOS ANGELES 21 NEW YORK 20, Green Bay 3
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
New York 5 1 0 .833 119 102 San Francisco 5 1 0 .833 165 71
Philadelphia 4 2 0 .667 146 140 Baltimore 4 2 0 .667 163 125
Cleveland 4 2 0 .667 136 79 GREEN BAY 3 3 0 .500 88 139
Washington 2 4 0 .333 103 171 Chicago Bears 2 4 0 .333 102 120
Pittsburgh 2 4 0 .333 125 130 Los Angeles 2 4 0 .333 122 127
Chicago Cards 2 4 0 .333 146 147 Detroit 1 5 0 .167 80 154
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 8
WASHINGTON 27, Baltimore 24 NEW YORK 9, Chicago Cardinals 3
CLEVELAND 28, Philadelphia 7 PITTSBURGH 10, Detroit 10 (T)
CHICAGO BEARS 28, Green Bay 17 San Francisco 24, LOS ANGELES 16
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
New York 6 1 0 .857 128 105 San Francisco 6 1 0 .857 189 87
Cleveland 5 2 0 .714 164 86 Baltimore 4 3 0 .571 187 152
Philadelphia 4 3 0 .571 153 168 GREEN BAY 3 4 0 .429 105 167
Washington 3 4 0 .429 130 195 Chicago Bears 3 4 0 .429 130 137
Pittsburgh 2 4 1 .333 135 140 Los Angeles 2 5 0 .286 138 151
Chicago Cards 2 5 0 .286 149 156 Detroit 1 5 1 .167 90 164
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15
DETROIT 23, Los Angeles 17 Pittsburgh 14, NEW YORK 9
CHICAGO BEARS 14, San Francisco 3 PHILADELPHIA 27, Chicago Cards 17
Cleveland 31, WASHINGTON 17 Baltimore 28, Green Bay 24 at Mil
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
New York 6 2 0 .750 137 119 San Francisco 6 2 0 .750 192 101
Cleveland 6 2 0 .750 195 103 Baltimore 5 3 0 .625 215 176
Philadelphia 5 3 0 .625 180 185 Chicago Bears 4 4 0 .500 144 140
Pittsburgh 3 4 1 .429 149 149 GREEN BAY 3 5 0 .375 129 195
Washington 3 5 0 .375 147 226 Detroit 2 5 1 .286 113 181
Chicago Cards 2 6 0 .250 166 183 Los Angeles 2 6 0 .250 155 174
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22
BALTIMORE 45, San Francisco 14 Pittsburgh 21, CLEVELAND 20
Chicago Bears 24, DETROIT 14 GREEN BAY 21, Washington 0
PHILADELPHIA 23, Los Angeles 20 N. York 30, Cards 20 at Minneapolis
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
New York 7 2 0 .778 167 139 Baltimore 6 3 0 .667 260 180
Cleveland 6 3 0 .667 215 124 San Francisco 6 3 0 .667 206 146
Philadelphia 6 3 0 .667 203 205 Chicago Bears 5 4 0 .556 168 154
Pittsburgh 4 4 1 .500 170 169 GREEN BAY 4 5 0 .444 150 195
Washington 3 6 0 .333 147 247 Detroit 2 6 1 .250 127 205
Chicago Cards 2 7 0 .222 186 213 Los Angeles 2 7 0 .222 175 197
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 26
Green Bay 24, DETROIT 17
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 29
BALTIMORE 35, Los Angeles 21 San Francisco 21, CLEVELAND 20
PITTSBURGH 31, Philadelphia 0 NEW YORK 45, Washington 14
Chicago Bears 31, CHICAGO CARDINALS 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
Y-New York 8 2 0 .800 212 153 Baltimore 7 3 0 .700 295 201
Cleveland 6 4 0 .600 235 145 San Francisco 7 3 0 .700 227 166
Philadelphia 6 4 0 .600 203 236 Chicago Bears 6 4 0 .600 199 161
Pittsburgh 5 4 1 .556 201 169 GREEN BAY 5 5 0 .500 174 212
Washington 3 7 0 .300 161 292 Detroit 2 7 1 .222 144 229
Chicago Cards 2 8 0 .200 193 244 Los Angeles 2 8 0 .200 196 232
Y-Clinched Tie For Division Title
Baltimore Colts (9-3)
Head Coach: Weeb Ewbank
Passing Leader: Johnny Unitas (2899)
Rushing Leader: Alan Ameche (679)
Receiving Leader: Raymond Berry (66-959)
Chicago Bears (8-4)
Head Coach: George Halas
Passing Leader: Ed Brown (1881)
Rushing Leader: Rick Casares (699)
Receiving Leader: Jim Dooley (41-580)
Green Bay Packers (1-10-1)
Head Coach: Ray McLean
Passing Leader: Babe Parilli (1068)
Rushing Leader: Paul Hornung (310)
Receiving Leader: Max McGee (37-655)
San Francisco 49ers (7-5)
Head Coach: Red Hickey
Passing Leader: Y.A. Tittle (1331)
Rushing Leader: J.D. Smith (1036)
Receiving Leader: Billy Wilson (44-540)
Detroit Lions (3-8-1)
Head Coach: George Wilson
Passing Leader: Earl Morrall (1102)
Rushing Leader: Nick Pietrosante (447)
Receiving Leader: Jim Gibbons (31-431)
Los Angeles Rams (2-10)
Head Coach: Sid Gillman
Passing Leader: Billy Wade (2001)
Rushing Leader: Ollie Matson (863)
Receiving Leader: Del Shofner (47-936)
SATURDAY DECEMBER 5
Baltimore 34, SAN FRANCISCO 14
SUNDAY DECEMBER 6
DETROIT 45, Chicago Cardinals 21 Chicago Bears 27, PITTSBURGH 21
Philadelphia 34, WASHINGTON 14 Green Bay 38, LOS ANGELES 20
NEW YORK 48, Cleveland 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
X-New York 9 2 0 .818 260 160 Y-Baltimore 8 3 0 .727 329 215
Philadelphia 7 4 0 .636 237 250 San Francisco 7 4 0 .636 241 200
Cleveland 6 5 0 .545 242 193 Chicago Bears 7 4 0 .636 226 182
Pittsburgh 5 5 1 .500 222 196 GREEN BAY 6 5 0 .545 212 232
Washington 3 8 0 .273 175 326 Detroit 3 7 1 .300 189 250
Chicago Cards 2 9 0 .182 214 289 Los Angeles 2 9 0 .182 216 270
X-Clinched Division Title Y-Clinched Tie For Division Title
SATURDAY DECEMBER 12
Baltimore 45, LOS ANGELES 26
SUNDAY DECEMBER 13
Green Bay 36, SAN FRANCISCO 14 Cleveland 28, PHILADELPHIA 21
New York 24, WASHINGTON 10 PITTSBURGH 35, Chicago Cardinals 20
CHICAGO BEARS 25, Detroit 14
EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE
X-New York 10 2 0 .833 284 170 X-Baltimore 9 3 0 .750 374 251
Philadelphia 7 5 0 .583 268 278 Chicago Bears 8 4 0 .667 252 196
Cleveland 7 5 0 .583 270 214 GREEN BAY 7 5 0 .583 248 246
Pittsburgh 6 5 1 .545 257 216 San Francisco 7 5 0 .583 255 237
Washington 3 9 0 .250 185 350 Detroit 3 8 1 .273 203 275
Chicago Cards 2 10 0 .167 234 324 Los Angeles 2 10 0 .167 242 315
X-Clinched Division Title
1959 NFL TITLE (December 27 at Baltimore - 57,545)
BALTIMORE COLTS (9-3) 31, NEW YORK GIANTS (10-2) 16
1959: The Year in Canadian Football
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (10-4)
Head Coach: Jim Trimble
Leading Rusher: Gerry McDougall (1010)
Leading Passer: Bernie Faloney (2187)
Leading Receiver: Paul Dekker (35-534)
Ottawa Rough Riders (8-6)
Head Coach: Frank Clair
Leading Rusher: Dave Thelen (1339)
Leading Passer: Frank Tripucka (1119)
Leading Receiver: Bob Simpson (36-787)
Montreal Alouettes (6-8)
Head Coach: Douglas Walker
Leading Rusher: Veryl Switzer (863)
Leading Passer: Sam Etcheverry (3133)
Leading Receiver: Red O'Quinn (53-692)
Toronto Argonauts (4-10)
Head Coach: Hampton Pool (1-3)/ Steve Owen (3-7)
Leading Rusher: Dick Shatto (950)
Leading Passer: Al Dorow (1093)
Leading Receiver: Dick Shatto (46-518)
RUSHING LEADERS YDS TD LONG RECEIVING LEADERS REC YDS TD LONG
Johnny Bright (EDM) 1340 11 53 Ernie Pitts (WIN) 68 1126 16 65
Dave Thelen (OTT) 1339 10 59 J.B. Smith (EDM) 62 1108 8 80
Charlie Shepard (WIN) 1076 6 45 Red O'Quinn (MON) 53 692 3 34
Earl Lunsford (CAL) 1027 10 22 Ernie Warlick (CAL) 53 909 4 43
Gerry McDougall (HAM) 1010 7 10 Gene Filipski (CAL) 46 572 5 62
Gene Filipski (CAL) 967 4 41 Dick Shatto (TOR) 46 518 2 72
Dick Shatto (TOR) 950 3 45 Leo Lewis (WIN) 43 695 7 50
Veryl Switzer (MON) 863 6 51 Jerry Janes (BC) 41 936 6 75
Don Vicic (BC) 802 6 23 Vern Vaughn (SASK) 39 511 0 27
Willie Fleming (BC) 774 3 52
PASSING LEADERS ATT CMP YDS TD INT
Sam Etcheverry (MON) 402 231 3133 10 21
Joe Kapp (CAL) 328 196 2990 21 14
Randy Duncan (BC) 318 154 2746 18 30
Jim Van Pelt (WIN) 300 160 2706 31 15
Bernie Faloney (HAM) 247 139 2187 15 12
Don Getty (EDM) 198 116 2080 10 11
Jackie Parker (EDM) 143 80 1207 8 9
Don Allard (SASK) 181 82 1170 6 21
Frank Tripucka (OTT) 145 79 1119 4 14
Al Dorow (TOR) 151 74 1083 8 17
THUR AUG 13
WINNIPEG 42, Brit Col 20 (29425) - Winnipeg ruined the debut of BC head coach Wayne Robinson, thanks to a running attack that netted 326 yards and QB Jim Van Pelt, who passed for three TDs and ran for one more, despite a cast on his left wrist. BC also debuted Iowa QB Randy Duncan, who shunned Green Bay.
BRIT COL - 3 10 7 0 - 20
WINNIPEG - 3 13 7 19 - 42
1st - BC - Vic Kristopaitis, 37-yard field goal BC 3-0 1st - WIN - Jim Van Pelt, 26-yard field goal TIED 3-3 2nd - WIN - Charlie Shepard, 1-yard run WIN 9-3 2nd - BC - Ed Vereb, 5-yard pass from Randy Duncan (Kristopaitis kick) BC 10-9 2nd - WIN - Leo Lewis, 20-yard run (Carver Shannon kick) WIN 16-10 2nd - Kristopaitis, 22-yard field goal WIN 16-13 3rd - WIN - Van Pelt, 7-yard run WIN 22-13 3rd - BC - Vern Lofstrom, 16-yard run (Kristopaitis kick) WIN 22-20 3rd - WIN - Single, Joe Yamauchi rouged on Shepard kick WIN 23-20 4th - WIN - Frank Gilliam, 13-yard pass from Van Pelt (Shannon kick) WIN 30-20 4th - WIN - Lewis, 11-yard pass from Van Pelt WIN 36-20 4th - WIN - Gilliam, 5-yard pass from Van Pelt WIN 42-20
FRI AUG 14
Calgary 28, SASKATCHEWAN 8 (13212) - The Stampeders, led by versatile newcomer Joe Kapp, rolled over Saskatchewan in the season opener. Kapp, a QB import from California, directed his team to four scores, two of them touchdowns by Earl Lunsford, returning after two years in the U.S. Army.
CALGARY - 7 14 0 7 - 28
SASKATCHEWAN - 0 7 1 0 - 8
1st - CAL - Jack Gotta, 9-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Doug Brown kick) CAL 7-0 2nd - CAL - Earl Lunsford, 1-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 14-0 2nd - CAL - Ernie Warlick, 22-yard pass from Kapp (Brown kick) CAL 21-0 2nd - SASK - Bob Mulgado, 37-yard pass from Bob Brodhead (Reg Whitehouse kick) CAL 21-7 3rd - SASK - Single, George Herring kick to deadline CAL 21-8 4th - CAL - Lunsford, 1-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 28-8
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
Hamilton 0 0 0 0 0 0 Winnipeg 1 0 0 2 42 20
Toronto 0 0 0 0 0 0 Calgary 1 0 0 0 28 8
Montreal 0 0 0 0 0 0 Edmonton 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ottawa 0 0 0 0 0 0 Saskatchewan 0 1 0 0 8 28
British Columbia 0 1 0 0 20 42
MON AUG 17
Winnipeg 22, CALGARY 21 (16200) - The Blue Bombers barely held off a last minute drive to edge the host Stampeders. Winnipeg scored two of their TDs off pass interceptions. Trailing 21-8 at the half, Calgary scored two TDs to tie the score, but a single by QB Jim Van Pelt on a missed FG proved the margin of victory.
WINNIPEG - 8 13 0 1 - 22
CALGARY - 7 1 6 7 - 21
1st - CAL - Don Stone, 37-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Doug Brown kick) CAL 7-0 1st - WIN - Single, Lynn Bottoms conceded on Charlie Shepard kick CAL 7-1 1st - WIN - Carver Shannon, 13-yard pass from Jim Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 8-7 2nd - WIN - Leo Lewis, 35-yard run with lateral from Ernie Pitts WIN 14-7 2nd - WIN - Gerry James, 1-yard run (Van Pelt kick) WIN 21-7 2nd - CAL - Single, Ron Latourelle rouged on Kapp kick WIN 21-8 3rd - CAL - Bill McKennas, 8-yard pass from Kapp WIN 21-14 4th - CAL - Stone, 10-yard pass from Kapp (Brown kick) TIED 21-21 4th - WIN - Single, Pitts rouged on Van Pelt missed FG WIN 22-21
British Col 12, EDMONTON 0 (13500) - The Lions showed a complete reversal from their 1958 form as they whitewashed the Eskimos in a driving rain. Iowa flash Randy Duncan, BC's 21-year-old QB, led his backfield through the Edmonton line for 223 yards rushing against the Eskimos' 77 on the ground.
BRIT COL - 0 3 3 6 - 12
EDMONTON - 0 0 0 0 - 0
2nd - BC - Vic Kristopaitis, 34-yard field goal BC 3-0 3rd - BC - Kristopaitis, 33-yard field goal BC 3-0 4th - BC - Norm Fieldgate recovered blocked punt in end zone BC 12-0
TUES AUG 18
HAMILTON 22, Montreal 16 (22126) - Hamilton stalled a late drive by Montreal in the opening game of the Big Four season. The Tiger-Cats opened up a 20-0 lead before Montreal broke the goose egg late in the third quarter with a converted major.
MONTREAL - 0 0 16 0 - 16
HAMILTON - 6 12 2 0 - 22
1st - HAM - Gerry McDougall, 2-yard run HAM 6-0 2nd - HAM - Tommy Grant, 39-yard pass from Bernie Faloney (Steve Oneschuk kick) HAM 13-0 2nd - HAM - Single, Ed Learn conceded on Cam Fraser kick HAM 14-0 2nd - HAM - Ron Howell, 82-yard pass from Faloney HAM 20-0 3rd - MON - Red O'Quinn, 5-yard pass from Sam Etcheverry (Bill Bewley kick) HAM 20-7 3rd - MON - Ivan Livingstone, 10-yard pass from Etcheverry HAM 20-13 3rd - MON - Bewley, 32-yard field goal HAM 20-16 3rd - HAM - Safety touch, Jim Colclough ran back and conceded on Fraser's kick to 12-yard line HAM 22-16
Toronto 21, OTTAWA 20 (20675) - QB Ronnie Knox's superb passing for three TDs spoiled Ottawa's opener before a record crowd. Don Clark, Ottawa's sensational runner from Ohio State, scored two of Rider touchdowns.
TORONTO - 0 7 7 7 - 21
OTTAWA - 7 7 0 6 - 20
1st - OTT - Don Clark, 55-yard run (Mack Yoho kick) OTT 7-0 2nd - TOR - Boyd Carter, 6-yard pass from Ronnie Knox (Cookie Gilchrist kick) TIED 7-7 2nd - OTT - Bob Simpson, 48-yard pass from Tripucka (Yoho kick) OTT 14-7 3rd - TOR - Corky Tharp, 6-yard pass from Knox (GIlchrist kick) TIED 14-14 4th - OTT - Clark, 1-yard run OTT 20-14 4th - TOR - Carter, 6-yard pass from Knox (Gilchrist kick) TOR 21-20
THUR AUG 20
Calgary 23, WINNIPEG 21 (18326) - The Stamps, who finished third last season, came up with their strongest offense, led by star QB Joe Kapp and the precision kicking of Doug Brown, who accounted for 11 of Calgary's points. The Stamps jumped out to a 14-0 lead after four minutes of play.
CALGARY - 17 0 3 3 - 23
WINNIPEG - 7 7 0 7 - 21
1st - CAL - Don Stone, 17-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Doug Brown kick) CAL 7-0 1st - CAL - Lynn Bottoms recovered fumble in end zone (Brown kick) CAL 14-0 1st - WIN - Ernie Pitts, 5-yard pass from Jim Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) CAL 14-7 1st - CAL - Brown, 34-yard field goal CAL 17-7 2nd - WIN - Gerry James, 44-yard run (Van Pelt kick) CAL 17-14 3rd - CAL - Brown, 34-yard field goal CAL 20-14 4th - CAL - Brown, 28-yard field goal CAL 23-14 4th - WIN - James, 2-yard run (Van Pelt kick) CAL 23-21
BRIT COL 36, Saskatchewan 21 (29131) - BC scored its second straight win as QB Randy Duncan threw three TD passes to Jerry Janes. QB Bob Broadhead made his second start for the Riders after only six days of practice and completed 19 of 28 passes, but also had three passes intercepted.
SASKATCHEWAN - 0 7 7 7 - 21
BRITISH COL - 7 22 7 0 - 36
1st - BC - Don Vicic, 10-yard run (Vic Kristopaitis kick) BC 7-0 2nd - BC - Baz Nagle, 65-yard run with lateral from Ted Tully (Kristopaitis kick) BC 14-0 2nd - BC - Jerry Janes, 42-yard pass from Randy Duncan BC 20-0 2nd - SASK - Neil Worden, 2-yard run (Reg Whitehouse kick) BC 20-7 2nd - BC - Kristopaitis, 35-yard field goal BC 23-7 2nd - BC - Janes, 55-yard pass from Duncan BC 29-7 3rd - BC - Janes, 13-yard pass from Duncan (Kristopaitis kick) BC 36-7 3rd - SASK - Mike Hagler, 11-yard pass from Brodhead (Whitehouse kick) BC 36-14 4th - SASK - Tex Schriewer, 9-yard pass from Brodhead (Whitehouse kick) BC 36-21
FRI AUG 21
MONTREAL 23, Ottawa 8 (22813) - A hectic first quarter scoring flurry carried Montreal to a win in its home opener. The Als thrilled the crowd by scoring three touchdowns in 95 seconds. Bill Glosson and Hal Patterson took long passes from Sam Etcheverry for two of them; Joel Wells had a long run for the third.
OTTAWA - 0 0 1 7 - 8
MONTREAL - 20 1 0 2 - 23
1st - MON - Bill Glosson, 43-yard pass from Sam Etcheverry (Bill Bewley kick) MON 7-0 1st - MON - Hal Patterson, 38-yard pass from Etcheverry MON 13-0 1st - MON - Joel Wells, 63-yard run (Bewley kick) MON 20-0 2nd - MON - Single, Joe Porier conceded on Bewley missed FG MON 21-0 3rd - OTT - Ed Learn rouged on Gerry Nesbitt kick MON 21-1 4th - OTT - Bobby Simpson, 18-yard pass from Frank Tripucka (Mack Yoho kick) MON 21-8 4th - MON - Single, Davey West rouged on Etcheverry kick MON 22-8 4th - MON - Single, Bewley kick to deadline MON 23-8
Hamilton 16, TORONTO 7 (27554) - A record turnout for a game in Eastern Canada saw a rough game with the two teams being penalized a combined 167 yards. The game was closer than the score indicated as Hamilton did not seal the win until the last minute when QB Bernie Faloney scored.
HAMILTON - 1 7 1 7 - 16
TORONTO - 1 6 0 0 - 7
1st - TOR - Single, Wray Carlton dropped ball in end zone and Ralph Goldston recovered TOR 1-0 1st - HAM - Single, Gerry Philp rouged on Cam Fraser kick TIED 1-1 2nd - HAM - Paul Dekker, 22-yard pass from Bernie Faloney (Steve Oneschuk kick) HAM 8-1 2nd - TOR - Boyd Carter, 27-yard pass from Ronnie Knox HAM 8-7 3rd - HAM - Single, Oneschuk missed FG to deadline HAM 9-7 4th - HAM - Faloney, 5-yard run (Oneschuk kick) HAM 16-7
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
Hamilton 2 0 0 4 38 23 Winnipeg 2 1 0 4 85 64
Toronto 1 1 0 2 28 36 Calgary 2 1 0 4 72 51
Montreal 1 1 0 2 39 30 British Columbia 2 1 0 4 68 63
Ottawa 0 2 0 0 28 44 Edmonton 0 1 0 0 0 12
Saskatchewan 0 2 0 0 29 64
MON AUG 24
CALGARY 29, British Col 17 (16956) - Calgary took over first place in the WIFU with their third win of the season. Joe Kapp passed for two touchdowns and added a one-yard plunge for another. The Stamps built a 29-3 margin in the third quarter before BC rallied late.
BRIT COL - 3 0 0 14 - 17
CALGARY - 3 13 13 0 - 29
1st - CAL - Doug Brown, 12-yard field goal CAL 3-0 1st - BC - Vic Kristopaitis, 38-yard field goal TIED 3-3 2nd - CAL - Joe Kapp, 1-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 10-3 2nd - CAL - Gene Filipski, 8-yard pass from Kapp CAL 16-3 3rd - CAL - Bill McKenna, 14-yard pass from Kapp CAL
EDMONTON 55, Saskatchewan 0 (14000) - Eskimo fans saw their club take full advantage of every Saskatchewan lapse to score eight touchdowns and rack up 562 yards on offense. QB Jackie Parker, who tossed two TD passes, made all but one convert.
SASKATCHEWAN - 0 0 0 0 - 0
EDMONTON - 6 21 7 21 - 55
1st - EDM - Joe Smith, 9-yard run EDM 6-0 2nd - EDM - Johnny Bright, 1-yard run (Jackie Parker kick) EDM 13-0 2nd - EDM - Fred Meyers, 37-yard pass from Parker (Parker kick) EDM 20-0 2nd - EDM - Jim Letcavits, 11-yard pass from Parker (Parker kick) EDM 27-0 3rd - Bright, 1-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 34-0 4th - EDM - Normie Kwong, 2-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 41-0 4th - EDM - Vic Chapman, 8-yard pass from Don Getty (Parker kick) EDM 48-0 4th - EDM - Rollie Miles, 18-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 55-0
THUR AUG 27
Edmonton 16, WINNIPEG 1 (18928) - The victory, fashioned by rugged line play and the brilliance of QB Jackie Parker, moved the Eskimos into a tie for second with Winnipeg and BC, two points behind Calgary. Parker was forced from the game neat halftime with an injured left knee.
EDMONTON - 7 6 3 0 - 16
WINNIPEG - 0 0 1 0 - 1
1st - EDM - Homer Floyd, 11-yard pass from Parker (Parker kick) EDM 7-0 2nd - EDM - Parker, 2-yard run EDM 13-0 3rd - EDM - Tommy Coffey, 11-yard field goal EDM 16-0 3rd - WIN - Single, Bill Smith rouged on Jim Van Pelt missed FG EDM 16-1
FRI AUG 28
MONTREAL 24, Toronto 6 (23927) - Montreal combined a balanced attack with a mobile pass defense to whip Toronto. The Als built up a 17-0 halftime lead on a pair of converted touchdowns and a Bill Bewley field goal. Cookie Gilchrist scored Toronto's only touchdown but missed the convert.
TORONTO - 0 0 6 0 - 6
MONTREAL - 3 14 0 7 - 24
1st - MON - Bill Bewley, 34-yard field goal MON 3-0 2nd - MON - Red O'Quinn, 3-yard pass from Sam Etcheverry (Bewley kick) MON 10-0 2nd - MON - Joel Wells, 1-yard run (Bewley kick) MON 17-0 3rd - TOR - Cookie Gilchrist, 1-yard run MON 17-7 4th - MON - Tom Moran, 71-yard fumble return (Bewley kick) MON 24-6
SAT AUG 29
HAMILTON 34, Ottawa 10 (17267) - Hamilton remained perfect on the season - Ottawa remained winless. Five intercepted passes and recovery of a fumble gave Hamilton all the breaks it needed to trample the Riders. Duane Wood was the Ticat standout, with two interceptions and a TD off a lateral from Eddie Bell.
OTTAWA - 3 0 7 0 - 10
HAMILTON - 0 20 14 0 - 34
1st - OTT - Mack Yoho, 25-yard field goal OTT 3-0 2nd - HAM - Gerry McDougall, 1-yard run HAM 6-3 2nd - HAM - Billy Reynolds, 6-yard run (Steve Oneschuk kick) HAM 13-3 2nd - HAM - McDougall, 26-yard run (Oneschuk kick) HAM 20-3 3rd - HAM - Duane Wood, 25-yard run with lateral from Eddie Bell (Oneschuk kick) HAM 27-3 3rd - HAM - Paul Dekker, 11-yard pass from Bernie Faloney (Oneschuk kick) HAM 34-3 3rd - OTT - Bob Simpson, 8-yard pass from Russ Jackson (Yoho kick) HAM 34-10
Winnipeg 61, SASKATCHEWAN 8 (12000) - QB Jim Van Pelt tossed a record seven TDs, breaking the record of 6 set by Jack Jacobs in 1952, and Ernie Pitts grabbed five of the TD tosses, smashing the previous record of three shared by himself, Neil Armstrong, Tom Casey and Jack Hill.
WINNIPEG - 7 34 6 14 - 61
SASKATCHEWAN - 0 0 0 8 - 8
1st - WIN - Ermie Pitts pass from Jim Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 7-0 2nd - WIN - Charlie Shepard, 60-yard run with lateral from Leo Lewis after pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 14-0 2nd - WIN - Pitts pass from Van Pelt WIN 20-0 2nd - WIN - Ron Letourelle pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 27-0 2nd - WIN - Pitts pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 34-0 2nd - WIN - Henry Jansen pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 41-0 3rd - WIN - Pitts, 6-yard pass from Van Pelt WIN 47-0 4th - SASK - Jim Marshall, 8-yard pass from Don Allard (Reg Whitehouse kick) WIN 47-7 4th - SASK - Single, Jansen rouged on Bobby Mulgado punt WIN 47-8 4th - WIN - Pitts pass from Kenny Ploen (Van Pelt kick) WIN 54-8 4th - WIN - Gerry James, 15-yard run (James kick) WIN 61-8
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
Hamilton 3 0 0 6 72 33 Calgary 3 1 0 6 101 68
Montreal 2 1 0 4 63 36 Winnipeg 3 2 0 6 147 88
Toronto 1 2 0 2 34 60 Edmonton 2 1 0 4 71 13
Ottawa 0 3 0 0 38 78 British Columbia 2 2 0 4 85 92
Saskatchewan 0 4 0 0 37 180
MON AUG 31
BRIT COL 8, Edmonton 7 (34273) - BC won a sensational WIFU victory over Edmonton in front of the largest crowd to ever see a league football game in Canada. Kicking specialist Vic Kristopaitis, who came from Toronto, did all the scoring for the Lions, hitting for two field goals and two singles.
EDMONTON - 0 7 0 0 - 7
BRIT COL - 1 4 3 0 - 8
1st - BC - Single, Bill Smith rouged on Vic Kristopaitis missed FG BC 1-0 2nd - EDM - Johnny Bright, 1-yard run EDM 6-1 2nd - BC - Single, B.Smith rouged on Kristopaitis kick EDM 6-2 2nd - EDM - Single, Sonny Homer rouged on Tommy Coffey kick EDM 7-2 2nd - BC - Kristopaitis, 24-yard field goal EDM 7-5 3rd - BA - Kristopaitis, 32-yard field goal BC 8-7
CALGARY 28, Saskatchewan 10 (10500) - QB Joe Kapp sparkled as Calgary moved into sole possession of first place before a slim crowd. The Riders intercepted five Calgary passes, but Kapp threw three TD passes, and scored on a one-yard plunge.
SASKATCHEWAN - 0 7 3 0 - 10
CALGARY - 14 7 0 7 - 28
1st - CAL - Ernie Warlick, 43-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Doug Brown kick) CAL 7-0 1st - CAL - Don Stone, 8-yard pass from Kapp (Brown kick) CAL 14-0 2nd - Stone, 13-yard pass from Kapp (Brown kick) CAL 21-0 2nd - SASK - John Harris, 10-yard pass from Don Allard (Reg Whitehouse kick) CAL 21-7 3rd - SASK - Whitehouse, 20-yard field goal CAL 21-10 4th - CAL - Kapp, 1-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 28-10
THUR SEPT 3
WINNIPEG 34, British Col 23 (18003) - Wayne Robinson's return to Winnipeg did not end as he hoped. He played a hand in developing the Bomber line before leaving last year to take over the Lions. League-leading scorer Ernie Pitts caught two TD passes from Jim Van Pelt, who also ran for a major.
BRIT COL - 10 7 0 6 - 23
WINNIPEG - 14 14 6 0 - 34
1st - WIN - Carver Shannon, 9-yard run (Jim Van Pelt kick) WIN 7-0 1st - BC - Don Vicic, 1-yard run (Vic Kristopaitis kick) TIED 7-7 1st - BC - Kristopaitis, 35-yard field goal BC 10-7 1st - WIN - Van Pelt, 6-yard run (Van Pelt kick) WIN 14-10 2nd - WIN - Leo Lewis, 11-yard pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 21-10 2nd - BC - By Bailey, 11-yard run (Kristopaitis kick) WIN 21-17 2nd - WIN - Ernie Pitts, 6-yard pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 28-17 4th - WIN - Pitts, 51-yard pass from Van Pelt WIN 34-17 4th - BC - Vicic, 3-yard run WIN 34-23
SAT SEPT 5
Montreal 22, OTTAWA 7 (16698) - Veryl Switzer scored three touchdowns and vindicated Coach Doug Walker's faith in the import from Kansas State. Switzer, obtained from Calgary for Pat Abbuzzi, scored all his majors on the ground.
MONTREAL - 0 7 14 1 - 22
OTTAWA - 7 0 0 0 - 7
1st - OTT - Bob Simpson, 32-yard pass from Russ Jackson (Mack Yoho kick) OTT 7-0 2nd - MON - Veryl Switzer, 6-yard run (Bill Bewley kick) TIED 7-7 3rd - MON - Switzer, 19-yard run (Bewley kick) MON 14-7 3rd - MON - Switzer, 1-yard run (Bewley kick) MON 21-7 4th - MON - Single, Sam Etcheverry kick rolled into touch MON 22-7
Winnipeg 16, EDMONTON 8 (17123) - QB Jim Van Pelt broke up a tight defensive game in the last stages to give Winnipeg the win. The winning pass went to HB Carver Shannon, a rookie from Southern Illinois. With 20 seconds to play, Ron Latourelle fell on a Homer Floyd fumble in the end zone to seal the win.
WINNIPEG - 3 0 0 13 - 16
EDMONTON - 0 0 8 0 - 8
1st - WIN - Jim Van Pelt, 32-yard field goal WIN 3-0 3rd - EDM - Single, Henry Jansen rouged by Mike Kmech on Vic Chapman kick WIN 3-1 3rd - EDM - Single, Ron Latourelle rouged on Tommy Coffey missed FG WIN 3-2 3rd - EDM - Johnny Bruight, 1-yard run EDM 8-3 4th - WIN - Carver Shannon, 9-yard pass from Van Pelt WIN 9-8 4th - WIN - Latourelle recovered fumble in end zone (Van Pelt kick) WIN 16-8
MON SEP 7
HAMILTON 37, Toronto 3 (24345) - An ex-Argo helped Hamilton humiliate Toronto in front of a record crowd at renovated Civic Stadium. Tom Dublinski, cut loose by the Argos in 1957, tossed passes for two of the five touchdowns as the defending Big Four champs stretched their winning streak to four.
TORONTO - 0 3 0 0 - 3
HAMILTON - 7 10 14 6 - 37
1st - HAM - Tommy Grant, 14-yard pass from Gerry McDougall (Steve Oneschuk kick) HAM 7-0 2nd - TOR - Cookie Gilchrist, 30-yard field goal HAM 7-3 2nd - HAM - Oneschuk, 33-yard field goal HAM 10-3 2nd - HAM - Zeno Karcz, 12-yard pass from Tom Dublinski (Oneschuk kick) HAM 17-3 3rd - HAM - Eddie Bell blocked punt and recovered ball in end zone (Oneschuk kick) HAM 24-3 3rd - HAM - Ronnie Howell, 31-yard pass from Bernie Faloney (Oneschuk kick) HAM 31-3 4th - HAM - Paul Dekker, 19-yard pass from Dublinski HAM 37-3
Brit Col 35, SASKATCHEWAN 17 (12566) - The Lions exploded for three quick touchdowns in the second quarter and went on to hand the Riders their sixth loss in as many games. Three of the BC touchdowns were the direct result of Rider fumbles, and they got another one on an intercepted pass.
BRITISH COL - 0 21 14 0 - 35
SAKATCHEWAN - 10 0 0 7 - 17
1st - SASK - Reg Whitehouse, 33-yard field goal SASK 3-0 1st - SASK - Doug Killoh, 23-yard return of blocked kick (Whitehouse kick) SASK 10-0 2nd - BC - Willie Fleming, 53-yard pass from Randy Duncan (Vic Kristopaitis kick) SASK 10-7 2nd - BC - Urban Henry, 32-yard fumble return (Kristopaitis kick) BC 14-10 2nd - BC - Ed Vereb, 4-yard pass from Duncan (Kristopaitis kick) BC 21-10 3rd - BC - Don Vassos, 20-yard run with lateral from Kristopaitis (Kristopaitis kick) BC 28-10 3rd - BC - Don Vicic, 2-yard run (Kristopaitis kick) BC 35-10 4th - SASK - Ron Dundas, 26-yard pass from Bob Brodhead (Whitehouse kick) BC 35-17
Edmonton 16, CALGARY 10 (17238) - Edmonton scored all their points in the first half and then hung on to defeat Calgary. With QB Don Getty at the helm in place of the injured Jackie Parker, the Eskimos took advantage of Calgary fumbles to start their scoring drives.
EDMONTON - 9 7 0 0 - 16
CALGARY - 0 3 0 7 - 10
1st - EDM - Normie Kwong, 3-yard run EDM 6-0 1st - EDM - Tommy Coffey, 8-yard field goal EDM 9-0 2nd - CAL - Doug Brown, 22-yard field goal EDM 9-3 2nd - EDM - Johnny Bright, 3-yard run (Coffey kick) EDM 16-3 4th - CAL - Joe Kapp, 5-yard run (D. Brown kick) EDM 16-10
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
Hamilton 4 0 0 8 109 36 Winnipeg 5 2 0 10 197 119
Montreal 3 1 0 6 85 43 Calgary 4 2 0 8 139 94
Toronto 1 3 0 2 37 97 British Columbia 4 3 0 8 151 130
Ottawa 0 4 0 0 45 100 Edmonton 3 3 0 6 102 47
Saskatchewan 0 6 0 0 64 243
SAT SEPT 12
MONTREAL 27, Hamilton 21 (25769) - Sam Etcheverry led the fast-improving Alouettes, completing 20 of 28 pass attempts, with two TD passes to Bill Glosson, and slammed across the line for a touchdown himself. The result left Montreal and Hamilton tied for first.
HAMILTON - 0 7 0 14 - 21
MONTREAL - 7 0 13 7 - 27
1st - MON - Bill Hudson blocked Cam Fraser punt and recovered ball in end zone (Bill Bewley kick) MON 7-0 2nd - HAM - Ron Howell, 45-yard pass from Bernie Faloney (Steve Oneschuk kick) TIED 7-7 3rd - MON - Sam Etcheverry, 2-yard run (Bewley kick) MON 14-7 3rd - MON - Bill Glosson, 40-yard pass from Etcheverry MON 20-7 4th - HAM - Paul Dekker, 10-yard pass from Tom Dublinski (Oneschuk kick) MON 20-14 4th - MON - Glosson, 8-yard pass from Etcheverry (Bewley kick) MON 27-14 4th - HAM - Billy Reynolds, 1-yard run (Oneschuk kick) MON 27-21
WINNIPEG 41, Saskatchewan 14 (15694) - Winnipeg padded its lead in the WIFU thanks to three touchdowns from Charlie Shepard, winning its sixth game in eight starts. The Riders made a strong start, scoring the first touchdown, before fading to lose their seventh straight.
SASKATCHEWAN - 7 0 7 0 - 14
WINNIPEG - 22 13 0 6 - 41
1st - SASK - Ken Carpenter, 1-yard run (Bobby Mulgado kick) SASK 7-0 1st - WIN - Single, Frank Fraser rouged on Charlie Shepard kick SASK 7-1 1st - WIN - Shepard, 1-yard run (Jim Van Pelt kick) WIN 8-7 1st - WIN - Leo Lewis, 23-yard run (Van Pelt kick) WIN 15-7 1st - WIN - Ernie Pitts, 15-yard pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 22-7 2nd - WIN - Pitts, 9-yard pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 29-7 2nd - WIN - Shepard, 2-yard run WIN 35-7 3rd - SASK - Ron Dundas, 9-yard pass from Bob Brodhead (Mulgado kick) WIN 35-14 4th - WIN - Shepard, 4-yard run WIN 41-14
EDMONTON 27, Calgary 20 (19734) - A Calgary fumble in the dying moments gave Edmonton the win. Defensive end Ed Gray pulled in a fumble by Calgary QB Joe Kapp with a few seconds to play. The game was tied 20-20 when Gray picked up the ball and rumbled back 35 yards into the Calgary end zone.
CALGARY - 3 7 7 3 - 20
EDMONTON - 0 1 4 22 - 27
1st - CAL - Doug Brown, 15-yard field goal CAL 3-0 2nd - EDM - Single, Lynn Bottoms conceded on Vic Chapman punt CAL 3-1 2nd - CAL - Ernie Warlick, 12-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Brown kick) CAL 10-1 3rd - EDM - Single, Harvey Wylie rouged on Chapman kick CAL 10-2 3rd - EDM - Tommy Coffey, 22-yard field goal CAL 10-5 3rd - CAL - George Tait, 16-yard pass from Gene Filipski (Brown kick) CAL 17-5 4th - EDM - Normie Kwong, 1-yard run CAL 17-11 4th - EDM - Homer Floyd, 7-yard pass from Don Getty TIED 17-17 4th - CAL - Brown, 6-yard field goal CAL 20-17 4th - EDM - Coffey, 21-yard field goal TIED 20-20 4th - EDM - Ed Gray, 35-yard fumble return (Coffey kick) EDM 27-20
SUN SEPT 13
TORONTO 19, Ottawa 6 (25849) - Cookie Gilchrist set a Big Four record with four field goals in four tries. It was only Toronto's second win of the season, both coming at the expense of the winless Riders. The Argos started Gerry Doucette at QB, though high-priced Ronnie Knox took over in the second quarter.
OTTAWA - 0 0 6 0 - 6
TORONTO - 6 9 1 3 - 19
1st - TOR - Cookie Gilchrist, 31-yard field goal TOR 3-0 1st - TOR - Gilchrist, 26-yard field goal TOR 6-0 2nd - TOR - Dick Shatto, 5-yard run TOR 12-0 2nd - TOR - Gilchrist, 37-yard field goal TOR 15-0 3rd - TOR - Single, Davey West rouged on Ronnie Knox punt TOR 16-0 3rd - OTT - Dave Thelen, 4-yard run TOR 16-6 4th - TOR - Gilchrist, 20-yard field goal TOR 19-6
MON SEPT 14
BRITISH COL 14, Calgary 8 (32716) - BC pushed into the giddy heights of second place in the West, a position they have never been in at the midway point of the season. Calgary led 8-7 through the first three quarters before Billy Britton plunged over the goal line in the dying minutes for the win.
CALGARY - 0 7 0 1 - 7
BRIT COL - 0 0 7 7 - 14
2nd - CAL - Lynn Bottoms, 45-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Doug Brown kick) CAL 7-0 3rd - BC - Bruce Claridge, 8-yard pass from Randy Duncan (Vic Kristopaitis kick) TIED 7-7 4th - CAL - Single, Brown missed FG to the deadline CAL 8-7 4th - BC - Billy Britton, 1-yard run (Kristopaitis kick) BC 14-8
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
Hamilton 4 1 0 8 130 63 Winnipeg 6 2 0 12 238 133
Montreal 4 1 0 8 112 64 British Columbia 5 3 0 10 165 138
Toronto 2 3 0 4 56 103 Edmonton 4 3 0 8 129 67
Ottawa 0 5 0 0 51 119 Calgary 4 4 0 8 167 135
Saskatchewan 0 7 0 0 78 284
WED SEPT 16
HAMILTON 25, Montreal 13 (24759) - Hamilton moved into first place all alone before their third record crowd of the season. Hamilton alternated between Bernie Faloney and Tom Dublinski at QB, with Dublinski leading the Ticats to two majors. Ed Learn led Montreal with a long interception return for a TD.
MONTREAL - 0 0 6 7 - 13
HAMILTON - 8 7 3 7 - 25
1st - HAM - Single, Jim Colclough rouged on Steve Oneschuk FG attempt HAM 1-0 1st - HAM - Tommy Grant, 45-yard pass from Tom Dublinski (Oneschuk kick) HAM 8-0 2nd - HAM - Ron Howell, 19-yard pass from Bernie Faloney (Oneschuk kick) HAM 15-0 3rd - HAM - Single, Ed Mitchell rouged on Cam Fraser kick HAM 16-0 3rd - MON - Ed Learn, 43-yard interception return HAM 16-6 3rd - HAM - Safety, Sam Etcheverry tackled in end zone by John Barrow HAM 18-6 4th - HAM - Gerry McDougall, 70-yard run (Oneschuk kick) HAM 25-6 4th - MON - Red O'Quinn, 7-yard pass from Etcheverry (Bill Bewley kick) HAM 25-13
OTTAWA 28, Toronto 1 (13097) - Ottawa snapped their losing string on the strength of FB Dave Thelen's four touchdown performance. Thelen tied the Big Four record by scoring a touchdown in each quarter. Gerry Doucette led Toronto at QB, following the abrupt departure of Ronnie Knox.
TORONTO - 1 0 0 0 - 1
OTTAWA - 7 7 7 7 - 28
1st - OTT - Dave Thelen, 2-yard run (Gary Schreider kick) OTT 7-0 1st - TOR - Single, Dave West rouged on Gerry Doucette punt OTT 7-1 2nd - OTT - Thelen, 1-yard run (Schreider kick) OTT 14-1 3rd - OTT - Thelen, 11-yard run (Schreider kick) OTT 21-1 4th - OTT - Thelen, 1-yard run OTT 27-1 4th - OTT - Single, Bob Dehlinger rouged on Frank Tripucka punt OTT 28-1
SAT SEPT 19
Ottawa 43, MONTREAL 6 (23811) - QBs Russ Jackson and Frank Tripucka helped Ottawa build a 23-0 lead by the third quarter, as the Riders found themselves back in the playoff hunt after an 0-5 start. Montreal saw star end Hal Patterson limped off with a knee injury, but team officials said it was "not serious."
OTTAWA - 14 9 7 13 - 43
MONTREAL - 0 0 6 0 - 6
1st - OTT - Dave Thelen, 7-yard run (Gary Schreider kick) OTT 7-0 1st - OTT - Thelen, 18-yard run (Schreider kick) OTT 14-0 2nd - OTT - Safety touch, Hal Patterson recovered Sam Etcheverry fumble in end zone OTT 16-0 2nd - OTT - Bob Simpson, 21-yard pass from Russ Jackson (Schreider kick) OTT 23-0 3rd - MON - Veryl Switzer, 7-yard run OTT 23-6 3rd - OTT - Jackson, 1-yard run (Schreider kick) OTT 30-6 4th - OTT - Thelen, 29-yard run OTT 36-6 4th - OTT - Simpson, 39-yard pass from Frank Tripucka (Schreider kick) OTT 43-6
Edmonton 32, SASKATCHEWAN 0 (9000) - The passing of Canadian QB Don Getty and the running of veteran FB Johnny Bright carried Edmonton to the easy win and moved the Eskimos into second place. A three-touchdown burst in the second quarter carried the Eskimos, as Getty threw for two touchdowns.
EDMONTON - 7 20 0 5 - 32
SASKATCHEWAN - 0 0 0 0 - 0
1st - EDM - Normie Kwong, 5-yard run (Jackie Parker kick) EDM 7-0 2nd - EDM - Johnny Bright, 1-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 14-0 2nd - EDM - Joe-Bob Smith, 69-yard pass from Don Getty EDM 20-0 2nd - EDM - Freddie Meyers, 21-yard pass from Getty (Parker kick) EDM 27-0 4th - EDM - Safety touch, Don Allard tackled in end zone EDM 29-0 4th - EDM - Parker, 20-yard field goal EDM 32-0
BRIT COL 17, Winnipeg 6 (32061) - Winnipeg left Empire Stadium a loser for the first time ever, thanks to a sensational Lion defense and a sensational scoring outburst in the third quarter. The victory, third straight for the Lions, moved BC into a first-place tie with the Bombers.
WINNIPEG - 3 3 0 0 - 6
BRIT COL - 0 0 14 3 - 17
1st - WIN - Jim Van Pelt, 19-yard field goal WIN 3-0 2nd - WIN - Van Pelt, 25-yard field goal WIN 6-0 3rd - BC - Jerry Janes, 75-yard pass from Randy Duncan (Vic Kristopaitis kick) BC 7-6 3rd - BC - Bruce Claridge, 15-yard pass from Duncan (Kristopaitis kick) BC 14-6 4th - BC - Kristopaitis, 39-yard field goal BC 17-6
SUN SEPT 20
Hamilton 34, TORONTO 17 (27883) - A record crowd saw Hamp Pool coach the Argonauts for the last time, as he was fired the following day. Ron Howell sparked the Ticats with two majors on punt returns, then scored a third major on a pass from Bernie Faloney.
HAMILTON - 7 14 3 10 - 34
TORONTO - 3 0 0 14 - 17
1st - TOR - Cookie Gilchrist field goal TOR 3-0 1st - HAM - Ron Howell, 42-yard punt return (Steve Oneschuk kick) HAM 7-3 2nd - HAM - Gerry McDougall, 1-yard run (Oneschuk kick) HAM 14-3 2nd - HAM - Single, Ross Coyle rouged on Bernie Faloney kick HAM 15-3 2nd - HAM - Howell, 90-yard punt return HAM 21-3 3rd - HAM - Safety touch, Max Boydston tackled in end zone HAM 23-3 3rd - HAM - Single, Gerry Philp rouged on Oneschuk kick HAM 24-3 4th - HAM - Oneschuk, 13-yard field goal HAM 27-3 4th - HAM - Howell, 33-yard pass from Faloney (Oneschuk kick) HAM 34-3 4th - TOR - Boyd Carter pass from Gerry Doucette (Gilchrist kick) HAM 34-10 4th - TOR - Dick Shatto, 10-yard run (Gilchrist kick) HAM 34-17
MON SEPT 21
Winnipeg 15, CALGARY 10 (15000) - Winnipeg scored eight points in the opening quarter, then added seven more in the fourth quarter to take over first place, while the Stamps stayed in fourth place. End Ernie Pitts, the league's leading scorer, contributed two touchdowns on passes from QB Jim Van Pelt.
WINNIPEG - 8 0 0 7 - 15
CALGARY - 0 3 7 0 - 10
1st - WIN - Single, Charlie Shepard kick into the end zone WIN 1-0 1st - WIN - Ernie Pitts, 8-yard pass from Jim van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 8-0 2nd - CAL - Doug Brown, 19-yard field goal WIN 8-3 3rd - CAL - Earl Lunsford, 4-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 10-8 4th - WIN - Pitts, 28-yard pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 15-10
EDMONTON 29, British Col 7 (17000) - The Eskimos continued their mid-season offensive drive, taking home a lopsided win that put them in a tie with BC for second place. Edmonton star Jackie Parker scored 23 of the 29 Eskimo points on a conference record five field goals, a touchdown and two converts.
BRIT COL - 0 1 0 6 - 7
EDMONTON - 3 13 6 7 - 29
1st - EDM - Jackie Parker, 24-yard field goal EDM 3-0 2nd - EDM - Parker, 14-yard field goal EDM 6-0 2nd - EDM - Joe-Bob Smith, 80-yard pass from Don Getty (Parker kick) EDM 13-0 2nd - BC - Single, Harold Sparrow kick EDM 13-1 2nd - EDM - Parker, 20-yard field goal EDM 16-1 3rd - EDM - Parker, 24-yard field goal EDM 19-1 3rd - EDM - Parker, 31-yard field goal EDM 22-1 4th - BC - Willie Fleming, 53-yard run EDM 22-7 4th - EDM - Parker, 67-yard pass from Getty (Parker kick) EDM 29-7
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
Hamilton 6 1 0 12 189 93 Winnipeg 7 3 0 14 259 160
Montreal 4 3 0 8 131 132 Edmonton 6 3 0 12 190 74
Toronto 2 5 0 4 74 165 British Columbia 6 4 0 12 189 193
Ottawa 2 5 0 4 122 126 Calgary 4 5 0 8 177 150
Saskatchewan 0 8 0 0 78 316
SAT SEPT 26
Hamilton 23, OTTAWA 14 (19387) - The razor-sharp passing of QB Bernie Faloney and a pair of costly fumbles helped Hamilton break Ottawa's two-game winning streak. The Rider defense held the Ticats to 68 yards rushing, but Faloney completed 12 of 20 passes for 240 yards.
HAMILTON - 0 7 1 15 - 23
OTTAWA - 0 0 7 7 - 14
2nd - HAM - Paul Dekker, 7-yard pass from Bernie Faloney (Steve Oneschuk kick) HAM 7-0 3rd - OTT - Ron Stewart, 7-yard run (Gary Schreider kick) TIED 7-7 3rd - HAM - Single, Stewart conceded on Cam Fraser punt HAM 8-7 4th - HAM - Single, Dave West conceded on Fraser punt HAM 9-7 4th - HAM - Ralph Goldston, 5-yard fumble return (Oneschuk kick) HAM 16-7 4th - HAM - Ron Howell, 86-yard pass from Faloney (Oneschuk kick) HAM 23-7 4th - OTT - Schreider pass from Frank Tripucka (Schreider kick) HAM 23-14
TORONTO 39, Montreal 9 (20035) - One week after Toronto GM Lew Hayman accepted a $15 collect call from Al Dorow, the former BC Lion backup QB. The 28-year-old came off the bench with the Argos trailing 2-0 and led them to a second quarter TD and two more in the third quarter to spark the Toronto rally.
MONTREAL - 1 1 7 0 - 9
TORONTO - 0 7 13 19 - 39
1st - MON - Single, Bob Dehlinger rouged on Sam Etcheverry kick MON 1-0 2nd - MON - Single, Dehlinger rouged on Etcheverry kick MON 2-0 2nd - TOR - Ross Coyle, 10-yard pass from Al Dorow (Cookie Gilchrist kick) TOR 7-2 3rd - TOR - Coyle, 85-yard pass from Dorow TOR 13-2 3rd - TOR - Coyle, 16-yard pass from Dorow (Gilchrist kick) TOR 20-2 3rd - MON - Veryl Switzer, 1-yard run (John Blaicher kick) TOR 20-9 4th - TOR - Gilchrist, 1-yard run TOR 27-9 4th - TOR - Dorow, 1-yard run (Gilchrist kick) TOR 33-9 4th - TOR - Dick Shatto, 8-yard pass from Dorow TOR 39-9
Brit Col 28, CALGARY 10 (14800) - The Lions, sparked by the deadly passing of Randy Duncan, trounced Calgary. Duncan regularly connected with ends Bruce Claridge and Jerry Janes to move the ball at win, as BC moved into a tie for first place with Winnipeg.
BRIT COL - 1 7 7 13 - 28
CALGARY - 7 0 3 0 - 10
1st - BC - Single, Harold Sparrow kick into end zone BC 1-0 1st - CAL - Harvey Wylie, 85-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Doug Brown kick) CAL 7-1 2nd - BC - Sonny Homer, 4-yard run (Jerry Janes kick) BC 8-7 3rd - CAL - Brown, 27-yard field goal CAL 10-8 3rd - BC - Don Vicic, 1-yard run (Janes kick) BC 15-10 4th - BC - Janes pass from Duncan (Janes kick) BC 22-10 4th - BC - Bruce Claridge, 45-yard pass from Duncan BC 28-10
MON SEPT 28
WINNIPEG 13, Edmonton 10 (17707) - Cold, rainy weather held down both offenses, but Edmonton jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first quarter and 10-3 at the half. The Bombers came to life in the fourth quarter with a converted touchdown and a field goal.
EDMONTON - 9 1 0 0 - 10
WINNIPEG - 0 3 0 10 - 13
1st - EDM - Safety touch, Carver Shannon tackled in end zone EDM 2-0 1st - EDM - Normie Kwong, 1-yard run (Jackie Parker kick) EDM 9-0 2nd - WIN - Jim Van Pelt, 10-yard field goal EDM 9-3 2nd - EDM - Single, Henry Janzen conceded on Vic Chapman kick EDM 10-3 4th - WIN - Tony Kehrer, 1-yard run (Jim Van Pelt kick) TIED 10-10 4th - EDM - Van Pelt, 4-yard field goal WIN 13-10
Calgary 18, SASKATCHEWAN 15 (6500) - Thanks to a 17-point third quarter, the Stampeders snapped a five-game losing skid on a field made soggy by four inches of rain. The win did not stop Calgary from announcing Coach Otis Taylor would not coming back in 1960.
CALGARY - 0 0 17 1 - 18
SASKATCHEWAN - 0 1 0 14 - 15
2nd - SASK - Single, Ferdy Burkett kick to the deadline SASK 1-0 3rd - CAL - Doug Brown, 36-yard field goal CAL 3-1 3rd - CAL - Earl Lunsford, 2-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 10-1 3rd - CAL - Gene Filipski, 5-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Brown kick) CAL 17-1 4th - CAL - Single, Brown missed field goal CAL 18-1 4th - SASK - Ron Koes recovered blocked kick in end zone (Reg Whitehouse kick) CAL 18-8 4th - SASK - Don Allard, 5-yard run (Whitehouse kick) CAL 18-15
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
Hamilton 7 1 0 14 212 107 Winnipeg 8 3 0 16 272 170
Montreal 4 4 0 8 140 171 British Columbia 7 4 0 14 217 203
Toronto 3 5 0 6 113 174 Edmonton 6 4 0 12 200 87
Ottawa 2 6 0 4 136 149 Calgary 5 6 0 10 205 193
Saskatchewan 0 9 0 0 93 334
SAT OCT 3
Ottawa 9, HAMILTON 7 (20012) - Ottawa shocked Hamilton and spoiled Vince Scott Appreciation Day. Ottawa's part spoilers were led by 25-ysear-old Gary Schreider, who scored Ottawa's only touchdown with a short plunge in the opening quarter.
OTTAWA - 7 1 0 1 - 9
HAMILTON - 1 6 0 0 - 7
1st - OTT - Gary Schreider, 1-yard run (Schreider kick) OTT 7-0 1st - HAM - Single, Joe Poirier rouged Bernie Faloney kick OTT 7-1 2nd - OTT - Single, Babe Parilli kick to deadline OTT 8-1 2nd - HAM - Ron Howell, 15-yard pass from Tom Dublinski OTT 8-7 4th - OTT - Single, Eddie Macon conceded on Parilli kick OTT 9-7
Toronto 37, MONTREAL 14 (22152) - The Toronto win created a second-place tie between the two teams. The Toronto ground attack carved open the Montreal line with Al Dorow calling the shots at QB. Cookie Gilchrist counted 19 of the Argo points with two touchdowns, four converts and a field goal.
TORONTO - 7 13 0 17 - 37
MONTREAL - 7 0 7 0 - 14
1st - MON - Joel Wells, 1-yard run (Bill Bewley kick) MON 7-0 1st - TOR - Dick Shatto, 14-yard run (Cookie Gilchrist kick) TIED 7-7 2nd - TOR - Ron Stover, 20-yard pass from Al Dorow TOR 13-7 2nd - TOR - Gilchrist lateral from Dick Shatto with lateral from Dorow for 38-yard play (Gilchrist kick) TOR 20-7 3rd - MON - Wells, 10-yard pass from Sam Etcheverry (Bewley kick) TOR 20-14 4th - TOR - Shatto, 23-yard run (Gilchrist kick) TOR 27-14 4th - TOR - Gilchrist, 28-yard field goal TOR 30-14 4th - TOR - Gilchrist, 69-yard run (Gilchrist kick) TOR 37-14
EDMONTON 44, Saskatchewan 15 (17500) - Edmonton ruined Frank Tripucka's debut as Saskatchewan head coach and moved into a second place tie with BC. The Riders led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter before they wilted in the second quarter. Normie Kwong and Johnny Bright scored two TDs for the Eskimos.
SASKATCHEWAN - 14 1 0 0 - 15
EDMONTON - 7 20 3 14 - 44
1st - SASK - Bobby Renn, 3-yard pass from Don Allard (Reg Whitehouse kick) SASK 7-0 1st - EDM - Normie Kwong, 7-yard run (Jackie Parker kick) TIED 7-7 1st - SASK - Ken Carpenter, 14-yard pass from Allard (Whitehouse kick) SASK 14-7 2nd - EDM - Kwong, 1-yard line SASK 14-13 2nd - EDM - Parker, 9-yard pass from Don Getty (Parker kick) EDM 20-14 2nd - EDM - Johnny Bright, 4-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 27-14 2nd - SASK - Single, Menan Schriewer kick to deadline EDM 27-15 3rd - EDM - Parker, 27-yard field goal EDM 30-15 4th - EDM - Joe-Bob Smith, 8-yard pass from Parker (Parker kick) EDM 37-15 4th - EDM - Bright, 3-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 44-15
MON OCT 5
WINNIPEG 38, Calgary 24 (15784) - QB Jim Van Pelt passed for three touchdowns as Winnipeg solidified their hold on first place. The Stamps took an early lead when Harvey Wylie returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but then came storming back.
CALGARY - 7 3 7 7 - 24
WINNIPEG - 14 7 3 14 - 38
1st - CAL - Harvey Wylie, 105-yard kickoff return (Doug Brown kick) CAL 7-0 1st - WIN - Charlie Shepard, 5-yard run (Jim Van Pelt kick) TIED 7-7 1st - WIN - Leo Lewis, 9-yard pass from Jim Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 14-7 2nd - CAL - Brown, 7-yard field goal WIN 14-10 2nd - WIN - Carver Shannon, 19-yard pass from Lewis (Van Pelt kick) WIN 21-10 3rd - WIN - Van Pelt, 31-yard field goal WIN 24-10 3rd - CAL - Ernie Warlick, 14-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Brown kick) WIN 24-17 4th - WIN - Ernie Pitts, 8-yard pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 31-17 4th - WIN - Ferrell Funston pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 38-17 4th - CAL - Gene Filipski, 3-yard pass from Kapp (Brown kick) WIN 38-24
Saskatchewan 15, BRIT COL 14 (25778) - Ferdinand (The Bull) Burket kicked a single point, a booming kick from the five into the stands, in the final 21 seconds to give Saskatchewan their first win of the season. They had lost ten in a row, to tie the WIFU record set by the Lions last season.
SASKATCHEWAN - 0 6 1 8 - 15
BRITISH COL - 6 7 0 1 - 14
1st - BC - Don Vicic, 1-yard run BC 6-0 2nd - BC - Ed Vereb, 13-yard pass from Randy Duncan (Jerry Janes kick) BC 13-0 2nd - SASK - Fred Burket recovered fumble in end zone BC 13-6 3rd - SASK - Single, Baz Nagle rouged on Burket punt BC 13-7 4th - BC - Single, Harold Sparrow kick to deadline BC 14-7 4th - SASK - Burket, 4-yard run (Reg Whitehouse kick) TIED 14-14 4th - SASK - Single, Burket kick to deadline SASK 15-14
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
Hamilton 7 2 0 14 219 116 Winnipeg 9 3 0 18 310 194
Montreal 4 5 0 8 154 208 Edmonton 7 4 0 14 244 102
Toronto 4 5 0 8 150 188 British Columbia 7 5 0 14 231 218
Ottawa 3 6 0 6 145 156 Calgary 5 7 0 10 229 231
Saskatchewan 1 10 0 2 123 392
SAT OCT 10
OTTAWA 36, Montreal 8 (17203) - The Riders scored three touchdowns through the air, two by Bobby Simpson as Ottawa forced a three-way tie for second place in the Big Four. The lone Montreal TD came from Veryl Switzer as he bounced off the goal posts after a 20-yard romp.
MONTREAL - 0 7 1 0 - 7
OTTAWA - 8 6 13 9 - 36
1st - OTT - Single, Jim Colcough rouged on Babe Parilli kick OTT 1-0 1st - OTT - Bobby Simpson, 29-yard pass from Russ Jackson (Gary Schreider kick) OTT 8-0 2nd - MON - Veryl Switzer, 20-yard run (Bill Bewley kick) OTT 8-7 2nd - OTT - Simpson, 11-yard pass from Parilli OTT 14-7 3rd - MON - Single, Davey West rouged by Doug McNichol on Sam Etcheverry kick OTT 14-8 3rd - OTT - Ron Stewart, 1-yard run OTT 20-8 3rd - OTT - Gary Nesbitt, 25-yard interception return (Schreider kick) OTT 27-8 4th - OTT - Safety touch, Joe Poirier tackled Joel Wells in end zone OTT 29-8 4th - OTT - Joe Kelley, 55-yard pass from Parilli (Schreider kick) OTT 36-8
Hamilton 13, TORONTO 7 (26223) - Hamilton combined the brilliance of QB Bernie Faloney with a superb pass defense Faloney scored the lone Ticat touchdown when he burst through the center of line for 52 yards after faking a handoff and darting back to pass.
HAMILTON - 3 8 0 2 - 13
TORONTO - 0 0 7 0 - 7
1st - HAM - Steve Oneschuk, 32-yard field goal HAM 3-0 2nd - HAM - Bernie Faloney, 52-yard run (Oneschuk kick) HAM 10-0 2nd - HAM - Single, Faloney kick HAM 11-0 3rd - TOR - Ross Coyle, 5-yard pass from Al Dorow (Cookie Gilchrist kick) HAM 11-7 4th - HAM - Single, Oneschuk kick HAM 12-7 4th - HAM - Single, Cam Fraser kick HAM 13-7
CALGARY 53, Saskatchewan 13 (8500) - Calgary struck through the air and on the ground in rolling up 661 yards in offense, 54 yards more than the conference record they set two years ago. Joe Kapp and Nobby Wirkowski combined to pass for 380 yards
SASKATCHEWAN - 7 6 0 0 - 13
CALGARY - 7 20 14 12 - 53
1st - SASK - Menan Schreiwer pass from Don Allard (Reg Whitehouse kick) SASK 7-0 1st - CAL - Gene Filipski, 16-yard run (Doug Brown kick) TIED 7-7 2nd - SASK - Whitehouse, 27-yard field goal SASK 10-7 2nd - CAL - Don Stone pass from Allard (Brown kick) CAL 14-10 2nd - SASK - Whitehouse, 25-yard field goal CAL 14-13 2nd - CAL - George Tait, 55-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Brown kick) CAL 21-13 2nd - CAL - Kapp, 2-yard run CAL 27-13 3rd - CAL - Earl Lunsford run (Brown kick) CAL 34-13 3rd - CAL - Filipski, 7-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 41-13 4th - CAL - Lorne Reid pass from Nobby Wirkowski CAL 47-13 4th - CAL - Filipski, 14-yard run CAL 54-13
Edmonton 38, BRIT COL 14 (28679) - Edmonton powered their way into second place. hammering a listless Lion club. Jackie Parker scored 19 points on two touchdowns, a field goal and four converts. He also threw one touchdown pass. Joe-Bob Smith scored two TD for the Eskimos.
EDMONTON - 0 18 7 13 - 38
BRIT COL - 0 0 7 7 - 14
2nd - EDM - Single, Joe Yamauchi rouged on Vic Chapman kick EDM 1-0 2nd - EDM - Johnny Bright run (Jackie Parker kick) EDM 8-0 2nd - EDM - Parker field goal EDM 11-0 2nd - EDM - Joe-Bob Smith, 10-yard pass from Parker (Parker kick) EDM 18-0 3rd - EDM - Parker, 5-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 25-0 3rd - BC - Bill Jessup, 20-yard pass from Randy Duncan (Vic Kristopaitis kick) EDM 25-7 4th - EDM - J-B. Smith, 17-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 32-7 4th - EDM - Parker, 10-yard pass from Don Getty EDM 38-7 4th - BC - Bill Britton, 1-yard run (Kristopaitis kick) EDM 38-14
MON OCT 12
HAMILTON 20, Toronto 7 (22068) - Hamilton clinched first place when they scored two touchdowns by Gerry McDougall in the second quarter. The game ended on a sour note when Toronto's Bobby Kuntz went halfway across the field to punch Hamiltons' Don Paquette, resulting in both being kicked out.
TORONTO - 0 0 7 0 - 7
HAMILTON - 0 17 0 3 - 20
2nd - HAM - Gerry McDougall, 2-yard run (Steve Oneschuk kick) HAM 7-0 2nd - HAM - McDougall, 1-yard run (Oneschuk kick) HAM 14-0 2nd - HAM - Safety touch, Al Dorow tackled in end zone HAM 16-0 2nd - HAM - Single, Bernie Faloney kick to deadline HAM 17-0 3rd - TOR - Cookie Gilchrist, 5-yard run (Gilchrist kick) HAM 17-7 4th - HAM - Chet Miksza, 34-yard field goal HAM 20-7
Ottawa 28, MONTREAL 12 (21817) - Ottawa scored four second half touchdowns - two by Joe Kelly - and moved into second place all alone. The Riders rolled up 273 yards passing, with Russ Jackson and Babe Parilli at quarterback.
OTTAWA - 0 0 16 12 - 28
MONTREAL - 0 5 0 7 - 12
2nd - MON - Safety touch, Bill Hudson tackled Babe Parilli in end zone MON 2-0 2nd - MON - Bill Bewley, 25-yard field goal MON 5-0 3rd - OTT - Gary Schreider, 26-yard field goal MON 5-3 3rd - OTT - Joe Kelly, 52-yard pass from Russ Jackson (Schreider kick) OTT 10-5 3rd - OTT - Ted Smale, 49-yard pass from Jackson OTT 16-5 4th - OTT - Kelly, 2-yard run OTT 22-5 4th - MON - Ivan Livingstone, 85-yard pass from Sam Etcheverry (Bewley kick) OTT 22-12 4th - OTT - Jackson, 2-yard run OTT 28-12
Winnipeg 27, SASKATCHEWAN 14 (8000) - QB Jim Van Pelt threw four touchdown passes to help the Bombers open up a four point lead in the WIFU. HB Leo Lewis scored two of the Bomber touchdowns. The Riders came up with their best performance of the year in Coach Frank Tripucka's home debut.
WINNIPEG - 7 14 0 6 - 27
SASKATCHEWAN - 7 0 0 7 - 14
1st - SASK - Ken Carpenter, 2-yard run (Reg Whitehouse kick) SASK 7-0 1st - WIN - Leo Lewis, 10-yard pass from Jim Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) TIED 7-7 2nd - WIN - Ferrell Funston, 17-yard pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 14-7 2nd - WIN - Lewis, 50-yard run with lateral from Funston after 13-yard pass from Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 21-7 4th - SASK - Ron Dundas, 8-yard pass from Don Allard (Whitehouse kick) WIN 21-14 4th - WIN - Ernie Pitts, 23-yard pass from Van Pelt WIN 27-14
Calgary 41, EDMONTON 23 (15500) - Edmonton fans booed Jackie Parker as four of his passes were intercepted, two of them being converted to touchdowns. Gene Filipski scored three touchdowns for the Stampeders, who found themselves in the thick of the playoff race.
CALGARY - 7 17 10 7 - 41
EDMONTON - 3 13 0 7 - 23
1st - EDM - Jackie Parker, 32-yard field goal EDM 3-0 1st - CAL - Gene Filipski, 1-yard pass to Joe Kapp (Doug Brown kick) CAL 7-3 2nd - CAL - Filipski, 28-yard pass from Kapp (Brown kick) CAL 14-3 2nd - EDM - Joe-Bob Smith, 24-yard pass from Parker (Parker kick) CAL 14-10 2nd - CAL - Filipski, 40-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 21-10 2nd - CAL - Brown, 36-yard field goal CAL 24-10 2nd - EDM - Parker, 10-yard run CAL 24-16 3rd - CAL - Kapp, 6-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 31-16 3rd - CAL - Brown, 34-yard field goal CAL 34-16 4th - CAL - Lunsford, 3-yard run (Brown kick) CAL 41-16 4th - EDM - Normie Kwong, 2-yard run (Parker kick) CAL 41-23
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
X-Hamilton 9 2 0 18 252 130 X-Winnipeg 10 3 0 20 337 208
Ottawa 5 6 0 10 209 176 Edmonton 8 5 0 16 305 157
Toronto 4 7 0 8 164 221 British Columbia 7 6 0 14 245 256
Montreal 4 7 0 8 174 272 Calgary 7 7 0 14 323 267
X-Clinched playoff berth Saskatchewan 1 12 0 2 150 472
SAT OCT 17
OTTAWA 17, Hamilton 16 (15463) - Babe Parilli kicked a single past the dead ball line to give screaming Ottawa fans a cliffhanger win over the league-leading Tiger-Cats. Parilli had relieved Russ Jackson at QB with the Riders down 15-1 early in the third quarter.
HAMILTON - 0 6 9 1 - 16
OTTAWA - 1 0 1 15 - 17
1st - OTT - Single, Ron Howell conceded on Babe Parilli kick OTT 1-0 2nd - HAM - Bernie Faloney, 6-yard run HAM 6-1 3rd - HAM - Gerry McDougall, 26-yard field goal HAM 9-1 3rd - HAM - Gene Jones, 56-yard pass from Faloney HAM 15-1 3rd - OTT - Single, Ron Howell rouged on Parilli kick HAM 15-2 3rd - OTT - Joe Kelly, 1-yard run (Gary Schreider kick) HAM 15-9 4th - HAM - Single, Ron Stewart conceded on Cam Fraser kick HAM 16-9 4th - OTT - Kelly, 22-yard pass from Parilli (Schreider kick) TIED 16-16 4th - OTT - Single, Parilli kick to deadline OTT 17-16
Montreal 4, TORONTO 3 (19941) - A field goal by Bill Bewley with less than three minutes to play gave Montreal the win after he missed his previous five attempted field goals in the game. The score was the lowest in the Big Four since Toronto shaded Hamilton 2-0 in 1947.
MONTREAL - 0 1 0 3 - 4
TORONTO - 3 0 0 0 - 3
1st - TOR - Cookie Gilchrist, 32-yard field goal TOR 3-0 2nd - MON - Single, Jim Rountree rouged on Bill Bewley missed FG TOR 3-1 4th - MON - Bewley, 20-yard field goal MON 4-3
WINNIPEG 31, British Col 6 (18181) - Winnipeg clinched first place in the WIFU and a bye into the finals, and assured Edmonton of a playoff berth. BC must win both of their last two games to get into the playoffs. QB Jim Van Pelt scored with 11 points on a touchdown, field goal and convert.
BRIT COL - 0 0 0 6 - 6
WINNIPEG - 5 20 6 0 - 31
1st - WIN - Single, Joe Yamauchi rouged on Charlie Shepard WIN 1-0 1st - WIN - Jim Van Pelt, 36-yard field goal WIN 4-0 1st - WIN - Single, Baz Nagle rouged on Shepard kick WIN 5-0 2nd - WIN - Van Pelt, 3-yard run WIN 11-0 2nd - WIN - Gordie Rowland, 40-yard interception return (Van Pelt kick) WIN 18-0 2nd - WIN - Gerry James, 4-yard run (Van Pelt kick) WIN 25-0 3rd - WIN - Leo Lewis, 10-yard pass from Van Pelt WIN 31-0 4th - BC - Willie Fleming, 3-yard pass from Earl Keeley WIN 31-6
CALGARY 25, Edmonton 24 (17300) - Calgary came up with a single in the last 21 seconds to move into a second place tie with the Eskimos in the West. Ron Morris booted the single deep into the Edmonton end zone after Calgary marched from their own 23 to the Edmonton 19.
EDMONTON - 3 0 21 0 - 24
CALGARY - 0 16 0 9 - 25
1st - EDM - Jackie Parker, 11-yard field goal EDM 3-0 2nd - CAL - Earl Lunsford, 3-yard run CAL 6-3 2nd - CAL - Lunsford, 1-yard run (Doug Brown kick) CAL 13-3 2nd - CAL - Brown, 10-yard field goal CAL 16-3 3rd - EDM - Johnny Bright, 11-yard run (Jackie Parker kick) CAL 16-10 3rd - EDM - Single, Harvey Wylie conceded on Tommy Joe Coffey kickoff CAL 16-11 3rd - EDM - Coffey, 60-yard pass from Parker EDM 17-16 3rd - EDM - Normie Kwong, 2-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 24-16 4th - CAL - Single, Rollie Miles rouged on Brown kick EDM 24-17 4th - CAL - Lunsford, 1-yard run (Brown kick) TIED 24-24 4th - CAL - Single, Ron Morris kick to deadline CAL 25-24
MON OCT 19
Brit Col 45, SASKATCHEWAN 6 (7000) - The Riders lost their 13th game as Willie Fleming scored three touchdowns for the Lions. The only Rider touchdown came on a fumble return by Jack Hill. The game set up a winner-take-all finale between BC and Calgary to see who would be in the playoffs.
BRITISH COL - 7 3 0 35 - 45
SASKATCHEWAN - 6 0 0 0 - 6
1st - SASK - Jack Hill, 40-yard fumble return SASK 6-0 1st - BC - Willie Fleming, 48-yard run (Vic Kristopaitis kick) BC 7-6 2nd - BC - Kristopaitis, 40-yard field goal BC 10-6 4th - BC - Jerry Janes, 47-yard pass from Randy Duncan (Kristopaitis kick) BC 17-6 4th - BC - Ed Vereb, 1-yard run (Kristopaitis kick) BC 24-6 4th - BC - Fleming, 55-yard pass from Duncan (Kristopaitis kick) BC 31-6 4th - BC - Bruce Claridge, 53-yard pass from Duncan (Kristopaitis kick) BC 38-6 4th - BC - Fleming, 30-yard run (Kristopaitis kick) BC 45-6
EDMONTON 21, Winnipeg 20 (15500) - Edmonton clinched second place in the WIFU with a last minute touchdown Tommy Joe Coffey kicked the winning convert after a Jackie Parker TD pass to Jim Letcavits. The game was costly as Winnipeg QB Jim Van Pelt was lost for the season with a shoulder separation.
WINNIPEG - 7 1 12 0 - 20
EDMONTON - 7 7 0 7 - 21
1st - WIN - Carver Shannon, 6-yard pass from Jim Van Pelt (Van Pelt kick) WIN 7-0 1st - EDM - Johnny Bright, 3-yard run (Jackie Parker kick) TIED 7-7 2nd - WIN - Single, Charlie Shepard kick to deadline WIN 8-7 2nd - EDM - Joe-Bob Smith, 7-yard pass from Parker (Parker kick) EDM 14-8 3rd - WIN - Shannon, 7-yard pass from Van Pelt TIED 14-14 3rd - WIN - Gerry James, 2-yard run WIN 20-14 4th - EDM - Jim Letcavits, 20-yard pass from Parker (Tommy Joe Coffey kick) EDM 21-20
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
X-Hamilton 9 3 0 18 268 147 X-Winnipeg 11 4 0 22 388 235
Ottawa 6 6 0 12 226 192 X-Edmonton 9 6 0 18 350 202
Montreal 5 7 0 10 178 275 British Columbia 8 7 0 16 296 293
Toronto 4 8 0 8 167 225 Calgary 8 7 0 16 348 291
X-Clinched playoff berth Saskatchewan 1 13 0 2 156 517
SAT OCT 24
HAMILTON 16, Montreal 0 (15500) - Hamilton whipped Montreal in the mud under the capable direction of QB Bernie Faloney, who hurled two touchdown passes. To make the playoffs, Montreal would have to beat the Ticats next week, and Toronto would have to lose to Ottawa.
MONTREAL - 0 0 0 0 - 0
HAMILTON - 8 1 0 7 - 16
1st - HAM - Single, Ed Learn conceded on Bernie Faloney kick HAM 1-0 1st - HAM - Duane Wood, 41-yard pass from Faloney (Gerry McDougall kick) HAM 8-0 2nd - HAM - Single, Ed Mitchell conceded on Cam Fraser kick HAM 9-0 4th - HAM - McDougall, 34-yard pass from Faloney HAM 15-0 4th - HAM - Single, Wally Lencz conceded on Fraser kick HAM 16-0
OTTAWA 18, Toronto 4 (14696) - Rider FB Dave Thelen ran for 146 yards on the mud-soaked field and scored one TD. He now has 1,247 yards rushing, one shy of the Big Four record set by Montreal's Pat Abbruzzi in 1955 during a 12-game schedule. The win clinched second place for Ottawa.
TORONTO - 3 0 1 0 - 4
OTTAWA - 3 1 7 7 - 18
1st - TOR - Cookie Gilchrist, 37-yard field goal TOR 3-0 1st - OTT - Gary Schreider, 20-yard field goal TIED 3-3 2nd - OTT - Single, Bob Dehlinger rouged on Babe Parilli punt OTT 4-3 3rd - TOR - Single, Gilchrist kick to deadline TIED 4-4 3rd - OTT - Russ Jackson, 4-yard run (Schreider kick) OTT 11-4 4th - OTT - Thelenm 1-yard run (Schreider kick) OTT 18-4
Edmonton 20, SASKATCHWAN 19 (8000) - Jackie Parker kicked a field goal on the final play to snatch the win away from the last-place Riders, who lost their 15th game. Edmonton's Bill Smith intercepted a Frank Tripucka pass with less than a minute remaining to set up the kick.
EDMONTON - 0 10 0 10 - 20
SASKATCHEWAN - 9 0 7 3 - 17
1st - SASK - Frank Fraser recovered fumble in end zone (Reg Whitehouse kick) SASK 7-0 1st - SASK - Single, Ferdy Burket kick to deadline SASK 8-0 1st - SASK - Single, Rollie Miles rouged on Jack Hill kick SASK 9-0 2nd - EDM - Jackie Parker, 36-yard field goal SASK 9-3 2nd - EDM - Parker, 1-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 10-9 3rd - SASK - Bob Golic, 4-yard fumble return (Whitehouse kick) SASK 16-10 4th - EDM - Joe-Bob Smith, 10-yard pass from Don Getty (Parker kick) EDM 17-16 4th - SASK - Whitehouse, 12-yard field goal SASK 19-17 4th - EDM - Parker, 33-yard field goal EDM 20-19
BRITISH COL 10, Calgary 8 (31594) - Underdog BC scored a converted fourth quarter TD to edge Calgary. The win gave the Lions a playoff spot, their first since entering the WIFU in 1954. The Lions had dropped four of five games prior to this winner-take-all battle with the Stamps, who had won four of their last five.
CALGARY - 1 7 0 0 - 8
BRIT COL - 0 3 0 7 - 10
1st - CAL - Single, Sonny Homer rouged on Doug Brown missed FG CAL 1-0 2nd - CAL - Don Stone, 5-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Brown kick) CAL 8-0 2nd - BC - Vic Kristopaitis, 15-yard field goal CAL 8-3 4th - BC - Bill Jessup, 14-yard pass from Randy Duncan (Kristopaitis kick) BC 10-8
MON OCT 25
Saskatchewan 37, WINNIPEG 30 (15000) - Commissioner G. Sydney Halter ruled Saskatchewan would forfeit the two points from the win for the use of an ineligible player, Saskatchewan head coach Frank Tripucka, who played quarterback for the Riders. All statistics for the game, including Ferdy Burkett's five TDs, were counted.
SASKATCHEWAN - 0 23 0 14 - 37
WINNIPEG - 13 7 3 7 - 30
1st - WIN - Ernie Pitts, 15-yard pass from Kenny Ploen WIN 6-0 1st - WIN - Charlie Shepard, 19-yard run (Gerry James kick) WIN 13-0 2nd - SASK - Ferd Burket7-yard run (Reg Whitehouse kick) WIN 13-7 2nd - Burket, 3-yard run (Whitehouse kick) SASK 14-13 2nd - SASK - Whitehouse, 9-yard field goal SASK 17-13 2nd - SASK - Burket, 7-yard pass from Frank Tripucka SASK 23-13 2nd - WIN - Carver Shannon pass from Ploen (James kick) SASK 24-20 3rd - WIN - James, 11-yard field goal SASK 24-23 4th - SASK -Burket, 1-yard run (Whitehouse kick) SASK 31-23 4th - SASK - Burket, 1-yard run SASK 37-23 4th - WIN - Pitts, 12-yard pas from Leo Lewis (James kick) SASK 37-30
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
X-Hamilton 10 3 0 20 284 147 X-Winnipeg 12 4 0 24 388 235
X-Ottawa 7 6 0 14 244 196 X-Edmonton 10 6 0 20 370 221
Montreal 5 8 0 10 178 291 X-British Columbia 9 7 0 18 306 301
Toronto 4 9 0 8 171 243 Calgary 8 8 0 16 356 301
X-Clinched playoff berth Saskatchewan 1 15 0 2 175 537
SAT OCT 31
Ottawa 31, TORONTO 21 (19465) - Ottawa won its sixth straight and ended Toronto's playoff hopes, as FV Dave Thelen scored two touchdowns and broke the league rushing record. He ran for 99 yards to give him 1,339 on the season. It was the fourth straight year the Argos have missed the postseason.
OTTAWA - 17 0 0 14 - 31
TORONTO - 0 13 8 0 - 21
1st - OTT - Fred Smale, 43-yard pass from Russ Jackson (Gary Schreider kick) OTT 7-0 1st - OTT - Dave Thelen, 5-yard run (Schreider kick) OTT 14-0 1st - OTT - Schreider, 19-yard field goal OTT 17-0 2nd - TOR - Al Dorow, 6-yard run OTT 17-6 2nd - TOR - Al Schlosser, 40-yard pass from Dorow (Cookie Gilchrist kick) OTT 17-13 3rd - TOR - Single, Gilchrist missed FG OTT 17-14 3rd - TOR - Ron Stover, 32-yard pass from Dorow (Gilchrist kick) TOR 21-17 4th - OTT - Ron Stewart, 28-yard pass from Babe Parilli (Schreider kick) OTT 24-21 4th - OTT - Thelen, 40-yard pass from Stewart (Davey West kick) OTT 31-21
MONTREAL 15, Hamilton 14 (21827) - Montreal fought through the front door to the Big Four playoffs when Sam Etchevery kicked an easy single from a yard out on the last play of the game. The thriller was played in mud, goo and rain. The win clinched third place for Montreal and a date with Ottawa in the semifinal.
HAMILTON - 7 1 6 0 - 14
MONTREAL - 7 0 0 8 - 15
1st - HAM - Ron Howell, 4-yard pass from Bernie Faloney (Gerry McDougall kick) HAM 7-0 1st - MON - George Dixon, 77-yard run (Bill Bewley kick) TIED 7-7 2nd - HAM - Single, Wes Gideon rouged on McDougall missed FG HAM 8-7 3rd - HAM - Harry Lampman, 6-yard pass from Faloney HAM 14-7 4th - MON - Sam Etcheverry, 1-yard run (Bewley kick) TIED 14-14 4th - MON - Single, Etcheverry kick to deadline MON 15-14
STANDINGS - IRFU WIFU
X-Hamilton 10 4 0 20 298 162 X-Winnipeg 12 4 0 24 388 235
X-Ottawa 8 6 0 16 275 217 X-Edmonton 10 6 0 20 370 221
X-Montreal 6 8 0 12 193 305 British Columbia 9 7 0 18 306 301
Toronto 4 10 0 8 192 274 Calgary 8 8 0 16 356 301
X-Clinched playoff berth Saskatchewan 1 15 0 2 175 537
WIFU SEMI-FINAL (Edmonton wins total points series, 61-15)
FRI OCT 31
Edmonton 20, BRITISH COL 8 (33993) - A record WIFU playoff crowd saw QB Jackie Parker effectively blend his ball handling wizardry with the power running of Normie Kwong and the speed of rookie Howie Schumm to give Edmonton a 12-point lead in the series.
EDMONTON - 0 7 6 7 - 20
BRIT COL - 0 7 0 1 - 8
2nd - BC - Don Vicic, 1-yard run (Vic Kristopaitis kick) BC 7-0 2nd - EDM - Jim Letcavits, 56-yard pass from Jackie Parker (Parker kick) TIED 7-7 3rd - EDM - Johnny Bright, 1-yard run EDM 13-7 4th - BC - Single, Joe-Bob Smith rouged on Hal Sparrow EDM 13-8 4th - EDM - Howie Schumm, 6-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 20-8
WED NOV 4
EDMONTON 41, British Col 7 (16000) - Jackie Parker was at his best in leading Edmonton to the Western final for the 10th straight year. On a field frozen solid, Parker threw two touchdown passes and personally scored 17 points, as the Eskimos easily won the game and the total point series.
BRIT COL - 0 0 7 0 - 7
EDMONTON - 6 21 14 0 - 41
1st - EDM - Jackie Parker, 33-yard field goal EDM 3-0 1st - EDM - Parker field goal EDM 6-0 2nd - EDM - Normie Kwong, 1-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 13-0 2nd - EDM - Johnny Bright, 12-yard pass from Parker (Parker kick) EDM 20-0 2nd - EDM - Tommy Joe Coffey, 26-yard pass from Parker (Parker kick) EDM 27-0 3rd - EDM - Bright, 4-yard run (Parker kick) EDM 34-0 3rd - EDM - Parker, 4-yard pass from Don Getty (Parker kick) EDM 41-0 3rd - BC - Bill Britton, 23-yard pass from Randy Duncan (Vic Kristopaitis kick) EDM 41-7
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (12-4)
Head Coach: Bud Grant
Leading Rusher: Charlie Shepard (1076)
Leading Passer: Jim Van Pelt (2706)
Leading Receiver: Ernie Pitts (68-1126)
Edmonton Eskimos (10-6)
Head Coach: Eagle Keys
Leading Rusher: Johnny Bright (1340)
Leading Passer: Don Getty (2080)
Leasing Receiver: J.B. Smith (62-1108)
British Columbia Lions (9-7)
Head Coach: Wayne Robinson
Leading Rusher: Don Vicic (802)
Leading Passer: Randy Duncan (2746)
Leasing Receiver: Jerry Janes (41-936)
Calgary Stampeders (8-8)
Head Coach: Otis Douglas
Leading Rusher: Earl Lunsford (1027)
Leading Passer: Joe Kapp (2990)
Leasing Receiver: Ernie Warlick (53-909)
Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-15)
Head Coach: George Terlep (0-9)/Frank Tripucka (1-6)
Leading Rusher: Fred Burket (423)
Leading Passer: Don Allard (1170)
Leasing Receiver: Vern Vaughn (39-511)
August 21 - CFL football ticket for the 1st CFL game ever played at C.N.E. Stadium, Toronto
Regina Leader-Post (August 31st 1959)
Toronto Star (September 21st 1959)
Regina Leader-Post (October 6th 1959)
Vancouver Province (October 6th 1959)
Toronto Star (October 19th 1959)
Vancouver Province (October 26th 1959)
Vancouver Sun (November 5th 1959)
Vancouver Province (November 12th 1959)
Ottawa Citizen (November 9th 1959)
WIFU FINAL (Winnipeg wins series, 2 games to 0)
WED NOV 11
Winnipeg 19, EDMONTON 11 (16000) - QB Kenny Ploen, replacing an injured Jim Van Pelt, sparked a crashing first half ground game to lead Winnipeg to the win. The Bombers scored 15 points in the second quarter on the snow swept field to take a commanding 18-0 lead.
WINNIPEG - 3 15 0 1 - 19
EDMONTON - 0 0 4 7 - 11
1st - WIN - Gerry James, 17-yard field goal WIN 3-0 2nd - WIN - Kenny Ploen, 5-yard run (James kick) WIN 10-0 2nd - WIN - Single, James missed FG QIN 11-0 2nd - WIN - Charlie Shepard, 12-yard run (James kick) WIN 18-0 3rd - EDM - Single, Vic Chapman kick WIN 18-1 3rd - EDM - Jackie Parker, 34-yard field goal WIN 18-4 4th - EDM - Johnny Bright, 3-yard run (Parker kick) WIN 18-11 4th - WIN - Single, Shepard kick to deadline WIN 19-11
SAT NOV 14
WINNIPEG 16, Edmonton 8 (15872) - An icy 17 MPH win swept across the football field as the Bombers overcame a 7-0 deficit to clinch the win on a booming Charlie Shepard punt over the end zone and into the stands for a single, which put the game out of reach.
EDMONTON - 7 0 1 0 - 8
WINNIPEG - 0 15 0 1 - 16
1st - EDM - Normie Kwong, 15-yard run (Jackie Parker kick) EDM 7-0 2nd - WIN - Single, Gerry James missed FG EDM 7-1 2nd - WIN - James, 1-yard run (James kick) WIN 8-7 2nd - WIN - Leo Lewis, 2-yard run (James kick) WIN 15-7 3rd - EDM - Single, Lewis rouged on Vic Chapman kick WIN 15-8 4th - WIN - Single, Charlie Shepard kick over deadline WIN 16-8
IRFU SEMIFINAL
SAT NOV 7
OTTAWA 43, Montreal 0 (18635) - Ottawa continued their late season surge by routing the Alouettes by scoring six touchdowns. The Riders rushed for 246 yards and passed for 171 more, while holding Montreal to 24 yards rushing. Montreal head coach Douglas (Peahead) Walker was fired after the game.
MONTREAL - 0 0 0 0 - 0
OTTAWA - 0 14 15 14 - 43
2nd - OTT - Dave Thelen, 1-yard run (Gary Schreider kick) OTT 7-0 2nd - OTT - George Brancato, 6-yard pass from Babe Parilli (Schreider kick) OTT 14-0 3rd - OTT - Single, Wally Lencz rouged on Parilli kick OTT 15-0 3rd - OTT - Parilli, 3-yard run (Schreider kick) OTT 22-0 3rd - OTT - Al Romine, 74-yard interception return (Schreider kick) OTT 29-0 4th - OTT - Milt Graham, 60-yard pass from Russ Jackson (Schreider kick) OTT 36-0 4th - OTT - Bob Simpson, 19-yard pass from Jackson (Schreider kick) OTT 43-0
IRFU FINAL (Hamilton wins total points series, 26-24)
SAT NOV 14
OTTAWA 17, Hamilton 5 (18926) - QB Russ Jackson's brilliant running for two touchdowns was the margin of victory as Ottawa defeated Hamilton. The only time the Riders threatened seriously inside the Hamilton half of the field was when Jackson scored, but that was enough to give Ottawa a 12-point lead
HAMILTON - 0 4 0 1 - 5
OTTAWA - 8 0 9 0 - 17
1st - OTT - Russ Jackson, 25-yard run OTT 6-0 1st - OTT - Safety touch, Bernie Faloney tackled in end zone OTT 8-0 2nd - HAM - Steve Oneschuk, 17-yard field goal OTT 8-3 2nd - HAM - Single, Harry Lunn conceded on Oneschuk missed FG OTT 8-4 3rd - OTT - Single, Duane Wood rouged on Merv Collins kickoff OTT 9-4 3rd - OTT - Jackson, 3-yard run (Davey West kick) OTT 16-4 3rd - OTT - Single, Ron Howell rouged on Babe Parilli kick OTT 17-4 4th - HAM - Single, Oneschuk kick to deadline OTT 17-5
SAT NOV 21
HAMILTON 21, Ottawa 7 (20000) - Hamilton broke up a fierce and tense scoreless struggle with three explosive third quarter touchdowns to defeat Ottawa and advance to the Grey Cup for the third straight year. Hamilton was able to overcome four first half turnovers.
OTTAWA - 0 0 0 7 - 7
HAMILTON - 0 0 21 0 - 21
3rd - HAM - Ralph Goldston, 5-yard run (Steve Oneschuk kick) HAM 7-0 3rd - HAM - Gerry McDougall, 30-yard pass from Bernie Faloney (Oneschuk kick) HAM 14-0 3rd - HAM - Gene Jones, 30-yard pass from McDougall (Oneschuk kick) HAM 21-0 4th - OTT - George Brancato, 8-yard pass from Babe Parilli (Gary Schreider kick) HAM 21-7
1959 GREY CUP (Saturday November 28th at Toronto - 33,133)
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS 21, HAMILTON TIGER-CATS 7 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers played the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the third straight time in the Grey Cup final. The Bombers won the rubber match in a defensive showdown at the new CNE Stadium in Toronto. The Bombers went on an 18-point scoring run in the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. Winnipeg took the initial lead on their opening drive when Garry James was successful on a 21-yard field goal attempt. In the second quarter, Hamilton’s Vince Scott blocked Charlie Shepard’s punt and chased the ball into the Winnipeg end zone. Scott jumped on the ball, but the slippery pigskin squirted loose and the Winnipeg’s Jack Delveaux finally recovered it. Hamilton had to settle for a single point, rather than a potential touchdown. The Bombers held on to a 3-1 lead at halftime. Hamilton missed on another touchdown opportunity in the third quarter. With the Tiger-Cats on the Winnipeg four-yard line, the Ticats were stopped on consecutive plays. Rather than go for a touchdown, Hamilton elected to go for three points. Steve Oneschuk’s field goal gave Hamilton the lead, and he added to it later in the quarter on another three-point kick. Charlie Shepard then closed the gap to 7-4 on a single. The Bombers got the break they needed early in the fourth quarter. Hamilton’s Gerry McDougall, who had trouble holding on to the ball the entire game, lost it on the Hamilton 43 after a jarring hit by Roger Savoie. Winnipeg’s Bud Tinsley recovered, and two plays later the Bombers scored a touchdown. Farrell Funston went down the sidelines and cut in to beat Lew Chandler and take Ken Ploen’s 41-yard pass to the Hamilton two-yard line. From there, Charlie Shepard got over for the score. Chandler was filling in for an injured Ralph Goldston, who hurt his knee in the second quarter. The Bombers never trailed again. With the wind at his back, Shepard kicked three consecutive rouges. The Tiger-Cats’ attempted drive to tie the score late in the game was stopped on a third down gamble, and the Bombers took over on the Hamilton 33. Ploen hit Ernie Pitts with a 33-yard touchdown pass a few seconds before the final whistle. The 1950s was a successful period for the West, winning five of six Grey Cups to close the decade.
WINNIPEG - 3 0 1 17 - 21
HAMILTON - 0 1 6 0 - 7
1st - WIN - Gerry James, 21-yard field goal WIN 3-0 2nd - HAM - Single, Jack Delveaux rouged on blocked punt WIN 3-1 3rd - HAM - Steve Oneschuk, 9-yard field goal HAM 4-3 3rd - HAM - Oneschuk, 27-yard field goal HAM 7-3 3rd - WIN - Single, Ron Howell rouged on Charlie Shepard punt HAM 7-4 4th - WIN - Shepard, 2-yard run (James kick) WIN 11-7 4th - WIN - Single, Shepard kick to deadline WIN 12-7 4th - WIN - Single, Duane Wood conceded on Shepard punt WIN 13-7 4th - WIN - Single, Howell conceded on Shepard punt WIN 14-7 4th - WIN - Ernie Pitts, 33-yard pass from Kenny Ploen (James kick) WIN 21-7
Montreal Gazette (September 14th 1959)
