Classic Ray Nitschke

We’ve had a few lengthy posts this week, so tonight we’re just going to put up a nice shot of Packers’ legendary Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke. Here, a somewhat bloodied Nitschke directs the Green Bay defense in a game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. We wish the Packers had ol’ No. 66 on the field this past Monday night in the Windy City. He wouldn’t have put up with all those penalties.

The Playoff Bowl — 1965

Packers Victims of Card Tricks

By TOMMY FITZGERALD

Miami News Sports Writer

The Eastern Division has been graduated at the top of the National Professional Football League class with complete honors for the first time in eight years. They'll be awarding St. Louis Cardinal Coach Wally Lemm a foxskin instead of a sheepskin, though. He won his doctorate in trickery in the Orange Bowl yesterday before a record crowd of 56,218 as the Cards upset the touchdown-favored Green Bay Packers, 24-17, in the fifth annual Playoff (Runner-up) Bowl.

He did it with the help of his scholarly quarterback, Charley Johnson, whose erudition seems to be catching; with the help of a split end from pro football's kindergarten, Billy Gambrell; and with a confusing and incomparably effective pass rush and defense that had Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr more on his back than those lyrical stars that fall on Alabama.

The “strange” defenses uncovered by St. Louis held baffled Green Bay, top offensive club in the league, to its fewest yards rushing (52) and fewest overall (131) in the six years Vince Lombardi has been coaching the Packers. This was the first time the East had ever beaten the West in this annual spectace between the divisional runners-up. This year, for only the second time in the last eight years and in another upset, the East, Cleveland, also conquered the West, Baltimore, 27-0, for the league playoff championship.

Thus this first sweep of the two playoffs ever by the league stilled talk of an imbalance in quality between the two. Gambrell, the 165-pound, 5-10 University of South Carolina product, who is only in his sophomore year as a pro, was one of two surprises Dr. Lemm pull on that great brain of football, Lombardi. The other was the flexible, fluent, ever-changing, unscouted nature of his pass-rush defenses in this first meeting of the clubs since a preseason exhibition. Gambrell caught two Johnson touchdown passes- one for 80 yards in the second quarter and the other for 10 in the third- to tie a Playoff Bowl record and set a record for the event with a total of 184 yards on his six receptions.

“This is the first time Gambrell has been successful going deep.” Dr. Lemm noted. “He has good moves. We've always passed to him short. The films Green Bay have show him going only short. Maybe that's why Jesse Whittenton and Doug Hart were playing him so close. When we saw they were playing him close, we had him go deep.”

Gambrell was only Johnson's fourth favorite target all season, catching only 24 passes, but defensive coach Chuck Drullis said Bobby Joe Conrad, No. 1 St. Louis receiver, had a bad shoulder (“we were trying to keep it quiet”) and that the secret game plan was to throw more to Gambrell. Dr. Lemm did his homework. “We’ve always blitzed the passer- but from a 4-3 defense,” he said after yesterday’s game in explaining his strategy. “Sitting home between the end of the season (three weeks ago) and coming down here (a week ago), I got the idea of showing all different types of defenses we hadn't used during the season and stunting and changing alignments almost every play. We didn't use the 4-3 one-eighth of the time. Every team has few audibles for its quarterback to call when he finds a shift to an odd defense. But when the defenses are all different from what a team has shown all year, you run out of audibles and the offense is stymied.”

Starr, the top passer in the National League with a 59.9 completion average and only four interceptions all year, completed 13 of 28 for only 46.4 percent, had one pass intercepted for a touchdown and was thrown five times for losses totaling 50 yards in attempting to pass. It was a grimly-defensive 7-3 first half, in which St. Louis scored the only time it got past Green Bay's 49. That was that second quarter 80-yard pass (longest of the year for St. Louis) on which Gambrell faked Whittenton to slip by him. Green Bay was able to penetrate only once into Cardinal’s territory to the St. Louis 35 in the first period. This ended with Paul Hornung kicking a 40-yard field goal.

From the second half kickoff, St. Louis moved to a fourth down on the Green Bay one in a dozen plays. Jim Bakken kicked an eight-yard field goal and it was 10-3. With about five minutes to go in the third period, Gambrell maneuvered past Hart to catch a 10-yard touchdown pass. Bakken kicked this point- as he did the one after the first touchdown. St. Louis seemed snugly in at 17-3 the way the Green Bay offense was being tied in knots. But Green Bay got a break when Jimmy Burson muffed a fair catch and Green Bay got the ball on the St. Louis 16 at the start of the fourth period. Jim Taylor had it across in two bursts and Hornung kicked the point.

St Louis got to the Green Bay six, but lost the ball when it was kicked out of Johnson's hand while he was trying to pass. Green Bay, however, immediately threw an interception to Jerry Stovall, who ran it over from the Green Bay 29. Bakken kicked and it was 24-10 with 8:27 left. A 48-yard pass from Starr to Taylor, and a 15-yard personal foul penalty on St. Louis helped to take Green Bay to the St. Louis 12. Hornung shot through the middle to the two. Taylor rammed over from the one two plays later. Hornung kicked and Green Bay was just a touchdown and a point from a tie.

It looked as if Green Bay might luckily pull this one out when, with 2:52 remaining, Ray Nitschke intercepted a Johnson pass at the St. Louis 48 and ran it to the St. Louis 23. On the next play St Louis got it back on an interception, Burson grabbing a halfback pass from Hornung that the Cards had been alerted from the bench and were waiting. The Cards then ran out the clock.Gambrell's second touchdown was on a 10 yard pass from Johnson in the third period.

Billy Gambrell shocks the Packers with an 80 yard touchdown reception in the second period.

The Packer defense did contain the Cards (except for Johnson to Gambrell).

St. Louis' varied defensive schemes had Bart Starr and the offense off balance all afternoon.

Gambrell's second touchdown was on a 10 yard pass from Johnson in the third period.

Gambrell tightropes the sideline inside the ten. His catch set the Cards up for a Bakken field goal.

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

GB- FG Hornung 40

Second Quarter

STL- Gambrell 80 yard pass from Johnson (Bakken kick)

Third Quarter

STL- FG Bakken 7

STL- Gambrell 10 yard pass from Johnson (Bakken kick)

Fourth Quarter

GB- Taylor 7 yard run (Hornung kick)

STL- Stovall 30 yard interception return (Bakken kick)

GB- Taylor 1 run (Hornung kick)

Attendance: 56,218

Source: The Playoff Bowl

The Playoff Bowl — 1964

The Background of the Playoff Bowl

The Playoff Bowl is the familiar name for a postseason game formerly played in the National Football League. Its official name was the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, but it was also called the Pro Playoff Classic. It is also sometimes referred to as the "Runner-Up Bowl." Bell, a founding owner of the Philadelphia Eagles and later, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the Commissioner of the N.F.L. from 1946 to 1959. Among his notable contributions to the game was his conceptualizing of an N.F.L. player draft, his successful battle with the rival upstart AAFC, the authorization for local blackouts of televised games to encourage attendance and the recognition of the N.F.L. Players Association. He died suddenly of a heart attack suffered at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, during the last two minutes of a game between the Eagles and the Steelers on October 11, 1959.

From 1960 through 1966, the memorial Bert Bell Playoff Bowl matched up the teams that finished in second place in the two conferences (Eastern and Western) that the league had at that time. From 1967 to 1969, the losers of the Eastern and Western Conference championship games met (the conference title games having become necessary because in 1967 the conferences were further split up into two divisions each, the first-place finishers from which competed in these games). All ten games in the series were contested at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.

The game had no real meaning to the final season standings or statistically. For that reason, Vince Lombardi called it “a rinky-dink game.” At the time of the games, CBS-TV advertised them as “playoff games for third place in the N.F.L.” But, the actual purpose for the game was to serve as a postseason exhibition intended to draw fans and help coaches plan for the following season. Today the N.F.L. views them as exhibition games and does not include records of the game participants or results in league playoff statistics. Interest in the game was slight in the early years with attendance averaging 32,000 the first three years. Attendance peaked at 65,659 for the 1966 game between Baltimore and Dallas. It waned in the latter years with a low of 22, 941 in 1969.

When the N.F.L. and A.F.L. merged effective with the 1970 football season (the corporate merger having been consummated three years earlier), there was some discussion about continuing the Playoff Bowl, with the losers of the AFC and NFC Championship Games. The game was to be held during the idle week between these games and the Super Bowl. However, this was not ultimately proceeded with, and the Playoff Bowl came to an end.

Two vestiges of the Playoff Bowl does remain today, in that the head coaches of the two teams that lost the AFC and NFC championship games do become the head coaches of the AFC and NFC Pro Bowl teams, which play one another one week after the Super Bowl. And, the game was played at a neutral, warm-weather site, which would characterize the Super Bowl in future years.

Playoff Bowl — 1964

In 1963, the defending N.F.L. champion Green Bay Packers battled George Halas’ Chicago Bears for league supremacy. The Pack came up just short posting an 11-2-1 record. Their only losses came at the hands of the Bears (11-1-2). The Bears would go on to win the N.F.L. championship that season and the Packers would settle for an appearance in the Playoff Bowl. Jim Taylor rushed for over 1,000 yards and Bart Starr to Boyd Dowler was a lethal passing combination. In the East, the Cleveland Browns finished a game behind the New York Giants with a 10-4 record. The Browns were led by league leading rusher Jim Brown (1863 yards) and Frank Ryan, who threw for 2038 yards.

When the season ended, Green Bay had the third best winning percentage in N.F.L. history for a team not to make the playoffs since the format was adopted in 1933. The Packers were favored in the Playoff Bowl and would not disappoint. They easily handled the Browns, 40 to 23. Green Bay was led by Tom Moore, who had two touchdowns, including a 99-yard pass reception from Bart Starr. The pass completion tied an N.F.L. record for longest completion in history. Unfortunately, the statistics from exhibition games are not included in the permanent N.F.L. record annals. The record is currently shared by nine individuals, including the Packers’ Robert Brooks (Sept. 11, 1995).

Bart Starr was voted MVP of the game as he completed 15 of 18 passes for 259 yards. The Browns' Frank Ryan completed 18 0f 28 for 310 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort. Green Bay opened the scoring on a first quarter 18 yard pass play from Starr the Ron Kramer. Then came Moore's incredible reception. Starting from their own one after holding the Browns out of the end zone, Starr hit Moore at the 19 and he raced the length of the field for the touchdown. The Packers never looked back from that moment and coasted to an easy victory. Cleveland managed to keep it close in the first half on a Lou Groza field goal and a 5 yard touchdown run by Ernie Green. But Max McGee (15 yard pass from Starr) and Jim Taylor (one yard run) each scored in the second period to make the score 28-10 at the half.

The second half belonged to the Packers defense. The held Cleveland's star running back, Jim Brown, to 56 yards on 11 carries. The Packers got second half scores on a one yard Moore run, a Jerry Kramer field goal and a sack of Frank Ryan in the end zone for a safety. Ryan had a pair of second half touchdown passes, 20 yards to Rich Kreitling and 25 yards to Bob Crespino. The final was 40-23.

Anticipation was high for the 1964 season for another showdown between the Packers and Bears. But, it would by Ryan and the Cleveland Browns who would win the NFL title 11 months later.

Jim Brown tries the Packers' line during first quarter goal line stand.

Following the stand, Tom Moore got loose down the sideline on a 99 yard touchdown reception.

Cleveland's John Wooten (60) takes out Green Bay's Henry Urban as Ernie Green (48) scoots by for first down.

Winner Starr Plays It “Safe”

By TOMMY FITSGERALD

Miami News Sports Writer

MIAMI — At one time, it would have sounded like recommending cyanide as a health drink, but Bart Starr yesterday acclaimed passing from your end zone with the ball on your one-yard line about as safe a play as there is in football. Well, at least, as he put it, “not very precarious.”

This once-regarded invitation to suicide in this sophisticated era of football brought a record 99 yard first quarter touchdown in the fourth annual Pro Playoff Bowl yesterday afternoon in the Orange Bowl. It was the completion of the early turning point in Green Bay's 40-23 conquest of Cleveland in the post-season spectacle between the National Football League's divisional runners-up. “What have you got to lose?” said Starr. The Green Bay quarterback threw for a record three touchdowns and was voted the standing player in the game. “If there's too much of a rush you can throw intentionally the ground. You're already on the one- so how far can penalize you?”

Green Bay had scored first from the opening kickoff and then stopped a Cleveland drive on its one-yard line. On the first play after taking the ball on downs on his one, Starr passed to halfback Tom Moore out to the left and he shot down the sideline unmolested to score. The score, counting Kramer’s two extra points, was then 14-0 in favor of Green Bay with still 1:36 left in the first quarter. This goal line stand immediately followed by this 99 yard touchdown was a difference of 14 points. Green Bay led instead of being tied 7-7 and had the firm upper hand then on.

Records fell with the frequency and rapidity of the clattering, marching feet of the Florida A&M band at halftime on this cloudy, somber, sluggish afternoon. A new attendance record for the event — a mob of fans exceeding last year's congregation by 18,837 — was set. Also, a new absence record with a complete absence of defense except far that classic, head-turning picketing by Green Bay at its goal in that first period.

“We don't often call that play.” Starr said. “It depends on the situation. I thought it would work. I faked a handoff to Taylor into the line and threw to Moore running to the left.” “I just froze,” confessed Cleveland right safety Ross Fitchner, who neglected to cover Moore. “I got stuck by that fake handoff and didn't get out fast enough to cover.” He said it was virtually a duplication of the play on which Washington scored on a 99-yard pass against Cleveland during the season — proving, it appears, that Cleveland's greatest weakness is against 99-yard passes. “Both started with fake hand-offs, only George Izo passed to flanker back Mitchell for the Washington score and Starr threw to a halfback today.''

About every known Pro Playoff Bowl record was broken as the Western Division — never beaten — made it four straight over the Eastern Division, Detroit having won the previous three games for the West.

Among the new records set are:

• Touchdown passes (3) by Starr. He completed 15 of 18 passes for 259 yards — another game record. Cleveland's Frank Ryan, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 310 also broke the old mark (249) for yards gained passing.

• Most points scored in game- by one team (40) and both teams (63).

• Most yards gained rushing — by Green Bay (231)

• Most total yards gained — by both Green Bay (490) and Cleveland (418).

A number of other marks were tied or passed. In fact, the record book for this affair was practically rewritten.

The 28-10 first half was almost uninterrupted offense. Except for that stoppage of Cleveland on the Green Bay one and the halting of a Cleveland drive by the clock that ended the half, every time either side had the ball in the first half, it scored- either a touchdown or a field goal. Neither side punted the first half (in fact there were only three punts in the whole game), nobody gave up the ball on a fumble, nobody had a pass intercepted — it was almost through traffic the whole half.

The touchdowns in the game went this way:

Starr passed 13 yards to Ron Kramer with 6:14 gone in the first quarter. The Green Bay touchdown climaxed a drive of 87 yards, including a 15-yard penalty, from the opening kick-off, featuring the running of Jimmy Taylor and Moore. J. Kramer's kick made it 7-0.

Starr passed 99 yards to Moore with 1:36 left in first quarter and J. Kramer kicked. Green Bay led 14-0.

Lou Groza kicked a 38-yard field goal for Cleveland with 1:08 gone in second quarter. It was then 14-3 Green Bay.

Starr passed to Max McGee from the 13 to top an 83-yard advance. J. Kramer kicked. Green Bay, 21-3.

Ryan passed Cleveland up the field most of 87 yards to the five and Ernie Green took it in from there. Groza’s kicked to make it 21-10.

Starr's passing and the running of Moore and Taylor moved the ball 71 yards to the two and Taylor banged over. J. Kramer kicked and the half ended 28-10 for Green Bay a minute and a half later.

An interception by Willie Wood and his runback of 36 yards to the Cleveland 19 set up Green Bay's score in the third quarter on fourth down. Moore scored from the two. J. Kramer kicked to make it 35-10.

J. Kramer's 8-yard field goal made it 38-10 early in the fourth.

In his fifth completion in five throws on a 69-yard advance, Ryan threw 20 yards to Rich Kreitling. Groza kicked. The Scoreboard: Green Bay 38-17.

Bernie Parrish, the University of Florida product, returned an interception 40 yards to the Green Bay 15 and, a couple of plays later, Ryan passed 25 yards to Bob Crespino. Gross's kick was blocked and it stayed 38-23.

Green Bay scored two points on a safely as Ryan was tackled in his end zone by Lionel Aldridge and Urban Henry.

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

GB- R. Kramer 18 yard pass from Starr (J. Kramer kick)

GB- Moore 99 yard pass from Starr (J. Kramer kick)

Second Quarter

CLE- FG Groza 35

GB- McGee 15 yard pass from Starr (J. Kramer kick)

CLE- Green 5 run (Groza kick)

GB- Taylor 1 run (J. Kramer kick)

Third Quarter

GB- Moore 1 run (J. Kramer kick)

Fourth Quarter

GB- FG J. Kramer 8

CLE- Kreitling 20 yard pass from Ryan (Groza kick)

CLE- Crespino 25 yard pass from Ryan (Kick blocked)

GB- GB- Safety (Ryan tackled in endzone)

Attendance: 54,921

Source: The Playoff Bowl

Being An Armchair QB — 1966

Today we have a good-sized blog entry which features a 1966 season guide printed and distributed by the Norelco® company. Although it is “Bart Starr’s” guide to being an “armchair quarterback,” Green Bay fullback Jim Taylor is shown on the front cover. It’s hard to depict it here as such, but this guide is a sort of “flip book” where you can flip the left and right sides to then have the two rosters and depth charts of the teams you’re watching right in front of you. Does that make any sense?

This double-page ad has a great illustration of the team helmets of the N.F.L. as it stood in 1966 with 15 teams. The Atlanta Falcons joined the league that year as an expansion team.

Here’s a television listing of all the games for 1966. The N.F.L. was broadcast on CBS.

Some instructions on using the book, and a little summary of the N.F.L.’s history.

This spread — and the next two — give a summary of each N.F.L. franchise, and are illustrated with some classic mid-1960’s illustrations.

Some statistical background on the 1965 season are provided here, along with some info on the league’s officials.

Each team has its own feature pages, and we’re only bringing you the Green Bay ones here.

The Packers’ roster information is on this page, which you would flip so that it was side-by-side with that week’s opponent.

Ever-popular in publications of that era were a guide to football “lingo,” as well as some information on plays and formations common to the N.F.L.

This is a nice little spread on the 1965 championship game, when the Packers defeated the Cleveland Browns back in January of 1966.

As we mentioned, CBS broadcast all of the N.F.L. games back in 1966, so we are given some background on the network. On the right-hand page, we have some details about the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, which opened three years earlier in 1963.

Each team had their own CBS announcer, and the Packers’ Ray Scott is pictured on the left-hand page in the middle of the bottom row.

To wrap up the data in this booklet, we have a feature on what equipment football players wear. Green Bay’s Ray Nitschke is the model.

Be sure to get one of these fine accessories from your Norelco® dealer.

Dell’s Pro Football — 1958 Season

We hope that some of you enjoyed the complete television broadcast of the 1961 N.F.L. title game which was the Packers’ first championship since 1944. Today we return to presenting some classic publications from years gone by that feature our Green Bay Packers. We head back to the last year before Vince Lombardi arrived in Titletown, the 1958 season under head coach Ray “Scooter” McLean. It was to be an illustrious year that saw the team finish with a 1-10-1 record. Sports writer Red Smith at the time quipped of the Packers' dreadful 1958 season, "The Packers overwhelmed one opponent, underwhelmed 10, and whelmed one."

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 12

The final part — Part 12 — of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 11

Part 11 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 10

Part 10 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 9

Part 9 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 8

Part 8 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 7

Part 7 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 Title Game Halftime Show — Part 2

The second part of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game halftime show.

1961 Title Game Halftime Show — Part 1

The first part of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game halftime show.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 6

Part 6 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 5

Part 5 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

(NOTE: The entries have been re-numbered to match the video file names — this is a new post for today, even if you watched "Part 5" yesterday).

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 4

Part 4 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 3

Part 3 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

Ron Kramer Dead at 75

O B I T U A R Y

Ex-Packer tight end, hero of '61 title game Kramer dies at 75

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Green Bay — Ron Kramer, one of the best athletes to put on a Green Bay Packers uniform and a hero of the 1961 championship game victory over the New York Giants, died Saturday at his home. He was 75. The tight end is the less famous of the two Kramers who played for coach Vince Lombardi during the 1960s, but he was every bit as important to the Packers sweep as the one who is associated with it most often. "He was a sensational blocking tight end," said guard Jerry Kramer, a close friend but not related to Ron. "He was an integral part of getting that sweep going. He didn't get his just dues that he really deserved. But he was critical in making that run work. He blocked outside the line. He just dominated. He wiped out linebackers."

Kramer was a star athlete at the University of Michigan, and he settled there after his playing career in the NFL, operating Ron Kramer Industries in Fenton, Mich., about 35 miles north of Ann Arbor. In recent years he had numerous health problems related to his heart, Jerry Kramer said. "He was having a difficult time," he said. "He literally died two or three times in the hospital. He went down to the Super Bowl three or four years ago and went to the hospital because he wasn't feeling well. His heart stopped in the hospital. He always seemed to come through it. He was a tough guy. No one gave him much sympathy because he was so tough."

Ron Kramer was a dominant three-sport athlete at Michigan and had his number retired upon his graduation. He was a two-time All-American on the football team, most valuable player and top scorer on the basketball team and a shot putter and high jumper on the track team. Lombardi chose him with his first-round pick in the 1957 draft, one spot after taking Paul Hornung with a bonus pick. Kramer had an injury-filled first season with the Packers, left to serve a year in the Air Force in '58 and then came back and developed into a force at tight end. "He was such a superb athlete," Jerry Kramer said. "He just dominated that position. He's probably one of the best football players I ever saw, maybe the best athlete that ever came out of Michigan."

Hornung said in a 2003 interview: "Ron was big, strong and had great technique. Ron was what made Green Bay's sweep go. We wish he never would have gone to Detroit. If your teammates know what a contribution you made, that's… important." According to the Packers' website, Kramer caught 170 passes for 2,594 yards and 15 touchdowns in 89 games with the Packers. His yardage ranks second in team history for a tight end behind only Paul Coffman and 16th in team annals overall. He ranks sixth on the all-time tight ends list in receptions and fifth in touchdowns. Lombardi once said of his tight end, "Having Ron Kramer on the team is like having a 12th man."

Kramer finished his career with the Detroit Lions, but it wasn't because he was a traitor. He went to Lombardi and asked him to trade him there so he could be closer to his family. "He asked Coach Lombardi to trade him because he was trying to save his marriage," Jerry Kramer said. "Coach told him to wait a few days and 'if I don't hear anything from you I'll do it. I hate to do it.' Ron had to do the right thing for his family."

Jerry Kramer described his teammate as someone who could get under your skin, but just about the time you were about to get mad at him, he would do something "gentle and soft." He said Kramer and Hornung had plenty of fun in their day — and a lot more of it — after their careers. He remembered being at the Lombardi Golf Classic with his teenage son, Matt, when Ron Kramer came up behind Matt and gave him a big bear hug. "He said, 'Matt, there's something I've always wanted to tell you: I'm your real father.' We all got a good laugh out of that."

Ron Kramer caught a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Bart Starr in the '61 championship game and was named an all-pro in 1962. In his 10-year career (three with Detroit), he caught 229 passes for 3,272 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Bart Starr celebrates with Ron Kramer (right) following the 1961 N.F.L. championship game which we’re currently featuring here on Packerville, U.S.A.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 2

Part 2 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 NFL Title Game — Part 1

Part 1 of the 1961 N.F.L. championship game broadcast.

1961 NFL Title Game — Pre-Game Show

From a Canadian television broadcast, we’re going to be bringing you (in several parts) the 1961 N.F.L. title game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants. This historic footage was shown to the nation live on New Year’s Eve from Green Bay, Wisconsin — December 31, 1961. The sound level is a bit low, so you’ll probably want to increase it on your computer. Enjoy!

Unpleasant Memories

We’re taking a trip back to the mid-1980’s today, when the Packers were not exactly the toast of the N.F.L. This is from CBS’s coverage of the Green Bay-Chicago games in Lambeau Field on November 23, 1986, and the game in Chicago of that year. The Bears were coming off their first league title since 1963, and frankly, the Packers weren’t going anywhere. This game also marked the low (or high, depending on how you view the rivalry) point of dirty play in their long history of competition.

1962 Title Game in LIFE

From time to time, we conduct searches through LIFE magazine’s vast photo archives online and come up with some good Packers-related images that we’ve never seen before. Today, we present a selection from the 1962 N.F.L. title game played in New York’s Yankee Stadium which ended in a Green Bay victory over the Giants, 16-7. Above, some game action on a frigid day — December 30, 1962.

Guard Jerry Kramer kicks one of his three field goals on the day, which were crucial in the final scoring analysis.

The Packers’ sideline is bundled up against the New York wind and cold, which some players have deemed “more miserable than the Ice Bowl” five years later in Green Bay.

Some more game action, with guard Ed Blaine (#60) chasing the play.

The end of a play, with New York’s quarterback Y.A. Tittle (#14) in the foreground.

Another shot of players being covered up along the sideline in the historic stadium.

Running back Elijah Pitts (#22 — whose son would play for the Packers in the 1980’s), warms his feet on the bench with a photographer also trying to thaw out.

After the win, a jubilant Green Bay head coach Vince Lombardi entertains the New York media in his hometown.

Fullback Jim Taylor cleans up after the game.

A partially-dressed Ray Nitschke answers reporters’ questions in the Green Bay locker room.

Nitschke still talking with the press while getting dressed.

Nitschke finishes with a news man before heading to the team bus and the flight back to Green Bay.