SWC75
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This lengthy You-Tube entry (2 1/2 hours) is the oldest complete record of an NFL broadcast in existence. It's also the first NFL championship game I ever watched: that was the year I became a fan. I remember my Dad brought home a booklet he'd gotten from a bank with pictures, rosters, a brief history for each team and a summary of their prospects this year. I became fascinated by it and we sat down on Sunday afternoons to watch the games as something a father and son could do together. I especially liked the team nicknames: Bears, Lions, Giants! I wasn't sure what a "Packer" was but it sounded impressive. But i became a Browns fan because they had the best player of all and he'd come from Syracuse! Unfortunately, they didn't have the best team. That was between the Giants and the Packers, who played for the championship.
The next oldest complete game is from 1969. There are other clips on You-Tube that combine radio broadcasts with filmed highlights. This is the real deal. This is what you saw if you turned in on December 31, 1961:
This is the Canadian broadcast of the game, with a studio host and a former player, Curly Morrison, who played for the Bears and Browns from 1950-56, (Curly is still with us at age 91). Hal Kelly was more noted as a baseball broadcaster: he did the Expos games when they started. I haven't been able to find out any more about him. They break in from time to time but the US broadcast is done by Chris Schenkel, (1923-2005) and Lindsay Nelson, (1919-1995), both of whom should be well-known to old time US sports fans. Chris was the Giant's lead TV broadcaster from 1952-69.
Watching this, I became very nostalgic. These were among the guys for whom I had baseball cards in those days. I was a Cleveland Browns fan but was very familiar with these two teams. Both of them played in 6 championship games in that era, (from 1956-67). The Giants crushed the Bears, 47-7 in 1956, then lost the overtime game to the Colts in 1958. They were leading going into the 4th quarter in Baltimore the next year when their hopes faded with multiple interceptions. They were not competitive in this game, mostly because of the second quarter when they again threw some interceptions. Then they had two tight defensive duels against the Packers in 1962 and the Bears in 1963. They were 1-5 in those title games but could easily have won a couple more. The Packers won 5 of their 6 title games but this was the only blow-out. They lost a close one to the Eagles in 1960, won a reasonably close game over the Browns in 1965 and won two classics over the Cowboys in 1966 and 1967, before routing the AFL champs in the first two Super Bowls.
Both were great teams. I thought of this game when I saw the Giants beat the Packers in 2007 and 2011 on the way to their own Super Bowl wins, on the same field, with the same uniforms on both teams, (although they could now be seen in color). I remember the announcers in those games referencing the 1961 game, which they no doubt remembered from their childhoods, too.
The Packers had been in 5 NFL title games before and had won three straight NFL titles when they were just pennants, with no championship game in 1929-31. But they kept winning the Western Conference in even years: 1936, 1938, 1944, 1960, years when the Eastern Conference would host the title game. The one exception was in 1939, when the game was held in Milwaukee, not Green Bay, because they had a bigger stadium there. Lambeau Field opened in 1957 and so when the Packers won the 1961 Western Conference title, they hosted the game in Green Bay for the first time ever, despite all their prior success.
They had not been much of a success in the 1950's and things had gotten so bad that they had the worst record in the NFL in 1958, 1-10-1. that's when they hired Vince Lombardi, who had been disappointed he couldn't get the head job in New York. He turned the underdogs into overdogs, having a winning record his first year, making it to the title game in his second year, winning the title his third have having one of the greatest teams of all time in 1962, (14-1-0, out-scoring their opponents 431-155). He did that largely with players who were already there: 18 players were on both the 1 win 1958 team and the 1 loss team of 1962. That included most of the famous players we now associate with the all-conquering Lombardi Packers. But they knew losing first and many of them knew it again after he left.
I was 8 years old then and am 64 now. My nostalgia watching all of these young men of 1961 led me to wonder how many of them are still with us. here are the results of my research. I went over the then 38 man rosters of both teams:
NEW YORK GIANTS
QB- Charlie Conerly was 40 and had played since 1948, all with the Giants. This was his last game. He died 35 years later, in 1996 at age 74.
Lee Grosscup was age 25. He played for the 1960-61 and for the AFL’s Titians in 1962. He’s still alive at age 80.
Y.A. Tittle was 35 and had played pro football since 1948 and would play until 1964. He died 10/8/17 at age 90. This was his first year with the Giants.
FB- Alex Webster was 30 and had played since 1955. He would play until 1964, all with the Giants. He died 51 years later, in 2012
HB, (all the other Giant running backs are listed as halfbacks)- Bob Gaiters was 23 and a rookie. In 1962 he played for the Giants and 49ers and then for the Broncos in the AFl in 1963. He’s still alive at age 79.
Phil King was 25 and played for the Giants form 1958-63, then for the Steelers and Vikings until 1966. He died 12 years later, (meaning after the 1961 title game), in 1973 at the age of 36 “victim of an accidental shooting accident while cleaning his gun in a hotel room”.
Joe Morrison was 24. He’d been playing for the Giants since 1959 and would continue with them until his retirement in 1972. He died of a heart attack 28 years later, in 1989 at age 51.
Bill Stits was 30. He’d played for the Lions from 1954-56, the 49ers from 1957-58, the Redskins in 1959 and the Giants from 1959-61, so this was his last game. He died 50 years later at the age of 80 in 2011.
Alan Webb was 28. He played for the Giants from 1961-65. He lived another 50 years, dying at age 78 in 2011.
Joel Wells was 26, also a rookie and played only in this season. He’s still alive at age 82.
WR- Pete Hall was a 22 year old rookie in his only year in the league. He is still alive at age 78.
Kyle Rote was 33 and this was his last game. He’s been playing for the Giants since 1951. He died 41 years later, in 2002 at age 73.
Del Shofner was 27 and had played for the Rams from 1957-60. He was a Giant from 1961 until he retired in 1967. He’s still alive at age 83.
TE- Joe Walton 26, had played for the Redskins from 1957-60 and played for the Giants from 1961-63. He’s still alive at age 82.
OL: Roosevelt Brown was 29 and played for the Giants from 1953-65. He died 43 years later, in 2004 at age 71.
Darrell Dess was 26. He’s played for the Steelers in 1958 but was a Giant until he was traded to the Redskins in 1965. He was traded back to the Giants in 1966 and remained with them until he retired in 1969. He’s still alive at age 82.
Larry Hayes was 26. He played for the Giants in 1961 and the Rams in 1962-63. He died at 6/15/17 at age 81.
Greg Larson was a 22 year old rookie and played for the Giants until he retired in 1973. He’s still alive at age 78.
Jack Stroud was also 33 and also a career Giant who started in 1953. He played for them until 1964. He died 30 years later in 1994 at age 66.
Ray Wietecha was 33 and another career Giant, playing for them from 1953-62. He lived another 41 years, dying in 2002 at age 74.
DL: Roosevelt Grier was 29 and played for the Giants from 1955-62. Then he was traded to the Rams, for whom he played until he retired in 1966. He’s still alive at age 85
Chuck Janerette was 23. He played for the Rams in 1960, the Giants in 1961-62, the the Jets in 1963 and the Broncos in 1964-65. He lived for 23 years, dying at age 45 in 1984. A manic-depressive, he was killed in shoot-out with police.
Jim Katcavage was 27 and played for the Giants from 1956-68. He lived another 34 years, dying at age 60 in 1994 of a heart attack.
Dick Modzelewski was 30. He played for the Redskins from 1953-54 and then for the Steelers in 1955. He was a Giant for their glory period of 1956-63 and then was traded to the Browns, for whom he played from 1964-66. He’s still alive at age 86.
Andy Robustelli was 36. He’d been a Ram from 1951-55, then was a Giant from 1956 until he retired in 1964. He lived another 50 years, dying at age 85 in 2011.
Zeke Smith was 25. He was a Colt in 1960 and a Giant in 1961. This was his last game and he probably didn’t play. He died in 2016 at the age of 79.
Linebackers- Sam Huff was 27. He played for the Giants from 1956-64 and was then traded to the Redskins, for whom he played until 1967. He then came out of retirement to play one more year in 1969. He’s still alive at age 83.
Cliff Livingston was 31. He’d been a Giant since 1954 but this was his last game for them. He later played for the Vikings in 1962 and the Rams from 1963-65. He lived another 49 years, dying at age 79 in 2010.
Tom Scott was 31. He was with the Eagles from 1953-58. Then he was a Giant from 1959 until his retirement in 1964. He lived for 54 years and died in 2015 at age 84.
Bob Simms was 23. He played for the Giants from 1960-62 and then for the Steelers. He’s still alive at age 79.
DB: Erich Barnes was age 26. He’d played for the Cardinals from 1958-60. He was a Giant from 1961-64 then a Brown from 1965-71. He’s still alive at age 82.
Gene Johnson was age 26. He had been an Eagle in 1959-60 and began the 1961 season as a Viking. He played three games for the Giants that year and was probably no longer a Giant at the time of this game. He died in 1997 at the age of 61 in 1997.
Dick Lynch was 25. He played for the Redskins in 1958 and then for the Giants from 1959 until he retired in 1966. He lived another 47 years, dying in 2008 at age 72.
Dick Nolan was 29. He played for the Giants from 1954-57, played a year for the Cardinals, then came back to play of the Giants for three more years. This was his last game as a Giant. He played one more season for the Cowboys in 1962, then became a coach was head coach of both the 49ers and Saints. He died in 2007 at the age of 75.
Jimmy Patton was 28. He played his entire career with the Giants from 1955-66. He lived another 11 yards, dying at age 39 in 1972 in an auto accident.
Mickey Walker was 22. He played for the Giants from 1961-65. He’s still alive at age 78.
K: Don Chandler was 27. He was a Giant from 1956-64 and a Packer from 1965-67. He lived another 50 years, dying at age 76.
P: Pat Summerall was 31. He’d played for the Lions in 1952 and the Cardinals in 1953-57 before becoming a Giants in 1958. This was his last game. He lived another 52 years, dying in 2013 at age 82.
PR: Bill Stits did most of the punt returning.
KR: Bob Gaiters and Joe Wells returned most of the kick-offs.
That’s 38 players, 14 of whom are still alive on 12/24/2017, one week short of the 56th anniversary of the game.
Absent was Frank Gifford, who sat this season out due to a concussion caused by the famous hit by Chuck Bednarik in 1960. He’d been a Giant since 1952 and would return to play for them in 1962-64. He lived another 54 years, dying in 2015 at age 84.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
QB’s – John Roach played both QB and DB as a deep-bench reserve for the 1961 Packers at age 28. He’s still with us at age 84. He comes in to take a knee after Starr goes off the field to a thunderous ovation. He seems to injure himself kneeling on the last play but was still no doubt a happy guy. He played for the Cardinals in 1956 and 1959-60, the Packers from 1961-63 and the Cowboys in 1964.
Bart Starr quarterbacked the Packers from 1956-71, although he shared the position with others until 1961. He was 27 that year and is now 83. He later came back to coach the Packers from 1975-83, as long a stint as Lombardi had. But he was less successful.
FB- Jim Taylor was the on the field symbol of the Packers from 1958-66, then played one year for the Saints. He was 26 in 1961 and is now 82.
HB- Lew Carpenter Was a Lion from 1953-55, a Brown from 1957-58, (he was on the wrong end of the 10-56 championship game in 1954 and the 14-59 championship game in 1957), and had been with the Packers since 1959. He played for them until 1963. He was 29 in 1961 and 78 when he died in 2010.
Paul Hornung Played for the Packers from 1957-66, except for 1963 when he was suspended for gambling, (Pete Rose is envious). He was going to play with Taylor for the Saints in 1967 but a preseason neck injury forced him to retire. He had just turned 26 a week before this game and is still with us at age 82.
Tom Moore was 23 in 1961. He played for the Packers from 1960-65, the Rams in 1966 and the Falcons in 1967. He replaced Paul Hornung at halfback when Paul was suspended for the 1963 season. He’s still with us at age 79.
Elijah Pitts was 23 in 1961. He died in 1998 at age 60. He played for the Packers from 1961-69, then split a year with the Saints and Rams before returning to Green Bay for the 1971 season.
WR- Boyd Dowler was 24. He played for the Packers from 1959-69 and the Redskins in 1971. He’s still alive at age 80.
Gary Knafelc started with the Cardinals in 1954 but was traded to the Packers that same year and played for them until 1962. He also played for the 49ers in 1963. He turned 30 three days after this game and is still with us at age 85.
Max McGee was a Packer from 1954-67. He was 29 in 1961 and 75 when he fell off his roof and died of his injuries in 2007.
TE- Ron Kramer (Not related to Jerry, below), played for the Packers from 1957-64 and then 3 years for the Lions. He was 26 in 1961 and died at age 75 in 2010.
OL- Forrest Gregg played for the Packers from 1956-70: 15 years!. He then had a single season for the Cowboys before being a coach. He was head man for the Browns, Bengals and Packers. He was age 28 in 1961 and is 84 now.
Ken Iman Played for the Packers from 1960-63 and the Rams from 1965-74. He was age 22 at the time of this game. He died at age 71 in 2010.
Jerry Kramer the author of “Instant Replay” and other books about the Lombardi years. He played for the Pack from 1958-68. He was 25 at the time of this game and is now age 81.
Norm Masters played for the Packers from 1957-64. He was 28 in 1961 and died at age 77 in 2011.
Jim Ringo played for Ben Schwartzwalder at Syracuse and said that he and Lombardi “Walked the same side of the street.” He played for Green Bay from 1953-63, then came into his contract negotiation with a lawyer and was promptly traded to the Eagles, for whom he played from 1964-67. Jim was 30 in 1961 and 75 when he died in 2007.
Bob Skoronski played for the Packers from 1956-68. He was 27 in 1961 and is now age 83.
Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston played for the Colts in 1958 and the Packers from 1959-67, (thus picking up 6 championship rings). He was 28 in 1981 and 80 when he died in 2014.
DL- Ben Davidson is more famous for his career with the Raiders but he played 14 games for the 1961 Packers, then 2 years for the Redskins before joining Oakland, for whom he played from 1964-71. He was 21 in 1961 and died at 72 in 2012.
Willie Davis was 27. He played for the Browns in 1958-59 and the Packers from 1960-69. He’s still alive at age 83.
Lee Folkins was a 22 year old rookie defensive end for the 1961 Packers. For the Cowboys from 1962-64, he became a tight end. He also played for the 1965 Steelers. He’s still with us at age 78.
Dave “Hawg” Hanner saw the good times and bad with the Packers from 1952-64. He was 31 in 1961. He died in 2008 at age 78.
Henry Jordan, like Willie Davis, started his career as a Brown , (1957-58) but spent the rest of his career with the packers from 1959-69. He was 26 in this game but died at age 42 in 1977 from a heart attack.
Ron Kostelnik was a 21 year old rookie with the 1961 Packers. He played with them until 1968 and then a year for the Colts. He died at age 53 in 1994. He had a heart attack while driving his car and crashed.
Bill Quinlan was still another former Brown, (1957-58) who played for the Packers from 1959-62, then the Eagles, Lions and Redskins in successive years. He was 29 in 1961 and 83 when he died in 2015. (My Browns might have done better if Paul Brown hadn't traded 3/4 of the Packer defensive line to Lombardi: he also traded away the Bear's Hall-of-Famer Doug Atkins. That would have been quite a fearsome foursome.)
LB- Tom Bettis was 28. He had played for the Packers since 1955 but this was his last game for them. He played for the Steelers in 1962 and the Bears in 1963. He died at age 81 in 2015.
Dan Currie was 26. He played for the Packers from 1958-64 and the Rams from 1965-66. He died 9/11/17 at age 82.
Bill Forester saw it all playing for the Packers from 1953-63. He was 29 in 1961. He died at age 74 in 2007.
Ray Nitschke had turned 25 two days before. He was the Packer’s “Mike” for 15 years from 1958-72. I always thought he looked like Frankenstein. He went to Illinois, just like Dick Butkus. Ray died at age 61 in 1998 when he, like Kostelnick, had a heart attack while driving his car.
Nelson Toburen was a reserve on the 1961-62 Packers: that was his entire careers. He was 23 then, is 79 now.
DB- Herb Adderley was a 22 year old rookie in 1961 and played for the Packers through 1969, then played for the Cowboys for three more years. That gave him 6 championship rings. He’s still with us at age 78.
Hank Gremminger played for the Packers from 1956-65 and for the 1966 Rams. He was 28 in 1961 and died in 2001 at age 68.
Dale Hackbart is more famous as a Viking, for whom he played from 1966-70. But he was a Packer from 1960-61. He only played two games for the Packers in 1961 and 12 for the Redskins, for whom he also played in 1962-63 so he would not have bene at this game. He also played for the Cardinals in 1971-72 and the Broncos in 1973. He was 23 in 1961 and it 78 now.
John Symank was a Packer from 1957-62, then a Cardinal for one year. He had a long career as an assistant coach after that. He was 26 in 1961 and 66 when he died of cancer in 2002.
Emlen Tunnell had played for the Giants from 1948-1958 before joining Lombardi’s Packers in 1959. This was his last game as a player. He became beloved assistant coach for the Giants from 1963-74 Wikipedia: “In July 1975, Tunnell died from a heart attack during a Giants practice session at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York.” He was 50. He’d been 36 back in 1961.
Jesse Wittenden was with the Rams in 1956-57. He joined the Packers in 1958 and played until 1964. He was 27 in 1961 and died at 78 in 2012.
Willie Wood played his entire career with the Packers from 1960-71. He was 25 in 1961 and is now 81.
K- Ben Agajanian did the kick-offs. Wikipedia: “Agajanian had four toes of his kicking foot crushed and later amputated in a work accident in 1939 while playing in college, but overcame the injury to become pro football's second kicking specialist (after Mose Kelsch), booting field goals for 10 different professional teams in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, including two NFL champions: the New York Giants in 1956 and the Green Bay Packers in 1961.After retiring from the field at age 45,[6] he was the Dallas Cowboys kicking coach for 20 years.” He started his career win 1945 and kicked for the Eagles, the Steelers, the LA Dons of the AAFC, the Giants, (in 1949), the Rams, the Giants again, (1954-57), the LA Chargers of the AFL, (1960), the Dallas Texas in 1961, then was picked up by the Packers, then went back to the AFL with the Chargers and Raiders, finally retiring at age 45 in 1964. He was one of two players to play in both the AAFC and the AFL. He’s still alive at age 98!
Paul Hornung did the placekicking.
P- Boyd Dowler did the punting.
PR- Willie Wood doubled as the punt returner.
KR- Herb Adderley and Tom Moore returned most of the kick-offs.
17 of the 38 Packers are still with us. What’s really interesting is that 19 Packer played for both their 1-10-1 team on 1958, (after which Lombardi was hired) and their 1961 championship team. 18 of those were on their 14-1 championship team of 1962. This includes most of the top players: Starr, Taylor, Hornung, McGee, both Kramers, Ringo, Thurston, Gregg, Nitschke, Forrester, Whittendon, Gremminger, etc. There wasn’t a huge roster turnover. It shows what a difference a coach can make.
Overall, 31 of the 76 players on the team rosters from 1961 are still with us. The Packers were the younger team, with 34 players in their 20, only 3 in their 30’s and one, (Agajanian, who only kicked off), in their 40’s. The Giants had 27 players in their 20’s, 11 in their 30’s and Charley Conerly, who was 40. That’s’ 61 of 76 players in their 20’s at game time, the prime of their athletic life. Now they are in their 80's or close to it, even if they are still with us. It was along time ago...
Gigi - 22 "I Remember It Well"
The next oldest complete game is from 1969. There are other clips on You-Tube that combine radio broadcasts with filmed highlights. This is the real deal. This is what you saw if you turned in on December 31, 1961:
This is the Canadian broadcast of the game, with a studio host and a former player, Curly Morrison, who played for the Bears and Browns from 1950-56, (Curly is still with us at age 91). Hal Kelly was more noted as a baseball broadcaster: he did the Expos games when they started. I haven't been able to find out any more about him. They break in from time to time but the US broadcast is done by Chris Schenkel, (1923-2005) and Lindsay Nelson, (1919-1995), both of whom should be well-known to old time US sports fans. Chris was the Giant's lead TV broadcaster from 1952-69.
Watching this, I became very nostalgic. These were among the guys for whom I had baseball cards in those days. I was a Cleveland Browns fan but was very familiar with these two teams. Both of them played in 6 championship games in that era, (from 1956-67). The Giants crushed the Bears, 47-7 in 1956, then lost the overtime game to the Colts in 1958. They were leading going into the 4th quarter in Baltimore the next year when their hopes faded with multiple interceptions. They were not competitive in this game, mostly because of the second quarter when they again threw some interceptions. Then they had two tight defensive duels against the Packers in 1962 and the Bears in 1963. They were 1-5 in those title games but could easily have won a couple more. The Packers won 5 of their 6 title games but this was the only blow-out. They lost a close one to the Eagles in 1960, won a reasonably close game over the Browns in 1965 and won two classics over the Cowboys in 1966 and 1967, before routing the AFL champs in the first two Super Bowls.
Both were great teams. I thought of this game when I saw the Giants beat the Packers in 2007 and 2011 on the way to their own Super Bowl wins, on the same field, with the same uniforms on both teams, (although they could now be seen in color). I remember the announcers in those games referencing the 1961 game, which they no doubt remembered from their childhoods, too.
The Packers had been in 5 NFL title games before and had won three straight NFL titles when they were just pennants, with no championship game in 1929-31. But they kept winning the Western Conference in even years: 1936, 1938, 1944, 1960, years when the Eastern Conference would host the title game. The one exception was in 1939, when the game was held in Milwaukee, not Green Bay, because they had a bigger stadium there. Lambeau Field opened in 1957 and so when the Packers won the 1961 Western Conference title, they hosted the game in Green Bay for the first time ever, despite all their prior success.
They had not been much of a success in the 1950's and things had gotten so bad that they had the worst record in the NFL in 1958, 1-10-1. that's when they hired Vince Lombardi, who had been disappointed he couldn't get the head job in New York. He turned the underdogs into overdogs, having a winning record his first year, making it to the title game in his second year, winning the title his third have having one of the greatest teams of all time in 1962, (14-1-0, out-scoring their opponents 431-155). He did that largely with players who were already there: 18 players were on both the 1 win 1958 team and the 1 loss team of 1962. That included most of the famous players we now associate with the all-conquering Lombardi Packers. But they knew losing first and many of them knew it again after he left.
I was 8 years old then and am 64 now. My nostalgia watching all of these young men of 1961 led me to wonder how many of them are still with us. here are the results of my research. I went over the then 38 man rosters of both teams:
NEW YORK GIANTS
QB- Charlie Conerly was 40 and had played since 1948, all with the Giants. This was his last game. He died 35 years later, in 1996 at age 74.
Lee Grosscup was age 25. He played for the 1960-61 and for the AFL’s Titians in 1962. He’s still alive at age 80.
Y.A. Tittle was 35 and had played pro football since 1948 and would play until 1964. He died 10/8/17 at age 90. This was his first year with the Giants.
FB- Alex Webster was 30 and had played since 1955. He would play until 1964, all with the Giants. He died 51 years later, in 2012
HB, (all the other Giant running backs are listed as halfbacks)- Bob Gaiters was 23 and a rookie. In 1962 he played for the Giants and 49ers and then for the Broncos in the AFl in 1963. He’s still alive at age 79.
Phil King was 25 and played for the Giants form 1958-63, then for the Steelers and Vikings until 1966. He died 12 years later, (meaning after the 1961 title game), in 1973 at the age of 36 “victim of an accidental shooting accident while cleaning his gun in a hotel room”.
Joe Morrison was 24. He’d been playing for the Giants since 1959 and would continue with them until his retirement in 1972. He died of a heart attack 28 years later, in 1989 at age 51.
Bill Stits was 30. He’d played for the Lions from 1954-56, the 49ers from 1957-58, the Redskins in 1959 and the Giants from 1959-61, so this was his last game. He died 50 years later at the age of 80 in 2011.
Alan Webb was 28. He played for the Giants from 1961-65. He lived another 50 years, dying at age 78 in 2011.
Joel Wells was 26, also a rookie and played only in this season. He’s still alive at age 82.
WR- Pete Hall was a 22 year old rookie in his only year in the league. He is still alive at age 78.
Kyle Rote was 33 and this was his last game. He’s been playing for the Giants since 1951. He died 41 years later, in 2002 at age 73.
Del Shofner was 27 and had played for the Rams from 1957-60. He was a Giant from 1961 until he retired in 1967. He’s still alive at age 83.
TE- Joe Walton 26, had played for the Redskins from 1957-60 and played for the Giants from 1961-63. He’s still alive at age 82.
OL: Roosevelt Brown was 29 and played for the Giants from 1953-65. He died 43 years later, in 2004 at age 71.
Darrell Dess was 26. He’s played for the Steelers in 1958 but was a Giant until he was traded to the Redskins in 1965. He was traded back to the Giants in 1966 and remained with them until he retired in 1969. He’s still alive at age 82.
Larry Hayes was 26. He played for the Giants in 1961 and the Rams in 1962-63. He died at 6/15/17 at age 81.
Greg Larson was a 22 year old rookie and played for the Giants until he retired in 1973. He’s still alive at age 78.
Jack Stroud was also 33 and also a career Giant who started in 1953. He played for them until 1964. He died 30 years later in 1994 at age 66.
Ray Wietecha was 33 and another career Giant, playing for them from 1953-62. He lived another 41 years, dying in 2002 at age 74.
DL: Roosevelt Grier was 29 and played for the Giants from 1955-62. Then he was traded to the Rams, for whom he played until he retired in 1966. He’s still alive at age 85
Chuck Janerette was 23. He played for the Rams in 1960, the Giants in 1961-62, the the Jets in 1963 and the Broncos in 1964-65. He lived for 23 years, dying at age 45 in 1984. A manic-depressive, he was killed in shoot-out with police.
Jim Katcavage was 27 and played for the Giants from 1956-68. He lived another 34 years, dying at age 60 in 1994 of a heart attack.
Dick Modzelewski was 30. He played for the Redskins from 1953-54 and then for the Steelers in 1955. He was a Giant for their glory period of 1956-63 and then was traded to the Browns, for whom he played from 1964-66. He’s still alive at age 86.
Andy Robustelli was 36. He’d been a Ram from 1951-55, then was a Giant from 1956 until he retired in 1964. He lived another 50 years, dying at age 85 in 2011.
Zeke Smith was 25. He was a Colt in 1960 and a Giant in 1961. This was his last game and he probably didn’t play. He died in 2016 at the age of 79.
Linebackers- Sam Huff was 27. He played for the Giants from 1956-64 and was then traded to the Redskins, for whom he played until 1967. He then came out of retirement to play one more year in 1969. He’s still alive at age 83.
Cliff Livingston was 31. He’d been a Giant since 1954 but this was his last game for them. He later played for the Vikings in 1962 and the Rams from 1963-65. He lived another 49 years, dying at age 79 in 2010.
Tom Scott was 31. He was with the Eagles from 1953-58. Then he was a Giant from 1959 until his retirement in 1964. He lived for 54 years and died in 2015 at age 84.
Bob Simms was 23. He played for the Giants from 1960-62 and then for the Steelers. He’s still alive at age 79.
DB: Erich Barnes was age 26. He’d played for the Cardinals from 1958-60. He was a Giant from 1961-64 then a Brown from 1965-71. He’s still alive at age 82.
Gene Johnson was age 26. He had been an Eagle in 1959-60 and began the 1961 season as a Viking. He played three games for the Giants that year and was probably no longer a Giant at the time of this game. He died in 1997 at the age of 61 in 1997.
Dick Lynch was 25. He played for the Redskins in 1958 and then for the Giants from 1959 until he retired in 1966. He lived another 47 years, dying in 2008 at age 72.
Dick Nolan was 29. He played for the Giants from 1954-57, played a year for the Cardinals, then came back to play of the Giants for three more years. This was his last game as a Giant. He played one more season for the Cowboys in 1962, then became a coach was head coach of both the 49ers and Saints. He died in 2007 at the age of 75.
Jimmy Patton was 28. He played his entire career with the Giants from 1955-66. He lived another 11 yards, dying at age 39 in 1972 in an auto accident.
Mickey Walker was 22. He played for the Giants from 1961-65. He’s still alive at age 78.
K: Don Chandler was 27. He was a Giant from 1956-64 and a Packer from 1965-67. He lived another 50 years, dying at age 76.
P: Pat Summerall was 31. He’d played for the Lions in 1952 and the Cardinals in 1953-57 before becoming a Giants in 1958. This was his last game. He lived another 52 years, dying in 2013 at age 82.
PR: Bill Stits did most of the punt returning.
KR: Bob Gaiters and Joe Wells returned most of the kick-offs.
That’s 38 players, 14 of whom are still alive on 12/24/2017, one week short of the 56th anniversary of the game.
Absent was Frank Gifford, who sat this season out due to a concussion caused by the famous hit by Chuck Bednarik in 1960. He’d been a Giant since 1952 and would return to play for them in 1962-64. He lived another 54 years, dying in 2015 at age 84.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
QB’s – John Roach played both QB and DB as a deep-bench reserve for the 1961 Packers at age 28. He’s still with us at age 84. He comes in to take a knee after Starr goes off the field to a thunderous ovation. He seems to injure himself kneeling on the last play but was still no doubt a happy guy. He played for the Cardinals in 1956 and 1959-60, the Packers from 1961-63 and the Cowboys in 1964.
Bart Starr quarterbacked the Packers from 1956-71, although he shared the position with others until 1961. He was 27 that year and is now 83. He later came back to coach the Packers from 1975-83, as long a stint as Lombardi had. But he was less successful.
FB- Jim Taylor was the on the field symbol of the Packers from 1958-66, then played one year for the Saints. He was 26 in 1961 and is now 82.
HB- Lew Carpenter Was a Lion from 1953-55, a Brown from 1957-58, (he was on the wrong end of the 10-56 championship game in 1954 and the 14-59 championship game in 1957), and had been with the Packers since 1959. He played for them until 1963. He was 29 in 1961 and 78 when he died in 2010.
Paul Hornung Played for the Packers from 1957-66, except for 1963 when he was suspended for gambling, (Pete Rose is envious). He was going to play with Taylor for the Saints in 1967 but a preseason neck injury forced him to retire. He had just turned 26 a week before this game and is still with us at age 82.
Tom Moore was 23 in 1961. He played for the Packers from 1960-65, the Rams in 1966 and the Falcons in 1967. He replaced Paul Hornung at halfback when Paul was suspended for the 1963 season. He’s still with us at age 79.
Elijah Pitts was 23 in 1961. He died in 1998 at age 60. He played for the Packers from 1961-69, then split a year with the Saints and Rams before returning to Green Bay for the 1971 season.
WR- Boyd Dowler was 24. He played for the Packers from 1959-69 and the Redskins in 1971. He’s still alive at age 80.
Gary Knafelc started with the Cardinals in 1954 but was traded to the Packers that same year and played for them until 1962. He also played for the 49ers in 1963. He turned 30 three days after this game and is still with us at age 85.
Max McGee was a Packer from 1954-67. He was 29 in 1961 and 75 when he fell off his roof and died of his injuries in 2007.
TE- Ron Kramer (Not related to Jerry, below), played for the Packers from 1957-64 and then 3 years for the Lions. He was 26 in 1961 and died at age 75 in 2010.
OL- Forrest Gregg played for the Packers from 1956-70: 15 years!. He then had a single season for the Cowboys before being a coach. He was head man for the Browns, Bengals and Packers. He was age 28 in 1961 and is 84 now.
Ken Iman Played for the Packers from 1960-63 and the Rams from 1965-74. He was age 22 at the time of this game. He died at age 71 in 2010.
Jerry Kramer the author of “Instant Replay” and other books about the Lombardi years. He played for the Pack from 1958-68. He was 25 at the time of this game and is now age 81.
Norm Masters played for the Packers from 1957-64. He was 28 in 1961 and died at age 77 in 2011.
Jim Ringo played for Ben Schwartzwalder at Syracuse and said that he and Lombardi “Walked the same side of the street.” He played for Green Bay from 1953-63, then came into his contract negotiation with a lawyer and was promptly traded to the Eagles, for whom he played from 1964-67. Jim was 30 in 1961 and 75 when he died in 2007.
Bob Skoronski played for the Packers from 1956-68. He was 27 in 1961 and is now age 83.
Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston played for the Colts in 1958 and the Packers from 1959-67, (thus picking up 6 championship rings). He was 28 in 1981 and 80 when he died in 2014.
DL- Ben Davidson is more famous for his career with the Raiders but he played 14 games for the 1961 Packers, then 2 years for the Redskins before joining Oakland, for whom he played from 1964-71. He was 21 in 1961 and died at 72 in 2012.
Willie Davis was 27. He played for the Browns in 1958-59 and the Packers from 1960-69. He’s still alive at age 83.
Lee Folkins was a 22 year old rookie defensive end for the 1961 Packers. For the Cowboys from 1962-64, he became a tight end. He also played for the 1965 Steelers. He’s still with us at age 78.
Dave “Hawg” Hanner saw the good times and bad with the Packers from 1952-64. He was 31 in 1961. He died in 2008 at age 78.
Henry Jordan, like Willie Davis, started his career as a Brown , (1957-58) but spent the rest of his career with the packers from 1959-69. He was 26 in this game but died at age 42 in 1977 from a heart attack.
Ron Kostelnik was a 21 year old rookie with the 1961 Packers. He played with them until 1968 and then a year for the Colts. He died at age 53 in 1994. He had a heart attack while driving his car and crashed.
Bill Quinlan was still another former Brown, (1957-58) who played for the Packers from 1959-62, then the Eagles, Lions and Redskins in successive years. He was 29 in 1961 and 83 when he died in 2015. (My Browns might have done better if Paul Brown hadn't traded 3/4 of the Packer defensive line to Lombardi: he also traded away the Bear's Hall-of-Famer Doug Atkins. That would have been quite a fearsome foursome.)
LB- Tom Bettis was 28. He had played for the Packers since 1955 but this was his last game for them. He played for the Steelers in 1962 and the Bears in 1963. He died at age 81 in 2015.
Dan Currie was 26. He played for the Packers from 1958-64 and the Rams from 1965-66. He died 9/11/17 at age 82.
Bill Forester saw it all playing for the Packers from 1953-63. He was 29 in 1961. He died at age 74 in 2007.
Ray Nitschke had turned 25 two days before. He was the Packer’s “Mike” for 15 years from 1958-72. I always thought he looked like Frankenstein. He went to Illinois, just like Dick Butkus. Ray died at age 61 in 1998 when he, like Kostelnick, had a heart attack while driving his car.
Nelson Toburen was a reserve on the 1961-62 Packers: that was his entire careers. He was 23 then, is 79 now.
DB- Herb Adderley was a 22 year old rookie in 1961 and played for the Packers through 1969, then played for the Cowboys for three more years. That gave him 6 championship rings. He’s still with us at age 78.
Hank Gremminger played for the Packers from 1956-65 and for the 1966 Rams. He was 28 in 1961 and died in 2001 at age 68.
Dale Hackbart is more famous as a Viking, for whom he played from 1966-70. But he was a Packer from 1960-61. He only played two games for the Packers in 1961 and 12 for the Redskins, for whom he also played in 1962-63 so he would not have bene at this game. He also played for the Cardinals in 1971-72 and the Broncos in 1973. He was 23 in 1961 and it 78 now.
John Symank was a Packer from 1957-62, then a Cardinal for one year. He had a long career as an assistant coach after that. He was 26 in 1961 and 66 when he died of cancer in 2002.
Emlen Tunnell had played for the Giants from 1948-1958 before joining Lombardi’s Packers in 1959. This was his last game as a player. He became beloved assistant coach for the Giants from 1963-74 Wikipedia: “In July 1975, Tunnell died from a heart attack during a Giants practice session at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York.” He was 50. He’d been 36 back in 1961.
Jesse Wittenden was with the Rams in 1956-57. He joined the Packers in 1958 and played until 1964. He was 27 in 1961 and died at 78 in 2012.
Willie Wood played his entire career with the Packers from 1960-71. He was 25 in 1961 and is now 81.
K- Ben Agajanian did the kick-offs. Wikipedia: “Agajanian had four toes of his kicking foot crushed and later amputated in a work accident in 1939 while playing in college, but overcame the injury to become pro football's second kicking specialist (after Mose Kelsch), booting field goals for 10 different professional teams in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, including two NFL champions: the New York Giants in 1956 and the Green Bay Packers in 1961.After retiring from the field at age 45,[6] he was the Dallas Cowboys kicking coach for 20 years.” He started his career win 1945 and kicked for the Eagles, the Steelers, the LA Dons of the AAFC, the Giants, (in 1949), the Rams, the Giants again, (1954-57), the LA Chargers of the AFL, (1960), the Dallas Texas in 1961, then was picked up by the Packers, then went back to the AFL with the Chargers and Raiders, finally retiring at age 45 in 1964. He was one of two players to play in both the AAFC and the AFL. He’s still alive at age 98!
Paul Hornung did the placekicking.
P- Boyd Dowler did the punting.
PR- Willie Wood doubled as the punt returner.
KR- Herb Adderley and Tom Moore returned most of the kick-offs.
17 of the 38 Packers are still with us. What’s really interesting is that 19 Packer played for both their 1-10-1 team on 1958, (after which Lombardi was hired) and their 1961 championship team. 18 of those were on their 14-1 championship team of 1962. This includes most of the top players: Starr, Taylor, Hornung, McGee, both Kramers, Ringo, Thurston, Gregg, Nitschke, Forrester, Whittendon, Gremminger, etc. There wasn’t a huge roster turnover. It shows what a difference a coach can make.
Overall, 31 of the 76 players on the team rosters from 1961 are still with us. The Packers were the younger team, with 34 players in their 20, only 3 in their 30’s and one, (Agajanian, who only kicked off), in their 40’s. The Giants had 27 players in their 20’s, 11 in their 30’s and Charley Conerly, who was 40. That’s’ 61 of 76 players in their 20’s at game time, the prime of their athletic life. Now they are in their 80's or close to it, even if they are still with us. It was along time ago...
Gigi - 22 "I Remember It Well"
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