New York Giants Reveal 'Century Red' Alternate Uniforms

 By John Turney 

Today the New York Giants revealed their "Century Red' throwback/alternate uniforms and they are interesting as well as terrific. They are not 100 percent historically accurate but that can be forgiven.

They took the 1938 helmets with wings that are based on the contours of leather helmets of the time. It's the Michigan look, more or less.

They matched the 1925 socks with the 1933 Jersey and that pair works because they match very closely. 

Here are the shots released by the Giants—

Here are a couple of colorized shots of the 1933 jerseys—

Bo Molenda (23), Dale Barnett (18), Ken Strong (50) and Harry Newman (12)

 

Harry Newman

Mel Hein in the 1938 winged helmet

Mel Hein

A shot of the 1925 socks (colorized)—

From what we can tell the reaction is mixed. Some Tweets (now X) are mocking them and some seem to enjoy them. 

For those who like them, the complaint is the tan pants, preferring that they be white. 

To each is own, but it's a good effort. Well done.

RIP Jimmy Johnson -- 49ers Legend

 By John Turney 

Not everyone knows how good former San Francisco 49ers' cornerback Jimmy Johnson was ... and that includes the NFL media. Yet he was one of the NFL's first shutdown corners, a Pro Football Hall of Famer so accomplished that he was once called "the greatest defensive back who ever lived."

Sadly, Johnson died Wednesday night after what his family said was a long illness. He was 86.

The brother of Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson, Jimmy Johnson was an all-decade choice (1970s) and the most decorated 49er ever before Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott. He also played in more games for San Francisco (213) than everyone but Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice (238).

He played 16 years with San Francisco, more than any 49er outside of quarterback John Brodie, and was named first-team All-Pro by the AP, PFWA and NEA from 1970-72 and second-team in 1965 and 1966. However, when you include the NEA All-Pro teams -- those chosen by NFL players -- he was also first-team All-Pro in 1969 and second-team All-Pro in 1964, 1965, and 1968. 

It seems his peers respected Johnson more than the NFL media.

He was also a five-time Pro Bowler and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame's Class of 1994 along with Bud Grant, Tony Dorsett, Jackie Smith, Randy White and senior finalist Leroy Kelly. 

“Jimmy Johnson," said Hall-of-Fame president Jim Porter in a prepared statement, "was extraordinarily athletically talented. The 49ers enjoyed the luxury of using him on offense and defense early in his career to fill team needs. Once he settled in at left cornerback, he flourished.

"The notion that a 'lockdown' cornerback could cut the field in half was true for Jimmy. Only rarely would other teams' quarterbacks even look in his direction and, more often than not, regretted the decision if they challenged him."

A track star and two-way player at UCLA, Johnson was the 49ers' first-round draft pick (sixth overall) in 1961 and immediately became a starter at right cornerback. But, as he did in college, he played on both sides of the ball the next two seasons -- both as a defensive back and receiver -- before settling in at left corner where he didn't move until the age of 38 in 1976.

Johnson ended his NFL career with 47 interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, but that doesn't tell his story. An outstanding man-to-man defender, he was respected so much by opponents that they rarely tested him, keeping him from posting big interception numbers -- figures that define cornerbacks.

However, the 49ers' media guides of the early 1970s tell how invaluable he was to the team. That's because they included stats beyond interceptions -- with completions allowed, yards allowed and pass attempts in Johnson's area among them -- and they reveal what made Johnson so extraordinary.

In 1969, for instance, he allowed 25 completions on 74 pass attempts for 250 yards, with five interceptions. In 1970, the figures were similar -- 32 of 85 for 362 yards with two picks. Anecdotally, former Hall-of-Fame voter and legendary Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman reported that Johnson wasn't beaten for a touchdown in either year.

If that's true, then Johnson's individual defensive passer rating for those combined years would be ... 29.7. Twenty-nine point seven. Think about that. Anything under 60 would be considered excellent. Under 50 would be great. But under 30? That's another universe.

Maybe that's why Zimmerman picked Johnson for his personal All-Time NFL team and praised him as someone who, "without reservation, is the greatest defensive back who ever lived."

OK, so that's one man's opinion. Except Zimmerman wasn't alone. There's Dick Nolan, one of Johnson's coaches with San Francisco, and he joined the chorus, too.

"I coached three defensive backs I felt were great," he said. "Mel Renfro and Cornell Green with the Dallas Cowboys and Johnson. Jimmy is the best I've ever seen."

But Johnson was more than an extraordinarily talented athlete. He was tough, too, an individual could ... and would ... play through pain. In 1971, for example, he played almost half the season with a cast protecting a shattered wrist and never missed a game -- including the playoffs and Pro Bowl.

Yet he still was named All-Pro. 

"Even with one arm," said former 49ers' cornerback Bruce Taylor, one of Johnson's teammates, "Jimmy Johnson is better than 90 percent of the defensive backs in this league. He's knocking down passes with one hand. I can't get over it."

That offseason, Johnson was voted the PFWA's George Halas Most Courageous Player Award. He was also a recipient of the 49ers' most prestigious honor, the Len Eshmont Award, given annually to the player who best symbolizes courageous and inspirational play.

Johnson won it twice, in 1969 and again in 1975.

"I don't look at someone and think that he can't beat me," Johnson once said. "If you play long enough you're going to get beat. The question and the key to your effectiveness is how often."

In addition to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Johnson is a member of the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame and the San Francisco 49ers team Hall of Fame. His number 37 was retired by the 49ers in 1977.

"Jimmy embodied the essence of what it meant to be a 49er," the team said in a statement. "He was the ultimate gentleman and will be remembered for his humility, kindness and lovable demeanor." 

Maybe fans today don't remember Jimmy Johnson. At least, not this Jimmy Johnson. But they should. He wasn't just a great player; he was consistently great, with his last career interception a defining statement. It happened vs. Seattle when Johnson was 38 years and 179 days old -- making him the oldest player at any position at the time to produce an interception.

State Your Case: Bob Kuechenberg

By John Turney

Art Credit:  Alain Moreau

As an eight-time finalist, former Miami guard Bob Kuechenberg has been on the cusp of crossing the threshold to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In fact, five times he survived the first cut to place in the top 10, including once (the first) when he was chosen as one of six for enshrinement.

But  he didn't receive 80 percent of the vote required for election and has fallen short every time since. I know, it happens. But not like this.

Since 1999 -- the year the Pro Football Hall of Fame began releasing voting results -- he's the only player to make the "yes/no" phase and never be elected at some point. All others in that situation eventually won their Gold Jackets in subsequent years. But not "Kooch." He's still waiting.

So what's the problem?

Maybe it's a Miami Dolphins' backlash -- the notion that there were enough members of the early 1970s' Dolphins' dynasty teams already in Canton. Perhaps it was more specific, like a Dolphins' interior line backlash. Three interior offensive linemen -- Jim Langer, Larry Little and Diwght Stephenson -- were inducted from 1987-98 before "Kooch" cracked the Final 15 in 2002.

So maybe voters were worn out.

Or maybe it's something less petty. It's possible some selectors just didn't think he had a Hall-worthy career and could have pointed to the fact that he was named an AP All-Pro once -- in 1978. If that's true, it's shortsighted. There's more to the story of a player's career than his AP All-Pro status, and I'll offer a couple of reasons:

-- First, at one time there were more than just the AP All-Pro teams listed in the NFL's Official Record Book. Another one, the NEA, named the Miami left guard All-Pro in 1975.

-- Second, the late Paul ("Dr. Z") Zimmerman, a longtime Hall-of-Fame voter, chose Kuechenberg to his personal All-Pro team every year from 1972-75. "Bob Kuechenberg," he wrote in December, 1975, "has been the best guard for four years now. Great in every phase of the game."

But there is more.

Kuechenberg was a six-time Pro Bowler, which was the same as Langer and one more than both Little and Stephenson -- the Dolphins' interior trio with busts in Canton. His Pro Bowl total is also the same as Hall-of-Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure and tackle Dan Dierdorf, also a Hall member.

That's the same Joe DeLamielleure who holds Keuchenberg in the highest regard saying, "When I broke in, Kuechenberg was the best in the business, and I modeled my play after him."

He wasn't alone. Add another Hall-of-Famer, former Patriots' guard John Hannah, to the list of Kuechenberg's admirers.

"When I came in the NFL," he said, "I patterned my play after Bob Kuechenberg because he was a great guard. He played on those championship teams and did everything well. His all-around game was what impressed me. He didn't have weaknesses in his game."

But those were players on Kuechenberg's side of the ball. It's what those who played opposite him said that matter more, and the line there is as long as it is impressive. For instance ... 

-- Look what Cowboys' all-time great defensive tackle Bob Lilly had to say: "I first played against Kuechenberg in Super Bowl VI, and I realized he was one of the best offensive linemen I had ever seen. Then we played Miami the next year, and he had improved even more. He should be in the Hall."

-- Then there's All-Pro defensive end Bubba Smith: "I played against him my entire career, and he was the best the Dolphins had. People hardly ever had a good game against him. He was the best trap-blocker in the league ... . Gene Upshaw and Larry Little were considered in the forefront because they pulled, but 'Kooch' was the greatest at doing what he did." 

-- That "greatest" skill? Trapping. All-Pro defensive tackle Mike Reid of the Cincinnati Bengals, once said that Kuechenberg hit him so hard on one trap block that he "couldn't fall down." That didn't surprise Paul Zimmerman, who called Kuechenberg "the best in the business" as a trapping guard. He loved trap blocking so much that he named his boat "34 trap" after the play that inflicted so much damage to defensive linemen in his 14-year NFL career.

But he excelled at more than just trap blocking, with former Miami offensive line coach Monte Clark calling Kuechenberg "the best short-yardage and goal-line blocker I ever saw. You would have to kill him to beat him."

"On third-and-one," added Miami's Hall-of-Fame running back, Larry Csonka, " 'Kooch' was either going to move somebody or hurt somebody."

OK, so was an outstanding blocker ... short-yardage, goal-line, trapping, you name it. That's been established. But his resume extends beyond that. For instance, he was tough and a winner. How tough? He bedeviled Minnesota's Alan Page in Super Bowl VIII with his arm in a cast that protected a broken arm.

But that's not all.

"One year," said former Miami coach Don Shula, "he even snapped for us with a broken back—while in a full body cast!".

He was a winner, too. Not only was he part of the 17-0 undefeated Dolphins' team in 1972 and the repeating championship team in 1973; over the course of his career, he was a winner 70.7 percent of the time.

I know, football's a team game, right? But the Dolphins' success was based largely on their offensive line. During the 1970s, no team ran for more yards for a higher yards-per-carry average than Miami. Plus, Kuechenberg and his offensive line teammates once blocked for two 1,000-yard rushers (Csonka and Mercury Morris) in the same season.

But that's not all. From 1970-83, the Dolphins' offensive line that Kuechenberg led allowed fewer sacks than any team. Bar none.

" 'Kooch's' skills were especially evident in big games we played," said Shula. " 'Kooch' had, by far, the best won-lost record of any Dolphin player, and that's the bottom line. No Dolphin ever did it better, or as long, as 'Kooch.' "

So what's the holdup to Canton?

It could be that Kuechenberg rubbed some people the wrong way; that he wore out his audience when talking about his blocking prowess. He desperately wanted his legacy cemented in Canton and wasn't shy about telling listeners -- including voters.

"I hate to lobby in this manner," he once told the South Florida Sun-Sentinal, "but what else do I have to do with my time? Who else is around to do it, too?"

He also was the first to uncork champagne when NFL teams on the verge of unbeaten seasons lost for the first time, thus preserving the 17-0 Dolphins' legacy. Plus, there were times after he retired when he was critical of the Dolphins, irritating those players he left behind.

Not exactly the way to win friends and influence people.

"It's another chapter in the grumpy Kuechenberg story," Hall-of-Famer Jason Taylor once commented. "It's Kuechenberg. He gets up every year and bitches about something. If it ain't one thing, it's another. He needs a hug and a hobby. It's ridiculous."

So maybe he had a chip on his shoulder. He should have. He worked his way from someone uncertain that he wanted to play NFL football to an individual whose football fire was relit by Shula when he was signed as free agent in 1970. Then he would go on to play 196 regular-season games and 19 playoff games and establish a legacy that was more than source of pride. 

It was ... and is ... Hall-of-Fame worthy. Yet he's not in Canton.

Look, he wasn't perfect. Maybe he was grumpy. Maybe he blew his own horn.  On the other hand, it was a pretty good horn to blow, as former Dolphins' owner Joe Robbie pointed out.

"If I ever get to build my own stadium down here," he said, "the first thing I am going to do is erect a statue of 'Kooch' in front of it. More than any player, he symbolizes what the Dolphins 'together we win' program is all about."

That never happened, but it should have. Robbie sold the team, Dan Marino arrived and, with the charismatic Hall-of-Fame quarterback becoming the face of the franchise, it was he, not an offensive lineman, who had a statue erected in front of the stadium. Nevertheless, Robbie's comment symbolizes how important Kuechenberg was to Miami's success. 

So does another accolade, this one by Shula. 

"Bob Kuechenberg contributed more to help my team win than any player I've ever coached," he said. "Wherever the team needed him— that's where he played. Whether guard, tackle, center or long snapping ... 'Kooch' dominated defensive linemen at both guard and tackle. Wherever we put him, any threat we faced from the opposition virtually disappeared. He certainly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame."

Hopefully, the Hall's seniors committee takes note and affords an offensive lineman who may have been the NFL's best trap blocker ever something he deserves -- one more shot at Canton.

Ray Donaldson's Hall of Fame Case

By John Turney 

Let's play, "Name That Player," and see if you can guess whom I' writing about.

--- He played 17 seasons in the NFL and was a starter in 16 of them.

--- He went to six Pro Bowls and was a pioneer, the first African-American full-time starter at his position.

--- He blocked for two Hall-of-Fame running backs. In fact, they were two of the best ever.

--- He also blocked for two other 1,000-yard rushers, and three of the four had seasons of 1,500 yards rushing in a season.

--- He even earned a Super Bowl ring. And, though he's not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was always in the mix.

Well, not quite. That last sentence isn't true. Everything else is.

You know who he is, right? No, you don't. But you should. It's former center Ray Donaldson, who starred with the Colts, Seahawks and Cowboys but has never been discussed as a finalist or semifinalist by the Hall-of-Fame's board of selectors or seniors committee.

And that's not just an oversight. It’s a shame.

Recruited as a linebacker by the University of Georgia, he was moved to center as a sophomore and wasn't pleased with the change.

“The first thing that went through my mind,” Donaldson said, “was 'There go my chances for playing in the NFL.' There were no black centers in the NFL … (and) the transition was tough, going from up on my feet, then my hand in the dirt."

As it turned out, it was the right move. The 6-3, 252-pound Donaldson was a center with a linebacker’s feet, which gave him more mobility than most at his position. He not only became a starter for the Bulldogs; he was so accomplished that, by his senior year, he was All-SEC, All-American and, later, the 32nd pick in the 1980 NFL draft.

He spent his rookie season as the long snapper on coverage teams, (he even made nine tackles) but became a starter with the Baltimore Colts by his second year … and remained a starter until retiring after the 1996 season at the age of 38.

That’s significant because, in breaking the color barrier at his position, it makes Ray Donaldson a groundbreaker. Before he came along, there were no African-Americans who were regulars at center. Not in the NFL there weren’t. Granted, there were some who started there, but none that you’d call full-time players. If they played the position in college, they usually were moved to guard.

However, the same season that Donaldson took over (1981), Dolphins' Hall-of-Famer Dwight Stephenson started the final five games after Mark Dennard was sidelined. Nevertheless, Donaldson was the first to start from the season opener to the finale, and he didn’t budge once he arrived.

In fact, he started the second-most games (228) at that position in NFL history, trailing only Hall-of-Famer Mick Tingelhoff, with 240. Mike Webster started 217, Kevin Mawae 211 and Jim Otto, 210. All are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 15 of his 17 seasons, Donaldson played the entire schedule, missing games only in 1991 when he fractured a fibula and 1995 when he had a quad injury.

"As far as I know,” said Ron Meyer, Donaldson’s coach in 1988, “Ray never missed a practice.”

So the 6-foot-3, 300-pound (he got bigger as he got older) center checks the "availability" and "durability" boxes on his Hall resume.

What else?

Let’s start with postseason honors. Donaldson was never a first-team All-Pro but was second-team twice. However, I don’t put that on Donaldson as much as I put it on the teams … and quarterbacks … he played with. Let’s be honest: Good quarterback play usually leads to team success, and that’s often a factor in choosing All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams -- especially for blockers.

Sandwiched between Bert Jones and Jeff George … and not counting backups … Donaldson snapped to Mike Pagel, Art Schlichter, Mark Herrmann, Jack Trudeau, Gary Hogeboom and Chris Chandler. That’s not exactly an awe-inspiring cast, and it’s a reason why the Colts floundered in the early-to-mid 1980s.

It’s also a reason why Donaldson wasn’t more well known. He was stuck on poor teams until the Colts in 1987 traded for Eric Dickerson, one of two Hall of Famers he blocked for. They won a division title that season and were at least competitive for a handful of years. 

But Donaldson didn’t play on a great team until his 16th season when he finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys. And remember: He was competing with Mike Webster and Dwight Stephenson -- possibly the two best centers ever -- for an AFC Pro Bowl bid. That's a tall order for anyone, especially a guy not on winning teams.

This gets into the weeds a little, but it's a fact that "Bulldog" (Donaldson's nickname) was the first alternate for the Pro Bowl three times when the two Hall of Famers were in their prime. That means he was third in the voting in each of the three years prior to his first trip to Hawaii. Had he not been in the AFC, he’d probably have gone to more Pro Bowls.

In 1987, however, Donaldson was named the AFC's starting center over Stephenson in a poll of players and coaches. While that seemed to annoy the Dolphins’ great, he was forced to admit that “Ray Donaldson had a great year” and “is deserving.”

It’s also interesting to note that, while Donaldson was never a first-team All-Pro in media polls, the grinders at NFL Films chose their own All-Pro teams ... and three times (1987-89) they named Donaldson as their first-team center.

Just sayin.'

One yearly publication that relied heavily on scouts' opinions validated that move when it wrote this: "A squat squarish player nearly as wide as he is tall, Donaldson can occupy the best of nose tackles, allowing the Colts to eschew the double-team and have their guards help out elsewhere. There are people who feel he's supplanted Dwight Stephenson as the NFL's best center but has also become the league's best lineman."

That's high praise for someone overlooked by the Hall.

After leaving the Colts, Donaldson spent a couple of seasons in Seattle battling new teammate Cortez Kennedy in daily practices and plowing the way for running back Chris Warren's back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Then it was on to the Cowboys to replace former starting center Mark Stepnoski on “The Great Wall."

An undersized Pro Bowl center at 270 pounds, Stepnoski was a technician who relied on subtlety and finesse. Donaldson did not. He was about as subtle as a sledgehammer. With his addition, the interior of the Dallas line not only got bigger; it got better. 

Larry Allen was in his second season and his first at guard, while Erik Williams had recovered from back injuries sustained in a car accident. All five offensive linemen were well over 300 pounds, and the newly formed "Wall" pounded the way for Hall-of-Fame running back Emmitt Smith to have his best season, rushing for 1,773 yards and 25 TDs.

In the 1995 NFC championship game, Smith carried 35 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns as Dallas beat the Packers 38-27. Two weeks later, the Cowboys beat Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX, 27-17, and Donaldson had his ring, yet another box checked.

He was released after the following season when the Cowboys wanted to get younger in the middle, and his absence was felt. The proof? Look at Smith’s rushing totals the next couple of years when Donaldson’s successor made line calls. According to Donaldson, former teammate Nate Newton later told him that “we really didn't know how good you were until you were gone. Then we fell apart as a line." 

That’s called impact, and consider it one more box checked.

So there you have it: Donaldson had longevity, durability, Pro Bowls, a ring and Hall-of-Fame backs following his blocks. But it was his place in history as the first African-American to become a full-time starting center that he considers most noteworthy.

"It means a lot,” he said, “but it kind of went unnoticed ... a lot of people still don't know it. Having been the first one -- no recognition at all for it and not getting noticed it bothers me a little bit, but it is what it is. I am proud of it, though people still don't know about it."

More people should.

The success of Donaldson and Stephenson led to centers like Dermontti Dawson, Kevin Glover, and Tony Mayberry -- Pro Bowlers all -- staying where they were instead of moving to guard as had been the NFL custom. Coaches finally learned -- as they did with quarterbacks and middle linebackers --- that African-Americans not only could play the center position but could dominate.

But it’s not only fans who should know more about Donaldson’s 17-year career. Hall-of-Fame voters should, too. Because Ray Donaldson had an illustrious career worthy of Hall-of-Fame consideration. 

"I think it would be hard to find a label for my talent,” Donaldson said, “but I have the respect of the men I fought."