Was the First Person to Publish a Mock Draft a Woman?

LOOKING BACK
By John Turney

Elinor Kaine in the early 1970s   Credit: UPI

Well, the long and the short of it is we don't know. We do know that what are called mock drafts began to appear regularly in newspapers and magazines in the 1980s (Mel Kiper, Paul Zimmerman, Gordon Forbes) but were only occasionally seen in print in the 1970s by people like Joel Buchsbaum and perhaps a couple of others.

However, in 1969, Elinor Kaine, a New York-based syndicated columnist wrote this one in her column "Football and the Single Girl"—

We don't know for sure if it is the first but we do know for sure it is ONE OF the earliest and the earliest we've seen to date while looking for them.

Upon seeing it one Twitter Ms. Penna (her name now) said, "Oh my goodness!  And OJ as well!   What fun—can’t tell you how much fun it is seeing this!"

When asked what the impetus was in penning the column she replied, "Used to go to PJ Clarke's in NYC and a few guys would sit around with me talking about the draft with a few Bloody Marys. The word "mock" was not invented for football fifty years ago, believe me."

Kaine was a pioneer in many ways, you can read more about that HERE and the mock draft may very well be another one of those. We'll let you know when we find out more.

Challenge Flag—NFL Statistical Gaffes, Mistakes and Oversights

By Eric Goska

On-the-Field Accounting Errors (1945-1990) Impact Hundreds of Players

Running back Brent Fullwood made his first NFL start on Nov. 29, 1987.

The NFL owes him a catch from that game.

The question isn’t so much how the mistake was made, but rather how it wasn’t discovered and corrected the same day.

The date: November 29, 1987. The venue: Soldier Field.

The Packers (4-5-1) and Bears (8-2) were meeting for the 135^th time that afternoon. Chicago was looking to increase its lead over the Vikings (7-4) in the NFC Central Division. Green Bay was hoping to knock off its arch-rival for the first time in three years.

Chicago prevailed, 23-10. Kevin Butler kicked three field goals, and Thomas Sanders scored on a 7-yard run as the Bears reeled off the game’s final 16 points.

But that’s not our concern. Instead, we focus on Brent Fullwood, the Packers first-round draft choice that year.

Fullwood was making his first NFL start in place of the injured Kenneth Davis (ankle).  The former Auburn Tiger was Green Bay’s third-leading rusher with 196 yards.

In seven games, he had yet to catch a pass.

That changed late in the first quarter in Chicago. Split out wide, Fullwood advanced 12 yards on a short toss from quarterback Randy Wright.

Early in the third quarter, the running back again turned receiver. This time, Fullwood scooted 10 yards with a dump-off from Wright.

That’s two catches for 22 yards. The rookie should have led the team in scrimmage yards with 86.

Incorrect, says the NFL. Check out the gamebook available at NFL GSIS. Fullwood is given credit for just one reception, that his first-quarter effort.

So, was this faux pas involving Fullwood an isolated mistake? Was it an aberration?

Not even close.

Over the years, hundreds of errors were made those responsible for documenting the action on the field.  That everything wasn’t kosher became apparent to me as I transcribed hundreds of play-by-plays into Publisher and then into Excel.

When I began my research in the late 1980s, I thought everything would add up. If a player was said to have gained x yards, then x yards he would have gained.

How naïve was I?

Now, I’m not disparaging those in the press box. Everyone is fallible. Certainly, I’ve made my share of mistakes.

But I struggle to understand some of these blunders. Especially difficult to fathom are those—such as the one in Chicago 33 years ago—that occurred under the lights of television.

“Third down and long,” announcer Tim Ryan said as the Packers readied to snap the ball from the Chicago 43. As the play unfolded and Wright unloaded, Ryan continued. “Fullwood inside the 25, but fourth down. (Reggie) Phillips forced him out.”

Ryan, his partner Joe Theismann, and millions more witnessed Fullwood make the second catch of his young career in that third quarter. Yet those in the press box either ignored the play and instead let stand an earlier reception by wideout Phillip Epps – one wiped out by penalty – or they assigned to Epps what should have been Fullwood’s.

Either way, they got it wrong. Why a reporter, a public relations individual or even a fan failed to point that out remains a mystery.

Dorothy Mann didn’t remain quiet. She spoke up on that final weekend of regular-season games in 1949.

Sitting in the stands at Briggs Stadium, the young woman tracked the progress of Detroit receiver Bob Mann. She carefully wrote down each catch her husband made.

When the Lions declared Mann had caught eight passes that day, she was adamant he had snared nine.

A review of the play-by-play ensued. Dorothy was right. A change was made.

Paul Zimmerman didn’t hold his tongue, either. A longtime writer for Sports Illustrated, Dr. Z was anything but shy.

 “Vikings-Steelers Super Bowl, 1975,” he wrote in a letter to me in 2006. “I’m getting myself together to write. I look at the stats. They’re wrong.”

Zimmerman took the time to point out a mistake had been made. He approached Seymour Siwoff, the head of the Elias Sports Bureau.

“He scoffs, as usual,” Dr. Z continued. “I try to show him where they’re wrong. Deadline time, post-SB is a heavy pressure occasion for all parties concerned, and Seymour is even more hysterical than usual.”

Siwoff asks Zimmerman to leave him alone. Dr. Z says he will, as soon as the official stats are corrected.

Siwoff threatens to call security. Zimmerman says he’s not moving.

Finally, Siwoff takes a look. A minus-two rushing by the Vikings had been recorded as a plus-two giving Minnesota 21 yards for the game instead of the correct 17.

“Seymour’s face got pale,” Zimmerman recalled. “‘Jesus Christ,’ he said. I returned to my seat. No more words were spoken.

“I waited for the announcement that would begin, ‘Attention press.’ It came about five minutes later. ‘Attention press, there is a change in the statistics…’”

According to Dr. Z, Seymour never said another word to him. No thanks. Nothing.

“What I should have done,” Dr. Z related, “was just shrugged and written about the f***-up and let him and his arrogant f****** crew swing in the breeze on the waves of ridicule.”

That’s how Dr. Z handled inaccuracy. We’ll take a different tack here.

As I’ve said, I’ve uncovered oodles of errors in the last 30-plus years. What to do with them?

After thinking about it for a number of years and taking ample time to ensure the league erred and not I, I decided to publish what I found. Click HERE to view the entire list.

My intent is twofold: to provide an idea of how many mistakes exist, and to show the various types of gaffes that were made.

The list covers the years from 1945 through 1990, but it is not complete. I do not have official play-by-plays and/or film for every Packers games from that 46-year span. My compilation includes only what I discovered given the resources I have.

In many cases, the NFL and I are off by one yard, or one carry or one whatever. Sometimes the differences are more pronounced.

In one instance, a pair of all-time bests is at stake. And, after nearly 70 years, it’s time to set that record straight.

Jack Christiansen played eight seasons (1951-58) for the Lions. The defensive back and return specialist was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

As a rookie, Christiansen became the first player to return two punts for touchdowns in the same game. He did this against the Packers on Thanksgiving Day 1951.

The NFL claims Christiansen returned four punts for 175 yards (43.75 average) on that holiday. A review of the official play-by-play and one kept by Green Bay Press-Gazette sports editor Art Daley make it clear Christiansen had only three returns.

The Packers punted four times against the Lions. Jug Girard kicked three times and Fred Cone once.

Christiansen traveled 15 yards with Girard’s second boot. He zipped 71 yards for a touchdown with Girard’s third.

He then closed out Detroit’s scoring by racing 89 yards to pay dirt with Cone’s only punt as a professional.

But what of Girard’s first punt?

“Girard punted from his own 42 out of bounds on the Lion 14,” reads the official play-by-play. “Girard Punt OB – on 14,” Daley wrote in his notebook.

A punt out of bounds means Christiansen had only three returns. That, is huge.

With three—not four returns—Christiansen is the rightful owner of two NFL records: highest punt return average in a game and highest punt return average in a career. With one fewer return, Christiansen (58.33) moves ahead of Darius Reynaud (53.33) for game honors.

With one fewer return, Christiansen (12.90) moves ahead of George McAfee (12.78) for career honors.

Both records should have been Christiansen’s from the moment Detroit finished waxing Green Bay 52-35.

So, do I expect Christiansen to one day get his due? Do I expect the league to look at what I have brought to light and make changes?

Seriously? I’m not that naïve.

Vikings Uniform Oddity—The Nameplates

By John Turney

Penny Bryce. Credit:  Vikings.com

Part of covering esoteric things about the NFL is seeing odd things about uniforms. One thing few have noticed is how, over the years, the Viking's seamstress, Penny Bryce, would fit the nameplates to the player's name. So, if the name was short, the nameplate was short.

Usually, teams would have a standard nameplate that went across the back of the jersey and the name on the back (NOB) would be centered in the middle.

Ms. Bryce would simply fold the nameplate to fit the name and sew it on that way. Bryce sewed NOBs for nearly 50 years for the Vikings before retiring in 2018. She is not the only one to do it that way, but we feel confident the Vikings are the only ones to do it consistently throughout the years.

Here is an example using Brett Favre with the Packers, Jets, and then the Vikings. The Packers and jets used the standard way and the Viking nameplate fits Favre's name.

Here are two other examples of 4-letter names with the nameplate cut and folded to fit them—

Here are examples of other teams handled short names—

The Bengals did trim the nameplates, it seems in the early 1970s but did not keep it up. here is Mike Reid (from the 1970s) and Anthony Munoz (from the 1980s)—

So, as we mentioned, as with the Bengals and the Bucs, some teams may have dabbled in the fitted nameplates for shorter names, but no other team we can find did it year-in and year-out. As can be seen, the Bucs did it recently with Sapp and others but not early in the 'Creamsicle' uniform era.

The Chargers came the closest perhaps because they seemed to have done the "short name" thing for quite awhile but abandoned it recently.

The only other team that has done it consistently that we can find is the Steelers but their work sometimes was not as tightly done and there were occasional exceptions—

Ms. Bryce apparently thought it looked neater, more professional and made the extra effort to get it done right. The difference in what you see with her work as opposed to what some teams who would shorten the plaque is they would usually just zig-zag sew it on whereas she always folded them first to make it look neater.

And that difference makes for a great "Uniform Oddity" and we always appreciate that.

Patriots Reveal New Uniforms for the Third Time Since 1993

By John Turney

In 2016 the Patriots revealed their 'Color Rush' uniforms to be used on special occasions. Today they made them permanent and also revealed a white jersey to go with them and made the whole kit their primary uniforms. It was the third "reveal" since 1993.

Here is the 1993 reveal (a couple changes in this uniform followed)—

The 2000 reveal—

And today's reveal— 

Richie Petitbon: A Master of Defense

By TJ Troup

Lately, my stories involve in-depth analysis of a player's career after he has left us. Not today and this saga has been a long time coming.

Today is Richie Petitbon's 82nd birthday, and while his career as a player and coach is lengthy; I will not cover all 467 games.

Clark Shaughnessy aligned the Chicago Bears in a myriad of defenses. Almost always though his secondary was in man coverage. Clark sent his linebackers after the quarterback ("red dog") or had them drop into coverage to help the deep defenders.

The Bears after losing the title game in 1956 responded by winning 13 of their next 20 games, except games against the Colts (Chicago lost all four in '57 & '58). Stan Wallace was listed as a defensive back on the Bears roster, and he was a physical run defender.

At times he lined up right behind Bill George as he went knuckles in the dirt to give Chicago a 5-man pass rush. Wallace, in essence, is a linebacker, but usually had pass coverage responsibilities. Stan was an average pass defender at best. He played well enough in 1958 to receive some All-Pro recognition.

Wallace does not play for Chicago in 1959 (he eventually plays in Canada).

The Bears new director of player personnel is former Los Angeles Rams receivers coach George Allen. Though Allen is not listed as an assistant coach with a specific assignment, he worked at times with the defensive backs early in his days in Chicago.

The Bears number one draft pick is Don Clark, and he does not play for Chicago in 1959. That means the Bears number two pick (21st in the draft) takes on even more significance. Richie Petitbon played quarterback at Tulane, but will start opening day at left safety against the Packers.

Petitbon's assignments for Shaughnessy are very different than Stan Wallace. He is aligned deeper than many safeties, and with his wide-legged stance most would believe he has the tight end man to man.

As a rookie in 1958 Johnny Morris struggled returning punts the last seven games of the year (7 returns for 14 yards). Opening day against traditional rival Green Bay Petitbon will return punts besides playing safety. He has returned one punt for five yards, when McGee booms a punt to him in the 4th quarter. Richie fumbles the punt (a hustling Jim Ringo recovers), and the supposed contending Bears have lost to a team that won just once in 1958.

Maybe this new coach on Fox River can actually get the Packers to play physical and smart football--—and even win games. Chicago journey's to Baltimore to take on the champion Colts on a Saturday night. Richie redeems himself in the first half when he flashes in front of tight end Jim Mutscheller on an out route; pilfers the pigskin and zips 33 yards for a score.

Like many teams of the era offensive ends are not always "split out". When Raymond Berry is tight end left in a double tight end set with a flanker aligned away from Berry; Petitbon leaves the wide side of the field and takes Berry man to man.

Yes, Richie is, in essence, the right corner, but only if Berry is a tight end. Chicago has finally defeated Baltimore, and returns home believing this is their year. Two straight home loses, including the rematch with the Colts sends the Bears on the road to Kezar and another heartbreaking defeat. Halas has a very talented, and tough team, yet the record stands at 1-4.

Film evaluation of Petitbon early in the season shows he is a fine tackler when called upon, and has the speed to cover tight ends. Many times he does not play left safety, he plays "STRONG" safety. Meaning he goes where the tight end goes.

While other safeties have done this before on occasion—Richie is truly the first strong safety in NFL history. He goes where the tight end goes. Petitbon eventually gets a second chance to return punts, and is adequate at doing so (9 for 58 yards the rest of the season).

Lightning-quick Johnny Morris leads the league in this department. Late in the season, Petitbon has demonstrated vast improvement on defense, and his superb physical play against Pittsburgh is the best example. His long legs(6'3") and speed get him across the field in pursuit.

Chicago again finishes second behind Baltimore, but with talented corners Erich Barnes & J.C. Caroline along with Petitbon the Bears have the makings of a strong secondary for the upcoming 1960 season. One of the strangest years in Bears history is the only way to explain 1960.

Twice they are positioned to take over first place, and both times they lose at home; November 13th to Baltimore, and December 4th to Green Bay. Petitbon's second year is a learning experience, and while he by no means regresses, he does not make near the plays he did his rookie season. Don Schiffer's Pro Football Handbook for 1961 states that Petitbon will have "heavier duty at left safety, and has learned his new assignments exceptionally well".

Jack Johnson was in and out of the line-up at right safety, and veteran Charley Sumner struggled mightily in 1960. Shaughnessy moves Petitbon to right safety for 1961. The new left safety is former all-pro split end Harlon Hill. Hill is a shell of what he once was. Leg injuries, and off the field foray's into the Chicago nightlife have left the Bears with a left safety who just cannot do the job on a consistent basis.

Late in the season Hill is benched, and Bobby Jackson gets a chance to play safety. Petitbon intercepts five times in '61 and plays solid football, but he is just not best suited to play right safety. George Allen spends more time than ever with the secondary, and rookie free agent Roosevelt Taylor has the speed, and tackling skills to play winning football.

Chicago still has Shaughnessy aligning the Bears in strange, almost "mystical" defenses that confuse opposing quarterbacks, but at times have Chicago defenders with responsibilities that do not fit with their skill set. Chicago begins 1962 with two road victories, and then comes the day of destruction. Every Packer fan that attended saw a team of destiny destroy a so-called contender 49-0.

Halas makes the momentous decision; Shaughnessy out, Allen in as defensive coordinator. While an actual date is not listed; Allen calls the Shaughnessy defenses the rest of the year, and the Bears win three of their last four to finish 9-5. Petitbon is playing the best football of his career. Diagnosing plays, hustling across the field in pursuit, and making timely interceptions.

The lowly Rams are in Wrigley on December the 9th, and early in the 4th quarter, Chicago leads 23-7. Former Bear Zeke Bratkowski brings the Rams out of the huddle on 4th and 4 at the Chicago four-yard line. Zeke zips the ball towards the sideline but Petibon has baited the Brat, and away Richie goes 101 yards for the interception touchdown score. This is now the longest Chicago scoring play in team history. Rumors abound that Weeb Ewbank is going to be dismissed in Baltimore, and possibly the next head coach of the Colts will be one of two young defensive co-ordinators who maximize the skills of their players; Don Shula in Detroit, or George Allen in Chicago. Bitter cold at Wrigley, and while the game has no bearing on the standings (Green Bay IS a team of destiny) these two bitter rivals pound on each other the entire game.

Chicago leads 3-0 as the Lions break the huddle late in the game. Morral has end Gail Cogdill aligned at left tight end and sends him on a crossing route towards the left-field wall and the band in the end zone. Coach Allen has Petitbon align head up on Cogdill as the right corner, and take him man to man with help from his new cohort Roosevelt Taylor.

Morrall lofts the pass, and Richie cuts underneath and with his long arms reaches up and tips the pass to himself for an end-zone interception and victory. Petitbon is rewarded for his outstanding season with a trip to the Pro Bowl in Los Angeles. He has set the team record for yards returning interceptions in a season with 212 and ranks among the best safeties in the league.

Every Chicago Bear alive that remembers the 1963 season will tell you about the defense. George Allen spent the winter going through the defensive play-book and taking out many of Shaugnessy's outdated alignments.

Coverages are now "hidden" disguised, and opposing quarterbacks struggle reading whether it is man? zone? or a combination. The Bear defensive line lead by the meanest man in football Doug Atkins, the linebackers now led by Joe Fortunato are menacing. and the revamped secondary of corners Whitsell, McRae, and safeties Taylor and Petitbon are the best in football. Mickey Herskowitz superb book The Golden Age of Football has a short story on Bill George called "The General".

George called the defensive signals under Shaughnessy, and wanted a pay raise for calling the defenses in '63. Not only does he not get the pay raise, he is replaced by Joe Fortunato as defensive signal-caller. Petitbon remains the "Colonel" and calls the secondary coverages and adjustments. Having beaten the Champion Packers twice, and surviving back to back ties with Minnesota and Pittsburgh the Bears can win the west at home with victories in their final two games. Petitbon ranks among the league leaders in interceptions with six, and his teammate Roosevelt Taylor has seven.

San Francisco is beaten 27-17 as Petitbon intercepts twice in a game for the first time in his career, and Taylor zips 30 yards to score on his interception return. Chicago clinches against Detroit in a hard-fought victory, setting the stage for a classic. New York easily defeated Chicago 47-7 in 1956 as Conerly passed to his backs in the masterful game plan of Lombardi. George Allen will not let this happen, though Tittle has broken his own record of 33 touchdown passes with a new standard of 36. The Bears intercepted 36 passes, and their defensive passer rating is one of the best every at 34.8.

The new Monsters of the Midway are a very well-coached hard-bitten gang of defenders. Final moments and Chicago has forged a 14-10 lead, but Tittle will never give up. Allen has the Bears in his form of Nickel Coverage, and Petitbon is taking the right side of the field, while Taylor helps McRae on the left.

Tittle's pass floats through the Chicago sky into Richie's arms, and Petitbon is now an NFL Champion.

The Bears falter in 1964 for a number of reasons, and Petitbon does not have an all-pro season, or anywhere near it. He is not alone as the Bears go from allowing only 144 to giving up 379. A very slow start in 1965 has one and all believed the game has passed the Papa Bear by, but a resurgence comes about as Chicago wins seven of their next eight after starting 0-3, to actually become contenders.

Rookie Gale Sayers has ignited the offense, and rookie Butkus the defense. Blair Motion Pictures will soon become NFL Films, and in 1965 they have NFL Play by Play Report (game of the week). The color film jumps off the screen, my Bears are in Baltimore taking on defending western conference champion Colts and Johnny Hightops.

Chicago leads 7-0 in this hard-fought contest when the Bear pass rush knocks Unitas out of the game. We are right before the half as Cuozzo attempts to get the ball to John Mackey on a crossing route. Petitbon intercepts setting up a field goal and an almost insurmountable lead of 10-0. Richie has now passed McAfee to become the all-time leader in lifetime interceptions with 26. Watching film of Butkus, Petitbon and the rest of the defense shut-out the Colts in Baltimore has folks convinced that any kind of a stumble (loss) by Green Bay and Baltimore, and the Bears can win the west. Sayers has a game for the ages in Wrigley against the 49ers, as Green Bay beats the Colts.

The standings going into the final weekend have Baltimore and Green Bay at 10-3, and Chicago at 9-4. Is it possible? Petitbon and the rest of the Bears could actually take on Cleveland for the title? Not to be as the Colts beat the Rams on Saturday. The cover of the Sports Illustrated Pro Football Issue for 1966 is one of the most painful ever for me personally—"Bukich hands off the Sayers for the challenging Bears".

When you are 4-7-2 with one game to go you are anything but challenging. George Allen has left Chicago to revitalize the moribund Los Angeles Rams. Richie Petitbon has an outstanding season that ends with him being voted to the Pro Bowl for the third time. Rumors abound again that 1967 will be Halas last year as head coach.

As usual, Chicago is slow out of the gate(2-5 at mid-season), but the second half is very different. Jim Dooley has taken George Allen's concepts and renamed them. His nickel coverage is the called the "Dooley Defense", but in essence left corner Bennie McRae plays underneath coverage like an outside linebacker while Taylor and Petitbon patrol the deep zones.

Earlier in the year Richie intercepted Bart Starr three times in a game and is again having a superb season. Chicago finishes 7-6-1, and for the fourth time in nine campaigns Petitbon is headed to Los Angeles for the Pro Bowl. Watching the game that afternoon in the Coliseum was not only entertaining, but enlightening as Petitbon flashed in front of tight end Jerry Smith, outfought him for the ball, and dashed 70 yards for a touchdown. Everyone in Los Angeles heard me shouting from my seat, "Go Richie Go".

The Bears under new head coach Jim Dooley start slow in '68...so what else is new? Carter and Sayers put new life in the Bears offense, and the four-game win streak has the Bears in contention. The Chicago defense at times plays well, but Dooley is just not George Allen. The victory at New Orleans at Tulane Stadium is a homecoming for Petitbon, and now off to Los Angeles as the 6-6 first place (central division) Bears take on the 10-1-1 second place Rams (Coastal Division).

By this time in my life have learned the game well. Senior in high school, and a student of the game, am convinced the Bears can beat my "guru" George Allen in this very meaningful game. Having the play by play (thank you Ryan Anderson), and the game film brings back so many memories. Even without Sayers the Bears have scored enough to lead in the game. Butkus and Petitbon were all over the field.

Gabriel targeted tight end Billy Truax over and over, and Petibon defensed him all game as Roman was just 7 of 23, and Truax went without a catch. Upset of the year, but in Wrigley the last day of the season the Packers knocked off the Bears to "give" Minnesota the division title. As the game unfolded you could easily see Packer receivers uncovered and errors in coverage. Statements that Petitbon was responsible for the errors in coverage have never been proven to be true, but he may have been?

Richie has played 10 years of durable, quality football. He is a proven tackler. His style is somewhat different in that many times his long arms allow him to grab the man with the ball from behind, though he can be seen leveling a shoulder into a ball carrier or receiver also. Petitbon has lost some speed, yet his savvy and experience have proven valuable assets with his lifetime 37 interceptions.

On May 17th, 1969 Petitbon is traded to the Rams for journeyman corner Lee Calland and two draft choices. Richie will be reunited with his teacher and mentor George Allen! Though will be buried in navy blue & burnt orange—to say that I cheered for the Rams in 1969 is an understatement. Allen being rehired after being fired has lit a fire in George like never before. Petitbon will play strong safety with a new partner at free safety.

Though Roosevelt Taylor and Eddie Meador have different styles, they are both outstanding. Opening day and the Rams beat the Colts and Unitas in Baltimore as both Meador and Petitbon intercept. In the victory over Atlanta Richie recovers a fumble. Who says he can't run to the ball anymore? Eleven straight victories, but into the Coliseum on December 7th comes another team that has destiny written all over it.

The Norsemen are just not like any team I had seen since the '62 Packers. Minnesota knocks the Rams from the ranks of the unbeaten. Petitbon is hurt, and will miss playing time for the first time in his career. Los Angeles loses both games, yet Coach Allen will have his Rams ready for the trip to Minnesota and the REMATCH.

Never have I looked forward to a game more than this one. Many historians/fans will tell you that it was one of the hardest hitting games ever. Los Angeles lead by Gabriel wills its way down the field and a 17-7 lead. Petitbon has helped keep the Rams in the lead with a clutch interception (Meador also intercepts), but the Vikings will not be denied.

During the 1970 season, the Rams are in contention for either the NFC West crown or possibly the "new" wild card berth. San Francisco looks like they will win the west, and in the Coliseum on a December Monday night comes a pride of Lions bent on victory.

Petitbon records his last interception as a Ram, but Allen and the Rams come up short again. George Allen will be fired again? Only an owner who has lost sight of reality would do this? He does not stay unemployed for very long. Washington has had one winning season from 1956 through 1970, but Allen is convinced he can bring leadership, and his veterans (the "over the hill gang") to D. C. and win. Allen trades for a 33-year-old strong safety in Richie Petitbon. Opening day on the rain-soaked Astroturf of St.Louis, and Petitbon for the second time in his career intercepts three times in a game.

Though the 'Skins struggle to stay in contention after a 5-0 start, they win the game they must—where is that game you ask? Why, where else the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against his former team. Losing in the first round of the playoffs to San Francisco is disappointing but Allen sees 1972 as an even better opportunity for his team.

Petitbon has played well, and even got some All-Pro recognition for his performance in '71. He has received All-Pro recognition five times in his career. Allen trades for Petibon's former teammate Roosevelt Taylor and they are to be reunited in their quest of a Super Bowl.

During the upset loss to New England, Petitbon recovers a fumble in his last game as a pro. Richie is replaced in the starting line-up by Brig Owens. Time has caught up with him, but he wants to remain in pro football as a coach.

During the 1970 season Bum Phillips coached the defense for the Chargers, and in 1974 as defensive coordinator in Houston Phillips hires Petitbon to coach the secondary. His knowledge and expertise along with his ability to relate to players much like his mentor George Allen has the reinvigorated Oilers playing strong defensive football.

Four years in Houston before former teammate Jack Pardee hires him to be the secondary coach with the Redskins. When Pardee is dismissed after 1980 and replaced by Joe Gibbs—Gibbs keeps just one man from the Pardee coaching staff; yes, you guessed it was Richie Petitbon. He also has a new title; defensive coordinator.

Over the years he is revered for his ability to adapt and adjust during a game. His defensive game plans, and ability to confuse quarterbacks when trying to read the coverages he has taught his burgundy clad 'Skins defenders. No doubt there were times when after the '63 season Petitbon wondered if he would ever be a champion again? Three rings with Joe Gibbs says it all. Though is head coaching career was short-lived, he remains one of those men who had an outstanding playing career and then proceeded to continue on as a superb defensive coach. Happy Birthday Richie, and thanks.

Willie Davis 1934-2020

By John Turney

We were saddened to read the news of Willie Davis' passing today. Not only was he a great NFL player he was one of the NFL's great gentlemen. Nicknamed “Dr. Feelgood” because he was always in a good mood, always in a positive mindset according to his teammates.

He began his career with the Cleveland Browns in 1958 (after being taken as 15th-round draft pick from Grambling) as a defensive end and the following season he played offensive tackle. He was planning to go into teaching and coaching at the high school level when he found out he was traded to Vince Lombardi's Packers for receiver A.D. Williams. He simply was not pleased with being traded to what he considered the NFL's "Siberia". Bit Coach Lombardi, on a phone call, convinced Willie that there were good things going on in Green Bay and Willie reported.

For there, as they say, it was history.

Davis was the left defensive end for that 1960s packer dynasty starting every game for the Pack in the 1960s that went to six title games, winning five in including the first two Super Bowls.

Along the way, he was a consensus All-NFL five times and a member of the  NFL's 1960s All-Decade team as well as the Combine 1960s AFL-NFL team and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1981.

Though records are partially complete, Pro Football Journal's research shows Davis was among the best sackers of his era totaling 9½ sacks in 1961, 13 in 1962, 8½ in 1963 (likely a few more, that missing records thing). In 1964 at least 14½, again likely a couple more, 11 more in 1965 and probably as high as a half-dozen more. The Packers play-by-play man sometimes didn't record forced fumble plays as sacks, so a review of film may be the only way to resolve this issue). His final years are pretty much complete with 11, 11, 9 and 6 sacks.

Records from 1958 in Cleveland do not exist and in 1959 he played offensive tackle so he didn't have any that season but we have seen some film of 1958 and he did have some tackles on the quarterback, the question is how many.

Thus, we are sure he had over 100 sacks, and likely a bit more. Maybe Dr. Feelgood can review the records in Heaven and let us know the exact number!

Former Packers center Bill Curry called him "the finest combination of leader and player that I ever saw."

As great as Davis was on the football field, he was as much, if not more of a success after his career off the field. He earned an MBA and was extremely successful in business. His perseverance in sports, he felt, gave his the ability to meet challenges and take advantage of opportunities as they came in life and in business.

Willie owned beer distributorships founding Willie Davis Distributing in 1970, which distributed Schlitz along with other beer brands, and All-Pro Broadcasting, which now owns several radio stations, six years later. He also served on the boards of directors of several Fortune 500 companies including the boards of Dow Chemical, MGM Resorts International, Schlitz Brewing, Sara Lee, American Express, Mattel—and the Green Bay Packers.

Davis on the sideline of the 1971 College All-Star game in Chicago

In addition to his business ventures, from 1970-75 Davis volunteered to coach the defensive line for the College All-Stars in the annual game between the best of the college players and the reigning NFL champions coaching the likes of Randy White, Jack Youngblood, Cedrick Hardman, Mike Reid and gave them a little advanced training as to what being an NFL defensive lineman would be like.

Said Jack Youngblood to the Los Angeles Times—

Additionally, Davis was a color commentator for NFL games on NFL from 1970 through 1975 usually partnering with Ross Porter.

Davis was born in Lisbon Lousiana but was raised in Texarkana, Ark. He was raised by a  single mother after his father left the family when Willie was eight leaving the family poor. Davis said his mother often told him, "'I want you to go to school, get an education, get a good job, and be a better man than your father."

Of that, there is no doubt. He was a better man than 99.9% of men on the planet he just left.

1948 NFL Season in Review

by Andy Piascik

The 1948 season saw the continued great play of the Cardinals and Eagles, the two teams that faced off in the previous year’s Championship Game. Both teams were even better and played again for NFL supremacy in a title game more memorable for the conditions it was played in than for anything that happened on the field.

Passing numbers were down slightly from the year before but were still far and away the second-highest in all categories in NFL history to that point. That was a trend that would continue as passing attempts, completions, touchdowns and yards per game would never again be as low as in 1946. Greater emphasis on the pass was intertwined with rule changes regarding substitutions that moved pro football further toward a full two-platoon system. Some players continued to play and even shine on both sides of the ball, but more became specialists on either offense or defense.

Directly related to the growing popularity of the passing game was a rise in scoring. In fact, the 46.5 points scored per game in 1948 were the highest in NFL history and remained so until 2013. The Eagles, Bears and Cardinals, the league’s three best teams, all averaged over 30 points a game.
Continued Difficult Financial Times

Most NFL teams continued to lose money in 1948 because of competition with the All-America Football Conference for players. The players, on the other hand, saw a slight spike in salaries for the third year in a row in large part because of the competition between the two leagues. With 18 teams in the two leagues for the third year in a row, there were also more players employed by major league football than ever before. 

The league-wide financial woes were exacerbated by an end to a brief postwar attendance surge. There had been a slight drop from an all-time high of 31,493 per game in 1946 to 30,624 in 1947, but the far larger decline of over 5,000 per game to 25,421 in 1948 was of much greater concern. Average attendance would drop another 2,200 per game in 1949 by which point virtually every team in both leagues was losing money.

On the bright side, the Rams were firmly established in Los Angeles. Attendance for home games was better than it had ever been during the team’s tenure in Cleveland even as the Rams battled the AAFC Dons for the attention of Angeleno football fans. And the continued outstanding play of the Eagles and Cardinals saw those two teams join the long successful Bears in playing before consistently large home crowds.

A Flop in Boston
In contrast to Los Angeles, the NFL’s second foray into Boston was proving a failure as the Yanks had far and away the lowest home attendance in the league. We will never know if the results would have been different had the Yanks been a more competitive team or if owner Ted Collins had kept the franchise in place for a longer time. Whether they played on Thursday night, Friday night or Sunday afternoon, the Yanks simply did not arouse the interest of enough fans. They averaged fewer than 12,000 spectators for six home dates with a high of 18,048 who came out to Fenway to see the Bears administer a drubbing to the home team.

At season’s end, the five-year life of the Boston Yanks was at an end. Collins moved the franchise to New York in 1949, secured dates at the Polo Grounds and re-named the team the Bulldogs. New York was where Collins wanted to be all along but he would find no more success there than in Boston. By the time he threw in the towel at the end of the 1951 season, the team had played only three seasons in New York.

Unlike the Cardinals and Eagles, the Steelers did not continue the success they had in 1947. Instead, they reverted to form and finished 4-8 without ever being in the race in the East. Pittsburgh’s fall off may have been in part because of its continued adherence to the single wing. While some teams stuck with the single wing, more were using the T-formation and few that stuck with the single wing including the Steelers were having much success.
Rough Going in Two League Bastions

Two long successful franchises struggled in 1948. The Giants, champions of the East just two years before, finished 4-8 and also were never a factor. The Packers fell further from the heights of a championship in 1944 and finished 3-9.

The decline in Green Bay and the consequent drop in attendance would soon provoke a financial crisis. Eventually, the team that plays in by far the smallest of the NFL’s cities was able to secure enough public investment to weather the crisis. Seventy-two years later, the Packers remain the only publicly-owned team of any in the four major sports.

The Redskins rebounded from a poor season in 1947 to go 7-5 and remain in contention in the East until late November. The Eagles thoroughly outclassed Washington in their two head-to-head games by 45-0 and 42-21, however, and the Redskins faded badly after winning six of their first eight. The Eagles were just too strong on both sides of the ball and finished with a points differential of 18.3 per game that is the eighth-best in NFL history.

The Bears were also very strong on both sides of the ball and posted a per-game points differential that was actually better than the champion Eagles at 18.7, the sixth-best in NFL history. Undisciplined play hurt the Bears, however, as they finished second in penalty yards and first by a wide margin in penalty yards differential. It’s not much consolation that the 1948 Bears are arguably the best second-place team in league history.

In keeping with his preference for marquee inter-conference match-ups, Commissioner Bert Bell scheduled Eastern power Philadelphia to play the Bears and Cardinals, the two best teams in the West. The scheduling proved fortuitous as the two games were among the best of 1948. And while the faces had changed slightly, the NFL continued to be a distinctly two-tier entity as the Eagles, Bears and Cardinals were by far the three best teams in the league. The Bears and Cards would wage a second consecutive scintillating race but none of the other teams in the West were remotely close. And while the Redskins pushed the Eagles for two-thirds of the season, they were a distant second best in the East by season’s end.

The Bonus Draft Pick
The bonus pick in the college draft, inaugurated in 1947, went to the Redskins. The bonus pick was based on one team’s name being drawn by lot each year and resulted in that team having the first overall selection in the draft, with the proviso that each team would get the bonus pick only once. It lasted for twelve years. The Bears had been the recipients of the first bonus pick the year before and selected Bob Fenimore. Washington used the pick in 1948 to select back Harry Gilmer of Alabama.
Ram Horns

Fred Gehrke and his hand-painted logo on helmet

Los Angeles halfback Fred Gehrke, an art major in college, painted ram horns on his helmet one day and the effect was electric. Gehrke’s Ram teammates and Los Angeles owner Dan Reeves liked the look so much that Reeves paid Gehrke to paint horns on all of the team’s helmets, and the Rams became the first pro team to break from the traditional blank look. The Rams have changed the shade of their blue and gold colors several times over the decades and even switched to blue and white for a while but the design of the horn remained just as it was in Gehrke’s time until the hideous, unpopular makeover discussed recently at this website.

Over the next 13 years, other teams would add a logo or lettering until by 1961, all NFL teams except the Browns had some kind of design on their helmets. The helmet designs would become as distinctive as, and in some cases more distinctive than, the team colors or names. Designs on helmets spread to colleges, high schools and other segments of organized football until most teams at all levels had them. 

Steve Van Buren

Individual Excellence
Steve Van Buren rushed for a league-leading 945 yards and became the first player in league history to win three rushing titles. He also was again named to the first team of all of the All-Pro teams. Pat Harder led the league in scoring by a wide margin and finished sixth in rushing. He, too, made First team on all the major All-NFL teams and was named Most Valuable Player by the United Press, the only known MVP or Player of the Year award awarded that year.

Pat Harder, Cardinals—NFL Player of the Year

Tackle Dick Huffman had an outstanding season in his second year with the Rams and made First-team on virtually all of the All-Pro teams. Washington defensive back Don Sandifer established new NFL records with 13 interceptions and 258 interception return yards. As the NFL’s three best teams, the Eagles, Cardinals and Bears were well-represented on the All-Pro teams.

Charlie Trippi, Cardinals

In addition, to Van Buren and Harder, those included Al Wistert and Pete Pihos of the Eagles, Mal Kutner, Buster Ramsey and Charlie Trippi of the Cards, and Bulldog Turner and Ray Bray of the Bears.

Kenny Washington

Players of note who played their last games in 1948 were Bill Paschal, Marshall Goldberg, Len Younce, and Dick Todd. Halfback Kenny Washington of the Rams also retired after three seasons. Football fans will long wonder what kind of career Washington might have had had he been allowed to play in the NFL in 1940 rather than having to wait until 1946. By that time, he was 28 and playing on two bad knees. Washington will never achieve the iconic status of Jackie Robinson but he will certainly be remembered as one who struck a small but not insignificant blow against ignorance and intolerance.

Games of Note
September 24th at Comiskey Park (25,875): Cardinals 21 Eagles 14
A Friday night game under the lights pitted the two teams that played in the Championship Game the previous December and the result was the same. The Cardinals shot out to an early 14-0 lead and then scored the winning touchdown with four minutes remaining after the Eagles had rallied to tie the score at 14-14. Chicago end Mal Kutner had a big day with two long touchdown receptions.

Tragedy struck several hours after the game when Cardinals’ tackle Stan Mauldin collapsed in the team’s locker room and died. The cause of death was a heart attack and occurred after Mauldin had played most of the game against the Eagles. Mauldin was 27 and had been a member of the Cardinals since 1946.

October 24th at Shibe Park (36,227): Eagles 12 Bears 7
The Bears came in 4-0 and all of their victories had been impressive including one over the Cardinals that proved to be the Cards only loss of the regular season. The Eagles had started the season slowly but this win was their third of eight straight and improved their record to 3-1-1. Philadelphia did not lose again until after they had clinched the title in the East.

As befitting teams that were far and away the two best defensively in the league, the game was a slugfest where yards, first downs and points were difficult to come by. Both offenses were also hindered by rain that fell throughout and was quite heavy at times. Philadelphia’s Cliff Patton kicked a field goal in the fourth quarter that broke a 7-7 tie and the Eagles added a safety in the final seconds by sacking Sid Luckman in the Chicago end zone.

November 21st at Shibe Park (37,059): Eagles 42 Redskins 21
The Redskins hung close to Philadelphia through eight games but they were no match for the Eagles, who won their seventh straight. Philadelphia took command early by scoring the first 21 points of the game. After the Redskins rallied with two touchdowns, the Eagles scored two more of their own in the third quarter to basically put the game away at 35-14.

Steve Van Buren had one of the best games of his career as he rushed for 171 yards. That was not even half of the team’s rushing total as the Eagles gained an unbelievable 376 yards on the ground, averaging a robust 6.3 per carry in so doing. All told, Philadelphia outgained Washington, 575-254, and had 28 first downs to 10 for the Redskins. There were still three games remaining but the Eagles, who improved to 7-1-1, made it resoundingly clear that they were the best team in the East as they increased their lead to one and a half games over Washington, who fell to 6-3.

December 12th at Wrigley Field (51,283): Cardinals 24 at Bears 21
For the second year in a row, supremacy in the West came down to a regular-season finale between the two teams from Chicago in a game that was as exciting and dramatic as any in 1948. Both teams went in at 10-1 and, as was the case throughout the season, the Bears flashed a great deal of offense as they gained 462 yards, 150 more than the Cardinals. But, as previously mentioned, another theme all year for the Bears was sloppy and undisciplined play, and they amassed 91 penalty yards to only 24 for the Cards while turning the ball over five times, to just two for the South Siders.

The Bears scored first and built their lead to 21-10 with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals rallied and got rushing touchdowns from Charlie Trippi and Elmer Angsman to win, with Angsman’s game-winning score set up by a Vince Banonis interception that he returned 24 yards. The Bears reached the Cardinals’ 15-yard line late in the game but John Cochran intercepted a Sid Luckman pass in the end zone to seal the matter.

Just like the 1947 finale, the Cardinals had triumphed on the Bears’ home field. They undoubtedly would have preferred to have done so at Comiskey in front of their home fans but there was also likely something special about winning in Wrigley again against a foe that had beaten them so often and which was the undisputed top team in Chicago for so long.

For the Bears, it was a second straight bitter, season-ending defeat and an end to a truly great season. They won games in 1948 by scores of 45-7, 42-21, 28-0, 35-14, 51-17, 48-13 and 42-14 and, the Cardinals’ great record notwithstanding, had to believe they were going to avenge the loss of a year before. Instead, it was the Cards who moved on to play the Eagles for the NFL title. The Cards’ stay as an elite team would be much shorter than appeared likely at the time – it would end, in fact, after the following week’s loss in Philadelphia. For the Bears, it would be 15 long years before they would again reign supreme. There was much more heartache to come for the Bears before then, some of which was as difficult to take as the 1948 finale and a good deal of which would come at the hands of none other than the Cardinals.

NFL Championsship Game, 1948

Game of the Year, Championship Game, December 19th at Shibe Park (28,864): Eagles 7 Cardinals 0
Blizzards are rare in December in Philadelphia and rarer still before the official start of winter. But it began snowing on the morning of the Championship Game and did not stop until well after its completion by which time nearly 20 inches had fallen. The snow that piled up on the Shibe Park turf as soon as the tarp was removed and fell at a heavy rate throughout had a profound impact on the game.

According to some of the participants, including the Cardinals’ Vince Banonis in an interview with this author, there was talk beforehand of postponing the game for a day. Players on both teams apparently rejected the proposal. Banonis was quick to say that everything was fair because both teams had to endure the same conditions, this despite the fact that the Cardinals suffered a heartbreaking loss after posting an 11-1 record that is the best in their 100-year history.

Because the Cardinals’ success revolved greatly around a high-powered offense that posted the most points in the league, they may have been hurt more by the brutal conditions. They were also without injured starting quarterback Paul Christman. The Eagles, on the other hand, had Steve van Buren and he again proved himself the best running back in the league. They also had the league’s best defense that completely shut down Chicago’s offense. Van Buren and his mates, meanwhile, piled up 225 rushing yards and took advantage of a Chicago fumble late in the third quarter to produce the game’s only score.

  Philadelphia guard Bucko Kilroy recovered the Cardinals’ fumble deep in Chicago territory and the Eagles drove 17 yards on four running plays. The last of those runs was a 5-yard touchdown rush by van Buren on the third play of the fourth quarter, and the Cardinals did little the rest of the way. For the game, the Cardinals passed for only 35 yards on a mere three completions. They did rush for 96 yards but it took 34 attempts. Philadelphia had a scant seven passing yards and it required 57 rushing attempts to gain their 225 yards. Van Buren led the way with 96 while Bosh Pritchard added 67 and quarterback Tommy Thompson 50 as the Eagles won the first championship in franchise history.

The story goes that Van Buren, upon looking out his window the morning of the game, was convinced the game would not be played. He promptly went back to bed and it was not until head coach Greasy Neale telephoned to say that the game was indeed on that van Buren began the long, circuitous trek to Shibe Park. A trolley ride and transfers first to the elevated train and then to another trolley got him to within two miles of the ballpark. When the second trolley could go no further because of the snow, the great Philadelphia halfback walked the rest of the way, arriving just thirty minutes before the opening kickoff. His coach, teammates and Eagles’ fans were glad he did.

The formidable research efforts of Ken Pullis proved invaluable: first, his work for the Pro Football Researchers Association’s Linescore Project for 1948 and, second, his Progression of NFL Records which is available both from PFRA and in the two editions of The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia.