Oct. 14, 1963 - “Jim Brown is the greatest runner I ever saw.” Blanton Collier, the Cleveland coach, and Al Sherman, his New York counterpart, said this yesterday in locker rooms 100 yards apart after the Browns had beaten the Giants, 35-24, at Yankee Stadium. All the lesser authorities in the crowd of 62,986 would have to agree after seeing Brown rip the New York defense apart for 209 yards on runs and pass plays. Through the first half at least, the Giants did all right against big Jim, the 228-pound fullback whose seventh year in the NFL is becoming his greatest. Jim Katcavage was sliding off at left end to halt Brown’s sweeps, and middle linebacker Sam Huff was knocking down Brown behind the line of scrimmage. And at halftime, the Giants were ahead, 17-14. Then came the third period. Brown gave it to the Giants on two big plays — the first a 72-yard run down the left sideline on a maneuver that began as a little screen pass, the second a 32-yard touchdown run off his left tackle. It was Cleveland’s fifth straight victory in an undefeated season, and the loss dropped the Giants two games behind the Browns with nine contests left. “Brown played a fine game,” said Huff, whose big No. 70 could be seen getting up from on top of Brown after virtually every run by the Cleveland fullback. “I consider this the best game I’ve played all year,” Huff continued, “but there was no stopping Brown when he wanted to run. If he ran any harder, he’d kill a few of us. I love to play against a great athlete — but I wouldn’t want him for an everyday diet.” Brown thought he was running poorly at the beginning of the game, he told reporters, “but the blocking on our line was a big thing again, and I’ve been waiting for my blockers this year. I was very impressed with Huff. Every time I looked up, I saw No. 70.” Said winning coach Collier: “I think the line tends to block a little harder for a man like Brown because they figure he can go all the way, and a block means more than if a man just picked up a couple of yards.” The Giants have two weeks to regain their confidence and dignity as they meet the Dallas Cowboys in New York on Sunday. Then comes a trip to Cleveland to face up to Brown again. Perhaps 1963 will be remembered in the league as the year the Giants didn’t win because Brown tore the league apart.
