Sept. 20, 1964 - Don Shinnick’s leaping interception with two minutes to go preserved for the Colts a hard-earned 21-20 victory over the Packers before 42,327 disappointed fans in City Stadium today. (Pictured below, Baltimore’s Fred Miller tackles Jim Taylor.)
But it took a superior first-half offensive effort by the Colts and a magnificent second-half defensive effort to give Baltimore its first victory of the NFL season.
And it took a missed extra point try on Green Bay’s second touchdown by the Golden Boy, Paul Hornung, to give the Colts the winning margin.
It also took breaks, such as three interceptions and a fumble recovery, but most of these breaks were forced by a vicious Colt assault against Bart Starr, Packers’ quarterback.
And most of all it took a great individual effort by every Colt, from the members of the suicide squads — those unsung heroes of the punt, kick-off, and return teams — to the superstar John Unitas.
Unitas called and played a nearly faultless first half as he directed the Colts to a 21-13 advantage. Although the Colts were blanked on the scoreboard during the second 30 minutes, Unitas’ role as the play-caller was even more important because he didn’t make a wrong move or lose the ball through interception.
The riverboat gambler, noted for his unorthodox and sensational play calling, played this one close to the best and had the cards in his offensive line and offensive backfield to outlast Green Bay.
These cards were fine running efforts, made possible by the Colt line, by Lenny Moore, Jerry Hill, Tom Matte, Tony Lorick, and Unitas himself.
But the guttiest performance on the field today was turned in by Baltimore defensive back Bobby Boyd, who spent the best part of last week in the hospital with a kidney stone ailment.
Asked how he felt after the game, Boyd replied: “Just fine.” But when questioned further, he admitted: “It was a long game. I thought it would never end. I was weak out there, but when that final whistle sounded, I got a new lease on life.”
“We had a great first half offensively and a gritty second half defensively,” said Colt coach Don Shula. “See what a difference attitude makes?” he added, recalling last week’s poor showing against the Vikings in Minnesota. “This time we never stopped trying. There was second and third effort on every play.”
Said Packer coach Vince Lombardi: “I don’t know what was going on out there in the first half, but it looked like they [the Colts] were going on a quick count, and we didn’t seem to be ready.”
When a reporter noted that the Packers had several outstanding individual performances, Lombardi said, “Hell, Taylor, Hornung, and McGee played well enough to win, most of the time. But those bombs will kill you when you let them go.”
One of the saddest figures in the Green Bay locker room was safety Henry Gremminger, who was victimized on both of Unitas’ touchdown throws, the 52-yarder to Lenny Moore and the 40-yarder to John Mackey.
“That’s all they did all day,” Lombardi declared, “throw those bombs.”
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