Dec. 8, 1963 - The New York Giants used seven pass interceptions and three fumble recoveries to light up the scoreboard at Yankee Stadium today. The home team crushed the Washington Redskins, 44-14, before a capacity crowd of 62,992, and that decision, plus other events in the NFL, did much to clarify the championship race in the East. Pittsburgh’s defeat of Dallas and the New York victory eliminated both the Cleveland Browns, who lost to the Detroit Lions, and the St. Louis Cardinals from title contention in the Eastern Conference. Today, the New York defense rose up in the second quarter and took command of the game. “They overpowered us,” said Bill McPeak, the Redskin coach. “Those pass rushers of theirs took turns at our quarterbacks. They play it like a piano, up and down the scale.” McPeak spoke of Andy Robustelli, an intimidating opportunist; Jim Katcavage, who scored the first touchdown of his eight-year pro career; John LoVetere and Dick Modzelewski. This quartet applied such pressure on Norm Snead that McPeak took him out of the game in the third period, substituting George Izo. The results were no better. Snead, throwing off his heels, was intercepted three times — by Jerry Hillebrand in the first quarter, Erich Barnes in the New York end zone, and Dick Lynch, who returned 42 yards for a touchdown. Izo threw four passes to Giants — two to Jimmy Patton, one to Lynch, and one to Sam Huff, who returned 36 yards for a touchdown. Huff’s touchdown was only his second as a Giant. The Giant quarterback, Y.A. Tittle, threw two touchdown passes, one to Frank Gifford and then a superb 57-yard bomb to Joe Morrison in the third quarter. The long one enabled Tittle to tie his own record of most touchdown passes thrown in a season — 33. Asked about his first professional touchdown, Katcavage recalled the time when, a few years back, he picked up a Bobby Layne fumble during a game with Pittsburgh and was off on a possible 45-yard touchdown run. “I was at least ten yards ahead of Tom Tracy that day,” he said, “but the grass was too high or something, and I stumbled and fell. Today, I just picked up the ball and kept going until I was over that goal line.”
