1960s Timeline

Apr. 2, 1962 - Frank Gifford ended a one-year retirement today and rejoined the New York Giants of the NFL. He signed for “pretty close” to his $25,000 salary of 1960. The 31-year-old former all-pro halfback said he had given up his sports broadcasting duties at WCBS to concentrate on his football comeback. “There are many reasons for my returning to the Giants,” he said. “First and most important, I love the game. Possibly, I made a mistake in leaving.” Many observers believ

Dec. 31, 1961 - What happened to the New York Giants today? They ran into “the greatest team in the history of the National Football League.” Coach Vince Lombardi pinned that label on his Green Bay Packers as they swarmed into their dressing room after a 37-0 rout of the Giants in the championship game. Lombardi’s appraisal was corroborated by New York’s starting quarterback, Y.A. Tittle. “We couldn’t have beaten them if we had used 22 men at once,” he said. Tittle had spent

Dec. 31, 1961 - Breaking the game wide open with an explosive second-quarter attack that netted 3 touchdowns and a field goal, the Green Bay Packers routed the New York Giants, 37-0, today in the NFL’s championship game. Coach Vince Lombardi’s Packers gave a thorough going-over to the Giants in all departments. The New Yorkers did little to help themselves, giving away the ball five times on four interceptions and a fumble. But these negative factors in no way detracted from

Dec. 29, 1961 - Paul Hornung, the Green Bay Packers’ versatile halfback, today was named the NFL player of the year in the United Press International poll. Despite an injury and his call into the army in November, Hornung was brilliant as a runner, place-kicker, blocker, passer, and pass-catcher in the Packers’ drive to a second straight Western Conference championship. The 25-year-old Hornung, playing his fifth professional season, received 12 votes to 8 each for Jim Taylor,

Dec. 28, 1961 - Coach Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers spoke out boldly today on Sunday’s championship game against the New York Giants: “If the field is right, we should win.” He is hoping for a firm but unfrozen field. On that, Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung, the twin spearheads of the powerful Green Bay running attack, and the pile-driving blockers ahead of them, can get full traction. “We’re basically a power-running team, and we don’t want any more than a fair chance

Dec. 26, 1961 - The Green Bay Packers opened “Championship Week” before an unexpected audience of 500 fans today. Coach Vince Lombardi was flabbergasted as he strolled onto the practice field. The temperature was 20 above zero and there was a brisk wind blowing. The turf was frozen solid but the Packers wore football cleats with success. The ends and backs dug in enough to cut sharply on pass patterns. Everybody wore gloves except the backs and ends. Once, Lombardi reminded t

Dec. 20, 1961 - Paul Hornung of the Green Bay Packers was named today the most valuable player of the NFL in a poll of writers and broadcasters by The Associated Press. The halfback was called to Army duty and was available only on a weekend pass during the second half of the season. But he scored 10 touchdowns, kicked 15 of 22 field goal attempts, and posted 41 successive extra points. He led the league scorers with 146 points. Other contenders in the poll were Jim Taylor of

Dec. 19, 1961 - Allie Sherman, the Brooklyn College boy who made good in his first year as coach of the Giants, was named NFL coach of the year in an AP poll today. Those who know Sherman best say it’s characteristic of him to credit others for success and accept the blame for mistakes. Today, he credited the team’s clinching of the League’s Eastern Conference championship to the players, the assistant coaches, the scouting staff, and the club management. He even paid high tr

Dec. 17, 1961 - The New York Giants made a first-quarter touchdown stand up for a 7-7 tie with the Cleveland Browns in a tense contest witnessed by 61,084 roaring New Yorkers. The deadlock, as good as a victory, nailed down the NFL’s Eastern Conference title for the Giants. They will play the Packers for the league championship at Green Bay, Wis., on Dec. 31. Finishing with a 10-3-1 record, the Giants ended the conference race a half-game in front of the reigning NFL champion

Dec. 10, 1961 - Charlie Conerly’s deft hand guided the New York Giants today to at least a tie for the NFL’s Eastern Conference title. Called to the rescue with his team trailing by 3 points midway in the second period, the gallant 40-year-old quarterback from Mississippi threw 3 touchdown passes that brought about a 28-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Now the Giants can clinch the Eastern title they last won in 1959 by beating the Cleveland Browns in their regular-se

Dec. 7, 1961 - N.F.L. Commissioner Pete Rozelle (pictured center) said the championship game would start at 2 p.m. New York time on Sunday, Dec. 31 in Green Bay, Wis., unless there was a 3-way tie in the Eastern Conference. The Green Bay Packers have clinched the Western Conference crown. In the event that the Giants, Eagles, and Browns finish the regular season tied for first place, playoffs will be held on Dec. 24 and 31, delaying the title game until Jan. 7. If only two cl

Dec. 6, 1961 - Green Bay’s Jim Taylor threatens to take the NFL’s individual rushing title away from Cleveland’s Jim Brown. Taylor made a big move toward overtaking Brown, the top rusher for each of the last 4 years, by collecting 186 yards Sunday when the Packers beat the Giants, 20-17. Brown picked up only 86 in Cleveland’s 38-17 victory over the Cowboys. Brown has 1,244 yards and Taylor 1,107. #NFL #football #footballplayer #footballgame #footballseason #footballislife #fo

Dec. 3, 1961 - Pile-driving Jim Taylor hammered into the Giant line for a fourth-quarter touchdown today that clinched the NFL’s Western Conference title for Green Bay. This second score of the game by the Packers’ fullback put Coach Vince Lombardi’s team ahead, 20-17. That became the final score, and 30 minutes later enthusiasts in an overflow crowd of 47,012 at Milwaukee’s County Stadium leveled the goal posts. As a result of the defeat, the Giants fell back into a tie for

Nov. 30, 1961 - Just as the New York Giants had suspected, Paul Hornung (center) will be on the receiving end of a long pass from the Army this weekend. He will carry it from Fort Riley, Kan., to Milwaukee, where he will try to score for the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s big game with the Giants. Before the Giants worked out yesterday, Coach Al Sherman (left) said his team’s plans had been made in the expectation that Pvts. Hornung, Boyd Dowler, and Ray Nitschke all would get

Nov. 28, 1961 - The NFL championship game will be held on Dec. 31 in the home park of the Western champion. The Green Bay Packers are currently in first place in the Western Conference, and there is little chance that any team can catch them. The New York Giants are now leading the Eastern race. The Philadelphia Eagles are a game back and the Cleveland Browns two games behind. The selection of the site was made in the usual manner — by flipping a coin. #NFL #football #footbal

Nov. 26, 1961 - Some Eagle fans among the 60,127 persons at Franklin Field today booed Sonny Jurgensen (pictured) when he was introduced before the game against the Dallas Cowboys. In the next 60 minutes, however, Jurgensen was cheered as he passed for all 5 Philadelphia touchdowns and the Eagles romped to a 35-13 decision over the Cowboys. Apparently blamed by many for the two recent Eagle defeats, Jurgensen, more than any other member of his team, was responsible today for

Nov. 26, 1961 - Shaky on defense and stalled on the ground in the first half, the Giants pulled themselves together at halftime and walloped the favored Cleveland Browns, 37-21, today before a stunned crowd of 80,455 at Cleveland Stadium. With this victory, Coach Allie Sherman’s New Yorkers maintained their one-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles in the race for the NFL’s Eastern Conference title. By losing, the Browns, who had been tied with the Eagles, dropped to third p

Nov. 23, 1961 - The Green Bay Packers mounted two touchdown drives in the rain and mud today and took firm command of the NFL’s Western Division with a 17-9 victory over the Detroit Lions. The Packers pushed over their winning touchdown on Jim Taylor’s one-yard run on the first play of the final quarter. Pvt. Paul Hornung, on weekend pass from the Army, contributed 5 points, including a field goal in the final 38 seconds. A steady downpour pelted the 55,662 fans who watched t

Nov. 20, 1961 - The Green Bay Packers scored 28 points in the second period last night on the passing of Bart Starr for a 35-17 NFL victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Starr, the league’s leading passer, tossed for three touchdowns and set up two others as the Packers raised their record to 8-2, the best in the Western Conference. In their first game since Paul Hornung went on active duty with the Army, the Packers started slowly, but Starr took charge and the game was won. #N

Nov. 19, 1961 - Jimmy Brown, the 228-pound fullback of the Cleveland Browns, had his greatest effort as a professional as the Browns routed the Eagles, 45-24. He rushed for a record total of 242 yards, scored 4 touchdowns, and blocked savagely. The victory for Paul Brown’s bruisers lifted them into a tie with the Eagles for second place behind the Giants. The Giants, who meet the Browns in Cleveland next Sunday, have had success stopping Brown in his four years as a pro. The