The New York Giants had largely dominated the NFL Eastern
Conference from 1956 through ’63, coming in first in six of those eight seasons
and winning one championship. The string had begun under Head Coach Jim Lee Howell,
who retired following the 1960 season, and continued under his successor, Allie
Sherman. While the offense, guided by QB Y.A. Tittle, had been highly
productive from 1961 to ’63, it was the strong and savvy defensive unit that
had consistently made the Giants a contender.
Thus, it was shocking on April 10, 1964 when New York traded one of
the key players on the defense, MLB Sam Huff, along with rookie defensive
lineman George Seals to the lowly Washington Redskins for DE Andy Stynchula, HB
Dick James, and a fifth round draft choice for 1965. Coming after the
retirement of DE Andy Robustelli and trade of DT Dick Modzelewski to Cleveland , the deal was a
shock to fans and players alike.
“It’s kind of like getting hit with a bomb,” said Huff in
reaction. “It’s so unexpected I haven’t gotten over the shock.”
As Huff pointed out at the time of the trade, the Giants
defense had been not only effective but a close-knit unit as well. The 6’1”,
230-pound West Virginia
native had been one of the most visible and popular members of that platoon
since joining the club as a third-round draft pick in 1956. With deceptive
speed and great strength, he had been selected to four straight Pro Bowls from
1958 to ’61, was a consensus first-team All-Pro on two occasions, and received
some first-team All-Pro recognition in two others. Moreover, he had appeared on
the cover of TIME magazine and gained additional notoriety from a television documentary
that aired in 1960 called “The Violent World of Sam Huff.” While there were
complaints that Huff received more publicity than he was due and was not the
equal of contemporary middle linebackers such as Detroit’s Joe Schmidt or Green
Bay’s Ray Nitschke, he was a fan favorite, prone to making big plays, durable, and
unquestionably talented – his one-on-one battles with the two greatest
fullbacks of the era, Cleveland’s Jim Brown and Jim Taylor of the Packers, were
particularly noteworthy.
However, Huff was 29 at the time of the trade and the
defense was already developing holes during the offseason. Robustelli’s apparent
retirement and the Modzelewski trade created concerns regarding the line, making
Andy Stynchula attractive. A star at Penn
State
In addition, the running backs were aging and injuries had
plagued the group in 1963. The 30-year-old Dick James (pictured at right) was an all-purpose
halfback who had been with the Redskins for eight seasons and returned kicks as
well as appeared in the backfield. He had never gained more than 384 yards
rushing in a season – and never carried the ball more than 105 times – but was
selected to the Pro Bowl in 1961. It was hoped he could provide needed depth.
“We felt we had to strengthen both our defensive line and
our offensive backfield, and the price came high,” explained Sherman .
For Washington ,
it was the second major deal in ten days, following the exchange of QB Norm
Snead for QB Sonny Jurgensen of Philadelphia. Head Coach/GM Bill McPeak was
looking to obtain proven veterans in the hope of winning immediately – he was
facing a “win-or-else” edict. In three seasons under his guidance, the Redskins
had gone 9-30-3.
Linebacker had been a problem area for the Redskins, and
together with Jimmy Carr, a defensive back that they intended to convert to
outside linebacker who was obtained in the trade with the Eagles, Huff offered
a major upgrade. Rod Breedlove, the starting RLB in ’63, was to compete with
Bob Pellegrini and Allen Miller for the LLB starting spot (veteran John Reger
was picked up prior to the season and filled the position capably). The
275-pound George Seals had been chosen by the Giants in the fourth round of the
’64 draft out of Missouri
and was considered to be a defensive line prospect, replacing the departed
Stynchula.
Hopes that Allie Sherman’s deal-making would put the Giants
over the top in 1964 were shattered as the team collapsed instead. Andy
Robustelli came out of retirement for one more year as a player-coach, but like
many of his aging teammates on both sides of the ball, was no longer a stellar
performer. Lou Slaby, in his first season after spending’63 on the taxi squad,
filled in surprisingly well at middle linebacker, but was not of Huff’s caliber
(and did not prove long-lasting). Stynchula started but, likewise, did not
remind anyone of Modzelewski. Dick James was the primary punt returner,
averaging 7.3 yards on his 21 returns, and ran back 23 kickoffs for a 22.4-yard
average, but gained just 189 yards on 55 carries (3.4 avg.) and caught 12
passes for 101 more.
New York fell to the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a
2-10-2 record and Sherman’s trades were heavily criticized, especially since
Modzelewski helped to solidify the defensive line for the Browns, who went on
to win the ’64 NFL Championship, and Huff was selected to the Pro Bowl.
Indeed, Huff provided both the outstanding play and
leadership that had been anticipated. He intercepted passes in each of the
first three games and the defense overall improved from last (14th)
in the NFL in 1963 to seventh. They also defeated the Giants for the first time
in seven seasons. While Washington
was still a losing team, the record was an improved 6-8 (Bill McPeak was able
to hold on for another year).
The Giants were unable to fully right the ship during the
remainder of Sherman ’s
coaching reign, which ended following the 1968 season. The club had three 7-7
records during that time, but the trades of the 1963-64 offseason haunted him
to the end. Andy Stynchula handled some of the placekicking as well as starting
on the defensive line in 1965, his last in New York . He was dealt to the Colts prior to
the 1966 season. Dick James didn’t make it that far as he was rendered
expendable by a rising group of young running backs (called the “Baby Bulls”
and led by HB Steve Thurlow and FB Ernie Wheelwright) and finished up his
career in Minnesota
in ’65.
Sam Huff played another three years for the Redskins,
retired following the 1967 season, and then was coaxed back into action for one
last year in 1969 when Vince Lombardi arrived as head coach and general
manager. He played well with Washington, perhaps partly motivated by the
bitterness that he maintained toward the Giants organization for trading him –
reportedly, he called the field goal unit onto the field to add a final
three-point nail in New York’s coffin near the end of a wild 72-41 Washington
victory in 1966.
Huff was eventually enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of
Fame, gaining admission in 1982. While arguments persisted as to how much the
publicity he received in New York enhanced his
reputation, there could be no question that his departure was keenly felt by
the Giants defense and his play in Washington
remained at a high level.
As footnotes, George Seals was moved to offensive tackle in
1964 and then was traded to Chicago
just before the ’65 season, where he played for seven years and appeared both
at guard on offense and tackle on defense. The 1965 fifth round draft choice
that the Giants obtained along with Stynchula and James was used to take Frank
Lambert, an end/punter out of Mississippi
who spent two years as a punter for the Steelers.
