Highlighted Year: Lynn Chandnois, 1951

Tailback/Halfback, Pittsburgh Steelers

Age: 26

2^nd season in pro football & with Steelers

College: Michigan State

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 195

Prelude:

Following two years of military service during World War II, Chandnois was an all-purpose star at Michigan State, rushing for 885 yards on 129 carries, intercepting 7 passes, and accumulating 1382 total yards as a senior in 1949, when he received some All-American recognition. Overall, he gained 3535 all-purpose yards, including 2103 rushing with a 6.6-yard average, and set school career records for interceptions (20) and interception return yards (410). Chandnois was chosen by the Steelers in the first round of the 1950 NFL draft (eighth overall). With speed and excellent running ability in the open field, he made his biggest mark as a rookie returning kickoffs as he averaged 29.3 yards on 12 returns. His numbers were more modest on offense, where he gained 216 yards on 71 rushing attempts (3.0 avg.) and caught 7 passes for 158 yards (22.6 avg.).

1951 Season Summary

Appeared in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 108 [12]

Most attempts, game – 17 (for 60 yds.) vs. San Francisco 10/14

Yards – 332

Most yards, game – 76 yards (on 16 carries) at Green Bay 10/7

Yards per attempt – 3.1

TDs – 2

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 28 [20, tied with Fred Cone, John Hoffman & Elbie Nickel]

Most receptions, game – 6 (for 89 yds.) at Washington 12/16

Yards – 440

Most yards, game – 104 (on 3 catches) vs. NY Giants 10/1

Yards per catch – 15.7 [13]

TDs – 4 [12, tied with four others]

100-yard receiving games – 1

Passing

Attempts – 43

Completions – 16

Yards – 256

Completion percentage – 37.2

Yards per attempt – 6.0

TD passes – 2 [19, tied with five others]

Most TD passes, game – 1 at Chi. Cards 10/28, vs. Green Bay 11/11

Interceptions – 4

Passer rating – 34.6

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 12 [15]

Yards – 390 [10]

Average per return – 32.5 [1]

TDs – 0

Longest return – 55 yards

Punt Returns

Returns – 12 [18, tied with Buddy Young & Vitamin Smith]

Yards – 55

Average per return – 4.6 [19]

TDs – 0

Longest return – 20 yards

All-Purpose yards – 1217 [6]

Scoring

TDs – 6         

Points – 36

Steelers went 4-7-1 to finish fourth in the NFL American Conference.

Aftermath:

Chandnois again led the NFL by averaging 35.2 yards on 17 kickoff returns in 1952, two of which were touchdowns. He also rushed for 298 yards and caught 28 passes for 370 on his way to accumulating 1378 total yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl. His most productive season came in 1953, when he achieved career highs in rushing attempts (123), yards (470), and pass receptions (43), and averaged 29.0 yards on 21 kickoff returns, leading the league with 1593 all-purpose yards. Chandnois was again named to the Pro Bowl. He spent three more seasons with the Steelers, with declining numbers due to injuries, until 1956. Overall, he averaged 29.6 yards on 92 kickoff returns, still among the highest marks in NFL history. Chandnois also rushed for 1934 yards on 593 carries (3.3 avg.), caught 162 passes for 2012 yards (12.4 avg.), and averaged 4.7 yards on 66 punt returns. In all, Chandnois accumulated 6978 all-purpose yards and scored a total of 26 touchdowns. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

Highlighted Year: Horace Gillom, 1951

End/Punter, Cleveland Browns

Age: 30

5^th season in pro football & with Browns

College: Nevada-Reno

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 220

Prelude:

Gillom starred at Massillon, Ohio’s Washington High School under Head Coach Paul Brown and followed his coach to Ohio State in 1941, but left to go into the army during World War II. Gillom enrolled at Nevada after his discharge in 1946 and joined the Browns of the AAFC in ‘47, reuniting with Coach Brown. He backed up at end on both offense and defense and made his biggest mark as a punter. Gillom‘s high, booming kicks were noted for their hang time, and he lined up 15 yards behind center, rather than the 10 to 12 that was typical during that era, thus further helping the coverage unit. His average was 44.6 yards on 47 punts as a rookie and he had his best seasons for pass receiving in 1948, with 20 catches for 295 yards (14.8 avg.) and a TD and 23 for 359 yards (15.6 avg.) in ’49, the AAFC’s last year. In 1950, his first NFL season, Gillom punted 66 times for a 43.2-yard average.

1951 Season Summary

Appeared in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Punting

Punts – 73 [2, tied with Joe Geri]

Yards – 3321 [1]

Average – 45.5 [1]

Punts blocked – 0

Longest punt – 66 yards

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 11

Yards – 164

Yards per catch – 14.9

TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 2

Yards – 25

Average per return – 12.5

TDs – 0

Longest return – 15 yards

Scoring

TDs – 1         

Points – 6

Postseason: 1G (NFL Championship at LA Rams)

Punts – 4

Yards – 148

Average – 37.0

Longest punt – 38 yards

Browns went 11-1 to finish first in the NFL American Conference. Lost NFL Championship to Los Angeles Rams (24-17).

Aftermath:

Gillom led the NFL in punting again in 1952, averaging 45.7 yards, when he was also chosen for the Pro Bowl. He spent a total of ten seasons with the Browns, until being waived in 1956, and averaged 43.1 yards on 492 punts. Of that, 107 punts for a 40.5-yard average were in the AAFC and 385 for a 43.8 average came in the NFL. He also caught a total of 74 passes for 1003 yards (14.6 avg.) and three touchdowns (AAFC: 45 for 678 yards and a TD, NFL: 29 for 405 yards and two scores).

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Highlighted Years features players who were first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1951: Long TD Pass Propels Rams Over Browns for NFL Championship

The Cleveland Browns had yet to fail to win a league championship in five years of existence and were looking to make it six straight as they faced the Los Angeles Rams for the NFL title on December 23, 1951. Head Coach Paul Brown’s team dominated the All-America Football Conference for four years before joining the NFL in 1950 and winning there as well.  While FB Marion Motley was showing signs of wear, QB Otto Graham was still an outstanding and mobile passer and had productive targets in ends Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli. After losing to ex-AAFC rival San Francisco in the opening game, the Browns didn’t lose again, finishing atop the American Conference with an 11-1 record.

One of those wins was over Los Angeles, the same team that the Browns had faced for the NFL Championship the previous year. LA had the league’s most explosive offense, with the quarterback combination of Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin (pictured above), fullbacks “Deacon Dan” Towler and Dick Hoerner, and ends Tom Fears and Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch contributing to a NFL-record 5506 total yards. The defense was less formidable, but benefited from the arrival of rookie DE Andy Robustelli, who joined a line that included All-Pro DE Larry Brink and MG Stan West. Head Coach Joe Stydahar’s team put together an 8-4 tally in winning the highly-competitive National Conference.  

There were 57,522 fans in attendance at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. The Browns moved well on their opening possession, despite LA’s seven-man defensive front, but Lou Groza missed a 23-yard field goal attempt. Following a scoreless first quarter, the Rams put together a 55-yard drive in 12 plays that ended with Dick Hoerner plowing over for the last yard and a touchdown. Bob Waterfield added the extra point for the 7-0 lead.

The Browns got on the board when Groza made up for the short miss with a 52-yard field goal, setting a new NFL Championship game record as he broke the previous mark by a full ten yards. Before the half was over, Cleveland drove to another score as Otto Graham completed three straight passes, to Mac Speedie for 14 yards, Marion Motley down the middle for 23, and the last to HB Dub Jones for a 17-yard TD. Groza kicked the point after and the defending champs took a 10-7 lead into halftime.

Graham faced heavy pressure from Larry Brink and Andy Robustelli throughout the contest, and in the third quarter the two combined on a big defensive play for the Rams. With the ball at the Cleveland 35, Brink hit Graham hard and forced a fumble. Robustelli recovered and ran to the one. From there, Dan Towler hit the line twice without success before finally breaking through for a touchdown. Waterfield’s conversion put the home team ahead by 14-10.

In the fourth quarter, the Rams drove to the Cleveland one but came up empty when they had to give the ball up on downs. They again drove inside the ten, but while the tough Browns defense again held, the Rams didn’t fail to score this time as Waterfield kicked a 17-yard field goal to increase LA’s lead to 17-10. The Browns fought back, advancing 70 yards in 10 plays as Graham had a 34-yard run and HB Ken Carpenter scored a two-yard TD. Groza converted to tie the score at 17-17.    

At this point Norm Van Brocklin relieved Waterfield at quarterback and he promptly threw deep for end Tom Fears, who gathered the ball in between two defenders and sprinted to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown. It was the biggest play of the game, and Waterfield again added the PAT to put the Rams back in front by seven points.

Cleveland responded by advancing into Los Angeles territory, but facing fourth-and-two at the 42, Jones caught a short pass from Graham and was hit hard by hard-charging safety Norb Hecker for a two-yard loss, forcing the Browns to give up the ball. Late in the game, the Rams had a chance to add to their lead, but Waterfield missed on a field goal attempt. It had no effect as Los Angeles held on to win by a final score of 24-17.

The statistics bore out the closely-fought nature of the game. The Rams had the edge in total yards (334 to 325) while Cleveland accumulated more first downs (22 to 20). The Browns turned the ball over four times, to three turnovers suffered by LA, and the Rams, reflecting the outstanding play of their defensive ends, recorded all five of the game’s sacks.

Bob Waterfield completed 9 of 24 passes for 125 yards, giving up two interceptions, while Norm Van Brocklin was four-of-six for 128 yards with the long touchdown. Tom Fears (pictured at left) had four catches for 146 yards and a TD and “Crazylegs” Hirsch contributed four receptions for 66 yards. Dan Towler topped LA’s rushers with 36 yards on 16 carries that included a touchdown.

For the Browns, Otto Graham was successful on 19 of 40 throws for 280 yards and a TD, but gave up three interceptions. He also ran for a team-leading 43 yards on five attempts. Mac Speedie caught 7 passes for 81 yards and Dante Lavelli added four receptions for 65 yards. Dub Jones, in addition to a modest rushing total of 12 yards on 9 carries, had four catches for 62 yards that included a score.

Of the long game-winning touchdown pass, Tom Fears said that it was “the best thrown pass I’ve ever caught. He laid it right in there full stride.”

The Rams tied for first with Detroit in 1952, lost a playoff to determine the National Conference champion, and next appeared in the postseason in 1955. While often fielding contending teams over the years, the NFL Championship in 1951 was the only one the franchise achieved while based in Los Angeles (they won a NFC title in 1979, but lost the ensuing Super Bowl. Other NFL titles were while the team was in Cleveland in 1945 and St. Louis in 1999). The loss for the Browns, while putting a chink in the armor of their title-game invincibility, did not signal a decline. Cleveland continued to top its conference in each of the next four seasons, losing the next two Championship games before winning again in 1954 and ’55.

MVP Profile: Otto Graham, 1951

Quarterback, Cleveland Browns

Age:  30 (Dec. 6)

6^th season in pro football & with Browns

College: Northwestern

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 195

Prelude:

A single-wing tailback in college, Graham chose to sign with the Browns of the new AAFC rather than the NFL Detroit Lions, who had drafted him in the first round in 1944, after coming out of the Navy. An outstanding athlete, he first played pro basketball before joining the Browns for the 1946 season. Mobile and an accurate passer, Graham threw for 1834 yards as a rookie and led the AAFC with 17 TD passes as the Browns won the league championship. He was the league’s MVP for the first time in ’47 as he led the AAFC in overall passing as well as completion percentage (60.6), yards (2753), TD passes (25), and yards per attempt (10.2). Graham was co-MVP with San Francisco’s Frankie Albert in ’48, a season in which he once more led the AAFC in passing yards (2713) while tossing another 25 TD passes and the Browns went undefeated. The Browns won the AAFC title for the fourth straight year in 1949, and Graham led the league in passing yards (2785) and yards per attempt (9.8). While no MVP was awarded by the league, he was a consensus first-team All-AAFC selection. Graham and the Browns moved to the NFL in 1950 and kept up their winning ways by achieving another championship. Graham was selected to the Pro Bowl.

1951 Season Summary

Appeared in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 265 [2]

Most attempts, game – 30 at San Francisco 9/30, vs. Philadelphia 11/11

Completions – 147 [2]

Most completions, game – 18 at San Francisco 9/30

Yards – 2205 [2]

Most yards, game – 277 vs. Chi. Bears 11/25

Completion percentage – 55.5 [2]

Yards per attempt – 8.3 [3]

TD passes – 17 [2]

Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. Chi. Cards 12/2

Interceptions – 16 [6]

Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. NY Giants 10/28, at NY Giants 11/18, vs. Chi. Cards 12/2

Passer rating – 79.2 [3]

200-yard passing games – 6

Rushing

Attempts – 35

Yards – 29

Yards per attempt – 0.8

TDs – 3 [15, tied with fifteen others]

Scoring

TDs – 4         

Points – 24

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship at LA Rams)

Pass attempts – 40

Pass completions – 19

Passing yardage – 280

TD passes – 1

Interceptions – 3

Rushing attempts – 5

Rushing yards – 43

Average gain rushing – 8.6

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: UPI

1^st team All-NFL: AP, UPI, NY Daily News

Browns went 11-1 to finish first in the American Conference. Lost NFL Championship to Los Angeles Rams (24-17).

Aftermath:

The Browns reached the NFL title game and lost again in 1952, and Graham led the league in pass attempts (364), completions (181), yards (2816), and TD passes (20), as well as interceptions (24), and was once again named to the Pro Bowl. Cleveland won the Championship games following the 1954 and ’55 seasons (the latter after Graham was coaxed out of retirement to play one more year) and he led the league in completion percentage in each of his last three years as well as yards (2722) and yards per attempt (10.6) in 1953, and TD percentage (8.1) and yards per attempt (9.3) in ’55. Altogether, over 10 seasons (four in the AAFC, 6 in the NFL) Graham averaged 9.0 yards per attempt (a record 8.6 in the NFL alone) while throwing for 23,584 yards (10,085 in AAFC, 13,499 in NFL) with 174 TDs (86 in AAFC, 88 in NFL). He also ran for 882 yards and scored 44 TDs, with a high of 8 in 1954. He was a first-team All-league selection three times in the AAFC as well as three more times in the NFL and was chosen for the first five Pro Bowls. Perhaps most significantly of all, he quarterbacked Cleveland to a championship game in all ten years, winning seven of them. The Browns retired his #14 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1965.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself). 

1951: Layne Throws 4 TD Passes as Lions Win Showdown with Bears

The Detroit Lions, under first-year Head Coach Buddy Parker, had won the first two games of the 1951 NFL season before slumping to 0-2-1. Bouncing back to win at Green Bay, they faced the Chicago Bears, a team they had lost to two weeks earlier at home, on November 11 with a 3-2-1 record in an important National Conference showdown.

Fourth-year QB Bobby Layne (pictured at right), originally drafted by the Bears out of Texas before moving on to Detroit by way of the New York Bulldogs, directed an offense that included halfbacks Bob Hoernschemeyer and Doak Walker and big (6’5”, 265) end Leon Hart. With a tough defense, the Lions had the look of a team on the rise.

Chicago was leading the conference at 5-1. Guided by owner and head coach George Halas, the Bears utilized a solid running game behind an outstanding line while sore-shouldered Johnny Lujack and Steve Romanik split time at quarterback.

There was a crowd of 46,210 in attendance at Wrigley Field. On the opening series, Layne threw twice to end Dorne Dibble, first for a 47-yard gain and then for a 26-yard touchdown just two minutes into the contest.

Chicago battled back with Steve Romanik completing a 54-yard touchdown pass to end John Hoffman early in the second quarter. Doak Walker returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards to set up his 10-yard field goal that gave the Lions a three-point lead. A fumble by Romanik was recovered by DE Ed Berrang for the Lions at the Detroit 27. Layne connected on three passes to Leon Hart of 11, 25, and a TD-scoring 17 yards.

Berrang, who had a big day defensively, intercepted a deflected pass by Romanik shortly thereafter and returned it to the Chicago nine. From there, Layne threw to Hart (pictured below) for a nine-yard TD. The Lions went into halftime with a 24-7 lead.

The Bears proved to be mistake-prone and repeatedly hurt themselves. Meanwhile, Layne had outstanding pass protection which proved especially significant during Detroit’s 17-point second quarter.

Chicago FB Fred “Curley” Morrison returned the second half kickoff 86 yards to the Detroit 10. Johnny Lujack tossed a touchdown pass from there to end Gene Schroeder in a bid to get the Bears back into the game. However, another drive by the Bears into scoring territory came up empty when rookie safety Jack Christiansen intercepted a Lujack pass in the end zone. The Lions then proceeded to go 80 yards to score again on a three-yard run by FB Pat Harder.

Down 31-14 in the fourth quarter, Chicago scored as Lujack threw to end Jim Keane for a seven-yard touchdown. But once more the Lions responded in kind, with Harder catching a pass from Layne for a 15-yard TD and then adding a 43-yard field goal. HB George Gulyanics ran four yards for a touchdown for the Bears, but the outcome had long been decided. Detroit won by a convincing score of 41-28.

The Lions led in total yards (436 to 377) and first downs (24 to 21). They also benefited from six Chicago turnovers while turning the ball over just twice themselves. Bobby Layne had a big day as he completed 16 of 30 passes for 259 yards and four touchdowns. Johnny Lujack was successful on 14 of 20 throws for 187 yards for the Bears.

The defeat of the Bears put them in a tie with the Rams at 5-2 atop the National Conference while Detroit pulled to within a half-game of first with a 4-2-1 record. The battle for the conference title went down to the last week, with San Francisco also in the mix. In the end, it was the Rams on top at 8-4 and Detroit and the 49ers tied for second with 7-4-1 records. Chicago, upset by their cross-town rivals, the Cardinals, in the season finale, ended up fourth at 7-5.

Bobby Layne ranked first in the NFL in pass attempts (332), completions (152), yards (2403), and touchdown passes (26) – although he also ranked first with 23 interceptions, tied with Adrian Burk of the Eagles. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first of five times in his Hall of Fame career.

Leon Hart caught 35 passes for 544 yards and 12 touchdowns, receiving consensus first-team All-Pro honors as well as Pro Bowl recognition. Rookie Dorne Dibble ranked second in yards per catch (20.4) on 30 receptions for 613 yards, six of which went for TDs. 

1951: 49ers Upend Browns in Season-Opening Game

The Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers were formed as part of the All-America Football Conference in 1946 and became fierce rivals during the league’s four-year existence. The Browns were the dominant team, winning the AAFC title in each season, while the 49ers were the second-best club, toiling in the same division as Cleveland for the first three years and, when the league did away with divisions in 1949, they met in the Championship game. Both were absorbed into the NFL in 1950, although the results in that first season were very different: Cleveland continued to be a dominant club, winning the league title, while the 49ers sank to 3-9. The clubs met late in the year in Cleveland and the Browns won handily.

On September 30, 1951 the Browns took on the 49ers in the opening week of their second NFL season. Games between the two teams had typically been big draws during the AAFC years, and there were 52,219 in attendance at Kezar Stadium.

San Francisco, under Head Coach Buck Shaw, had added many promising rookies to a solid core that included mobile lefthanded QB Frankie Albert and FB Joe Perry. However, star HB Johnny Strzykalski was out with an injury.

The Browns were a star-studded club under the direction of innovative Head Coach Paul Brown. Players like QB Otto Graham, ends Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie, and OT/PK Lou Groza were well-established performers and used to winning. Cleveland had some injury problems as well coming into the opening game, and they were without DT Chubby Grigg and LB Hal Herring.

Some rain fell, mainly during halftime, and it certainly appeared gloomy for the home crowd when Cleveland scored quickly in the first quarter, going 89 yards in just three plays. Graham threw short passes to Speedie and Lavelli before connecting with HB Dub Jones near the sideline, who ran untouched to the end zone to complete the 81-yard play.

The 49ers responded with a 49-yard drive in 13 plays that ended at the Cleveland one, where HB Verl Lillywhite was stopped short on fourth down. However, the Browns were unable to move offensively and San Francisco got the ball back in good field position following a punt by Horace Gillom. The 49ers tied the score, going 41 yards in just two plays. HB Pete Schabarum, subbing for the injured Strzykalski, ran for 16 yards and then Frankie Albert connected with rookie end Billy Wilson for a 25-yard TD.

Gordie Soltau missed on a 38-yard field goal attempt during the second quarter when the 49ers lost ground after reaching the Cleveland 16. Lou Groza also failed on a 42-yard field goal attempt for the Browns. With time running out in the half, Albert moved the Niners from their own 40 to the Cleveland 34 and Soltau was successful from 42 yards with two seconds left on the clock. The 49ers went into the intermission with a 10-7 lead. The Browns lost another starter during the second quarter when LB Tony Adamle suffered an ankle injury.

Early in the third quarter, Groza missed a 37-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the score. When the Browns got the ball again, Graham was intercepted in 49er territory by LB Norm Standlee, and he returned it to his own 29. The 49ers proceeded to drive 71 yards, highlighted by a 34-yard run by Lillywhite that followed a 15-yard sack of Albert by Cleveland DE Len Ford, and ending with a six-yard touchdown carry by Joe Perry. Groza finally was successful on a 40-yard field goal try, but the Browns were down by 17-10 after three quarters.

There was some controversy in the fourth quarter when San Francisco LB Pete Wisman intercepted a Graham pass, fumbled on the return, and recovered at the Cleveland 8. The Browns questioned whether Wisman had regained possession. Perry followed up with another six-yard scoring run to clinch the contest by a final score of 24-10. It was the first time the Browns had ever lost a season-opening game.

The 49ers outgained Cleveland by 344 yards to 227, with 236 of that total via rushing while the Browns were held to 55 yards on the ground. San Francisco also led in first downs by 18 to 11, although the 49ers turned the ball over four times against two suffered by Cleveland.

Verl Lillywhite had a big day running the ball for the 49ers, gaining 145 yards on 17 carries that included several runs for significant yardage.

Meanwhile, Otto Graham, under a heavy rush for most of the game, completed 18 of 30 passes for 222 yards and a TD but gave up the two interceptions that led to scores and was also sacked six times. The normally-reliable Lou Groza was successful on just one of four field goal attempts. On the upside, Dub Jones (pictured below), thanks to the long scoring reception early in the game, gained 143 yards on 5 catches.

Buck Shaw described the contest as San Francisco’s “greatest game, even better than the 56-28 rout of the Browns two years ago.”

Paul Brown refused to speak to reporters after the game and locked the door to the locker room before speaking to his players.

While eyebrows were raised around the league regarding Cleveland’s defeat, it did not prove to be a sign of decline. The Browns didn’t lose another regular season contest, going 11-1 to again top the American Conference and return to the NFL title game. However, their title-winning streak spanning five years in two leagues finally came to an end as they lost to the Rams for the league championship.

The opening victory for the 49ers was followed by alternating wins and losses until, after a tie in their ninth game, they finished strong with three straight wins to end up in a tie for second in the National Conference with Detroit at 7-4-1. By that point, Frankie Albert had been supplanted by Y.A. Tittle as the starting quarterback, with favorable results.

Verl Lillywhite, who saw action in the defensive backfield as well as at halfback, ended up rushing for 397 yards on 67 carries for a very healthy 5.9-yard average. Joe Perry, as usual, led the club in rushing with 677 yards on 133 attempts (5.0 avg.). Billy Wilson, who scored in his first regular season game for the 49ers, caught 18 passes for 268 yards (14.9 avg.) and three touchdowns overall. It was a preview of much bigger years to come.

Otto Graham recovered to have another All-Pro year, throwing for 2205 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 8.3 yards per pass attempt with a completion percentage of 55.5 – all second-ranking figures in the NFL. Dub Jones continued to be an effective receiver out of the backfield, catching 30 passes for 570 yards (19.0 avg.) and five touchdowns to go along with his team-leading 492 rushing yards on 104 attempts (4.7 avg.) and seven TDs. Along with Graham, he was a consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl selection.

1951: Christiansen’s 2 Punt Return TDs Cap Detroit Win Over Packers

The Detroit Lions had gotten off to a rocky start in the 1951 NFL season, winning their first two games but then losing two of their next three, with a tie in between. However, by the time they hosted the Green Bay Packers on November 22 the Lions had won three consecutive road games and, at 5-2-1, was in contention in the National Conference.

Detroit had a new head coach in Buddy Parker and plenty of rising talent on both sides of the ball. 25-year-old QB Bobby Layne, in his second season with the club, was thriving under Parker’s direction. Halfbacks Doak Walker and Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer were effective cogs in the backfield, big (6’5”, 262) end Leon Hart provided an excellent target for Layne’s passes, and the line had been revamped just before the winning streak commenced. The defensive line was anchored by middle guard Les Bingaman and the backfield, which over the course of the decade would become the unit’s special strength, was taking shape with the addition of rookie safety Jack Christiansen (pictured above), who also was an outstanding punt returner.

Meanwhile, the Packers, under Head Coach Gene Ronzani, were in trouble. They had lost three straight, including at home against the Lions, and were 3-5. Second-year QB Tobin Rote was a capable passer and outstanding runner – he was far more productive than any of the team’s running backs, which was at the root of Green Bay’s offensive problems.

There were 33,452 in attendance at Briggs Stadium for the Thanksgiving Day game. Detroit started off the scoring in an eventful first quarter with Walker kicking a 20-yard field goal. Green Bay responded by driving 75 yards, capped by a touchdown pass from Rote to end Carl Elliott that covered 15 yards.

The Lions came right back as Layne threw to Hoernschemeyer for a 17-yard TD, but the Packers scored again when Rote connected once more with Elliott for a 43-yard gain that set up a one-yard scoring run by the quarterback. Green Bay was ahead by 14-10 after one period of play.

In the second quarter, Rote tossed another scoring pass, this time covering 48 yards to HB Don Moselle, and Fred Cone’s extra point extended the Packers’ margin to 21-10. The rest of the half was all Detroit, however, as Layne completed two touchdown passes to Hart, of 33 and 19 yards, and in between connected with Walker for a 35-yard TD. At halftime, Layne had tossed four scoring passes and the Lions were ahead by ten points at 31-21.

The game turned into a rout in the third quarter. Three plays into the second half, Hoernschemeyer ran around left end and then cut back for an 82-yard touchdown. The Packers finally got on the board again when Rote threw to end Ray Pelfrey for a 42-yard TD.

However, with the score at 38-28, any hopes for a Green Bay comeback were extinguished by two big punt returns by Christiansen. First, the rookie fielded a kick at his 29 and returned it 71 yards for a TD. A few minutes later, and still in the third quarter, he returned another punt all the way, this time going 89 yards.

The Packers scored one more touchdown in the fourth quarter, on a 35-yard pass from QB Bobby Thomason to Elliott, but the result had been rendered a foregone conclusion by Christiansen’s punt returns. Detroit set a new franchise record for points in a game in winning by a score of 52-35.

The statistics were closer than the final score as the Lions outgained Green Bay by 478 yards to 458 and the Packers had the edge in first downs, 20 to 19. Green Bay actually had more rushing yards (179 to 172) and Detroit’s lead in passing yardage was not all that great (306 to 279). However, the two big punt returns for touchdowns, combined with four turnovers (to one by Detroit) and 10 penalties (the Lions were flagged four times) made the difference.

Bobby Layne completed 20 of 36 passes for 296 yards and the 4 touchdowns with one intercepted. Thanks to the long scoring run, Bob Hoernschemeyer gained 99 yards on just seven carries and also caught 5 passes for 48 yards and a TD. Jack Christiansen tied his own record for punts returned for touchdowns in a game with two and also set records with 175 yards on punt returns and a 43.8-yard average (both long since broken).


For the Packers, Tobin Rote (pictured above) was productive on the ground, rushing 15 times for 131 yards and a TD, and also threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Ray Pelfrey caught 4 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.

The Lions just came up short of winning the National Conference as they lost two of their last three games, both to the 49ers. Their 7-4-1 record tied for second with San Francisco, a half game behind the Rams at 8-4. Green Bay kept on losing and finished fifth in the conference at 3-9.


Bobby Layne (pictured at left) had 24 TD passes after his four-touchdown performance and ended up with a league-leading 26, which put him just two short of the existing NFL record. He also led the league in pass attempts (332), completions (152), yards (2403), percentage of TD passes (7.8) and, reflecting his gambling style of play, interceptions (23, tied with Adrian Burk of the Eagles). He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his Hall of Fame career.

Doak Walker, who scored 16 points in the game, had 82 after the win over the Packers to put him in the league lead. While he led the NFL in scoring as a rookie in 1950, in the end he finished third in ’51 with 97 points. His 1270 all-purpose yards ranked third as well.

Tobin Rote set a season rushing record for quarterbacks with 523 yards that lasted until 1971. He also passed for 1540 yards with 15 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

With the two touchdowns on punt returns against the Packers, Jack Christiansen, who had already had a two-TD day returning punts against the Rams, became the first player in NFL history to return two punts for touchdowns in a game as well as do it twice in a season. He ranked second in the league with a 19.1 average (Buddy Young of the New York Yanks barely beat him out with a 19.3-yard average). Christiansen went on to average 12.8 yards over the course of his Hall of Fame career and scored eight touchdowns returning punts. He also intercepted the first two of an eventual 46 passes.

1951: Norm Van Brocklin Passes for 554 Yards vs. NY Yanks

The high-powered Los Angeles Rams offense of the early 1950s was capable of big performances. In 1950, they scored over 50 points in three games that included a 70-27 thrashing of the Baltimore Colts, newly arrived from the AAFC, and 65-24 pounding of the Detroit Lions a week later. Not surprisingly, they ran up a record 466 points in ’50 and nearly won the NFL championship. While at it, they set another standard with 5420 total yards.

As one would expect, Head Coach Joe Stydahar’s offense was loaded with outstanding players. The quarterbacking was split between two future Hall of Famers, Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin. The stable of running backs included power-running fullbacks Dick Hoerner and Dan Towler and speedy halfbacks Glenn Davis, the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Army, and Verda “Vitamin” Smith. Ends Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch and Tom Fears provided a Hall of Fame tandem for the Canton-bound passers to throw to.

On September 28, 1951 the Rams opened a new season against the New York Yanks at the Memorial Coliseum. With Waterfield sidelined by a knee injury, Van Brocklin had an opportunity to play the entire game and made the most of it.

The Yanks, a third-year franchise coached by Jimmy Phelan that played at Yankee Stadium (and paid a $25,000 annual fee for the right to play in the Giants’ territory), had been a respectable 7-5 in 1950. However, QB George Ratterman left the club to play in Canada and the suspect defense of ’50 had further degraded.

There were 30,316 fans on hand for the Friday night game, and they saw a record-setting offensive display. LA was up 21-0 after the first quarter as Van Brocklin threw touchdown passes of 41 yards to Hirsch and 67 yards to Smith. In between, Hoerner ran for a 22-yard TD. The Dutchman connected with Hirsch for a 47-yard touchdown in the second quarter, after he had already scored on a quarterback sneak, and the Rams were comfortably in front at halftime by a 34-7 margin.

The final score was 54-14. The Rams set new team single-game marks with 735 yards and 34 first downs. By contrast, the Yanks managed just 111 yards and 13 first downs, with only 8 net passing yards as a result of losing 55 yards on six sacks by the Rams defense.


The Dutchman completed 27 of 41 passes for 554 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Four of Van Brocklin’s touchdown passes were to Hirsch (pictured at left), who had a total of 9 receptions for 173 yards. Tom Fears had 7 receptions for 162 yards and Vitamin Smith gained 103 yards on just two catches that included a 67-yard TD. The 554 yards broke the record set by Johnny Lujack of the Bears with 468 yards in a 1949 contest.

Most of New York’s offense came from punt returns by halfbacks Buddy Young and George Taliaferro, with Young returning one in the second quarter for a 79-yard touchdown. The only other score the Yanks managed was on a 30-yard interception return by DE Art Tait in the fourth quarter. Any chance for the offense to make something happen ended when QB John Rauch was ejected for fighting late in the second quarter. They ended up punting 14 times.

The Rams again went on to place first in the National Conference, this time with an 8-4 tally, and succeeded in defeating the Browns for the NFL title. While they didn’t reach their record scoring total of 1950, their 392 points still ranked at the top of the league and they did exceed their total yardage mark with 5506. The Yanks suffered through a 1-9-2 season to finish at the bottom of the National Conference and folded (remnants of the club, including Buddy Young and George Taliaferro, became part of the Dallas Texans franchise in 1952).

Van Brocklin’s single-game passing record continues to hold up, despite the development of the passing game in the years since. Warren Moon’s 527 yards for Houston against Kansas City in a 1990 contest has, to date, been the closest that any quarterback has come to The Dutchman’s performance.

For the 1951 season, Van Brocklin finished behind his teammate Waterfield in the passing statistics (based on yards per attempt, the edge was a very narrow 8.898 to 8.892. By the modern rating system, Waterfield’s edge was 81.8 to 80.8). As a team, the Rams topped the NFL in passing yards (3199) with Van Brocklin throwing for 1725 and Waterfield 1566.

“Crazylegs” Hirsch built upon his outstanding performance in the opening game to lead the league with 66 pass receptions and set then-NFL records in receiving yards (1495 – a full 669 yards more than runner-up Gordie Soltau of the 49ers) and touchdown receptions (17). The yardage record lasted ten years and the touchdown record for 33.

1951: Browns Dominate College All-Stars

After four seasons of dominance in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the Cleveland Browns joined the NFL in 1950 and won that league’s championship as well. As a result, on August 17, 1951 they faced off against a team of college football’s best players in the 18th annual College All-Star Game, sponsored by The Chicago Tribune on behalf of Chicago Charities.

There were 92,180 fans on hand at Chicago’s Soldier Field. The All-Stars were coached by Yale’s Herman Hickman and included future pro stars Kyle Rote, halfback from SMU; Northwestern end Don Stonesifer; tackles Bob Gain from Kentucky and Mike McCormack of Kansas (both of whom would go on to play for the Browns); and guard Bud McFadin of Texas.

Both teams started off slowly in the first quarter, with the lone score occurring when Rote fumbled a handoff in the end zone that was recovered by Notre Dame QB Bob Williams, who was promptly downed by Cleveland DE Len Ford for a safety. The Browns began to gain momentum, however, and early in the second quarter drove 56 yards in a series that ended with HB Dub Jones running for a two-yard touchdown.

Shortly before halftime Cleveland again put together a scoring drive highlighted by runs of 22 yards by FB Marion Motley and 20 yards by Jones. Lou Groza kicked a 17-yard field goal and the Browns had a 12-0 lead at the intermission.

In the third quarter, the Browns methodically moved the ball 62 yards on 10 plays, ending up with Dub Jones again scoring a touchdown on a short (three-yard) run. QB Otto Graham’s passing highlighted the next Browns drive, in the fourth quarter, and Graham connected with end Dante Lavelli on a 14-yard TD pass. The final TD came on a second Graham touchdown pass, this one of eight yards to FB Emerson Cole. When the onslaught was over, the Browns had won by a final score of 33-0.


Just as the All-Stars couldn’t stop the Cleveland offense, they couldn’t generate any offense of their own. They gained only five first downs and never penetrated beyond the Browns’ 45 yard line. Kyle Rote, who rushed eight times for 45 yards, had the longest gain of the day for the All-Stars with a run of 23 yards. Bud McFadin was named MVP for the collegians – the second time a guard had received the honor.

Dub Jones and Otto Graham were the stars for the Browns, with Jones gaining 105 yards rushing and scoring two touchdowns and Graham completing 16 of 30 passes for 263 yards and two TDs. Overall, Cleveland outgained the All-Stars 425 yards to 126.

It was the worst defeat the All-Stars had suffered up to that time, when most of the games had been competitive and the pro teams held only a nine to six advantage in wins, with two ties, coming into the 1951 game. More and more, as the series wore on until its conclusion in 1976, the pro teams dominated – the final tally would be 31 wins for the defending pro champions, 9 wins for the All-Stars, and the two ties.