1955: Colts Break Out to Early Lead, Hold Off Packers

Two NFL Western Conference teams that were sporting surprising 2-0 records, the Baltimore Colts and Green Bay Packers, met in Milwaukee on October 8, 1955. The Colts, coached by Weeb Ewbank, had been 3-9 in ’54 but were benefiting from the play of two rookies. FB Alan “The Horse” Ameche, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Wisconsin, gained over a hundred yards in each of his first two games and QB George Shaw (pictured at right), the first overall draft choice out of Oregon, tossed touchdown passes in each as well. There was other young talent on the club interspersed among able veterans such as HB Buddy Young, DE Gino Marchetti, DT Art Donovan, and safety/PK Bert Rechichar.

Green Bay was coming off of a 4-8 record under Head Coach Lisle Blackbourn the previous year. QB Tobin Rote was a good runner and, at his best, a fine passer, although he lacked consistency. End Billy Howton was an outstanding deep receiver and FB Howie Ferguson was developing into a productive runner. The defense was tough, with LB Roger Zatkoff and safety Bobby Dillon key members of the unit.  

There were 40,119 fans in attendance at County Stadium on a Saturday, the biggest crowd to date to see a football game there. The Packers scored quickly after Alan Ameche fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and Roger Zatkoff recovered for Green Bay at the Colts’ 38. Tobin Rote rolled to his left and fired a pass to Billy Howton, who outran three defenders for a 38-yard touchdown. Fred Cone added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead.

Shortly thereafter, it was Baltimore’s turn to benefit from a turnover when Rote fumbled and DE Don Joyce fell on it at the Green Bay 12. Ameche ran for a five-yard TD and Bert Rechichar converted to tie the score. The Colts scored again when George Shaw threw to Buddy Young (pictured below), who blew past Bobby Dillon and went 82 yards for a touchdown. Rechichar again added the point after. Just before the end of the period, Shaw passed to end Jim Mutscheller for a 40-yard TD and Rechichar’s conversion gave the visitors a 21-7 lead heading into the second quarter.

Dillon intercepted a Shaw pass in Baltimore territory and that set up an eight-play, 26-yard series that concluded with Howie Ferguson taking a pitchout and running for a touchdown from a yard out. Cone kicked the extra point to narrow the margin to 21-14 and that is how the contest remained at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Packers, starting from their 38, put together a promising drive keyed by the running of Ferguson, HB Breezy Reid, and HB Veryl Switzer. After reaching the Baltimore 41, three Rote passes fell incomplete, but Cone kicked a 47-yard field goal that just made it over the crossbar. Green Bay was four points behind at 21-17.

Late in the period, DHB Carl Taseff of the Colts recovered another Rote fumble on the Green Bay 21. Ameche ran the ball twice, with a carry by Shaw in between, but an aroused Packer defense kept them out of the end zone. Rechichar kicked a 10-yard field goal and Baltimore’s lead was extended to 24-17.

DHB Doyle Nix intercepted a Shaw pass that was intended for Mutscheller and the Packers began to advance on offense with Rote completing throws to end Gary Knafelc and Howton. But after reaching the Baltimore 18, an offside penalty moved the home team back and they settled for a 28-yard Cone field goal to again make it a four-point game with less than five minutes on the clock.

The Colts were unable to move and punted on their next series and the Packers took over again at their 40 with two minutes remaining. Rote threw to Ferguson for 11 yards and, after overthrowing Knafelc, he connected with Switzer for a first down at the Baltimore 35. Passes to Switzer and Knafelc gained eight and 16 yards, respectively, but with time slipping away, a Rote toss into the end zone was out of Howton’s reach. The Colts held on for a 24-20 win.

Green Bay had more total yards (322 to 255) and first downs (17 to 8) than the Colts, and outgained the visitors both on the ground (136 to 103) and through the air (186 to 152). However, the Packers spent most of the game trying to catch up to Baltimore, who made key plays to take the early lead. The Colts turned the ball over four times, to three by Green Bay.

George Shaw completed just 6 of 16 passes for 162 yards, but two of them were for touchdowns, although three were intercepted. Alan Ameche was held to 63 yards on 20 carries, one of which was good for a TD.

For the Packers, Tobin Rote was successful on 19 of 39 throws for 191 yards and a TD. Billy Howton caught 6 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Howie Ferguson (pictured at right) rushed for 71 yards on 20 attempts, thus coming out ahead of Ameche in the anticipated showdown between the two fullbacks.

Reaching 3-0 proved to be the high point for Baltimore’s season. The Colts lost their next two games, beat the Packers again, and then won only once more on the way to a 5-6-1 record that placed them fourth in the Western Conference. The best years for Ewbank’s team were yet to come. Despite sweeping the season series, they also managed to finish behind the Packers, who ended up third at 6-6.

George Shaw continued to show promise as he threw for 1586 yards and 10 touchdowns while giving up 19 interceptions, but that promise would go largely unfulfilled. Alan Ameche led the NFL in rushing with 961 yards and rushing TDs with nine. He was a consensus first-team All-league selection and went on to perform a key role as the team rose to back-to-back NFL Championships by the end of the decade.

Tobin Rote threw for 1977 yards and a league-leading 17 TD passes (along with San Francisco’s Y.A. Tittle) and also rushed for 332 yards and five touchdowns. Billy Howton received Pro Bowl recognition as he accumulated 44 catches for 697 yards (15.8 avg.) and scored five TDs. Howie Ferguson also was named to the Pro Bowl after rushing for 859 yards on 192 carries (4.5 avg.) which placed second to Ameche.

1955: Packers Blow Lead but Upset Rams with Late Field Goal

The Green Bay Packers were a surprising 2-1 as they faced the tough Los Angeles Rams on October 16, 1955. Coached by Lisle Blackbourn, they were coming off a 4-8 record in ’54 and had not posted a winning record since 1947. Talented, if erratic, QB Tobin Rote led a revived offense that also featured end Billy Howton and FB Howie Ferguson. The defense was tough and included LB Roger Zatkoff and safety Bobby Dillon, and backup FB Fred Cone (pictured above) was also a reliable placekicker.

Los Angeles, typically a contender in the Western Conference, was off to a 3-0 start and the favorite against the Packers. The head coach, Sid Gillman, was new, but there were many savvy veterans on the team, including QB Norm Van Brocklin, FB Tank Younger, and ends Tom Fears and Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch. HB Ron Waller was a promising rookie and second-year QB Bill Wade was available to spell Van Brocklin.

There were 26,960 fans in attendance at Milwaukee’s County Stadium. Less than two minutes into the game, Tobin Rote tossed an errant pitchout that FB Howie Ferguson couldn’t handle and DE Andy Robustelli picked it up for the Rams and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. Les Richter added the extra point to give the visitors the early 7-0 lead.

Later in the first quarter, the Packers got a 34-yard field goal by Fred Cone. Green Bay then put together a nine-play, 63-yard drive with Rote passing effectively that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown throw to HB Veryl Switzer. Cone’s conversion had the home team in front by 10-7 heading into the second quarter.

LB Deral Teteak intercepted a Van Brocklin pass that produced another score for the Packers. Green Bay went 34 yards in four plays, the first three of them runs and the last a pass from Rote to end Gary Knafelc, who grabbed the ball away from two defenders and ran into the end zone for a 16-yard TD. The Packers went into halftime with a 17-7 lead.

The Packers added to their lead on the fourth play of the third quarter as Rote threw to Billy Howton for a 57-yard touchdown. Cone again made good on the extra point. Down by 24-7, the Rams responded with a series that traveled 66 yards in six plays. QB Bill Wade both ran and passed LA down the field, connecting with Ron Waller for a 15-yard TD. Richter added the PAT to make it a ten-point contest.

As rain began to fall, the Packers correspondingly cooled off on offense. DHB Jim Cason (pictured at left) intercepted a pass by Rote to give the Rams the ball at the Green Bay 35. In a four-play series that extended into the fourth quarter, Van Brocklin, who was not at his best throwing the ball on this day, guided the Rams to another score. Again it was Waller getting the touchdown, this time on a five-yard carry to start the fourth quarter.

The Packers finally added to their lead when Cone booted a 45-yard field goal to make the score 27-21. Green Bay’s defense then kept the Rams in their own territory, but Van Brocklin’s 52-yard punt pinned the Packers back at their 14 in turn. Ferguson, gimpy with an ankle injury, could gain only three yards on two carries and, when Rote went to the air, Cason picked him off again and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Richter added the extra point that put the visitors ahead by 28-27.

Cason struck for a third time by picking off a long throw by Rote, giving the Rams the ball on their 15 with the clock down to 2:13. However, Los Angeles did a poor job of running time off the clock, going with three running plays that used a total of 26 seconds of playing time. Van Brocklin got off another long punt that traveled 65 yards, but HB Al Carmichael returned it 40 yards, weaving his way to the LA 30 where DHB Ed Hughes brought him down. Rote rolled out and, finding no receivers open, ran for 11 yards down to the 19. He also got out of bounds to stop the clock, but was stopped for no gain and stayed in bounds the next time. With 24 seconds left to play, Cone kicked a 25-yard field goal that just barely made it inside the uprights to put the Packers back on top. The Rams still had time for two plays following the kickoff, but time ran out with the ball at their 33 and Green Bay came away with a 30-28 win.

The Packers had the edge in total yards (343 to 260) and first downs (20 to 16). However, they also turned the ball over six times, to three suffered by LA, and the Rams recorded three sacks, to one by Green Bay. The Packers also were successful on three field goal attempts, while the combination of Les Richter and Tom Fears missed three for Los Angeles.

Tobin Rote completed 19 of 40 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns, but tossed five interceptions as well, three of them by Jim Cason. Billy Howton (pictured below) caught 8 passes for 158 yards and a TD while, for the Rams, Ron Waller rushed for 77 yards on 14 carries.

The win put the Packers in a tie for first in the Western Conference, but the bubble burst and they lost their next four games on the way to a 6-6 third-place finish. The Rams came out on top of the conference at 8-3-1, although they lost badly to the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship game.

Tobin Rote went on to lead the NFL with 17 touchdown passes (tied with San Francisco’s Y.A. Tittle). Billy Howton caught 44 passes for 697 yards (15.8 avg.) and scored five touchdowns, and was named to the Pro Bowl. Fred Cone was successful on a league-leading 16 of 24 field goal attempts and all 30 of his PATs.

1957: Packers Upset Bears in First Game at New Stadium

On September 29, 1957 the Green Bay Packers not only played their opening game of the new NFL season, but achieved a significant milestone in the history of the franchise as well. That day marked the official opening of a new home venue, City Stadium (or New City Stadium, to distinguish it from its predecessor, until renamed Lambeau Field in 1965).

The Packers had endured mediocrity on the field throughout the decade of the fifties and the future of the franchise was in question. They were playing home games at a high school stadium, the original City Stadium, and owners of other NFL teams were complaining that the facility was no longer up to league standards. The Packers had also been playing some home games in Milwaukee each year (and would continue doing so until 1994), and there was sentiment to move the team there permanently. Upon receiving an ultimatum from the NFL, a bond issue was put before the voters of Green Bay to build a new stadium and received 70 percent approval. The result was the new 32,000-seat stadium.

As for the team itself, the Packers were coming off a 4-8 season in 1956 and had not posted a winning record since 1947. Coached by Lisle Blackbourn, who was commencing his fourth year at the helm, the team had traded star QB Tobin Rote to Detroit during the offseason and was going with 23-year-old second-year QB Bart Starr to start the opening game, although 28-year-old QB Babe Parilli, who had started out with the Packers in 1952, gone into the military, and been dealt to Cleveland, was back with the club. End Billy Howton was one of the NFL’s best receivers, center Jim Ringo was a solid performer on the offensive line, and safety Bobby Dillon a highly-regarded member of the defense. They also had high hopes for their first round draft choices, QB Paul Hornung from Notre Dame and Michigan end Ron Kramer, but by and large the Packers simply had too many holes on the roster.

The team they were hosting, the Chicago Bears, was coming off a 9-2-1 record in ’56 that had topped the Western Division, although they lost badly to the Giants in the NFL title game. Coached by Paddy Driscoll, the Bears had a fine quarterback tandem in Ed Brown and George Blanda with Zeke Bratkowski now in the mix after a stint in the Army. FB Rick Casares had led the league in rushing and end Harlon Hill was an outstanding deep threat.

Dignitaries were present for the stadium dedication, including Vice President Richard M. Nixon who pronounced the new facility the “best spectator stadium” he had visited. A capacity crowd of 32,132 was on hand on a windy but sunny day.

The Bears scored first on their third series in the opening period, following an interception of a Bart Starr pass.  Ed Brown capped a 77-yard drive with a five-yard run on the ninth play. Blanda added the extra point and it was 7-0 heading into the second quarter.

Starr was struggling and the Packers were also hurt by the loss of FB Howie Ferguson to an injury in the first quarter. Babe Parilli (pictured below) relieved at quarterback and the Packers put together a scoring drive that went 79 yards in 10 plays, the biggest a pass that Howton caught over his shoulder for a 37-yard touchdown. Fred Cone tied the score at 7-7 with the successful point after.

Chicago got another TD, again taking nine plays to advance 72 yards and scoring on a pass from Brown to Harlon Hill from eleven yards out. The second TD for the Packers culminated a nine-play, 59-yard drive that was helped by a pass interference call in the end zone after Chicago DHB Vic Zucco hit Howton in the end zone. With the ball at the one yard line, Cone dove into the end zone and added the extra point that made the score 14-14 at the half.

Early in the third quarter, George Blanda kicked a 13-yard field goal for the Bears to give them the lead, but the Green Bay defense began to assert itself. In addition to intercepting four passes during the second half, the Packers also made a key stop in the fourth quarter. On a fourth-and-one play near midfield, Chicago HB Bobby Watkins was unable to gain the necessary yardage and the Packers came alive with a three-play, 49-yard series that proved to be decisive.

Parilli first threw to Howton for a 41-yard gain and Cone ran for two yards. Then Parilli, breaking free of DE Jack Hoffman, fired the ball to end Gary Knafelc, who dropped to his knees between the goal posts and caught the ball squarely in his stomach for a six-yard touchdown.

With 8:21 remaining to play, there was still plenty of time left, but Green Bay’s defense rose to the occasion and the Bears were unable to get into Packers territory for the rest of the game. Chicago’s last opportunity came when the Packers had to punt with two minutes remaining, but HB Perry Jeter fumbled when hit hard by DE Jim Temp and center Larry Lauer recovered for the Packers, who were then able to run out the clock. The Packers came away with an upset 21-17 win.

Chicago led in total yards (362 to 297) and first downs (19 to 16). However, the Bears also turned the ball over six times, with most coming in the second half, to four suffered by Green Bay.

Babe Parilli completed 9 of 17 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Billy Howton had 8 catches for 165 yards and a TD. Chicago’s quarterback combo of Ed Brown and Zeke Bratkowski gave up five interceptions, two of which were by Bobby Dillon.

While it made for a great opening in a new facility, the win over the Bears did not mark a turnaround for the Packers. They lost their next three games and ended up at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 3-9 record. Coach Blackbourn was dismissed, but it would take an even worse finish in 1958 and another coaching change to bring about a revival in the team’s fortunes.

The loss did presage a down year for the Bears, who sagged to 5-7 and fifth place in the conference, although they did beat Green Bay in the rematch at Chicago. The drop in fortunes persuaded owner George Halas to come out of his two-year coaching retirement in 1958.

Babe Parilli started one game for the Packers in ’57 and returned to the bench to back up Bart Starr. For the year, he completed 39 of 102 passes (38.2 %) for 669 yards with four touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He played one more season with Green Bay, was cut during the 1959 preseason and played in Canada, and then spent 10 years in the American Football League with the Raiders, Patriots (where he had his greatest success), and Jets.

Billy Howton had another fine season in 1957, catching 38 passes for 727 yards (19.1 avg.) and five touchdowns. He received consensus first-team All-NFL recognition for the second straight year and was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time.

As for City Stadium, the bond issue that financed its near-million dollar construction cost was paid off in 1978. Following several expansions, and the renaming to Lambeau Field, the seating capacity has since risen to over 73,000.

1960: Cowboys Tie Giants for Only Non-Loss of First Season

It had been a rough first year for the expansion Dallas Cowboys as they took on the New York Giants on December 4, 1960. Under Head Coach Tom Landry, who had previously been defensive coach of the Giants, the team was 0-10. The Cowboys had a capable quarterback in diminutive (5’9”, 168) Eddie LeBaron (pictured at right), formerly of the Redskins and dissuaded from retiring in order to lead the offense until rookie Don Meredith was ready. There were some capable veterans to throw to, such as flanker Billy Howton and TE Jim Doran, and the defense had a star in MLB Jerry Tubbs, but for the most part the new team was awash in mediocre players.

New York, coached by Jim Lee Howell, had won the Eastern Conference the previous two years, but the aging and injury-riddled club was 5-3-1 and coming off of back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia Eagles that had assured they would not finish first a third time. 39-year-old QB Charlie Conerly was one of the injured players, and backup George Shaw was behind center against the Cowboys. HB Alex Webster was also out, as was star HB Frank Gifford, who had been finished for the year – and the whole next season – after a noteworthy tackle by LB Chuck Bednarik in the first loss to Philadelphia.

There were 55,033 fans at Yankee Stadium, the smallest home crowd of the year for the Giants on a sunny afternoon. New York scored quickly on its first possession, taking just four plays with Shaw completing a 41-yard pass to end Bill Kimber and then throwing 10 yards to FB Mel Triplett for the touchdown. HB Joe Morrison followed up with a one-yard scoring plunge and the Giants had a 14-0 lead.


However, before the first quarter was over, HB L.G. Dupre (pictured at left) ran in for a five-yard TD to get the Cowboys on the board. Still, Shaw extended New York’s margin in the second quarter as he connected with end Kyle Rote on a 28-yard scoring play.

Dallas continued to fight back. LeBaron, who nearly sat the game out with a rib injury, tossed a pass to Dupre for a 21-yard TD and Fred Cone kicked an 11-yard field goal to narrow the score to 21-17 at halftime.

Pat Summerall posted the only points of the third quarter with a 26-yard field goal that gave the Giants a seven-point lead. The Cowboys knotted things up in the fourth quarter thanks to a 56-yard drive capped by LeBaron throwing again to Dupre for a 23-yard touchdown, followed by Cone’s extra point.

First-year backup QB Lee Grosscup put the Giants back ahead 5:45 into the final period with a 26-yard touchdown pass to end Bob Schnelker. With five minutes to go, Dallas DT Bill Herchman recovered a fumble by Morrison. LeBaron passed to Doran for 32 yards to the New York nine and two plays later connected with Howton for an 11-yard TD. Cone kicked the tying extra point, and that was it. The game ended in a 31-31 draw, the first non-losing game in Dallas franchise history.

The statistics reflected the evenness of the score. The Cowboys outgained New York by just one yard (328 to 327) and each team had 19 first downs. The Giants turned the ball over three times, to two by Dallas.


Eddie LeBaron completed 17 of 35 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns and two intercepted. Billy Howton (pictured at right) caught 6 passes for 78 yards and a TD and Jim Doran added three receptions for 62 yards. The game’s scoring star, L.G. Dupre, accumulated the most receiving yards, however, with 82 on three catches that included two touchdowns while also rushing for 27 yards on 8 carries with another TD. HB Don McIlhenny was the leading ground gainer for the Cowboys with 34 yards on 8 attempts.

For the Giants, George Shaw was successful on 8 of 16 throws for 149 yards and two TDs against one interception. Lee Grosscup added five completions in 11 attempts that gained 75 yards and a touchdown (his only one of the season). Bob Schnelker hauled in 5 passes for 69 yards and a TD and Kyle Rote also gained 69 yards on his three receptions that included a score. HB Ed Sutton topped the running attack with 62 yards on 7 carries.

The Cowboys lost their season finale at Detroit and finished at the bottom of the Western Conference with a record of 0-11-1 (they shifted to the Eastern Conference in ’61). New York split its last two games and placed third in the conference at 6-4-2.

Eddie LeBaron had a respectable season for a bad team, although he led the NFL by tossing 25 interceptions. Still, he was in the top five in pass attempts (225), yards (1736), and yards per completion (15.6). L.G. Dupre’s accomplishments were more modest as he led the club in rushing with just 362 yards and caught 21 passes for 216 more. His three touchdowns against the Giants accounted for most of his season total of five.

1952: Billy Howton Becomes First Rookie 1000-Yard Receiver with 200-Yard Game

When end Billy Howton was chosen by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1952 draft, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to play pro football. At 6’2” and 190 pounds, he thought he might be too thin, and had already accepted a high school coaching job. But Packers QB Tobin Rote, like Howton a Texan who had played collegiately at Rice, convinced him to give it a try. Rote proved, certainly in this instance, that he was a good judge of talent.

Howton not only made the team but had a significant impact in his rookie season. He scored on a 39-yard TD pass from Rote in the season-opening game against the Bears, and accumulated six touchdowns in his first five contests. Sure-handed and fast, he proved to be an outstanding deep threat and drew comparisons to legendary Green Bay end Don Hutson.

On December 7, 1952 in a game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Memorial Coliseum, Howton caught six passes for an even 200 yards. While his longest reception of the day was 76 yards, he didn’t score at all. But he did pass the thousand-yard mark in pass receiving yardage, something that happened rarely in those days and that no rookie had done before in the NFL.

Unfortunately, while the Packers showed improvement on both sides of the ball in ’52, they were no match for the better teams in the league; in this game, the Rams defeated them, 45-27. Both Rote and rookie Babe Parilli saw action at quarterback and, largely thanks to Howton’s heroics, accumulated 287 passing yards. However, they also combined to throw five interceptions, and adding two fumbles, the Packers turned the ball over seven times. The Rams also held Green Bay to 83 rushing yards on 36 attempts.

While the Packers were at one point 6-3 during the season, losses in the last three games on the road against the Lions, Rams, and 49ers gave them a 6-6 record for the season; they finished in fourth place in the National Conference. Still, it was progress, as the team hadn’t had a record anywhere near .500 since 1947. Meanwhile, the win for the Rams was their seventh of an eventual eight straight to close out the regular season, tying them with the Lions for first place in the National Conference with a 9-3 record. They lost the ensuing playoff to Detroit.

Billy Howton caught 53 passes for 1231 yards (an outstanding 23.2-yard average) and 13 touchdowns. He was the only thousand-yard receiver in the league (runner-up Bud Grant of the Eagles had 997). The touchdown receptions ranked second and the yards-per-catch average placed third. His yardage total remained the record for a rookie until Houston’s Bill Groman totaled 1473 yards in the AFL in 1960, and ranked second for another 38 years. The 13 TD catches were the rookie record until broken by Minnesota’s Randy Moss in 1998 (John Jefferson of San Diego tied the mark in 1979).

Quarterbacks Rote and Parilli certainly benefited from Howton’s presence – they ranked second and third in yards per attempt, respectively. Rote led the NFL with an 8.3 TD percentage.

Howton had one other thousand-yard season (1188 in 1956) on his way to retiring after the 1963 season as the career leader in both yards (8459) and receptions (503). However, Raymond Berry passed his career pass receptions mark the following year, and his yardage total in 1966. With the opening up of the passing game since the late 70s, his lifetime totals have been left in the dust and he has largely been forgotten (it didn’t help that he played with the Packers in their long down period pre-Vince Lombardi, and, after a year in Cleveland, with the Cowboys before they began to win). But his rookie season was one of the best ever for a pro receiver.