1968: Vikings Defeat Error-Prone Packers

A promising team, the Minnesota Vikings, took on the defending NFL Champions, the Green Bay Packers, in the second week of the NFL season on September 22, 1968. Both had won their openers comfortably, with the Vikings thrashing the Falcons 47-7 and the Packers defeating the Eagles 30-13.

The Vikings, coming off of a 3-8-3 record in Head Coach Bud Grant’s first year, had the makings of a good young defense and there was talent on offense as well, although the passing game was a concern. QB Joe Kapp (pictured above) joined Minnesota from the CFL early in ’67 and provided toughness and fiery leadership, if not great throwing talent. QB Gary Cuozzo was obtained from New Orleans at a high price in the offseason to provide another option, but it was Kapp behind center to start the season. It was hoped that one of the second-year wide receivers, Gene Washington or Bob Grim, would step up while the corps of running backs, operating behind a good line, was productive. However, the team’s top rusher of 1967, HB Dave Osborn, was out with a knee injury.

Green Bay was coming off of three straight NFL Championships and wins in the first two Super Bowls. Head Coach Vince Lombardi had stepped aside in favor of former assistant coach Phil Bengtson, although he stayed on as general manager. Many key veterans, starting with QB Bart Starr, remained and the lineup contained younger talent such as HB Donny Anderson and guard Gale Gillingham, but age and attrition were concerns.

There were 49,346 fans on hand at Milwaukee’s County Stadium. The Vikings had the first possession and advanced 67 yards, but after reaching the Green Bay six, a pass by Joe Kapp was tipped by MLB Ray Nitschke and OLB Dave Robinson intercepted it in the end zone. While WR Tom Hall managed to knock the ball loose as he slammed into Robinson, CB Bob Jeter recovered for the Packers.

Bart Starr had a 21-yard pass completion to Donny Anderson nullified by a penalty and, the next time he went to the air, FS Paul Krause intercepted to regain possession for the Vikings at the Green Bay 34. Ten plays later, FB Bill Brown (pictured below) ran for a one-yard touchdown and Fred Cox added the extra point.

The Packers came up empty on their next series and, following a punt, the Vikings again put together a solid drive of 74 yards in eight plays. Brown again finished the series off with a TD run, this time covering 10 yards, and Cox converted for a 14-0 lead.

The Packers, starting from their own 26 after the kickoff, were moved back to the 11 due to an offensive pass interference penalty and then Starr, fading back into his end zone, was tackled by DT Alan Page and DE Jim Marshall for a safety. The score remained 16-0 at the half.

The Packers started off the third quarter with an 11-play, 66-yard drive. Starr, under heavy pressure, rolled out and completed a pass to WR Boyd Dowler for 18 yards to the Minnesota 31 and, five plays later, the veteran quarterback got Green Bay on the board by running out of the pocket for a 10-yard touchdown. Jerry Kramer’s extra point attempt hit the right upright and was unsuccessful, but the Packers were now down by just ten points and showing signs of life.

A key play came on the next Minnesota series after Bill Brown came up inches short on a third down run to his own 26. The Vikings elected to try and convert on fourth down and Kapp kept the ball himself and plowed into the middle of the line. He was hit by Nitschke, moved to his right, and fought for distance before being stopped standing up. The crowd as well as the Green Bay defense thought Kapp had been stopped short, but a measurement showed that he got the first down by the barest of margins. Seven plays later, HB Clint Jones ran four yards for a touchdown and Cox again converted to put the visitors up by 23-6.

It proved to be the clinching series of the game for Minnesota. With the defense keeping the Packers in check and the offense controlling the ball, the Vikings added to the margin before the period was over when Cox kicked a 29-yard field goal. Green Bay was able to score a late, meaningless touchdown in the fourth quarter as Starr connected with Dale from seven yards out, and Kramer added the point after.  Minnesota won by a final score of 26-13.

The teams were even at 242 yards apiece in total yards with the Vikings holding the edge in first downs (20 to 18). The Packers turned the ball over twice, to one suffered by Minnesota, and were penalized eight times at a cost of 90 yards, typically at critical times, while the Vikings were flagged four times.

Joe Kapp didn’t go to the air often, completing 9 of 15 passes for 138 yards and no touchdowns while giving up an interception. Bill Brown rushed for 74 yards on 17 carries that included two TDs while FB Jim Lindsey contributed 33 yards on 11 attempts. WR Gene Washington topped the Minnesota receivers with three catches for 67 yards.

For the Packers, Bart Starr was successful on 14 of 22 throws for 148 yards and a TD while being intercepted twice. Donny Anderson (pictured above) ran for 37 yards on 9 carries and caught three passes for 24 yards. Carroll Dale had 5 catches for 48 yards and a touchdown.

The game marked something of a passing of the torch between the Central Division rivals. Green Bay, which had won five NFL titles under Vince Lombardi and finished no lower than second place in any of the preceding eight seasons (which meant the entire Western Conference prior to the introduction of the divisions in 1967), struggled to a 6-7-1 record that placed third in the division. The Vikings, who swept the season series with the Packers, initially had problems as well but won five of their last seven games to go 8-6 and capture the franchise’s first division title ever. Minnesota went on to dominate the Central Division over the next decade, and while Green Bay had a postseason appearance in 1972, the Packers endured seven losing records during the same time span.

1968: Starr-to-Dale TDs Lead Packers to Win Over College All-Stars

The Green Bay Packers, defending champions of the NFL, were under a new head coach as they faced the College All-Stars on August 2, 1968 for the benefit of Chicago charities. Vince Lombardi, having led the club to five league titles, including the last three in a row (and wins in the first two Super Bowls), handed over the reins to defensive assistant Phil Bengtson, although he remained Green Bay’s general manager and was watching from the press box. After having been upset by an All-Star squad in 1963, the Packers had thrashed the collegians by a combined score of 65-0 in 1966 and ’67.

Green Bay still had an effective, if aging, veteran core, with the offense directed by QB Bart Starr (pictured above) behind a solid line and the defense containing stalwarts such as DE Willie Davis, DT Henry Jordan, MLB Ray Nitschke, CB Herb Adderley, and FS Willie Wood. If there was a major question at this early stage, it was who would handle the placekicking following the retirement of Don Chandler.

Norm Van Brocklin, former star quarterback in the NFL and first head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, coached the College All-Stars. The roster contained the usual assortment of future pro stars that included C Bob Johnson from Tennessee, USC tackle Ron Yary, TE Charlie Sanders of Minnesota, and running backs Larry Csonka from Syracuse and MacArthur Lane of Utah State on offense, while the defense had Tennessee State DE Claude Humphrey, DT Curly Culp of Arizona State, and Texas-El Paso LB Fred Carr.

There were 69,917 fans in attendance for the Friday night game at Soldier Field. Getting the ball for their second series of the game, the Packers were pinned deep at their three yard line after a 55-yard punt by Jerry DePoyster of Wyoming. However, Bart Starr faked a handoff and then threw to HB Elijah Pitts down the middle. Pitts broke away for a 72-yard gain to the All-Star 26, finally being hauled down by Fred Carr (Green Bay’s first-round draft pick). Six plays later, HB Donny Anderson scored the first touchdown of the game from a yard out and Jerry Kramer kicked the extra point.

Twenty seconds into the second quarter, Starr threw to flanker Carroll Dale (pictured at left) for a 20-yard TD to conclude a 12-play, 89-yard drive. Kramer again added the point after. Later in the period, the Packers went 73 yards in four plays, with Starr connecting with Dale for another touchdown, this time covering 36 yards. Kramer’s third PAT made it a 21-0 score.

The All-Stars, who relied heavily on the running of Syracuse FB Larry Csonka in the first half, responded by driving to a 22-yard field goal by DePoyster. It wasn’t much, but it was the first time a group of All-Stars had put points on the board in three years. Green Bay scored once more at the end of the half as newly-acquired PK Wade Traynham kicked a 30-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the All-Stars got a break when Green Bay FB Jim Grabowski fumbled the ball away at his own 37. After Csonka pounded away for a total of 30 yards, QB Gary Beban, a scrambler out of UCLA, threw a fourth down pass to WR Earl McCullouch from USC for a seven-yard touchdown. DePoyster kicked the extra point and Green Bay’s lead was narrowed to 24-10.

The Packers came back with another score, however, with Starr once again connecting with Dale on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 13-yard TD. Kramer converted. Later Kramer, who missed on a 45-yard field goal attempt, was good from 47 yards out, setting a new record for the All-Star Game and giving Green Bay a commanding lead.

Down 34-10, the All-Stars fought back, advancing 76 yards with Massachusetts QB Greg Landry throwing to McCullouch (pictured below) for a 24-yard touchdown. DePoyster kicked the point after, and while it brought cheers from the crowd, it proved to be the game’s last score. The Packers won handily by a final tally of 34-17.

The Packers led in total yards (381 to 312), although the All-Stars outgained Green Bay on the ground by 206 yards to 88. The pro champs also had the edge in first downs (20 to 17). The All-Stars turned the ball over four times, to one suffered by Green Bay.

Bart Starr completed 17 of 23 passes, including ten in a row at one point, for 288 yards and three touchdowns with none intercepted. Carroll Dale had 6 catches for 103 yards and three touchdowns. Donny Anderson led the Packers with 64 rushing yards on 11 attempts, one of which was good for a TD.

Greg Landry was successful on 7 of 14 throws for 79 yards and a TD with one picked off and Gary Beban went three of six for 27 yards and a touchdown but also gave up two interceptions. Larry Csonka rushed for 95 yards on 18 carries.

“He had a terrific night,” said Coach Van Brocklin of the All-Stars regarding Bart Starr’s performance. “He picked us apart.”

Green Bay’s win put the pro champs ahead in the series by 24 to 9 with two ties. It was the sixth win in eight appearances for the Packers, and would turn out to be their last. High expectations for the team to remain at the top were dashed as the Packers slipped to 6-7-1 with age and injuries, including one to Starr’s arm, ultimately taking a toll.

Larry Csonka joined the Miami Dolphins of the AFL and, after a slow start, went on to rush for 8081 yards in the AFL and NFL, gain selection to five Pro Bowls, and ultimately earn enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Earl McCullouch had the more immediate pro success with the Detroit Lions, earning consensus Rookie of the Year honors after catching 40 passes for 680 yards and five touchdowns (two of which came against the Packer). His career took a downward course thereafter and he ended up with just 124 pass receptions in seven NFL seasons.

Highlighted Year: Donny Anderson, 1973

Halfback, St. Louis Cardinals

Age: 30

8^th season in pro football, 2^nd with Cardinals

College: Texas Tech

Height: 6’3”   Weight: 210

Prelude:

A two-time All-American in college, where he was nicknamed “The Golden Palomino”, Anderson was chosen in the first round of the 1965 NFL draft as a future pick by the Green Bay Packers. Along with FB Jim Grabowski from Illinois, he received a large contract to join the Packers in ’66 with the expectation that he would be the heir to aging star HB Paul Hornung. He saw little action as a rookie but injuries provided an opportunity to contribute in 1967 and he performed well in Green Bay’s drive to a third straight NFL title, also being utilized as a punter and kick returner as well as halfback. In 1968, Anderson rushed for 761 yards and caught 25 passes for 333 more yards to gain selection to the Pro Bowl. Splitting time with Elijah Pitts and Travis Williams in ’69, his production dropped off significantly, but he came back to rush for a career-high 853 yards in 1970 while also catching 36 passes for 414 more yards. Following a 1971 season in which he was joined by rookie FB John Brockington, Anderson was involved in a contract dispute and had other problems with new Head Coach Dan Devine that led to his being traded to the Cardinals in 1972. In his first year in St. Louis, he gained 536 yards on the ground and 298 on 28 pass receptions while also handling the punting (the last year that he would do so).

1973 Season Summary

Appeared and in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 167

Most attempts, game – 25 (for 82 yds.) at Atlanta 12/9

Yards – 679

Most yards, game – 130 yards (on 18 carries) vs. NY Giants 10/28

Average gain – 4.1

TDs – 10 [2, tied with Mercury Morris, 1^st in NFC]

100-yard rushing games – 2

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 41      

Most receptions, game – 6 (for 44 yds.) vs. Philadelphia 10/14

Yards – 409

Most yards, game – 67 (on 4 catches) vs. Denver 11/4

Average gain – 10.0

TDs – 3

Scoring

TDs – 13 [2, tied with Harold Jackson & Floyd Little]

Points – 78 [19, tied with Harold Jackson, Floyd Little & Bobby Howfield]

Cardinals went 4-9-1 to finish fourth in the NFC East.

Aftermath:

Anderson was supplanted at halfback by Terry Metcalf in 1974 and ran the ball just 90 times for 316 yards while catching 15 passes. He was traded to Miami in the offseason but retired during training camp. Overall, he rushed for 4696 yards on 1197 carries (3.9 avg.) and caught 209 passes for 2548 yards, scoring a total of 56 touchdowns. Anderson also averaged 39.6 yards on 387 punts, threw two TD passes on halfback option plays, and ran back one punt for a touchdown.

--

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

1971: Giants Beat Packers in Wild Game of Mishaps and Big Plays

It was a rainy day in Green Bay on September 19, 1971 as the Packers hosted the New York Giants in the season-opening game for both teams. Green Bay was coming off a 6-8 year in ’70, the second of three losing records since winning a third straight championship in 1967, Vince Lombardi’s last year as head coach. Having gone 20-21-1 under Phil Bengtson, Dan Devine was hired away from the University of Missouri to take over the coaching reins. There was talent at running back with HB Donny Anderson and the first draft pick out of Ohio State, FB John Brockington, as well as guard Gale Gillingham, DT Mike McCoy, and LB Fred Carr. There were still some of the great players from the Lombardi era around, but they were getting up in years and included 34-year-old safety Willie Wood, 33-year-old WR Carroll Dale, 34-year-old MLB Ray Nitschke, and most significantly of all, QB Bart Starr, back for his 16th year at age 37 but unavailable for the opening game due to injury.

The Giants, coached by Alex Webster, had gone 9-5 in ’70, their best record since they last appeared in a NFL Championship game in 1963. But while they still had eleventh-year veteran QB Fran Tarkenton, the NFC’s third-ranked passer the previous year, HB Ron Johnson, who had gained 1514 yards from scrimmage (1027 rushing, 487 receiving), was injured. The defense had talent in DE Fred Dryer, CB Willie Williams, and FS Carl “Spider” Lockhart. But there were holes, and losses in all six preseason games did not inspire confidence.

There were 56,263 fans present at Lambeau Field. Zeke Bratkowski, another relic of the Lombardi era who had come out of retirement at age 39, started at quarterback for the Packers. Green Bay scored first in unusual but spectacular fashion when a field goal attempt by New York’s Pete Gogolak fell short and CB Ken Ellis returned it 100 yards for a touchdown, tying the then-NFL record. The score stood at 7-0 after a quarter of play.

The Giants came back on a drive highlighted by a 43-yard pass play from Tarkenton to TE Rich Kotite. A scrambling Tarkenton then threw a six-yard TD pass to Rich Houston (pictured above), who had only recently been converted from defensive back to wide receiver.

The next score was set up by a turnover when New York’s Tom Blanchard punted and the ball hit the heel of Packers safety Al Randolph, who had slipped and fallen on the wet turf. Safety Joe Green recovered for the Giants on what was technically a fumble and Tarkenton connected again with Houston for a 39-yard touchdown on the next play, giving New York the lead at 14-7.

Less than five minutes later, there were two touchdowns scored by the Giants within six seconds of play, both on fumble recoveries. First, with the Packers backed up to their own three yard line, HB Dave Hampton fumbled a handoff in his end zone that New York LB Ralph Heck recovered for a TD. The ensuing kickoff went between Hampton and RB Larry Krause. Hampton handled it but, instead of downing it in the end zone, made an attempt to run and was hit and fumbled, and Green made his second recovery, this time for another New York touchdown.

Hampton partially redeemed himself by returning the next kickoff 44 yards and coming close to breaking it all the way. The Packers then drove 52 yards with Bratkowski throwing to Hampton for a 19-yard touchdown with just a few seconds left in the half. The halftime score was 28-14 in favor of the visitors.

The Giants not only led in the score but in all major statistical departments as well after one half of play. As a result, and despite the scoring drive at the end of the first half, Green Bay’s Coach Devine switched from Bratkowski to rookie QB Scott Hunter in the second half.

The Packers narrowed the margin to 28-17 in the third quarter thanks to a 28-yard field goal by Lou Michaels. However, the Giants came back with an 81-yard pass play from Tarkenton to Houston for another TD. Hampton returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards for the Packers, and that led to a touchdown as Hunter threw to TE Rich McGeorge on a 21-yard play.


With the score now 35-24, the Packers got the ball and Hunter fumbled at his own 20. New York LB Jim Files recovered and Tarkenton (pictured at left) again made Green Bay pay for turning the ball over as he immediately fired a pass to FB Tucker Frederickson in the end zone. The Giants held a 42-24 lead after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, the Packers drove 74 yards with Donny Anderson capping the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run in which he broke three tackles. With the Packers behind by 42-31 and just over seven minutes on the clock, SS Doug Hart intercepted a pass along the sideline in front of the Green Bay bench. New York OT Bob Hyland, an ex-Packer, pushed Hart out of bounds and slid into Coach Devine in the resulting pileup. Devine had to be carried off the field with an apparent leg injury and was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where doctors found two major bones broken in his lower left leg. His leg was immediately reset, and upon coming out of the anesthetic, Devine asked, “They didn’t give up, did they?”

The Packers didn’t give up, and in fact the loss of the head coach seemed to fire the team up (Defensive line coach Dave Hanner took over field strategy for the remainder of the game).

Hart’s interception set up the last touchdown by the Packers, an 18-yard pass from Hunter to Carroll Dale that closed the gap to 42-38. With 2:38 left, Hart made another big play when he tackled the Giants’ Blanchard in the end zone after the punter fielded a bad snap that sailed over his head.

It was now a two-point game and Green Bay got the ball back following the safety. The Packers drove from their 46 to the New York 36 yard line, but in the last minute an interception by Files on a pass up the middle that was intended for Dale finally stopped the Packers for good. New York came away from the wildly-contested game with a 42-40 win.

The Packers outgained the Giants (348 yards to 323) and had more first downs (17 to 12). However, they undid themselves by fumbling six times, losing four of them, as well as turning the ball over on the interception on the final drive. New York, by contrast, turned the ball over just once, although it was a pickoff that set up a touchdown – and removed Green Bay’s head coach from the game.

Fran Tarkenton completed 13 of 21 passes for 236 yards with four touchdowns and the one interception. Rich Houston was the receiving star with 6 catches for 151 yards and three TDs. Tucker Frederickson was New York’s leading rusher with 42 yards on 10 carries.

For the Packers, Zeke Bratkowski was successful on 6 of 10 throws for 66 yards and a touchdown in his half of action; Scott Hunter completed 9 of 16 passes for 158 yards that included two TDs against the one interception. Donny Anderson ran for 99 yards on 16 attempts with one TD; John Brockington, in his first game, added 34 yards on 9 attempts and had 3 catches for 9 yards. WR John Spilis caught 3 passes for 70 yards, while the 12th-year veteran Carroll Dale also had 3 receptions, for 66 yards and a score.

“I was the first one to see Hart,” Bob Hyland said afterward about the play that resulted in Dan Devine sustaining a broken leg. “I pushed him (Hart) out of bounds and then slid right into Devine. I feel sick about it.”


Devine returned to the sidelines on crutches and wearing a cast (pictured at right). The Packers won their next two games, but only two more the rest of the year as they finished at the bottom of the NFC Central with a 4-8-2 record (adding fuel to the debate over pro teams hiring coaches directly from the college ranks). While the running game was strong, the lack of a quality quarterback (Bart Starr appeared in just four games in what was his final season) proved detrimental and the defense had too many holes.

John Brockington emerged to lead the NFC with 1105 rushing yards. Donny Anderson rushed for 757 yards and caught 26 passes for 306 more, but clashed with Devine and was traded to the Cardinals in the offseason. Carroll Dale led the club in pass receiving with 31 catches for 598 yards and four TDs. Scott Hunter was the starting quarterback most of the way and suffered plenty of growing pains as he gave up 17 interceptions, as opposed to just 7 touchdown passes.

As for the Giants, they ended up at the bottom of the NFC East with a 4-10 tally. The loss of Ron Johnson, who played in just two games, proved deadly to the offense (Bobby Duhon led the club in rushing with 344 yards) while the defense ranked at the bottom of the conference. Fran Tarkenton completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 2567 yards and 11 TDs, but also was intercepted 21 times. Rich Houston didn’t come close to duplicating his spectacular opening-game numbers and ended up with 24 catches for 426 yards (17.8 avg.), scoring one more TD to give him four for the year.

1972: Packers Trade Donny Anderson to Cards for MacArthur Lane

On February 22, 1972 the NFL announced a straight-up swap of former Pro Bowl running backs as the Green Bay Packers sent Donny Anderson to the St. Louis Cardinals for MacArthur Lane.

Anderson, a two-time All-American at Texas Tech, had come to the Packers amidst great fanfare in 1966. Drafted in the first round of the ’65 draft as a future pick (a practice that was allowed at the time; he still had a year of college eligibility remaining), he signed for an estimated $600,000. Along with FB Jim Grabowski, the 1966 first round selection out of Illinois who signed for $400,000, much was made of the combined million dollar commitment made by Green Bay to both keep the highly-touted runners away from the AFL as well as provide successors to the aging starting backfield of HB Paul Hornung and FB Jim Taylor.

The 6’3”, 210-pound Anderson started off slowly in the NFL, running tentatively and blocking poorly – Coach Vince Lombardi considered moving him to flanker after the ’66 season. But while Grabowski, the power runner, was never able to fully recover from a 1967 knee injury and had a mediocre career (he was cut a year prior to the Anderson trade, signing on with the Bears), Anderson broke into the starting lineup when injuries began to decimate the backfield during the ’67 season and rose to the occasion, contributing to a third straight championship as well as a win in Super Bowl II.

While the Packers dropped to 6-7-1 in the first post-Lombardi coaching year of 1968, Anderson led the team in rushing with 761 yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl. With a crowded situation in the backfield (veteran Elijah Pitts and speedy Travis Williams were also available at halfback), he saw less action in ’69, but bounced back with 853 yards rushing and 36 pass receptions in 1970. In addition to his play at halfback, Anderson also was a highly-regarded left-footed punter.

Anderson was involved in a contract dispute with the team in 1971 and considerable animosity arose between him and Head Coach/GM Dan Devine, who arrived that same year. Also arriving was rookie FB John Brockington, who pushed him into a supporting role. Devine was critical of Anderson’s blocking and expressed a preference for backup HB Dave Hampton, who he considered to be a better blocker.

“I tried to overcome the fact that there was a line between us,” said Anderson immediately following the trade to St. Louis. “I tried to play better football. I couldn't do it because when someone is down on you, you've got to prove yourself day after day. I didn't feel I had to prove myself on that basis, but maybe I'll have to do it in St. Louis.”

MacArthur Lane was a year older than Anderson (Anderson was 28 and Lane 29 at the time of the deal), but also bigger at 6’1” and 220 pounds, which seemed a better fit in tandem with the 6’1”, 225-pound Brockington. Lane had also been a first round draft choice, taken by the Cardinals in the 1968 draft with the thirteenth overall pick. He also stepped into a crowded backfield situation in St. Louis and saw scant action as a backup and kick returner in his first two years with the club.

Lane had a breakout season in 1970, showing off his power-running skill to gain 977 yards on the ground while catching 32 passes for another 365 yards, and scoring a league-leading 13 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl. But like Anderson, he also ran afoul of a new head coach, Bob Hollway, in 1971. Lane slumped to 502 yards rushing and was suspended for the season finale after publicly criticizing the team’s vice president, Bill Bidwill, due to a salary dispute.

Following the trade, Hollway said. “As far as the Cardinals - myself and management – are concerned, we resolved any problems we had with Lane. The trade came
about because we were able to get a more versatile running back.”

Both players expressed relief at the trade, although Anderson paid tribute to his prior experiences and the fans in Green Bay. “Certainly I will miss the players and the fans in Green Bay,” he said. “There's nobody in the world like them and I wish them the best of everything. I cannot deny that the greatest, most rewarding athletic experiences of my life were having the honor to play for Vince Lombardi and to have played in the first two Super Bowls.”


The deal worked more to the benefit of the Packers in 1972. Following a 4-8-2 record in ’71, the team went 10-4 and won the NFC Central Division title. The running game was the key to the conservative offense led by young quarterback Scott Hunter, who only went to the air 199 times and completed just 43.2 percent of those passes. While Brockington, who had gained 1105 yards as a rookie, followed up with 1027 in ’72 (thus becoming the first player in NFL history to rush for a thousand yards in each of his first two seasons), Lane (pictured at left) contributed 821 yards on 177 carries for a healthy 4.6-yard average, led the team with 26 pass receptions for another 285 yards, and was named the club’s MVP.

In St. Louis, the 4-9-1 record of 1971 was duplicated in ’72. Anderson played respectably in combination with veteran RB Johnny Roland, leading the team with 536 yards on 153 rushing attempts (3.5 avg.) and catching 28 passes for 298 yards. As he had in Green Bay, he also handled the punting, averaging 39.5 yards on 72 kicks.

The situation was different in 1973, when things did not go so well for the Packers. While the running tandem of Brockington and Lane was still considered to be one of the best in the NFL, there was still no viable passing attack to complement them. Hunter failed to improve at quarterback, and when backup QB Jerry Tagge was given the opportunity to start, he was found wanting as well, as was young veteran backup Jim Del Gaizo, obtained from the Dolphins amid much fanfare. Brockington ran for 1144 yards and Lane 528, although Lane’s yards per carry average dropped to 3.1. The team as a whole fell to 5-7-2.

Lane played one more season in Green Bay, with the numbers continuing to diminish, and played four years in Kansas City, where he ran the ball less but was used effectively as a receiver out of the backfield – he led the NFL with 66 catches in 1976. Overall, in 11 seasons he ran for 4656 yards on 1206 carries (3.9 avg.) with 30 touchdowns and caught 287 passes for 2786 yards (9.7 avg.) and 7 more TDs.

As for Anderson in St. Louis, his numbers improved in 1973 as he again led the team in rushing with 679 yards on 167 carries (4.1 avg.) with 10 touchdowns and caught a career-high 41 passes for 409 yards and three more scores. The team was still 4-9-1 for the third straight year, but under a new head coach, Don Coryell.

Coryell turned the team around dramatically in 1974, winning the NFC East with a 10-4 tally, but Anderson’s production dropped off significantly with the emergence of explosive all-purpose HB Terry Metcalf. Traded to Miami in the offseason, Anderson retired during the 1975 preseason. His overall totals were 4696 yards rushing on 1197 attempts (3.9 avg.), including 41 touchdowns, and 209 pass receptions for 2548 yards (12.2 avg.) with 14 TDs. He also averaged 39.6 yards on 387 punts.