1969: Jets Withstand Second Half Rally to Beat College All-Stars

The 36^th annual College All-Star Game on August 1, 1969 featured the New York Jets as the pro representative. Last seen upsetting the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, the Jets became the first American Football League Champion to appear in the annual contest sponsored by the Chicago Tribune for Chicago Charities.

There had been turmoil for the Jets in June when star QB Joe Namath (pictured above) announced he would retire rather than sell his interest in the Bachelors III nightclub, as demanded by Commissioner Pete Rozelle, but “Broadway Joe” finally relented and reported to training camp just two weeks prior to the All-Star contest.

On the All-Star side, a shadow was cast by the absence of star running backs O.J. Simpson, the Heisman Trophy winner out of USC, Leroy Keyes from Purdue, and Michigan’s Ron Johnson, who had chosen to skip the game to avoid the risk of injury prior to signing pro contracts. Still, there were plenty of future pro stars playing, including Notre Dame OT George Kunz, TE Bob Klein from USC, and WR Jerry LeVias of Southern Methodist on offense and, defensively, ends Bill Stanfill from Georgia and Fred Dryer of San Diego State, Arkansas State MLB Bill Bergey, cornerbacks Jim Marsalis of Tennessee State and Bill Thompson from Maryland – Eastern Shore, and Missouri safety Roger Wehrli. The team was coached by Otto Graham for the ninth time, returning after a three-year hiatus while he was head coach of the Redskins.

There was a crowd of 74,206 in attendance on a Friday night at Soldier Field and many of them loudly booed Namath when he was introduced. The All-Stars looked tight throughout the first half and were especially hampered by their lack of a running attack. The Jets scored first on a 43-yard Jim Turner field goal. Less than four minutes later, New York struck again on another Turner field goal, this time from 16 yards, and the pro champs led by 6-0 after a quarter of play.

In the second quarter, the Jets added to their lead as they put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with FB Matt Snell running the final three yards for a TD. They failed to add to their margin when the All-Stars put together an impressive goal-line stand after the Jets got a first down inside the five yard line, stopping four straight running plays (two each by HB Emerson Boozer and FB Bill Mathis).

The All-Star defense foiled another possible score by the Jets when Snell attempted an option pass intended for TE Pete Lammons from the three yard line that was picked off by DB Bill Bradley. But the All-Stars were unable to mount a threat as they managed just one first down (which was due to a penalty) and scored no points in the first half with Notre Dame’s Terry Hanratty and Bobby Douglass of Kansas appearing at quarterback.

Down 13-0 at the half, the All-Stars fell further behind in the third quarter thanks to Turner’s 42-yard field goal for the Jets. But fortunes changed when QB Greg Cook from Cincinnati (pictured below) entered the contest. The collegians took advantage of a 78-yard kickoff return by RB Altie Taylor to the New York 19 to get on the board. Cook fired a 17-yard touchdown pass to WR Gene Washington from Stanford for a touchdown and Roy Gerela from New Mexico State added the extra point.

Following an interception by CB Rudy Redmond, Gerela kicked a 28-yard field goal that made the Jets’ margin just 16-10. New York responded with a 63-yard drive in four plays that ended with a touchdown on a 35-yard sweep by Snell.

The All-Stars struck back quickly, however, as Cook tossed a bomb to Taylor in a third-and-one situation for a 44-yard gain to the New York 12. On the next play Cook floated a pass into the corner of the end zone that was pulled in by the 242-pound Bob Klein for a TD and Gerela’s successful PAT made it 23-17, which was the tally at the end of the eventful third quarter.

The All-Stars regained possession when Roger Wehrli intercepted a Namath pass at the All-Star 36. Cook completed a 27-yard pass and the All-Stars reached the New York 29 before the drive stalled and Gerela missed on a 37-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide. The Jets, making the most of their reprieve, responded with a 69-yard series that concluded with Jim Turner kicking his fourth field goal of the game, from 18 yards, with just under six minutes remaining to play.

It was still 26-17 when the All-Stars got the ball back at their 20 with slightly less than two minutes to go. Cook threw to Jerry LeVias for 11 yards and connected with him again on a big play that covered 59 yards to the New York 8. A penalty on the Jets edged the collegians closer, but controversy ensued on the next play when a throw intended for Gene Washington that was defended by CB Johnny Sample was incomplete. Otto Graham, believing that Sample interfered with Washington, loudly complained to the officials and was in turn confronted by Sample. Graham came away with a bloody scrape on his nose from Sample’s helmet and a 15-yard penalty for being outside his assigned sideline area.

Still, the collegians managed to capitalize when Cook handed off to Taylor who tossed the ball back to him and the quarterback then threw to LeVias for a 19-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left on the clock. Gerela’s PAT was successful, but any last chance for the All-Stars ended when the ensuing onside kick failed to go the required ten yards, and the Jets were able to run out the remaining time for the 26-24 win.

As close as the score was, the Jets dominated statistically, outgaining the All-Stars by 463 yards to 260 and holding a substantial edge in first downs of 28 to 8.

Joe Namath, who was wearing a three-bar linemen’s face mask for the first time in his career, had to remain in the game far longer than Head Coach Weeb Ewbank would have liked due to the All-Star rally. While not fully up to par, he completed 17 of 32 passes for 292 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Matt Snell (pictured above) rushed for 114 yards and two TDs on 19 carries as the Jets piled up 201 yards on the ground. WR Bake Turner, in for the injured George Sauer, caught 8 passes for 145 yards.

With a lack of strong runners, the All-Stars gained just 16 rushing yards, on 13 attempts, and the individual leader was Kansas QB Bobby Douglass with 7 yards on one carry. Greg Cook’s passing was nevertheless nearly enough to pull out the contest as he was successful on 12 of 23 throws for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Jerry LeVias was the leading receiver with three catches for 89 yards.

In the ensuing season, the Jets went 10-4 to again top the Eastern Division in the AFL’s last campaign prior to merging with the NFL, but they lost to Kansas City in the Divisional playoff round. Joe Namath had another outstanding year, receiving AFL Player of the Year recognition from the Associated Press.

Greg Cook had a remarkable rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals, leading the AFL in passing and garnering Rookie of the Year honors, but unfortunately his career went no further due to his sustaining a serious arm injury along the way. 

Rookie of the Year: Greg Cook, 1969

Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals

Age:  23 (Nov. 20)

College: Cincinnati

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 212

Prelude:

Personally scouted by Cincinnati Head Coach Paul Brown, Cook, a record-setting local collegiate talent, was chosen by the Bengals in the first round of the 1969 AFL/NFL draft (fifth overall). With ideal size and mobility combined with a strong arm, quick release, and great poise, he earned a spot in the starting lineup during the preseason and the results remained impressive at the start of the regular season. However, a shoulder injury suffered in Week 3 against the Chiefs would prove to be the beginning of the end for Cook’s career.

1969 Season Summary

Appeared and started in 11 of 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 197 [9]

Most attempts, game – 30 at Denver 12/14

Completions – 106 [9]

Most completions, game – 19 at Denver 12/14

Yards – 1854 [8]

Most yards, game – 327 vs. San Diego 9/21

Completion percentage – 53.8 [2]

Yards per attempt – 9.4 [1]

TD passes – 15 [4]

Most TD passes, game – 4 at Houston 11/9

Interceptions – 11 [9, tied with Pete Liske, John Hadl & Rick Norton]

Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. Boston 11/16

Passer rating – 88.3 [1]

300-yard passing games – 1

200-yard passing games – 4

Rushing

Attempts – 25

Most attempts, game - 4 (for 33 yds.) vs. Boston 11/16, (for 21 yds.) at Buffalo 11/30

Yards – 148

Most yards, game – 33 yards (on 3 carries) vs. San Diego 9/21, (on 4 carries) vs. Boston 11/16

Yards per attempt – 5.9

TDs – 1

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Awards & Honors:

AFL Rookie of the Year: UPI, PFWA

Bengals went 4-9-1 (with all four wins coming in games started by Cook) to finish fifth in the AFL Western Division.  

Aftermath:

Playing through a torn rotator cuff and detached bicep, Cook fatally damaged his career and became one of the great “what if” stories in pro football history. Multiple surgeries cost him the next three seasons and he returned to throw just three passes in 1973 before quitting for good. His 9.4 yards per attempt in ’69 remain a record for a rookie passer.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year). 

[Updated 2/8/14]

1969: Greg Cook Leads Bengals Past Dolphins for Paul Brown’s 300th Win

The September 14, 1969 season-opening game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium achieved a couple of milestones – one highlighting the long-term achievement of a head coach and the other marking the arrival of a talented player whose career would flame out all too quickly.

Paul Brown (pictured above) had returned to pro football coaching in 1968 after an absence of five years. The architect of the Cleveland Browns team that dominated the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946-49 and then appeared in six consecutive title games in the NFL had been summarily dismissed by young owner Art Modell following the 1962 season. Brown returned with the AFL expansion Cincinnati Bengals, where he was not only the general manager (as he had been in Cleveland) but had a part ownership in the franchise (all the better for job security).

Brown was a winning coach at every level, starting at Severn School, a prep school in Maryland where he began his coaching career (16-1-1) before returning to his native Ohio and Massillon Washington High School, where he first gained notoriety by leading the team to six consecutive state high school championships during his nine years there (80-8-2). It was on to the college level at Ohio State (18-8-1, including a national championship in 1942) and then service football at Great Lakes Naval Station (15-5-2). Entering the ranks of pro coaches with the Cleveland Browns, first in the AAFC (52-4-3, including postseason) and NFL (115-49-5, also including postseason), he had gone through a typically difficult 3-11 expansion season in ’68 with the Bengals. When added together, Brown entered the 1969 AFL season with 299 career wins as a head coach at all levels.

During 1968, Brown had personally scouted Greg Cook, a quarterback at the University of Cincinnati. The legendary coach liked what he saw and the Bengals made Cook their first choice in the ’69 draft. From the beginning, it seemed as though Cook had all the ingredients for greatness. He was tall, at 6’4”, weighed in at 220, had a strong and accurate throwing arm, a quick release, and good mobility. Moreover, he was intelligent, confident, and had the right emotional makeup – all in all, an excellent blend of physical ability and intangibles.

Cook threw three touchdown passes to nearly lead the College All-Stars to an upset of the defending AFL champion Jets. Even though his All-Star game participation caused him to get a late start in training camp, he became the sensation of the preseason and was the starting quarterback for Cincinnati in the opening game. He did not disappoint.


After the Dolphins took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from QB Bob Griese to WR Karl Noonan, HB Paul Robinson (the AFL’s leading rusher as a rookie in ’68) scored at the end of the period on a four-yard run. The game didn’t remain tied for long as HB Mercury Morris of the Dolphins returned the ensuing kickoff 105 yards. But Cook (pictured at left) showed off his passing skill as he threw two touchdown passes to split end Eric Crabtree, of 69 and 25 yards, to put Cincinnati ahead by 21-14 at halftime.

Horst Muhlmann booted two third quarter field goals, and while HB Jim Kiick ran for a fourth quarter TD, the Bengals held on to win, 27-21. Paul Brown had the 300th win of his illustrious coaching career.

Miami’s third-year quarterback, Bob Griese, threw for 327 yards and a TD, but also gave up two interceptions. Greg Cook completed 11 of 21 passes for 155 yards with the two touchdowns and had one picked off. Eric Crabtree, thanks to the two long scoring receptions, gained 113 yards on three catches. The Bengals also outran the Dolphins, 101 yards to 79, with FB Jess Phillips leading the way at 62 yards on 11 attempts.

It was a good beginning for Cincinnati, and Cook and the Bengals became the talk of the league as they improved to 3-0 with wins over the Chargers and Chiefs. However, the Kansas City game marked the beginning of the end for the rookie phenom. While rolling out on a pass play, Cook was hit hard and came down on his throwing shoulder. In the days before MRIs, it wasn’t recognized that Cook had severely damaged his rotator cuff (it was misdiagnosed as a shoulder separation).

Cook was rested for four weeks – all games that Cincinnati lost with backup Sam Wyche at quarterback – and returned to lead the Bengals to an upset of the Oakland Raiders by a score of 31-17. Cook threw two touchdown passes despite his damaged shoulder (and greatly impressed Oakland’s first-year head coach, John Madden). He threw four touchdown passes and accumulated 298 yards through the air the following week in a 31-31 tie with Houston. But the next week Cook was intercepted three times as the Bengals lost to the Patriots.

There were further injuries in addition to the rotator cuff, causing Cook’s performance to suffer in the remaining games. Cincinnati lost five straight to close out the season and ended up with a 4-9-1 record. The rookie threw for 291 yards and a TD in the finale at Denver, which was effectively the last game of his career. Cook appeared in a contest for the Bengals in 1973, in which he completed one of three passes, and that was it. Playing through the rotator cuff injury – and not having modern diagnostic and surgical techniques available to him – proved disastrous.

Nevertheless, Cook made an impression in 1969. He led the AFL in passing (88.3 rating), completion percentage (53.8), yards per attempt (9.4, still the record for a rookie quarterback), and yards per completion (an excellent 17.5); his 15 touchdown passes resulted in a TD percentage of 7.6, which ranked second. Perhaps tellingly, despite missing significant time to injury, he was ranked second in the league in times sacked (29, tied with Denver’s Steve Tensi).

Perhaps John Madden best summed up the impact of Cook’s performance in ’69: “That was the year that Daryle Lamonica had his best year and the year that Len Dawson led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. But Cook looked like the best quarterback in the league – better than Lamonica, better than Dawson, better than Namath, Hadl, or Griese. I thought that this kid was going to be better than anyone I had ever seen.”

As for Paul Brown, he remained coach until his retirement following the 1975 season and led the Bengals to the postseason three times (including 1970, in just the third year of the franchise’s existence). He accumulated another 51 wins beyond the 300th in the victory over Miami and ended up with 222 (counting the postseason) as a pro coach alone (AAFC, AFL, NFL).