1962 Profiles: Jim Patton and Dick Pesonen

JIM PATTON
Safety
No. 20
Mississippi
"For size and weight, there isn't anybody as rough and tough as Jim Patton, the Belzoni (Mississippi) ball hawk who seems much lighter than his listed 180 pounds. Again a unanimous All-NFL selection at safety, he intercepted eight forwards and returned them 163 yards. He's one of the few who can meet Jim Brown or Jim Taylor head-on and make the tackle, one-on-one.
Speed, determination and a study of opposing pass receivers make Jim the best at his position."

-Don Schiffer, 1962 Pro Football Handbook

"Jimmy Patton coaches on and off the field. He tutors the New York Giant secondary in practice then shows them how as a safety on Sundays."

-Murray Olderman, All-Pro 1962 Football

"Jimmy led the NFL with 11 receptions in 1958. He was drafted by the Giants in 1955."

-1962 Topps No. 112

"When Jimmy Patton (20) tried out for the Giants in 1955 as a 180-pound rookie out of Mississippi, sideline observers said: 'He'll never make it; he's too small.' Jimmy made his critics eat their words. Not only did he make it but he made it big from the start, and for the last five years has been the NFL's acknowledged top all-around safetyman.

Patton knows not only how to make all the plays but also why and when to make them, for which reason he has served as a playing coach for the last three seasons."

-1962 New York Giants Official Program (Yankee Stadium) 

DICK PESONEN
Safety
No. 25
Minnesota-Duluth
Acquired from Minnesota in exchange for veteran linebacker Cliff Livingston and a high draft choice, the Giants are looking to Pesonen to join forces with Jimmy Patton to give New York an impressive safety tandem.
After seeing action in all 12 games as a Packer rookie in 1960, Dick was a starting cornerback for the NFL's new Minnesota club in 1961, returning an interception 28 yards. He also returned six kicks for an average of 22.7 yards.

"The Giants acquired Dick Pesonen (25) from the Minnesota Vikings last spring in exchange for Dick Livingston. A 24-year-old graduate of the University of Minnesota's Duluth branch, he was signed by the Packers as a free agent in 1960. He went to Minnesota in the player stocking made available to the new NFL entry in 1961.

Serviceable at all defensive backfield positions, Dick provides valuable protection in the secondary."

-1962 New York Giants Official Program (Yankee Stadium)