1964 Profile: Allan Webb

Safety
No. 21
Arnold
"Johnny Unitas isn't the only pro football player with a sandlot-to-big league story to tell his grandchildren. Webb was plucked off the semi-pro ranks of Connecticut on the advice of Andy Robustelli. Inked as a free agent in 1961, Allan wasn't placed on the active list until a series of injuries hit the club's secondary ranks. During 1962, Allan won himself a regular spot at right safety and remained there until beaten out by Dick Pesonen last season. But he's out to win back his job in '64.
Webb's school, Arnold, is now defunct, but Allan won letters in track and baseball, as well as on the gridiron there."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Joe Walton

Tight End
No. 80
Pittsburgh
"Walton was bothered by knee trouble last season but underwent surgery during the off-season to correct it. Used at the tight end spot, he was on the receiving end of 26 passes, good for 371 yards and six touchdowns. Walton, a top-notch blocker, was obtained by the New Yorkers in July 1961 as part of a six-player trade with the Washington Redskins.
Joe was the 'Skins top draft pick in 1957, being used as a defensive end during his initial season. He was shifted to offensive end in '58 and has remained there ever since. Joe's best season with the Giants was '61 when he caught 36 passes for 544 yards.
His father was Frank (Tiger) Walton, one of Pitt's and the 'Skins best guards."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Mickey Walker

Linebacker-Center
No. 64
Michigan State
"When Mickey joined the Giants as a free agent in 1961, he was tried as a linebacker. Failing to make the squad at that position, Walker shifted to guard, filling in at that spot during his rookie campaign. But in 1962, Mickey was switched to the post he originally failed at - linebacker. That's where he's been used ever since, as well as at guard and center on the offensive unit. An aggressive rock 'em-sock 'em type of player, Mickey is one of the most popular Giants.
Mickey (real name George) was a fine guard and linebacker at Michigan State but was overlooked in the draft. A participant in the 1960 Blue-Gray Game, he hopes to become a coach after his playing days are over."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Jack Stroud

Offensive Tackle
No. 66
Tennessee
"Hampered by a trick knee for many years, Stroud underwent an operation over the winter for the removal of knee cartilage in the hopes that his outstanding grid career can continue on its usual high level. Known as one of the best running guards in the game since donning a Giant uniform in 1953, the burly Stroud was switched to tackle in 1962 when the need arose. Jack, of course, did his usual workmanlike job.
Stroud gained All-America honors at Tennessee in 1951, being chosen fourth in the draft by the Giants. Due to two years of service as an army officer, Jack wasn't able to report until '53. He suffered knee injuries in 1957 and '58, but made comebacks then. So don't count him out yet."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Tom Scott

Linebacker
No. 82
Virginia
"Victim of a broken arm during the championship playoff game against the Chicago Bears, Tom Scott is back, good as new, at his familiar right linebacking post for this campaign. The veteran has been with the club since 1959, coming from the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade for end Ken MacAfee and guard Gerry Huth.
Scott was originally drafted fifth by the Los Angeles Rams for 1953, but was secured by the Eagles in September of '53 before getting into a league contest for LA. A defensive end with Philadelphia's famed 'Suicide Seven,' Scott has become one of the better linebackers in the senior pro loop."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Dick Pesonen

Safety
No. 25
Minnesota-Duluth
"Off his fine performance of last season, Pesonen ranks as the Giants' regular left safetyman. His dogged covering and spirited play enabled him to finally win the post after being used spottily since his arrival from the Minnesota Vikings. Dick was obtained from the Giants in 1962 in exchange for veteran linebacker Cliff Livingston and a high draft pick.
Pesonen began his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers in 1960, being signed as a free agent after starring at the U. of Minnesota's Duluth branch. The Vikings obtained him in the player pool contributed by the other teams to help stock the fledgling outfit.
Though a New York resident now, Dick still loves to hunt and fish."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Jim Patton

Safety
No. 20
Mississippi
"An All-Pro selection at the safetyman spot six times, Patton also doubles as assistant defensive coach under Andy Robustelli. Jimmy's principal assignment is to work with the halfbacks and safetymen on pass defense.
Patton brought down six enemy passes last season. The still-fleet veteran led the league in 1958 with 11 interceptions and tied for second in 1961 with eight. The Giants' right safety was the Giants' eighth pick in 1955. During his rookie campaign, Jimmy hit paydirt by scoring six-pointers on a 98-yard kickoff return and a 70-yard punt return in the same contest. Patton also starred in track and baseball while at Ole Miss."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Hugh McElhenny

Halfback
No. 39
Washington
"The Giants obtained McElhenny on July 17, 1963 strictly as a gamble. The doubters couldn't understand why New York would give up a 1964 draft choice, a 1965 draft choice plus another to Minnesota in exchange for an oldtimer who was troubled by bad wheels. But Hugh fooled'em, coming through with as fine a season as could be expected in '63. He was the Giants' fourth best rusher with 175 yards picked up in 55 tries; he snared 11 passes, including two TD tosses for 91 yards; was New York's second best punt returner with 74 yards on 13 runbacks; and ranked third in running back kickoffs with six, good for 136 yards, including a 51-yard journey. Not bad for an old man, eh?
In his long and illustrious career with the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings and Giants which began in 1952, McElhenny has gained 5,233 yards rushing and more than 10,000 yards from rushing, pass receptions and kick returns. He is truly one of pro football's all-time greats."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: John LoVetere

Defensive Tackle
No. 76
Compton Junior
"The gigantic LoVetere was acquired by the Giants from the Los Angeles Rams prior to the 1963 campaign in a straight swap for defensive tackle Rosey Grier. Many thought the Giants had weakened themselves on the pass rush, but they didn't know how much pressure the big guy could exert. He showed'em.
John didn't play varsity ball at Compton but was spotted by a Ram scout while playing Army ball for Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Signed as a free agent in 1959, LoVetere quickly came to the fore as the club's Rookie of the Year. During the 1959 campaign, John blocked five punts, which speaks for itself.
He's exceptionally agile and fast for a man his size."

Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

"John came to New York from the Rams before the 1963 training season. Los Angeles' top defensive lineman for four seasons, he personally blocked five rival kicks."

-1964 Philadelphia No. 120

1964 Profile: Lou Kirouac

Offensive Tackle-Place Kicker
No. 71
Boston College
"Besides being the backup man for Rosey Brown at offensive left tackle, Lou Kirouac also figures as the stand-in for Don Chandler in placekicking and kickoff duties. Lou, signed as a free agent for the '62 campaign, won a place on the Giant squad last season after suffering a broken leg in the first exhibition game in '62 which kept him inactive all year. Kirouac was originally carried as an end but impressed one and all with his ability at tackle when he switched there in '63.
Lou, who was also a javelin specialist at B.C., was an All-New England performer at end during 1961, his senior college season."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Charlie Killett

Kick Returner-Halfback
No. 37
Memphis State
"Another speedster in the Giants' backfield is Charlie Killett, who showed definite promise as a rookie in 1963. Though not used very often as a runner (he carried 11 times for 36 yards), Killett's principal duty was running back kickoffs, a category in which he finished 14th in the NFL. He returned 14 times for 332 yards, an average of 23.7 per runback. His longest jaunt was for 54 yards.
Charlie was selected in the 16th round of the 1962 draft as a 'future' but decided to turn pro in '63. The hard-running halfback will get a good shot at the running slot."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Lane Howell

Offensive Tackle-Defensive Tackle
No. 78
Grambling
"Slated for heavy duty at the all-important right tackle spot is second-year man Howell. Lane can play both offense and defense, thus enabling Sherman to maneuver a bit more easily if he so desires.
Lane, the Giants' 15th draft selection, was a star center as well as linebacker at Grambling, gaining All-Conference honors for two straight seasons. It's quite possible that Howell will contribute as much to the Giants' future fortunes as his running mate and boyhood idol, Rosey Brown.
Lane, Grambling's captain for two seasons, wants to eventually become a high school teacher and coach."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Louis Guy

Cornerback-Flanker
No. 23
Mississippi
"Fleet as they come is Guy, who is one versatile guy. He plays flanker back on offense, cornerback on defense and runs back kickoffs as well. Used mainly as a reserve last season, Guy's main duty was with the kickoff return unit. He lugged back three, good for 44 yards, an average of 14.7 yards per return. His longest runback was for 25 yards.
A third round choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1962, Guy came to the Giants in exchange for halfback Paul Dudley. At Ole Miss, Louis was Glynn Griffing's favorite passing target, in addition to being a star sprinter on the track team."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Al Gursky

Linebacker
No. 33
Penn State
"Rated the No. 1 reserve in the Giants' linebacking department, sturdy Al was first tried as a defensive halfback when he reported to the club as a rookie in '63; but he was switched to the backer-up corps and learned fast. During the championship playoff game, Coach Sherman had no qualms about inserting Gursky in place of veteran Tom Scott after the latter had suffered a broken arm.
Another 'future' choice of the Giants, Al was selected on the 12th round of the '61 draft. Gursky was an all-arounder at Penn State, being one of the Nittany Lions' better runners and pass receivers as well as starring in a defensive back role. He once ran 77 yards for a TD after intercepting a pass against Navy. Al was also a member of the baseball team."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Glynn Griffing

Quarterback
No. 15
Mississippi
"Coach Sherman feels sophomore Griffing will be the Giants' quarterback of the future. Exactly when, of course, with Y.A. Tittle still going strong, nobody can rightly foresee. But during his rookie campaign of 1963, Griffing showed fine poise and talent during the few opportunities he received to play. He hit on 40% of his heaves (16 for 40) for a total of 306 yards. His longest completion was good for 64 yards. Glynn even managed to toss three touchdown passes. His mark of 7.65 average-yards-gained per throw ranked with the NFL's best.
Glynn was picked fourth by the club as a 'future' in the 1961 draft while still a junior at Ole Miss."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profiles: Eddie Dove and Andy Nelson

EDDIE DOVE
Safety-Punt Returner
No. 46
Colorado
"Though he's been in the National Football League since 1959, this is only Eddie's second campaign as a member of the Giants. He was acquired from the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted him third in 1959, in the deal for quarterback Ralph Guglielmi, who never reported to the Coast club.
Dove proved his worth in 1963 by serving as a defensive safetyman. He intercepted twice, besides being the NFL's third-best punt returner with an average of 11.6 for 17 runbacks, lugging one back 83 yards. Eddie also averaged 18.7 on three kickoff returns.
Dove must one of the cleanest players in the loop, originally hailing from the town of Hygiene, Colorado."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants


ANDY NELSON
Safety
No. 26
Memphis State
"Another of the tight little band of Colt interceptors, snaring six and taking one for a touchdown. In 1958 he was No. 2 in the NFL in this department, picking off eight. Now in his fourth Colt season, Nelson is one of the most jarring of tacklers and covers vast amounts of territory.
Born in Athens, Alabama, he was an artful passer and breakaway runner at Memphis State."

-1960 Pro Football Handbook

"In his five years with the Colts, Andy has intercepted 25 passes. He was a quarterback in college."

-1962 Topps No. 10

"Steady as they come, season after season, is Andy Nelson, a safetyman who does his duties so casually that's he's unnoticed by so many who demand the spectacular from their defensive backs.
Born in Athens, Georgia, he reported to the Colts in 1957 and took a starting job immediately and has seldom missed action due to injury. Nelson picked off three interceptions in 1963 and has a career total of 32. An All-Pro in 1959 he's never been regarded lower than second-team all-league status and there are many who say he belongs annually because of his ability to prevent the long bomb from exploding beyond him."

Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"The dean of the defensive backs of the Colts, Andy Nelson is considered the anchorman of the secondary. He intercepted three passes for 37 yards last season.
He joined the Colts in 1957 from Memphis State, where he was a quarterback. An All-NFL selection in 1959, he's a steady, solid competitor whose great speed has enabled him to catch some of the swiftest opponents from behind. Andy has a career total of 30 interceptions. Despite his 180 pounds, he's been able to avoid serious injuries."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

1964 Profile: Darrell Dess

Guard
No. 62
North Carolina State
"One of the unsung heroes of the Giants' offensive line, Dess ranks among the top guards in the league and should be even better this coming campaign than he has been in the past.
Darrell was first chosen by the Washington Redskins as their 11th pick for 1958. He was dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers, however, at the start of that campaign. Dess came to the Giants in 1959 in a trade for back C.R. Roberts in another sharp swap by the Giants' brass.
Darrell, who also won a letter in wrestling in college in addition to football, is a substitute teacher during the off-season and hopes to make teaching his full-time occupation when his grid days are behind him."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

"The Steelers got Darrell from Washington at the start of the 1958 season. New York traded for him in 1959.
He plans on teaching when his pro days are over."

-1964 Philadelphia No. 116

1964 Profile: Bobby Crespino

End
No. 89
Mississippi
"Bob won three letters at Mississippi and also ran dashes in track. He's in his first year in pro ball. He was the Browns' first draft choice in 1960."

-1961 National City Bank (Cleveland), Set No. 6, Player No. 4

"A newcomer to the Giants this campaign is big Bobby, ranked as an excellent pass catcher despite having been on the receiving end only six times for 97 yards and two touchdowns in three years with the Cleveland Browns. Crespino came to New York in an even exchange for veteran defensive tackle Dick (Little Mo) Modzelewski.
Bobby, the Browns' top draft selection for 1961, was used primarily on Cleveland's kicking unit. The former Ole Miss halfback set a Senior Bowl pass catching mark with nine receptions. An injury suffered in the College All-Star Game hampered him much of the '61 campaign.
Bobby will also get a long look as a flanker back."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Johnny Counts

Kick Returner-Halfback
No. 48
Illinois
"Possessed with tremendous speed, Johnny is at his best on kickoff returns. He finished second in that department in the National Football League during his rookie season of 1962, returning 26 for 784 yards, an average of 30.2 per runback.
It was planned to give Counts a whirl at the flanker back spot last season, but a call by the U.S. service came first. However, Johnny returned late in the campaign, being used in his specialty. He ran back five enemy kickoffs for 107 yards, averaging 21.4, with his longest jaunt good for 31 yards.
He was originally signed as a free agent out of the Connecticut semi-pro ranks after a short stay in Canadian football."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Ken Byers

Guard
No. 60
Cincinnati
"Byers did a good job filling in at guard and defensive end last season when the need arose. He's also counted on to see duty at the offensive tackle slot.
The sturdy resident of Little Neck, New York was drafted seventh by the Giants for 1962 after impressing observers with his fine collegiate play for the Bearcats, whom he co-captained in 1961. During his rookie campaign of '62, Ken played behind Andy Robustelli at defensive end besides performing on the kickoff and punting teams.
Ken, who majored in English at Cincinnati, intends to be a lawyer one day."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Bookie Bolin

Guard
No. 63
Mississippi
"Regarded as one the top young linemen in pro football, Bolin, whose real first name is Treva, is being counted a regular bulwark for many seasons to come off his fine 1963 performance.
Drafted in the fifth round as a 'red shirt' in 1962, Bolin joined the club that season when he was ruled ineligible for any further collegiate play by the NCAA. In his rookie semester, Bookie was a part-time guard and served on the kickoff and punt return teams.
A member of Ole Miss' 1961 Sugar Bowl and 1962 Cotton Bowl squads, Bolin is aiming for coaching berth when his playing days are over."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Erich Barnes

Cornerback
No. 49
Purdue
"One of the outstanding pass defenders in the National Football League, Barnes has intercepted 16 enemy tosses since joining the Giants in 1961. He grabbed seven in 1961, returning one 102 yards against Dallas in the Cotton Bowl, six in 1962 and three in 1963.
Erich was originally the fourth draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1958, coming to New York prior to the '61 campaign as part of the three-cornered transaction that saw L.A. Rams' quarterback Bill Wade come to the Chicago Bears and Lindon Crow, the Giants' fine defensive back, join the Rams.
One of his biggest moments was the day in 1961 when Coach Al Sherman inserted him for one offensive play on which he caught a 62-yard TD pass from Y.A. Tittle against the Philadelphia Eagles."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profiles: Joe Don Looney and Bob Anderson

JOE DON LOONEY
Fullback
1st Round
Oklahoma
"The Giants' quest for a big, fast and aggressive running back may have ended with the acquisition of Joe Don Looney, the team's No. 1 draft choice.
The six-three, 230-pounder from Fort Worth, Texas spent two years at Cameron Junior College in Lawton, Oklahoma before appearing on the Sooners' campus where coach Bud Wilkinson took one look at him in practice and installed him as the starting fullback a week later. During the 1962 season, Looney ran the ball 137 times and led the nation in punting with a sparkling 43.4 average.
Joe Don ran into disciplinary problems as a senior in 1963 and left school in mid-season. But he had shown enough the year before to warrant his selection as a No. 1 draft pick.
Looney comes by his football talents naturally. His dad, Don Looney, was Davey O'Brien's favorite pass receiver in the 'aerial circus' days of Texas Christian University in 1937-38. Looney Sr. more recently was an official in the NFL, a job he will have to eschew if Joe Don makes the grade with the Giants this year.
Off his potential, he can't miss."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964


BOB ANDERSON
Halfback
No. 41
Army
"Back on the active list this season after spending most of 1963 campaign as a member of the Giants' taxi squad, Anderson hopes to make it as a running back, something the New Yorkers have been looking for with a fine tooth comb.
The Giants' ninth draft selection for 1960, Bob had been a fine halfback at West Point for three seasons, gaining All-American recognition. However, he decided against playing pro ball and served three years with the Army. Upon resigning his commission in June 1963, Anderson promptly inked a Giants' pact. On his lone rushing attempt of '63, Bob was thrown for a two-yard loss."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Bob Taylor

Defensive End
No. 65
Maryland State
"The move to make Andy Robustelli a full-time assistant coach was made with the happy knowledge that the replacement would be Bob Taylor, who was so savage in executing relief roles as a '63 rookie defensive end. Very willing and quite adaptable, the feeling persists that he'll fit snugly with the defensive patterns because he can absorb complicated play formations so rapidly.
Bob was born in Columbia, South Carolina."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"Another new face on the Giants' defensive front foursome will be Taylor, the board of strategy's pick to succeed Andy Robustelli at the vital end position. Taylor displayed speed and good tackling ability on the kicking and kick return units during his freshman season of 1963.
The Giants' 9th selection in the '63 draft, big Bob was spotted by Giant scouts as he displayed his defensive ability at Maryland State where he played mostly at tackle. Near the end of his senior year, he was transferred to end. An Army veteran, Taylor was captain of the college golf team as well as of the grid squad two years running."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Aaron Thomas

End
No. 88
Oregon State
"One of the many paradoxes around is Aaron Thomas, the Giant all-everything who has the speed of a split end together with the hard blocking that's so necessary of a tight end, a combination that's difficult to find.
Thomas came through with vital third-down receptions and averaged 21.3 yards with 22 catches for 469 yards.
Drafted by the 49ers, he came to New York in the '62 season."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"Versatile, aggressive and speedy are the words that best describe Thomas, one of the unsung Giant offensive stars. Thomas is equally adept at playing tight end, split end and flanker back. Aaron's main contribution to the club's annexing of the Eastern Division crown in '63 was the snaring of 22 passes for 469 yards and three TDs. He was also on the end of a 55-yard toss, though it wasn't a six-point play.
Thomas was originally picked fourth by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1961 draft. Prior to the '62 campaign, he was dealt to the Giants in a trade for halfback Bob Gaiters. Aaron didn't play too much in '62, but Sherman liked what he saw so made good use of Thomas in '63 with excellent results."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Roosevelt Brown

Offensive Tackle
No. 79
Morgan State
"People on the inside of pro football's more technical affairs say that Y.A. Tittle should give Rosey Brown a piece of his salary. The Charlottesville (Virginia) clubber is regarded as the most destructive of pass blockers in the Eastern Conference and one of the cleverest at warding off blitzing linebackers and defensive ends.
He was a No. 27 draft pick who at one time had notions of wrestling professionally after captaining his college mat squad. Despite a painful shoulder last year, he was everybody's pick as an All-NFL tackle."

Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"Year in and year out, Rosey has been one of the standout linemen in the National Football League. Extremely agile and fast for a man of his bulk, Brown is known for his downfield blocking ability. When the Giants are backed up to their own goal, Rosey is pressed into service as a reinforcement for the defensive line.
The huge veteran was drafted 27th by the Giants in 1953, thus going down in pro annals as one of the finest 'sleeper' picks ever made. An All-Star performer eight years in a row, Brown was the Associated Press' Lineman of the Year in 1956, when the Giants last captured a world championship."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

"One of the Giants' greatest linemen, Rosey, a 'sleeper' pick, was New York's 27th choice in 1953. Big, fast and agile, he has made the Pro Bowl eight times."

-1964 Philadelphia No. 114

1964 Profile: Jerry Hillebrand

Middle Linebacker
No. 87
Colorado
"Blueprinted as the new Giant middle linebacker, Jerry Hillebrand will be on a big spot in 1964 - he'll be trying to take over the job held by the traded Sam Huff. Last season Hillebrand developed spectacularly as an outside linebacker.
Born March 28, 1940, he was an All-America end at Colorado, prompting the Giants to make him their No. 1 draft choice in 1962. He spent his first year on the taxi squad before emerging as a regular in 1963. Only 24, he looms as a Giant hero for another decade."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"Jerry Hillebrand now knows the price to be paid before a job can be won as a pro. An All-American end at Colorado, he failed to make the roster as a '62 rookie and No. 1 draft pick but was carried as a member of the taxi squad.
Came '63 and he suddenly found an opening when linebacker Bill Winter was injured. Given an opportunity, Jerry was a revelation and his brisk form of tackling led his coach to remark that he 'hits beautifully.'
He admits to studying his playbook 'two-three hours every night.' "

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"Preparing to step into a mighty big pair of shoes - those worn by the ever-popular Sam Huff - as middle linebacker is Hillebrand. But the Giants' coaching staff feels that Jerry has the size, speed and ability to take over this key defensive spot. In his rookie campaign, Jerry showed his mettle at the left linebacking position, replacing the injured Bill Winter.
Hillebrand was the club's top pick in the 1962 draft following an outstanding grid career at Colorado, gaining All-America honors in 1961. He failed, however, to make the regular squad after trying out at both offensive and defensive end, and was carried on the Giants' taxi squad.
Hillebrand once booted a 54-yard field goal for Colorado."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Andy Stynchula

Defensive Tackle
No. 72
Penn State
"Rookie defensive ends usually need more than one year of spot duty before they're entrusted with starting assignments. This was not true with hard-rock Andy Stynchula, who moved into a regular berth at season's start, after coming to camp hailed as Penn State's 'finest all-around lineman.'
Born in Greenwald, Pa., Andy sells insurance between seasons."

-1961 Pro Football Handbook

"Andy Stynchula started football the right way. He played high school ball in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, site of the first pro game. The way he has improved, he threatens to make history himself. Big, strong and confident is this Greenwald (Pa.) native. In his fourth year as a Redskin, Stynchula is one of the NFL's unsung stars.
This defensive end played mostly tackle under Coach Rip Engle at Penn State."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1963

"Touted as a Giant star for years to come, Andy Stynchula is another ex-Redskin due to make it big in New York. Obtained in the Sam Huff deal, Stynchula went to training camp blueprinted to fill the hole at defensive tackle created by the trade of Dick Modzelewski to the Browns; but it was also possible that he might switch to defensive end.
Out of Penn State, he's now in his fifth NFL season. He was rated the top man of the Redskin defense.
Born January 17, 1939, he's a durable 6-3 and 250 pounds."

Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"A highly ranked performer in the NFL is Stynchula, obtained from the Washington Redskins along with back Dick James in the trade for Sam Huff. Coach Sherman always liked what he saw of Andy's rugged play whenever the Giants and 'Skins opposed each other. Stynchula was a defensive end with the Capitol City club but is counted on to fill the departed Dick Modzelewski's spot at defensive left tackle. Of course, if the need arises, Andy can always be used at his old position.
He was selected as the Skins' No. 3 pick in the 1960 draft and was immediately installed as a regular, starting 36 consecutive games until an injury prevented him from starting against New York in 1962."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Don Chandler

Kicker
No. 34
Florida
"The defending NFL scoring champion, kicker Don Chandler is perhaps the single most valuable Giant - next to Tittle. He totaled 106 points last year to lead the league for the first time; Chandler also set a new club record. He booted 18 field goals in 29 attempts, with 52 extra points in 56 attempts. His punting average was 44.9, fifth in the league.
Born September 5, 1934, he was an All-Southern Conference halfback at Florida where he led the nation's college punters in 1955. He was drafted No. 5 by the Giants.
Don works his Oklahoma ranch in the off-season."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"Tallying all the markers via his educated toe, Chandler led the National Football League in scoring last season with a total of 106 points. Don booted 52 extra points (in 56 tries) and 18 field goals in 29 attempts. Chandler thus beat out his nearest competitor, kicker Jim Martin of the Baltimore Colts, by two points.
No slouch in the punting department, either, Don finished fifth in that category with an average of 44.9 for his 59 kicks.
Drafted fifth by the New Yorkers for 1956, Chandler had been the nation's leading collegiate booter in 1955. The club's punter since his rookie season, Don didn't take over the regular placekicking duties until 1962 when he tallied 104 points."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profiles: Dick James and RC Owens

DICK JAMES
Halfback-Kick Returner
No. 47
Oregon
"Must be called the club's most versatile back. Defensively or offensively James does a stellar job. He was the 1959 Redskin leader in punt returns (95 yards), kickoff returns (503 yards) and pass interceptions (3). He even found time to gain 384 yards as a ball carrier.
James became a Skin in 1956 and in 1958 was voted most valuable on offense AND defense in a game against the Eagles. Born in Grants Pass, Oregon, he's an off-season physical education training instructor."

-1960 Pro Football Handbook

"Defensively or offensively, Dick James delivers 100 per cent every time he's given a job and is rated as the most versatile back in the NFL.
He spent 1960 on offense and was also active returning punts (7 for 46 yards) and kickoffs (19 for 458). He carried 73 times, gaining 199 yards, and added 243 yards as a pass receiver.
Dick was born in Grants Pass, Oregon."

-1961 Pro Football Handbook

"Look for Dick James to move over to the defensive platoon in 1962. The handyman from Grants Pass, Oregon is being tabbed for duty at defensive back now that Bill Barnes and Bobby Mitchell can carry some of the offensive burden.
James has been among the most versatile of all pros, dividing his time between offense and defense. In 1961 he led the club in rushing (374 yards) and picked up an additional 298 as a pass receiver. He's dynamic as a tackler and aggressive as a runner. James ended '61 as No. 2 among kickoff returners, coming back 617 yards on 21 tries."

-Don Schiffer, 1962 Pro Football Handbook

"Dick's big moment in 1961 was scoring a dramatic 39-yard touchdown on the ground."

-1962 Topps No. 165

"In 1962, Dick James gained 373 yards and five touchdowns catching passes, 889 yards on kickoff returns (fourth best in the NFL), 145 yards on punt returns (fifth best in the league) and 13 yards rushing. How's that for a sawed-off 175-pound halfback?
On the go all the time, rivals marvel at the way he takes punishment and bounces back. He is also a fine scrambler as a defensive halfback.
James was born in Grants Pass, Oregon and is a University of Oregon product. In his eighth year as a pro, he returned a kickoff 83 yards on his first pro play."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1963

"The best kick-return runner the Giants have had in a decade, Dick James looms as a key man in the Giant battle plan. Obtained from the Redskins in the deal for Sam Huff, James is one of the smallest NFL players at 5-9 and 175. But he's also one of the toughest.
Last season he led the Redskins in rushing with 384 yards. He returned kickoffs 840 yards and punts 225 yards. Dick is also a tricky pass catcher, grabbing 12 for 262 yards.
Popular in Washington, he figures to be even more popular in New York."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"With the acquisition of Dick James, the Giants now have the league's two most versatile (Joe Morrison's the other). Dick is a speed demon who can return punts (No. 1) and kickoffs (No. 7) as well catch passes as a split end, serve as a running back and fill in as a corner man or safety on defense.
Born in Grant's Pass, Oregon, Dick credits tumbling exercises for building his strength and coordinating his balance; he advocates trampoline training as an excellent conditioner."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"In little James, the Giants possess one of the finest all-around backs in current National Football League annals. While he's not that big power back, James can do many things on offense as well as play defense, as he demonstrated during his eight seasons with the Washington Redskins before coming to the Giants this spring, along with Andy Stynchula, in the Sam Huff deal. James was the Redskins' top ground-gainer in '63 with 384 yards, an average of 3.7 yards per carry. He also paced the NFL in punt returns, averaging 13.4 yards for 16 runbacks. Dick was no slouch on kickoff returns, either, ranking seventh with a 27.7 average for 30 returns. Besides gathering in 15 passes for 302 yards, one for 77 yards, the little big man additionally intercepted twice.
This gritty fellow, who seldom gets hurt, should become a big favorite with Giant fans."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants


RC OWENS
Halfback
No. 27
College of Idaho
His amazing ability to leap makes him a feared pass receiver. Owens gets between defenders and suddenly shoots high to nail a pass. He can operate as an end and as a halfback and is a good downfield blocker who gives his best on every play.
Owens begins his third season and has the ability to get tabbed for All-Pro honors."

-Pro Football Handbook 1959

"The man in the most pass-catching photographs during the season always seems to be R.C. Owens, whose 'Alley-Oop' type of catches- up and up- are the most colorful in the game. R.C. caught 37 last year, gaining 532 yards, and always seemed to pop up with the grab needed to keep the offensive momentum.
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, R.C. matured in Santa Monica, California."

-1961 Pro Football Handbook

1964 Profile: Phil King

Halfback
No. 24
Vanderbilt
"Now considered the team's most dependable runner, Phil King starts his sixth season with unprecedented stature in the Giant attack. Last season he rushed for 613 yards in 161 carries for three touchdowns.
Born June 22, 1936, he was a college hero at Vanderbilt before the Giants made him their top draft choice in 1958.
In addition to his running ability, he's a capable pass catcher, grabbing 32 last season for 377 yards and five touchdowns. He's also a good pass blocker.
Phil is a trucking salesman in Nashville."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"Each training year becomes a crisis for Phil King, the worrying warrior from Nashville, Tennessee, who honestly believes he's constantly in danger of getting cut from the squad. Friendly and intense, each game is life's most important assignment but he keeps checking in with a job that's never fallen below his recognized potential.
He was the No. 1 draft selection for '58 but it wasn't until the last campaign that he became a genuine leader, topping the team in rushing (613 yards in 161 carries). A fine faker at getting clear to grab the safety-valve pass, he took 32 aerials for 377 yards."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"Tough and hard-running as they come, King was the Giants' leading ground-gainer last season. He picked up 613 yards in 161 attempts, an average of 3.8 yards per advance. Phil's longest trip was 50 yards; he tallied three times. The former Vanderbilt star was also New York's third busiest pass catcher behind Del Shofner and Frank Gifford, snaring 32 aerials for 377 yards and five more touchdowns.
King is adept at both the fullback and halfback slots and Sherman makes use of him at both positions depending on the situation at hand.
Phil was the club's first choice in the 1958 draft after setting an all-time rushing mark at Vanderbilt, where he also was a star track and field athlete."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Alex Webster

Fullback
No. 29
North Carolina State
"Another old pro among the Giants, Alex Webster looms as a question mark this year, his 12th counting two in Canada. Bothered by a back ailment during the closing games of last season, he gained a season total of only 255 yards on 75 carries for four touchdowns.
At North Carolina State, he was All-Southern Conference but the Redskins cut him and he played with Montreal in the Canadian Football League before joining the Giants in 1955.
Born April 19, 11931, he's a solid pass blocker."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"Sidelined most of the 1963 campaign by a back injury, Webster is rated a question mark for 1964. But if spirit and desire are the answer, then you can be sure Alex will be back at his old fullback spot. Despite being hampered, Alex nevertheless was able to gain 255 yards in 75 carries last year, an average of 3.4, and tally four touchdowns. He also caught 15 passes for 128 yards.
During a long and brilliant Giant career, Alex has gained a grand total of 4,695 yards (the all-time Giant mark), scoring 53 touchdowns altogether.
Drafted 12th by Washington in 1953, Alex was cut and played with Montreal of the Canadian Football League in '53 and '54, joining New York in '55. He was a halfback until switching to full in 1961. His best campaign occurred in '61 when he gained 928 yards on 196 tries, an average of 4.7 per carry."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Joe Morrison

Running Back - Defensive Back
No. 40
Cincinnati
"Regarded as perhaps the most versatile offensive player in the NFL, Joe Morrison can be used at fullback, halfback, flanker, tight end and split end; also at defensive back, if necessary. Last season, with Webster hurt, he played fullback and pounded out 568 yards on 119 carries for three touchdowns. Joe is one of the unsung but not unappreciated Giants.
Born August 21, 1937, he was a quarterback at the University of Cincinnati before the Giants drafted him No. 3 in 1959.
Joe is a steel company representative in the off-season."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964


"It happens every fall. There's Joe Morrison, waiting on the fringe and wondering where he's going to earn his salary for the season. Suddenly there's an injury and Joe has a job to do, be it (1)running halfback, (2)fullback, (3)split end, (4)flanker, (5)cornerback or (6)safetyman. In this age of specialization, Morrison remains the stubborn holdout, the old-time type who comes to 'play a little football.'
Born in Lima, Ohio, he even played quarterback in college where he also was used - you guessed it - at the other backfield posts. Joe gained 568 yards in 119 carrying efforts in '63 and moved another 284 yards with 31 receptions."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"Coach Sherman would very much like to use Morrison as his flanker back, but he'll probably end up using Joe as his utilityman at both running halfback and at fullback as per usual. Joe is truly the Giants' handy-andy of the backfield; and he can turn in a top-notch job at split end, too, if called upon.
In the course of his numerous duties in 1963, Joe gained 568 yards on the ground in 119 attempts, averaging 4.8 per carry. His top feat was a 70-yard touchdown jaunt. The pass catching statistics show Joe caught 31 heaves for 284 yards and seven touchdowns.
Joe was drafted third by the club in 1959 and quickly became one of the most useful players ever to wear Giants' livery, excelling in rushing, receiving and kick returns."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Greg Larson

Center
No. 53
Minnesota
"Pass blocking and knocking down linebackers are the main weekly pursuits practiced by Greg Larson.
The coaching staff felt he was ready to replace Ray Wietecha at center and were happy to move him back to a position he'd been trained to play since high school. A No. 6 draft choice for '61, he was forced into a tackle spot on offense and then was moved over to guard for '62, proving his balanced abilities and versatility at executing the many different moves required from each position. When Wietecha left for a coaching job with the Rams, Larson merely moved back to his old station in '63."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"A 6'3", 250-pound graduate of Minnesota, Greg became the Giants' starting offensive center last season after old-pro Ray Wietecha retired to join the Rams' coaching staff. Occasionally criticized for faulty pass protection in previous years when was when he was positioned elsewhere in the interior offensive line, Larson blossomed, as so often happens, when he was given a job he could call his own. Coach Allie Sherman says flatly that, 'Greg developed into a top pro center in one season.' "

-Bill Wise, 1964 Official Pro Football Almanac

"When Ray Wietecha retired following the 1962 season, everyone thought the Giants would have themselves a problem at center. Everyone but Allie Sherman, that is. All he did was turn the post over to Greg Larson, who's done an ace-high job ever since and figures to keep on doing so for many moons to come.
Originally picked sixth by the Giants in '61 as a center, Greg was used at tackle in his rookie campaign, winning a starting nod. He moved to guard in '62 and played the post like he was born to it, before transferring to his present spot.
Larson was the center and linebacker for Minnesota's 1961 Rose Bowl club."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Y.A. Tittle

Quarterback
No. 14
LSU
"Soon to be 38, Y.A. Tittle will be playing the final season of his two-year contract and, possibly, his final NFL season.
Last season he set an NFL record with 36 touchdown passes while completing 221 of 367 for 3,145 yards - the first time he's ever led NFL passers. Y.A. was the unanimous All-NFL QB for the second straight season.
He's starting his 17th pro season, including two years with Baltimore of the old All-America Conference. Born October 24, 1926, he was All-America at LSU.
He operates an insurance firm in the off-season."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"Master of all is Y.A. Tittle, the amazing man from New York by way of Marshall, Texas, who set the record for touchdown passes (36) and led NFL tossers with 221 completions in 367 attempts for 3,145 yards and a 60 percent accuracy mark.
What makes him click? Uncanny throwing ability and innate sense on reading defenses. He's unlike any other quarterback in that there's no consistency to his play-calling tactics, and he makes his fakes and pitchouts with both hands on the ball. Y.A.'s throwing technique is unique: he keeps only his fingertips on the ball and no part of his palm comes in contact with it."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"The Bald Eagle was never more gallant. With a hostile sell-out crowd at Wrigley Field howling for blood, aging quarterback Y.A. Tittle continued to play despite his injured, pain-wracked leg; desperately trying to toss just one more touchdown pass that would give the New York Giants a victory and the NFL championship. But the Chicago Bears' rock-hard defense couldn't be stopped. Harried, rushed, dumped all afternoon, Tittle suffered a severe knee injury after being hit by linebacker Larry Morris. In the end, the Bears triumphed, 14-10, and some writers, disregarding Tittle's courageous performance, hinted Y.A. couldn't win the big ones. Bristled Giant coach Allie Sherman: 'He was great on one leg. He's the only man around who could have played the second half with a leg like that. He's won more big games than any other quarterback.'
The evidence would seem to support Sherman's statement. Early in the 1963 season the Giants were clobbered by the Steelers, 31-0, when Tittle was sidelined with an injury. Then, with the Eastern Conference championship hanging in the balance, Tittle guided New York to a 33-17 victory over the Steelers in the last game of the regular season, completing 17 of 26 passes. In October he completed 21 of 31 tosses as the Giants stopped the Cleveland Browns, 33-6, in another key game.
The six-foot, 195-pound quarterback led the league with 221 completions in 367 attempts. His 36 touchdown heaves set a new record, breaking the old mark of 33, held by a guy named Y.A. Tittle.
Now 37, Tittle played his college football at LSU. He joined the Giants in 1961 and has quarterbacked them to three straight Eastern Conference crowns. Says Tittle: 'This winning is quite a tonic. Why it might keep me going until I'm 50.' "

-Bill Wise, 1964 Official Pro Football Almanac

"Still going strong at his advanced age, Y.A. seemingly is going to go on forever tossing those touchdown bombs of his. The twisted knee he suffered during the championship game with the Bears is in tip-top shape once again, so young Mr. Tittle is out to break some more records as he did in '63.
Besides connecting for 36 TD tosses, an all-time NFL mark, Y.A. paced all National Football League quarterbacks in three of the four categories used in the passing rankings. He thus captured his first individual title since he turned pro with the All-America Conference Baltimore Colts in 1948.
Since joining the Giants in 1961, Tittle has been named to the All-NFL teams selected by the UPI, NEA and N.Y. News in each of his three campaigns with the club."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

THE TORMENT OF Y.A. TITTLE
"The blue parka was pulled up around Y.A. Tittle's bald head but it couldn't hide his tears.
The old quarterback was weeping on the Giant bench in the final few seconds of the National Football League's 1963 Championship Game. Photographers knelt near him and angled their cameras at his face. But then one of the Giant staff stepped in front of Y.A. Tittle. The photographers glared at the man and backed away. The photographers were doing their job when they were shooting pictures of Y.A. Tittle crying. But the Giant man was doing his job, too. He knew Y.A. Tittle needed privacy at that moment.
The NFL Championship represents a crusade for Y.A. Tittle. His inability to capture that championship has tormented him for years and, unless he captures it this season, it may torment him for the rest of his life.
On that day in December when he was crying on the bench, the Giants lost to the Bears, 14-10, and he had lost another opportunity, perhaps his last, to play on a championship team. This season he will be 38. He doesn't have much more time. He might retire after this season. 'I don't know what I'm going to do next year,' he says. 'I'll figure that out when this season is over and I see how I feel.'
How he feels will depend on how the Giants make out. Because there is nothing in football as important to Y.A. Tittle as being the quarterback of the NFL's championship team.
'I'm supposed to know all the answers,' he says of his reputation as pro football's finest quarterback, 'except the answer to the biggest game of them all'- the Championship Game. Y.A. Tittle has been trying to win the Championship Game the past three years. Losing to the Bears was 'the greatest disappointment of my life in football. Going into the game I was firmly convinced we were going to win.'
Looking to this season, Tittle calls the NFL championship 'my personal, driving ambition.' But he proved last December what it meant to him when he tried to win the championship on one leg.
In the second quarter, he hobbled off the field with torn ligaments in his left knee. But at the start of the second half, his knee shot with cortisone and novocaine, he hobbled back. He never should have been playing. If he hadn't been playing for the championship, he would have NOT have been playing. Chances are, he would have missed two or three more games. But in that Championship Game, Y.A. Tittle wasn't chickening out. Unsteady on a frozen field, his knee wouldn't permit him to set properly before throwing. Two interceptions wrecked him. But Y.A. Tittle didn't alibi. It's his nature to share the credit. It's also his nature to take the rap by himself.
'There was no doubt in my mind we were going to win, at least before the game,' he says, 'but then to play poorly, like I did, I felt I had personally let down millions of people because I have to go back to myself and say that two key interceptions on screen passes led to the two touchdowns the Bears scored.''
Things seem to happen to Y.A. Tittle in the Championship Game. Last year it was the knee. The year before, against the Green Bay Packers in New York, it was the weather- whirling winds which made it impossible to pinpoint his passes. The Giants lost, 16-7. In 1961, in Green Bay, the Packer offense didn't give him a chance. The Giants lost, 37-0. As a result, some skeptics have come to believe that Y.A. Tittle 'can't win the big one' but Tittle's record refutes this. His record, that is, in other 'big' games, which have put the Giants into the Championship Game.'
'He's won I don't know how many big games for us the past three years,' says Giant coach Al Sherman. 'Anytime I'm going into a big game I want Y.A. Tittle for my quarterback.'
Tittle won a 'big game' against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final regular season game last year. Win it and the Giants would be the Eastern Division champions. Lose it and the Steelers would be the champs. Tittle, completing 17 of 26 passes for 278 yards, won that 'big game' but when it was over Sherman wasn't talking about Tittle's passing. Instead, the coach was saying, 'Y.A. made some tremendous calls out there. We wanted to control the ball and we did. Y.A. kept them off balance with their calls.'
Y.A. Tittle does everything a quarterback should. And he does it well. So well that he makes it look easy.
'It's a matter of feeling,' he says. 'You have to be in this league a long, long time before you get the feeling.' He is now in his 15th NFL season, his 17th pro season (counting two with the Baltimore Colts of the old All-America Conference). 'You have to remember things and at last, you get a feel of what it's all about. If you learn it by studying movies, a good smart college quarterback could learn all you've got to learn in three weeks and then come in and be as good as the old heads. But they can't. Because you look at seven or eight different teams each year and they have a different feel and a different look and you have to learn to look at them and know that this team does this and another does that. It takes time to learn all this.'
Tittle learned it quicker than most. But the old Baltimore Colts were a bad team. In 1951 he was dealt to the San Francisco 49ers. They were a good team, but never quite good enough. They never won the Western Division championship, for example- another argument for the irresponsible critics who claim Tittle can't win a 'big game.'
He won about seven 'big' games last season for the Giants. And after the Steelers had been beaten in the regular season finale, he said, 'this was my sweetest year. We had to come back from behind to win and we did. We were two games behind early in the season. Then we caught up. Then we dropped a game behind, then we tried again. It was up and down and now we finally won it. That's why it's been my sweetest year.'
Two weeks later, the year turned sour for Y.A. Tittle. But until the Championship Game, he had earned rave notices from opponents throughout the NFL.
One day in November, after Tittle had demolished the Philadelphia Eagles, Nick Skorich, then the Eagle coach, sat in his dressing room office and shook his head. 'Tittle picked us apart everywhere,' he said. 'He's the best in the game today and nobody- a Norm Van Brocklin, an Otto Graham, a Sammy Baugh, I don't care who- ever had a better season than he's having.' At the time Y.A. Tittle appeared on his way to winning the NFL Championship Game for the Giants. When he didn't, he spoke of Otto Graham.
'To me,' Y.A. Tittle says, 'Otto Graham is the most successful quarterback of all time because a quarterback is supposed to win. And Otto Graham was a winner with the Cleveland Browns.'
So far, Y.A. Title can't be remembered as a 'winner.' He knows it better than anybody. He knows, too, that the clock is running. Only an NFL championship will end his torment."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

WHAT THEY WHISPER ABOUT TITTLE
"Y.A. Tittle sat on the stool, head bowed, rubbing a pulled left knee, streaks of dirt showing on his wet face. This was the dressing room of the New York Giants at Wrigley Field last December, a few minutes after they had dropped their third straight championship game. 'I just couldn't run,' Tittle was telling a reporter. 'After my knee was hurt I couldn't get back there fast enough to get set and I had to hurry too much.'
In another corner of the room, disappointment twisting his boyish face, coach Allie Sherman faced a ring of reporters. He bit off his words. 'Anybody,' he said, 'who says Tittle can't win the big ones just doesn't know football. He's played and won more big ones in the last three years than anyone.'
Sherman had brought up the subject. Some of the sports writers had said, in so many words, that Tittle didn't the big ones. Yet the thought was implicit in this loser's dressing room, for it has followed Yelberton Abraham Tittle, Jr. for all his professional life.
You heard it in Baltimore in the late '40s when Tittle was throwing for the Colts. 'Belt Tittle early,' said opposing linemen, 'and you don't have to worry about him. He'll stay in the pocket and he won't roll out on you.' In 1948 Tittle led the Colts into a divisional playoff with Buffalo- and lost.
You heard it in San Francisco where Tittle quarterbacked the 49ers for almost a decade. 'He always finishes second,' they said. 'He's never taken a team all the way.' In 1957 he did bring the 49ers to another divisional playoff- against Detroit. The 49ers were leading 27-7 in the second half, and then, said Tittle later, 'we just fell apart.' The Lions won 31-27.
You heard it in New York when he quarterbacked the Giants in championship games two straight times and got beat. In neither game could he lead the offensive unit to a touchdown. His critics cited all the passing records he'd set- seven touchdown throws in one game- and sneered, 'Tittle is the greatest touchdown passer of all time- who never threw one in a title game.'
You heard it last season before Tittle's fifth playoff game. A Bear lineman said Tittle was a good passer, but then he added with a knowing wink: 'We blitz him pretty good- and he knows it.'
On the eve of the championship game, the Pittsburgh Steelers' huge lineman, Lou Michaels, made the charge specific: Tittle, he said, was a chokeup who couldn't win the big ones.
Tittle heard the talk. His first pro coach, Cecil Isbell, saw him at Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel before the game and later told a friend, 'This is the one he wants. I've never seen the boy so high.'
After the game Tittle didn't try to hide the disappointment still scalding him inside. 'The Bears are a good team,' he said, 'but I was firmly convinced that we were going to win that football game. There was no doubt in my mind.'
There was little doubt in many minds that the Giants would win. Possessing a mediocre passer in Billy Wade and with the running attack stripped of its big gears by injuries, the Bears seemed to own only a fine defense. It seemed certain that Tittle would score more touchdowns against that defense- say two or three- than the one-lunged Bear offense could score against the strong Giant defense.
The Giant defense was sturdy: the Bears' two touchdowns were set up by interceptions of Tittle passes, Wade having to march a grand total of only 34 yards for his 14 points. Tittle did score one touchdown early in the game on a 14-yard pitch to Frank Gifford, and in the second period he picked up a field goal on Don Chandler's 13-yard boot.
But Tittle's knee was hurt in the second quarter. He came back, limping, in the second half with the Giants ahead 10-7. Late in the third period, with the ball on his own 24, he threw a short flare pass to the right sideline. The Bears' big Ed O'Bradovich plucked it out of the air and ran to the 14. Five plays later the Bears' put-put-putting offense scored on a two-yard sneak by Wade.
Now behind 14-10, the Giants went to the air to try to win their first championship in five tries. Tittle would throw 29 passes in this game but complete only 11.
And five would be intercepted.
The last interception came with some seven minutes left. Del Shofner, Y.A.'s favorite target, went straight downfield on a fly pattern as Tittle's 37-yard-old arm cranked up and let fly the ball. It spiraled toward the end zone where two men converged on a collision course: Shofner and the Bears' Richie Petitbon. High into the air climbed Petitbon; he clutched the ball hard to his chest for the Bears' fifth interception of the day.
Back upfield Colonel Slick, as the pro call Tittle, whipped off his blue helmet and flung it to the ground. He limped off, the bald head shining in the cold sunlight, seeming to collapse on the Giant bench. In photographs later, you saw that he was crying.
It takes no great imagination to know how he felt. You only have to look back at the man. 'When Y.A. was seven years old,' says his older brother, Jack, 'we'd be playing marbles, tops or football, anything you want to name, and he'd keep on playing until he won or tied me.'
In 1961, when he pitched the Giants to a last-minute 34-31 victory that clinched the Eastern title, he rushed off the field at Yankee Stadium and into the Giant clubhouse. He grabbed a phone on a wall and put through a call to his wife, Minette, at their home in Atherton, California. 'Honey,' said Y.A. when he heard her voice, 'we won it.'
They both began to cry; neither could stop until the operator cut in and said 'three minutes' and then they both began to laugh.
'Y.A. always wants to win,' says his good friend from the 49ers, Hugh McElhenny. 'He wants to win in everything. Even in cribbage. You got to watch him while he's pegging up the points.'
'Y.A. is a fine fellow,' says another old friend for 49er days, Ed Henke, a defensive end last year with the Cardinals. 'But I wouldn't want to have him out to the house for dinner the night before a game. He's the kind of guy who'd steal your playbook to beat you.'
But does he try too hard to beat you in the big ones? Is Y.A.'s desire to win so strong that he 'chokes up'- not with fear but with emotion- in the big ones, jamming the clockwork precision of thought and action that a master quarterback must have?
You go back and look at some of the big ones that Tittle has played for the Giants. In 1961 he went up against the juggernaut Vince Lombardi had fashioned in Green Bay. The Giants were ground into fine bits, 37-0. After it was over, Tittle smiled and said, 'I've had my share of pats on the back. Now let them criticize me. I have it coming. It was just a miserable performance. The whole team was miserable. The Packers were great. We were beaten by a great team.'
No excuse, no search for a way out by a man who thought that his own weakness had let a team down. If Tittle felt that he had choked in playing this big one, his words did not reveal it.
Then there was the championship game against the Packers a year later, this time in an ice-studded Yankee Stadium- the temperature near zero, the wind a cutting scythe that swept erratically across the field. The Giants were losing 10-0 in the second period when Erich Barnes blocked a Packer punt and end Jim Collier fell on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
With the huge Stadium crowd roaring for Packer blood, the tide of the game seemed suddenly to have turned in favor of the Giants. The big Giant line held Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung on three running plays and the Packers had to punt. But Sam Horner fumbled the ball on his own 42. It was recovered by the Packers, who pounded to the 29, from where Jerry Kramer kicked a field goal to put Green Bay ahead 13-7. Kramer kicked another in the fourth period and the Packers won, 16-7.
Later Sherman called the fumble the key to victory. 'When they got that,' he said, 'they took the chance of a tie away from us. We no longer had the field goal working for us, if we could make one.'
The Giants, he was saying, had to go for the touchdown, and Tittle- who had thrown a record number during the season- could not throw one (although he did connect with 18 of 41 for 197 yards).
Fans came away from the Stadium mumbling through chapped lips that Tittle couldn't throw them in the big ones. Forgotten was Bart Starr's failure to complete a touchdown pass on the wind-swept field. But again Tittle took the criticism humbly. 'I never said I was the greatest or best quarterback,' he said.
This season, after his third straight championship loss with the Giants, Tittle knows he'll hear the whispering of his critics. 'It bothers me,' he said one day this summer at his home in Atherton, where he has an insurance business. 'But it doesn't bother me way down deep. I mean, you have to expect that sort of thing. It's like the pitcher in baseball. If the team wins, he gets most of the credit. If the team loses, the pitcher gets most of the blame. You read all sorts of things how great Y.A. Tittle is when we win; you'd think I was out there all by myself. But when we lose, you hear how terrible I am, and again they're forgetting I'm just one man on a field where everything's got to be working right if you're going to win.
'I remember some really great games I've played. But receivers dropped passes, blocks were missed, things like that- and we lost. I remember other games when I knew was off in my passing, but receivers made miracle catches, the defense played tremendously for us- and we won. I'd played better when we lost, but if you listened to what people said, I'd been great when we won, lousy when we lost.
'Still, what players, the press or the fans say about me, that's their business. I never let it bother me. As much as possible, I try to separate myself from that kind of talk. I'm not the kind who's ever going to get into a controversy with a reporter or another player about something that's said or written about me. I have loads of other things that are really worth worrying about.'
He laughed pleasantly, a man obviously at peace within himself, delighted by the great joys that have come his way these past few years, resigned to the few disappointments. Yelberton Abraham Tittle, Jr. is a professional in many ways apart from being a professional quarterback.
You leave Colonel Slick's home in Atherton, though, and you think about Allie Sherman's words last December: 'He's played and won more big games in the last three years than anyone ... '
Y.A. Tittle would never mention them to you, but there were three big ones last year ...
There was a Sunday at Yankee Stadium early in October. The Sunday before, the Browns had beaten the Giants, 35-24, inflicting the second defeat of this young season on the Eastern champions. Now the Giants were playing Tom Landry's Cowboys and with little Eddie LeBaron throwing darts, the Cowboys ran off the field leading at halftime, 21-17.
'What could have been a bigger game for us?' recalls Allie Sherman, remembering the Giant clubhouse at halftime. 'We'd already lost two games. I told them, if we lose this one, it's all over. The season's finished, right now.'
The Giants came out for the second half blitzing in on LeBaron, shutting him out for the rest of the afternoon. Tittle hit Shofner for one touchdown, threw his fourth of the afternoon to Phil King, and the Giants came off the winners, 37-21.
Then there was that Sunday afternoon a week later at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. Cleveland had run off a streak of six games without a loss, and now they were two games back of the second-place Giants in the Eastern race. Let the Browns win this one and they were three-quarters of the way home.
On the second play of the game, Sam Huff recovered a Jimmy Brown fumble. The Giants couldn't go over, but Chandler kicked a 29-yard field goal. A few minutes later Jimmy Patton intercepted a Frank Ryan pass and wiggled his way to the Cleveland 23.
Tittle brought the team out of the huddle and the 84,000 jammed inside the Stadium were up on their feet, roaring for the Browns to hold. Tittle bent over the center, the hawkish face appraising the defense. What he saw made him change the play and now he was hollering an audible and, as he says, 'hoping the boys could hear me over the noise.'
Shofner, for one, heard, and he ran a tight circle and suddenly there was the hole in the Browns' linebacking area that Tittle had seen. Shofner caught the pass and fled untouched into the end zone.
'I must have called thirty audibles in that game,' says Y.A. matter-of-factly, not for a moment even hinting what you know is true: that by changing so many plays at the line of scrimmage, he was subjecting himself to backbiting criticism if the plays backfired in this one. But they didn't backfire. The Giants won, 33-6, and the rest of the league, looking at the game films, suddenly no longer feared the Browns.
The third big game was the Giants' final of the Eastern Conference race. They'd won 10 games and Pittsburgh had won only seven, but because the Steelers had three ties that didn't count in the standings, Pittsburgh could win the title with a victory. 'Everything we've done so far,' Sherman told the Giants in the clubhouse, 'will go for nothing if we lose this one.'
The Steelers had beaten the Giants- whomped the Giants, really- earlier in the season by a 31-0 count. But Tittle, injured, had missed the game. In this game he was healthy, and the Giants- using exactly the same game plan they'd used earlier against the Steelers- won easily, 33-17. Tittle completed 17 of 26, and two of those completions scored the Giants' first two touchdowns. He had won another big one.
He didn't win the biggest one at Chicago. But after that game, when you heard the talk about how the Bears had Tittle's number, you remembered a Giant-Bear game in 1962 at Wrigley Field. Before that game there had been the same talk among the Bears: smack Tittle early in the game and you don't have to worry about him.
On the first play of the game, Tittle took off on a naked rollout to his left. The big bad Bears came in and smacked him down. Tittle got up and threw and ran the Giants to a 26-24 victory and afterwards, sweating in the clubhouse, he said, 'Dammit, we showed them.'
Yet the whispers will go on the Tittle can't win the big ones, that he can't beat the top teams, that you can get to him. Of course, the records do show that he has never been on a championship team. But neither Al Kaline in baseball, Wilt Chamberlain in basketball, or Jimmy Brown in pro football. No one says they don't win the big ones.
Ask Tittle about the whispers and he'll smile in that easy-going, relaxed way of his, and he'll tell you, 'All I can say is, we've won an awful lot of big ones.' And indeed he has.
But recently Tittle put his answer another way. Speaking to Don Smith, who wrote Y.A. Tittle, I Pass (Franklin Watts, $4.95), Tittle smiled and, perhaps thinking of the Steelers' Lou Michaels, said, 'I don't know but it seems to me that the guys who say I don't win the big ones, they're watching at home on TV when I'm playing in them."

-John Devaney, Pro Football Stars (1964 Edition)

Y.A. TITTLE
Key to the Attack
"Football has always been regarded as a young man's game. How can anyone not in the prime of physical life stand up to the rigors and standards required week in and week out over a full season in the National Football League?
You're absolutely right when say that not many could qualify. One of these is Yelberton Abraham Tittle, the New York Giants' beloved Bald Eagle, about whom very few adjectives haven't already been written.
There is no doubt that he's the Giants' key man. So much so that it should be printed in capital letters- KEY MAN. Let's face it, without him Allie Sherman's club doesn't run on all eight cylinders. With Y.A. at the controls and pitching'em like nobody else can, the Giants look like champs.
That fact was proved beyond doubt in the New Yorkers' second league contest of 1963 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tittle, who had started against the Baltimore Colts in the season's opener, had, unfortunately, suffered a leg injury while pacing the Giants to a come-from-behind triumph. Sherman, not wanting to risk further injury, kept Y.A. on the bench for the [first] Steeler encounter.
So what happened? The Smokey City club ripped the Giants apart, 31-0. It was the first time since 1953, over a 124-game stretch, that New York was shut out.
Figure it out yourself. In the Giants' 13 other 1963 games, they tallied 448 points, second highest of all time, with Tittle in there. Y.A. seemingly was better than ever, tossing touchdown passes around like so many bean bags.
The grizzled veteran finished the campaign as the NFL's top heaver for the first time in his 14-year pro career. He led in three of the four categories used in the official rankings. Y.A. tossed a record 36, count'em, touchdown passes; connected on 221 of 367 attempts for a loop-leading 60.2 completion percentage, and led with 8.57 yards gained per attempt. In the other category of passes intercepted, Tittle third with 3.8. Baltimore's Johnny Unitas led with 2.9 and Chicago's Bill Wade was second with 3.4
Naturally, Y.A. wants to improve on his wonderful performance of 1963 and lead the Giants to a World Championship in 1964. One of the biggest disappointments of his life was that playoff loss to the Bears.
Again, that contest showed Tittle's value. After being forced from the field with a badly twisted knee during the early moments of the second period, Y.A., though fortified by injections to kill the pain during the half-time intermission, was not able to perform up to his usual high standard during the second half on that frigid afternoon in Chicago. If he had been 100%, there is no telling what would have happened. But the fact remains the Bears won, 14-10.
The Giants have been subject to much criticism for permitting the team's style of play to fall so heavily on one man's shoulders. But then again, where would they be if they were not fortunate enough to have obtained Y.A. in one of the shrewdest transactions ever made in sporting annals?
Prior to the 1961 season, the New Yorkers needed somebody to share the quarterbacking duties with aging Charlie Conerly. They managed to talk the San Francisco 49ers into giving up Tittle, their longtime signal caller, in exchange for guard Lou Cordielone, who the 49ers have since traded to the Steelers.
Though hampered by a couple of early-season injuries, Y.A. proved an immediate success for the Men of Mara as he helped the Giants to the '61 Eastern Division title.
That season saw Y.A. finish sixth in loop passing with 163 completions in 285 attempts for 2,272 yards and 17 touchdown tosses.
Tittle really came into his own in 1962, being New York's number one quarterback right from the beginning of the campaign with Conerly retired.
All Y.A. did in again leading the Giants to an Eastern Division crown was to complete 200 of 375 attempts for 3,224 yards; connect for 33 touchdown tosses for a new NFL mark (which he topped in '63), and heaved touchdown passes against Washington at the Stadium to tie the loop single-game mark.

Practices Hard
One of the smartest quarterbacks at picking a defense apart, Y.A. is extremely adept at checkoffs at the line of scrimmage. His favorite passes are screens to his big, hard-running backs, and the long bombs to Del Shofner, Aaron Thomas and Frank Gifford.
His Giant teammates hold Y.A. in the highest regard. Very popular, he's looked upon and respected as their leader, the man whose brains and courage can lead them. He truly inspires confidence, an intangible ingredient which marks the difference between a winner and a loser in professional football.
Even with his long experience as a passer, you can still find Y.A. practicing hard all week trying to perfect various pass plays as well as handoffs and pitchouts with teammates. He really believes in the old saying 'Practice makes perfect,' and comes pretty darn near achieving it.
Tittle was born in Marshall, Texas on October 24, 1926. An older brother, Jack, went on to play guard at Tulane.
Y.A. attended Lousiana State where he came into national prominence as a passer out of the single wing and T formations. During his senior year in 1947, Y.A. was named the Bayou Bengals' Most Valuable Player after a campaign in which he completed 49 of 96 heaves for 789 yards. Perhaps his best single college performance occurred in his freshman season of 1944 when he completed 15 of 17 passes to beat Tulane, 25-6, in what was practically a one-man effort. That was the last campaign that coach Bernie Moore employed the single attack, switching the following year to the T-formation.
Y.A., who had been All-State three times at Marshall High in football, besides being a statewide selection in basketball twice and in baseball once, won four gridiron letters at LSU. He played in the Blue-Gray games of 1944 and 1945, was selected All-Southeastern Conference in 1946 and 1947 and captured the LSU-Baldwin Award for playing the most minutes in 1945, '46 and '47.
Not long after graduation from LSU, Y.A. married his high school sweetheart, Minnette De Loach. Tittle inked a contract with the Cleveland Browns, then a member of the All-American Conference. But before the regular season, the ACC, in an effort to bolster the playing talent of the circuit's weaker outfits, distributed some of the new wealth. Tittle therefore soon found himself wearing a Baltimore Colt uniform.
Despite an extremely untalented supporting cast, Y.A. made a name for himself as one of football's finest young passers as he set the ACC clubs on their proverbial heads in 1948 with his aerial magic.
Y.A. finished third to the Los Angeles Dons' Glenn Dobbs and Cleveland's Otto Graham in total offense with 2,679 yards. In passing, Tittle tied Dobbs for second by completing 161 of 289 attempts for 55.7% and 2,522 yards. Y.A. created a new pro mark by having only nine passes intercepted. He put together a record skein of 115 tosses and 68 completions without being intercepted. During his final seven contests, he had only one toss stolen.
During the campaign in which Tittle produced what was perhaps the finest rookie season in pro annals, he also heaved 80-yard passes to Lamar Davis and John North, as well as throwing to Billy Hillebrand for 78 and 74 yards.
Y.A. also completed 69 and 65-yarders to Hillebrand and a 60-yard toss to Davis. All seven king-size completions were good for six points.
Tittle moved up to second place in total offense statistics in 1949, despite the fact that he was playing for a helpless outfit that dropped 11 of its 12 encounters. Engaging in 318 plays, most of any ACC competitor, Tittle finished with a yardage total of 2,298 to Graham's 2,892. He was runner-up to Graham in passing with 149 of 289 for 2,209 yards and a percentage of 51.2.
Y.A. again proved himself the loop's most proficient longball tosser by connecting for the season's two most spectacular aerial maneuvers. With North again on the receiving end, Y.A. hit for 80 and 79-yard scoring plays. Another, to Billy Stone, was good for a 66-yard scoring strike.

With 49ers in '51
The ACC threw in the towel after the '49 season, and with the reorganization of the NFL, Tittle found himself still a Colt but in a different league, one that he has remained a member of ever since.
Baltimore again dropped 11 of 12 in 1950, but it was far from Tittle's fault as he completed 161 of 316 tosses for 1,884 yards. Then, in January 1951, the hapless Baltimore franchise was turned back to the NFL, and all the Colt players placed in a common draft pool with the graduating college seniors. Y.A. was chosen by the 49ers, who never had cause to regret their pick. With the great Frankie Albert, Tittle formed one of the best one-two punches ever seen on a gridiron.
After Albert's retirement following the 1952 campaign, Y.A. took over as the regular, being quickly tabbed the 'Colonel' for his ability to take charge of his troops. But, somehow, through his years with the 49ers, they were never able to achieve true greatness, falling short of championship caliber for one reason or another.
Then, when 49er coach Red Hickey brought forth the shotgun formation, Y.A. knew this type of attack was not fitted for him, becoming aware that his days with the Coast club were numbered. It looked for a while that Tittle would be dealt to the Los Angeles Rams, but nothing really materialized. However, when the Giants expressed interest in Tittle's services, with help needed for Conerly in '61, a trade was quickly negotiated.
Y.A. wasn't sure that he wanted to leave the Coast for the East. After all, he was no youngster anymore. He had a thriving insurance business going for him in Palo Alto, near his Atherton home. And there was Minette and their three children, who he didn't want to leave for six months at a time.
But, of course, Y.A. did report to New York, much to the eventual dismay of Giant opponents, especially those defensive backs whose lives Tittle has made miserable with his deadeye passing and pinpoint accuracy.
Many honors have been heaped upon Y.A. during his NFL career. Besides appearing in the Pro Bowl on several occasions, representing both the Western and Eastern Divisions, Y.A. was named Pro Player of the Year by the United Press in 1957. Since joining the Giants in '61, Tittle has been collecting award after award, being named the NFL's Most Valuable Player by the Associated Press by a substantial margin over Cleveland's Jimmy Brown. Besides being named to the AP NFL All-Star squad, Tittle headed the first annual NFL all-star team chosen by the Players Association.
Tittle's technique and his style of play are a thing of beauty to watch. A perfectionist, he hates to throw one off the mark to a receiver even in practice. One of his maneuvers that give fans a big thrill is when he runs the bootleg- and more often than not, he gets away with it.
Tittle's outstanding pitching performance in 1963 occurred in the opener against the Colts, when he exploded for three touchdown tosses and scored the eventual winning tally via a nine-yard run after the Colts had forged to a 21-3 lead. Tittle was hurt on that scoring run and was forced to miss the following week's game in which the Giants took that horrible shellacking from Pittsburgh. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, Y.A. showed he was back in top shape by leading the Giants to an easy 37-14 triumph with a trio of touchdown tosses.
After getting the Giants off to a quick 14-0 lead against the Redskins in Washington, Y.A. directed a drive that clinched matters in the last period after the Redskins had come back within striking distance. Starting on his own two, Y.A. hit on five of seven tosses, the last a 27-yarder to Joe Walton in the end zone on a fourth-and-one play to clinch the affair.
Tittle tossed a mere four touchdowns at the Dallas Cowboys when they visited the Stadium; throttled the Browns with two touchdown heaves during a 33-6 triumph; spearheaded a Giant comeback in the final period to beat the Cowboys at Dallas on a game-winning 17-yard flip to Shofner in the final quarter; connected for two touchdown passes in a 44-14 slaughter of the 'Skins; and topped off the popular campaign [sic] by hitting on 17 of 26 for 306 yards and three touchdowns against the Steelers in the contest the Giants had to win for the Eastern title.
And now in '64, he's out to pick up where he left off. That's Y.A.T., which no doubt stands for Young and Terrific."

Complete Sports New York Giants 1964

1964 Profile: Del Shofner

Split End
No. 85
Baylor
"Shooting for his fourth season as the All-NFL split end, Del Shofner is Tittle's favorite target. In three seasons with the Giants he has caught 187 passes for 3,439 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Born December 11, 1934, he was a football-basketball-track star at Baylor even though suffering from anemia and ulcers. Del began his pro career with the Rams as a defensive halfback but soon was shifted to offense. He was traded to the Giants in 1961.
During the off-season, he's a tobacco firm public-relations man."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"The thin man of the league is Del Shofner, the All-NFL split end with the lighting hands, faking head, shifty shoulder and long, skilled fingers. The No. 4 pass-grabber last year (64 for 1,181 yards), he scored nine touchdowns even though he seldom was able to run a pattern without having two defenders for company. Del failed to catch a pass in the championship playoff, a one-game mark for futility for the Center (Texas) Sizzler.
He started as a Ram defensive back in '57. He switched to offense the following season and was All-League for two years on the Coast where he also did all the Ram punting. Del came to New York in '61."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"What I like best in a pass defender is someone who's going to cover me real tight, like two or three yards away,' says Del Shofner of the New York Giants. 'When they stick that close to me, they let me play them, instead of the other way around.'
One of the best offensive ends in the NFL, Shofner joined the Giants in 1961. In the past three seasons he has snared 187 passes, scored 32 touchdowns and been a major factor in the Giants winning three straight Eastern Conference titles.
A native of Center, Texas, Del attended Baylor where he was a standout in football, basketball and track. He joined the Los Angeles Rams in 1957, led the NFL in pass receiving yardage in '58 and made All-Pro in '58 and '59. Bothered by injuries, Shofner had a poor year in 1960 and for some hard-to-fathom reason, the Rams decided he was over the hill. IN 1961 they traded him to the Giants for the draft rights to quarterback Roman Gabriel. The New York passing combination of Y.A. Tittle to Shofner caught fire early that season in a game against Washington and the team has been hard to stop ever since.
'Shofner's so fast that if you make one wrong move you can't recover,' says defensive back Claude Crabb of the Eagles. Adds coach Allie Sherman of the Giants: 'Going straight down the field on a fly, Del can beat almost defender on any given day.'
The Cardinals' Jimmy Hill, Don Bishop of the Cowboys and Green Bay's Jesse Whittendon are the three defensive backs who give Shofner the most trouble.
A 6'3", 185-pound beanpole who looks as if a stiff wind would blow him over, Shofner endorsed a body-building bread last year. Said Tittle, whose curly locks have long since departed, 'If Del can get away with that, I ought to start doing testimonials for hair tonic.' "

-Bill Wise, 1964 Official Pro Football Almanac

"One of the finest pass catchers in grid annals, Shofner looks as if he's the weakest guy in the league. But he was sturdy enough to nab 64 passes last season to rank fourth in receiving. Del tallied nine TDs. For the fifth time in his career, Shofner was named to the All-NFL offense squad, being named split end by AP, UPI and NEA.
A member of the Giants since being obtained from the Los Angeles Rams for a No. 1 draft selection, Shofner has teamed with Y.A. Tittle to form one of the finest passing combinations in both the Giants' and pro football history. In '61, Del caught 68 passes for 1,125 yards to lead the league, following that up with 53 receptions for 1,133 yards in '62. Shofner was originally picked by the L.A. Rams in 1956, being used as a defensive halfback in '57 before being switched to end in '58.
Del was an outstanding runner as well as all-around athlete at Baylor despite having anemia and ulcers."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Dick Lynch

Cornerback
No. 22
Notre Dame
"Recognized as an All-NFL cornerback on defense, Dick Lynch hopes to gain that honor again this season. Now in his sixth season, he's the top man in a tough Giant secondary. Last season he led the NFL with nine interceptions for a total of 251 yards and a record three touchdowns. The old record of two TDs had been shared by 25 players.
Born April 29, 1936, he was a star offensive halfback at Notre Dame before the Redskins drafted him No. 6 in 1958. Dick came to the Giants a year later and has starred ever since."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"A bit of daring, long study of offensive formations and a knowledge of the strategy of most of the receivers he's required to defend against have made Dick Lynch an All-NFL corner man and a record-breaker on interceptions. Securing nine enemy forwards in '63, he returned them for a top total of 251 yards and an unprecedented three touchdowns.
Dick was born in Oceanside, New York."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

" 'I get a real thrill out of seeing some quarterback like Johnny Unitas fading back waiting to throw a pass but not being able to let the ball go because I've got his receiver covered,' says defensive halfback Dick Lynch of the New York Giants. Lynch isn't boasting. He's just confident.
'Of course,' he adds in the next breath, 'I get beat, too. But that's part of the game. Nobody's gonna keep guys like Buddy Dial and Sonny Randle from catching a few.'
That's about all they catch against Lynch - a few. In 1961 Lynch only allowed an average of 1.6 passes per game to be completed in his sector. On the other hand, when it comes to interceptions, the 6'1", 200-pounder has few equals in the NFL. He's led the league twice in this department - 1961 and '63 - grabbing nine passes from the outstretched hands of opponents in each season.
But Lynch brushes aside his talent at intercepting passes.
'You don't get them yourself, the boys in the line make them for you by blitzing the quarterback,' he says.
Born April 29, 1936 in Oceanside, New York, Lynch attended high school in New Jersey and then went on to Notre Dame where he won letters in football, boxing and baseball. Dick played on both offense and defense for the Fighting Irish and scored the touchdown that beat Oklahoma, 7-0, in 1957, ending the Sooners' 47-game winning streak.
Drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1958, the corner back was traded to the Giants the following year.
Says New York coach Allie Sherman: 'Dick is maturing. He now has the experience and right mental attitude to go with his natural physical abilities.'
Last year Lynch set an NFL record by returning three of his interceptions for touchdowns. But does Dick miss the chance to play on offense?
'Not when I look at these 280-pound defensive linemen in pro ball,' he admits."

-Bill Wise, 1964 Official Pro Football Almanac

"When it comes to picking off enemy passes, Dick seems to have his own built-in radar system. The former Irish star was the NFL's co-champion in interceptions last season as he and the Chicago Bears' Roosevelt Taylor each grabbed nine. Lynch, however, picked up 251 yards on returns and ran back three for TDs, both loop highs for the campaign. Incidentally, those three TDs set an NFL mark. Dick's longest journey was for 82 yards. Lynch also led the league in 1961 with nine interceptions, swiping five in 1962. He came to the Giants from the Washington Redskins in the spring of 1959 in exchange for a fourth draft choice. Dick had originally been picked sixth by the Skin's for 1958."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Jim Katcavage

Defensive End
No. 75
Dayton
"Now the anchorman of the Giants' defensive line, Jim Katcavage hopes to make the All-NFL team for the fourth straight season. He's the only survivor of the once famous Fearsome Foursome: Andy Robustelli has retired, Roosevelt Grier and Dick Modzelewski have been traded.
Born October 28, 1934, he was a little-known end at Dayton but played in the East-West Game. Drafted No. 4 by the Giants in 1956, he won a starting berth as a rookie and contributed to the NFL championship that year.
Jim is a cement salesman in the off-season."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"New York's famed Fearsome Foursome is now reduced to a single original, Jim Katcavage, and there are few to equal his all-around dependability as a defensive end. Always the most under-publicized of the glamorous quartet, he's a definite All-NFL workman and still considered to be at the peak of his game. Listen to a fullback who's spent years working him over as a blocker:
'I'm black and blue after a session with that guy. He springs at you and doesn't let up like many other defensive ends. He won't stop until he stomps you into the ground, walks over you and flings the passer down.'
Born October 28, 1934 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he's in a business between seasons that's logical for him - concrete sales."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

" 'In college,' recalls defensive end Jim Katcavage, 'I used to watch the ball and go with the snap. My first eight games with the Giants, I watched the ball and the offensive tackle beat me on the first step every play.'
Then veteran defenseman Andy Robustelli offered Katcavage some good advice: 'Jim, the offensive tackle knows the count and you don't. He's moving on the snap and he always has the edge on you.'
Robustelli made that observation back in 1956, Jim's rookie season with the New Yorkers. Since then Katcavage has reacted to the slightest movement of the offensive lineman. He has quickened the pace of his getaway charge and now he usually beats the other guy to the punch.
Jim enjoys playing in the bone-crunching world of defensive football. One of the most dedicated players in the game, Katcavage revels in dropping a rival ball carrier in his tracks with a jarring tackle or obliterating a rival quarterback under his 240 pounds of beef. Significantly, the Giants have won six Eastern Conference titles since he joined the club. During the last three seasons, Katcavage has made every All-Pro team.
Born October 28, 1934 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Jim led Philadelphia's Roman Catholic High School to three straight football championships. He went on to win All-America honors at the University of Dayton.
For several seasons Jim labored in the shadow of the more publicized members of New York's superb defensive unit. But in recent years he's been receiving the recognition that was always his due. Katcavage is quick to credit Robustelli for teaching him the finer points of the game.
'I learned everything watching Andy play end,' says Jim. 'He knows all the tricks.'
Now 37, Robustelli has just retired after 13 years as a pro to devote his full time as the Giants' defensive coach. His job will be made easier with players like New York's big 'Kat.' "

-Bill Wise, 1964 Official Pro Football Almanac

"One of the National Football League's defensive bulwarks, Jim is one of the reasons why the Giants have been Eastern Division kingpins these past several seasons. Recognition has come to Katcavage during these last three campaigns after years of being taken for granted. He's been named to both the AP and UPI All-NFL teams for the seasons of 1961, 1962 and 1963.
The Giants drafted 'Kat' as their fourth selection in 1956. He immediately became a starter, teaming up with Andy Robustelli, Dick Modzelewski and Rosey Grier to form the New Yorkers' famed 'Fearsome Foursome' rush line."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

"Jim won a starting spot at defensive end in his first pro year. He plays tackle, too, but Allie wants him at end. 'Kat' ranks with the NFL's top defensive ends."

-1964 Philadelphia No. 119

1964 Profile: Frank Gifford

Flanker
No. 16
USC
"Starting the third season of his 'second career' following his brief retirement during the 1961 season, Frank Gifford continues to sparkle at flanker-back. Last season he caught 42 passes for 657 yards and seven touchdowns. His one-handed catch in the season finale against the Steelers is regarded as the turning point of the game which saw the Giants clinch the Eastern title.
Born August 16, 1930, he was a triple-threat tailback at USC before joining the Giants in 1952. He then established himself as an All-NFL running back before suffering a serious head injury in 1960.
Frank is a model and a sportscaster in the off-season."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"A bone-jarring tackle thrown by 230-pound Chuck Bednarik of the Philadelphia Eagles sent Frank Gifford to the hospital with a concussion in 1960 and seemed to spell the end of his brilliant pro career.
'Frank took his eye off me for just a second,' Bednarik explained. 'He should have ducked but he was watching another back coming up. That was one of the hardest tackles I ever made. I was awfully sorry he was hurt.'
Gifford missed the remainder of the 1960 season and spent the following year as a New York scout. Then in 1962, at the age of 32, Frank announced he was attempting a comeback.
'I still have a desire to play football,' he said, 'and I know I can play well enough to help the Giants win.'
If some skeptics thought otherwise, Gifford quickly dispelled all doubts. Moving from halfback to flanker back, he caught 39 passes for 796 yards and seven touchdowns as the Giants won the Eastern Conference title. Last year Frank grabbed 42 passes for 657 yards, good for seven touchdowns. Once again, New York took the Eastern crown.
'It's hard to measure Frank's value to this club,' says Allie Sherman. 'It can't be done statistically. The number of passes he caught is not important. The big thing is that he inspired others.'
Born August 16, 1930 in Santa Monica, California, Gifford won All-America honors at Southern California, rushing for 841 yards and completing 32 out of 61 passes in 1951, his senior year. The top draft choice of the Giants in 1952, Frank hit his peak in 1956 when he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player and led the team to the championship. Gifford's running (819 yards) and pass receiving (51 receptions) were nothing short of sensational that season. A six-time All-Pro, Gifford holds several all-time team offense records - scoring, touchdowns and pass receptions. But as coach Sherman says: 'I guess the real value of Gifford to the Giants is his winning habit.' "

-Bill Wise, 1964 Official Pro Football Almanac

"Back again is the Giants' old standby at flanker back, Frank Gifford, who doubles as sports director of New York television station WCBS-TV. The 1963 campaign was one of Giff's best, which greatly influenced the veteran's decision to return in '64. Playing the flanker position for only the second season, Frank snared 42 aerials for 657 yards, second only to Del Shofner on the club. His sparkling one-handed catch against the Steelers proved the turning point and decisive play in the Giants' final victory which nailed down the Eastern title.
Gifford joined the Giants in 1952, being their top draft pick. Throughout his career, he has been an outstanding running back, defensive ace as well as top-notch receiver. He returned to active duty in 1962 after a year in retirement. Frank holds numerous all-time Giant marks."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants

1964 Profile: Andy Robustelli

Defense Coach-Defensive End
No. 81
Arnold
"After two seasons as player-coach, Andy Robustelli is now a full-time coach, having hung up his spikes for good. Robustelli put in 13 seasons as a National Football League end, the last eight in a Giant uniform, ranking as one of the finest defensive ends ever seen.
Andy attended Arnold College, being named to various Little All-America squads in 1948-49-50. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1951, playing with two championship clubs before coming to the Giants in 1956 in exchange for a future draft choice. An All-Pro selection for many years, Andy was born December 6, 1926.
He lives in Stamford, Connecticut, where he owns a sporting goods store."

-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants