1965 Giants Linebacker Profiles

LOU SLABY
Middle Linebacker
No. 51
Pittsburgh
"One of the bright rays to an otherwise dismal season was the rapid development of Lou Slaby at linebacker. While he didn't remind people of Sam Huff, the man whose place he was asked to take, Lou showed a ready adjustment to pro conditions. He is an alert and aggressive tackler, and he showed surprising mobility moving to the sides or sliding back on pass defense.
After being drafted in the fifth round for 1963, Lou was assigned to the taxi squad for the season, then got his shot last year. He attended the University of Pittsburgh."

-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1965

"When you attempt to step into a pair of big shoes, it's tough. Especially if the shoes belong to Sam Huff, a long-time favorite of the New York fans.
This was precisely the predicament of Slaby last fall. A 6'3", 235-pound graduate of Pittsburgh, Slaby was designated by the Giants' coaching staff as successor to Huff after the old middle linebacker was dealt away. All things considered, Slaby did a tremendous job of filling under pressure."

-Bill Wise, 1965 Official Pro Football Almanac

"Lou was a Giant 5th round draft choice in 1963 but was inactive throughout the season. He became a regular in 1964.
He expects to get a mechanical engineering degree."

-1965 Philadelphia No. 121


TOM SCOTT
Linebacker
No. 82
Virginia
"Tom Scott remembers a certain crunching contact all too well- the one that sent him to the sidelines with a broken left arm in the second quarter of the 1963 Giants-Bears playoff game. It was the most serious injury he had suffered in 11 years of big league football. Had anyone taken the trouble to think about it in the heat of that grim struggle, he'd have probably said, 'Well, there's one guy who's had it in pro ball.'
But Tom's career didn't end there. The break, a clean one, responded to treatment and therapy. In 1964, when the Giants' situation was a desperate one, Tom Scott was a defensive bulwark.
Scott spans a couple of pro eras. When he came to the Eagles as a rookie, after being cut by the Los Angeles Rams, he was installed at a defensive end post. He weighed 225 and it was enough.
Tom has the weight to handle the rushing attack and the agility to cover pass plays, so vital to a linebacker. And that's where he's stayed since coming to the Giants in 1959."

-Sports All-Stars/1965 Pro Football


JERRY HILLEBRAND
Linebacker
No. 87
Colorado
"Jerry was the Giants' No. 1 pick in 1962. He was inactive all that season but was named New York's Rookie of the Year the next season.
He's big, fast and strong."

-1965 Philadelphia No. 117