1971 Giants Offensive Line Profiles

GREG LARSON

Center
No. 53
Minnesota
"Seven years ago, when Greg Larson had to undergo serious knee surgery, it appeared that his football career was at an end. It took the Giants' 250-pound center nearly a season to get back into playing shape, but Greg was determined to make it back and is still going strong.
This will Greg's be 11th pro season- all with the Giants- and he's considered one of the most underrated blocking centers in the league.
A center and linebacker on Minnesota's 1961 Rose Bowl team, Larson was drafted sixth by New York the following season."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971

BOB HYLAND

Guard

No. 70

Boston College

"For some reason or other, Bob Hyland never quite fit in with the Packers. He was Green Bay's number one draft choice in 1967 after an outstanding career at Boston College. In his senior year at B.C., Hyland was considered college football's outstanding offensive lineman. The Packers figured he could move right in at center, but Ken Bowman held onto the job and Hyland shuffled around- playing some center, some guard, some tackle, and never quite solidifying a position anywhere. With the Bears the 6-5, 250-pounder from White Plains, New York, should do well at center as veteran Mike Pyle's replacement. 

Hyland is supposed to have 10.1 speed for the hundred. At Boston College he lettered in baseball and track as well as in football. He once threw a shot put 53 feet.

Bob now makes his home in Chicago. He attends Loyola University, where he is taking a course in business administration."

-Brenda and Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1970

"A number one draft choice of the Packers in 1967 after playing at Boston College, Bob Hyland never was a regular for Green Bay, where he couldn't beat out fhe far more experienced Ken Bowman. But last year he came to Chicago in a major trade and the 250-pound center found a home.

He has the size to handle the pass rush and outstanding speed to lead runners. As his confidence builds, Bob could emerge as one of the better pivotmen in the league.

In addition to playing football, Hyland also lettered in baseball and track."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football, Pro Football 1971

DOUG VAN HORN

Guard

No. 63

Ohio State

Doug appeared in 14 games as a rookie for the Lions in 1966 and spent the 1967 season in military service. Released by the Lions in 1968 and signed by the Giants, he became a regular in 1969. He proved himself one of the most determined offensive guards in the NFC.

Doug earned three varsity letters at Ohio State. He was named an All-American by both AP and UPI.

WILLIE YOUNG

Offensive Tackle

No. 69

Grambling

Willie begins his fifth season as the Giants' starting left tackle. Signed as a free agent on the recommendation of Grambling coach Eddie Robinson, he started his rookie season as an offensive guard and was switched to defensive tackle before the job found the man at offensive tackle. Although not tall for the position, Willie succeeds with great strength and quickness. At Grambling he was a three-year starter at guard and as a senior was named MVP lineman and was All-NAIA.

CHARLIE HARPER

Offensive Tackle

No. 61

Oklahoma State

Although known as a reserve offensive lineman who can play either tackle or guard, the Giants often turn to Charlie for regular duty. Like Willie Young, he's not particularly tall for an offensive tackle but can handle the charge of any defensive end and keeps the opposing defense out of the backfield.

Charlie was a defensive stalwart in his college days at Oklahoma State. He was a unanimous All-Big Eight and earned All-American honorable mention. Playing linebacker and defensive tackle, he led the school in defensive statistics in both 1964 and 1965, and in three years notched 75 unassisted tackles and 175 assisted tackles.

1971 Giants Running Back Profiles

JOE MORRISON

Halfback

No. 40

Cincinnati

"Morrison was the team's Most Valuable Player in three of the past five seasons. He seemed to have slowed down in 1970 but was valuable as a part-time performer. He carried the ball only 11 times but caught 11 passes for 136 yards, an average of 12 yards a catch.

A No. 3 draft choice in 1959, Morrison has played six positions during his 12 years in a Giant uniform: fullback, halfback, tight end, flanker, split end and defensive back. He ranks second in all-time Giants touchdown scoring with 64.

Morrison was born in Lima, Ohio, where he still resides. He's married, has two children, and works for a sports equipment firm in the off-season."

-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1971 Edition)

"The Giants' third selection in the 1959 NFL draft, Joe has played six positions during his career in New York- fullback, halfback, tight end, flanker, split end and defensive back- and had two interceptions in his brief role on defense. He has been the Giants' MVP three of the last five years.

One of Cincinnati's all-time great players, Joe set a school mark of 128 points scored and tied another with 21 touchdowns, doubling as a quarterback and halfback.

Joe works for a sports equipment company in the off-season."

-1971 Topps No. 191

BOBBY DUHON

Running Back-Punt Returner

No. 28

Tulane

After missing the entire 1969 season due to a knee injury, Bobby came back last year to average 6.2 yards per rushing attempt in limited duty. His greatest value to New York was as a punt returner as he averaged 8.3 yards per return. On October 11 against the Eagles, Bobby returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown in what would be the Giants' first win of the season after starting with three losses.

Bobby gained over 3,000 yards passing and running as a quarterback in his college days at Tulane. He received AP All-American honorable mention in 1968 and was selected to play in the Senior Bowl, Blue-Gray Game and Coaches All-America Game.

LES SHY

Running Back-Kick Returner

No. 25

Long Beach State

While providing the Giants depth at running back, Les was most useful last year returning kickoffs. He ran back 25 for 544 yards and his 25.9 average was eighth best in the NFC.

Les spent four years with the Cowboys before signing as a free agent with the Giants before last season. His 68-yard run from scrimmage as a rookie in 1966 was the second longest of the year in the NFL.

In his senior year at Long Beach State, Les was an honorable mention small-college All-American. He rushed for 488 yards and seven touchdowns, despite injuries. Les earned three letters as Long Beach lost only three times in three years.

DUHON & SHY: "SPECIAL" DELIVERY

"There are any number of barometers that can be utilized to ajudge the qualities of a professional football player. Determination, toughness, the ability to put forth maximum effort ... these are the trademarks of a winner, the attributes above and beyond the physical prowess to play the game.

Self-sacrifice is another trait found in winners. It is a tough thing, for instance, for a starter to suddenly find himself used only as a kickoff or punt return specialist. But if that player is the type who continues to hustle and produce the all-out effort, then you have yourself a competitor.

Both Bobby Duhon and Les Shy fit neatly into this category.

Duhon had an outstanding rookie year for the Giants in 1968. He won himself a regular slot as a running back after a career as a quarterback at Tulane. During that rookie campaign, Duhon rushed for 362 yards and a 3.6 average, caught 37 passes for 373 yards, scored four touchdowns, and had 1,005 yards total offense, including returns and passing. In 1969, he suffered a knee injury, was operated on and sat out the entire year.

Shy, a product of Long Beach State, spent four years with the Dallas Cowboys as a running back before coming to the Giants just before the start of the 1970 season. Over that span as a key reserve, he had rushed 140 times for 510 yards, a 3.6 average, caught 21 passes for 265 yards and scored four touchdowns.

In 1970, however, there was a need for a rejuvenation of the Giants' special teams. Into that category fall many specialties, and among the key spots are the kickoff and punt return units in general and the kickoff and punt return men in particular.

Shy and Duhon were tapped for those jobs, and consequently received only infrequent playing time as running backs. Neither of them complained ... they just went about their new responsibilities with a zeal and effort which gave them both finishes in the NFC's Top Ten in their categories.

For Duhon, it meant a chance to play, even if not as a regular. Coming off a knee operation is a rugged task for any player, particularly a running back who must cut, change direction and absorb the impact of heavy tackling.

'Certainly, I was hoping to come all the way back and win a starting job,' says the handsome, dark-hair native of Louisiana. 'I still feel that way but, by the same token, if I can help this team by returning punts, then that's my job and I'll still give it one hundred percent effort.'

Duhon, who has a couple of nicknames among his teammates- 'Doobie' and 'Boudreau'- certainly turned in a 100% effort in 1970. He finished the season with 19 punt returns, 13 fair catches, a total of 157 yards for an 8.3 average and had one touchdown return. Those figures gave Duhon a No. 6 finish among the NFC's Top Ten in punt returns. Through most of the season, Duhon ranked in the top three, but he fell off in the final two games.

Being a successful return man does not mean that the practitioner has to be a 9.3 man in the 100. Duhon does not have that kind of speed. The important things for a punt return man are good hands, cutting ability, timing, and the capacity for acceleration at the right moment. Duhon has all of these qualities.

Duhon wasn't exclusively a punt return man in 1970. He also returned 14 kickoffs for an 18.2 average and kept ready in case the call came at running back. In this department, he had 18 carries during the year for 111 yards and a sparkling 6.2 yards-per-carry. His most memorable carry came in Washington where the Giants and the Redskins were locked in a 24-24 tie with less than two minutes left to play. Then, with the Redskins looking for a pass, Duhon exploded a 38-yard run on a draw play into Redskin territory to set up a short-range field goal by Pete Gogolak which produced an important 27-24 triumph.

Duhon had other big moments in key games. In the second win over the Cardinals- another 'must' contest- he caught a 22-yard pass from Tarkenton and then a 17-yarder, both in third-and-long situations, to keep a key touchdown drive perking.

What's in store for Bobby now? The 6-0, 195-pounder realizes that every year will be a battle for him as he vies for that starting role at running back. His competition includes All-NFL star Ron Johnson, the NFC's Comeback of the Year winner Tucker Frederickson, and the fully-recovered Junior Coffey, coming back from an Achilles tendon problem. And then, too, there's Les Shy, who also wants to be a regular running back ... and there's Ernie Koy, who had 704 yards rushing just a couple of seasons ago.

In the meantime, Duhon is a valuable property ... because he can do it all.

The situation is similar for Shy. A 6-1, 195-pounder who was a star running back at Long Beach State for three years, Les was a No. 12 draft choice of the Cowboys in 1966 and made the club as a reserve. This was a noteworthy feat since Shy was competing with the likes of Don Perkins, Dan Reeves, J.D. Smith and Walt Garrison.

Les showed flashes of promise as a rookie with Dallas, rushing 17 times for 118 yards and a solid 6.9 average per attempt. He broke one 68-yard run that season, and also doubled as a kickoff return man.

Perhaps Les figured on a better shot when he came to the Giants prior to the 1970 season ... but,like Duhon, when he received the opportunity to do a job as a kickoff return man, he responded to the challenge and turned in a topnotch effort.

Shy's final total of 21 returns for 544 yards and a 25.9 average ranked him No. 4 among NFC kickoff return men. He didn't break any for the distance, but more often than not, his returns were of sufficient substance to set the offensive team in good field position.

Les came close on two occasions to going the route with a kickoff. Against the Patriots in Boston, he took Gino Cappelletti's opening boot and zipped up the sidelines 47 yards before Cappelletti, the last man between Les and the goal line, bumped him out of bounds.

Les had another long one at Yankee Stadium, taking the second-half kickoff from Buffalo's Grant Guthrie and streaking 62 yards down the sidelines before Guthrie, again the last man, shoved him out of bounds. This return set up a Gogolak field goal.

'Jim Garrett (assistant coach who ran the special teams) really had us believing in ourselves on special teams,' says Shy, 'and certainly I felt that I was contributing to the overall team as a kickoff return man. Yeah, I'd like to play running back, but if I can help the club, I'd do anything they want me to do."

-1971 New York Giants Official Yearbook

1971 Profile: Bob Tucker

Tight End
No. 38
Bloomsburg
"As a 25-year-old rookie, Bob Tucker had to perform in extra-special fashion last year in order to make the club. He didn't win a job until the end of the exhibition season, but by the middle of the season Tucker was the Giant's starting tight end.
He proved to be an outstanding blocker and had the knack for catching third-down passes under pressure. Bob hung on to 40 passes, five of them for touchdowns.
A product of Bloomsburg State in Pennsylvania, Tucker had brief trials with the Patriots (1968) and the Eagles (1969), but he picked up most of his experience in the Atlantic Coast Football League, where he caught 17 touchdown passes for the Pottstown Firebirds in 1969."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971

"Tucker was signed as a free agent by the Giants after failing to make the Patriots (1968) and Eagles (1969). He had played minor league football in 1968 and 1969 with Lowell and Pottstown in the Atlantic Coast Football League.

He proved to be a happy surprise for the Giants, winning the tight end job and ranking third among the team's pass catchers with 40 catches for an average of 14 yards a catch- very high for a tight end. He blocks down beautifully on middle linebackers- one of the primary skills of a good tight end.

Tucker set three small-college records in 1967 (receptions, yards in a single game and total yards) and was Little All-America. He played both defensive end and tight end. A major in biology, Tucker hopes to teach science.

Married, he was born in Hazelton, Missouri, where he still lives."

-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1971 Edition)

"Given an opportunity to prove himself, Bob was an outstanding receiver for the Giants in 1970 as he finished among the club's top four pass catchers. He was signed as a free agent for the 1970 season after trials with the Patriots and the Eagles and after two fine seasons with the Atlantic Coast Football League, 1968 with Lowell and 1969 with Pottstown.

He set two ACFL records with Pottstown, most catches by a tight end with 66 and most touchdown receptions with 17. At Bloomsburg State in 1967, Bob set records for receptions, yards in a single game and total yards and was a first-team Little All-America selection. He played both defensive end and tight end and earned three letters in the process.

Bob is studying to be a science teacher."

-1971 Topps No. 79

NO MORE POTTSTOWNS ON BOB TUCKER'S MAP

"If there was a fury and inspiration to the way Bob Tucker played tight end for the New York Giants last year it was understandable. After two minor league seasons in such places as Lowell, Mass., and Pottstown, Pa., Bob was determined to make good  on what he knew would be his 'last chance.'

'When I reported to the Giants,' says the dark-haired Pennsylvanian, 'I had already made up my mind that it was 'now or never.' I knew I could play in the NFL but I was pretty damned tired of trying to prove it to everyone. I couldn't waste any more time. I was like a gypsy- here one day, there the next, never really belonging.'

When he arrived at the Giants' C.W. Post College training base last summer, Tucker was described as 'an angry young man' but he says it isn't so. 'Maybe tired and impatient, but not angry.'

The road that led Bob from little Bloomsburg State College in Pennsylvania took some odd twists and turns for the 26-year-old receiver. It passed through Boston and Lowell and Philadelphia and Pottstown and even Green Bay, but seldom did it appear to Tucker that it was leading anywhere.

'It sometimes seemed that everything was conspiring to keep me from ever making it to the National Football League,' he smiles.

Despite his record-breaking achievements as a receiver at Bloomsburg, the computerized NFL scouting tentacles missed Tucker and he was not drafted by any of the 26 clubs. It wasn't until two or three months later that the Boston Patriots approached him ( ... 'in a round-about fashion,' says Bob) to sign him as a free agent. He lasted six weeks in the Boston training camp in the summer of 1968, surviving until the next-to-last cut, and then was talked into playing with the Patriots' Lowell, Mass., farm in the Atlantic Coast Football League.

'Sure I was disappointed,' he recalls. 'But at the same time I knew I had a lot to learn about pro ball, so I was glad for the experience.'

To say that Bob burned up the Atlantic Coast League would be putting it mildly. He led all tight ends with 64 catches. He scored 12 touchdowns. He was a unanimous all-league pick. 'The Patriots wanted to bring me up late that year when they saw how well I had done,' he explains, 'but they couldn't. It seems they hadn't put me on their taxi list or something.'

Boston coach Mike Holovak wanted Bob for the 1969 season but he was replaced as coach by ex-Jet aide Clive Rush, and Rush apparently failed to see the potential in the determined 6-4, 225-pound tight end.

'He just never asked me to camp,' says Tucker.

Next stop, the Philadelphia Eagles' training base, where he went to the final cut. 'They had nine or ten tight ends in camp,' he recalls. 'There was Gary Ballman and Fred Hill and Fred Brown, all veterans, and some good rookies. Hell, there were four or five of us left that last week. I guess (coach) Jerry Williams wanted to go with the experience. I can't say that I blame him. But I still felt I should have made that team.'

The Eagles assigned Bob to Pottstown of the Atlantic Coast League, a Philly farm team, and he had a splendid season there with a record  (for a tight end) 66 receptions and 17 touchdowns.

When the ACFL campaign ended in December, Tucker was invited to spend several days with the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles wanted him, too, but Bob says, 'I wasn't so sure I wanted them.'

'I worked out with the Packers and Bart Starr threw me a lot of passes,' he recalls, ''but it was so cold up there and there was so much snow that you really couldn't show much.' Bob must have shown something, though, because the Packers asked him to report to their training camp the following summer. 'But,' he says, 'we couldn't get together on our negotiations.'

Don't all free agents accept whatever is offered them, just to get a crack at the NFL? 'Maybe so,' he states, 'but I wasn't about to sell myself short. I was married and I had wasted a lot of time trying out and I had passed up some pretty good jobs. I felt I was worth more than they offered. But, again, I'm not blaming anyone. It was just one of those things.'

See, who said Bob Tucker was an angry young man?

Eagles' GM Pete Retzlaff made several overtures during the spring of 1970 but in the meantime, Bob was contacted by ex-Giant linebacker Tom Scott, then general manager of the L.I. Bulls of the ACFL.

'Would you like a trial with the Giants?' Scott asked. 'I've told them all about you.'

Tucker said 'yes,' pro personnel director Jim Trimble signed him ( ' ... he wasn't easy, though) to a contract and there he was the next July at C.W. Post College while Aaron Thomas and Dick Kotite and Butch Wilson and the other tight ends were out on strike. When the veterans finally settled their labor problems, Bob was the Giants' regular tight end. They never got him out of there.

As noted, Bob Tucker was not about to waste his 'last chance.'

By the time the 1970 season ended, Tucker was receiving solid support in the annual Rookie of the Year poll. He had caught 40 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns. He personally had ruined the St. Louis Cardinals (twice) and the New York Jets with his great clutch receiving and running. He played with a savage determination, with the fire of a man with something to prove. He played tough and hard and he played hurt, but somehow you don't feel the bumps and bruises and pain in Yankee Stadium the way you do in Pottstown, Pa.

'He was,' says coach Alex Webster in fond retrospect, 'one helluva rookie tight end.' To which quarterback Fran Tarkenton adds, 'He's one of the best young receivers I've ever seen. He runs his patterns perfectly; he blocks; he's always in there fighting.' 

Joe Walton, himself a great tight end with the Giants and the man quarterback Y.A. Tittle once called 'the greatest third-down receiver in pro football,' had much to do with Tucker's emergence in 1970.

'Joe taught me so much,' says Bob. 'He really taught me how to play the position. And Webster- well, he gave me the faith I needed. He gave me the chance I was looking for.'

Tucker's first NFL season proved to him that there is much more to be mastered. He has not achieved the pinnacle yet. But at least now the road stretches out straight and wide before him- and it does not lead to Pottstown, Pa."

-1971 New York Giants Official Yearbook

1971 Giants Wide Receiver Profiles

CLIFTON MCNEIL

Wide Receiver
No. 18
Grambling
"One thing Clifton McNeil has is confidence.
'When I'm going,' says the seven-year veteran, 'there's no defensive back who can stay with me.' Despite his self-esteem, McNeil failed to show the Giants much early last season. But midway through the campaign, the man who led the NFL with 71 receptions in 1968, when he was with the 49ers, caught fire.
'It just took Fran and myself time to get to know what each of us could do,' says Clift. Once that happened, the Grambling product got hot and wound up tied for fifth in the NFC with 50 catches for 764 yards. His patterns were the finest seen since Del Shofner's Giant days.
The only disappointment was his inability to click with the bomb, something the Giants were looking for in a man who ran a 9.5 100 in college. He still has the ability to get clear, but at 30 it could be that he's lost a step."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971

"McNeil ranked sixth in the National Football in pass-catching last season, grabbing 50 for 764 yards, an average of 15.3 yards a catch. His longest was for 59 yards and he caught four for touchdowns.

He has had an up-and-down career. He was drafted No. 11 as a future by the Browns in 1962 and spent four seasons- 1964 through 1967- sitting on the bench after being on the Browns' taxi squad in 1963. He caught only 12 passes during his five years with the Browns.

McNeil was traded to the 49ers for a draft choice and immediately became a sensation, leading the league in pass-catching in 1968 with 71 receptions. He was All-NFL and a starter for the West in the Pro Bowl. Bothered by injuries in 1969, McNeil then fell out of favor with the 49er coaches. He was traded to the Giants for two draft choices.

He's nicknamed Sticks, Spider, Road Runner and Night Train because of his speed and build. Once, as a Brown, he threw a pass 43 yards and completed it.

Born in Mobile, Alabama, he now lives in California. He is married and has one child."

-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1971 Edition)

"Acquired from the 49ers prior to the 1970 season, Clifton led the Giants in pass receiving last year. Hampered by a shoulder injury in 1969, he recovered last year and was named to the UPI NFC second team.

Originally drafted #11 as a future pick by the Browns in 1962, he spent four seasons as a reserve at Cleveland, then went to the 49ers in a trade, 9-2-68, and became an immediate sensation. Clifton won the NFL receiving championship in 1968, was named to the All-NFL team by UPI, AP and NEA and was a starter for the West squad in the Pro Bowl.

He won four letters in football and three in baseball at Grambling where he was a hard-hitting centerfielder.

Clifton works for an automobile company."

-1971 Topps No. 15

DON HERRMANN

Wide Receiver

No. 85

Waynesburg

"Don promptly established himself as one of the top young pass-catchers in the NFL. He finished his rookie season of 1969 as the Giants' third best receiver. His two-touchdown performances early in the season accounted for victories over Miami and Chicago. In 1970, he was fourth on the club in receiving and showed good speed, fine moves and the ability to hold on to the ball.

In addition to being a defensive cornerback in college, Don set a number of school receiving records. His three-year total showed 143 receptions for 2,175 yards and 30 touchdowns. He established records with 18 passes caught in one game and 76 in one season, seven touchdown catches in one game and 20 in one season, and 300 yards in one game and 1,145 in one season.

Don is one of pro football's most eligible bachelors."

-1971 Topps No. 222

ROCKY THOMPSON

Kick Returner-Wide Receiver

1st Round

West Texas State

"The Giants' first-round choice. A running back in college, Thompson averaged 4.8 yards a try. He has twice been clocked in 9.2 for the 100-yard dash.

He was born in Bermuda. He ran a record 10.1 in the 100 meter to win the British Empire title.

Though he will be tried first as a wide receiver, Thompson could be a running back with the Giants. 'We could use him out of the I-formation,' says Alex Webster."

-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1971 Edition)

1971 Giants Defensive Line Profiles

JIM KANICKI

Defensive Tackle

No. 73

Michigan State

Jim came to the Giants from the Browns with running back Ron Johnson and linebacker Wayne Meylan in exchange for wide receiver Homer Jones in a major trade after the 1969 season. Starting all 14 games in 1970, he solidified the New York defensive line during the Giants' near-playoff 9-5 season in which the defense was greatly improved.

A No. 2 draft choice of Cleveland in 1963, Jim became a starter the following year when the Browns won the NFL championship and was part of three more Eastern Conference champs. Although he suffered a broken leg midway through the '69 campaign, he returned for the championship game against Minnesota.

Jim earned three varsity letters in an All-American career at Michigan State. Named most valuable lineman of the North-South Game, he also distinguished himself for the College All-Stars against the Green Bay Packers.

ROLAND LAKES  

Defensive Tackle

No. 76

Wichita State 

"Work as a consistent swing man between offense and defense failed to help the morale or the weekly play of Roland Lakes, who decided last year that he wanted to make the grade as a defensive tackle. Only 20 when he became a 49er, he's now matured to the point where he's ready to start at his berth for the next few seasons.

Added weight- which did not cut down on his speed- helped him to a starting offensive tackle spot in 1962 where his initial inexperience at 'reading' defenses had been a handicap. Back to defensive duty last season, Lakes was one of the few who did not permit the club's overall performance to affect his every-Sunday standard.

Lakes was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"The shuttle system seemed to end for Roland Lakes last season when he settled down to a regular spot at defensive tackle in the front four. He was understandably rankled by constant shifting between offense and defense, and requested steady play and got his wish. It did wonders for his play as he turned into an aggressive pass-rusher and used his 265 pounds to ward off onrushing offensive linemen.

Roland played his college football at little Wichita and was the 49ers' second draft choice for 1961."

-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1965

"Roland was the 49ers' second draft choice for 1961. He played defensive end that year, moving to offensive tackle in '62, and to first-string right tackle in '63."

-1965 Philadelphia No. 178

"From the beginning of his pro career, Roland Lakes has been regarded by the 49ers as potentially a brilliant defensive lineman. That was eight years ago.

Last season was his best by far as a pro, and the 49ers think it was worth waiting for. A towering 6-4, 265-pounder who played his college football at Wichita, Roland put on a fierce pass rush last year.

He spent his first couple of seasons with the 49ers trying to find himself, first as a defensive end, then as an offensive tackle. But since shifting to tackle on defense, he has seemed more at home."

-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1968

"Roland was selected as the Most Valuable Lineman and made All-Conference in 1960 at Wichita and earned honorable mention as an All-America pick. He played in the Copper Bowl, the All-America Game and the College All-Star Game.

The second-round draft choice of the 49ers prior to the 1961 season, Roland has been a regular defensive tackle for the past seven seasons and is now rated to be one of the better ones in pro football. He began his pro career as a defensive end and switched to tackle during his second season.

Roland was a basketball star in college."

-1970 Topps No. 27

FRED DRYER

Defensive End
No. 89
San Diego State
A West Coast surfer in the off-season, Fred Dryer is probably the fastest defensive end in the league.
The Giants' number one draft choice in 1969, Dryer had a great first half last year. However, as his 235-pound weight slipped to 215 near the end of the grueling campaign, his play slipped, too. The club is hoping a weight-lifting program will build him up- without fat- and that the 6-6 Dryer will have the stamina to go all the way.
Probably the best indication of his potential are the offers the Giants have received for him from other teams."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971

FREDDIE DRYER: A FREE SPIRIT AT RIGHT END

"To say that Fred Dryer is a free floating spirit might be stretching it a bit ... but not far. Let's just say the Giants' great young defensive end is different and leave it at that.

On second thought, though, it's hard to leave it at just that- as an N.Y. Post columnist discovered one day last season when he interviewed Dryer at Yankee Stadium. Searching for the key that would unlock the real Dryer, Milton Gross asked, 'Are you a character?'

Fred wrinkled his brow, twirled the question around in his mind for a minute, and replied, 'Sure I'm a character. Isn't everyone?'

Maybe so, Freddie, but most of us don't like to admit it.

Dryer is not deterred by such vanity. He is happy in his role- even if at times he himself is not sure just what it may be. Fred is quiet but outgoing. He doesn't profess to be an intellectual but he can hold his own in any conversational league. He has a burning interest in life in general, not just in pro football. He isn't a way-out but he's no conformist, either. He's Freddie Dryer and, well, 'take me or leave me.'

The football Giants are glad they 'took' Dryer as their No. 1 draft pick two years ago. In that time the 6-6 240-pounder from San Diego State has blossomed into one of the NFL's truly fine defensive ends, an intense competitor with range and aggressiveness and seemingly endless stamina.

'But I don't really dig practicing,' admits Fred, not at all concerned that such candid baring of the soul might bring the wrath of an entire coaching staff down on his shaggy blond head. Freddie Dryer always tells it the way it is, even when it hurts a little where the dagger point breaks the skin. He's too much in love with life and people and everything to hold back. His thoughts are everyone's to share and mull over, a gift to the world.

There's no one better prepared to play football at 1:05 P.M. every Sunday than Dryer but Freddie confesses that 'it's tough to stay up for practice during the week.'

The handsome 25-year-old native of Hawthorne, California has never been accused of dogging during practice sessions ('He puts out a hundred per cent all the time,' says defensive line coach Jim Katcavage) but Freddie says there are moments when his free-floating mind is far from Yankee Stadium- maybe taking him back to catch a 'big one' at Boomer Beach, the hot surfing spot in San Diego; or putting him astride a roaring motor bike among the sand dunes; or perhaps in a canoe paddling down a remote river in South America; or maybe even in a store buying pink material that he will sew into cool sheets for his Volkswagen camper.

Freddie's enthusiasm and appetite and imagination for living know no bounds. He loves football (' ... the challenge and the contact') but says the game is merely a 'phase' in his life, leading him onward and upward to yet-unconquered horizons. He's not certain just where his star will guide him but he's positive he'll have a lot of fun and good company along the way.

Dryer's manner of 'having fun' on Sunday afternoons rarely meets with the approval of rival quarterbacks. He's become a virtual terror to them, a fierce hound among the hares, a lean, hungry wolf in the hen house.

In 1969, his rookie season, Freddie caught a lot of teams by surprise. The brash, confident youngster flattened Minnesota's Garry Cuozzo twice in his very first regular-season game, and the following week he spent a good deal of the day in the hair of Detroit's quarterback, Bill Munson. By the time the Giants reached Pittsburgh, the word was out: 'Watch out for the kid wearing No. 89.' The Steelers watched while Freddie sacked Dick Shiner three times. ('That's why I was delighted when they traded me to the Giants,' says Shiner, now the No. 2 man behind Fran Tarkenton.)

Dryer received some mention in the 1969 Rookie of the Year balloting, establishing himself as one of the game's up-and-coming defensive linemen.

Last year, though, he paid the price for his sensational rookie campaign. Most Giant rivals were prepared for the rangy end the second time around, and he was double and sometimes even triple-teamed. It often appeared that the combined effort of the entire offensive line was aimed at keeping Freddie off the quarterback's neck.

This special attention irked Dryer ('It's like fighting an octopus,' he says) but it did not dampen his spirit or turn aside his charge. He remained a constant thorn in the side of enemy clubs, a lithe tiger with boundless energy and bottomless determination.

Close study of Freddie's play does not always guarantee the other side pertinent intelligence which can later be used to stop him. This is because Freddie's style, like his life style, lacks a pattern of consistency. It is effective and professional but it is difficult to analyze.

'The best thing to do with Fred Dryer,' said Giants' pro personnel director Jim Trimble when the youngster reported as a rookie, 'is not to coach him. Leave him alone. Show him where the field is and let him do his thing.'

This is not to intimate that Dryer is uncoachable or that he rejects sound counsel. On the contrary, he is a willing and dedicated pupil. It's just that- well, some folks feel too much coaching might spoil the real Freddie Dryer, you know, kind of put a halter on the free spirit and all that. He is, they maintain, a special type of player, loose and relaxed, a bird soaring on unseen wind currents. The idea of Freddie being reshaped into a textbook end is unthinkable to them.

Dryer prepares himself for a game just as the other members of defensive coach Norb Hecker's unit. He plots the course of the enemy in his playbook, he memorizes frequencies and he gets bug-eyed watching films; even though not greatly motivated by the practice scene he nevertheless drives himself all week to learn his assignment. He also listens and absorbs. 'Katcavage has helped me a helluva lot,' he says, 'and so has Matt Hazeltine. When Matt's out there behind me, we play the right side with my legs and his brain.' (Hazeltine, of course, is the 37-year-old veteran linebacker with 15 NFL seasons under his belt.)

In the heat of battle, Freddie reverts to his true nature, playing his position instinctively and without inhibition. He hits and pursues. He leaps and whirls. He meets plays head-on one time and brings the ball-carrier down on the opposite side the next time. 'He is,' said one frustrated opponent, 'all over the damned field.'

Dryer starts the season at 240 pounds but wears himself to a frazzle and checks out in December at a gaunt 225. 'He burns up so much energy,' explains coach Alex Webster, 'that we can't keep weight on him.'

'I don't need weight,' answers Dryer, as if extra pounds were shackles that would restrict him and keep his lean body chained to one small piece of the universe. 'I want to be able to move, to swing out there, you know ... '

Yeah we know, Freddie, and we agree."

-1971 New York Giants Official Yearbook

BOB LURTSEMA

Defensive End

No. 71

Western Michigan

"The Baltimore Colts signed Bob as a free agent in 1966 and kept him on the taxi squad that year. In 1967 he was traded to the Giants for a high draft choice and immediately became a regular on the defensive line. A versatile athlete with quickness and strength, Bob has played both end and tackle for New York and has been one of the club's most consistent pass rushers.

Bob began his football career at Michigan Tech and then switched over to Western Michigan and developed into one of the school's top linemen, playing offense end and defensive end and tackle. He was Michigan Tech's MVP one year and was a two-time All-Conference selection while also earning a letter in baseball.

Bob has developed some of his own patents."

-1971 Topps No. 241

1971 Giants Defensive Back Profiles

WILLIE WILLIAMS

Cornerback

No. 41

Grambling

"The onetime Grambling flanker doesn't get much publicity, but in 1970, for the third straight year, Willie Williams led the Giants in interceptions. The cornerback was tied for fourth place in the NFC last season with six thefts and has 20 over the last three seasons.

Willie was a 9.7 track man in college and was an eighth round pick in 1965. After a season with New York, he jumped to Oakland, but late in 1967 he returned to the Giants and has been a regular ever since. Willie was the NFL's interception leader in 1968 when he came up with 10."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971

BENNIE MCRAE 

Cornerback

No. 26

Michigan 

"Only the famed George McAfee, the fastest running Bear back of all time, had the speed shown by the present bolt on defense for Chicago, Bennie McRae. A 1962 rookie who was used in a reserve role, he worked his way into the starting defensive platoon last season and his reactions and recoveries to situations helped the club lead all others in interceptions. His sheer speed is dazzling and there is none who can match him on straightaway running.

Born in Newport News, Virginia, he was one of Michigan's most telling runners and was Big Ten hurdling champion at 70 and 120 yards. Bennie was the first Negro invited to play in the North-South Shrine Game at Miami."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"What was Bennie Big Ten champ of in college? Indoor-outdoor 70 and 120-yard hurdles."

-1964 Philadelphia No. 21

"Bennie McRae had an upbeat year in 1965, intercepting four aerials and returning them a total of 116 yards; he ran one of them back 89 yards for a touchdown. Possessed with blazing speed, he can afford to make a mistake and still catch up with his man.

Bennie is now in his fourth NFL year."

-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1966

"Ball-hawking Bennie picked off three enemy passes in 1966 and ran them back for a 17.7 average. He had a 53-yard return to his credit.

Bennie's great speed is a major asset to him. He was a Big Ten hurdle champion while in college."

-1967 Philadelphia No. 32

"Bennie was the interception leader on the Bears in 1967, along with Rich Petitbon and Rosey Taylor. In 1966, intercepted two of Johnny Unitas' passes in one quarter.

He was a No. 2 draft pick by the Bears in '62."

-1968 Topps No. 179

"One of the assets that makes Bennie McRae one of the league's most dangerous cornerbacks is that he has so much speed he can recover from a mistake quickly enough to prevent a touchdown. Another is that he seems to save his best plays for clutch situations. A couple of years ago, when he had only three interceptions all season, he made two of them against the Baltimore Colts to help preserve a Chicago upset victory.

Last year, Bennie came up with four interceptions to lead the club in that department. He's now in his eighth pro season since coming out of Michigan State."

-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969

"One of the rough, tough Chicago defensemen, Bennie gets in on nearly every play. The co-captain of the Bears delights in giving opposing quarterbacks a tough time.

Bennie is second in Bears career pass interceptions. His longest interception for a touchdown was an 89-yarder against the Lions."

-1969 Topps No. 73

"Bennie is now the leader in career interceptions among active Bears. He was the defensive co-captain in 1968 when he was credited with 32 tackles and nine assists. As the fifth defensive back, replacing an outside linebacker on certain down and yardage situations, Bennie was also credited with barrelling in on opposing quarterbacks seven times.

Bennie was the Bears' 2nd round draft pick in 1962."

-1970 Topps No. 134

"The defensive co-captain of the Bears added another interception last year to his career total, giving him 27- tops on the team. A No. 2 draft pick in 1962, he was a regular on the Bears' 1963 championship team. Bennie is a hard hitter for a little man [6-0, 180].

He was christened Benjamin Prince McRae in Pinehurst, North Carolina. He played his high school ball in Newport News, Virginia, where he still lives during the off-season."

-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1971 Edition)

SCOTT EATON

Strong Safety

No. 20

Oregon State

A No. 8 draft choice by the Giants in 1967, Scott started all 14 games as a cornerback in 1968 but has lost time to injuries in the last two seasons. Likely to be moved to safety this year, he has ten career interceptions. One of them was made in New York's 1969 home game against Philadelphia and returned for a fourth-quarter touchdown to give the Giants a 19-16 lead.

Scott won three letters in basketball at Oregon State and spent one varsity season on the gridiron as a defensive back and flanker.

SPIDER LOCKHART

Free Safety
No. 43
North Texas State
"Only 175 pounds, Spider Lockhart can repeatedly be seen coming from his free safety spot to make tackles at the line of scrimmage. And on occasion he employs the safety blitz with devastating results.
A team leader with chatter and hustle- he's the defensive captain- Spider is also the most feared defensive back on the club. Opposing passers throw into his area only when absolutely necessary, and as a result he made only four interceptions last season.
Spider, whose given name is Carl, was a thirteenth round draft choice from North Texas State in 1965, and he has been a regular with New York almost from the start."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971

"Nicknamed Spider by coach Emlen Tunnell because of his wiry figure, Lockhart is a defensive team leader from his safety position. Last season he intercepted four passes, second on the ball club to Willie Williams. He has a total of 29 interceptions in his six-year career with the Giants. Lockhart also returns punts and kickoffs.

Born in Dallas, he was a flanker and defensive halfback in college. He also played baseball and was a hurdling star. Unnoticed in college by many scouts, Lockhart was picked 13th by the Giants on the suggestion of then-scout Pop Ivy.

He is a sales representative for the Prudential Life Insurance Company in the off-season and has a strong interest in photography. He's married, with one child."

-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1971 Edition)

"The Giants made Spider their 13th draft choice for 1965 and it has turned out to be one of the club's wisest decisions. Spider won a regular spot as a safety as a rookie and has been a solid fixture in the Giants' defensive backfield ever since.

He's a demon of a tackler and an alert ballhawk and more important, a real team leader. Spider also serves as one of the Giants' premier punt return specialists, having returned 58 punts for 290 yards and a 5.0 average in his six seasons in New York.

He played as a flanker and defensive halfback in college and carried 60 times for 237 yards, caught 32 passes for 384 yards and four touchdowns, intercepted ten passes and punted 95 times for a near 40-yard average.

In the off-season, Spider sells life insurance."

-1971 Topps No. 128

WILLIAMS AND LOCKHART: TWO FOR THE MONEY

"The Giants were training at Fairfield, Conn., on a hot, muggy July day in 1965, and as defensive backfield coach Emlen Tunnell looked around at the candidates for employment as defensive backs, he was obviously enjoying himself.

Why not? Included in the group were veterans like Jim Patton and Dick Lynch, both former All-Pro choices and interception leaders. And there were Andy Nelson, a veteran of championship Baltimore teams, and Dick Pesonen and Allen Webb, who had been in title games with the Giants.

And there were the rookies, a group which was quickly tabbed 'Emlen's Gremlins.' There was Olympic champion Henry Carr from Arizona State, a 6-3, 190-pound speedster who was the No. 4 draft choice. There was Ben Crenshaw, 6-3, 195-pound Jackson State ace who was the No. 10 selection, and there was non-rookie Clarence Childs, the 9.5 sprinter who had led the NFL in kickoff returns with a 29.0 average as a rookie in 1964, and who was now getting a try at defensive back. And there were Carl (Spider) Lockhart, a tall, skinny No. 13 draft choice from North Texas State, and Willie Williams, a 6-0, 190-pound No. 8 choice from Grambling.

From this array of defenders, perhaps the least likely to succeed, at first glance, might have been Lockhart and Williams, the former because he seemed too fragile at 172 pounds and was not particularly speedy ... and the latter since he appeared a little too short and was not overly swift.

Today, six years later, Lockhart and Williams are the sole survivors of that 1965 contingent ... they've been Pro Bowl selections ... league leaders ... All-Pro ... and what have you, proving, of course, that you can't tell a book by its cover- or a defensive back by his initial appearance.

While Spider and Willie are the key struts of the Giant secondary, close buddies on and off the field and obvious contemporaries, they have followed divergent routes to their particular pre-eminence.

Lockhart, the defensive team captain, has been a starter since that rookie year, initially as a cornerback, now as a free safety. Williams was a reserve during that 1965 yearling campaign ... jumped to the Oakland Raiders of the AFL in 1966 ... left the Raiders in 1967 and returned, with some humility, to pick up where he left off with the Giants.

Their careers, in some way, have been remarkably alike as well. In emergency situations, Lockhart has served as a punter for the Giants- and so has Williams. Lockhart has also doubled as a punt return man- and so has Williams. And for off-the-field interests, both are rabid New York Knick fans and attend as many Knick games as possible, Spider because he's a personal friend and former collegiate playing foe of Dave Stallworth, and Willie because he's a friend and former school chum of Willis Reed at Grambling.

Remarkable also is the fact that Spider and Willie picked the same year to have their individual best seasons in the way of pass interceptions. That was the 1968 campaign when Williams sniped 10 enemy aerials for 103 yards returned to lead the NFL, and Lockhart added eight for 130 yards returned, including two touchdowns. Spider's touchdown gallops with pilfered passes came in back-to-back efforts. He picked off Norm Snead of the Eagles for a 72-yard scoring scamper ... and a week later snatched Sonny Jurgensen of the Redskins for a 47-yard touchdown return.

Williams has never savored a trip into the end zone, although he came close to hitting the scoring column in a razzle-dazzle play in conjunction with Lockhard (naturally) in 1969. On that occasion, against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Spider intercepted a pass at midfield, swivel-hipped on a return, then lateraled to Willie who romped 30 yards or so into the end zone for an apparent touchdown ... only to have the spectacular called back because of a penalty.

That sort of coordination comes through the type of association that Williams and Lockhart enjoy. Knowing each other's talents, capabilities and instincts, Spider and Willie can anticipate the other's moves on the field.

'You might say that Willie and I enjoy complete rapport,' says Spider, who adds, 'and that really only comes when you play for a considerable amount of time with the other guy and know just what he can do. In my book, Willie is one helluva of a cornerback.' The mutual admiration bit continues because in Williams' estimation 'Spider is the best free safety in pro football.'

While it might seem that Spider and Willie have been a solid combination for a long time, that is not exactly precise. As a starter in his rookie campaign, Lockhart logged complete full game time through the entire season. He had four interceptions for 117 yards returned in 1965, returned punts and also punted six times for a fine 44.5 average. He upped his interception total to six steals in 1966, averaged 6.6 on his punt returns and in 1967 had five interceptions and raised his punt return average to 7.7 yards per attempt.

Over this same span, Williams was only a reserve cornerback, getting one interception in his rookie year late in the season. Playing for Oakland in 1966, Williams again saw only part-time duty, and when he came back to the Giants late in 1967, appeared in just six games and had only one interception.

The tandem finally became a fixture in 1968 when Willie won a starting job in training camp. That was the first full season together for the surviving Gremlins, and it turned out to be a banner one. Their two-man total of 18 interceptions proved to be the best in the NFL for two players from the same team, with Spider's eight steals ranking him in a tie for third in the loop behind Willie's eight swipes and nine by Kermit Alexander.

Career totals to date show Lockhart with 29 interceptions for 356 yards in his six seasons, and Willie with 22 for 280 yards returned in his career.

No less an authority than George Sauer, former Jet, has had some nice words to say about the Williams-Lockhart combination. When talking of Williams, who usually covered Sauer, the ex-Texas flash mentions that 'Willie is tough to work against, because you just know he's going to get help from Spider deep. They seem to have a communication without even having to talk to each other.'

Still another common talent between the two Gremlins is their tackling ability. Lockhart, at 175, is among the lightest of defensive backs, and while Willie is a solidly-built 190-pounder, he isn't what you might term a 'big' man. Yet both tackle with controlled ferocity and deadliness. Spider has often joked that he was 6-3 when he came into the league but is now closer to 'five-eleven the way these fullbacks have been treating me.' Actually, it's the other way around. Fullbacks who get loose on draws and quick openers invariably run into Lockhart- and the wiry safetyman hits the big 230-pounders with reckless abandon. Spider may get dazed once in a while, but he never backs off.

Williams, too, manages to make the ball-carrier pay. He's a sure open-field tackler who does his job against the sweeps, either by turning the runner inside or by making the tackle. That's always a rugged responsibility for a cornerback, but Williams does the job well ... and consistently.

It should not come as any great surprise that Lockhart and Williams room together on road trips. Defensive backs, like any other group of players, tend to stay close to each other, and it's not unusual to see Lockhart, Williams, Scott Eaton, Tommy Longo, and the others eating together or heading for a movie while on road trips. Two years ago, when the Giants played in Williams'  hometown of Atlanta, Willie's wife cooked a big dinner and the entire defensive secondary attended en masse.

As far as the Yankee Stadium dressing room is concerned, Spider and Willie are on opposite sides of the spacious, carpeted room ... with Willie's location closer to the stereo system. That stereo system, incidentally, was purchased by the players out of collected fine monies, and speakers are all over the area. The thought is that music has a soothing, calming effect on players ... and since last season was the first year the stereo was installed, who's to argue?

At any rate, with Willie closer to the main control system, he usually gets his choice of the good 'Soul Sounds' that are part and parcel of the collected albums that get the big play. Both have the 'good moves' when the sounds are solid ... with most impartial observers giving Spider the honors when it comes to the good steps.

Whether it's dancing ... pass coverage ... tackling ... intercepting ... hustling ... being winners ... whatever, Spider and Willie make a good team. The hope of Giant fans is that the pair go on being as successful ... and get a chance soon to perform their playing field specialties in a championship game."

-1971 New York Giants Official Yearbook

1971 Giants Linebacker Profiles

RON HORNSBY

Middle Linebacker

3rd Round

Southeast Louisiana State

"Louisiana sportswriters picked him as the defensive Player of the Year. Hornsby was named to the AP's first-team Small College All-America. He intercepted nine passes in his career and led his team in tackles, averaging 13 a game.

Hornsby will get his first shot at an outside linebacking spot but may be tested in the middle."

-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1971 Edition)

JIM FILES

Linebacker
No. 58
Oklahoma
"Drafted number one last season after a standout career as an outside linebacker at Oklahoma, Jim Files became the Giants' middle linebacker at the start of the 1970 exhibition season. Despite some weak games at the beginning- which is understandable- Files developed nicely. The 6-4, 235-pounder, who learned his trade with on-the-job experience, came on strong by the end of the year.
In the running for Rookie of the Year honors in 1970, Files, it is felt, has the potential to develop into an All-Pro middle linebacker. He drops back very well on pass plays but must learn not to get blotted out so often on running plays."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971

JOHN DOUGLAS

Linebacker

No. 51

Missouri

Drafted in the 4th round by the Dallas Cowboys in 1968, John made the team but was drafted into the Army just before the start of the season. Returning to the Cowboys after two years of service, including duty in Vietnam where he was wounded, he was released during the 1970 preseason and signed by the Giants as a free agent. New York defensive coach Norb Hecker thinks John has what it takes to be a starter in the Giants' improving defense.

John won unanimous All-Big Eight honors as a senior linebacker at Missouri, the season he was a co-captain. He was selected to play in both the Senior Bowl and the North-South Game.