Big Blue Huddle

Dasher,

Happy Birthday!

As to your trivia questions:

1) I misread this question as thinking that the opening KO went for a touchdown. I was pretty sure that Mel Triplett scored the Giants first touchdown, but on a running play. I looked it up, and I was right: Triplett went off tackle for a 17 yard touchdown run to give the Giants an opening drive lead of 7-0. But that does not the question, and, in looking it up, I now know the answer. So I will defer.

2) Andy Robustelli ordered the sneakers. Andy utilized business connections in Connecticut to order the 48 pairs of Keds on short notice. I am not sure what Andy does today, but he was always a sharp businessman.

3) I believe that I have 13 HOFers:

Rosie Brown
Frank Gifford
Andy Robustelli
Sam Huff
Emlen Tunnell
Doug Adkins
Bill George
George Blanda
Vince Lombardi
Tom Landry
Tim Mara
Wellington Mara
George Halas

I will think about the last two . . .

4) Don Larsen's 1956 World Series Perfect Game, played at Yankee Stadium, October 10, 1956.

Big Hitter

Lombardi is correct. He led St. Cecilia's High School Saints (Bergen) to the New Jersey State Parochial Schools Championship in 1945.

Unless if I got very bad information in the past, Buddy was the Jets' DC. I do know that he was credited with crafting an outstanding Jet defense that mimicked his later "46" defense. Somehwt forgotten to history is that Namath went into a slump during the middle of the '68 season, with the Jet offense failing to score a touchdown in four consecutive games. However, led by flat out terrific defensive play, the Jets won all four games. The 1968 Jet defense led the league in both running defense and passing defense (but not scoring defense.)

You still owe me one HC from the 1961 NFL Championship Game.

Brian.   

Steve,

1) Arnsie was an easy one. The question is more designed for the apprentice Giant historian.

2) Buddy Ryan is correct. He ran an early version of the 46 defense, with Jet safety Jim Hudson playing the part of Doug Planke.

3) All six did indeed become NFL HCs. Tom Bettis is a nice pluck. His seven game career as Chief's HC flew under ny radar. There is one more NFL HC who played in the '61 Championship Game, for a total of seven.

4) Think it through, paisan, and his name will come to you.

5) I was wondering how you missed this one. The answer indeed is Tom Coughlin. He played wingback in the Syracuse Orange backfield that included Larry Csonka (HOFer) and Floyd Little (who should be in the HOF).

Two names to go.

Mojo,

Strictly a guess: Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, at Dallas Stadium?

Big Hitter

Giant Coaches' Trivia

1) This former Giant head coach had previously been the defensive coordinator for two successive Super Bowl champions (same team). Name the man and the team.

2) This former Giant nemesis was once the defensive coordinator for two separate Super Bowl champions (different teams). As best as I can determine, he is the only one to have done so. Name the coach and the two teams whose defenses he coordinated into SB champions.

3) This former Giant offensive coordinator once coached a high school basketball team that won the New Jersey State Parochial Schools Championship. Name him.

4) The Giants played the Packers in the 1961 NFL Championship, a game won by the Packers, 37-0. Six players who participated in this game later became NFL head coaches. Name the six players.

5) This Giant head coach was a member of the same college backfield as a future NFL Hall of Fame player. The HOFer played a portion of his career as a Giant. Name the coach, the HOFer, and the Alma Mater.

Big Hitter
     

Chris,

Did he attend the same college as Terry Bradshaw?

Throw some starting backfields at me, and I will try to put up their photographs. They need not be "great;" the memories alone will serve the purpose. I will start with a few:



1950s New York Giants


Charlie Conerly



Frank Gifford



Alex Webster





1950s Baltimore Colts


Johnny Unitas



Lenny Moore



Alan Ameche





1960s Green Bay Packers


Bart Starr



Paul Hornung



Jim Taylor





1960s Cleveland Browns


Frank Ryan



Jim Brown



Ernie Green





1960s Philadelphia Eagles


Norman Snead



Timmy Brown



Earl Gros




Big Hitter

Big Red,

I knew that Warfield figured into the trade somehow, but I couldn't remember the exact circumstances. Thank you for the insight. At the end of the 1969 season, the Browns were desperate to find a replacement for the aging Don Nelson. The Browns' front office thought that Purdue's Mike Phipps fit the bill. Phipps turned out to be a servicable NFL QB but, as Retro points out, never really did pan out into the All Pro many thought he could become. Phipps never had a season of 2000+ passing yards.

Homer Jones career-long knee injury finally caught up with him in 1970. Following his electric KO return for a touchdown to open up Monday Night Football against the Jets, he played sparingly for the Browns in 1970, catching only ten passes for 141 yards. He retired at the end of the season.




for




Big Hitter

Listed below are twenty current or former Giant players. Each player on the list matches with a second player on the list with having attended the same university or college. WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP, match the ten pairs of players and list the respective alma maters. (For example; Pepper Johnson/William Roberts/Ohio State.)

Dave Meggett
Rodney Hampton
Michael Strahan
Jim Burt
Jeff Hotstetler
Steve DeOssie
Sean Landetta
Homer Jones
Chris Snee
Sam Huff
Y.A. Tittle
O.J. Anderson
Brad Van Pelt
Amani Toomer
Alex Webster
Fran Tarkenton
Leonard Marshall
Ron Johnson
Mark Ingram
Perry Williams

Big Hitter

The answer, of course, is Jim Houston. Nice job, Big Red!

Selected in the 1st round of the 1960 draft (#8 overall), Houston, an Ohio State alum, played all thirteen of his NFL seasons with the Browns. Houston played in four Pro Bowls ('64, '65, '69, '70). An examination of his career statistics indicates that the long interception return against the Giants was no fluke. In the five seasons between 1964-1968, Houston intercepted twelve passes for 253 return yards and three touchdowns. The 21.1 yards/return is an astounding statistic given that he was a 6'2", 239 lbs. linebacker.

In baseball, Houston's career would make him a "D" (or perhaps "C") level candidate fpr the Hall of Fame. In the NFL, he has no chance. Still, he had a fine pro career.





http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=HOUSTJIM01


Big Hitter

The Date: December 03, 1967
The Place: Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
The Game: New York Giants vs. Cleveland Browns

The Situation: Fresh off a 44-7 trouncing of the Philadelphia Eagles, the 6-5 Giants visit Cleveland to face the 7-4 Browns in a game that will determine the who will be the NFL's Century Division Champions. 

The Scenario: As the result of abysmal offensive play, the Giants end the first half down17-0. The Giants take the opening kick of the second half and, led by Fran Tarkenton, drive crisply down the field to cut the deficit to 17-7. After a stout defensive stop, the Giants regain the ball. With the game's momentum now clearly swung towards the Giants, Tarkenton leads the Giants masterfully down the field towards another score. Deep in Brown territory, Tarketon calls for a square out pattern to Giant end Aaron Thomas. Suddenly, a Brown linebacker jumps the route, intercepts the pass, and rumbles 79 yards for a touchdown. 24-7, Browns. The Giants add one more score, but end the game at the short end of a 24-14 final.

The Question: Who was the Brown linebacker who made this crucial interception/TD runback?

Extra Credit: What was this player's uniform number, curious for a linebacker?

Extra Credit: What was this player's college alma mater?

Big Hitter



 

Dash,

This last question is a tough one. I was looking for Ken Kavanaugh, Allie Sherman's receivers' coach from the late sixties. Ken also served as the Giants' unofficial assistant OC. (Sherman had total control of the offense and had nothing to do with the defense.) Sherman and Kavanaugh constructed some very innovative plays that were designed with the unique abilities of Fran Tarkenton in mind. The last second game winning "flea flicker" TD pass to Homer Jones against the Steelers in Game 5 of the 1967 season comes to mind. Sherman referred to such trick plays as "hipper dippers."

Big Hitter 

Dasher,

Bob Schnelker is incorrect. 

Odd, I though that this question would last about five minutes. This guy is no historical footnote. He is an integral part of Giant history. Reread the original question. The answer lies within.

Brian

Nailed this one. But again, I will defer.

Wide receiver coach . . .