The Big Hitter's Giant Coaches Trivia: 07/14/07

[bighitterdalama]

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
     

[retrojint]

1. Bill Arnsparger
2. Buddy Ryan, although I still think he was the Jets line coach that year and not DC
3.  Charlie Weis although it's a wild guess.  I know he coached a high school football championship to the NJ state title
4. Forrest Gregg, Bart Starr,Tom Bettis, Alex Webster, Dick Nolan, Joe Walton
5.  Dead end on this one.  I thought maybe Dan Reeves qb South Carolina, who would later go on to coach the Giants.  But I can't think of anybody from the school who went on to the HOF, and also played briefly with the Giants. 

Another dead end is Jim Fassel, who was a third-string qb at USC.  Can't match up the teammate to him.  Alex Webster went to North Carolina St.
Maybe it's Allie Sherman with his multi-faceted career popping up again.  I don't remember where he attended college.

Two obvious solutions to the couplet are the Niner guys:  YA and Hugh.  The answer probably revolves around them. 

[retrojint]

Update:  This is kind of a "duh."  It's Coughlin and Csonka.  I read the question quickly and poorly.  I thought the HC had been a player in the NFL.

[bighitterdalama]

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.

[retrojint]

Bettis I got because he shows up frequently on these trivia boards.  If you follow them there is kind of a Trivia Mafioso involved.  Because of his interim status Bettis makes the rounds frequently.  Without that backdrop I wouldn't have gotten him at all because, frankly, I don't know much at all about him.  Trivia is like that.  It's a magnifying glass for guys who otherwise would be completely forgotten.

On the hoops questions It might be Lombardi because of the Catholic School angle.  I've read four books on Vince.  What would tick me off is I don't remember that from any of them. 

[retrojint]

On Ryan until I get my Jets yearbook from 68, I can't say conclusively.  But I think Walt Michaels was the DC and Ryan was the line coach.  They were both involved in the game planning, but that is my recollection. 

[bighitterdalama]

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.   

[Webster29]

Big Hitter---I think I have the 7th HC from the 61 Championship game.  How about Jim Ringo.

He lives not to far from me in Findley Lake NY

[retrojint]

Red:  Bingo!  I'll answer for Big Hitter.  Syracuse grad.  Traded by Lombardi to the Eagles from Green Bay as soon as Vince received confirmation that Ringo had hired an agent to represent him.  I am sure you attended games in Buffalo when he was head coach.  As I did.  And I had forgotten.

[Webster29]

Steve:   I always enjoyed that story about Ringo, his agent and Vince.  Even though it's probably not true.  And I'm sure you know what  I'm referring to.  I first read about it in Kramer's book Instant Replay.  For those who have not heard it before it goes something like this:

Back in the days when agents were rare and players did their own negotiating with their teams Ringo was coming into the Packer office for contract discussions.  He brought an agent with him and told Lombardi this agent would be doing the negotiating.  Vince shook hands with the agent and then excused himself saying he would be right back.  He supposedly went down the hall to another office and made a phone call.  I few minutes later he came back to his office and told the agent he was talking to the wrong team. Jim Ringo had just been traded to the Eagles.

I have read a couple different books on Lombardi and they both said it most likely did not happen that way and that the Ringo trade had been discussed with the Eagles for some time.  Anyway it did make a good story and probably made a few players think twice before going in with an agent for talks with Vince.