1960: Van Brocklin & Bednarik Spur Eagles Past Packers for NFL Title

The NFL Championship game on December 26, 1960 featured two clubs that had not vied for titles since the 1940s and had not been expected to contend in ’60. The Philadelphia Eagles, leaders of the Eastern Conference with a 10-2 record, had been perennial also-rans since winning back-to-back championships in 1948 and ’49. Representing the Western Conference, the Green Bay Packers had been through many years in the doldrums after last going the distance in 1944.

The Eagles had steadily improved since the arrival of Buck Shaw as head coach in 1958 who, at age 61, was hoping to retire with a championship. 34-year-old QB Norm Van Brocklin (pictured above), who also came to Philadelphia in ’58 in a deal with the Rams, was seeking to do likewise. The quarterback known as The Dutchman was the key to the offense and had an MVP year in 1960. While the running game was ordinary, the passing attack was not as Van Brocklin had a good corps of receivers in diminutive flanker Tommy McDonald and ends Pete Retzlaff and Bobby Walston. Chuck Bednarik, a former All-Pro linebacker who had moved exclusively to center in recent years, had been forced to play both ways due to injuries in the linebacking corps and provided leadership, as well as outstanding performance, to the defense. Two rookies, HB/FB Ted Dean and LB Maxie Baughan, also contributed to the team’s success.

Green Bay was benefiting from the guidance of second-year Head Coach Vince Lombardi. After posting a 7-5 record in 1959, the first winning tally for the club in 12 years, the Packers had started off at 4-1 in ’60, lost three of four, and then won their final three games to vault past the Lions, 49ers, and Colts with an 8-4 tally. HB/PK Paul Hornung scored a record 176 points and, in combination with FB Jim Taylor, was part of a running attack that ranked second in the league. QB Bart Starr was still a work in progress, the receiving corps good, and the offensive line outstanding. The defense was tough, particularly the line and linebackers.

With the addition of temporary seating, there were 67,352 fans filling Philadelphia’s Franklin Field for the title contest and the weather was sunny and in the mid-40s. Things did not start out well for the Eagles when Van Brocklin tossed a swing pass that HB Bill Barnes couldn’t hold on to and was intercepted by Green Bay DE Bill Quinlan at the Philadelphia 14 yard line. Three running plays gained eight yards, and Lombardi chose to go for the first down on fourth-and-two at the six. The Eagles defense stopped Taylor short and Philadelphia took over on downs.

However, the reprieve was a short one when Dean, at the end of a ten-yard run, fumbled the ball back to the Packers at his own 22. Handing off to Hornung and Taylor, Green Bay got down to the eight yard line, but an offsides penalty backed the Packers up and two passes by Starr into the end zone were incomplete. Hornung kicked a 20-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 3-0 lead.

The Eagles were only able to get one first down during the opening period, but the defense was showing an ability to stop Green Bay’s inside running game in key situations. Heading into the second quarter, the Packers drove into Eagles territory and reached the 14 yard line. Once more the possession stalled at that point and Hornung kicked a 23-yard field goal to make the score 6-0.

Philadelphia’s passing game came alive midway through the second quarter as Van Brocklin completed a 22-yard pass to McDonald down the middle and then threw to McDonald again, this time on an outside route that resulted in a 35-yard touchdown. With Walston’s successful extra point, the Eagles led by a point (McDonald pictured below).


After getting the ball back, Van Brocklin completed a 41-yard pass to Retzlaff to the Green Bay 33. A swing pass to Dean gained 22 more, but the next three passes were incompletions and Philadelphia settled for a 15-yard Walston field goal. With time running out in the first half, the Packers responded with a 73-yard drive to the Eagles’ seven yard line, but Hornung missed a 14-yard field goal attempt on the final play before halftime. Philadelphia held a 10-6 lead at the intermission.

In the third quarter, the Packers once again moved the ball well and faced a third-and-two situation at the Eagles’ 26. In a key play, Hornung was not only stopped short but knocked out of the game when he suffered a shoulder injury after being hit hard by Bednarik. With Green Bay bypassing another field goal attempt (Hornung was at least temporarily unavailable for kicking as well as playing halfback), the Eagles stopped Taylor and regained possession.

It seemed as though the Eagles might add to their lead as Van Brocklin completed passes of 33 yards to McDonald and 25 to Walston. But at the Green Bay four he threw a pass that was intercepted by CB John Symank.

The Packers didn’t move on their next possession, but end Max McGee, who was also the team’s punter, ran out of punt formation for a 35-yard gain to the Philadelphia 46. Starr followed up with a 17-yard pass to TE Gary Knafelc, and after runs by Taylor and HB Tom Moore (Hornung’s replacement) for first downs, McGee caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Starr. Hornung’s kick put the Packers back in the lead by a 13-10 score.

However, Dean returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards to the Green Bay 39. The Eagles kept the ball on the ground as they drove to a first down, but Van Brocklin was sacked by LB Ray Nitschke for a seven-yard loss. However, The Dutchman recovered with a 13-yard pass to Barnes and then Barnes carried for a five-yard gain and first down at the nine.

With the Packers expecting a pass, Van Brocklin handed off twice to Dean, the second resulting in a five-yard run for a touchdown (pictured below). The successful extra point gave the Eagles a four-point lead with 5:21 to play.


Green Bay battled back, but McGee fumbled after catching a 12-yard pass from Starr at the Philadelphia 48 and Bednarik recovered for the Eagles. Getting the ball back at their own 35 with less than three minutes remaining on the clock, Starr completed four passes on a drive that also included a nine-yard run by Taylor. But at the Philadelphia 22 and with time for only one play, Starr, seeing his deep receivers covered in the end zone, dumped a pass off to Taylor who charged down to the 10, was slowed by DB Bobby Jackson, and then finally wrestled down by Bednarik as time ran out. The Eagles had held on to win, 17-13.

The Packers significantly outgained the Eagles with 401 yards to 296 and had 22 first downs to Philadelphia’s 13. They also turned the ball over just once, to three suffered by Philadelphia. But the Eagles took better advantage of their opportunities.

Norm Van Brocklin completed 9 of 20 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and six of those completions covered 22 yards or more. Tommy McDonald caught three passes for 90 yards and a TD while Bobby Walston also caught three, for 38 yards. Ted Dean led the running game with 54 yards on 13 carries, including the game-winning touchdown, caught a pass for 22 yards, and had the key 58-yard kickoff return.


35-year-old Chuck Bednarik (pictured at right) had an outstanding performance in his two-way role. Of the game’s 142 plays, he was on the field for 139 of them and made several key defensive plays, including the game-clinching stop of Taylor on the last play.

For the Packers, Bart Starr was successful on 21 of 34 passes for 178 yards with a TD and no interceptions, but his longest completion of the day was for 20 yards. Jim Taylor gained 105 yards on 24 carries and accumulated another 46 yards on 6 catches. Paul Hornung ran the ball 11 times for 61 yards and caught four passes for 14 before having to leave the game (other than for placekicking). Gary Knafelc also caught 6 passes and gained 76 yards.

The Packers came back from the title game loss to win the next two NFL championships, and posted an extraordinary five in nine seasons under Lombardi. Things did not go as well for the Eagles. Buck Shaw retired following the title game, as did Van Brocklin. Assistant coach Nick Skorich was elevated to the head coaching job and, while the Eagles with Sonny Jurgensen at quarterback came close to winning the Eastern Conference in ’61, from 1962 on the club fell into a long dry spell. They did not return to the postseason (other than the meaningless Playoff Bowl) until 1978.

Norm Van Brocklin, having gone out on top to conclude his Hall of Fame playing career, had fully expected to succeed Shaw as head coach of the Eagles. When he didn’t, the embittered Dutchman became the first coach of the expansion Minnesota Vikings in 1961.

1960: John David Crow Reaches Thousand Yards with 203 in Season Finale

The move from Chicago to St. Louis following the 1959 NFL season seemed to reinvigorate the Cardinals franchise. Not only did they have an enthusiastic new fan base, but the quality of play improved as well. Coming into the season finale on December 18, 1960 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals were 5-5-1 and had a chance to post their first winning record since 1956.

While second-year split end Sonny Randle was having a breakout season, St. Louis was at its best running the ball (they led the league in that category). Head Coach Frank “Pop” Ivy favored a ground game that featured multiple sets and his best and most versatile runner was HB John David Crow.

Crow, in his third year, had come out of Texas A & M, where he was coached by the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant and won the Heisman Trophy in 1957 (Bryant’s only Heisman winner). At 6’2”, 215 pounds, he was versatile as a runner with speed and power, as a receiver out of the backfield, and as a passer on option plays. He had been selected to the Pro Bowl in ’59 after gaining 666 yards rushing, plus another 328 on 28 catches, and was better in 1960 - going into the game against the Steelers he needed 57 yards to break Ollie Matson’s single-season team rushing record of 924 yards, set in that last winning season of 1956.

There were 20,840 fans present on a cold but sunny day. The Steelers, coached by Buddy Parker, were also 5-5-1 but, unlike the situation with the Cardinals, Pittsburgh appeared to be moving in the wrong direction. In 1958, Parker’s second season, in which Bobby Layne was obtained from the Lions early in the year to take over the quarterback duties, the club went 7-4-1. In ’59 they had been 6-5-1. But Layne was one of several players suffering through an injury-plagued campaign. After a 2-5-1 start, the Steelers had won their last three games.

The game started slowly, with neither team able to generate much offense due to fumbles and penalties. The battered Layne sat out the first 22 minutes as the strong-armed Rudy Bukich started (and eventually finished) at quarterback for the Steelers.

St. Louis finally scored in the last minute of the first half after recovering a fumble at the Pittsburgh 15. FB Frank Mestnik ran for a one-yard touchdown. However, Pittsburgh came right back to tie the score with just three seconds left in the second quarter on a 49-yard pass play from Layne to flanker Jimmy Orr.

On the first possession of the third quarter, Cardinals QB John Roach threw to Randle for a 57-yard gain to the Pittsburgh 20 that set up a 16-yard field goal by Gerry Perry. However, before the period was over, Roach threw two touchdown passes to Randle, of 14 and 8 yards, to effectively put the game out of reach.

Crow passed Matson’s franchise rushing record with a 57-yard run in the fourth quarter, part of a 98-yard drive by the Cardinals following a pass interception deep in their own territory. Roach scored from a yard out to make it 31-7.

A fumble recovery set up a last, late touchdown by St. Louis as Randle caught a 33-yard pass from Roach for his third score of the day that provided the final score of 38-7.

The season-ending win, of course, allowed St. Louis to finish over .500 with a 6-5-1 record that placed fourth in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh’s 5-6-1 tally ranked fifth.

The Cardinals gained 379 total yards to 180 for Pittsburgh, and also had a significant edge in first downs, 21 to 9. The Steelers ran the ball poorly, gaining just 30 net yards and one first down on 22 carries. They also turned the ball over four times, to just one suffered by St. Louis.

The Cardinals gained 271 yards rushing, with John David Crow not only setting a new single-season franchise record with 1071, but establishing a single-game mark with 203 yards on 24 attempts. He also caught two passes for 30 yards and completed an option pass for nine more.

Sonny Randle also had a big day, catching 5 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns. John Roach completed 7 of 21 passes for 145 yards with three of them good for TDs and none intercepted.

Bobby Layne, who came on for Bukich but was injured in the fourth quarter, completed 4 of 8 passes for 92 yards and the lone TD; Rudy Bukich was successful on 6 of 12 passes for 81 yards and gave up two interceptions. Jimmy Orr led the receivers with 4 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. HB Tom Tracy led the anemic running game with 33 yards on 13 carries.

“The boys really gave me some wonderful blocking - all of 'em,” Crow said afterward. “You have to have it for 203 yards in this league.”

Coach Ivy said Crow “can go inside or outside with as much power and speed combined as any back I've ever seen. What's more, he can receive passes well and throw that running halfback pass well.”


Sonny Randle (pictured at left) also set Cardinals club records with 62 catches and 15 touchdowns for the year. John Roach’s three TD passes gave him a total of 17, tying the franchise’s single-season high. But it was the big halfback who drew most of the attention.

For the year, in addition to the 1071 yards on 183 carries with six touchdowns, Crow also was the team’s second-leading pass receiver with 25 receptions for 462 yards and another three scores. He threw the ball often, completing 9 of 18 passes for 247 yards with two TDs against one interception. However, while Crow led the NFL with his 5.9 yards-per-carry and 1533 yards from scrimmage, he also led the league with 11 fumbles.

In summing up his regard for Crow, Frank Ivy said, “I believe he is at least the equal of Jimmy Brown (Cleveland's great runner who again led the NFL in rushing), although Brown has the advantage of a little better offensive line.”

At the time, the comparison to Jim Brown was not as outrageous as it would seem in retrospect. Unfortunately, after the outstanding effort in 1960 injuries, starting with a broken leg during the 1961 preseason, cut significantly into Crow’s playing time. He ran the ball only 48 times in ’61 and had nine attempts in 1963.

While there were other productive seasons, Crow was not able to consistently maintain the high level of performance that had made him one of pro football’s premier backs in 1960. His fumbling also became more of an issue, particularly in 1962 when he scored a career-high 17 touchdowns but again led the NFL in fumbles with 14.

The rushing numbers added up to 4963 yards on 1157 carries (4.3 avg.) with 38 touchdowns and the pass receiving totals were 258 catches for 3699 yards and another 35 TDs. Overall he scored 74 touchdowns, including one on a fumble recovery, certainly a respectable number considering the time lost to injuries.

Crow’s versatility was apparent to the end – dealt to the 49ers in 1965, where he continued to play halfback, he was switched to tight end in his final season of 1968, catching 31 passes for 531 yards and five touchdowns. He also threw an amazing 70 option passes over the course of his career, completing 33 for 759 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions.

Crow was selected to four Pro Bowls – with the Cardinals in 1959, ’60, and ’62 and the 49ers in 1965.

1960: Unitas’ 47-Game TD Pass Streak Comes to End as Colts Lose to Rams

The Baltimore Colts had won back-to-back NFL championships in 1958 and ’59, and seemed a good bet to win three straight when they got off to a 6-2 start in 1960. However, Head Coach Weeb Ewbank’s club sputtered at that point. Age and injuries began to catch up to the Colts, most significantly a torn Achilles tendon suffered by FB Alan Ameche that proved to be career-ending.

Of course, the Colts still had their star quarterback, Johnny Unitas (pictured above), who was playing with a bad back but was still effective. The running game was not nearly as productive without Ameche, though, and defenses were adjusting to concentrate on stopping the passing attack.

Baltimore had lost two straight games, including a stunning, last-minute 20-15 defeat at the hands of the Lions (one of the contenders chasing the Colts in the Western Conference) the previous week. They were now 6-4 and in trouble as they traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Rams on December 11.

Los Angeles had a new head coach in ’60, former star quarterback Bob Waterfield. The club lost its first four games (including one at Baltimore), but was 3-6-1 by the time the Colts arrived. Some younger players were getting opportunities to play, among them Frank Ryan at quarterback in place of veteran Bill Wade.

There were 75,461 fans at the Memorial Coliseum, and they saw a low-scoring defensive battle. The Colts looked impressive initially, taking up most of the first quarter with a 17-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a nine-yard field goal by Steve Myhra. But that was it as Baltimore held on to a miniscule 3-0 lead at halftime.

Ryan started at quarterback for the Rams but left with a shoulder injury, bringing Wade into the game. Del Shofner, normally a split end, saw action in the defensive backfield and was also the team’s punter until he went down with a leg injury. FB Joe Marconi took over the punting and had an excellent game, kicking six times for a 47.8 average and thus keeping the Colts from starting drives in good field position.

Wade made the biggest play of the game in the third quarter when he rolled out to his left and proceeded to run 66 yards for the only touchdown. He got a good block from Marconi and eluded CB Milt Davis at the 10 yard line on the way to putting the Rams ahead by 7-3.

Danny Villanueva added a 32-yard field goal for LA in the fourth quarter. In the closing minutes, Unitas moved the Colts from their own three yard line to the Rams’ 20, but a fumbled handoff to HB Alex Hawkins was recovered by Los Angeles DT George Strugar, nailing down the 10-3 win for the Rams.

While the Colts outgained LA by 272 yards to 248, they were held to 91 yards on the ground. They also fumbled five times, losing two of them. HB Lenny Moore gained 44 yards on 18 carries (by far his most attempts of the year) while the replacement for Alan Ameche, FB Billy Pricer, ran the ball 8 times and accumulated only 11 yards.

Stars on defense for the Rams included MLB Les Richter, DE Lou Michaels, DE Gene Brito, and DT John Baker. Michaels and the 35-year-old Brito were playing hurt, making their contributions all the more significant.

But the biggest story was that Johnny Unitas failed to complete a touchdown pass, breaking a string of 47 consecutive games stretching back to the eighth contest of the 1956 season (ironically, against the Rams at the same venue). As remarkable as the streak was at the time, it has grown in luster over the intervening years.

The streak occurred at a time when teams were not as prone to passing, and prior to rules changes (most notably in the 1970s) that opened up the aerial game and encouraged teams to throw the ball far more often. The closest any quarterback since has come to the 47-game streak is 36 by Green Bay’s Brett Favre from 2002-04. Dan Marino ranks third, with a 30-game streak in 1985-87.

Along the way, Unitas threw for multiple touchdowns in 33 of the 47 contests (including every game in 1959 and the six leading up to the contest against the Rams), with a high of four that he reached on seven occasions (three times in ’60). The Colts went 31-16 during the 47 games (Unitas missed two complete games to injury in 1958. The streak does not include the two NFL Championship games, in both of which Unitas threw TD passes).

The third straight defeat for the Colts effectively knocked them out of title contention and they ended up losing a fourth to close out the 1960 season with a record of 6-6, placing them fourth in the Western Conference. The Rams were farther behind in sixth place at 4-7-1.

While his touchdown passing streak ended and the team failed to remain on top in the NFL, the 27-year-old Unitas still was among league’s best passers. He set a new record for passing yards with 3099 (he in fact broke Sammy Baugh’s previous record of 2938 in the Rams game) and led the league in pass attempts (378), completions (190), and touchdowns (25). However, he also was second in interceptions thrown (24) due to defenses hanging back to stop the pass once they no longer feared the Colts’ running game (12 of the pickoffs occurred during the last four losing games of the year, including one by the Rams).

1960: Late Walston Field Goal Gives Eagles Key Win Over Browns

The Philadelphia Eagles were off to a good start in 1960, but faced their toughest test in traveling to Cleveland to face the Browns at Municipal Stadium on October 23. The Browns had beaten the Eagles decisively in the season-opening game at Franklin Field and were undefeated at 3-0. Philadelphia had recovered to win three straight games and arrived in Cleveland with a 3-1 tally (the Browns had already had a bye week).

The Eagles had a veteran head coach in 61-year-old Buck Shaw and were led on offense by the tough 34-year-old QB Norm Van Brocklin, in his 12th season overall and third in Philadelphia after being obtained from the Rams. The running game was average, at best, and it was the passing game that made the difference thanks to The Dutchman having outstanding receivers in flanker Tommy McDonald and ends Pete Retzlaff and Bobby Walston (pictured above; he was also the team’s placekicker).

The Eagles came into the game as 13-point underdogs and had not won in Cleveland since 1952. Head Coach Paul Brown’s club had the best one-two running back punch in pro football with FB Jim Brown and HB Bobby Mitchell, and also featured the precision passing of QB Milt Plum.

Eagles LB John Nocera was out with an injury, and his replacement Bob Pellegrini went down early in the contest. As a result, 35-year-old Chuck Bednarik, once one of the top linebackers in the game but now the starting center, had to return to linebacking duty in addition to his role on the offensive line.

Less than four minutes into the first quarter, after stopping the Browns on their opening series, Philadelphia scored on its first play from scrimmage as Van Brocklin threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Walston that gave the Eagles the early 7-0 advantage.

Cleveland drove down the field but came up short of a touchdown thanks to a goal line stand by the Eagles defense. They settled for a 12-yard field goal by Sam Baker. Baker, who had been obtained from Washington to replace the retired Lou Groza (who would return the following year), booted another field goal, of 23 yards, early in the second quarter to narrow Philadelphia’s lead to 7-6.

Plum put the Browns ahead later in the period with an 86-yard scoring pass to flanker Leon Clarke, who was substituting for the injured Ray Renfro. Baker’s extra point attempt failed, but he added a 44-yard field goal to extend Cleveland’s lead to 15-7 at halftime.

The Browns led by 22-7 early in the third quarter after Jim Brown took off on a 71-yard touchdown run. The Eagles came back, though, as FB Clarence Peaks ran up the middle on a draw play for 57 yards to put the Eagles in scoring position. Van Brocklin followed up with a six-yard pass to Walston and HB Billy Barnes plunged into the end zone for a touchdown from a yard out.

Shortly thereafter, Philadelphia struck again as Van Brocklin connected with McDonald for a 57-yard TD that cut Cleveland’s margin to 22-21 after three quarters.

Van Brocklin put the Eagles in the lead at 28-22 early in the fourth quarter with a swing pass to Barnes that covered eight yards for a touchdown. But the Browns responded with an 88-yard drive the ended on a three-yard TD pass from Plum to Mitchell. Cleveland was back in front at 29-28 with just over six minutes remaining to play.

The Eagles again drove into Browns territory, but safety Don Fleming intercepted a Van Brocklin pass. The Eagles defense held the Browns and forced them to punt, giving the Eagles one more shot.

With time running down, the Eagles took over at their 10 yard line. Van Brocklin passed to Retzlaff for 27 yards and then McDonald for 12 to just short of midfield. However, it appeared that Cleveland would win when safety Bobby Franklin came up with an interception, but LB Vince Costello was flagged for pass interference and the Eagles, instead of losing the ball, now had a first down at the Browns 30.

With 15 seconds remaining, Walston kicked a 38-yard field goal and the Eagles came away with a big 31-29 win.

Both teams put up plenty of yards, with the Browns outgaining Philadelphia by 451 yards to 428; they also had more first downs (21 to 18).


Norm Van Brocklin (pictured at left) completed 17 of 26 passes for 292 yards with three touchdowns and the one interception. Thanks to the long run in the third quarter, Clarence Peaks had a season-high 102 yards on 13 carries. Billy Barnes, who ran for 25 yards on 9 attempts and a TD, caught 7 passes for 48 yards and another score. Bobby Walston, in addition to kicking the winning field goal, also led all receivers with 94 yards on four catches. Pete Retzlaff and Tommy McDonald contributed significantly, with the former gaining 80 yards on three receptions and the latter 66 yards and a TD on two catches.

Jim Brown, as usual, put up big numbers for the Browns with 167 rushing yards on 22 carries, including the long touchdown run, and added another 57 yards on four pass receptions. Bobby Mitchell, who had devastated the Eagles in the opening game with 156 yards on 14 carries, was held to 35 yards on 14 rushes this time, although he still caught 7 passes for 70 yards and a TD. Milt Plum had 16 completions in 22 pass attempts for 289 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Costello, who was flagged for the interference call, was angry afterward. “I didn’t think there was any interference.” Coach Paul Brown avoided controversy, saying “You couldn’t tell anything from the bench. Vince was pretty hot about it.”

But Van Brocklin insisted the call was correct, saying “(Halfback) Ted Dean had been knocked down and I had to throw to the other side. The call was made right away. Two of the Browns linebackers seemed to sandwich Dean and he went down.”

Regarding the performance by the Eagles’ quarterback, Coach Brown summed up after the game, “As for Van Brocklin, he is one of the finest football players of all time.”

The Eagles were able to rest up with a bye the following week and then kept on winning to end up atop the Eastern Conference with a 10-2 record. They defeated the Green Bay Packers for the NFL Championship. Cleveland went 2-2-1 over the next five games and finished second with an 8-3-1 tally.

Norm Van Brocklin received unanimous MVP recognition (AP, UPI, NEA, and the Bert Bell Award) in his greatest – and last – season. He ranked second in the league in pass attempts (284), completions (153), yards (2471), and touchdowns (24).

Bobby Walston finished second in the league in scoring with 105 points. He had the best field goal percentage (70 %) as a result of connecting on 14 of 20 attempts. Walston also caught 30 passes for 563 yards (18.8 avg.) and four TDs.


Chuck Bednarik (pictured at right) played 59 minutes against Cleveland and led the club with 15 tackles, 11 of them unassisted. With the injuries plaguing the linebacking corps, Concrete Charley showed the critics who said he was too old to play linebacker that they were wrong, and did so while playing both ways (the last NFL player to do so regularly) all the way to the title game (he averaged over 50 minutes per game).

Jim Brown led the NFL in rushing for the fourth consecutive season with 1257 yards on 215 attempts (5.8 avg.) and nine touchdowns. Milt Plum was the league’s top passer - by the current system, his 110.4 rating was the best until Joe Montana’s 112.4 in 1989.