GREEN BAY (AP) - "I'm going to be at Green Bay the rest of my career," Dan Devine said in early 1971. "If this job hadn't come along, I would have stayed at Missouri forever. Green Bay represents the last mountain to climb." Monday, that mountain came crashing down as Devine resigned after four turbulent seasons as head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers. But Devine found another mountain to climb immediately, accepting a new job succeeding Ara Paraseghian as head coach at Notre Dame. The personal and professional tragedy of a man who, at 46, had forsaken prestige and security as football coach, athletic director and tenured professor at the University of Missouri to accept a new challenge might have been anticipated Jan. 19, 1971. That was when Devine held his first news conference in his new position here. And one of the first questions was how Devine would handle the inevitable comparisons between himself and the late Vince Lombardi, whose Packers had won five National Football League titles in the 1960s. "I hope you don't expect me to be someone else," Devine replied. "I'm not and I can't pretend that I am. I'm not Vince Lombardi and I'm not anybody else. I'm Dan Devine." To a football-mad fandom spoiled by past success, that wasn't good enough. The most obvious reason was Lombardi's .766 winning percentage and the loaded showcase of trophies that drew national attention to Green Bay, nicknamed by its proud citizens Titletown U.S.A. Personality and background were other factors. Lombardi, thunderous of voice and temperament, was a singularly commanding presence, just as his teams dominated professional football at a time when the sport, in the opinion of many, rode the television boom to the status of national pastime. As those who know him will attest, Devine's makeup includes an inner steel. Yet he is smallish, soft spoken, almost professorial in manner—too unlike Lombardi, many said, to control a professional football team. Besides, said his swelling legion of detractors, he was a college coach. Despite the success of Chuck Fairbanks at New England and Don Goryell at St. Louis, many here maintain a college coach cannot win in the National Football League. Lombardi was a god here. Devine, being human, made his share of errors. Less than a month on the job, Devine heeded his assistants' advice not to draft Mel Gray, his former star at Missouri. Gray was drafted by St. Louis and is one of the league's top receivers and kick returners. After Bart Starr, Lombardi's brilliant quarterback of the 1960s, retired because of arm trouble, Devine was second guessed for not drafting or trading for a top quarterback. He obtained the established John Hadl from Los Angeles two months ago, but was second guessed for unloading five high draft choices in return. And when the Packers won three games in a row with Hadl at quarterback, Devine was second guessed for not trading for him earlier. One of Devine's first moves was to bench aging but lionized Ray Nitschke, once voted best middle linebacker of the NFL's first 50 years. Nitschke's successor, Jim Carter, still is subjected to frequent booing. Don Woods, a sixth round draft choice last January, was cut by Devine in September. Signed by San Diego for $100 a few days later, Woods rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season. Only 11 players remain from the 1970 team Devine inherited, and the housecleaning yielded its share of dividends. Devine traded quarterback Don Horn, who never has come close to approaching his early promise. The Packers wound up with Alden Roche, voted their best defensive player in 1971, and John Brockington, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of his first three seasons. Devine solved a four-year placekicking problem by drafting Chester Marcol, who won the NFL scoring title as a rookie. Willie Buchanon, drafted the same year, is one of the league's premier cornerbacks. The grumbling began when Devine's first team went 4-8-2, subsided when the 1972 Packers surprised by winning a division title and resumed when they lost to Washington in the playoffs. It intensified last year when they slipped to 5-7-2, but the Packer executive committee decided to retain Devine for the fourth year of his five year contract. Devine promised a championship in 1974, but off-field turmoil and distractions commanded almost as much attention as the team itself Bitterness and divisiveness caused by the NFL players' strike increased with arrests of 20 striking players, most of them Packers, outside Lambeau Field prior to an exhibition scrimmage July 25. An anti-Devine clique among the assistant coaches became common knowledge. A national magazine reported Devine and his family had been subjected to vicious personal abuse. The three game winning streak engineered by Hadl evoked faint playoff hopes, which vanished in a 36-14 defeat at Philadelphia Dec. 1 when the Packers fumbled eight times. After a 7-6 loss at San Francisco the next week, club president Dominic Olejniczak said Devine's status would be reviewed after the season. As the end of the line grew apparent, it was learned Devine had submitted his resignation, but was refused, after the 1972 division title. Some believe the disclosure was planted in a move to stir sympathy for Devine. A handful of key players, notably tight end Rich McGeorge and linebacker Ted Hendncks, sought to obtain a vote of confidence for Devine at a closed team meeting last Thursday. The squad was divided, however, and no vote was taken. "To me, individuals and maybe even some on his coaching staff are sort of undermining him, kind of taking credit for themselves and not giving the coach all the credit, maybe even trying to get rid of him," McGeorge said. Hendncks believes Devine has the team on the verge of a championship. "It's ready," he said. "If somebody steps in next year, they'd get credit for what Dan Devine has done. If Dan Devine is not here next year, I won't be here." Buchanon said Devine's position was untenable almost from the start. "It's a though thing," Buchanon said. "You have to be yourself and people expect you to be Vmce Lombardi. There was only one Vmce Lombardi "
Bart Starr Named Head Coach (December 24, 1974)
GREEN BAY - Bart Starr, who as a quarterback led the Green Bay Packers to the glory of five National Football League championships, returned to the club today as its new coach and general manager. He, like two others before him, will try to fill the shoes of the late Vince Lombardi, the hard-driving coach who turned Starr and the rest of the Packers of the 1960s into relentless winners. But apparently unlike Phil Bengston and Dan Devine, who proceeded him in Lombardi's shadow, Starr, a legend here, will have the unrestrained support of the fanatic Green Bay fans. Starr, quiet and religious and a student of the game, seems poles apart from Lombardi, a fierce, inspirational leader. But the football hero turned businessman and television commentator cautions that there is more to him than meets the eye. "On a football field I'll cut your heart out," he said recently, but with a smile. And he added the greatest lesson he had learned from Lombardi: "He told us: The quality of a man's life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence no matter what his chosen field of endeavor." Starr's pursuit of excellence may take a different route than Lombardi's, but he has pursued it nonetheless. He was Green Bay's 17th-round draft choice in 1956, and was on the bench when Lombardi arrived in 1959. But by the end of that season, Starr had become the Packers' starting quarterback. He held the position through 1971 until arm and shoulder injuries forced him to retire as a player. But he remained with the club for one season as quarterback coach, when Green Bay was 10-4 and won a division title. It was one of only two winning seasons for the Packers after Lombardi left, but Starr, characteristically, refused any credit. When he left football to pursue business interests in Wisconsin and Alabama, the Packers fell to 5-7-2 and 6-8 marks, setting the stage for last week's resignation and move to Notre Dame by Devine. Starr, always unobtrusive and noncommittal, had remained in the background as Devine tried to weather the storm in Green Bay. He also rejected offers to coach elsewhere in the NFL, biding his time until the time was right in Green Bay. He said recently his interest in the Green Bay job represented an emotional attachment to the Packers. The attachment developed as he guided the club to five NFL titles and victories in the first two Super Bowls. Starr was named most valuable player in both Super Bowls. He completed a league record 57.4 per cent of his passes during a 16-year career. But perhaps his most famous touchdown was on the ground, a quarterback sneak in bitter subzero cold to give Green Bay a last-second victory over Dallas in the 1967 NFL title game; Bart Starr, who made his own way despite the enormous presence of Lombardi in the 1960s, now has an opportunity to repeat the performance in the 1970s. Titletown USA, Green Bay, Wis., has its wish. And so does Bart Starr.
September 15: Minnesota Vikings (1-0) 32, Green Bay Packers (0-1) 17
(GREEN BAY) - Chuck Foreman ran for three touchdowns to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 32-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings took a 17-10-lead on a one-yard scoring run by Foreman midway through the third quarter. The touchdown came five plays after Nate Wright had picked off a Jerry Tagge pass and returned it 44 yards to the Packer 16. After a Packer punt, the Vikings drove 75 yards, with Foreman carrying the final three yards to make it 23-10. Fran Tarkenton completed four passes for 36 yards on the march. Fred Cox made it 26-10 with a 21-yard field goal with 7:02 to play. The Packers scored a consolation touchdown with 4:13 left on an 18-yard run on a flanker reverse by rookie Steve Odom. The Vikings took a 3-0 first quarter lead on a 20-yard Cox field goal set up by a 24-yard interception run back by Jeff Wright. A 19-yard field goal by Chester Marcol and a five-yard touchdown run by John Brockington gave the Packers a 10-3 lead. However, the Vikings gained a 10-10 tie shortly before halftime on an 18-yard run by Foreman, capping a 47-yard march.
MINNESOTA - 3 7 13 9 - 32
GREEN BAY - 0 10 0 7 - 17
1st - MINN - Fred Cox, 20-yard field goal MINNESOTA 3-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 19-yard field goal TIED 3-3
2nd - GB - Brockington, 5-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 10-3
2nd - MINN - Chuck Foreman, 18-yard run (Cox kick) TIED 10-10
3rd - MINN - Foreman, 1-yard run (Cox kick) MINNESOTA 17-10
3rd - MINN - Foreman, 3-yard run (Kick blocked) MINNESOTA 23-10
4th - MINN - Cox, 21-yard field goal MINNESOTA 26-10
4th - MINN - Amos Martin, 15-yard fumble recovery (Kick blocked) MINN 32-17
September 22: Green Bay Packers (1-1) 20, Baltimore Colts (0-2) 13
(BALTIMORE) - The Green Bay defense intercepted four Baltimore passes, the last by Charley Hall in the end zone on the final play, and the Packers held off the Colts for 20-13 win. "We had a good rush and good coverage," Green Bay Coach Dan Devine said of the pass defense which enabled MacArthur Lane's two touchdown runs to stand up. "The unit works well together. It's tough to throw against." Green Bay, however, lost a vital member of its defense when end Aaron Brown suffered a torn achilles tendon on the final play and was declared out for the season. "He is potentially our best pass rusher," Devine said. "His loss is really going to hurt." With Baltimore on the Green Bay 28 and time running out, Devine inserted Hall as a fifth defense back and his interception clinched the victory. Chester Marcol booted field goals of 39 and 52 yards, the longer one tying a Green Bay club record, as the Packers evened their season record at 1-1. The Colts, 0-2, finally ended a string of 17 consecutive periods without a touchdown on a seven-yard fourth-quarter scoring pass from Bert Jones to Bill Olds. It followed an interference call against Green Bay which gained 45 yards. Jones replaced Marty Domres, who threw three interceptions and had the crowd of 41,252, Baltimore's smallest in 13 years, calling for his ouster. Given life by the interference call against Willie Buchanon, the Colt's twice threatened in the final five minutes. The second interception by Green Bay safety Jim Hill was returned 23 yards to the Baltimore one, and Lane bulled over to make it 10-3 early in the second quarter. Lane scored from the 13 in the third period, making it 20-6 after LB Ted Hendricks deflected a 37-yard field goal attempt by Toni Linehart. The Baltimore placekicker had converted first half tries from of 37 and 23yards. The Colts outgained Green Bay 282-193 in total yardage while holding running back John Brockington to 27 yards on 16 carries and Lane to 36 yards on 22 attempts. Brockington, the only player in NFL history to gain over one thousand yards in his first three seasons, carried the ball eight times in the first half for a net of minus three yards.
GREEN BAY - 3 10 7 0 - 20
BALTIMORE - 3 3 0 7 - 13
1st - GB - Marcol, 52-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
1st - BALT - Toni Linhart, 37-yard field goal TIED 3-3
2nd - GB - Lane, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 10-3
2nd - GB - Marcol, 39-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-3
2nd - BALT - Linhart, 23-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-6
3rd - GB - Lane, 13-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 20-6
4th - BALT - Bill Olds, 7-yard pass from Bert Jones (Linhart kick) GB 20-13
September 29: Green Bay Packers (2-1) 21, Detroit Lions (0-3) 19
(MILWAUKEE) - Detroit Lions' coach Rick Forzano guaranteed a touchdown, but Green Bay Packer LB Fred Carr invalidated the warranty. Two calculated gambles by Forzano in the last 57 seconds fell just short of succeeding, chiefly because his pet trick play didn't quite fool Carr. Chester Marcol's fourth field goal, a 22 yarder with 1:03 to play, held up for the decisive points as the Packers handed the winless Lions a 21-19 defeat. Detroit's Errol Mann also kicked four field goals, but missed a 47 yard attempt with 18 seconds left. Each team managed one touchdown, but the Packers picked up a safety when LB Ted Hendricks blocked a Herman Weaver punt in the Lion end zone in the second quarter. The Lions began their final series at their 25 yard line with 57 seconds left. Hoping to run a play before the Packers had broken their defensive huddle, Detroit lined up without the ball under center. It was set several yards to the right of the tight end. Quarterback Bill Munson, feigning nonchalance, strolled toward the unattended ball, suddenly picked it up and pitched it to Altie Taylor. Taylor, part of a full house backfield on the play, swept left end - Carr's side of the field - and gained 27 yards to the Packer 48. Forzano said he had installed the play two days earlier. Two plays later, Munson passed to Bob Pickard for 18 yards to the Packer 30 With 24 seconds remaining, nearly everyone expected another pass. Instead, Forzano sent in Mann to try the field goal, which landed short as the clock wound down to 18 seconds. Forzano said the Lions were out of time outs, having been charged an injury time out two plays before Marcol's decisive field goal He also did not want to risk a fumble or an interception.
DETROIT - 3 10 6 0 - 19
GREEN BAY - 0 8 10 3 - 21
1st - DET - Errol Mann, 37-yard field goal DETROIT 3-0
2nd - DET - Mann, 26-yard field goal DETROIT 6-0
2nd - GB - Safety, Hendricks blocked a punt out of the end zone DETROIT 6-2
2nd - GB - Marcol, 35-yard field goal DETROIT 6-5
2nd - DET - Larry Walton, 39-yard pass from Bill Munson (Mann kick) DET 13-5
2nd - GB - Marcol, 36-yard field goal DETROIT 13-8
3rd - DET - Mann, 41-yard field goal DETROIT 16-8
3rd - GB - Marcol, 41-yard field goal DETROIT 16-11
3rd - GB - B.Smith, 27-yard pass from Tagge (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 18-16
3rd - DET - Mann, 28-yard field goal DETROIT 19-18
4th - Marcol, 22-yard field goal GREEN BAY 21-19
October 6: Buffalo Bills (3-1) 27, Green Bay Packers (2-2) 7
(GREEN BAY) - Joe Ferguson and Jim Braxton stole the offensive show from teammate O. J. Simpson, passing and running the Buffalo Bills to a 27-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The Packers put the clamps on Simpson through most of the game, but Ferguson hit early and often, completing 13 of 16 passes for 175 yards, and Braxton scored three times to keep the Bills in command throughout the game. The Buffalo defense stifled the Packers the entire first half and allowed just one long drive all day - that one culminating in a touchdown on a three-yard run by MacArthur Lane early in the fourth quarter. Simpson, football's only 2,000 yard rusher, and the NFL's top ground-gainer through the first three games this year, managed only 62 yards in 16 carries as the Bills concentrated instead on the passing of Ferguson, the catching of Ahmad Rashad and the slashing runs of Braxton, who finished with 86 yards in 24 trips with the ball. The pace of the game was set early as the Bills stopped the Packers on their first possession and then marched 87 yards in eight plays with Ferguson hitting Rashad for nine yards and the touchdown. Braxton went one yard to a score early in the second quarter, added another one yard scoring run early in the third period and went over from two yards out with 6:27 to play in the game. Interceptions by Tony Greene and Robert James set up two touchdowns. Rashad finished with seven catches for 79 yards and all of the receptions came in the first three quarters as the Bills, now 3-1, sat on their big lead. John Brockington had one of his best days this year gaining 56 yards in 14 carries.
BUFFALO - 7 6 7 7 - 27
GREEN BAY - 0 0 0 7 - 7
1st - BUF - Ahmad Rashad, 9-yd pass fr Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick) BUF 7-0
2nd - BUFF - Jim Braxton, 1-yard run (Kick failed) BUFFALO 13-0
October 13: Green Bay Packers (3-2) 17, Los Angeles Rams (3-2) 6
(MILWAUKEE) - Ted Hendricks intercepted three passes and Jon Staggers returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown to push the Green Bay Packers to a 17-6 upset victory over the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, two touchdown favorites before play started, managed to shut off the Green Bay offense almost completely but they couldn't get moving themselves against a Packer defense that continually came up with the big play. Staggers' dazzling punt return midway through the second quarter proved to be the deciding point, giving Green Bay a 7-3 lead. The Packers' other scores carne after interceptions, one late in the third period by Willie Buchanon and the other late in the fourth quarter by Hendricks. Chester Marcol booted a 32-yard field goal after Buchanon's theft and John Brockington drove five yards over center for a touchdown after the Hendricks pickoff. The only Los Angeles scores came on field goals by David Ray, a 28-yarder at the start of the second quarter and another of the same distance at the start of the fourth period. Los Angeles dominated everywhere but the scoreboard, especially in the first half when the Rams outgained the Packers' 108 yards to 23 yards. Lawrence McCutcheon was the big gun, picking up 109 yards on 21 carries for the Rams, but QB John Hadl had his problems and was replaced late in the third period by James Harris. Harris had nearly as much trouble as Hadl, though he did lead the Rams on the game's longest drive, 75 yards, to set up Ray's second field goal. Hendricks and Buchanon picked off Hadl passes and Harris threw two more interceptions to Hendricks. Harris also lost the ball on a fumble in the waning seconds, as he was trying to drive in for consolation points. Green Bay's running game, stopped almost all season, finally came to life in the second half with Brockington leading the way. He had his best game of the year, picking up 89 yards in 26 carries. His touchdown was the first scored against the Rams on the ground this year.
LOS ANGELES - 0 3 0 3 - 6
GREEN BAY - 0 7 3 7 - 17
2nd - LA - David Ray, 28-yard field goal LOS ANGELES 3-0
2nd - GB - Staggers, 68-yard punt return (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-3
3rd - GB - Marcol, 32-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-3
4th - LA - Ray, 28-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-6
4th - GB - Brockington, 5-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 17-6
seven passes for 72 yards and moved the ball to the Detroit one where Brockington dove into the end zone to cut an early Detroit lead to 9-7. Detroit opened the scoring with 5:41 gone in the first quarter on a 39-yard field goal by Mann after Green Bay's Ken Ellis fumbled a punt to give the Lions possession at the Packer 15. Detroit padded its lead to 9-0 on the first play of the second quarter when Bill Munson hit Charlie Sanders with an 11-yard touchdown pass, only to have Mann hit the upright. This left Detroit trailing by one point until the final seconds. Munson and Sanders hooked up for a pair of 20- yard pass plays during the same drive. The Packers took the lead for the first time in the game at 3:37 of the third quarter when Chester Marcol booted a 49-yard field goal to make the score 10-9. It was Marcol's 66th field goal in his three-year career as a Packer, tying him with Paul Hornung for the club record. The game was a reversal of the earlier meeting of these two Central Division clubs when Marcol booted a field goal in the final minute to give the Packers a 21-19 win. In the week after the loss, Green Bay would acquire QB John Hadl from the Los Angeles Rams in one of the worst trades in
Packer history.
GREEN BAY - 0 7 3 7 - 17
DETROIT - 3 6 7 3 - 19
1st - DET - Errol Mann, 34-yard field goal DETROIT 3-0
1st - DET - Charley Sanders, 11-yard pass from Bill Munson (Kick failed) DET 9-0
2nd - GB - Brockington, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) DETROIT 9-7
3rd - GB - Marcol, 49-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-9
3rd - DET - Larry Walton, 39-yard pass from Munson (Mann kick) DETROIT 16-10
4th - GB - Concannon, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 17-16
4th - DET - Mann, 41-yard field goal DETROIT 19-17
November 3: Washington Redskins (5-3) 17, Green Bay Packers (3-5) 6
(GREEN BAY) - The Washington Redskins, with QB Sonny Jurgensen ailing, used a rock-hard defense and a pair of interceptions to down the Green Bay Packers 17-6. The interceptions, off Green Bay starter Jack Concannon. led to 10 Redskin points and helped pull them from a 6-3 halftime deficit to their fifth victory in eight games. Green Bay had used field goals of 29 and 46 yards by Chester Marcol to take the lead. The Redskins' only points in the first half came on Mark Moseley's 40-yard kick which was set up by Dave Robinson's interception. A short Packer punt set up the only points the Redskins scored offensively, giving the ball to Washington on the 50. Passes by Bill Kilmer, subbing for Jurgensen, quickly took the ball downfield, with the final 22 yards coming on a toss to wide receiver Frank Grant midway through the third quarter. That gave Washington the lead and the final points came seven seconds into the fourth quarter when LB Harold McLinton picked off a Concannon pass and ran 14 yards to the end zone. Kilmer, who was the Redskins starter early in the year before Jurgensen got hot, hit on 14 of 24 passes for 139 yards but never could mount a sustained drive. Jurgensen was sidelined this week with a sore knee and bruised thigh. Injuries struck the Packers again as S Al Matthew left early in the second half with a dislocated shoulder and Concannon was forced from the game after being shaken up in the fourth period. Concannon. who had been outstanding in a loss to Detroit a week ago, managed only eight completions in 20 tries before giving way to the newly-acquired John Hadl. Hadl, trying to rally the Packers in the closing minutes was impressive, completing nine of 15 passes for 99 vards but his final throw was picked off by Pat Fischer at the Washington goal line as the game ended.
WASHINGTON - 0 3 7 7 - 17
GREEN BAY - 3 3 0 0 - 6
1st - GB - Marcol, 29-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - WASH - Mark Moseley, 40-yard field goal TIED 3-3
2nd - GB - Marcol, 46-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-3
3rd - WASH - Frank Grant, 22-yd pass from Billy Kilmer (Moseley kick) WASH 10-6
4th - WASH - Harold McLinton, 14-yd interception ret (Moseley kick) WASH 17-6
November 10: Green Bay Packers (4-5) 20, Chicago Bears (3-6) 3
(MILWAUKEE) - A team record 95-yard punt return on the final play of the first half by rookie Steve Odom lifted the Green Bay Packers to a 20-3 win over the Chicago Bears in an error-plagued game. Neither team's offense was able to dent the other's goal line without a big assist from the defense and the ball changed hands eight times on fumbles and interceptions as a steady rain hampered the offense of each side. Chicago's only points came on a 44-yard field goal by Mirro Roder the first time the Bears had the ball, and the Green Bay defense shut them out the rest of the way. The Bears have now gone 15 quarters without scoring a touchdown. Chicago lost the ball four times on fumbles and once on an interception but the Packers turned only two of the miscues into points. Alden Roche's fumble recovery early in the second period led to a 45-yard field goal by Chester Marcol and Mike McCoy's interception on the Bear 10 in the closing seconds set things up for John Brockington's one-yard touchdown run with eight seconds to play. Marcol also booted a 24-yard field goal eight seconds into the fourth period following a 73-yard drive that featured a 63-yard pass from John Hadl to Jon Staggers. Odom's touchdown run also involved a fumble. He dropped the ball, turned around and picked it up and then started down the left sideline before cutting to the right, eluding three would-be tacklers en route to the goal line. It was the longest punt return in Green Bay history. The previous record of 93 yards had been set by Veryl Switzer almost 20 years ago against the Bears in Chicago. The Packers lost that game, however.
CHICAGO - 3 0 0 0 - 3
GREEN BAY - 0 10 0 10 - 20
1st - CHI - Mirro Roder, 44-yard field goal CHICAGO 3-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 45-yard field goal TIED 3-3
2nd - GB - Odom, 95-yard punt return (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 10-3
4th - GB - Marcol, 24-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-3
4th - GB - Brockington, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 20-3
November 17: Green Bay Packers (5-5) 19, Minnesota Vikings (7-3) 7
(MINNESOTA) - Chester Marcol kicked four field goals and John Hadl hit MacArthur Lane with a 68-yard scoring pass to give the Green Bay Packers a 19-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. John Brockington rushed for 137 yards in 32 carries and Hadl became only the sixth player in NFL history to go over the 30,000-yard mark in passing as the Packers evened their record at 5-5. Green Bay lost a shutout with 5:08 in the game when Fran Tarkenton hit Chuck Foreman with a 24-yard scoring pass as Minnesota drove 80 yards in seven plays. The Packers came back when Hadl hit Lane on the Packer 44 and the running back raced the remaining 56 yards for the touchdown. Marcol's third field goal, a 19-yarder, came four plays after Green Bay blocked a Fred Cox field goal attempt and Kenny Ellis picked up the loose ball, reversed field and ran 68 yards down the left sideline to the Vikings' nine. It came with 1:42 left in the third period. Marcol made it 12-0 in the final period on an 18-yarder after the Packers drove 48 yards in 10 plays to the Minnesota one but failed on two dives for touchdowns. Despite dominating the offensive statistics, the Packers managed only a 6-0 halftime lead on two second quarter field goals by Marcol. Early in the second period Brockington and Lane alternated as ball carriers as Green Bay marched 64 yards to the Minnesota five. Hadl's second down pass to tight end Rich McGeorge fell incomplete and Hadl was sacked back to the 11 on the following play. The Packers settled for a 28-yard field goal by Marcol.
GREEN BAY - 0 6 3 10 - 19
MINNESOTA - 0 0 0 7 - 7
2nd - GB - Marcol, 28-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 31-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-0
3rd - GB - Marcol, 19-yard field goal GREEN BAY 9-0
4th - GB - Marcol, 18-yard field goal GREEN BAY 12-0
4th - MIN - Chuck Foreman, 24-yd pass fr Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) GB 12-7
4th - GB - Lane, 68-yard pass from Hadl (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 19-7
November 24: Green Bay Packers (6-5) 34, San Diego Chargers (3-8) 0
(GREEN BAY) - The irony wasn't lost on Eric Torkelson, a seldom heard from central figure in the blunder which cost the Green Bay Packers Don Woods. Woods, cut by the Packers September 10 because they considered Torkelson the better of the two rookie running backs, has blossomed into a sensation for the San Diego Chargers. But Sunday it was Woods' turn to blunder, and Torkelson was quick to capitalize. When Woods fumbled the kickoff return at the Charger 29 yard line in the second quarter, Torkelson scooped up the ball and raced all the way to his first National Football League touchdown. It gave the Packers a 13-0 lead which snowballed to a 34-0 victory, their third in a row as their playoff hopes suddenly brightened. San Diego, 3-6, failed to cross midfield until 2:12 remained in the game after QB Dan Fouts left early in the second quarter with a broken thumb on his throwing hand. Doctors said Fouts is lost for the season. The Packers' resurgence has coincided with the arrival of veteran John Hadl in a controversial trade. Hadl completed 14 of 22 passes for 157 yards including a 24-yard touchdown strike to MacArthur Lane for a 27-0 third quarter lead. Green Bay took a 6-0 lead on two Chester Marcol field goals, the first set up by DE Clarence Williams' 23 yard runback of his first career interception. However, Torkelson's touchdown padded the lead to 13-0 less than two minutes before halftime. The Packers broke it open midway in the third quarter after a 46 yard pass from Jessie Freitas to Gary Garrison carried to Green Bay's 24. The play, however, was nullified by what was announced as an offensive interference penalty on Garrison. CB Ken Ellis intercepted on the next play and his 38 yard return for a touchdown made it 20-0. Hadl retired to the bench shortly after his scoring pass to Lane later in the period. Hadl's successor, Jack Concannon, completed the scoring by connecting with rookie Steve Odom on a 56 yard touchdown pass with 7:52 to play.
SAN DIEGO - 0 0 0 0 - 0
GREEN BAY - 3 10 14 7 - 34
1st - GB - Marcol, 22-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 27-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-0
2nd - GB - Torkelson, 29-yard fumble recovery (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 13-0
3rd - GB - Ellis, 38-yard interception return (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 20-0
3rd - GB - Lane, 24-yard pass from Hadl (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 27-0
4th - GB - Odom, 56-yard pass from Concannon (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 34-0
December 1: Philadelphia Eagles (5-7) 36, Green Bay Packers (6-6) 14
(PHILADELPHIA) -The Philadelphia Eagles snapped a six-game losing streak by turning five Green Bay fumbles into scores in a 36-14 victory over the Packers under the direction of rookie quarterback Mike Boryla in his first start. The Packers faded out of playoff contention in the first half when Boryla directed the Eagles to a field goal and three touchdowns, each after recovery of a Green Bay fumble. The young quarterback also engineered a nine-play, 80-yard drive for a fourth touchdown and the Eagles led 29-7 at halftime. When the Packers rallied to trail 29-14 and had a first down at the Eagles seven with 14 minutes remaining in the fourth period, the Eagles defense took over. They took possession when a fourth down and one Green Bay pass sailed out of the end zone. Moments later, the defense recovered another Green Bay fumble at the Packers' four and Boryla passed to Harold Carmichael for another touchdown. Tom Dempsey's 39-yard field goal after a fumble by John Brockington opened the Eagles' first-half onslaught against a Green Bay defense that had allowed an avenge of 8.8 points in its last seven games. In quick succession, the Eagles scored on an 87-yard fumble return by Will Wynn, a 13-yard pass from Boryla to Charley Young and a two-yard run by Tom Sullivan. Trailing 29-0, Green Bay scored its first touchdown late in the second quarter on a one-yard plunge by Brockington. The Packers scored again in the third period after Charley Hall intercepted a Boryla pass at the Philadelphia 10. John Hadl passed three yards to MacArthur Lane for the score.
GREEN BAY - 0 7 7 0 - 14
PHILADELPHIA - 9 20 0 7 - 36
1st - PHIL - Tom Dempsey, 39-yard field goal PHILADELPHIA 3-0
1st - PHIL - Tom Sullivan, 1-yard run (Kick failed) PHILADELPHIA 9-0
2nd - PHIL - Will Wynn, 87-yard fumble recovery (Kick failed) PHIL 15-0
2nd - PHIL - Charlie Young, 14-yd pass fr Mike Boryla (Dempsey kick) PHIL 22-0
2nd - PHIL - Sullivan, 2-yard run (Dempsey kick) PHILADELPHIA 29-0
2nd - GB - Brockington, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) PHILADELPHIA 29-7
3rd - GB - Lane, 3-yard pass from Hadl (Marcol kick) PHILADELPHIA 29-14
4th - PHIL - Harold Carmichael, 3-yd pass from Boryla (Dempsey kick) PHIL 36-14
December 8: San Francisco 49ers (5-8) 7, Green Bay Packers (6-7) 6
(SAN FRANCISCO) - Rookie Delvin Williams ran two yards for the game's only touchdown after a key pass interference call and a 17-yard run by Sammy Johnson to give the San Francisco 49ers a 7-6 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The score came with 9:22 left in the game as Williams took a pitchout and barely got into the end zone. The 49ers had a chance to score again with 23 seconds left after Ralph McGill intercepted a pass by John Hadl and ran it 43 yards to the Green Bay four but preferred to let the clock run out and ran off only two plays in the final seconds. Chester Marcol booted field goals of 43 yards in the first quarter and 29 in the third to account for the Packers points. The loss left Green Bay at 6-7 and San Francisco improved to 5-8 with one game remaining in the regular season. The 49ers were bogged down at their own 46 on third down when Green Bay CB Ken Ellis was called for interference on Gene Washington to set the 49ers up at Packers 21. Norm Snead. who replaced rookie Tom Owen at the start of the second half, threw two incomplete passes into the end zone and it appeared the 49ers would have to settle for a field goal try when Johnson took a screen pass, cut back toward the middle, broke four tackles and fought his way to the four. Johnson went two yards up the middle and then Williams took a pitch from Snead and made it home for the winning TD.
GREEN BAY - 3 0 3 0 - 6
SAN FRANCISCO - 0 0 0 7 - 7
1st - GB - Marcol, 43-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
3rd - GB - Marcol, 29-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-0
4th - SF - Del Williams, 2-yard run (Mike Gossett kick) SAN FRANCISCO 7-6
December 15: Atlanta Falcons (3-11) 10, Green Bay Packers (6-8) 3
(ATLANTA) - Dave Hampton scored the only touchdown on a five-yard run as the Atlanta Falcons snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 10-3 victory over the Green Bay Packers. It was a NFL battle of offensive futility as both teams sloshed around in the mud. Hampton, who gained 94 yards on 23 carries, scored his touchdown in the opening quarter and Nick Mike-Mayer kicked a 47-yard field goal. Green Bay's only score came on a 43-yard field goal by Chester Marcol in the third quarter. The Packers, who salvaged only one field goal out of five possessions beginning no further than 51 yards away from the Atlanta end zone, had two late chances to send the game into sudden-death overtime. Green Bay recovered a fumble at the Falcons' 25 but failed to score on a fourth-down gamble from the 10 when John Hadl's pass went off Rich McGeorge's fingertips in the end zone. The Packers gained possession again with less than two minutes remaining and moved to the Atlanta 35 before Tommy Nobis killed the threat with an interception just 44 seconds from the final gun. If persistent rumors of recent weeks are true, it may have been the final game for coaches of both teams - Dan Devine of Green Bay and Marion Campbell of Atlanta, who snapped a personal five-game losing streak since replacing the fired Norm Van Brocklin six weeks ago. The actual attendance of 10,020 was the smallest of the year in the NFL, and the 48,830 no-shows was an NFL record.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 3 0 - 3
ATLANTA - 7 3 0 0 - 10
1st - ATL - Dave Hampton, 5-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) ATLANTA 7-0
2nd - ATL - Mike-Mayer, 47-yard field goal ATLANTA 10-0
3rd - GB - Marcol, 43-yard field goal ATLANTA 10-3
NAMENOPOSHGTWGTCOLLEGEYRPRAGGHOW ACQUIRED
Ron Acks 52 LB 6- 2 225 Illinois 1 7 29 13 1974 FA - New England
Mike Basinger 71 DE 6- 3 258 Cal-Riverside 1 1 22 1 1974 FA
John Brockington 42 RB 6- 1 225 Ohio State 4 4 25 14 1971 Draft - 1st round
Aaron Brown 74 DE 6- 5 270 Minnesota 2 8 30 2 1973 Trade - Kan City
Willie Buchanon 28 CB 6- 0 190 San Diego State 3 3 23 14 1972 Draft - 1st round
Bruce Van Dyke 61 G 6- 2 255 Missouri 1 9 30 1 1974 Trade - Pittsburgh
Pete Van Valkenberg 40 RB 6- 2 205 BYU 1 2 24 6 1974 Trade - Buffalo
Carl Wafer 78 T 6- 3 250 Tennessee State 1 1 23 1 1974 FA
Randy Walker 18 P 5-10 177 NW State (LA) 1 1 23 14 1974 Draft - 12th round
Bob Wicks 49 WR 6- 3 205 Utah State 1 2 24 1 1974 FA - STL (1972)
Clarence Williams 83 DE 6- 5 255 Prairie View 5 5 27 14 1970 Trade - Dallas
Keith Wortman 65 G 6- 2 250 Nebraska 3 3 24 12 1972 Draft - 10th round
NO - Jersey Number POS - Position HGT - Height WGT - Weight YR - Years with Packers PR - Years of Professional Football AGE - Age on September 1 G - Games Played FA - Free Agent
1974 IN REVIEW: Dan Devine's exit following the completion of the 1974 season was similar in at least one regard to his coaching debut in 1971 - it came with a suprise. Devine, realizing he was losing support with the team's executive committee as another unsuccessful season played out, put out feelers in a search for other positions.He met with an official Notre Dame prior to a season-ending loss in Atlanta, then demanded to know his status with the Packers upon his return. He met with Packers president Dominic Olejniczak Sunday night following the game. The next day, Devine resigned before any determination had been made as to whether or not he would return for the fifth and final year of his contract. The man who broke his leg in the first game as Packers coach also announced he was leaving to become the head coach at Notre Dame. "I want to thank the Green Bay Packers for giving me an opportunity to coach here for the last four years," Devine said at a farewell press conference. "And, particularly, I want to thank the players who never gave up." Throughout his tenure, Devine struggled to find a reliable quarterback. The situation worsened in 1974. For the first time in 51 years, Packers' passers threw just one touchdown in the first seven games. Devine, who had given up two 2nd-round draft choices for Jim Del Gaizo in 1973 and a fifth-round selection for Jack Concannon in July, pulled out all the stops. He traded two first-round picks (1975 and 1976), two second-round choices (1975 and 1976) and a third rounder (1975) to the Los Angeles Rams for 34-year old John Hadl. Hadl threw all of three touchdown passes in the final seven games, and the team's record in that span (3-4) was no better than it had been in the opening seven weeks. For the second year in a row, Green Bay (6-8) finished ahead of only Chicago in the NFC Central Division.
13 M-LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-1) W 17- 6 3- 2-0 45,938 Tagge
21 at Chicago Bears (2-3) L 9-10 3- 3-0 50,623 Tagge
27 at Detroit Lions (2-4) L 17-19 3- 4-0 51,775 Concannon
NOVEMBER (3-1)
3 G-WASHINGTON REDSKINS (4-3) L 6-17 3- 5-0 55,288 Concannon
17 at Minnesota Vikings (7-2) W 19- 7 5- 5-0 47,924 Hadl
24 G-SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (3-7) W 34- 0 6- 5-0 50,321 Hadl
DECEMBER (0-3)
1 at Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) L 14-36 6- 6-0 42,030 Hadl
8 at San Francisco 49ers (4-8) L 6- 7 6- 7-0 47,475 Hadl
15 at Atlanta Falcons (2-11) L 3-10 6- 8-0 10,020 Hadl
1974 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (4-2) - AUGUST
2 at Buffalo Bills W 16-13 1-0-0 30,119
10 M-ST. LOUIS CARDINALS W 13- 0 2-0-0 43,000
17 G-CHICAGO BEARS W 20-10 3-0-0 53,106
24 G-DENVER BRONCOS L 21-31 3-1-0 56,267
30 at Miami Dolphins L 10-21 3-2-0 54,666
SEPTEMBER
6 M-CINCINNATI BENGALS W 26-24 4-2-0 46,605
1974 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS (6-8) - SEPTEMBER (2-1)
15 G-MINNESOTA VIKINGS (0-0) L 17-32 0- 1-0 55,131 Tagge
22 at Baltimore Colts (0-1) W 20-13 1- 1-0 35,873 Tagge
29 M-DETROIT LIONS (0-2) W 21-19 2- 1-0 45,970 Tagge
OCTOBER (1-3)
6 G-BUFFALO BILLS (2-1) L 7-27 2- 2-0 51,919 Tagge
August 2 : Green Bay (1-0) 16, Buffalo 13
(BUFFALO) - The public, in some locales anyway, isn't buying. Just as people wouldn't pay the full price for a reproduction rather than an original work of art, they're not willing to dole out the full price to watch a team of virtually all rookies play professional football rather then the big-name veterans. That was the case here Friday night when only 30,119 fans showed up in 80,020-seat Rich Stadium to watch the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills play a pre-season game. An official count was given but the Bills had been swamped by requests for refunds from their season ticket paying fans, who were obliged to originally purchase the ducats for the game as part of their package. However, the coaches and some of the veterans on hand contended those who come to watch are being cheated. Along with a miserly defense, the Packer victory was largely accomplished through the big-play heroics of Steve Odom. His 64-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter proved to be the final margin of victory. At the time, 10:26 remained in the game, it appeared considerably less significant because it provided the Packers with a comfortable 16-0 edge. Earlier, Odom set up the first touchdown of the game by catching a 50-yard pass from quarterback Jerry Tagge, placing the ball at the one yard line.
GREEN BAY - 0 9 0 7 - 16
BUFFALO - 0 0 0 13 - 13
2nd - GB - Tagge, 1-yard run (Run failed) GREEN BAY 6-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 37-yard field goal GREEN BAY 9-0
4th - GB - Odom, 64-yard punt return (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 16-0
4th - BUF - Don Calhoun, 3-yard run (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 16-6
4th - BUF - Calhoun, 1-yard run (Boris Shapak kick) GREEN BAY 16-13
August 10 : Green Bay (2-0) 13, St. Louis 0
(MILWAUKEE) - Chester Marcol kicked two field goals and first-year speedster Don Woods raced 61 yards for a touchdown Saturday night, leading the Packers over the St. Louis Cardinals. The rookie-dominated game drew an estimated 43,000, about 5,000 shy of capacity. There was no evidence of striking NFL players. The Packers took the lead for good at 3-0 on a 45-yard field goal by Marcol with 4:35 left in the first quarter. Woods, a sixth-round draft choice from New Mexico, gained 26 yards in four carries on the drive while veteran quarterback Jerry Tagge passed 25 yards to rookie Ken Payne to the eight. A pair of 10-yard losses on a fumbled pitch and a quarterback sack
stopped the march. Marcol connected from 40 yards in the third period on a drive sparked by a 15-yard run by Garyion Dunlap and a four-yard plunge by Eric Torkelson on fourth-and-one.
ST. LOUIS - 0 0 0 0 - 0
GREEN BAY - 3 0 3 7 - 13
1st - GB - Marcol, 45-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
3rd - GB - Marcol, 40-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-0
4th - GB - Woods, 61-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 13-0
August 17: Green Bay (3-0) 20, Chicago 10
(GREEN BAY) - Jerry Tagge fired two touchdown passes to Eric Torkelson and another to Brent Longwell, rallying the Packers over the Chicago Bears Saturday night. The Bears, sparked by rookie Joe Barnes' passing jumped to a 10-0 second quarter lead on Henry Abadi's 25-yard field goal and Reggie Sanderson's one-yard scoring plunge. Rookie Steve Odom then sparked the Packers with a 65-yard kickoff return to Chicago's 39. Held without a first down to that point, the Packers marched to the 10 behind Tagge passes of 18 and 10 yards to veterans Barry Smith and Rich McGeorge. Two plays later, Tagge passed 10 yards to Torkelson for a touchdown. Tagge's seven-yard scoring passing to Torkelson with 1:55 left in the half capped an 80-yard march and put Green Bay ahead to stay at 13-0. Tagge's 11- yard strike to Longwell, a free agent, midway in the third quarter, completed the scoring. The game drew 53,106, or 3,161 under capacity.
CHICAGO - 3 7 0 0 - 10
GREEN BAY - 0 13 7 0 - 20
1st - CHI - Henry Abadi, 25-yard field goal CHICAGO 3-0
2nd - CHI - Reggie Sanderson, 1-yard run (Abadi kick) CHICAGO 10-0
2nd - GB - Torkelson, 10-yard pass from Tagge (Marcol kick) CHICAGO 10-7
2nd - GB - Torkelson, 7-yard pass from Tagge (Kick blocked) GREEN BAY 13-10
3rd - GB - Longwell, 11-yard pass from Tagge (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 20-10
August 24: Denver 31, Green Bay (3-1) 21
(GREEN BAY) - Reserve Steve Ramsey completed 11 of 13 passes for 169 yards and two second-half
touchdowns, sparking the Denver Broncos over the Green Bay Packers Saturday night. Bill Van Heusen caught five passes for 145 yards for the Broncos, who took a permanent lead at 10-7 on Jim Turner's 30-yard field goal a second before halftime. A 21-yard Ramsey-to-Van Heusen pass triggered an 85- yard third-quarter march, capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass from Ramsey to Jerry Simmons as Denver took a 17-7 lead. Veteran Jack Concannon completed six consecutive passes, including one of seven yards to Steve Odom for a touchdown, as the Packers closed to 17-14. But Denver made it 24-14 on a 24-yard Ramsey pass to Van Heusen.
DENVER - 0 10 14 7 - 31
GREEN BAY - 7 0 7 7 - 21
1st - GB - McGeorge, 5-yard pass from Tagge (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
2nd - DN - Jerry Simmons, 10-yd pass f Charley Johnson (Jim Turner kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - DEN - Turner, 30-yard field goal DENVER 10-7
3rd - DEN - Simmons, 19-yard pass from Steve Ramsey (Turner kick) DENVER 17-7
(MIAMI) - Larry Csonka scored twice from the one-yard line Friday night, leading the Miami Dolphins over Green Bay. Both teams had star performers sidelined with knee injuries. The Dolphins lost the services of running back Mercury Morris on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. The Packers lost veteran offensive tackle Dick Himes in the first half. The seriousness of the injuries was not immediately known. Jim Knck, subbing for Morris, led the Dolphins to their final touchdown, clinching the game after Green Bay had moved to within four points, 14-10, midway through the fourth quarter. Jack Concannon led the Packers 75 yards for a touchdow n to make it 14-10 with Mike Donohue catching a deflected Concannon pass in the end zone that was originally intended for Leland Glass.
GREEN BAY - 3 0 0 7 - 10
MIAMI - 7 7 0 7 - 21
1st - MI - Jim Mandich, 26-yd pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick) MIA 7-0
1st - GB - Marcol, 30-yard field goal MIAMI 7-3
2nd - MIA - Larry Csonka, 1-yard run (Yepremian kick) MIAMI 14-3
4th - MIA - Csonka, 1-yard run (Yepremian kick) MIAMI 21-10
September 6: Green Bay (4-2) 26, Cincinnati 24
(MILWAUKEE) - Preseason game or not, and never mind Chester Marcol's shattered snytax, what the Packers accomplished in 31 frantic seconds Friday night immeasurably boosted their often tenuous team morale. "It was a very mentally lifting game, that's for sure," said Marcol, as he recounted his 47-yard field goal with no time left. The Packers, a grumbling, feuding lot most of their dismal 1973 season, wound up exhibition play with a 4-2 record. The Bengals, down 23-3 early in the third quarter, charged back on two short touchdown runs by Boobie Clark and took a 24-23 lead on a 24-yard scoring pass from reserve Wayne Clark to rookie John McDaniel with 31 seconds left. But linebacker Larry Hefner fielded Horst Muhlmann's short kickoff on the Packer 30 and lateraled to Eric Torkelson, who ran 15 yards to the Packer 45. Three straight pass completions by Jack Concannon carried to the Bengal 38. Then, with 11 seconds left, linebacker Ken Avery was called for pass interference on a toss to John Brockington. With first down at the 30, a Concannon pass up the middle slipped off Brockington's fingers. Concannon called time with two seconds left, setting up Marcol's dramatics.
CINCINNATI - 3 0 7 14 - 24
GREEN BAY - 7 9 7 3 - 26
1st - GB - Lane, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - CIN - Horst Muhlmann 22-yard field goal GREEN BAY 7-3
2nd - GB - Marcol, 23-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-3
2nd - GB - Staggers, 4-yard pass from Tagge (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 16-3
3rd - GB - Odom, 79-yard punt return (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 23-3
3rd - CIN - Boobie Clark, 1-yard run (Muhlmann kick) GREEN BAY 23-10
4th - CIN - Clark, 4-yard run (Muhlmann kick) GREEN BAY 23-17
4th - CIN - John McDaniel, 24-yd pass fr Wayne Clark (Muhlmann kick) CIN 24-23
4th - GB - Marcol, 47-yard field goal GREEN BAY 26-24
1974 PACKERS DRAFT (January 29-30, 1974)
RND-PICKNAMEPOSCOLLEGE
1 - 12 Barty Smith RB Richmond
2 - 38 Traded to Miami for Jim Del Gaizo
3 - 54 Traded to San Diego for Jim Hill
4 - 90 Traded to San Francisco for Al Randolph
5 - 116 Steve Odom WR Utah
6a - 134 Don Woods (A) RB New Mexico
6b - 142 Ken Payne WR Langston
7 - 168 Bart Purvis OT Maryland
8a - 194 Monte Doris LB Southern California
8b - 200 Ned Guillet (B) S Boston College
9 - 220 Harold Holton OG Texas-El Paso
10 - 246 Doug Troszak DT Michigan
11 - 272 Eric Torkelson RB Connecticut
12 - 298 Randy Walker P NW State
13 - 324 Emanuel Armstrong LB San Jose St
14 - 350 Andy Neloms DT Kentucky St
15 - 376 Dave Wannstedt T Pittsburgh
16 - 402 Mark Cooney LB Colorado
17 - 428 Randy Woodfield WR Portland St
A - Acquired from Chicago for the rights to Zeke Bratkowski B - Acquired from Atlanta through New Orleans for Len Garrett Bold - Played for the Green Bay Packers
1974 PACKER TRADES - TRANSACTIONS
JAN 29 - Traded WR Dick Gordon to NEW ENGLAND for TE John Mosier
JUL 20 - Traded a 1975 5th-round draft choice to DALLAS for QB Jack Concannon
JUL 29 - Traded QB Scott Hunter to BUFFALO for DT Steve Okoniewski and RB Pete Van Valkenburg
AUG 13 - Traded LB Tom MacLeod and a 1975 8th-round draft choice to BALTIMORE for LB Ted Hendricks and a 1975 2nd-round draft choice
AUG 19 - Waived WR Randy Woodfield (17th round), S Randy Richardson, DE Randy Nelson and LB Steve Schreiber. TE Bill Farrell and S Ned Guillet (8th round) left camp
AUG 28 - Traded a 1975 6th-round draft choice to LOS ANGELES for OT Harry Schuh
SEPT 2 - Released RB Garyion Dunlap, RB James Lewis, DB Zaven Yaralian, DB Harold Ebow, DB Bruce Harms, C Mikel Irons, TE Dave Wheeler, DL Steve Spiro, DL Carl McElroy, DL Andy Neloms (14th round) and K Clark Sholt (70 players)
SEPT 3 - Traded an undisclosed draft choice to NEW YORK JETS for C John Schmitt
SEPT 4 - Acquired S Dave Mason from NEW ENGLAND for undisclosed draft choice
SEPT 5 - Traded DT Bob Brown to SAN DIEGO for a 1975 3rd-round draft choice
SEPT 8 - Placed LB Tom Toner on injured reserve. Placed OT Bill Hayhoe and OT Dick Himes on inactive list. Released WR-P Paul Staroba, QB John Cherry, OG Gary Cox, DE Doug Troszak (1oth round) and DB Paul Metallo (62 players)
SEPT 9 - Traded a 1976 3rd-round draft choice to PITTSBURGH for OG Bruce Van Dyke. Waived C Cal Withrow, C Charlie Tiblom and WR Robert Stark. Placed OL Bart Purvis (7th round) and OL Dave Wannstedt (15th round) on injured reserve (60 players)
SEPT 10 - Traded QB Jim Del Gaizo to NEW YORK GIANTS for a 1976 3rd-round draft choice. Traded a 1976 3rd-round draft choice (acquired from the New York Giants) to KANSAS CITY for QB Dean Carlson. Placed C Ken Bowman, LB Monte Doris (8th round) and WR Tyrone Byrd on injured reserve. Waived RB Hise Austin, OT Kent Branstetter, RB Don Woods (6th round), TE Brent Longwell and RB Perry Williams
SEPT 11 - SAN DIEGO claimed RB Don Woods off waivers.
SEPT 12 - Waived DB Dave Mason. Placed LB Noel Jenke on injured reserve. Recalled QB Charlie Napier from waivers and placed him on injured reserve (47 players)
SEPT 18 - Placed OT Bill Hayhoe on injured reserve. Claimed LB Ron Acks off waivers from NEW ENGLAND. Released WR Bob Wicks and OL Mike Pasinger. Claimed DT Mike Fanucci off waivers from HOUSTON. Claimed DB Dave Mason off waivers
SEPT 26 - Claimed RB Charlie Leigh off waivers from MIAMI. Placed OG Bruce Van Dyke on injured reserve
OCT 22 - Traded a 1975 1st-round draft choice, a 1975 2nd-round draft choice, a 1975 3rd-round draft choice, a 1976 1st-round draft choice and a 1976 2nd-round draft choice to LOS ANGELES for QB John Hadl
HOW BOBBY SCOTT CHANGED A FRANCHISE'S FATE
The John Hadl trade will go down as one of the worst in Packers history, if not in the entire history of the NFL. Green Bay mortgaged its future for a 34-year old quarterback who had benched two weeks prior after performing dismally against, ironically, the Packers. BUT if not a twist of fate in Atlanta, the Packers fortunes may have been vastly different.
After watching Jerry Tagge stumble as a starter, going 3-3, head coach Dan Devine knew his future with the Packers was in doubt. Jack Concannon was not the answer, so Devine began to fish around the NFL looking for a trading partner. In New Orleans, 25-year old Archie Manning had fallen out of favor with the franchise. The second pick overall in the 1971 draft, Manning had led 11-28-3 record as a starter before losing the job to Bobby Scott in Week Six. Bobby Scott, who was in his second season, was given the job against the Falcons by head coach John North. Scott would toss a touchdown pass in the 13-3 New Orleans win before going down with a knee injury. North turned to Larry Cipa instead of Manning, and it appeared more and more likely the Packers would be able to consumate the deal with the Saints.
Devine had tried to work a deal with Dallas for31-year-old Craig Morton. Since Morton had mostly been a backup to first Don Meredith and then Roger Staubach since entering the league in 1965 and since he had signed a futures contract with the WFL, Devine, who desperately wanted an established starter, did not pull the trigger on the deal. Ironically, Morton would be traded to the Giants for a 1975 first-round draft choice on the same day the Packers acquired Hadl and would go to lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl as a starter in 1977.
Devine had apparently agreed to a tentative trade the previous week to bring Manning to Green Bay, after the Saints had also talked to the Rams, Giants and 49ers. After seeing Scott go down, and realizing that Cipa, a rookie from Michigan, was not the answer, North pulled back from the Manning deal and would start the fallen star for the remainder of the season. Devine was left with really one choice...and made the fateful call to the Los Angeles Rams.
1974 Packers Yearbook
1974 Packers Media Guide
Bears at Packers Program - 17 August
Bengals at Packers Program - 6 September
Lions at Packers Program - 29 September
Rams at Packers Program - 13 October
Bears at Packers Program - 10 November
Packers at Falcons Program - 15 December
October 21: Chicago Bears (3-3) 10, Green Bay Packers (3-3) 9
(CHICAGO) - Gary Huff's 57-yard touchdown pass to Charley Wade shot Chicago into an early 10-0 lead, then the Bears survived three Chester Marcol field goals. The Bears opened the nationally televised game on Mirro Roder's 23-yard field goal and Huff's bomb to Wade in the first period, but LB Ted Hendricks, the 6-foot-7 "Mad Stork" of the Packer defense, led a strong Green Bay comeback. Hendricks figured in two pass interceptions which led to Marcol field goals of 34 and 33 yards in the third period, then the towering linebacker blocked a Chicago punt to set up Marcol's 36-yarder with 6:02 left in the game. With less than two minutes to go, Chicago punter Bob Parsons sealed Green Bay's fate with a pinpoint 35-yard boot which bounced out of bounds on the Packers' four-yard line. And Gary Lyle intercepted a desperation pass by Jerry Tagge around midfield with just one minute left. Chicago rookie LB Waymond Bryant played a key role as the Bears twice shut off the Packers near the goal line in the second quarter. Early in the period, the Packers drove 77 yards in 14 playes to the Chicago two-yard line. On fourth-and-one from the two, Bryant and rookie tackle Dave Gallagher piled up John Brockington for no gain. With 59 seconds left in the half, Bryant ended a drive that had started on the Packers' 42 by wrestling a five-yard Tagge pass from Rich McGeorge in the end zone.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 6 3 - 9
CHICAGO - 10 0 0 0 - 10
1st - CHI - Mirro Roder, 23-yard field goal CHICAGO 3-0
1st - CHI - Charley Wade, 57-yd pass from Gary Huff (Roder kick) CHICAGO 10-0
3rd - GB - Marcol, 34-yard field goal CHICAGO 10-3
3rd - GB - Marcol, 33-yard field goal CHICAGO 10-6
4th - GB - Marcol, 36-yard field goal CHICAGO 10-9
October 27: Detroit Lions (3-4) 19, Green Bay Packers (3-4) 17
(DETROIT) - Errol Mann booted a 41-yard field goal with nine seconds left to give the Detroit Lions a 19-17 win over the Green Bay Packers. The winning field goal came less than two minutes after Green Bay LB Ted Hendricks blocked Mann's try from the 27. But the Packers were held on downs and forced to punt, giving the Lions the ball on the Lion 41, where the winning drive began. The Packers took the lead in the see-saw battle when quarterback Jack Concannon sneaked in from one yard out early in the fourth quarter for a 17-16 edge Concannon, making his first start ever as a Packer, set up that score with a 29-yard pass to John Brockington to move the ball to the one-yard line. The journeyman quarterback hit 17 of 30 passes for 235 yards in the game and also set up the first Green Bay touchdown late in the second quarter with his arm. Concannon hit six of
