A Look Back at 1978

1978 was a teasin’ season for Packer fans. The team managed a winning record for the first time in six years and brought in more young talent to give the fan base false hope. Receiver James Lofton and linebacker John Anderson came in the first round, linebacker Mad Dog Mike Douglass in round five, guard Leotis Harris in round six, overachieving nose tackle Terry Jones in round 11 and Paul Coffman was signed off the street as an undrafted free agent. The team’s 8-7-1 record was assisted by the offense increasing its output by 115 points to 249 (22^nd), but still was less than the eighth-ranked defense allowed (269.)

Green Bay started out 7-2 behind second-year quarterback David Whitehurst, but then closed the season 1-5-1 and lost out on the playoffs to the Vikings on a tie-breaker. A closer look reveals that the schedule was front-loaded with weak teams, and the Pack went 6-1 against losing teams, but just 2-6-1 against winning squads. They were 5-2-1 at home and 3-5 on the road That tie came against Minnesota, with the purple guys tying the score with just ten seconds remaining and both teams missing field goal attempts in the ensuing overtime period.

Whitehurst started all 16 games and completed 51% of his passes for 2,093 yards, ten touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Second-year runner Terdell Middleton ran for a career-best 1,116 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Barty Smith chipped in 567 more yards on the ground. The two also caught 34 and 37 passes respectively to trail only rookie wideout James Lofton who exploded with 48 catches for 818 yards and six scores to give the team a receiving threat for the first time in the 1970s.

Steve Odom had a 95-yard kickoff return score, and Chester Marcol scored 63 points, but Middleton led the team in scoring with 72 points.

On defense, second-year men Ezra Johnson and Mike Butler each attained career-best sack totals with 17.5 and 10 respectively (Webster/Turney data). Willie Buchanon, in his final season in Green and Gold, led the team with nine interceptions, but he was getting more opportunities for picks with opposing teams avoiding Mike McCoy on the other side. Rookie linebacker Anderson added five interceptions.

Buchanon was named All-Pro, and he, Lofton, Middleton and Johnson all were selected for the Pro Bowl. Ray Nitschke was elected to the Hall of Fame.

Custom cards of Coffman, Middleton, Buchanon, Harris and Jones are colorized.

A Card for Everyone: Dreyer and Vandersea

Two men born on February 25 had brief careers with the Packers, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Wally Dreyer was born on that day in 1923 in Milwaukee and spent most of his life in the area. He graduated from Washington High, where he played under future Packer coach Lisle Blackbourn, and enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in 1942, but also spent some time at Michigan once he joined the Marines that year. Wally served three years on Okinawa during the War and then returned to Wisconsin from 1946-48 and acted as team captain as a senior.

Dreyer was drafted as a future in the 17^th round in 1947 by the Bears and appeared in three games at halfback for Chicago in 1949. He was waived in 1950 and claimed by the new Packers’ coach Gene Ronzani, who was familiar with Wally from his time in Chicago. Dreyer was a regular at defensive back that season and picked off five enemy passes. His NFL career, though, ended in 1951 when he was called back up by the Marine Reserves.

When Wally got out in 1952, he went into coaching. One year at Berlin High, then seven at Rufus King, where he won three city titles. In 1960 he moved on to coach the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and held that position for a decade. A Phys Ed professor at the school. He retired in 1988 and passed away at age 79 on September 27, 2002.

Phil Vandersea was born in 1943 in Whitinsville, Massachusetts and turns 78 today. Green Bay drafted him as a fullback out of the University of Massachusetts in the 16^th round in 1966. Converted to linebacker, Phil played in the first Super Bowl as a rookie and then was lost to the New Orleans Saints in the off-season expansion draft in 1967, going from the top of the league to the bottom. After one season at linebacker in the Big Easy, Vandersea was waived and returned to Green Bay as part payment for the Saints’ free agent signing of Jim Taylor the previous season.

New head coach Phil Bengtson switched the 6’3” 245-pound Vandersea to tight end as Marv Fleming’s backup. Late in the ’68 season, though, Phil was flipped over to defensive end to fill a roster hole and got to play more on that side of the ball. Returning in 1969, he played exclusively at defensive end, even starting two games. The following season, he was cut in September and retired from the NFL.

Phil returned to the New England area where he worked in sales, teaching and coaching before settling in to work for the state corrections department. He is now retired.

All Dreyer custom cards and three of last four Vandersea ones are colorized.

A Look Back at 1977

For the second consecutive season, no Packer was selected for any All-Pro team or for the Pro Bowl. With the offense scoring fewer than ten points per game (134) and finishing 27^th in the league–beating out only lowly Tampa Bay–that is largely understandable. However, 4-10 Packers did finish tenth in points allowed with 219, so there was something positive. The team also began to slowly accumulate some talent with defensive ends Mike Butler and Ezra Johnson coming in the first round and tackle Greg Koch in round two.

As if things couldn’t get much worse, quarterback Lynn Dickey broke his leg on the final play of a 24-6 loss to the Rams in week nine, and the job was passed to unheralded eighth round pick David Whitehurst for the last five games. Overall, Green Bay was 4-3 against losing teams and 0-7 against winning ones. They were 2-5 at home and on the road.

Dickey was 2-7 as a starter, completing 51% of his passes for 1,346 yards, five touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Whitehurst finished the season 2-3, completing 48% of his passes for 634 yards one score and seven picks. Barty Smith led the team in rushing with 554 yards (3.7 per carry) and receptions with 37 for 340 yards. Steve Odom was the leading wideout, catching 27 passes for 549 yards.

Will Harrell had a 75-yard punt return TD, and rookie Terdell Middleton scored on an 85-yard kickoff return. Combined with Willie Buchanon’s pick six, that means that the offense managed to score just 11 touchdowns all season. Chester Marcol led the team with just 50 points.

On defense, Dave Roller had eight sacks and Bob Barber six (Webster/Turney data). Steve Luke and Mike McCoy each nabbed four interceptions.

One bright note for fans was the election of Bart Starr and Forrest Gregg to the Hall of Fame.

All custom cards except Johnson, Dickey, Whitehurst and Barber are colorized.

Al Baldwin

98 years ago today in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Alton Baldwin was born, and he was to have an impressive, if unlikely, athletic career. Baldwin endured five operations on his foot in high school yet became known for his speed. There are reports of him running a 9.3 100-yard dash. Baldwin enrolled at the University of Arkansas and made the football team as a walk-on in 1943. He lettered for four years in football and three in track but was deemed unfit for the army due to his foot problem. He also played amateur baseball in the summers and was signed by the Cardinals to play for their minor league affiliate in Houston, but he preferred football.

The 6’2” 200-pound Baldwin signed with the Buffalo Bills of the All-America Football Conference in 1947, the same year he got married. In three seasons in Buffalo, Al caught 132 passes for a 15.9 yard average and 22 touchdowns. In ’48 and ’49 he was second team All-Pro and second in the league both in receptions and receiving yards.

When the AAFC merged into the NFL in 1950, Green Bay took Baldwin as their second pick in the player disbursement draft (following Billy Grimes from Los Angeles). Grimes, Baldwin and another AAFC selection, end Ab Wimberly, would have success that season with the Packers. Grimes would lead the team in rushing and punt returns, while Baldwin would pace the club with 28 receptions for 555 yards (19.8) per catch and three scores. Baldwin also joined Wimberly on defense and picked off five passes, second on the team. The downside was that Al tended to drop too many passes.

Still, it caught team officials by surprise when Baldwin signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders, coached by his old Buffalo mentor Clem Crowe, in 1951. In Ottawa, Al caught passes from Tom O’Malley, who spent one disastrous game at quarterback for the 1950 Packers, and was a teammate of Bob Gain, Green Bay’s top selection in the ’51 draft who also chose to go north to play pro ball. In fact, the three all played a role in the Rough Riders Grey Cup victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders that season. In that title game, Baldwin caught a touchdown pass from O’Malley, who tossed two that day, and Gain booted three conversions.

Baldwin spent two seasons in Ottawa and then was waived to Hamilton in 1953. He retired to his native Hot Springs in 1954 and had a long career as a salesman for Arkansas Power and Light. He was a board member of the local Boys Club, refereed high school football games and raised a family. In 1987, Al was elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. He passed away at age 71 on May 23, 1994, survived by his wife of 47 years and their two children.

1950 custom card is colorized. The black and white photo was used by Bowman to create the unissued 1951 card

A Look Back at 1976

Bart Starr’s second year as head coach was not much of an improvement over his first, with the team finishing 5-9. The Packers scored 218 points (ranking 23^rd) and gave up 299 (ranking 21^st). Although the team was 3-3 after six weeks, the second half of the season was not a pretty sight. The Pack was 4-3 at home, 1-6 on the road, 5-1 against losing teams and 1-8 against all others. Five of its six Central Division games fell in the second half of the season, and the team lost all five.

Starr signed nine free agents from the failed World Football League, but only runner Cliff Taylor and guard Steve Knutson made the team. Gale Gillingham returned from retirement for one season, while Barry Smith was lost to Tampa and Al Matthews to Seattle in the expansion draft. Starr did make a major trade that eventually would pay dividends by sending John Hadl, Ken Ellis and two draft picks to Houston for Lynn Dickey. The best player in the deal would be fourth round pick Steve Largent who had a Hall of Fame career in Seattle. Just imagine him and Lofton together…no need to trade for John Jefferson…

Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about the 1976 Packers was their lack of noteworthiness. Not one player was selected for either the Pro Bowl or as an All-Pro. Fred Carr did receive second team All-Conference mention, but that is merely damning with faint praise.

Dickey started the first 10 games and went 4-6 before injuring his shoulder. He completed 47% of his passes for 1,465 yards seven touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Carlos Brown (Hollywood stage name Alan Autry) lost three starts, completed 35% of his passes and threw three TDs and six picks. Journeyman Randy Johnson finished the season with a win and threw an interception.

Will Harrell’s 435 yards rushing bested John Brockington’s 406, but they averaged just 3.3 and 3.5 yards per carry respectively. Ken Payne caught 25 fewer passes than the previous season but still led the team with 33 catches for 467 yards. Steve Odom gained 457 yards on his 23 catches. Chester Marcol led the Pack with a paltry 54 points.

On defense, Johnnie Gray paced the Packers with four picks, while Alden Roche and Mike P. McCoy led with 8.5 sacks a piece, and Dave Roller chipped in eight more. Leading rookies included top pick tackle Mark Koncar, third round cornerback Mike C. McCoy and 12^th round guard Melvin Jackson. This would be the only year the team would feature two Mike McCoys since the defensive tackle would be traded to Oakland the following September for Herb McMath and first and fourth round draft picks. The first rounder would be used for John Anderson.

Custom cards of Johnson, Harrell, MP McCoy, Koncar, Gillingham, Knutson and Taylor are all colorized.

The Late Don Bracken

Born on this day in Coalinga, California in 1962, Don Bracken attended high school in Thermapolis, Wyoming and went on to the University of Michigan where he set a Rose Bowl record in 1981 with a 73-yard punt. Undrafted, he tried out with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL and the Chiefs and the Oilers in the NFL before securing a spot with the Packers midway through the 1985 season, replacing Joe Prokop.

Bracken settled in for a five-year run as Green Bay’s punter, although he was challenged for the job each season. His total of 368 punts was second in team history to David Beverly’s 495 until Tim Masthay eclipsed him in 2015. Don was probably the best punter the team had in the long period in between Ron Widby in 1973 and Craig Hentrich in 1994, aside from veteran Bryan Barker in ‘93. The string of Randy Walker, Steve Broussard, Beverly, Ray Stachowicz, Bucky Scribner and Prokop was not a team strength.

Bracken averaged 39.7 yards per punt in his six seasons in Green Bay, although he is tied with Jug Girard for the team’s all-time lead with five blocked punts. After being beaten out by Paul McJulien in 1991, Don disappeared from the league for a season before returning to spend two years with the Rams. In Los Angeles, he increased his average to 40.6 over two seasons and told the Los Angeles Times: “You have to understand that it’s not just bad weather in games. I think quality practice time has helped me more than anything [in LA]. It’s much easier to practice when you don’t have to deal with the temperature being 30 degrees and the wind blowing 30 miles per hour.”

Sadly, Bracken died from MRSA on October 29, 2014 at age 52 in Billings, Montana.

All custom cards except 1986 are colorized.

Clive Rush

Clive Rush had perhaps the saddest and most bizarre head coaching tenure in NFL history and ultimately would pass away before reaching age 50. Born on February 14, 1931 in De Graff, Ohio, Rush played end for Woody Hayes in state at Miami University through 1952 and then spent one season with the Green Bay Packers. Clive’s quarterback at Miami, Jim Root, was drafted in the 23^rd round by the Cardinals, and the Chicago team signed Rush at the same time as an undrafted free agent. Cut in the week before the 1953 season, Clive was signed by Green Bay in week two and stepped in for an injured Bill Howton for a few weeks.

Rush’s high point came in a week three 38-20 loss to the Rams when he snagged seven passes for 101 yards, although he did drop a fourth-and-two pass in the end zone. For the year, he caught 14 passes for 190 yards and punted 60 times for a 37.7 yard average.

In 1954, he began his coaching career at Dayton before moving on to Ohio State as Hayes’ top assistant for three years. Subsequently, Clive coached under Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma in 1958 and then returned to OSU in 1959 until getting his shot as a head coach at Toledo in 1960. Posting a meager 8-20 record at Toledo through 1962, Rush left in 1963 to become Weeb Ewbank’s offensive coach with the Jets. Clive played a key role in developing Joe Namath as a professional quarterback, and Joe said in the aftermath of New York’s triumph in Super Bowl III, “I hope [Clive] doesn’t take the job with the Patriots. He’s too damn good a football coach for us to lose. I want him to stay with the Jets as long as I’m here.” Ewbank noted to the New York Times, “I told Clive when I hired him that when I retire, I would do everything in my power to make him the coach.”

Patriots’ owner Billy Sullivan went to that Super Bowl game hoping to hire a coordinator from the winning team, either Chuck Noll of the Colts or Rush from the Jets. When the Jets upset Baltimore, Sullivan hired Rush and left Noll for Pittsburgh. The first omen that things were not going to work out well for the Pats came at Clive’s first press conference in Boston when he was electrocuted by a loose microphone wire. His first comment after getting over the shock was, “I heard the Boston press are tough, but I didn’t think they were this tough.”

What was really tough, though, was winning just five of his 21 games as Boston’s head coach. Instead, his tenure was known for a series of odd, reported incidents:

• He insisted the team’s bus driver drive the wrong way up a one-way road.
• He tried to call Commissioner Pete Rozelle from the field telephone during one game.
• Suspicious of the team’s locker room being bugged, he announced in a loud voice new position assignments to confuse the imagined eavesdroppers.
• He fired quarterback Tom Sherman for his negative comments to the press.
• He instituted the Black Power Defense in one game by putting 11 black players on defense at one time, but had to employ some offensive players to fill out the scheme since the Patriots didn’t have 11 black defensive players.

After the 1969 season, Rush checked into Massachusetts General Hospital suffering from nervous exhaustion. As the 1970 season was about to begin, he cut two defensive backs and had the PA announcer at Harvard Stadium intone, “Will Bob Gladieux please report to the locker room.” Gladieux, who had been cut from the team earlier, happened to be in the stands and was rehired on the spot to play that day. Center Jon Morris told Baker and Corbett for The Most Memorable Games in Patriots History, “Clive Rush had some serious problems. He suffered from depression. He was an alcoholic. He had this idea in mind that because he worked for Paul Brown in Ohio, he was the next great coach coming down the line. He didn’t have a clue. He couldn’t deal with his demons, and we as players and fans suffered for it.”

Clive resigned in November, announcing, “I’ll never coach this football team again. If you want to know why I resigned, you’ll have to ask [minority owner] Dave Marr.” George Allen hired Rush for his Redskins’ staff in March 1971, but Clive resigned six weeks later. He got out of football and sold insurance, but concluded, “I tried to fall in love with insurance, but I couldn’t.” He returned to coaching in 1976 with the Merchant Marine Academy. Although Rush led the school to an 8-1 record that year, he was fired two games prior to the season’s end because of player unrest. Subsequently, Clive ran a car dealership and became the regional director for Groliers, the company that published the Encyclopedia Americana. He died from a sudden heart attack at age 49 on August 22, 1980.

(Adapted from NFL Head Coaches.)

Bowman custom card is colorized.

Byline: Blood, Parts 9 and 10, FINAL

The final two dispatches from Johnny Blood were published in reverse order. The game story for the Packers 19-7 triumph over the Pinckert All-Stars did not go into print until Friday, February 10, six days after the match. In between, Blood wrote a farewell to the tour and noted that the games were so successful that there is talk of starting a west coast professional football league.

While 1933 started out happy for the Packers and Blood, things would change come fall. Green Bay suffered its first losing season, and Blood became increasingly hard to handle. With the team 3-5 on November 25, they practiced in New York for the upcoming game against the Giants. Blood showed up so drunk that he fell on his backside when trying to punt. Lambeau suspended him. Prior to the season finale against the Bears, Blood was reinstated on December 11, but did not play in the game. Lambeau retained his rights, however. Blood suited up for a postseason exhibition against the St. Louis Gunners and then barnstormed with the Bears in January. The following August 2, 1934, Lambeau sold Blood to Art Rooney’s Pittsburgh Pirates.

Johnny returned to Green Bay in 1935 and played on the 1936 championship team before returning to Pittsburgh as player-coach. In 2.5 years, he had a 6-19 record as a coach and then stepped down. He did make a lasting relationship with Pirates’ star runner Byron “Whizzer” White, though. So much so that he had White give his introduction when Blood was part of the initial Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 1963.

Jaire Alexander

Cornerback Jaire Alexander turns 24 today. The 18th overall selection in the 2018 draft, he has more than lived up to his promise thus far. In his third season, Alexander deservedly made his first All-Pro team and was named a starter for the Pro Bowl. He was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2019 and was picked for the All-Rookie team in 2018. Most recently, he picked off Tom Brady twice in that gut-wrenching NFC Championship loss to Tampa three weeks ago.

A recent piece on the Packers web site included these statistical tidbits:

According to Pro Football Focus, Alexander conceded just 35 catches (on 69 targets) for 337 yards and two touchdowns (with one interception) to opposing receivers in 2020.

His 0.64 yards allowed per snap were second fewest to only Los Angeles’ Jalen Ramsey (0.53) among cornerbacks with at least 400 coverage snaps, while Alexander’s 68.3 opponent passer rating was fourth lowest among cornerbacks.

The expansion of Alexander’s skillset contributed to him leading Green Bay in passes defensed (13) for the second straight year despite QBs targeting him 35 fewer times (104 in 2019 to 69), which can be a blessing a curse.

Here’s hoping he stays healthy, hungry and a Packer. If so, I may have to revise the making the team section for the secondary from Green Bay Gold:

6.7.3 Making the Team: Secondary

            Twelve defensive back candidates, six corners and six safeties, need to be whittled to eight, four corners and four safeties.

            Herb Adderley starts at left corner, with versatile Charles Woodson moving over to the right. Willie Wood starts at free safety and Leroy Butler at strong safety. Among our four starters, two are in the Hall of Fame, Woodson will likely join them and Butler has a plausible case for Canton, although he probably will not make it.

            Injuries kept Willie Buchanon from reaching his full greatness, but he still had an excellent career and will be our nickel corner in the slot. Bobby Dillon, the team’s all-time leading interceptor, can backup both safety positions and even fill in at corner if necessary.

            The three remaining corners all played on the right side. The most talented was Bob Jeter, although his starting career in Green Bay was about a season shorter than either Jesse Whittenton or Ken Ellis. Whittenton didn’t have the speed of the other two, and the 5’10” Ellis took too many chances. Jeter was the most consistent and is our fourth corner.

            The three remaining safeties play out a bit differently. Johnnie Gray was not at the level of the other finalists and is cut. Sharper is on the legally and morally unable to play list, so Nick Collins becomes the clear choice at fourth safety.

Packers All-Time Roster

Cornerbacks: Herb Adderley, Bob Jeter, Willie Buchanon and Charles Woodson.Safeties: Bobby Dillon, Willie Wood, Leroy Butler and Nick Collins.

Custom cards in a variety of styles.

Cowboy Wheeler

On Super Bowl Sunday, we recall an original Packer. Vincent Lyle Wheeler was born on February 7, 1898 in Stiles Wisconsin, moved to Green Bay at age two and, somewhere along the line, attained the moniker of Cowboy. Wheeler played football for West High from 1914-16 and then attended Ripon College in state. When the Packers were formed in 1919, the 5’9” 180-pound Wheeler was a charter member. He even scored a touchdown in the Packers first game against Menominee on September 14, 1919, a 53-0 victory.

Cowboy continued with the Packers through 1923 and played in 22 NFL games from ’21-’23. Unofficially, he caught 11 passes for 205 yards and one score. That touchdown came on a 40-yard reception of a Curly Lambeau toss against the Milwaukee Badgers on October 21, 1923. He also intercepted a pass that year.

Wheeler had been a multisport star in high school, and he continued to be all-around sportsman as an adult. He played for the talented Northern Paper Mills basketball team in the 1920s and played semipro baseball locally. Cowboy married a Green Bay girl, Thora Rasmussen, in either 1923 or ’24 (reports differ). They opened Wheeler’s in Algoma, Wisconsin soon after, and it became a gathering place for the Packers. Wheelers was a combination restaurant, tavern and bowling alley. It was particularly known for hosting some of the largest and most successful bowling tournaments in the state. Cowboy also was strongly involved in the local Hunting and Fishing club and was a community leader.

Wheeler suffered from a heart problem and purchased a special vehicle that featured a convertible bed in the back. His wife said that when Cowboy was feeling ill, he would park his car by the lake and sleep on that bed. On September 19, 1939, he was found dead in that position from a heart attack. It was said he was trying to organize a twentieth reunion for the original Packers at the time. He was just 41 years old and was survived by Thora and their two sons and one daughter. Thora sold Wheelers soon after and later remarried to Clarence Zastrow in 1952. She died in 1977.

Custom cards are all colorized.