The best pass-catch combo ever

[dj]

Guy was talking about the Colts/Giants game on the radio this morning and he said that 17 Hall of Famers played in the game. You don't get many clashes like that one suspects. (if you do, I'm sure it involves a New York team, since their people tend to be more overrated than ohters).

Hard to come up with 17 who played. Perhaps he was including owners (Wellington and Tim Mara) and coaches (probably Weeb Ewbank and Tom Landry). And if there is a broadcasters' wing in the HoF, probably Sumerall.

Players I can think of would have been
Giants: Gifford, Roosevelt Brown, Robustelli, Huff, Tunnell and Don Maynard before he became good. Perhaps Rosey Grier and Kyle Rote.
Colts: Unitas, Berry, Lenny Moore, Jim Parker, Marchetti, Donovan. (Lipscomb died too young)

[bambam]

Guy was talking about the Colts/Giants game on the radio this morning and he said that 17 Hall of Famers played in the game. You don't get many clashes like that one suspects. (if you do, I'm sure it involves a New York team, since their people tend to be more overrated than ohters).

Hard to come up with 17 who played. Perhaps he was including owners (Wellington and Tim Mara) and coaches (probably Weeb Ewbank and Tom Landry). And if there is a broadcasters' wing in the HoF, probably Sumerall.

Players I can think of would have been
Giants: Gifford, Roosevelt Brown, Robustelli, Huff, Tunnell and Don Maynard before he became good. Perhaps Rosey Grier and Kyle Rote.
Colts: Unitas, Berry, Lenny Moore, Jim Parker, Marchetti, Donovan. (Lipscomb died too young)

Any game in the mid-60s with the Packers might challenge it. Didn't they have about 8-10 players make the Hall of Fame?

OK, I just cheated and looked it up and its actually 11 -

Herb Adderley (1980) - 1961-1969
Willie Davis (1981) - 1960-1969
Forrest Gregg (1977) - 1956, 1958-1970
Henry Jordan (1995) - 1959-1969
Vince Lombardi (1971) - 1959-1967
Ray Nitschke (1978) - 1958-1972
Jim Ringo (1981) - 1953-1963
Bart Starr (1977) - 1956-1971
Jim Taylor (1976) - 1958-1966
Emlen Tunnell (1967) - 1959-1961
Willie Wood (1989) - 1960-1971

Always amazes me that Jerry Kramer is not in there.

So they played the Giants in 1962, I bet the # got near or = to 17 in that game - in 1961 they lost to the Philly Eagles who likely had a few.

[bambam]

Plus I just checked the NFL Hall of Fame site for the Colts/Giants in 1958 and I only get 14, and that's counting Tim Mara and Don Maynard (with them in 1958 only!). I get 17 for the Packers/Giants in 1962. I bet that's going to be the most.

There was a time in the late 60's/early 70's that people started calling the Ice Game, when the Packers beat the Cowboys with the temp at -14 to -17 F. at Lambeau Field, as the Greatest Game ever. But the Colts/Giants does seem to have survived better for that title. I think the Ice Game was called that briefly because of the Lombardi mystique.

[bijanc]

Greatest Game Ever

This is off QB-WR topic, but the KC-Miami Christmas game (the "Ed Podolak game"), the Kellen Winslow Game, and the Elway "The Drive" Browns game stack up well w/ '58 Giants-Colts and '67 Packers-/boys Ice Bowl.

The Bills' comeback that placed them in a Super Bowl after a 35-3 deficit to the Oilers wasn't bad either- unless you're from Houston...

[dj]

Back to QB: I see that Sammy Baugh died yesterday.

Still holds the NFL single-season punting record at better than 50ypp.

[dj]

Any game in the mid-60s with the Packers might challenge it. Didn't they have about 8-10 players make the Hall of Fame?

OK, I just cheated and looked it up and its actually 11 -

Herb Adderley (1980) - 1961-1969
Willie Davis (1981) - 1960-1969
Forrest Gregg (1977) - 1956, 1958-1970
Henry Jordan (1995) - 1959-1969
Vince Lombardi (1971) - 1959-1967
Ray Nitschke (1978) - 1958-1972
Jim Ringo (1981) - 1953-1963
Bart Starr (1977) - 1956-1971
Jim Taylor (1976) - 1958-1966
Emlen Tunnell (1967) - 1959-1961
Willie Wood (1989) - 1960-1971

Always amazes me that Jerry Kramer is not in there.

So they played the Giants in 1962, I bet the # got near or = to 17 in that game - in 1961 they lost to the Philly Eagles who likely had a few.

That is amazing that Kramer's not in. Perhaps some degree of blackballing for having written "Instant Replay."

What's also remarkable about the Packers' '61 team is that most of them were in their prime that year. It's Tunnell's last year (but I think he was starting at one of the safety positions), and Adderley's first (and he was starting at corner).

Dallas had a flock of HoFers in the early '70s, but sesveral of them were hanging on at the time: Alworth, Ditka, Gregg, Adderley.

[dj]

So they [Packers] played the Giants in 1962, I bet the # got near or = to 17 in that game - in 1961 they lost to the Philly Eagles who likely had a few.

Giants game was '61, Eagles in '60. The Eagles had only three HoF starters on that team: Norm Van Brocklin, Tommy McDonald and Chuck Bednarik. Sonny Jurgensen wouldn't start until the next season after Van Brocklin retired and became the Vikings first head coach.

[cullman]

Back to QB: I see that Sammy Baugh died yesterday.

Still holds the NFL single-season punting record at better than 50ypp.

Possibly the best NFL player of his era.

cman

[SQUACKEE]

Joe n Jerry and 2nd aint close. disclaimer- life long 9er fan.