Ike Thomas 37 CB 6- 2 195 Bishop 2 3 25 13 1972 Trade - Dallas
Tom Toner 59 LB 6- 3 235 Idaho State 1 1 23 14 1973 Draft - 6th round
Ron Widby 20 P 6- 4 220 Tennessee 2 6 28 12 1972 Trade - Dallas
Clarence Williams 83 DE 6- 5 255 Prairie View 4 4 26 14 1970 Trade - Dallas
Perry Williams 31 RB 6- 2 225 Purdue 5 5 26 14 1969 Draft - 4th round
Cal Withrow 74 C 6- 0 230 Kentucky 3 4 28 14 1971 Trade - San Diego
Keith Wortman 65 G 6- 2 250 Nebraska 2 2 23 8 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
September 17: Green Bay Packers (1-0) 23, New York Jets (0-1) 7
(MILWAUKEE) - Ken Ellis had just been awarded the game ball, but his frown hardly reflected it. "That last touchdown pass is still in my mind. Darn! It will take me a week to get over that," the young Green Bay CB fretted. Ellis needn't worry. He was victimized on a 17 yard touchdown pass from Al Woodall to David Knight, a pair of reserves, with 27 seconds left Monday night, but by that time Ellis and his Packer defensive mates had driven Joe Namath to the bench in abject frustration. Smothering Namath when it counted and running a relentless ball control offense directed by their own quarterback, the much criticized Scott Hunter, the Packers thrashed the Jets 23-7 in a nationally televised opener. Namath, who led the NFL in touchdown passes and passing yardage last year, completed 16 of 32 for 203 yards against the National Conference's No. 1 pass defense of a year ago. But after the Jets' first series, which ended in a missed field goal attempt by Bobby Howfield, Namath couldn't lead the Jets past midfield until 7:41 remained to be played. By that time the Packers had sacked Namath three times and intercepted him once in rolling to a 23-0 lead. Chester Marcol kicked field goals of nine, 37 and 10 yards, while Hunter threw a 19 yard scoring pass to TE Rich McGeorge and led a fourth quarter march capped by John Brockington's one-yard touchdown run. An interception by Ellis set up Brockington's touchdown, while a pair of fumble recoveries by safety Jim Hill led to two other scores.
NEW YORK JETS - 0 0 0 7 - 7
GREEN BAY - 3 10 3 7 - 23
1st - GB - Marcol, 9-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - McGeorge, 19-yard pass from Hunter (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 10-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 37-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-0
3rd - GB - Marcol, 10-yard field goal GREEN BAY 16-0
4th - GB - Brockington, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 23-0
4th - NYJ - David Knight, 17-yard pass from Al Woodall (Bobby Howfield kick) GREEN BAY 23-7
September 23: Green Bay Packers (1-0-1) 13, Detroit Lions (0-1-1) 13 (Tie)
(GREEN BAY) - A 24-yard field goal by Chester Marcol with 19 seconds to play gave the Green Bay Packers a 13-13 tie with the Detroit Lions, who had just taken the lead for the first time in the game. Marcol's field goal, his second of the game, wound up a 56-yard drive by the Packers. QB Jim Del Gaizo came off the bench with 1:53 left to direct the attack and completed three of eight passes before the drive stalled, forcing the Packers to settle for a tie. Marcol, who missed two field goal attempts from 32 and 36 yards, put the first points on the score board with a 30-yarder just 41 seconds into the second period. The Lions tied it at 3-3 about six minutes later when Errol Mann booted a 15-yard field goal. The score came after the Packers' running back John Brockington fumbled the ball away and Mike Lucci recovered. It was the only time in the first half that the Lions were in Packer territory. The Packers grabbed a 10-3 lead with 57 seconds left in the half when MacArthur Lane bulled over from the five to cap an 85 yard drive. The Packers outplayed the Lions in the first half, totaling 160 yards to just 53 for the Lions, and had 10 first downs to only one for Detroit. Landry completed 8 of 15 for 91 yards, and threw three interceptions. The Packers, however, were unable to convert any of them into scores. Scott Hunter, who started for the Packers, completed 6 of 12 for 80 yards before being replaced by Del Gaizo. Brockington, who fumbled twice, was the leading rusher with 118 yards in 22 carries. Altie Taylor led Detroit with 59 yards on 22 carries.
DETROIT - 0 3 0 10 - 13
GREEN BAY - 0 10 0 3 - 13
2nd - GB - Marcol, 30-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - DET - Errol Mann, 15-yard field goal TIED 3-3
2nd - DET - Lane, 5-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 10-3
4th - DET - Mann, 38-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-6
4th - DET - Altie Taylor, 3-yard run (Mann kick) DETROIT 13-10
4th - GB - Marcol, 24-yard field goal TIED 13-13
September 30: Minnesota Vikings (3-0) 11, Green Bay Packers (1-1-1) 3
(MINNESOTA) - 1972: The year of the running back in the National Football League. 1973: Perhaps the year Alan Page and the Minnesota Vikings showed the NFL how to defense those big backs. The Vikings ran up against two of the NFL's finest power runners in Green Bay's John Brockington and MacArthur Lane, held the vaunted Packer rushing attack to 90 yards and took an 11-3 victory. The Packers never got inside the Viking 25, gave up a safety and fell to 1-1-1 in the Central Division as Fred Cox booted three field goals in Minnesota's third straight victory without a defeat. Quarterback Jim Del Gaizo, making his first start since acquired from Miami in the preseason, completed only four of 14 passes for 36 yards under heavy Viking pressure. Chester Marcol's 42-yard field goal gave the Packers a 3-0 lead in the second quarter. But after Mike Eischetd's punt was downed at the Green Bay eight, Page and Wally Hilgenberg slammed into Lane to force the ball to spurt into the end zone where Brockington fell on it to prevent a possible Viking touchdown. Down 3-2, the Vikings took the punt after the safety and drove for Cox' 22-yard field goal and a 5-3 halftime lead. Page and others hit Lane at the Packer 15 after another deep Eischeid punt in the third quarter, forcing a fumble that Roy Winston picked up and ran to the 11 before Cox kicked his second goal from 13 yards out.
GREEN BAY - 0 3 0 0 - 3
MINNESOTA - 0 5 3 3 - 11
2nd - GB - Marcol, 42-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - MINN - Safety, Lane tackled in end zone GREEN BAY 3-2
2nd - MINN - Fred Cox, 22-yard field goal MINNESOTA 5-3
3rd - MINN - Cox, 13-yard field goal MINNESOTA 8-3
4th - MINN - Cox, 14-yard field goal MINNESOTA 11-3
October 7: Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) 16, New York Giants (1-2-1) 14
(NEW HAVEN, CT) - "It's the biggest field goal he ever made," said Green Bay Packers' Coach Dan Devine. But the man who kicked it didn't think it was much to fuss over. "If you can't make this kind you'd better pack your bags and go home," said Chester Marcol after his 32-yard boot cleared the uprights with one second left to play to propel the Packers to a 16-14 win. Twice in the third quarter when the Giant defense stopped the Packers, Marcol kicked field goals for 20 and 11 yards to give Green Bay a 13-7 lead. A 17-yard pass from Giant quarterback Norm Snead to Don Herrmann and a 20-yard run by the Packers' Jon Staggers on a reverse play accounted for the first half scoring. The Giants almost salvaged the game early in the fourth quarter when Bob Grim made a diving catch in the end zone on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Snead. It capped a 73-yard drive and gave New York a 14-13 lead. A field goal that the Giants didn't try for in the second quarter may have cost them the game. With fourth down on the Packer 24 and inches to go for a first down, coach Alex Webster chose to go for the yardage. Johnny Roland took a handoff from Snead and appeared to get the first down, but fumbled. The Giants recovered, but lost yardage on the bobble and the Packers took over.
GREEN BAY - 7 0 6 3 - 16
NEW YORK GIANTS - 7 0 0 7 - 14
1st - NY - Don Herrman, 17-yard pass from Norm Snead (Pete Gogolak kick) NY 7-0
3rd - GB - Marcol, 20-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-7
3rd - GB - Marcol, 11-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-7
4th - NYG - Bob Grim, 10-yard pass from Snead (Gogolak kick) NEW YORK 14-13
4th - GB - Marcol, 32-yard field goal GREEN BAY 16-14
October 14: Green Bay Packers (2-1-2) 10, Kansas City Chiefs (3-1-1) 10 (Tie)
(MILWAUKEE) - Jan Stenerud's 36-yard field goal midway through the final quarter gave Kansas City its tie. Defensive end Wilbur Young, a 6-6, 285-pounder, blocked a pair of Green Bay three-point attempts to keep Kansas City alive. "The first one hit my face and the second one hit my hand," explained Young. "I don't know if the kicks were low, but I'm kind of tall too." The Chiefs had a chance to win in the final minute until a penalty and a sack of Len Dawson took them out of field goal range. John Brockington gained 106 yards rushing, while Packer QB Jim Del Gaizo, who took over for an injured Scott Hunter, threw a touchdown pass to Jon Staggers.
KANSAS CITY - 7 0 0 3 - 10
GREEN BAY - 0 10 0 0 - 10
1st - KC - Morris Stroud, 8-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick) KC 7-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 46-yard field goal KANSAS CITY 7-3
2nd - GB - Staggers, 26-yard pass from Del Gaizo (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 10-10
4th - KC - Stenerud, 36-yard field goal TIED 10-10
October 21: Los Angeles Rams (6-0) 24, Green Bay Packers (2-2-2) 7
(LOS ANGELES) - The Los Angeles Rams have a new scoring threat as they prepare for next Sunday's battle with the Minnesota Vikings. The threat is DE Fred Dryer. That's right - Fred Dryer. Dryer became the first man in the NFL history to record two safeties - worth four points - when he dropped Green Bay quarterbacks Scott Hunter and Jim Del Gaizo in the end zone as the Rams beat the Packers 24-7. Green Bay had only six first downs against the Rams with 63 yards on offense - 35 by running and 28 by passing. The Packers' only touchdown came on a 23-yard halfback pass from MacArthur Lane to Barry Smith. On the other hand, the Rams had field goals of 44 and 40 yards by David Ray and a one-yard touchdown smash by Larry Smith capping an 80-yard drive that took 11 plays. Smith gamed 65 yards in 13 carries as he took over a starting job, replacing the injured Lawrence McCutcheon. He received a game ball, as did Dryer. Jim Bertelsen led the rushers with 99 yards in 19 carries and Rob Scribner, the rookie from UCLA chipped in with 63 in 10 late in the game. The Rams' led 20-7 late in the fourth quarter when Dryer added four points with his two safeties. It made it three for him in a five-year career. Packer CB Willie Buchanon suffered a possible fracture of the left leg defending against a pass.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 7 0 - 7
LOS ANGELES - 0 10 3 11 - 24
2nd - LA - David Ray, 44-yard field goal LOS ANGELES 3-0
2nd - LA - Harold Jackson, 46-yard pass from John Hadl (Ray kick) LA 10-0
3rd - GB - Barty Smith, 23-yard pass from Lane (Marcol kick) LOS ANGELES 10-7
3rd - LA - Ray, 40-yard field goal LOS ANGELES 13-7
4th - LA - Larry Smith, 1-yard run (Ray kick) LOS ANGELES 20-7
4th - LA - Safety, Fred Dryer sacked Hunter in the end zone LOS ANGELES 22-7
4th - LA - Safety, Dryer sacked Del Gaizo in the end zone LOS ANGELES 24-7
October 28: Detroit Lions (2-4-1) 34, Green Bay Packers (2-3-2) 0
(DETROIT) - Last year Green Bay football fans said "The Pack is back." But with the NFL season half over, that slogan might be amended to say: "The Pack is way back." Green Bay, which climbed back into prominence last season by winning the Central Division title, had been struggling all year and continued their downward spiral with an embarrassing 34-0 loss to division rival Detroit. The two teams tied 13-13 six weeks ago. Green Bay has won only once since and its record has dipped to 2-3-2 compared with 2-4-1 for the Lions. "We didn't play well today and Detroit played well in all facets of the game," said Packer Coach Dan Devine. What has made the Packers fall apart? "We'll have to find out. I don't know at this point." said Devine, whose team managed just 60 yards on the ground. Detroit's offense hammered out 329 total yards, including a career-high 160 yards for Altie Taylor. The defense, meanwhile, held Green Bay star runners John Brockington and MacArthur Lane to just 33 and 14 yards respectively. Jim Del Gaizo started at quarterback for the Packers but left after suffering a shoulder injury in the third quarter. Scott Hunter replaced him. Greg Landry started at quarterback for the Lions and led them to a 10-0 first period lead before injuring a knee. Bill Munson came in and guided the team to 24 more points. The Lions moved gingerly down the field nearly every time they had the ball. It took 11 plays for them to move 58 yards with their first possession, with Steve Owens driving over from the two for a touchdown. Blocking from Owens and right guard Bob Kowalkowski sprung Taylor loose on numerous sweeps. Jim O'Brien kicked a 32-yard field goal in the first period and a 30-yarder in the fourth for the Lions. The first one came five plays and 20 Taylor yards after a Pack punt gave the Lions the ball on the Green Bay 45. Perhaps the key play of the game came midway through the second period when the Packers were moving well for the first time. They reached the Detroit 45 and Devine elected to gamble on a fourth-and-one situation. Brockington was stopped for no gain and Detroit marched 55 yards in six plays with Mel Farr diving over from the one.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 0 0 - 0
DETROIT - 10 7 0 17 - 34
1st - DET - Steve Owens, 2-yard run (Jim O'Brien kick) DETROIT 7-0
1st - DET - O'Brien, 32-yard field goal DETROIT 10-0
2nd - DET - Mel Farr, 1-yard run (O'Brien kick) DETROIT 17-0
4th - DET - Altie Taylor, 9-yard run (O'Brien kick) DETROIT 24-0
4th - DET - O'Brien, 30-yard field goal DETROIT 27-0
4th - DET - John Hilton, 6-yard pass from Bill Munson (O'Brien kick) DET 34-0
November 4: Chicago Bears (3-5) 31, Green Bay Packers (2-4-2) 17
(GREEN BAY) - Bobby Douglass passed for 118 yards and ran for 100 more, including four short touchdown thrusts, sparking the Chicago Bears to a 31-17 victory over the fading Green Bay Packers. The Bears, down 17-7 in the second quarter, closed to within 17-10 on Mac Percival's 10-yard field goal two seconds before halftime. Douglass scored touchdowns on runs of one and two yards the first two times the Bears had the ball in the second half, triggering both drives with runs of 42 and 10 yards as Chicago took a 24-17 lead. Chicago's defense held Green Bay to seven yards in the second half after trailing 17-10 at the intermission. The Packers ended up with -12 net yards passing, second worst in team history. Chicago's Ike Hill returned a punt 72 yards, the top such punt return in the NFC in 1973.
CHICAGO - 7 3 14 7 - 31
GREEN BAY - 7 10 0 0 - 17
1st- CHI - Bobby Douglass, 1-yard run (Mac Percival kick) CHICAGO 7-0
2nd - GB - Hunter, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
2nd - GB - Marcol, 25-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-7
2nd - CHI - Percival, 10-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-10
3rd - CHI - Douglass, 1-yard run (Percival kick) TIED 17-17
3rd - CHI - Douglass, 2-yard run (Percival kick) CHICAGO 24-17
4th - CHI - Douglass, 1-yard run (Percival kick) CHICAGO 31-17
November 11: Green Bay Packers (3-4-2) 25, St. Louis Cardinals (3-5-1) 21
(GREEN BAY) - On the day Bart Starr had his jersey retired, it wasn't fancy, but it didn't have to be, not with John Brockington and his pad-pouding blockers back in form. The Green Bay Packers, averaging just 75 yards from scrimmage in three previous games, erupted for 305 behind home-grown quarterback Jerry Tagge. Brockington accounted for 137 yards, a personal season high, in 28 carries as Green Bay countered a St. Louis comeback with ball control and won 25-21. Atlanta reject Les Goodman, a rookie who had never carried in a regular-season game, added 56 yards in 11 attempts. Chester Marcol contributed four field goals to help the Packers snap a three-game losing streak. "I am sure the old Pack is back. They are going to win a lot more games," Cardinal coach Don Coryell said. The Cardinals, behind brilliant passing by Jim Hart, cut a 22-7 halftime deficit to 22-21 with 8:47 left. The Packers responded with a time-consuming, 64-yard, 11-play drive, culminating in Marcol's nine-yard field goal with 1:42 remaining. The Cardinals had one more chance, but lost the ball on downs at their 45-yard line when Terry Metcalf was stopped for no gain by linebackers Tom MacLeod and Fred Carr after taking a short pass from Hart. Tagge then ran out the clock and had a victory to show for his first NFL start. He had been summoned from the taxi squad with regular Scott Hunter performing inconsistently and Jim Del Gaizo on the inactive list with injury.
ST. LOUIS - 7 0 0 14 - 21
GREEN BAY - 10 12 0 3 - 25
1st - GB - Brockington, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
qst - GB - Marcol, 12-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-0
1st - STL - Donny Anderson, 30-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick) GB 10-7
2nd - GB - Tagge, 1-yard run (Kick blocked) GREEN BAY 16-7
2nd - GB - Marcol, 32-yard field goal GREEN BAY 19-7
2nd - GB - Marcol, 34-yard field goal GREEN BAY 22-7
4th - STL - Ahmad Rashad, 23-yard pass from Hart (Bakken kick) GB 22-14
4th - STL - Terry Metcalf, 2-yard run (Bakken kick) GREEN BAY 22-21
4th - GB - Marcol, 9-yard field goal GREEN BAY 25-21
November 18: New England Patriots (3-7) 33, Green Bay Packers (3-5-2) 24
(NEW ENGLAND) - Put away all the signs "The Pack is Back." Change them all. How about "Plunk is no flunk?" Jim Plunkett, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Stanford, answered many critics in decisive fashion in rallying the New England Patriots to a 33-24 victory over the once-mighty Green Bay Packers. Struggling to regain his brilliant rookie form of 1971, Plunkett has been a chief target of radio talk shows in the Boston area. Many fans have urged he be traded to get badly needed help in many areas. Plunkett got off to a terrible start against Green Bay, but was not responsible for the Packers' quick 14-0 lead. That was on a drive with the opening kickoff and then a short march after a fumble recovery on the Patriots' first play from scrimmage. Plunkett got unwound in the second period, but was frustrated and had to settle for field goals from 19, 21 and 26 yards by Jeff White. In rallying the Patriots from a 24-9 deficit, he completed 18 of 32 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first 300-yard passing day for a Patriot quarterback since Babe Parilli did so in 1966. For Green Bay, Jerry Tagge completed 17 passes for 267 yards, but the Packers see their division title repeat hopes officially end.
GREEN BAY - 14 3 7 0 - 24
NEW ENGLAND - 0 9 10 14 - 33
1st - GB - Brockington, 4-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - GB - P.Williams, 6-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 14-0
2nd - NE - Jeff White, 19-yard field goal GREEN BAY 14-3
2nd - NE - White, 21-yard field goal GREEN BAY 14-6
2nd - NE - White, 26-yard field goal GREEN BAY 14-9
2nd - GB - Marcol, 33-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-9
3rd - GB - Ellis, 47-yard interception return (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 24-9
3rd - NE - Bob Windor, 28-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (White kick) GB 24-16
3rd - NE - White, 18-yard field goal GREEN BAY 24-19
4th - NE - Reggie Rucker, 63-yard pass from Plunkett (White kick) NE 26-24
4th - NE - Plunkett, 1-yard run (White kick) NEW ENGLAND 33-24
November 26: San Francisco 49ers (4-7) 20, Green Bay Packers (3-6-2) 6
(SAN FRANCISCO) - The San Francisco 49ers, blessed by perfect weather and timely Green Bay mistakes, pulled out of the four-week slide which took them to NFL oblivion. "I feel like we've just won the Super Bowl," tight end Ted Kwalick said after Monday night's 20-6 nationally televised victory over the Packers, illustrating how bad things had gotten. Green Bay, another team on the skids, produced enough misplays to match some recent Super Bowls, and Coach Dan Devine moaned, "I'm sick to my stomach." But 49ers' Coach Dick Nolan attributed the victory to good defense, a strong running attack Jed by Vic Washington and some timely late passing by Steve Spurrier. The team produced 268 yards on offense and suffered just one turnover in breaking its four-game losing streak. "The weather conditions were perfect for passing," said Spurrier, as if apologizing for his 20-yard fourth period touchdown pass to Kwalick which put the Niners ahead 17-6. Rookie Joe Reed, who moved ahead of Spurrier and 33-year old John Brodie in the quarterback picture three weeks ago, completed just five of 16 passes for 44 yards before leaving with a pulled groin muscle. Washington rushed for 94 yards, scored the game's first touchdown on a one-yard plunge in the second period and added a 37-yard kickoff return. Fullback Ken Willard had 55 of the team's season-high 174 rushing yards. But it was too late to make much difference this season. The 49ers', winners of the Western Division the past three seasons, are 4-7 now and tied for third with New Orleans. The Packers, Central Division winners last season, fell to 3-6-2 and remained third. The game was a sellout, allowing 11,931 fans to stay home and watch on television. The crowd of 49,244 was the 49ers' smallest since Candlestick was expanded to its current 61,000 capacity last year.
GREEN BAY - 0 3 0 3 - 6
SAN FRANCISCO - 0 10 0 10 - 20
2nd - SF - Vic Washington, 1-yard run (Jeff Gossett kick) SAN FRANCISCO 7-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 35-yard field goal SAN FRANCISCO 7-3
2nd - SF - Gossett, 25-yard field goal SAN FRANCISCO 10-3
4th - GB - Marcol, 15-yard field goal SAN FRANCISCO 10-6
4th - SF - Ted Kwalick, 20-yard pass from Steve Spurrier (Gossett kick) SF 17-6
4th - SF - Gossett, 22-yard field goal SAN FRANCISCO 20-6
December 2: Green Bay Packers (4-6-2) 30, New Orleans Saints (4-8) 10
(MILWAUKEE) - Jerry Tagge's 41-yard scoring run late in the third quarter and touchdowns by Al Matthews and Jim Carter on interception runbacks sparked the Green Bay Packers to a 30-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Green Bay mounted a 13-0 second quarter lead on two field goals by Chester Marcol and Matthews' 58-yard dash, then withstood a rally led by the passing and scrambling of Archie Manning to hand the Saints their fourth consecutive defeat. The Saints got on the scoreboard on a 22-yard field goal by Bill McClard seven seconds before halftime, then closed to within 13-10 in the third period on a 29-yard scoring pass by Manning to Jubilee Dunbar two plays after a Tagge fumble. However, rookie linebacker Tom Toner picked off a Manning pass moments later. On third and two from the Saints' 41, Tagge faked a handoff inside, kept the ball himself, circled the left corner and then cut back into the middle for a touchdown. Carter, Green Bay's middle linebacker, intercepted a Manning pass on the Saints' next series and streaked 42 yards down the right sideline for the clinching score. It was the Packers' first fourth-quarter touchdown since their season opener. Marcol booted his third field goal, a 33-yarder, midway through the fourth quarter. Second-year quarterback Bobby Scott replaced Manning after Carter's interception, but the Saints' last chance vanished when Joe Profit lost the ball on a fumble at the Packer 15 with 3:17 left.
NEW ORLEANS - 0 3 7 0 - 10
GREEN BAY - 3 10 7 10 - 30
1st - GB - Marcol, 14-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - Matthews, 58-yard interception return (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 10-0
2nd - GB - Marcol, 39-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-0
2nd - NO - Bill McClard, 22-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-3
3rd - GB - Tagge, 41-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 20-10
4th - GB - Carter, 42-yard interception return (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 27-10
4th - GB - Marcol, 33-yard field goal GREEN BAY 30-10
December 8: Minnesota Vikings (11-2) 31, Green Bay Packers (4-7-2) 7
(GREEN BAY) - The playoff-bound Vikings, led by two Fran Tarkenton touchdown passes and the running of rookie Chuck Foreman, showed no mercy for numerous Green Bay mistakes, crushing the Packers 31-7. The Vikings, rebounding from the first shutout loss in 11 years a week earlier, scored touchdowns following a fumble recovery, an interception, a short punt and a blocked field goal and then added a field goal after another interception. John Brockington provided the only real cause for joy among the Packers by rushing for 124 yards in 27 carries to climb over the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in as many years as a pro - a feat never before accomplished in the NFL. Brockington, who received a standing ovation when it was announced, has 1,002 yards with one game to go. But the hero of the game as far as the Vikings were concerned was CB Bobby Bryant who intercepted three Jerry Tagge passes and returned one of them 46 yards for a touchdown. Bryant's runback came came in the first quarter less than a minute after the Vikes took a 7-0 lead on a 21-yard TD pass from Tarkenton to Stu Voigt. That score came after Brockington fumbled the ball on his first cary of the game and Jeff Siemon recovered on the Packer 46 midway through the first period. The Vikings made it 21-0 with 4:50 gone in the second period when Foreman bolted 50 yards for a TD on the first play following a 23-yard Green Bay punt. Foreman, a leading candidate for rookie of the year honors, finished the day with 100 yards in 19 carries to give him 785 for the season. Minnesota increased its margin to 28-0 when Tarkenton connected with John Gilliam on a 20-yard scoring strike with 26 seconds left in the half. The score capped a 59-yard drive after Alan Page blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt by Chester Marcol. The Vikings finished their scoring midway through the third penod when Fred Cox booted a 15-yard field goal, while the Packers finally got on the scoreboard when Jim Del Gaizo, replacing Tagge, passed 17 yards to rookie Barry Smith with less than two minutes left in the game. Tarkenton, who didn't play the second half, completed 8 of 12 passes for 79 yards.
MINNESOTA - 14 14 3 0 - 31
GREEN BAY - 0 0 0 7 - 7
1st - MIN - Stu Voight, 21-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) MINN 7-0
1st - MIN - Bobby Bryant, 46-yard interception return (Cox kick) MINN 14-0
2nd - MIN - Chuck Foreman, 50-yard run (Cox kick) MINNESOTA 21-0
2nd - MIN - John Gilliam, 20-yard pass from Tarkenton (Cox kick) MINN 28-0
3rd - MINN - Cox, 15-yard field goal MINNESOTA 31-0
4th - GB - B.Smith, 17-yard pass from De Gaizo (Marcol kick) MINNESOTA 31-7
December 16: Green Bay Packers (5-7-2) 21, Chicago Bears (3-11) 0
(CHICAGO) - Ever hear of the Disappointment Bowl? The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers played in it. Green Bay won 21-0, ending a disappointing season in next to last place in the Central Division with a 5-7-2 record. They were divisional champions last year. The Bears finished dead last with 3-11, and to say their season was a disappointment would be making the understatement of the year. "If I sit here and say I'm not disappointed I'd be a damn liar," said Bear Coach Abe Gibron. ''And a lot of the players feel the same way. Obviously, we've got a lot of things to do. Defensively, we could be pretty good. Offensively we have some problems." Coach Dan Devine of the Packers said, "I'll have to sit back now and rate the season ... I've got to say it was a disappointing season, but in the last four weeks we played much better than it looks although we won only two of the games. One reason we played better was that quarterback Jerry Tagge gained experience and our offensive line was a little healthier. We will go into the 1974 season with Tagge our quarterback." Was Devine glad the season was over? "I never have been glad when a season ends in my 26 years of coaching." he said. "A coach lives for a season." The Packers' only victory over a Central Division opponent this season was their triumph against the Bears, who had defeated them earlier in the campaign This provided some Green Bay satisfaction, along with the performance of John Brockington. He gained 142 yards in 22 rushes, boosting his total to 1,144 yards—the best in his three years as a pro. He has gained more than l,000 yards each year. In the second quarter, Brockington got off a 53-yard run before being knocked out of bounds near the Bear nine. His previous longest run as a pro was 52 yards against Denver in 1971. The 53-yard dash set up the Packers' second touchdown, scored by Les Goodman from the three. Tagge hit on only three out of 12 passes, but two of them were touchdown tosses of 20 and 36 yards to Jon Staggers in the first and fourth quarters. They were Tagge's first scoring passes as a pro. Meanwhile, the Bears' Gary Huff completed 10 of 27 aerials for 110 yards. The rookie was sacked five times for 42 yards but despite the beatings came back for more. The Bears penetrated Packer territory only four times. They reached the Green Bay 18 in the second period, mainly on Huff's 21-yard pass to Roger Lawson, but stalled. A 16-yard pass to George Farmer and a 25-yard run by Joe Moore carried the Bears to the 18 in the fourth. Then Huff was sacked for 10 yards. He made it up with a 15-yard toss to Ike Hill and the Bears eventually reached the 12, and that was as close as they came to scoring. As a team, the Packers rushed for 298 yards and set a team record with six fair catches.
GREEN BAY - 7 7 0 7 - 21
CHICAGO - 0 0 0 0 - 0
1st - GB - Staggers, 20-yard pass from Tagge (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
2nd - GB - Goodman, 3-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 14-0
4th - GB - Staggers, 36-yard pass from Tagge (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 21-0
1973 IN REVIEW: Any possibility that the Green Bay Packers would repeat as NFC Central Division champions ended abruptly during a three-game stretch that left the team shaken and searching for answers. The club, unfortunately, failed to address many of the problems down the stretch and stumbled to a 5-7-2 record and a third-place finish in the division. After hovering in second place for most of the first five weeks, the Packers were thrashed by the Rams, Lions and Bears in consecutive weeks. The Rams' Fred Dryer overpowered Malcolm Snider to register two fourth-quarter safeties in the Rams' 24-7 win, and quarterback Bobby Douglass ran for 100 yards and four touchdowns in the Bears' 31-17 triumph. In between, the Lions tossed a 34-0 shutout for good measure.
14 M-KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (3-1) T 10-10 2- 1-2 46,583 Hunter
21 at Los Angeles Rams (5-0) L 7-24 2- 2-2 80,558 Hunter
28 at Detroit Lions (1-4-1) L 0-34 2- 3-2 43,616 Del Gaizo
NOVEMBER (1-3)
4 G-CHICAGO BEARS (2-5) L 17-31 2- 4-2 53,231 Hunter
11 G-ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (3-4-1) W 25-21 3- 4-2 52,922 Tagge
18 at New England Patriots (2-7) L 24-33 3- 5-2 60,525 Tagge
26 at San Francisco 49ers (3-7) L 6-20 3- 6-2 49,244 Tagge
8 G-MINNESOTA VIKINGS (10-2) L 7-31 4- 7-2 53,830 Tagge
16 at Chicago Bears (3-10) W 21- 0 5- 7-2 29,157 Tagge
1973 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (3-2-1) - AUGUST
4 M-CHICAGO BEARS T 13-13 0-0-1 47,222
11 G-BUFFALO BILLS W 10- 3 1-0-1 56,267
18 M-HOUSTON OILERS W 33-14 2-0-1 47,302
26 at Kansas City Chiefs W 21-16 3-0-1 75,231
SEPTEMBER
1 G-PITTSBURGH STEELERS L 22-30 3-1-1 56,267
8 at Cincinnati Bengals L 10-13 3-2-1 55,863
1973 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS (5-7-2) - SEPTEMBER (1-1-1)
17 M-NEW YORK JETS (0-0) W 23- 7 1- 0-0 47,124 Hunter
23 G-DETROIT LIONS (0-1) T 13-13 1- 0-1 55,495 Hunter
30 at Minnesota Vikings (2-0) L 3-11 1- 1-1 48,176 Del Gaizo
OCTOBER (1-2-1)
7 at New York Giants (1-1-1) W 16-14 2- 1-1 70,050 Del Gaizo
August 4 : Green Bay (0-0-1) 13, Chicago 13
(MILWAUKEE) - Mac Pervical's 27-yard field goal with 7:22 left, set up by a fumble recovery, lifted the Bears to a tie. Chester Marcol's second field goal, a 43-yarder, had given Green Bay a 13-10 third quarter lead. However, Jerry Moore set up Percival's tying kick by recovering Don Highsmith's second fumble of the night on the Packers' 12 early in the final period. LB Larry Hefner intercepted John Huarte's third down pass from the nine, but a pass interference penalty on rookie Hise Austin nullified the turnover. Percival then connected after an intentional grounding penalty on Huarte sent the ball back to the 20. The Packers' last chance expired when a 39-yard field goal attempt by Marcol failed wide to the left with eight seconds to play. Marcol had missed from 37 yards on the last play of the third after kicking successfully from 34 yards in the first quarter.
CHICAGO - 0 10 0 3 - 13
GREEN BAY - 3 7 3 0 - 13
1st - GB - Marcol, 34-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - McGeorge, 8-yard pass from Hunter (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 10-0
2nd - CHI - Carl Garrett, 1-yard run (Mac Percival kick) GREEN BAY 10-7
2nd - CHI - Percival, 48-yard field goal TIED 10-10
3rd - GB - Marcol, 43-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-10
4th - CHI - Percival, 27-yard field goal TIED 13-13
August 11 : Green Bay (1-0-1) 10, Buffalo 3
(GREEN BAY) - The Packers, despite several missed chances, combined a 33-yard touchdown run by John Brockington and a 34-yard field goal by Chester Marcol for a 10-3 exhibition victory over Buffalo Saturday. Brockington's second-quarter touchdown offset a 22-yard field goal by John Leypoldt on Buffalo's first series as the Packers ran their preseason record to 1-0-1. The Bills have been held to three field goals and no touchdowns in two exhibition defeats. Marcol had a string of five unsuccessful field goal attempts when he connected with 7:31 to play, capping a drive that began at the Green Bay 10-yard line. The Packers had failed to pick up a first down on nine successive third-down plays until the drive that led to Marcol's field
goal. O. J. Simpson, playing little more than a quarter, ripped off gains of eight, 10 and 14 yards on the Bills' drive to Leypoldt's field goal.
BUFFALO - 3 0 0 0 - 3
GREEN BAY - 0 7 0 3 - 10
1st - BUF - John Leypoldt, 22-yard field goal BUFFALO 3-0
2nd - GB - Brockington, 33-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-3
4th - GB - Marcol, 34-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-3
August 18: Green Bay (2-0-1) 33, Houston 14
(MILWAUKEE) - Scott Hunter's passing sparked Green Bay to a two-touchdown lead and Chester Marcol added four field goals, leading the Packers to a pre-season victory over the Houston Oilers Saturday night. Hunter completed five of 11 passes for 107 yards, including a 46-yard scoring pass to Jon Staggers on the game's fourth play, before giving way to Jerry Tagge. John Brockington's five-yard touchdown run on Green Bay's second series gave the Packers a 14-0 lead.
HOUSTON - 7 7 0 0 - 14
GREEN BAY - 17 3 6 7 - 33
1st - GB - Staggers, 46-yard pass from Hunter (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - GB - Brockington, 5-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 14-0
1st - HOU - Fred Willis, 25-yard run (Skip Butler kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
1st - GB - Marcol, 49-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-7
2nd - HOU - Willis, 2-yard run (Butler kick) GREEN BAY 17-14
2nd - GB - Marcol, 28-yard field goal GREEN BAY 20-14
3rd - GB - Marcol, 21-yard field goal GREEN BAY 23-14
3rd - GB - Marcol, 21-yard field goal GREEN BAY 26-14
4th - GB - Tagge, 7-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 33-14
August 26: Green Bay (3-0-1) 21, Kansas City 16
(KANSAS CITY) - AP)—"It was a bad start," said Kansas City Coach Hank Stram of the first Green Bay offensive play in the Packers' 21-16 victory over the Chiefs Sunday night. The first Green Bay play was a plunge off tackle by MacArthur Lane, who went 20 yards for a touchdown. "But the way we retaliated and as
hard as we played, especially in the second half, is a good sign," Stram added. Green Bay Coach Dan Devine, in his first visit to Kansas City since moving to the pro ranks in 1971 after a successful career at the University of Missouri, said, "We had a tremendous effort by a lot of people on a hot, muggy night." It was 94 degrees at the start of the game, which saw the Packers' record move to 3- 0-1 and the Chiefs' slip to 1-3. After Lane's touchdown, the teams battled evenly until Kansas City middle linebacker Willie Lanier forced a Green Bay fumble on its own 14. Kansas City made a first down but couldn't get the ball in the end zone and had to settle for a field goal by Jan Stenerud.
GREEN BAY - 7 7 0 7 - 21
KANSAS CITY - 0 6 3 7 - 16
1st - GB - Lane, 20-yard run (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
2nd - KC - Jan Stenerud, 10-yard field goal GREEN BAY 7-3
2nd - GB - Dale, 8-yard pass from Lane (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 14-3
2nd - KC - Stenerud, 47-yard field goal GREEN BAY 14-6
3rd - KC - Stenerud, 24-yard field goal GREEN BAY 14-9
4th - GB - B.Smith, 19-yard pass from Tagge (Marcol kick) GREEN BAY 21-9
4th - KC - Jeff Kinney, 1-yard run (Stenerud kick) GREEN BAY 21-16
September 1: Pittsburgh 30, Green Bay (3-1-1) 22
(GREEN BAY) - The Green Bay Packers may or may not have found a quarterback here Saturday night. But they most definitely, most certainly lost a football game. Decisively at the end. The Steelers defeated the hopeful Packers in the next to last game of the pre-season. It was a shame, really, because this could have been the game in which, the Packers established themselves. The may-or-may-not-be quarterback is Jim Del Gaizo, the new kid from Miami. He did everything that could have been asked of him in leading the Packers to a 16-7 advantage in the first half. Then - is this an omen for the year? - Del Gaizo got battered up on a pass attempt. The injury was described as bruised ribs, and
4th - PIT - Gerela, 22-yard field goal PITTSBURGH 30-22
September 8: Cincinnati 13, Green Bay (3-2-1) 10
(CINCINNATI) - Horst Muhlmann's 31-yard field goal with three seconds remaining lifted the Cincinnati Bengals to a 13-10 exhibition victory over the Green Bay Packers. Quarterback Ken Anderson came off the bench when Virgil Carter suffered a shoulder injury and directed the Bengals on the game winning drive. Green Bay, trailing 10-0 early in the game when the Bengals turned two interceptions into scoring plays, stormed back in the final quarter behind recently acquired running back Don Highsmith to tie it at 10-10 with 7:53 left. The Packers drove 83 yards in 15 plays, with Perry Williams ramming over from the one. It was the second straight week Anderson guided the Bengals to a corne-from-behind victory. It was Cincinnati's third straight triumph to close preseason play with a 4-2 record - second best exhibition record in the team's six-year history.
2nd - GB - Marcol, 27-yard field goal CINCINNATI 10-3
4th - GB - P. Williams, 1-yard run (Marcol kick) TIED 10-10
4th - CIN - Muhlmann, 31-yard field goal CINCINNATI 13-10
1973 PACKERS DRAFT (January 30-31, 1973)
RND-PICKNAMEPOSCOLLEGE
1 - 21 Barry Smith WR Florida State
2 - 46 Traded to Dallas in Ike Thomas/Ron Widby trade
3 - 74 Tom MacLeod LB Minnesota
4 - 99 Traded to Los Angeles in Tommy Crutcher trade
5 - 124 Traded to Oakland in Carleton Oats trade
6 - 152 Tom Toner LB Idaho State
7 - 177 John Muller G/T Iowa
8 - 202 Hise Austin DB/WR Prairie View
9 - 230 Rick Brown LB South Carolina
10 - 255 Larry Allen S/LB Illinois
11 - 280 Phil Engle G South Dakota State
12 - 308 Larry McCarren C Illinois
13 - 333 Tim Alderson S Minnesota
14 - 358 Jim Anderson DT Northwestern
15 - 386 Reg Echols WR UCLA
16 - 411 Keith Pretty TE Western Michigan
17 - 436 Harold Sampson DT Southern
Bold - Played for the Green Bay Packers
1973 PACKER TRADES - TRANSACTIONS
JANUARY 25 - Traded DT Vern Vanoy and a 1973 5th-round draft choice to OAKLAND for DT Carleton Oats
JANUARY 30 - Traded OT Francis Peay to KANSAS CITY for DE Aaron Brown
JANUARY 30 - Traded LB Dave Robinson to WASHINGTON for a 1975 2nd-round draft choice
JULY 13 - Traded RB Bob Hudson to OAKLAND for RB Don Highsmith. Sold RB Demery Brandon to OAKLAND.
AUGUST 22 - Traded a 1974 2nd-round draft choice and a 1975 2nd-round draft choice to MIAMI for QB Jim Del Gaizo
SEPTEMBER 25 - Traded TE Len Garrett to NEW ORLEANS for a 1974 8th-round draft choice
THE QUARTERBACKING CAROUSEL OF 1973
To say the Green Bay Packers had a hard hill to climb in repeating as division champs would be an understatement when examining the quarterbacking situation. Green Bay would use three starters during the season, and none of them would throw more than two touchdowns passes. Scott Hunter would be given the first shot at leading the team.
Coming off a division title, Hunter was expected to mature into Bart Starr's legitimate successor. He started the first two games of the season, a win over the Saints and a tie with the Lions. He completed 12 of 25 passes with one touchdown. Head coach Dan Devine showed his short leash, by pulling Hunter in the second half of the Lions' game and putting in Jim Del Gaizo. The team had sent two second-round picks to Miami for the promising prospect. Apparently, Devine saw enough to tab Del Gaizo as the starter for Week Three.
Against Minnesota, Del Gaizo went 4-for-14 before Hunter was put back in an 11-3 loss. The following week, Del Gaizo started against the Giants and completed one of four passes for minus-four years. Hunter came in and went 6-for-7 to lead the Packers to a 16-14 win. Hunter won the starting spot back for the next two weeks. He was 6-for-11 against the Cbiefs, before Del Gaizo came back in. He tossed a 26-yard touchdown to Jon Staggers, but was also intercepted twice in a 10-10 tie. The next week, Hunter was a dismal 4-for-10 with an interception as the Rams routed the Packers, 24-7.
Devine took one more shot with Del Gaizo, and the results were disastrous. With the team clinging to its playoff hopes (2-2-2), Del Gaizo was 5-for-9 before suffering a shoulder injury in the third quarter. Hunter came on and completed only one of ten attempts for minus-four yards and one interception. Detroit would roll, 34-0, and Del Gaizo would be out for a month.
Hunter would be given one more start, on November 4 against the Bears. His numbers were atrocious, as he completed only three of 15 passes for 17 yards. He did throw a 5-yard touchdown to MacArthur Lane in a 31-17 loss. Hunter and Del Gaizo would never start again in Green Bay. Jerry Tagge was given the starts down the stretch, going 3-3 as the season slipped away. He would start the first six games of 1974, before the John Hadl era began.
