Buffalo Bills Quiz: 1) Most passing attempts, season? 2) Most
TDs, career? [Two are tied.] 3) Eric Moulds played at what
school? 4) Who coached the Bills to the playoffs in 1980 and
1981? Answers below.
Don Hutson.One of the NFL”s Best
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on 1/13/13, Don Hutson attended
the University of Alabama where he was an all sports star with
baseball seemingly on the horizon. But in 1935 he joined the
Green Bay Packers and went on to become the most dominant
player at one position in football history.
You have to understand that in 1935, the forward pass was still
an evolving weapon. Don Hutson helped change this as he was
to become the first real pass receiver. It was Hutson who
developed techniques like hooking back for the ball and dropping
to his knees for a low pass.
Green Bay coach Curly Lambeau also deserves some credit, of
course, for it was Lambeau who was one of the true innovators of
the game.
In 1936, the average number of pass attempts for a team was just
15 (with only 37% being completed). By 1939 the number of
pass attempts had grown to 20 and would go up from there.
When Hutson entered the NFL, the record for receptions in a
season was 24. By 1942 he had upped that to 74.
In fact, Don Hutson was an All-Pro in each of his 11 seasons
(retiring after 1945 at the age of 32) and he was league MVP in
both 1941 and 1942.
Before Hutson, double coverage on a receiver was unheard of.
But he was so spectacular, that he was often triple-teamed.
Sportswriter Peter King once wrote, “Hutson was football”s
DiMaggio, a graceful runner who never looked as if he was
trying hard. He also had some sprinter in him. At Alabama he
had run the 100-yard dash in 9.8 seconds. The grainy, fluttering
film I”ve seen of Hutson shows a 6”1″ man, much taller than
most of the defensive backs who covered him. But his leather
helmet rode high on his head, making him appear a little nerdy.”
In Hutson”s last season, in a game against Detroit, he caught 4
TD passes in one quarter plus kicked 5 PATs (extra points…the
team scored a 5th TD) for 29 points, a record which still stands.
Hutson retired with 488 receptions for 7,991 yards (16.4 avg.).
He led the league in receptions in 8 of his 11 years and also led
the NFL in total TDs 8 times.
Remember, also, that back during his time teams played
anywhere from just 10 to 12 regular season games. Yet,
incredibly, his 99 career TD receptions remained a record until
1989 when Steve Largent finally passed him. Do the math and
you find that Hutson caught a TD pass every 4.9 receptions
…compared to Jerry Rice and his 6.7 Rec./TD mark…
Finally, recall that almost all of the players of this era played
both ways. Hutson, at 185 lbs., was seen to be too light to play
defensive end so he was employed in the secondary where he
picked off 30 passes, once leading the league. Incredible.
Hutson was a member of the first class inducted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame back in 1963. He died in 1997.
So quaff an ale to one of the 3 greatest football players of all
time. I”ll let you argue who the other two were. [Editor says Jim
Brown and Gale Sayers.]
Vern Wolfe
Wolfe, who died last week at age 78, is honored in this space for
being the first track coach to embrace weight training. From
1963 to 1984, he coached U.S.C. to seven indoor and outdoor
team titles as well as Olympic gold medalists like Bob Seagren
(pole vault) and Donald Quarrie (200 meters). He also coached
O.J. Simpson when O.J. was part of Southern Cal”s record-
breaking 4 X 110 yard relay team.
Coaching at North Phoenix High School from ”55 to ”60, Wolfe
started his weight program. “Back then lifting was seen as being
incompatible with being flexible and maintaining explosive
speed,” he once related.
But immediately after instituting his program, Jim Brewer, a
sophomore, became the first high school pole vaulter to clear 14
feet and, two years later, to clear 15 feet. Dallas Long, who
would go on to win the 1964 gold medal in the shot put, set
national high school records in 1958 with Wolfe. Another
athlete set a national record for the discus.
But in 1984, Wolfe told the Eugene (Oregon) Register, “A lot of
the changes I see don”t sit well with me. I”ve had 35 years of it
and I don”t like the way the whole athletic scene is going with all
the narcotics, drugs, steroids, the expense money under the table
and the influence of the shoe companies. It”s taken all the fun
out of being a coach.” I wonder how he felt about today”s
atmosphere.
The Simpsons
To celebrate the return of the best show on television, herewith
are a few selected lines, culled from the pages of TV Guide. [I
must say, I hadn”t purchased this magazine in 20-plus years, but
having the Simpsons on the cover sold me.]
C. Montgomery Burns: “I”ve just robbed a man of his livelihood,
and yet I feel strangely empty.”
Krusty the Clown: “I used to do a lot of tumbling in my act, but
I”m phasing it out for more dirty limericks.”
Comic Book Guy: “Er, excuse me. No banging your head on the
display case, please. It contains a very rare ”Mary Worth” in
which she has advised a friend to commit suicide. Thank you.”
Ralph Wiggum: The round-faced, dim-witted classmate of Lisa
eats paste, crayons and most anything else he finds on the
ground. “Me fail English? That”s unpossible.”
Moe Szyslak (Moe”s Tavern): Creator Matt Groening relates
that Bart”s duping of Moe is based on the tapes of actual prank
calls, widely circulated in the early ”80s, to Jersey City, New
Jersey, bartender Louis ”Red” Deutsch, who constantly fell for
fake requests for customers named Al Coholic and Ben Dover.
He also unfailingly flew into profanity-laced fits of rage when he
realized he”d been had.
1959 – Smoking
Just thought you”d like to see how a 1959 print ad for Camels
read:
“If you”re smoking more now but enjoying it less…Change to
Camels – A Real Cigarette.
“First thing you”ll notice is how much more satisfying each
smoke becomes. The full, rich flavor of Camels tastes clean and
fresh every time. And that easygoing mildness gives you more
to enjoy.”
Hack, hack…Cough, cough.
Top 3 songs for the week of 11/2/74: #1 “You Haven”t Done
Nothin” (Stevie Wonder) #2 “You Ain”t Seen Nothing Yet”
(Bachman-Turner Overdrive…it”s been said before, and it
continually needs repeating…Top 3 cruisin” song of all time)
#3 “Jazzman” (Carole King)
Orlando Magic coach Doc Rivers on whether he”d want rapper /
NBA All-Star Allen Iverson on his team. “I don”t know. I”m
still into the Commodores.” [Sports Illustrated]
Bills Quiz Answers: 1) Passing attempts, season – Joe Ferguson,
508, 1983. 2) TDs – Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas scored
87. 3) Moulds played at Mississippi State. 4) Chuck Knox
coached the Bills to the playoffs in ”80 and ”81.
*Tickets available for the Wake Forest / Duke football game this
Saturday. Yes, 0-7 Wake (84 pts. for, 243 pts. against) versus
0-8 Duke (77-308). Yours truly will be there…what, you don”t
want to go?
–But my new adopted team is the #1 Oklahoma Sooners…I”m
going to front-run this baby!
–Major Faux Pas: On Monday, I listed Grove City College,
home to the NCAA”s all-time rusher R.J. Bowers, as being in
West Virginia…when it”s really in Pennsylvania. Dumb, Dumb,
Dumb. I didn”t double-check the location of this fine school.
And a special apology to Bud Jackson, alumnus.
–The last Charlie Brown baseball cartoon was of Joe Torre.
Next Bar Chat, Friday…something a little different. We”re
going to explore the 1960 election…from Richard Nixon”s
perspective.
