John Delach

I have before me two remarkably clear photographs taken during the first year that I had a season ticket to the New York Football Giants. They were both shot from the closed end of Yankee Stadium looking out toward the outfield bleachers on October 21, 1962 when the Giants hosted the Detroit Lions. 

Since the New York Yankees, as expected, made it to the World Series where they beat the San Francisco Giants, this was only the second home game of the 1962 season. The Giants opened on the road losing to the Cleveland Browns and beating the Eagles, Steelers and Cardinals before their first game in Yankee Stadium. That Sunday they lost their home opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-17. The following Sunday, the Lions came into this game with a record of 4 and 1 having beaten the Steelers, 49ers, Colts and Rams but having lost to their rival Green Bay Packers, 9-7.

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon, a perfect day for football. The game’s starting time of 2:05 pm was in deference to the New York’s blue laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol including beer before 1 pm on Sundays. This allowed Harry M Stevens, the stadium’s concessionaire, an hour and change lead time prior to kickoff for selling his frothy beverages to the sell-out crowd.

(This was near the end of individual teams deciding on their own starting time for games. The League pressured the Giants to convert to 1:00 starting times. Both the team and the league convinced the New York State to change the time allowing the sale of alcohol to noon.)

Both photos feature wonderful shots of the bleachers’ crowds basking in the mild October weather. It is mostly male and white as it would be today but it reflects the dress standards of the time. While a good number are in shirtsleeves, the men wear what we would call today, business shirts. Others have on jackets, some wear ties and some, hats too. Not baseball caps, coverings that we used to call fedoras.

The two photographs are remarkably clear as they were shot using Kodachrome film. One shows people sitting on the field. The band in maroon uniforms sits behind the end zone in left field. In the one showing the Coca-Cola sign, fans sit on folding chairs in front of the monuments in center field. This was where the Giants arranged for people in wheelchairs to watch the game and most of the people in folding chairs were their companions. Other people watch from the Jerome Avenue elevated station above that same Coca-Cola sign. This prized perch was by invitation exclusively on a “who you knew” basis from some unknown Transit supervisor. Eventually other fans would find their way to the rooftops of the buildings rising above and behind the train station.

The first photograph shows an ordinary pass play. Y.A. Tittle (14), the Giants quarterback is setting up to throw what could be a screen pass to Joe Morrison (40) who is moving to his left. Ahead of Morrison, tackle, Rosey Brown (79) zones in on the Lions outside linebacker, Wayne Walker (55). Behind them, middle linebacker, Joe Schmidt (56) is tracking Morrison but tackle, Roger Brown (76) seems to be holding back. Defensive end, Sam Williams (88) is charging Tittle unimpeded up the middle having beaten the block by Giants guard, Darrell Dess (62) while halfback, Phil King (24) and tackle, Jack Stroud (66) double-team an unidentified player, probably Alex Karras (71). Giants tight end, Joe Walton (80) is peeling off to the right on his pass route under the watchful eye of corner back, Dick Lebeau (44) while outside linebacker, Carl Brettschneider (57) makes his rush from the Tittle’s blind side having beaten Giants center, Greg Larson (53).

In the second photograph, Y.A. Tittle has taken the snap from center, turned and is just pitching the ball back toward Phil King who has begun moving forward. Ahead, full back, Alex Webster (29), Greg Larson and Darrell Dess, (both partially obscured) also move forward to block for King. So does Rosey Brown cutting toward the center from his left tackle position. Off to the left, Giants end, Aaron Thomas (88) sprints away from the play in an effort to freeze Lions safety, Yale Larry (28). The defensive end, Sam Williams (88) reacts to the play by charging in from the left while Joe Schmidt and Darris McCord (78) have yet to react.

Two marvelous photographs showing two ordinary plays taken on a sunny afternoon at the big ballpark in The Bronx that the Giants won 17-14 giving the Lions their second defeat of the season.

Despite gaining revenge on the Packers later in the season on Thanksgiving by smothering them 26-14, that was the only loss Green Bay would endure in 1962 finishing 13-1. The Lions finished second in the West with an 11-3 record losing the last game of the season in Chicago, 3-0.

The Giants didn’t lose again winning the NFL Eastern Division with a record of 12-2, but lost to the Packers in the NFL Championship Game with the score of 16-10 in a frigid and wind-swept Yankee Stadium on December 30^th. 

(On The Outside Looking In will not publish next week, but will return on August 27.)