July 9, 1963 - The New York Giants have traded Roosevelt (Rosey) Grier (pictured last year), their 31-year-old 290-pound defensive tackle, to the Los Angeles Rams. In exchange, the Giants got John LoVetere, a 27-year-old 285-pound defensive tackle, and a “very high” future draft choice. In trading Grier, the Giants are breaking up one of the most famous and durable defensive lines that pro football has ever known, a unit that was put together in 1956 and led the team to 5 Eastern Division championships and one NFL title. LoVetere, on the other hand, was not even a regular with the Rams last season. He rode the bench when LaMar Lundy and Merlin Olsen were installed as the defensive tackles for Los Angeles. Apparently, the Giants are once more counting on the transformation that seems to come over many an ordinary player when he puts on a New York uniform. “We’ve gotten a couple of high draft picks, which may help us get that star running back we need,” coach Allie Sherman said today. “We could get him in a trade this fall, or we could wait till the next draft.” Grier, from Linden, N.J., joined the Giants from Penn State in 1955. The next season, he joined Dick Modzelewski, Andy Robustelli, and Jim Katcavage in New York’s defensive line. Sam Huff, then a rookie, was the middle linebacker. Grier will now rejoin a number of old Giant teammates, including Ram coach Harland Svare. Others are Ray Wietecha, Don Heinrich, Bob Schnelker, and Linden Crow — all members of Svare’s coaching staff. “I rank Rosey as one of the top tackles in the league,” said Coach Svare today. “A player of his caliber adds to the men we already have and gives us what I think will be one of the best defensive lines in the league. His experience should be a perfect complement to our younger linemen.”
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