1960s Timeline

Dec. 29, 1961 - Paul Hornung, the Green Bay Packers’ versatile halfback, today was named the NFL player of the year in the United Press...

Dec. 28, 1961 - Coach Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers spoke out boldly today on Sunday’s championship game against the New York...

Dec. 26, 1961 - The Green Bay Packers opened “Championship Week” before an unexpected audience of 500 fans today. Coach Vince Lombardi...

Dec. 24, 1961 - George Blanda passed for the only touchdown today and kicked a 46-yard field goal to lead the Houston Oilers to their...

Dec. 22, 1961 - George Blanda, voted the American Football League’s player of the year by The Associated Press, today said this might be...

Dec. 21, 1961 - Arthur Modell, the board chairman of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, said Ernie Davis, the all-America halfback from Syracuse...

Dec. 20, 1961 - Paul Hornung of the Green Bay Packers was named today the most valuable player of the NFL in a poll of writers and...

Dec. 20, 1961 - Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns survived a late-season rally by Jim Taylor of the Packers and set a NFL scoring record...

Dec. 19, 1961 - Allie Sherman, the Brooklyn College boy who made good in his first year as coach of the Giants, was named NFL coach of...

Dec. 19, 1961 - Mike Ditka was named rookie of the year in the NFL today by a committee of sportswriters and broadcasters for his work...

Dec. 18, 1961 - The American Football League’s commissioner, Joe Foss (pictured center last year), said today that three of the eight...

Dec. 17, 1961 - The Houston Oilers, paced by George Blanda’s 4 touchdown passes, trounced the Oakland Raiders, 47-16. The victory gave...

Dec. 17, 1961 - The New York Giants made a first-quarter touchdown stand up for a 7-7 tie with the Cleveland Browns in a tense contest...

Dec. 16, 1961 - Johnny Unitas tossed 3 touchdown passes today and led the Colts to a 27-24 upset over the Forty-Niners. The brilliant...

Dec. 13, 1961 - Roman Gabriel, the ace passer of North Carolina State College, today said he would play with the Los Angeles Rams of the...

Dec. 10, 1961 - Charlie Conerly’s deft hand guided the New York Giants today to at least a tie for the NFL’s Eastern Conference title....

Dec. 7, 1961 - N.F.L. Commissioner Pete Rozelle (pictured center) said the championship game would start at 2 p.m. New York time on...

Dec. 6, 1961 - Green Bay’s Jim Taylor threatens to take the NFL’s individual rushing title away from Cleveland’s Jim Brown. Taylor made a...

Dec. 4, 1961 - Ernie Davis, the Syracuse halfback, today became the first Negro ever drafted by the Washington Redskins, but rumors...

Dec. 3, 1961 - Pile-driving Jim Taylor hammered into the Giant line for a fourth-quarter touchdown today that clinched the NFL’s Western...