St. Louis Cardinals 36

Toronto Argonauts 7

Aug. 2, 1961

For the third summer in a row the NFL came calling on the Toronto Argonauts. This time it was the St. Louis Cardinals (formerly Chicago Cardinals). There was much intrigue surrounding this game because of one name: Sam Etcheverry. Etcheverry, the former quaterback of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes for 9 years and holder of many CFL records, had signed with the Cardinals in the offseason. He joined Cardinals coach Pop Ivy as former CFL legends who had moved on to the NFL. Toronto’s starting quarterback, Tobin Rote was injured with a sprain to his throwing hand in an earlier exhibition game. He would be backed-up by CFL legend Nobby Wirkowski and rookie John Henry Jackson. Also making the news that week was the loss of Toronto’s star reciever Ed Ochiena to a preseason injury. The coach of the Argonauts was Lou Agase.

The 24,370 spectators witnessed the game start with a bang as Larry Wilson intercepted a Jackson pass and went 25 yards for a touchdown on the interception return. The game was a battle of defenses as St. Louis was held to just 132 rushing yards on the night with star John David Crow carrying four times for only 7 yards. The Argos netted 162 total yards and -22 on the ground. The Argos only score of the night came on a 78 yard touchdown drive in which quarterback Jackson carried the ball in for the score. In the second half, tragedy struck the Argonauts when CFL great Nobby Wirkowski went down with a career ending injury. Wirkowski spent the first half in the press box sending down plays to the Argo bench. At half time he came into the Toronto dressing room and was approached by Coach Agase. Nobby describes what happened:

"Tobin and John Henry Jackson had stunk out the joint in the first half. God, they were awful! Lou said to me 'we have to put on some type of show for the fans. Can you suit up and go out there?' I was wearing slacks and a shirt and hadn't even practiced that week! I said 'okay' and suited up. I completed 12 straight passes and then Dick Shatto dropped one on me. The next play I dropped to pass and a Cardinal lineman got me around the shoulders. I was going down in a weird way and tried to kick my leg out and something was blocking it. I couldn't get it out and came down and tore the knee right up. I ended up in a cast from my groin to my ankle. I still have wires in my knee to this day.

I looked at the films to see why I couldn't get my leg out and saw Cookie Gilchrist had fallen down and blocked my leg so it wouldn't move. That was the last pro game I ever appeared in."*

The fans came to the game expecting to see Etcheverry play, but had been disappointed in the first half. Finally, in the final quarter, Etcheverry came in to lead the Cardinals to two touchdown drives. Prentice Gautt dashed 73 yards on a draw play for a touchdown and also carried over from five yards following a Willie West interception of a Jackson aerial. The Cardinals other scores came on a 70 yard touchdown pass from George Izo to Bill Stacey and Frank Mesnik’s 20 yard run which was set up by an Izo to Sonny Randle 48 yard pass. The Cardinals’ Ernie Benecke kicked three extra points and had two “singles” for a total of 5 points.
 

Former Argos and NFL great Cookie Gilchrist was kind enough to comment for this article. According to Cookie, “Yes, I remember very well those games back in 1960. I don't remember all of the details but the Steelers and Cardinals thought Canadian football was a pushover, but we showed them we were tougher than they thought.”

St. Louis Cards Shellack Argos

TORONTO (CP)- St. Louis Cardinals struck early and often Wednesday night in handing Toronto Argonauts a 36-7 exhibition football shellacking.

The slaughter marked the return to football of Sam Etcheverry, the nine year veteran that Montreal lost to the Cards this year.

Sam, operating with an ailing arm, engineered fewer than half a dozen plays- all of them along the ground. He was in the game for two minutes and 25 seconds during which he led the Cards to two touchdowns.

The game cost Argos a second quarterback when Nobby Wirkowski went out near the end of the second quarter with torn ligaments in his leg. Nobby started the game for Argos in the absence of Tobin Rote, who injured his left thumb in an earlier exhibition against Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

His wasn't the only injury- St. Louis lost two top tackles. Ken Panfil went out with a dislocated kneecap early in the game and later his teammate Ernie McMillan, was helped off favoring his left leg.

St. Louis got its first touchdown when Larry Wilson intercepted starting quarterback John Henry Jackson on the first play of the game and ran it back from the 20 for a touchdown.

Bill Stacy scored a touchdown on a 70-yard pass-and-run play from quarter George Izo. Prentice Gautt scored two touchdowns, one a 71-yard jaunt through the middle on a trap play.

Ernie Benecke got two singles and three converts while Jerry Norton kicked a single.

Toronto's lone score came in the final quarter when Jackson, pushed all over the field by the hard-charging Cardinal line, began mixing his attack. It took Argos six plays to get from their own 35 to the Cards' one.

Jackson missed on a pass into the end zone and then carried over for the touchdown.

St. Louis rolled up 16 first downs to Toronto's 13. The Cards gained 217 yards passing to Argos' 184 and outrushed them 132 to a minus 22 yards.

Only in the kicking department did the Argos come out ahead- they booted nine times for an average of 47 yards. One was a crowd-raising 72-yarder by Dave Mann. St. Louis had an average of 44 on seven punts.

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

STL- Wilson 20 yard interception return (Benecke kick)

STL- Single, Bottoms caught on Norton's kick

Third Quarter

STL- Stacy 70 yard pass-run (Benecke kick)

STL- Single, Marrow tackle on Benecke FG attempt

STL- Single, Benecke FG attempt

STL- Mestnik 20 run (Benecke kick)

Fourth Quarter

STL- Gautt 70 run (kick failed)

STL- Gautt 2 run (kick failed)

TOR- Jackson 3 run (Mitchell kick)

Regular Season:

In 1961, St. Louis was 7-7-0 and finished 4th in the Eastern Conference. They were led by receiving great, Sonny Randle, John David Crow and Larry Wilson. Former CFL all-star Sam Etcheverry quarterbacked the Cards. Toronto finished 3rd in CFL East at 7-6-1. In the first round of the playoffs, Tobin Rote operated out of a shotgun formation to overpower second-place Ottawa 43-19. However, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Argos in a two-game playoff series to end the season.

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