New York Jets

Vs.

New York Giants

August 17, 1969

New Haven, Conn (AP) When the New York Jets defeated the New York Giants, 37-14, in the Yale Bowl August 17, it was more than just the start of what will become one of pro football's most intense rivalries. For one thing, Weeb Ewbank, who rarely speaks freely about the potential of a team he coaches, said: "The Jets will be a great team, even better than last year's team that won the Super Bowl." For another, New York grid buffs were asking one another: "Why can't the New York Jets and New York Giants play a game in New York?"

The meeting of these teams had been awaited for many years by patient fans. It was halftime with the AFL Jets leading the NFL Giants, 24-7, when Commissioner Pete Rozelle said, "I guess you can call this the wrap up of the merger. It was a crowning achievement for Jet quarterback Joe Namath, who had boasted before the game, "I don't think too many people are going to take the Giants seriously any more.”

The full impact of what happen ed on that hot, soggy day some 80 miles from Gotham up the turnpike in New Haven, Conn is realized by those who understand the frustration the Jets lived with for many years.

Three Jets, Larry Grantham, Billy Mathis and Dan Maynard, understood it best. They were original Titans, forerunners of the Jets back in I960 when the AFL was born. Even when the Jets won the Super Bowl last January, there was trouble getting all of New York to accept them. The Giants are deep-rooted and in early years, Jet players never were recognized on the same high level as Giants.

Now….

“I’ll give you a Dave Herman quote”, Mathis said after he had scored two of the Jets' five TD’s and Herman had been a key in protecting Namath as Broadway Joe hit on 14 of 16 passes. “Dave said, ‘Think of what the score would have been if we were playing for $15,000 a man instead of $250 a player.’”

And there are other Jets, like Herman and Matt Snell, who were drafted by both the Jets and Giants and they had somewhat similar reasons to win this game…and win big. It wasn't an exhibition game in the true sense. Both clubs went most of the way with regulars and, when it was over, Snell, a New York bred player, asked, "Did we prove anything? I mean to the fans, the old NFL fans, they will cop out, they'll find a way to rationalize not how we won, but how the Giants lost. But to me, it was a good victory. I remember how the Giants never called us by name. They used to refer to us as ‘What's Your Name’ and 'Whatchamacalls It’”

"They know our names now."

Ewbank has known them all along. And now he praised them:

"This game became more than an exhibition game because the players made it that way. We have more maturity than last year and we seem to have succeeded in our main objective, to improve on returning kicks. We have a couple of rookies (Mike Battle, USC, and Cecil Leonard, Tuskegee) who are doing a fine job."

The celebrated Namath, shredding the Giants' defense for 183 yards and three touchdowns, led the Jets to a 24-0 lead in the first 17 minutes. After that, the Giants never drew closer than ten points. Already trailing, 10-0, the Giants couldn't pick up the following kick-off and Leonard recovered on the one-yard line. Bill Mathis carried over on the next play and the lead mounted to 17-0. Then Battle broke away to score on a spectacular 86-yard punt re turn, hurdling the kicker, Dave Lewis, at midfield. "I don't know if he did a great job of hurdling or our guy did a good job of ducking." Giant Coach Allie Sherman said.

Namath, from the start, was his confident self. Asked when he thought the Jets were in command, he said, "The first time we got the ball."

The Giants tried to play down the significance of the loss. Giants' quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who tossed two touch down passes in defeat, was asked what he thought the loss meant. "It means a loss. Being No. 2 in New York isn't important to us," Tarkenton insisted. "Being No. 1 in our division is important to us."

Sherman maintained that the Giants can be title contender.

Ewbank said, "We potentially have a great team."

Of all the pre-season exhibitions, league-wise and inter league-wise, this game had to be the one which carried the most impact. Not only were the reputations of each team on the line, but the Jets carried the burden of proving as fact a fact already proved. They beat the Colts in the Super Bowl, but diehard NFL rooters still held hopes it was all a fluke.

The former owner of Bachelors III drove home his point devastatingly. The Jets are for real. The American Football League is for real, but maybe the Giants aren't.
 

Joe Namath passes and Gerry Philbin defends against Giants

Emerson Boozer carries against the Giants

Scoring Summary

First Quarter
Jets- Sauer 29 yard pass from Namath (Turner kick)
Jets- FG Turner 37
Jets- Mathis 2 run (Turner kick)

Second Quarter
Jets- Battle 86 yard punt return (Turner kick)
Giants- Thomas 13 yard pass from Tarkenton (Gogolak kick)

Third Quarter
Giants- Duhon 40 pass from Tarkenton (Gogolak kick)
Jets- Mathis 20 yard pass from Namath (Turner kick)

Fourth Quarter
Jets- Lammons 2 yard pass from Namath (kick failed)

Att-70,874

RETURN