|
By Dave Lewis
Sports Editor
Long Beach Independent
 LOS
ANGELES COLISEUM- When two
tremendous defensive
platoons refused to budge
often enough here Sunday,
the seventh annual Pro Bowl
classic developed into a
field goal kicking contest
between the West's Bert
Rechichar and the East's Sam
Baker.......and although
Baker tied for honors in the
"boot for distance" event,
Rechichar clicked off three
pointers with the accuracy
and rapidity of an adding
machine to lead the Western
All-Stars to a 19-10 victory
before 44,177 fans.
Rechichar, the Baltimore
Colts' kicking specialist,
booted four field coals of
41, 44, 44 and 52 yards,
while Baker booted one from
52 yards out to temporarily
knot the count at 10-10
early in the third period
before Rechichar turned the
tide of battle with one of
the greatest placekicking
exhibitions in the history
of football.
The 52-yard kicks by
Rechichar and Baker equal
the Coliseum record for
placements set by
Cleveland's Lou (The Toe)
Groza in the 1951 NFL
playoff between the Browns
and Los Angeles Rams.
For his superb kicking,
Rechichar was voted the
outstanding player of the
contest despite the fact he
was in action on only 10
plays- five field goal
attempts, one of which was
blocked, and on the West's
five kickoffs.
The brilliant kicking
exhibition by Rechichar and
Baker began after the two
all-star clubs traded the
only two touchdowns of the
game in the first 18 minutes
of play.
Rechichar sent the West into
a 10-7 lead with a 41-yard
boot on the last play of the
first half; Baker knotted
the count at 10-10 at 3:16
of the third period, before
Rechichar sent the West out
in front again six minutes
later with a 44-yarder and
then added another 44-yard
placement and his 52-yarder
at 7:15 and 9:56 of the
fourth quarter.
It was obvious from the
outset that the game would
have to be won "in the air"
when it was soon noticeable
that the two mighty lines
would battle each other to a
virtual standstill on the
"slow turf"... and it was,
too, via Rechichar's booming
kicks coupled with the
sensational pass defense of
the West team.
The Eastern attack
sputtered and then collapsed
when the West's defensive
backfield headed by the
Detroit Lions' three great
"deep backs"- Jack
Christiansen, Yale Lary and
Jim David along with their
linebacking teammate, Joe
Schmidt- intercepted six
passes.
Perhaps the most important
"save" in the West's
secondary all afternoon,
though, was produced by the
Rams' Les Richter, who broke
up a serious first-period
Eastern threat by
intercepting Charley
Conerly's aerial on the
four-yard line.
Meanwhile, two brilliant
defensive plays by Ernie
(The Horse) Stautner, the
Pitt Steelers' aggressive
235-pound tackle, who was
voted the game's outstanding
lineman, kept the East in
position to pull the game
out of the fire until
Rechichar's 52-yard kick
with only five minutes left
to go that gave the West a
commanding nine-point bulge.
On the final play of the of
the first quarter, Stautner
broke through to block
Rechichar's field goal
attempt on the West 47....
and later in the second
quarter when the West was
poised on the East one-yard
line following an
interception, "The Horse"
came up with another
spectacular "save" when he
knifed through to nail Bobby
Lane attempting to hand off
to Rick Casares and
producing a fumble that was
recovered by Cleveland's
Mike McCormack for the East
on the 11-yard line.
Meanwhile, Ollie Matson of
the the Chicago Cardinals,
voted the outstanding player
in last year's game when he
led the East to a thrilling
31-30 triumph, had a rough
afternoon on the slow
footing that kept the
"breakaway runners from
slashing into the open on
plays to the outside. They
had difficulty cutting on
the field softened somewhat
by recent rains.
Ollie netted only eight
yards from scrimmage on
eight carries and fumbled
twice, his first bobble
setting the stage for the
West's lone touchdown, and
his second being recovered
by a teammate to keep the
East's only TD drive going.
His top efforts of the day
were two kickoff returns of
33 and 42 yards.
The game was played under
excellent conditions in view
of the pre-game forecast,
the action unfolding under
partly cloudy skies and in
mild 60-degree weather. The
turf was slow, but fairly
firm in most sections,
having been protected in
part from the rains by a
tarpaulin.
The West broke the scoring
ice after 6:14 of action
when Schmidt recovered a
Matson fumble on the East
12-yard line.
 Casares
took it to the one with a
seven-yard sweep around left
end and a four-yard plunge
up the middle to set up
quarterback Ed Brown's
one-yard sneak for the TD.
Bobby Layne booted the
conversion.
Richter's interception of
Conerly's pass on the West
four moments later broke up
the East's lone threat of
the first period.
Stautner set the stage for
the East's lone touchdown
surge when he blocked
Rechichar's field goal
attempt.
The East took over on the
West 40 and went all the way
despite almost losing the
ball twice on fumbles. Key
play in the drive was a
"basketball" maneuver that
gained 14 yards to the West
13. Matson, trapped on a
drive out to the left,
circled back to his right
and threaded his way for 10
yards before fumbling, but
center Jack Simmons of the
Cardinals recovered in
mid-air and went four more
yards to the 13 before being
hauled down.
A few plays later, Frank
Gifford drove four yards to
the goal line where he
fumbled and his New York
Giant teammate, Kyle Rote,
had to dive on the ball in
the end zone to salvage the
touchdown, which came at
3:06 of the second quarter.
Baker's conversion evened
the count at 7.
The East moved into scoring
position again midway
through the stanza when
Roosevelt Grier of the
Giants recovered Leny
Moore's fumble on the West
27. But Detroit's
Christiansen staved off the
East gain with another
interception. Moments later
Al Dorow's pass was batted
into the air by David and
intercepted on the 23 by
Schmidt, who roared to the
East one-yard line before
being shoved out of bounds.
Stautner then broke through
to force Layne into fumbling
and the East recovered the
ball on the 11.
There was only one second
remaining in the half when
Rechichar toed the ball
through the uprights from
the 41 for his first field
goal and the West left the
field at halftime with a
10-7 lead.
Baker and Rechichar traded
field goals in the first
nine minutes of the third
period as the West
maintained a 13-10 bulge
before the Westerners almost
broke the game wide open
with the most spectacular
play of the day ... a
73-yard forward lateral
aerial strike that carried
to East seven yard line.
The West was attacking from
its own 14 when Tobin Rote
of the Green Bay Packers
suddenly spotted Harlon Hill
of the Bears breaking into
the open at midfield.
It would have been a sure
touchdown if Rote had had
enough time to get set
before passing, but he had
to throw hurriedly in the
face of a fast rush and Hill
had to slow up to catch the
ball, thus enabling the East
defensive backs to overtake
him.
When Hill finally was caught
on the 50, he lateraled to
Billy Howton of Green Bay
who streaked 43 more yards
before being dragged down
from behind by Dick (Night
Train) Lane.
The East defense stifled the
Western attack at that point
and held for downs on the
two yard line.
Rechichar's two
fourth-period field goals
gave the West a "safe" lead
going into the final two
minutes when the East
mounted another threat as
Lane picked off Brown's pass
on the West 31-yard line,
from where the Easterners
drove to the 10 before the
Bears' Bill George squelched
the scoring bid by
intercepting Bobby
Thomason's aerial on the
goal line as time ran out.
|
