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Alan McAllaster
Oakland Tribune
SAN
DIEGO- His champion Chargers
couldn't do it, so head
coach Sid Gillman was forced
to call upon the runnerup
Raiders to preserve Western
Division domination in the
American Football League
All-Star game at Balboa
Stadium.
A 25-yard pass from Cotton
Davidson to Art Powell with
43 seconds left to play did
the trick
yesterday, giving the West a
27-24 come-from-behind
triumph- its third win in as
many tries- and sending
20,016 fans home happy.
The payoff-pitch capped a
21- point comeback by the
Westerners and marked the
second time Davidson has
come off the bench to spark
an All-Star victory.
Representing the Dallas
Texans in the 1962
inaugural, Cotton overcame
an early deficit with three
touchdown tosses to key a
47-27 West win and earn the
outstanding player award. He
didn't play in last year's
21-14 decision.
Some of the Chargers played
like champions yesterday.
Flashy Keith Lincoln scored
on a 64-yard stunner and was
named the outstanding
offensive player, Lance
Alworth made some tremendous
catches and big Earl Faison
turned in several key
defensive plays.
Lincoln set game records
with his touchdown run and a
121-yard total for the day,
and Alworth hooked up with
Tobin Rote for a record
51-yard aerial to set up the
West's second touchdown.
And while middle linebacker
Archie Matsos was named the
game's top defender and
all-league center Jim Otto
played his usual steady
game, a couple of the other
Raiders weren't among the
heroes.
Clem Daniels, the league's
leading rusher and
outstanding player, netted
only 10 yards in eight
carries and corner back Fred
Williamson got burned by
Charlie Hennigan of the
Houston Oilers.
In fact, Hennigan, with
former Raider and present
Boston Patriot Babe Parilli
doing the throwing,
accounted for another game
standard with 107 yards on
pass receptions. A couple of
long ones, for 49 and 36
yards, were over Williamson.
Parilli, whose passing
jetted the East into a 24-3
halftime lead, wound up with
228 aerial yards for the
afternoon.
Rote, the league's leading
passer during the regular
season, was far from being a
pillar of strength.
Though he completed 12 for
167 yards, several of his
tosses were wobbly and off
the mark, and it wasn't due
to poor protection.
In addition, Rote for some
reason, didn't like to throw
to Powell. Three of Art's
five receptions were from
Davidson who didn't get into
the game until only 32:32
remained.
Meanwhile Rote, fumbling on
the one and falling down
while backing up to pass on
the four fouled up one West
touchdown in the first
period besides having two
passes intercepted.
Davidson was no immediate
ball of fire when he finally
did get into the ball game.
On his first play, with the
ball on the West 20, he ran
out of trouble beautifully
and had clear sailing for
about 20 yards. But he
passed after crossing the
line scrimmage and Ron Hall
of the Patriots intercepted.
The next time he did a
little better, moving from
the East 37. There Mel
Branch of Kansas City had
recovered a fumble, to the
four, where three shots at
the line failed and the West
settled for Bronco Jim
Fraser's seven yard fielder.
The third time, helped by
Lincoln's 13-yard carry,
Powell's 11-yard catch and a
personal foul, he moved them
54 yards to the two where,
prolonged by a penalty, five
line plays failed.
But the last drive, begun
with 1:05 showing, was the
best.
After Alworth returned a
punt to the East 43,
Davidson flipped sideliners
to Alworth for five and to
Powell for 12, missed
Daniels and then zeroed in
on Powell, who made a
tumbling grab behind
defender Willie West for the
clincher.
While the Easterners
seemingly could do no wrong
in the first half, scoring
four of the six times they
gained possession and
limiting the West to a field
goal and one penetration to
the 30, the second half was
almost the opposite.
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