We’re headed into week 3 of the NFL season already, and one of the matchups is between 2 old franchises, the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. We will travel back to December 4, 1966 for a contest involving these teams, who were bitter Eastern Division rivals at that time. Throughout the 1950s they were top clubs, and between 1961 and 1965 either the Giants (’61, ’62 and ’63) or Browns (’64 and ’65) represented the East in the NFL title game.
In ’66 the Browns were coming off back-to-back Eastern crowns, while the Giants were on a steep decline, having lost the field general responsible for their earlier glory, Y.A. Tittle, to retirement after the ’64 season. This was week 12 of a 14 game season, and the Giants had only a single victory to show for their efforts so far, while the Browns were in pursuit of the up and coming Dallas Cowboys, who led the division. When New York’s Clarence Childs returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and Giants’ QB Gary Wood ran 5 yards for another score to put the Giants up quickly 14-0, Cleveland knew they were in for a fight from a team that might have been down, but still held contempt for their rival. The Browns steadied themselves and put together a drive that ended with a 1 yard touchdown plunge by Leroy Kelly to cut the deficit in half. The Giants were determined, however. Wood scrambled for another score, from 16 yards out, and after Cleveland matched that with a short TD pass from Frank Ryan to Gary Collins, New York took over the rest of the second quarter and added a 33 yard touchdown pass from Wood to Joe Morrison and a Pete Gogolak field goal. Entering the halftime locker room the Browns found themselves staring at a shocking 31-14 deficit.
Pete Gogolak, pro football’s first soccer style kicker
The lead was bumped up to 20 points when Gogolak opened the second half scoring with another field goal. Kelly, who had taken over from the retired Jim Brown as Cleveland’s featured back in ’66, sandwiched a pair of short touchdown runs around another Gogolak three-pointer, and the Giants’ lead after 3 quarters was cut to 37-28. Gogolak booted his fourth field goal to start the final quarter to put his club up 40-28, but the Browns’ winning DNA took over from there. Ryan, who to this day is still the last Cleveland signal caller to guide the Browns to a championship, connected on scoring throws of 19 yards to Ralph Smith and 31 yards to Ernie Green and it was 42-40 in favor of Cleveland. The defense added some icing to the cake when defensive end Bill Glass scooped up a Giants’ fumble and rambled 13 yards to the end zone to put the game away for good with a final count of 49-40. It was a good scare by a losing club against their bitter long-time rival, but the cream eventually rose to the top.
Future Hall of Fame back Leroy Kelly