I recall a brawl during a Giants game that culminated in a Giant player standing on the bench wildly swinging his helmet. Could it have been Homer Jones? Anyway, I remember it was treated as something of a joke. All the other players had their helmets on, and the reaction was along the lines of "How stupid can you be to be the only guy in a football brawl with your helmet off?" Anyone else remember this? Who were they playing? Was it someone other than Homer involved? Am I having some kind of hallucinatory invented memory?
It wasn't a fight or anything he got pulled off and was extremely frustrated, went to slam his helmet down and it slipped out of his hands and went into the stands. Man TC was so pissed, but he got his helmet back.
Loved Jacobs wish someone played with that intensity.
Not sure of the story you are talking about but that's one that comes to mind - think a brawl with swinging helmets happened recently in college too
Helmets are for pussies.
:)
I can’t remember who it was Aikers hit though. I’m pretty sure it was Charles Way.
Homer Jones, Freeman White and a cast of thousands participated, including the Saints' owner, John Mecum.
That was the first NFL game I attended.
I can’t remember who it was Aikers hit though. I’m pretty sure it was Charles Way.
That was classic. Luke Petitgout slammed Akers to the ground with one arm.
:--))
I can’t remember who it was Aikers hit though. I’m pretty sure it was Charles Way.
Yes... September 2006. Aikers got pushed out of bounds and Aikers took a run at Charles Way. It was Pettigout and Jacobs that jumped on Aikers. BTW... Giants won that game in OT. They haven't beat the Eagles many since then...
Helmets are for pussies.
:)
Agree, many tackle game Sunday mornings at Hawthorne HS and Van Saun, never did anyone get injured and trust me there were some bone crunching tackles. Worse thing I remember was my buddy Werner breaking his clavicle on a extending to catch a shit throw by his QB (me)
Jacked Up! - ( New Window )
Jesus, I had forgotten about that! After the take down, he just got shoved away from the sidelines, no helmet.
And NO Eagles came to his defense. None.
Stonebreaker was fined a $1,000 dollars which was a large sum at the time, New Orleans fans took up collections to pay for the fine. The wierd thing was that Hall and Larson were once teamates at the University of Minnesota...
Oh, the Giants won 27-21 doubling their 1966 win total as their record became 2-2 :)
Saints view of the game:
“ The inaugural New Orleans Saints team sought the first win in franchise history after three home losses as they invaded Yankee Stadium to play the Giants on October 8.
The Saints played the G-men tough which surprised the 14-point favorites and their fans since New Orleans had lost their first three contests by a combined 99-30.
For the first time in their brief history, the Saints led going into Q4, 21-20.
If they had held on, the game would be remembered as the franchise's first triumph. Instead, the contest conjures images of the fight that broke out as the teams left the field.
The visitors matched the Giants TD for TD in the first three periods, the difference being a blocked PAT kick after New York's third 6 pointer.
After Ernie Koy culminated a 60y, 8-play drive on the Giants' first possession with a 1y plunge. The key play was a patented Tarkenton scramble out of the pocket on third-and-four at the NY 46 for 8y. Two plays later, Fran rifled one down the middle to Aaron Thomas, who made a leaping catch at the 10 and continued to the 2.
A roughing the passer penalty allowed Gary Cuozzo to lead the Saints 69y for the typing score. The flag negated Carl Lockhart's INT. WR John Gilliam caught a 9y pass and also rambled 15y on an end around when the Giants were massed in the middle on a third-and-one. The TD came on a 13y strike to Danny Abramowicz on a post pattern. Charlie Durkee booted the tying point.
The Black and Gold took the lead early in Q2 following an INT by Ray Hart, activated the previous week from the taxi squad. Starting at his 31, Cuozzo connected on a big third-and-ten play to Vern Burke, another taxi squad product, for 21y to the NY 37. Another third down play followed when Abramowicz coralled a pass down the sidelines and cut back to the middle to complete a 27y gain to the 1. Gary sneaked across to make it 14-7 after another Durkee EP.
DB Dave Whitsell repelled the Giants' next thrust when he blocked a FG attempt and ran the ball to the NO 41. But Tarkenton came right back on the next possession, engineering an 80y march in 10 plays to tie it up. As usual, a third down conversion played a key role, Tark throwing to Homer Jones to the NO 28. Seven plays later, Tucker Frederickson ran around RE from the 2 to make it 14-14.
The G-men had a great chance to take the lead right before the break. The opportunity was set up when NO punter Tom McNeill, under a heavy rush, ran for his life but failed to get a first down at the 37. Tarkenton then hit Thomas to the 11 with 0:02 on the clock. But Les Murdock's easy FG try sailed wide.
The game continued nip-and-tuck in the second 30 minutes.
The Giants took the kickoff and traveled 78y in 10 plays to score on Fran's 34y pass to Jones. But Whitsell struck again on the PAT attempt, blocking Murdock's boot.
Cuozzo answered right back with a 70y march in eight plays. On the TD, Gary imitated Fran, running out of the pocket and hitting Gilliam when the Giant DB came up to stop the run. The play covered 19y. Durkee converted for a one-point lead.
Perhaps the key play of the afternoon occurred after NY punted on a fourth-and-six on the NO 47. But the Saints had 12 men on the field. So the Giants decided to go for it. Tark handed off to the 230lb Koy. A Saint hit him behind the line, but he bounced off and reached the 40 to move the chains. Saints coach Tom Fears said afterwards that he thought the whistle blew after the first hit. A few plays later, Fran connected with Tucker Frederickson to the 11. Then the Human Eel escaped a collapsing pocket and threw to former Ole Miss star Bobby Crespino for the go-ahead TD with 7:53 remaining. The PAT made it 27-21.
The Giants got the ball again three minutes later. They moved smartly from their 32 to the NO 11 before bogging down. So former LSU Tiger Wendell Harris came in for the clinching FG. But, incredibly, for the third time of the afternoon, Whitsell broke through and blocked the kick.
That gave the Saints 55 seconds to try to pull the game out. Cuozzo moved the ball to the NY 45 with 0:05 left. Facing a prevent defense, Gary ducked a hard rush and fired long to a speeding Abramowicz. The ball was deflected by a defender into the hands of DB Carl Lockhart who was a few feet from Danny.
The play that triggered the fisticuffs occured on the Saints' final drive.
Tom Hall snagged Cuozo's pass and ran out of bounds on the NY 45 in front of the Giants bench. Hall collided with Gregg Larson who was standing 5y deep on the sideline. Larson appeared to smash his former teammate at the University of Minnesota with an elbow.
Enraged by what he considered a cheap shot, LB Steve Stonebreaker ran clear across the field from the Saints sideline to confront Larson. He lunged at the 250 lb C and yelled at him. But the officials corraled Steve and sent him back to his bench so they could mark the ball ready for the final play.
Stonebreaker told DE Doug Atkins: I'm going to get that guy after the game. You with me? Atkins recalls: I was worn out, but I couldn't say no.
Sure enough, as soon as the game ended, Steve told Doug, Just follow me. So the two of them looked for Larson as the teams crossed paths heading to their dressing rooms. By the time Stonebreaker blindsided Larson, most of the players had disappeared into the bowls of the stadium or else the ensuing melee might have been far larger.
Atkins: Stoney and I were the only ones over there for a while, and they were just working on us. We were in the hornets' nest. I swatted one this way, and one that way. I think we fought all the way from the 20y line down to the 30. At the end of it, I was so tired I didn't know what happened to Stonebreaker. About three or four of them had a hold of me. I was so weak ... I couldn't pick my arms up. I was at their mercy. Some old defensive HB for them was standing about five or six feet from me and was just hitting me with his headgear like he was beating on a drum. ... At 37 I'm getting too old for this kind of thing.
Finally, DT Dave Rowe came to Doug's rescue. He hit that whole pile and knocked them all off of me. I was never so glad to see a man in all my life.
One of the helmet swingers was Jones. I was just protecting myself, he said afterwards. They were coming across the field at me so fast. I just started swinging my helmet.
Even Saints owner John Mecom got involved in the scuffle after viewing the game from the sideline. Somebody took a punch at me and I lost my cool. I threw a punch at Number 81 [DB Freeman White] but I missed and hurt my arm.
The brawl spilled into the exits and even into the stands before the coaches and stadium police finally got control. Saints radio color analyst Norm Van Brocklin called it the best fight in Yankee Stadium in years.
Stonebreaker told the press: It was worse than a cheap shot. He had no excuse.
But Larson had a different take: He was coming right at me. I couldn't get out of the way. That's all I'm going to say.
After reviewing films of the game, William Wallace of the New York Times wrote a column vindicating Larson. The film showed it was much ado about nothing. Larson, standing too near the sideline with less than a minute to play, pushed Hall ... and it was a good push. But no elbow was swung.
Giants coach Allie Sherman: That was no cheap shot. It was just a collision. Poor Larson feels terrible about what happened.
Postscripts
Times-Picayune Sports Editor Bob Roesler had a suggestion: Someone can make a sack full of money if he could talk Steve Stonebreaker into taking up boxing, polishing up his left hook and entering him in the heavyweight eliminations. The Saints LB has everything, a good right hand, speed, size and guts. He proved that on the floor of Yankee Stadium last Sunday.
On October 26, Fears named Stonebreaker as one of the team's permanent captains. Stonebreaker is a hard, tough football player. He works himself up for every game and this gives us leadership. He's a man with battlefield experience ...
Five days later, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle informed Stonebreaker that he had been fined for his role in the altercation in New York. Steve: I'd rather not say how much the fine was. But you can take my word for it, it was what you might call substantial. No, I haven't paid it yet because I don't have that much "mad money" hanging around. One source pegged the levy at $2,500.
Several Saints fans started a fund to help Steve pay his fine. Dozens of checks came in. But Rozelle got wind of the scheme and, perhaps fearing a bad precedent being set, called Saints GM Bert Rose to advise Stoney against using the donations for the fine. So Steve announced that all contributions would be turned over to charity and that he would pay the entire fine himself.
Still, Stonebreaker endeared himself to Saints fans, some of whom draped a huge banner over the upper deck railing in the south end zone of Tulane Stadium proclaiming themselves Stoney's Sinners.”
Link - ( New Window )
Helmets are for pussies.
:)
Not surprised that you can’t remember your injuries 😬
Homer Jones, Freeman White and a cast of thousands participated, including the Saints' owner, John Mecum.
That was the first NFL game I attended.
Mine too!
lol!
"Directed by Brandon Jacobs"
The Steeler QB is a very lucky man. Had he been hit with the solid shell part of the helmet . . . .
si.com/mmqb/2017/06/16/new-orleans-saints-first-season-fiftieth-anniversary
"I pulled my helmet off and started swinging it,” [Homer] Jones says, “but it was in retaliation. It was kind of a group thing.”