Electric Football History The Unforgettable Buzz - Page 17 of 19

Tudor 1962 Sports Classic No 600 Game – A Lee Payne Design

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Earl

electric football Tudor NFL 1962 No. 600

The 1962 Tudor Sports Classic No. 600 model.

Electric football is alive and well, as this photo has been floating around the internent for some time now. But it is our photo. It was part of the “Tudor History” page we did for the Miggle site.

The game is Tudor’s 1962 Sports Classic No. 600 model, and even without the NFL, it’s a significant game. It’s Tudor’s first large game (38″ x 21″), and the first electric football game with 3-D players. It’s also the first game that Lee Payne designed from top to bottom. We love his “speckle” field design.

Much more to come about Lee and 1962 in The Unforgettable Buzz.

Earl & Roddy

Strange But True Electric Football Stories Part II – Electric Football Game Bribes in NYC

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Earl

<alt img="electric football Gotham 1971 NFL Brooklyn Joe Namath">

Was a Gotham Joe Namath game used as “payment” to New York police officers?

The New York Times front page, November 17, 1972

Electric football was pretty popular in the early 1970’s, but was it “valuable” enough to be used as a bribe…to police officers?

<alt img="1972 Tudor AFC 610 model with the Jets and Browns">

1972 Tudor AFC No. 610 with the Jets and Browns.

The answer is a resounding “Yes.” In a front page New York Times article from November of 1972, two Brooklyn police officers were suspended and asked to retire after soliciting a “gratuity” of two electric football games (also part of the deal was a hair dryer and an electric frying pan).

They weren’t the only officers involved in this type of behavior at New York’s 83rd Precinct (the Tudor factory was not part of the 83rd’s territory). So they probably didn’t see their electric football “request” as a big deal. Considering the extent of the charges brought against the Precinct, the local shopkeepers were probably used to such requests.

But at the end of the day, two policemen gambled their jobs and their careers over an electric football game. Pretty amazing when you think about it…and you have to wonder. Were they Giants’ or Jets’ fans? And was it a Tudor, Coleco, Gotham, or a Munro?

Earl & Roddy

Update on The Unforgettable Buzz – Sample Page with Tudor’s “Lost” Ice Bowl Game

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Earl

Electric football and Christmas are inseparable, so with Christmas closing in it’s time for an update on The Unforgettable Buzz. When Marvel Graphic Designer Michael Kronenberg joined the project, we were faced with a tough choice. Michael could tweak the mostly … Continue reading →

Electric Football Vintage NFL Matchup Week 14 – Haiti Eagles vs. Haiti Bucs

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Earl

Electric football Tudor NFL Eagles Buccaneers Haiti players teams

Electric football Tudor Haiti Eagle (no. 66 All-Pro MLB Bill Bergey) and Haiti Buccaneer

Electric Football – In many, many ways there’s not much in this matchup. The Eagles are in a self-inflicted tailspin that seems to have no bottom, and their history with the Buccaneers covers some of the most devastating losses in franchise history.

But we do have this: a set of beautifully painted black shoe Haiti Buccaneers and a set of curiously yet well-painted Haiti Eagles.

Eagles QB Ron Jaworski getting mauled on December 29, 1979.

These Eagles came with their team bag – that’s really the only way to know they are the Eagles. In my memory the team never wore a uniform like this, and this would have been a uniform that they wore back when my memory was still functioning in teenage “rabid fan” mode. To double-check my memory I even went to one of the coolest websites ever devised, the UniformDatabase. It turns out my memory is still intact. The Eagles never wore a uniform in this configuration.

Finally, I asked our resident Jets and Haiti player expert, Michael Kronenberg, if there were any possibility these were Jets. His answer was emphatic – he never had any Jets that looked like this. So Eagles they are…I think.

There is no doubt about the Bucs uniform, and it’s a classic. It’s also one they wore in upsetting the Eagles 24-17 in the 1979 NFL playoffs. The Bucs defense was suffocating that day – the Eagles only had 48 yards rushing, while QB Ron Jaworski ran for his life in a 15 of 38 performance. On the other side of ball, the Bucs Ricky Bell ran the ball 38 times for 142 yards. A very painful memory even 33 years out.

Ronde Barber breaking Philadelphia hearts in the 2003 NFC Championship game.

But nothing near as painful as the NFL Championship game loss to the Bucs in January of 2003. The Bleacher Report lists this epic meltdown as the worst loss EVER in all of Philadelphia sports history. And then the Bucs came into Philly on the first Monday night of the following season and blew the Eagles out again, this time 17-0. (This loss came in at No. 15 for “Greatest Letdowns in Philly Sports History.”)

So anything is possible Sunday. But it’s probably the Eagles’ 10th consecutive loss.

Earl

Electric Football 1962 — Gotham Pressed Steel Rule Book

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Earl

Electric football Gotham Pressed Steel NFL Rule Book

Gotham certainly added to electric football’s colorful history…a 1962 Gotham Rule Book.

Electric football history is usually pretty colorful. Let’s time travel back 50 years and take a peak inside a 1962 Gotham Rule Book…..

Electric Football 1972 – Gotham’s Dick Butkus G-890 Model

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Earl

Electric football gotham 1972 Dick Butkus NFL Chicago Bears

Gotham’s Dick Butkus G-890 Electric Football Game. 1972 Gotham sales catalog.

Electric football had become quite crowded by 1972. Not only were long-time players Tudor and Gotham still in the game, they had recently been joined by “rookies” Coleco and Munro. Both of these new companies charged onto the field like bonus-baby first-round draft picks – loaded with talent, desire, and cash.

Tudor at that point was a mid-career Hall of Famer, while Gotham was the aging veteran whose knees were gone and was hanging on to a roster spot by a very thin thread. Gotham already had electric football games endorsed by Joe Namath and Roman Gabriel. So in 1972 Gotham decided to go on the “defensive,” coming out with games endorsed by defensive All-Pro’s Dick Butkus (Bears) and Bob Lilly (Cowboys).

What Gotham did with the Butkus model highlighted the company’s problems. It was a small game (32” x 18” G-880-size), and its main gimmick was that is was a “2 Platoon” Gotham game. That meant it came with 44 players. Since Gotham’s electric football players were never particularly “prized” to start with, having twice as many wasn’t a great selling point.

Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus (51) is ready to tackle Green Bay quarterback Don Horn (13) just as Horn releases the ball. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

And the only thing that made it a Dick Butkus game was Butkus’ image on the box and on the field. Unlike the Gotham Namath and Gabriel games, which came with a quarterback figure resembling the player, the Butkus game did not have special linebacker/tackler figure. But it did come with an “autographed” Butkus picture.

In this picture and in all the images Gotham used of the Bears’ star linebacker, there was no trace of the NFL. Tudor had the NFL license – Gotham could only hint at Butkus’ connection with the Bears. He had on a dark jersey, his trademark no. 51, but there was no “C” anywhere. In fact, Gotham was calling him the “Super Star of Chicago.”

The Dick Butkus G-890 being sold at Grandpa’s, a discount house in Southern Illinois.

Gotham made sure the game was available in the Chicago area for the 1972 Christmas season. And Butkus himself had a very strong season for the Bears, despite suffering from chronic knee issues that would bring his Hall of Fame career to a close the following season.

So was this model profitable for either Gotham or Mr. Butkus? Not likely. Gotham was bought out by Munro in 1973. And we’re not totally sure how Dick Butkus was compensated for his endorsement, but Cowboys’ great Bob Lilly was kind enough to give us a clue. Gotham paid the All-Pro and Hall of Fame-bound Mr. Lilly in games. It’s hard to imagine they paid Dick Butkus any differently.

While this game is a rare one, it just doesn’t have the features to make it “Roadshow” rare. But it is a very important part of electric football’s past. And there’s much more of Gotham’s electric football history in The Unforgettable Buzz.

Earl & Roddy

Electric Football Traditions — Thanksgiving Day at the “Garcia Bowl”

Posted on December 3, 2012 by admin

Electric football was definitely “all in the family” as Roddy and his brother Roald played the “Garcia Bowl” on Thanksgiving Day. Roddy had his beloved Vikings, Roald his Giants. It was a “stock game” played on a 1969 NFL No. 620 game.

They put a whole bunch of bases into a bucket and alternated pulling them out one at a time. What they got, they got, and that’s how they played the game. They even used the Tudor timer – talk about “hard core” stock.

The game finished in a 20-20 tie – there was no overtime on 1969!

Click on the video above to see a field goal. What’s amazing is how well a 43-year-old toy still works. Pete Gogolak would be proud.

And the game still look great too!!!

Earl

Electric Football Vintage NFL Matchup Week 13 – 49ers vs. Rams

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Earl

Electric football Tudor 49ers Rams Haiti Hong Kong NFL

Tudor Hong Kong 49ers vs. Haiti Rams

Electric Football — Yes, we did this electric football matchup already. Unfortunately, of the photos done for this week, this ended up being the best game (nobody really wanted to see the Eagles-Cowboys).

The away 49ers have always been one of my favorite Tudor teams, even if the gold paint from late 60’s wears off a little too easily. And I did get my 49ers in Dark and White directly from Tudor…after all those hours of agonizing over the order form, my 49ers dreams came true.

The Rams are an early Haiti version (black shoes), with vibrant colors and great detailing. Just a pretty team. The Haiti teams are a little after my era, but I think they’re amazing. I now wish I had back the ones I’ve gotten rid of.

Games between the 49ers and the Rams are usually close. Plus there’s always that juicy QB controversy.

Earl

Los Angeles Rams’ Tank Younger, (35), swivels around left end for a 19 yard gain against the San Francisco 49ers during the game in Los Angeles on November 6th, 1955 Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

Coleco’s 1973 CFL Canadian Awards Electric Football Game – In honor of the 100th Grey Cup

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Earl

In honor of the 100th playing of the Grey Cup. The 1973 Coleco CFL Canadian Awards Electric Football Game.

Electric football once had a relationship with a professional football league that was not the NFL. That league still exists, and in fact, played its championship game this past Sunday night. Not only was this game the pinnacle of the season, it was the 100th time this championship game was played. (Can you imagine the over-the-top celebration the NFL will conjure up for the 100th Super Bowl?)

So we offer a hearty and heartfelt congratulations to our Canadian neighbors. On Sunday the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders 35-22 in the 100th playing of the Grey Cup. The game was played in Toronto in the Rodgers Dome, so it didn’t have that classic frosty Canadian background that often accompanies outdoor CFL games. But any football game that celebrates a 100th anniversary is something very special.

And during the early 1970’s Coleco and Munro made special Canadian electric football games. In Canada they might not have been special, but for us here in the U.S. they truly were. With the dual 50-yard lines, the CFL logo, and 12-man teams, the games were downright exotic for those of us who grew up watching nothing but the NFL.

Mostly they were “rumor” back in the day. Someone had seen one while on trip to Canada, or had seen a Canadian Christmas catalog (Eaton or Simpson-Sears), and there were usually hints for CFL play in the Coleco rulebook. Then as adult collectors we were finally able to score these unique games that were not aimed for American toy stores. And the games do not disappoint.

Featured in this post is the 1973 Coleco CFL Canadian Award game. It was a full size Coleco game (38” x 21”), with Coleco’s new streamlined grandstand. CFL stars had their images on the sides of the game, and there were CFL logos in the end zone. And of course there were two 50-yard lines and 12-players per team (where does that extra man go??).

1973 Eaton Christmas Catalog

It was featured in the 1973 Eaton catalog on page 147. The players, thank goodness, did not come with Coleco’s new round Direct-O-Matic bases. It’s a beautiful game that really shows off Coleco at its best in electric football.

Again, congratulations to the CFL and the Toronto Argonauts. The NFL only needs to play 54 more Super Bowls to reach 100.

Earl

Electric Football Vintage Matchup Week 11 – Big Redskins vs. Big Eagles

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Earl

Electric football Tudor 1967 Redskins and Eagles

Big Skins vs. Big Eagles

This is a good matchup only in terms of vintage electric football teams. There is very little appealing or attractive about the real game for the casual fan. Maybe some glitter from RG3, but neither of these teams are very good. There are better games to follow this week. Packers-Lions, Colts-Pats, Steelers-Ravens, and the “Backup Bowl” of the 49ers-Bears all offer much more intrigue, and the possibility of decently played game.

This week in Landover is likely to be ugly. But that’s not unusual for these two teams. During the 60’s the Eagles and Redskins had an annual battle to be on the top of the bottom of whatever division they were assigned to (Eastern and Capital). Things turned for Redskins in the early 70’s, when they had already moved beyond their iconic “spear” helmets.

So these two franchises never played a meaningful game against each other while wearing these uniforms. At least in Franklin Field or in RFK. But on a No. 620 in 1967…it was the most important game ever played. But weren’t they all?

Earl

Gotham NFLPA G-1506 Electric Football Game – 1972

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Earl

Gotham 1972 NFLPA G-1506 Electric Football Game

This is the 1972 version of the Gotham electric football game we featured in the last post. Gotham has now turned this model into a large game (38″ x 21″), and renumbered it. It’s now the NFLPA G-1506.

It’s basically a large gameboard with a Joe Namath grandstand. The game still had the player “self stick name tabs” and Gotham had finally gotten around to supplying single-posted goalposts. Gotham had also abandoned their metal quarterbacks, now buying oversized plastic quarterback figures from Coleco’s supplier in Portugal.

At this point it was really difficult for Gotham to compete with Tudor, Coleco, and Munro. And the G-1506 is a tough one to find because they just weren’t popular. Gotham’s tooling by this point was pretty suspect too. The games weren’t built to last. But they are an invaluable part of electric football history.

Earl & Roddy.

Gotham 1972 NFLPA G-1506 Electric Football game

Electric Football Christmas Shopping – 1969

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Earl

Electric football newspaper ad Thanksgiving Day 1969

The Lazarus Department store (Ohio) featuring the Gotham G-895 NFLPA electric football game in a full page 1969 Thanksgiving Day advertisement.

Electric football games were a Thanksgiving Day advertising staple in the 1960’s. The above ad was run by the Lazarus Department store chain ran in the Mansfield News Journal on November 27, 1969. It was a full page ad that featured Gotham’s G-895 NFL Players Association electric football game.

Gotham Electric football players and stickers

Gotham player stickers. In 1969 they came in the NFLPA G-895 game, and the G-1512 Super Dome game.

Tudor had wrestled the NFL from Gotham in 1967, but that didn’t stop Gotham from still trying to stay connected to the surging profile of the league. So in 1969 Gotham signed an endorsement deal with NFL Players Association. In the photo you can see NFL players’ faces on the sides of the frame. The game also came with a set of stickers that could be mounted on the base of each electric football player. (Another standard part of the game was a wrap around grandstand that was not used in the photograph.)

Under the NFLPA contract Gotham could use the face and name of individual NFL players, but it could not use the NFL logo, NFL team logos, or NFL team names. These were all the property of Tudor.

In addition to the Gotham G-895, Lazarus was selling the Gotham Super Dome G-1512 model (it also had a NFLPA endorsement), and the Tudor AFL No. 520 model. It was not uncommon for retailers to carry more than one brand of electric football. That made the shopping all the more fun…if you weren’t a parent, that is.

In 1969 Gotham released its G-812 Joe Namath game, so the company was still in the game as far as electric football was concerned. And electric football was popular – this huge ad is firsthand evidence of that. In fact the games were selling so well that another toymaker was already plotting its entry into electric football.

This added competition would turn out to be more than Gotham could handle. The Gotham Pressed Steel name would disappear from toy world in 1974. But Tudor’s Bronx-based rival did make its mark in electric football. And the Gotham story is covered in detail in our Electric Football Trilogy — The Electric Football Wishbook, Full Color Electric Football, and The Unforgettable Buzz,

Earl & Roddy

Electric Football Vintage Matchup Week 10 – Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Earl

Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers (Hong Kong late 60’s)

When Tudor began making NFL electric football games, the Rams and 49ers were one of first pairings sold. Although they weren’t part of the original group of NFL games Tudor released in 1967, the Rams-49ers were paired together the very next year. The game they appeared on was the 1968 Montgomery Ward-exclusive No. 619 model.

Tudor electric football NFL Montgomery Ward rams 49ers

The 1968 Ward Christmas Book.

When the real-life Rams and 49ers play this week in San Francisco it will the 126th meeting between the two teams. It’s a rivalry that stretches all the way back to 1950 when 49ers were absorbed into the NFL from the All-America Football Conference.

From there, the rivalry between the Rams and 49ers developed into one of the most intense of all of pro football, stoked by the circumstance that they were the only two pro football teams west of the Mississippi River until 1960. With both teams still in the NFC West the rivalry is definitely alive, although it doesn’t have quite the same edge that it had before the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995.

49ers QB Y.A. Tittle drops back against the Rams in 1955. Photo by Larry Sharkey; LA Times/Look Magazine.

Even in 2012 some of us still have to stop and think when in conversation about the NFL. When hearing “St Louis,” my brain automatically finds the “Cardinals” neuron. It also happens when working backwards. If someone says “Rams,” my well-trained “Los Angeles” neuron fires before any other city gets a chance to be roused.

Rams’ QB Roman Gabriel

And it will probably always be that way. For those of us of a certain vintage, the Rams-49ers will always be a late afternoon television game bathed in California sunshine, helping to ward off the chill of a day that, at least on the home front, has already gone dark and cold. The Rams will always wear white (with white pants and horns) and the QB’s will always be numbered “18” and “12.”

That game may never come on television again, but I’ll always have my Hong Kong Rams and 49ers to keep that memory alive. And I know there are thousands of sets of Hong Kong Rams and 49ers out there that have been numbered just as carefully as mine.

Earl

SF QB John Brodie (no. 12) and the Rams’ Deacon Jones

Christmas Shopping for Electric Football in 1954

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Earl

How popular was electric football in 1954? If you were Christmas shopping and walked into a toy store, you would have seen something like this….

Earl & Roddy

1954 Tudor electric football on display in an Ohio toy store

1954: Tudor Electric Football games on display in a toy store.

Electric Football Vintage NFL Week 9 Preview – Haiti Seahawks vs. Haiti Vikings

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Earl

Electric football, Tudor Haiti NFL teams; Vikings Seahawks

Haiti Vikings vs. Haiti Seahawks

Our electric football vintage match-ups can continue thanks to the power being restored yesterday. This week we’ve picked the Vikings and the Seahawks. It turns out to be an intriguing real life game, with both NFL teams trying to figure out if they’re true playoff contenders. It will be a huge test for the Vikings as the Seattle fans always seem to bring a playoff atmosphere to CenturyLink Field.

We also happen to have both teams in the appropriate Haiti uniforms. A beautiful pairing for sure…have to say I like this Seahawk uniform a lot better than their current modern one. As for the current Vikings design, I’ll just say the Vikings need to start playing outside again. On grass (frozen dirt is fine too).

By Sunday evening one of these teams will be eyeing the playoffs – realistically. In the meantime, we can eye both of these Haiti teams and admire the work and care someone put into painting their uniforms. Like outdoor football games in Minnesota, they are a thing of beauty. There is still much mystery surrounding Tudor’s Haiti “period.” We’ll do our best in The Unforgettable Buzz to put the Haiti pieces together.

Earl & Roddy

Electric Football – To Simpler Times (A Sandy mandated “Halftime”)

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Earl

The Miami Dolphins “run” onto the field of a 1968 Tudor AFL electric football game. Tudor had run out of Jets and Chiefs.

This may be the last electric football post that goes up for a while. We’re in the Bull-eye for Hurricane Sandy, and we already live in an area that has a problem with power outages. We’re being warned of massive power outages for possibly an extended period. Pretty ominous.

So if we’re not on our Tuesday-Friday schedule for a while, we will be back as soon as possible. In the meantime…to simpler times.

Earl

From left to right: Roddy Garcia, Roald Garcia, and the their friend Pepe. A Miami backyard in 1970.

Electric Football Vintage NFL Week 8 Preview – Falcons vs. Eagles

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Earl

Electric Football Tudor NFL Eagles and Falcons

Tudor Vintage NFL Week 8 “Big Birds” Preview: Big Falcons vs. Big Eagles

Perhaps the Eagles-Falcons Tudor electric football matchup seems obvious – the NFL’s only undefeated team going up against the “home” team. A true test, a hope for an upset, the Eagles turning their season around – or is that upward? – with a win. Let’s just say, I’m not holding my breath.

My all-time favorite Eagle: Pete Retzlaff in Kelley green.

Besides the Eagles disorganized state, they are wearing their black jerseys on Sunday. Black jerseys. Can we be done with this already? I mean, the black jersey thing is so overdone…there is absolutely nothing unique or special about it. Nothing. If the Eagles want to do something special put the old Kelly green jerseys on. There’s only one team on the field Sunday who should be wearing black jerseys, and it’s not the Eagles. (You’ll have to excuse me, as Roddy and I were already ranting earlier this week about the lack of respect for classic NFL uniforms.)

Perhaps my cynicism was born on a day like December 14, 1969, when my father and I took the trolley and the El through a snowstorm to see the Eagles play the Falcons in Franklin Field. (In my mind it’s always been a blizzard, but in checking the newspapers from 1969 it actually only snowed 1.5 inches.) What definitely is a fact is that we had to wipe the snow off the hard wooden benches that served as seats. It’s also a fact that not very many fans bothered to show up to see a very mediocre 4-7-1 team that was in the midst of dropping the last 4 games of the season.

I don’t remember much about the game other than being cold no matter how much hot chocolate I sucked down. The Eagles were only trailing 3-0 at halftime, but the final score was 27-3 in favor of the Falcons. We didn’t stay until the end. Adding insult to injury was the Eagles’ Tom Woodeshick, going into the game as the NFL’s 4th leading rusher, tearing the ligaments in his ankle. Despite surgery, he really was never the same player after that injury.

But at least out in Minnesota, my “adopted” Vikings were winning their 12th straight game of the season. Thanks to the Vikings there was still much rooting to be done in 1969. And Santa would help too. Under the tree in 1969 would be the crown jewel of electric football games — the Sears’ exclusive Jets-Colts Super Bowl III game.

Earl

The 1969 NFL Championship Game

1961: Gotham’s G-880 Gotham Professional Electric Football – Canadian Version

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Earl

Gotham Electric Football game 1961 Canadian version electric football G-880

1961 Gotham G-880 Professional Electric Football game: Canadian version.

Tudor and Gotham both began selling electric football games in Canada in the mid-1950’s. There was a little bit of profit to be made there, but demand for electric football in Canada wasn’t really that strong. Neither Tudor nor Gotham had any reason to make games that were actually Canadian – that is, with a 55-yard line and 12 player teams.

The dynamics of the Canadian market changed in 1960 when Toronto-based Munro Games began making electric football games with distinctly Canadian features. In the U.S., Tudor continued to focus on the American market. Norman Sas, at the moment, just wasn’t all that worried about Canadian sales. Gotham, however, took Munro’s foray into electric football as a challenge.

Electric Football Gotham 1961 G-880 Professional Electric Football Canada

The frame of the 1961 Canadian Gotham G-880 electric football game

For 1961 Gotham produced an electric football game aimed specifically at the Canadian toy market. It was called Gotham Professional Electric Football – which happened to also be what the American version was called. But when you looked closely at the frame of the game, instead of American cities with NFL teams, Gotham had lithographed Canadian cities with CFL teams.

The model number was the G-880 – the same as the U.S. version of the game. And the game came with the same box, the same players, and same field as the American version. The only difference was the frame. In using city names instead of team names, Gotham was able to avoid any licensing issues with the CFL, or with the NFL in the U.S. But Gotham still made enough connection with each league to cleverly call the game “Professional.”

Gotham Electric Football game G-880 1962 Eaton's Christmas Catalog

Gotham’s Canadian G-880 game in the 1962 Eaton’s Christmas Catalog

Gotham sold the Canadian version of the G-880 again in 1962, overlapping with Montreal-based Eagle Toys’ foray into Canadian electric football. A Professional Electric Football G-880 with 3-D players was sold in Canada starting in 1963. The U.S. equivalent in 1963 had become the G-890 Gotham Official NFL Electric Football game.

More to come about Gotham in The Unforgettable Buzz.

Earl & Roddy

Electric Football Vintage Matchup Week 7 – Jets vs. Patriots (Featuring Michael Kronenberg)

Posted on October 19, 2012 by MK

Week 7 featured vintage electric football matchup – Patriots vs. Jets

(Note — today’s post is written by our resident book designer and Jets fan Michael Kronenberg.)

Joe Namath vs. the Patriots in 1966. No sleep, no regrets.

Today’s match up features the New York Jets and New England Patriots. It’s an inner-division rivalry that dates back to 1960, the inaugural season of the AFL when these teams were known as the New York Titans and Boston Patriots. To be honest, it hasn’t been much of a rivalry since Bill Belichick happened upon Tom Brady. The Jets have not won the AFC East since 2002. But there was a time when the Jets dominated the Patriots. From 1966-1975 the Jets were 17-2-1 against the Patriots. Being a diehard Jets fan since the early 1970s, I’d like to focus on two significant wins in Jets history during that time period.

Namath eliminating the Patriots from the AFL playoffs.

In 1966 the Jets had started at a scintillating 4-0, but faded down the stretch. In their final game the Jets faced the Boston Patriots at Shea Stadium. If the Pats won they would be Eastern Division champs and move on to the 1966 AFL Championship game. The Jets were heavy underdogs. When Joe Namath arrived at Shea having not slept and still fresh from a VERY long night on the town, it seemed that the prognosticators got this game correct. To everyone’s surprise, including his own teammates, Namath, as Al Davis liked to describe him, “tilted the field.” Broadway Joe went 14 for 21, 287 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. Namath threw two touchdown passes to Don Maynard and added a 77-yard TD to George Sauer. The Jets eliminated the Patriots on the season’s final day 38-28.

Namath in 1975, summoning his quarterbacking magic one last time…

In 1975, the Jets opened the season with a great deal of hope. They had ended 1974 with a six game winning streak which included victories over the Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins and the playoff bound Buffalo Bills. After a promising start, 1975 would be a disaster. The season revealed that Namath was at the end, his body, riddled with old injuries, failed him, and the team’s roster (with a few exceptions) were cellar dwellers. But on October 5, 1975, Joe Namath played his last truly great game, the last game where he dominated and was an unstoppable force. Against the Patriots and in front of visiting dignitary Emperor Hirohito of Japan, Joe dazzled the home crowd at Shea. He went 15 for 21, 218 yards and 4 TDs. Namath completed touchdown passes to Rich Caster and Jerome Barkum for a 36-7 victory. (Click here for an NFL Films recap of the game). But this was the Jets final day of glory that season. They would embark on an eight game losing streak before snapping it against, you know who…the Patriots in Foxboro.

The Jets are 10.5-point underdogs to the Patriots this Sunday. They could use a hung over Joe Namath to get a much-needed upset.

Michael Kronenberg

Electric Football Favorite Vintage Finds – Tudor’s Press-On Number Sheets

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Earl

Electric football 1967 Tudor Press-on number sheet

An early Tudor NFL Brown press-on number sheet.

One of my favorite things to discover in an old electric football game – besides large teams – is a sheet of Tudor’s original press-on numbers. Most prized, of course, is an unused sheet. A sheet that’s cut but still has the original brown backing paper is not a bad find either. Uncovered fuzz-encrusted sheets are still cool for dating the find, but they won’t make into the permanent part of the collection.

I’m not sure exactly what it is that’s so fascinating. I guess the fact that something so inherently fragile has survived intact for all these years is the main appeal. But there is also the “potential” they carry…the excitement we felt to have a pristine number sheet in hand, ready to create “our” team. And at the time it was just a number sheet, nobody realized that number sheets of the press-on variety were on borrowed time from the day the first NFL games shipped out of Tudor.

Electric football Tudor Press-on Number sheet - back

The back of a Tudor press-on number sheet with instructions.

The sheets definitely help date a team or a game. There’s no question that all the 1967 games were shipped with press-on numbers, and most likely the games from 1968 too. (Teams from the AFL No. 520 games seem to be all press-on.) From there, like most changes in electric football, things get murky. The Sears’ Super Bowl III Jets-Colts game that Santa delivered to me in 1969 came with green and white press-on sheets (still have the players as proof). But I have collected No. 620’s and No. 510’s with peel-off sheets.

Neither Norman Sas nor Lee Payne could give us a definite “when” for the change over. Complicating things even more is that Tudor would have continued to ship out the remaining inventory of press-on sheets long after their manufacturing had been discontinued. But the “why’s” were pretty obvious. The peel-off number sheets were cheaper to make, and easier for kids to use.

But they never looked quite as good as those originals.

Earl

P.S. My most-prized unused press-on sheet has Gold numbers…”perchance to dream…”