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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE PATRIOTS' FIRST TITLE December 8, 1963 ... The Patriots, on the strength of a 21 point second period jumped into the driver’s seat by trouncing the Houston Oilers 46-28. The teams entered the game tied for first place. If the Pats tie or beat the Chiefs next weekend, they clinch the AFL East title. In this one, the Patriots simply outmuscle the Oilers. Four minutes into the second period, the Pats, trailing 14-10, scored three touchdowns in the next 10 minutes. Houston came out right from the beginning with a triple wing offense which caught the Pats defensive team off guard. Both receivers, Charlie Hennigan and Willard Dewveall had single coverage and George Blanda took advantage of it before the Patriots could figure out how to handle it. Blanda connected with Hennigan for a touchdown to give Houston a 7-0 lead. The Pats came right back going 72 yards in nine plays to tie the game. Gino Cappelletti kicked a field goal to take the lead and Blanda, threw 12 straight completions to score another touchdown and set a league record. After this it was all Boston. The defense went through the Houston offensive line and forced Blanda to retreat continuously, chalking up nine yardage losses totaling 100 yards. The offense then took over with Larry Garron running and Parilli passing. They grinded out 63 yards in 13 plays and a pass to Jim Colclough to pick up their next touchdown.
Tom Addison then caused rookie fullback, Bill Tobin to cough up the ball, and Nick Buoniconti picked up the loss ball and took it seven yards into the end zone for the next score. The defense forced another quick fumble which Bob Dee fell on at the Boston 37. Larry Garron ripped 23 yards on a draw play and sub-quarterback Tom Yewcic fired a 40 yard touchdown pass to Art Graham to give the Patriots a 31-14 halftime lead. The lead went up to 41-14 in the third quarter on another field goal and a pass interception by Bob Suci which he took 52 yards for another touchdown. Houston wasn't quite dead and drove 53 yards for the next score, and chalked up another early in the fourth quarter on a pass to Charlie Hennigan after a Patriots’ fumble. The defense then stiffened up. Linebacker Jack Rudolph threw down quarterback Jacky Lee for a safety, followed by another Cappelletti field goal to close out the scoring. Larry Garron had a great day, gaining 113 yards, but it was Boston’s ball hawking defense that won the game. They forced six fumbles and picked off three pass interceptions. |
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