TOM SESTAK
Defensive Tackle
No. 70
McNeese State
"Touted by coach Lou Saban as 'the finest defensive tackle in pro football,' Tom Sestak is the strong man of the Bills' defensive unit. At 6-4 and 270, he's one of the biggest players at his position in pro football. Fast and tough, he's a fierce pass rusher and is strong enough to pile up opposing runners.
Out of McNeese State, he was a small-college star before joining the Bills in 1962 and producing one of the most amazing rookie seasons in pro football history."
-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964
"Drafted as a tight end in '62, Tom Sestak walked into Bills' camp and soon proved that nobody on the premises played better at defensive tackle.
Last year he demonstrated that nobody in the league was in his class for fury and meanness, and he was an All-AFL choice after a season in which every opponent constantly praised his strong position tactics, excellence of play reading and admirable power at holding his own when stacked up against two blockers. One of the few around who can harness a rusher without requiring assistance, he makes more unassisted tackles than any front line defender.
Born in Gonzales, Texas, he was a second-team All-AFL tackle as a '62 rookie."
-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964
"Tom was voted the Top Rookie in the American Football League in many of the polls at the end of the 1962 season. So impressive was his play that he was voted to the second AFL All-Star team.
A big, bulky defensive tackler, Tom was a pleasant surprise for the Bills after he was a 17th round selection. Tom, who loves to rush the passer, averaged 17 tackles per game."
-1964 Topps No. 37
JIM DUNAWAY
Defensive Tackle
No. 78
Mississippi
"Another gigantic defensive tackle, Jim Dunaway hopes to improve in his second season with the Bills. Tough, aggressive, he was the team's No. 1 draft choice in 1962 when they outbid the NFL Vikings. According to coach Saban, his only fault was 'a tendency to be overly aggressive and thus vulnerable to the trap.'
Out of Ole Miss, where he was All-America, he looms as a solid star for years to come. He and Sestak form one of the strongest pairs of defensive tackles in the game."
-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964
"The best of the '61 collegiate linemen was Jimmy Dunaway, who won a starting berth at defensive tackle last year with more than just a reputation. He tried so hard that his aggressiveness proved to be his only defect when he discovered how easily he was being led into traps. Nobody doubts his desire and his additional experience must make him a better performer. A runner, often being assaulted by Dunaway, said, 'I hope he's told that he's made the team. He plays as if he expects to be released if his tackles don't make noise.'
Dunaway was born in Columbia, Mississippi."
-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964
"Jim was a unanimous All-American choice from the University of Mississippi. He was a regular in college all-star games and he starred in both the Sugar and Cotton Bowl classics for Ole Miss.
This immense defensive tackle is extremely fast and agile for a man of his size. The 270-pound giant was voted 'most likely to make it as a pro' in the AFL."
-1964 Topps No. 27
SID YOUNGELMAN
Defensive End
No. 76
Alabama
"A real veteran of professional football, Sid is still one of the game's most feared defensive linemen. This massive player was acquired by the Bills from the New York Jets before the 1963 season began.
Sid was the captain of Alabama's Crimson Tide football eleven and an All-Southern Conference selection.
During the off-season, Sid is a professional wrestler."
1964 Topps No. 42
HARRISON ROSDAHL
Defensive End
Free Agent
Penn State
"Harrison Rosdahl, from Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, was an outstanding tackle on an outstanding Penn State line and he's expected to fit into the defensive plans of the Buffalo Bills. He's 6-3 and 230 and so he'll probably swing to an end position.
Moving about on the line isn't new to him. Rosdahl was both a tackle and a guard in college. He was considered an excellent blocker, college style, but has the beef and determination to make it in the pros. He came up with several 'big plays' while at Penn State, perhaps the most famous being the 1962 game in which he blocked a Syracuse field goal in the dying moments to preserve a Nittany Lion 20-19 victory. Very fast and agile, Rosdahl was the New Jersey state schoolboy champion in discus and shot-put."
-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964
No comments:
Post a Comment