LOU SABAN
Head Coach
"Shake hands with a man who has gone from riches to tatters- and done so voluntarily. Two years ago, Lou Saban was standing on top of the football world, or at least the AFL part of it, as coach of the champion Bills.
In his four years at Buffalo, he transformed an also-ran into the new league's most dominant team. His 1964 and '65 clubs won both the Eastern Division crown and the AFL championship. Then, at the very peak of his success, he suddenly and surprisingly resigned and went to coach the football team at the University of Maryland.
He looked as if he were in for a long tenure there, when just as suddenly as before, he was lured back to the AFL to coach the doormat club of the league- the Broncos. But that may soon be in the past, too, for Saban is a builder of winners. He forged a winning record of 43-29-3 in five-plus seasons with the Patriots and Bills.
His Denver team will bear his unmistakable earmark of rugged line play and an aggressive running attack. The Broncos will be an interesting team to watch this year because Saban is an interesting coach."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1967
"Everything about Lou Saban has the look, sound and appeal of a winner. Ruggedly handsome, articulate and straight-talking, he creates an image that is difficult to resist. When he tells you he is building a team at Denver that eventually will win, you know he has the background to make it so.
A single-wing quarterback at Indiana who served in the China-Burma-India theater during the war, he returned to football as a linebacker and captain of the Cleveland Browns team which won four AAC championships between 1946 and '49.
He then drifted into coaching, and after a string of collegiate assignments (and a one-year hitch in the insurance business), Lou became head coach of the Boston Patriots when the AFL opened for business in 1960. Midway into the 1961 season, he was lured to Buffalo to infuse some life into its doormat club, and within three years he led the Bills to back-to-back divisional and AFL titles.
Then, for reasons best known to Saban, he left Buffalo in 1966 to return to college coaching at the University of Maryland. But, in another about-face, he went to Denver the following year as coach and general manager under a ten-year contract.
Despite the Broncos' 3-11 record last year, Saban was satisfied with the progress he had made in sorting out his personnel. Of the original squad that began the 1967 season, only five were still around when the campaign ended, and there were 22 rookies who had made the club.
'We went to camp this year with 41 free agents,' he said recently. 'We're looking for talent.' Saban has an eye for finding it."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1968
"Ever since he came to Denver as coach and general manager in 1967, Lou Saban has been insisting to anyone will listen, 'Our goal is to climb to the top.' In mile-high Denver, that's harder than it looks. The Broncos have been the perennial league doormats for longer than any of the natives like to remember. But that image has gradually been changing since Saban brought his image to town.
Last year he coached the Broncos to their second-best record in history, and they were close enough in three other games to have pulled off that elusive winning campaign that Saban is after. Moreover, the club drew a record 281,000 fans to Denver's expanded 50,000-seat stadium. Saban accomplished all this despite crippling injuries to some of his first-line players. You might argue that all coaches live with this, but admittedly, Saban has fewer front-liners he can afford to lose even for short periods.
Saban has the look of a winner even when he's just walking into a room. He's been a winner- or close to one- wherever he's been. First, he was an All-Big Ten blocking back at Indiana, then an All-League linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, then a successful college coach. Then in 1960, he was named head coach of the Boston Patriots in their first AFL year and helped to start them toward a title. But he was gone before that, lured to Buffalo, where in 1964 and '65, he won the AFL championship and won a Coach of the Year award.
He spent a year at Maryland, but in 1967 came back to the pros with the promise to eventually make the Broncos into a winner. From what he's done so far, nobody doubts he'll pull it off."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"Though he failed to bring home a winner in his third year of coaching the Denver Broncos (as he had during his third season with the Buffalo Bills in 1964), Lou Saban continues to make football a hit in the Mile High City. Last year's Broncos posted the second-best record in their history and attracted a club record 326,851 paying customers.
Lou began as a pro coach with the Boston Patriots in 1960, went to Buffalo in 1962, and directed AFL championship squads there in 1964 and 1965. Saban was an All-Pro linebacker for the Cleveland Browns during his playing days. In the four years he played with them, and was their team captain, the Browns won four league championships."
-Brenda and Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1970
"This is Lou Saban's Silver Anniversary in professional football. If he could choose his gift, the Bronco coach, now entering his fifth season as head coach and general manager at Denver, would prefer a winning season over anything that glitters.
Last season it looked like the Broncos were ready to click, as they won four of their first five games of the campaign. But injuries and mistakes left them for losers again.
A winner in his own playing days, Lou was a single-wing quarterback at the University of Indiana and an All-Big Ten selection in 1942. His football progress was impeded by three and half years in the Army. But 25 years ago, after World War II, Lou signed with the Cleveland Browns, then of the All-America Conference, and played linebacker for four seasons. In 1948 and '49 Lou was an All-League selection, and in each of the four years he played with the Browns, the team won league championships.
Lou retired as a player in 1950 and moved into college coaching. In 1956 he left football for the insurance business but returned the following season as head coach at Western Illinois. In 1959 the Leathernecks were undefeated and ranked second in the nation among small colleges.
Saban returned to professional football in 1960 as head coach of the newly formed Boston Patriots of the AFL, but midway through the '61 season went to Buffalo as director of players. In 1962, after the Bills had finished last in the AFL's Eastern Division the year before, Saban was named head coach, and by 1963 the Bills had moved up to second place in the Eastern Division.
Then, in 1964 and '65, Saban directed the Bills to divisional titles and AFL championships and was voted Coach of the Year both times. He returned to the college ranks (Maryland) for a season before being lured out to Denver in 1967."
-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971
JIM RINGO
Offensive Line Coach
"In his third year with the Packers, Jim was their regular offensive center in 1953 until injured midway through the season. He started every game last season.
Jim was the Packers' seventh draft choice in 1953. He earned three letters at Syracuse and starred in the 1953 Orange Bowl. He prepped in Phillipsburg High School in Easton, Pa."
-1955 Bowman No. 70
"Like all centers have to be, Jim is a rugged individual who knows how to take it and can dish it out, too. He is ready to plow ahead the moment he snaps the ball back to the quarterback and can be counted on to take out his man. The backbone of the Packers' line, Jim often has to spearhead the attack, particularly on those up-the-middle thrusts."
-1958 Topps No. 103
"Jim is one of the most accurate and devastating downfield blockers. At Syracuse, he led his squad to the 1953 Orange Bowl and in the pay-for-play ranks has won All-Pro honors."
-1959 Topps No. 75
"Universally voted the NFL's All-Pro Center. Jim has been considered one of the league's best offensive pivots for the past five seasons. He became a regular in his 1953 rookie season.
Jim is noted for his fierce down-field blocking and exceptional speed. He's given credit by many for the club's '59 offensive surge.
Born in Orange, New Jersey, he majored in geography at Syracuse."
-1960 Pro Football Handbook
"The offensive center on the West All-Star team last season was Jim Ringo. After a great college career at Syracuse, Jim kept right on going when he joined the pros. He's a hard guy to move."
-1960 Topps No. 57
"The consensus is that no offensive lineman has the forward charge of Jim Ringo, the All-Pro center who makes the Packer wall a fearsome unit. Born in Orange, New Jersey, Jim has started every game in the last seven seasons. All-Pro in 1960, he's liable to claim the honor again in '61."
-1961 Pro Football Handbook
"Jim crouches over the ball virtually unchallenged as the premier center of the pros. He has played eight seasons with the Packers in a position that's usually buried to the man in the stands, but the players first singled him out in their All-Pro poll in 1957 and Jim has been at the top of the heap ever since. He's an exceptionally fine downfield blocker, a steady performer who has started every game the past seven seasons."
-1961 Fleer No. 96
"The former college great was one of the reasons that Green Bay was the Western Division champ in 1960. Jim is a regular in all-star competition."
-1961 Topps No. 44
"What makes Jim Ringo an automatic All-NFL center each year? Quickness, blocking ability way above standard and the alertness to pursue with a second block. There's nobody around to challenge his authority as the peer of the pivots.
Born in Orange, New Jersey, he's played every Packer game for eight successive seasons and his performance has been of the same sound standard in winning and losing years."
-Don Schiffer, 1962 Pro Football Handbook
"The National Football League veteran was an important factor in the Packers' second straight Western Division title in 1961. The big man is always on the alert and seems to make the right play at the right time with amazing consistency."
-1962 Topps No. 68
"There has never been a center to equal the likes of Jim Ringo. A sure-shot blocker with tremendous second effort, adept at coming back to furnish pass protection and swift to pivot after the snap and serve as a running interferer.
Born in Orange, New Jersey, Ringo was a regular as a 1953 rookie and has been in every game for the last eight years. He's had a six-year run on All-NFL honors at his position."
-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1963
"A standout at Syracuse University, Jim has been one of the stalwarts in the Packers' offensive line for many years. A great blocker, he played eight years without missing a game."
-1963 Topps No. 91
"Just what makes Jim Ringo an All-NFL center each year? Listen to what an opponent has to say: 'He's the Green Bay offense. As team captain, he dictates the assignments of the entire offensive line by signal calls at scrimmage. He's at his best on sweeps, blocking fiercely, and none is quicker at moving laterally to cut off a potential tackler.'
Born in Orange, New Jersey, he's been one of the most durable in his 11 playing seasons, only missing half of his rookie year because of injury."
-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964
"Entering his 11th NFL season, Jim Ringo will be trying to attain All-NFL center honors for the eighth consecutive year- but this time with the Eagles instead of the Packers. Obtained with fullback Earl Gros in the off-season swap for linebacker Lee Roy Caffey, Ringo had played in every Packer game for the past ten seasons. Out of Syracuse University, he was one of the few Packers to establish himself as a star before the Lombardi regime.
He's a resident of nearby Easton, Pa."
-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964
"Year after year Jim is acclaimed All-Pro center. He is a great stand-up blocker and pass protector. He often moves downfield protecting ball-carriers.
How did the Packers pick Jim? In the 7th round in '53."
-1964 Philadelphia No. 78
"Jim Ringo does much more than shovel a ball back between his legs. All-Pro centers (he's a perennial choice) pull out of the line to block on running plays, pull back to give the passer protection and cut downfield to take out some deep defender- all of which Jim does expertly.
Obtaining him from Green Bay helped to unite the Eagles' line last year. He's a natural leader.
Jim joined the Packers out of Syracuse University in 1953, and after recovering from injuries sustained that first season, he hasn't missed a game in ten years."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1965
"Big Jim has been a starting center since his rookie year, in 1953, with the Packers. He missed in the second half of that year but hasn't sat out since."
-1965 Philadelphia No. 138
"Youthful centers should observe Jim Ringo carefully to learn the refinements of the job. For 14 years now, Jim has been spearheading the attack from his pivot spot, slicing linemen down on running plays, or dropping back to protect the passer.
Jim was a regular in his very first game with the Green Bay Packers, and except for missing part of that season due to an injury, hasn't missed a game since. He was an All-Pro in six of his 11 seasons with Green Bay, and came to the Eagles in 1964."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1966
"Jim came to the Eagles after an illustrious career with the Packers. His experience and great ability as a blocker anchored the young Eagle line and was an important factor in the quick development of the offensive unit."
-1966 Philadelphia No. 141
"You have to go back 15 seasons to the start of Jim Ringo's illustrious career as an NFL center. Unbelievable. He not may get as many All-Pro votes these days (he made the first team for six years), but he still plays the position with class.
Jim broke in with the Packers and won a regular job in his rookie year with his astonishing downfield blocking. The Eagles acquired him in 1964, and it proved to be the remaking of their offensive line.
A 6-2, 230-pounder, he attended Syracuse."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1967
"Meet the NFL's newest iron man, although Jim Ringo doesn't really need any introduction after 16 years in the league. Jim, who certainly will be stamped as one of the game's all-time centers, is now 37 years old. Last season he stretched his consecutive-game streak to 182; the fact is, he hasn't missed a game since his rookie year with the Green Bay Packers in what seems like another era.
Even the Eagles wonder just how much longer he can go on. But as long as he does, he will carry the brunt of the offensive charge. What has made Jim an All-Pro center for six years is his quick initial burst in clobbering the middle linebacker, his deadly precision in picking off blitzing pass-rushers, and his secondary efforts as a downfield blocker.
Jim broke in with Green Bay in 1953, and after establishing himself as the game's premier pivotman, was traded to the Eagles following a contract disagreement with Vince Lombardi. The Eagles think Jim's been worth every penny they've spent on him."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1968
JIM DOOLEY
Linebacker Coach
"Jim won four letters in college football at the University of Miami. He was chosen for All-State and Chicago Tribune All-South.
Jim holds the intercollegiate record of four interceptions in one game, with 18 in three years. He also lettered in track."
-1952 Bowman No. 31
"Jim intercepted more passes than any other player on the Bears' team last year. He played as a defensive halfback for the Bears as a freshman.
A defensive sensation at Miami University in 1951, Jim rated the best in college football. He was Most Valuable Player in the Orange Bowl (1951) and the Gator Bowl (1952) and played in the Senior Bowl and College All-Star games."
-1953 Bowman No. 80
"Jim was the fifth leading pass receiver in the league last season and No. 1 for the Bears. He was the Bears' No. 1 draft choice in 1952 after he won All-Southern honors at Miami University and starred in the Orange and Gator Bowls.
Jim was an outstanding pass defender for three seasons in college. He was also a great hurdler and sprinter during his college days."
-1954 Bowman No. 121
"In his third season, Jim caught 34 aerials last year for seven touchdowns- he was the third-best receiver on the team. During his college days, he was voted the most valuable player in the Orange Bowl, 1951, and Gator Bowl, 1952."
-1955 Bowman No. 40
"Jim's specialty is latching on to passes and then taking off with them under his arm. He did pretty well at it last year, winding up seventh in the league in receptions and leading the Bears in that department."
-1958 Topps No. 8
"One of many fine Bear pass receivers, Jim was hampered by injuries last season. He led the club in taking down aerials in 1957.
An all-time great at Miami (Fla.) U., Jim also starred at Elgin Field in '54 and '55. He was born in Stoutsville, Mo."
-Pro Football Handbook 1959
"Jim led the club in pass-receiving in 1959, catching 41 for 580 yards and a 14 per-catch average. Injuries sidelined him in '58, but he now has 15 career touchdowns. He was a defensive end as a '52 rookie and switched to the offense in '53. He served in the Air Force in '54 and '55.
Born in Stoutsville, Mo., Jim was an outstanding sprinter and hurler in college."
-1960 Pro Football Handbook
"Jim is recognized as one of the top long-range threats among the pro football receiving corps. He's fast, has all the moves and sure hands.
The curly-haired Miami (Fla.) veteran has led the Bears in catching passes three times with a career high of 53 grabs in 1953. This was after he broke into pro ball the year before as a defensive back and showed so much adeptness at intercepting passes that George Halas converted him to offense."
-1961 Fleer No. 4
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