Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

"In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
was looked upon as something shocking.
Now, Heaven knows... anything goes."

That Cole Porter tune could have been the theme song for the Patriots in the early years - including the 1970 Boston Patriots
who were still searching for a home.
Sometimes, they were even searching for players when some guys just did not bother to show up.

They began one of their most dreadful seasons on September 20, 1970 with an opening day 27-14 Win over the Miami Dolphins
at their new home for the season - Harvard Stadium.
But, even before the game, you didn't need a crystal ball to envision what became a 2-12 season when they averaged
only 10.6 points per game.

As the teams were getting ready, the Patsies did not have all their players.
So, the public address announcer called for Bob Gladieux, a Notre Dame grad nicknamed Harpo to come out of the stands
and report to the locker room. Harpo had been cut a few days earlier and had been chatting with John Barleycorn.
He reported nonetheless and dressed and, strangely enough, made the tackle on the opening kick-off.

Just wondering: Have other teams done this? Called someone from the stands to play?

Well, Johnny Outlaw (love that name) was also "called from the stands" for that game for the Patriots.
Apparently, he and Gladieux were cut on September 14 and then re-signed and were placed on the inactive list and then at the last minute re-activated for that game - a practice that I believe was later outlawed (pun intended).

Isn't that something? I knew John well. He was my neighbor when I first moved to Boston. He and his cousin, Aaron Marsh, shared an apartment in the same building - a small 4-building complex on the edge of Boston near the Milton line. Tom Neville and Justin Canale were also in that building as was Tommy Fussell and his wife. Fussell blew his knee and went home (to Louisiana, I think.) There were about 24 units in each of the four 3-story buildings. Tom Addison was in another building as was Rommie Loud and one other guy I can't recall. We had some pretty violent basketball games. Outlaw was the best rebounder in the group. If I remember, his number was 22. There is a picture on-line of the fire in the bleachers at Boston College' Alumni Stadium and #22 is in the fore with his back to the picture-taker. Fun days...
Interesting... in spite of all the violence of today, they were all great neighbors. Each building had a good-sized function room in the basement and there was a workshop, exercise room, etc. The Patriots had a couple of parties every year in that function room and invited everyone and they were always perfect gentlemen. Only one time, one guy got a little chippy but Neville spoke with him and he quieted right down. He has passed so there is no need to mention his name.

Gladieux and Outlaw's activation had been necessitated by the release of veterans John Charles and Larry Carwell just before gametime. Charles and Carwell had yet to sign their contracts, as both were holding out for more money. As the two were preparing for the game, Patriot coach Clive Rush approached them and asked them point blank if they planned on signing. When the two demurred, Rush cut them both on the spot. This according to SUNDAY'S FOOLS by Tom Beer.

Todd Pence wrote:Gladieux and Outlaw's activation had been necessitated by the release of veterans John Charles and Larry Carwell just before gametime. Charles and Carwell had yet to sign their contracts, as both were holding out for more money. As the two were preparing for the game, Patriot coach Clive Rush approached them and asked them point blank if they planned on signing. When the two demurred, Rush cut them both on the spot. This according to SUNDAY'S FOOLS by Tom Beer.

Rush was a trip. He couldn't get along with anybody, from the owner down to the ball boy. I was kind of surprised when the Patriots hired him, because I only remembered him as an end with the Packers. I subsequently learned that he had been a head college coach for three losing seasons, but the Patriots hired him because he'd been the Jets' OC when they won Super Bowl III. They also interviewed another Jets' assistant Chuck Noll, but chose Rush. Of course, we all know how that turned out.

Chuck Knox, not Noll, had been a Jets asst., but I think he had already moved on to Detroit before the Jets made it to the Super Bowl.
Update: I do think you're right that the Jets interviewed Noll, too, when they hired Rush.

John Maxymuk wrote:Chuck Knox, not Noll, had been a Jets asst., but I think he had already moved on to Detroit before the Jets made it to the Super Bowl.

Knox had left the Jets after 1966 to join Joe Schmidt's staff in Detroit. Noll was on the Colts' staff that lost to the Jets in SB III.

Maybe Rush never recovered from getting a five-second shock from the microphone at his intro press conference a few weeks after the Jets won.

Chuck Knox was on Blanton Collier's coaching staff at the University of Kentucky along with Don Shula, Howard Schnellenberger, and Ermal Allen. Blanton and his staff were fired after the 1962 season, and I think that Collier was even hung in effigy.

Saban wrote:Chuck Knox was on Blanton Collier's coaching staff at the University of Kentucky along with Don Shula, Howard Schnellenberger, and Ermal Allen. Blanton and his staff were fired after the 1962 season, and I think that Collier was even hung in effigy.

I really think that it was funny when you consider the success that those men had later coaching. Blanton Collier was head coach of a Cleveland team that won the NFL Championship in 1964 and also won 4 Eastern Conference titles during the 1960's, which is more conference titles than anyone else during that decade other than the Green Bay Packers.

Schnellenberger coached the U. of Miami to a couple of national championships, and Don Shula is now considered one of the greatest coaches of all time.

Saban wrote:Chuck Knox was on Blanton Collier's coaching staff at the University of Kentucky along with Don Shula, Howard Schnellenberger, and Ermal Allen. Blanton and his staff were fired after the 1962 season, and I think that Collier was even hung in effigy.

After the 1961 season actually. That put him in position to be re-hired by Paul Brown, who shunned after he took the Browns HC position--even though Brown told hi to take it.