Another '61 NC Team Player Passes Away (Jap Patton)
- Thread starter FitToBeTide
- Start date
Hate to hear it. I believe he was a 2nd team end. Of course, under those substitution rules, the 2nd team had to play a lot. I think the 1st team ends were Baxter Booth and Bud Moore. I'll try to take a shot of the team photo in the Corolla later today. It's a double page, but they are still pretty small. His first year, Coach Bryant did away with individual photos. The previous year, Whitworth's last, they had each player in a ferocious football - without a helmet. I scanned Cecil Hurt, Sr.'s and sent it to Cecil. Coach Bryant was all about team. I'm not sure a single player from that '61 year would see the field today maybe Jim Blevins or Billy Neighbors. Oops, probably Lee Roy...
I have actually heard Mr. Patton speak several times and man did he have some stories to tell. I went to high school with a guy and his dad started at offensive guard on that 61 team. Earle probably knows him.....Jimmy Wilson. He once told us that he weighed around 190 lbs. and that's hard to believe but true. I also think Jerry Duncan was on that team. I guess those guys had to be really tough to make up for lack of size. RIP Mr. Patton
Unbelievably tough. I think Billy was the biggest lineman and he weight a monstrous 230. I've told it before, but Billy only had one conversation with Bryant, at the beginning of his sophomore year. Bryant told him the weight he wanted and Billy made it. He said he just spent all his time trying to avoid Coach...
On the two-way sub pattern, players had to be good at offense and defense both. That means a lot of guys like today's specialists never got a chance. Think about a guy having to double up as a RB and corner and you'll see what I mean...
This nostalgic discussion about the 61 team reminded me of the Memphis Express, Mike Fracchia. I know he is held in high regard as one of the great running backs and is lamented due to the injuries that limited his career.
I maintain that if players had to play both ways today you probably wouldn't see anyone over 250 lbs playing. The 300+ lbs giants wouldn't be able to last the entire game. I look to rugby as an example. A huge rugby player is 250 lbs.
BTW, hope I didn't hijack the thread...just wanted to point out players from that time period fit the rules of the game. It's hard to compare players from different eras.
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It was always fun listening to Coach Bryant trying to pronounce his name on the Sunday rerun. The closest he could come was "Mike Frakki."
So true, Earle.It was always fun listening to Coach Bryant trying to pronounce his name on the Sunday rerun. The closest he could come was "Mike Frakki."
To Coach, RB Pete Jilleba made it to sound like "Pete Ajillibee". I can hear that voice clear as a crystal to this day.
Jap was a good friend and colleague. I will miss him.
Not many people here would know this, but Jap had an older brother Huston who played QB for Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss, and a younger brother George, nicknamed the "General," who was a standout defensive tackle for Vince Dooley at UGA.
Not many people here would know this, but Jap had an older brother Huston who played QB for Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss, and a younger brother George, nicknamed the "General," who was a standout defensive tackle for Vince Dooley at UGA.
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