Posted on 10/21/2018 9:26:45 AM PDT by EveningStar
Dick Modzelewski, the Giants’ tackle who played on the line that transformed defensive players into glamorous pro football figures during the team’s glory years of the late 1950s and early ’60s, died on Friday at his home in Eastlake, Ohio. He was 87.
His death was confirmed by his daughter Laurie Hardesty.
Modzelewski, the winner of the 1952 Outland Trophy as college football’s best interior lineman, playing for the University of Maryland, was obtained by the Giants in a trade before the 1956 season. Soon, chants of “Dee-fense” rang out at Yankee Stadium as Modzelewski at left tackle, Jim Katcavage at left end, Andy Robustelli at right end — all in their first season as Giants — and Rosey Grier at right tackle formed the first N.F.L. defensive line to be celebrated as a unit.
The Giants routed the Chicago Bears, 47-7, to win the 1956 N.F.L. championship and captured five more Eastern Conference titles in the next seven years with that defensive line virtually intact.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
ping
Jim Taylor and now Dick Modzelewski...two NFL greats in a week. A little bit more of the original America gone.
Back when defensive linemen could slap the he** out of the offensive lineman on their way to the quarterback.
Legendary offense and defense coordinators too.
ML/NJ
The Giant line in that glory year of 1956 boasted of the “1000 pound line”, with each one averaging 250 lbs.
They wouldn’t even make the team now with the 350 lb freaks in their dreadlocks that we see today.
Even in the ‘60s, the average offensive lineman was around 250 pounds. Today’s outside linebackers and defensive ends are bigger than that.
Today offensive linemen average well over 300 pounds.
RIP.
Mo was my neighbor when I lived in New Bern NC. We would fish together in the river behind the house with his four o’clock jack and coke. He was in constant pain. Hell of a nice guy. Told me all the stories about the old days. Great memories
And when putting an open hand on a defender while blocking was an illegal use of hands call. You saw a lot fewer of those arm-around-the-neck holds then because blockers kept the elbows up, hands closed close to the body and made contact with shoulder and forearm.
I would love to see the teams of today play with the rules of yesterday against a team from yesterday. It would be no contest.
Next big thing for the NFL is to put flags on the quarterback.
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