Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 38

38 man 9, 1 963 GEOKGF ROSS Rodeo Star It horn Chargers: 'We Gave It Away Cleats 7 2f Jn 1 Cotton Davidson, at 28 and at M3, thought he was ,1 ByEDSCHOENFELD '9 -a playing his last season of professional football, closing out on a ghastly, painful note a career which had never quite caught fire, At 29 Cotton is a kid star reborn, a phenom of the football field, a brind new hero, hut with the poised savvy of a seventh-year pro. Cotton Davidson is' a slight, unlikely, gentlemanly Texan, a guy who would rather be performing in a rodeo than a football game and who might be as brilliantly good in the one as he was yesterday in the other. When his football days are over he'll be. what he set out to be, a cattleman. He already has a start, running sheep on his ranchlands in Texas because sheep are, easier to get started when you're spending half of "each year throwing a football in California.

ft A He almost made ranching ing in 1963. Thank Al Davis 1 "Yep, you wonder if it isn't time to quit," he said of his 1962 season. "I considered not coming back at alL Where was I 'going? had it pretty rough," he said. "I came here late and into a totally new system, then had that coaching change and switched to another system. It was a -lorto-take." It was, irf fact, like taking over a shot-up rear-guard platoon fighting a withdrawal action while the colonels are being court-martialed and sacked back at the com mand post; The casualties -were" high" and' Cotton was nearly one of them.

"Even at that, we played some pretty good football," he said. "We didn't win, except- that very last one, but we always felt we could with just a little something Ton of Confidence Tribun. Phot, by Tommy McDonough from SFB Htlleopttr BULGING AT SEAMS Field was hardly adequate 20,249 spectators, largest Little Frank Youell sports event in Oakland, paid their way in to sion title. The head count could have been at Sunday as a record watch the Raiders battle the San Diego Charg- least twice as as-another 20,000 were crowd ever to see a 1 ers in the rain for a shot at the Western Divi- unable to purchase tickets for the AFL game. Cotton absolutely idolizes "I just can't say enough Raiders Just Won't Be the brilliant head man who is just a scant five years his senior.

"He put his confidence in me and the confidence I had been "I had considered not coming back. But after he came to Oakland he got ahold of me in Texas and after talking to him on the phone I changed my mind. I knew him as a coach and as. a friend, too. That was the de Yardstick ciding factor; in Coming back The city-bred coach from New York and the lean Texan who starred in the collegiate rodeo circuit las well as on the Baylor football team are fine rapport as, indeed, are the Raiders, virtually to a man.

"He gives us so much stuff to work with and it's just up to us to do. it Cotton said. And, as he has said be- fore and as the other pro-tested veteran Raiders say of Davis: "I've never played under a coach that gives us so The rampaging Raiders needed some breaks, to be sure, but they made the most of 'em, as a good team should. They moved the ball well all day, even in the first half when they scored on a 37yard Mercer field goal and a fake play pass to Powell on a third and inches situation. Powell was 15 yards behind the fooled Chargers when he took Tom Flores' throw to complete a 45-yard hookup.

But, as well as they moved the ball, the Raiders dropped passes, slipped on the turf and couldn't quite find enough holes in the big Charger defense. It was different after the intermission. While Oakland had trouble scoring in the first half, San Diego rode to three scores, with Alworth giving Freddy Williamson fits antfRote doing a great job throwing and probing for holes in Oakland's defense. San Diego was hurt somewhat when it lost fullback Keith Lincoln early in the game when he was tackled by Dave Costa and -J 4 sr 4 7 eaten suffered a concussion. Oakland, on the day, cot 154 running yards and 278 through the air for a lusty 432.

San Diego was 45 and 304 for 349. Clem's 90 yards far outstripped Lincoln and Lowe, who trailed Clem by a yards in the league's rushing race going into the game. Powell had a productive day to say the least. He caught six, three for TDs, for 132 yards. There were a lot of heroes, ai mentioned earlier, includirife Mr Davis, who knows his way around football fields and football players.

The Raiders gava the game ball to Cotton. He's been Davis' bullpen guy. coming off the bench and win ning football games. And it was a beaut he won yesterday. 0'HARA TROPHIES EnfrivMig Dene on premises tlt ftfrbe Awards 4 Cavels 1 If.

tHt PAW INC at 1421 Clsf St 152T San Pablo Arte GL 1-97SS ALIGNMENT and Workmanship" toe-in KnV (0) Sid Gillman is no Raider rooter. He's not even a gracious loser, really. But ii) a kind of left-handed manner the disconsolate coach of the San Diego Chargers boosted Raider stock Sunday by saymg "this is going to be, a tight to the wire." He told his team after losing a 41-27 game to Oakland "we're one game up, and it's still ours if we want it" But when Gillman turned to the reporters he spoke about the Chargers had figured out ways to give the game to the Raiders not how good a team Al Davis has developed in Oakland. -Quarterback Tobin Rote put it this way: "Oakland is a good Lincoln in Hospital DIEGO UPI Fullback Keith Lincoln was admitted to Mercy -HosDital Sunday- nfcht when the San Diego Chargers returned home after their 41-27 loss to Oakland. Lincoln, the Chargers' leading ground gainer, was knocked un conscious in tne first" penda of ine game by a blow that split his helmet down the middle.

A Charger spokesman said Lincoln complained of dizziness during the plane trip to San Diego and was taken to the Hos. pital for observation. His condi- IT. uon was satisfactory. ball club, but we should have beaten them both times." The Raiders had dumped the Chargers, 34-33, in San Diego me nrst time around in league play this year.

As the AFL Wostern Division race now stands, San Diego is a game in front of Oakland with two to go. The Chargers need two wins, two ties or a win and a tie to grab the flag. "I thought we had it won," Gillman said about Sunday's game. "Then we started figuring out ways to give it away. We found enough of them, didn't we? "A team can't give up the ball like that and win.

It's as simple as that" There's not much a coach can do while the roof's caving in he added. "All a coach can do is hope his kids keep their poise and settle down," Sid said. "When they begin dropping the football the good Lord is the only one who can do anything abput it." The Chargers' troubles began when the Raiders grabbed Bob Jackson's fumble on the San Diego 39. Four plays later they scored to start 31-point fourth quarter splurge. Jackson was in.

as a sub fori Keith Lincoln, who had been1 forced out with what turned out to be a minor concussion. Gillman refused to cite Jack son lumble as the turning point of the game, but he pointed out that a first down there would have given San Diego ball control, a valuable asset with a 17-point lead. Rote was lifted late in the game, for John Hadl only because the elbow of his throwing arm was hurting himr Gillman said they had to inject the quarter-back jwith novocaine before the game and at halftime. "The elbow been bothering me for the past month," Rote said. "It what they call a tennis elbow." Gillman said Davis sprung only one surprise on himthe Cotton Davidson quarterback draw play.

01' Cotton used it very effectively. It's the play he ran for nine yards' and the touchdown that knotted the score at 27-all. AFL Standings ASTERN DIVISION Pet. Pt. OP Boston 7 5 1 .583 324 222 Buffalo .4 1 .500 785 281 Houston A 4 0 .500 239 300 Ntw York 5 I .455 239 332 WESTERN DIVISION San Diego 9 3 0 .750 321 221 Oakland I 4 0 .667 276 202 Kansas Cltv 3 7 2 .300 2M 260 Danvar 2 9 1 .182 250 380 NEW FOSS BID FOR AFL-NFL TITLE CLASH NEW YORK (A Commissioner Joe Foss of the American Football League issued a new challenge Monday for a "championship game" between the winner of his league and the National Football League winner after the 1964 season.

NFL Commissioner Pete Ro-zelle promptly replied that the older league has "no plans for such a game." much to work with New Raider Weapons Among the weapons he and first-half quarterback Tom Flores now have to work with which wasn't available last season is professionally-excellent receiving. They got it yesterday from big end Art Powell, who scored three touchdowns on their varied tosses. "They had them little or bittie back there late in the game so I just told Cotton in the huddle, 'Cotton, make them boys earn their money now. You put one up high over that cat's head and I'll go up and get iV and I did. That's all Powell said of a spectacular Alley-Oop catch over defensive back Pick Harris for the Raiders' next-to-last touchdown.

Even the footbalMans who got on Davidson's back pretty vigorous-lt season when the Raiders were outmanned aifa outgunned, are starting to wise up that this is a fifst-class pro. As fine a quarterback as Tom Flores island will be, he is the student in the Raider learning both from Davidson and from Davis. This was a relationship Davis recognized as inevitable even before he gotto Oakland, although there were many who tried to tell him he couldn't build ja winner around CottonT his full-time career, start that he didn't. Al Davis. for him" Davidson says of losing in myself, I guess.

am Mftini point-blank shot at Blade goalie Jim McLeod. But then the Blades went to work picking up scores by Mar Boileau at 8:37, then another by Norm Johnson at 11:40, The first period ended in a 2-2 deadlock. One of the highlights of the first period, however, was an excellent defensive performance by the Seal penajty killers who manageu 10 run oui a nve-min ute spearing penalty on Larry McNabb without an L.A. score, During the scoreless second period, defenseman Paul Jack son, who gets better with each game, suffered a severe ankle sprain. First prlod 1, San Francisco, Panagabko (Pennington) 0:41.

2, San Francisco, Nicholson (Cyr and Halty) 2:16. 3, Lot Ana ties Gollaeu (Vtferva and Salinger) 4:37. 4, Los Angelas, John- ion (Bownassj Penalties Burega LA 9:22 and Me Nabb 5F 13:09. Second period None. Penalties Burega LA 10:03, ArnehVLA 19:07.

Third period 5, Los Angeles, White (Hawonnj 6, Los Angeles, Madigan, 19:37. Penalties Nicholson SF and Bowniss LA 17:34 Saves McLeod 1111 10-3? SERVICE Is SPECIALS Penalties against 2 8 Yards lost 20 101 Fumbles 2 0 Ball lost 2 0 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS SAN DIEGO RUSHING TCB YG Ave. Long. Jackson 5 33 6.60 14 Rote 5 7 1.40 5 Lowe 6 5 0.83 3 Lincoln 2 0 0.00 5 OAKLAND RUSHING TCB YG Ave. Long.

Daniels 17 90 5.29 35 Davidson 41 5.86 12 Miller 10 34 3.40 11 Flores 3 SAN DIEOO PASSING PA PC Yds. TD Rote 25 17 284 3 Hadl 6 2 20 0 OAKLAND PASSING PA PC Yds. TD Flores 23 11 173 1 Davidson 7 6 95 2 Daniels -1 i 10 SAN DIEGO PASS RECEIVING No. Yds. TD Norton 119 1 Alworth 3 71 1 Kocourtk 4 34 0 Lincoln 1 34 0 Jackson 2 0 MacKinnon.

1 5 1 Lowe 2 12 0 OAKLAND PASS RECEIVING No. Yds. TD Powell 6 132 3 Daniels 7 '90 0 Miller 3 34 0 Robertson 2 8,0 board read 34-27 Oakland, with 5:33 remaining. The Raiders had scored 24 points in seven minutes and 13 seconds, and the whole joint was limp. But it still wasn't over.

The Chargers, their backs to the wall, put in voung John Hadl at quarterback. Hadl managed one first down and then, with a fourth and 10 on his own 33 with 3:49 left, he put the ball in the air again. It was a short throw and linebacker Clancy Osborne zoomed in to take it on the run. He galloped it all the way to the Charger 12. Youell Field was a bedlam, i Clem got three, Miller got one and Cotton called the QB draw again to get seven and a first down at the one.

Daniels lost one in two cracks and then Miller boomed over Wayne Hawkins at right guard for the score. Mercer kicked and the scoreboard read Oakland 41, San Diego 27, with 1:06 left. It was all over, and many of the wet, slickered Raider fans were in a near state of shock. Exactly 11 minutes and 40 seconds had transpired from Oakland's first TD early in the quarter to the final counter, and in that short period the Black and- Silver roared back from what appeared to be virtual defeat to the biggest win in the club's history. The Game San Diego 7 13 7 V77 Oakland 3,7 0 31.

.41 San Diego Norton 32 pass from Rote (Blair kick) Oakland FG Mercer 27 San Diego Jackson 14 run (Blair kick) Oakland Powell 45 pass from Flores (Mercer kick) San Diego Macklnnon 5 pass from Roto (kick failed) San Diego Alworth is pass from Rote (Blair kick) Oakland Powell 10 pass from Davidson (Mercer kick) Oakland FG Mercer 30 Oakland Davidson run (Mercer kick) Oakland Powftil 41 am friwn Davldim (Mercer kick) oakiand-Mnr 1 run (Mercer kick) Attendance 30,249. TEAM STATISTIC Oak. First downs rushing 4 11 massing 11 By penalty 2 Net yards 349 432 Rushing 45 154 Passing 304 278 Passes attempted 31 41 Completed 19 18 Had intercepted 1 0 Yds. inter ceo. ret.

bv 0 48 Number running plays 18 37 Avg. gain per olay ......2 50 405 Total offensive plays 49 71 Avg. per play 7.12 54 Number of punts 5 -3 Average length 34 39 Number returned 0 1 Yds. of ount ret 0 7 Number klckofff ret. 5 3 Yards returned 1S3 79 churned for five to the nine, for first and goal.

Cotton, getting a tip from the bench, called the quarterback draw, and he zipped his skinny frame the fullnine for the touch. Mercer was good again as me KaiQers went-r tne single-polni conversion and the score was knotted 27-27. The clock read 7:54. There was time enough. Now the fans were con vinced the miraculous Raiders were going to pull it out.

Rote, oh the next series, went completely sour. He was 'way off target on two throws and then the Chargers punted. Hoot Gibson returned only five yards, but 15 were added when the Chargers were charged with face mask tackling. It was first and 10 on the San Diego 39. There was still 6:20 left and the Raiders knew it was within their grasp, Daniels lost one as the Charters stiffened.

Cotton missed on a pass to Glenn Shaw. Then, on third down, Cotton went to his best receiver Powell, and big Art came through with a great leaping alley oop catch over Dick Harris in the endzone. Big Arthur' has made many fine catches for the Raiders this year, but none was more fantastic nor more satisfying than this one. After Mercer's kick the score (ill nj (Ti Continued from 1st Sports Page stained notes taken with hardly enough light to write them. The Chargers pushed their margin to 27-10 late in the third period when Tobin Rote connected with Lance Alworth from 15 yards out.

Rote previously had hit Don Norton and Jacques McKinnon for scores and set up a running TD with a longie to Alworth. When Alworth tallied the San Diegans' fourth TD, Raiders' hopes appeared as black as the day. But early In the fourth quar ter the first break of the day went to Oakland. Charger full back Bobby Jackson was cracked hard and fumbled after picking up 19 yards ona screen pass and Tommy Morrow recovered for the Raiders on the Charger 39. Clem Daniels, who toted up 90 yards for the day, ripped off 35 to the Charger four and the wet fans came to life.

Cotton Davidson, the narrow- shouldered, sunken-chested old pro quarterback who took over in the second half, lost six and then rhissed on one before zeroing in on Art Powell in the end zone. It was Powell's second TD catch of the day, and after Mike Mercer's kick it was 27-17. The clock read 12:46. Good, but was there enough time? the fans asked. On the second play after the ensuing kickoff, Paul Lowe was also boomed into and fumbled when he was hit on a draw play.

Joe Krakoski fell on the ball to give Oakland possession at the Charger 23. NoW the Youell Field fans really started to buzz. This second break failed to produce a touchdown as David son's aim was awry on three passes, but Mercer reduced the Chargers' advantage with bis second field goal of the day, from 30 yards out That made it 27-20, San Diego. The clock read 11:36. The fans knew there was still a chance.

A pass interference one of eight penalties against the Raiders, gave the Chargers a first down on their next series but the Oakland defense stiffened and forced a punt, The Charger center snap was low and punter Paul Maguire kicked the ball as it bounced this is a penalty and the hide traveled like- a line drive to the Charger 43, where it was downed. Another break, and you could sense the mounting tension as the Raider offense ran onto the field. It was to be Davidson's drive, and the oV sheep rancher kept it alive when he scrambled for 11 and a first down on the Charger 23. Fullback Al Miller, who played a great game, got nine on a screen pass and Clem TIKE TOUR CAR WHERE THE EXPERTS ARE! GOODYEAR SERUIGE STORES "Cotton is a fmc quarterbacK. tie usi never naa pi STOP i I dill dlUUilU mm uiav awvw tuvj vwuvt Davis said.

He had one yesterday, a hitting crew that wouldn't "Did you feel the momentum building in the last miarfpr" fnttnn Was flsVpd ttw 11 1 1 .1 1 i reauy cuuiu, xie saiu. xucic wa ucvcj. a pviui. in the game when we felt we were faltering, but there in the-last quarter we knew we could move it. "Our defense got us the ball inside their 50 four times in the last Quarter fit was actually five times, counting a 15-yard penalty for a Charger face-jnask tackle on a punt return by Raider Claude Gibson) and you can't ask much more than that." Seals Defeated but Fans Happy-Over Raider Win FRONT END "Precision Equipment Well repack front wheel bearings Bumper-to-bumper safety check Correct camber, caster, Align front end Pay as you ride mJUL ORIGINAL QUALITY RESTORED IN OUR FACTORY Continued from 1st Sports Page HaVold White with 9:12 gone in the final stanza.

The fourth L. A. marker was merely frosting on the cake as defenseman Con Madigan lobbed a Mooter into the Seals9 open cage after coach Bud Poile yanked Bobby Per-reault in an effort to get the equalizer on a six-forward power play. The Seals get more trouble this week when they journey to Denver Monday night to tackle the league-leading Invaders. Game time both nights is 7 p.m.

and they'll be broadcast back into the Bay Area by Roy Storey of KFRC. The San Franciscans jumped to a quick one goal lead with just 41 seconds gone in the opening stanza when wing Pete Panagabko cracked in a 15-footer after a pass from center Cliff Pennington. Nicholson notched another red light at 2:16 when he banged In center Ray CyrV GOODYEAR SERVICE STORES OAKLAND E. 14th at 28th Ave. 24th Harrison Sts.

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