Wide receiver Boyd Dowler enjoyed an illustrious career with the Green Bay Packers. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1959 and was voted to two Pro Bowls. The Pro Football Hall of Fame selected Dowler to the All-Decade Team of the 1960s after he played a key role on five championship teams, and he is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame. But Dowler came through with one of the best games of his career for the Packers with the season on the line and a chance for the Packers to three-peat in 1963.
Packers WR Boyd Dowler Enjoyed His Best Game: The Buildup
Vince Lombardi coached the Packers to back-to-back NFL championships in 1961 and 1962. They were trying to become the first team to win three straight titles in more than 30 years in 1963 but there were substantial obstacles facing the Pack. Star halfback Paul Hornung missed the entire season after being suspended for gambling. Quarterback Bart Starr missed several games due to a hairline fracture of his throwing hand. Still, the Packers entered this game with a chance to win the Western Conference and advance to the NFL title game for a fourth consecutive year.
The Packers had a record of 10-2-1 entering the season finale. To win the conference, they needed to defeat the 2-11 San Francisco 49ers at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco and then have the Bears lose to the Lions the next day.
Packers fullback Jim Taylor needed 41 yards rushing to go over 1,000 yards for the fourth consecutive season.
Despite being on the road, the Packers were 16.5-point favorites to win the game on a cool, 42-degree day in San Francisco.
A Surprising Challenge
The Packers scored the first time they got the football. Starr led them downfield on a 12-play, 78-yard drive that ended on a one-yard touchdown run by halfback Tom Moore. Two third down passes to Max McGee were keys to the drive. Jerry Kramer added the extra point and Green Bay led 7-0.
But to everyone’s surprise, the 49ers responded the next time they touched the football. Running backs J.D. Smith and Joe Perry were able to move the ball on the ground against the vaunted Green Bay defense. Smith scored from two yards out and the game was tied 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Things got worse for the Packers when Earl Gros fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and San Francisco took over at the Green Bay 23. Three plays later, the Niners, who had nothing to lose, went for it on 4th-and-2 at the Green Bay 15. The Packers vaunted defense rose to the occasion and Bill Forester and Dave Robinson stopped San Francisco short of the first down.
Then, Dowler began his outstanding day. Starr used the threat of the run and made a great play fake. Dowler got behind 49ers rookie defensive back Kermit Alexander and scored on a 53-yard pass. The Packers led 14-7.
But the 49ers answered the next time they got the ball. Smith broke a 52-yard run for a touchdown and the Packers and 49ers were tied 14-14 at halftime.
Packers WR Boyd Dowler Enjoyed His Best Game: The Second Half
The Packers managed the only score in the third quarter. Again, it was Dowler coming up big. Starr tricked Alexander again with a great play fake and Dowler sped past the rookie. The result was a 50-yard touchdown pass that put the Packers ahead 21-14.
“Alexander’s a pretty good little back,” Dowler said. “But you can’t play that position as a rookie and not get sucked in some times.”
Taylor, who gained 59 yards on 23 carries to surpass 1,000 yards on the season, liked the way the threat of the run set up the long bombs to Dowler. “They were practically playing an 11-man line to stop our rushing,” Taylor told reporters. “They were set up for the running, but that set up the touchdown passes.”
The 49ers managed a field goal in the fourth quarter to pull to within four points, but the Packers defense closed out the game and Green Bay won it 21-17.
Dowler finished the game with eight catches for a career-high 188 yards and two touchdowns. Starr completed 17-of-27 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns.
The Packers were not penalized in the game while the 49ers had just one penalty for five yards.
The Aftermath
The Packers had to wait for the Lions and Bears to play the next day. The team wouldn’t be able to watch the game as they were flying back to Green Bay at that time.
Dowler was glad the Packers couldn’t watch the Bears game. “I’d go nuts,” Dowler said. “I don’t think
we’d help them [the Lions] much by watching.”
“I won my game,” Lombardi said. “Now let George Halas and the Bears worry about winning theirs.” When asked about the unexpectedly close score, Lombardi simply responded, “We played well enough to win.”
The Packers didn’t get the help they needed from the Lions. The Bears beat them 24-14 and the Packers missed the title game despite going 11-2-1 on the season. Both losses were to the Bears who finished 11-1-2 and went on to defeat the New York Giants to win Halas’ final title.
Lombardi also put to rest rumors he would be leaving Green Bay after the season to take the job at Notre Dame. He called the rumors, “wild” and added, “I’ll be back with the Packers next year.” He was.
Dowler enjoyed a career game, and the Packers did all they could, but they had to settle for a berth in the Playoff Bowl which was played between the two second place teams in the 1960s. The Packers crushed the Cleveland Browns 40-23.
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