Green Bay Packers running back Jim Taylor was one of the best fullbacks ever to play the game. The LSU alum was second all-time in career in rushing yards at the time of his retirement after the 1967 season. Taylor spent nine seasons with the Packers from 1958-1966 and put together five consecutive seasons with 1,000 or more yards rushing from 1960-1964. Taylor liked to deliver punishment rather than receiving it when he was running with the football. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976. Today, we look back at the last regular-season 100-yard rushing game by Jim Taylor with the Packers, a big fourth quarter comeback win over the Vikings in Minnesota.
Remembering Jim Taylor’s Last 100-Yard Game with the Packers: The Buildup
The 1965 Packers were eager to return to championship play. After winning titles in 1961 and 1962, Vince Lombardi’s team had two consecutive second-place finishes. The Packers got off to a strong start and entered this Week 10 meeting with a 7-2 mark. The Pack won their first six games before dropping back-to-back games against the Bears and Lions before bouncing back with a 6-3 home win over the Rams. Now they headed to Bloomington to face Norm Van Brocklin’s Vikings.
The Packers offense was slumping. In their last four games, they scored a total of 36 points, although their strong defense helped them win two of those contests.
The Vikings entered the game with a surprising 5-4 record. They fell to the Colts 41-21 the previous week, ending their three-game winning streak. This season was a big step forward for the team and quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
The Packers needed this game to keep pace with the Colts who held first place with an 8-1 record. Minnesota needed the win to try to keep their division hopes alive and to secure a winning season. Beating a perennial contender like the Packers would be a big boost to their chances.
A Sloppy First Half
The Vikings moved the ball on their first drive with Tarkenton scrambling for 24 yards on the first play from scrimmage. The Vikings drove inside the Packers 10. On third-and-goal, Doug Hart intercepted Tarkenton in the end zone, but the pick was nullified because the Packers were offsides putting the ball on the Green Bay one. The Packers defense held, stuffing both running back Bill Brown and Tarkenton out of the end zone. The Packers took over on downs.
“I think that took an awful lot out of them and gave us a big lift,” Lombardi said. “Coming right back and stopping them on two shots at the line is a tribute to our defense. A score could have changed things a bit.”
But Boyd Dowler fumbled a few plays later and Minnesota took over at the Green Bay 28. The Packers defense again held and the Vikings settled for a 34-yard field goal by Fred Cox. Green Bay trailed 3-0.
The Packers responded immediately. Bart Starr led the Pack on an eight-play, 77-yard drive. The key play was a 38-yard run by Starr on a 4th-and-1 from the Green Bay 44. Two plays later, Starr found Carroll Dale on a 15-yard touchdown toss and the Packers led 7-3.
The teams traded field goals with Don Chandler connecting from 36 yards out and Cox from 27. A Willie Davis sack prevented the Vikings from scoring a touchdown on that drive. The Packers led 10-6 at halftime.
Remembering Jim Taylor’s Last 100-Yard Game with the Packers: The Packers Fall Behind
The Vikings moved the ball on their first drive of the second half but linebacker Dave Robinson intercepted Tarkenton at the Green Bay 36 to end that threat. The next time Minnesota took possession, the Vikings went on an eight-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Paul Flatley. The Packers were behind 13-10 after three quarters.
A Fourth Quarter Explosion
In the fourth quarter, the Packers took control of the game. It started with Taylor who ran twice for 21 yards on the initial possession of the quarter. The drive ended when Starr found Dowler on a 47-yard bomb for a touchdown.
Then the Packers defense stepped up. They forced Bill Brown to fumble and Ray Nitschke recovered the loose ball in mid-air at the Minnesota 32 and ran it back to the Vikings 14. Starr took five plays to get the Pack into the end zone as Elijah Pitts scored on a two-yard touchdown run. The Packers led 24-13.
On the Vikings next drive, linebacker Lee Roy Caffey forced Brown to fumble again, and Hart scooped up the ball and returned it 20 yards for another touchdown. The Packers were now ahead 31-13.
Hart said scoring was “quite a thrill. It was a good day for the defense, but the Vikings helped with those fumbles. We started hitting pretty hard right then, especially our linebackers, so maybe we forced them.”
“You make your own breaks,” Nitschke added. “It was the best complete game for us. It took a long time for us to jell, but we have now.”
Starr closed out the scoring late in the fourth quarter with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Bob Long. The Packers won the game going away, 38-13. The Packers scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to win the game.
Remembering Jim Taylor’s Last 100-Yard Game with the Packers: The Aftermath
Lombardi was pleased with his team’s strong finish and that the offense bounced back after four subpar games. “The big difference was having Bart Starr and Jim Taylor going good together,” Lombardi told reporters. “When Starr’s getting protection for his passing and Taylor is running like he did today, we can move the ball well. The two of them together are something.”
Starr credited the defense for the win and the turnaround. They forced six turnovers and scored a touchdown. “Our defense deserves a lot of credit,” he said. “They held us together the last four weeks and today when they got us the ball, we were able to do something about it.”
Taylor, who played through an ankle injury first half of the season, finished the game with 111 yards rushing on 25 carries. He was quick to credit his blockers. “We were coming off the ball real good. The timing was there and the guys opened some tremendous holes over the tackles,” he said.
This was the 26th and final 100-yard rushing game of his career. He fell short of a thousand-yard season in 1965, gaining 734 yards for the year.
The Packers finished the season 10-3-1 and tied with the Colts for the Western title. They defeated Baltimore in overtime in a thrilling playoff game before beating the Browns 23-12 in the NFC title game.
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