Football Follies, 1959

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Melissa Kean

This from the HMRC is the only known photograph of Jess Neely goofing around:

Even more astonishing is line coach “Bloody Joe” Davis as the holder.

(That’s backfield coach Cecil Grigg, who has managed to retain more of his dignity, at left.)

Bonus:

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5 Responses to Football Follies, 1959

  1. C Kelly says:
    April 12, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    The grass on the field looks like a putting green. The first thing that struck me as a young child going to football games — especially night games under the bright lights at collegiate stadiums – was the brilliant green of the playing surface with clean white chalk lines across them. It was overwhelming. The next thing, once the game started, was crowd noise. I was overwhelmed by the whole experience, but never frightened. I was a fan from that point on. (My first big game that I remember was the Arkansas-A&M game at Kyle Field in October 1956. I was 6-years old.)

    Reply
  2. Galloway Hudson - Wiess '60 says:
    April 12, 2019 at 7:44 pm

    You really know how to hurt a guy, Melissa. The 1959 season was during my senior year, and Rice won a total of one game, which they should have lost, 2-0. Gordon Speer returned a punt for a touchdown on a miserable cold and windy day, but a clip by Rice was not called. Gordon also punted a ball straight up that went backwards for a safety, and he kicked Rice’s extra point. His favorite football story is that he scored all of the points in that game.

    Reply
  3. Nancy Burch says:
    April 13, 2019 at 9:49 am

    Three great men. Coach Grigg sometimes joined us for coffee in the RMC. He had some great stories of his pro career. I visited him in the hospital toward the end of his life.

    Reply
  4. Randy Brint says:
    April 15, 2019 at 1:18 pm

    Coach Griggs played with the great Jim Thorpe.

    Reply
    • Grungy1973 says:
      January 4, 2024 at 12:35 am

      When and where?
      I tried to find overlap in their playing careers, and they appeared to have just missed each other. The records could be wrong.
      Playing with Grigg might be one of the reasons why Thorpe’s signature is on the Coaches Table in the R-Room.

      Reply

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