Today in Patriots History
Willie Germany
One of five Morgan State Pats
Happy 78th birthday to Willie Germany
Born May 9, 1948 in Columbus, Georgia; hometown Ellicott City, Maryland
Patriot safety, 1976; uniform #29
Acquired in a trade with the Oilers on September 24, 1976, for a sixth round draft pick
Pats résumé: one season, ten games
Willie James Germany Jr. was originally a seventh round draft pick out of Morgan State by Washington in 1971. A year later he was traded to Atlanta, who traded him to Detroit after one season, who then traded him to Philadelphia the following year. After the Eagles waived him in 1974, he went cross town and signed with the Philadelphia Bell of the WFL. The Houston Oilers signed him in the 1975 offseason before trading him the following year to the Patriots, in what would be the final stop of his pro football career.
Hat Tip to Pape for finding the only Willie Germany photo I know of.
I did laugh, however, when Google Lens claimed the guy in the foreground was Goldie Sellers, not Steve Grogan
Willie Germany appeared in ten games for the Patriots in 1976 as a backup defensive back and special teamer. One year earlier he had started for Houston in the season opener at Foxboro. That game was played in a 16-punt torrential downpour, and Germany scored the only touchdown of the day, on a 48-yard fumble return as the Oilers defeated the Pats 7-0.
FOXBORO, Mass., Sept. 21 —The New England Patriots, who spent most of last week on strike, lost their opening game to the Houston Oilers, 7-0, today. But their walkout, which ended late Thursday afternoon, had less to do with the outcome of the game than rain, which first came down in volume at the start of the second quarter and continued to the end of the contest.
By the time the rain began the Oilers had their winning touchdown, scored by Willie Germany in the fifth minute. Germany, the strong safety, recovered a fumble by Mack Herron that bounced into his hands while he was going full tilt, and he raced 48 yards into the New England end zone. “I was running for my life,” he said. But there were no Patriots around threatening his well being.
This play was about all that happened. The two teams sloshed around in the water, which collected on the artificial turf, and the defenses were way ahead of the offenses.
The strike action was in the background. One wet paper sign, attached to the wall at the base of the stands, read, “Go Pats. Beat the Scabs.” The reference was to the Oilers, who had voted, 43-0, not to strike after their owner, Bud Adams, had assured them they would be paid tomorrow even if there was no game today.
Apart from the sign, it was merely another football game and a dull one. Chuck Fairbanks, the Patriots' coach, was asked about the effect of the strike on his players' performance. “It's hard for me to say. They were mentally alert. They played hard. They were emotionally ready. Houston didn't do any better. Under the conditions it was tough to execute. The players had dishpan hands. It was hard to grip the ball.”
Because Jim Plunkett, the Patriots' peerless passer, is out with a shoulder separation, Neil Graff played quarterback for New England. Graff, whose past record showed one pass attempt and one completion in regular season play, did all right in the estimate of his coach. But he could not make the big play, which is the mark of Plunkett.
Graff said that the short rehearsal period was not a handicap. “I was mentally prepared to play the game,” he said. “It's just that conditions were so bad.”
He completed 10 of 18 pass attempts for 95 yards but none was for long yardage. Houston's Dan Pastorini, an established long passer, completed only 6 of 16 for 53 yards.
STATISTICS OF THE GAME
......................................................................Oilers...................................Patriots
First downs...............................................7............................................17
Rushing yardage....................................33-116................................52-179
Passing yardage.....................................53.........................................100
Passes.........................................................6-16.....................................12-24
Interceptions by.....................................1............................................1
Punts...........................................................9-39.....................................7-46
Fumbles lost.............................................0...........................................2
Yards penalized.......................................37.........................................28
Houston Oilers........................................7....0....0....0....— 7
New England Patriots...........................0....0....0....0....— 0
Hou.—Germany, 48, fumble recovery (Butler, kick). Attendance—54,212.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHES—Hous.: Hardeman, 18 attempts for 96 yards; Willis, 5 for 15; Coleman, 3 for 6.
N.E.: Cunningham, 16 for 60; McQuay 20 for 47; Herron, 8 for 34.
PASSES—Hous.: Pastorini, 6 completions of 16 attempts for 54 yards.
N.E. Graff, 10 of 18 for 95; Grogan, 2 of 6 for 21.
RECEPTIONS—Hous.: Johnson, 3 for 32; Burrough, 1 for 13; Holmes, 1 for 5; Coleman, 1 for 3.
N.E.: Cunningham, 7 for 55; Vataha, 2 for 27; Francis, 1 for 15; McQuay, 1 for 13; Herron, 1 for 6.
Willie Germany also had a role in one of the most
famous infamous games in Patriot franchise history. He teamed with **** Conn to successfully defend a desperation pass thrown by Ken Stabler that momentarily appeared to clinch a Pats victory over Oakland in the 1976 playoff game. While Patriot fans and players celebrated, Ben Dreith belatedly threw a flag on Ray Hamilton for a blatantly bogus roughing the passer penalty, and the rest is history...
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