08-25-2016, 04:46 PM
(08-24-2016, 10:48 PM)bengalguy71 Wrote: Anyone old enough here, to say they saw the Bengals, and Greg Cook, play at Nippert Stadium?
Anybody old enough here, that was a Browns fan, the only Ohio team back then, BEFORE the Bengals came to town in 1968?
Yeah, I'm old enough, pretty old. Last of The Mohicans....But let me talk some Nippert....John Stoffa at QB, but fans yelling, " Put in the Swamp Rat " . That was Dewey Warren...The QB from 1968 that hung around the longest was third string Sam Wyche. .......I remember THE CACTUS COMET taking off on those sweeps in 1968. Paul Robinson, AFL Rookie OF THE YEAR and him saying, " All Right !!! ". .....THey played the Chiefs close but Raiders just destroyed us as did the Jets. Patriots destroyed us. Of course there was Paul Brown in that suit and hat. There was this big coach that was bald and huge named Bass.
I was 14 in 1969 and the signs all over Nippert saying THINGS GO BETTER WITH COOK...Stealing the soda pop Coke slogan.....Other names such as Bob Trumpy and this monster middle linebacker named Bergey who was like Butkis of the Bears. Sadly Paul Robinson had injuries. Greg Cook was AFL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR but sadly he had injuries. So our 1968 and 1969 AFL Rookies OF The Years had injuries. ....Early in season Bengals beat the Chiefs and Chiefs walking off field were throwing and kicking their helmets. They would go on to win Super Bowl that year, and they were really ticked off they lost to Bengals. Later in season Bengals beat the heck out of The Raiders who had been beating the heck out of us. That was a huge win. Things did go better with Cook.
One more memory of Nippert was the numbers on the bench seats. Well, there were some really fat people in our section. I was 14. The family to my right would show up late for the game every game. Then they would give me a hard time for being in their seats. At 14, there wasn't much I could say to them. I don't know why they didn't confront my dad, just me. They were positive I had no ticket and no reason being there. Meantime the game had started and I was trying to watch the game. They said what a terrible kid I was. After one game they threw a pop at me. I do not know why they never got an usher or why they never talked to my dad. I hated that family. People behind us would tell them to shut up and sit down and leave me alone. THey always showed up late for the game......I was so glad Riverfront had seats.....The Nippert benches with seat numbers were a problem because some peoples rear ends took up 2 or 3 numbers. Being 14 and around 140 lbs, it was not my fault. .......Other memories of Nippert was the Bengals receiver catching a TD pass and at the end of the end zone was a brick wall. He went down like a sack of potatoes, out rest of season, could have killed him. Not a good AFL or NFL stadium because of that darn brick wall.
One last memory, some guys that showed up to see this new team and yelled out, " They may look like the Browns, but they sure don't play like the Browns "....People told them to shut up....One more reason beating the Browns the next year, Paul Brown carried off the field, and then winning the AFC Central over Cleveland was extra great, for Paul Brown and all Bengals Fans. That was indeed Leroy Kelly and the Browns who went to the NFL Championship Game about every year. That was indeed huge the new upstart Bengals won the AFC Central their first year in the NFL, beating out The Browns. No Greg Cook, but Virgil Carter played tough and Paul Robinson got healthy and played like he did in 1968. Bergey and the defense was tough. Mike Reid was new. Parrish and Riley at the corners. Horst....The 1970 season started so bad, but then the team just got hot, what a second half to the season. Carter had stepped up and Paul Robinson was back. Trumpy one of the best TE's of his era.....I think I still like carrying the coach off the field more than dumping iced down gatoraide on him. They only got carried off after huge wins, but it was great.
Certainly I remember Crosley Field also....the worst being finding out your seats were behind a poll, they actually had seats right behind polls. ...I wasn't to big of a fan of the parking lot and local youth wanting money to watch dads car. He never paid them. It was more of a threat, like they would ruin your car if you don't pay them....but so much nice about Crosley. The best was the big grill as you walked in. Dad always had to have grilled brats and hot dogs right away. One time TV's Kenny Price was next to me pounding down hot dogs. The Round Mound Of Sound could Pound Down some hot dogs. Another time I looked over and there was Pete Rose waiting for an elevator, his hand in a cast, his 1968 injury. I looked at him and he looked at me, I didn't know what to say to him. You could get autographs after the game as they left the locker room, that was great. Crosley was great. The food prices were nothing like today. A kid like me could cut grass and such, and with that money have more than enough for the food and pop prices back then.
1968 Bengal Fan
