File Under: Joe Namath, Don Maynard, Larry Grantham, John Schmitt, Emerson Boozer, San Diego Chargers, Jim Turner
10/24 — This is the 11th in a series of Radar entries on the 16 games of the Jets' 1968 Super Bowl III season:
Sunday, Nov. 24, 1968
San Diego Stadium, San Diego, Calif. (51,175)
Four Jets interceptions stifled the Chargers’ efforts to reverse an earlier decision, and Joe Namath moved the New Yorkers into a 27-7 halftime lead they never relinquished. Jim Turner’s three field goals boosted his total to 31, passing pro football's single-season record. One of Namath’s touchdown passes, to Don Maynard for 87 yards, was the longest in club history. (Rookie in CAPS below.)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot | |
| JETS (8-3) | 10 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 37 |
| San Diego Chargers (8-3) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Qtr | Team | Scoring Play |
| 1 | NYJ | Jim Turner 13 FG |
| 1 | NYJ | Don Maynard 87 pass from Joe Namath (Turner kick) |
| 2 | NYJ | Matt Snell 3 run (Turner kick) |
| 2 | NYJ | Turner 20 FG |
| 2 | SD | Speedy Duncan 95 punt return (DENNIS PARTEE kick) |
| 2 | NYJ | Bill Mathis 19 pass from Namath (Turner kick) |
| 3 | NYJ | Turner 23 FG |
| 4 | NYJ | Mathis 1 run (Turner kick) |
| 4 | SD | Jacque MacKinnon 3 pass from John Hadl (MacKinnon pass fr. Hadl) |
Game Trivia
■ For the third time in 1968 and the seventh and final time in their time together, Maynard (166) and George Sauer (124) had 100-plus receiving yards in the same game.
■ The Jets rolled to 510 yards and outgained the Chargers by 275 yards. Both were the top figures for the Green & White in the 1968 season.
■ Leslie Herbert "Speedy" Duncan's 95-yard punt-return TD was the longest PR of his 11-year pro career and remains the longest punt-return score by an opponent in Jets franchise history.
Quotes Now
RLB Larry Grantham: “You always look at your record before your next game and try to decide where you stand in your division and what you have to do to win the division, because that’s the way you get to the playoffs. So we realized we’d better turn it on. It was a big win for us at that particular time.”
RB Emerson Boozer: “The Chargers game was about getting back in the winning column. We knew what we had to do. We just gave one away down in Oakland and we had to win in San Diego.”
C John Schmitt: “If we lost that game in San Diego, it was over. But that was the turning point.”
Quotes Then
Head coach Weeb Ewbank: “Snell is one of the best pass blockers I’ve ever seen. He’s on a level with Cookie Gilchrist and Marion Motley.”
Chargers head coach Sid Gillman: “The way Namath threw today, he could beat anybody.”
Drew Said:
Fri, October 24, 2008 - 4:47pm EDT"Hey Randy....What happened with Dan Leberfeld?? Did he get into it with Mangini? Uncle Joe??"
mike ex jet fan Said:
Fri, October 24, 2008 - 5:14pm EDT"Cont, Brad Smith .. I understand it's hard to juggle players with limited spots but he's been here & earned his stripes .. Surely be4 rookies is what I'm saying.. .Altimitly we'll end up with the same scenario as Kendell & baker .. Feel the same way about Leon but hes to good as PR-KR so I understand that logic.. Time u utilize all the guy's let them know always some1 waiting in the wings."
CaneJet Said:
Sat, October 25, 2008 - 10:09am EDT"You know a lot of the photos in the slide show aren't from 1968, right?"
Randy Lange Said:
"Yes, we do. Some are photos from other seasons of the players who were a part of the Super Bowl III team. Sorry for any confusion."
Ira Said:
Fri, October 24, 2008 - 1:24pm EDT"Randy, These old AFL games were the best. The players were almost normal sized people too. Maynard looks like a skinny little kid but he was one of the best. Loved the pics from the Yale Bowl. I remember being there for that preseason game vs the Giants. And that battle punt return was classic. Guess i am just showing my young old age."
Offensive Comment?