By Jim Dunne

The 1949 season continued with a battle of unbeaten and unscored-upon teams. Norwich had won its first two games by 34-0 and 27-0, and Little Falls had beaten the Syracuse Indians 25-0 and Amsterdam 14-0. The year before, the teams had split, with Little Falls winning at Norwich 13-7, and Norwich winning at Little Falls 20-19. They would play home-and-home again in 1949, and the battles promised to be as close as before. Norwich would have 3 players back for the first contest: Don Crittenden, Bernie Thompson, and Bill Crawley. All had played for the Purple Tornado, Crittenden as quarterback in ’45-’47, Thompson as guard in ’39-’40, and Crawley as end in ’41-’43 as well as with the Y Giants in the first two seasons. In addition, Loren VanSteinburg joined the squad for the first time. It was announced that Little Falls, a 6-point favorite, would be bringing 4 busloads of fans to balance the Alumni Field crowd. Once again we defer to the account of the Grantland Rice of Norwich, Perry Browne:

Inspired by the superb performances of Bud Seaman, Mike Rotundo and Coach Bob Crittenden, the Norwich Y Giants white-washed Little Falls, 21–0, at Alumni field Sunday before a roaring throng of 1600 persons. One of the largest crowds in several years saw a spine-tingling game and watched the Crittenden forces roll to victory number 3 and remain unbeaten, untied and unscored upon. Little Falls’ dream of a similar record was smashed to smithereens by a fighting, hard-charging, never-say-die outfit of Norwich men.
The Giants scored with electrifying suddenness when Little Falls failed to down VanDeusen’s game-opening kickoff and alert John Kelly fell on the ball in the end zone for a Norwich touchdown, the easiest the Giants will make this season. Palmer’s conversion made it 7–0 before many of the large throng had a chance to get seated. The score remained that until the final period of play when the classy Norwich aerial attack reaped dividends with Coach Crittenden pitching a pair of touchdown passes to Bud Seaman. Bob Palmer’s expert toe added 2 more perfect placements for a final of 21–0.
Norwich fans have seen the Giants in many outstanding performances but the one Sunday unquestionably ranks with the best the fans have seen or are likely to witness. These boys have made gridiron history for both NHS and the Giants and Sunday they added a chapter that will rate high in the record books. The Giants, whose code knows only the meaning of the word victory, fought superbly against a larger team and proved that conditioning, speed and brains are able to offset brawn.
Few of the 1600 fans ever witnessed a greater exhibition of line play than they did Sunday as they watched Mike Rotundo, dynamic Norwich guard, wreck the foe constantly. Rotundo contributed one of the most outstanding guard performances seen on the ancient plains of Alumni, and all were singing his praises as they filed from the park. Also high on the list of Norwich favorites as a result of Sunday’s game is Bud Seaman. The flashy speedster snared two passes and raced across for a pair of touchdowns. In addition, Coach Crittenden proved that he is without question king of play-callers. Crittenden’s leadership, ingenuity, and passing were major factors in the Norwich triumph. The roll of honor is a long one, and in addition to the three already mentioned includes: Harold “Babe” Barnes (defensive end without peer), high-stepping mail-toters Ray Clark and Burt Palmatier, steady dependable men such as John Kelly and Bob Conron, defensive standouts Sam DiNoto and George Echentile, and many others. Another great exhibition of pass-catching was given by Don McGraw, who maintained his right to the title of “king of the southern tier pass receivers.”

Browne continues with his usual play-by-play account, and concludes:
There may be a better football team in the section but one would have trouble convincing any Norwich fan of that fact today following Sunday’s masterful exhibition by their favorites. A great team is the stamp being applied by the fans throughout the city and loud are the praises being sung. The unconquered Y Giants will bid for victory number 4 next Sunday when the strong Oneonta town team invades Alumni field.

The praise may seem exaggerated, but Perry Browne was not given to careless hyperbole, as will be seen at the beginning of the 1950 season. The Oneonta game saw a record set for points scored, as the Y Giants prevailed, 47-0, to maintain their unscored-upon status. The game started out with a surprise, as kicker Plumb Palmer and holder Jim Kennedy switched roles for the opening kickoff. Kennedy, as some may remember, stood not much over 4’, and was a source of inspiration for the rest of the team. He got off a kick that went about 30 yards, and he came off the field to a great ovation from the fans. Highlights of the game were 3 touchdowns scored by Jim Kelly, a pass interception returned for a score by Fred Mirabito, 3 interceptions by Buddy Seaman, and an excellent performance at quarterback by Don Crittenden.
Serious injuries to two of Norwich’s star players were an unfortunate result of the Oneonta game. John Kelly suffered an ankle injury that caused him to miss the next three games of the 1949 season. The most devastating blow, not only to the fortunes of the Y Giants team but to the player as well, was a knee injury to the great pass-receiver, Don McGraw. Thought at first not to be serious, the injury resulted in a headline in the Sun on the following Saturday that read, Y Giants to Play Without Services of Don McGraw. The game on Sunday was against the Endicott North Side Social Club at En-Joie Park. The mis-named Social Club had accounted for one of Norwich’s two losses in 1948, and was undefeated in 1949, with five wins on their belt. Norwich went down to defeat, 14-2, averting a shutout when George Echentile blocked an Endicott punt and the punter recovered the ball in his end zone for a safety. In addition, good showings were recorded on offense by Buddy Seaman and on defense by 140-pound guard Mike Rotundo. “Fumble-itis” was blamed for the Norwich loss, but the most telling quote from the Sun’s account read, “Norwich sorely missed the services of Don McGraw and John Kelly, and as the game developed it became apparent that the price of that Oneonta triumph was too high.”
Kelly returned after two more absences, but as the season went on, McGraw’s name did not appear in the starting line-up or in the list of substitutes who played. In fact, his football career was over, the victim of an open-field cross-body block which was legal at the time but has since been outlawed. Because of his height, McGraw’s knees were particularly vulnerable. Don McGraw was an imposing man physically, standing more than 6’ 4” and having long arms and a handsome visage. According to the men who played with him, he had “soft” hands and could catch any ball thrown near him. More than once, Perry Browne dubbed him “the undisputed king of the pass-catchers.”
The tragedy of his knee injury, however, had less to do with his football career than it did with his baseball career. He was, after all, the cousin of John J. McGraw.
Part 9 of this 15-part series will appear in Thursday’s Evening Sun.