Remembering Alex Webster, Giants Star and Coach Alex Webster was an important part of one of New York's legendary teams, the Giants of the late "50s and early "60s. For the first time, pro football players became celebrities in the media and financial capital of the world. Webster died Saturday morning in Port St. Lucie, Fla. When the former Giants tackle Al DeRogatis went to Montreal to scout quarterback Sam Etcheverry, it was the Alouettes" powerful running back, Alex Webster, who caught his eye. "When I came back, I told the Giants that Webster was the big man they had been looking for," DeRogatis said. (Jack Cavanaugh, "Giants Among Men," Random House, 2008) Webster soon became one of the most productive and popular players in franchise history. Born and raised in Kearny, N.J., Webster starred as a single-wing tailback, defensive back and kick returner at North Carolina State (then called State College). He was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 11th round of the 1953 draft (123rd over all). Even though he had been an outstanding runner in college, the Redskins tried him exclusively in the secondary. Webster lasted until the final cut. Not fast enough to play safety, they said. Now married, and with a child on the way, Webster returned to Kearny. His friends urged him not to give up on his football career. The coach of the Alouettes, Peahead Walker, remembered Webster from competing against North Carolina State when he was the head coach at Wake Forest. Webster wrote to Walker to ask for a tryout. He made the team and in his two years in Montreal he was recognized as one of the best backs in the C.F.L. In 1954 he helped lead the Alouettes to the Grey Cup final. In 1955, Webster came home. At 6 feet 3 inches and about 225 pounds, Webster was big, strong and tough. He had a reputation as a barroom brawler and he took that attitude with him to the field. Webster didn't have great speed, but he had an explosive first step out of his stance that enabled him to hit the hole quickly. He was a slashing type of runner who enjoyed punishing defenders. Webster's reliable hands and good football intelligence made him an effective receiver out of the backfield. He had a good feel for pass coverage. Over his 10-year career in New York (1955-1964), Webster gained 4,638 yards rushing on 1,196 carries and had an additional 2,679 yards receiving on 240 catches. He scored 39 rushing touchdowns and 17 receiving touchdowns. Webster was named to the Pro Bowl in 1958 and 1961 and he was inducted into the Giants" Ring of Honor last December. Webster joined the Giants before they converted to a two wide receiver offense. In the "50s, he was usually at right halfback in a four-man backfield along with Frank Gifford at left halfback, Mel Triplett at fullback and either Charlie Conerly or Don Heinrich at quarterback. All of the backs had to run, catch and block for one another. By the early "60s, the two wide receiver, one tight end (usually in the attached position, next to the offensive tackle), two running back personnel package had become standard. With Y.A. Tittle at quarterback, Del Shofner at split end, Joe Walton at tight end and Gifford at flanker, Webster now became the starting fullback. In his rookie year, Webster led the Giants in rushing with 634 yards on 128 carries and 5 touchdowns in a 12-game schedule. The next year, in 1956, he had 694 yards rushing and 197 yards receiving and scored 10 touchdowns as the Giants won the Eastern Division, finishing 8-3-1. In the championship game against the Bears at Yankee Stadium, Webster rushed 12 times for just 27 yards but he scored two touchdowns in the second quarter as New York broke the game wide open. The Giants led, 34-7, at the half and went on to win, 47-7. It was their first title since 1938, and their last until Super Bowl 31 thirty years later. In those years, the Giants" offensive coach was Vince Lombardi and their defensive coach was Tom Landry. Today they would be called coordinators. "Vince would yell at me, and I must say I was scared of him," Webster said recently. But then, I know I was lazy at times, and Lombardi knew what he was doing. He was a great coach - the best I ever had - and I owe a lot to him. Cavanaugh That was also a time when many coaches wore jackets and ties on the sidelines. They wouldn't hesitate to light up a cigarette, either. Some of the players smoked as well, in the locker room before the game or at halftime. According to Gifford, Webster didn't bother to wait. "Alex would smoke on the bench, during games," he remembered. You'd see the smoke coming out from under the hood of his cape. (Frank Gifford, with Peter Richmond, "The Glory Game," Harper, 2008) Webster was a heavy smoker throughout most of his adult life. After winning the N.F.L. championship in 1956, the Giants won five of the next seven Eastern Division titles, but lost the championship game each time. As the years went by, the young talent was not coming along to replace New York's aging stars. Inevitably, the Giants collapsed, finishing 2-10-2 in 1964. It would be a long time in the football wilderness. Webster retired after that 1964 season. He was an assistant for two years before being named the head coach when Allie Sherman was fired after the final preseason game in 1969. The Giants were 29-40-1 in Webster's five years as coach. His two winning seasons, 9-5 in 1970 and 8-6 in 1972, were the only years the Giants finished over .500 between 1964 and 1981. In Februray 2008, Frank Gifford watched from the Maras" box in Arizona as his team, the Giants, beat the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl 42. They were led by Eli Manning, another Ole Miss quarterback, just like Charlie Conerly. As he stood amidst the confetti immediately after the game, few understood better just how far the league had come. Those Giants of the late "50s and early "60s weren't the best team in N.F.L. history, but they might have been the most important. The seeds of the spectacle we witness every fall were planted in Yankee Stadium on those Sunday afternoons long ago. With television becoming the dominant medium of communication, the drama and excitement of pro football could be experienced in the home, even if as a flickering image on a small black-and-white screen. Madison Avenue was watching, too. By the early "70s, an important cultural shift had taken place. Pro football had surpassed baseball as the nation's favorite spectator sport. Alex Webster and his teammates had been present at the creation, when the modern N.F.L. was born. Andy Barall writes about pro football history for The Fifth Down.