Today's Tidbit... 1963 Ford Football Tele-Viewer - Punt, Pass & Kick

I enjoy vintage composite football schedules and brochures and own a number of them. Besides the fabulous period graphics in each, most were pocket-sized, so the designers jammed the maximum amount of information into the limited space. Of course, no one had access to the internet then, and newspapers did not always provide the information fans wanted. So, the vision was to create handy brochures providing vital information about the coming season and available only at a local retailer.

Under those conditions, the Ford Motor Company published a dealer giveaway before the 1963 NFL season, which may have set the high-water mark for these brochures. It is 8 x 11 inches with period-gorgeous cover artwork, dominated in blue, though not the darker Ford Blue. But it is what's inside that matters.

The brochure has so much great information it will require Today's Tidbit, Tomorrow's Tidbit, and the Day After Tomorrow's Tidbit to cover appropriately. Today, we will look at pages 2 and 3, which cover the Punt, Pass & Kick contest which began in 1961. At the time, Ford was a national sponsor of the NFL national television broadcasts, so the Ford dealers nationwide sponsoring the Punt, Pass & Kick contest was a natural. The contest required parents to sign up their kids at the local Ford dealer, though the ads specifically encourage kids to bring their dads.