as their head coach. Although Wismer was prone to hyperbole, in this case he told the truth: New York had persuaded former Redskins star quarterback and punter Sammy Baugh to be its coach. Since his retirement as a player, Baugh had coached at tiny Hardin–Simmons University, where he built a strong football program that sent a team to the 1958 Sun Bowl. Before appearing at the press conference, Baugh demanded his entire salary of $20,000 for 1960, in cash. The Titans accommodated him. Wismer sought a place for his team to play, but was only able to secure the decrepit Polo Grounds, which had been without a major tenant since the departure of the New York Giants baseball team in 1957. The stadium stood on the northern tip of Manhattan, across the Harlem River from Yankee Stadium, where the New York Giants NFL team played. Baugh invited some 100 players to the Titans' first training camp, which opened at the University of New Hampshire on July 9, 1960. As NFL teams cut players from their training camps, many were invited to the Titans' or other AFL teams' training camps as the teams sought to fill their 35-man rosters. The franchise's first preseason game took place on August 6, 1960, against the Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Titans kicked off to begin the game, and Chargers running back Paul Lowe returned the kick 105 yards for a touchdown. New York lost, 27–7. On September 11, 1960, the opening regular season game was played in a heavy downpour, the remains of Hurricane Diana. Water poured off Coogan's Bluff, situated above the Polo Grounds, swamping the field, which had poor drainage. The Titans' offense was less affected by the mud than that of the visiting Buffalo Bills. The Titans won the game 27–3 before a crowd of 9,607 (5,727 paid attendance). The following week New York played another home game, against the Boston Patriots. On the first of many occasions when the team would lose a game after taking a big lead, the Titans were ahead 24–7 in the second half. With the lead reduced to 24–21, the Titans punted from deep in their own territory with seconds left. The punter, Rick Sapienza, fumbled the snap, and the Patriots recovered in the end zone for the victory. The following week, with the Titans playing at the Denver Broncos, New