The 1958 NFL Championship and “The Greatest Game Ever Played” – TBT #24
It’s December 28th, 1958. The Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants are playing in the 26th NFL Championship Game at the Yankee Stadium in New York City. Both teams had a 9-3 record at the end of the season. This was the fifth winning season in a row for the team from New York, and they even won the 1956 NFL Championship title. Regarding the Colts, this was their second winning season in a row.
The Colts and the Giants have numerous star players, but the ones who stand out are Charlie Conerly (Giants) and Johnny Unitas (Colts).
There are 64,185 fans in attendance, and millions of people watch the broadcast of this game on their TVs.
Referee Ron Gibbs blows the whistle, and Colts’ Bert Rechichar kicks the ball for the 1958 NFL Championship game to start. The first quarter game ends with 3-0 in favor of the Giants thanks to Sumerall’s 36-yard field goal. The second quarter starts, and the Colts look better than the Giants. The team from Baltimore ends the quarter with a 14-3 lead at half-time.
The third quarter is underway. Mel Tripplet scores a 1-yard run, and reduces Colt’s lead to 14-10. Then came the 4th quarter. The Giants take a 17-14 lead early in the quarter, thanks to Gifford’s 15-yard touchdown pass from Conerly. Despite losing their lead, the Colts aren’t giving up so easily. With 7 seconds left on the clock, Colts’ Myhra scores a sensational 20-yard field goal and sends the NFL Championship game into a historic sudden-death overtime, the first ever.
The New York Giants win the coin toss, and overtime starts. Unfortunately, the Giants went three-and-out, and the ball was now in the Colts’ possession. Their star player, Unitas, led the Colts 80 yards through the Yankee field in 13 plays. Alan Ameche gave the final blow to the Giants when he scored a 1-yard touchdown run and won the first NFL Championship for the Baltimore Colts.
The 1958 NFL Championship Game was later named “The Greatest Game Ever Played” because of the excitement that it brought to football fans and the fact that the NFL’s popularity skyrocketed after it.
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Featured image taken from YouTube.