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NFL Championship Game, 1958

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The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League (NFL) game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since become widely known as The Greatest Game Ever Played. The game was the 26th annual NFL championship game.

The game marked the beginning of the NFL's popularity surge, and eventual rise to the top of the United States sports market. A major reason was that the game was televised across the nation by NBC . Colts receiver Raymond Berry recorded 12 receptions for 178 yards and a touchdown. His 12 receptions are a championship record that stands to this day.

Game summary

After the Giants scored first late in the first quarter with Pat Summerall's 36-yard field goal, a second quarter fumble by New York running back Frank Gifford set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Colts running back Alan Ameche. Gifford fumbled again later in the second quarter, and Baltimore converted that turnover into another touchdown with quarterback Johnny Unitas' 15-yard pass to end Raymond Berry to make the score 14-3 by halftime.

Then early in the third quarter, the Colts reached the New York 1-yard line. But on third down, Ameche was stopped for no gain, and the Colts turned it over on downs after Ameche was tackled at the 5-yard line on a fourth down halfback option play. The Giants then marched 95-yards, scoring on a 1 yard touchdown run by Mel Triplett to cut the score, 14-10.

The Giants then went ahead early in the fourth quarter with Gifford's 15-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Charlie Conerly. But with about two minutes left in the game, the Colts took over at their own 14-yard line and moved the ball all the way to the Giants 13-yard line to set up a 20-yard tying field goal by kicker Steve Myhra with seven seconds left to send the game into overtime—the first overtime game in NFL History. As Unitas later stated, the players had never heard of overtime before the game. “When the game ended in a tie, we were standing on the sidelines waiting to see what came next. All of a sudden, the officials came over and said, ‘Send the captain out. We’re going to flip a coin to see who will receive.’ That was the first we heard of the overtime period.”

In overtime, the Giants received the opening kickoff but were forced to punt. On their ensuing drive, the Colts drove 80 yards in 13 plays and scored on Ameche's 1-yard touchdown run to win the game, 23-17.

Scoring summary

  • NYG - FG Summerall 36
  • BAL - Ameche 2 run (Myhra kick)
  • BAL - Berry 15 pass from Unitas (Myhra kick)
  • NYG - Triplett 1 run (Summerall kick)
  • NYG - Gifford 15 pass from Conerly (Summerall kick)
  • BAL - FG Myhra 20
  • BAL - Ameche 1 run

Players in the Hall of Fame

As of 2007, 12 players and 3 coaches that were involved in this game are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They are:

New York Giants

Baltimore Colts

See also

References



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Last updated on Sunday March 09, 2008 at 10:34:36 PDT (GMT -0700)
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