1960 NFL Championship Game

1960 NFL Championship Game
DateDecember 26, 1960
StadiumFranklin Field,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MVPNorm Van Brocklin (Quarterback; Philadelphia)
Attendance67,325
TV in the United States
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersLindsey Nelson, Ray Scott
Radio in the United States
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersJack Whitaker, Blaine Walsh
Philadelphia  is located in the United States
Philadelphia 
Philadelphia 
Philadelphia is located in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
Philadelphia

The 1960 NFL Championship Game was the 28th NFL title game, played between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles on the afternoon of Monday, December 26, at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Along with the landmark 1958 championship game, in which the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants in sudden death overtime, the 1960 NFL Championship Game between the Packers and Eagles is considered a seminal game in professional football history.

The game marked the lone playoff defeat for Packers coach Vince Lombardi before his Packers team established a dynasty that won five NFL championships, including its first and second Super Bowls, in a span of seven seasons.[7]

The victory was the third NFL title for the Philadelphia Eagles, but it would prove to be their last for another 57 years until February 4, 2018, when the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.[8]

The American Football League was in its first season, and held its inaugural title game less than a week later. First-year NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle convinced owners to move the league's headquarters from Philadelphia to New York City, and with Congressional passage of the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, received an antitrust exemption that allowed the league to negotiate a common broadcasting network representing all of its teams, helping cement football's ascendancy as a national sport.[7]

This was the second and last NFL Championship Game played in Philadelphia, and the only one at Franklin Field; the previous 1948 championship game, held in a snowstorm at Shibe Park, was also won by the Eagles.

Ticket prices for the game were ten and eight dollars.[1] This was also the only year from 1958 to 1963 that did not include the New York Giants in the title game.

  1. ^ a b Strickler, George (December 26, 1960). "Packers, Eagles meet for title today". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 6.
  2. ^ Maule, Tex (January 9, 1961). "A big run wins for a big defense". Sports Illustrated. p. 40.
  3. ^ Lea, Bud (December 27, 1960). "Eagles win NFL title". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 1.
  4. ^ "Eagles rally once again". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 27, 1960. p. 13.
  5. ^ Kuechle, Oliver E. (December 27, 1960). "Eagles beat Packers for title, 17-13". Milwaukee Journal. p. 14, paft 2.
  6. ^ "Eagles win NFL title with 17 to 13 victory". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. December 27, 1960. p. 2.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYT2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "New Zealand's longest sporting droughts", New Zealand Herald, February 6, 2018. Accessed February 5, 2018. "The Philadelphia Eagles ended a 52-year title drought yesterday by claiming their debut Super Bowl crown with a 41-33 win over the New England Patriots. It was the fourth title for the Eagles franchise but first under the NFL merger with their last title coming in 1960 (Super Bowl I was seven years later)."