| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 23 – December 18, 1960 |
| East Champions | Philadelphia Eagles |
| West Champions | Green Bay Packers |
| Championship Game | |
| Champions | Philadelphia Eagles |
The 1960 NFL season was the 41st regular season of the National Football League.
Before the season, on January 26th, 33-year-old Pete Rozelle, the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams, was elected NFL commissioner as a compromise choice on the twenty-third ballot.[1][2] Meanwhile, the league expanded to 13 teams on January 28th with the addition of the Dallas Cowboys, with a fourteenth team, the Minnesota Vikings, to start in 1961.[3][4][5][6] Also, on March 13th, the Cardinals relocated from Chicago to St. Louis and became the St. Louis Cardinals,[7][8][9] the same moniker as the National League baseball club.
In the championship game, the host Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers by four points at Franklin Field.[10][11][12][13] Two years earlier in 1958, both teams had finished in last place in their respective conferences, combining for only three wins. This loss was Vince Lombardi's only post-season defeat as an NFL head coach. Following this loss in 1960, Lombardi's Packers won five NFL championship games in seven years, and easily won the first two Super Bowls.
The NFL introduced the Playoff Bowl, a game for third place between the runners-up from each division. Played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, after the NFL Championship game, it benefitted the players' pension fund. The Detroit Lions played the Cleveland Browns in the inaugural game and the Lions won by a point,[14] the first of three straight wins by Detroit in the series.
The two-time defending league champion Baltimore Colts led the Western Division after their bye in week 9 but lost the last four games to finish at .500 and fourth in the West. The New York Giants, winners of the Eastern Division the previous two seasons, won only one of their final five games and finished third in the East.
During this season, the American Football League (AFL) was launched as a competitor to the NFL. The two leagues co-existed for the entire 1960s, agreed to a merger in 1966, and became one combined league in 1970.
- ^ "Rams' Rozelle, 33, elected NFL boss". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 27, 1960. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ "Rams' Pete Rozelle, 33, elected NFL czar". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 27, 1960. p. 16.
- ^ "Dallas 'in'; Twin Cities '61 NFL entry". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. January 29, 1960. p. 3, part 2.
- ^ "Dallas and Twin Cities get NFL franchises; AFL declares war". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. January 29, 1960. p. 11, part 2.
- ^ "Dallas, Twin Cities gain entry to NFL". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. Associated Press. January 29, 1960. p. 17.
- ^ "Franchise tickles Tex". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. Associated Press. January 29, 1960. p. 17.
- ^ "National Football League's Cards to move to St. Louis". Ocala Star-Banner. Florida. Associated Press. March 14, 1960. p. 8.
- ^ "Chicago Cardinals to move to St. Louis this season". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 14, 1960. p. 11.
- ^ "St. Louis-bound Cardinals Chicago's oldest grid pros". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Chicago Tribune press service. March 15, 1960. p. 11.
- ^ Lea, Bud (December 27, 1960). "Eagles win NFL title". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 1.
- ^ "Eagles rally once again". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. December 27, 1960. p. 13.
- ^ Kuechle, Oliver E. (December 27, 1960). "Eagles beat Packers for title, 17-13". Milwaukee Journal. p. 14, paft 2.
- ^ "Eagles win NFL title with 17 to 13 victory". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. December 27, 1960. p. 2.
- ^ "Blocked kick wins for Lions, 17-16". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 8, 1961. p. 1, section 2.