| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Date | December 31, 1961 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Paul Hornung (Halfback/Kicker; Green Bay) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Green Bay by 3+1⁄2 points[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | George Rennix | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 39,029 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Lindsey Nelson, Chris Schenkel | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Ray Scott, Jim Leaming | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1961 NFL Championship Game was the 29th title game. It was played on December 31 at "New" City Stadium, later known as Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with an attendance of 39,029.[2][3][4]
The contest was touted as "The Million Dollar Game," owing to the $600,000 in television broadcast rights paid to the NFL by NBC combined with a $400,000 gate to be generated through a projected sale of 40,000 tickets at the unitary price of $10 per seat regardless of location in the stadium.[5]
The game was a match-up of the Eastern Conference champion New York Giants (10–3–1) and the Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers (11–3).[6] The home team Packers were a 3+1⁄3-point favorite.[1] Packers Ray Nitschke, Boyd Dowler, and Paul Hornung, were on leave from the U.S. Army.[1] Hornung scored 19 points (a touchdown, three field goals, and four extra points)[7] for the Packers and was named the MVP of the game, and awarded a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette from Sport magazine.[8]
The victory was the first of five NFL titles won in a seven-season span by the Packers and their head coach, Vince Lombardi. It was the Packers' seventh league title and their first in 17 years.
- ^ a b c "Favored Green Bay meets Gotham in title battle today". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 31, 1961. p. 4, sports.
- ^ Lea, Bud (January 1, 1962). "Packers World Champions!". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1M.
- ^ "Facts and figures". Milwaukee Sentinel. January 1, 1962. p. 1S.
- ^ Strickler, George (January 1, 1962). "Green Bay 37, New York 0!". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, part 6.
- ^ Lindsey Nelson, "NBC Pregame Telecast," (video), 1:30 mark.
- ^ Maule, Tex (January 8, 1962). "Day of devastation". Sports Illustrated. p. 12.
- ^ "'Soldier' Hornung leads driving Packers to 37–0 humiliation of New York Giants". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 1, 1962. p. 14.
- ^ "Private planes typify Hornung". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. January 4, 1962. p. 14, part 2.