1963 NFL Championship Game

1963 NFL Championship Game
DateDecember 29, 1963
StadiumWrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
MVPLarry Morris (Linebacker; Chicago)
RefereeNorm Schachter
Attendance45,801
TV in the United States
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersJack Brickhouse
Chris Schenkel
George Connor
Radio in the United States
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersJim Gibbons
Pat Summerall
Wrigley Field is located in the United States
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
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Location in the United States

The 1963 NFL Championship Game was the 31st annual championship game, played on December 29 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.[1][2] The game pitted the visiting New York Giants (11–3) of the Eastern Conference against the Chicago Bears (11–1–2) of the Western Conference.[3][4][5][6]

Originally, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle had asked Bears owner/coach George Halas to move the game to Soldier Field due to its higher seating capacity and lights, and the possibility the game could extend into multiple overtime periods; Wrigley Field did not have lights until 1988.[7]

After Halas declined the request, Rozelle moved the game's starting time up to 12:05 p.m. CST for increased daylight,[8] similar to the situation in 1960 at Franklin Field. The Championship Game was played in temperatures under 10 °F (−12 °C).[3][9]

The Giants were in their third consecutive championship game and fifth in the last six seasons. They lost to the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and 1959, and the Green Bay Packers in 1961 and 1962. The Bears were in their first Championship Game since a loss to the Giants in 1956 at Yankee Stadium, and had last won in 1946, defeating the Giants at the Polo Grounds.

This was the fifth and final NFL Championship Game at Wrigley Field, which hosted the first in 1933, as well as 1937, 1941, and 1943. The Bears won four, with the only loss in 1937.

Tickets were $12.50, $10, and $6.[10][11] NBC paid the league $926,000 for the broadcast rights.[12][13][14]

  1. ^ Strickler, George (December 29, 1963). "Bears battle Giants for title today". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 2.
  2. ^ Strickler, George (December 30, 1963). "Bears the champions! Win, 14-10". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 1.
  3. ^ a b Sell, Jack (December 30, 1963). "Bears stop Giants, win NFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. 1, 18.
  4. ^ Livingston, Pat (December 30, 1963). "Bears open 'screen' door to title". Pittsburgh Press. p. 18.
  5. ^ "Papa's polar Bears whittle Tittle; intercept five, win title 14-10". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 30, 1963. p. 8.
  6. ^ Maule, Tex (January 6, 1964). "The Bears upend the Giants". Sports Illustrated. p. 10.
  7. ^ Soldier Field had been the home field of the Chicago Cardinals in 1959, the team's final season before they relocated to St. Louis, and would become the home of the Bears in 1971.
  8. ^ "Bears battle Giants for title today". Chicago Tribune. December 29, 1963. p. 1, section 2.
  9. ^ "Arctic air puts freeze on Chicago; may stay on". Chicago Tribune. December 30, 1963. p. 1, section 1.
  10. ^ "Playoff tickets". Chicago Tribune. December 16, 1963. p. 1, section 3.
  11. ^ "Open title ticket sale at 9 Monday". Chicago Tribune. December 17, 1963. p. 1, section 3.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference offgian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Theater TV possible for title game". Chicago Tribune. December 17, 1963. p. 3, section 3.
  14. ^ "Rozelle sees record gross for playoff". Chicago Tribune. December 21, 1963. p. 1, section 2.