1958 NFL Championship Game

See also: 1958 NFL playoffs

1958 NFL Championship Game
DateDecember 28, 1958
StadiumYankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York City
MVPJohnny Unitas (Quarterback; Baltimore)
FavoriteColts by 3½ points[1]
RefereeRon Gibbs[2]
Attendance64,185[3]
TV in the United States
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersChris Schenkel, Chuck Thompson
Radio in the United States
NetworkNBC (national)
WBAL (Colts)
WCBS (Giants)
AnnouncersJoe Boland, Bill McColgan (NBC)
Bob Wolff, Bailey Goss (WBAL)
Les Keiter, Bob Cook (WCBS)
Yankee  Stadium is located in the United States
Yankee  Stadium
Yankee 
Stadium
class=notpageimage|
Location in the United States

The 1958 NFL Championship Game was the 26th NFL championship game, played on December 28 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first NFL playoff game to be decided in sudden death overtime.[9] The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 23–17 in what soon became widely known as "the Greatest Game Ever Played".[16] Its legendary status in the pantheon of historic NFL games was again confirmed by a nationwide poll of 66 media members in 2019, who voted it the best game in the league's first 100 years.[17][18]

It marked the beginning of the NFL's popularity surge and eventual rise to the top of the United States sports market.[11][18] A major reason was that the game was televised across the nation by NBC. Baltimore receiver Raymond Berry recorded 12 receptions for 178 yards and a touchdown. His 12 receptions set a championship record that stood for 55 years until it was broken by Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in Super Bowl XLVIII.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference cthpt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Sandomir, Richard (December 4, 2008). "The 'Greatest Game' in Collective Memory". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  3. ^ Gifford and Richmond, p. 217.
  4. ^ "Unitas hero as Colts get 23-17 title win". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. December 29, 1958. p. 18.
  5. ^ Livingston, Pat (December 29, 1958). "Colts reap big payoff from $2-a-game Unitas". Pittsburgh Press. p. 24.
  6. ^ Strickler, George (December 29, 1958). "Colts win title in sudden death, 23-17!". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, part 4.
  7. ^ "Colts win 23-17 in overtime". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. December 29, 1958. p. 4, part 2.
  8. ^ Maule, Tex (January 5, 1959). "The best football game ever played". Sports Illustrated. p. 8.
  9. ^ [4][5][6][7][8]
  10. ^ "Greatest Game Ever Played". ProFootballHOF.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. January 1, 2005. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Barnidge, Tom. "1958 Colts remember the 'Greatest Game'". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  12. ^ Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
  13. ^ "Dec. 28, 1958: A legend is born". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on September 17, 2002. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  14. ^ "Title game wasn't that great for '58 Colts" by Eddie Epstein, espn.com
  15. ^ Gregory, Sean (December 29, 2008). "The Football Game that Changed It All". Time. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  16. ^ [10][11][12][13][14][15]
  17. ^ George R.R. Martin. "NFL CHAMPIONSHIP - "THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED"". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Wilner, Barry (October 6, 2019). "This will come as no surprise in Baltimore, but Colts' 1958 title win over Giants is voted NFL's greatest game". The Baltimore Sun. Associated Press. Retrieved October 6, 2019.