'The Greatest Game Ever Played' 1958 NFL Championship: Colts vs. Giants

The 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants was the first ever NFL playoff game to go into sudden-death overtime and is widely known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played."

[happybeingmiserable]

It's the "Greatest Game ever Ever Played" because before this Game the NFL was 2nd to Major League Baseball in popularity, this was the first and only ever NFL Title game to go into Overtime, this was their Super Bowl before they called it that and had Neutral fields for the game, this game was played in New York and when the Colts won, the fans rushed the field to cheer, that's how awesome it was. The players who played in this game themselves even said it was a sloppy game most of the game and didn't even know what to do when regulation ended, they thought, "Okay, we share the title then" they had to create OT on the spot. This game is what catapulted the NFL's popularity that eventually led to the creation of the rival AFL which would eventually merge with the NFL and create the very Super Bowl you now know of today. Everything you know about the NFL today really started with this game.

[charlesholewinski]

Will never forget this game..  I was born and raised in Baltimore.  I was 19.  Watched this game with my Dad and Uncle on a 20 inch B&W TV.  At a decisive moment in the game some disgruntled Giant fan kicked the NBC TV feed cable in Yankee Stadium which caused the TV to go blank.  We quickly turned the radio on to hear the Colts had won.

[shawfifty]

I had a chance to go to this game, but I didn't have 12 bucks. After the game a reporter asked Johnny U if he was worried about getting intercepted. He told the guy, you don't get intercepted when you know what your doing. The next season me and 5 other guys purchased season passes which cost us 35 bucks for 7 games. We sat in the top section 5 row J which was right behind the goal posts. It was 4 rows from the top of Yankee Stadium. Although it was high up, it was a good place to watch the game. I only missed 1 game in 17 yrs.

[Delfan]

This is the game that MADE the NFL. Before this game, football was strictly minor-league stuff, compared to Major League Baseball. This is the game that really put pro football on the map.

[scottymcsnipes]

Lets build a time machine and record these games in HD.

[LinHart]

You can get a ton of arguments over whether this was the "Greatest Game Ever Played, " or wasn't, but one thing is for certain. It was the greatest professional football game ever played if you measure impact upon a single sport. By 1955, NBC became the televised home of the NFL Championship Game, paying $100, 000 to the league. The 1958 NFL Championship Game played at Yankee Stadium between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants went into sudden death overtime, something that had never happened before in a football game. This game was watched widely throughout the country and is credited with increasing the popularity of professional football in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It literally put professional football on the nationwide television map. I watched it and will never forget it and it will always be a Baltimore Colt story.

[harryschoger]

I watched that game in its entirety. It was a unique game because NBC broadcast it nationwide. Up to that event, pro football was more of a regional than a national sport. In the area in which I lived the local broadcasters focused pretty much on the Browns, Bears, and Lions and whoever their opponents were for the week. It is estimated that 45M people watched that game, a considerable number considering the population of the country in 1958, and the lack of national coverage. Although baseball was the national pastime, there were pockets of sports enthusiasts that wanted a winter outlet, including myself. Therefore, many of us watched games each Sunday with a six-pack of Carling Black Label and bowls of popcorn. Statistically, the Colts should have won big time. But, the outcome hung in the balance and kept us viewers glued to the screen. I was a big fan of Johnny Unitas and pulled for the Colts. That game pulled enough hype to propel professional football to the next level and catapult it to the economic juggernaut it is today. It may not have been the greatest football game ever played, but its impact on the sports fabric of the nation was monumental.

[jeannebossart]

one of the greatest games I have ever watched, Al Thompson Cincinnati, Ohio

[valkor]

wow back then it was a fight today its a show like a movie

[noahgraglia]

My grandpa played with Alan when they were in high school

[mikeorclem]

amazing fact:: tom landry was the offensive coordinator and vince lombardi was the defensive coordinator for the giants this year.

[ibefit]

I believe this will be the Superbowl match-up this year in 16-17.

[badmotherfucker]

This is back when REAL FOOTBALL was played.

[SquaTront]

Super Bowl XLIX my ass, this was the greatest NFL game ever

[chicagosportsforlife]

The funniest game ever played was the Packers vs Seahawks NFC Championship laughing my ass off through out most of the 4th quarter and OT.

[ethanowens]

I cant beilve i watched a 2 min vid but ithought it was 2 hours

[gjmaztr]

No wonder why the New York Giants team over the years havent done enough to champion the late Giants 5 time All-Pro Jimmy Patton as a NFL Hall of Famer candidate, when his all-pro status should 'alone' be worthy. But if you look closely at the end of this video, in the overtime game winning score, Giant Defensive Back Patton #20 had a chance to Stop Colt Running Back Alan Ameche's TD score. Likewise a modern day defensive back like 49er Ronnie Lott or Steeler Troy Polamalu would 'have stopped Ameche dead in his tracks" & kept him from crossing the goal line. I'll know its unfair to say this. More Importantly where were the Giants Linebackers on that play to stop Ameche.

[harithwaseem]

Funny how the Baltimore Colts became a CFL team.
Hopefully i don't have to explain what's the CFL.
Wait, Do i?

[danielkellogg]

Happy being miserable has no business commenting on the NFL'S Greatest Game because he doesn't have a clue! The NFL has always been greater than MLB! The 1958 NFL Championship game was the first one to go into sudden death overtime! Johnny Unitas (#19) became a legend because of that game!!! He showcased the 2 minute drill in that game! Happy being miserable, know the facts before you comment.

[cadefrazier]

How is this the GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED.