FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 1998

Contact:
Greg Aiello/Chris Widmaier, National Football League, (212) 450-2000
Steve Brener, Brener Zwikel & Associates, (818) 344-6195, ext. 103

MIAMI, Fla. — The teams who participated in "The Greatest Game Ever Played" will be remembered in the pre-game coin toss for Super Bowl XXXIII on Sunday, Jan. 31, 1999, at Miami’s Pro Player Stadium, the NFL announced today. Ten surviving Hall of Famers from those teams will be reunited for the ceremony.

Forty years ago, on Dec. 28, the Baltimore Colts battled the New York Giants in Yankee Stadium in the 1958 NFL Championship Game. Colts’ fullback Alan Ameche scored a touchdown on a one-yard run with 6:45 left in overtime to give his club the 23-17 win in the first "sudden-death" overtime in an NFL championship game. Inspired by the larger-than-life teams and the exciting drama of the game, Sports Illustrated dubbed the contest "The Best Football Game Ever Played" in its Jan. 5, 1959 issue. "Best" became "Greatest" soon after.

Hall of Famers from that game participating in this year’s coin toss include, from the Colts: Jim Parker (OT), Lenny Moore (HB), Raymond Berry (E), Art Donovan (DT) and Gino Marchetti (DE); and from the Giants: Frank Gifford (HB), Roosevelt Brown (OT), Don Maynard (WR), Sam Huff (LB), and Defensive Coach Tom Landry.

1958 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STARS IN SUPER BOWL COIN TOSS

"I’m sure there have been many games just as exciting," Landry said of the ’58 Championship. "But there were some other forces at work for that game. The way everything blended together - the television, where the game was played, and the fact that pro football was ripe for expansion - was the key. I consider it to be the greatest game because of its impact."

Indeed, the impact of that game on the NFL was tremendous. In an era dominated by baseball, the ’58 Championship game put a national spotlight on the game of football, and caused many Americans to take notice of the game.

"Pete Rozelle (NFL Commissioner from 1960-89) always told me that the reason pro football took off was because that game happened just at that time, in that season, and it happened in New York," said Wellington Mara, then and current owner of the Giants.

"The Greatest Game Ever Played" started off as a defensive struggle. The Giants got on the scoreboard first with a 36-yard Pat Summerall field goal with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. By halftime, the Colts, who led the league in scoring that year, had taken a 14-3 lead.

On their second series of the second half, the Colts took the ball from their 41-yard line all the way to the Giants’ three. But New York’s defense, which gave up the fewest points in the league that year, came up with a big stop. On fourth-and-goal from the one, Ameche took a pitch from quarterback Johnny Unitas, but was tackled for a loss by Jim Katcavage, Dick Modzelewski and Huff.

After taking over on downs, the Giants marched 95 yards for a touchdown. On their next drive, they rolled 81 yards and took a 17-14 lead. As time grew short in the fourth quarter, it appeared as though the Giants would walk away victorious. But then came the Gino Marchetti broken-leg controversy.

1958 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STARS IN SUPER BOWL COIN TOSS

After moving the ball with ease from the 19 to their 40, using up the clock and controlling the ball, the Giants faced a third and four with 2:30 remaining in regulation. Gifford attempted a run for the first down, but was met at the line by Marchetti and linebacker Don Shinnick. Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb joined the pile for the tackle. But the weight of Lipscomb’s tackle snapped Marchetti’s right leg above the ankle.

"I made the first down," Gifford recalled. "But Marchetti broke his leg, and he was screaming like a wounded panther. There was a lot of confusion. A lot of time passed by while they carried Marchetti off the field. When they spotted the ball, it was placed short of the first-down marker.’

New York punted to the Colts’ 14, and Unitas took over. With 1:56 left, Unitas connected with Berry on three consecutive passes, moving the ball all the way to the Giants’ 13. With 19 second left, kicker Steve Myhra raced onto the field and nailed the tying field goal, creating the first sudden-death overtime in NFL championship game history.

"Something historic that will be remembered forever is happening here today, ladies and gentleman," said Colts announcer Chuck Thompson, who shared the broadcasting duties with Giants announcer Chris Schenkel.

The Giants got the ball first but were forced to punt. After receiving the ball on the 20, Unitas moved his team 80 yards in 13 plays for the winning touchdown.

Roone Arledge, chairman of ABC News, described the game as the defining moment in pro football. "All of a sudden, the networks woke up and saw that they had to have football," he said. "The game was a defining moment in the growth of pro football."

1958 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STARS IN SUPER BOWL COIN TOSS

The tradition of the Super Bowl coin toss involving former greats of the game began at Super Bowl XII in 1978 with legendary halfback Red Grange. A specially-minted coin commemorating previous Super Bowl games has been used in 21 of the past 23 Super Bowls.

The 1999 Super Bowl coin, minted by the Balfour Company, will feature the helmets of the two participating teams and the Super Bowl XXXIII logo.

The honor roll for the Super Bowl coin toss is as follows:

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