FOR USE AS DESIRED
NFL-72            12/10/98

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’58 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME CONFERENCE CALL

The NFL will conduct a conference call on Tuesday, December 15 at 11:00 AM ET to preview the 40th anniversary of the 1958 NFL Championship Game – "The Greatest Game Ever Played." Scheduled for the call are four players who played in the game – ART DONOVAN and JOHNNY UNITAS of the Baltimore Colts, and FRANK GIFFORD and SAM HUFF of the New York Giants. The number to call: 816-650-0613, password, "NFL."

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"THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED" REMEMBERED 40 YEARS LATER

How many leagues can pinpoint the exact spot, the exact day, even the exact time they "arrived"?

The National Football League can – Yankee Stadium…December 28, 1958…4:51 PM.

Forty years ago this December 28, what would become known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played" took place -- the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants at Yankee Stadium in New York City. And when Colts fullback ALAN AMECHE burst through a hole for a one-yard touchdown with 6:45 left in overtime – at 4:51 on a foggy, drizzly day – he took the National Football League with him into a new era.

The NFL would never be the same. America had discovered it.

It may be hard for today’s young sports fan to believe, but 40 years ago, the sports scene – and the NFL -- was different. There were no "highlight" shows…"real-time" internet updates…"all-sports" radio talkies. The "X-Games" didn’t exist because, for most Americans, there were no "alternative" games. Baseball was the No. 1 sport with fans.

Then came this late-winter nationally televised NFL epic in New York between larger-than-life teams featuring picturesque names like "Huff" and "Katcavage" and "Unitas" in a game that surged back and forth into the first sudden-death overtime in NFL title game history.

"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," says WELLINGTON MARA, then, as now, an owner of the Giants.

America’s media capital, New York, its marketing and advertising communities and its still-developing television industry got turned on.

"It was played in New York, the center of the advertising community in the United States," says television executive BARRY FRANK. "A lot of people influential in buying sports were captivated. I think it was the first time that people truly realized that a major event could be brought home to the public. It was the moment when sports became something the networks had to carry."

Only it wasn’t carried in New York because the NFL blacked out games in home cities.

THE PROLOGUE -- The less-than-capacity crowd of 64,185 fans that showed up three days after Christmas included about 15,000 who traveled by train from Baltimore. The day started unseasonably mild, with temperatures in the 40s – "Mara weather," they called it in those days.

It was the fourth time the teams had played each other that year – twice in preseason (with the Colts winning both) and once in the regular season, a Giants victory. The Giants had to win their final four regular-season games, including a finale against the Cleveland Browns won in a swirling snowstorm on a PAT SUMMERALL field goal, 13-10. That tied the Giants with the Browns in the Eastern Division with a 9-3 record, forcing a playoff against Cleveland. The Giants won, 10-0.

Baltimore won the Western Division, also with a 9-3 record.

It was to be a classic confrontation of offense vs. defense. The Colts led the NFL in scoring with 381 points. They were led by 25-year-old quarterback JOHNNY UNITAS, signed two years before out of the Pittsburgh sandlots where he had been making $25 a game with the Bloomfield Rams. The Giants, glamorizing defense for the first time in NFL history, surrendered the league’s fewest points – 183.

Unitas’ background and the backgrounds of many other Colts were used as a motivational tool by Baltimore head coach WEEB EWBANK before the game. Fourteen Colts had been released by other teams.

"Weeb went down the roster, stopping at each man" says GINO MARCHETTI, the Colts defensive end, whose broken leg later in the game would play a role in the Colts’ victory. "‘Ameche,’" he said, "‘Green Bay didn’t want you. Donovan, other clubs got rid of you because you were too fat and too slow.’ He had something to say to every one of us."

Meanwhile, Giants head coach JIM LEE HOWELL, let his "coach of offense," VINCE LOMBARDI, and "coach of defense," TOM LANDRY, give their final instructions.

THE GAME -- For a matchup featuring such dominating teams, things started slowly. The Giants were the first to score, on a 36-yard Summerall field goal with two minutes left in the first quarter. By halftime, the Colts had a 14-3 lead, and it looked like their high-powered offense, which had scored the most points in the NFL in seven years, would only add to that total in the second half.

It certainly seemed that way as the half began. On their second series, the Colts drove from their 41-yard line to the Giants’ three. A score here would give them a daunting lead. It was time for New York’s vaunted defense to stiffen. They did exactly that. Three rushes gained the Colts two yards. It was now fourth and goal-to-go at the one. Time for a field goal.

"I decided that another touchdown would kill them right then and there," said Ewbank. "I told Johnny to go for it."

Unitas took the snap, pitched to Ameche, who faked a pass and then took off – only to be stopped cold by JIM KATCAVAGE, DICK MODZELEWSKI and SAM HUFF. Four-yard loss. Giants ball. The momentum swung.

The Giants marched 95 yards on the next series, and 81 yards on the next, for touchdowns. Now they were ahead, 17-14, one minute into the fourth quarter. It was their turn to try to bury the opposition.

The Colts drove to the Giants’ 39. A BERT RECHICHAR 46-yard field-goal attempt was short. On the Colts’ next series, they were forced to punt. Time was winding down.

"At that point," said Giants halfback ALEX WEBSTER, "we just had to keep the ball, run out the clock, and they’d never get another chance. We were so hot…everything was working well…it sure looked like our game."

Then came the Gino Marchetti broken-leg controversy.

The Giants moved from the 19 to their 40, using up the clock on four running plays and a completed pass. There was 2:30 left in the game. In the press box, Giants quarterback CHARLEY CONERLY was being voted Sport magazine’s MVP, for which he would win a car.

On third and four, FRANK GIFFORD took Conerly’s handoff on a power sweep. He was met at the line by Marchetti and linebacker DON SHINNICK, who were almost immediately joined by 288-pound tackle GENE "BIG DADDY" LIPSCOMB. The force and weight of Lipscomb’s arrival snapped Marchetti’s right leg above the ankle.

To this day, Gifford thinks he made the first down. "I made the first down," he says. "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."

Go for it? Or punt? The Giants had the best punter in the business, DON CHANDLER. Howell waved him in. "Chandler could kick the ball all the way," he said. "We thought we could stop them."

THE FINAL DRIVE – Chandler punted 43 yards to the Colts’ 14, where CARL TASEFF fair-caught it. There was 1:56 left, and the Colts had to go 86 yards.

"When we got in the huddle," said wide receiver RAYMOND BERRY, "I looked down the field and the goal posts looked like they were in Baltimore."

"OK, guys, here we go," said Unitas simply.

His first pass was incomplete. His second pass was incomplete. On third down, he connected with LENNY MOORE for 11 yards. On first, he missed L.G. DUPRE on a long route. Then Johnny U turned to Berry, the guy who wore contacts, whose one foot was shorter than the other, whose wife threw him passes in the offseason.

Unitas to Berry for 25. Unitas to Berry for 15. Unitas to Berry for 22.

"Like everybody in the ballpark," said Lombardi, "we thought Unitas would shoot for the sidelines. But we didn’t tell our secondary to leave the middle wide open. That’s where we lost the game."

The Colts were now at the New York 13 with 19 seconds left, but no time outs available. Kicker STEVE MYHRA raced onto the field. No time for a huddle. "I told myself I better not miss it," he says, "or it would be a long, cold winter back on the farm in North Dakota."

Steve Myhra’s 20-yard field goal with seven seconds left created the first sudden-death overtime in NFL championship game history.

THE WINNING DRIVE – "Something historic that will be remembered forever is happening here today, ladies and gentlemen," said Colts announcer CHUCK THOMPSON, who shared the broadcasting duties with Giants announcer CHRIS SCHENKEL on NBC-TV.

Unitas called tails on the coin toss. It came up heads. The Giants elected to receive, but gained only four yards before Chandler punted to Taseff again.

The next 13 plays confirmed the "ice-in-his-veins" legend of Johnny Unitas.

"Johnny told us in the huddle before we began that drive that we were going to take the ball right down and score," said Ameche. "And we all believed him."

Unitas moved the Colts 80 yards in those 13 plays. On the first play, Dupre gained 11 yards on a left-side cutback. After an incompletion, Dupre gained two over left tackle. On third-and-eight, a connection to Ameche went for eight over the middle. Then Dupre added another four over right tackle. After a sack, Unitas completed a 21-yard pass to Berry. Then Ameche, on a trap, raced up the middle for 22 yards.

After Dupre was held for no gain, Unitas completed a 12-yarder to Berry. First-and-goal at the Giants’ eight-yard line.

A fan raced onto the field. The officials called time out. Unitas went over to talk to Ewbank.

"Keep it on the ground," says the coach. "We don’t want an interception here. We can go for the field goal if running plays don’t work."

Unitas followed instructions – initially. He handed off to Ameche for a one-yard gain off right tackle. Then he stunned everybody – especially Ewbank – by fading back and floating a six-yard pass along the right sideline to wide receiver JIM MUTSCHELLER.

"When you know what you’re doing," said Unitas, "you’re not intercepted."

Third and goal at the Giants’ one. Unitas called "16 power," a play designed to send Ameche through the right side of the line. Mutscheller and Moore leveled Giants linebacker CLIFF LIVINGSTON and safety EMLEN TUNNELL. Colts tackle GEORGE PREAS and guard ALEX SANDUSKY cleared out a mammoth hole that the 220-pound Ameche roared through, literally falling from his momentum after crossing the goal line.

It was 4:51 in the afternoon. The NFL had entered a new era.

STARTING LINEUPS

RUSHING – NY Giants – Gifford, 12 for 60; Webster, 9 for 24; Triplett, 5 for 12, 1 TD; Conerly, 2 for 5; King, 3 for -13. Baltimore – Ameche, 14 for 59, 2 TDs; Dupre, 11 for 30; Unitas, 4 for 26; Moore, 9 for 24. PASSING – NY Giants – Conerly, 10 of 14 for 187, 1 TD; Heinrich, 2 of 4 for 13. Baltimore – Unitas, 26 of 40 for 361, 1 TD, 1 Int. RECEIVING – NY Giants – Gifford, 3 for 14, 1 TD; Rote, 2 for 76; Schnelker, 2 for 63; Webster, 2 for 17; Triplett, 2 for 15; McAfee, 1 for 15. Baltimore – Berry, 12 for 178, 1 TD; Moore, 5 for 99; Mutscheller, 4 for 63; Ameche, 3 for 14; Dupre, 2 for 7.

THAT FAN ON THE FIELD?

Some people claim he was an NBC employee. The story…

When Raymond Berry caught that 12-yard pass to give the Colts a first-and-goal in overtime, the TV screen abruptly went blank with 40 million Americans watching it. Apparently, some exuberant fans in temporary bleachers accidentally kicked out a TV power cable. A moment later, a rabid "fan" raced onto the field, causing the officials to call timeout.

"Suddenly," said Chuck Thompson, "a voice in my headset was saying, ‘Do a radio play-by-play.’ Where there had been at least a dozen people all around us just seconds before, Schenkel and I found ourselves alone in the booth with just our spotters and two technicians. Everybody else had gone to rectify the problem."

On the field, an NBC contact man pleaded with field judge CHUCK SWEENEY to delay the game.

"I knew the whole country was watching," said Sweeney. "I knew pro football was growing up right in front of everyone, thanks to TV. I gave the guy another minute beyond the usual 90 seconds for a commercial time out. He was holding a walkie-talkie in his ear. Finally, I told him that was it. We had to resume play. But he was already smiling and I knew we were back on."

Three minutes had elapsed. One play was missed (Ameche’s one-yard buck). Forty million Americans then saw Unitas complete his surprise pass to Mutscheller.

"I always wondered," said Thompson, "if the fan who charged down the field was, as some would have you believe, a highly-placed NBC executive just getting the job done."

QUOTES ON THE ’58 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

• ROONE ARLEDGE, Chairman, ABC News: "All of a sudden, the networks woke up and saw that they had to have football. The game was a defining moment in the growth of pro football."

• TOM LANDRY: "I’m sure there have been many games just as exciting. 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."

• KYLE ROTE: "Everything came together for the greatness of pro football. New York is the heartbeat of the media, including Madison Avenue. Those ad men were young guys – young and sharp – and suddenly they happened to tie into pro football, just when television was hitting its peak."

• DON JOYCE: "It was dusk. The lights were on. Banners were flying. We were world champions and I was in such awe. I walked off the field and stopped three different times. I didn’t want to leave."

• JOHN STEADMAN, Baltimore Sun columnist: "It will remain a keepsake for the ages."

"GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED" TRIVIA

• SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is credited with naming the ’58 Championship "The Greatest Football Game Ever Played." Actually, SI actually used the title "The Best Football Game Ever Played" in their January 5, 1959 issue, because SI editors in those days did not use the word "greatest" to describe events. Soon, though, "best" became "greatest."

• Immediately after the game, the press box sportswriters changed their MVP vote to Unitas.

• A 17-year old BILL PARCELLS, at a skating party in Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, sat in a car for three hours listening to the game.

• The winner’s share for the championship game was $4,718.77, the loser’s $3,111.33.

• Alan Ameche left the locker room postgame celebration early. He could earn an extra $500 for an appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show."

• Colts defensive tackle ART DONOVAN was born on the Grand Concourse, only blocks away from Yankee Stadium.

• Lenny Moore, nicknamed "Spats" because he did not like the feel of adhesive tape on his bare skin and therefore had trainers tape his cleats, kept a miniature bible in his thigh pad.

• Colts center BUZZ NUTTER chased down a security guard after the game to retrieve the ball Ameche had carried over the goal line – and, with his teammates’ approval, presented it to Marchetti as the game ball.

’58 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME MEMBERS OF PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME