Why Was This the Greatest Game Ever Played ?
The 1958 NFL championship is often regarded as the greatest football game ever played. There are three main reasons for this. One reason is because it was such an evenly matched game and the score was so close right down to the very end. Another reason is that it was the first NFL game of any importance to go into an overtime. Lastly, it is so highly regarded because it marked the beginning of football's rise in popularity.
The 1958 championship game was a hard fought battle for both teams. There was a constant back and forth sway in momentum and score. While both teams found themselves behind in the score and facing adversiy at different points in the game, there was never a moment when either team was far out of the game. Victory was always within reach of either team. The roller coaster of a game came down to the very last play.
The game was also a very unique one. It was the first ever NFL game of any importance to go into an overtime. Not even a regular season game had ever gone to over time, so for the championship game to go into a sudden death overtime was a new experience for everyone. It also brought a new, tense atmosphere to the game. At any moment the game could end, any fluke play or mistake could result in the one team scoring. One can only imagine how incredible it must have been to have been at the game in person.
In addition to being a tight game and the first overtime game ever, the game helped to grow the popularity of the sport. One year after the 1958 championship game, the American Football League was formed, presumebly because of the interest in football generated by the 1958 NFL championship game. The AFL would later merge with the NFL creating the modern NFL that we are all familiar with.
So how exactly did the 1958 NFL championship game come to be known as,"the greatest game ever"? It can be traced back to the December 29th of 1958 copy of the New York Daily News. Gene Ward wrote an article in the paper that day. His article described what an incredible game had taken place. In his article he says,"In the years to come, when our children's children are listening to stories about football, they'll be told about the greatest game ever played - the one between the Giants and Colts for the 1958 NFL championship." He was completly right. The game is still known today as the greatest game ever played.