The 1958 National Football League NFL Championship Game was between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants It has been called The Greatest Game Ever Played The star was 25-year-old Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas Trailing 17 14 with just 1 56 to go the Colts started a drive from their own 14 yard line Unitas led Baltimore down the field with one long pass after the next Three in a row went to star Baltimore Colts fullback Alan Ameche runs into the end zone for the winning touchdown in the 1958 NFL Championship Game UNITAS LEADS THE CHARGE 1 4
wide receiver Raymond Berry With just seven seconds left the Colts booted the game-tying field goal The game was headed to overtime It would be the first overtime game in the history of the NFL Championship It was sudden death That meant the first team to score would win The Giants won the coin toss The Colts defense forced a quick punt On came Unitas The young star called all his team’s plays The result was an unforgettable 13-play 80-yard drive Fullback Alan Ameche finished it off He blasted through the defense for a 1-yard title-winning touchdown run Final score Colts 23 Giants 17 THE GREATEST NFL fans love to debate which quarterback is the greatest in history Was it Joe Montana John Elway Brett Favre What about modern stars such as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady Many old-school fans say it was Johnny Unitas It’s hard comparing quarterbacks who played in different eras Passers today enjoy a lot more protection from officials Defenders are limited by new rules Players like Unitas never got to play under such passer-friendly rules Yet he remains one of the most productive passers of all time 17 People including players and coaches in the game who are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame The score was close but the Colts dominated They outgained the Giants 460 yards to 266 Unitas completed 26 of 40 passes for 349 yards He threw one touchdown and one interception The game was played at Yankee Stadium in New York and was on national television 5
Thirteen degrees below zero 25 C That was the temperature when the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys squared off on December 31 1967 It was called the 1967 NFL Championship Game but fans know it by another name The Ice Bowl It was brutally cold Early on defense ruled Green Bay led 14 10 Then on the first play of the fourth quarter Dallas ran a trick play Running back Dan Reeves took the ball Instead of running he looked down the field Reeves passed it to wide receiver Lance Rentzel for Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr prepares to take a snap in The Ice Bowl COWBOYS AND PACKERS BATTLE IN THE ICE BOWL 2 6
a stunning 50-yard touchdown The Cowboys went up 17 14 With five minutes left Green Bay got the ball at its own 32-yard line Quarterback Bart Starr completed a series of passes to move his team into Dallas territory Then running back Donny Anderson powered them to the 1-yard line Twice Anderson tried to punch it in Twice Dallas stopped him Starr called time out with just 16 seconds left The Cowboys expected a pass play A run would be dangerous The clock could run out if it wasn’t successful Starr knew the Cowboys wouldn’t be expecting it so he called a risky run He took the snap followed his blockers and lunged for the game-winning touchdown 48 Wind chill in Fahrenheit 44 C measured at kickoff of The Ice Bowl More than 50,000 fans watched the game on New Year’s Eve at Lambeau Field in Green Bay The Packers went on to defeat the American Football League champion Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II Several players were treated for frostbite One fan died from exposure to the cold 7 Steam rises from fans breathing during The Ice Bowl
