“Big Game, New Era”
Colts vs. Giants, 1958
[…] Some believe it was one of the greatest football games ever played – the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the NY Giants and Baltimore Colts…Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry, Sam Huff, and Frank Gifford were among its Hall-of-Fame players… It was a game of high drama, multiple lead changes, exciting plays, player heroics, and more – plus a first-time “sudden death” overtime finish. Fifty years later, “greatest” and “best” game accolades came from all quarters, with multiple books, TV shows, and media reports… This story recounts some of that history, drawing the conclusion that it does offer an historic demarcation from which pro football went “big time” in terms of fan base, media coverage, cultural prominence, celebrity players, and big money investment […]