Tonight ESPN aired a two-hour special on the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the New York Giants and the old Balmer Colts.
In a game anointed "The Greatest Game Ever Played," the Colts beat the Giants 23-17. It was a game of firsts: The first overtime game in NFL history. The first championship for the Colts. And Johnny Unitas's drive at the end of the fourth quarter is widely credited as being the birth of the two minute drill.
But the impact of the game was greater than the way it was played or the result. The game, broadcast on television, put professional football on the map. New teams were added. The American Football League was formed. The term "Super Bowl" was born.
It's a game that will forever be remembered in NFL history, but especially in Balmer.
Now, I realize most reader(s) of this website weren't born in 1958 (and neither was I, though I may look it). But without The Greatest Game Ever Played, the NFL doesn't become what it is now. A game like that, on that kind of stage, had to happen. And that it happened with a Balmer win is even sweeter.
Some quick notes from the special:
1) ESPN had current Giants and Colts on the show, having conversations with some of the players who were in that '58 championship game. I decided I'm OK with that -- sort of.
The Colts franchise won that Super Bowl, so it makes sense that current Colts were asked to be a part of the special. But they were the Baltimore Colts, not the Indianapolis Colts.
I wasn't alive when the Colts left town, either, but hearing my father talk about them has nonetheless impacted how I feel about the franchise. It's telling that John Unitas affiliated himself with the Ravens when they came to town from Cleveland in 1996, standing on the sideline of every home game wearing a long brown trench coat. It wasn't the horseshoe that he felt loyalty to; it was the city.
I'm not going to gripe too loudly on this one. But it certainly deserves discussion; should there have been current representatives of BALTIMORE football instead of guys from Indy?
2) For comparison's sake: Joe Flacco is 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 230 pounds. John Unitas in 1958 was 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds.
3) Colts lineman Art Donovan said during the show that he had a clause in his contract that stated if he stayed under 275 pounds, he would receive a $3,000 bonus at the end of the season.
Ray Lewis, a middle linebacker, weighs 250 pounds. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata weighs in at 345 pounds.
4) In the '50s, players were discouraged from lifting weights. Apparently, coaches said it would make them too muscle bound and they wouldn't be as effective on the field.
Ever look at Balmer fullback Lorenzo Neal?
5) Raymond Berry was an incredible receiver. This was the first time I had seen extensive game tape of him -- the guy was always open, always fighting for yards, and he always caught the ball.
Didn't hurt that Unitas usually put the pass right where it needed to be. Berry was fun to watch, but maybe even more fun to listen to. Zak mentioned during the special that Berry was the cocky wide receiver before it was chic to be one. Would have been fun to watch in person.
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