Giants victims in NFL’s 1st overtime contest

“The Greatest Game Ever Played” is, well, exactly that.

The Baltimore Colts’ 23-17 victory over the New York Giants for the 1958 NFL championship, the first overtime game in league history, was voted the best game as part of the NFL’s celebration of its 100th season. A nationwide panel of 66 media members chose the classic over the 1981 NFC title match featuring the Joe Montana pass to Dwight Clark known as ”The Catch,“and the ”Ice Bowl“in Green Bay for the 1967 league title.

Baltimore’s win on Alan ”The Horse” Ameche’s 1-yard touchdown run served as a catalyst for NFL popularity. The sport generally ranked behind baseball, boxing and college football back then, with even horse racing getting as much attention. But America was entranced by the drama and the stars such as John Unitas, Frank Gifford, Sam Huff, and Gino Marchetti — who broke his leg early in the game. In all, 17 future Hall of Famers participated.

“It was New York that did it,” said Colts running back Lenny Moore, one of those Hall of Famers. ”If it had been Baltimore against maybe Cleveland most people wouldn’t have noticed, certainly not Madison Avenue or the media.”

But Americans did notice, a true turning point for the NFL.

“Pete Rozelle always told me that the reason pro football took off was because that happened just at that time, in that season, and it happened in New York,” Giants owner Wellington Mara once said.

There was even some confusion among fans and, yes, players at Yankee Stadium,