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| Date | December 26, 1960 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Franklin Field Philadelphia,Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Norm Van Brocklin (Quarterback; Philadelphia) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 67,325 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Lindsey Nelson,Ray Scott | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jack Whitaker,Blaine Walsh | ||||||||||||||||||
The1960 NFL Championship Game was the 28thNFL title game, played between theGreen Bay Packers andPhiladelphia Eagles on the afternoon of Monday, December 26, atFranklin Field inPhiladelphia.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Along with the landmark1958 championship game, in which theBaltimore Colts defeated theNew York Giants in sudden death overtime, the 1960 NFL Championship Game between the Packers and Eagles is considered a seminal game in professional football history.
The game marked the lone playoff defeat for Packers coachVince Lombardi before his Packers team established a dynasty that won five NFL championships, including itsfirst andsecondSuper Bowls, in a span of seven seasons.[7]
The victory was the third NFL title for the Philadelphia Eagles, but it would prove to be their last for another57 years until February 4, 2018, when the Eagles defeated theNew England Patriots 41–33 inSuper Bowl LII.[8]
TheAmerican Football League was in itsfirst season, and held itsinaugural title game less than a week later. First-yearNFL CommissionerPete Rozelle convinced owners to move the league's headquarters from Philadelphia toNew York City, and withCongressional passage of theSports Broadcasting Act of 1961, received an antitrust exemption that allowed the league to negotiate a common broadcasting network representing all of its teams, helping cement football's ascendancy as a national sport.[7]
This was the second and last NFL Championship Game played in Philadelphia, and the only one at Franklin Field; the previous1948 championship game, held in a snowstorm atShibe Park, was also won by the Eagles.
Ticket prices for the game were ten and eightdollars.[1] This was also the only year from 1958 to1963 that did not include theNew York Giants in the title game.
The game matched the league's conference champions,Philadelphia Eagles (10–2) of the East andGreen Bay Packers(8–4) of the West. The Eagles were making their first appearance in a championship game since1949, and the Packers their first since1944.[9]Two years earlier, both teams had finished last in their respective conferences.
Due to the lack of lights at Franklin Field, which were later installed in 1970, the game's kickoff time was moved up to 12 p.m. (noon)EST to allow for the possibility ofsudden death overtime, which had occurredtwo years earlier.[1][10] The game was also played on a Monday, as it had been in1955, as the NFL did not want to play the game onChristmas.[7]
Led by futurehall of fame head coachVince Lombardi, Green Bay won the Western Conference, a game ahead of theDetroit Lions andSan Francisco 49ers. The two-timedefending championBaltimore Colts, led by quarterbackJohnny Unitas, were 6–2 on November 13,[11] but lost their last four and stumbled into fourth place with a .500 record.[12] (Baltimore did not win another division/conference title until1964.) Green Bay had won six league championships before, most recently in1944, but theintervening years had been lean.[7]
At the time, Lombardi was better known as an assistant coach (offense) for theNew York Giants. Hired by the Packers in January1959,[13] he led them to a7–5 record in his first season as a head coach, a vast improvement over the1958 season(1–10–1), their worst ever. On the field, the Packers were led by quarterbackBart Starr, another future hall of famer but lightly regarded at the time, having thrown eight interceptions to go with his four touchdown passes in the 1960 season. Starr had shared playing time withLamar McHan, who won all four games he started, while Starr was an even 4–4.[14] In his four previous seasons in the league, Starr had more interceptions than touchdowns in each season and he finished the 1960 season with 1,358 passing yards, completing 98 of 172 passes for a completion percentage of 57.0.[15] Other names that would shine during the dynasty the Packers built during the 1960s, such ashalfback /placekickerPaul Hornung, linebackerRay Nitschke, andfullbackJim Taylor, were all early in their careers and futurehall of famers.[7]
The 1960 game represented a chance for Philadelphia to add to the consecutive titles in1948 and1949, but they had declined to only two wins in1958.[7] Head coachBuck Shaw was in his third season with the Eagles, his final year as a head coach, and had turned around the team from a2–9–1 record in 1958 to seven wins in1959 to a conference championship and the league's best record in 1960.[16] The Eagles were led on the field by 34-year-old quarterbackNorm Van Brocklin,[17] who was ranked second in the NFL with 2,471 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns, behind Unitas of the Colts in both statistics, and was playing in his final game.[14][18] Less than a month after the title game, he was named the head coach of the expansionMinnesota Vikings.[19] Philadelphia had clinched the Eastern title early on December 4 at 9–1,[20] and there was concern by Shaw that it could have an adverse effect on his team.[21]
A capacity crowd of 67,325 gathered at Franklin Field, the home field of theUniversity of Pennsylvania, with 7,000 temporary seats added.[7] The Eagles were a two to three-point home underdog,[1][22][23][24][25] and the game-time temperature was48 °F (9 °C), creating difficult inconsistent field conditions for both teams, as the frozen playing surface thawed in spots leaving scattered puddles under the low winter sun.[18] It had snowed several days earlier in Philadelphia, followed by cold temperatures, and the well-worn, nearly grassless field had been covered by atarpaulin.
On the first play from scrimmage, a lateral from Van Brocklin deflected off the hands of receiverBilly Ray Barnes and was intercepted byBill Quinlan of the Packers, giving Green Bay possession at the Philadelphia 14-yard line. After Jim Taylor gained five yards on first down, the Packers were unable to score, turning the ball over on downs to Philadelphia at the six-yard line. A fumble on the Eagles' third play after gaining possession by Bill Barnes was recovered byBill Forester of Green Bay at the 22-yard line of Philadelphia. TwoPaul Hornung rushes gave the Packers a first down at the 12-yard line, but two incomplete passes and another Hornung rush came up short. Lombardi elected to kick on fourth down, with Hornung connecting from twenty yards out to give the Packers a 3–0 lead.[26]
Hornung kicked a second field goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter from 23 yards out, after a Packers drive stalled on the 17-yard line, putting Green Bay up by six points. On a pair of passes from Van Brocklin toTommy McDonald of 22 yards and 35 yards respectively, the Eagles scored a touchdown and the extra point by kickerBobby Walston gave them their first lead of the game. After getting the ball back from Green Bay, Van Brocklin connected on a pass of 41 yards toPete Retzlaff that was followed three plays later by a 22-yard pass play to Ted Dean that put the Eagles on the Packers' eight-yard line. After three incomplete passes, a field goal gave the Eagles a 10–6 lead. On the following drive in the waning minutes of the first half, Green Bay took the ball to the Philadelphia seven-yard line. The threat fizzled after Bart Starr was sacked for a loss and the field goal attempt from just 13 yards by Hornung was wide left,[18] a critical error in a low-scoring game.
A drive by the Packers in the third quarter advanced to the Philadelphia 34-yard line, but Green Bay failed to convert on fourth down, turning the ball over to the Eagles and losing Hornung to a shoulder injury. The Eagles promptly marched down deep into Green Bay territory but a Van Brocklin pass was intercepted in the end zone byJohn Symank. The touchback gave the Packers the ball on their own 20-yard line. In punt formation on fourth down,Max McGee ran for 35 yards to give Green Bay a first down in Philadelphia territory.[18] Despite the successful run on the fake punt, Lombardi was not pleased, saying "We punt the ball; we don't run the ball" when the team sets up for a punt.[7]
In the final quarter, continuing that same drive, the Packers advanced deep into Philadelphia territory on runs by backsTom Moore and Taylor, then retook the lead with a seven-yard pass from Bart Starr to McGee with 13:07 left in the game. Hornung came off the bench to kick the extra point, giving Green Bay a 13–10 lead. On the ensuing kickoff,Ted Dean received the ball at the three-yard line and returned it 58 yards, giving Philadelphia excellent field position at the Green Bay 39-yard line.[27] Dean provided what turned out to be the margin of victory for the Eagles with a five-yard touchdown run on a sweep led by a key block from guardGerry Huth with 5:21 left,[6] capping off a drive in which Van Brocklin passed the ball only once.[18] On the Packers' next possession, McGee caught a short pass just beyond midfield, but was ruled to have fumbled, and the Eagles recovered. After a trade of punts, Philadelphia took over at their 26-yard line with just over three minutes remaining. Following three running plays and another punt, Green Bay started the final drive at their 35-yard line with 1:05 left, needing a touchdown.
A completion toGary Knafelc ended with him tackled in bounds at the Eagles' thirty-yard line, and Green Bay used their final timeout with a half-minute left. On first down, Starr overthrew double-coveredBoyd Dowler in the shady south corner of the end zone, stopping the clock with 25 seconds remaining. Knafelc caught a short pass on second down, but was quickly tackled in bounds at the 22, so the clock continued to run. Starr rushed to get the offense set for third down, then threw a short pass to fullback Taylor; it was caught on the run at the 17, but linebacker Bednarik, the last Eagle between Taylor and the end zone, tackled him at the Eagles' nine-yard line and remained on top of Taylor as the final seconds ticked off the clock, securing the Eagles the win and the championship.[28] Bednarik had played both defense and offense, and was in for every play of the game;[18] after the clock reached zero, he growled "You can get up now, Taylor. This damn game's over."[29]
The Eagles won despite being outgained in the game 401 yards to 296, with only 13 first downs as compared to 22 for the Packers.[18][27] It was the only career playoff loss for Packer head coach Lombardi(9–1), and was the last Eagles championship for57 years, untilSuper Bowl LII in February 2018.[7] Lombardi would later rue his decision to go on fourth down on several occasions deep in Philadelphia territory rather than attempt field goals on such plays, saying, "When you get down there, come out with something. I lost the game, not my players."[5][7]
Van Brocklin was named the game's Most Valuable Player, despite completing only 9 of 20 passes, but for 204 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Monday, December 26, 1960
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m.EST
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The NFL had five game officials in1960; the line judge was added in1965 and the side judge in1978.
The gross receipts for the game, including radio and television rights, were just under$748,000, the highest to date. Each player on the winning Eagles team received $5,116, while Packers players made $3,105 each.[4][5]
39°57′N75°11′W / 39.95°N 75.19°W /39.95; -75.19