Why do people say the Colts and Giants 1959 game was the greatest game ever played?

How about the 1982 Chargers at Miami Dolphin playoff game. That was the greatest game ever by far. That was a emotional game. The Buffalo Bills vs Oilers 35- 38 playoff game is the 2nd greatest game. The Drive Game is number 3.Why do people say the Colts and Giants 1959 game was the greatest game ever played?Well there are numerous factors. An estimated 45 million people watched the game on television in the United States. This audience could have been even greater because, due to NFL restrictions, the game was not sold out and thus was blacked out in the greater New York City area. Still, the impact from this game is far reaching. One year later, Texas billionaire Lamar Hunt would form the American Football League, which began play with 8 teams in the 1960 season. The growth of the popularity of the sport, through franchise expansion, the eventual merger with the AFL, and popularity on television, the game is commonly referred to as a turning point in the history of football.



The game is, to date, the only NFL championship game ever decided in overtime. The drive by Baltimore at the end of regulation, with Unitas leading the team quickly down the field to set up the game-tying field goal, is often cited as the first instance of a "Two Minute Drill", for which Unitas became famous.



The Baltimore head coach was Weeb Ewbank. He would coach Baltimore to a second straight championship game win over New York the very next season. Ewbank would eventually be fired from the Colts, and would take the job of head coach for the New York Jets. Ewbank led the Jets to victory over the Colts in Super Bowl III, also considered a monumental victory in the history of pro football.



The Giants head coach was Jim Lee Howell, and he was aided by two coordinators who went on to greatness themselves. The defensive coordinator was Tom Landry, who left the team in 1960 to take over the then-expansion Dallas Cowboys, and led them to two Super Bowl championships. The offensive coordinator was Vince Lombardi, who left the team following the game to take the head coaching position with the Green Bay Packers. Lombardi led the Packers to five championships in the 1960s.



AND because 17 future Hall-Of-Famers were involved:

New York Giants



* OL Rosey Brown

* HB Frank Gifford

* LB Sam Huff

* WR Don Maynard

* DE Andy Robustelli

* DB Emlen Tunnell

* Offensive Coordinator Vince Lombardi

* Defensive Coordinator Tom Landry

* Owner Tim Mara

* Vice President / Secretary Wellington Mara



Baltimore Colts



* WR Raymond Berry

* DL Art Donovan

* DL Gino Marchetti

* HB/WR Lenny Moore

* OL Jim Parker

* QB Johnny Unitas

* Head Coach Weeb EwbankWhy do people say the Colts and Giants 1959 game was the greatest game ever played?
I am not ancient enough for 1959...

So I dont know...Why do people say the Colts and Giants 1959 game was the greatest game ever played?It was the first ever overtime game in NFL history, and it was in the Super Bowl, too.
First game to EVER go into overtime. In the championship game. At the time it was played, it probably was.



They aren't gonna change "The Greatest Game Ever Played" title to a new game every time another good one is played.Why do people say the Colts and Giants 1959 game was the greatest game ever played?alot of hall of famers came out of this game. it was the most watched nfl came on tv at that time. it was an exciting game.Why do people say the Colts and Giants 1959 game was the greatest game ever played?
You Are rerering to the 1958 23-17 winwhen the Col;ts beat the giants in the NFL championship game the 1958 . the 1959 game was refered to as the big let down



In 1959, the Colts and Giants met at Memorial Stadium for the NFL championship, a year after the `Greatest Game Ever Played.' The rematch couldn't meet the great expectations.

as the afternoon progressed, there was scant comparison with what took place nearly a year to the day earlier at Yankee Stadium, when the Colts and Giants were forced into an unprecedented fifth period to decide the outcome. That game will live for the ages; the second meeting is almost forgotten.
You are referring to the wrong game. The 1958 Baltimore Colt New York Giant Game for the NFL Championship is considered to be the greatest game ever played. The 1959 Colts-Giants Game is the rematch and the Colts blew them off the field. The 1959 game was not even close.The reason the 1958 New York Giants Game is considered to be the greatest game ever played is the fact that Professional Football had local television contracts, not National Television Contracts, which meant if you lived in Chicago, you saw Chicago Bear Games, but would not see the Philadelphia Eagles unless they were playing the Bears. That 1958 Colt-Giant Game was broadcast to the largest audience any Professional Football Game had ever been broadcast to, even then, there were millions of people in the United States who could not see that game. This game awakened interest in Professional Football and began the drive toward Professional Football becoming America's most popular sport. Each of the games you mentioned were exciting, but none of them were as important to the future of the National Football League as the 1958 New York Giant--Baltimore Colt Game for the NFL Championship.Why do people say the Colts and Giants 1959 game was the greatest game ever played?
I have nothing to add to Pyros' excellent post except to say this: it was the most significant game ever played. Greatest? That's a purely subjective and personal judgement, but it's significance stands alone. Until that game baseball was America's national pasttime. That game sent pro football on an upward trajectory in popularity that led to the multi-billion dollar behemoth we enjoy today. It can all be traced to that game.
becuase thats the game that got football noticed. nobody cared then it was only baseball