1958 NFL Championship Game
One overtime, one touchdown, and a franchise forever changed.
The 1958 NFL Championship Game, played on December 28, 1958, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, pitted the Baltimore Colts against the New York Giants in a back-and-forth thriller that ended 24–23 in favor of the Colts. It is universally remembered as "The Greatest Game Ever Played," a distinction it has held for over six decades. For the Indianapolis Colts franchise, this contest remains the crown jewel of the club's pre-Indyana era, the moment a small-market team from Baltimore proved it could outlast a powerhouse in the biggest game of the season.
The game's significance extends beyond the scoreline. It was the first NFL contest decided in overtime, and its live national television broadcast on NBC brought football into living rooms across the country in a way that had never been done before. For Colts fans in Indianapolis today, it is the origin story—the proof that this franchise, wherever it played, was built to compete for the championship.
- Teams
- Baltimore Colts vs. New York Giants
- Final Score
- Colts 24, Giants 23 (overtime)
- Venue
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
- Date
- December 28, 1958
- Colts Quarterback
- Johnny Unitas
- Historic First
- First NFL game decided in overtime
- Broadcast
- Live on NBC television
Lore & Background
In the winter of 1958, the Baltimore Colts had built a 13–1 season around the arm of Johnny Unitas and the speed of their backfield, but they were still the underdogs when they met the New York Giants, a 12–2 squad with a reputation for physical dominance. The two teams traded the lead repeatedly across four quarters, the score swinging back and forth in a way that left fans in the stands and viewers at home gasping. When the fourth quarter expired with the game tied, the league's newly adopted overtime rule—a single ten-minute period—was invoked for the first time in NFL history.
In that overtime, the Giants struck first with a field goal, and for a moment it seemed the Giants' experience would prevail. But the Colts answered with a driving touchdown drive capped by a pass from Unitas to Gail Smith, and the extra point was missed, leaving the Giants one last chance. They did not convert, and the final whistle sent the Colts' players and fans into a frenzy. The image of Unitas and his teammates celebrating on the frozen Yankee Stadium field became one of the most enduring pictures in professional football.
For the franchise that would eventually become the Indianapolis Colts, this game is more than a trophy on a shelf. It is the moment the organization proved its identity: a team that refuses to blink, that plays through adversity, and that finds a way to win when everything is on the line. Every subsequent championship pursuit, every late-season drive, every overtime thriller in Lucas Oil Stadium carries the DNA of that December night in the Bronx.
In Their Own Story
The air in Yankee Stadium tasted like iron and cold smoke. It was the last week of December, 1958, and the lights above the gridiron hummed with a low, electric buzz that you could feel in your teeth. Johnny Unitas stood in the huddle, his breath a white plume in the frigid air, his shoulder pads creaking as he adjusted his helmet. Around him, the Colts' backs and linemen huddled tight, their breath mingling in a small cloud of shared determination. The Giants had just kicked a field goal in overtime. The scoreboard read 26–23, New York. The clock had ten minutes left. Unitas looked up at the lights, then back at his center, and said something short—two words, maybe three. The ball was snapped. The pocket held. He rolled, scanned, and threw. The catch was made in the end zone, and the stadium detonated. He never looked back. He never needed to.
Reader's Guide
The occasion: The 1958 NFL Championship Game was the season-ending contest between the Baltimore Colts (13-1) and the New York Giants (12-2), played at Yankee Stadium on December 28, 1958. It was the first time the NFL's new overtime rule would be tested in a championship setting.
What happened: The two teams engaged in a relentless exchange of scoring drives across all four quarters, with the lead changing hands multiple times. When regulation ended in a tie, the game proceeded to a ten-minute overtime period. The Giants took the lead with a field goal, but the Colts answered with a touchdown drive culminating in a pass from Johnny Unitas to Gail Smith. The Giants' final possession ended without a score, and the Colts claimed the title 24–23.
Why it's remembered: The game earned the nickname "The Greatest Game Ever Played" and has retained that title for over sixty years. It was the first NFL game decided in overtime, and its live NBC broadcast made it a landmark moment in the sport's television history. For the Colts franchise, it remains the defining statement of identity: a team that outlasts, outworks, and outlasts its opponent when the stakes are absolute.
Did You Know?
- The 1958 NFL Championship Game was the first NFL contest in history to be decided in overtime, a rule adopted just before the 1958 season.
- Johnny Unitas, the Colts' quarterback that night, would go on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and have his number retired by the franchise.
- The game was broadcast live on NBC, making it one of the earliest nationally televised NFL championship games and a watershed moment for football on television.
- The Baltimore Colts relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, but the 1958 championship remains part of the franchise's official ring count and legacy.