Customer Reviews

The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

According to Frank Gifford, even those who played in the NFL championship game in 1958 did not realize that it would later be widely viewed as the greatest game ever played. He acknowledges that he made two critically important fumbles that proved costly to the Giants, for example, and asserts that the game was not even well-played until the fourth quarter and then during the first ever sudden-death overtime period before Alan Ameche scored from the one-yard line and the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium, 23 to17, on December 28, 1958. According to Gifford, David Halberstam, not he, had planned to write this account of the game but Halberstam died in a "horrific traffic accident" en route to meet with Y.A. Tittle. With some reluctance, duly acknowledging that Halberstam would have written an account that "would have beautifully captured our moment of history," Gifford then agreed to write his own with Peter Richmond, "in David's memory, and in the memory of those players who are no longer alive."

The details of the game from beginning to conclusion are best revealed within Gifford's narrative. It seems appropriate, now, for me to note some of the background information that helps to create a frame-of-reference for what happened on the field. First of all, Gifford gives full credit to the Colts for their victory. They had more and better talent, were closer as a team, and led by arguably the greatest NFL quarterback ever, Johnny Unitas. When he and receiver Raymond Berry were clicking, they would not be denied. Gifford also indicates somewhat strained (if not adversarial) relations between the Giants' offensive players and their defensive counterparts led by middle linebacker, Sam Huff. On more than one occasion, after stopping an opponent from scoring or recovering a turnover, the Giants' defense would urge the Giants offense to "do your best to hold `em." Gifford asserts (and many others agree) that Charlie Conerly deserves to be in the NFL Hall of Fame. Wide receiver Kyle Rote was injured that day and, in effect, attempted to play on one leg until he could no longer continue. Then and thereafter, there was a great deal of mutual respect between and among members of both teams. At a reunion20 years later in New York's Central Park, those who were still alive and up to it played a "re-match" (of touch football) and the Colts won again.

To me, some of the most interesting material is provided in Chapter 9, "Aftermath," as Gifford provides an update on what happened to most of the participants in the 1958 championship game. Several enjoyed great success in broadcasting (e.g. Gifford on Monday Night Football and Pat Summerall covering NFL games and other sports for CBS) or business (e.g. Gino Marchetti and Alan Ameche in the fast food industry); a sadder fate awaited others, however, notably Eugene ("Big Daddy") Lipscomb who never attended college but was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams and then was among the defensive stars on the Colts team that won the 1958 championship. He later died in an ambulance en route to a hospital while being treated for an overdose of heroin. He was 31. Unitas also encountered his own difficulties, many the result of his years in the NFL and later because of business investments that failed. Today, many other former players also have serious problems of various kinds. Perhaps some of those who now play in the NFL will read Gifford's book and then both understand and - more to the point -- appreciate how much they owe to the efforts of othrrs who played decades ago.

With regard to the historic championship game in 1958, it is worth noting that 12 of the Giants and Colts players and three of their coaches were later elected to the NFL Hall of Fame: for the Giants, Roosevelt Brown, Gifford, Huff, Don Maynard, Emlen ("The Gremlin") Tunnell, Vince Lombardi (offensive coordinator, later head coach of the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins), and Tom Landry (defensive coordinator and later head coach of the Dallas Cowboys); for the Colts, Berry, Art Donovan, Gino Marchetti, Lenny Moore, Jim Parker, Unitas, and Weeb Ewbank (head coach and later head coach of the New York Jets, NFL Super Bowl III champion in 1969). As for Giants' head coach, Gifford makes no effort to conceal his and his teammates' low opinion of Jim Lee Howell's "leadership" that was limited to letting his team know when it was time to go out on the field, and, to making certain that footballs were properly inflated. That said, Gifford acknowledges that at least Howell had enough sense to let Lombardi and Landry coach the team.

Was it "the greatest game ever played"? Opinions vary. Did the game "change football forever"? Frank Gifford makes a compelling argument that it did. Read his book and then decide for yourself.

Written in an engaging and conversational style, The Glory Game by Frank Gifford and Peter Richmond chronicles the epic 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. Eventually won by the Colts in the first sudden-death overtime in the history of the sport, "The greatest game ever played" or "Best Game Ever" cemented the NFL's place at the forefront of American popular culture. There has been lots written about the game over the years, but Gifford, the Giants star Running Back from 1952-64 offers a unique field-level perspective. Relying on his own memories supplemented by interviews with his teammates as well as former Colts players, Gifford gives the reader a down-by- down play by play account of the Colts thrilling march to victory. Along the way he offers anecdotes and insights that I haven't seen in any other books. He also uses the game as a jumping off point to discuss the NFL culture of the 1950's, considered by many to be pro-football's golden era.

Gifford began the book as a tribute to his friend David Halberstam who was working on a similar book at the time of his death.

I've read 6 books on football this year (including two others on this game) and this is by far the best.

If you love pro football, this is a must read.

If you ever watched Frank Gifford on Monday Night Football, you know that he showed a respect and love for football that separated him from the others who shared the broadcasting booth with him. He was reticent and heart-felt in his comments. I always wondered what it would be like to hear him recount his playing days over a beer or two. Reading The Glory Game comes as close to having that experience as I can ever hope to reach.

In The Glory Game, he takes you back into professional football in the fifties when the game was considered by most fans as little different from professional wrestling. The players were long on devotion and short on pay. They also had respect for themselves and others. They played more to honor their teammates than for accolades from the fans.

Into the middle of this world, live television brought a mass audience who came, saw, and came back. One of the games that caught everyone's attention was the 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants (for whom Mr. Gifford played). The book provides a virtual play-by-play recounting of that game, book ended by descriptions of the players and their origins, the owners, the coaches, and the social life of the teams on the one side and what happened to the people after the game on the other side.

Frank Gifford was no second-stringer. He was one of the most highly regarded players of his era. His two fumbles and a missed first down (which maybe was mismeasured) had a major impact on the game's score and ultimate resolution.

I didn't see the game played live, but I've seen highlights many times since then. I agree that it was the greatest game in pro football up to that point. I've seen more exciting games since then. You only have to go back to the Super Bowl in 2008 to see a game with a lot more significance and with better play throughout that also involved the New York Giants.

If you don't mind the game itself being a bit over-hyped, the rest of the book will bring much satisfaction. The main writing weakness is that a number of the stories and examples are repeated a bit too much. An editor should have cut things down a bit more.

Let's hear it for the Frank Gifford!

As a long-time follower of Peter Richmond's brilliant cultural commentary -- from the pages of GQ to his countless NPR appearances -- I was thrilled to relive the details of this legendary game through his and Gifford's extraordinary retelling. This book is a must for sports fans, nostalgia buffs, lovers of American history and readers looking for a compelling read: if it's not in The Glory Game, it's not part of NFL history.

With all his years of outstanding media work, it may have been easy to forget that Frank Gifford was an outstanding running back on some of the best New York Giants teams in the history of the NFL.

Gifford's account of the much-chronicled 1958 championship clash between the Giants and Baltimore Colts - though written under tragic circumstances - is an important addition to the history of pro football. Historian David Halberstam was killed in a 2007 car crash while being driven to a scheduled interview with Y.A. Tittle, as he was compiling material for a book on the game. Gifford took over the project and the introduction in this book is dedicated to Halberstam.

Drawing on the oftentimes humorous memories of every living player from the game - as well as his own reflections - Gifford not only honors Halberstam through the work, but captures this special moment in time from a gridiron perspective. This is a tremendous look back to a game that reverberates with power and glory on any given Sunday some 50 years later.

Frank Gifford did a highly credible job of completing this project while honoring the memory of David Halberstam. He deserves credit, not only for loyalty to Halberstam but for a most enjoyable recounting of one of the most memorable American sporting events.The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever

The 1958 NFL Championship Game is among the most documented, analyzed, and discussed sporting events in history. It is widely regarded as the end of one era in professional sports, and the beginning of the "modern" era. But leave it to one of the key participants in this game, Frank Gifford, to finally put the definitive stamp on that game and the people who played in it.

Gifford has always struck me as a humble and classy man, and I really believe that those qualities are exhibited in this succinct - yet very descriptive and entertaining - account. Even though he is predisposed to favor his Giants team, on the whole he is very even-handed in the narrative. Mr. Gifford also excels at conveying the game through the thoughts of the surviving Giants and Colts. It is that combination of perspective and narrative that engages the reader and adds even more color to the story. Many of those players - notably Art Donovan of the Colts - are outright hilarious.

Mr. Gifford also does well in describing what the life of a professional football player was like in those days. He effectively conveys that the players of that era were still deeply rooted in their communities, and even with a modicum of celebrity, were still scraping by to play a game they love. He also lets the reader peek behind the curtain into the locker room, the nightlife, and the sacrifices they had to make to keep playing. This helps add another effective layer of perspective into this seminal game.

Mr. Gifford notes in his introduction that David Halberstam was planning to write about this game before his untimely death, so he was writing this in Mr. Halberstam's memory. Tragic events and Mr. Halberstam's reputation aside, it is fortunate that Mr. Gifford turned out to be the one to write this book. It really had to be him, because no one else could do the proper justice to the account of this game, and no one else would have been able to get the honest perspectives of the other players. Mr. Gifford should also be commended for deciding to write this now; as with other historical accounts, it is important to do so while the participants are alive, so that their memories can be properly recorded.

Overall, this was a thoroughly engaging book and worthy to stand among the best of sports books in recent memory. I highly recommend it to all audiences, because it is one of the best and most enjoyable books I have read in this past year.

I was born, April 1 1958. Of course, I had no knowledge of this game except for some occasional superficial references. This book is an accurate, well-written, historically interesting account of Pro Football in the late 1950's. I was pleasantly surprised by Frank Giffords excellent writing ability.Remember folks, he was born in 1930, so he was 78 when this book was published! What a great memory! What a great tribute to his contempraries. I recommend it to evry pro football fan.

Wow, what a story! The book contains background information on the "Greatest Game Ever Played" that only Frank Gifford, with his media & player connections and personal experience, could assemble and put in print. It has information that will help give better insight into the game years from now when the game celebrates its 100th anniversary and all participants will likely have passed. I give it a five star rating because of the valuable, historic information in contains about the players and details about the game.

It is not a particularly easy book to read and could probably have benefitted from better review by the editor (perhaps it was rushed to meet the game's 50th anniversary). At times it was hard to follow because Frank skips around in the book telling personal stories he knew or was told of the participants, often only using first names and sometimes leaving you wondering who specifically he was referring to. There is however, a method to his style. He tells the story pretty much chronologically but drifts into stories about different characters as they enter the story or event. Also there were a few things that seemed contradictory, such as his frequent use of the Giant's "family" atmosphere - yet he talked of the offense and defense as if they were two separate teams and had many disparaging comments for all of the coaches involved except Vince Lombardi, and a not so subtle despise of head coach Jim Lee Howell.

Frank displays an obvious dislike for all coaches, although he has something good to say about all of them at some point in the story, except Jim lee Howell. Maybe Frank's comment of Jim Lee Howell's retirement as "one of the few smart decisions he ever made" was a compliment? But he is more critical than complimentary of all of the coaches, again, except Vince Lombardi. And with Vince Lombardi he deflects criticism, such as his starting of Don Heinrich over Charlie Conerly as having "Jim Lee Howell's fingerprints all over it." Also he gave Lombardi credit to ending an unsuccessful experiment of using Frank as quarterback in 1959 (but Vince Lombardi was coach the Packers in 1959, so the year, coach, or event is in error). I don't recall him criticizing any of the players. On the other hand, coaches receiving his criticism include Steve Owen, Tom Laundry, Weeb Ewbank, and most definitely Jim lee Howell. His dislike for Coach Howell seems to be a result of, or starting with a berating he received in 1957 while slacking off in practice. Frank was the MVP the year before but that didn't seem to matter to Coach Howell. Then again, maybe he needed the whole team's attention, including the young super star. It seems as though Frank may have waited 50 years to get his revenge, and with "Jim Lee 'High Pockets' Howell" long since passed, his remarks and depictions will likely go unchallenged.

I think you have to keep in mind that the book is told through Frank's vision which may not be 100 percent accurate. For example, he and Sam Huff both claim to have had Mickey Mantle's locker at Yankee stadium when the Yankee's season was over and the Giants were occupying the stadium. Frank admits there are some stories that the participants don't all agree on the way it actually happened, as you might expect after 50 years.

All-in-all, I think the book gives good insight to the players back then but I wouldn't say the same about the coaches he criticizes. All the coaches he criticizes are in the Hall of Fame except his number one target, Jim Lee Howell, and he has the best all time winning percentage of any New York Giant head coach with more than a couple of years tenure. But there is no argument that Vince Lombardi's record is better. Nonetheless, Frank states, "In the long run, Howell's profile in NFL history is remarkably low." I can't see it that way but perhaps there's something more that I missed or Frank didn't add.

I've read several books on the '58 NFL championship game, some with a Baltimore perspective and some without bias. This book is written with a New York perspective, but Frank Gifford does a good job of covering as much of both sides as can be exepceted. Much of the interview information, from both sides, is new and very interesting.