1963 NFL Championship Game
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Date | December 29, 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Stadium | Bill George, Stan Jones, George Allen (defensive coordinator) | ||||||||||||||||||
TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Jack Brickhouse Chris Schenkel George Connor | ||||||||||||||||||
Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Jim Gibbons Pat Summerall | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1963 NFL Championship Game was the 31st annual championship game, played on December 29 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.[1][2] The game pitted the visiting New York Giants (11–3) of the Eastern Conference against the Chicago Bears (11–1–2) of the Western Conference.[3][4][5][6]
Originally,
After Halas declined the request, Rozelle moved the game's starting time up to 12:05 p.m. CST for increased daylight,[8] similar to the situation in 1960 at Franklin Field. The Championship Game was played in temperatures under 10 °F (−12 °C).[3][9]
The Giants were in their third consecutive championship game and fifth in the last six seasons. They lost to the
This was the fifth and final NFL Championship Game at Wrigley Field, which hosted the first in 1933, as well as 1937, 1941, and 1943. The Bears won four, with the only loss in 1937.
Tickets were $12.50, $10, and $6.[10][11] NBC paid the league $926,000 for the broadcast rights.[12][13][14]
Background
The Giants, coached by
The Giants defense allowed 280 points, ranking fifth overall in the 14-team NFL. This group was led by future
Meanwhile, the Bears were known for their defense, nicknamed the
Chicago's offense did not come close to the Giants' in terms of points scored or yards gained. The group only scored 301 points, ranking 10th out of the league's then-14 teams. The offense was led by quarterback Bill Wade, the first overall pick of the 1952 NFL draft. Wade ran a simplified game plan, nicknamed "three yards and a cloud of dust," in which they would play it safe by running the ball or tossing short passes to the ends or backs instead of risking giving up an interception. Wade threw almost as many passes as Tittle in 1963 - 356 vs. 367 - but Y.A. favored longer throws, as evidenced by 8.6 yards-per-attempt vs. Wade's 6.5. Wade's favorite targets were tight end Mike Ditka and wide receiver, Johnny Morris.
The Giants entered the title game as slight favorites.[12][16]
Game summary
The Giants opened the scoring in the first quarter when Tittle led New York on a 41-yard drive capped off by a 14-yard touchdown pass to Frank Gifford. The drive was set up by Billy Wade's fumble on the Bears' 41-yard line, which was recovered by former Bear Erich Barnes.[17] Later in the first period, Larry Morris hit Tittle's left knee with his helmet as the quarterback threw. The injured Tittle was much less effective for the rest of the game.[18] After Del Shofner failed to hang onto a Tittle pass in the end zone, Morris intercepted Tittle's screen pass and returned the ball 61 yards to the Giants' 6-yard line. Two plays later, Wade scored a touchdown on a two-yard quarterback sneak to tie the game at 7.
In the second quarter, the Giants retook the lead, 10–7, on a 13-yard field goal. But on New York's next drive, Tittle reinjured his left knee on another hit by Morris. With Tittle out for two possessions, the Giants struggled, only able to advance 2 yards in 7 plays. Allie Sherman even punted on third down, showing no confidence in backup Glynn Griffing. The score remained 10–7 at
Tittle came back in the third period, but needed
Although the young American Football League (AFL) was completing its fourth season, the NFL still regarded itself as the premiere professional league of American football, as reflected in WGN radio broadcaster Jack Quinlan's comment as the clock ticked to zero on the final play: "The Chicago Bears are world's champions of professional football!" It was 22 years before the Bears won another league championship.
Scoring summary
Sunday, December 29, 1963
Kickoff: 12:05 p.m. CST
- First quarter
- NYG – Frank Gifford 14 pass from Y. A. Tittle (Don Chandler kick), 7:38, 7–0 NYG
- CHI – Bill Wade 2 yard run (Bob Jencks kick), :16, 7–7 TIE
- Second quarter
- NYG – FG Chandler 13, 9:49, 10–7 NYG
- Third quarter
- CHI – Wade 1 yard run (Jencks kick), 2:12, 14–10 CHI
- Fourth quarter
- no scoring
Officials
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The NFL had five game officials in 1963; the line judge was added in 1965 and the side judge in 1978.
The gate receipts for the game were about $500,000 and the television money was $926,000. For the first time, the NFL tried a closed-circuit telecast in the local blackout area, with 26,000 viewing on large screens in four locations: McCormick Place, International Amphitheatre, Chicago Coliseum, and Chicago Stadium;[1][19][20] tickets ranged from $4 to $7.50.[19] Gross receipts were $1,493,954, with $35,402 from the closed-circuit telecast.[21]
Each player on the winning Bears team received $5,899, while Giants players made $4,218 each.[21][22] Both were a record, each a slight increase over the previous year at Yankee Stadium, despite a significantly lower attendance due to the venue.[21]
See also
- 1963 NFL season
- History of the National Football League championship
- 1963 American Football League Championship Game
References
- ^ a b c Strickler, George (December 29, 1963). "Bears battle Giants for title today". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 2.
- ^ Strickler, George (December 30, 1963). "Bears the champions! Win, 14-10". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 1.
- ^ a b Sell, Jack (December 30, 1963). "Bears stop Giants, win NFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. 1, 18.
- ^ Livingston, Pat (December 30, 1963). "Bears open 'screen' door to title". Pittsburgh Press. p. 18.
- ^ "Papa's polar Bears whittle Tittle; intercept five, win title 14-10". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 30, 1963. p. 8.
- ^ Maule, Tex (January 6, 1964). "The Bears upend the Giants". Sports Illustrated. p. 10.
- .
- ^ "Bears battle Giants for title today". Chicago Tribune. December 29, 1963. p. 1, section 2.
- ^ "Arctic air puts freeze on Chicago; may stay on". Chicago Tribune. December 30, 1963. p. 1, section 1.
- ^ "Playoff tickets". Chicago Tribune. December 16, 1963. p. 1, section 3.
- ^ "Open title ticket sale at 9 Monday". Chicago Tribune. December 17, 1963. p. 1, section 3.
- ^ a b Hand, Jack (December 29, 1963). "Offensive Giants, defensive Bears in NFL finale". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 1, sports.
- ^ "Theater TV possible for title game". Chicago Tribune. December 17, 1963. p. 3, section 3.
- ^ "Rozelle sees record gross for playoff". Chicago Tribune. December 21, 1963. p. 1, section 2.
- ^ "Professional Football Researchers Association- Pro Football History". Archived from the original on July 23, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2006.
- ^ "Halas, Bears trip Giants, 14-10, as Tittle suffers 5 interceptions, injuries". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. December 30, 1963. p. 6.
- ^ Coppock, Chet (December 27, 2013). "Bears defeat Giants 14–10 for 1963 championship". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ The Chicago Bears Wins the 1963 NFL championship, Chicago Tribune, Larry Kart, retrieved May 24, 2013: "Grit, savvy and sheer brutality—those are classic Chicago traits, no matter the endeavor, and they brought the National Football League championship to Chicago on this date..."
- ^ a b Rollow, Cooper (December 19, 1963). "N.F.L. sets up theater TV title game". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 3.
- ^ Rivera, Thomas (December 30, 1963). "26,000 warmly approve big screen telecast in three Chicago arenas". Chicago Tribune. p. 5, section 3.
- ^ a b c "Each Bear got $5,899, NY $4,218". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. January 29, 1964. p. 3, part 2.
- ^ "Each Bear to receive about $6,000". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 30, 1963. p. 18.
External links
Riger, Robert. Best Plays of the Year: 1963. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. 1964.