The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL

December 28, 1958 marks one of the most classic moments in NFL history. That's the date the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants in sudden death overtime to win the NFL title as 45 million fans watched on television. It marked the birth of the modern NFL as football began to step out of the shadows of baseball.

The match up featured the greatest concentration of football talent for one game as 17 future Hall of Famers were involved. It pitted a team of self-made men and the league's best offense (Colts) versus a team of glamour boys and the best defense (Giants).

Author Mark Bowden tells the story of the 1958 championship game through a handful of players and coaches such as Raymond Berry, Weeb Ewbank, Sam Huff, Tom Landry (Giants' defensive coordinator) and Vince Lombardi (Giants' offensive coordinator). Bowden's exceptional study of Berry is the cornerstone of the book.

Bowden recounts how Johnny Unitas and Berry teamed up to take the Colts 86 yards in two minutes to tie the game. And, how Unitas engineered the 13-play drive in overtime to secure the thrilling victory. Unitas' greatness and leadership in the game elevated him to the highest echelon of NFL quarterbacks.

Interestingly, many of the players didn't realize that the game would continue into sudden death overtime after it was tied in regulation.

As a writer, Bowden makes the reader feel like he's in the middle of the game. He makes you wish you had been able to witness this great game. You envy those who did. NFL Commissioner Bert Bell called the Colts-Giants sudden death overtime game, "The greatest day in the history of professional football."

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it's definitely a lightweight treatment of the subject. The book is 239, easy-to-read pages. When I finished the book, I wanted to read more about the game and its impact. I suspect many other readers will feel the same way.

Mr. Bowden does an excellent job.. I was growing up in Baltimore at the time. He accurately captures things I remember, and gives enormous (and fun) incite into the rest of the story.

A great book! What an amazing group of players and coaches who went on to define the NFL. Truly as the Sports Illustrated cover stated. "How Raymond Berry and Johnny Unitas invented the modern NFL."

Its a great book to read and to learn more about a game and football itself. The book takes you inside the huddle and puts you in the middle of the field and in the mind of the great Johnny Unitas.

I THINK I saw this game on our old B/W TV....
None the less, a great chronicle of this great game.
If you're my age, 55, it brings us back to another era, where really tough men played a really tough game, not for the big bucks, but because it was their one and only job. From this game, though, the NFL matured. The players became larger than life, a bit spoiled, but what celebrity/athlete hasn't become larger than life?
With father's day coming up, this is a good gift for an old fa*t my age!
The author is a journalist from the newspaper beat writer era, and I think this is a major plus. I only wish the pictures could have been a bit larger and glossy...minus that----this was a good read and well worth the time.
Will we ever see a video of this game? How about releasing the NFL Film's coaches tapes? It would be as riveting as the story....
The author was lucky enough to see these films, how about us?