In the fall of 1960, when the New York Giants and
the Philadelphia Eagles were bitter rivals, they played a legendary game at
Yankee Stadium. Two players who
would become future Hall of Famers played in that game, Chuck Bednarik and
Frank Gifford. It was their interaction that made that game memorable 52 years
later.
The Giants were a half game out of first, behind
the Eagles, and needed a big win to stay in the hunt. It was a brutal game, the
kind of game that was the typical, old school fistfight that the NFL used to
be. The Giants were ahead by ten at halftime but lost that lead during the
third quarter. As the struggle moved late into the fourth quarter, Jimmy Carr
caught a fumble in the air and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown, putting
the Eagles ahead 17-10.
Back came the Giants with a sustained drive.
Backup quarterback George Shaw hit running back Gifford on the fly across the
middle, 15 yards down field. Bednarik was there to meet him. He slammed into
Gifford’s ribs driving him to the turf. The force of Gifford’s head contacting
the ground knocked him out cold. Unconscious with a concussion and Chuck
Bednarik staring down at him – this was not the best day for Gifford.
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| "This f***ing game is over. Sorry Frank" |
What made it worse for Frank was the photograph
of this scene, which was splashed across every paper in America the next
morning. This crazy, epic photo of Chuck Bednarik doing his thing has now
become an enduring piece of sports history. There are a million pieces of cool
NFL sports memorabilia floating around but this piece is especially collectible
and especially cool.
Chuck Bednarik, the last NFL player to play both
ways, that icon of toughness, has signed a limited number of these photos.
Along with his signature, he’s also inscribed his now-famous phrase “This
f****ing game is over. Sorry Frank.”
