NFL 1959
1959 NFL season | |||
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Regular season | |||
season | September 26, 1959 - December 13, 1959 | ||
East Champions | New York Giants | ||
West Champions | Baltimore Colts | ||
Championship game | |||
NFL Champion | Baltimore Colts | ||
NFL season
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The 1959 NFL season was the 40th season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season lasted from September 26th to December 13th. NFL champions were the Baltimore Colts , who faced the New York Giants in the NFL Championship Game on December 27, as in the previous year , and successfully defended their title with a 31:16 victory.
Before the start of the season, Lamar Hunt announced the formation of the competing American Football League . On October 11, 1959, NFL commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack during the Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Regular season
In the Eastern Conference, the teams from Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia had already clearly set themselves apart from the other three teams after two thirds of the season. While Cleveland lost three and Philadelphia two of the last four games, the Giants only managed to win and thus secured their place in the championship game on the penultimate matchday. In the west, on the other hand, it remained exciting until the last matchday. At halftime, the 49ers were at the top with just one loss, but then gradually fell back with four losses in the last five games. On the last day of the match they had chances for the title alongside the Colts and the Bears. With a win, the Colts defended their lead from the Bears, who ended the season with a run of seven wins.
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Championship game
In the NFL Championship Game there was a new edition of the final from the previous year on December 27, 1959. Again the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts faced each other, but this year the Colts were the host team. The Colts initially took a 7-0 lead through a touchdown pass to Lenny Moore. The Giants also scored their first points with a field goal in the first quarter. The Giants also managed a field goal in the second and third quarters, while the Colts remained without points, so that the Giants went into the last quarter with a 9: 7 lead. In this, the Colts took the lead back with their second touchdown. Subsequently, the defense of the Colts ended three attack series in a row by interceptions. They carried one of them straight back to the touchdown. The other two also led to points in the form of a touchdown and a field goal and thus to a decisive 31: 9 lead. In the end, the Giants could only shorten it to the final score of 31:16.
NFL Championship Game | ||||||||||||
Baltimore December 27, 1959 2:00 p.m. ( UTC − 5 ) |
Baltimore Colts |
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New York Giants |
Memorial Stadium Spectators: 57,545 Referee: Ron Gibbs |
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(7: 3, 0: 3, 0: 3, 24: 7) Match report |
Web links
- 1959 NFL Standings & Team Stats on pro-football-reference.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ Baltimore explodes for 24 points in final period to rout New York, 31-16. In: Youngstown Vindicator. December 28, 1959, p. 20 , accessed July 6, 2018 .