NFL Championship Game, 1956
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In the 1956 National Football League Championship Game played at Yankee Stadium in New York City on 30 December 1956, the New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears 47-7. It was the 24th annual NFL championship game.
The game was played on an icy field. To adjust to the conditions, the Giants opted to wear sneakers instead of traditional football cleats. The advantage the sneakers provided in footing was cited as a major factor the New York's romp. Twenty-two years earlier on an icy Polo Grounds field, the Giants had employed the same tactic and beat the Bears to win the 1934 NFL Championship in the famous "Sneakers Game." Ironically, NFL Hall of Famer George Halas was Chicago's head coach in both the 1934 game and the 1956 game.
The 1956 Giants featured a number of Hall of Fame players, including running backs Frank Gifford and Alex Webster, offensive tackle Roosevelt Brown, linebacker Sam Huff, and defensive end Andy Robustelli. Two of Giant head coach Jim Lee Howell's assistants, Offensive Coordinator Vince Lombardi and Defensive Coordinator Tom Landry later became NFL Hall of Fame head coaches with other franchises; Lombardi coached the Green Bay Packers to five NFL Championships during the 1960s, and Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys to two NFL Championships during the 1970s.
The 1956 season marked the Giants first at Yankee Stadium, and the team earned its way to the championship game by winning the NFL Eastern Division title with a regular season record of 8 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie. The 1956 NFL Championship was the third in the history of the New York Giants franchise.
[edit] Scoring summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Giants | 13 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 47 |
New York 47, Chicago 7
- NY Triplett 17 run (Agajanian kick)
- NY FG Agajanian 17
- NY FG Agajanian 43
- NY Webster 3 run (Agajanian kick)
- CHI Casares 9 run (Blanda kick)
- NY Webster 1 run (Agajanian kick)
- NY Moore recovered blocked punt in end zone (Agajanian kick)
- NY Rote 9 yard pass from Conerly (kick failed)
- NY Gifford 14 yard pass from Conerly (Agajanian kick)
Attendance: 56,836.
| Pre-Super Bowl Championships |
| NFL Championship Game |
|---|
|
1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| AFL Championship Game |
|
1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| 1932 NFL Playoff Game | NFL Playoffs | NFL Champions | AFL Champions | Super Bowl | Super Bowl Champions |
