The Philadelphia Eagles-New York Giants rivalry intensified during the 1960 season. Intent on ending New York鈥檚 two-year reign atop the NFL鈥檚 Eastern Conference, Philadelphia carried a half-game lead on its big-market adversary going into the teams鈥 November 20 meeting. One non-scoring play in that game鈥擟huck Bednarik鈥檚 "perfectly legal," knockout tackle of Frank Gifford, a future TV star鈥攎ade this matchup one of the defining games in NFL history.
More than 60 years later, Bednarik鈥檚 fourth-quarter hit at Yankee Stadium lives on more so than Philadelphia鈥檚 17-10 victory. The Eagles鈥 linebacker鈥攖he NFL鈥檚 last player to play on offense and defense鈥攁nd Giants halfback鈥攖he 1956 MVP and one the country鈥檚 most popular athletes鈥攃ombined for 16 Pro Bowls. Each is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, enhancing the play鈥檚 mystique.
Stationed on less successful teams compared to Gifford鈥檚 Giants for most of his career, Bednarik announced his retirement after the 1959 season but backtracked on it. That proved to be seminal decision.
鈥淓verything that ever happened good鈥攅verything鈥攈appened to me in 1960,鈥 Bednarik said in 2000.
Collision Changes Stars鈥 Trajectories
An October 1960 injury to linebacker Bob Pellegrini prompted Eagles coach Buck Shaw to reinstall Bednarik as a two-way player, at age 35. But Bednarik spent most of the second half against the Giants at center, his offensive line position. After the Eagles erased a 10-0 halftime deficit with a tying field goal with a little less than five minutes remaining, Shaw reinserted Bednarik at linebacker. That decision not only swung the 1960 NFL season; it keyed a frightening scene and one of the NFL鈥檚 indelible images.
After Bednarik sliced into the Giants鈥 backfield and forced a fumble that Eagles defensive back Jimmy Carr returned 38 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, New York backup quarterback George Shaw orchestrated a last-ditch drive with just more than two minutes left.
Shaw passed to Gifford, his leading receiver that day (five receptions for 89 yards), at the Eagles鈥 30-yard line. As the all-purpose halfback sprinted toward the sideline to get out of bounds to stop the clock, he did not see Bednarik lurking. The 235-pound linebacker leveled Gifford, causing a fumble that Eagles linebacker Chuck Weber recovered to seal Philadelphia鈥檚 pivotal win.
While not a dirty play for the era, Bednarik鈥檚 full-body tackle silenced Yankee Stadium and horrified Gifford teammates. The hit knocked the 197-pound Gifford unconscious. The 30-year-old back left the field on a stretcher and departed the stadium in an ambulance. Giants team physician Dr. Francis Sweeney called the injury a 鈥渄eep concussion.鈥 Giant teammates Sam Huff and Pat Summerall later said they feared Gifford was dead.
Only documents the play, and it fails to fully illustrate the tackle鈥檚 impact. Gifford later said whiplash from his landing on a semi-frozen field knocked him out, not the collision with Bednarik. No penalty was called, and the NFL did not suspend Bednarik.
鈥淚 feel sorry for the guy,鈥 Bednarik said after the game. 鈥淏ut at the same time, I feel justified. It was a good, perfect tackle.鈥
Gifford spent 10 days at St. Elizabeth鈥檚 Hospital and did not play again that season. Media initially reported Bednarik sent a card and a fruit basket to Gifford鈥檚 hospital room, but the New York Post noted decades later a friend of Bednarik鈥檚 made that gesture. Bednarik said days after the game he tried to visit Gifford in the hospital but was not granted access.
Eagle鈥檚 Celebration Creates Controversy
While Gifford did not play again for nearly two years, Bednarik鈥攁 World War II veteran already known as a fearsome player鈥攕aw that reputation enhanced. Bednarik also spent the rest of his life explaining why the New York takedown鈥檚 lasting image鈥擝ednarik standing over an unconscious Gifford with a closed fist鈥攎isleads.
鈥淗e stood on the field pointing at Giff and laughing. It was a disgraceful performance by a guy who鈥檚 supposed to be an old pro,鈥 Giants starting quarterback Charlie Conerly, who missed the game with a knee injury, wrote in a November 21 first-person newspaper column.
Conerly and Sweeney shouted at Bednarik after the hit, and Sweeney indicated Bednarik shook his fist at him as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
鈥淎s soon as I saw Frank fumble, I turned to follow the ball. When I saw Charley Weber recover for us, I started jumping up and down, yelling 鈥榃e got it; it鈥檚 our ballgame,鈥欌 Bednarik said after the game, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. 鈥淚 remember waving my fist as a victory signal. I always do that on a play that means the game.鈥
After missing the Giants鈥 final three games in 1960, Gifford retired in February 1961. The future 鈥淢onday Night Football鈥 broadcaster accepted an offer to begin his media career, breaking in as a WCBS radio analyst. Gifford later said he did not retire because of his injuries suffered on the hit, which also included skull and neck contusions. He returned to the Giants in 1962, as a flanker. No plays from Gifford鈥檚 first or second stint with the Giants endure like the infamous tackle.
鈥楥oncrete Charlie鈥 Rides Momentum to NFL Immortality
The Eagles鈥 seventh straight victory led to their Week 10 home game against the Giants selling out before game day for the first time in franchise history. The Giants did not exact revenge in the rematch, blowing a 17-point lead in a 31-23 loss. They finished 6-4-2. The Eagles won the Eastern Conference at 10-2 and became the only team to defeat Vince Lombardi鈥檚 Green Bay Packers in a championship game, beating the West champs, 17-13, in Philadelphia.
Bednarik delivered a storied performance, lining up on 139 of the game鈥檚 142 plays to close out his sixth and final All-Pro season. The revered Eagle and offseason concrete salesman thwarted the Packers鈥 final push, stonewalling Green Bay running back Jim Taylor at Philadelphia鈥檚 9-yard line as time ran out.
The Eagles鈥 ascent proved short-lived. Quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1960, retired at season鈥檚 end, and the Giants traded for future Hall of Fame passer Y.A. Tittle in 1961. New York won the next three Eastern titles. Gifford contributed to Tittle鈥檚 late-career resurgence and made his final Pro Bowl in 1963. Bednarik retired after the 1962 season; Gifford鈥檚 12-year career wrapped up in 1964.
Safety Measures Remain Decades Away
While the NFL has passed numerous recent rule changes to protect players, it did not act on this front after Bednarik鈥檚 blow. Concussions did not seriously alter the rulebook for decades. The league introduced the personal foul penalty to minimize head and neck contact in 1980, but sweeping changes did not emerge until the CTE crisis gripped the league in the 21st century. The NFL did not enact a concussion protocol for players during games until 2013.
Bednarik was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, in 1967, and voters greenlit Gifford鈥檚 enshrinement 10 years later. Linked in perpetuity, the two crossed paths often. Bednarik was ever eager to discuss his signature play, but Gifford was not. In their retirements, the ex-rivals appeared together on TV, at banquets and in golf tournaments. Bednarik participated in a roast of Gifford in the 1980s.
Gifford鈥攚ho died in August 2015, nearly five months after Bednarik鈥攆orgave his fellow Hall of Famer. He called the scary sequence that ended the halfback portion of his career a clean shot and "perfectly legal."
鈥淲e had a long talk; we had a few beers," following Bednarik's death. "A lot of stuff was blown way out of proportion. I feel sorry for him. He took a lot of blame.鈥
