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| Date | December 30, 1962 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York City, New York | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Ray Nitschke (Linebacker; Green Bay) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Green Bay by 6½ to 7 points[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Emil Heintz | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 64,892 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Chris Schenkel, Ray Scott | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Ken Coleman, Ted Moore | ||||||||||||||||||
Stadium
The 1962 NFL Championship Game was the 30th NFL title game, played on December 30 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It matched the New York Giants (12–2) of the Eastern Conference and Green Bay Packers (13–1) of the Western Conference, the defending league champions.[2][3][4][5][6]
The Packers were led by hall of fame head coach Vince Lombardi, in his fourth year, and the Giants by Allie Sherman, in his second season. Green Bay was favored by 6½ points.[7] The attendance for the game was 64,892,[4] and the weather during the game was so cold that television crews used bonfires to thaw out their cameras, and one cameraman suffered frostbite. The conditions also made throwing the ball difficult.[8]
Green Bay won 16–7, behind the performances of game Most Valuable Player linebacker Ray Nitschke, and fullback Jim Taylor.[3][4][5] Right guard Jerry Kramer, filling in as placekicker for the injured Paul Hornung,[2] scored ten points with three field goals and an extra point.[8] The Giants fumbled twice, with Nitschke recovering both for the Packers, while the Packers recovered all five of their own fumbles and intercepted a Giants pass.[9]
This was the third and final NFL title game played at Yankee Stadium; the others were in 1956 and 1958, with the Giants winning the first. There was not another NFL title game in greater New York City for 51 seasons until Super Bowl XLVIII in February 2014 at MetLife Stadium, and resulted in the Seattle Seahawks defeating the Denver Broncos 43–8. (The 1968 AFL Championship Game was played at Shea Stadium in Queens, with the Jets defeating the Oakland Raiders 27–23; the Jets then upset the Baltimore Colts 16–7 in Super Bowl III in Miami.)
Previous championship games hosted by the Giants in New York were played across the Harlem River at the Polo Grounds in 1934, 1938, 1944, and 1946; the Giants won the first two. An additional title game was played at the Polo Grounds in 1936, hosted by the Boston Redskins and won by the Packers.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
nashtelgwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Hand, Jack (December 30, 1962). "Crunching Green Bay vs. "go-for-broke" Giants". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 1, sports.
- ^ a b "Packers still champs!". Milwaukee Sentinel. December 31, 1962. p. 1, part 1.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Chuck (December 31, 1962). "Packers beat down Giants, 16-7, win their second straight title". Milwaukee Journal. p. 18, part 1.
- ^ a b "Packers grind out grim 16-7 win". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 31, 1962. p. 8.
- ^ Maule, Tex (January 7, 1963). "The Packers, yes!". Sports Illustrated. p. 8.
- ^ Strickler, George (December 30, 1962). "Snow may mar title contest today". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 2.
- ^ a b Miller, Norman (December 31, 1962). "Packers good bet for a new pro dynasty". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. p. 2.
- ^ Strickler, George (December 31, 1962). "Packers keep title; beat Giants, 16-7". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, part 3.