This 1964 Y.A. Tittle Frank Gifford New York Giants Original 8x10 NFL Dan Rubin News Photograph is the exact item you will receive and has been certified Authentic by REM Fine Collectibles.
Cleveland Browns v New York Giants
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 12, 1964: Flanker Frank Gifford #16 and quarterback Y.A. Tittle #14 of the New York Giants watch the action from the sideline during a game against the Cleveland Browns at Yankee Stadium on December 12, 1964 in New York, New York. Cleveland won 52-20.
Photo by: 1964 Dan Rubin
The Cleveland Browns, on the threshold of gaining a championship their coaches, employers and fans expect them to win, have to play football this afternoon under heavy pressure. They oppose the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium in a game beginning at 2:05 P.M. before an expected capacity crowd of 63,000.
For the Browns the following situations exist:
(1) Cleveland, in first place of the National Football League's Eastern Conference with a 9-3-1 won‐lost-tied record, is a half‐game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, who possess an 8-3-2 record. (Ties do not count in the standing). A victory over the Giants would give Cleveland the Eastern title for the first time since 1857. But a defeat would put the Browns behind the Cardinals and defer the outcome of the title fight for 24 hours. Tomorrow in St. Louis the Cardinals play the Philadelphia Eagles.
(2) A Cleveland loss followed by a St. Louis victory would make the Cardinals the champions. But an Eagle victory would restore Cleveland to first place and send St. Louis to Miami for the Playoff Bowl game on Jan. 3 between the runner‐up teams of the N.F.L.'s divisions.
Browns Lou Groza 39 yard field goal 3 0
Giants Dick James 7 yard pass from Y.A. Tittle (Don Chandler kick) 3 7
Browns Frank Ryan 13 yard rush (Lou Groza kick) 10 7
Browns Gary Collins 11 yard pass from Frank Ryan (Lou Groza kick) 17 7
Browns Ernie Green 1 yard pass from Frank Ryan (Lou Groza kick) 24 7
Browns Ernie Green 25 yard pass from Frank Ryan (Lou Groza kick) 31 7
Browns Paul Warfield 8 yard pass from Frank Ryan (Lou Groza kick) 38 7
Browns Jim Brown 8 yard pass from Frank Ryan (Lou Groza kick) 45 7
Giants Aaron Thomas 10 yard pass from Gary Wood (Don Chandler kick) 45 14
Browns Walter Roberts 24 yard pass from Jim Ninowski (Lou Groza kick) 52 14
Giants Aaron Thomas 1 yard pass from Gary Wood 52
Tittle played college football for Louisiana State University, where he was a two-time All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) quarterback for the LSU Tigers football team. As a junior, he was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the infamous 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic—also known as the "Ice Bowl"—a scoreless tie between the Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks in a snowstorm. After college, he was drafted in the 1947 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, but he instead chose to play in the AAFC for the Colts.
With the Colts, Tittle was named the AAFC Rookie of the Year in 1948 after leading the team to the AAFC playoffs. After consecutive one-win seasons, the Colts franchise folded, which allowed Tittle to be drafted in the 1951 NFL Draft by the 49ers. Through ten seasons in San Francisco, he was invited to four Pro Bowls, led the league in touchdown passes in 1955, and was named the NFL Player of the Year by the United Press in 1957. A groundbreaker, Tittle was part of the 49ers' famed Million Dollar Backfield, was the first professional football player featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and is credited with having coined "alley-oop" as a sports term.
Considered washed-up, the 34-year-old Tittle was traded to the Giants following the 1960 season. Over the next four seasons, he won several individual awards, twice set the league single-season record for touchdown passes – including a 1962 game with a combined 7 touchdown passes and 500-yards passing with a near perfect (151.4 out of 158.33) passer rating, and led the Giants to three straight NFL championship games. Although he was never able to deliver a championship to the team, Tittle's time in New York is regarded among the glory years of the franchise.
In his final season, Tittle was photographed bloodied and kneeling down in the end zone after a tackle by a defender left him helmetless. The photograph is considered one of the most iconic images in North American sports history. He retired as the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, attempts, completions, and games played. Tittle was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971, and his jersey number 14 is retired by the Giants.
Francis Newton Gifford (August 16, 1930 – August 9, 2015) was an American football player, actor, and television sports commentator. After a 12-year playing career as a halfback and flanker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL), he was a play-by-play announcer and commentator for 27 years on ABC's Monday Night Football.Gifford won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award from United Press International in 1956, the same season his team won the NFL Championship. During his career, he participated in five league championship games and was named to eight Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
After retiring as a player Gifford was an Emmy Award-winning sportscaster, known for his work on ABC's Monday Night Football, Wide World of Sports, and the Olympics. He was married to television host Kathie Lee Gifford from 1986 until his death.Gifford spent his entire NFL career with the New York Giants, beginning in 1952, playing both offense and defense. He made eight Pro Bowl appearances and had five trips to the NFL Championship Game. Gifford's best season may have been 1956, when he won the league's Most Valuable Player Award and led the Giants to the NFL title over the Chicago Bears.
He lost 18 months in the prime of his career when he was tackled by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik in what is widely considered the hardest defensive hit, or one of the hardest, in the history of the National Football League and is often referred to simply as The Hit. During a November 20, 1960 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he was knocked out by Bednarik on a passing play, suffering a severe concussion that led him to retire from football in 1961.[9] However, Gifford returned to the Giants in 1962, changing positions from running back to flanker (now a type of "wide receiver").
His Pro Bowl selections came at three positions, defensive back, running back, and flanker. He permanently retired following the 1964 season.
During his 12 seasons with the Giants (136 regular-season games) Gifford had 3,609 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns in 840 carries; he also had 367 receptions for 5,434 yards and 43 touchdowns. Gifford completed 29 of the 63 passes he threw for 823 yards and 14 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. The 14 touchdowns is the most among any non-quarterback in NFL history; the 6 interceptions is tied with Walter Payton for most thrown by a non-quarterback. Gifford was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on July 30, 1977.