1955 NFL Championship

Description

[@kenp7814]

Otto Graham Played 10 Years Played in 10 Championships Won 7 Rings G.O.A.T.

[@b-zoneonroku2020]

Graham, Luckman, Starr, Brady, then everyone else.

[@nobodyaskedbut]

@@b-zoneonroku2020 Graham superior to the other 3 because he was a great play maker & ball carrier & they were not which means only he was above everyone else.

[@crowtservo]

My uncle told me my grandfather bought a tv for the family for Christmas that December. In the early 50’s my hometown installed cable for the whole town and it went in to operation earlier that year. The first thing he remembers watching was the 1955 NFL Championship Game, he said Grandpa had that day off work so they watched together. From 1955 through the Super Bowl in January 1980, my grandfather and uncle watched every NFL, AFL and Super Bowl Championship games together.

[@jstube36]

Thank you for sharing those memories. And thanks for viewing.

[@LittleDrummerBoyLittle]

My great uncle JD Bud Ison was an All American at Baylor in 1949, draft pick 149 by the Cardinals in 1950, but also drafted by Uncle Sam to play football for the troops in Germany.

[@davidharper8500]

Football is family :)

[@sneakerfacevids441]

? There was no cable in the 50s ! That was like 30 years later.

[@brianthomas2434]

​@@sneakerfacevids441 not strictly true. Cable TV or CATV as it was often known initially started in the 1940s for remote regions that, because of topographic reasons, could not otherwise get satisfactory over the air reception. Decades later it became something of a luxury, instead of the only option in CERTAIN areas.

[@ep4169]

I never understood why the NFL effectively wiped out the entire history of the league and started over with the Super Bowl era. Today when people talk about football championships, they only mention Super Bowls won. It's as if the whole history of the league before 1965 never happened.

[@xylynthian753]

The NBA acknowledges their championships and records before the ABA merger in the 70s. There was no world series until 1903, but the MLB acknowledges pennant wins and records all the way back from 1876, the inaugural year of the National League.

[@frankieecanales8827]

NFL-AFL.

[@TheLAGopher]

The NFL has pretty much made the marketing decision that pro football only truely became relivent with the NFL-AFL merger in 1966 and the birth of the modern Super Bowl era. Pre 1966 is treated like the Jurassic period. A lot of interesting things happened, but it was a whole other world that modern people can't relate to. The only real exception to that rule would be the Lombardi Packers of the 1960s because their 3 pre 1966 NFL titles are connected to their two Super Bowl Championships due to the same head coach and key players. So it's ok to invoke the 5 Lombardi championships talking about the modern Packers. Nobody wants to bring up the 4 AAFC titles of Cleveland or their 4 pre 1966 NFL titles. Nobody wants to talk about the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Colts,New York Giants, Washington Redskins,or Philadelphia Eagles pre 1966 greatness either. Sure, the NFL recognizes they happened, they just seemed to happen "elsewhere" and are not really connected to the modern teams. Even less attention goes to the pre 1966 AFL champs such as the 60-61 Oilers. The 1962 Texans. 1963 Chargers. And 1964-65 Buffalo Bills.

[@TheLAGopher]

@@xylynthian753 The NBA-ABA merger was more akin to the 1950 NFL-AAFC merger than the 1966-1970 NFL-AFL merger in that one league absorbed a defunct league. The NFL-AFL merger was more like two leagues merging to form a brand new organization that just retained the name National Football League. Pro football essentially reset itself twice in 4 years. Once in 1966.And again in 1970. That's somewhat why the modern NFL doesn't seem to embrace the nostalgia for the pre 1970 teams outside of the Lombardi Packers while the NFL actively remembers the post merger championship teams of the 70s such as the Steelers, Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins.

[@smilanesi98]

It was a different game before free agency. Many players would be on the same team in their first years and their later years.

[@denisceballos9745]

Man, that’s some NFL history right there. Cool to see Norm Van Brocklin, Otto Graham, and Tom Fears in their playing days before they became coaches.

[@johnkurtz7705]

Although no longer mentioned amongst the greatest qbs ever, Otto Graham is the only qb to ever play in a pro football championship game, every season that he played. Pretty remarkable

[@MrThumbs63]

My father, born in 1925, saw the NFL until 1997. Even after seeing that many years of football, he always thought Graham was Top 5.

[@martinzaehringer1697]

Graham coached the Coast Guard Academy's football team for a couple of years and when that job was over, he had a yard sale at his house in Connecticut before he moved. My father went over and came back with two NFL footballs autographed by Graham, one for me and one for my brother. We were probably 10 and 11. One evening he drives home from work and finds us with our friends in a field playing football. He walks over and asks what football we're playing with and we told him one of those footballs you got from that old coach!

[@johnkurtz7705]

@@martinzaehringer1697 nice, lol

[@williambagley5415]

These Browns teams are very under rated in NFL history. Don Shula & Chuck Knoll both played for Paul Brown...as did Walt Michaels, who coached the Jets in the 70s

[@kennethrohen5963]

But, he never once faced the pass rush that exists nowadays, as there was nobody close to an Aaron Donald, and even the average modern linebacker, or even safety or cornerback--all of whom are stronger and faster and more violent than anyone of those days.

[@douglasnewman2299]

Interesting story about Don Colo, DT for Cleveland. In the 1949-50 academic year, my mother worked at the library at Brown. She told me several times about this big lineman named Don Colo who would play several years for Cleveland. She also told me about the QB, a wiry Italian kid from Brooklyn ... some guy named Joe Paterno.

[@timsharkey1993]

I loved that bounced-in TD by the Rams’ receiver. No such thing as “down by contact” in 1955 apparently. 😂

[@ronaldgreen2575]

My thoughts exactly.

[@johnh7018]

That of course was the rule but the refs sucked

[@88mike42]

They've moved the goal posts a couple of yards back from the goal line.

[@ItsAboutTV]

At the time, the rules stated that "The ball is dead immediately when the ball carrier touches the ground with any part of his body except his hands or feet while in the grasp of an opponent." As enforced, it meant that the defensive player not only had to have the runner down, but had to have him in his grasp or control, i.e. if you hit him and knock him down, but don't have him in your grasp, he can continue to run. In highlights from this era, you'll often see a runner get up and run if the defender doesn't have him ahold of him and have him in his control.

[@ItsAboutTV]

@@88mike42 A support on the upright allowed the crossbar to be on the goal line while the uprights themselves were a couple of yards back. This was standard until the introduction of the single-post, curved upright (called the slingshot or goose-necked goalpost) was introduced in 1967. Incidentally, these modern goalposts were first used not in the NFL, but in the Canadian Football League.

[@redbaronreborn3372]

Couple of interesting notes: This was Gillman's 1st season as HC of the Rams,was Graham's last game as Browns QB.Tank Younger Rams Rb didn't play due to injury that really hurt the Rams chances. Also this was the 1st nationally televised NFL championship game by NBC and it was played on a Monday afternoon! Norm Van Brocklin threw 6 INTS! 6🤯 Gillman never trusted Van Brocklin again gradually losing faith in him and trading him to the lowly Eagles who with Van Brocklin at QB beat the Packers in 1960 NFL championship game 17-13 the only playoff game Lombardi lost as GB HC and all because the relationhip soured between Gill&NVB because of this game. Strange sometimes how life works out. Gillman himself was fired by Rams Gm tex schramm after the 1959 season,Schramm in 1960 became Dallas Cowboys GM when former Rams publicity man Pete Rozelle who become NFL commissioner when Bert Bell died of a heart attack sitting in the stands of an Eagles game in 1959,recommended Schramm to new Owner Clint Murchison jr. Who in turn was awarded a new expansion franchise to compete with Lamar Hunt's AFL Dallas Texans. If you ever get a chance YT the documentary "Full Color football " it's done in 6 1hr episodes and its imo the greatest sports documentary ever!

[@robertthomas2001]

i say the game as a thirteen year old and can say without a doubt " tank younger wouldn't have mattered in the outcome, Graham retired having one of his best seasons ever.

[@garyb2b]

This was also the last championship the great Paul Brown ever won

[@robertperrella4194]

the first interception by van brocklin WAS A BAD OMEN!!!!!! that pass SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT !!!!!!!!the other INT'S are just poor decisions!!!!!!!!!,,,,,OOTO GRAHAM WAS TOM BRADY BEFORE TOM BRADY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,,,,,,,,my goodness: 8 turnovers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@nobodyaskedbut]

@@robertperrella4194 Brady is nothing like the incomparable Graham who was a COMPLETE QB. Graham was a superb ball carrier & could make plays on his own which Brady, of course, could never do. Graham also had to endure physical punishment during his era of which Brady could only have nightmares about.

[@robertperrella4194]

@@nobodyaskedbut otto graham truly is special and i agree with you 100% !!!!!

[@donaldbarrett4454]

I was nine years old and still remember !

[@jstube36]

Those were the days when the Browns and Lions were powerhouses. goes to show how much of a cycle the sport is. The teams that are on the bottom now may rise to success late and vice versa. What I like is the uniforms of the Rams. They should bring that back now that they've returned to LA.

[@algee8415]

I was seven. First football game I definitely remember watching. None the details but remember the final score. And Modzelewski.

[@sonnythompson2956]

Love those Browns old and new. And I am a Packer fan die hard, the Brown & Packers played so many good games over the years you have to love them both.

[@MrRyan-wu4jx]

Interesting to see what strategies are still utilized 70 years later and which aren’t. It actually look more like the modern game than I was expecting.

[@starwarsROXmy]

It’s definitely interesting to see. A lot of these guys didn’t have the benefits of the training, the medicine, the money, the nutrition or the rules to protect them. I have no doubt quite a few of these guys could play today if they were given these benefits. At the end of the day, it’s still football.

[@randyacuna3248]

Always felt that those colors, gold orange with the blue numbers and white pants were the rams best. Also love the wide horns on the helmets. Classic style.

[@davidduffy2046]

I watched this game with my dad on tv. Still remember

[@jstube36]

What great memories you must have.

[@algee8415]

First game I remember watching. Not many details after this long but remember the final score. And Modzelewski running.

[@NeoNitty]

Wow that’s awesome

[@Rescue162]

A lot of these players I had only read about in my NFL record and fact book I got when I was a kid in the 1970s. I loved that book and read it cover-to-cover. Thanks for posting this.

[@henrybrowne7248]

I did something similar, I think around 1971.

[@robertthomas2001]

I was thirteen years old and a Giant fan and looked forward to the game with great anticipation. the following year i was in attendance at Yankee stadium for the bears and Giants. great memories and very few flags unlike today's game

[@jstube36]

Thanks for sharing that memory

[@crowtservo]

My uncle was 12 in 1956 and a Bears fan at the time and he said that was his first big sports disappointment he saw on tv. He later became a Saints fan, they started the team right after he moved to Louisiana when his army service was done and since they were on tv all the time he started following them instead.

[@robertthomas2001]

@@crowtservo I was fourteen when attending the world championship playoff game. the field was completely frozen when the Temperatures were near zero. after warmups the giant team raided a local sporting goods store and cleaned out their sneaker stock which gave them superior footing. that was the big difference in the outcome of a lopsided game. .. i accidentally spilled mustard from my hotdog to my program....it still frozen today. that's how cold it was

[@griselame]

The number of legends playing in that game is insane

[@loydbruceleewouldbescary2637]

NFL& college schedules are way too long, today,

[@custer2449]

What a strange way to play football - no kneeling, no dancing each and every play, no helmet slapping each and every play, no idiotic taunting each and every play, handing the ball to the referee after each and every play instead of spinning the ball around. What a strange way to play football.

[@steveosullivan5262]

Pretty cool. Nice to see Don Paul score a TD for Cleveland. I met him about a year before he died. Sad ending to a nice guy. He was sent up to Eugene to write another book, don't think he wrote much. He played before my era and enjoyed his stories. RIP Don. He was a kind man.

[@richardkammerer2814]

There’s something about a good champion. They have that something special and carry themselves with respect. As a teenager, I remember talking to a few players from the Buffalo Bills at a scouting event in the mid 60s. They were big guys with funny stories and good insight.

[@oden4154]

I was 2 months old at the time. my first game was the browns vs eagles in 1963 an no surprise Lou Groza was still on the field kicked field goal to beat my eagles. my Dad laughed at old lou the whole game.

[@samuelhain2712]

LOVE all the unflagged late hits: 4:33. 5:14. 5:33. 7:52. 8:21. 8:48. 12:46. 14:11. etc REAL football, when the players were allowed to INJURE each other.

[@lantron123]

In those days you could still get up and advance the ball if you were knocked down. In order to be down you had to be "in the grasp" of the opponent on the ground and your forward progress stopped to be considered down. In some of these old videos you'll see guys crawling forward for touchdowns from the 1 or 2 yard line after being tackled, just like in Rugby. Thats why you're seeing guys pile on in the video. The down by contact rule was implemented the following year, 1956, to prevent piling on and injuries.

[@xylynthian753]

Those really look like the players just falling on the ball carrier to make sure he's down, not really a "hit", but I agree those definitely would've been flagged today.

[@Fireyninjadog]

Those uniforms are dope as hell

[@kenp7814]

Former Cleveland Rams vs Current Cleveland Browns

[@deanouellette1868]

Love those Ram unis. Vivid color in a drab time.

[@EdsterIII]

This is the best way to spend a day! Classic football games. For me, not born until 1967, I never saw these game, or this game until now. So this is a treat for me!! Thank you for your dedication and hard work making it possible for us to see these classic NFL games! Awesome content! And a great channel! You definitely have another Subscriber!

[@jhankline8963]

Greatest coach. PAUL BROWN greatest. Quarterback OTTO GRAHAM greatest running back. EVEEEEEER J I M B R O E N

[@jstube36]

Interesting list. Here's mine. QB- Tom Brady, Joe Montana RB Emmitt Smith WR Jerry Rice TE Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten OL-Larry Allen DL Reggie White LB Ray Lewis CB Deion Sanders S Ed Reed, Ronnie Lott Franchise- N E Patriots, G B Packers Coach- Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh, Don Shula, Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi

[@jstube36]

Happy 100 seasons

[@jeremythompson9122]

Here's my all time team at the offensive skill positions: QB Joe Montana RB Barry Sanders RB Jim Brown WR Jerry Rice WR Randy Moss TE Rob Gronkowski and heres my defense DT Joe Greene DT Bob Lilly DE Reggie White DE Bruce Smith OLB Lawrence Taylor OLB Jack Ham MLB Dick Butkus CB Mel Blount CB Night Train Lane S Ronnie Lott S Ed Reed. I would've put Deion Sanders at CB but he tackled like my grandmother

[@TheSdthomas74]

@@jstube36 too weighted towards recency. Not good!

[@davidburke9596]

You mis-spelled the HBs name . Corrected to - Gale Sayers.

[@henrybrowne7248]

I'm a Rams fan, but Quinlan was down before the end zone on that long bomb play.

[@erestube]

Different rules?

[@henrybrowne7248]

@@erestube 11:27

[@jeremythompson9122]

1955 was the Browns 10th consecutive appearance in their league's Championship Game...4 straight in the AAFC and 6 straight in the NFL. The Browns won all 4 AAFC titles and 3 NFL Championships in that span. 7 out of 10.....That is INSANE!!! Maybe the greatest dynasty in pro football history. The New England Patriots won it all in 2001, 2003, and 2004 but then went another 10 years and won 3 more Championships...2014, 2016, and 2018. But I really think the league started scripting games in recent years so I'm not really sold on the Patriots. Championship Games weren't decided by the refs in the old days...they were decided by the players and coaches. I've seen bad officiating be instrumental in several important wins by the Pats in recent years so I'm not fully convinced that their dynasty is legit

[@robertthomas2001]

bad officiating goes both ways. nonsense. Pat are like the old clevelend browns of yesteryear.

[@jamesyoung9311]

Between 1950-1969, the Cleveland Browns or NY Giants were in 17 of the 20 NFL Championships played.

[@Gorilla-qh4zc]

They was gambling back then too

[@nobodyaskedbut]

@@robertthomas2001 Not even close. The 40s, 50s & to '66 Browns could not qualify for the title game unless they had the best regular season record in their half of the league. There were no small divisions or wild cards. Also, during the 50s the Browns were considered the invading enemy by the NFL owners who resented what they did to their league especially in the very 1st season when the beat TWO NFL champions (Eagles in 1st ever game). In their 1st 4 seasons the Browns were in the top 2 in penalties called on & no other team was even close to that. Certainly can't say any of these things about the Pats.

[@KnockOffBeingFat]

Bottom line: If you CHEAT IS DOES NOT COUNT & the players/coaches/refs etc... have to lie and live with that FOREVER

[@palmerpalmer9823]

Those were the good days, miss you Dad

[@davemitchell116]

If I remember correctly, this was the first NFL game I ever saw on TV. I was seven. The TV was black and white with a whopping 19-inch screen. Back when pro football was a weekly feeble afterthought to the college games on Saturday.

[@spiritualarchitect4276]

Nice to see this. This was the first Championship after I was born. Ten years later I watched my first NFL game (Browns vs Giants) and the Browns were the champs then too. Amazing that Norm threw 6 interceptions in a Championship game!? And he still made the Hall of Fame!

[@pape444]

Intersting just 17 y before Rams played in Cleveland where they where fond.

[@GetRidOfCivilAssetForfeiture]

Thanks for this great video. Reminds me of the stories my dad would tell me.

[@rainman7693]

Thanks for posting.

[@dustandroktwok1447]

“Starting quarterback and punter extraordinaire Norman van Brocklin attempts a forward pass. The crowd erupts”. LMAO how times have changed.

[@kvernon1]

Did you notice: (1) No celebrations by the players after great plays or touchdowns. These players are all business! (2) No touchbacks on those kickoffs -- those return men bring it out every time, even when 7 yards deep in the end zone. (3) Some rare footage of someone other than all-time great Jim Brown wearing #32 for Cleveland!

[@jah0524]

Norm Van Brocklin would go on to smoke a ton of cigarettes, become a losing coach for the Vikings and Atlanta Falcons, and die at the age of 57 from smoking a ton of cigarettes. Otto Graham went on to play tennis and golf, and lived to the age of 82.

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

It's amazing how much the play improved in only a few short years from here!

[@martinzaehringer1697]

I am surprised how advanced the play was then. I expected 60 minutes of running plays

[@turkeybowlwinkle4440]

@@martinzaehringer1697 That would be the 70s.

[@JDAbelRN]

The Rams uniforms in this game would be a great throwback idea.

[@MrThumbs63]

Fantastic posting!!

[@martinzaehringer1697]

I was surprised how much more advanced in offensive play this game was. I expected more 3 yards and a cloud of dust. That being said, the Browns were in love with the inside trap play.

[@williamjordan5554]

Paul Brown invented the forerunner of the West Coast Offense.

[@nobodyaskedbut]

@@williamjordan5554 This is not the west coast offense. PB developed that with the Bengals. PB did that because he lost his strong armed QB & had to compensate. Graham, of course, had a great arm.

[@GetBenched2010]

Those Rams uniforms are iconic!

[@BigfistJP]

Wow, 8 LA turnovers. That has to be some sort of playoff record.

[@LittleDrummerBoyLittle]

Way to go Cleveland!

[@Celluloidwatcher]

Although one-sided, the Paul Brown-led Cleveland Browns continued their championship dominance in the NFL, defeating the team that left Cleveland after the 1945 season, the Rams. BTW, the Cleveland Rams defeated Sammy Baugh and Washington for the NFL title and moved to Los Angeles for the 1946 season.

[@robertowens7153]

The year I was born!

[@charlesschaum5849]

Year old when this game was played

[@andrewlenz2177]

The nfl championship was until the 1970 season. The 1969 Vikings being the last team win the nfl championship

[@HemiJB91]

Damn big contracts back than. Qb $10000 with $ 3000 garenteed

[@lajuggernaut8220]

ABSOLUTELY GOLDEN!!! 😎😃

[@keithmotsinger918]

BERT BELL RIP. Also forget how great Otto was,saw interview with George Blanda,asked the best QB,in his view: OTTO GRAHAM.

[@clayboutin400]

Obviously with the Rams starting RB out, they didn't have a running game but I think I would have put the backup QB in for the 2nd half after Van Brocklin's 5 interceptions in the first half. I don't think the backup could have done any worse. But then again, this game was played before I was born so maybe it wouldn't have mattered.

[@williambagley5415]

Great history

[@MAC-ws8fz]

I was told when I was a wee lad that my Mothers side of family was related to Johnny Lujack! That would be AWESOME!

[@douglasdavis8395]

One of my favorite DJs!

[@theycallmehoipilloi5495]

Two things. At least in these highlights, the tackling was really good. I wonder how much Van Brocklin had on the game. 😁

[@cruzloera4931]

Those browns are probably going to win many more championships after this.

[@johnperrigo6474]

probably

[@davidburke9596]

They might have won more than 1 in 1964 if they had a FB that wasn't too important to block anyone.

[@OldHickoryAndyJackson]

Automatic Otto, great vid

[@MAC-ws8fz]

They were a helluva lot tougher then! No face masks, full padding on legs and knees, big clunky shoulder pads, no sissy GLOVES or arm skid tapes, no war paint, no mouth guards, heavy black shoes (no color) helmets just covered the head and ears (lucky to have chin straps) and definitely NO long hair! Todays Rams and Browns could not and WOULD NOT play like that! Yearly, teams wear old style uniforms but only in colors! Crazy Legs Hersch...with a name like that, you had to be tuff!

[@mrstep2me]

I see the refs were blind back then too. On the Rams first score, the guy was clearly tackled short of the goal line.

[@jeremythompson9122]

Kinda like Super Bowl 40 when the refs gave that TD to Roethlisberger when he was CLEARLY short of the goal line. Really the refs gave that whole game to Pittsburgh. Big asterisk next to that one for the Steelers

[@randymiller2233]

Believe it or not, that touchdown was legal in 1955. The rule at that time said a tackled player MUST be in the GRASP of the defender. Merely knocking down a ball carrier was not enough. If you notice, there are a lot of plays here where the runner goes down and an additional tackler jumps on to complete the tackle.

[@LittleDrummerBoyLittle]

Horse collar tackles and late hits out of bounds were par for the course for these WWII vet real men! No kneeling then!

[@CaptC4t]

@@randymiller2233 That rules still holds in rugby.

[@robertsprouse9282]

@@randymiller2233, nope, the "pindown" rule ended in 1954. In this game in '55, the ref blew the early tdown call.

[@ningxiawolfberry]

The rams started out in Cleveland.

[@carltonreese4854]

They sure did a lot of passing compared to what you read about that era. Ten picks total in the game, though!

[@lesberkley3821]

Lou "The Toe" Groza!

[@TheCountofToulouse]

Both teams started in Cleveland.

[@captbss]

In a time when the NFL was not a left wing political action committee

[@marcmunns9003]

back then they had to watch out for goalposts

[@majik_man]

As a football historian i always had a dream that Graham was still qb for a few more years, as a 36 year old Otto Graham would team up with Jim Brown as a star rookie & form the greatest team of the 50's, 1957 world champs and Graham would come back for a swan song and play the 58 season as a 37 year old QB and defending champion and beat Johnny Unitas.

[@vincenttrudell782]

Would Jim have been available in '57, if Graham(one of the biggest WINNERS in the sport) was still playing, had the Browns had a better record in '56(7-5 for example giving them #10 overall)?Would The Colts have taken him at #8 and paired him with UNITAS?

[@therealthreadkilla]

What's most interesting is the field. Notice how far apart the hash marks are. That among many other field differences is interesting

[@CorePathway]

By how many hundreds of points would there guys lose to a modern team? 200? 300? Don’t be mad, the Yankees best ‘50’s team would get swept by today’s last place team.

[@randymillhouse791]

14:36: Old footage but a massive looking hit via the Mississippi high / low shot. That guy seems out cold.

[@jeffs3752]

The team from Ohio beat the crap out of the California team, in California. A good day, indeed.

[@alanstrong55]

The Browns won that title quite fairly.

[@normanacree1635]

4:25: "The Toe"

[@normanacree1635]

3:01: Check out the cheerleaders. WOW!!!

[@douglasdavis8395]

I swear I saw ankle!

[@Vablonsky]

The receiver for the Rams was tackled at the 2 or 3 yard line (at the 11:27 mark of the video) with only his momentum carrying him into the end zone as he bounced from the force of being tackled. And, he was credited with a touchdown. That would obviously not be a touchdown today. Because the receiver would have been ruled down where his knee hit the ground. So, clearly, the rule must have changed somewhere along the line in the intervening decades. Or, the official simply missed the call. I don't know. That was an odd touchdown for sure given how football is played today.

[@matthewkirkhart2401]

They must have had different rules for being ruled "down" back then. The Ram's first TD had it happened today would not have been a TD and he would have been down at the 1 yard line. I guess the rule was something like he isn't down until his momentum is stopped, which in this case happened after he crossed the goal line?

[@NoLanConnection]

Van Brocklin shouldve been benched as qb in the 1st half

[@tommcconville4270]

Was this noted sportscaster Bob Wolf's commentary and call in this presentation?

[@muffs55mercury61]

The last time the Rams would play in a championship game for 25 years (they did play in but lost four NFC championships in the mid 1970s) They had good teams during much of that time but couldn't win the big game. Too bad they didn't think of saving entire games back then but on the other hand film was quite expensive then. And who then thought of people having home video 25 years later?

[@normanacree1635]

The greatest game ever played (Colts - Giants 1958) wasn't even filmed, was it?

[@muffs55mercury61]

@@normanacree1635 Yes a lot of the championship footage of that game survives. The game was credited for the networks giving football a closer look and eventually overtaking baseball as America's favorite sport.

[@jimbowers5402]

great footage, except for the campy college band music they included back then.

[@algee8415]

Watched this live. Didn't remember any of the details. But a muddy field at the Coliseum?

[@caliscribe2120]

The Rams lost in NFC title game against the Minnesota Vikings in a rain storm at the Coliseum in the early 70s. Muddy field and a half.

[@walkergillette3918]

2 things, where was Elroy crazy legs Hirsch? and Norm Van Brocklin stunk up the joint!

[@jstaversky]

six picks and a fumble in three quarters!

[@orbyfan]

It's odd to see a Cleveland running back wearing #32--and it's not Jim Brown.

[@Monke-vd9uw]

Been so long glad that the browns qb got injured or people now would still had no face mask

[@odoggjenkins2651]

4:56 i thought he was about to take off.

[@LARam-xs9nr]

@1:15 The Sofi back in the Day

[@Benzo1818]

And then Browns drafted Jim Brown the following season...wow!?

[@TheSdthomas74]

Not correct. He was drafted in the 1957 draft. God help the NFL if Otto Graham stayed around until he arrived 😳

[@TheJust22az]

This was when men were men.

[@thomaskauser8978]

Go browns!

[@walkergillette3918]

announcer says, Paul Brown runs out to congratulate Rams coach Sid Gillman, why? he lost

[@moe9196]

so all cleveland running backs for the browns back then were Modeleskis , interesting , lol

[@alanstrong55]

CBS must have been the game carrier.

[@henrybrowne7248]

According to another commenter, it was NBC.

[@Celluloidwatcher]

NBC covered the NFL Championship Game from 1955-1963. CBS took over and showed the title game from 1964-69 (before the NFL-AFL merger).

[@kenp7814]

Dante Lavelli = Don-Tay

[@Micah211]

11:26 Upon further review....

[@jstube36]

When the knees go down the ball is at about the One yardline. Interesting that no officials were close. Except for the one running in signaling Touchdown. A Challenge Flag would bring that back.

[@jstube36]

One thing of note. None of the Browns were protesting much

[@brucefranklin1317]

Mostly white guys all chewin gum with old chearleaders in church skirts... it was good football for the time. Otto graham was way ahead of this 1955 time with his skills. Look at the dutchman play qb and punt too... i like the deceptive plays...

[@jhankline8963]

Sorry J I M . B R 0 W N

[@andrewr62]

VanBrocklin was a great QB but certainly not on this day. Where was he throwing? Almost looks like he was on the take that day.

[@henrybrowne7248]

I know, he looked just awful, pretty much gave the game away--not to take anything away from the Browns. Another poster said Gilman lost faith in van Brocklin and traded him to Philadelphia the following season.

[@andrewr62]

@@henrybrowne7248 True enough. Bill Wade was ready and had a very good career both with Rams and Bears. But Van Brocklin did have theat 1960 season with the Eagles.

[@robertthomas2001]

are you commenting my comment... it doesn't follow

[@Teebone211]

Why do all the players look over 40 years old?

[@robertsprouse9282]

Many of them fought in WW2, or many grew up poor in the great depression= it aged them faster; and, you will notice that THE QBACKS were in their primes and the backups were former or future starters on other teams. The players you watched here did not grow up in cushy suburban neighborhoods with food available at the snap of a phonecall, or by an internet transaction; nor grew up with had two to four cars in their garages, nor recreation full of expensive videogames, nor had no need for offseason jobs. The roster sizes then were 33 men, not 53, too. They mayn't have had 365 12 months, 7 days a week sports training, but they were more polished and rarely committed stupid penalties because if a player did, he wasn't making a team, or staying in the league very long. There were 12 teams not 32..twas much more difficult to make a squad back then. Players did not jump in as rookies, because they had to wait for a much deeper depth, if not in numbers but in pro experienced talent of players in front of them, before those younger players got their chance to start. They learned the pro game sitting on the bench, not playing and screwing up on the field. In short, athleticism does not equal football professional polish. They might look like older faced players, but back then, they were more seasoned with the average age higher, and the polish much shinier than the NFL rosters today which are 85 percent composed of 3 OR 4 years, or younger, in player experience participants, all of that thanks to the SALARY CAP. They have to play up speed and athleticism today because the fundamentals of the moderns are so poor. The lack of proper technique execution due to lack of practice and hitting with pads, and the greenish hue of most starters and subs benches gives us an inferior product, as does the lack of senior year skill players from colleges, again forcing the prized draftees to learn more about the game of football, on the field, not at colleges and universities, and/or..on the bench. The NFL today is just like the modern NBA= all flash and no substance. Yep, older looking and older, period, and maybe not as athletic, but far more polished as players, with very little attention on what their favorite singer thought about them, or what they thought about that singer = substance over flash.

[@davidkuharich9269]

Because most of them fought in WW2 and Korea, so they where older when they entered the league, and they held full time jobs outside of football to support there families the Greatest Generation

[@johnh7018]

@@davidkuharich9269 So, in other words and dispensing with the political correctness.....they sucked. Am I missing something?

[@kennethrohen5963]

This was back when it was believed that weight training made players muscle bound and slow, when players would light up cigarettes in the locker room before the game, at halftime, and after the game, when players drank heavily, and when training camp was to get into shape. Also, they don't come even close to todays violence, the way the modern player hurls their bodies into the opposition with speed and force. These old time players grab and pull down, rather than violently tackle. To take these boys into the future and put them in a game against even a modern small college team would be horribly sadistic; it would be homicide. Imagine sending Aaron Donald back to play in that game! Back then, 260lb offensive linemen were common. But what the modern game lacks are baton twirling girls.

[@theredbaronlives9889]

For supposedly great coach Sid Gillman only ever won won Championship he lost all the others. 1955 vs Browns lost 1960 vs Oilers aflost 1961 vs Oilers aflost 1963 won vs pats 1964 vs Bills aflost 1965 vs Bills aflost Inintresting tidbit this game was played on a Monday as Christmas was Sunday. what network aired this ? cbs?

[@algee8415]

Really good Chargers team they had in '63. Would have expected them to win more

[@ejrundt]

From what I saw watching this clip and other clips of the 60s Chargers I think Sid Gillman relied too much on the passing game.

[@DavidSmith-fs6pi]

@@ejrundt The AFL was a passing league

[@vincenttrudell782]

@@ejrundt Before "Air Coryell" there was "Air Gillman"

[@tygrkhat4087]

@@ejrundt Actually, the Chargers of those days had Keith Lincoln and Paul Lowe in the backfield. Both were big men with some speed and could catch the ball. Gillman liked to pass, but he wasn't totally pass happy. HIs philosophy was use the pass to set up the run.