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Alan Ameche’s 1-yard touchdown
run gave the Colts a 23–17
overtime win against the Giants
in the 1958 NFL title game.

invited three of the franchises—Cleveland, the San Francisco
49ers, and the Baltimore Colts—to join the NFL.
The popularity of professional football grew in the 1950s as

games were shown on television. In 1950, the Rams became
The history of the National Football League
the first NFL team to have all their games on television. The
1951 championship between the Rams and Cleveland Browns

was the first nationally televised game.
The 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore
Colts and New York Giants pushed professional football’s
popularity to another level. The nationally broadcast game is
still commonly called the “greatest game ever played.” It was

the first title game to go into overtime. The Colts won in
sudden death behind legendary quarterback Johnny Unitas.

Birth of the AFL

Texas oilman Lamar Hunt tried more than once to buy an NFL
team. He was continuously denied. So the young businessman
decided to start his own league. He worked with several

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