1963 NFL Championship Game
The 1963 NFL Championship Game was the 31st annual championship game, played on December 29 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The game pitted the visiting New York Giants (11–3) of the Eastern Conference against the Chicago Bears (11–1–2) of the Western Conference.
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| Date | December 29, 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Larry Morris (Linebacker; Chicago) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Norm Schachter | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 45,801 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Giants: Wellington Mara (owner), Rosey Brown, Frank Gifford, Sam Huff, Hugh McElhenny, Andy Robustelli, Y. A. Tittle Bears: George Halas (owner, coach), Doug Atkins, Mike Ditka, Bill George, Stan Jones, George Allen (defensive coordinator) | |||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jack Brickhouse Chris Schenkel George Connor | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jim Gibbons Pat Summerall | ||||||||||||||||||
Originally, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle had asked Bears owner/coach George Halas to move the game to Soldier Field due to its higher seating capacity and lights, and the possibility the game could extend into multiple overtime periods; Wrigley Field did not have lights until 1988.
After Halas declined the request, Rozelle moved the game's starting time up to 12:05 p.m. CST for increased daylight, similar to the situation in 1960 at Franklin Field. The Championship Game was played in temperatures under 10 °F (−12 °C).
The Giants were in their third consecutive championship game and fifth in the last six seasons. They lost to the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and 1959, and the Green Bay Packers in 1961 and 1962. The Bears were in their first Championship Game since a loss to the Giants in 1956 at Yankee Stadium, and had last won in 1946, defeating the Giants at the Polo Grounds.
This was the fifth and final NFL Championship Game at Wrigley Field, which hosted the first in 1933, as well as 1937, 1941, and 1943. The Bears won four, with the only loss in 1937.
Tickets were $12.50, $10, and $6. NBC paid the league $926,000 for the broadcast rights.