Why would anyone call this "The Greatest Game Ever Played," as it has become known?

"It wasn't, mechanically, the greatest game every played," said Summerall, the Giants kicker who went on to a long broadcasting career. "There were some great plays, but I don't think any of us who participated could have believed that it would have become the so-called 'Greatest Game Ever Played.' "

Summerall alluded to the eight fumbles, including five turnovers in the first half and three turnovers in a span of six plays during the opening quarter. A work of art, this game wasn't.

But a landmark event? Yes, by every measure.

On Sunday, the NFL marks the 50th anniversary of a sea-change game. The league's explosive growth into a monolith started on that day 50 years ago at Yankee Stadium.

"It's universally accepted as one of the most important moments in league history," commissioner Roger Goodell said. "It has stood the test of time."

The small-town ragamuffin Colts and the big-city imperial Giants hooked up for the first overtime game in Football history.

Long after the long day's journey into night ended with Alan "The Horse" Ameche's 1-yard touchdown run for a 23-17 Baltimore victory, NFL commissioner Bert Bell wept with joy.

The NFL had arrived on the national scene.

"When you have tears in your eyes, that's pretty strong," said Raymond Berry, the Colts' Hall of Fame receiver. "I have to believe he understood the tremendous significance of what had happened to the league that he had been nursing along. He was probably one of the few people there that really understood it."

Now everyone does. A look at the "Greatest Game" from different perspectives:

'Band of brothers'

David Halberstam, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, was killed in an automobile accident while researching a book on the game. Frank Gifford, the Giants' Hall of Fame running back, picked up the project.

It became a journey of discovery.

Gifford's richly detailed book, The Glory Game, pulls back the curtain on the title contest.

He shows the internal rivalry that pitted Giants assistant coach Vince Lombardi and his offense against Giants assistant coach Tom Landry and his defense, the surreal scene of linebacker Sam Huff arguing shortly before kickoff about how the playoff pool would be divided and Gifford's own mistakes in the game.

Gifford is unsparing in describing his role. He puts heavy blame on himself because of two game- changing fumbles.

"I beat us," Gifford said.

The book also highlights the human relationships that sprang from the game. The players have been intertwined for decades, sharing joys and helping one another through the tough times.

"We really are a band of brothers," Gifford said. "We all shared in something that was very special."

Launching pad

Berry's backup at Southern Methodist University was Lamar Hunt, son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt. The son was smitten with Football.

Lamar Hunt watched the Colts-Giants game in a hotel room and came away determined to become involved in the budding romance between the NFL and television. The setting of Yankee Stadium, the drama of overtime and the charismatic players were ideal for television, Hunt thought.

The NFL turned its back on Hunt. He responded by starting his own

television-friendly league.

The AFL was full of owners like Hunt: deep-pocketed with big dreams. The AFL fought the NFL to a draw that led to a merger and the cultural phenomenon known as the Super Bowl.

"People like Lamar helped grow the game into what it is today," Gifford said. "This (game) was the launching pad for that."

In 1955, NBC paid $100,000 to televise NFL games. In 1958, the broadcast policy included mandatory blackouts of home games to protect the gate. Because of that, the title game was blacked out in the biggest market in the country.

By 1962, with the AFL on the scene, the NFL sold its television rights to CBS for $4.65 million. The current television contract, which involves five networks, gives the league an annual payout of $3,735,000,000.

The networks get a big bang for their buck. According to the NFL, it had an average viewership of 15 million per game last season. The Super Bowl reached a total audience of about 148.3 million and an average audience in the U.S. of 97.5 million.

"It (the title game) was the beginning of a realization for the people at the television networks that this was a valuable commodity and something they should be involved in," Summerall said.

Summerall and Gifford went along for the ride. They took advantage of their high profile in New York to have careers as broadcasters.

Confusion reigns

The game did not lack for controversy.

With less than 2:30 remaining in regulation, the Giants led 17-14. On third-and-4 from the Giants 40-yard line, quarterback Charlie Conerly called "Over 49 Sweep," which sent Gifford to the right side behind an extra blocker.

Gifford cut back inside, into the arms of Gino Marchetti, the Colts' Hall of Fame end. Colts tackle Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb jumped onto the pile, breaking Marchetti's right leg. Gifford was certain he had picked up the first down.

In the ensuing confusion,

referee Ron Gibbs did not mark the ball as required. After the pile had been cleared, Gibbs spotted the ball where he believed Gifford had gone down.

The Giants were short by less than a foot. Coach Jim Lee Howell ignored the pleas of his players and ordered a punt. The Colts started from their 14 with 1:56 remaining and made it to the Giants 13, where

linebacker-kicker Steve Myhra made a tying, 19-yard field goal with 7 seconds remaining.

Gifford maintains Gibbs gave the Giants a bad spot on the third-down play. After Gibbs' death, a son sent Gifford a letter detailing how his father admitted an error that possibly cost the Giants a championship.

"Whether he did or not, it does not matter," Gifford said. "(The play) lent itself to increasing the aura around this game and helped it be referred to as 'The Greatest Game Ever Played.' "

The wiseguys debated the overtime strategy of Colts coach Weeb Ewbank.

The betting line had the Colts as a 31/2-point favorite. With a first-and- goal at the 6, Ewbank bypassed the field goal. The Colts scored, on Ameche's run - their third play.

In the book Betting the Line: Sports Wagering in American Life, Richard Davies and Richard Abram wrote that, although there was no evidence to suggest untoward behavior by the Colts, the ending bred suspicion.

"The essential fact is, many people believe gambling helped determine the outcome of the most famous game in professional history," the authors wrote.

Unitas to Berry

The Torre brothers of Brooklyn made it to Yankee Stadium to ROOT for their beloved Giants. One sound still resonates for Joe Torre, who was 18 at the time.

"Unitas to Berry, first down," said Joe Torre, the Los Angeles Dodgers manager. "That's all (stadium announcer) Bob Sheppard kept saying. 'Unitas to Berry, first down.' "

Landry, who would become the Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame coach, firmly believed in man-to-man coverage by the cornerbacks. He stayed with a bad matchup: cornerback Carl Taseff against wide receiver Raymond Berry.

Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas picked on Taseff the entire game. Berry finished with 12 receptions for 178 yards and one touchdown. On the Colts' final possession of regulation, when Unitas introduced the concept of the two-minute offense, Berry caught three consecutive passes for 62 yards to set up Myhra's field goal.

"You have to experience it to understand," Berry said of the performance.

Paving the way

Ameche left the postgame celebration early. He could pick up an extra $500 by appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. Unitas had declined an invitation, but Ameche wanted the check.

Why not? The winner's share for this game was only $4,718.77, about $1,600 more than the losers received. Most players had offseason jobs.

Flash forward to Super Bowl XLII last February. A winning share for the New York Giants was $78,000. The New England Patriots received losing shares of $40,000. For most of the players, this was a cut from the game checks during the regular season.

They owe this bounty to the doors opened by "The Greatest Game Ever Played."

When current members of the Giants gathered with some of their predecessors to watch a film of the 1958 game, no one said, "Thank you."

"They were more curious than anything," Gifford said. "I think they were curious looking at how little we were and how old we got."

Once, they were Giants and Colts. Together, they changed the NFL.

INFOBOX

Games to remember

Other memorable championship games in NFL and AFL history:

* 1940 NFL championship Chicago 73, Washington 0

The lowdown: After a 7-3 win against Chicago late in the regular season, Washington owner George Preston Marshall said the Bears were "cry- babies." That became bulletin-board material for the Bears. The game was memorable for three reasons: Biggest blowout in NFL history, last time a player (Chicago's Dick Plasman) participated without a helmet and introduction of the "T" formation. The Redskins never adjusted to the revolutionary alignment.

* 1962 AFL championship Dallas 20, Houston 17, 2 OT

The lowdown: The first double- overtime game in Football history included a bizarre touch. Dallas won the overtime coin toss but gave away the advantage when confused running back Abner Haynes said the Texans would "kick to the clock." The marathon ended on Tommy Brooker's 25-yard field goal less than three minutes into a second overtime. Houston declined to take a timeout before Brooker's attempt, but the Texans did. Brooker needed time to clean mud from his cleats.

* 1967 NFL championship Green Bay 21, Dallas 17

The lowdown: Green Bay's Lambeau Field was a tundra: game-time temperature of minus-13 degrees with a 14 mph wind and a surface reduced to permafrost when a heating-coil system failed. The "Ice Bowl" conditions influenced Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi. Facing a third-and-goal from the 1 with 13 seconds remaining and no timeouts left, Lombardi went for the win instead of subjecting everyone to overtime. Quarterback Bart Starr followed the block of guard Jerry Kramer to score the winning touchdown.

* Super Bowl III New York Jets 16, Baltimore 7

The lowdown: For the first time, the tag "Super Bowl" was used. For the first time, the AFL champion beat the NFL. The AFL champion Jets were 17-point underdogs, but quarterback Joe Namath "guaranteed" a victory. The Jets controlled play with their ground game. Matt Snell ran 30 times for 121 yards and also had four receptions for 40 yards. Nonetheless, Namath won the game's Most Valuable Player Award despite not throwing for a score and only handing off in the fourth quarter.

* Super Bowl XLII New York Giants 17, New England 14

The lowdown: New England came within less than three minutes of a 19-0 season. Starting from their 17 with 2:42 remaining, the Giants put together a 12-play drive that ended with Eli Manning's 13-yard pass to Plaxico Burress for a go-ahead touchdown. Manning and David Tyree combined on a memorable play. On third-and-5 from the Giants 44-yard line, Manning eluded a heavy pass rush and threw high over the middle to Tyree. He pinned the ball against his helmet for a spectacular 32-yard catch.