1958 NFL season

The 1958 season is regarded as a watershed year in which the popularity of professional football in the United States began to rival that of baseball in the public imagination.

"[1] Stadium attendance was robust throughout the league, with crowds in excess of 100,000 twice filling the Los Angeles Coliseum to see the Los Angeles Rams, while the Detroit Lions managed to sell a staggering 42,000 season tickets in advance of the 1958 campaign, ensuring home sellouts at Briggs Stadium.

[1] At the other end of the attendance spectrum, the Chicago Cardinals faltered with the live gate, overshadowed yet again by the legendary Bears.

[1] Similarly, the Pittsburgh Steelers were disappointed with their attendance in their new home at Pitt Stadium, which proved difficult to access and provided a particularly windy and inhospitable place to watch a game.

[2] The powerful Cleveland runner smashed the previous NFL record of 1,146 yards in a 12 game season, set by Steve Van Buren in 1949.

[5] Quarterback sacks were not an official statistic in this era, but the league-low 183 points allowed by the New York Giants (15.25 per game) give testimony to the stoutness of their defensive unit.

As a snowstorm swept over Yankee Stadium, the Browns' 10–3 lead gave way to a 10–10 tie game on Frank Gifford's pass to Bob Schnelker, which would still have suited Cleveland.