Giants Con Steelers, 19‑17
Pittsburgh, Oct. 9 — Old No. 42, Charley Conerly, threw a 44‑yard touchdown strike to Frank Gifford with a minute to go at Pitt Stadium Sunday afternoon, spoiling what had looked like a double celebration for Pittsburgh’s fans and giving the New York Giants a thrilling 19‑17 victory before a near‑record crowd of 40,323.
The Steelers, who had seemed destined to triumph after Bobby Layne’s brilliant third‑period pass to Buddy Dial put them ahead, 14‑12, were stunned by Conerly’s late heroics. The veteran quarterback, who replaced George Shaw late in the third period, engineered a clutch drive that will be remembered as one of the season’s finest.
Facing fourth down on the Giant 22 with 10 yards to go and only 85 seconds remaining, Conerly hit Kyle Rote for his seventh catch of the day, a 24‑yard gain aided by a lateral to Bob Schnelker that carried to the Steeler 44. Two plays later, Conerly lofted a perfect strike to Gifford, who soared high at the 15 and came down on the goal line with the ball clutched to his chest for the winning score.
The Giants, who had started sluggishly, fell behind early when Layne connected with Jimmy Orr for a 28‑yard gain and then again on a 16‑yard reverse. Dick Nolan’s interception at the goal line stopped one Steeler threat, but Dick Moegle’s three first‑half steals kept the Giants on edge. Moegle’s first interception set up Pittsburgh’s opening touchdown, a 23‑yard pass from Tracy to Orr.
The Giants answered with a safety by Rosy Grier and Cliff Livingston, then a 9‑yard scoring toss from Shaw to Rote for a 12‑2 lead. Layne’s precision passing brought the Steelers back, his 30‑yard strike to Dial making it 14‑12 in the third. Reichard’s field goal from the 11 extended the margin to 17‑12 midway through the fourth, but the Giants’ defense held firm. Conerly’s final drive, capped by Gifford’s catch, sealed New York’s third straight win and sent them home to Yankee Stadium next Sunday against Washington with their first perfect record in years.
ProFootballReference.com Boxscore
Courtesy of The New York Daily News from October 10, 1960 via Newspapers.com