SPORT, April 1961
Not too long ago, word circulated through the football world to the whispered effect that Norm Van Brocklin was finished. It happened in 1958 when Norm was traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Philadelphia Eagles. But in three seasons, Norm moved the Eagles from the bottom of the National Football League to the top.
On December 26, 1960, he steered the Eagles to a 17-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers, a victory that carried with it the National Football League championship. In the title game, Norm baffled the Packers with his passes, booming punts and play-calling. He sent his running backs poking through holes and he hit his receivers with carefully calculated passes. One of the passes—a 35-yard throw to Tommy McDonald—was good for a touchdown. Another—a 41-yard throw to Pete Retzlaff—set up the Eagles’ field goal. A third down—a key screen pass to Billy Barnes—was blended beautifully in a series of Van Brocklin-engineered running plays that brought Philadelphia the winning touchdown.
When it was over, Van Brocklin had earned SPORT’s third annual award as the top performer in the NFL’s title game. Like Baltimore quarterback Johnny Unitas, who won the award in 1958 and 1959, Norm was the owner of a fire-engine red Chevrolet Corvette.