Overview
This was the first championship to be held in Green Bay. The Packers only other championship home game until then was played in Milwaukee in 1939. The Giants were playing in their 3rd championship game in four years.
With 40,000 tickets sold at $10 each and $615,000 in TV revenue, this game was the first NFL Championship to generate $1 million in revenue. Temperature at game time hovered at 20ºF and for several days the field had been covered with a tarp topped by a foot of hay. The covering was particularly significant as just two days before, the temperature dipped to -15ºF. Field conditions were of paramount concern if the teams were to make effective use of the running game. All the Packers players used cleats and about half of the Giants players, led by coach Allie Sherman, chose sneakers, believing sneakers would grip better on a frozen field. At 6am on game day workers began the arduous process of snow and hay removal by hand using baskets, as heavy equipment could have potentially damage the field.
$5,000 each would be paid to the winners and $3000 each to the losing team's players.
Green Bay had already beaten the Giants 20-17 on Dec 3rd, in Green Bay.
Read more about this topic: 1961 NFL Championship Game