The Hit (Chuck Bednarik)
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| Date | November 20, 1960 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Yankee Stadium The Bronx, New York City, United States | ||||||||||||||||||
"The Hit" refers to one of the most famous plays in National Football League history: a hard tackle by the Philadelphia Eagles' Chuck Bednarik that hospitalized the New York Giants' Frank Gifford during a game played on November 20, 1960, at the original Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York. Bednarik's tackle, which was legal and drew no penalty, has been widely described as likely the hardest and most vicious tackle in NFL history.
In the game's fourth quarter, linebacker Bednarik tackled Gifford, a running back. Gifford was knocked unconscious, removed from the field on a stretcher, and transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with a deep concussion and remained for ten days. Gifford's injuries forced him to retire from the NFL. However, after undergoing 18 months of recovery, he ultimately returned with the Giants in 1962, before permanently retiring in 1964.