When Third Place Meant Something in the NFL

As a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and for those of the Baltimore Ravens, dreams of what could have been lay etched in my mind.

Think about it—what if the two teams played an NFL football game to decide third place? Am I crazy?

Somewhere deep in the cranium of my mind, I remember such a contest. I want to say I remember a Colts-Cowboys matchup to decide such a minor denotation in the annals of the NFL history books.

Yes, Virginia, there was the Playoff Bowl, held from 1960 to 1969. Its official name was the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, but it was also known as the Pro Playoff Classic or the “Runner-Up Bowl.”

Bell, a founding owner of the Philadelphia Eagles and later, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the Commissioner of the NFL from 1946 to 1959.

According to several Internet sites, from 1960 through 1966, the Playoff Bowl matched up the teams that finished in second place in two conferences—the Eastern and the Western Conferences.

In 1967, the conferences were further split up into two divisions each, with the first place finishers competing in these games.

The four division winners advanced to the postseason, competing for their conference titles in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The winners (conference champions) advanced to the NFL championship game, while the losers (conference runners-up) retreated to the Playoff Bowl to vie for third place.

All 10 games in the series were contested at the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL.

The game had no real meaning to the final season standings or statistically. Vince Lombardi, the famed Green Bay Packer coach, called it “a rinky-dink game.” Figures. What would you prefer? The Vince Lombardi trophy, given to the Super Bowl winner, or the Lombardi “Rinky Dink” Runner-Up Bowl trophy?

At the time of the games, CBS-TV advertised them as “playoff games for third place in the NFL.” I was a youngster in those days and believed everything I heard on TV, which legitimized the game.

The actual purpose for the game was to serve as a postseason exhibition intended to draw fans and help coaches plan for the following season. Today, the NFL views them as exhibition games and does not include records of the game participants or results in league playoff statistics.

Results include:

Jan. 7, 1961: Detroit Lions, 17, Cleveland Browns 16

Jan. 6, 1962: Detroit Lions 38, Philadelphia Eagles 10

Jan. 6, 1963: Detroit Lions 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 10

Jan. 5, 1964: Green Bay Packers 43, Cleveland Browns 20

Jan. 4, 1965: St. Louis Cardinals 24, Green Bay Packers 17

Jan. 8, 1966: Baltimore Colts 35, Dallas Cowboys 3

Jan. 8, 1967: Baltimore Colts 20, Philadelphia Eagles 14

Jan. 7, 1968: Los Angeles Rams 30, Cleveland Browns 6

Jan. 5, 1969: Dallas Cowboys 17, Minnesota Vikings 13

Jan. 3, 1970: Los Angeles Rams 31, Dallas Cowboys 0

As you can see, the Eagles didn’t win the two third place games they played in either. Go figure.

The Detroit Lions could be considered the “king” of the Playoff Bowl with three “wins.” Lombardi’s Packers played in the “rinky-dink game” in 1964 and 1965, with one win and one loss. The Colts-Cowboy game was won by the Colts in 1966, 35-3.

The winning team received $2,000 for each player and the losing team received $1,000 per player.

One thing from the “Playoff Bowl” still remains. The losing coaches in the AFC and NFC coaches the Pro Bowl game. Andy Reid, in his fourth such bowl, must be taxing the seamstresses at Hilo Hatties for yet another hula shirt.

Until then, I will dream of Super Bowls lost and the game that decided the imaginary third best team in the league.

If the game were held today, would the losing team be the fourth last to pick in the NFL draft? Who would actually play in this game if it meant nothing? Would guys try to make the team? Would we see scab players?

For that reason, it would never work today.

“The game has become ancient history and the lack of motivation by the players has made the game extinct,” said Joe Kapp, quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings and loser of in the 1969 game.