East wins Pro Bowl, 28-21, January 12, 1959

Former USC star Frank Gifford returned to the Coliseum and led the Eastern Division team to a 28-21 victory in the Pro Bowl. Gifford, a star for the New York Giants, played halfback but did much of his damage in the air by passing for 75 yards and a touchdown. The Pro Bowl in its current format has been held in Hawaii since 1971, so that must mean at some point Los Angeles was considered an exotic getaway to lure the players for an all-star game. Interesting that the '58 game drew a then-record 72,250, another sign that L.A. once was a pretty fair pro football town. --Keith Thursby

Comments

[Bob Timmermann]

Actually the Pro Bowl didn't move to Hawaii until 1980. The last one played at the Coliseum was in 1979.