"The Hit" is a phrase used to describe one of the most famed plays in the history of the National Football League in a November 20, 1960 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants at the original Yankee Stadium in The Bronx in New York City. 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. Gifford was one of the league's last two-way players.