By most accounts, John Unitas was friendly with the African-American players but didn't socialize with them. Unitas and Lyles had been teammates at Louisville, and Lyles had even invited Unitas to his mother's house several times for dinner when the two were in college. Lyles and Unitas gratefully wolfed down collard greens together, but by the time Lyles got to Baltimore, Unitas already had his clique of friends.
"I'm sure whatever the character of the team, John felt he had to fit it," Lyles said.
If there was one white player who was truly colorblind, it was wide receiver Raymond Berry. Berry went out of his way to try to help Lyles, driving to his apartment in West Baltimore on the Colts' days off. For hours at a local park, Berry would show Lyles how to run routes and catch passes.
"He was a Christian and a real straightforward guy," Lyles said. "He was the only person on the whole team who went out of his way to try and help me."
"Thank God for Raymond Berry, because he showed us we were a team," Moore said. "He showed us we were in it together. It was a thing you could hold on to, and we held on to it."
Lyles still has his championship ring and looks at it often, even though he watched nearly the entire 1958 game from the sideline. And he'll be in Baltimore this weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the victory. He even has a picture of the team he plans to bring along.
"I don't know if I'll make it to the 75th anniversary," Lyles joked. "Whatever happened back then, life turned out pretty good for me. I spent 23 years in the corporate world and was able to retire as a vice president. It was meant to go the way it did. I certainly needed to learn how to forgive back then, and didn't know how. I had to understand that it takes more strength to forgive than it does to be angry."
the greatest game
Part of a series recalling the 1958 NFL championship game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. Coming Sunday: How this game changed the NFL and became a defining moment in the career of John Unitas.
anniversary benefit
The Baltimore Football Club hosts a benefit event for ALS research and the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation tomorrow from 6 to 10 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium. Colts Hall of Famers Raymond Berry, Art Donovan, Gino Marchetti and Lenny Moore are scheduled to appear. Tickets are $150. For information, go to bcf.org/colts.
