Remember those old Michael Jordan/Spike Lee ads: “It’s gotta be the shoes”? Well, long before them—December 9, 1934, to be exact—the New York Giants won the NFL Championship thanks largely to their footwear.

Hours before the championship game, Giants Vice President Jack Mara phoned Coach Steve Owen and Captain Ray Flaherty to inform them that the playing surface at the Polo Grounds was completely frozen. Flaherty, who starred at Gonzaga and had played his fair share on cold, hard turf, suggested that the team get their hands on some new kicks, knowing their cleats would be useless on frozen ground.

While locker room attendant Abe Cohen was on a mission to borrow basketball shoes from nearby Manhattan College, the Giants fell behind 10-3 heading into halftime. But in the second half, with their newly procured sneakers giving them a significant traction advantage over their opponents, the Giants went on to win the championship handily, by a score of 30-13.