The NFL’s Dallas Cowboys joined the league as an expansion team in 1960. Since then, they have been successful on and off the field, enjoying an avid following in the state of Texas, the United States in general, and internationally too. The history of the Dallas Cowboys is marked by many great events and countless memorable games, none more, perhaps, than the 1967 Ice Bowl.
Ice Bowl is a term that has been associated with a series of sporting events that have been held in extremely cold weather conditions. The 35th National Football League Championship game that took place in 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys was one such game. Due to the importance of the game, the rivalry between the teams, and the amazing conclusion of the game, it is considered to be one of the best games ever played. The weather conditions the teams endured during the game cemented its place among the all-time greatest games in NFL history.
The 1967 Ice Bowl game is remembered not only for the game on the field, but also for all the events and consequences attributed to the brutally cold football conditions. The game that took place on December 31, 1967 at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is one of the coldest NFL games ever played. At the time of the game, the official temperature was -13 °F (-25 °C), with a wind chill of -48 °F (-44 °C). The playing field was as hard as rock and nearly as smooth as a hockey rink as freezing temperatures overwhelmed the stadium’s new turf heating system. As a result of the Ice Bowl, Lambeau Field was thereafter affectionately referred to as “the Frozen Tundra”.
The Ice Bowl was the second consecutive NFL Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. The Packers had won the game in 1966 with a 34-27 loss over the Cowboys. On this cold December day in 1967, the Green Bay Packers, led by legendary great Vince Lombardi, took an early 14-0 lead with two touchdown passes from quarterback Bart Starr to wide receiver Boyd Dowler. However, two costly turnovers by Green Bay in the second quarter allowed Dallas to score ten points and finish the half down 14-10. Neither team put points on the board in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys struck early with running back Dan Reeves’ 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lance Rentzel on a running back option play that put them up 17-14. on a 40-yard pass. field goal attempt. With just under four minutes to play and at his own 32-yard line, Starr led the Packers down the field with three key completions. They then ran the ball to the Cowboys 3-yard line. Twice the Packers tried to get the ball into the end zone, but both times were stopped at the 1-yard line: the icy field and misfooting played a part on the second down.
With only 16 seconds left on the clock, Starr called a timeout. He and Coach Lombardi conferred on the sidelines. Many observers, including the Cowboys, expected a passing play as a completion in the end zone would win the game and an incompletion would earn another play for a touchdown or field goal attempt to bring the game in time. extra. The Packers, however, partly influenced by the treacherous terrain and weather conditions, had another idea. After the snap, Starr ran a sneaky quarterback pass and scored a touchdown that gave the Packers a dramatic 21-17 lead. few seconds remaining. With the win, the Packers defeated the Cowboys for the second straight year and won their third straight NFL Championship.
The Green Bay Packers easily defeated the American Football League champion Oakland Raiders to win Super Bowl II. At the time, the Super Bowl was considered by many to be of lesser importance than the NFL Championship game (all of that would change the next year when the AFL champions defeated the NFL champions to claim the Super Bowl). The Ice Bowl and Super Bowl II marked the end of an era when Vince Lombardi, after winning five NFL championship games in seven years and Super Bowls I and II, retired as head coach of the Packers. The following season, the Packers had a losing record as age and injuries took their toll on the team. Thirty years would pass before they were a dominant force again. On the other hand, the Dallas Cowboys were becoming a force to be reckoned with and would show their dominance in the 1970s by winning two Super Bowls.
The extremely cold weather experienced at the Ice Bowl affected and left its mark on all aspects of the game, including pre-game and halftime entertainment, the name of the game, player health, and general fan comfort. . During warm-ups for the pregame show, the marching band’s woodwinds froze and the mouthpieces of the brass instruments stuck to the players’ lips. Several of the band members suffered from hypothermia and the band’s performances were eventually cancelled. The metal whistle used by the referee to signal the start of the match froze on his lips and thus ended the use of whistles for the day. For the remainder of the game, the officials used only their voices to call plays. Also on this day, the health of the players was compromised as some suffered frostbite during the game and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Don Meredith was diagnosed with pneumonia and hospitalized upon his return to Texas.
The 1967 Ice Bowl will forever go down in the history books as a game notable not only for “the Frozen Tundra” and the elements the players faced, but also for the drama of the final minutes. The game capped an incredible run for the Green Bay Packers and marked the end of the coaching career of the legendary Vince Lombardi. He also revealed what was ahead for Cowboys football and Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry as the team completed its second winning season of what would become 20 straight years of winning seasons. In the 1967 Ice Bowl, the glory days of the Dallas Cowboys were just beginning.