The Packers, the Ice Bowl and the Memorable 1967 Season

By Daniel R. Grimes

The Ice Bowl, an epic contest between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, was the coldest pro football game ever played. It pitted Vince Lombardi and the Packers’ 1960s dynasty against Tom Landry and the up-and-coming Cowboys. The challenge of playing against a strong opponent was compounded by the brutal, sub-zero temperatures. In a heart-pounding thriller, players and fans alike proved their mettle.

In addition to the Ice Bowl, the 1967 season in pro football was notable for introducing breakthroughs in the game and playoff format. In this period, the National Football League and the American Football League continued their fierce competition. This rivalry would set the foundation for the modern NFL.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483560007

Book preview

Epilogue

Introduction

Listen, I know you can’t be perfect, Vince Lombardi told his team on one occasion. No one is perfect. But boys, making the effort to be perfect, trying as hard as you can, is what life is all about. If you’ll not settle for anything less than the best, you will be amazed at what you can do with your lives… . The quality of a man’s life has got to be a full measure of that man’s personal commitment to excellence and victory, regardless of what field he may be in.¹ Lombardi became the coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1959 and made the franchise extraordinarily successful, leading it to multiple championships. The 1967 season would be his final one in Green Bay.

The 1967 NFL championship game, known as the Ice Bowl, between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay on December 31, 1967, was one of the most famous and difficult games played in the history of professional sports in North America. To me it’s the greatest game ever played, recalled Steve Sabol, the president of NFL Films, who worked with the camera crew at the Ice Bowl.² In the words of Bob St. John of the Dallas Morning News: Conditions were impossible. Temperatures zipped to 13 degrees below at game time and were unfit for man and beast and especially football.³ The storied Green Bay Packers franchise, led by its legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, was aiming for its third NFL title in a row. Its opponent in this game—the Dallas Cowboys, coached by Tom Landry—was a team on the rise, looking for its first championship. The Ice Bowl was a rematch of the 1966 NFL championship game, which the Packers had won.

The Ice Bowl was the coldest game ever played in professional football. Battling the elements was a major challenge for the players, officials, press, and fans. Buffeted by the brutal, bone-chilling cold and swirling winds, the Packers and Cowboys engaged in a bitterly contested, heart-pounding, down-to-the-wire battle for the NFL championship and the right to play in Super Bowl II. Nothing could have prepared them for the horrendous weather conditions they had to face at Lambeau Field that day. The drama of the Ice Bowl captivated sports fans all over the United States and beyond. The game was key in boosting football’s popularity and has inspired many future players and fans. Legends and big stars abounded: Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, Willie Wood, Willie Davis, Herb Adderley, Forrest Gregg, Donny Anderson, and Jerry Kramer on the Packers’ side and Tom Landry, Don Meredith, Bob Hayes, Bob Lilly, George Andrie, Mel Renfro, Chuck Howley, Willie Townes, and Jethro Pugh on the Cowboys’. These great coaches and players, and many others, took part in this extraordinary competition between two NFL powerhouses—a struggle that defined leadership, determination, and perseverance. Although several very cold football games played after 1967 have been compared to the Ice Bowl, none of them has matched the subzero temperature of the original. An epic event like the Ice Bowl will probably never happen again.

In addition to the Ice Bowl, the 1967 season in pro football was a pivotal one for the game. It was a year of expansion, innovation, and several new records. Divided into two conferences, it was the first season where new NFL divisions were created, and NFL playoff games were required before the championship game.

The rivalry between the NFL and the AFL in the 1960s was intense. The new AFL faced many obstacles and struggled to survive in its early years. It had to compete with the deeply entrenched NFL, which had several highly successful franchises and many bona fide superstars. The AFL was picking up steam by the mid-’60s, however, growing in popularity and top-tier talent. AFL players and fans—fiercely loyal to their league, as well as their team—resented the AFL being considered second-string to the well-established NFL. During this period, the NFL and AFL would face each other in the earliest Super Bowls and in exhibition games. The NFL-AFL rivalry would help set the foundation for the modern NFL as we know it today.

Chapter One

The Packers and Pro Football in the Sixties

There is no room for second place here, Packers Head Coach Vince Lombardi told his players at a practice before the 1967 season. There’s only one place here, and that’s first place. I’ve finished second twice in my time here, and I don’t ever want to finish second again.¹ High expectations were the norm for the storied Green Bay Packers franchise in the 1960s.

Bob Skoronski, a Packers tackle in the 1950s and 1960s said of Green Bay: There is great tradition in that town. It was there before we got there. With the small town competing against the big guys, it’s a special place in football.²

Indeed, professional football had deep roots in Green Bay, dating back to semi-pro football at the end of the late 1800s. Briefly called the Green Bay Indians, the Green Bay Packers franchise was established in 1919 and joined the NFL in 1921. The city was the smallest by far to have a team in the National Football League. Located in northeast Wisconsin at the mouth of the Fox River, Green Bay’s population was still under 53,000 by the late 1950s. The city was the second biggest shipping center in Wisconsin after Milwaukee. In addition to producing cheese, Green Bay was an important paper products and manufacturing center and continued to be an important railroad hub in the 1960s. Trucking and farming were also big businesses around there.

Dominating everyday life in the town, the Green Bay Packers were the only pro football team to have remained in the same location for so long. They played their home games at the original City Stadium, next to East High School in Green Bay, from 1925 to 1956. Led by their coach, Curly Lambeau, the Packers won three consecutive NFL championships from 1929 to 1931. Among the early Packers greats contributing to these titles were Arnie Herber, Johnny Blood McNally, and Cal Hubbard. Two more Packers legends, Don Hutson and Clarke Hinkle, would join the team soon afterward.

There were no playoff games in the early era of the NFL, from 1920 to 1931; instead, the team with the best record was declared the NFL champion. Beginning in 1933, NFL teams were placed in two divisions. The division winners would play against each other in the NFL championship game.

Well before the 1967 NFL championship game in Green Bay between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys–known as the Ice Bowl—there were several other championship games played under difficult weather conditions. One of them was the 1934 NFL championship game between the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears. The Sneakers Game, as it was called, took place at the Polo Grounds in New York City on December 9, 1934. The playing field was frozen as a result of freezing rain the previous night. At halftime, the Bears were beating the Giants 10–3. In the second half, however, there was a major turn of events. It had been suggested that replacing the Giants’ regular cleats with sneakers would keep the players from slipping on the icy field. It took until the third quarter for the basketball sneakers—enough pairs for the Giants’ offensive line—to arrive from nearby Manhattan College. At the end of the third quarter, the Bears were winning 13–3. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Giants’ offense, wearing the sneakers, mounted an incredible comeback. The Giants scored 27 unanswered points to defeat the Bears, 30–13.

The Packers would win three more NFL championships in 1936, 1939, and 1944. To this day, Curly Lambeau holds the team record for most wins by a coach, with 209. During the 1940s and early 1950s, Tony Canadeo was a star rusher for the Packers, rushing for over 1,000 yards in the 1949 season.

The 1945 NFL championship game between the Cleveland Rams and the Washington Redskins at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on December 16, 1945, was played under brutal weather conditions. Snow covered the field. The game-time temperature was -8—the lowest ever at any NFL championship game up till that time. A little over 32,000 freezing fans were in attendance. Players struggled to keep warm on the sidelines. Rams players wore heavy coats on their sideline and used straw to keep their feet warm. The Rams beat the Redskins, 15–14, and then moved to Los Angeles the following season. The weather conditions at this game would largely be forgotten after the Ice Bowl in 1967.

After winning the 1944 NFL championship, the Packers would not even make the playoffs for the next 15 seasons. The Packers managed just three wins in 1948 and only two the next season. Curly Lambeau coached the team through the 1949 season; but from 1950 to 1958, the Packers had four different head coaches (three in 1953 alone). During that span, the Packers never won more than six games in a season. In 1958, under Coach Ray McLean, the Packers won only one game. This was the worst season in franchise history.

The Chicago Bears of the 1940s were the next great NFL dynasty. They were the archrival of the Packers. The Bears won the NFL championship in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946.

The 1948 NFL championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Cardinals on December 19, 1948, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia was another epic cold game. It was called The Philly Blizzard. This was also the first time an NFL championship game was televised in the United States. After a heavy snowstorm, the field was blanketed in snow, nearly leading to the game’s postponement. Nevertheless, the players on both teams were determined to play, and they themselves helped remove the tarp from the field. The Eagles ultimately won the game, 7–0.

In the midst of tough economic times for the Packers, residents of Green Bay rallied to save the team in a public stock sale in 1950. It was the third such sale in franchise history, and several thousand shares were sold. As a result, the Packers’ long-term future in Green Bay was secured. There have been two more public Packers stock sales since then. This stock has no financial benefits, as it is not traded on the New York Stock Exchange and does not pay dividends, nor does it come with any perks, such as ticket privileges. The lone privilege of being a Packers stockholder is the right to attend the annual stockholders meeting and exercise a vote on the board members. Nevertheless, loyalty to their team has made the cost of a share worth it to the shareholders. It is considered a priceless possession that many Packers alumni and prominent people in Wisconsin, as well as Packers fans worldwide, would love to have if they do not currently own a share.

Although the city of Green Bay did not have a lot of ethnic diversity, there were a number of football players from diverse backgrounds in the early history of the Packers. One of them was Waldo Don Carlos, a center for the 1931 Packers championship-winning team and one of the first Hispanic players in the history of the NFL. Charles Buckets Goldenberg, who played guard and running back for the Packers from 1933 to 1945, was one of the first Jewish players in the NFL. He was inducted