The posting for today is an image from the celebrated “Ice Bowl” game — the NFL Championship game — which was played on December 31, 1967. The Dallas Cowboys came into Green Bay before the weather turned cold, and were confident that they had a great chance to avenge their loss to the Packers in the championship game in Dallas the year before. In the image, Packers’ quarterback Bart Starr is ready to take the snap from center, with tackle Forrest Gregg (#75) and tight end Marv Fleming (#81) prepare to take care of the right flank.
In the book “The Ice Bowl — The Cold Truth About Football“s Most Unforgettable Game” (1997), Ed Gruver set the stage: “In his room at the Northland Hotel, CBS broadcaster Tom Brookshier awoke to the loud ringing of his bedside phone. Reaching out from beneath the covers, Brookshier picked up the receiver and heard the sweet voice of the hotel operator deliver a wake-up call he has never forgotten. “Good morning, Mr. Brookshier. It’s seven o’clock and it’s 13 degrees below zero.” The same message was delivered over and over to the other hotel guests on the morning of Sunday, December 31, 1967. The day had dawned bright but cold in Green Bay, a small midwestern city that christened itself “Titletown, U.S.A.” after the Packers beat the New York Giants 37-0 in the 1961 championship game. A mass of arctic air had settled over the region and temperatures held steady at minus-13 degrees Fahrenheit, while 15-mile-per-hour winds dropped the wind-chill factor to minus-38.”
This year will be the 40th anniversary of the “Ice Bowl,” and hopefully, there will be a fair amount of commemorative television specials, books, etc. to mark the occasion. Towards the end of the year, Packerville will focus much more on this anniversary, so stay tuned.
