On Dec. 31, 1967, the Green Bay Packers hosted the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship Game. It was the second time in the 1967 calendar year that the two teams played in an NFL Championship. On New Year’s Day, the Packers defeated the Cowboys by seven in Dallas to win the 1966 NFL title and advance to Super Bowl I.
The game featured two coaches, the Packers’ Vince Lombardi and the Cowboys’ Tom Landry, who were once the offensive and defensive coordinators for the New York Giants.
Ice Bowl’s Drastic Weather Change
Landry recalled a conversation he had with Lombardi the night before the game: “It was 20 degrees the day before. It was great. Vince and I were together that night, and we talked about how good the conditions were and what a great game it would be.”
A cold front through Green Bay changed everything for the NFL Championship game. The temperature at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field was -13 degrees, with a wind chill of -48 degrees. Over 50,000 fans braved the bitter cold conditions to attend the game that ended up being known as the Ice Bowl.
There was some discussion that the game could be postponed, but NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle decided the game would be played as scheduled. The Packers and Cowboys had to deal with slipping on the frozen field along with the sub-zero weather.
Officials tried to use their metal whistles, but they would stick to their lips, so voices replaced whistles. Packers linebacker Dave Robinson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2017: “The officials decided not to use whistles. The ref said, ‘When it’s ready for play, we’ll say ready, and when the play’s over, we’ll say stop.’”
Bart Starr’s QB Sneak
The Packers jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Cowboys cut the lead to 14-10 by halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Dallas took the lead when running back Dan Reeves threw a halfback pass to wide receiver Lance Rentzel for a 50-yard touchdown.
Down three points, quarterback Bart Starr led the Packers down the field in the final minutes. The Packers got to the Cowboys’ 3-yard line and twice gave the ball to fullback Donny Anderson, who couldn’t get solid footing and slipped before the goal line. After the second handoff, Starr called Green Bay’s last timeout with less than 20 seconds left.
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Starr suggested a QB sneak to Lombardi instead of trying another handoff. Lombardi told his quarterback, “Then run it, and let’s get the hell out of here.” The call came with great risk because the Packers would run out of time if Starr didn’t score.
Starr took the snap and pushed his way over the goal line for the touchdown to give the Packers a 21-17 win. He told NFL.com, “What that game meant was unbelievable. We had fought through a very tough year. We won two consecutive championships prior to that, and to have it come down to such brutal conditions and to win it in that fashion, from our perspective, we think it was the greatest game of all time.”
Super Bowl in Miami
The Packers advanced to play the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II in the warm weather of Miami. Green Bay went on to an easy victory for their second straight Super Bowl title, but it would be Lombardi’s final game as Packers head coach.
Starr passed for 202 yards and one touchdown to win his second straight Super Bowl MVP award. He played his entire 16-year career with the Packers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
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