 |
www.packers.com | |||
 |
||||
|
return to site | |||
NFL Press Release
posted 01/24/00
Bart Starr scores the winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak from the 1 yard line with 13 seconds remaining
|
Great players. Great coaches. Great plays. Arctic weather. They all combined to make the Most Memorable NFL Game of the Century, according to NFL fans.
To commemorate the end of the century, the National Football League invited fans to vote on nfl.com, the league's official website, for the 10 most memorable games of the century. Fan voting began on October 13 and ended on November 19. Nearly 35,000 votes were cast. Each Wednesday, a Most Memorable NFL Game was announced (list below), culminating today in the announcement of the Most Memorable NFL Game of the Century - the "Ice Bowl" of 1967.
On December 31, 1967, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in the coldest NFL game on record -- the 1967 NFL Championship that was dubbed forevermore as the "Ice Bowl."
The Cowboys came to Green Bay as upstarts seeking their first NFL title and had the momentum of a 52-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in the Eastern Conference Championship Game the week before. In addition, the Cowboys had gained experience from their narrow 34-27 loss to Green Bay in the 1966 NFL Championship when quarterback Don Meredith's possible game-tying pass was intercepted in the end zone with 28 seconds remaining.
Green Bay entered the contest as two-time defending NFL champions, vying to become the first team in league history to win three consecutive championships since the playoff system was instituted in 1933.
But they were not the same club that had dominated the league in the early and mid-1960s. They were older, had struggled to a 9-4-1 record, and were without future Pro Football Hall of Fame running backs Paul Hornung, who had retired, and Jim Taylor (with New Orleans) for the first time. Packers quarterback Bart Starr knew his team was in for a stiff challenge.
"Coach (Vince) Lombardi was quick to point out all week long how good the Cowboys were and what respect he had for them," said Starr. "We had seen the year before when they were a younger team how well they had played against us in the championship game down in Dallas. We knew this was going to be a special game and it was."
What was already a great matchup was made more intriguing by the sub-zero temperature. The official game-time temperature was 13 degrees below zero with the wind chill at minus 48 degrees. It was the coldest game in NFL history. Despite the freezing temperatures, 50,861 fans braved the cold. The game was a sellout.
"The operator said, 'It's 7:30 AM and 19 below,'" said Cowboys linebacker Lee Roy Jordan. "I got up out of bed, looked out the window and saw 40 other guys staring out in disbelief. It was cold."
When the teams arrived at the stadium, they found the field nearly frozen. A layer of condensation had built up between the field and the covering tarpaulin the night before. When the tarpaulin was removed and the field was exposed to the bitter cold, it froze.
The Packers began the game like two-time defending champions. Starr hit wide receiver Boyd Dowler with an eight-yard touchdown pass to give Green Bay a 7-0 first-quarter lead. In the second quarter on third-and-one, Starr connected with Dowler again, this time for a 43-yard touchdown and a 14-0 advantage.
But the Cowboys began adjusting to the cold and came to life in the second quarter. Defensive end George Andrie recovered a Starr fumble and returned it seven yards for a touchdown, cutting the Packers' lead to 14-7. Another Green Bay fumble led to a second Dallas score - a 21-yard field goal by kicker Danny Villanueva. The Cowboys had stormed back and trailed by only 14-10 at halftime.
When the second half began, the Cowboys continued their defensive dominance and stifled the Packers. The Dallas offense started to move the ball and was poised for a score at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Running back Dan Reeves took a handoff, ran to his left, stopped to throw and hit a wide-open Lance Rentzel for a 50-yard touchdown and the Cowboys' first lead of the game, 17-14.
After playing 37:15 without scoring, Green Bay found themselves down to their last chance. With 5:04 remaining in the game and trailing 17-14, the Packers received a punt at their own 32-yard line and began one of the greatest touchdown drives in NFL history. An unprecedented third NFL championship awaited 68 yards away.
"We were ready on that last drive," said Starr. "We were totally focused on what we needed to do in order to go down and win. As I looked into the eyes of my teammates, I knew all I had to do was call the play."
After driving 67 yards on a meticulous drive, the Packers had first-and-goal at the one-yard line with 30 seconds remaining. Two failed attempts by running back Donnie Anderson forced Starr to call the Packers' final timeout.
On the sidelines, Starr suggested to Lombardi that he run "31 Wedge" - a play put into the Packers' playbook by Lombardi after guard Jerry Kramer had noticed a weakness in the Cowboys' short-yardage defense. Starr suggested he run the play instead of the running backs because of the poor traction. Lombardi replied, "Then run it and let's get the hell out of here."
When the ball was snapped, Kramer and center Ken Bowman plowed into Cowboys defensive tackle Jethro Pugh, opened a hole and Starr lunged through for the game-winning touchdown and an unprecedented third NFL championship in a row.
The call of the sneak. 438K (WAV)
"What that game meant was unbelievable," said Starr. "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."
NFL fans agree.
THE 10 MOST MEMORABLE NFL GAMES OF THE CENTURY
(As chosen by NFL fans on NFL.com)
- "The Ice Bowl"1967 NFC Championship - 12/31/67 - Green Bay 21, Dallas 17
- "The Immaculate Reception"1972 AFC Divisional Playoff - 12/23/72 - Pittsburgh 13, Oakland 7
- "The Catch"1981 NFC Championship Game - 1/10/82 - San Francisco 28, Dallas 27
- "The Drive"1986 AFC Championship Game - 1/11/87 - Denver 23, Cleveland 20 *
- "The Comeback"1992 AFC Wild Card - 1/3/93 - Buffalo 41, Houston 38 *
- "The Montana Drive"Super Bowl XXIII - 1/22/89 - San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16
- "Greatest Game Ever Played"1958 NFC Championship - 12/28/58 - Baltimore 23, NY Giants 17 *
- "The Guarantee"Super Bowl III - 1/12/69 - NY Jets 16, Baltimore 7
- "Pure Heart"1981 AFC Divisional Playoff - 1/2/82 - San Diego 41, Miami 38 *
- "Heidi"11/17/68 - Oakland 43, NY Jets 32
* Overtime
STARTING LINEUPS
Dallas Offense Dallas Defense Green Bay Offense Green Bay Defense 22 Bob Hayes LE 71 Willie Townes LE 86 Boyd Dowler LE 87 Willie Davis * LE 72 Tony Liscio LT 75 Jethro Pugh LT 76 Bob Skoronski LT 77 Ron Kostelnik LT 76 John Niland LG 74 Bob Lilly * RT 68 Gale Gillingham LG 74 Henry Jordan * RT 53 Mike Connelly C 66 George Andrie RE 57 Ken Bowman C 82 Lionel Aldridge RE 62 Leon Donohue RG 54 Chuck Howley LLB 64 Jerry Kramer RG 89 Dave Robinson LLB 73 Ralph Neely RT 55 Lee Roy Jordan MLB 75 Forrest Gregg * RT 66 Ray Nitschke * MLB 84 Pettis Norman TE 52 Dave Edwards RLB 81 Marv Fleming TE 60 Lee Roy Caffey RLB 17 Don Meredith QB 34 Cornell Green LHB 15 Bart Starr * QB 26 Herb Adderley * LHB 19 Lance Rentzel FL 23 Mike Johnson RHB 84 Carroll Dale FL 21 Bob Jeter RHB 30 Dan Reeves * RB 27 Mike Gaechter LS 44 Donny Anderson RB 40 Tom Brown LS 43 Don Perkins RB 20 Mel Renfro * RS 30 Chuck Mercein RB 24 Willis Wood * RS
* Pro Football Hall of Fame selection
SCORING
1 2 3 4 Tot Dallas 0 10 0 7 17 Green Bay 7 7 0 7 21
GB--Dowler 8 pass from Starr (Chandler kick)
GB--Dowler 43 pass from Starr (Chandler kick)
DAL--Andrie 7 return of Starr fumble (Villanueva kick)
DAL--FG Villanueva 21
DAL--Rentzel 50 pass from Reeves (Villanueva kick)
GB--Starr 1 run (Chandler kick)
STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Dallas -- Perkins, 17 for 51; Reeves, 13 for 42; Meredith, 1 for 9; Baynham, 1 for -2; Clarke, 1 for -8. Green Bay - Anderson, 18 for 35; Mercein, 6 for 20; Williams, 4 for 13; Wilson, 3 for 11; Starr, 1 for 1, 1 TD.
PASSING -- Dallas -- Meredith, 10 of 25 for 59; Reeves, 1 of 1 for 50, 1 TD. Green Bay -- Starr, 14 of 24 for 191, 2 TDs.
RECEIVING -- Dallas - Rentzel, 2 for 61, 1 TD; Clarke, 2 for 24; Hayes, 3 for 16; Reeves, 3 for 11; Baynham, 1 for -3. Green Bay -- Dowler, 4 for 77, 2 TDs; Anderson, 4 for 44; Dale, 3 for 44; Mercein, 2 for 22; Williams, 1 for 4.
TEAM STATISTICS Dal GB First Downs 11 18 Rushing 4 5 Passing 6 10 By Penalty 1 3 Total Yardage 192 195 Net rushing yardage 92 80 Net passing yardage 100 115 Passes att. - comp. - had int. 26-11-1 24-14-0
Attendance - 50,861
courtesy NFL