"WIsconsin's fans were equially creative in finding ways to stay warm" AND then it immediately goes to a guy chugging a bottle of Jim Beam. Definitely a Wisconsin fan. LOL
Oh we definitely have our ways. My big key for the super cold games: Wear a windbreaker type of jacket under your layers. It's the wind that cuts into you the most, so anything that stops that from getting all the way into you is good. Plus my windbreaker/jogging jacket has a hood. A hood that can hold some of those little mini bottles of liquor and let them sit between my shoulder blades under my layers so they get past security. That helps a lot, too.
DANDY DON's brother BILLY JACK MEREDITH used to run around with my late DAD when they were in high school. BILLY was of course, from Mount Vernon, and my DAD was from neighboring, by 10 or so miles, PITTSBURG, spelled without the "h"..up in northEAST TEXAS.. R.I.P. DON, BILLY JACK, and my DAD, RICHARD SPROUSE.. Oh, BILLY M. was a pretty good college player, himself.
Booze wont keep you warm, it drops your body temp. I'm surprised stiffs werent left in the bleachers. I love Colby Wisconsin, lived there for like 5 months in 2000. The day after I left a blizzard hit lol
I was a 17 year old kid who worked in the Press Box for that game. I sat in row three, behind the Dallas sportswriters. Snuck into both locker rooms after the game. Absolutely admired the Dallas players (Lance Rentzel, Bob Lily, Don Meredith) and loved those from GB. I think there were 450+ hospitalizations for frostbite. It was cold even by Green Bay standards. It remains one of the best days of my life.
Lombardi to Starr, during the timeout before the play, after Starr convinced him to run the sneak, " Well, lets run it and get the hell out of here". I can't believe Starr was laughing, as he said, when he jogged back to the huddle.
@@recolivez1995, for one thing..the qback was not protected like he is now. The linemen were not allowed to extend their arms to block or use their extended hands. Receivers had to get open very quickly, because if they did not, they were going to be banged around all the way downfield until the ball was in the air. The qb was a sitting duck who could be sacked or hit by D-MEN who could slap O-LINEMEN right on the helmet. SEE DEACON JONES.. I will say this about BRADY, after he was knocked down 23 times, and sacked seven times vs. DENVER in JAN. 2016th's AFC TITLEGAME IN DENVER, he did come back just as strong or better the next season. He is a freak..but he plays in a competitively inferior league, even though it has much better and bigger athletes..but not better football polished players, especially on the experience side. Finally, qbs back then in the 60's &'70's, had to sit on the bench and learn before they became a starter. Meredith drafted by CHICAGO, had signed a FIVE YEAR personal services contract with CLINT MURCHISON, the TECON OIL CORP. AND DALLAS COWBOYS owner, when DALLAS in their first season without a 1960 draft was able to get Meredith from a charitable BEARS OWNER/HEAD COACH GEORGE HALAS. In DALLAS, Don alternated with EDDIE LE BARON at qback. The CHIBEARS got an extra 1962 third round draftpick as compensation from the NFL for Don's COWBOYS signing. MEREDITH and fellow qb FRAN TARKENTON were exceptions to the sit and learn rule only because the POKES and VIKES were expansion teams. Fewer teams meant much greater quality depth, at qback, it was hard to become a rookie or young starter. Meanwhile, the AFL in its first season was still minor- leaguish back in '60, so it did not affect the NFL's talent pool until a few seasons later. So, qbs career numbers were lower, and when they did get to play, they took a beating. Shorter amount of games started on established non-expansion clubs, but earlier retirements until expansion came, the latter prolonged some of their careers, were the rule not the exception. Yep.. Meredith was an old 31, even discounting the psychological aspect of it.
I always wondered whether the Christian QB they lampooned in North Dallas 40 was Craig Morton or Roger Staubach. I always had a soft spot for Morton and I didn't think he was responsible for losing SB V. Well at least for the INT that lead to the Colts FG. He was under duress and I think Reeves should have caught the ball. With this in mind, it was right to choose Staubach. I still would have loved to see Craig Morton be the MVP of SB XII.
As a life long Packers fan I want to say how grateful I am to Dons son for putting this together. I only knew his father as a voice on MNF, but now can truly appreciate him for the player that he was. Only 4 years old at the time, I had to grow many years before I understood the magnitude of that game. After watching this, I understand more of what it meant to Mr. Meredith, his family, and all of the players on the Cowboys team. Very grateful for this video, it fills a space in history that was previously empty.
Lifelong Cowboys fan here and I turned 5 the year this game was played. In fact, it was only a few months prior in September. Dad was a big Cowboy fan, as were all the older men in our family, so Cowboy games at our house were often very loud. It was also the first year I was allowed to watch the game with Dad on Thanksgiving Day, kind of like a right of passage. Championship games with Green Bay was like the Superbowl to most of us Cowboys fans. It's one thing to get blown out in a game, but to pull up just short, it's soul crushing.
I was at that game as I was home on leave from Fort Stuart Ga. one month later I was in Vietnam Nam in the 9th Infantry Division battling the heat during the Tet Offensive. What a difference between 15 below and 110 degrees.
@@Bravo-Too-Much at the time he was a great and is still is one of the greats. He is in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame so I'm pretty sure he is one of the greats, if he wasn't he would not be in the P.F.H.O.F.
That sneak was the gutsiest call in NFL history. The Packers had no timeouts left. Not enough time to get the FG team on. An improvised call. The could have easily tied the game with a FG after the last timeout. Bad footing. Starr doesn't score, the game is over. Incredible guts not to attempt to tie the game. I don't recall Starr or Lombardi ever explaining the decision to go for it.
Eh that would be gutsy now, but back then that was the most probable short yard play in football. Now it could be gutsy because everyone knew that fact and they did it anyways, but it’s not even close to the gutsiest call of all time. The cowboys touchdown play right before that is an example of a gutsy call.
@@Bravo-Too-Much You've missed the point. It's not about the actual play call. It's about running a play in the first place. If they don't score, they lose. It would have been much safer to kick a FG and go to OT.
Dyed in the wool Packers fan here. This just brought me to tears, hearing the other side of the conversation about the Ice Bowl. Don Meridith was a wonderful football player and human.
Excellent narration n research by Michael Meredith, Don Meredith's son ! Enjoyed his football career. Fantastic job on the video. Hopefully you'll will produce more of it. Aloha from Hawaii
Dear Mike , As a lifelong Packer fan ...I thank you for the perspective of the runner up of the championship . I watched your dad on television growing up . (I am about 2 years older than you ) I have , and had nothing but the most sincere respect for your dad ...and I loved how he entertained us all in the quiet times of a football game . ( I liken Brett Favre to your dad . I would have talked to Brett ...after winning the Super Bowl in 96..but then losing in 97 ) I truly believe , that PTSD ...does actually play a part in the win/loss of football games . I want to thank you for the perspective ! ( fyi - George Halas's son supposedly sold that field heating system to the Packers )
Great documentary, I grew up in Green Bay, my dad was in the Marines, I was in 5th grade. My dad went to the game with a few Marine buddies and had a ticket for me. At the last moment my mom decided to not let me go to the game. I remember being glued to the radio listening to the game. I gave my folks a hard time for many years for not letting me go to that game. I no longer live in Green Bay but make a game every December, still a Packer backer for life!
As a Packer fan who saw his first game ever in the first of the two NFL Championships against Dallas, Bart was my favorite player of all, but that day I gained, at first, a grudging respect for their quarterback. Even as a youngster could tell that team was on his back under benign weather. I developed that sheer and deep disdain for the Cowboys that only Green Bay fans know. Through the ‘67 season and the Ice Bowl, I followed them because of #17… and because our local stations, far now from the frozen tundra had more of their games. I have two QBs from that era that, for me, were the textbook examples, from two ends of the spectrum, of what the NFL was in the mid 1960s. To tell the truth, I was, as a player, much more of a Meredith spirit. Bart is the haloed saint from whom I learned perseverance and self-confidence were necessary tools for success. Jeff and Hazel’s little boy had those tools as well as a powerful arm, but he sure seemed to have more fun than anyone else in the league. When he wasn’t there, retired, that team was never the same- never as cool. Read Pete Gent’s “North Dallas Forty” for a thinly-veiled look at Don and his team. No one knows how much it hurt for him… he played with savage, chronic and painful injuries & know one can imagine the work ethic he had. We lost a great man and True Texan far too soon. Here’s to #17!
This is the game that we would always pretend we were playing in as kids back in the 70's & 80's. Especially when it was cold or on the super rare occasion that it snowed or iced over like it did in 1982.
Indeed! From the U.P. here and we replayed this game in the streets hundreds of times for years after. Runny noses and mittens. Nice job Michael! A different spin on the most memorable game in the history of the NFL
I was 14, living in Georgia. We loved to play anytime it got cold or if frost or snow flurries had fallen during the night. We were always the Cowboys!
Outstanding documentary. These kind of games (like the 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma Game of the Century) prove that it's not really about winning or losing. Both teams taught all of us something much bigger. Thus, we all win.
ABSOLUTELY.....some games....reach beyond the score...and the struggle...the effort...the MAGIC that sports competition played beyond all expectations produce...makes ALL participants...Champions...FOREVER....
Great production of a great game!!! I'm from Wisconsin & a huge Packer fan but I give Dallas great credit for actually outplaying Green Bay for a lot of this game on the road in insanely cold conditions. Every player on both sides in this epic battle should be considered a football hero. There are no losers!!!
I has no idea the Cowboys were in the NFL before the merger. I thought that game was an nfc championship game before you guys beat KC in the 1st superbowl
I am 58 years old, I do not remember the Ice Bowl, but know all about it as a young Man from Michigan( and a HUGE Cowboy fan ) and I must say you have done a FANTASTIC job of bringing that game to LIFE.... Thank you , Ray Magley
Packer fan here. This is an AMAZING addition to the documentaries about the Ice Bowl. I've seen so many produced from the POV of the Packers (rightly so), but this side is so seldom even considered. Thank you sir for your hard work and appreciation for this side of what is without a doubt one of the top 5 NFL games of all time (It's #1 in my mind, but I don't think there is ANY true fan of the game that could consider it out of the top 5).
This game , these teams and players will always remain larger than life in my mind. This was special. Michael...if you read this your dad was my first pro football hero. I was crushed when he retired and very unhappy with Dallas fans when I heard the restaurant story.
In the film Platoon - Finding the Bunker. Sheen narrating the scene starts with giving the audience the date - New Years day 1968.... That would have been New Year's Eve in Wisconsin - the day of the Ice Bowl...
I don't know what it is about that year, 1967, again and again that year has impacted my being(my mom past away), character (young child became a younger responsible child), outlook (moved overseas - Italy), persona (neighborhood mom's watched over you, like you were one of their own, couldn't have been without them...I didn't know it then, oh but years later I recognized little my child's awareness actually was indeed fortunate to those neighbors), a love for life taught that needs/must be/had lived fully and only now beginning to appreciate the generosity, genuine generation we were living in, in our own way...thank you all for showing us how to be our most/best...in more ways than I could've ever imagined as a youngster.
There are no heroes like this anymore. And I'm not even a Packers or Cowboys fan. I'm an Eagles fan. But I know men when I see them. And these were real men unlike what we see today.
At ten years of age when the Ice Bowl was played, I watched it from the warmth of my home in Neenah, Wisconsin. My dad and oldest brother attended that torturous event, dressed in hunting gear and my mother’s fur coat. Though foolhardy to force athletes to play in those conditions, the players sucked it up and showed effort beyond what most of us can comprehend. The Ice Bowl was about the tenacity, courage and pride within the human spirit. Each man from each team is a profile in courage. Congratulations on an excellent documentary, Mr Meredith, well done.
@@JahWontPayTheBill That couldn't be further from the truth. The real story is that these are the men who broke the racial barriers. In fact, Vince Lombardi made it a top priority to ensure that his players understood there would be no bigotry on his team. There was a zero tolerance policy for that at least with the Packers. I don't know enough about Tom Landry's teams.
Always was a Dallas fan since 1960. But this game is one I have never gotten over. For you see Don Meredith was my idol. One of which joined the ranks in front of my icons Lance Rentzel, Bob Hayes, Mel Renfro, Dan Reeves, to name a few. It was the game in which the Cowboys could redeem themselves after losing the year before to the Packers. It was a perfect setting for me. The winter, football, the holidays, and I was in the middle of growing up. These years were some of the happiest times of my life. It was so sad to see them lose.
I was an 11year-old fifth-grader and a devoted Cowboys fan when the Ice Bowl was played. For me, it was the most heartbreaking loss as a fan of professional sports teams at the time. The 27-yard pass play from Bart Starr to Chuck Mercein that gave the Packers a first down on the 11-yard line still gives me that "Oh no" feeling. From the moment the Cowboys took the lead on the pass from Dan Reeves to Lance Rentzel I was highly confident the Cowboys were going to win. The Mercein play changed confidence into doubt. This documentary brings home the effect the effect the outcome of the Ice Bowl had on the; players.
Wow! Such a wonderful video. Micheal sure is a spittin image of his father too. My life has many cherished moments listening to Don as an announcer. His playing days I missed by a few years but I’ll never forget the joy he brought to the game of football. The world was lucky to have had him in it, as was I and everyone touched by his jovial approach to reality. RIP Don ❤️🌹
God bless you Michael! I am a Packer fan who watched your video. I have never been a Dallas fan, but I was a fan of your dad. I believe he will be in the Hall of Fame!
Sir, you have produced a great video. I remember very well watching this game, I was 15, and living in Omaha, Nebraska. I was and still am a Packers fan, but I have a very high regard for the Cowboys of that era.
I'm only 35 and a bengals fan and this documentary was wild. NFL films should start doing half hour documentary series before games where teams are featured that in previous years played classic games like this and tell the story. They could even splice in animation where video might not be available and only witness accounts are there such as Lombardi telling Starr "Then run it, and let's get the hell out of here!"
What a great job of honoring your dad Dandy Don Meredith! I'm not sure you could have produced a better piece Michael! You honored both team's... the legend's they are... the pioneer's of NFL football. I live in the same Virginia county that #84 Carroll Dale Green Bay Packers tight end came from. I am a Cowboys fan who loved all the legendary Cowboys but Dandy Don Meredith was the 1st and the perfect Cowboy quarterback who led what became 1 of the team's of the 70's along with Pittsburgh. Beautifully done Michael. Turn out the light's, the party's over.
I was a 10 year old kid living in Michigan but a Cowboy fan thanks to my Aunt Val who turned me on to footbal in 66. I remember me and my brothers going out to play catch in the side yard during halftime. Damn, it was cold! We would skate on the pond all day if it was near zero out. This was different. The coldest afternoon of my lifetime. We were back in the house in no time. Lost 50 cents in my last bet for money in my entire life on a sporting event. It is amazing that in some musty closet they have not found the actual broadcast footage. My favorite game of all time.
Michael, you did a heck of a job on this, showed respect to all the men who played in this game! Though I knew about it through videos & reading I learned more about it during your work. Excellent work all around. A little side not for you -- I am a baseball & softball umpire at the college level and one of the assignors I've worked for over the last 7-8 years is Kathie Graf. Her Father Fritz worked that game, I believe as a line judge. His whistle actually stuck to his lips & he couldn't remove it for a large part of the game! That whistle is in the HOF. I'm sending this link to Kathie now
Don Meredith was a stud. Willie Davis is my favorite Packer of all time. Probably the best game in the Super Bowl era. For sure the best odd-weather game! P.S. Great documentary, Michael Meredith! 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽
@@diegopons4622 Yes, when I first started watching football, I noticed this guy who ran the ball, threw and caught passes, blocked very well, and kicked PATs and field goals, it was , of course, Hornung,
That shot of Tom Landry turning away in disgust was not when Meredith threw the interception but when the Cowboys false-started on 1st and goal from the 2 yard line a few plays before. That penalty moved them back to the 7. Selective editing but now every show about this game does it.
Bob Hayes was NOT supposed to be on the field for that play. He wasn't a very good blocker. There was enough blame to spread around. Meredith didn't check the lineup in the huddle. Hayes didn't take himself out of the huddle. Clarke didn't substitute himself in for Hayes. Landry left timeouts on the field.
The Ice Bowl was the greatest NFL Game ever played. It will live in infamy & I love, admire and respect both the Green Bay Packers & Dallas Cowboys for how hard they played in this game under the worst weather conditions imaginable especially in the last drive by the Green Bay Packers. It was the greatest Fantastic Finish in NFL history. In the end, there were no winners and losers in this Classic Game. My heart though goes out to Don Meredith. I can just imagine how hard this loss was on him to accept but he went on to achieve so much success in the 1970's for being one of the most colorful Broadcasters on Monday Night Football ever. God do I miss him. RIP Don Meredith & Bart Starr. As for Don Meredith's son he has so much to be proud of his father. He was a great Quarterback & man.
Hats off to you Michael, excellent documentary. I was 2 years old and my dad and grandpa attended the ice bowl. We lived at 1728 Chateau Dr, 5 doors down from the Starrs and 10 minute walk to Lambeau. Bart Jr was a year older than my brother and Brett was about a year older than me, we played neighborhood games with them until they moved to Depere in the early to mid 70s. Wow… good stuff!!! Thanks again!
I watched the previous season's NFL Championship between GB & Dallas played at the Cotton Bowl with my Uncle and my Mother. Of course the weather was beautiful for that particular game. The following December, in '67 on gameday, when the telecast came on and Ray Scott was giving the game temperature and trying to describe the intensity of the cold, it was hard for me to grasp just what he was talking about, for me as a 12 year old kid from Texas, I had never experienced that type of cold before. Well, my heroes from Dallas obviously came up short that day, and as much as I was disappointed in another loss to the Green Bay Packers, I still was proud of the Cowboys for the valient effort they gave. I've often wondered if the game had been played in warmer conditions would the outcome have been different. Obviously, we'll never know. With that said, I still believe that the mighty Green Bay Packers were just too good, and that they were no question a team of destiny....... the greatest dynasty in NFL history.🏈
What an excellent documentary. It got to me when I saw that Packer fan tearing up over Bart Starr. Bart was 83 and obviously very fragile and died 2 years later. The respect between the 2 teams is touching.
Mike, this was an awesome production. I was 11 years old, watching with my Dad at our neighbors house. We opened the windows (40 degrees I think) and sat in shorts and tees to suffer along with our Cowboys. Your Dad was my favorite player and I stenciled #17 on my first football jersey. Years later I played ice hockey (ironic?), and also wore #17. I'm sorry your parents suffered for so long over this heroic effort. God bless.❤
This was one of the greatest documentaries I’ve ever seen. I particularly enjoyed the short feature on Willie Townes. He made one of the coolest defensive plays of all time in this game.
In the mid-1950s, Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry were assistant coaches with the New York Giants. Vince was offensive coordinator, and Tom was defensive coordinator.
Being 20 mins south of G.B of course im a huge fan, Bret Farve said it best when traded from Atlanta, where the heck is Green Bay! The team from the smallest NFL town holds this honor im so proud to call this home! I think with this and the Farve era put us on the map! GO PACK GO😁😁
I got cold watching it on TV. I think I'm still cold. It was an epic "man against nature" game but also a great football game. Can't say the Cowboys didn't play well enough to win, it was just the roll of the dice on the final play.
I watched this for the second time. And wanted to share what I just realized while watching it again. This time in my life and this game helped define the person I am today as much as my father playing catch with me and he taking me to our local high school football games when I was in grade school. I looked up to those guys in high school and wanted to be just like them as well as these Dallas Cowboys. This story helped define my desires to play football myself and I was successful at that because of what these young men instilled in me. I wanted to be Don Meredith, Lance Rentzel, and Dan Reeves. Hearing Don's wife describe the feeling of losing that game, well I felt that despair too. Hearing her speak brought tears to my eyes because I shared those feelings. It has stayed with me all These years. It made me feel if these guys could live through that it helped give me the confidence I could play well. Thank you Michael Meredith for telling this story and making this documentary. This was indeed an important time in my life.
Thanks for sharing this film.I watched this game at the age of twelve years from the warmth of our home back in East Texas. It will always be one of the top games on any level of Pro. Sports.
The Ice Bowl must have been a tough game to play in, but it created a sports legend that endures today. The Green Bay Packers and Lambeau Field were already popular at the time, but this game made them legends. It cemented pro football as America's favorite sport, surpassing baseball. I grew up on a cattle ranch in Western Nebraska back in the early 70's, so I experienced this level of extreme cold many times. I have a scar on my right thumb from a time when I got frostbite so badly on my hands and feet that a layer of skin came off my thumb when I took my wet leather gloves off one day back in those very cold winters. My dad's favorite passtimes were watching football games and hunting ducks and geese. I went with him many times to have some quality time away from the hard work of the ranch. Those games and hunting trips could be so very cold sometimes, but I enjoyed the time with him. When I was in high school, I was the student manager due to life-long back problems that made it too dangerous for me to play on the field. But I did all I could to help my team in my own way. Our coach even lobbied to get me a football patch for my letterman jacket when I was a senior because he said that I was just as important to the team as any of the players were. I remember many very cold games, some of which were so cold that the tap on the water cooler froze solid and I had to take the lid off to dip water out for the players. When I hear about this legendary game, I can easily imagine what it must have been like. Growing up in Nebraska, I was of course a die hard Cornhuskers fan and a lot of the players who graduated from UNL, which later became my alma mater, played for Green Bay. In my mind growing up, the Packers were the best team that I saw on TV other than the Huskers, so I became a Packers fan rather than the Chiefs, Cowboys or Broncos. Something about the Packers appealed to me then and still does. Don Meredith was the quintessential Dallas Cowboy. This is a great video about him as well as the infamous field and the infamous game played upon it. I remember Don as a fantastic announcer and actor, so it is so great to see this intimate documentary about him, his family and his most famous football game.
I remember Don Meredith did a post-game interview after that game. Even gracious in defeat. I also remember him talking about his struggles in the first half throwing the ball, saying he couldn't "wing" it. He said he made a slit in his jersey and was then able to warm his throwing hand against his stomach, allowing him to "wing" the ball, and making better throws in the second half.
-I was lucky enough to interview three people who were at this game. Bob Lilly told me some amazing stories about that whole trip, that Sunday in particular. And two other guys I spoke with were from Milwaukee, college students at that time. To this day, they recall exactly what they wore, and how many layers of each item, they had on. -Just think . . . if the TV networks had been calling the shots on scheduling in 1967 the way they do now, this game would've been played at night, in prime time. Talk about cold(er) . . . -It was played in Green Bay because the same two teams had met in Dallas for the NFL title the year before. In fact, Green Bay's Jerry Kramer, in Dallas on business during the offseason between the 1966 and 1967 seasons, had visited the Lillys, and as he was leaving their home, Bob's wife told him, "We'll see you in Green Bay in December."
I was a sophomore in the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band. What a football weekend. I watched this game in the lobby of the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas and the next day the Texas Aggies beat the Bear and the Snake.
Love this documentary, it was a game that probably shouldn't of been played & maybe wouldn't of been in today's era. Listening to those that were there is like almost the same as the experience of soldiers of the 101st Airborne that were @ the Battle of the Bulge, only with no guns or tanks.
A lot think that the cold weather team has the advantage where in reality once it get's below 10 degrees any advantage is out the window. I attended the Raiders/Browns on 1/4/1981 and the wind chill was a minus 21. Believe me, after a while the name of the game is survival. My feet were so cold and then you have to walk about 20/30 minutes back to parking. My feet actually warmed up as I walked but they were still cold after driving over 2 hours to get home. Lance Rentzel looks like a Macy Parades float. To think he was once married to Joey Heatherton.
Ok JoJo - you got my interest when you said 'you attended"that game - I remember well since the Browns were supposed to win and go west to play the Chargers. The Chargers had come from behind to beat the Bills the day before - that was the game i attended on Saturday only to have the damn Raiders show up the following Sunday and beat my beloved SD chargers by 7. 34 - 27…Sipes did not have to throw that pass. but yes it was about survival and thats what the raiders did. The browns were so good as were the chargers but the ball just did not bounce in either of our directions. Alas both teams up and left the fans that loved them - Model was broke from gambling debts and Spanos is pure greed. Even the Raiders moved again.This was the era of football at its best.
Wow! I am a Raider Lifer and remember watching that game. It was Brutal I am sure if you attended that game. Browns had it but it was seen by Mike Davis in end zone.
Hey, amid all the heartbreak, and being a Raiders fan I know the feeling. Immaculate Deception I call it vs. PITT, The Rob Lytle Fumble in 77 vs Broncos. But we were 1st wildcard to win Superbowl. I do remember that stupid Disco San Diego Chargers Song as well..lol
I was five years old, I remember watching that iconic game, especially the ending, I loved football back then before it became such a huge business, I miss those days bitterly.
Ahh. Bill Mercer!! Also a Legendary Pro Wrestling announcer. Awesome! I love Bill. World Class Wrestling out of Dallas. The Von Erichs and Free birds!!
Junior high in Perryton Texas playing in mud and/or snow was a gas. Played in a mud game in Wichita Ks against BC and had a great time. Weather games are so much fun!
We had the privilege of getting to know Harold Hays #56 - his wife and my MIL were friends. He often spoke about The Ice Bowl. Thank you for such an interesting documentary.
Loved him. The Eagles sucked back then. What a great game to have watched with family that were still alive. Jeff and Hazel's baby boy became my Monday night regular viewing. Thanks
The greatest NFL game of all time is the Ice Bowl. Consider: 1. It was for an NFL championship. The greatest game in NFL history has to be for the championship (sorry Immaculate Reception...) 2. It featured All-time great players (15 hall of famers including Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, Bob Lilly, Willie Wood, Dave Robinson ... etc. etc.) and several great players like Don Meredith, Dan Reeves, Walt Garrison, Lance Rentzel, and Boyd Dowler that are not in the Hall but had memorable careers. 3. It featured two iconic coaches: Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi. You don't get more iconic than that. 4. It featured two iconic franchises: Dallas and Green Bay. 5. It was played in a classic stadium - Lambeau Field (the "shrine to NFL football.) 6. It went down to the end with a do or die play to win or lose a championship. And the play is the definitive football play: The QB sneak. Two teams butting heads at the end, strength on strength, to see who wanted it more. No trickery or luck. Just desire. The essence of football. 7. It was played in the elements, a bitter cold. Football is more than just man vs. man, it is also man vs. nature. Players had to overcome so much to compete at the highest level and execute. Forget dome stadiums. True football is played outdoors in the mud, grim, and cold. Men should be tested by the elements in the greatest NFL game. If you want to play on a carpet, stick to video games. 8. It was historic. The last game at Lambeau Field for Vince Lombardi. The end of the Packer dynasty (and the beginnings of a Cowboy dynasty.) And it was for the opportunity to win 3 NFL Championships in a row. A feat that had not been accomplished before (at least since the first NFL playoffs) and has not been accomplished since. Many great teams have come close, but only the Packers accomplished it in the Ice Bowl. Other great games tick some or most of those boxes, but no other game ticks ALL of them. The Ice Bowl stands alone. The greatest game in NFL history.
Can we all take a minute and thank the people who shot the behind-the-scenes footage? 13:45 Like Vince L in his car, and greeting the players as they head to the locker room? Do you suppose they wondered if people would still be talking about this game over fifty years later? Great job, film crew. Great job.
Timeline is a fantastic series! NFL Films has outdone itself and this episode has been the best by far. Learning about the events prior to the game was amazing. It’s crazy how seemingly small decisions can affect the outcome of games and the conditions of the surface.
Every time I've visited Lambeau Field. Either on a tour, at a game or when I worked there in Facilities and Fields painting those yellow railings, repainting seat numbers or whatever else I was tasked with, I would imagine that day. The Ice Bowl definitely will live on. It happened 8 years before I was born, and I talk about it from time to time and I know no game comes close to it.
I saw these highlights on a SI promo VHS called "fabulous finales" that my dad had in the late 80s. I had just gotten into football. I loved the uniforms and the fact it looked like the north pole. This game made me the Packers fan I am today
It was a legendary moment in american history. Two great programs that built the NFL. The nation really started to see the NFL in a different light after this game. It was the beginning of an amazing evolutionary journey.... They were all heros. The nation loved both teams
I love how Bart Starr laughed when Coach Lombardi said "WELL THEN RUN IT, AND LET'S GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE." He laughed EVERY TIME he retold it. Makes me laugh as well. God bless Bart Starr and all the players of that legendary game!
I remember watching that game with my father and what I remember the most was when the referee blew his whistle to start the game and it was so cold that the metal stuck to his lips and pulled the skin away and the game had to be delayed so that Vaseline had to be applied to the referees' lips. This poor man refed the game with an increasing blood cycle and my father and I watched the game playing 'find Dracula.'
10 yrs old ,my first game on an 10" tube tv .black n whits.lifelong memories .Jerry Kramer & Don Meredith were my favorites.Kramer did a show w/ Curt Gowde.Ami Sportsman67-69.Memories, Jerry looks good.
This was probably the only NFL game that was more about survival than it was football. There may be colder games but advances in apparel technology can keep the body warmer than they could then. That's what makes the game unforgettable. Now the Super Bowl is played every year in balmy weather in front of corporate execs. It's not ever coming to Green Bay, Wisconsin - that's for damn sure. Unless they build a dome and that would be heresy.
"WIsconsin's fans were equially creative in finding ways to stay warm" AND then it immediately goes to a guy chugging a bottle of Jim Beam. Definitely a Wisconsin fan. LOL
Oh we definitely have our ways.
My big key for the super cold games: Wear a windbreaker type of jacket under your layers. It's the wind that cuts into you the most, so anything that stops that from getting all the way into you is good.
Plus my windbreaker/jogging jacket has a hood. A hood that can hold some of those little mini bottles of liquor and let them sit between my shoulder blades under my layers so they get past security. That helps a lot, too.
DANDY DON's brother BILLY JACK MEREDITH used to run around with my late DAD when they were in high school. BILLY was of course, from Mount Vernon, and my DAD was from neighboring, by 10 or so miles, PITTSBURG, spelled without the "h"..up in northEAST TEXAS..
R.I.P. DON, BILLY JACK, and my DAD,
RICHARD SPROUSE..
Oh, BILLY M. was a pretty good college player, himself.
@@robertsprouse9282 but our snow mobile suits now keep us warm when we pass out in the cold.
After it hits below zero like last week, it sure feels like a heatwave at 20°
Booze wont keep you warm, it drops your body temp. I'm surprised stiffs werent left in the bleachers. I love Colby Wisconsin, lived there for like 5 months in 2000. The day after I left a blizzard hit lol
I was a 17 year old kid who worked in the Press Box for that game. I sat in row three, behind the Dallas sportswriters. Snuck into both locker rooms after the game. Absolutely admired the Dallas players (Lance Rentzel, Bob Lily, Don Meredith) and loved those from GB. I think there were 450+ hospitalizations for frostbite. It was cold even by Green Bay standards. It remains one of the best days of my life.
Lombardi to Starr, during the timeout before the play, after Starr convinced him to run the sneak, " Well, lets run it and get the hell out of here". I can't believe Starr was laughing, as he said, when he jogged back to the huddle.
37:27 love how Roger Staubach gave credit to Don Meredith for Super Bowl VI. Respect 🙏
Guy says he's 31 yet in 2020s he'd be considered in his 50s lol. Different game different men!
@@recolivez1995, for one thing..the qback was not protected like he is now. The linemen were not allowed to extend their arms to block or use their extended hands.
Receivers had to get open very quickly, because if they did not, they were going to be banged around all the way downfield until the ball was in the air.
The qb was a sitting duck who could be sacked or hit by D-MEN who could slap O-LINEMEN right on the helmet.
SEE DEACON JONES..
I will say this about BRADY, after he was knocked down 23 times, and sacked seven times vs. DENVER in JAN. 2016th's AFC TITLEGAME IN DENVER, he did come back just as strong or better the next season.
He is a freak..but he plays in a competitively inferior league, even though it has much better and bigger athletes..but not better football polished players, especially on the experience side.
Finally, qbs back then in the 60's &'70's, had to sit on the bench and learn before they became a starter. Meredith drafted by CHICAGO, had signed a FIVE YEAR personal services contract with CLINT MURCHISON, the TECON OIL CORP. AND DALLAS COWBOYS owner, when DALLAS in their first season without a 1960 draft was able to get Meredith from a charitable BEARS OWNER/HEAD COACH GEORGE HALAS. In DALLAS, Don alternated with EDDIE LE BARON at qback.
The CHIBEARS got an extra 1962 third round draftpick
as compensation from the NFL for Don's COWBOYS signing.
MEREDITH and fellow qb FRAN TARKENTON were exceptions to the sit and learn rule only because the POKES and VIKES were expansion teams.
Fewer teams meant much greater quality depth, at qback, it was hard to become a rookie or young starter.
Meanwhile, the AFL in its first season was still minor- leaguish back in '60, so it did not affect the NFL's talent pool until a few seasons later.
So, qbs career numbers were lower, and when they did get to play, they took a beating.
Shorter amount of games started on established non-expansion clubs, but earlier retirements until expansion came, the latter prolonged some of their careers, were the rule not the exception.
Yep..
Meredith was an old 31, even discounting the psychological aspect of it.
I always wondered whether the Christian QB they lampooned in North Dallas 40 was Craig Morton or Roger Staubach. I always had a soft spot for Morton and I didn't think he was responsible for losing SB V. Well at least for the INT that lead to the Colts FG. He was under duress and I think Reeves should have caught the ball. With this in mind, it was right to choose Staubach. I still would have loved to see Craig Morton be the MVP of SB XII.
I've never was t00 sad ab0ut DEN winning the SB. If everything had worked out perfect DEN c0uld have won, but Dallas was a better team.
If Landry played Roger Staubach in Super Bowl 5.....he would have won the game....
As a life long Packers fan I want to say how grateful I am to Dons son for putting this together. I only knew his father as a voice on MNF, but now can truly appreciate him for the player that he was. Only 4 years old at the time, I had to grow many years before I understood the magnitude of that game. After watching this, I understand more of what it meant to Mr. Meredith, his family, and all of the players on the Cowboys team. Very grateful for this video, it fills a space in history that was previously empty.
Lifelong Cowboys fan here and I turned 5 the year this game was played. In fact, it was only a few months prior in September. Dad was a big Cowboy fan, as were all the older men in our family, so Cowboy games at our house were often very loud. It was also the first year I was allowed to watch the game with Dad on Thanksgiving Day, kind of like a right of passage. Championship games with Green Bay was like the Superbowl to most of us Cowboys fans. It's one thing to get blown out in a game, but to pull up just short, it's soul crushing.
I was at that game as I was home on leave from Fort Stuart Ga. one month later I was in Vietnam Nam in the 9th Infantry Division battling the heat during the Tet Offensive. What a difference between 15 below and 110 degrees.
OMG...thank you for your service and great thing you made it out of Nam and back home.
Welcome Home. Thank you 💓 .
Thank you Brother
Thank you for your amazing sacrifice to our great country.
Which was worse, strictly the weather
Much respect to the entire Meredith families. Masterful.
This is why I love football
It is great seeing Bart Starr! Rest in peace to one of the greats.
One of the most average “greats” of all time.
@@Bravo-Too-Much at the time he was a great and is still is one of the greats. He is in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame so I'm pretty sure he is one of the greats, if he wasn't he would not be in the P.F.H.O.F.
@@Bravo-Too-Much must suck hating on a man thats dead. He's top 15 quarterback all time bud. Deal with it.
@@Bravo-Too-Much He was a great, reliable, clutch player.
I remember watching this game on TV. What made Bart Starr so great was his winning attitude. He was a winner thru and thru.
Dude.... VERY WELL DONE!
I am an old man now. This made me cry. Good tears.
Loved it!
I'm a .middle aged man and it made me cry 😂
That sneak was the gutsiest call in NFL history. The Packers had no timeouts left. Not enough time to get the FG team on. An improvised call. The could have easily tied the game with a FG after the last timeout. Bad footing. Starr doesn't score, the game is over. Incredible guts not to attempt to tie the game. I don't recall Starr or Lombardi ever explaining the decision to go for it.
Eh that would be gutsy now, but back then that was the most probable short yard play in football. Now it could be gutsy because everyone knew that fact and they did it anyways, but it’s not even close to the gutsiest call of all time. The cowboys touchdown play right before that is an example of a gutsy call.
@@Bravo-Too-Much You've missed the point. It's not about the actual play call. It's about running a play in the first place. If they don't score, they lose. It would have been much safer to kick a FG and go to OT.
In neg 15 who wants to play ot
@@luckym5267 Champions.
Matt Cairns Lmaoo what they literally avoided the ot . Game was ending there no matter what
Dyed in the wool Packers fan here. This just brought me to tears, hearing the other side of the conversation about the Ice Bowl. Don Meridith was a wonderful football player and human.
Excellent narration n research by Michael Meredith, Don Meredith's son ! Enjoyed his football career. Fantastic job on the video. Hopefully you'll will produce more of it.
Aloha from Hawaii
Dear Mike , As a lifelong Packer fan ...I thank you for the perspective of the runner up of the championship . I watched your dad on television growing up . (I am about 2 years older than you ) I have , and had nothing but the most sincere respect for your dad ...and I loved how he entertained us all in the quiet times of a football game . ( I liken Brett Favre to your dad . I would have talked to Brett ...after winning the Super Bowl in 96..but then losing in 97 ) I truly believe , that PTSD ...does actually play a part in the win/loss of football games . I want to thank you for the perspective ! ( fyi - George Halas's son supposedly sold that field heating system to the Packers )
George Halas donated $1500.00 to the Packers to help build the stadium. He said at the time he needed a team to beat!
Great documentary, I grew up in Green Bay, my dad was in the Marines, I was in 5th grade. My dad went to the game with a few Marine buddies and had a ticket for me. At the last moment my mom decided to not let me go to the game. I remember being glued to the radio listening to the game. I gave my folks a hard time for many years for not letting me go to that game. I no longer live in Green Bay but make a game every December, still a Packer backer for life!
That was before they changed the blackout rule. The year before in Dallas I had to listen to the game with my dad in the garage.
Don should be in the Hall of Fame, as a player and as a broadcaster...
Dandy Don is in the broadcast wing of the Hall of Fame
@@aktxag He was great on Monday Night Football, very entertaining.
He is !
Not as a player. He didn't have near enough !!!
@@chriskelly4477 Didn't have enough? You obviously don't know a thing about Meredith.
As a Packer fan who saw his first game ever in the first of the two NFL Championships against Dallas, Bart was my favorite player of all, but that day I gained, at first, a grudging respect for their quarterback. Even as a youngster could tell that team was on his back under benign weather. I developed that sheer and deep disdain for the Cowboys that only Green Bay fans know. Through the ‘67 season and the Ice Bowl, I followed them because of #17… and because our local stations, far now from the frozen tundra had more of their games. I have two QBs from that era that, for me, were the textbook examples, from two ends of the spectrum, of what the NFL was in the mid 1960s.
To tell the truth, I was, as a player, much more of a Meredith spirit. Bart is the haloed saint from whom I learned perseverance and self-confidence were necessary tools for success. Jeff and Hazel’s little boy had those tools as well as a powerful arm, but he sure seemed to have more fun than anyone else in the league.
When he wasn’t there, retired, that team was never the same- never as cool.
Read Pete Gent’s “North Dallas Forty” for a thinly-veiled look at Don and his team.
No one knows how much it hurt for him… he played with savage, chronic and painful injuries & know one can imagine the work ethic he had.
We lost a great man and True Texan far too soon. Here’s to #17!
This is the game that we would always pretend we were playing in as kids back in the 70's & 80's.
Especially when it was cold or on the super rare occasion that it snowed or iced over like it did in 1982.
Lol. We did that too. But, we were from Wisconsin.
Indeed! From the U.P. here and we replayed this game in the streets hundreds of times for years after. Runny noses and mittens. Nice job Michael! A different spin on the most memorable game in the history of the NFL
I was 14, living in Georgia. We loved to play anytime it got cold or if frost or snow flurries had fallen during the night. We were always the Cowboys!
RESPECT To the Meredith family!
It's way past time Mr. Meredith be inducted to the N.F.L. 👈👉H.O.F
1✊Peace Power n Progression ✊
Awesome. What a game. 2 great sides. Incredible respect for each other. Lombardi vs Landry. Doesn't get any better!!
Outstanding documentary. These kind of games (like the 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma Game of the Century) prove that it's not really about winning or losing. Both teams taught all of us something much bigger. Thus, we all win.
ABSOLUTELY.....some games....reach beyond the score...and the struggle...the effort...the MAGIC that sports competition played beyond all expectations produce...makes ALL participants...Champions...FOREVER....
Great production of a great game!!! I'm from Wisconsin & a huge Packer fan but I give Dallas great credit for actually outplaying Green Bay for a lot of this game on the road in insanely cold conditions. Every player on both sides in this epic battle should be considered a football hero. There are no losers!!!
I has no idea the Cowboys were in the NFL before the merger. I thought that game was an nfc championship game before you guys beat KC in the 1st superbowl
Thank you Michael, you did a great job, luv ur dad
I am 58 years old, I do not remember the Ice Bowl, but know all about it as a young Man from Michigan( and a HUGE Cowboy fan ) and I must say you have done a FANTASTIC job of bringing that game to LIFE....
Thank you , Ray Magley
I'm 58 as well and born and bred in Wisconsin.
This game loomed large in my personal history.
I still run on Lombardi time.
This is an incredible piece of sports reporting. It was the greatest game ever played!
Packer fan here. This is an AMAZING addition to the documentaries about the Ice Bowl. I've seen so many produced from the POV of the Packers (rightly so), but this side is so seldom even considered. Thank you sir for your hard work and appreciation for this side of what is without a doubt one of the top 5 NFL games of all time (It's #1 in my mind, but I don't think there is ANY true fan of the game that could consider it out of the top 5).
I was 16 when they played the Ice Bowl. Watching it live, of course, was sensational. It's legend continues to inspire. Thank you Michael Meridith.
Well that was phenomenal.
Lol love the old peeps looking back into they’re own life , that moment kept them young and pumped up . W or L they lived a good one .
This game , these teams and players will always remain larger than life in my mind. This was special.
Michael...if you read this your dad was my first pro football hero. I was crushed when he retired and very unhappy with Dallas fans when I heard the restaurant story.
Willem Dafoe being at the game makes this feel extra odd, apart from everything else that happened around the game.
HOLLYWIERDO in the house 🤣
In the film Platoon - Finding the Bunker. Sheen narrating the scene starts with giving the audience the date - New Years day 1968.... That would have been New Year's Eve in Wisconsin - the day of the Ice Bowl...
He was from Appleton, he also said it was his first game and 40 yard line… lol don’t think you will ever top that game experience
I don't know what it is about that year, 1967, again and again that year has impacted my being(my mom past away), character (young child became a younger responsible child), outlook (moved overseas - Italy), persona (neighborhood mom's watched over you, like you were one of their own, couldn't have been without them...I didn't know it then, oh but years later I recognized little my child's awareness actually was indeed fortunate to those neighbors), a love for life taught that needs/must be/had lived fully and only now beginning to appreciate the generosity, genuine generation we were living in, in our own way...thank you all for showing us how to be our most/best...in more ways than I could've ever imagined as a youngster.
There are no heroes like this anymore. And I'm not even a Packers or Cowboys fan. I'm an Eagles fan. But I know men when I see them. And these were real men unlike what we see today.
Perfectly stated.
Money and fame corrupt.
At ten years of age when the Ice Bowl was played, I watched it from the warmth of my home in Neenah, Wisconsin. My dad and oldest brother attended that torturous event, dressed in hunting gear and my mother’s fur coat. Though foolhardy to force athletes to play in those conditions, the players sucked it up and showed effort beyond what most of us can comprehend. The Ice Bowl was about the tenacity, courage and pride within the human spirit. Each man from each team is a profile in courage. Congratulations on an excellent documentary, Mr Meredith, well done.
This was a beautiful documentary, Michael. I loved every minute of it. Thanks!
My vote for "Greatest Pro Football Game Ever Played". Back when MEN of character played. I miss those days.
Except they were all extremely racist and sexist.
@@JahWontPayTheBill That couldn't be further from the truth. The real story is that these are the men who broke the racial barriers. In fact, Vince Lombardi made it a top priority to ensure that his players understood there would be no bigotry on his team. There was a zero tolerance policy for that at least with the Packers. I don't know enough about Tom Landry's teams.
Always was a Dallas fan since 1960. But this game is one I have never gotten over. For you see Don Meredith was my idol. One of which joined the ranks in front of my icons Lance Rentzel, Bob Hayes, Mel Renfro, Dan Reeves, to name a few. It was the game in which the Cowboys could redeem themselves after losing the year before to the Packers. It was a perfect setting for me. The winter, football, the holidays, and I was in the middle of growing up. These years were some of the happiest times of my life. It was so sad to see them lose.
I was an 11year-old fifth-grader and a devoted Cowboys fan when the Ice Bowl was played. For me, it was the most heartbreaking loss as a fan of professional sports teams at the time. The 27-yard pass play from Bart Starr to Chuck Mercein that gave the Packers a first down on the 11-yard line still gives me that "Oh no" feeling. From the moment the Cowboys took the lead on the pass from Dan Reeves to Lance Rentzel I was highly confident the Cowboys were going to win. The Mercein play changed confidence into doubt.
This documentary brings home the effect the effect the outcome of the Ice Bowl had on the; players.
Wow! Such a wonderful video. Micheal sure is a spittin image of his father too. My life has many cherished moments listening to Don as an announcer. His playing days I missed by a few years but I’ll never forget the joy he brought to the game of football. The world was lucky to have had him in it, as was I and everyone touched by his jovial approach to reality. RIP Don ❤️🌹
He favored his mother.
God bless you Michael! I am a Packer fan who watched your video. I have never been a Dallas fan, but I was a fan of your dad. I believe he will be in the Hall of Fame!
Sir, you have produced a great video. I remember very well watching this game, I was 15, and living in Omaha, Nebraska. I was and still am a Packers fan, but I have a very high regard for the Cowboys of that era.
I used to enjoy Don Meredith on Monday Night Football. He was a lot of fun, and very entertaining. "The party's over,"
I'm only 35 and a bengals fan and this documentary was wild. NFL films should start doing half hour documentary series before games where teams are featured that in previous years played classic games like this and tell the story. They could even splice in animation where video might not be available and only witness accounts are there such as Lombardi telling Starr "Then run it, and let's get the hell out of here!"
What a great job of honoring your dad Dandy Don Meredith! I'm not sure you could have produced a better piece Michael! You honored both team's... the legend's they are... the pioneer's of NFL football. I live in the same Virginia county that #84 Carroll Dale Green Bay Packers tight end came from. I am a Cowboys fan who loved all the legendary Cowboys but Dandy Don Meredith was the 1st and the perfect Cowboy quarterback who led what became 1 of the team's of the 70's along with Pittsburgh. Beautifully done Michael. Turn out the light's, the party's over.
I was a 10 year old kid living in Michigan but a Cowboy fan thanks to my Aunt Val who turned me on to footbal in 66. I remember me and my brothers going out to play catch in the side yard during halftime. Damn, it was cold! We would skate on the pond all day if it was near zero out. This was different. The coldest afternoon of my lifetime. We were back in the house in no time. Lost 50 cents in my last bet for money in my entire life on a sporting event. It is amazing that in some musty closet they have not found the actual broadcast footage. My favorite game of all time.
Michael, you did a heck of a job on this, showed respect to all the men who played in this game! Though I knew about it through videos & reading I learned more about it during your work. Excellent work all around. A little side not for you -- I am a baseball & softball umpire at the college level and one of the assignors I've worked for over the last 7-8 years is Kathie Graf. Her Father Fritz worked that game, I believe as a line judge. His whistle actually stuck to his lips & he couldn't remove it for a large part of the game! That whistle is in the HOF. I'm sending this link to Kathie now
Don Meredith was a stud.
Willie Davis is my favorite Packer of all time.
Probably the best game in the Super Bowl era. For sure the best odd-weather game!
P.S. Great documentary, Michael Meredith! 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽
I also loved Willie Davis, but my favorite Packer was Paul Hornung.
@@garymorris1856 The Golden Boy! Like his teammates said, he was a stud and he scored both on and off the field. 😂
@@diegopons4622 Yes, when I first started watching football, I noticed this guy who ran the ball, threw and caught passes, blocked very well, and kicked PATs and field goals, it was , of course, Hornung,
@@garymorris1856 Yes, he indeed was the most complete player in Packer history. He did it all.
@@diegopons4622 He was also very important in attracting fans to the NFL.
Absolutely beautiful documentary...entertaining, touching...Thank you Michael Meredith...
One thing is for sure, EVERYBODY loved Dandy Don Meredith! He is sorely missed. Don't turn out the lights, the party ain't over!
That shot of Tom Landry turning away in disgust was not when Meredith threw the interception but when the Cowboys false-started on 1st and goal from the 2 yard line a few plays before. That penalty moved them back to the 7. Selective editing but now every show about this game does it.
Thank You!
Also the interception was on 4th down, he had to throw it up for grabs.
@@johnhardman825 Yes the Packers were looking for that play. The rollout right was a play the Cowboys often ran on the goal line.
Bob Hayes was NOT supposed to be on the field for that play. He wasn't a very good blocker.
There was enough blame to spread around. Meredith didn't check the lineup in the huddle. Hayes didn't take himself out of the huddle. Clarke didn't substitute himself in for Hayes. Landry left timeouts on the field.
The Ice Bowl was the greatest NFL Game ever played. It will live in infamy & I love, admire and respect both the Green Bay Packers & Dallas Cowboys for how hard they played in this game under the worst weather conditions imaginable especially in the last drive by the Green Bay Packers. It was the greatest Fantastic Finish in NFL history. In the end, there were no winners and losers in this Classic Game. My heart though goes out to Don Meredith. I can just imagine how hard this loss was on him to accept but he went on to achieve so much success in the 1970's for being one of the most colorful Broadcasters on Monday Night Football ever. God do I miss him. RIP Don Meredith & Bart Starr. As for Don Meredith's son he has so much to be proud of his father. He was a great Quarterback & man.
Hats off to you Michael, excellent documentary. I was 2 years old and my dad and grandpa attended the ice bowl. We lived at 1728 Chateau Dr, 5 doors down from the Starrs and 10 minute walk to Lambeau. Bart Jr was a year older than my brother and Brett was about a year older than me, we played neighborhood games with them until they moved to Depere in the early to mid 70s. Wow… good stuff!!! Thanks again!
I watched the previous season's NFL Championship between GB & Dallas played at the Cotton Bowl with my Uncle and my Mother. Of course the weather was beautiful for that particular game.
The following December, in '67 on gameday, when the telecast came on and Ray Scott was giving the game temperature and trying to describe the intensity of the cold, it was hard for me to grasp just what he was talking about, for me as a 12 year old kid from Texas, I had never experienced that type of cold before.
Well, my heroes from Dallas obviously came up short that day, and as much as I was disappointed in another loss to the Green Bay Packers, I still was proud of the Cowboys for the valient effort they gave. I've often wondered if the game had been played in warmer conditions would the outcome have been different.
Obviously, we'll never know. With that said,
I still believe that the
mighty Green Bay Packers were just too good, and that they were no question a team of destiny.......
the greatest dynasty in
NFL history.🏈
What an excellent documentary.
It got to me when I saw that Packer fan tearing up over Bart Starr.
Bart was 83 and obviously very fragile and died 2 years later.
The respect between the 2 teams is touching.
I love being from Dallas. All my life i been a Cowboys fan since 1982..my whole family deep Cowboys fans
Never forget the good old days kids.
Mike, this was an awesome production. I was 11 years old, watching with my Dad at our neighbors house. We opened the windows (40 degrees I think) and sat in shorts and tees to suffer along with our Cowboys. Your Dad was my favorite player and I stenciled #17 on my first football jersey. Years later I played ice hockey (ironic?), and also wore #17. I'm sorry your parents suffered for so long over this heroic effort. God bless.❤
This was one of the greatest documentaries I’ve ever seen. I particularly enjoyed the short feature on Willie Townes. He made one of the coolest defensive plays of all time in this game.
In the mid-1950s, Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry were assistant coaches with the New York Giants. Vince was offensive coordinator, and Tom was defensive coordinator.
Being 20 mins south of G.B of course im a huge fan, Bret Farve said it best when traded from Atlanta, where the heck is Green Bay! The team from the smallest NFL town holds this honor im so proud to call this home! I think with this and the Farve era put us on the map! GO PACK GO😁😁
Brett's last name
is not Farve. It's
FAVRE!🙈😖😫
I got cold watching it on TV. I think I'm still cold. It was an epic "man against nature" game but also a great football game. Can't say the Cowboys didn't play well enough to win, it was just the roll of the dice on the final play.
I watched this for the second time. And wanted to share what I just realized while watching it again. This time in my life and this game helped define the person I am today as much as my father playing catch with me and he taking me to our local high school football games when I was in grade school. I looked up to those guys in high school and wanted to be just like them as well as these Dallas Cowboys. This story helped define my desires to play football myself and I was successful at that because of what these young men instilled in me. I wanted to be Don Meredith, Lance Rentzel, and Dan Reeves. Hearing Don's wife describe the feeling of losing that game, well I felt that despair too. Hearing her speak brought tears to my eyes because I shared those feelings. It has stayed with me all These years. It made me feel if these guys could live through that it helped give me the confidence I could play well. Thank you Michael Meredith for telling this story and making this documentary. This was indeed an important time in my life.
As a packer fan, it is really cool to hear from the cowboys perspective.
Yes really cool... in fact freezing. Seeing this cools me down, I'm watching this in 102 degree heat. 39 celcius.
Thanks for sharing this film.I watched this game at the age of twelve years from the warmth of our home back in East Texas. It will always be one of the top games on any level of Pro. Sports.
The Ice Bowl must have been a tough game to play in, but it created a sports legend that endures today. The Green Bay Packers and Lambeau Field were already popular at the time, but this game made them legends. It cemented pro football as America's favorite sport, surpassing baseball.
I grew up on a cattle ranch in Western Nebraska back in the early 70's, so I experienced this level of extreme cold many times. I have a scar on my right thumb from a time when I got frostbite so badly on my hands and feet that a layer of skin came off my thumb when I took my wet leather gloves off one day back in those very cold winters.
My dad's favorite passtimes were watching football games and hunting ducks and geese. I went with him many times to have some quality time away from the hard work of the ranch. Those games and hunting trips could be so very cold sometimes, but I enjoyed the time with him.
When I was in high school, I was the student manager due to life-long back problems that made it too dangerous for me to play on the field. But I did all I could to help my team in my own way. Our coach even lobbied to get me a football patch for my letterman jacket when I was a senior because he said that I was just as important to the team as any of the players were. I remember many very cold games, some of which were so cold that the tap on the water cooler froze solid and I had to take the lid off to dip water out for the players. When I hear about this legendary game, I can easily imagine what it must have been like.
Growing up in Nebraska, I was of course a die hard Cornhuskers fan and a lot of the players who graduated from UNL, which later became my alma mater, played for Green Bay. In my mind growing up, the Packers were the best team that I saw on TV other than the Huskers, so I became a Packers fan rather than the Chiefs, Cowboys or Broncos. Something about the Packers appealed to me then and still does.
Don Meredith was the quintessential Dallas Cowboy. This is a great video about him as well as the infamous field and the infamous game played upon it. I remember Don as a fantastic announcer and actor, so it is so great to see this intimate documentary about him, his family and his most famous football game.
What a marvellous tribute to the men, and the man. This film showed the greatness of the game and its impact on American life and sport.
I’m a Lipton ice tea man because of Don Meredith. I still have iced tea in the dead of winter.
I remember Don Meredith did a post-game interview after that game. Even gracious in defeat. I also remember him talking about his struggles in the first half throwing the ball, saying he couldn't "wing" it. He said he made a slit in his jersey and was then able to warm his throwing hand against his stomach, allowing him to "wing" the ball, and making better throws in the second half.
That was an amazing era . Thank you very much for sharing that. Peace
The good thing about NFL Films is that they used film, which helps old school games before HD look at least as good as HD.
As someone who's from Wisconsin, I appreciate this. I also appreciate Meredith.
One of the best NFL Films of all time.
What a great tribute ... your Dad is proud!
-I was lucky enough to interview three people who were at this game. Bob Lilly told me some amazing stories about that whole trip, that Sunday in particular. And two other guys I spoke with were from Milwaukee, college students at that time. To this day, they recall exactly what they wore, and how many layers of each item, they had on.
-Just think . . . if the TV networks had been calling the shots on scheduling in 1967 the way they do now, this game would've been played at night, in prime time. Talk about cold(er) . . .
-It was played in Green Bay because the same two teams had met in Dallas for the NFL title the year before. In fact, Green Bay's Jerry Kramer, in Dallas on business during the offseason between the 1966 and 1967 seasons, had visited the Lillys, and as he was leaving their home, Bob's wife told him, "We'll see you in Green Bay in December."
This was a truly touching documentary and I'm not even a football fan. Thanks for that.
I was a sophomore in the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band. What a football weekend. I watched this game in the lobby of the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas and the next day the Texas Aggies beat the Bear and the Snake.
Excellent documentary. Kudos to Meredith father and son. And to all the players who were part of that historic game.
Love this documentary, it was a game that probably shouldn't of been played & maybe wouldn't of been in today's era. Listening to those that were there is like almost the same as the experience of soldiers of the 101st Airborne that were @ the Battle of the Bulge, only with no guns or tanks.
My grandfather was one of the 101st Airbourne that was there. Never would talk about it though.
A lot think that the cold weather team has the advantage where in reality once it get's below 10 degrees any advantage is out the window. I attended the Raiders/Browns on 1/4/1981 and the wind chill was a minus 21. Believe me, after a while the name of the game is survival. My feet were so cold and then you have to walk about 20/30 minutes back to parking. My feet actually warmed up as I walked but they were still cold after driving over 2 hours to get home. Lance Rentzel looks like a Macy Parades float. To think he was once married to Joey Heatherton.
Ok JoJo - you got my interest when you said 'you attended"that game - I remember well since the Browns were supposed to win and go west to play the Chargers. The Chargers had come from behind to beat the Bills the day before - that was the game i attended on Saturday only to have the damn Raiders show up the following Sunday and beat my beloved SD chargers by 7. 34 - 27…Sipes did not have to throw that pass. but yes it was about survival and thats what the raiders did. The browns were so good as were the chargers but the ball just did not bounce in either of our directions. Alas both teams up and left the fans that loved them - Model was broke from gambling debts and Spanos is pure greed. Even the Raiders moved again.This was the era of football at its best.
Wow! I am a Raider Lifer and remember watching that game. It was Brutal I am sure if you attended that game. Browns had it but it was seen by Mike Davis in end zone.
Hey, amid all the heartbreak, and being a Raiders fan I know the feeling. Immaculate Deception I call it vs. PITT, The Rob Lytle Fumble in 77 vs Broncos. But we were 1st wildcard to win Superbowl. I do remember that stupid Disco San Diego Chargers Song as well..lol
I was five years old, I remember watching that iconic game, especially the ending, I loved football back then before it became such a huge business, I miss those days bitterly.
Ahh. Bill Mercer!! Also a Legendary Pro Wrestling announcer. Awesome! I love Bill. World Class Wrestling out of Dallas. The Von Erichs and Free birds!!
Junior high in Perryton Texas playing in mud and/or snow was a gas.
Played in a mud game in Wichita Ks against BC and had a great time.
Weather games are so much fun!
We had the privilege of getting to know Harold Hays #56 - his wife and my MIL were friends. He often spoke about The Ice Bowl. Thank you for such an interesting documentary.
I love these little in-depth documentaries NFL films does. Keep up the good work 👍
Loved him. The Eagles sucked back then. What a great game to have watched with family that were still alive. Jeff and Hazel's baby boy became my Monday night regular viewing. Thanks
The greatest NFL game of all time is the Ice Bowl. Consider:
1. It was for an NFL championship. The greatest game in NFL history has to be for the championship (sorry Immaculate Reception...)
2. It featured All-time great players (15 hall of famers including Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, Bob Lilly, Willie Wood, Dave Robinson ... etc. etc.) and several great players like Don Meredith, Dan Reeves, Walt Garrison, Lance Rentzel, and Boyd Dowler that are not in the Hall but had memorable careers.
3. It featured two iconic coaches: Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi. You don't get more iconic than that.
4. It featured two iconic franchises: Dallas and Green Bay.
5. It was played in a classic stadium - Lambeau Field (the "shrine to NFL football.)
6. It went down to the end with a do or die play to win or lose a championship. And the play is the definitive football play: The QB sneak. Two teams butting heads at the end, strength on strength, to see who wanted it more. No trickery or luck. Just desire. The essence of football.
7. It was played in the elements, a bitter cold. Football is more than just man vs. man, it is also man vs. nature. Players had to overcome so much to compete at the highest level and execute. Forget dome stadiums. True football is played outdoors in the mud, grim, and cold. Men should be tested by the elements in the greatest NFL game. If you want to play on a carpet, stick to video games.
8. It was historic. The last game at Lambeau Field for Vince Lombardi. The end of the Packer dynasty (and the beginnings of a Cowboy dynasty.) And it was for the opportunity to win 3 NFL Championships in a row. A feat that had not been accomplished before (at least since the first NFL playoffs) and has not been accomplished since. Many great teams have come close, but only the Packers accomplished it in the Ice Bowl.
Other great games tick some or most of those boxes, but no other game ticks ALL of them. The Ice Bowl stands alone. The greatest game in NFL history.
Thanks for the phenomenal documentary. Very well put together, sincere, and informative.
Can we all take a minute and thank the people who shot the behind-the-scenes footage? 13:45 Like Vince L in his car, and greeting the players as they head to the locker room?
Do you suppose they wondered if people would still be talking about this game over fifty years later?
Great job, film crew. Great job.
Timeline is a fantastic series! NFL Films has outdone itself and this episode has been the best by far. Learning about the events prior to the game was amazing. It’s crazy how seemingly small decisions can affect the outcome of games and the conditions of the surface.
His dad seemed to have a natural acting talent, when I saw him in that monologue at the diner (3 days of rain). Really natural, human delivery.
Every time I've visited Lambeau Field. Either on a tour, at a game or when I worked there in Facilities and Fields painting those yellow railings, repainting seat numbers or whatever else I was tasked with, I would imagine that day. The Ice Bowl definitely will live on. It happened 8 years before I was born, and I talk about it from time to time and I know no game comes close to it.
Thank you. Great perspective.
I saw these highlights on a SI promo VHS called "fabulous finales" that my dad had in the late 80s. I had just gotten into football. I loved the uniforms and the fact it looked like the north pole. This game made me the Packers fan I am today
A GREAT GAME.....played by GREAT MEN.....champions...no matter the score....one and all!
It was a legendary moment in american history. Two great programs that built the NFL. The nation really started to see the NFL in a different light after this game. It was the beginning of an amazing evolutionary journey....
They were all heros. The nation loved both teams
I love how Bart Starr laughed when Coach Lombardi said "WELL THEN RUN IT, AND LET'S GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE." He laughed EVERY TIME he retold it. Makes me laugh as well. God bless Bart Starr and all the players of that legendary game!
Chuck Mercein, really came up huge, especially in the red zone, that last drive; then, he didn't get to play in the SB
Michael, I don’t have the words. Your mom was a star. Pops was a star. You? No words. Thank you so much!
I have to say I almost cry almost every time I watch one of these
Me too.
I remember watching that game with my father and what I remember the most was when the referee blew his whistle to start the game and it was so cold that the metal stuck to his lips and pulled the skin away and the game had to be delayed so that Vaseline had to be applied to the referees' lips. This poor man refed the game with an increasing blood cycle and my father and I watched the game playing 'find Dracula.'
10 yrs old ,my first game on an 10" tube tv .black n whits.lifelong memories .Jerry Kramer & Don Meredith were my favorites.Kramer did a show w/ Curt Gowde.Ami Sportsman67-69.Memories, Jerry looks good.
Michael Meredith What a truly great film. This was NFL royalty from two great teams.
This was probably the only NFL game that was more about survival than it was football. There may be colder games but advances in apparel technology can keep the body warmer than they could then. That's what makes the game unforgettable. Now the Super Bowl is played every year in balmy weather in front of corporate execs. It's not ever coming to Green Bay, Wisconsin - that's for damn sure. Unless they build a dome and that would be heresy.