One of my favorite aspects of football is that it is generally played in any type of weather (except lightning, tornados and hurricanes). I love to watch two teams slogging it out in rain, snow or mud. Watching some of the recent cold weather games reminds me of one of the most unusual objects in our collection, the heating coil from Lambeau Field. We only have a small piece of the heating system that was installed under Lambeau Field. However the reason we collected it was that it played a role in the “Ice Bowl.” In a few days we’ll be celebrating New Year’s Eve but this New Year’s Eve will be the 42nd anniversary of the famous 1967 NFL Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys that will forever be known as the “Ice Bowl.”
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One of the more unusual objects on our collection is this heating coil used to keep Lambeu Field from freezing. The coil played a significant role in what became known as the "Ice Bowl."
The heating coil in our collection had been installed six inches under Green Bay’s Lambeau Field in 1967 and was used by the team until the 1996 NFL season. It was part of intricate heating system that was designed to prevent Lambeau Field from freezing during cold weather. Packers head coach
Vince Lombardi was instrumental in bringing the system to Green Bay. The first ground heating system was installed at the Air Force Academy’s home football field in Colorado Springs, CO. The Academy used the system to help grass grow in the high altitude. Lombardi’s idea was to keep Lambeau Field from freezing during the cold months of November and December. The cost of the heating system was nearly one million dollars ($969,000 to be exact). Today’s equivalent would be $6 million.
As I mentioned earlier, this heating coil played a significant role in the 1967 NFL Championship Game between the Packers and Cowboys on Dec. 31, 1967. Many believe the term “Ice Bowl” refers to the simple fact that game time temperatures were 13 degrees below zero but “Ice Bowl” also refers to the field conditions that were caused by this heating coil.
The weather forecast for the game on the 10:00 PM news the night before the game was actually for a high of 25 degrees. Not knowing the forecast would be off by 38 degrees, the ground crew turned on the heating system and a tarp was placed over the field for the night. When the field crew removed the tarp in the morning they noticed quite of bit of condensation had formed on the grass but the field was not frozen. The heating system had done its job but had it done it too well.
John Harrington, the engineer who installed the system, told Vince Lombardi that with the tarp removed and the heating system would need to be turned off during the game. If the heating system continued to run during the extreme temperatures it would need so much more power to keep the field from freezing that the system would overheat itself and be destroyed. Lombardi feared that if the system was destroyed the waste of money would be known as “Lombardi Folly,” and he agreed that the system should be turned off.
Once the tarp was removed the condensation that had formed immediately froze in the frigid 13-below-zero temperature. The field literally became like a sheet of ice. The players had a horrible time not only adapting to the cold but field conditions as well. Few players were able to gain much traction during the game. Because of the horrible condition in the air and on the ground, the game quickly was labeled the “Ice Bowl.”
To their credit, the Dallas Cowboys hung tough during the game. They held a late 17-14 lead when the Packers took possession of the ball with 5:04 left to play at their own 32-yard-line. From there quarterback Bart Starr lead the Packers on a 68-yard touchdown drive which culminated in his game-winning one-yard QB sneak with 16 seconds left in the game. Two weeks later the Packers defeated the Oakland Raiders 33-14 in Super Bowl II.
As far as this year’s playoffs, I believe the Green Bay Packers have a shot. Although they’ll most likely play every game on the road as a Wild Card, they seemed to have stabilized their offensive line and their defense has made huge strides during the season. Both the Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles seemed to be peaking at the right time in the NFC entering the playoffs and they will be dangerous in the postseason. I also like the San Diego Chargers in the AFC. After a slow start they’ve won 10 in a row. Could we have a Packers vs. Chargers Super Bowl. I don’t know for sure but I do know if we have 13-below temperatures in South Florida for Super Bowl XLIV something has gone horribly wrong.
Lombardi, Vince,
Green Bay Packers
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In my job as curator of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, usually when I’m talking about the first to 1,000, it involves statistics. For instance, most times I’m talking about how Chicago Bears rookie running back Beattie Feathers became the National Football League’s first 1,000-yard rusher in 1934.
But, today, I’m pleased to share news about another “1,000” milestone. I oversee the Hall of Fame’s volunteer program and am proud to announce that we recently had our first volunteer to record 1,000 hours of service to the museum.
I offer my sincere congratulations to Dan Thatcher who is our “Beattie Feathers” of the volunteer program.
You can read about Dan’s great accomplishment.
Story>>>
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On Tuesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame received the jersey Matthew Stafford wore on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns when he set the NFL rookie record for most passing yards in a single game. The jersey is the first one to come to the Pro Football Hall of Fame completely cut in half. If you recall the highlights from the game, Stafford injured his shoulder late in the contest. In order to remove the jersey without hurting Stafford further, trainers cut the jersey off him after the game.
This unique jersey in our collection made me think of other unusual jerseys we have. One such one that immediately comes to mind is
Norm Van Brocklin’s 1960 Philadelphia Eagles jersey. Van Brocklin was known for leading the Eagles to the 1960 NFL Championship and winning the NFL MVP that year. His jersey features his blood stains from an injury he must have sustained in the championship game against the Packers. I often joke with people if cloning humans ever became a reality, the Pro Football Hall of Fame could clone Norm Van Brocklin with our DNA sample. I’m sure someone would want to draft the Van Brocklin clone.
Our largest jersey in our collection is Jim “Jumbo” Elliott’s New York Giants jersey. You may remember “Jumbo” Elliott from his days as a tackle for the New York Giants and New York Jets in the 1980s and ‘90s. Jumbo played at 6’-7” and over 300 pounds. His jersey does not fit our regular storage boxes which are 36” long. The dirtiest jersey in our collection would be Brandon Jacobs New York Giants jersey from 2007 NFL London Game. That game was played in a muddy Wembley Stadium. It came to us unwashed which makes it authenticity quite apparent!
In my opinion the coolest jerseys in our collection are Tiki Barber’s jersey (I swear I’m not a Giants fan) and an Ironton Tanks jersey from the 1920s. The Barber wore the jersey in our collection in the final game of his career in on Dec. 30, 2006. In that game Tiki set an NFL record for the most yards rushing when he gained 234 yards, the most by a player in the in the final regular season game of their career. The old record was held by Cliff Battles who never returned to the Redskins after 1937 because of a contract dispute. The team refused to bump his salary past $3000!
The Ironton (Ohio) Tanks were a semi-pro team from the 1920s and 1930s but they were no ordinary semi-pro team. They competed and often defeated NFL teams (including the Chicago Bears) in exhibition games. The Tanks jersey in our collection is unique in that it features canvas strips on the front chest and sleeves. These strips were designed to help ball carriers hold on to the football and not fumble. The first photos of the Chicago Bears one of the oldest teams in professional football feature players wearing these strips on the jerseys. However no Bears jerseys from the 1920s exist. The closest example we have is this Ironton Tanks jersey.
Probably the ugliest jerseys in our collection are from the World Football League of the 1974 and 1975. We have jerseys from such teams as the San Antonio Wings, Charlotte Hornets and Shreveport Steamers of the WFL. They all feature odd combinations of colors that could only come from the 1970s. Looking at these jerseys no wonder the WFL folded in two years despite signing talented players such Danny White,
Paul Warfield and
Larry Csonka.
Now because of his heroic performance Matthew Stafford’s jersey is among the pantheon of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s most unique and unusual jerseys.
Csonka, Larry,
Van Brocklin, Norm,
Warfield, Paul
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Part of my job here at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is to seek out player equipment whenever a record is broken or a great moment occurs. Right now I’m working on collecting several pink things from this weekend. As you know many NFL players wore pink during Week 4 games to promote Breast Cancer Awareness month. I hope to get a couple of pieces of game used pink mementos to commemorate the great way the NFL brought attention to Breast Cancer.
Probably everyone who reads this knows someone who has battled cancer. Right now you can help shop for a cure by buying merchandise on our website. Twenty percent of all sales on this merchandise in our online store now through October 9 will go to the Susan G. Komen Fight for a Cure foundation.
You can also be sure to look for a story soon on the website about some of the mementos we received and a display here at the Hall of Fame commemorating how the NFL went “pink” for a weekend to fight Breast cancer.
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