The NFL's Coldest Games
Fred Goodwin, CMA
<http://www.forbes.com/business/2007/12/14/nfl-packers-bears-biz-
sports-cx_tvr_1214frozen.html>
http://tinyurl.com/35subw
12.14.07, 6:30 PM ET
Tom Van Riper, Forbes
Mid-December. Crunch time for the National Football League season.
Literally.
As thermometers drop across the Northeast and Midwest, bone-crunching
blocks and tackles become the norm. Is the early winter that's
settling in this year a harbinger for record cold games over the next
month? Maybe, but that's a tall order. A peek at the coldest games in
NFL history shows players knocking heads in temperatures ranging from
13 degrees below zero to 13 degrees above.
Many fans are familiar with the famous "Ice Bowl" of 1967, when the
Green Bay Packers hosted the Dallas Cowboys for the league
championship. Game-time temperature was 13 below zero, with wind
chills making it feel like 48 below. At least the Packers sent the
frozen fans home happy, riding a late one-yard quarterback sneak by
Bart Star to pull out the championship, 21-17.
That game still holds the record for coldest temperature, but not for
wind chill. That mark was broken in January 1982 in Cincinnati, in a
conference title game between the Bengals and San Diego Chargers.
Swirling winds whipping off the Ohio River made it feel like 59
degrees below zero. San Diego coach Don Coryell, normally clad in
short sleeves, bundled up on the sidelines with a ski mask that nearly
covered his entire face. His southern California team literally got
iced, 27-7.
Other cities hosting the coldest games in league history include
Kansas City, Mo., Buffalo, N.Y., Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The league
doesn't keep any records on historic weather conditions, so we
compiled our rankings based on responses from individual clubs and
from private researcher Kevin Brewster, a meteorologist and football
fan who studies weather patterns at the University of Oklahoma.
Brewster, who grew up during the Lombardi era of the Packers in the
Milwaukee area, keeps an "NFL Weather Hall of Fame" on his private Web
site, a list of games played in severe cold and other bizarre weather
conditions.
How dangerous is it to crack bones in subzero weather? Not as
dangerous as you may think, says someone who should know: University
of Wisconsin-Green Bay sports physiologist James Marker.
"It's not so much about the air temperature as it is body
temperature," he says. The layers today's players wear are better
insulated than in the past. Add chemical hand warmers and heaters
behind the benches, and keeping body temperatures up throughout the
game isn't too difficult, even on the most frigid of days.
Still, no American athletes endure the kind of climate extremes that
pro-football players do. Hockey and basketball are played indoors.
Baseball players deal with temperature variations between April and
October, but any really bad weather day means a postponement. Those on
the gridiron tough it out through anything Mother Nature brings, from
rain, snow and fog to extreme temperatures. Players start the season
in the oppressive heat and humidity of July in training camp and
finish in the bitter cold of December and January.
Unsurprisingly, Green Bay, Wis., Minnesota and Chicago lead the ice
brigade, combining for nine of the 16 coldest games on record (though
Minnesota dropped out of further contention when the hometown Vikings
moved indoors in 1982). Four of those games had a combination of those
clubs playing each other. They didn't call the old NFC Central
Division the "black and blue division" for nothing, back before the
league realigned into eight divisions.
But as Marker notes, even the coldest of days don't bring the most
dangerous playing conditions. More alarming is hot weather, which can
bring dehydration and heat stroke. For players' health, Chicago in
December beats Arizona in September anytime.
---
Dec. 31, 1967
Lambeau Field
Green Bay, Wis.
NFL Championship Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys
Temperature: -13 degrees
Wind chill: - 48 degrees
Forever known as the "Ice Bowl." The coldest New Year's Eve in Green
Bay history gives new meaning to "frozen tundra," the historic
nickname of Lambeau Field's playing surface. The back-and-forth game
is won by the Packers 21-17 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Bart
Star with 13 seconds to play.
---
Jan. 10, 1982
Riverfront Stadium
Cincinnati, Ohio
AFC Championship Game: Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Diego Charges
Temperature: -9 degrees
Wind chill: -59 degrees
The coldest game ever for wind chill, as winds gusted up to 35 mph.
The Bengals hammer their California visitors, who had played an
exhausting game in Miami humidity the week before, 27-7. Bengals
defensive end Eddie Edwards, with a frostbitten left ear, sustains the
only weather-related injury of the game.
---
Jan. 7, 1996
Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City, Mo.
AFC playoff: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts
Temperature: -6 degrees
Cold air and three inches of snow from the previous day made
conditions perilous. Five of six field-goal attempts are missed during
the game; the one that makes it proves decisive in a 10-7 Colts
victory.
---
Jan. 4, 1981
Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Cleveland, Ohio
AFC playoff: Cleveland Browns vs. Oakland Raiders
Temperature: -5 degrees
Snow falls for part of the game, adding insult to injury. Trailing
14-12 in the final minute, the Browns are within reach of a game-
winning field goal. But they try a pass to the end zone, where a
Raiders' interception seals the game. A rare case of a visiting west-
coast team coming out of a cold weather playoff game victorious.
---
Dec. 3, 1972
Metropolitan Stadium
Bloomington, Minn.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
Temperature: -2 degrees
Wind chill: -26 degrees
The Vikings limited Chicago to 91 yards of total offense, while riding
three field goals and a defensive touchdown to a 23-10 win.
---
Dec. 10, 1972
Metropolitan Stadium
Bloomington, Minn.
Minnesota Vikings vs.Green Bay Packers
Temperature: 0 degrees
Wind chill: -18 degrees
A week after their deep-freeze game against the Bears, Minnesota
players arrive to balmy conditions for this match-up--the temperature
got out of the red and reached zero. The host Vikings turn the ball
over four straight times in the second half as the Packers take the
game 23-7. This would be Minnesota's last time on the list--the team
moved into the climate controlled Metrodome in 1982.
---
Dec. 26, 1993
Lambeau Field
Green Bay, Wis.
Green Bay Packers vs. Los Angeles Raiders
Temperature: 0 degrees
When a warm-weather club visits the upper Midwest in December, you can
usually guess the result. The Packers keep their Southern California
guests off the scoreboard and ride a couple of big plays to a 28-0
rout.
---
Jan. 15, 1994
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Orchard Park, N.Y.
AFC Playoff: Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Raiders
Temperature: 0 degrees
Wind chill: -32 degrees
Not much surprise for mid-January in Buffalo. The Raiders hang in
there against the elements and lead in the final quarter, but a late
Jim Kelly touchdown pass pulls out a 29-23 win for the Bills.
---
Dec. 22, 1990
Lambeau Field
Green Bay, Wis.
Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
Temperature: 2 degrees
Cold weather limited the offenses early, leading to a 7-7 game at
halftime. But the game opens up as the players adapt to the elements.
The Lions get a late touchdown run from Barry Sanders to win, 24-17.
---
Dec. 18, 1983
Solider Field
Chicago, Ill.
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
Temperature: 3 degrees
Wind chill: -15 degrees
No problem for these two cold-weather titans as they clash once again
in December. Evenly played throughout, the game goes to the Bears,
23-21, on a late field goal.
---
Jan. 10, 2004
Gillette Stadium
Foxboro, Mass.
AFC Playoff: New England Patriots vs. Tennessee Titans
Temperature: 4 degrees
Wind chill: -10 degrees
Neither team seems too affected by the chill, as quarterbacks Tom
Brady (Patriots) and Steve McNair (Titans) both throw for over 200
yards. New England pulls it out with a fourth-quarter field goal,
17-14.
---
Jan. 10, 1988
Solider Field
Chicago, Ill.
NFC playoff Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins
Temperature: 4 degrees
Wind chill: -12 degrees
Over 65,000 hearty Bears fans brave the chill to root on their club.
But they leave disappointed as Washington overcomes an early 14-0 hole
with three straight touchdowns during the second and third quarters.
The Skins hang on to win, 21-17, and roll to a Super Bowl triumph
three weeks later.
---
Dec. 5, 1970
Metropolitan Stadium
Bloomington, Minn.
Minnesota Vikings vs.Chicago Bears
Temperature: 9 degrees
Wind chill: -30 degrees
Heavy winds and cold air keep the teams grounded--only one offensive
touchdown all day. The Vikings pull out the battle of field goals,
16-13, clinching their third-straight division title.
---
Dec. 19, 2004
Solider Field
Chicago, Ill.
Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans
Temperature: 12 degrees
Wind chill: -7 degrees
Live by the cold, die by the cold. The Bears and the elements don't
intimidate a warm-weather visitor this time as the Texans dominate in
a 24-5 win. It's the second of four straight losses that close out
Chicago's disappointing 5-11 season.
---
Dec. 30, 1962
Yankee Stadium
Bronx, N.Y.
NFL Championship: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers
Temperature: 13 degrees
The cold temperature combined with 40 mph winds to keep both passing
games at bay. The Packers win 16-7 in a game featuring only one
offensive touchdown. The Giants, in losing their fourth title game in
five years, get their only score on a blocked punt recovered in the
end zone.
---
Jan. 4, 1976
Three Rivers Stadium
Pittsburgh, Pa.
AFC Championship: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders
Temperature: 11 degrees
Gusting winds make for bitter conditions for much of the game. There's
also periodic snow, with the turf frozen in some places. The slow pace
keeps the score 3-0 after three quarters, but the teams gradually get
used to the conditions and put up 23 fourth-quarter points. The
Steelers win 16-10, to advance to the Super Bowl.
Cory
f9df7c...@a35g2000prf.googlegroups.com>, fgoo...@yahoo.com says...
> The NFL's Coldest Games
>
> <http://www.forbes.com/business/2007/12/14/nfl-packers-bears-biz-
> sports-cx_tvr_1214frozen.html>
> http://tinyurl.com/35subw
>
> 12.14.07, 6:30 PM ET
> Tom Van Riper, Forbes
>
> Mid-December. Crunch time for the National Football League season.
> Literally.
>
> How dangerous is it to crack bones in subzero weather? Not as
> dangerous as you may think, says someone who should know: University
> of Wisconsin-Green Bay sports physiologist James Marker.
UWGB has a sports physiology department (or sub-department within one of
its other departments [perhaps the human bio. department?])???
Um, since when, exactly???
--- Cory