Hos' comments made me go back and read some of the old sportswriters articles. Here is Bob St John writing about the loss in the Ice Bowl.
St John is the author of several books on the Cowboys.
it is long but i figure if you are reading this thread that won't matter.
just look at the differences in how this is written and how a story today
would be written.
Paradise Lost Once Again for Cowboys In Final Seconds
Packers win, 21-17
1/1/1968
By BOB ST. JOHN / The Dallas Morning News
The Green Bay Packers, as they had a year ago, broke the hearts of the Dallas Cowboys in the twilight hour Sunday to reign once again as champions of the National Football League and all that's holy in professional sports.
Somebody got their settings mixed up. Conditions were impossible. Temperatures zipped to 13 degrees below at gametime and were unfit for man and beast and especially football. And the turf here at Lambeau Field, which was not supposed to freeze because of an electrical heating system under the ground, froze. None of these things, however, mattered to the Packers, who turned in a terrible swift sword as usual when the moment of truth arrived.
Dallas did not die easily at all and the final blow did not come until Bart Starr's 6-inch quarterback sneak on third down with 13 seconds remaining on the clock. This gave the Packers a 21-17 victory, which had the tension and some of the excitement of the title game in the Cotton Bowl last year if not the comfort.
There was actually a big gamble on the winning play. The balance of the NFL hung on it. Green Bay had no time-outs left after Starr stopped the clock with 16 seconds left to discuss things with Vince Lombardi. Twice, Donny Anderson had failed to score from inside the Cowboy 1, and when Starr called his own number it is doubtful if the Packers could have run another play had he not scored ... much less put their field goal on the field to try and tie the contest, sending it into sudden death overtime.
THE PLAY showed the confidence a champion has. Normally, you might expect a pass where Starr could have thrown wild, stopping the block if a receiver has not been open and allowing time for a field goal try.
But Starr went against the percentage, bet everything on one hand and won the whole pot, and, incidentally, an unprecedented third straight title for the Packers — their fifth in seven years.
The way Green Bay lit out for the Dallas goalline was somewhat surprising if you forgot for a minute this was Green Bay. After the Packers had put up their second TD early in the second period, the Dallas Doomsday Defense had held them with a lone first down and that came on a pass interference call.
But Starr, with the coolness peculiar to those performing an autopsy, took his club the winning 68 yards in 12 plays. Dallas slowed GB down just once. Willie Townes slung Anderson for a 9-yard loss to back up the Packers with a second-and-19 at their own 49. Starr, confused much of the afternoon by a good rush and the fact the Dallas secondary was rolling — sliding its safeties for a change, went to Anderson, his running back, on short passes. The first carried 12 yards and the second, on third-and-seven, went nine yards as Donny just barely escaped Chuck Howley.
That third down play was the key. Starr quickly hit Chuck Mercein on a short throw and the play carried 19 yards. Soon it was first-and-goal inside the 1 and the Dallas defense repelled Anderson twice. Starr called his own number to the right — going at Jethro Pugh and Townes. By keeping the ball, Starr didn't permit the Cowboys to key off the running backs. Center Ken Bowman and guard Jerry Kramer doubled Pugh to push him back. Willie submarined on Forest Gregg, who fell on top of him. Starr was in with room to spare.
This loss to the Packers hurt even more than last year's when the Cowboys fell 34-27. Then, Dallas came within two yards of tying the game. This time they came within a hair of winning ... due to Ol' Reliable, the Danny Reeves to Lance Rentzel halfback pass.
The Cowboys, trailing 14-10, stood at midfield on the first play of the final period. Both Packer right cornerback Bob Jeter and free safety Willie Wood are all-pro, which speaks for itself. But each one is extremely active coming up to play the run. Wood, in fact, though he is a safety, often comes up to force the play. Willie came up when Reeves started wide to his left. So did Jeter, who should have stayed on Rentzel. Lance took off, Reeves stopped and lofted a perfect pass, of course, which Rentzel ran under between the 15-20 and outraced the other safety, Tom Brown, for the TD.
That stung, giving Dallas a 17-14 lead, and the advantage, which it could not hold. Green Bay got the ball twice in the fourth period before its winning drive and could not move. The Cowboy offense kept the ball for almost five minutes before GB got it the last time with 4:50 to go ... and proportionately ate up the yards and time.
This was the coldest championship game ever played and, though it would be unfair to the Packer fans to move another such game elsewhere, it IS unfair to the players and the magnitude of the contest itself to take a chance on playing in these conditions again.
A weatherman had predicted 12 above zero and he missed by 25 degrees. The field was partially frozen at gametime as the electric blanket of wiring could not cope with the extreme elements. Bu the end of the game the whole field was frozen, and it will likely take icepicks to get all of the 50,861 fans out of the stadium.
Each defensive team asserted itself as expected, though really neither the offensive nor defensive teams can really be gauged accurately unless the game had been hockey. Green Bay shut off the Cowboy attack in the first half with 42 yards, though the offense warmed up enough to net 192 for the game. Doomsday Defense did everything but win the game when it had a chance in the end. GB finished with 195 net yards, but was shut off with just 87 net in the second half and, take away the winning TD drive, the Packers had only 19 net yards after intermission. Furthermore, Doomsday scored a touchdown to save whet could have turned into a rout after GB had mounted a 14-0 lead.
Starr was thrown eight times for 76 yards in losses which would probably be a record if they kept such records in championship games. This was due as much to his indecision — has receivers were covered and he had not expected the safeties to roll — as the rush. George Andrie, who scored the TD from 7 yards out after Townes had knocked Starr loose from the ball, was a ringleader, throwing Bart for losses of 10, 16, and 9 yards (with Bob Lilly's help) and also contributing to Pugh's throwing of Starr for a 2-yard loss. Starr also had a pass blocked by Lilly and another tipped by Dave Edwards.
Don Meredith, who just could not throw in this weather, was trapped just once behind fine protection and this was because he failed to read a key on linebacker Lee Roy Caffey. At times throwing the ball could be likened to throwing a wet brick with a long stick. Don hit only 10 of 25 for 59 yards and Starr, more used to the cold and a guy who could throw under any conditions, was better, finding his receivers 14 times in 24 attempts for 191 yards.
Most of this came on Green Bay's first and third possessions of the game. The Packers took the ball 82 yards in 14 plays the first time they got it and two penalties kept the push alive.
GB had a second and 19 at its own 23 when Starr went to tight end Marv Fleming. Mike Gaechter slapped the ball down and an official threw a flag for interference, though not a Cowboy will believe it. It was an automatic first down at the 32. Then of third and five from the Dallas 47, Starr threw incomplete up the middle. Townes was called for holding Fleming, who went to the sidelines on a route. Starr didn't need much more help. He'd planned to pick mostly on cornerback Mike Johnson and was successful on this drive. Johnson, feeling like he was on skates, was burned by Carroll Dale for 17 and 15 yard completions and by Boyd Dowler for an 8-yard TD pass with 6:10 left in the opening period.
The first time GB got the ball in the second period it scored again. Starr moved the club from its own 35 to the Dallas 43 in three plays and on third and one — against Dallas' goalline 6-1 defense — he went for the bomb. Johnson failed to spot Dowler and Boyd was all alone, with Mel Renfro the closest pursuer, for the tally.
Doomsday shut down an excellent Packer attempt, which started at the Dallas 32 after Herb Adderley intercepted Meredith's pass, and then scored itself.
Danny Villanueva, who had a good day under the circumstances and outpunted Anderson by just over 10 yards a kick, got Dallas out of the hole for the first time in the half by booming a 43-yard punt. Green Bay was penalized five yards and, facing first and 15 at his own 26, Starr faded to pass. Townes jolted him loose from the ball and Andrie scooped it up at the seven and went in with 4:04 left in the half. Villanueva punted again just before the half and Wood fumbled at his 17, with Phil Clark claiming it for Dallas. The Cowboys couldn't move but Dallas kicked home a 21-yard field goal 32 seconds before the half, bringing the Cowboys within four points.
The offense thawed out after the half and Meredith began to hit his passes. Dandy took Dallas 76 yards for nothing. Starting at their own 11, Dallas moved down GB's throat to the Packer 22. Meredith ran nine yards to the 13 — gold field goal position — but fumbled and Adderley recovered.
Things kept going the Cowboys' way, though, until the jolt at the end. So once again the Cowboys are second best. When you're No. 2 twice, you hurt a lot more.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedc...recordbook/yearbyyear/1967/010168packers.html
