Ice Bowl '67: The Packers, the Cowboys, and the Game that Changed the NFL

by Chuck Carlson

For those players who remain, the scars still run deep when it comes to the infamous “Ice Bowl,” played December 31, 1967, between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.

There are players even today who suffer the ravages of frostbite and lung damage from a game many of the players never thought should have been played. As one player said, “It was just too damn cold. Who plays football in that weather?” But play they did in the minus 45 degree wind-chill (that dropped to 65 below by the end of the game) because the NFL championship, and a spot in the second Super Bowl, was on the line.

What resulted was a game that has become part legend, part myth. There are a thousand stories from players and fans alike about a game that, 50 years later, remains embedded in NFL lore because of its sheer drama. Everyone remembers that the Packers won in dramatic fashion, the last gasp of a dynasty. The Cowboys, meanwhile, used the game as a building block that would propel them into NFL domination for 20 years. But what few remember is that this was. In every way imaginable, a game of survival, pitting man against the worst nature could deliver.

This is a story about a football game, the men who played it, the people who watched it, those who were inspired by it and it’s a story, even a half century later, that remains unforgettable.

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction, History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2017

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. There was quite a bit of repetition in the first few chapters, but thankfully not as much when we get to game time. I learned more [than I had previously known] about one of the most suspenseful games in NFL history (and the amazing 1966 championship game between the Cowboys and Packers). I grew up watching Tom Landry's Cowboys in the 1970s with my dad, my brother, and late paternal grandfather.

I especially enjoyed learning more about the respective coaches and players, as well as the team dynasties. There are also good bits about the city of Green Bay and the state of Wisconsin. I didn't know that for ca. 60 years the Packers played a game or two in Milwaukee each season.

The appendices are super! Rosters, team, individual and game statistics. Very helpful!

The errors didn't take away from the story, but there were some very noticeable textual mistakes. I don't know if these are also in the print version.

[Chip Rickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good history of the rivalry between the Packers and Cowboys mainly up to the Ice Bowl. Enjoyable read. I was amused to find out the Jim Ringo story was embellished. I was surprised to learn that the game affected certain players not only physically but psychically too. There were several repetitive things in there butit was overall a good book.

[Chris Gentry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice reminisce of the end of the Lombardi glory days highlighted through the game of games in NFL history. Nice that Cowboy players were part of the story, too. A touching point, one that I had not realized, that this was really the final game of that hallowed Packer decade and the Coach’s last game on the field with his team. Over two decades would pass before their return to glory under Ron Wolf, Mike Sherman, Reggie White, and Brett Farve. At times it felt a little redundant and the story seemed to get ahead of itself. Perhaps the worst-edited book I’ve ever seen. Regardless, Packer fans will enjoy it.

[Mike Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historic

The author did a great job of weaving in the history, the personalities and former players recollections of an epic game.

Also included at the end of the book was the Packers and Cowboys rise into the Nineties along with the Packers Super Bowl Championship against the Patriots, before the later went on to a twenty year dynasty which may never be duplicated.

A very interesting book with no wasted narrative. It was an enjoyable read.

Great job.

[Emily DuPree]

I am consciously DNFing this. Picked up at the library because why not and enjoyed reading segments of it with the hubs. This book DESPERATELY needed better editing. The grammar and spelling errors were distracting and the overall organization of the book is not great. I do enjoy the way the author describes the events but because of the poor organization it is soooo redundant. That’s unfortunately what sticks out the most to me and I just don’t think I’ll have the opportunity to finish it with everything else in reading.

[Jim Welke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really an interesting perspective on the "Ice Bowl", played in Green Bay in 1967 between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. The book has interviews with players from both sides of the ball. Looking back 50 years, the players hold the game in reverence. If you're a Packer fan or a Cowboy fan, it's an interesting read....and if you're a football fan, this book explains why the "Ice Bowl" holds such a unique position in sports history.

[Ralphz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is maybe the second most important game in modern NFL history (next to the 1958 Colts-Giants game), marking the last gasps of one dynasty and the beginning of another.

When the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers met for the NFL title and a spot in Super Bowl II, everyone knew it was the true championship. But nobody could have know just how brutal the conditions would be that day.

At 13 below zero, this is when Landau Field in Green Bay earned the reputation as "The Frozen Tundra." A heating system under the turf failed and the field was frozen solid by the second half.

This is a good book about a key moment in the history of the NFL, the Packers, and the Cowboys.

This is another one that really needed an editor, though, with dropped words and letters and wrong words throughout.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting account of an iconic NFL championship game. The fragmented paragraphs, typographical errors and occasional inaccuracies are distracting. The many quotes of those who played in the game is the heart of this brief book.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I didn't give it 1 star was because of the subject material. The publisher, editor and proof reader who allowed this book to see the light of day in this condition should be embarrassed.

[Patrick Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my problems with the book is that it never explained how the game changed the NFL. Another is the poor editing of the work with typos and sentences like Reeves pitched the ball to Reeves, words missing, and such. Pedestrian, there are better accounts of the game out there.

[Eric Mayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of grammatical errors. Lost respect for the authors knowledge of the history of the subject when he said Gil Brandt was the GM of the Cowboys at the time of the Ice Bowl. Gil Brandt was never the GM of the Cowboys. Tex Schram was the GM of the Cowboys.

[Christopher DuMont · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book on one of the greatest games in NFL history. Didn’t know that the Packers dynasty was coming to an end and that Dallas was rising to be the preeminent team. So many great players in a single game. Worth the read

[Steve Herreid · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting subject. Awful book.

[Lance Terro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, but the edition I had was poorly, poorly edited.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good recap of 2 great teams playing an extraordinary game.

[Katlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

turns out even books about your favorite football team beating the cowboys can be bad (seriously, did this book have an editor / fact checker?)

[Cheyenne Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative. I actually learned a lot.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the library on a whim. I recall watching part of this football game with my father when I was 8 years old. I still recall his reaction to the final scoring drive of the game. I was hoping the story would bring out the emotion and suspense of the game and allow me to feel the physical conditions of the game as both a player and fan. I didn't feel this book did any of that. I did enjoy reading about the history of the franchises and the events that occurred over the years leading up to the game. But to me the book fell flat.

In addition, whoever was in charge of proofreading the manuscript needs to either find another line of work or get an eye exam. I have never read a book with so many missing words, incorrect words, misplaced words, etc. Bart Starr's name was spelled Star in one sentence. There was also the use of "to" instead of "too". Throughout the book there were words missing from sentences or words in sentences that didn't belong.

[Isabella Crews · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book took an interesting event and made it into one of the most boring stories I have ever read. For as short as it is, Carlson is constantly repeating himself throughout each chapter, sometimes multiple times a chapter. I am not a fan of football, but I found the Ice Bowl an interesting game. I expected the book to broaden my understanding of football and create a memorable recap of an extraordinary even. Instead, I found myself progressing through slowly, and finding it difficult to continue reading. Every chapter felt like I was rereading the one before and it felt lacking in explaining the true essence of football and what made the Ice Bowl so unique. I was disappointed by the way Carlson failed to tell an interesting story in a way that made me want to keep reading. There was no emotion, no sense of uniqueness, it was simply a monotone recap of what could have been an interesting event.