The Dallas Cowboys have been a part of many of the NFL’s most memorable games since their birth, and they have the team scars to prove it! As one of the National Football League’s most storied franchises, the Cowboys have won a total of five of the League’s Super Bowl matchups, with only Pittsburgh having won more. Given their history, it is not surprising that so many of the most exciting games in the sport have involved the squad that is routinely known as “America’s team.” And though various votes have been taken as to which of Dallas’ games merit the “greatest” label, there are few who would argue against any of the most commonly mentioned matchups. One game, however, always seem to tower above the rest in the minds of many football fans, and it is a game that the Cowboys lost.

Football on Ice

That game was called the Ice Bowl, and few newcomers to the sport really appreciate its place in NFL lore. In fact, the Ice Bowl is perhaps the single best example of the comparison between football and war. It had all of the necessary ingredients: armor-clad warriors, dramatic changes in fortune, and casualties on both sides. When you hear old-timers who saw the game talk about it in seemingly melodramatic tones, just realize that there is much truth in what they say. Taking place in December of 1967 on Green Bay’s Lambeau Field, the Ice Bowl was played in the types of conditions that would cancel most other sporting events. Minus thirteen degrees Fahrenheit, and wind chill factors of minus forty-eight quickly overwhelmed the heating coils of the Packers’ legendary stadium. As a result, the turf was as solid as steel, as slippery as sheer ice, and as unforgiving as nature could possibly be. Many players suffered permanent injuries that day.

The Game in Brief

The pace was set early by the Green Bay team that year – who were attempting to repeat as NFL Champions with their eyes on a repeat win in the Super Bowl. Dallas’ comeback gambit succeeded in reducing the halftime deficit to four. The third period was won by the field and the elements as both teams went without any scoring. Then, in the fourth, a Dallas halfback option play put the Cowboys up by three. That was then Bart Starr took over the game as the Packers marched from their own thirty-two yard line for the touchdown that would prove to be the game’s final score. Dallas’ hopes of a Super Bowl were dashed.

The Most Amazing Game

Though the Cowboys’ loss in the Ice Bowl might lower the game’s profile in the eyes of many Dallas fans, it shouldn’t. Sure, there were other memorable games that Dallas won – the Danny White comeback drive of 1980 or the Hail Mary game, for example – and hardly anyone would dispute the greatness of those games. But for sheer will and determination in the most extreme conditions, no game has ever approached the Ice Bowl – making it truly the greatest of all the many games in which the Cowboys have competed.

Author Bio: Ivan Jamison is a big sports fan. You can check out his Dallas Cowboys Watch or his Los Angeles Dodgers Watch or his New York Mets Watch

Category: Sports
Keywords: Dallas Cowboys