This weekend’s Super Bowl is bringing back memories of times when Dallas was facing off for the NFL championship when ice was not nice.
A time long before Peyton Manning was even a hopeful in his parents’ future, there was the legendary NFL playoff that became part of history – the Ice Bowl.
Despite not being a Super Bowl, it was considered historic as people across the nation watched the Dallas Cowboys face the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay in conditions that were truly brutal. The temperature was -15 degrees with an average wind child of about -48 degrees.
Held in 1967 in Green Bay, the equipment was primitive compared to today’s standards. To keep hands warm, large metal barrels simmered with fire on the sidelines with players huddling.
The coaches were Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi.
When the tarp was pulled back, the field was a showcase of flash freeze. It had coated the field with ice.
And just how bad was it? The halftime band couldn’t perform because the brass instruments stuck to the players’ lips and the woodwind instruments froze. Even the refs couldn’t blow their metal whistles without having their lips result in bloody lips that immediately froze.
The quarterbacks were the late Don Meredith and the take-no-prisoners Bart Starr.
Now, 47 years later the two legendary quarterbacks are on the field of competition once again. Only this time, they’re on the same team. Meredith, who succumbed to the disease of Alzheimer’s, is serving as the inspiration, and his old nemesis Starr is leading the charge against the disease.
On Thursday, April 17, Starr will take up the call as he headlines the 25th anniversary celebration of the AWARE dinner at the Anatole.
Luncheon Chair Lisa Shardon and AWARE President Roop Crosby has announced that the luncheon will honor the AWARE founders.
To kick off the 25th anniversary, the Artists Against Alzheimer’s Chair Ashley Tatum and Honorary Chair Laree Hulshoff have arranged for the silent/live action to take place on Thursday, February 6, at Museum Tower. The event will be limited to 150 people with tickets starting at $150. If you haven’t seen Museum Tower, this is a marvelous opportunity to check out it out.