Ice Bowl has left an indelible mark on those who played in, watched Packers' iconic win

Fifty years ago this month, the Ice Bowl legend was born.

Playing in frigid temperatures of 13-below zero at kickoff, the Green Bay Packers won their record-tying third straight NFL championship on Dec. 31, 1967, beating the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 on Bart Starr’s quarterback sneak with 13 seconds to play.

Here’s how iconic Packers reporter (and future publicist) Lee Remmel led his main game story for the Press-Gazette:

"'It took all of our experience, all of our poise ... '

"A proud Vince Lombardi thus summed up one of the greatest moments in the Packers’ rich history, a pressure-ridden race against the clock which swept them into the National Football League record book at Arctic Lambeau Field Sunday afternoon."

Describing the winning play that has been immortalized in print and through NFL Films, Remmel wrote:

"Taking what may have been the most historic gamble in NFL annals, Starr called his own number. Fed the ball by center Ken Bowman, he knifed into the end zone behind an explosive block by Jerry Kramer and 50,000-odd frozen fans erupted."

Accounts of the game make for fascinating reading. The Press-Gazette’s coverage in its Jan. 2 edition (there was no Jan. 1 edition because of the New Year’s holiday) overflows with quotes, anecdotes and observations from participants and those who recorded the drama.

From Lombardi on why he went for the touchdown rather than kicking a game-tying field goal: "I didn’t figure all those fans up in the stands wanted to sit through a sudden death. You can’t say I’m without compassion … although I’ve been accused of it."

From Packers defensive end Lionel Aldridge on the offense needing to drive 68 yards with 4 minutes, 50 seconds left and trailing 17-14: "I knew our offense would come through. We had the ball, we had the time … and we had to score."

From Cowboys quarterback Don Meredith: "It wasn't a fair test of football. … We have several plays we just couldn't get the fast start you need in this weather."

Dallas Times Herald columnist Blackie Sherrod wrote: "It was the epic Arctic struggle between the Cowboys and the Green Bays, an impossible ballet that somehow retained the heat of a jungle trench war."

Wrote the Press-Gazette’s Len Wagner: "Twenty years from now people will still be talking about the day the Packers beat the Cowboys with 13 seconds left in 15-degree below zero temperatures. …"

It’s now been 50 years, and people still are talking.

To commemorate the Ice Bowl, the Press-Gazette will be running twice-weekly features all this month leading up to the anniversary of the game on New Year’s Eve. Be sure to follow our coverage every Wednesday and Sunday in December.