http://weatherstories.ssec.wisc.edu/...s/icebowl.html
Now, over 36 years later, fans still have fond and frozen memories of that New Years’ Eve game. With the –13 degree weather, the fans recall dressing for the weather – boots with liners, coats with hoods, woolen hunting pants, quilted long underwear, several pairs of mittens – not gloves, stocking caps, and socks inside plastic bags with another pair over the top. Many report also taking blankets and sleeping bags to the stadium.
Jim Mostek of Denmark, WI recalls, “To really keep warm, we brought sleeping bags. When we were in our seats, we crawled into our sleeping bags and kept pretty warm. We also brought small boxes with newspaper layered on the bottom. We put our feet in them and this helped to keep our feet off the snow and keep them warm. Our only problem was standing during the exciting parts of the game with the sleeping bag on. But we did manage to cheer and fall over.”
Others looking back remember the lack of the now ever present blaze orange. In 1967, hunting gear was red or red and black plaid checkered wool. Another fan recalls the good amount of women arriving in fur coats, skinny boots and uncovered legs. This gave the appearance of a fashion show. One only wonders how long they lasted!
Fans recall carrying in various refreshments to attempt to ward off the frigid weather. Robert Shefchik of Kewaunee, WI remembers, “We had some wine with us and after the last touchdown we were going to have a drink and it was like slush!” Another fan recalls sipping on “Snowshoes” (brandy and peppermint schnapps) that afternoon. Once the game ended, he returned home, warmed up, and passed out cold, sleeping through New Years Eve.
The then twenty-year-old, Dave Van Lieshout of Green Bay, WI remembers “The way the field shimmered in the cold – like a glaze. Breaths looked like a fog or as if all were smoking.
The weather conditions did not improve as the fans ventured out into the stadium parking lot. “I went to the game with my brother. I remember getting to the parking lot after the game and his MG would not start. So… we spent more time in an icy cold car waiting to have the car jump started!” reminisces Mary Wadzinski of Green Bay, WI. Stalled cars seemed to be the order of the day.
Despite the frigid conditions, all that were in attendance that day remember three things: just how cold it was; exactly where they were sitting in the stadium; and Bart Starr’s quarterback sneak that won the game 21-17 with 30 seconds remaining in the game.
Fans still reminisce about the arctic conditions that day; about tearing down the goal posts, removing the plywood helmets from the sidelines, and walking on the ‘frozen tundra’. But, then 11-year-old Lee Pinchard of Green Bay summed up everyone’s deepest thoughts that day. “ I could care less about what happened. It was SO cold I just wanted to get out of there!”