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Some stadiums in the NFL have a roof. The Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts all have either a fixed or retractable roof for the stadium.
But others do not. The most famous of these is arguably Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It goes by many names, but "The Frozen Tundra" is perhaps the most fitting given how cold it gets and how often it snows there.
NFL Ice Bowl a game for the ages
When we talk about cold weather and football, the 1967 NFL Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys takes the cake. At Lambeau Field, Bart Starr and the Packers, along with Don Meredith and the Cowboys, played a game of football in extremely trying conditions.
At one point, it was 13 degrees below zero, and the windchill was −70 °F (−57 °C), but that did not stop the 50,000 fans from packing into Lambeau Field for the game.
The cold weather seemed, as many expected, to favor the Packers. This was their home field and they were used to such conditions. Starr and co. raced out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Then, a Starr fumble was recovered by George Andrie who ran it in for the score to half the Cowboys deficit.
Another Packers mistake gave the Cowboys the ball back after Willie Wood muffed a fair catch punt. This set the Cowboys up in a good position and they kicked a field goal to make it 10-14.
The game turned on its head and the visiting Cowboys were up 17-14 in the final quarter. This was due to an astonishing 50-yard touchdown from Lance Retzel after he caught a pass from running back Dan Reeves. The Packers had a chance to tie the game but a missed field goal saw Green Bay stay three points behind.
Bart Starr brings Packers home
Starr got the ball back with a little under five minutes remaining and he produced what is now famously called "the drive".
With temperatures continuing to plummet and the wind chill ridiculous, Starr led his team like the true champion he was. The Packers embarked on a 14-minute drive all the way down to the Cowboys one-yard line.
After two running plays that yielded no yards, the Packers, with no timeouts, needed something special. The two previous running plays had failed on the icy, slippery ground. Another one was out of the question, right?
With everything on the line, Bart Starr took it upon himself. With less than 20 seconds left, Starr took the ball and sneaked over the line for a touchdown. Starr was able to complete the quarterback sneak due to a sensational block from offensive lineman Jerry Kramer on Cowboys defender Jethro Pugh.
Green Bay went through to the AFL/NFL Championship game. They met the Oakland Raiders there and came out victorious 33-14.
Players count the cost of icy weather
It was so cold that day that several players, including Ray Nitschke and Bart Starr, had developed frostbite.
It is unusual in the NFL today that football is played in such weather. Many franchises have rooves over their pitches to combat the cold, such as the Minnesota Vikings. Only a select few stadiums in Green Bay, New England and Buffalo are exposed to such severe cold and these do regularly see snow games.
Still, even to this day, Starr's drive to lead the Packers past the Cowboys is remembered as one of the best drives in NFL history.
