Remember the Freezer Bowl?

[938four]

In NFL lore, the Freezer Bowl (January 10, 1982) was the 1981 AFC Championship Game between the San Diego Chargersand the Cincinnati Bengals. The game, won by the Bengals, 27?7, was played in the coldest temperature in NFL history in terms of wind chill. (The coldest in terms of air temperature was the Ice Bowl.) Air temperature was −9 ?F (−23 ?C), but thewind chill, factoring in a sustained wind of 27 miles per hour (43 km/h), was −37 ?F or −38 ?C (calculated as −59 ?F or −51 ?C using the now outdated wind chill formula in place at the time). The game was played at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium, and televised by NBC with announcers Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen.

 

[railbird]

Re: remember the freezer bowl?

Re: remember the freezer bowl?

Enberg and olsen waaayy better than the annoying Phil Simms. Forrest Gregg's bengals with ken Anderson pete Johnson and rookie Cris Collinsworth

 

[ChiTownJoe]

Re: remember the freezer bowl?

Re: remember the freezer bowl?

Fouts looked like he didn't want to be out there.

 

[John Kelly]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

The Freezer Bowl not to be confused with Refrigerator's Super Bowl.

 

[ChiTownJoe]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

The Freezer Bowl not to be confused with Refrigerator's Super Bowl.

I wish Walter would have scored a TD in the SB, don't think there was a player with more class then Sweetness, RIP.

 

[938four]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

Despite the Bengals' dominating 40–17 win over the Chargers during the season, their meeting in the championship was expected to be a very thrilling and hard fought game. The Chargers' offense featured three future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: quarterback Dan Fouts, receiver Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow. San Diego also had two superb running backs, Chuck Muncie, who led the NFL with 19 touchdowns, and multi-talented rookie James Brooks, who finished the season with 2,093 all-purpose yards. Cincinnati also had several stars on offense. Quarterback Ken Andersonwas the top rated passer in the NFL, and had won both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Tight end Dan Ross, running back Pete Johnson, and rookie receiver Cris Collinsworth were widely considered to be among the best players in the NFL at their positions. The Bengals offensive line featured future Hall of Fame left tackle Anthony Mu?oz, who was selected by NFL coaches as the NFL Lineman of the Year Award winner during the season. [1]
Both teams were coming off extremely narrow wins in the divisional playoffs. A week earlier, the Bengals won their first ever playoff game by defeating the Buffalo Bills 28–21 after forcing Buffalo to turn the ball over on downs during their final drive. Meanwhile the Chargers narrowly defeated the Miami Dolphins in overtime 41–38, in a game that set playoff records for most points scored in a playoff game (79), the most total yards by both teams (1,036), and most passing yards by both teams (809). That game, which became known as "The Epic In Miami", was played in the heat and humidity ofMiami, and the Chargers found themselves dealing with nearly the exact opposite conditions in the AFC title game. Before the Chargers took the field, Running back/Special teamer Hank Bauer tested the field conditions. Bauer recalled: "when I came out of that tunnel... man, it (the wind) just hit you-like somebody threw 100 knives at you." When he returned to the locker room, he told his teammates: "Whatever you got on, take it off. Number one-you won't be able to move (with all the layers) and number two-it ain't gonna help."
The Bengals offensive line played the entire game with bare arms. A number of them played with bare hands as well. They placed hot water bottles inside their cups (athletic supporters) and between plays they walked around with their hands in their pants which many people found amusing.[SUP][citation needed][/SUP] It was so cold icicles started to form on Fouts' beard early in the game.
Within one week, the Chargers went from playing an overtime game in Miami in 88 degree, high humidity weather to playing in the −37 wind chill in Cincinnati, an effective difference of 125 degrees.

 

[Brayden11]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

I remember watching that game with a buddy who was a Bengal fan.

 

[938four]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

i remember it well to

 

[ChiTownJoe]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

The Miami-SD game was one of the most exciting games ever played the week before. Think there was a hook and ladder that was executed to perfection for Miami near the end of the 1st half. If I remember correctly SD jumped out to a big lead like 24-0.

 

[richsox24]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

I wish Walter would have scored a TD in the SB, don't think there was a player with more class then Sweetness, RIP.

Mike Ditka says that's his biggest regret in all his years as a player or coach. He didn't even realize Payton had not scored.

 

[ChiTownJoe]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

Mike Ditka says that's his biggest regret in all his years as a player or coach. He didn't even realize Payton had not scored.

Never heard Ditka admit to that, good to know.

 

[Discreet Cat]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

The Miami-SD game was one of the most exciting games ever played the week before. Think there was a hook and ladder that was executed to perfection for Miami near the end of the 1st half. If I remember correctly SD jumped out to a big lead like 24-0.

[video=youtube;-59SkrPv3as]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-59SkrPv3as[/video]

 

[ChiTownJoe]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

Thanks DC for posting, great stuff.

Today that play would have been reviewed for 5 min if it was a forward lateral.

 

[Bigrunner]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

I wish Walter would have scored a TD in the SB, don't think there was a player with more class then Sweetness, RIP.

He wasn't a good family man. Had multiple girlfriends. I wouldn't call serial cheating classy? He was the biggest jokester in the locker room, but his personal life he struggled with the demon. I don't care who you are but being unfaithful over and over again in trash.

P.s. I was the biggest Payton fan growing up. I always watch the games hoping he would rush for 200 years and lead the league in rushing.

 

[Sleepy]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

today they would cancel the game and move it a dome stadium in a nearby city all in the name of safety

 

[ChiTownJoe]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

He wasn't a good family man. Had multiple girlfriends. I wouldn't call serial cheating classy? He was the biggest jokester in the locker room, but his personal life he struggled with the demon. I don't care who you are but being unfaithful over and over again in trash.

I know he was a big jokester, didn't know he was a serial cheater on his wife, but think most athletes not named A.C. Green (Laker PF) are. Definitely not right, I'll knock him down a few notches, but he was a great football player.

 

[Viejo Dinosaur]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

Mike Ditka says that's his biggest regret in all his years as a player or coach. He didn't even realize Payton had not scored.

I once asked Ditka why in the course of his popularity, why didn't he run for political office after his retirement....he said, "too many skeletons in his closet."

Mike had come down to Costa Rica with friends early 2000 for a party hosted by the Horseshoe Casino which was owned by Dewey Tomko.....at that time his friends wanted him to run for governor of Illinois...

 

[FairWarning]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

He wasn't a good family man. Had multiple girlfriends. I wouldn't call serial cheating classy? He was the biggest jokester in the locker room, but his personal life he struggled with the demon. I don't care who you are but being unfaithful over and over again in trash.

P.s. I was the biggest Payton fan growing up. I always watch the games hoping he would rush for 200 years and lead the league in rushing.

That never came out until long after his playing days ended.

 

[EdTheStatMan]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

That never came out until long after his playing days ended.

Beat writers would sweep that stuff under the rug back in the day. Today its try to be the first person to hang somebody and cost them their job.

Later that same day was "The Catch".

 

[Viejo Dinosaur]

Re: Remember the Freezer Bowl?

Beat writers would sweep that stuff under the rug back in the day. Today its try to be the first person to hang somebody and cost them their job.

Later that same day was "The Catch".

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