You want cold? All you have to do is talk to Paul Hornung about the 1967 NFL championship game in Green Bay–Packers vs. Cowboys–and you get real cold.
From his home in Louisville, Hornung speaks, and icicles come through the headset.
On New Year’s Eve, 1967, the weather report at Lambeau Field went like this:
Thirteen below.
Minus-48 wind chill.
On the field, and in the stands, rampant frostbite.
“The NFL dodged a bullet that day,” Hornung says. “No one died. But they should have postponed the game.”
Hornung did not play in the game. Before the ’67 season, he retired–as a New Orleans Saint. In the ’67 expansion draft, Green Bay’s Golden Boy headed the list of 42 players chosen by the NFL’s newest franchise.
But Hornung retired, to a job in the media, as a Saints TV reporter. On Dec. 31, 1967, a running back who had played a major role in four of the five Vince Lombardi championship teams up to that time was a non-combatant, standing on the sideline in Green Bay, working for CBS Radio.
“I wish I had been physically able to play in ’67, to be part of a fifth championship team,” Hornung says. “But there’s also another reason. If I had played I would have been dressed properly against the elements. In my radio job I wasn’t.”
Late in the game, Hornung says, “I found out my jaw was frozen. So help me, I could not speak. I had on a topcoat, a coat and a tie, but little underneath. I’ve never felt more helpless waiting for my jaw to thaw out.”
Compared to what Hornung witnessed as a spectator in ’67, Sunday’s conditions at Soldier Field could be a walk in the park.
“You might get some snow, but that can be handled,” he says. “The big thing is the condition of the field. In cold, windy conditions, there’s usually a lot more emphasis on running. Getting proper footing is vital. More than anything, that’s what a team like the Saints needs.
“From what I’ve seen of Soldier Field, the footing figures to favor a back like Deuce McAllister more than a jitterbug runner like Reggie Bush. On an off-track, the faster you are, the more careful you have to be.
“Drew Brees, who played in a lot of cold-weather games at Purdue, can adjust to anything. I’m sure the Bears will go into the game figuring the weather will be on their side. It was like it was for us when warm-weather teams came to Green Bay. But that only makes it more of a challenge for (coach) Sean Payton’s ballclub. And, from what I’ve seen, they’ve been overcoming challenge after challenge all season.”
