My experience of the Ice Bowl of 1967 – Bob Gospodarek

After being wounded in Vietnam and spending 4 months recovering in an Army hospital in Japan, I came home on leave for 30 days.  My friend called me and asked me if I wanted to go to Championship game between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay.  I said I would love it.  
He said he was also taking his girlfriend and I could also invite someone since he had 4 tickets.  I told him that I am home on leave and I would not know who to ask on this short of notice.  He said not to worry and his girlfriend would find someone to go with me. 
So, we went to the game and froze our buns off.  The beer we took in froze before we could drink it.  
It was the greatest game I ever saw and ever went to.  
That was the good news.  When we got home, I asked the girl about what we could do or where we could go to celebrate the win.  Her response to me was, “I HAVE A DATE AT 9:00 TONIGHT AND I HAVE TO BE HOME BY 8:00.
Thank God the Packers won, because I lost. I will never forget the ICE BOWL of 1967  

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Ice Bowl Memories – Bob Kaminski

A big highlight after the game was the player bench taken from Lambeau Field after the game. The bench today
is at Lombardi’s niche at the Pro-Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
The game was attended by Bob Murphy, deceased, the Perry twins, Jim and John Perry, and Bob Kaminski.
They were all from Two Rivers, WI on Dec. 31, 1963. Jim Perry is from Bloomington, Indiana. Jim is a chancellor’s
professor at Indiana University. John Perry is a Village administrator in Woodridge IL.
Bob Murphy’s Family now lives in Green Bay, WI on Kenney Street. Bob Kaminiski is a retired plumber still
living in Two Rivers, WI.
It all started two weeks before the “Ice Bowl Game” when Jim and John Perry along with Bob Kaminiski picked
up tickets at Florry’s Tap, a south side Milwaukee, WI bar, to attend the Packers and Rams game on Dec. 24,
1967, at Milwaukee County Stadium. The Packers won the game, 28-7. Travis Williams had a great game, Bart
Star was superb. Lombardi was like a puppet man pulling just the right strings at just the right time. Henry
Jordon was in the Rams back field all day. Forrest Gregg had Deacon Jones in his hip pocket. The weather was
pretty good. We had upper deck seats. They were great for the view of the field. What a Christmas gift. The
Packers were to play for the NFL Championship game against the Dallas Cowboys, Dec. 31, 1967 at Lambeau
Field.
Bob Kaminski received a call from Bob Murphy on Dec. 26, 1967, that he had two tickets for the NFL
Championship game. Murphy said they were separate seats for the game. Kaminski said, “What is the cost for
each ticket?” Murphy said, “$12.00, but you’ll have to take the car. Jim and John Perry got their tickets from
their Uncle Howard Perry, the City of Two Rivers, WI Recreation Dept. Director at that time.
Kaminski had a 1963 4 door Chevy II to take the four Packer Fans to Lambeau Field. The car was full of sleeping
bags, blankets, galoshes, and Styrofoam, for the feet and butt’s to sit on.
Sunday morning Dec. 31, 1967 was a big surprise, -15 degrees at 7 a.m. Murphy and the twins called Kaminski
and asked him if he was still going to the game. Kaminski said, “Remember what we said, that we were going
to the game no matter what. Make sure that you wear the proper clothes to keep warm, I’ll bring the Styrofoam
and I’ll pick you all up a 9:30.”
We traveled along old highway 141, a winding and hilly road to Lambeau Field. We left early because we knew
that the traffic would be heavy and just in case we would have car troubles. The conversation was about the
Packers and Rams game the week before. Then we got into the Packers and Dallas Game. Do you think that
they’ll cancel the game? It’s colder than hell for both teams. Remember Dallas is a warm weather team. The
Packers are used to playing in the cold and snow but this! -13 degrees!
Everybody said I hope you have a good battery so the car will start after the game.
We arrived at Lambeau Field at about 11:30 a.m.
We talked about our plans for after the game. Hurry up and get back to the car as soon as possible.
We all headed for our cold seats ready to watch the “Ice Bowl Game.”
We all sat in four different location seats. Kaminski sat in the opposite end zone away from where the last
points were scored for the game. Murphy and the Perry twins were in the end zone where most of the points
were scored.
Kaminski has had many remembrances because of the “Ice Bowl Game.” He recalls his seat was the second
seat in from the aisle. Kaminski got himself inside his sleeping bag, put the Styrofoam under his feet and under
his butt. I was warm and comfortable.
“This is what I wore”, long johns, work shoes. Over the work shoes I put those heavy gray woolen socks that
came over my knees. A pair of galoshes over the socks and shoes. Flannel pajamas over the long johns, work
overalls, a t-shirt, flannel shirt, insulated sweatsuit, heavy parka, face mask with holes for the mouth and eyes,
wool tassel cap, and then I climbed into my sleeping bag. I was not cold! “ I still have the face mask, tassel cap,
and scarf.”
While sitting there waiting for the game to start a lady came walking up the aisle to go to her seat. This is what
she had on.. A fur cap, a mink stole, nylons, and high heels. She walked up and down, and left the bleachers. A
little while later in the empty seat to my left, a man sat down dressed up with dress pants and a sport coat. He
said, “ Holy cow, it sure is cold”, and left, never to be seen the rest of the afternoon. The seat was empty
throughout the game. I wonder, did they come to the game together?
The game is set to start and all you see is steam coming up off of the field because of Coach Lombardi’s Electric
Blanket. There was also all the human steam fumes from all of the fans at the game.
The Packers led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter the Packers scored again leading 14-0,
but then two fumbles by the Packers and then the score was 14-10, Packers at halftime. Neither team did any
scoring in the 3rd quarter. Dallas took the lead on the first play in the fourth quarter on a pass from Dan Reeves
to Lance Rentzel. The cowboys now lead 17-14 with 14 minutes left to play. Chandler misses a field goal for
the Packers, Dallas takes over the game for five minutes and then are forced to punt. Willie Wood catches the
punt and returns to the Packer 32 yard line.
Now Starr and the Packers offense start on the 68 yard touchdown drive with four minutes and 50 seconds
remaining in the game.
The Packers take the ball down to the 1 yard line with 16 seconds remaining. Starr and Lombardi talk things
over and Starr trots out to the huddle. All the while, the last four minutes, fifty seconds of the game is winding
down I said I have to have some type of souvenirs from this game. I looked up at the pennants flying in the cold
wind. I looked at the large painted plywood helmets bolted to the fence around the inside of the field. The helmets
were 3 ft. in diameter.
Starr calls the play in the huddle, the ball is snapped and Starr sneaks into the end zone scoring Lombardi’s Last
at Lambeau. The Last touchdown scored for Vince Lombardi at Lambeau, with 16 seconds left in the game,
Packers 21-Dallas 17, the final score Dec. 31, 1967.
The fans are going crazy, the Packers kickoff, Dallas does nothing. The game is over. I look up at the pennants,
they are all gone. I looked at the helmets inside of the field. There is one large helmet left on the fence.
I jumped onto the field and ran to my right over to the only helmet left and tried to pull it off but I can’t.
I hear somebody start to cry, sitting behind the helmet, wrapped up in a blanket is a lady. She said, please don’t take
the helmet. My husband went to the car for a screwdriver. We only had a pliers. I said maybe I can take it off
for you, I have strong hands. I tried but had no success to loosen the nuts and bolts. I wish to this day I knew
what this lady’s name was. Maybe this lady or a member of her family is reading this article, if so please
answer me.
I said good luck to the lady and started to walk across the field to the player exit ramp. As I am walking across
the field, I walk into the player benches. I grabbed one of the benches and carried it over to the exit ramp. As
I’m walking up to the exit ramp with my sleeping bag under one arm and carrying the bench with my free hand
and arm, I hit the man in front of me in his ankles and boy did he say some nice words to me. As he turned
around I knew who he was and he said to me, “Bobby, where are you going with that bench?” He was Eddy
Braun from Shoto, WI. I said I’m taking it home as a souvenir. Eddy said, “I’ll help you take it out. It was
close quarters with all the fans leaving the game. We were lucky and got behind an ambulance to take us out of
the stadium into the parking lot.
Bob Murphy, Jim, and John Perry weren’t too happy with me because I had the car keys with me and they were
freezing cold. Boy, we were lucky the car started! We left to go home to Two Rivers, WI.
Back in Two Rivers, WI, we stopped at “Ciha’s Bar” to show off our “Ice Bowl Souvenir.” The bench was in
our living room for two months when Sue said one day, “Get that bench out of the living room Bob.” The bench
stayed chained up in my garage with a lock until 1975 when a letter was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in
Canton, OH.
The Hall of Fame was asked if they would accept the bench as a token for a 650 mile run to help fight cancer.
The run was made by; Greg Erickson of Two Rivers, WI Paul Meyers of Green Bay, WI Bruce Hendrickson of
Two Rivers, WI Rick Bishop and Darryl Patterson of St Nazianz, WI. There were two drivers on the run; Bill
Richter and Casey Czekala, both of Two Rivers. Bob Ayers of Manitowoc, WI also came along as he made a
large wood carving of Vince Lombardi’s Last Touchdown scored for him at Lambeau Field.
The 1975 run was from Canton, OH to Walsh Field in Two Rivers, WI the site of the 1975 Vince Lombardi
Touch Football Charity Tournament. The 1975 Tournament was won by the Cabooze from Minneapolis, MN.
There were other walks and runs that took place because of the Ice Bowl and the Ice Bowl Bench. Alfred Allie’s
43 mile Run, Tommy Rihas’s Unicycle Rides, Tim Schroeder’s 26 mile Vince Lombardi Marathon, Blaine
Walesh’s 43 mile “ Walk for Cancer, My Way”, with one leg. Mike Rookie Chroniger’s 1000 mile Run in 1983,
Rookie and Suzanne Chroniger’s 1000 mile Run in 1985, Paul Horners Walk for Cancer Our Way, with all the
special people from Holiday House. There were also two special helpers, Lee Pilger and Scott Paulo, and all the
other people involved as helpers.
All of these events happened for 18 years in the City of Two Rivers, WI because of “ The Ice Bowl Game” on
Dec. 31, 1967.