Wow! AFC Championship Jan. 10, 1982

[Tasher]

Now THAT was home field advantage!

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9866777

"...

Sure enough, the Chargers managed only seven points while the Bengals scored 27. Making matters worse for the visitors was that an overhead door, at the west end of the stadium, was open during the first quarter when the Chargers had to drive toward it ... and into the teeth of furious wind gusts that could be blamed for Rolf Benirschke missing a 37-yard field-goal attempt. Suspiciously, the door was closed in the second quarter when the Bengals drove in that direction.

After the Chargers complained, the door stayed closed the rest of the game.

..."

(Said in Best Tweetie Bird voice...)

Aw, the poor wittle put-ties frooze der wittle handies off!

[jjakq27]

Great game, great memories....however "the game, forever remembered as The Frost Bowl " has always been known as the Freezer Bowl not the Frost Bowl. I am not sure where Mr. Carruci got his info at.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freezer_Bowl

[membengal]

No one on this board who was old enough to remember that game needs any of Carucci's help on the details, that's for sure.

I was 11, living in Westwood at the time, and have never seen it so cold. Didn't go to the game, watched it at home, and remember feeling so much pride and like I could run through a wall if asked when the offensive line led by Munoz came out in short sleeves.

Chargers, coming off the emotional high of the win over Miami the week before in the best game I have ever seen, had no chance in those conditions. None.

[Tasher]

Yeah, I got a huge kick out of that game. the thing that still to this day confuses the hell out of me is...

Didn't the Bengals play in the SAME conditions?

Everything I've ever seen written is in the vein that the Chargers really should have won that game, except for the conditions, completely overlooking the fact that the Bengals were the best team in the AFC and could pass and run the ball better than anyone. Oh, and could play a little bit of defense too.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

No one on this board who was old enough to remember that game needs any of Carucci's help on the deails, that's for sure.

I was 11, living in Westwood at the time, and have never seen it so cold. Didn't go to the game, watched it at home, and remember feeling so much pride and like I could run through a wall if asked when the offensive line led by Munoz came out in short sleeves.

Chargers, coming off the emotional high of the win over Miami the week before in the best game I have ever seen, had no chance in those conditions. None.

Having lived in LA for a few years, those candyasses get cold if it gets down in the 50s. And most out-of-towners acclimate to SoCal weather very quickly. Pretty much no chance those guys were thinking about anything the weather.

I was only 4, so unfortunately I don't remember the game. Had to be awesome, though. I love cold weather. Couple of years ago I went running when it was 5 outside. Your ears won't fall off as long as you keep moving.

[sexywendy]

People forget that two months earlier we beat the Chargers in SD 41-17!!!!

[Riagogogoindanati]

My dad took his Vietnam buddy to the game who is from Green Bay and a huge Packers fan......He said they went for coffee and by the time they got back to their seat.......it was already cold. Kinda reminded his friend of some good games up at Lambeau.

[jjakq27]

People forget that two months earlier we beat the Chargers in SD 41-17!!!!

Exactly! I heard an interview with Dan Fouts a few years back and he was saying how devistated they were when they lost because SD was convinced that they were the best team in the league.

It's kind of like Carlton Fisk's home run in the 75 series. The Reds won that one too.

[BengalszoneBilly]

No one on this board who was old enough to remember that game needs any of Carucci's help on the deails, that's for sure.

I was 11, living in Westwood at the time, and have never seen it so cold. Didn't go to the game, watched it at home, and remember feeling so much pride and like I could run through a wall if asked when the offensive line led by Munoz came out in short sleeves.

Chargers, coming off the emotional high of the win over Miami the week before in the best game I have ever seen, had no chance in those conditions. None.

I clearly remember watching that game sitting in a north San Diego county bar as the only Bengal fan, and cheering my ass off. Before the game nobody there could begin to believe that the mighty "Air Coryell" team could be stopped. WRONG! Great thread bringing back great memories!

[Stripes]

Alas, I was but an unripened negative five at the time.

[Scottishbengal]

It was always reported over here as "The Freezer Bowl". I've never seen the game but did hear that the Bengals played in short sleeved shirts and that some fans in the crowd were topless. It was also reported that 4 fans died of hypothermia but I'm not sure if that is just media talk drumming up sensationalism or if it was true.

A great occassion nonetheless.

Here's to another Championship Game

[membengal]

It IS known as the "Freezer Bowl". Carucci's a tool.

[ArmyBengal]

It's the "Freezer Bowl" and to call it anything else is uniformed stupidity !!!

I was 11 years old and when my mother refused to go out in the cold, my dad asked me if I wanted to go and I couldn't get dressed quickly enough. I remember my mother protesting me going out into that cold very much, but my dad wasn't trying to hear it saying, someday he will be able to look back on this and say, "I was there !!!"

Well dad, thank you and yes, "I WAS THERE" !!!

Anyone else there should remember how difficult it was to find a functional toilet as well, as they were all frozen and wouldn't flush. Fortunately we had seats in the green section in what use to be orange metal folding chairs and the hot chocolate was right there and the ladies working there thought it was cute that I was there cheering and looking like the little kid from "Christmas Story". Anyway, that was a great day !!!

WHODEY !!!

[PMThor]

I was there too. My Pop and two of my brothers went with me. I was only ten, and my Mother almost didn't let me go because she thought it was too cold for me to go. Luckily we left before she could put her foot down.

It was quite funny, my Dad told us to run to the car while he distracted my Mother by spilling cat food all over the kitchen. The cats (2) and dogs (2) went nuts running around in the kitchen, eating it up, while my Mom was in the middle of the fracas. Meanwhile we booked it to the car. My Dad came running out, jumped in, and off we went. When we got home my Mother was most definitely not happy, but damn, it was fun.

I know about that coffee getting cold thing there. We went and got hot chocolate, it was definitely cool when we got back to our seats, and my brother spilled some, making an instance chocolate ice rink below our seats. It was great, I remember seeing the guys running around with no shirts and thinking that they were really stupid. Great great time.

And yes, I have proof. After the game my Dad framed the four tickets to the game, and they hang in his den.

[aaronburr]

My dad went to the game. He said that when he and his buddy were walking from their car, they thought the game was cancelled because everybody was walking away from the stadium.

Turns out people were just walking backwards because of the wind.

[knomage]

at 7 am that morning my father-inlaws phone began to ring and by 10 am we had 12 extra tickets.. I had friends that had never been to a game before that got to see that one.. some of them even thawed out enough to thank us. Ive never been colder or more proud of Bengal fans.. over 40,000 people showed up and shivered thru it..

and the best team won

[starvin_marvin]

I was there with my brother-in-law. Both of us had hip flasks to ward off the cold.

That morning., we had seen the weather so were dressed with all the warm weather gear we could find. I have to say I wasn;t that uncomfy during the game.

Te biggest memory is when the O-line come out bare armed... it was like OMG! Munoz and Montoya are from a warm weather climate. But it proved we were ready and Air Coryell was gonna fold under the cold. What a great memory it was and is.

Marvin

[Dan2330]

You knew the Chargers were in trouble when they came out in long sleeve shirts and they look across the field and see the Bengals players with arms exposed, not covering them with anything. Intimitation can be such a factor!

I recall sitting in a freezing apartment in Chicago watching the game, it was just as cold in the windy city that day.

[HairOnFire]

I watched the Freezer Bowl from the comfort of my parents living room. From the overstuffed couch I watched the action, and I can happily report that the only interruptions where the brief moments when my disinterested father would burst into the room, blocking the view of the television for a moment, as he quickly threw another couple of logs into the wood burning stove.

I swear, it must have been 80 degrees in that room.