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Green Bay Packers v. Los Angeles Rams playoff game before the Ice Bowl

By Todd Welter

1963: Green Bay Coach Vince Lombardi gives his rookies the lowdown on what to expect in a Packers-Bears game at Milwaukee County Stadium on Aug. 23, 1963. The first-year players are: Marv Fleming (kneeling, from left), Gary Kroner and Terry Zang; and Ed Holler (standing, from left), Chuck Morris, Dave Robinson, Lionel Aldridge, Tony Liscio, Dan Grimm, Bob Ames, Doug Hart and Jan Barrett. This photo was in the Aug. 24, 1963, Milwaukee Sentinel. In the game on Aug. 24, the Packers beat the Bears, 24-7.Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears in Milwaukee 1963
1963: Green Bay Coach Vince Lombardi gives his rookies the lowdown on what to expect in a Packers-Bears game at Milwaukee County Stadium on Aug. 23, 1963. The first-year players are: Marv Fleming (kneeling, from left), Gary Kroner and Terry Zang; and Ed Holler (standing, from left), Chuck Morris, Dave Robinson, Lionel Aldridge, Tony Liscio, Dan Grimm, Bob Ames, Doug Hart and Jan Barrett. This photo was in the Aug. 24, 1963, Milwaukee Sentinel. In the game on Aug. 24, the Packers beat the Bears, 24-7.Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears in Milwaukee 1963 /
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Everyone remembers the Green Bay Packers NFL Championship victory on December 31, 1967, over the Dallas Cowboys in the famed Ice Bowl.

Over 50,000 people froze as the Green Bay Packers won their third-straight NFL title. Although, probably two million Packers fans claimed they were there.

What gets overlooked on the path towards that famous frigid day was Vince Lombardi’s Packers had to get by the Los Angeles Rams on December 23, 1967, in the NFL Western Conference Championship Game.

It was played at Milwaukee’s old County Stadium on a cold day in Cream City. The Packers were the Central Division Champs and sported a 10-4-1 on the season. The Rams won the Coastal Division and were 11-2-2.

The Rams beat Green Bay two weeks prior at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in dramatic fashion. Los Angeles needed a last-minute blocked punt to set up a game-winning touchdown. Sports Illustrated put the game on its cover and it had this to say about the Rams 27-24 win…

"The Los Angeles Rams may make it past the Baltimore Colts next Sunday. They could just win the NFL championship and go on to the Super Bowl, but whatever they do they are going to have a hard time surpassing last Saturday’s performance in Los Angeles. Certainly, it is difficult to conceive of an adequate encore for the wild, literally last-minute 27-24 victory they managed over Green Bay before 76,637 raucous adherents in Memorial Coliseum."

The Green Bay Packers made sure there was no encore in Milwaukee.

The rematch was not nearly as close as the first go-around as the Packers dominated the Rams 28-7 in the first-ever NFL Western Conference Championship Game.

Why the Green Bay Packers played that game in Milwaukee

The Green Bay Packers famously played a few home games a season at Milwaukee County Stadium to make sure the NFL would not expand into Milwaukee (Please note to the full article using the link you will need a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel digital subscription) or no other NFL team moved into the market.

The Green Bay Packers also played a few home games in Milwaukee to keep fan interest statewide. In addition, it was done to make sure the Chicago Bears could not poach southeastern Wisconsin fans away.

The decision was made by Lombardi long before the season began that if the Green Bay Packers won the newly formed Central Division, they would play the Western Conference Championship Game in Milwaukee.

Since playoff home games were based on rotation and not the best record at the time, the Rams had to come to the Midwest in December. This was because the rotation had the Central Division champion set to host that season.

Overcoming three turnovers

The game did not get off to a great start as the Packers fumbled the ball three times. One of the turnovers set up the Rams’ only score of the game.

The Green Bay Packers settled down in the second quarter. Travis “the Roadrunner” Williams ran for a 46-yard touchdown to tie the game. Bart Starr connected with Carroll Dale for a 17-yard touchdown pass.

Chuck Mercein added a rushing touchdown in the third quarter and Williams scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Roadrunner finished the day with 18 carries and 88 yards. Starr completed 17 of 23 passes for 222 yards.

The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line led by Hall of Famers Forrest Gregg and Jerry Kramer neutralized the Rams’ famed Fearsome Foursome defensive line.

Packers Hall of Fame defensive tackle Henry Jordan unofficially had 3.5 sacks–sacks were not an official NFL statistic at the time.

It was also the final game Lombardi coached in Milwaukee as he retired from head coaching duties after the season.

Related Story. Green Bay Packers v. Rams: 5 Big Questions Ahead of Week 12 Matchup. light

The Packers would go on to win their third consecutive NFL Championship in the Ice Bowl and their second consecutive Super Bowl afterward. None of that would have happened had the Green Bay Packers not dominated the Los Angeles Rams in Milwaukee.

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