The 1981 FREEZER BOWL | The COLDEST Game in NFL History

The 1981 AFC Championship between the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Diego Chargers was known as THE FREEZER BOWL. It is arguably the COLDEST NFL GAME EVER PLAYED. While the 1967 Ice Bowl between the Packers and Cowboys had an air temperature of -13 degrees, the Freezer Bowl's wind chill neared -60 degrees.
The Bengals would rout the Chargers 27-7 in the most notorious game in Bengals history. This From the Jungle Special relives that infamous day with highlights from the game and interviews with the players who lived through it.
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[@steverempe7891]

Was there. Still thawing out. My dad has a special (warm) place in heaven for taking his 14-year-old son to his first Bengal game in those conditions.

[@rob42378]

Though my experience was in a heatwave compared to yours, I have a similar memory of my first Broncos game in a late-December Denver with my (recently) deceased mom. So thankful we both were as determined as we were to go to that game, as we were able to see both TD go over 2k yards for the season and John Elway pass for his 300th career TD. Still, the cold conditions sitting in the upper deck of the original Mile High is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about that game! Hope my mom’s coffee in heaven is warmer than it was in the bleachers that day!

[@45406rd]

Same here. I was 10 and my parents had season tickets. I got to go instead of my mom.

[@ErickMeirer]

When football was football😊

[@billkittleman9631]

“.. still thawing out” 😂😂

[@rpalmer274]

You gotta be tough most of you Americans ain't tough enough to handle the cold 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@boogitybear2283]

The Fact that Forrest Gregg played in The Ice Bowl and Coached The Freezer Bowl proved what a Savage Badass he was.

[@Huskerpower69]

He ain't no Forrest gump

[@57clc]

@Ericrawnsley yes, well Forrest Gump had the great Lt. Dan as his "mentor," Forrest Gregg only had some nobody named Vince Lombardi.

[@ChrisBakerauthor]

That experience probably helped him.

[@matthewestrada5217]

Its not a job you can just call in sick

[@chrisslater9081]

really i didnt know that was he a cowboy or a packer?

[@dannybursace9151]

I could watch this all day long…stories like this & NFL films is what it’s all about as a football fan

[@daniellefagan7984]

What a game, I miss the old school football from the AFC Central, from Riverfront Stadium to Three Rivers Stadium, as a Houston Oilers fan (from the luv ya blue days) I admit I pulled for you guys in the Super Bowl, Kenny Anderson should be in the Hall.

[@Drew-pf4fq]

NFL Films made me a die hard football fan.

[@deflategate1297]

Nfl has the best documentaries and history

[@deflategate1297]

@@daniellefagan7984I just miss players getting their jerseys covered in mud and rain lol

[@daniellefagan7984]

@@deflategate1297No doubt, I remember my dad telling me a football field shouldn’t be all neat and pretty 😂 in fact we’d have a few laughs in the first month or so of the season watching the Oilers in the Astrodome because of the dirt infield.

[@evilpixiedance]

I was there with my dad. He had season tickets with his law firm. What a season. What a game. The weather was worth it. Love hearing how Cris talked back in the day. Riverfront is gone. Cris’s accent is gone. Forrest Gregg is no longer with us. Neither is my dad. That was one of the beast times of my life. Much love and appreciation for the 1981-82 Cincinnati Bengals.

[@muffs55mercury61]

Memories like that are special.

[@packersauburneric3625]

Cant imagine that cold

[@jasonscott7988]

Little rich kid. I was selling single match sticks on the street in order to buy a loaf of bread for my family as a kid during that time.

[@BingBongBagels]

@@jasonscott7988bummer

[@Danger-Dave]

I was there with my dad and brothers; he had bought some "electric socks", and it was so cold that the 9-volt batteries would not power up the socks until we went into the Owners booth at halftime to warm up and visit and all the sudden dad says hey my socks are heating up now! Well... they worked so good that his feet started sweating and when we went back out to the seats for the 2nd half 15 minutes into the 3rd quarter the batteries had given out again and his feet about froze into blocks of ice with a bad case of frostbite. I remember it like it was yesterday...RIP pop! ❤

[@James-ki5ix]

Yeah I was at that game too,it was cold AF out there

[@TravisMcGee151]

@@James-ki5ixWe were all at the game 🤔

[@TheChicagoJunkie]

What was the owners booth like? Curious if your Dad was some rich guy to visit the owners booth or if that's just regular stuff in Ohio 😅

[@Danger-Dave]

@@TheChicagoJunkie Naw... we grew up in a small town called London Ohio with the Sawyer family back when John Sawyer started the Bengal's Franchise along with Paul Brown in 67/68 watched them Play at UC's Nippert stadium before Riverfront was Built and once it was Built If we went into the Box during the game at Riverfront you had to be quiet like in a boardroom until they made a good play, then you cold cheer....lol

[@poindextertunes]

you rich huh

[@Fenril76]

I grew up in Cincinnati, graduating high school in 1976. Being in Cincinnati during the Big Red Machine years and as a Bengal fan in the 80s was a blessing. What a wonderful time to be growing up in the mid 70s, 80, and 90s. America has changed a lot as of when I write this in November 2024, hopefully the people who read and watch this video in the future, will look back on history and know this was the greatest time to be alive.

[@jamesswain2465]

Did you go to Moeller?

[@NotFlightt]

I’m jealous my friend, i wish I grew up in your era

[@mantis10_surf85]

It was the greatest era of NFL Football 🏈. It the was the greatest time to grow up in America 🇺🇸

[@amittaizero]

Ever think Cincy will get an NBA team or is that even something people would want?

[@christopherward5256]

You know I remember watching Cris Collinsworth outrun the winner of the Kentucky Derby 🐎 (the horse) on, “That’s Incredible,” in the 40 yard dash. He raced the horse again in the 50 yard dash and the horse only won by ONE hand…

[@scarpfish]

I remember this game, the NFC Championship between San Francisco and Dallas with "the Catch" later that afternoon, and the "Epic in Miami" game the previous weekend that put the Chargers in this game. The 1981 playoffs were amongst the most memorable.

[@daleburrer1546]

@Recovery2012-x2f it was Kellen Winslow

[@jimmyrubin4862]

The Chargers in a week's time had to go thru probably the most dramatic temperature change in NFL history. The long game in Miami that went into the night was during a time of very unseasonable heat where players were suffering from heat stroke. I remember Kellen Winslow ( who had a fantastic game) having to be helped off the field because he was so overheated in those high temps and humidity. THEN, a week later, they are playing in Arctic conditions that would have been more common in Siberia! Gotta wonder if the human body is geared for that abrupt a change!

[@bobbenbrown123]

​@@jimmyrubin4862definitely an impossible weather change for the body and mind

[@radar0412]

The temperature at the "Epic in Miami" football game on January 2, 1982 was 76°F (24°C) with 80% humidity.

[@c2itccase9]

I had a comment published in the Sports Illustrated that featured “The Catch” on the cover the following week. I had commented on the DH rule in baseball. I don’t even recall what I wrote.

[@taulmusic7397]

I was there as a NBC tech and it was the coldest I've ever been. Brutal!!

[@mikekaroules2820]

What was the final score ? It looked like a lopsided game. N

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

@@mikekaroules2820 It was. 27-7. The week before the Chargers played in Miami in a heat wave, with high humidity. Charger QB Dan Fouts was asked when they thought the game was over, "when we stepped off the bus and into the cold."

[@williamdunphy352]

What was it like?

[@PeteMcCorvey]

​@PhilAndersonOutside makes sense since they were based in San Diego and they played in Miami the week before. Total shock to the system.

[@guitarsrcool4922]

The old Air Coryell days. Chargers had one of the best passing games in history. To bad they couldn't display it in that weather.

[@delendaestcarthago564]

I was a sixth grader up in Detroit watching this. A couple weeks later it dumped snow for the Super Bowl in Pontiac. That Bengals team was tough as nails.

[@MaloPiloto]

I was at that Super Bowl in 1982 as a 49er fan. Had to hike into the Silverdome through -21 windchill. 🥶 I can’t imagine -59! 🥶🥶

[@Offthbadan]

I was an 8th grader in Detroit, and I remember my mother putting plastic over the windows while I watched the Bengals,Chargers game. It was extremely cold that day. But yeah that Super Bowl was a mess. My sister went to the 49ers party and brought back autographs of some of the players. I even got O J’s autograph which I still have. But I really wanted Montana’s even though I was disappointed with Cincinnati’s loss.

[@nobody-hp7fg]

Man, time flies

[@StevefromOhio1972]

Our fuel oil furnace froze up that day, we used space heaters in the living room. Everyone bundled up and watched the game on a 19 inch color TV and it was still cold inside the house. I can't imagine being there. Riverfront Stadium always had a swirling wind and it had to be horrible that day down there. Thank goodness our electric stayed on so we could see the game.

[@marlonbrando2698]

As a Canadian, this kind of stuff always tickles me in the feels. Gotta love a great cold weather game.

[@6Ihate6youall6]

It's disappearing in football

[@DeuceGio08]

💯💯💯💯

[@Xlc_Royal17]

@@6Ihate6youall6atleast we got the Chiefs Dolphins game last year

[@buzz5969]

How many football teams does Canada have? What outdoor sports do Canadians even play? Not hockeu…😊

[@rickgene]

the crazy thing is the Chargers played the overtime "Epic in Miami" game the week before with temperatures in the 80 degrees and high humidity to the Freezer Bowl a week later.

[@jquizzlestick]

The Chargers would have won if it was in normal conditions.

[@LesMaynard-lf4uc]

They had a Chance in November In Regular Season Gm and played at San Diego in Perfect Weather and the Bengals Smoked the Chargers 40-17!!!!! Bengals WR #85 Isaac Curtis had a Great Gm, think He had like 7 Rec for 147 Yds by Halftime with Chargers trying to Cover Him Man to Man with CB #28 Willie Buchanon.

[@jimanderson7648]

@@jquizzlestick Chargers were all offense no defense . if they would of had a defense they might of been one of the teams at the time fast forward to a few years later Marino lead Dolphins were the same all offense no defense

[@BAYAREA-kd1ig]

@@jquizzlestick No, everyone has this romantic belief that the Chargers were gonna win if it wasn't for the freezing weather, the Bengals had to play in those conditions as well. Also as someone mentioned already, the Bengals won in San Diego quite easily. The Chargers get all this love was due to them playing in arguably the greatest playoff game ever played.

[@Ron898]

If the Chargers were so great why were they on the road in a playoff game?

[@ChrisClaybern]

I was a sophomore in h.s. and had been in the hospital for 2 weeks due to ankle surgery. I was released the day before the freezeer bowl and grandpa rode me down to the river on the n. Ky. Side and with the fog coming off the river you couldnt see the stadium or downtown cincy. It was like what i imagined hell would look like. Our french Sheppard scruffy had run away, i believe he was trying to find me since i had been gone for two weeks. When we got back home, it wasnt but 10 min. Later he was scratching at the door. What a great weekend.

[@bfulks2001]

I still don't know how my uncle got the tickets for this game, but he did, and he took me with him. What a great memory. So much energy in that crowd.

[@joyhart7341]

I was a college freshman. A bunch of us were huddled, all wrapped up, in the dorm lounge. Chilly even inside.

[@scottpayton1352]

I was there and have never been that cold again, not even while stationed in Germany! I loved it though! What a great game! Who-Dey to you our Bengals of '81!

[@Steve.N1977]

I've been to a Bengals game when it was 19 at game time and that was torture. Can't imagine how this felt but you know the win made it all worth it! Who Dey!!

[@Packman612]

19? That's warm! Come to Green Bay!!

[@jesse0219]

@@Packman612 the stadium is on the river… so that makes it more like -19.

[@steveazusa]

Anthony Munoz Local boy from Ontario CA. Best OF tackle in nfl history

[@michaelquinn-xi8ku]

He was a freak.

[@BrianMcKnight68]

The standard by which all other Tackles should be measured

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

Definitely an all time great.

[@jefferychenoweth]

Break a leg munoz

[@antoniohoward981]

Nope. Walter jones. 5025 drop back passes. Gave up 32 sacks

[@billyhill7630]

hell yeah!!!! 13 years old for this game!!!!! Loved it!!! Sooooo proud of my bengals.

[@Blues-brother6]

I was there too… I was 16 years old… Who Dey!!!

[@HEADBANGERSBALLER]

I grew up in Cincinnati and was 11 and living in Loveland, in the Greater Cincinnati Area, and I remember how cold it was. Watched the game from home. The funny thing is that we moved to San Diego two weeks after the game. BENGALS FOREVER!!! AND THE REDS!! AND... THE STINGERS!!

[@phillipwarner6150]

I love the Bengals now after watching this.

[@keeshabu]

I went to a game at 6 years old with my dad and got stranded downtown. A blizzard had came through the city that night. We were on the bus to make matters worse. I wouldn't change that experience for the world. I've been a fan since '86 (the earliest I can remember watching games) Thank you dad for introducing me to the game and this team. FAN FOR LIFE 🧡🖤

[@Bengals]

LOVE IT!

[@packersauburneric3625]

​@@Bengalswar eagle 🦅 Auburn University represent! Thanks should do more uploads for MLB hidden gems

[@TheCambobsherwood]

❤

[@Richard-kq5yu]

I remember watching this game bundled up with my friends in northern Ohio 55 below with windchill. Never seen it that cold since. If you went outside for longer than a few minutes you could die. No lie.

[@carlbenson6412]

I was a senior in high school & had suffered as a fan through all of those choke jobs & near misses in the 70's & was elated during & after this game. Still my favorite Bengals memory!

[@Bloodwashed-zt7my]

Without a doubt, Ken Anderson should be in the HOF. He was a hard nosed, blue collar QB who wasn’t flashy, but extremely accurate. I’m a Steelers fan and he would give us fits year after year.

[@salvatoreperez5113]

Ken Anderson in Pittsburgh wins 6 superbowls Bradshaw in Cincinnati makes 3 probowls Fouts was better than Both

[@christinasmith8385]

I'm freezing watching this. These men are Gladiators!

[@WillHal1000]

Ken Andersen, -9 degrees...NO GLOVES. F^cking Legend.

[@tlow1324]

Man....I had to turn the heat on in my house watching this video.

[@raymondcwhite8552]

NFL in it's heyday. Incredible to see.

[@stevensmith8666]

"its"

[@HeatherRadcliffe-jd8lr]

🤓🤡​@@stevensmith8666

[@williammcpherson9953]

I'll never forget that game. Watching on TV. In South jersey. It was freezing in our living room. Hard to imagine them playing in it.

[@darthnihilus511]

I grew up in Millville. Where are you from?

[@williammcpherson9953]

@darthnihilus511 burlington twp. NJ. And most all of South jersey. My brother lives in Vineland.

[@marquisehicks2677]

@@darthnihilus511south Jersey Yay lol

[@gothard5]

Kenny Anderson deserves to be in the HoF.

[@bengalbabe]

💯

[@hardside1]

Should have been in the H.O.F. a long time ago. He changed the dynamic of the game, the OG of the "west coast" offense. Anderson is violently underrated.

[@1983jblack]

I'm a lifelong Steelers yet live here in Cincinnati but yes, Kenny Anderson is long overdue for the HOF. Anyone who wins multiple NFL passing championships, held the NFL season completion percentage record for 30+ yrs, and put their team in the Super Bowl should be in Canton

[@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040]

This! Stop playing with that man and put him in Canton!

[@buicklincoln]

Hall of Fame voters can be jokes. If the coach or player hosts a pre-game show and/or won a SuperBowl, the HOF voters more likely vote them in. Flawed logic. Anderson was as good or better than many SuperBowl winning QB's. Don Coryell is another example. He had many players or assistant coaches who rose to Hall of Famers...his offense is widely been used for decades...yet he's been denied entry.

[@FriendlyStripedTiger]

I'm from Utah, been a Bengal fan for 36 years. Such an awesome video, I learned so much! Definitely won't be a Freezer Bowl this weekend, but still.. we have such a huge game before us. It's do or die for this season. Driving with my daughter 12 hours from Utah to Sofi to see Joey B and the boys carve em up! It's my daughters first NFL game. So excited!!! We will both be proudly wearing the stripes from head to toe and screaming our heads off!! GONNA BE A BENGAL DAY 🐅WHO DEY🐅

[@Ivsmokingblunts98]

Hope y’all have a great time and that we come out with a W this week 🫡🔥 from a fellow bengal WHODEY baby lets gooo

[@FriendlyStripedTiger]

@Ivsmokingblunts98 Thank you!🐯

[@BrianMiller-XavierMan66]

I am a Bengals fan and this in my 54th year being a Bengals fan and I remember that game well and the thing is I have never been to a Bengals game in person as my late father promised I would go to one but he passed before that could happen.

[@packersauburneric3625]

​@@BrianMiller-XavierMan66this is fire 🔥

[@kennethross9310]

Its fans like you that the Bengals need to hear from personally. Im 30 miles west of cincy n rootin for em but you are a true fan!! WHO DEY!!

[@jimkluska253]

I remember watching that playoff game. It was so cold you could almost feel it through the TV!

[@dodgerrichie7274]

I can watch stuff like this all day. Great job. Thank you for posting.

[@Kenrico13]

I once slept in -10 degree weather because my truck broke down in New Mexico. I never wanna do that again. For these guys to play in -60 just shows how badass NFL players can be. Especially back in the day.

[@scottlewis8386]

I was 10 when this game was played. I'll never ever forget it. Man what a game

[@Classicrocker6119]

This is an awesome documentary on that famous game! The Bengal players who had segments here were very engaging and you had a good sense as a viewer of their memories and recollections. Outstanding!

[@michaelpflug394]

I was twelve and my stepfather sent me and my little brother to the local carry out to buy a few things to eat and drink for the game . The store was about a block and a half away , we were layered and I’d never been that cold in my life . Get back and the Bengals o line came out sleeveless . I was in awe.

[@billwindsor4224]

Impressive game and great production here. Thank you for doing this. And Congratulations to that Cincinnati Bengals team 🏆🏆!

[@Memphis_Mafia]

ICE BOWL in ‘67 was coldest 🥶🥶🥶 Cowboys Vs. Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin. -16 to -18 degrees F with wind chills being -36 to -38 Fahrenheit

[@eric3298]

Aa Packers fan i thought it was minus 20 not minus 50 regardless it's insane lol

[@shag139]

Ten years old in Dayton. We played outside that day. It was sunny, but man that wind chill was crazy cold at -56F or so.

[@philb3654]

I was a Charger fan. The game before with Miami was an epic battle. One of the most exciting games ever. The Chargers came from sunny Miami to freezing Ohio all beat up. The didn't have a chance.

[@RRaquello]

Don't forget the Bengals played the Chargers during the regular season in warm & sunny San Diego and beat them pretty good (40-17). I've heard some try to put the Bengals down saying "They only beat the Chargers because of the weather." Well SD had two chances at the Bengals that year and lost them both.

[@RichGannon12]

Yep Bengals were definitely the better team.

[@WaltGekko]

@@RRaquello And if a delay of game penalty was not called against the Bills on a successful 4th down pass a week earlier against the Bengals, the Bills might have won that game and they would have been facing the Chargers in San Diego for the AFC Championship.

[@RRaquello]

@@WaltGekko The Bills are one of the teams I always rooted for (after the Bengals) and always wanted to see them win so it was too bad when the Bengals finally had a good team one of the teams they had to beat to get to the Super Bowl was Buffalo. It would have been better if they had good teams at different times instead of in the same year.

[@Philip__325]

Great to see these guys all looking healthy and in good shape physically and mentally.

[@jimmysewell8491]

I was 20 and was there freezing my ass off. Man it was great

[@daniellefagan7984]

Old school football at its finest. I miss the old AFC Central, guys like Brian Sipe, Kenny Anderson, Bradshaw and our QB Dan Pastorini who was fortunate to have Earl Campbell behind him. I recently watched our second postseason trip to Three Rivers Stadium (AFC TITLE GAME) and yes, That was a touchdown. Luv ya Blue!

[@annrehn9015]

I was there. It was absolutely cold but great game. Never forget.

[@Bengals]

Glad you survived!

[@packersauburneric3625]

​@@Bengalswar eagle 🦅 Auburn University represent

[@survivor5044]

​@Bengals I'm glad everyone survived. There will never be another game like the freezer bowl.

[@bethtyree6346]

I watch that on TV 1982. It was best Bengal game I watch

[@johnmassung]

SD Quarterback Dan Fouts suffered frostbite in that game. When asked about it again recently he said, "Frostbite never goes away," Fouts said. "I've got it on my fingers and toes, my hands and feet basically." Frostbite, yeah its permanent ... it's more of a cold sensation, you just can't get warm. I still feel the effects of the Freezer Bowl to this day."

[@daverooneyca]

I remember watching that game! I can relate to how cold it was because, 10 years later, I went to the Grey Cup (the Canadian Football League's championship) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The conditions at game time were pretty much identical. It was so cold, beer was turning to slush! 😂

[@michaelphillpott4884]

There was a CFL connection to that game. Mike Wilson and ML Harris had played fot the Toronto Argonauts in the mid to late 70's. Also, Forrest Gregg was the Head Coach in Toronto at the same time.

[@frankcarone3769]

great football team with a great head coach

[@royw-g3120]

Find it very hard to picture the Bengals without their Tiger stripes. Iconic design. The helmet as art.

[@jamesswain2465]

I liked when they had bengals written on the sife.

[@adamrobinette6832]

Hard to believe Chris Collinsworth not only played in this game, but he was a big part of the Bengals being successful that year.

[@troyturner1820]

Collingsworth was a legit top WR

[@Uncoveredcube7]

My parents were there, and the stories were epic

[@getbrainseeds]

i was there my first game i was 5 my parents could not get a babysitter so they tripled me up in clothing i remember it was so cold my nose would get runny and then freeze up on the inside

[@getbrainseeds]

or wait this would been my second bengals game my first was bengals vs browns the same season lol

[@daltonbolser5100]

ok

[@Packman612]

did they tailgate before the game?

[@verlinden80]

I wish I could hear those stories

[@davidswift7776]

Forrest Gregg, a man’s man at 48 at that time he probably would of suited up if needed. RIP , he passed at 85 years in 2019 with a legacy of winning. Playing as a HOF Packer and coach of the year. A simply amazing game coached by an amazing man !

[@billy1673]

I was 16 years old and remember watching this game on TV with my father snd brothers.

[@briankistner4331]

Wild considering the game the Chargers played in Miami the week before when it was really hot and humid.

[@Marcus-l7q]

I remember watching it. It was a great day to be a Cincinnati Bengals fan. Thanks for the memories.

[@stevethrendyle8406]

This is just an outstanding little documentary. 10/10 and I am not a huge pro gridiron fan.

[@RobertoTheOriginalManFromTheA]

The 81 nfl playoffs was very interesting period!

[@shackdaddy7106]

Regarding the chargers, the week before they had played in perhaps the hottest playoff game of all time in Miami. Final score 41-38 in overtime. And then the next week they had to go into completely opposite weather conditions. And they were from San Diego, where the weather is always pleasant. It is unbelievable that they were able to play football in that cold environment.

[@JamesSchubert-xz9iy]

They really didn't play. They woulda' been better off not showing up.

[@shackdaddy7106]

@ kind of a stupid thing to say. No player on any team is used to playing in those conditions. San Diego came off of a much tougher game than Cincinnati did to get to the championship game. And as I mentioned at the other extreme of temperatures. Remember that Cincinnati was the home team and the number one seed. I think every player on both teams showed a lot of guts playing under those conditions. That is what makes football the great sport that it is.

[@dwightjoh6681]

I grew up in Atlanta, and was in 4th Grade when this game was played. I remember being downtown with my Dad after Church and it was so cold - and the wind was so strong - I could barely breathe. We ended up getting a blizzard, ourselves, and missed the whole week of school….so, I can only imagine how bad the weather was in Cincinnati. Thanks for the great video - and yes, Ken Anderson should have been in the HOF DECADES ago.

[@paulwortman483]

Yes please more of this kind of stuff!!!

[@jamesedgar3442]

This game was about a month before my 12th birthday. We lived in Xenia, up near Dayton. I remember barely making it to church and back that morning. Wow, was it cold! I watched the game on TV wondering how everyone was surviving.

[@JohnShields-xx1yk]

I was 21 and i loved football in tough weather.

[@theax40]

I think my favourite thing about this is how it's just so human. We decided that we were gonna have a football game this day. And mother nature said something like, "are you sure about that?" And everyone just said yea, go ahead and do your worst. Players, fans, commentators on the field. We're all gonna bundle up and prepare for the worst. And it sucked while it was happening but after it was over, nothing but the best memories of another day of football.

[@jamesswain2465]

I remember that day, as a Browns fan, I was pulling for the Bengals. I still like the old helmets BTW.

[@DUBS720]

This was fascinating to watch! Fun fact: this game happened the same day as The Catch.

[@Ncpokey]

We lived in barberton, oh and my dad had won tickets thru a radio station. It was a very cold day for a 11 year old child but I will always remember that day forever.

[@chefscj]

WKRP?

[@ecast1500]

i watched that game and i was wondering if i could have played in that weather and i said no way, i salute both teams

[@rjmacready8830]

My parents were friends with Kenny at Augustana College. My dad passed in 1978 so I wa rooting extra hard for the Bengals this game and the Super Bowl. Get Kenny in Canton!

[@kcmerced9512]

Phenomenonal... Ken Anderson was a STUD with no gloves, and the O-line with no sleeves is beyond BRAVO ZULU. We played a game like that in 1975, completely un-prepared, and all I could think of was those boys in the Ardenne forest during the Battle of the Bulge in '44 & '45 without proper uniforms and ammunition... at least we were playing a GAME, and nobody was shooting and trying you kill us. That's what my Grandpa said...

[@kennymik1509]

I'm applauding. This production is fantastic!!! Hats off to the producers!!! Thanks very much for sharing!!!

[@TL2354]

OMG are you?

[@BrianMcKnight68]

The irony of James Brooks fumbling the ball to help the Bengals is not lost on me 😁. He knew all along that he wanted to be a Bengal! 🤣🤣

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

I remember this on TV, and was mostly disappointed by how lopsided it was. The Chargers put up nearly 500 points that season, and Fouts throwing for a then record 4,700 yards,, but they could barely move the ball. But the Bengals sure stepped up and owned the game, the stadium, the cold. I remember later hearing all the stories. One was that the turf heating system struggled to keep running, making the surface even more hard, and brutally cold. Kellen Winslow suffered I believe 2nd degree frostbite in his toes, and had lingering issues from it the rest of his career. He wasn't the only one. Frostbite on ears, noses, fingers. It was as much an arctic expedition as a football game!

[@diontaedaughtry974]

I'm watching this after watching the 2015 Wildcard game between The Seahawks and the Vikings 🥶. Great documentary 👍👍

[@Mr619usc]

This was when men played with a passion, cried when they lost in the playoffs, and before free agency ruined the game.

[@Tomjeffersonason]

If free agency and the salary cap hadn’t become a thing then the Dallas Cowboys would still be winning championships… It kept teams from hoarding all the top tier players.

[@Mr619usc]

@@Tomjeffersonason doubt it, that was never the case before then

[@Xlc_Royal17]

They still do….. ur point?

[@stevecowder4774]

EXACTLY !!

[@hazelwood55]

The week before San Diego played in Miami where it was about 90F and 90% humidity. What a change.

[@joebradley7317]

I remember me & my brother in law were smoking a joint out on the concourse and I asked if he wanted anymore & when he said no I got done and threw it over the edge then when I looked over the edge it landed on the hood of a Cincinnati police suburban with 2 officers in the front seat. They both leaned forward to look up to see where it came from and I just waved and went back to my seat. Stories I could tell about that day and how about the radio man for the Bengals Mr. Phil Samp. What a voice !!!

[@OldRustySteele]

Phil Samp and Andy MacWilliams! And let’s not forget Gary Burbank, Andy Mac, Bob Trumpy, and Cris Collinsworth with “Sports or Consequences” on WLW. “He don’t, he don’t, he don’t mess around! Hey!”

[@michaeltindall2324]

I was in Lexington, KY at the time and I Still Remember how COLD it was!

[@dantheman5745]

The '81 season was phenomenal. And the Freezer Bowl was epic. The guys on that team are all Bengals legends. I remember watching this game like it was yesterday. Even in NJ, the weather was arctic. We had the fire place going and were all hunkered down and these guys played the game of their lives. Pure delirium when that clock hit :00. As Brent Musburger, said earlier that year, "The guys in the funny helmets are at it again!"

[@darrenkoons2386]

I remember watching that game. I was not there but had been outside earlier that day. Later in life i spent 3 winters in Northern Maine while in the Air Force and as cold as it gets up there that game day is still the coldest ive ever felt.

[@jivepatrol6833]

This was an excellent team! Loved Ken Anderson and Anthony Munoz and Cris Collinsworth!

[@muffs55mercury61]

-59 degree wind chill factor. That is cold (the coldest I've been in was -45 wind chill) With many future stadiums likely having domes, playing a game in the bitter cold will become a lost art. Great documentary !!

[@eric3298]

Fr ecspecially for bengals lol

[@GC0077]

These guys are the greatest generation of football players. Just a bunch of tough guys that played mainly because they loved it. Today, the nfl is like a damn reality show.

[@Xlc_Royal17]

In ur logic an NFL player now just joins the NFL just because they don’t truly like the sport? That’s like working at McDonalds while being vegan

[@JustinMichael-pf2wj]

I remember going to a Thankgiving Day game for my older brothers' high school football game. This was a big rivalry game at the time so everybody showed up. It was so fridged that all the hot chocolate or triple layers of clothes could not take away the pain that hit your bones from the cold. Our team was the underdog that year but they battled hard in the first half to keep the score 13-8 so the hope of an upset kept us rowdy and warm. However, in the second half, the game got out of hand, and it got brutally colder. We stayed as long as we could to support our team and brother but half way through the fourth, we had no choice but go to our heated van. I remember just feeling so guilty with my brother out there getting blown out in the freezing cold.

[@bengalscaptain]

This is SO good.

[@KSparks80]

Remember listening to the game on the radio at work. Was 19, working at a Sohio gas station right off I-75 in Miamisburg (@ 40 north of Cincy). Everybody paid the little extra for full service that day. Froze my ass off! There was a Perkins restaurant across the street that flew a HUGE American flag. It was so windy that the thing would "pop", like snapping a towel. It was loud! Fun hearing all of those players names after 40+ years. Good memories! (Still have the Sohio parka I wore at work hanging in a closet. lol)

[@flj-fp6rb]

Whoever designed the stripes on the helmet an uniform did one of the best things in modern day football history,it seperated the long history of being compared to the browns,for me tbey have been a total different team ever since

[@WalterUrban-m7e]

Now those stripes stink. They should go back to the 1981 stripes uniforms.

[@jamesswain2465]

I liked it when it just said Bengals on the side, I know I'm in the minority on that.

[@flj-fp6rb]

@jamesswain2465 I just thought when they moved the browns over to the AFC an same division even,the stripes kinda one uped the browns an separated there look,being they were both Paul Brown teams,I don't think anyone knew at the time the Browns would end up being an AFC team too,lol I been a Browns fan since 68 never dreaming bk then they would never make the SB an here a start up team in 68 the Bengals have been there I think like 3 times now,so since the stripes I really support them to now

[@WalterUrban-m7e]

@@jamesswain2465 🤔Yeah I remember the Bengals name on the helmet and the 1980 uniforms.I like them too .👍

[@stephw1702]

Many fans have been made due to those helmets. My friends' son at the age of four decided to root for the Bengals because he thinks they have the coolest helmets.

[@303Smilezzz]

Philly fan but historian at heart. I respect these guys, yes even dallas players. This game ALWAYS intrigued me, along with the fog bowl, the 1990 nfc championship game, and so on. I've watched nearly any available content on this particular game, and I'll never get enough of it. The build up during the season, the stories, the players, its so cool. Love this!

[@worm343]

Sub zero on frickin astroturf. The absolute stones on these guys.

[@danieloblinger6648]

That was an awesome video. I live in northeast Ohio and remember that like it was yesterday. The '81 Bengals got a well-deserved conference championship.

[@richgerow3472]

I went to a game where there was snow and ice on the seats, and the wind chill was in the single digits. I couldn't feel my face by the third quarter, and I had to put hand warmers in my shoes because my feet went numb from the cold. That was with wind chills in the single digits. Standing in wind chills of -60 just sounds like a death wish.

[@Longshadowdog]

Much respect to the Bengals and their fans from a Charger fan. Thanks for the (heartbreaking) memories.

[@thebuzzsaw6489]

Watched this game in my apartment and couldn't believe how cold it was in Cincy. I had attended a few college games that were cold, but nothing like this.

[@lastguyminn2324]

I remember watching this game on TV from my home in Minnesota, where it was a brutal -26° F, and seeing those Bengals fans, I thought to myself about my beloved Vikings: good year to have missed the playoffs!

[@TheRasiani]

I watched that game from the comfort of my basement 75 miles north of Toronto, Canada -- and I was genuinely sympathetic for what those guys were going through. I knew how bad that was!! But it was also in the age of that gawd-awful "astro turf", which was rendered "fuzzy cement" as someone called it at the time. Extreme, extreme conditions.

[@MrChelcy1]

Beautiful man. 12 years old and I remember it all. What a season.

[@mxxjss]

Well deserved home field advantage for the Bengals…in November they had beaten the Chargers 40-17 in San Diego. Had the Chargers won that game, both clubs would’ve had 11-5 regular season records with the Chargers getting the home game in the playoff rematch due to the head to head tiebreaker.

[@nealwarner9295]

Kenny A.....ended up here on HHI 🌴🌊

[@Uncoveredcube7]

According to my mother, a lot of the women were in the bathroom next to hand dryers 🤣

[@daltonbolser5100]

ok

[@packersauburneric3625]

​@@daltonbolser5100war eagle 🦅 Auburn University represent

[@kerrylee4633]

I live across Lake Erie from Cleveland. I remember sitting home watching the game, it was too cold to leave the house.

[@shawncosmos5431]

Mike Webster of the Steelers never had his arms covered no matter where he played and regardless of the weather . That was a tough dude also. RIP

[@eric3298]

Ya sad how he passed

[@rogersimpson9725]

I remember watching football with my grandpa. In the early to mid-seventies it seemed a lot colder than it is now. We're from North Dakota. I remember seeing the steam rising off the crowd. I saw more than one game like that. My grandpa's favorite team was the Vikings. That's probably why we saw so many frigid games. I couldn't understand how they could not have sleeves. I don't even understand it to this day.