Snow Bowl (1985)

Last updated
Snow Bowl
Lambeau Field August 2003.jpg
Lambeau Field, the site of the game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(2–10)		 Green Bay Packers
(5–7)
021
Head coach:
Leeman Bennett 		Head coach:
Forrest Gregg
1234Total
TB00000
GB077721
DateDecember 1, 1985
Stadium Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Referee Ben Dreith
Attendance19,856
TV in the United States
Network CBS
Announcers Jim Hill and John Dockery

The Snow Bowl is the nickname of a National Football League game played on December 1, 1985, between the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It is known for its heavy snow. Only 19,856 were in attendance, with over 36,000 "no-shows", the most in Packers history (though due to the game selling out well in advance, it was not blacked out on local television, nor has any Packers home game since 1973 been blacked out, with one exception, due to a sell-out streak dating back to the early 1960s). [1] About two-thirds of the stadium was empty. [2] 12 inches (30 cm) of snow fell before the game and another 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) fell during the game. [3]

Contents

The game itself saw the Packers dominate the Buccaneers en route to a 21–0 victory. [4] Despite four turnovers, the Packers offense gained 512 total yards on 31 first downs, with the Buccaneers recording only 65 yards on 5 first downs. [5] Packers wide receiver James Lofton received passes totaling over 100 yards from quarterback Lynn Dickey by halftime. [4] Packers defensive end Alphonso Carreker sacked Buccaneers quarterback and future Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Steve Young a then team-record four times. [6] It was Young's second game in the league after he left the USFL. [4]

Game conditions

Green Bay wide receiver Preston Dennard described getting to the game,

"There was a big, heavy snow 4–5 inches on the ground. Roads in my neighborhood were packed—I couldn't get out.

"My neighbors came out of their houses and dug about an eighth of a mile so I could get out and go to the stadium; the main roads were plowed. There were about 20 people out there—I'll never, ever forget that." [6]

Tampa Bay wore their white "away" team jerseys, which were difficult to see during the whiteout conditions. Coaches and commentators had difficulty seeing the field. Between plays, grounds crew workers swept snow off the lines marking the field. [4]

Dennard described catching the football,

"I think it was pretty close to 20-below. It was snowing—you could barely see past 15 yards. All you knew is coming out of the mist of the snow and the white mist, you would see the ball come out of the white. You knew what the route was and you knew the direction of the ball." [6]

1985 Week 13: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
1234Total
Buccaneers00000
Packers077721

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Officials

See also

Related Research Articles

The 1967 NFL Championship Game was the 35th NFL championship, played on December 31 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Gerald Louis Carter is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 9th round of the 1980 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 190-lb. wide receiver from Texas A&M, Carter played in 8 NFL seasons from 1980 to 1987. Carter's peak performance in his career came during the 1984 season for the Buccaneers when he caught 60 receptions for 816 yards and 5 touchdowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Green Bay Packers season</span> NFL team season

The 2005 season was the Green Bay Packers' 85th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 87th overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 Green Bay Packers season</span> NFL team season

The 2003 Green Bay Packers season was the franchise's 85th season overall and their 83rd in the National Football League.

The 1989 Green Bay Packers season was their 71st overall and their 69th in the National Football League. The Packers finished with a 10–6 record, their best since 1972, but failed to make the playoffs. The team was often referred to as "The Cardiac Pack" due to several close-game wins. The 1989 Packers hold the NFL record for most one-point victories in a season with four. The team was coached by Lindy Infante and led by quarterback Don Majkowski, who attained his nickname "The Majik Man."

The 2002 season was the Green Bay Packers' 82nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their 84th overall.

The 1997 Green Bay Packers season was their 79th season overall and their 77th in the National Football League (NFL). The season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing 31-24 to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. The heavily-favored team narrowly missed its opportunity to post back-to-back Super Bowl wins.

The 1993 Green Bay Packers season was their 75th season overall and their 73rd in the National Football League. They had a 9–7 record and won their first playoff berth in 11 years, but their first in a non-strike year in 21 years. The record also marked the first back-to-back winning season since the Packers 1967 season. During the regular season, the Packers finished with 340 points, ranking sixth in the National Football League, and allowed 282 points, ranking ninth. In his third year as a pro and second with the Packers, quarterback Brett Favre led the Packers offense, passing for 3,303 yards and 19 touchdowns. Favre, who played his first full season, was selected to his second of eleven Pro Bowl appearances.

The 2000 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 25th season in the National Football League.

The 1999 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 24th in the National Football League (NFL). The season began with the team trying to improve on an 8–8 season. Rookie Shaun King replaced the injured and inconsistent Trent Dilfer late in the season. King helped rebound the team to their first NFC Central title in 18 years. The team won 10 out of 12 games at one point in the season, including a franchise-record six game winning streak. The defensive side dominated the team, nine times holding opponents to 10 or fewer points. However, offensive output while adequate, was often unspectacular - case in point, a 6–3 win over Chicago in October. Tampa Bay finished the season 11-5.

The 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 2nd season in the National Football League, the 2nd playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 2nd under head coach John McKay. After one lone season in the AFC, it was the franchise's first season in the NFC, competing in the Central division. It continued the losing streak that encompassed the entire 1976 season, and extended it to 26 games, second only to the Chicago Cardinals who lost a total of 29 games in a row from 1942 to 1945. Fear of becoming the Buccaneers’ first victim provided motivation to opposing teams. It took nearly two seasons for the Buccaneers to achieve their first franchise victory, a 33–14 win over the New Orleans Saints in the second-to-last game of the year. The next week, the Bucs earned their first home victory, over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's third season in the National Football League the third playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the third under head coach John McKay. As their two 1977 victories had been in the last two games of the season, they entered the 1978 season with the longest active winning streak in the NFC Central.

The 1989 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League the 14th playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the third under head coach Ray Perkins. The team matched on a 5–11 season in 1988, in which finished winning two of their last three games including an upset of the 1988 AFC East Champion Buffalo Bills (a win that was not only Tampa Bay's high point of the season, but turned out to be hugely impactful on the AFC playoff picture, as Buffalo's loss combined with an overtime win by the Cincinnati Bengals over Washington in the season finale meant that the Bengals clinched the home-field advantage that would have otherwise gone to the Bills; Cincinnati ended up winning a close AFC title game at home against Buffalo and got to Super Bowl XXIII. The season started with a road win against the improved Green Bay Packers, and game two brought the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana to Tampa Stadium. With Joe trying to direct a 4th quarter comeback, cornerback Ricky Reynolds dropped what would have been a game ending interception on second down in the end zone. On third down, Montana rolled out and ran untouched into the endzone for a winning TD that left a rare sellout crowd stunned and silent in defeat. The Bucs extended their record to 3–2 by beating the hated Chicago Bears finally in Tampa Stadium, holding off the Bears to a 42–35 victory. It was an impressive win, but then the Bucs lost to the Detroit Lions in the last minute and entered into an overall five-game losing-streak tailspin. Tampa Bay would sweep Chicago to end the streak but ended with a disappointing 5–11 record. James Wilder Sr.’s final season was highlighted by a 100-yard receiving game in week 9. Many fans felt the Bucs were far better than the final record suggested, and offseason acquisitions would help the Bucs win the next year.

The 1992 Green Bay Packers season was their 74th season overall and their 72nd in the National Football League. The team finished with a 9–7 record under new coach Mike Holmgren, earning them a second-place finish in the NFC Central division. 1992 saw the emergence of QB Brett Favre and the start of the Packers' success of the 1990s.

The 1985 Green Bay Packers season was their 67th season overall and their 65th in the National Football League. The team finished with an 8–8 record under second-year head coach Forrest Gregg, the same record as the previous two seasons.

The 1981 Green Bay Packers season was their 63rd season overall and their 61st in the National Football League. The team posted an 8–8 record under coach Bart Starr, earning them a third-place finish in the NFC Central division. Led by the defense the Packers were number one in turnovers forced and number 9th overall. The offense did improve but still finished in the bottom half of the league. Needing a Giants loss or an Eagles win during the final week of the regular season, the Packers gained control of their destiny at earning the final Wild Card spot by winning in their last regular season game but were defeated by the Jets 28–3. The Packers managed only 84 total yards against the Jets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season</span> NFL team season

The 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 34th season in the National Football League, the 12th playing their home games at Raymond James Stadium, and the first under head coach Raheem Morris. The Buccaneers looked to improve on their 9–7 record from their 2008 season and 3rd-place finish in the NFC South but failed to do so as they finished the season at 3–13, missing the playoffs for the second straight year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Green Bay Packers season</span> NFL team season

The 2011 Green Bay Packers season was the franchise's 93rd season overall and their 91st in the National Football League (NFL), and the sixth under head coach Mike McCarthy. The team not only improved on their 10–6 record from a season earlier, they became just the sixth team in NFL history to win 15 games during the regular season. As of 2022, the 15–1 record stands as the best in team history, as well as the best record for a defending Super Bowl champion. The Packers won their first 13 games of the season to extend their winning streak from the previous season to 19, the second-longest in NFL history behind the 21-game winning streak of the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004, and also tied the record for the best start to a season in NFC history that the New Orleans Saints had set in 2009. The only loss for the Packers during the regular season was a Week 15 defeat in Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs. They also became the first NFC North team to go undefeated in the division since the 1987 Chicago Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Green Bay Packers season</span> 102nd season in franchise history

The 2020 season was the Green Bay Packers' 100th season in the National Football League, their 102nd overall and their second under head coach Matt LaFleur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season</span> 45th season in franchise history; second Super Bowl appearance and win

The 2020 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 45th in the National Football League (NFL) and their second under head coach Bruce Arians. The club acquired long-time New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and traded for Brady's former Patriots teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski during the offseason. They improved on their 7–9 record from the previous season by finishing 11–5 to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2007. They advanced through the playoffs to reach and win Super Bowl LV. They were the first team only having one Pro Bowler to do so since the 2007 Giants, and the first team to play in and win the Super Bowl in their home stadium, Raymond James Stadium. They were the 7th wild card team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl, as well as the fifth team to win three road games to advance to the Super Bowl, joining the 2010 Green Bay Packers, 2007 New York Giants, 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers, and 1985 New England Patriots.

References

  1. ↑ 1983 was the last time Packers fans had to deal with a blackout; by Ben Handelman; Fox 6 WITI; January 2, 2014; fox6now.com; Retrieved January 3, 2014
  2. ↑ Know how to dress for different weather conditions; Stephanie Brien; Green Bay Press Gazette ; July 12, 2007; Retrieved March 26, 2008
  3. ↑ Bad weather Buccaneers; Denis Crawford; bucpower.com; Retrieved March 26, 2008
  4. 1 2 3 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0 Green Bay Packers 21; bucpower.com; Retrieved March 27, 2008
  5. ↑ "1985 Green Bay Packers statistics". Pro Football Reference.com. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  6. 1 2 3 Think it'll be cold in Green Bay today? It gets even more brutal in Buffalo; Rio Ranchero Observer ; Gary Herron; Retrieved March 26, 2008
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.