The first forked goalpost was used in the University of Miami’s defeat of Indiana in the Orange Bowl on Oct. Rottman built an aluminum prototype, which first appeared at the World’s Fair in Montreal the display earned him a meeting with NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. The unique “gooseneck” design also allowed the post to sit farther back from the goal line, thus interfering less with play. Rottman’s proposition was not only more aesthetically pleasing, but also safer, as it featured one less standard for players to crash into.
The story goes that Rottman was having lunch with Montreal Alouettes coach Jim Trimble when he suggested the now-traditional shape after staring at the prongs of his fork. Kramer and center Ken Bowman doubled Cowboys defensive tackle Jethro Pugh to allow Starr to cross the goal line for an eventual 20-17 victory.īut what about the shape? The forked or “slingshot” goalpost can be attributed to hobbyist, inventor and retired newspaper distributer Joel Rottman. “Run it, and let’s get the hell out of here!” was Vince Lombardi’s reply. Starr and right guard Jerry Kramer thought they could get enough traction for a quarterback sneak. Bart Starr drove the Pack to the 1-yard line with 16 seconds remaining and no timeouts left. The game went back and forth, and with Dallas leading 17-14 with 4:50 left in the fourth quarter, the Packers had the ball at the 32-yard line. The conditions would negate one of Dallas’s biggest assets, its team speed. Temps warmed to a balmy minus-13 and minus-38 wind chill by kickoff. When the tarps were taken off the field, the moisture on top flash-froze. Lambeau Field, which had fine footing during the walkthrough the previous day, had become a sheet of ice because the turf-heating system had malfunctioned. 31, 1967, the day of the NFL Championship Game, they were greeted by temperatures of minus-15 degrees with the wind chill around minus-48. When the Packers and Cowboys awoke on Dec. Neil Leifer The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field