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The infamous ''frozen tundra of Lambeau Field'' was the setting for the Ice Bowl, one of the greatest games in NFL history.

Packers versus Cowboys. Lombardi versus Landry. The "frozen tundra of Lambeau Field." When it comes to the National Football League Championship Game of 1967, better known as "The Ice Bowl," it's almost easier to talk about what's not legendary.

This shot for the Milwaukee Sentinel captures the joy, and relief, of the Green and Gold's glorious goal-line gamble. Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS.

Jim Tunney was just finishing up his rookie year as an NFL referee when he was tapped to officiate the December 31st meeting between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. It was a plum assignment, since first-year referees weren't usually called up for championship match-ups. And then, on the morning of the game, weathermen predicted the coldest New Year's Eve in Green Bay history.

"None of us had the proper clothing, so on the morning of the game we all went downtown, where there was a guy in the back of an Army-Navy surplus store, taking inventory," Tunney said. "There was no Gore-Tex in those days, so I walked out of there wearing three pairs of gloves."

The referees weren't the only ones unprepared for what turned out to be a game-time temperature of -13°F, with a wind chill of -48°F.

"Lombardi took great pride in the fact that his team had spent all this money installing heat pipes under the field," said Buddy Lea, who covered the game for the Milwaukee Sentinel. "That morning, he took us media into the tunnel and explained how the heating system worked. Of course, he didn't know what the hell he was talking about. The minute they took the tarp off, the field froze over."

The Packers jumped to an early 14-0 lead via two touchdown passes from quarterback Bart Starr to Boyd Dowler. (It was around this time that officials abandoned their metal whistles, having lost the skin on their lips.) Dallas came back in the second quarter to force two fumbles – one leading to a touchdown and the other a field goal, making the halftime score 14-10. Then, early in the fourth quarter, Dallas halfback and future Zocor spokesman Dan Reeves threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lance Rentzel, giving Dallas a 17-14 lead with just over five minutes left in the game.

"It wasn't the most well-played game," Tunney said. "The footing was just terrible, nobody could turn a corner. But still, that stadium was jammed. None of the fans had gone home early."

Starting out on their own 32 yard line, the Packers marched down to the Cowboys' one. But on two tries, Dallas's "Doomsday Defense" managed to keep running back Donny Anderson out of the end zone. With 16 seconds left, Starr (#15) called a quarterback sneak that, with Packers guard Jerry Kramer (#64) laying a crucial block on Cowboys defensive tackle Jethro Pugh (#75), gave the Packers the winning touchdown.

The day after the game, newspapers across the country ran stories about the normally conservative Lombardi's successful gamble. (The Packers would go on to beat the AFL Champion Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II.) Jim Tunney, however, remembers things differently.

"As field judge, I had been standing next to Lombardi all day," Tunney said. "And with time running out, Starr came over and said he thought a quarterback sneak might do it. And Lombardi said, 'Fine, call the play and let's get the hell out of here. It's cold.'"

This is the sixth in our "Our Defining Moments" series, an ongoing ReZoom.com People feature looking back on the moments that, through the power of photography, have been emblazoned into our collective consciousness. To see the previous "Our Defining Moments," click here.