Fog Bowl (American football)
The Fog Bowl ( Eng.: " Fog Game") is the informal name for the semi-final game of the National Football Conference ( NFC) in the National Football League ( NFL ) between the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles, in the 31 December 1988 Soldier Field in Chicago took place. The Bears won 20-12 with while the visibility was dropped in the second half due to dense fog almost to zero. It is considered one of the most bizarre games in NFL history.
Scoresheet
In the first half, which took place in bright sunshine, the Bears had gone to two touchdowns and a field goal with 17-9 lead. But just before the half time whistle crept dense fog from the Great Lakes down the field, so dense that the quarterback of the Bears, Mike Tomczak, thought that the parking lot was on fire. This was a rare meteorological phenomenon: since the air was heated atypical by the strong sunlight, cold, dense masses of mist were driven inland, before they broke up. The fog reduced visibility at ten to 15 feet, so that the referees could scarcely overlook the turn.
The the game live sending CBS got serious problems. The fog forced the sending helicopters to land, and he was so dense that neither of the two live commentators Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw, could see anything. On a remarkable place they argued whether the quarterback of the Eagles, Randall Cunningham, had been sacked or not, without being able to agree. The CBS even wanted to send her third commentator Brent Musberger on the sidelines, but he gave it up because he could not see anything from there even. They sent hectic two cameramen with hand-held cameras on the sidelines and held the game as best I could. The coaches communicated with each other with walkie- talkies, and the center of the bearts, Dave Rimington, said: "I saw in the second half, no people, only shadows. "
In the second half -controlled games was barely possible. Bears reserve quarterback Jim McMahon, who replaced the injured Tomczak, ventured throughout the second half only three litters (compared had taken in the sunny first half 20 Tomczak ). Randall Cunningham made three interceptions. The Puntreturner the Bears, Greg Garrity said: "Everyone Punt was like a horror movie - you've seen the football at the last moment. " But a termination was not an option: Referee Jim Tunney asked both Bears coach Mike Ditka and Eagles coach Buddy Ryan, and both wanted to continue playing. Cunningham claimed. "We could stand with all 53 men on the pitch, no one would have noticed it ," Bears linebacker Mike Singletary called it " the coolest game in which I have ever attended ... you could play absolutely miserable, but the coach lie to that you have everything under control -. , and he would have no chance to uncover this "
In this bizarre half time neither team came to a touchdown in each case only to a field goal, so the game ended 20-12. Cunningham had almost completed a touchdown throw to tight end Keith Jackson, but he did not, he managed to catch the ball in the dense fog. The game was later loosely use the New York Times "the best game that no one has seen " baptized. After an hour rid of the fog.
Game cancellations are not common in the NFL. The game is played in any weather.