Fog Bowl

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The Fog Bowl (German: "Nebelspiel") 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 on December 31, 1988 in the Soldier Field in Chicago . The Bears won by 20-12 while visibility had dropped to near zero in the second half due to thick fog. Game cancellations are not common in the NFL. The game is played in all weathers, making it one of the most bizarre games in NFL history.

Match report

The Fog Bowl: visibility during the second half - Eagles wide receiver Mike Quick (right, # 82) is barely recognizable.

In the first half, which took place in bright sunshine, the Bears took the lead 17-9 after two touchdowns and a field goal . But just before half-time, thick fog crept from the Great Lakes over the field, so thick that the Bears quarterback Mike Tomczak thought the parking lot was on fire. The reason for this was a rare meteorological phenomenon: since the air was atypically heated by the strong solar radiation, cold, thick fog masses were driven inland before they dissolved. The fog reduced visibility to ten to 15 meters so that the referees could barely see the move.

CBS , which broadcast the game live , ran into serious problems. The fog forced the transmitting helicopter to land, and it got so thick that neither of the live commentators, Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw , could see anything. At a remarkable place they argued whether the quarterback of the Eagles, Randall Cunningham , slumped or was not, without being able to agree. The CBS even wanted to send their third commentator, Brent Musberger, to the sidelines, but he gave up because he couldn't see anything even from there. They frantically sent two cameramen with handheld cameras to the sidelines and captured the game as best they could. The coaches communicated with each other using walkie-talkies , and the Bears center, Dave Rimington , said: "I didn't see any more people in the second half, only shadows."

In the second half, regular play was hardly possible. Bears reserve quarterback Jim McMahon , who replaced the injured Tomczak, only dared three throws in the entire second half (in comparison Tomczak had taken 20 in the sunny first half). Randall Cunningham made three interceptions . The Bears punt gymnast Greg Garrity said: "Every punt was like a horror movie - you only saw the football at the last moment." A break was out of the question: Referee Jim Tunney asked both Bears coach Mike Ditka and Eagles -Coach Buddy Ryan , and they both wanted to keep playing. Cunningham claimed, "We could have been on the court with all 53 men, no one would have noticed." Bears linebacker Mike Singletary described it as "the coolest game I've ever played ... you could play absolutely miserable, but lie to the coach that everything is under control - and he would have no chance to uncover this. "

In this bizarre half, neither team got a touchdown, just a field goal each, so the game ended 20-12. Cunningham almost completed a touchdown throw on tight end Keith Jackson but failed to catch the ball in the thick fog. The game was later casually christened "the best game no one has seen" by the New York Times . After an hour the fog cleared.

swell

  1. ↑ Top Ten Weather Games: The Fog Bowl: The number 3 bad weather game of all-time is "The Fog Bowl" between the Eagles and Bears played on December 31, 1988 , NFL.com
  2. ↑ a b c d e Fog Bowl: 'A supernatural experience' , ESPN.com
  3. ↑ a b Memories Of Fog Bowl Still Visible To Participants
  4. ^ It's Clear '88 Fog Bowl Still Champ , Chicago Tribune
  5. ↑ a b c PRO FOOTBALL; Bears Roll Past Eagles as Fog Rolls In , New York Times

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