Ice Bowl

1949

Alaska, Fairbanks 0

Ladd Air Force Base 0

Note: the images on the page were supplied by the children of Sgt Ray Keelin, who holds a special place in college football history for his near score in this first Ice Bowl. We all owe a debt of special gratitude to Ray's family members for providing what may be the only materials of their kind in existence. Ray Keelin passed away in December, 2002.

The University of Alaska had a problem when the announcement of a New Year’s Bowl game to be played in Fairbanks was made; they had no football team. About one fifth of the male student population came to the tryouts. Only one of these students had any college football experience. Ladd Field, now called Fort Wainwright, was established in 1939 as a test facility for aircraft weather conditions, but became a critical link in the Alaska-Siberia Lend Lease rout with the start of WWII. The players from the base would be well conditioned and more experienced. The Polar Bears were as much as a 10-1 underdogs in the game against the more experienced Flyers.

The players prepared for the cold conditions by wearing mulluks, scarves and mittens. But, the weather at game time was far worse than anyone could have imagined at 30 below zero. Commentators describe the ball as being as hard as steel and impossible for a quarterback to throw, much less for a receiver to catch. The fans numbered about 1000 and their cumulative breath created a fog. Notables attending the game were Brig Gen. Dale Gaffney and UAF President, Charles Bunnell.

Players had planned to wear parkas, but the idea was discarded as being "sissy" when the temperature rose to -25. Ice Bowl Queen, Katy Daly of Lomita, CA, was pulled to her throne made of snow by a dogsled team. But, the dogs got stage fright and stopped. She had to trudge through the snow to take a seat and be crowned by Gen. Gaffney.

To combat the elements, the players were rotated in and out of the game platoon style. Both entire 11 men teams were substituted every 5 minutes. The contest was deadlocked at 0-0 throughout the game. Short runs and punts ruled the day. (video) Ladd almost pulled out a victory when Kay Keelin of Wheeler, TX took a pass from Sgt. George Raidel of Youngstown, OH and trudged 40 yards through the snow and into the corner of the endzone. But controversy ensued when it was ruled that Keelin had stepped out of bounds on the coal-dusted sideline at the 10 yard line. According to the student newspaper, a footprint was discovered just outside the boundary. "The print was there for all to see," it said, "stamped into the snow." The AP reported that Ladd Field had come within a footprint of defeating the UAF. For the Polar Bears, the game represented a victory as they were considered overmatched and underdogs.

From the Air Force Times:

LADD AFB, Alaska.- The final score was 0 to 0, but the mercury was far below the score in the first annual Ice Bowl game played New Year's Day between Ladd Air Force Base and the University of Alaska.

This farthest-north bowl game was played in 25 degrees below zero weather at Ladd's Maintenance Squadron gridiron, near Fairbanks, before close to 1000 thrilled and chilled spectators, who found the Ice Bowl somewhat different from other bowl games held that day.

The gridders found that the snow-covered field (marked with coal dust) offered little traction and held down offensive running. (video) Gloves, worn to prevent frost-bitten fingers, accomplished their purpose, but handicapped accurate passing. Football uniforms hid long woolen underwear, but the hardy athletes, who had planned to don parkas for the game, discarded the idea when the thermometer rose 15 degrees above the minus-40 per-game forecast. Mukluks, heavy felt shoes and shoe packs, were substituted for regulation footwear. Officials wore heavy arctic flying suits topped with striped shirts.

The biggest thrill for the crowd came late in the second quarter when Ladd halfback, Sgt. George Raidel, flipped a long pass from his 47-yard line to Sgt Ray Keelin, quarterback, who gloved it on the University 13-yard line and romped down the sidelines for what looked to be a touchdown. Sharpe-eyed officials, however noted that Keelin had left a footprint in the coal dust sideline at the 10-yard marker and brought the ball back to that point. Ladd then drove to the 7, but the end of the half halted the scoring threat.

Throughout the game, which was played from 11 a. m. to 1 p. m. because of the limited daylight, the "platoon system" of substitution was employed every five minutes by both elevens. At half-time, Ice Bowl Queen Kathy Daly, wife of Air Force Pilot Lieut. Charles Daly, rode onto the field on a dog-sled. Then, mounting her throne of ice, Queen Kathy was crowned by Brig. Gen. Dale V. Gaffney, 5001st Wing Commander at Ladd, while photographers muttered, as frost covered their lenses.

Due to the tie, the Ice Bowl trophy, donated by Capt. A. E. Lathrop, Fairbanks industrialist, will be rotated between the University and Ladd Air Force Base every three months until the second meeting of the series next Jan. 1.

There you have it. There'll be plenty of tickets for next year's game, but we'll take our football down here where it always takes four or five touchdowns to catch up with the temperature. That never-to-be-forgotten Duke-Pitt snow battle of 1938 must have been just like sitting in the parlor when compared to the Ice Bowl.

Action from the 1949 Ice Bowl. Identifiable players are Ladd's Dan Schook (#51) and Alaska's Robert Ruff (#25).

The Ladd Air Force Base Flyers

The University of Alaska Polar Bears.

The snow-covered football field was lined with coal dust. Keelin's footprint could be seen by officials in the black coal dust on the sieline.

Attendance: 1,000

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