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Vol 8, No 365

December 31, 1967

Sunday Evening

Dallas and Green Bay play in the Ice Bowl

Today in Sports
Oilers coach, Bum Phillips, Fired!
HOUSTON  (1980)    Just three days after the AFC Wildcard Game, and a hero's welcome by over 75,000 fans inside and outside the Astrodome upon the team's return, Houston Oiler's coach, O.A."Bum" Phillips was fired on this date in 1980. Phillips was picked up almost immediately by the New Orleans Saints.
   In his six seasons with the Oilers, Phillips brought the Oilers to the NFC Championship game twice (losing both). This year (1980), Earl Campbell set a team rushing record of 1,934 yards, but the Oilers were eliminated by the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Wild Card 24-7. Later, he was quoted as saying "There's two kinds of coaches, them that's fired and them that's gonna be fired."
   The following season, the Oiler's would win their first two games (both on the road), then lose their next 23 consecutive road games, and NFL record for road losses.   

The Ice Bowl
GREEN BAY WI (1967)  It was the coldest day in history in Green Bay on this date in 1967. Dallas had to get passed Bart Star and the Green Bay Packers to proceed to the Superbowl. Heaters in the field malfunctioned, and the field was covered with ice. Needless to say, Dallas' season ended on the ice.

Capitol Desk
Aransas Wildlife Refuge organized
VICTORIA   (1937)    The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was established near Rockport (Aransas Co) on this date in 1937.

City Desk
Singer/Songwriter John Denver born in New Mexico
ROSWELL NM   (1943)   On this date in 1943, Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. was born in Roswell, New Mexico, the son of an Air Force officer. Better known by his stage name of John Denver, he was selected from hundreds to replace Chad Mitchell in the Mitchell Trio as the lead singer. He wrote "Leaving on a Jet Plane" which gave Peter, Paul and Mary their only No 1 hit. John went on to strike gold with "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Rocky Mountain High", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", and "Sunshine on my Shoulders" among many. He starred in many television specials in the 1970s-80s. John graduated from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth in 1961, and later attended Texas Tech.   

Entertainment Desk
Michigan J Frog debuts in
HOLLYWOOD  (1955)   On this date in 1955, the Looney Tune cartoon, "One Froggy Evening" debuts starring Michigan J. Frog as a vaudeville singing and dancing frog, discovered by a construction worker when demolishing an old building. The frog would wear a top hat and cane and sing "Hello My Baby" or "The Michigan Rag", until the new owner would present the frog at a theatre or producers office, at which time, it did nothing.
   The cartoon was written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones and based on the true story of Old Rip, an 1898 Horned Toad which was placed into the cornerstone of the Eastland County Courthouse. Later, in 1929, the original courthouse was torn down, and Old Rip was discovered to have survived. Old Rip made the national circuit, evening meeting President Grover Cleveland.
   In 1994 "One Froggy Evening" was voted #5 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. The film is currently ranked at IMDb as the second best short movie ever. In 2003 the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.