Packers in the Astrodome

[JoeZagorski]

Hey Guys,
Does anyone know if the Green Bay Packers ever played ANY preseason games inside the Houston Astrodome anytime prior to 1973? Thanks for any info that you can send me.
Sincerely,
Joe Zagorski

[JohnR]

Aug 19, 1972

[JoeZagorski]

Thanks John!

[Mark L. Ford]

Joe's question reminds me that the Packers organization absolutely, positively refused to agree to preseason games played on artificial turf.... so when they accepted an invitation to play at the Superdome one summer, a contractor put down temporary sod so that the Packers and Saints could play on a natural grass field.

[JoeZagorski]

Really?!? I had never heard that one Mark! I doubt that the only team that could make a similar demand today would be New England. LOL
Joe Zagorski

[Jay Z]

Joe's question reminds me that the Packers organization absolutely, positively refused to agree to preseason games played on artificial turf.... so when they accepted an invitation to play at the Superdome one summer, a contractor put down temporary sod so that the Packers and Saints could play on a natural grass field.

Sorry to doubt your story, Mark, but the Packers didn't play a preseason game in New Orleans until 1991. There were many instances of them playing preseason games on turf before them.

[Andrew McKillop]

The game was played in 1999. I wrote a small blog post about it a few years ago on my old site. It was certainly an interesting way to spice up a preseason game. I remember watching the game on TV and from what I can recall the field held up well and was a lush green.
http://www.footballgeography.com/natura ... superdome/

[Jay Z]

The game was played in 1999. I wrote a small blog post about it a few years ago on my old site. It was certainly an interesting way to spice up a preseason game. I remember watching the game on TV and from what I can recall the field held up well and was a lush green.
http://www.footballgeography.com/natura ... superdome/

Nice article. Don't really think the Packers refused to play on turf, they played a number of "home" exhibition games in Madison a few years before. But it did indeed happen.

[Citizen]

Houston was also the site of the Packers' first game in a dome, also in 1972.

Prior to their August 1972 date in Houston, they also played exhibition games on fake grass at Riverfront Stadium in 1971 and the Orange Bowl in 1972.

[BD Sullivan]

Houston was also the site of the Packers' first game in a dome, also in 1972.

Prior to their August 1972 date in Houston, they also played exhibition games on fake grass at Riverfront Stadium in 1971 and the Orange Bowl in 1972.

Of course, the Pack were the only team that didn't take part in the NFL-AFL exihibitions that took place from 1967-69. The first AFL-based team they faced was the Raiders in Oakland in 1970.

The only AFL team that St. Vince ever faced was the Bills in Buffalo in 1969--when he was HC of the Skins.