Football at the Farthest North

Football at the Farthest North

The first Ice Bowl was played on January 1, 1949 between the Ladd Field Flyers and the University of Alaska Polar Bears. The annual contest drew up to 2,500 local spectators and garnered interest far beyond the local Fairbanks community. Billed as “the farthest North football game ever,” the event garnered national interest and the Associated Press put out several articles over the years, spotlighting its novelty and the extreme temperatures.