1968 Pro Bowl

1968 East–West Pro Bowl
DateJanuary 21, 1968
StadiumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Co-MVPsGale Sayers (Chicago Bears, RB), Dave Robinson (Green Bay Packers, LB)
FavoriteWest [1]
Attendance53,289
TV in the United States
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersJack Buck, Tom Brookshier

The 1968 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's eighteenth annual all-star game, which featured the outstanding performers from the 1967 season. The game was played on January 21, 1968, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, United States.[1]

Scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the favored Western Conference rallied for a 38–20 victory, breaking the Eastern Conference's two-game winning streak.[2][3] Running back Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears was named the back of the game for the second year in a row and linebacker Dave Robinson of the league champion Green Bay Packers received the lineman of the game honors.[4]

Attendance at the game was 53,289. The game had controversy because East coach Otto Graham of the Washington Redskins benched quarterback Fran Tarkenton of the New York Giants in the fourth quarter. Some players questioned the benching of a player of Tarkenton’s stature in a charity game. The coach of the West squad was Don Shula of the Baltimore Colts, who won his second Pro Bowl in four years.[5] The game was played a week after the second Super Bowl, which was held in Miami.

References

  1. ^ a b "NFL stars vie at Los Angeles". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. January 21, 1968. p. 60.
  2. ^ "Defense cited in West victory". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. January 22, 1968. p. 18.
  3. ^ Myers, Bob (January 22, 1968). "NFL West 38, East 20". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 2B.
  4. ^ "Defensive plays turn tide for West in Pro Bowl win". The Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 22, 1968. p. 24. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  5. ^ "The 1968 Pro Bowl". Bolding Sports Research. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.