50th Season Sculpture Recap

The warmest memory in Bengaldom comes on its coldest day. Jan. 10, 1982 dawns in Cincinnati as if on another planet. The mercury will rise only to minus-9, but it is that frightful 59-degree wind chill that pistol-whips Riverfront Stadium and forever baptizes the Bengals first AFC Championship Game appearance as "The Freezer Bowl."

As the last two minutes count down at Ford Field on Dec. 18, 2005, an orange-clad crowd behind the Bengals bench chants alternately, "Who Dey," and "Marvin, Marvin, Marvin" in honor of head coach Marvin Lewis as Bengaldom savors the 41-17 victory over the Lions for their first AFC North division title and their first play-off appearance in 15 years.

In the 1981 season, the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit hosted the Bengals' first trip to the Super Bowl on Jan. 24, 1982.

On the way to Super Bowl XXIII, the Bengals climbed on the back of a rookie running back named Elbert "Ickey" Woods with 1,066 yards and 15 TDs. For all of his bruising runs and bursts of speed, Woods was best known for his moves after scoring.

On Nov. 6, 2014, the roaring crowd of 65,871 salutes the child queen of Bengaldom in an unforgettable ceremony at the end of the first quarter. Leah Still, four-year-old daughter of Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, has been battling a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis since the spring and the courage of the inspiring father-daughter team has captured the country.

With the chants of "Boomer, Boomer," still ringing in his ears and his famous left arm that once claimed an NFL MVP still warm from a 105.2 passer rating, quarterback Boomer Esiason knows exactly what has just transpired at Riverfront Stadium on Nov. 22, 1997.

The 1988 Bengals were ahead of their time on a grease board slick with Xs and Os that belong on an iPad. Their 12-4 run, 8-0 domination at home, and heartbreaking Super Bowl loss turned out to be a snapshot of early 21st century football.

Carson Palmer goes to bed on the eve of the NFL's trading deadline believing he'll never play again and is pondering other professions. But at 4 a.m. he gets a text from agent David Dunn sending him to Oakland and elevating Bengals president Mike Brown into conversations for executive of the year.

The Bengals flex their muscles on Nov. 15, 2009 to out-Steeler the Steelers to win the brutal War of 18-12 that gives them all the tiebreakers and puts them on the verge of a division sweep as well as in the hunt for a top AFC seed at 7-2.

Head coach Paul Brown get his first win over Cleveland with a 14-10 victory on Nov. 15, 1970.

Call it the high tide of Bengaldom as the third quarter closes on the beaches of Miami. Running back Stanford Jennings has just raced 93 yards to return the second-ever Super Bowl kickoff for a touchdown.

Look for one of the top 10 NFL Film quotes of all time, and Bengals head coach Sam Wyche's "You Don't Live In Cleveland, You Live in Cincinnati," has stood the test of time.