Super Bowl Memories
Some Great and Not So Great Memories of the NFL's Biggest Game
By Joe Phelps
Founder/Staff Writer
With Super Bowl XLVI quickly approaching, I figured I kick off this week with some Super Bowls from the past that really stuck out in my mind. Don't expect any from before 1976, up until then I was watching cartoons in footy-pajamas, so save the "You don't know jack-sh*t about football, how could you have not included (insert single roman numeral Super Bowl here)" emails.
A real quick side note before we get started: Over $10 BILLION dollars will be wagered on this Super Bowl, the largest total ever for a single sporting event. However, less than 1% of these wagers will be placed in Las Vegas. I just thought that was interesting...and staggering.
Damn it Leon!
Super Bowl XXVII- Dallas 52 Buffalo 17
Earlier in the season, in a snow covered Thanksgiving Day mess, Leon Lett had cost the Cowboys a victory by muffing a blocked FG and giving the Dolphins another shot at the game winning field goal. He was about to redeem himself on the NFL's biggest stage. Already leading 52-17, the Cowboys were well on their way to winning the first half of their back to back Super Bowls. Lett had recovered yet another Buffalo fumble and "sprinted 64 yards to give the Cowboys a 59-17 lead. From nowhere, Don Beebe swats the ball from the prematurely celebrating Lett and knocking it through the end zone, forcing a touchback and giving the Bills possession.
Just Win Baby!
Super Bowl XV- Oakland 27 Philadelphia 10
If there was one play that stuck out in this contest it would be Plunkett's80 yard bomb to Kenny King with 9 seconds left in the first quarter. It gave the Raiders a 14-0 lead and the Eagles never recovered. Plunkett was named MVP going 13-21 261 yards and 3 touchdowns. But it wasn't the butt kicking they handed a Philadelphia team that were heavy favorites and were led by the likes of Ron Jaworski, Wilbert Montgomery, and Harold Carmichael. It was their road to the Super Bowl that stuck out to me. They killed Houston 27-7 and then went on the road and beat Cleveland 14-12 and outlasted Division Champion San Diego 34-27 in a game that certainly made the Super Bowl anticlimactic. And with that, the Raiders became the first wildcard team to win the Super Bowl.
18 on 11
Super Bowl XL- Pittsburgh 21 Seattle 10
It wasn't Randle El's 43 yard TD pass to Heinz Ward for the decisive score, nor was it the fact that it was the first touchdown pass by a receiver in Super Bowl history. It had nothing to do with Jerome Bettis' minimal role in his last NFL game, where he contributed 43 yards on 14 carries. Unfortunately, for me, it was the comment from Holmgren after the game that makes this a memorable Super Bowl. Holmgren hinted that he had two weeks to prepare, but he had no idea it would 18 on 11, basically blaming the 7 man officiating crew for the loss. It's hard not to see where he was coming from and Super Bowl XL will always be known as the worst officiated in the game's history.
Super Bowl Shuffle
Super Bowl XX- Chicago 46 New England 10
Having one of the best seasons since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the Chicago Bears were the talk of the Nation. The 4-6 zone had taken the NFL by storm, Mike Ditka was considered passionate and fiery, not a jerk and an ass like if they were losing. William "The Refrigerator" Perry had become an over night sensation, but the general buzz about this Super Bowl was the fact that Sweetness was FINALLY getting to play in one. The Bears had scored in every way imaginable, keeping the man who basically kept the Bears relevant for much of his career out of the end zone. He had 22 carries and 61 yards, but Walter Payton would not get a touchdown. That was the biggest crime of all and, nothing against Perry, the WORST coaching call in Super Bowl History. Rest in Peace Sweetness!
A Game of Inches...Literally
Super Bowl XXXIV- St. Louis 23 Tennessee 17
This game could be considered one of the top 5 all time greatest games in Super Bowl history. The Greatest Show on Turf had been lighting up scoreboards, and the Rams had moved the ball up and down the field, yet only held a 16-0 edge over the Titans. Tennessee then mounted a comeback and tied the game at 16 a piece. Late in the 4th quarter, Warner hits Bruce on a 73 yard touchdown with 1:54 seconds left in the game. Steve McNair leads the Titans down the field in one of the most edge of your seat drives in recent memory. I'll never forget Kevin Dyson lurching towards the goal line...arms outstretched, with ball just 3 feet shy of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Mike Jones firmly wrapped around Dyson's waist. What an ending!
And So It Began
Super Bowl XVI- San Francisco 26 Cincinnati 21
I was bitter back then, but now I can appreciate this for what it was. The 49ers had arrived on the NFL scene. They beat the Cowboys for the NFC Championship as Joe Montana hit Dwight Clark and...well...you've seen the play a billion damn times...you know what I am talking about. The Bengals had changed their helmets to the cool tiger stripe deals, and I was hoping Kenny Anderson and company would crush those damned 49ers. It was not to be, as Montana threw for an 11 yard strike to Cooper and ran in from 1 yard out to build a 20- lead and eventually win 26-21. It was the beginning of an incredible run by Montana and the 49ers. A dynasty was born that day.
And these are just a few off the top of my head. Feel free to share your on the comment section of this article or on our forums!