54 Miami Super Bowl Moments — from Namath to Black Sunday to riots to Prince
1. New Goalposts: Super Bowl 2 in 1968 was the first to use the Y-shaped goalposts (one supporting post in the middle rather than one on each side).
2. Unnecessary Roughness (1968): On Oakland’s first offensive play in Super Bowl 2, Green Bay Packers middle linebacker Ray Nitschke sprinted, slammed into fullback Hewritt Dixon and upended him. That hit became one the most memorable plays of Nitschke’s career. The Packers went on to win the game 33-14.
3. Technical Glitch: During the late second quarter of Super Bowl 2 (1968) and for the first few minutes of the halftime show, 80 percent of the country lost the video feed of the CBS broadcast.
4. Victory Ride (1968): After leading the Packers to a 33-14 win over Oakland, legendary coach Vince Lombardi was carried off the field in one of the most iconic images in Super Bowl history. It was his last game as Packers coach.
5. “I guarantee it” (1969): The first AFL-NFL Championship Game to officially use the name “Super Bowl” will forever be remembered for three words uttered by the New York Jets’ brash quarterback Joe Namath. The AFL champion Jets were 18-point underdogs to the NFL champs Baltimore Colts. Three days before the game, Namath was speaking at the Miami Touchdown Club and said the words that went down in history: “The Jets will win Sunday. I guarantee it.” He kept his promise. New York won 16-7.
6. Blackout: While the Orange Bowl was sold out for Super Bowl 3 (1969), the live broadcast was not shown in Miami due to the leagues’ blackout rules at the time. The blackout was challenged in Miami-Dade District Court by attorney Ellis Rubin, but the judge upheld it. It was the first Super Bowl to be carried live in the state of Alaska.
7. Back to Earth (1969): Astronauts of the Apollo 8 mission (Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders), the first manned flight around the Moon, led the Pledge of Allegiance 18 days after returning to Earth.
8. No TDs (1969): Namath completed 17 of his 28 passes and became the only quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP without throwing a touchdown pass.
9. Turf Time (1971): The Orange Bowl became site of the first Super Bowl played on artificial turf — Poly-Turf to be exact.
10. Blooper Bowl (1971): The first title game after the AFL-NFL merger wasn’t the prettiest. In fact, it has been nicknamed “The Blooper Bowl” and the “Blunder Bowl”. The teams combined for a Super Bowl-record 11 turnovers, including five in the fourth quarter. The Colts’ seven turnovers remain the most by a Super Bowl champion
11. Flea Flop (1971): Of all the miscues in Super Bowl 5, the most bizarre was the Colts’ second-half flea flicker. Running back Sam Havrilak took a handoff and ran right, intending to lateral the ball to quarterback Earl Morrall, but under pressure, he threw to unintended receiver Eddie Hinton, who ran to the end zone, but was stripped from behind by Cowboys defensive back Cornell Green. The loose ball bounced around for 20 yards, six players failed to recover it and it wound up going through the back of the end zone for a touchback.
12. Big Kick (1971): But the game had a thrilling ending. The Colts overcame five fumbles (four recovered by the Dallas Cowboys), three interceptions and a blocked extra point and won the game 16-13 on a 32-yard field goal by rookie Jim O’Brien with five seconds remaining.
13. Losing MVP (1971): Super Bowl 5 is the only one in which the Most Valuable Player award was given to a member of the losing team. Voting takes place before the end of the game, so Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley was voted MVP after making two interceptions.
14. Bye, Bye Bands (1976): The first nine Super Bowls had college bands at halftime such as Southern University, Southeast Missouri State, Grambling State, and Florida A&M. But that trend ended with Super Bowl 10. The group Up With People performed an elaborate Bicentennial tribute.
15. Black Sunday (1976): Scenes for the 1977 movie “Black Sunday,” about a fictional terrorist attack on the Super Bowl using the Goodyear Blimp, were filmed during Super Bowl 10. The movie crew was given permission by the NFL to shoot extensive footage for the film’s final half hour as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17. A week later, the crew returned to the Orange Bowl to film the scene where the blimp crashes into the stadium. Thousands of extras were provided by the United Way to fill the stands. Members of the Miami Dolphins were hired as extras, as well, and outfitted with Cowboys and Steelers uniforms to appear in those scenes.
16. It’s About Time (1976): Super Bowl 10 was the first in which the play clock was visible to the teams and fans.
17: What Concussion? (1976): Going into the Super Bowl, fans wondered whether Lynn Swann would play. He had sustained a severe concussion in the AFC Championship Game against the Raiders that forced him to spend two days in a hospital. Not only did he play, he had 161 yards on four catches, including a 64-yard touchdown catch.
18. Bye, Bye Turf (1976): Super Bowl 10 was the last game played on artificial turf at the Orange Bowl. The turf, which had been in place since 1970, was replaced by natural grass in 1976.
19. OB’s Finale (1979): Super Bowl 13 was the last of five played at the Orange Bowl.
20. Trash Talking (1979): Before the game, Cowboys linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson predicted a shutout and said: “[Terry] Bradshaw couldn’t spell ‘cat’ if you spotted him the ‘c’ and the ‘a’.” Bradshaw had the last laugh.
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21. Bradshaw Shines (1979): Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Bradshaw was named Super Bowl MVP, after completing 17 of 30 passes for Super Bowl records of 318 passing yards and four touchdown passes. His 75-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter also tied Johnny Unitas (Super Bowl 5) for the longest pass in a Super Bowl.
22. Memorable Coin Flip (1979): The coin toss ceremony featured Hall of Famer and longtime Chicago Bears owner/head coach George Halas. He was driven onto the field in a 1920 car to commemorate the 1920 founding of the NFL.
23. Quality QBs (1979): One of the highlights of Super Bowl 13 was the matchup of superstar quarterbacks Bradshaw of the Steelers and Roger Staubach of the Cowboys. Both already had two Super Bowl victories heading into the game. Staubach became the first quarterback to start four Super Bowls.
24. New Home (1989): Super Bowl 23 was held at Joe Robbie Stadium, the first Miami Super Bowl not held at the Orange Bowl
25. Drug Bust (1989): On the eve of Super Bowl 23, Cincinnati Bengals fullback Stanley Wilson was caught using cocaine in his hotel room. The Bengals left him off the game roster. It was Wilson’s third violation of the league’s drug policy, so the NFL banned him for life.
26. Miami Burning (1989): The mood of Miami was tense and somber on the days preceding Super Bowl 23 as riots broke out in the downtown neighborhoods of Overtown and Liberty City following the shooting by a Miami police officer of a black motorcyclist who was fleeing another officer. The Cincinnati Bengals could see the fires from their hotel rooms.
27. The Piano Man (1989): Billy Joel sang the national anthem at Super Bowl 23.
28. The Drive (1989): One of the most memorable drives in Super Bowl history was the San Francisco 49ers’ fourth-quarter game-winning drive in Super Bowl 23. Trailing 16–13, San Francisco got the ball at its 8-yard line with 3:10 to go and drove 92 yards for the score. Jerry Rice caught a 27-yard pass on second-and-20 and the game-winning TD pass was Joe Montana to John Taylor with 34 seconds left.
29. Candy Man (1989): After the Super Bowl victory, 49ers players revealed that during the huddle preceding the game-winning drive, Joe Montana, sensing his teammates were tense, turned to tackle Harris Barton, pointed into the stands and asked, “Hey, isn’t that John Candy?” In fact, it was the funny actor, and that moment broke the ice in the huddle.
30. Breaking Barriers (1995): During Super Bowl 29, Lesley Visser became the first female broadcaster assigned to a Super Bowl sideline.
31. Quick Start (1995): On the third play of the opening drive, 49ers quarterback Steve Young threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Rice. The 49ers became the second team to score on the opening drive (the first being the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 8). They also set a new Super Bowl record for the fastest touchdown (later broken by the Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester).
32. Halftime Extravaganza (1995): Disney produced the most elaborate halftime show to date, a tribute to its new Indiana Jones Adventure ride at Disneyland. The show featured performances by singers Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, and the Miami Sound Machine.
33. Out of the Shadow (1995): The 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowls when they knocked off the San Diego Chargers 49-26. Quarterback Steve Young threw for 325 yards and six touchdowns and finally stepped out of the shadow of the legendary Montana, who had won four Super Bowls.
34. Records (1995): Ken Norton Jr. became the first player to win three consecutive Super Bowls. He was a member of the Cowboys teams that won Super Bowls 27 and 28. Deion Sanders became the first player to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, as he played in the 1992 World Series with the Atlanta Braves.
35. Special Teams (1995): One of the Colts’ most memorable plays was Andre Coleman’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter, which tied a Super Bowl record.
36. Late-night Trouble (1999): The night before Super Bowl 33, Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was arrested for solicitation of prostitution. Driving alone in a rented car along a downtown Miami street, he approached a female undercover police officer posing as a prostitute and offered $40 for oral sex. Earlier that day, he had accepted the Bart Starr Award for leadership and “high moral character.” He was released from jail and played in the game.
37. Pregame Drama (1999): Much of the pregame hype was about John Elway facing his former coach Dan Reeves. Denver head coach Mike Shanahan was irked by Reeves’ assertion that Shanahan and Elway had conspired to have him fired from Denver.
38. Memorable Anthem (1999): Cher sang the national anthem.
39. Legendary Halftime (1999): Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy were featured in the halftime show. Wonder sang “Sir Duke”, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, and “I Wish”. And Miami-native Estefan performed “Oye!” and “Turn the Beat Around.
40. Curtain Call (1999): Elway led Denver to a 34-19 win over Atlanta in his final game before he announced his retirement on May 2, 1999. He completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards with one touchdown, and also scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown. At 38, Elway became the oldest player to be named Super Bowl MVP, a record that stood until Tom Brady won in 2017 at 39.
41. Sad Company: Dan Reeves became the fourth head coach to lose four Super Bowls, joining Bud Grant, Don Shula, and Marv Levy.
42. Piano Man II (2007): Joel sang the national anthem. Again.
43. Hurricane Moment (2007): On the game-opening kickoff, former University of Miami speedster Hester returned the ball 92 yards for a touchdown to give the Chicago Bears an early lead. It was the first game-opening kickoff returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history.
44. Canes make history (2007): After Hester’s touchdown, another former University of Miami player, Reggie Wayne, scored a touchdown for the Colts. It was the first time in Super Bowl history the first two touchdowns were scored by players from the same college.
45. Purple Rain (2007): Does it get better than Prince singing “Purple Rain” in a driving rainstorm? Some other artist might have canceled or postponed when they saw the deluge, but Prince rocked on with the Queen anthem, “We Will Rock You”, and then sang epic versions of “Let’s Go Crazy”, “1999” and “Proud Mary”.
46. Peyton Shines (2007): Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was named the Most Valuable Player. He completed 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown and an interception.
47. Breaking Barriers II (2007): The Bears’ Lovie Smith and the Colts’ Tony Dungy were the first African-American head coaches to coach in the Super Bowl, and Dungy was the first to win it.
48. 4 Rings (2007): Adam Vinatieri of the Colts became the first kicker to play in five Super Bowls and the first to win four Super Bowl rings.
49. Pregame Music (2010): Carrie Underwood sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” and Queen Latifah sang “America the Beautiful.”
50. Controversial commercial (2010): There was much controversy about a new Super Bowl advertiser, Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group which aired a pro-life commercial featuring 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother.
51. Who did Halftime (2010): The Who performed the halftime show. The band played a medley of hits, including “Pinball Wizard”, “Baba O’Riley”, “Who Are You”, “See Me, Feel Me” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.
52. Trick Play (2010): The Colts, leading 10-6 at halftime, were caught off guard when Saints coach Sean Payton called an onside kick to start the second half. It was the first onside kick before the fourth quarter in Super Bowl history. Thomas Morstead kicked the ball to his left, and after traveling almost 15 yards, the ball bounced off the face-mask of the Colts’ Hank Baskett, and the Saints recovered. Quarterback Drew Brees completed five consecutive passes for 58 yards, and Pierre Thomas ran it into the end zone to give the Saints a 13-10 lead.
53. Oldie but Goodie (2010): Indianapolis kicker Matt Stover became the oldest player to participate and score in a Super Bowl at 42 years and 11 days.
54. Katrina Aftermath (2010): Brees was named MVP for tying a Super Bowl record by completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, Brees said, “Four years ago, who ever thought this would be happening when 85 percent of the city was under water? Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back. We just all looked at one another and said, ‘We are going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’ This is the culmination in all that belief.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 2:13 PM.