SUPER BOWL XIV RETROSPECTIVE

1980 - STEELERS CEMENT THEIR LEGACY WITH FOURTH SB VICTORY

Editor's Note: Went out of sequence in forgetting XIV, so today we go back in time. Tomorrow we get back on track with XVI in 1983.

 

Hacksaw Reynolds vs. Franco's Italian Army.

Stallworth's catch on SI and the aftermath below.  Watched this game at my folks house in Traverse City.

Back to a later kick at 6:00 pm Eastern.  The reference to the "World Championship" on the ticket and "NFL Championship" on the program continues.  The ticket and program are graphics with a collage of Hollywood and SoCal imagery.  Kind of a mess.

GAME SUMMARY FROM JOE BELOCK, NY DAILY NEWS 

It took two big plays from a man who was usually the best Steeler in a supporting role to spoil a Hollywood ending in Super Bowl XIV. John Stallworth caught the go-ahead, 73-yard touchdown pass and made a 45-yard grab to set up another TD in the fourth quarter as the Steelers avoided one of the biggest upsets in sports history with a 31-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
 

A year earlier, the Rams had won a fictional Super Bowl in the movie “Heaven Can Wait.” Now, 15 miles down the road from Tinseltown, they were threatening to win the real thing behind an unknown quarterback, and take down the Steel Curtain dynasty in the process. Vince Ferragamo, a former fourth-round pick who took over for the final five games after Pat Haden got hurt, was picking the defending champs apart, and had the Rams in front, 19-17, after three quarters.  

Scene from the 1978 move Heaven Can Wait with Warren Beatty as a Rams Quarterback.  I loved the old Rams Uni's.
Among the best ever. That's CMU Grad Dick Enberg on the left.

Enter Stallworth, who played in the shadow of fellow receiver Lynn Swann, not to mention Pittsburgh’s other superstars. Facing third-and-8 from his own 27-yard line, Terry Bradshaw fired a bomb down the middle that barely cleared the swiping arm of Rod Perry. Stallworth grabbed the ball on a dead run and dashed the final 35 yards into the end zone to give the Steelers the lead for good.

After the teams traded punts, Ferragamo mounted one final charge. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 47 yards to reach the Steelers’ 32. Ferragamo then made his first — and only — mistake of the night. He didn’t see Billy Waddy wide open down the right sideline, and instead fired a pass over the middle for Ron Smith. Jack Lambert intercepted with 5:24 left to set up Stallworth’s second big play.
Bradshaw, on third-and-7, hit Stallworth for 45 yards to the Rams’ 22. After a 21-yard interference penalty on Perry, Franco Harris scored from a yard out to clinch the Steelers’ record fourth Super Bowl victory.

Ferragamo threw three TD passes to upset the Cowboys, then beat Tampa Bay to make the Rams the first nine-win team to reach the Super Bowl. Ferragamo completed 15 of 25 passes for 212 yards in his heroic effort.

Bradshaw won his second straight Super Bowl MVP despite throwing three INTs, throwing for 309 yards and two TDs. Stallworth caught three passes for 121 yards.

Chuck Noll had a bitter first Super Bowl experience as defensive coordinator for the Colts in Super Bowl III. The next year, Noll began building his dynasty. During Super Bowl week, Noll turned his players loose on the host city, not imposing curfews or restrictions. The players rewarded his trust by making him the only coach to win four Super Bowls.

As for the Rams, they would head down the Santa Ana Freeway to Anaheim for the next 15 seasons before moving to St. Louis, where another quarterback would come out of nowhere to lead them to the Super Bowl 20 years after Ferragamo in a story even Hollywood couldn’t have dreamed up.





Rams had a great run in the 70's but always came up short in the NFC play-offs, often to Minnesota. This was their only Super Bowl appearance as the LA Rams. 



This was the last of the 70's Steelers four (4) Super Bowl victories placing them alongside the 60's Packers as one of the sports' greatest dynasties.