SUPER BOWL RETROSPECTIVE XIX

1985 - MONTANA OUTGUNS MARINO 

First and only game at Stanford Stadium,
virtually a home game for the Niners.



Game is on January 20 and kick -off is moved back to 6:00 pm EST.  I remember it snowed like hell in northern Michigan and I watched the game at the now defunct Sugar Loaf Ski Resort as a sophomore in high school.

Back to photo-realism for SB XIX, a shot of the
 Lombardi Trophy in front of the Golden Gate Bridge and the SF skyline.

 

FUN FACTS

The San Francisco 49ers received a winner's share of $36,000. The Miami Dolphins received a loser's share of $18,000.

The average cost of a 30-second commercial was $500,000

The face value of Super Bowl XIX tickets was $60.

The San Francisco 49ers were 3.5 point favorites.

 This is the first time in Super Bowl history each team has lost two or less times in the regular season.

Super Bowl XIX: Joe Montana outduels Dan Marino as 49ers rout Dolphins in 1985, 38-16

Super Joe threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 59 yards and a TD to win his second Super Bowl MVP award.

By Joe Belock / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

  

The quarterback battle of the century lived up to the hype. For one quarter.

Dan Marino vs. Joe Montana gave the Super Bowl its greatest quarterback matchup, and in the early going they delivered.

But while the 1984 season belonged to Miami’s record-setting second-year quarterback, Super Bowl XIX belonged to Montana.


Super Joe threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 59 yards and a TD to win his second Super Bowl MVP award, leading the Niners to a 38-16 rout of the Dolphins at Stanford Stadium, virtually a home game for San Francisco.

The QB duel brought the promised thrills in the first quarter. Marino completed nine of his 10 passes in the quarter, leading the Dolphins to a field goal and a touchdown, a two-yard pass to tight end Dan Johnson, on their two possessions in the quarter. Montana answered the Miami field goal by completing 4-of-4 passes on a 78-yard touchdown drive, culminating in a 33 yard scoring pass to running back Carl Monroe.

The 49ers took the lead for good midway through the second quarter with the help of the one dimension Montana had a clear edge over Marino: mobility. Montana ran for 19 yards to start a TD drive that ended with an eight-yard pass to Roger Craig to make it 14-10, starting a string of Niner scores on five straight possessions. Montana ran for a six-yard touchdown and Craig ran for a two-yard score as the Niners opened up a 28-10 lead. 

What happened to Marino? The Niner defense switched from their 3-4 alignment to six defensive backs and just one linebacker, Keena Turner, for the rest of the game.

Marino drove Miami for a field goal in the two-minute drill, then the Niners fumbled the kickoff to set up another field goal to make the halftime score respectable at 28-16. The Niner defense, 
overshadowed by Montana during the season despite allowing the fewest points in the NFL, had allowed just 10 points in playoff wins over the Giants and Bears. And that defense threw a second-half shutout against the team that led the NFL in points (513) and total yards (7,064), and had scored 76 points in its two playoff victories. 

With the big lead, the Niners could tee off on Marino. They sacked him four times, all in the second half, two of them by Dwaine Board. One sack came on Miami’s first series of the half, and two came on back-to-back plays the next time Miami had the ball. The Niners intercepted Marino twice, both in the second half.

The Niners gained a Super Bowl record 537 yards and their 38 points tied a Super Bowl record. Craig scored a Super Bowl record three TDs. Montana joined Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as two-time Super Bowl MVPs.

The previous season ended with a bitter defeat to the Redskins in the NFC title game on a Mark Moseley field goal set up by two penalties. That loss drove the Niners all season, from the start of training camp. They went 15-1, the first team to win 15 regular-season games, then dominated throughout the playoffs, leaving no doubt this time.

SUPER BOWL XVIII RETROSPECTIVE

1984 - RAIDERS IN A ROUT 

Jack Squirek on the cover of SI.  The beloved Raiders of my youth won their third Super Bowl in seven (7) years.  I watched the game at my folks house in TC.

Game moves up a week to January 22 and
kick-off is moved up to 4:30 pm EST.

  

Good God these are horrible graphics!   My vote for the worst program cover to date.



BEST QUOTE
 

"I’d run over Russ Grimm's mother, too.” 
-Raiders LB Matt Millen on being told that Redskins' Guard Russ Grimm said he'd run over his mother to win the Super Bowl.




BEST SUPER BOWL AD EVER ?

  

 

 Most critics seem to think that Apple's "1984" commercial introducing the Mac computer is the

 greatest Super Bowl Ad ever aired and perhaps

the best TV ad of all time.

Super Bowl XVIII: Marcus Allen, Rod Martin lead Raiders in rout of Redskins

Allen had two touchdowns, and Martin led a defense that dominated the most prolific offense in NFL history as the L.A. Raiders stuffed the defending world champion Washington Redskins, 38-9.

By Joe Belock / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Friday, January 3, 2014, 10:29 PM

Rod Martin had Super bad timing. 

The Raiders linebacker played two of the greatest defensive games in Super Bowl history. But both of his nights were overshadowed by two of the all-time Super Bowl performances.

In Super Bowl XV, Martin intercepted a Super Bowl-record three passes and recovered a fumble on a kickoff but did not get the MVP award as quarterback Jim Plunkett capped his riches-to-rags-to-riches football rebirth.

For an encore in Super Bowl XVIII, Martin led a defense that dominated the most prolific offense in NFL history as the L.A. Raiders stuffed the defending world champion Washington Redskins, 38-9. Martin had a sack, a fumble recovery, a key pass breakup in the second quarter and a huge stop of John Riggins, the previous year’s Super Bowl MVP, on a big fourth-and-1.

No one seemed to notice as Marcus Allen cut-back his way into history with a Super Bowl-record 191 yards and two touchdowns. The second-year superstar out of USC gained 74 of them on the greatest run in Super Bowl history, cutting back on a broken play from left to right and scampering through the entire Redskin defense for a spectacular third-quarter touchdown. That TD came on the play right after Martin had stuffed Riggins. Allen’s first TD, also in the third quarter, came on another cutback, not nearly as dramatic but still amazing, from five yards out.

Allen’s two TDs put the game away but the defense had put the Raiders in control by that point. The Raiders scored first on a Derrick Jensen blocked punt for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Plunkett threw passes of 50 and 12 yards to Cliff Branch to make it 14-0.

Joe Theismann rallied the Skins, driving them to the Raider 7. But Martin broke up a third-down pass and forced the Skins to settle for a field goal.

The Raiders then had the Skins pinned deep in their own territory right before halftime when backup linebacker Jack Squirek intercepted a screen pass and ran it in for a touchdown to make it 21-3.

Theismann drove the Skins 70 yards for a touchdown, a one-yard run by Riggins, to start the second half to make it 21-9 (the extra point was blocked). The Raiders answered with Allen’s first TD, set up by a 38-yard pass interference penalty. Trailing 28-9, the Skins recovered a fumble on the Raider 35. Three plays later, they faced fourth-and-1. In Super Bowl XVII, Riggins broke a 43-yard TD run on fourth-and-1 to give the Skins the lead for good. This time, Martin was there to stuff him. Allen then zigged and zagged his way to immortality. Super Bowl XVIII was over.

 Howie Long & Lyle Alzado.  All natural.

The Redskins had beaten the Raiders in the regular season, 37-35. In November, the Raiders sent two draft picks to the Patriots for the rights to cornerback Mike Haynes, who was sitting out in a contract dispute. Haynes teamed with Lester Hayes to form a shutdown corner duo. In the Super Bowl, the pair silenced Art Monk and Alvin Garrett, leaving the linebackers free to either rush Theismann or help gang up on Riggins. Martin did both, and the Raiders were Super again.

FUN FACTS

The victory improved the Los Angeles Raiders' franchise Super Bowl record to 3-1.
The loss dropped the Washington Redskins' franchise Super Bowl record to 1-2.

The coin toss was performed by Bronko Nagurski.

The Los Angeles Raiders received a winner's share of $36,000.

The Washington Redskins received a loser's share of $18,000.

The average cost of a 30-second commercial was $450,000.

The face value of Super Bowl XVIII tickets was $60.

The Washington Redskins were 3 point favorites.

SUPER BOWL MOMENT OF ZEN:   

 

DAILY DOUBLE

That's MTV's Downtown Julie Brown & NMU's own Mark Maddox from an article in yesterday's USA Today about great moments in SB Media Day History. 
 

 SUPER BOWL XVII RETROSPECTIVE

1983 - RIGGO GOES HOG WILD



Four of the original "Hogs" looking like something straight of a Western. First time I remember any group of O-Lineman getting any glory.

Future HOFer Russ Grim was Boss Hog. Per the Washington Post, "[w]hen Joe Bugel retired in  . . .  he told the greatest story ever, in which Russ Grimm threw up a whole hot dog during an evening practice at Carlisle, then put it back in his mouth and ate it, saying "Can't waste a good dog, now." Doc Walker said it was only a quarter of a dog, but added that Grimm was a "total neanderthal."

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Riggo on SI. His infamous "Loosen up Sandy, baby," episode wasn't until a few years later. See Wa Post blurb below.

The Hogs vs the Killer B's. Hogs won 27-17.

Graphics again on the ticket and program cover with a box office sign evoking old Hollywood.  I watched the game at my parents house in Traverse City as a high-school freshman and aspiring "Hog."

Kick-Off is at 6:00 pm EST, however, the game is now played on the second last day of January (January 30) due to play-off expansion.  Game the prior year was played on January 24.

  

Super Bowl XVII: John Riggins' record-setting day leads Redskins over Dolphins, 27-17

Riggins rushed for a Super Bowl-record 166 yards on a Super Bowl-record 38 carries to lead a Super Bowl record 276-yard team total behind The Hogs center Jeff Bostic, tackles Joe Jacoby and George Starke, guards Russ Grimm and Mark May and tight end Don Warren. 

By Joe Belock / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, January 2, 2014, 8:42 Pm

Every Hog has its day, and this time it fell on Super Sunday. The Hogs, the Washington Redskins’ offensive line, dominated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII in a 27-17 victory. John Riggins won the MVP, rushing for a Super Bowl-record 166 yards on a Super Bowl-record 38 carries to lead a Super Bowl record 276-yard team total behind The Hogs center Jeff Bostic, tackles Joe Jacoby and George Starke, guards Russ Grimm and Mark May and tight end Don Warren.

 The Dolphins set up the second rematch in Super Bowl history (after Cowboys-Steelers) on the strength of their Killer B’s defense, which had shut out the Jets in the Miami mud in the AFC title game. But the B’s proved to be no match for the Hogs, nicknamed in training camp by coordinator Joe Bugel. Miami held a 17-10 halftime lead, mainly on two big plays David Woodley’s 76-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Cefalo and Fulton Walker’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the first kickoff return for a score in Super Bowl history. Walker’s TD followed a Redskins scoring drive that was a preview of the Hog dominance to come in the second half: 80 yards in 11 plays. The Skins drove for a field goal midway through the third quarter to make it 17-13.
The Dolphins dropped a chance to put the game away. Kim Bokamper deflected a pass from a scrambling Joe Theismann and was about to grab it on the 5-yard line and waltz into the end zone. But Theismann turned into a defensive back and knocked the ball out of Bokamper’s hands.

Facing fourth-and-1 from the Miami 43-yard line early in the fourth, Redskins second-year coach Joe Gibbs elected to go for it. He called for a run left, the same play Riggins had gotten one yard on two plays earlier. This time, the ex-Jet busted through a big hole untouched. At the 41, cornerback Don McNeal grabbed Riggins at the waist but The Diesel put his right hand on McNeal’s helmet and shoved him away, then chugged down the left sideline for a 43-yard touchdown that put the Skins ahead to stay.

After a three-and-out, Dolphins coach Don Shula planned to bench Woodley for veteran Don Strock the next time Miami got the ball. But thanks to the Hogs, by the time Strock got on the field, the game was over.

Washington handed off to Riggins five straight times to start a 12-play drive, culminating in Theismann’s six-yard TD pass to Charlie Brown with less than two minutes left.
In the second half, Miami had just two first downs and zero pass completions. Shula made fixing his offense a priority in the quarterback-rich 1983 draft.

Gibbs’ most important move as Redskins coach came before his first season kicked off. Riggins had sat out the 1980 season in a contract dispute. Gibbs traveled to Kansas and talked Riggins into coming back in 1981. A year later, long-suffering Skins fans, whose team hadn’t won a title since 1943, were in Hog heaven.

Riggo's Ring.

 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.