Misplaced Pages

#357642

210-687: Super Bowl XXX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1995 season . The Cowboys defeated the Steelers by the score of 27–17, winning their fifth Super Bowl in team history. The game

420-563: A Missing man formation . To honor the 30th Super Bowl game, several past Super Bowl MVPs joined the coin toss ceremony (similar to 10 years earlier in Super Bowl XX , and then repeated every 10 years thereafter in Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl 50 ). Joe Montana, MVP of Super Bowls XVI , XIX , and XXIV , tossed the coin. Diana Ross performed during the halftime show , titled "Take Me Higher: A Celebration of 30 years of

630-403: A halftime period, and the first and third quarters are followed by a short break. Before the game starts, the referee and each team's captain meet at midfield for a coin toss . The visiting team can call either "heads" or "tails"; the winner of the toss chooses whether to receive or kick off the ball or which goal they wish to defend. They can defer their choice until the second half. Unless

840-401: A 10-yard-long chain between them, are used to measure for a first down. The chain crew stays on the sidelines during the game, but if requested by the officials they will briefly bring the chains on to the field to measure. A typical chain crew will have at least three people—two members of the chain crew will hold either of the two sticks, while a third will hold the down marker. The down marker,

1050-406: A 10–6 halftime lead (replays showed that Stewart stepped on the end line before making the catch, which would have made him ineligible). Stewart later said after the game: "I was hit in the end zone for pass interference earlier but (the refs) didn't throw a flag, so what goes around comes around." After the teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter, Indianapolis quarterback Jim Harbaugh threw

1260-476: A 12–4 regular season record, largely through the strength of their no-huddle offense . After trailing 13–6 at halftime, the Cowboys scored 24 unanswered points in the second half. The Bills had built their lead off of running back Thurman Thomas ' 4-yard touchdown run. But just 45 seconds into the third quarter, Thomas was stripped of the ball, and Dallas safety James Washington returned the fumble 46 yards for

1470-617: A 17–13 upset loss to the San Diego Chargers in the 1994 AFC Championship Game . In 1995, the Steelers overcame a 3–4 start (including a 20–16 upset loss to the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars ) to win eight of their final nine games and finished with an 11–5 record, the second-best in the AFC. Their offense was led by quarterback Neil O'Donnell , who completed 246 out of 416 passes for 2,970 yards and 17 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions. Pro Bowl wide receiver Yancey Thigpen

1680-491: A 20-yard pass on second down to wide receiver Michael Irvin , which was followed by a 23-yard rush by running back Emmitt Smith to advance to the Pittsburgh 28-yard line. The run would be Smith's longest of the day (as well as his longest run on a grass field the entire season) and the longest for either team. On 3rd-and-8 from the 26-yard line, Williams could only gain 2 yards on a reverse play, forcing Dallas to settle for

1890-423: A 28-yard field goal to increase Buffalo's lead to 13–6 and end the half. Buffalo's command over the game proved short-lived, as they began to face a red-hot Dallas defense in the second half. Three plays into the third quarter, defensive tackle Leon Lett forced a fumble on Thomas, and Washington returned the ball 46 yards for a touchdown to tie the game, 13–13. Bills wide receiver Russell Copeland then returned

2100-496: A 29-yard field goal to give the Bills a 23–17 lead. Los Angeles managed to respond with an 86-yard scoring strike from Hostetler to receiver Tim Brown , but Buffalo stormed right back with Brooks' 22-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. The Bills ended up winning the game 29–23, having scored 16 points in a span of 6:18 in the second half. Kelly threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. One week later,

2310-473: A 42-yard Chris Boniol field goal. On the Steelers' first possession, the Dallas defense forced a three-and-out and subsequent punt, which Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders returned 11 yards to the 25-yard line. After two Smith runs, Aikman completed two quick passes, the first to Irvin for an 11-yard gain and the second to Sanders (who was brought in on offense as an extra receiver) for 47 yards. Sanders became

SECTION 10

#1732772454358

2520-595: A 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Floyd Turner to give the Colts a 16–13 lead in the fourth quarter. The Steelers drove 67 yards on their final drive (keyed by a 4th down-and-3 conversion and a 37-yard pass play from O'Donnell to Ernie Mills ) to score the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run by Morris with 1:34 left. Mills broke up what would have been a game-clinching interception by Colts linebacker Quentin Coryatt several plays earlier. The Colts responded by driving to

2730-429: A 50-yard field goal, while all the 49ers could do was score a useless touchdown in "garbage time" to make the final score 38–21. Smith rushed for 88 yards, caught seven passes for 85 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Dallas defense held 49ers running back Ricky Watters , who rushed for over 100 yards and scored 5 touchdowns in the divisional round, to just 37 yards on 12 carries. Buffalo's first opponent

2940-465: A Boniol field goal, and a record 99-yard drive to score on Smith's 1-yard touchdown run, giving them a 24–17 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Green Bay regained the lead, 27–24 with a field goal and another touchdown pass from Favre to Brooks. However, Dallas scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away, 38–27. A 90-yard drive was capped with Smith's second touchdown run. On Green Bay's ensuing drive, Larry Brown intercepted

3150-525: A PAT attempt or successful field goal, the scoring team must kick the ball off to the other team. A safety is scored when the ball carrier is tackled in the carrier's own end zone. Safeties are worth two points, which are awarded to the defense. In addition, the team that conceded the safety must kick the ball to the scoring team via a free kick . Football games are played on a rectangular field that measures 120 yards (110 m) long and 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (48.8 m) wide. Lines marked along

3360-715: A Super Bowl in which Montana took on the San Francisco 49ers led by Steve Young , who had replaced Montana as their starting quarterback, or the Dallas Cowboys, who had displaced the 49ers to become the most dominant team in the NFC. However, Buffalo quickly crushed this prospect, burying Kansas City with a dominating 30–13 victory in the AFC Championship Game. Thomas rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns, and caught two passes for 22 yards. On defense,

3570-557: A Super Bowl title. Only one other coach has since equaled the feat: Pete Carroll ( USC and Seattle ). After a many-year-long tradition of presenting the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the winning team in its locker room after the game, the NFL began the tradition of presenting the trophy on the field. The outcome of the game had rather large ramifications for two soon-to-be free agents after their performances. Larry Brown, who

3780-453: A field goal instead. A group of officials, the chain crew, keeps track of both the downs and the distance measurements. On television, a yellow line is electronically superimposed on the field to show the first down line to the viewing audience. There are two categories of kicks in football: scrimmage kicks, which can be executed by the offensive team on any down from behind or on the line of scrimmage, and free kicks. The free kicks are

3990-445: A game-winning drive. However, on second down, Brown intercepted another O'Donnell pass and returned it 33 yards to the Steelers' 6-yard line. The play was a mirror image of O'Donnell's first interception to Brown; a throw in the right flat thrown under a heavy Cowboys blitz into the arms of Brown with no Steelers receiver in sight. After the game, O'Donnell said that he was throwing in the spot he expected receiver Corey Holliday to be on

4200-457: A group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they could now hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, in a game between Yale and Princeton, both teams used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records. Each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0–0 tie. This "block game" proved extremely unpopular with both teams' spectators and fans. A rule change

4410-533: A large stick with a dial on it, is flipped after each play to indicate the current down and is typically moved to the approximate spot of the ball. The chain crew system has been used for over 100 years and is considered an accurate measure of distance, rarely subject to criticism from either side. Football is a full-contact sport, and injuries are relatively common. Most injuries occur during training sessions, particularly ones that involve contact between players. To try to prevent injuries, players are required to wear

SECTION 20

#1732772454358

4620-476: A league single-season record with 25 rushing touchdowns. Smith was also a reliable receiver out of the backfield, recording a career-high 62 receptions for 375 yards. Fullback Daryl Johnston added 111 rushing yards, while also catching 30 passes for 248 and scoring three touchdowns. Pro Bowl wide receiver Michael Irvin led the team in receiving with 111 catches for 1,603 yards and 10 touchdowns. Kevin Williams

4830-408: A long circumference of 28 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (71 to 72 cm), and a short circumference of 21 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). In college and high school play the ball has a long axis of 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 to 11 + 7 ⁄ 16 inches (27.6 to 29.1 cm), a long circumference of 27 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (70 to 72 cm), and

5040-420: A minimum of 10 feet (3.0 m) on high school fields. Goal posts are padded at the base, and orange ribbons are normally placed at the tip of each upright as indicators of wind strength and direction. The football itself is a prolate spheroid leather ball, similar to the balls used in rugby or Australian rules football . To contain the compressed air within it, a pig's bladder was commonly used before

5250-510: A modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association , although Yale did not join until 1879. Yale player Walter Camp , now regarded as the "Father of American Football", secured rule changes in 1880 that reduced the size of each team from 15 to 11 players and instituted the snap to replace the chaotic and inconsistent scrum . While the game between Rutgers and Princeton

5460-484: A new set of four downs to continue the drive . Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal . The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of soccer and rugby . The first American football game

5670-406: A pass for a 6-yard gain to the Dallas 11-yard line. Three plays later, Morris scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting Pittsburgh's deficit to 20–17. With the aid of linebacker Levon Kirkland 's 8-yard sack of Aikman, the Cowboys were forced to punt on their next drive, and Pittsburgh regained possession of the ball at their own 32-yard line with 4:15 remaining, giving them the opportunity to start

5880-502: A pass from Favre and returned it 28 yards to set up Smith's third touchdown run. Smith finished the game with 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while also catching two passes for 17 yards. Aikman threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. Irvin caught seven passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. For the Steelers, they started their playoff run with a 40–21 win over the Buffalo Bills . Pittsburgh dominated

6090-428: A pass hits the ground without a player having caught it. A forward pass can be legally attempted only if the passer is behind the line of scrimmage; only one forward pass can be attempted per down. As in rugby, players can also pass the ball backwards at any point during a play. In the NFL, a down also ends immediately if the runner's helmet comes off. The offense is given a series of four plays, known as downs . If

6300-565: A phenomenal game with his 46-yard fumble return touchdown, an interception, forcing a Thurman Thomas fumble that Darren Woodson recovered, and collecting 11 tackles. Washington had only started in one game for the Cowboys during the season, but finished this one just a few votes short of earning the MVP award. For the Bills, wide receiver Andre Reed finished the game with 6 receptions for 75 yards to lead Buffalo, with Don Beebe catching 6 passes for 60 yards and returning 2 kickoffs for 63 yards. Thomas

6510-583: A player being paid to participate in a game of American football , although many athletic clubs in the 1880s offered indirect benefits, such as helping players attain employment, giving out trophies or watches that players could pawn for money, or paying double in expense money. Despite these extra benefits, the game had a strict sense of amateurism at the time, and direct payment to players was frowned upon, if not prohibited outright. Over time, professional play became increasingly common, and with it came rising salaries and unpredictable player movement, as well as

Super Bowl XXX - Misplaced Pages Continue

6720-427: A quarter ends, play continues until the down is completed. If certain fouls are committed during play while time has expired, the quarter may be extended through an untimed down . Games last longer than their defined length due to play stoppages—the average NFL game lasts slightly over three hours. Time in a football game is measured by the game clock. An operator is responsible for starting, stopping and operating

6930-511: A round ball. An 1875 Harvard–Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two Princeton athletes who were impressed by it. They introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to "selling refrigerators to Eskimos ". Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia then agreed to intercollegiate play using a form of rugby union rules with

7140-406: A second-down tackle on Thomas for a 1-yard loss and a 13-yard sack on Kelly on third down to push the ball back to the 22-yard line and force Buffalo to punt, leading to a poor, 29-yard kick by Mohr, which the Cowboys recovered at their own 49-yard line. Dallas then cemented their second consecutive Super Bowl title with a 9-play, 49-yard scoring drive that took 4:10 off the clock. On the sixth play of

7350-436: A secondary signal. Women can serve as officials; Sarah Thomas became the NFL's first female official in 2015. The seven officials (of a standard seven-man crew; lower levels of play up to the college level use fewer officials) on the field are each tasked with a different set of responsibilities: Another set of officials, the chain crew , are responsible for moving the chains. The chains, consisting of two large sticks with

7560-403: A separate sport from rugby, and the resulting five-yard lines added to the field to measure distances made it resemble a gridiron in appearance. Other major rule changes included a reduction of the field size to 110 by 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (100.6 m × 48.8 m) and the adoption of a scoring system that awarded four points for a touchdown, two for a safety and a goal following

7770-539: A set of equipment. At a minimum players must wear a football helmet and a set of shoulder pads , but individual leagues may require additional padding such as thigh pads and guards, knee pads, chest protectors, and mouthguards . Most injuries occur in the lower extremities, particularly in the knee, but a significant number also affect the upper extremities. The most common types of injuries are strains , sprains , bruises , fractures , dislocations , and concussions . Super Bowl XXVIII Super Bowl XXVIII

7980-410: A short circumference of 20 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). Football games last for a total of 60 minutes in professional and college play and are divided into two halves of 30 minutes and four quarters of 15 minutes. High school football games are 48 minutes in length with two halves of 24 minutes and four quarters of 12 minutes. The two halves are separated by

8190-426: A special appearance by Naomi Judd , who joined Wynonna in performing The Judds ' single " Love Can Build a Bridge ", to which everyone eventually joined in. This was the first Super Bowl halftime show in which the main stadium lights were turned off for the performance. The show included dancers with yard-long light sticks. Though the Bills had a lead at halftime, Super Bowl XXVIII would have an identical outcome to

8400-422: A team-leading 854 yards and six touchdowns; wide receiver Bill Brooks had 60 receptions for 714 yards and five touchdowns; and wide receiver Don Beebe recorded 31 receptions for 504 yards and three touchdowns. Also, tight end Pete Metzelaars led the team with 68 receptions (a higher amount than his last four seasons combined) for 609 yards and four touchdowns. Pro Bowl offensive lineman Howard Ballard anchored

8610-416: A touchdown , and five for a goal from the field . Additionally, tackling below the waist was legalized, and a static line of scrimmage was instituted. Despite these new rules, football remained a violent sport. Dangerous mass-formations like the flying wedge resulted in serious injuries and deaths. A 1905 peak of 19 fatalities nationwide resulted in a threat by President Theodore Roosevelt to abolish

Super Bowl XXX - Misplaced Pages Continue

8820-775: A touchdown to tie the game. From there, Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith , who was named the Super Bowl MVP , largely took over the game. On Dallas' next possession, Smith was handed the ball seven times on an eight-play, 64-yard drive that was capped off with his 15-yard touchdown run. He later scored on a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Overall, Smith had 30 carries for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also catching 4 passes for 26 yards. NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXVIII to Atlanta during their May 23, 1990 meetings in Irving, Texas . It would be Atlanta's first of three Super Bowls (as of 2024) and first of two played at

9030-425: A touchdown. Cornerback Larry Brown led the team in interceptions with six for 124 return yards and two touchdowns. Pro Bowl defensive end Charles Haley led the team in sacks with 10.5, while defensive end Chad Hennings added 5.5. Safety Brock Marion recorded six interceptions, returning them for 40 yards and a touchdown. After starting fast at 8–1, the Cowboys hit a major bump in the road, losing big at home to

9240-414: A touchdown. Morris was the top rusher of the game with 73 yards and a touchdown, and also caught 3 passes for 18 yards. Hastings was the top receiver of the game with 10 receptions for 98 yards and returned 2 punts for 18 yards. Mills caught 8 passes for 78 yards and gained 79 yards on 4 kickoff returns, giving him 157 total yards. A knee injury he sustained in the fourth quarter would keep him out for most of

9450-453: A touchdown. The Steelers' rushing attack was led by Erric Pegram , who recorded 813 yards and five touchdowns, and Bam Morris , who had 559 yards and nine touchdowns. On special teams, newly acquired kicker Norm Johnson led the NFL in both field goals made (34) and field goals attempted (41), while also successfully making all 39 of his extra point attempts. Leading the offensive line was future Hall of Fame center Dermontti Dawson , who made

9660-460: Is a sport in which two competing teams vie for control of a ball, which can be kicked through a set of goalposts or run into the opponent's goal area to score points. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 , between Rutgers and Princeton , two college teams. They consisted of 25 players per team and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with

9870-425: Is called on the offense. There are two main ways the offense can advance the ball: running and passing . In a typical play, the center passes the ball backwards and between their legs to the quarterback in a process known as the snap . The quarterback then either hands the ball off to a running back, throws the ball, or runs with it. The play ends when the player with the ball is tackled or goes out-of-bounds or

10080-437: Is caught or recovered behind the line of scrimmage. If it is touched or recovered by the kicking team beyond this line, it becomes dead at the spot where it was touched. The kicking team is prohibited from interfering with the receiver's opportunity to catch the ball. The receiving team has the option of signaling for a fair catch , which prohibits the defense from blocking into or tackling the receiver. The play ends as soon as

10290-516: Is commonly considered the first American football game, several years prior in 1862, the Oneida Football Club formed as the oldest known football club in the United States. The team consisted of graduates of Boston's elite preparatory schools and played from 1862 to 1865. The introduction of the snap resulted in an unexpected consequence. Before the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position. However,

10500-403: Is known as a two-point conversion . In general, the extra point is almost always successful, while the two-point conversion is a much riskier play with a higher probability of failure; accordingly, extra point attempts are far more common than two-point conversion attempts. A field goal (FG), worth three points, is scored when the ball is place kicked or drop kicked through the uprights and over

10710-407: Is responsible for all kicking plays. The special teams unit of the team in control of the ball tries to execute field goal (FG) attempts, punts , and kickoffs , while the opposing team's unit will aim to block or return them. Three positions are specific to the field goal and PAT (point-after-touchdown) unit: the placekicker (K or PK), holder (H), and long snapper (LS). The long snapper's job

SECTION 50

#1732772454358

10920-533: Is the most popular sport in the United States in terms of broadcast viewership audience. The most popular forms of the game are professional and college football , with the other major levels being high-school and youth football. As of 2022 , nearly 1.04 million high-school athletes play the sport in the U.S., with another 81,000 college athletes in the NCAA and the NAIA . The National Football League (NFL) has

11130-421: Is to block members of the defensive line from tackling the ball carrier on running plays or sacking the quarterback on passing plays. The leader of the offensive line is the center, who is responsible for snapping the ball to the quarterback, blocking, and for making sure that the other linemen do their jobs during the play. On either side of the center are the guards (G), while tackles (T) line up outside

11340-437: Is to snap the football to the holder, who will catch and position it for the placekicker. There is not usually a holder on kickoffs, because the ball is kicked off a tee; however, a holder may be used in certain situations, such as if wind is preventing the ball from remaining upright on the tee. The player on the receiving team who catches the ball is known as the kickoff returner (KR). The positions specific to punt plays are

11550-419: The 1992 season . The Cowboys' journey to Super Bowl XXVIII proved more difficult than the previous season. Pro Bowl running back Emmitt Smith held out the first two regular season games over a contract dispute, and Dallas lost both of those contests, including a 13–10 loss at home to the Bills. Pro Bowl quarterback Troy Aikman , along with a few other key players, missed games due to injuries. Following

11760-492: The 49ers , 38–20 (they trailed 31–14 at halftime). Coincidentally, the 49ers, the previous Super Bowl champion, also suffered a blowout loss at home the prior season (40–8 to the Philadelphia Eagles ). Adding insult to injury, the 49ers were without starting quarterback Steve Young and fullback William Floyd . The game was highly anticipated, with verbal exchanges between the teams during the week, and it marked

11970-776: The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1997. The BCS arrangement proved to be controversial , and was replaced in 2014 by the College Football Playoff (CFP). A football game is played between two teams of 11 players each. Playing with more on the field is punishable by a penalty. Teams may substitute any number of their players between downs; this "platoon" system replaced the original system, which featured limited substitution rules, and has resulted in teams utilizing specialized offensive, defensive and special teams units. The number of players allowed on an active roster varies by league;

12180-523: The Georgia Dome . Four cities submitted bids including Atlanta ( Georgia Dome ), Miami ( Joe Robbie Stadium ), New Orleans ( Superdome ), and Tampa ( Tampa Stadium ). On the first ballot, Tampa was eliminated, mostly due to the fact that they were already scheduled to host XXV . Tampa Bay representative Hugh Culverhouse Jr. immediately threw their support behind the Atlanta bid. Atlanta won on

12390-594: The Green Bay Packers , who had eliminated the San Francisco 49ers in the other NFC Divisional Playoff Game. Dallas jumped to an early 14–3 lead with a pair of first quarter touchdown passes from Aikman to Irvin. However, Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw two touchdowns to take a 17–14 lead midway through the second quarter: a 73-yard strike to wide receiver Robert Brooks and a 24-yard pass to tight end Keith Jackson . Dallas stormed right back with

12600-563: The Miami Dolphins , was held to just 46 rushing yards and 12 receiving yards. Meanwhile, Morris rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns, while kicker Norm Johnson made four field goals. Pittsburgh then narrowly defeated the Indianapolis Colts , 20–16 to advance to their first Super Bowl since the 1979 season. In the second quarter, Neil O'Donnell 's controversial 5-yard touchdown pass to Kordell Stewart gave Pittsburgh

12810-703: The NFL Most Valuable Player Award . Fullback Daryl Johnston was also a reliable backfield threat, scoring four touchdowns and contributing a career-high 50 receptions for 371 yards. Pro Bowler Michael Irvin was once again the team's leading wide receiver, catching 88 passes for 1,330 yards and seven touchdowns. Wide receiver Alvin Harper caught 36 passes for 777 yards and five touchdowns, while Pro Bowl tight end Jay Novacek had 44 receptions for 445 yards and one touchdown. Pro Bowlers Mark Stepnoski , Erik Williams , and Nate Newton anchored

SECTION 60

#1732772454358

13020-483: The San Francisco 49ers for most Super Bowl wins. The Buffalo Bills became the only team to both play and lose four consecutive Super Bowls ( XXV , XXVI , XXVII , XXVIII) for a 0–4 franchise Super Bowl record, and as of 2024, remains the team's most recent Super Bowl appearance. This is also the most recent consecutive Super Bowl rematch. The game was played on January 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta . Since

13230-671: The Super Bowl lead-out program , NBC broadcast an hour-long episode of Friends , " The One After the Superbowl ", restarting a trend in which the prized post-Super Bowl time slot was given to an established program. Previously, networks typically used the occasion to premiere a new show, with little success. Of the new series premiering after the Super Bowl from 1983 to 1995, only The A-Team (NBC, after Super Bowl XVII), The Wonder Years (ABC, after XXII), and Homicide: Life on

13440-580: The United Kingdom on Channel 4 . Due to the fact that the game's Roman numeral, XXX, is usually associated with pornography , a number of internet filters blocked web sites for the event. This became one of the early cases of the web filter problem . Super Bowl XXX is the subject of the NFL's Greatest Games episode Duel in the Desert , based on the Super Bowl highlight film of the same name, which

13650-412: The center (C), are allowed to line up in or cross the neutral zone until the ball is snapped. Interior offensive linemen are not allowed to move until the snap of the ball. The main backfield positions are the quarterback (QB), halfback/tailback (HB/TB), and fullback (FB). The quarterback is the leader of the offense. Either the quarterback or a coach calls the plays. Quarterbacks typically inform

13860-409: The commissioner . NCAA and NFHS teams are "strongly advised" to number their offensive players according to a league-suggested numbering scheme. Although the sport is played almost exclusively by men, women are eligible to play in high school, college, and professional football. No woman has ever played in the NFL, but women have played in high school and college football games. In 2018, 1,100 of

14070-482: The highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world . Its championship game, the Super Bowl , ranks among the most-watched club sporting events globally. In 2022, the league had an annual revenue of around $ 18.6 billion, making it the most valuable sports league in the world. Other professional and amateur leagues exist worldwide, but the sport does not have the international popularity of other American sports like baseball or basketball ;

14280-411: The kickoff , which starts the first and third quarters and overtime and follows a try attempt or a successful field goal; the safety kick follows a safety. On a kickoff, the ball is placed at the 35-yard line of the kicking team in professional and college play and at the 40-yard line in high school play. The ball may be drop kicked or place kicked. If a place kick is chosen, the ball can be placed on

14490-407: The neutral zone was created along the width of the football before the snap. Scoring was also adjusted: points awarded for field goals were reduced to three in 1909 and points for touchdowns were raised to six in 1912. Also in 1912, the field was shortened to 100 yards (91 m) long, two 10-yard-long (9.1 m) end zones were created, and teams were given four downs instead of three to advance

14700-407: The punter (P), long snapper, upback , and gunner . The long snapper snaps the football directly to the punter, who then drops and kicks it before it hits the ground. Gunners line up split outside the line and race down the field, aiming to tackle the punt returner (PR)—the player who catches the punt. Upbacks line up a short distance behind the line of scrimmage, providing additional protection to

14910-456: The 15-yard line. However, the Steelers' defense stopped Smith for no gain on the next play, and then tackled him for a 3-yard loss on third down. Boniol then kicked a 35-yard field goal, increasing Dallas' lead to 13–0. After an exchange of punts, Steelers wide receiver Andre Hastings returned John Jett 's punt 11 yards to the Pittsburgh 46-yard line. After O'Donnell's first-down pass fell incomplete, Dallas linebacker Charles Haley then sacked

15120-413: The 1966 season. Once the merger was completed, it was no longer a championship game between two leagues and reverted to the NFL championship game, which came to be known as the Super Bowl . College football maintained a tradition of postseason bowl games . Each bowl game was associated with a particular conference and earning a spot in a bowl game was the reward for winning a conference. This arrangement

15330-600: The 1993 regular season was conducted over 18 weeks (two byes per team), the traditional bye week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl was not employed; the last time this had happened was before Super Bowl XXV . This is the only time that the same two teams have met in consecutive Super Bowls. The defending Super Bowl XXVII champion Cowboys finished with a 12–4 regular season record, despite key players missing games due to injuries. The Bills were making their fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance, but still seeking their first title, after also finishing with

15540-414: The 1996 season. Charles Haley became the first player to win five Super Bowl championships, winning two with San Francisco (XXIII and XXIV) and two previously with Dallas (XXVII and XXVIII). Barry Switzer became the second head coach, after former Cowboys and University of Miami head coach Jimmy Johnson , to win a college football national championship ( University of Oklahoma 1974, 1975, 1985) and

15750-567: The 225,000 players in Pop Warner Little Scholars youth football were girls, and around 11% of the 5.5 million Americans who report playing tackle football are female according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. The role of the offensive unit is to advance the football down the field with the ultimate goal of scoring a touchdown . The offensive team must line up in a legal formation before they can snap

15960-425: The 4th quarter, giving the Cowboys a commanding 30–3 lead. Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham was limited to just 11 of 26 completions for 161 yards and no touchdowns, with one interception. Philadelphia could only score a single field goal and Cunningham's meaningless 4-yard touchdown run late in the 4th quarter. Dallas then advanced to their fourth consecutive NFC Championship Game , where they faced

16170-558: The 6th highest total in NFL history. Their winning streak was finally snapped against the Atlanta Falcons , with Aikman on the sidelines with an ankle injury, and Smith knocked out of the game after his first carry. They also lost their next game against Miami due to an infamous error by defensive lineman Leon Lett that enabled the Dolphins to kick a game-winning field goal, but then went on to win their remaining five games. In

16380-449: The AFC Championship Game a week earlier, one fan displayed a banner defiantly proclaiming, "We're back; deal with it, America!" Therefore, the Super Bowl hype was more focused onto Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson . Although the two rebuilt the team with young talent that eventually won the previous year's Super Bowl, both men had huge egos that conflicted with each other. Both had different ideas on

16590-562: The Bills extended their drive to 80 yards in 17 plays, which featured three short passes from Kelly to wide receiver Don Beebe for 22 yards and six runs by Thomas for 18 yards, the last one being a 4-yard touchdown run, giving the Bills their first lead of the game, 10–6, early in the second quarter. Dallas started out their ensuing drive with a 15-yard reception by Irvin and a 13-yard run by running back Emmitt Smith to reach midfield. They were eventually forced to punt, but Cowboys linebacker Matt Vanderbeek downed John Jett 's 43-yard punt at

16800-538: The Bills limited Montana to just 9 of 23 completions for 125 yards and no touchdowns, with one interception. In addition, Kansas City's future Hall of Fame running back, Marcus Allen , was held to just 50 rushing yards on 18 carries. Both Dallas and Buffalo were the top seeded teams in their respective conferences, earning home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Until the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts qualified for Super Bowl XLIV , this

17010-550: The Bills right from the start, building up a 23–7 halftime lead. Buffalo scored two touchdowns in the second half, but Bam Morris 's two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter ended any thoughts of a Bills comeback. The Steelers' defense limited Buffalo's Jim Kelly to just 135 passing yards and one touchdown, while intercepting him three times. Bills running back Thurman Thomas , who had rushed for 158 yards and caught three passes for 42 yards in Buffalo's wild card playoff win over

17220-541: The Bills took on the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC title. Led by 4-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Montana , Kansas City had defeated the Bills 23-7 during the regular season, and were coming off thrilling narrow wins against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Oilers in the playoffs. In the days leading up to the game, many sports writers and fans were eager for the possibility of

17430-439: The Bills' 1-yard line. A 19-yard completion from Kelly to Reed moved Buffalo out from the shadow of their own end zone, and they eventually reached the Cowboys 46-yard line, but they too were forced to punt. However, Mohr matched Jett's feat with a 45-yard punt that was downed at the Dallas 1-yard line by Buffalo wide receiver Steve Tasker . As the Bills had done, the Cowboys managed to get out of their own territory and advance to

17640-406: The Buffalo 37-yard line. However, Bills cornerback Nate Odomes intercepted a pass intended for Irvin, and returned it 41 yards to the Dallas 47-yard line with 1:03 left in the half. Kelly completed a pair of passes to Thomas and Reed for gains of 12 and 22 yards, respectively, to move the ball to the Dallas 12-yard line. But the Cowboys defense tightened up on the next three plays, so Christie kicked

17850-401: The Buffalo 7-yard line, but had to settle for Murray's 24-yard field goal to regain the lead, 6–3. After receiving Murray's kickoff, the Bills could only reach their own 41-yard line before being forced to punt. However, they were given a new set of downs when Cowboys cornerback Dave Thomas was flagged for running into punter Chris Mohr on the play. Taking advantage of their second chance,

18060-467: The Cowboys in 1989 , team owner/general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson rebuilt the team into a Super Bowl contender with young talent. Both had different ideas on the future personnel plans for the Cowboys, and both wanted equal credit for the team's recent success. As a result, Johnson eventually left the team after their Super Bowl XXVIII win and was replaced by former University of Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer , who had one of

18270-689: The Cowboys wore the same uniforms as the previous year, with the Bills donning the home blue jersey/white pants set and the Cowboys wearing the white jersey/silver pants set. Before the game, the Super Bowl became the target of protests over the Georgia state flag , which at the time included the Confederate battle flag and was seen as offensive by the African-American community. Several high-profile Georgia politicians got involved, including state senator Ralph D. Abernathy. The NFL tried to duck

18480-482: The Cowboys wore their home white uniforms with silver pants. This uniform matchup was also featured in Dallas and Pittsburgh's two prior Super Bowl meetings, with Pittsburgh as the "home" team in X and Dallas as the "home" team in XIII. Super Bowl XXX began with Dallas wide receiver Kevin Williams returning the opening kickoff 18 yards to the 29-yard line. On the Cowboys' first possession, quarterback Troy Aikman completed

18690-450: The Dallas 22-yard line on their final possession, only to turn the ball over on downs in the game's closing seconds. "This one is the worst," Reed said after the game, referring to the Bills' streak of four consecutive Super Bowl losses. "We should have won. Then they come up with 24 unanswered points. That last fumble was once in a million. These things always happen to the Bills. It rips the heart out of you." "Dallas didn't wear us down in

18900-565: The Divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Pittsburgh would reach the AFC Championship Game in 1997 before breaking up most of the team's nucleus during the 1998 and 1999 offseasons. Coach Bill Cowher and defensive back Willie Williams were the team's lone links to be a part of the Super Bowl XL championship team. The team would acquire running back Jerome Bettis in the 1996 offseason after releasing Morris for possession of illegal drugs months after Super Bowl XXX. Pittsburgh eventually reclaimed

19110-588: The Georgia Dome, but was mounted on a pole outside the stadium. Vice President Al Gore attended the game. The game was broadcast in the United States by NBC , with play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg and color commentator Bob Trumpy . Jim Lampley hosted all the events with the help of analysts Mike Ditka and Joe Gibbs and sideline reporters O. J. Simpson (on Buffalo's sideline) and Will McDonough (on Dallas' sideline). While Lampley

19320-580: The MLK Day holiday in November 1992. The NFL responded by formally assigning Super Bowl XXX to Tempe at their March 1993 meeting in Palm Desert, California . No others cities put in a bid or were considered for the hosting duties. Super Bowl XXX was the last to be hosted in a stadium containing bleacher seats, and would also be the last Super Bowl to be held on a college campus, as the stadium sits on

19530-472: The NFC Championship Game for the second year in a row in what was, at the time, the last NFL game to air on CBS . The 49ers had the NFL's highest scoring offense with 473 points, 97 more than the runner-up Cowboys. The last time the two teams played for the NFC title, Dallas won when Aikman thwarted an attempted 49ers comeback with a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. But this time,

19740-516: The NFL had established itself as America's premier professional football league. The dominant form of football at the time was played at the collegiate level . The upstart NFL received a boost to its legitimacy in 1925, however, when an NFL team, the Pottsville Maroons , defeated a team of Notre Dame all-stars in an exhibition game . A greater emphasis on the passing game helped professional football to distinguish itself further from

19950-570: The NFL has a 53-man roster, while NCAA Division I allows teams to have 63 scholarship players in the FCS and 85 scholarship players in the FBS, respectively. Individual players in a football game must be designated with a uniform number between 1 and 99, though some teams may "retire" certain numbers , making them unavailable to players. NFL teams are required to number their players by a league-approved numbering system, and any exceptions must be approved by

20160-468: The NFL with nine interceptions and one fumble recovery. Linebacker Marvcus Patton , who had moved up to the starting lineup to replace departed Pro Bowler Shane Conlan , was also an impact player, intercepting two passes and recovering three fumbles. In the NFC, Dallas' first opponent in the playoffs was the Green Bay Packers , who were coming off a thrilling 28–24 win over the Detroit Lions in

20370-533: The Pro Bowl for the third consecutive year. The Steelers' defense ranked second in the league in total yards allowed (4,833). Pro Bowl linebacker Kevin Greene led the team with nine sacks, while another Pro Bowl linebacker, Greg Lloyd , led the team with 86 tackles, while also collecting 6.5 sacks and three interceptions. The secondary was led by Pro Bowl defensive back Carnell Lake and Willie Williams , who led

20580-565: The Steelers 29-yard line, and on the game's final play, Harbaugh threw a Hail Mary intended for wide receiver Aaron Bailey in the end zone. Bailey attempted to make a diving catch, but the pass was batted away at the last second by Randy Fuller and ruled incomplete. The game was broadcast in the United States by NBC , including local NBC stations KXAS-TV in Dallas and WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh. The broadcast featured play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg and color commentators Phil Simms , Paul Maguire , and Jim Gray and Will McDonough on

20790-616: The Steelers 6-yard line to set up Smith's 4-yard rushing touchdown. The NBC television broadcast broke the record at the time for the most-watched sporting event ever on American television, and was the second-most watched television program of all time behind the final episode of M*A*S*H in 1983. Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona , the home of the Phoenix Cardinals and the Arizona State Sun Devils

21000-406: The Steelers faced second down and 2 on their own 47-yard line but turned the ball over on downs after running back Bam Morris was tackled for no gain on three consecutive running plays: a draw play to the left, a run to the left, and one to the middle. The Steelers defense held, however, forcing Dallas into a three-and-out ; after a 6-yard run by Smith and an incompletion, Aikman's third-down pass

21210-420: The Steelers quarterback for a 10-yard loss, forcing third down and 20. O'Donnell's next pass was a 19-yard completion to Hastings, and then a 3-yard run on fourth down by wide receiver/backup quarterback Kordell Stewart netted a first down. Nine plays later, O'Donnell threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Yancey Thigpen with just 13 seconds left in the half, cutting Pittsburgh's deficit to 13–7. After

21420-579: The Street (NBC, after XXVII) had lengthy runs. The radio broadcast was carried by CBS Radio , with Jack Buck and Hank Stram announcing. It proved to be Buck's last NFL broadcast. Super Bowl XXX was broadcast to over 150 countries around the world, including Australia on Network Ten , Canada on CTV , Germany on Tele 5 , Mexico on Canal 5 , the Philippines on the GMA Network , and

21630-452: The Super Bowl". The show featured a number of her songs along with pyrotechnics , special effects, and stadium card stunts. The show ended with Ross singing " Take Me Higher " from her 1995 nineteenth studio album of the same name , and then she was taken from the field in a helicopter . As the designated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Steelers elected to wear their home black uniforms with gold pants, while

21840-577: The Wild Card Game, in which quarterback Brett Favre had thrown the winning touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe with only 55 seconds left in the game. In this game, the Packers scored first with a field goal, but Dallas stormed back with 17 consecutive points in the second quarter. First, Aikman threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Harper. Then with time running out the period, Dallas scored again on an Eddie Murray field goal. Green Bay then fumbled

22050-460: The advent of artificial rubber inside the leather outer shell to sustain crushing forces . At all levels of play, the football is inflated to 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 to 13 + 1 ⁄ 2  psi (86 to 93 kPa), or just under one atmosphere, and weighs 14 to 15 ounces (400 to 430 g); beyond that, the exact dimensions vary slightly. In professional play the ball has a long axis of 11 to 11 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (28 to 29 cm),

22260-572: The ball 10 yards (9.1 m). The roughing the passer penalty was implemented in 1914, and eligible players were first allowed to catch the ball anywhere on the field in 1918. On November 12, 1892, Pudge Heffelfinger was paid $ 500 (equivalent to $ 16,956 in 2023) to play a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club . This is the first recorded instance of

22470-497: The ball across the Dallas 40-yard line. After a 3-yard run by running back Kenneth Davis , however, Kelly threw two straight incompletions. The Bills then tied the game, 3–3, with kicker Steve Christie 's 54-yard field goal, the then-longest field goal in Super Bowl history. Christie's record stood for 30 years, until it was broken in Super Bowl LVIII by San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody 's 55-yard field goal, which

22680-588: The ball back to the 39, but on the next three plays, Smith ran twice for 10 yards and caught a screen pass for 9. Aikman then completed a 16-yard pass to Harper on 3rd-and-8, setting up 1st-and-goal at the Bills' 6-yard line. Buffalo managed to keep Dallas out of the end zone on the next three plays, but on 4th-and-goal, Smith scored his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run, increasing the lead to 27–13. The Bills started their ensuing drive from their own 22-yard line and managed to reach their own 36. Cowboys defensive tackle Jimmie Jones made two key plays, however;

22890-435: The ball is caught, and the ball may not be advanced. Officials are responsible for enforcing game rules and monitoring the clock. All officials carry a whistle and wear black-and-white striped shirts and black hats except for the referee, whose hat is white. Each carries a weighted yellow flag that is thrown to the ground to signal that a foul has been called. An official who spots multiple fouls will throw their hat as

23100-416: The ball over on downs with 1:42 left in the game, sealing Dallas' victory. After that, Dallas ran out most of the clock with three quarterback kneels and an intentional delay of the game penalty before punting the ball back to the Steelers. Pittsburgh regained possession of the ball with three seconds remaining, but O'Donnell's Hail Mary pass was intercepted by Dallas safety Brock Marion on the final play of

23310-430: The ball. An offensive formation is considered illegal if there are more than four players in the backfield or fewer than five players numbered 50–79 on the offensive line. Players can line up temporarily in a position whose eligibility is different from what their number permits as long as they report the change immediately to the referee, who then informs the defensive team of the change. Neither team's players, except

23520-610: The beginning of a difficult stretch for the team. The following four games resulted in two more losses for the Cowboys. However, after a narrow 21–20 win against the New York Giants , the Cowboys regained their dominating form, trouncing the Arizona Cardinals (who were playing their home games at Sun Devil Stadium) 37–13 on Christmas night in Arizona as part of Monday Night Football , and then cruising through

23730-477: The campus of Arizona State University . The Cowboys entered the 1995 regular season attempting to become the first team in NFL history to win three out of the last four Super Bowls. They had previously won Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII but their chance of a "three-peat" (winning three consecutive championships) was thwarted when they lost the NFC Championship Game to the San Francisco 49ers ,

23940-475: The college game during the late 1930s. Football, in general, became increasingly popular following the 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants , still referred to as the "Greatest Game Ever Played". The game, a 23–17 overtime victory by the Colts, was seen by millions of television viewers and had a major influence on the popularity of the sport. This, along with

24150-608: The conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. After playing McGill University using both American (known as "the Boston game ") for the first game and Canadian (rugby) rules for the second one, the Harvard players preferred the Canadian style of having only 11 men on the field, running the ball without having to be chased by an opponent, the forward pass, tackling, and using an oblong instead of

24360-551: The conservative NFL to expand to Dallas and Minnesota in an attempt to destroy the new league. Meanwhile, the AFL introduced many new features to professional football in the United States: official time was kept on a scoreboard clock rather than on a watch in the referee's pocket, as the NFL did; optional two-point conversions by pass or run after touchdowns; names on the jerseys of players; and several others, including expansion of

24570-401: The construction schedule and budget, otherwise they may consider reassigning the game. In September of that year, Atlanta was selected as the host for the 1996 Summer Olympics , with the Georgia Dome a key venue for the games. Almost immediately, the stadium's luxury boxes began to sell out, helping ensure the stadium would be completed within budget. The stadium was completed on-time for

24780-413: The crossbars of the defense's goalposts. In practice, almost all field goal attempts are done via place kick. While drop kicks were common in the early days of the sport, the shape of modern footballs makes it difficult to reliably drop kick the ball. The last successful scoring play by drop kick in the NFL was accomplished in 2006; prior to that, the last successful drop kick had been made in 1941. After

24990-399: The defense is to prevent the offense from scoring by tackling the ball carrier or by forcing turnovers . Turnovers include interceptions (a defender catching a forward pass intended for the offense) and forced fumbles (taking possession of the ball from the ball-carrier). The defensive line (DL) consists of defensive ends (DE) and defensive tackles (DT). Defensive ends line up on

25200-430: The defensive backfield. They are divided into two types: middle linebackers (MLB) and outside linebackers (OLB). Linebackers tend to serve as the defensive leaders and call the defensive plays, given their vantage point of the offensive backfield. Their roles include defending the run, pressuring the quarterback, and tackling backs, wide receivers, and tight ends in the passing game. The defensive backfield , often called

25410-400: The drive, Aikman completed a 35-yard pass to Harper to the Bills 1-yard line. After a false start penalty against center Frank Cornish pushed them back to the 6-yard line, the Cowboys ran the ball on their next three plays to force the Bills to use up all of their timeouts. Murray then kicked a 20-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the game, capping off the scoring at 30–13. Buffalo then reached

25620-472: The ends and sides of the field are known as the end lines and sidelines . Goal lines are marked 10 yards (9.1 m) inward from each end line. Weighted pylons are placed the sidelines on the inside corner of the intersections with the goal lines and end lines. White markings on the field identify the distance from the end zone. Inbound lines, or hash marks , are short parallel lines that mark off 1-yard (0.91 m) increments. Yard lines , which can run

25830-404: The ends of the line, while defensive tackles line up inside, between the defensive ends. The primary responsibilities of defensive ends and defensive tackles are to stop running plays on the outside and inside, respectively, to pressure the quarterback on passing plays, and to occupy the line so that the linebackers can break through. Linebackers line up behind the defensive line but in front of

26040-421: The ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the Buffalo 37-yard line, but on third down, Cowboys defensive ends Jim Jeffcoat and Charles Haley shared a 13-yard sack on Kelly to force the Bills to punt. The Cowboys then scored on an 8-play, 64-yard drive in which Smith carried the ball on seven of the eight plays, gaining all but 3 of the 64 yards himself, and finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run (his longest run of

26250-427: The ensuing kickoff, allowing the Cowboys to score again with Aikman's 6-yard pass to Novacek. The Cowboys went on to stave off an attempted Packers comeback in the second half and win the game, 27–17. Aikman finished the game with 28 of 37 completions for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. Irvin recorded 9 catches for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns. One week later, Dallas faced the San Francisco 49ers in

26460-590: The eventual Super Bowl XXIX champions. This was the Cowboys’ eighth appearance in the Super Bowl, the most of any franchise; the Steelers tied this record in 2010 when that team advanced to Super Bowl XLV . The Patriots became the third team to reach the mark in 2014 when that team went on to win Super Bowl XLIX , and the Denver Broncos the fourth team in 2015 in Super Bowl 50 . After taking over

26670-499: The feet, hands, head, or sides, with the objective being to advance it into the opponent's goal. Rutgers won the game 6–4. Collegiate play continued for several years with games played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia , Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19, 1873, to create a standard set of rules for use by all schools. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet (122 m × 76 m) were specified. Harvard abstained from

26880-575: The first player to lead the league in rushing yards, win the NFL Most Valuable Player Award , and win Super Bowl MVP all in the same season. He was also the fourth player, after Bart Starr (1966), Terry Bradshaw (1978), and Joe Montana (1989) to win both the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP during the same season. Defensively, James Washington, who began as the nickel-back to counter Buffalo's "no-huddle" and frequent use of three wide receivers, had

27090-434: The first player to rush for two touchdowns in two Super Bowls). Irvin was Dallas' top receiver with 5 catches for 76 yards. Novacek caught 5 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. Defensive end Chad Hennings recorded 2 of the 4 Dallas sacks in the game. The Dallas defense did not allow a play from scrimmage longer than 20 yards. Although his 3 interceptions were costly, O'Donnell recorded 28 of 49 completions for 239 yards and

27300-476: The fourth ballot, with owners rewarding Falcons owner Rankin Smith for his decision to keep the franchise in Atlanta, and for orchestrating the construction of the new stadium. However, the NFL attached conditions to Atlanta's hosting duties. The Georgia Dome was still under construction; the first concrete footings had just been poured that same week. The league gave Atlanta a deadline of September 1 to finalize

27510-402: The fumble, but the Steelers were unable to recover from the 13-yard loss, and they had to punt two plays later. After the punt, Dallas drove to the Steelers' 24-yard line. However, a pass interference penalty on Irvin nullified a 24-yard touchdown reception and moved the ball back to the 34-yard line. On the next play, Aikman completed a 19-yard pass to Novacek, bringing up second down and 1 from

27720-472: The future personnel plans for the Cowboys, and both wanted equal credit for the team's recent success. The dispute became so ugly that Super Bowl XXVIII became Johnson's final game coaching the Cowboys after his feud with Jones boiled over. Johnson would join Vince Lombardi , Bill Walsh , and Bill Parcells on the short list of coaches who won a Super Bowl in what turned out to be their last games with

27930-419: The game clock based on the direction of the appropriate official . A separate play clock is used to show the amount of time within which the offense must initiate a play. The play clock is set to 25 seconds after certain administrative stoppages in play and to 40 seconds when play is proceeding without such stoppages. If the offense fails to start a play before the play clock reads "00", a delay of game foul

28140-655: The game unless major changes were made. In response, 62 colleges and universities met in New York City to discuss rule changes on December 28, 1905. These proceedings resulted in the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, later renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The legal forward pass was introduced in 1906, although its effect

28350-414: The game was extremely one-sided. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on four of their five first-half possessions. By the end of the half, Dallas had a commanding 28–7 lead. Aikman completed 14 of 18 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while also rushing for 25 yards, but was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the third quarter. Then San Francisco scored a touchdown, making

28560-610: The game was titled "Georgia Music Makers" and featured performances by the rap music duo Kris Kross , the rock band The Georgia Satellites , country musician Charlie Daniels , and the Morehouse College Marching Band. The United States Trampoline Association (USTA) performed on 4 trampolines during " Jump " performed by Kris Kross. Later, singer Natalie Cole , accompanied by the Atlanta University Center Chorus, sang

28770-443: The game with 15 out of 23 completions for 209 yards and a touchdown (Aikman became just the third quarterback to win three Super Bowl games; Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana each won four). Smith was the Cowboys' leading rusher with 49 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns (Smith became just the fifth player to score a touchdown in three Super Bowl games, joining Lynn Swann , Franco Harris , Thurman Thomas , and Jerry Rice ; he also became

28980-404: The game) to give Dallas a 20–13 lead. Both teams then exchanged punts twice before the quarter ended. The Dallas defense continued to stop the Buffalo offense throughout the second half. Washington intercepted a pass from Kelly on the first play of the fourth quarter and returned it 12 yards to the Bills' 34-yard line. A false start penalty on offensive tackle Erik Williams on the next play moved

29190-411: The game, cutting the deficit to 20–10. On the ensuing kickoff, Pittsburgh surprised the Cowboys by executing a successful onside kick , with defensive back Deon Figures recovering the ball for Pittsburgh at their own 47-yard line. O'Donnell hit Hastings on two consecutive passes for 23 total yards. His next pass went to wide receiver Ernie Mills for 7 yards, and then Morris ran for 5 yards and caught

29400-401: The game, increasing the Cowboys' lead to 27–17. Despite being held to 49 yards on the ground and only 9 in the second half, Smith scored the game-clinching touchdown by making a devastating cutback on Kirkland, the best player on Pittsburgh's defense that day. The Steelers responded by driving to the Cowboys' 40-yard line, but after O'Donnell threw four consecutive incompletions, Pittsburgh turned

29610-473: The game. The Steelers had outgained the Cowboys in total yards, 310–254 (201–61 in the second half), had 25 first downs compared to the Cowboys' 15, and limited Dallas' powerful running attack to just 56 yards. However, they were unable to overcome O'Donnell's interceptions, which led to two Cowboys touchdowns. The irony of the game was that O'Donnell entered Super Bowl XXX as the NFL's all-time leader in fewest interceptions per pass attempt. Troy Aikman finished

29820-443: The ground or a tee; a holder may be used in either case. On a safety kick, the kicking team kicks the ball from their own 20-yard line. They can punt, drop kick or place kick the ball, but a tee may not be used in professional play. Any member of the receiving team may catch or advance the ball. The ball may be recovered by the kicking team once it has gone at least ten yards and has touched the ground or has been touched by any member of

30030-434: The guards. The principal receivers are the wide receivers (WR) and the tight ends (TE). Wide receivers line up on or near the line of scrimmage, split outside the line. The main goal of the wide receiver is to catch passes thrown by the quarterback, but they may also function as decoys or as blockers during running plays. Tight ends line up outside the tackles and function both as receivers and as blockers. The role of

30240-420: The highest paid running back in the NFL. Jerry Jones, who was in the locker room when the helmet was thrown, said that it missed him by about 2 feet. With Smith back in the starting lineup and Aikman healthy, Dallas went on to win their next seven games, including a dominating 26–17 win over the San Francisco 49ers and a 23–10 win on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles in which Smith rushed for 237 yards,

30450-476: The highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, with a mark of .837. In 1995, the Cowboys finished with a 12–4 regular season record, the best in the NFC. Pro Bowl quarterback Troy Aikman finished the regular season completing 280 out of 432 passes for 3,304 yards and 16 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions. Pro Bowl running back Emmitt Smith won his fourth and last league rushing crown in his career with 1,773 yards, and broke

30660-555: The illegal payment of college players who were still in school. The National Football League (NFL), a group of professional teams that was originally established in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, aimed to solve these problems. This new league's stated goals included an end to bidding wars over players, prevention of the use of college players, and abolition of the practice of paying players to leave another team. By 1922,

30870-451: The innovations introduced by the new American Football League (AFL) in the early 1960s, helped football to become the most popular sport in the United States by the mid-1960s. The rival AFL arose in 1960 and challenged the NFL's dominance. The AFL began in relative obscurity but eventually thrived, with an initial television contract with the ABC television network. The AFL's existence forced

31080-534: The issue, with spokesman Greg Aiello stating, "We're not a political-advocacy group. It's not our role to get involved in political issues that have nothing to do with the Super Bowl." However, the NFL had cancelled plans to hold the Super Bowl in Phoenix three years earlier after a referendum to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day an Arizona state holiday was defeated. Ultimately, the flag was not flown inside

31290-399: The last time the Cowboys appeared in a Super Bowl. Dallas' Larry Brown , a 12th-round draft pick, who was still grieving the death of his infant son two and a half months prior, became the first cornerback to be named Super Bowl MVP by recording two interceptions in the second half, which the Cowboys converted into two touchdowns to prevent a Steelers comeback. Dallas built a 13–0 lead in

31500-461: The line. Buffalo's defense was the team's weakness, ranking 27th (second-to-last) in the league, giving up 5,554 total yards. The defense did have a few good contributors, such as Hall of Fame lineman Bruce Smith (14 sacks, one fumble recovery), Pro Bowl linebacker Cornelius Bennett (five sacks, two fumble recoveries), linebacker Darryl Talley (101 tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions) and cornerback Nate Odomes , who led

31710-401: The loss to the Bills, Cowboys defensive end Charles Haley was so upset he slammed his helmet through a locker room wall, screaming "We'll never win with a fucking rookie running back, and we have the greatest one ever sitting at home watching TV!" in reference to Smith's replacement, Derrick Lassic . Team owner Jerry Jones apparently agreed, quickly signing Smith to a contract that made him

31920-600: The national anthem with elements of America the Beautiful . To honor the 25th anniversary of the New York Jets ' upset win in Super Bowl III , that game's MVP, former Jets quarterback Joe Namath joined the coin toss ceremony. The halftime show was titled "Rockin' Country Sunday" and featured country music stars Clint Black , Tanya Tucker , Travis Tritt , and Wynonna Judd . The show's finale included

32130-429: The offense advances ten or more yards in the four downs, they are awarded a new set of four downs. If they fail to advance ten yards, possession of the football is turned over to the defense. In most situations, if the offense reaches their fourth down they will punt the ball to the other team, which forces them to begin their drive from farther down the field; if they are in field goal range , they might attempt to score

32340-413: The offensive line. On special teams, rookie receiver Kevin Williams ranked seventh in the NFL with 381 yards on 36 punt returns, while also gaining 689 kickoff return yards and catching 20 passes for 151 yards. The Cowboys' defense was anchored by such Pro Bowlers as lineman Russell Maryland , and Ken Norton Jr. , and defensive backs Thomas Everett and Kevin Smith , who intercepted six passes during

32550-507: The only player in Super Bowl history to record a Super Bowl interception on defense and a reception on offense (he recorded an interception as a member of the 49ers a year earlier in Super Bowl XXIX). Four plays later, Aikman completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jay Novacek (playing in what would be his last game, as Novacek missed the following season due to back injuries before retiring), increasing Dallas' lead to 10–0. It

32760-450: The only time a single network had held consecutive Super Bowls outright. The league normally alternated the Super Bowl broadcast among its television networks, except for Super Bowl I in which both NBC and CBS televised it simultaneously. The five-year NFL contract signed in 1989 had a provision where the last Super Bowl in the contract (XXVIII) would not be rotated, but would go to the highest bidder. NBC, which had held XXVII (according to

32970-426: The original rotation, NBC would have had XXVI and CBS XXVII, but the NFL allowed the networks to switch the two games in order to allow CBS a significant lead-in to its coverage of the 1992 Winter Olympics ), was the only network to bid on XXVIII. NBC's Super Bowl lead-out programs were the fifth episode of The Good Life and the seventeenth episode of The John Larroquette Show . The pregame show held before

33180-429: The oval-shaped football , attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or throwing it , while the defense , the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance the ball at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given

33390-445: The plane of the two end lines. The crossbar of these posts is 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground, with vertical uprights at the end of the crossbar 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) apart for professional and collegiate play, and 23 feet 4 inches (7.11 m) apart for high school play. The uprights extend vertically 35 feet (11 m) on professional fields, a minimum of 10 yards (9.1 m) on college fields, and

33600-569: The playoffs with convincing wins against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. Brown foreshadowed his Super Bowl XXX heroics with a key interception against Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre late in the NFC Championship Game. Super Bowl XXX was the first time that the Steelers advanced to the league championship game since winning Super Bowl XIV and the first under head coach Bill Cowher . Cowher took over

33810-451: The point(s)-after-touchdown (PAT) or conversion, which is a single scoring opportunity. This is generally attempted from the two- or three-yard line, depending on the level of play. If the PAT is scored by a place kick or drop kick through the goal posts, it is worth one point, typically called the extra point. If the PAT is scored by what would normally be a touchdown, it is worth two points; this

34020-556: The primary proponents of the rugby-style game, compromised and did not request the name of the sport be changed to "rugby". The terms " gridiron " or "American football" are favored in English-speaking countries where other types of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. American football evolved from the sports of rugby and soccer . Rugby, like American football,

34230-478: The punter. In football, the winner is the team that has scored more points at the end of the game. There are multiple ways to score in a football game. The touchdown (TD), worth six points, is the most valuable scoring play in American football. A touchdown is scored when a live ball is advanced into, caught, or recovered in the opposing team's end zone. The scoring team then attempts a try, more commonly known as

34440-401: The receiving team. The three types of scrimmage kicks are place kicks, drop kicks, and punts. Only place kicks and drop kicks can score points. The place kick is the standard method used to score points, because the pointy shape of the football makes it difficult to reliably drop kick. Once the ball has been kicked from a scrimmage kick, it can be advanced by the kicking team only if it

34650-479: The record for most Vince Lombardi Trophies with six, following their victory in Super Bowl XLIII . American football American football , referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football , is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense , the team with possession of

34860-631: The rest of the offense of the play in the huddle before the team lines up. The quarterback lines up behind the center to take the snap and then hands the ball off, throws it, or runs with it. The primary role of the halfback, also known as the running back or tailback, is to carry the ball on running plays. Halfbacks may also serve as receivers. Fullbacks tend to be larger than halfbacks and function primarily as blockers, but they are sometimes used as runners in short-yardage or goal-line situations. They are seldom used as receivers. The offensive line (OL) consists of several players whose primary function

35070-507: The role of minority players, actively recruited by the league in contrast to the NFL. The AFL also signed several star college players who had also been drafted by NFL teams. Competition for players heated up in 1965, when the AFL New York Jets signed rookie Joe Namath to a then-record $ 437,000 contract (equivalent to $ 4.23 million in 2023). A five-year, $ 40 million NBC television contract followed, which helped to sustain

35280-400: The score 28–14 with plenty of time left for a comeback. However, their hopes were soon dashed as backup quarterback Bernie Kosar , who had already played in three conference championship games and was unable to advance to the Super Bowl each time, led the Cowboys 82 yards to go up 35–14 on his 42-yard touchdown pass to Alvin Harper . Murray then put the finishing touches on San Francisco with

35490-524: The season finale against the New York Giants , with the Cowboys desperately trying to clinch the NFC East title and a first-round bye in the playoffs, Aikman showed he was at full health, completing 24 of 30 passes with no interceptions, while for Smith it was his career signature game. He suffered a first-degree separation in his right shoulder during the first half, but still finished with 229 total yards (168 yards rushing, 10 passes caught for 61 yards, and

35700-427: The season was four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Deion Sanders . Coincidentally, Sanders won the Super Bowl the year before with San Francisco. However, Sanders only played nine regular season games for the Cowboys in 1995 due to injuries, and thus only recorded 24 tackles and two interceptions for 34 yards. However, safety Darren Woodson was named to the Pro Bowl with 89 tackles and two interceptions for 46 return yards and

35910-481: The season. Defensive end Tony Tolbert led the team with 7.5 sacks, while Charles Haley added 4 and Chad Hennings had 5.5. The Bills finished at the top of the AFC by clinching the conference's best regular season record, winning 7 of their first 8 games and finished the season at 12–4. Quarterback Jim Kelly once again led Buffalo's no-huddle offense by passing for 288 out of 470 regular season completions for 3,382 yards, 18 touchdowns, with 18 interceptions. Kelly

36120-447: The second half," added Thomas. "I fumbled. I cost us the game." However, center Kent Hull managed to find some consolation. "In the immediate future, we'll be thought of as losers," he said. "But one day down the road, when I'm no longer playing, they'll say, 'Wow, they won four straight AFC championships. They must have been good.'" For the Cowboys, Troy Aikman completed 19 out of 27 for 207 yards with 1 interception, while Alvin Harper

36330-435: The second interception, stating that he expected Holliday to make an out-cut instead of an in-cut. Mills responded by questioning why O'Donnell would throw to a spot and not a man in a Super Bowl. Brown said he was all alone on both picks because he expected O'Donnell to throw to the outside to seemingly get rid of the ball amidst the Cowboys' blitz. Two plays following the interception, Smith scored once again with 3:43 left in

36540-464: The second quarter before Pittsburgh scored with 13 seconds left in the half to cut their deficit to 13–7. Midway through the 3rd quarter, Brown made his first interception and returned it 44 yards to the Pittsburgh 18-yard line to set up running back Emmitt Smith 's 1-yard touchdown run. The Steelers then rallied to cut their deficit to 20–17 in the 4th quarter. But Brown recorded his second interception on Pittsburgh's next drive and returned it 33 yards to

36750-503: The secondary, consists of cornerbacks (CB) and safeties (S). Safeties are themselves divided into free safeties (FS) and strong safeties (SS). Cornerbacks line up outside the defensive formation, typically opposite a receiver to be able to cover them. Safeties line up between the cornerbacks but farther back in the secondary. Safeties tend to be viewed as "the last line of defense" and are responsible for stopping deep passing plays as well as breakout running plays. The special teams unit

36960-440: The sidelines. Greg Gumbel hosted all the events with the help of then-NBC analysts Ahmad Rashad , Mike Ditka , Joe Gibbs , and Joe Montana . The Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation started a tradition that continues today, in which it is held on the field instead of inside the winners' locker room as was the case previously. NBC would go on to purchase KXAS which aired all three of the Cowboys' 1990s Super Bowl victories. For

37170-446: The size and shape of the football. The sport is closely related to Canadian football , which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game, although its rules were developed independently from those of Camp. Most of the features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football. The two sports are considered the primary variants of gridiron football . American football

37380-428: The sport maintains a growing following in the rest of North America, Europe, Brazil, and Japan. In the United States, American football is referred to as "football". The term "football" was officially established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season , when the sport first shifted from soccer-style rules to rugby-style rules. Although it could easily have been called "rugby" at this point, Harvard, one of

37590-442: The team in 1992 after longtime head coach Chuck Noll retired after a 23-year tenure and leading the team to four Super Bowl wins. During Cowher's first year, the Steelers captured the number one AFC playoff seed with an 11–5 regular season record, but were eliminated in their first playoff game against the Buffalo Bills , 24–3. Cowher then led the Steelers into the playoffs in 1993 and 1994 , but were also eliminated, including

37800-432: The team with seven interceptions and 122 return yards. The secondary also featured future Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson , who missed almost the entire season with a knee injury, but healed quickly enough to return in time for the playoffs. He is still the only NFL player to suffer and return from a torn ACL and still play in the same season. The Cowboys first defeated the Philadelphia Eagles , 30–11. The score

38010-550: The team's only touchdown) in a 16–13 overtime win which enabled Dallas to finish with an NFC-best 12–4 record. Though not as dynamic as the previous year, Dallas' offense remained incredibly efficient, led by Aikman, who finished the regular season completing 271 out of 392 passes for 3,100 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Despite missing the first two games, Smith recorded 1,486 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, while catching 57 passes for 414 yards and another touchdown, earning him his third consecutive NFL rushing title and

38220-455: The third quarter began with another exchange of punts, the Steelers advanced the ball to their own 48-yard line. However, on third down, Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown intercepted O'Donnell's pass at the Dallas 38-yard line and returned it 44 yards to the Pittsburgh 18-yard line. Aikman then completed a 17-yard pass to Irvin to reach the 1-yard line, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Smith to increase Dallas' lead to 20–7. On their next drive,

38430-658: The three preceding Super Bowls and end with a Buffalo loss. Dallas wide receiver Kevin Williams returned the opening kickoff 50 yards to the Buffalo 48-yard line. The Cowboys began the drive with quarterback Troy Aikman 's 20-yard pass to wide receiver Michael Irvin . But the Cowboys could only pick up 4 yards on their next three plays, forcing them to settle for kicker Eddie Murray 's 41-yard field goal, giving them an early 3–0 lead. The Bills then responded with an 8-play, 43-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Jim Kelly 's two passes to wide receiver Andre Reed and running back Thurman Thomas for 11 and 24 yards, respectively, advanced

38640-411: The width of the field, are marked every 5 yards (4.6 m). A one-yard-wide line is placed at each end of the field; this line is marked at the center of the two-yard line in professional play and at the three-yard line in college play. Numerals that display the distance from the closest goal line in yards are placed on both sides of the field every ten yards. Goalposts are located at the center of

38850-522: The winning franchise; like Lombardi and Parcells but unlike Walsh, Johnson would later return to coach another team, helming the Miami Dolphins between 1996 and 1999 before retiring from coaching for good. This was the fourth rematch in Super Bowl history, and the first time that both teams met in consecutive years. Both the Bills, as the designated home team in the AFC/NFC annual rotation, and

39060-408: The winning team decides to defer, the losing team chooses the option the winning team did not select—to receive, kick, or select a goal to defend to begin the second half. Most teams choose to receive or defer, because choosing to kick the ball to start the game allows the other team to choose which goal to defend. Teams switch goals following the first and third quarters. If a down is in progress when

39270-408: The young league. The bidding war for players ended in 1966 when NFL owners approached the AFL regarding a merger, and the two leagues agreed on one that took full effect in 1970. This agreement provided for a common draft that would take place each year, and it instituted an annual World Championship game to be played between the champions of each league. This championship game began play at the end of

39480-461: Was also the fifth rematch between Super Bowl teams. The game was the third time the two longtime rivals had met in a Super Bowl, the most between any two NFL teams. The two teams met previously in Super Bowl X in 1975 and Super Bowl XIII in 1979, with Pittsburgh having won both games. Dallas became the first team to win three Super Bowls in four years, while Pittsburgh's defeat was their first Super Bowl loss in team history. As of 2024, this remains

39690-423: Was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1993 season . The Cowboys defeated the Bills, for the second straight year, by a score of 30–13, winning their fourth Super Bowl in team history, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers and

39900-476: Was another big receiving threat with 38 receptions for 613 yards, while also racking up 1,274 return yards on special teams. Pro Bowl tight end Jay Novacek had 62 receptions for 705 yards and five touchdowns. Dallas' offensive line was led by Pro Bowl selections Larry Allen , Ray Donaldson , Nate Newton , and Mark Tuinei . However, Donaldson suffered a season-ending injury late in the season and would be replaced by Derek Kennard . Dallas' major acquisition before

40110-452: Was broken up by defensive back Rod Woodson (who had missed most of the season due to a knee injury), forcing the Cowboys to punt. On their next drive, the Steelers advanced from their own 20-yard line to the Dallas 19. However, Dallas defensive end Tony Tolbert sacked O'Donnell on third down for a 9-yard loss, one of four Dallas sacks in the game, forcing Pittsburgh to settle for kicker Norm Johnson 's 46-yard field goal with 11:20 left in

40320-570: Was busy covering the trophy presentation, Bob Costas (who also interviewed Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson and Dallas owner/general manager Jerry Jones together prior to the game) covered for Lampley at the host and analysts' desk (and signed off the broadcast for NBC). NBC also introduced a new NFL theme music by composer John Colby that would be retained for the 1994 season . This would be Simpson's last NFL on NBC appearance before being charged with murder later in Summer 1994. This remains

40530-418: Was initially minimal due to the restrictions placed on its use. The idea of a 40-yard-wider field was opposed by Harvard due to the size of the new Harvard Stadium . Other rule changes introduced that year included the reduction of playing time from 70 to 60 minutes and an increase of the distance required for a first down from 5 to 10 yards (4.6 to 9.1 m). To reduce infighting and dirty play between teams,

40740-630: Was joining an elite class by starting his fourth Super Bowl. The only other quarterbacks to start four were Roger Staubach , Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana , with John Elway , Tom Brady , Peyton Manning , and Patrick Mahomes later doing so. Kelly is the only one to start four consecutive Super Bowl games. Running back Thurman Thomas led the AFC with 1,315 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while also catching 48 passes for 387 yards. Running back Kenneth Davis rushed for 391 yards and six touchdowns, while also recording 21 receptions for 95 yards. Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Reed caught 52 receptions for

40950-423: Was limited to just 37 rushing yards, but he also caught 7 passes for 52 yards (Thomas became the first player in Super Bowl history to score touchdowns in four Super Bowls: he scored one touchdown in each of the Bills' four straight appearances, XXV-XXVIII). Kenneth Davis was the Bills' top rusher with 38 yards. Kelly finished the game completing 31 of 50 passes for 260 yards and 1 interception. His 31 completions

41160-630: Was named Super Bowl MVP for his two interceptions, parlayed his performance into a lucrative free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders . However, he was not very effective and was cut from the team after two injury-plagued seasons. Neil O'Donnell left the Steelers in the offseason and signed a long-term free agent contract with the New York Jets , accepting New York's more lucrative offer. O'Donnell's tenure in New York, like Brown's in Oakland,

41370-528: Was narrated by Earl Mann. The pregame show held before the game featured dancers in celebration of the culture of Native Americans in the United States , the traditions of the American Old West , and the great outdoors. Actress and singer Vanessa Williams later sang the national anthem. Following the anthem, to honor the 10th anniversary of the Challenger disaster , the flyover was done in

41580-440: Was necessary to prevent this strategy from taking hold, and a reversion to the scrum was considered. However, Camp successfully proposed a rule in 1882 that limited each team to three downs , or tackles, to advance the ball 5 yards (4.6 m). Failure to advance the ball the required distance within those three downs would result in control of the ball being forfeited to the other team. This change effectively made American football

41790-481: Was originally chosen as the venue for Super Bowl XXVII on March 13, 1990. However, the NFL pulled that game from Arizona in the midst of a large entertainment and convention boycott to protest the state's refusal to adopt the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. As a compromise, however, the NFL owners reserved Super Bowl XXX for Tempe on a "preliminary" and "conditional" basis. Arizona voters approved

42000-492: Was plagued by injuries and ineffective play, and he was released from his contract following the 1997 season. Both players finished their careers as backups, Brown returning to the Cowboys in 1998 and O'Donnell playing for the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans until his retirement in 2003. Both teams would post 10–6 records in 1996 and would win their opening playoff games by sizable margins before losing in

42210-431: Was played on November 6, 1869 , between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton , using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp , the "Father of American Football", established the snap , the line of scrimmage , eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs. Later rule changes legalized the forward pass , created the neutral zone , and specified

42420-543: Was played on January 28, 1996, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona , the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Phoenix metropolitan area . Both teams entered the game trying to tie the San Francisco 49ers for the record for most Super Bowl wins by a franchise (5). The Cowboys, who posted a 12–4 regular season record, were making their eighth Super Bowl appearance, while the Steelers, who recorded an 11–5 regular season record, were making their fifth appearance. This

42630-556: Was profitable, but it tended to prevent the two top-ranked teams from meeting in a true national championship game, as they would normally be committed to the bowl games of their respective conferences. Several systems have been used since 1992 to determine a national champion of college football. The first was the Bowl Coalition , in place from 1992 to 1994. This was replaced in 1995 by the Bowl Alliance , which gave way to

42840-418: Was subsequently broken by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker 's 57-yard field goal in the same Super Bowl. Buffalo then forced Dallas to punt, but on the first play of the Bills' ensuing possession, Cowboys safety James Washington stripped the ball from Thomas, and safety Darren Woodson recovered the fumble at midfield. Aided by wide receiver Alvin Harper 's 24-yard reception, the Cowboys drove to

43050-673: Was the Los Angeles Raiders , led by quarterback Jeff Hostetler , who had led the New York Giants to victory over the Bills in Super Bowl XXV three years earlier. The Raiders had also edged out the Bills 25–24 in week 14 of the regular season. In this game, the Raiders built up a 17–13 halftime lead, but Buffalo stormed back with 16 second half points. First, they scored on Kelly's 25-yard touchdown pass to Brooks. Then on their next drive, kicker Steve Christie kicked

43260-417: Was the last time that both number one seeds advanced to the Super Bowl. Many sportswriters and fans were a bit upset that the Bills advanced to their fourth consecutive Super Bowl. They were distressed with Buffalo having lost the three previous Super Bowl games and did not want to see them lose again. Some Bills fans appeared to be defensive about their team's presence in the game; during Buffalo's victory in

43470-513: Was the second Super Bowl in which Novacek scored Dallas's first touchdown (he also scored their first touchdown in Super Bowl XXVII ). After the Steelers managed to advance to the Dallas 36-yard line on their ensuing drive, the possession fell apart due to a miscue by center Dermontti Dawson . Pittsburgh had lined up in the shotgun formation , and Dawson's snap sailed over quarterback Neil O'Donnell 's head. O'Donnell managed to recover

43680-428: Was the team's leading receiver with 85 receptions for 1,307 yards and five touchdowns. Other contributors in the passing game included wide receivers Andre Hastings (48 catches for 502 yards and one touchdown) and Ernie Mills (39 receptions for 679 yards and 8 touchdowns), who both also excelled as returners on special teams. Mills gained 1,306 yards returning kickoffs, while Hastings returned 48 punts for 474 yards and

43890-559: Was the team's top receiver with three catches for 75 yards. Emmitt Smith, still suffering the effects of a shoulder injury during the regular-season finale, became just the second player in Super Bowl history to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back Super Bowls (the other being Larry Csonka , who did it in Super Bowls VII and VIII ). He also became the fourth player to rush for touchdowns in back-to-back Super Bowls (joining Franco Harris , John Riggins and Thomas). Smith also became

44100-416: Was tied 3–3 into the 2nd quarter, until Dallas scored 27 consecutive points to put the game out of reach. First, Deion Sanders scored a 21-yard touchdown on an end-around play. Emmitt Smith then capped off a 79-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run before halftime. Kicker Chris Boniol later scored two field goals in the 3rd quarter, and Troy Aikman completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Michael Irvin in

#357642