Misplaced Pages

#242757

202-709: Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia , on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season . The National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Tennessee Titans 23–16 to claim their first Super Bowl win and first NFL championship since 1951 . It

404-422: 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 a touchdown , and five for a goal from the field . Additionally, tackling below the waist was legalized, and a static line of scrimmage

606-403: 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

808-401: 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,

1010-526: A 13-play, 79-yard drive that was capped by George's second touchdown of the game, a 2-yard run, to cut Tennessee's deficit to 16–13. The Titans' defense then forced the Rams to a three-and-out , and Horan's 30-yard punt gave the Titans the ball back at their 47-yard line. The Titans' offense then drove only 28 yards on their ensuing possession, but it was close enough for Del Greco to kick a 43-yard field goal, tying

1212-590: A 13–3 record (including a home win over the Rams), but finished second behind the 14–2 Jacksonville Jaguars (who had the best record in the NFL that season) in the AFC Central . The Jaguars' only two losses were to the Titans, but Tennessee's three losses forced them to enter the playoffs as a wild-card team. Playing in his first ever NFL playoff game, Warner threw for 395 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 1 interception, as

1414-454: A 17-yard completion on 3rd-and-7 from quarterback Kurt Warner to wide receiver Isaac Bruce . But on 3rd-and-9 at the 17, safety Blaine Bishop pressured Warner to throw an incomplete pass. Then the ensuing 35-yard field goal attempt by kicker Jeff Wilkins failed when punter/holder Mike Horan fumbled the snap and was tackled by cornerback Donald Mitchell , giving the ball to Tennessee on their own 29-yard line. The Titans responded by moving

1616-589: A 30-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to receiver Ricky Proehl with 4:44 left in the game. Meanwhile, the Titans started out their postseason by narrowly defeating the Buffalo Bills , 22–16 in Nashville, on a famous, trick kickoff return play that became known in NFL lore as the Music City Miracle . Tennessee jumped to a 12–0 halftime lead with an Al Del Greco field goal, a safety by Kearse, and

1818-540: A 31-yard strike to Bruce and a 16-yard completion to tight end Ernie Conwell before finishing the 8-play, 68-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Torry Holt , increasing St. Louis' lead to 16–0. Bishop combined with safety Anthony Dorsett to tackle Conwell, but suffered a spinal injury and had to leave the game. The game was delayed for several minutes while Bishop was being treated. Already without fellow injured starting safety Marcus Robertson , Dorsett and Perry Phenix had to fill in for him and Bishop

2020-471: A 43-yard field goal from Breech to give the Bengals their first lead of the game, 6–3. Cincinnati then forced San Francisco to punt, but on the first play of their next drive, 49ers rookie linebacker Bill Romanowski intercepted a pass from Esiason at the Bengals 23. However, after a dropped pass by Rice, the 49ers' offense could not get a first down, and they had to settle for Cofer's 32-yard field goal to tie

2222-407: A 61-yard return. Johnson's Super Bowl record for longest punt stood for 30 seasons until Super Bowl LIII , when Los Angeles Rams ' punter Johnny Hekker had a 65-yard punt. However, the 49ers were unable to take advantage of their excellent starting field position. On first down, running back Harry Sydney fumbled a pitch from Montana and was downed for a 10-yard loss after he dove on the ball. On

SECTION 10

#1732772651243

2424-489: A McNair touchdown run. However, Buffalo came back to take the lead, 13–12 with Antowain Smith 's two touchdown runs in the second half (the two-point conversion after Smith's second touchdown failed). In the 4th quarter, the Titans regained the lead after Del Greco kicked his second field goal. With 16 seconds left in the game, Bills kicker Steve Christie made what seemed to be the game-winning 41-yard field goal to give his team

2626-525: 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

2828-897: A Super Bowl ring against the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI . The rematch was the third time in Super Bowl history two teams were meeting for a second time. Miami and Washington met in Super Bowls VII and XVII, with the teams splitting the games. Dallas and Pittsburgh met in Super Bowls X and XIII, with Pittsburgh winning both of those games. Both Dallas-Pittsburgh matchups were in Miami at the Orange Bowl. Pittsburgh and Dallas would later meet in Super Bowl XXX (which

3030-427: A championship ring and Super Bowl MVP honors. Esiason was also suffering from a sore left (throwing) shoulder, although the Bengals tried to keep it under wraps and made up for a lack of big-play passing attack with a run-heavy offense led by Woods and Brooks against their first two playoff opponents, Seattle and Buffalo. While Montana had his ups and downs during the regular season, he appeared to be playing his best in

3232-405: A commercial of plain typewritten text beginning with the line "This is the worst commercial on the Super Bowl. But it might be the best thing you see tonight." Pets.com famously paid millions for an advertisement featuring a sock puppet , though the company would collapse before the end of the year. The pregame show featured a tribute to "The Great American Music of the 20th Century". Narrated by

3434-479: 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 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

3636-528: A dance routine he did in the end zone to celebrate his touchdowns. Multi-talented running back James Brooks was also a key contributor, gaining a total of 1,218 combined rushing and receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. And the Bengals' offensive line was led by such Pro Bowl players as right guard Max Montoya and left tackle Anthony Muñoz . Muñoz was named the NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year for

3838-420: A dynamic 49-yard run with time running out in the 4th quarter. But after a 6–5 start, Montana led the 49ers to win four of their final five regular season games. Montana finished the regular season with 238 completions for 2,981 yards and 18 touchdowns, and also added 132 rushing yards. His favorite target was Rice, who recorded 64 receptions for 1,306 yards (a 20.4 yards per catch average) and 9 touchdowns. Craig

4040-598: 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 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

4242-453: 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

SECTION 20

#1732772651243

4444-471: A first round bye with the narrowest possible margin, but a one more loss would have caused them to miss the playoffs altogether. The team had a quarterback controversy with Montana and Steve Young each starting during the season. Young had started three games during the year, in which the 49ers went 2–1, including a crucial 24-21 week 9 win over the Vikings in which Young scored the game winning touchdown on

4646-672: A four-play, 85-yard drive that ended with San Francisco wide receiver Jerry Rice 's 14-yard touchdown reception. The touchdown came one play after Cincinnati cornerback Lewis Billups dropped what would have been a drive-ending interception in the end zone. Rice, who was named the Super Bowl MVP , caught 11 passes for a Super Bowl record 215 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing once for five yards. NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXIII to Miami, Florida on March 14, 1985, during their March 10–15, 1985 meetings held in Phoenix. This

4848-428: 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 was necessary to prevent this strategy from taking hold, and a reversion to the scrum was considered. However, Camp successfully proposed

5050-598: A game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club . This is the first recorded instance of 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,

5252-688: A grand total of 13 touchdowns, and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl for the 3rd consecutive year. Another contributor on the Titans' offense was fullback Lorenzo Neal , who frequently served as George's lead blocker and was widely considered one of the best blocking backs in the league. The team did not have any outstanding deep threats, but wide receiver Yancey Thigpen recorded 38 receptions for 648 yards, wide receiver Kevin Dyson had 54 receptions for 658 yards, and tight end Frank Wycheck caught 69 passes for 641 yards. Thigpen, however, would not play in

5454-533: 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

5656-564: 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 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

5858-437: A little over a month later in early March, with the reason being for his dismissal was simply his poor chemistry and hatred of Michaels (Michaels himself also hated Esiason). Esiason would then serve as the lead color commentator for Westwood One radio, calling Super Bowls XXXV (the game played the following year) to LII . This was the first Super Bowl to be aired in high definition and 5.1 Dolby Digital . ABC chose to use

6060-408: 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

6262-420: 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

Super Bowl XXXIV - Misplaced Pages Continue

6464-704: 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 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

6666-477: A new Millennium Blue/New Century Gold combination the next season. ABC televised the game in the United States, with play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and color commentator Boomer Esiason . Chris Berman from Disney -owned corporate sibling ESPN hosted all the events. Berman was joined by fellow ESPN analyst Steve Young , while ESPN's Mike Tirico was on hand for the post-game presentation of

6868-438: A one-yard loss on the next play, Fulcher broke up a third-down pass intended for Taylor, and then Cofer's 49-yard field attempt sailed wide right. The Bengals took over from their own 32 and regained the lead with a 10-play, 46-yard drive, featuring a 17-yard reception by backup receiver Ira Hillary on third and 13, along with 21 yards on three carries from Ickey Woods and a 12-yard play-action sideline pass to James Brooks. At

7070-428: 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

7272-440: A pass to the receiver at the 10. But two plays later on a third-down play, Bengals safety David Fulcher made a touchdown saving tackle at the 2 to keep Rathman from scoring. Cofer then attempted a 19-yard field goal, but a poor snap from center Randy Cross , in his final game, (though NBC's Dick Enberg initially blamed backup guard Chuck Thomas; who lined up next to Cross and split long-snapping duties; primarily on punts) threw off

7474-427: 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

7676-414: A round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with 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

7878-422: 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 a separate sport from rugby, and the resulting five-yard lines added to the field to measure distances made it resemble

8080-514: A season (24.0) and most receiving yards in a single game (216 against the Pittsburgh Steelers ). Wide receiver Tim McGee and Pro Bowl tight end Rodney Holman were also major threats, combining for 75 receptions, 1,213 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Rookie fullback Ickey Woods was their top rusher with 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns, while also catching 21 passes for 199 yards and gaining a lot of media attention with his " Ickey Shuffle ",

8282-436: 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

Super Bowl XXXIV - Misplaced Pages Continue

8484-537: 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 XXIII Super Bowl XXIII

8686-410: 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

8888-456: 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 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

9090-751: A touchdown, while Del Greco made four field goals. The Titans then eliminated the Jacksonville Jaguars , 33–14, in the AFC Championship Game at Jacksonville. The Jaguars finished the 1999 regular season with a league-best 14–2 record, and advanced to the AFC title game after crushing the Miami Dolphins 62–7 and limiting future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino to just 11 of 25 completions for 95 yards and 1 touchdown, with 2 interceptions. However, Tennessee's defense dominated

9292-449: 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 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

9494-425: 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

9696-437: 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

9898-403: 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

10100-407: 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

10302-466: Is the first time I touched a football; they don't realize I've been doing this for years – just not on this level, because I never got the chance. Sure, I had my tough times, but you don't sit there and say, 'Wow, I was stocking groceries five years ago, and look at me now.' You don't think about it, and when you do achieve something, you know luck has nothing to do with it." American football American football , referred to simply as football in

SECTION 50

#1732772651243

10504-567: Is the most recent NFL championship in which both teams were seeking their first Super Bowl title. Both teams were returning to the postseason after struggles and a move between cities. Led by the Greatest Show on Turf offense, the Rams entered their second Super Bowl appearance with an NFC-best 13–3 regular-season record. It was the franchise's first playoff run and first season with a winning record since 1989 and first since moving from Los Angeles to St. Louis . The Titans also finished

10706-421: 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

10908-437: 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

11110-553: The Moonlighting season finale, which was also aired in 3-D, but withdrew plans due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America Strike . Super Bowl XXIII started out with devastating injuries on both sides. On the third play of the game, 49ers tackle Steve Wallace was taken off the field with a broken ankle and replaced by Bubba Paris. On the 14th play of the game, Bengals defensive lineman Tim Krumrie twisted his ankle nearly 180 degrees, shattering two bones in his left leg. Krumrie

11312-607: 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 the innovations introduced by the new American Football League (AFL) in the early 1960s, helped football to become

11514-623: The 1998 season playing at Nashville's Vanderbilt Stadium . After the new Adelphia Coliseum (now known as Nissan Stadium ) was completed in 1999, the team's name was changed to Tennessee Titans. With Tennessee's Super Bowl appearance, every former AFL team had now played in the Super Bowl, including the original eight AFL teams and two AFL expansion teams: the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals . The 1999 Titans were led by quarterback Steve McNair and running back Eddie George . McNair had missed five games due to injuries during

11716-506: The 720p format. The game was later featured as one of the NFL's Greatest Games as The Longest Yard . This game is often referred to as the "dot-com" Super Bowl since it was held during the height of the dot-com bubble , and several Internet companies purchased television commercials . Among them, E-Trade 's commercial featured a chimpanzee dancing in an E-Trade T-shirt and the text "Well, we just wasted 2 million bucks". Lifeminders.com ran

11918-422: The Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game 21–10. Woods was the key contributor in both wins, rushing for a combined total of 228 yards and 3 touchdowns. Cincinnati's 17th-ranked defense during the season made a major improvement in the playoffs, holding both their opponents to a combined total of 23 points and recording 5 interceptions. Meanwhile, Bill Walsh guided the 49ers to crushing playoff wins over

12120-569: The Diet Pepsi Talent Challenge at the Miami Seaquarium . Also, Frank Deford narrated a special segment profiling recently deceased Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney . This was also the first NFL game that NBC covered with their new " Quantel Cypher" graphics system, which was introduced during their coverage of the 1988 Seoul Olympics (they had used Chyron for their graphics prior to Super Bowl XXIII;

12322-498: The Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX . They had made the playoffs in the three seasons between Super Bowl XIX and Super Bowl XXIII, but were eliminated each time in the first round, primarily because of the poor performances by their offensive stars in those games; quarterback Joe Montana , receiver Jerry Rice , and running back Roger Craig all failed to produce a single touchdown. The previous season's 36–24 playoff loss to

SECTION 60

#1732772651243

12524-657: The Minnesota Vikings had been a particularly low point for Montana, who had played so poorly that head coach Bill Walsh had benched him early in the third quarter. In the 1988 season, San Francisco won the NFC West with a 10–6 regular season record and earned the #2 playoff seed, but it was a long uphill battle. Two other teams in their division, the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints had also recorded 10-6 records, meaning not only did they earn

12726-548: The Minnesota Vikings , 34–9 and the Chicago Bears , 28–3. With the win over the Bears, the 49ers became the first road team to win an NFC Championship Game since the 1979 season . Despite the Bengals' superior regular season record and Esiason's MVP award, the 49ers were heavily favored to win the Super Bowl, mainly because of Montana. Montana had already led the 49ers to two previous Super Bowls and both times left with

12928-856: The San Diego Chargers , Tim Dwight did so for the Atlanta Falcons against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII , and Devin Hester did so for the Chicago Bears against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI . But the 49ers immediately responded with a touchdown of their own on an 85-yard, 4-play drive. First, Montana threw a short pass to Rice, who turned it into a 31-yard gain. Then

13130-533: The San Francisco Giants before taking over play-by-play full-time in 1989). The pregame festivities honored the Miami and South Florida areas, along with a tribute to NASA . Singer Billy Joel later sang the national anthem. He also sang the national anthem at Super Bowl XLI , which coincidentally was held at the same venue. The coin toss ceremony featured former Miami Dolphins players Nick Buoniconti , Bob Griese , and Larry Little . This

13332-619: The Smothers Brothers , the show highlighted some of the unique American musical styles such as gospel, big band, classical, country and rock. Singers Tina Turner and Travis Tritt along with the Georgia Tech Marching Band and the Georgia Mass Choir performed during the show. Country singer Faith Hill then sang the national anthem. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Super Bowl IV ,

13534-481: The Vince Lombardi Trophy . Lesley Visser and Lynn Swann served as sideline reporters. Other contributors included Dan Fouts , Jimmy Roberts , Bob Griese and Brent Musburger (who introduced a special memorial tribute to Walter Payton , who had died from bile duct cancer the previous November). This was Esiason's only Super Bowl as a color commentator on television. ABC Sports would fire him

13736-588: The Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration . It featured a full symphony orchestra conducted by Steven Byess; a multi-generational, 80-person choir; and singers Phil Collins , Christina Aguilera , Enrique Iglesias , and Toni Braxton . Both teams' defenses seemed to dominate most of the first half. The Rams started the game out strong by taking the opening kickoff and marching to the Tennessee 17-yard line, which featured

13938-954: The Washington Redskins (in Super Bowl XXVI ), the Green Bay Packers (in Super Bowl XXXI ), the Pittsburgh Steelers (in Super Bowl XL ), the New York Giants (in Super Bowl XLII ), and the New England Patriots (in Super Bowl XLIX ) have accomplished this same feat. At the end of NBC's telecast, they played Rod Stewart 's " Forever Young " against highlights of the past few months of sporting events to air on

14140-411: 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

14342-407: 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

14544-471: 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 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

14746-520: 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 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

14948-481: The 1, but he still fell into the end zone for a 93-yard touchdown return, giving the Bengals a 13–6 lead. Jennings joined Fulton Walker as the only other player at that time to return a kickoff for a touchdown in the Super Bowl. In the next three Super Bowls played in what is now Hard Rock Stadium , players duplicated Jennings' feat: Andre Coleman returned a kickoff against the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX for

15150-529: The 1995 season but continued to struggle. In 1997, the team hired Dick Vermeil as their head coach, bringing him back to the NFL after 15 years of retirement. Vermeil had previously turned the Philadelphia Eagles from one of the worst teams in the league into a Super Bowl team in 1980, but his first two seasons in St. Louis were hardly stellar, winning just five games in 1997 and four in 1998. Little

15352-414: The 2-yard line, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by George two plays later, cutting the Titans' deficit to 16–6 after McNair's pass to Wycheck on the two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete. The Titans' first score sparked them to rally. After forcing the Rams to punt on their ensuing possession, a pair of 21-yard completions from McNair to wide receiver Isaac Byrd and tight end Jackie Harris aided

15554-665: The 49ers back at their own 11. Then the Cincinnati defense limited the 49ers to just one yard on their ensuing drive, and ended up with great field position after defensive back Ray Horton returned San Francisco punter Barry Helton 's 37-yard punt five yards to the 49ers 44. On their ensuing drive, the Bengals managed to get into scoring range by driving 28 yards to the San Francisco 16, assisted by an 18-yard completion from Esiason to receiver Tim McGee . But after Esiason's third down pass intended for wide receiver Eddie Brown

15756-542: 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 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

15958-468: The Atlanta area within a week of each other. The second storm occurred during the week the Super Bowl was hosted. Despite the rare adverse weather conditions, city and state crews kept streets and sidewalks free of ice, and MARTA public transport kept running. The Atlanta region does not receive more ice storms than most other areas of the country, and Super Bowl XXXIV was played indoors and unaffected by

16160-509: The Atlanta-St. Louis highway corridor, which contains the entirety of Interstate 24 , and uses Interstate 64 and Interstate 75 to complete the route. It is the most recent Super Bowl in which neither team had already won a Super Bowl. The Titans, as the designated home team, wore navy blue jerseys with white pants. The Rams wore white uniforms with yellow pants, which would be the final appearance for these uniforms before rebranding to

16362-401: The Bengals managed to get a sustained drive going, moving the ball 61 yards in 12 plays and taking 9:15 off the clock. Esiason, who completed only 4 of 12 passes for 48 yards in the first half, completed 3 of 4 passes for 54 yards on the drive, including a 20-yard completion to James Brooks and 23-yard and 11-yard completions to Cris Collinsworth (who was playing in his final game), setting up

16564-548: The Cowboys won by 10) to become the first two teams to ever meet three times in the Super Bowl. The Cowboys and Bills (Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII), Rams and Patriots (Super Bowls XXXVI and LIII), Eagles and Patriots (Super Bowls XXXIX and LII), and Giants and Patriots (Super Bowls XLII and XLVI) have also met in two Super Bowls each. The 49ers, as the designated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, wore their home red uniforms with gold pants. The Bengals, on

16766-469: The Cypher was also used for the network's presentation of the 1988 World Series ). NBC also introduced their "cursive font" logo during this broadcast. Before, it was just the 1986 peacock logo with "NBC SPORTS" in their generic corporate font. With the win, the 49ers became the first team to win Super Bowls televised on three different networks ( CBS – XVI , ABC – XIX , and NBC ). Since then,

16968-582: 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 the commissioner . NCAA and NFHS teams are "strongly advised" to number their offensive players according to

17170-620: The Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game, forcing 6 turnovers. Jacksonville led 14–10 at halftime, but the Titans then scored 23 unanswered points on two touchdown runs by McNair, a safety, and Derrick Mason 's 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Although McNair passed for only 112 yards and one touchdown with one interception, he rushed for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 carries. George rushed for 86 yards and caught 3 passes for 19 yards. In January 2000, two ice storms struck

17372-497: The NFL in punt return yards (556), yards per return, (12.6), and touchdowns (2). He also gained 228 yards on kickoff returns and 325 receiving yards on just 14 receptions (a 23.2 yards per catch average). The 49ers' defense was led by defensive backs Ronnie Lott , Eric Wright , Jeff Fuller , and Tim McKyer , who recorded a combined total of 18 interceptions. McKyer led the team with 7, while Lott recorded 5, along with 3 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries. Linebacker Charles Haley

17574-408: The Rams defeated the Minnesota Vikings , 49–37 in St. Louis, by scoring 35 unanswered points in the second half. Bruce caught 4 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Faulk gained 101 combined rushing/receiving yards and scored 2 touchdowns. Although Vikings quarterback Jeff George threw for 423 yards and 4 touchdowns, three of his scores occurred late in the 4th quarter, after the Rams had already put

17776-440: The Rams' 10-yard line has gone down in NFL history as " The Tackle " or " One Yard Short ". Tennessee's plan was to use Wycheck as a decoy. The tight end would run straight up the field on the right side, to lure linebacker Mike Jones away from Dyson, who would then slant left through the middle of the field. With Wycheck occupying Jones, McNair would pass the ball to Dyson, who would be open from about five yards out to run in for

17978-403: The San Francisco quarterback completed a 40-yard pass to Craig on the first play of the fourth quarter, moving the ball to the Bengals 14. Montana's next pass was nearly intercepted but dropped by Cincinnati cornerback Lewis Billups in the end zone. On the next play, Montana threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rice to tie the game at 13. Cofer's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Bengals

18180-456: 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 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

18382-422: The St. Louis 45-yard line. On the next play, linebacker Charlie Clemons was penalized for being offside, moving the ball to the 40-yard line with 59 seconds left. McNair ran for 2 yards, then threw a 7-yard completion to wide receiver Kevin Dyson . On the next play, the Rams nearly ended the game when Bly stepped in front of a pass intended for Mason, only to have it go right through his arms. Two plays later, with

18584-431: The Super Bowl because of a right foot fracture he suffered in the AFC Championship Game. Up front, their line was anchored by Pro Bowl tackle Bruce Matthews . On special teams, speedy rookie Derrick Mason racked up 1,030 combined return yards and a touchdown. Tennessee's defense was also extremely effective. Pro Bowl defensive end Jevon Kearse anchored the line, recording 14.5 sacks to go along with 8 forced fumbles and

18786-440: The Titans could have attempted a two-point conversion for the outright win on the final play of the game, although head coach Jeff Fisher claimed in a 2019 interview that he would have taken his chances for overtime. Because the game had already seen the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, "One Yard Short" is considered one of the greatest and most exciting game-ending plays in modern NFL history. The image of Dyson stretching

18988-493: The Titans facing 3rd-and-5, McNair narrowly avoided a sack by defensive ends Kevin Carter and Jay Williams and completed a 16-yard pass to Dyson to set up 1st-and-goal at the Rams' 10-yard line. Tennessee then used up their final timeout with just six seconds left, giving them a chance for one last play to either tie the game and send it into overtime, or go for the two-point conversion for the victory. The game's final play from

19190-556: The Titans' defense forced St. Louis to settle for field goal attempts by Wilkins, who made three out of four attempts from 27, 29, and 28 yards, respectively (his only miss was his second attempt, a 34-yarder that sailed wide right, on the third play of the second quarter). Wilkins' three field goals gave St. Louis a 9–0 halftime lead, but their scoring margin over Tennessee seemed somewhat small, considering they drove into scoring range on every one of their first-half possessions and outgained Tennessee in total yards, 294–89. In addition, Warner

19392-586: The United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. American football evolved from the sports of rugby and soccer . Rugby, like American football, 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

19594-405: 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 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

19796-455: 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, 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

19998-554: 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 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

20200-460: 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),

20402-508: The annual survey was an ad from American Express starring Saturday Night Live stars Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz , who went to the game with different credit cards – Carvey with American Express, Lovitz with AmEx rival Visa . The game aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and was simulcast on CTV in Canada and Televisa 's Canal de las Estrellas in Mexico . For viewers watching

20604-403: The ball at their own 12-yard line with 1:48 left in the game after committing a holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff. McNair started out the drive with a pair of completions to Mason and Wycheck for gains of 9 and 7 yards to reach the 28-yard line. After an incomplete pass, a face-mask penalty on cornerback Dré Bly while tackling McNair on a 12-yard scramble gave the Titans a new set of downs at

20806-411: The ball at their own 35. But they could only reach their 43 before being forced to punt. Taylor nearly turned the ball over by fumbling Johnson's punt, but teammate Darryl Pollard recovered the ball at the San Francisco 18. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Montana completed a 44-yard pass to Rice, and then Craig ran for seven yards, moving the ball to the Bengals 31. But after Craig was tackled for

21008-435: 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

21210-478: 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

21412-467: 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 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 ,

21614-470: The ball to the St. Louis 29-yard line, aided by running back Eddie George 's 32-yard reception from quarterback Steve McNair . However, they also came up empty after kicker Al Del Greco missed a 47-yard field goal attempt wide left. For the rest of the half, the Titans were forced to punt on all of their possessions. Meanwhile, the Rams were able to reach inside the Tennessee 20-yard line on all four of their remaining drives before halftime, but on each one,

21816-570: The ball to the goal line with Jones wrapped around him has become a staple of NFL highlights. ESPN.com ranked "One Yard Short" as the 35th-greatest moment of the past 25 years in sports (as of 2007). NFL.com ranked the tackle as the fourth-greatest clutch moment in Super Bowl history. Fox Sports ranked it as the Greatest Clutch Play in Super Bowl History (as of 2007). Like Dallas Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown , Jones

22018-601: The best season of his career and won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award , while finishing second in MVP voting to Warner. He scored 12 touchdowns, rushed for 1,381 yards, and recorded a team-leading 87 receptions for 1,048 yards. In all, Faulk gained a record 2,429 total yards and became just the second running back in NFL history to gain over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season ( Roger Craig

22220-599: The broadcast booth. Brent Musburger hosted the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage with analysts Dick Butkus , Irv Cross and Will McDonough , all from CBS' The NFL Today . Locally, Super Bowl XXIII was broadcast by WKRC-AM in Cincinnati with Phil Samp and former Bengals Ken Anderson and Dave Lapham , and by KGO-AM in San Francisco with Lon Simmons (calling his final game as 49ers play-by-play announcer), Wayne Walker and Joe Starkey (who filled in for Simmons in 1987 and '88 for games which conflicted with

22422-413: 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

22624-399: 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

22826-430: 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

23028-424: The distance for a 73-yard touchdown reception to give St. Louis a 23–16 lead. Likewise, in the 1951 NFL Championship Game , quarterback Norm Van Brocklin 's 73-yard game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Tom Fears broke a 17–17 tie in the fourth quarter and gave the Rams a seven-point victory to win the NFL title. Warner's touchdown pass to Bruce was his only completion of the fourth quarter. The Titans took

23230-403: The elements. But some residents believe the poor weather during Super Bowl week negatively impacted the city's chances of hosting another Super Bowl, including the bid it lost for Super Bowl XLIII . That bid included meteorological data showing the rarity of such storms in the area. They eventually got the bid to host Super Bowl LIII . Nashville, home of the Titans, is also the midway point of

23432-472: 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

23634-404: 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

23836-562: The favorite. This was the last Super Bowl played on the second to last Sunday in January. From 1990 to 2001, the game was played on the last Sunday of January, and from 2002 to 2021, on the first Sunday in February (with the exception of Super Bowl XXXVII , which was played on January 26, 2003). This was also the last east coast Super Bowl that began under daylight. For the 49ers, it was their first Super Bowl appearance since they defeated

24038-561: 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 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

24240-468: 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; the NFL has a 53-man roster, while NCAA Division I allows teams to have 63 scholarship players in

24442-480: The field of a touchdown, giving Tennessee the win. The Titans then defeated the Indianapolis Colts , 19–16 in Indianapolis. After both teams exchanged field goals in the first half, George scored on a 68-yard touchdown run to give his team a 13–9 lead. Del Greco then kicked two more field goals in the 4th quarter to put the game away. George finished the game with a franchise playoff record 162 rushing yards and

24644-454: 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 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

24846-466: The field. But as he reached the goal line, he glanced over his left shoulder and noticed an open Dyson catching the ball. Jones switched directions and wrapped up Dyson's legs about two and a half yards short of the end zone. Both players went into a rolling motion as Dyson stretched his hand with the football towards the end zone, attempting to break the plane of the goal line and score. As the rolling motion came to an end with Jones on top of Dyson's legs,

25048-450: The following participants of the game were featured during the coin toss ceremony: Bud Grant , Lamar Hunt , Bobby Bell , Paul Krause , Willie Lanier , Alan Page , and Jan Stenerud . The E-Trade Super Bowl Halftime Show was produced by Disney and titled "Tapestry of Nations" after the Epcot parade of the same name . The show, narrated by actor Edward James Olmos , was inspired by

25250-629: 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 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

25452-612: The game away. The Rams then narrowly defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , 11–6 at home, in a hard-fought defensive struggle in the NFC Championship Game . The first half ended with the Rams leading 5–3 on a Jeff Wilkins field goal and after a bad snap by the Buccaneers went through their own end zone for a safety. Tampa Bay then scored a field goal in the 3rd quarter to take the lead. But Warner threw

25654-419: 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

25856-409: 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 the illegal payment of college players who were still in school. The National Football League (NFL), a group of professional teams that

26058-438: The game near the end of regulation, the first time a Super Bowl team had erased a deficit of more than 10 points. On their ensuing drive, the Rams regained the lead with wide receiver Isaac Bruce 's 73-yard touchdown. Super Bowl XXXIV is best remembered for its final play, in which the Titans reached St. Louis's 10-yard line with six seconds remaining, but linebacker Mike Jones tackled wide receiver Kevin Dyson one yard short of

26260-497: The game on AFN TV Europe ( Armed Forces Network ), AFN and NBC broke for a commercial just before the Montana-Taylor touchdown play. AFN continued their announcements and did not get back to the game until after the touchdown. AFN viewers saw the winning touchdown in replay. On radio, the game was broadcast in the United States by CBS with Jack Buck handling the play-by-play duties and color commentator Hank Stram in

26462-442: The game, 6-6. With less than a minute left in the third quarter, it appeared that this would become the first Super Bowl ever to go three quarters without either team scoring a touchdown. But on the ensuing kickoff, Stanford Jennings received the ball at the 7, ran straight up the middle behind a wedge of blockers, and burst out of the pack into the open field. 49ers receiver Terry Greer managed to chase him down and trip him up at

26664-411: The goal line to prevent a potential game-tying (or winning, if the Titans decided to go for a two-point conversion) touchdown. The play became known as " One Yard Short " and " The Tackle ". Rams quarterback Kurt Warner , the first undrafted quarterback to win a Super Bowl, was named Super Bowl MVP after setting Super Bowl records for passing yards and pass attempts without an interception. Warner became

26866-443: 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

27068-434: 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

27270-507: The kicker's timing and his kick sailed wide left. Cofer succeeded Rich Karlis , who missed a 21-yard field goal in Super Bowl XXI , as the kicker with the shortest missed field goal in Super Bowl history, a record that still holds. The 49ers then forced the Bengals to punt on their next drive. On the play, San Francisco Pro Bowl punt returner John Taylor misplayed punter Lee Johnson 's kick, and it sailed over his head, bouncing all

27472-407: The lead, 16–15. However, Neal received the ensuing kickoff and handed the ball off to Wycheck, who then lateraled the ball to Dyson on the other side of the field, who eventually ran 75 yards to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. The play was reviewed to determine whether Wycheck had lateraled the ball to Dyson or made an illegal forward pass. Referee Phil Luckett upheld the original call on

27674-429: The league in total yards gained (6,639), scoring (526 points), and passing touchdowns (42). The Rams' defense led the league in fewest rushing yards allowed (1,189) and fewest rushing touchdowns allowed (4), while giving up just 242 points. Overall, the defense ranked 4th in the league in fewest total yards (5,056). The line was anchored by Pro Bowl defensive end Kevin Carter and defensive end Grant Wistrom . Carter led

27876-454: The league with 17 sacks , while Wistrom recorded 8.5 sacks and 2 interceptions, returning both for touchdowns and a combined total of 131 yards. Behind them, the Rams had three linebackers: London Fletcher (66 tackles and 3 sacks), Mike Jones (4 interceptions for 96 return yards and 2 touchdowns, and 2 fumble recoveries for 51 return yards and a touchdown), and Todd Collins (72 tackles, a sack, and 2 interceptions for 16 yards). The secondary

28078-506: 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 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

28280-781: The network: The Summer Olympics from Seoul , the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics , the Fiesta Bowl between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and West Virginia Mountaineers , and finally Super Bowl XXIII. During the closing credits, NBC used the instrumental tune "Everglade Run" by Yanni . This game also marked the debut of the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter . The first winner of

28482-482: The next play, Montana was sacked by defensive lineman David Grant (who replaced Krumrie at nose tackle ). Then on third down, Fulcher forced a fumble from 49ers running back Roger Craig , and Bengals defensive end Jim Skow recovered the ball on his own 41. Cincinnati then drove to the San Francisco 42, but after two incomplete passes and defensive end Danny Stubbs 's eight-yard sack on Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason , they were forced to punt. However, Johnson pinned

28684-429: 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

28886-410: 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 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

29088-429: 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 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

29290-473: The other hand, wore their all-white road uniforms. On January 16, a Hispanic Miami police officer shot and killed a speeding black motorcyclist in the Overtown section of Miami. A large crowd gathered and turned violent, leading to rioting and looting which lasted into January 18. A television van and several automobiles and buildings were set on fire, and police used tear gas against the rioters. A teenager

29492-445: 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

29694-451: 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

29896-454: The postseason, throwing for 466 yards and 5 touchdowns in his two playoff games, with only 1 interception. In contrast, the sore-shouldered Esiason had thrown for only 202 yards and 1 touchdown, with 2 interceptions, in the Bengals' two playoff victories. While in Miami, Cincinnati suffered a major blow even before the game began. On the night before the Super Bowl, Stanley Wilson , the Bengals' best fullback and their third-leading rusher during

30098-422: 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

30300-447: The receiver's shoulder touched the ground, making him down by contact with the ball just inches short of the goal line. At this point, there were 2 seconds left on the clock, but with no timeouts remaining, the Titans could not run another play before time expired and, therefore, the game was over. Had Dyson scored and the extra point been converted, it would have been the first Super Bowl to go into overtime. Alternatively, had Dyson scored,

30502-401: 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

30704-439: 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, 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,

30906-459: The regular season 13–3 and advanced to their Super Bowl debut as a wild card . In their first season after retiring the Oilers name, the franchise was making their first playoff run since 1993 and first since moving from Houston to Tennessee . The Rams scored three field goals by halftime and added a third-quarter touchdown to take a 16–0 lead. The Titans responded with 16 straight points to tie

31108-467: The respective delegations. Miami, Atlanta, and Tampa were selected to host XXXIII , XXXIV, and XXXV , respectively. This was the second time that Atlanta hosted the game. The Rams entered 1999 having been among the league's stragglers for a decade. The reasons are many, including, some suggest, mismanagement by executive John Shaw. The franchise moved to a taxpayer-funded stadium in St. Louis, Missouri for

31310-415: The rest of the game. The Titans finally got on the board with a 12-play, 66-yard scoring drive. Wide receiver Derrick Mason returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards to the 34-yard line. From there, five runs by George for 24 yards, three completions from McNair to tight end Frank Wycheck for 15 yards and a 2-yard run by McNair advanced the ball to the St. Louis 25-yard line. Then McNair scrambled 23 yards to

31512-407: The rest of the show instead featured songs from musicals among other tunes. Several scenes included computer generated 3-D images. Prior to the game, Coca-Cola distributed 3-D glasses at retailers for viewers to use. At the onset of the halftime show, primary sponsor Diet Coke aired the first commercial in 3-D. Coca-Cola had originally planned to use the 3-D Diet Coke commercial as part of

31714-542: 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 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

31916-427: The score at 16–16 with just 2:12 left in regulation. The 16–0 deficit was the largest deficit to be erased in a Super Bowl and the first greater than 10 points. It was also the first time in any Super Bowl a team down double digits in the fourth quarter came back to tie the game. Then on the first play of the Rams' ensuing drive, Warner threw a long pass that was caught at the Titans' 38-yard line by Bruce, who then went

32118-432: The score. Jones, who was the Rams' defensive signal-caller, called a 77 Blast, a combination coverage that can be altered as the offense lines up. When the Titans came to the line, Rams safety Billy Jenkins called for three Rams players — he, Jones, and cornerback Dexter McCleon — to play zone coverage against Wycheck and Dyson. As the play began, everything appeared to go as planned. Jones initially ran with Wycheck up

32320-483: The season with 398 yards, was caught using cocaine in his hotel room. The Bengals had no choice but to leave him off the roster. It was Wilson's third violation of the league's drug policy, and as a result he was banned from the league for life. Both coaches had a long history with each other. In 1979, 49ers coach Bill Walsh had talked Sam Wyche out of retirement to come and join the team as an assistant coach. Wyche remained on Walsh's coaching staff until 1982, winning

32522-623: The season, but he was still able to put up solid numbers, throwing for 2,179 yards and 12 touchdowns with 8 interceptions. Despite his injury problems, McNair finished the season as the second-leading rusher on the team with 337 yards and 8 touchdowns. When McNair was out with injuries, the team was able to rely on backup QB Neil O'Donnell , who threw for 1,382 yards and 10 touchdowns, with only 5 interceptions. George also had an outstanding season, rushing for 1,304 yards, and catching 47 passes for 458 yards (his receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns were all career highs). In all, George scored

32724-457: 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 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,

32926-503: 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

33128-850: The sixth player to win Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP in a single season, a feat that would go unrepeated for 23 seasons. The game has been called the "Dot-com Super Bowl" for the large amount of advertisements purchased by dot-com companies . Regarded as one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, it was featured on NFL's Greatest Games as " The Longest Yard ". NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XXXIV to Atlanta during their October 31, 1996, meeting in New Orleans. A total of five cities submitted bids: Miami ( Joe Robbie Stadium ), Atlanta ( Georgia Dome ), Tampa ( Raymond James Stadium ), Phoenix / Tempe ( Sun Devil Stadium ), and Los Angeles ( Coliseum ). The Los Angeles host committee originally

33330-411: 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 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

33532-531: The sport in the U.S., with another 81,000 college athletes in the NCAA and the NAIA . The National Football League (NFL) has 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

33734-536: The suburb of Miami Gardens , which became a separate city in 2003). This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held at the Orange Bowl . This was the second meeting between these two teams in the Super Bowl; their first meeting was seven years earlier . The game was also the third rematch between Super Bowl teams after Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XVII . This

33936-455: The team finished with a miserable 4–11 record, including 0–3 in games played by replacement players. The coach and quarterback worked out their differences in the offseason, and Esiason ended up having the best season of his career en route to Super Bowl XXIII. During the regular season, he threw for 3,572 yards and 28 touchdowns with only 14 interceptions, while also rushing for 248 yards and a touchdown on 43 carries. Esiason's performance made him

34138-712: The team was owned by Houston , Texas businessman Bud Adams and known as the Houston Oilers . By 1995, however, Adams, like Frontiere, was lured to move his team from Houston, in this case to a new stadium in Nashville, Tennessee . Since this new stadium was not ready until the 1999 season, Adams decided to move his team to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis , Tennessee in 1997 after playing before small Houston crowds in 1996 . The renamed Tennessee Oilers also played before sparse Memphis crowds, and thus spent

34340-669: The team's new starter. Warner, who started the season as a backup to Green, had previously played for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League and the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe . The Rams proceeded to shock the NFL with an NFC-best 13–3 regular season record and outscored their opponents 526–242, the highest scoring margin (284) of any Super Bowl champion. The Rams' high-powered offense, run by offensive coordinator Mike Martz ,

34542-567: The team's third wide receiver, Az-Zahir Hakim , was a big contributor by catching 36 passes for 677 yards and 8 touchdowns, while also returning punts for 461 yards and another touchdown. The Rams' offensive line was led by Pro Bowlers Orlando Pace and Adam Timmerman . Timmerman, acquired by the Rams in 1999, had previously won Super Bowl XXXI with the Green Bay Packers . On special teams, receiver Tony Horne returned 30 kickoffs for 892 yards and 2 touchdowns, giving him an NFL-leading 29.7 yards per return average. Overall, St. Louis's offense led

34744-641: The third time in his career, and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl for the 8th season in a row. With all these weapons, Cincinnati's offense led the NFL in scoring (448 points), rushing yards (2,710), and total yards (6,302). The Bengals' defense ranked 17th in the league, allowing 5,556 yards and 329 points during the regular season. Cincinnati had a superb defensive line , led by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tim Krumrie (3 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries), along with linemen Jim Skow (9.5 sacks), David Grant (5 sacks), and Jason Buck (6 sacks). Their linebacking corps

34946-499: 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 the college game during the late 1930s. Football, in general, became increasingly popular following

35148-500: The top-rated quarterback in the league with a 97.4 passer rating and earned him the NFL Most Valuable Player Award . Cincinnati had a number of offensive weapons, boasting six Pro Bowl selections. Wide receiver Eddie Brown was the top receiver on the team, with 54 receptions for 1,273 yards and 9 touchdowns, setting franchise records for most receiving yards in season, highest yards per catch average in

35350-446: The way to the 49ers 9 to make it a then-Super Bowl record 63-yard punt. But Taylor made up for his mistake by chasing the ball down and returning it for a then-Super Bowl record 45 yards to the Bengals 46. Thanks to Taylor, a seemingly routine punt had turned into a double record setter. Taylor's Super Bowl record for longest punt return stood for 27 seasons until Super Bowl 50 , when Denver Broncos ' return specialist Jordan Norwood had

35552-411: 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

35754-408: 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

35956-403: The winning touchdown on a Joe Montana pass to John Taylor with just 34 seconds left in the game. The game was tight throughout. The teams combined for five field goals, and battled to a 3–3 score by the end of the second quarter, the first halftime tie in Super Bowl history. Cincinnati's only touchdown, a 93-yard kickoff return by Stanford Jennings in the third quarter, was quickly answered by

36158-402: 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 ; 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

36360-604: Was ailing after taking several big hits from the Titans' blitzing defense, and Dick Vermeil considered replacing him at halftime for backup Paul Justin , who had only thrown 14 passes all season; Warner, however, never missed a snap. Both teams' offenses started to get going in the second half. The Titans took the opening kickoff and drove 43 yards to the St. Louis 29-yard line, but still came up empty after Rams cornerback Todd Lyght blocked Del Greco's 47-yard field goal attempt. After that, Warner converted 3rd-and-7 with an 8-yard completion to running back Marshall Faulk , then threw

36562-402: Was also a big contributor with 11.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. The 49ers also had a solid defensive line, featuring Michael Carter (6.5 sacks), Danny Stubbs (6 sacks), Larry Roberts (6 sacks), and Pierce Holt (5 sacks). The Bengals were also a team on the rebound. During the strike-shortened 1987 season , quarterback Boomer Esiason and head coach Sam Wyche had openly feuded, and

36764-432: Was also a key contributor, leading the team in receptions (76) while finishing the season with a total of 2,036 combined rushing and receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, earning him the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award . Fullback Tom Rathman also made a big impact, rushing for 427 yards and catching 42 passes for 387 yards. San Francisco also had a major special teams threat in second-year receiver John Taylor , who led

36966-477: Was also working as a researcher for NBC Sports at the time), Al Roker , who did a brief weather report at the beginning of the pregame show (Roker was already in Miami due to NBC News having sent him there as part of the Sunday Today coverage) and Marv Albert , who interviewed Sam Wyche and Boomer Esiason after the game. Meanwhile, during NBC's pregame coverage, Ahmad Rashad and John Candy hosted

37168-506: Was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1988 season . The 49ers defeated the Bengals 20–16, winning their third Super Bowl. The game was played on January 22, 1989, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami (now part of

37370-696: Was broadcast in the United States by NBC with Dick Enberg handling the play-by-play duties and color commentator Merlin Olsen in the broadcast booth. This would be Olsen's final Super Bowl broadcast, as he was demoted the following season to make room for retiring 49ers head coach Bill Walsh . Bob Costas and Gayle Gardner hosted the Super Bowl Live! pregame (2 hours), halftime, and postgame coverage with analysts Paul Maguire and then- Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula . Also assisting with NBC's coverage were pregame roving reporter Jim Gray (who

37572-469: Was expected of the Rams for 1999. Indeed, ESPN The Magazine ' s 1999 NFL preview predicted the Rams would be the worst team in the NFL, worse even than the Cleveland Browns , who had returned as an expansion team that year. Trent Green , who had just been signed as the Rams starting quarterback, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, making undrafted quarterback Kurt Warner

37774-529: Was going to partner with Pasadena ( Rose Bowl ), but switched their plans to the Coliseum after a renovation plan was announced. However, the Los Angeles bid was dismissed when their delegation failed to convince the owners that planned stadium renovations would be completed in time. Owners initially planned on selecting only two hosts (XXXIII and XXXIV), but decided to name three after strong showings by

37976-521: Was included on the NFL Network's "Top 10 One-Hit Wonders" list (Jones was #10, Brown was #3), Jones also mirrored Brown in his solid if unspectacular career outside of his Super Bowl heroics. After the game, many sports writers commented on Warner's rise from an unknown backup to a Super Bowl MVP , but Warner himself wasn't impressed by it. "How can you be in awe of something that you expect yourself to do?" Warner pointed out. "People think this season

38178-520: 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 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

38380-626: Was led by 13-year veteran Reggie Williams , one of six players remaining from their 1981 Super Bowl team. Pro Bowl defensive backs Eric Thomas and David Fulcher combined for 12 interceptions, while safety Lewis Billups added 4 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. The team ended up winning the AFC Central with a 12–4 record. The Bengals went on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in the AFC Divisional playoff game 21–13, and

38582-482: Was led by Pro Bowler Todd Lyght (6 interceptions), Dexter McCleon (4 interceptions), and rookie Dré Bly (3 interceptions). This was the Rams' first playoff appearance since 1989 and only the second Super Bowl appearance in team history. The Titans advanced to their first Super Bowl in team history, after originating as a charter member of the American Football League . From 1960 to 1996,

38784-403: Was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year. The linebackers corps was led by Eddie Robinson , who recorded 64 tackles and 6 sacks, while also recovering and forcing 3 fumbles. Their secondary was led by cornerback Samari Rolle , who led the team with 4 interceptions, and veteran safety Marcus Robertson , who would miss the game with a broken leg. The Titans finished the regular season with

38986-585: Was nicknamed " The Greatest Show on Turf ". In Warner's first NFL season in 1998 , he played only one game and threw just 11 passes. But in 1999, he experienced one of the most spectacular seasons ever by a quarterback, recording a passer rating of 109.2, completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns, and just 13 interceptions, and earning the NFL Most Valuable Player Award . Besides Warner, several other Rams compiled significant statistics. Halfback Marshall Faulk , in his first year in St. Louis after spending five seasons with Indianapolis , had

39188-535: 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, the NFL had established itself as America's premier professional football league. The dominant form of football at

39390-464: Was overthrown, they were forced to settle for kicker Jim Breech 's 34-yard field goal with 1:15 left in the half. The two teams went into their locker rooms tied 3–3, the first halftime tie in Super Bowl history, and the lowest halftime score since the Pittsburgh Steelers took a 2–0 halftime lead over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX . On their opening possession in the second half,

39592-414: Was replaced by rookie David Grant. After the two teams traded punts on their first drives of the game, the 49ers, aided by a roughing the passer penalty and a 17-yard screen pass to fullback Tom Rathman on 3rd-and-10, marched 73 yards from their own 3-yard line to the Bengals 24. But dropped passes, including one by receiver Mike Wilson on the 2-yard line (the first time in a Super Bowl that instant replay

39794-490: Was shot and killed in the melee and more than $ 1 million worth of damage was done. Rumors began that the Super Bowl might be moved to Tampa , and the incident later prompted the NFL to look at the league's hiring of minorities and its lack of black coaches at the time (the following season Art Shell became the first African-American NFL head coach of the modern era with the Los Angeles Raiders ). The game

39996-444: Was the Bengals' second Super Bowl appearance after finishing the regular season with a 12–4 record. The 49ers were making their third Super Bowl appearance after posting a 10–6 regular season record. The game is best remembered for the 49ers' fourth-quarter game-winning drive. Down 16–13, San Francisco got the ball on their own 8-yard line with 3:10 on the clock and marched 92 yards down the field in under three minutes. They then scored

40198-432: Was the first to do it, in 1985). Faulk held the NFL record for yards from scrimmage in a single season until Tennessee's Chris Johnson broke it in 2009. Faulk wasn't the only weapon at Warner's disposal in 1999. Veteran receiver Isaac Bruce was the top Rams receiver with 77 receptions for 1,165 yards and 12 touchdowns. while breakout rookie wide receiver Torry Holt recorded 52 receptions, 788 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Even

40400-421: Was the last outdoor Super Bowl to start earlier than 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, as it started just after 5 p.m. The halftime show was titled "Be Bop Bamboozled in 3-D" and featured an Elvis impersonator , played by then- Solid Gold dancer Alex Cole, and hundreds of South Florida-area dancers and performers. Two portions of Elvis Presley songs were performed (" Blue Suede Shoes " and " Burning Love "), and

40602-772: Was the sixth time that Miami hosted the game, and the first at Joe Robbie Stadium ; the 5 previous Super Bowls in the area were played at the Miami Orange Bowl . Originally, the selection was to be voted on during the May 23–25, 1984 meetings. However, after balloting for XXI took more than two hours, voting for XXIII was rescheduled. Twelve cities were part of the bidding process, which was scheduled to award two Super Bowls (XXIII and XXIV ). The bidding cities included: Anaheim , Detroit , Houston , Jacksonville , Miami , Minneapolis , New Orleans , Philadelphia , San Francisco , Seattle , Tampa , and Tempe . Miami entered as

40804-478: Was used to reverse a call), forced them to settle for a 41-yard field goal from kicker Mike Cofer . On the 49ers' next drive, Montana threw a pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice , who first tipped it to himself and then made a one-handed catch before stepping out of bounds at the San Francisco 45-yard line. Then after reaching the Cincinnati 42-yard line, Montana spotted defensive back Lewis Billups trying to cover Rice one-on-one and made him pay for it by completing

#242757