Super Bowl XXIII
Encyclopedia
Super Bowl XXIII was an American football
game played on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida
to decide the National Football League
(NFL) champion following the 1988 regular season
. 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 also 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 since 2002, on the first Sunday in February (with the exception of Super Bowl XXXVII
, which was played on January 26, 2003).
The National Football Conference
(NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers
(13-6) defeated the American Football Conference
(AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals
(14-5), 20-16. This was the second meeting between the two teams in the Super Bowl, their first meeting being seven years earlier
.
The game is remembered for the 49ers' fourth-quarter game-winning drive. Down 16-13, San Francisco got the ball on their own eight yard line with 3:10 on the clock and marched 92 yards down the field in under three minutes. They then scored the winning touchdown on a Joe Montana
pass to John Taylor with just 34 seconds left in the game.
49ers wide receiver
Jerry Rice
was named the Super Bowl MVP
. He caught 11 passes for a Super Bowl record 215 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing once for 5 yards.
This was the final NFL game coached by the 49ers' Bill Walsh as well as the final Super Bowl that Pete Rozelle
presided over as NFL Commissioner.
On January 26, 2006, NFL.com ranked this game number 1 on its list of the top 10 Super Bowls of all time.
.
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 the favorite.
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.
In the 1988 season, San Francisco won the NFC West
with a 10-6 regular season record, but it was a long uphill battle. The team had a quarterback controversy with Montana and Steve Young each starting at quarterback during the season. But after a 6-5 start, Montana led the 49ers to win 4 of their final 5 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 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 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 recetions (a 23.2 yards pre 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. Linebacker Charles Haley
was also a big contributor with 11.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries.
, quarterback Boomer Esiason
and head coach Sam Wyche
had openly feuded, and the team finished with a miserable 4-11 record. A lot of Bengals fans would have been happy to see them both leave the team, but they worked out their differences in the off-season 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 touchdown passes with only 14 interceptions, while also rushing for 248 yards and a touchdown on 43 carries. Esiason's performance made him 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 6 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 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
", 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 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
, along with linemen Jim Skow
(9.5 sacks), David Grant
(5 sacks), and Jason Buck
(6 sacks). 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.
, 21-13, and the Buffalo Bills
, 21-10, in the playoffs. 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 their crushing playoff wins over 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
.
While Montana had problems during the regular season, he appeared to be playing his best in the postseason, throwing for 466 yards and 5 touchdowns in his 2 playoff games, with only 1 interception. In contrast, Esiason had thrown for only 202 yards and 1 touchdown, with 2 interceptions.
Cincinnati also had internal problems. On the night before the game, Bengals running back Stanley Wilson
, the team's third leading rusher during the season with 398 yards, was caught using cocaine in his hotel room and was suspended from the team.
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 the Cowboys won by 10) to become the first two teams to ever meet three times in the Super Bowl. The Cowboys and Bills is the only other Super Bowl rematch, which happened in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII.
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 a black coach.
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 Bill Walsh. Bob Costas
along with Gayle Gardner
hosted the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage with analysts Paul Maguire
and then-Miami Dolphins
head coach Don Shula
, pregame roving reporter Jim Gray
(who was also working as a researcher for NBC Sports at the time) and Marv Albert
, who interviewed Boomer Esiason
after the game. Meanwhile during NBC's pregame coverage, Ahmad Rashād
and John Candy
hosted the Diet Pepsi
Talent Challenge at the Miami Seaquarium
. Also, Frank Deford
delivered 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). 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, the Washington Redskins
(in 1992
), the Green Bay Packers
(in 1997
), the Pittsburgh Steelers
(in 2006
) and the New York Giants
(in 2008
) have accomplished this same feat.
The game aired on Channel 4
in the United Kingdom
, and simulcast on CTV
in Canada
and Televisa
's Canal de las Estrellas
in Mexico
.
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 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 Elvis Presto
and hundreds of South Florida-area dancers and performers. Ironically, not one actual Elvis Presley
song was performed. 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 the 1987-1988, aired in 3-D season finale of Moonlighting
, but withdrew plans due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America Strike
).
This game also marked the debut of the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter
. The first winner of 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 AmEx rival Visa, Lovitz with American Express.
The movie Brotherhood of the Rose aired after the game.
This Super Bowl is featured in NFL's Greatest Games
under the title Ambush at Super Bowl XXIII.
twisted his ankle nearly 180 degrees, shattering two bones in his left leg.
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 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 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 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-yard line to keep Rathman from scoring. Cofer then attempted a 19-yard field goal, but a poor snap from center Randy Cross
(though NBC's Dick Enberg initially blamed backup guard Chuck Thomas; who lined up next to Cross) threw off the kicker's timing and his kick sailed wide left. It became the shortest missed field goal in Super Bowl history.
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 the way to the 49ers 9-yard line to make it a Super Bowl record 63 yard punt. But Taylor made up for his mistake by chasing the ball down and returning it for a Super Bowl record 45 yards to the Bengals 46-yard line. Thanks to Taylor, a seemingly routine punt had turned into a double record setter.
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 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-yard line. Cincinnati then drove to the San Francisco 42-yard line, but after 2 incomplete passes and defensive end Danny Stubbs
's 8-yard sack on Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason
, they were forced to punt. However, Johnson pinned the 49ers back at their own 11-yard line with his punt. Then the Cincinnati defense limited the 49ers to just 1 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 5 yards to the 49ers 44-yard line
On their ensuing drive, the Bengals managed to get into scoring range by driving 28 yards to the San Francisco 16-yard line, assisted by an 18-yard completion from Esiason to receiver Tim McGee
. But after Esiason's third down pass intended to wide receiver Eddie Brown 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, 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
, setting up 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-yard line. However, after a dropped pass by Jerry Rice, the 49ers offense could not get a first down, and they had to settle for Cofer's 32-yard field goal to tie the game.
With less than a minute left in the third quarter, it appeared that this would become the first Super Bowl ever to go 3 quarters without either team scoring a touchdown. But on the ensuing kickoff, Bengals kick returner Stanford Jennings
returned the ball 93 yards for a touchdown to give the Bengals a 13 – 6 lead. Jennings would be the second player to return a kickoff for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. Of the five Super Bowls played at Joe Robbie Stadium, four of them had a kickoff return for a score, all by the eventual losing team.
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 Jerry Rice
, who turned it into a 31-yard gain. Then the San Francisco quarterback completed a 40-yard pass to Craig on the first play of the 4th quarter, moving the ball to the Bengals 14-yard line. Montana's next pass was nearly intercepted but dropped by Billups in the endzone. Montana then threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rice, and the game was tied, 13 – 13.
Cofer's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Bengals the ball at their own 35-yard line. But they could only reach the 43-yard line before being forced to punt. Taylor nearly turned the ball over by fumbling Johnson's punt, but his teammate Darryl Pollard
recovered the ball at the San Francisco 18-yard line. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Montana completed a 44-yard pass to Rice, and then Craig ran for 7 yards, moving the ball to the Bengals 31-yard line. But after Craig was tackled for a 1-yard loss on the next play, Fulcher broke up a third down pass intended for Taylor, and then Cofer's ensuing 49-yard field attempt sailed wide right.
The Bengals took over from their own 32-yard line following the missed field goal, and retook the lead with a 10-play, 46-yard drive, featuring a 17-yard reception by backup receiver Ira Hillary on third down and 13, along with 21 yards on three carries from Ickey Woods
and a 12-yard play-action sideline pass to James Brooks. At the end of the drive, Breech kicked a 40-yard field goal, giving the Bengals a 16-13 lead with 3:20 left in the game. The 49ers returned the ensuing kickoff to their own 15-yard line with 3:10 on the clock, but an illegal block penalty on the play pushed the ball back half the distance to the goal line to the 8.
Montana then led an 11-play, 92-yard drive to score the winning touchdown. In order to calm his teammates in the huddle just before the final game-winning drive, Montana pointed into the stadium crowd and said "Hey, isn't that John Candy
?" The tactic worked, and the 49ers were able to drive down the field for the win. It became the defining moment of Montana's "Joe Cool" reputation. Assuming that the Bengals would expect him to throw the ball near the sidelines (to enable the receivers to step out of bounds to immediately stop the clock), Montana first threw a pair of completions in the middle of the field, one to Craig and one to tight end John Frank
. His next pass went 7 yards to Rice, which was then followed up by a pair of runs by Craig to reach their own 35-yard line. Montana then completed a 17-yard pass to Rice to advance the team to the Bengals 48-yard line, and followed it up with a 13-yard completion to Craig to move them to the 35-yard line.
But on the next play, Montana threw his first incomplete pass of the drive. After that, Cross committed an illegal man downfield penalty, which at the time was a 10-yard foul, moving the ball back to the 45-yard line and bringing up second down and 20 to go with just 1:15 left in the game. But Montana overcame the situation on the next play with a 27-yard completion to Rice, who caught the ball at the 33, evaded 3 Bengal defenders, and ran to the 18-yard line before Horton managed to tackle him to prevent a touchdown. An 8-yard pass to Craig then advanced San Francisco to the 10-yard line. Then with 39 seconds left in the game, Montana finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Taylor, giving the 49ers the lead for good. Finally, San Francisco's defense sealed the victory after Esiason's pass to Collinsworth was broken up as time expired.
Although Jerry Rice was named MVP, Montana had an MVP-worthy performance, completing 23 of 36 passes for a Super Bowl record 357 yards, throwing for 2 touchdowns, and gaining 14 rushing yards. Craig finished the game with 71 yards rushing, and 8 receptions for 101 receiving yards. He was the first running back in Super Bowl history to gain over 100 receiving yards. Taylor finished the game with a Super Bowl record 56 punt return yards. His 18.7 yards per return was also the highest average in Super Bowl history. For Cincinnati, Jennings rushed one time for 3 yards, and gained 117 yards and a touchdown on 2 kickoff returns. Woods was the top rusher of the game with 79 yards. But Esiason was limited to just 11 out of 25 completions for 144 yards and no touchdowns, with 1 interception. Collinsworth (who retired after this game) was the Bengals top receiver of the game, but with just 3 catches for 40 yards.
The 49ers became the 6th team to win the Super Bowl over a team with a better regular season record going into the game (12-6 for the 49ers to 14-4 for the Bengals). The 49ers also became the first team, since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, to win the Super Bowl after winning only 10 games during the regular season. Their 6 losses are tied for the most ever by a Super Bowl champion.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game played on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
to decide the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) champion following the 1988 regular season
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
. This was the first Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held at the Orange Bowl. This was also 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 since 2002, on the first Sunday in February (with the exception of Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
, which was played on January 26, 2003).
The National Football Conference
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
(NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
(13-6) defeated the American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
(AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
(14-5), 20-16. This was the second meeting between the two teams in the Super Bowl, their first meeting being seven years earlier
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
.
The game is remembered for the 49ers' fourth-quarter game-winning drive. Down 16-13, San Francisco got the ball on their own eight yard line with 3:10 on the clock and marched 92 yards down the field in under three minutes. They then scored the winning touchdown on a Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
pass to John Taylor with just 34 seconds left in the game.
49ers wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
was named the Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
. He caught 11 passes for a Super Bowl record 215 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing once for 5 yards.
This was the final NFL game coached by the 49ers' Bill Walsh as well as the final Super Bowl that Pete Rozelle
Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....
presided over as NFL Commissioner.
On January 26, 2006, NFL.com ranked this game number 1 on its list of the top 10 Super Bowls of all time.
Background
NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXIII to Miami, Florida during their March 10–15, 1985 meetings. This 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 Miami Orange BowlMiami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
.
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
Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game played on January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1989 regular season...
) The bidding cities included: Anaheim
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a modern-style ballpark located in Anaheim, California. It is the home ballpark to Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League, and was previously home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams...
, Detroit
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
, Houston
Reliant Astrodome
Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, USA. The stadium is part of the Reliant Park complex...
, Jacksonville
Gator Bowl Stadium
Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, it was radically reconstructed in 1994 in preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars inaugural season and became Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, now EverBank Field. It is most notable for hosting the Gator...
, Miami
Dolphin Stadium
Sun Life Stadium is an American football stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami. It is the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins National Football League team, and the University of Miami Hurricanes football team. It also hosts the Orange Bowl, an annual college football bowl game. It...
, Minneapolis
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
, New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
, Philadelphia
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
, San Francisco, Seattle
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...
, Tampa, and Tempe
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
. Miami entered as the favorite.
San Francisco 49ers
For the 49ers, it was their first Super Bowl appearance since they defeated the Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Super Bowl XIX
Super Bowl XIX
Super Bowl XIX was an American football game played on January 20, 1985 at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1984 regular season...
. 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
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
, receiver Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
and running back Roger Craig all failed to produce a single touchdown.
In the 1988 season, San Francisco won the NFC West
NFC West
The NFC West is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: Arizona Cardinals, St...
with a 10-6 regular season record, but it was a long uphill battle. The team had a quarterback controversy with Montana and Steve Young each starting at quarterback during the season. But after a 6-5 start, Montana led the 49ers to win 4 of their final 5 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 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
NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
The NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award is given annually by the Associated Press to the offensive player of the National Football League believed to have had the most outstanding season...
. Fullback Tom Rathman
Tom Rathman
Thomas Dean Rathman is a former American football fullback who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders . He is currently the running backs coach for the 49ers.-High school:...
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 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 recetions (a 23.2 yards pre catch average).
The 49ers defense was led by defensive backs Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
, Eric Wright, Jeff Fuller, and Tim McKyer
Tim McKyer
Timothy Bernard McKyer is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 174-lb. cornerback from the University of Texas at Arlington, McKyer played in 12 NFL seasons for 7 different teams from 1986 to 1997...
, who recorded a combined total of 18 interceptions. McKyer led the team with 7, while Lott recorded 5. Linebacker Charles Haley
Charles Haley
Charles Lewis Haley is a former American football linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys . He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft out of James Madison University...
was also a big contributor with 11.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals were also a team on the rebound. During the 1987 strike-shortened season1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
, quarterback Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
and head coach Sam Wyche
Sam Wyche
Samuel David "Sam" Wyche is a former American football player and head coach, who is best known as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL...
had openly feuded, and the team finished with a miserable 4-11 record. A lot of Bengals fans would have been happy to see them both leave the team, but they worked out their differences in the off-season 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 touchdown passes with only 14 interceptions, while also rushing for 248 yards and a touchdown on 43 carries. Esiason's performance made him the top rated quarterback in the league with a 97.4 passer rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
and earned him the NFL Most Valuable Player Award
NFL Most Valuable Player Award
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP...
.
Cincinnati had a number of offensive weapons, boasting 6 Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
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 a season (24.0) and most receiving yards in a single game (216 against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
). Wide receiver Tim McGee
Tim McGee
Timothy Dwanye Hatchett McGee is a retired professional American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins from 1986 to 1994...
and Pro Bowl tight end Rodney Holman
Rodney Holman
Rodney Holman is a former professional American football player who played tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals , and the Detroit Lions . Holman graduated from Ypsilanti High School in 1978 where he starred on the football team and was an all-state wrestler...
were also major threats, combining for 75 receptions, 1,213 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Rookie fullback Ickey Woods
Ickey Woods
Elbert L. "Ickey" Woods is a former American football fullback who played his entire NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at UNLV...
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
Ickey Shuffle
The Ickey Shuffle was a touchdown celebration done by former National Football League fullback Elbert "Ickey" Woods of the Cincinnati Bengals after he would score a touchdown...
", a dance routine he did in the end zone to celebrate his touchdowns. Multi-talented running back James Brooks
James Brooks (American football player)
James Brooks is a retired NFL football running back.-High school and college career:His young career started with success in elementary school. He led the Warner Robins High School Demons to a State championship and a National Championship ranking in 1976...
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
Max Montoya
Max Montoya is a former professional U.S. football player as a guard who played sixteen seasons in the National Football League. He is a four-time Pro Bowl guard who played in two Super Bowls with the Cincinnati Bengals. this man was one of the best that ever played the game....
and left tackle Anthony Muñoz
Anthony Muñoz
Michael Anthony Muñoz , is a Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle who played most of his career for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals...
. Muñoz was named the NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year 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
Tim Krumrie
Timothy A. Krumrie is a former American football nose tackle who played his entire NFL career for the Cincinnati Bengals, from 1983 through 1994...
, along with linemen Jim Skow
Jim Skow
Jim Skow is a former American football defensive end who played seven seasons in the National Football League. He finished his career with 24 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. His best season was in 1988, recording 9.5 sacks and helping the Bengals reach Super Bowl XXIII, where he recorded several...
(9.5 sacks), David Grant
David Grant (American football)
David John Grant is a former professional American football player who played defensive end for six seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Green Bay Packers....
(5 sacks), and Jason Buck
Jason Buck
Jason Ogden Buck is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. As a player for Brigham Young University, he won the Outland Trophy in 1986. He was taken with the 17th pick of the first round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He recorded six...
(6 sacks). Pro Bowl defensive backs Eric Thomas
Eric Thomas (football player)
Eric Thomas is a former professional American football player who played cornerback for nine seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Denver Broncos. He went to the Pro Bowl after the 1988 season....
and David Fulcher
David Fulcher
David Dwayne Fulcher is a former American Football safety who played for the Cincinnati Bengals , and the Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League...
combined for 12 interceptions, while safety Lewis Billups
Lewis Billups
Lewis Billups was a former American football cornerback who played seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers in the National Football League, recording 9 interceptions and 8 fumble recoveries...
added 4 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. The team ended up winning the AFC Central with a 12 – 4 record.
Playoffs
The Bengals went on to defeat the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, 21-13, and the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 21-10, in the playoffs. 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 their crushing playoff wins over the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, 34-9, and the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 28-3. With the win over the Bears, the 49ers became the first road team to win an NFC Championship Game
NFC Championship Game
The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...
since the 1979 season
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
.
Super Bowl pregame news
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 2 previous Super Bowls and both times left with a championship ring and Super Bowl MVP honors.While Montana had problems during the regular season, he appeared to be playing his best in the postseason, throwing for 466 yards and 5 touchdowns in his 2 playoff games, with only 1 interception. In contrast, Esiason had thrown for only 202 yards and 1 touchdown, with 2 interceptions.
Cincinnati also had internal problems. On the night before the game, Bengals running back Stanley Wilson
Stanley Wilson Sr.
Stanley T. Wilson, Sr. is an American former professional football player, a running back, who played for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals...
, the team's third leading rusher during the season with 398 yards, was caught using cocaine in his hotel room and was suspended from the team.
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
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
(which the Cowboys won by 10) to become the first two teams to ever meet three times in the Super Bowl. The Cowboys and Bills is the only other Super Bowl rematch, which happened in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII.
Overtown rioting
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 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
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, and the incident later prompted the NFL to look at the league's hiring of minorities and its lack of a black coach.
Television and entertainment
The game was broadcast in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
with Dick Enberg
Dick Enberg
Richard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
handling the play-by-play duties and color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
Merlin Olsen
Merlin Olsen
Merlin Jay Olsen was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews...
in the broadcast booth. This would be Olsen's final Super Bowl broadcast, as he was demoted the following season to make room for Bill Walsh. Bob Costas
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
along with Gayle Gardner
Gayle Gardner
Gayle Gardner is an American sportscaster who has worked for ESPN and NBC Sports beginning in 1987 until 1993.-Biography:Gardner got her first job as a sportscaster because she hired herself. She got her second job as a sportscaster because a guy died...
hosted the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage with analysts Paul Maguire
Paul Maguire
Paul Leo Maguire is a former American football player and current television sportscaster.-Early sports career:Maguire attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown,Ohio and was recruited to play at The Citadel by the late Al Davis who was then an assistant coach and chief recruiter...
and then-Miami Dolphins
1988 Miami Dolphins season
The 1988 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 23rd as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 8–7, winning only six games and failing to reach the playoffs for the third straight season....
head coach Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
, pregame roving reporter Jim Gray
Jim Gray (sportscaster)
Jim Gray is an American sportscaster. He has previously worked as a reporter with NBC Sports and CBS Sports. He is currently with Westwood One radio network, Showtime, Golf Channel, the Sacramento Kings, and ESPN/ESPN on ABC...
(who was also working as a researcher for NBC Sports at the time) and Marv Albert
Marv Albert
Marv Albert is an American television and radio sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called...
, who interviewed Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
after the game. Meanwhile during NBC's pregame coverage, Ahmad Rashād
Ahmad Rashad
Ahmad Rashād is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. An All-American running back and wide receiver from Oregon known as Bobby Moore, Rashad was the fourth overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals...
and John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
hosted the Diet Pepsi
Diet Pepsi
Diet Pepsi is a no-calorie carbonated cola soft drink produced by PepsiCo, introduced in 1964 as a variant of Pepsi-Cola with no sugar. First test marketed in 1963 under the name Patio Diet Cola, it was re-branded as Diet Pepsi the following year, becoming the first diet cola to be distributed on a...
Talent Challenge at the Miami Seaquarium
Miami Seaquarium
The Miami Seaquarium is a oceanarium located on the island of Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States and is located near downtown Miami. It is the longest operating oceanarium in the United States. In addition to the marine mammals, the Miami Seaquarium also...
. Also, Frank Deford
Frank Deford
Benjamin "Frank" Deford, III is a senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated, author, and commentator for National Public Radio and correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO....
delivered a special segment profiling recently deceased Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
owner Art Rooney
Art Rooney
Arthur Joseph "Art" Rooney, Sr. , often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise in the National Football League.-Family history:...
.
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
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
(they had used Chyron for their graphics prior to Super Bowl XXIII). 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
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
-XIX
Super Bowl XIX
Super Bowl XIX was an American football game played on January 20, 1985 at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1984 regular season...
, and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
). Since then, the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
(in 1992
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season...
), the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(in 1997
Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American...
), the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
(in 2006
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
) and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(in 2008
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
) have accomplished this same feat.
The game aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and simulcast on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
's Canal de las Estrellas
Canal de las Estrellas
Canal de las Estrellas is one of the cornerstone networks of Televisa, with affiliate stations all over Mexico, flagshipped at XEW-TV in Mexico City. Many of the programs of Canal de las Estrellas are seen in the United States on Univision, Telefutura, and Galavisión...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The pregame festivities honored the Miami and South Florida areas, along with a tribute to NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
Singer Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
later sang the national anthem. He also sang the national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
at Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
which coincidentally was held at the same venue. The coin toss
Coin flipping
Coin flipping or coin tossing or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties...
ceremony featured former Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
players Nick Buoniconti
Nick Buoniconti
Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti is a former American Football League and NFL Hall of Fame middle linebacker, who played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins....
, Bob Griese
Bob Griese
Robert Allen "Bob" Griese is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins...
, and Larry Little
Larry Little
Lawrence Chatmon Little is a former offensive guard in college and professional American football in the National Football League. He has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993...
.
This 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 Elvis Presto
Elvis impersonator
An Elvis impersonator is someone who impersonates or copies famed American musician Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators can work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts are in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis...
and hundreds of South Florida-area dancers and performers. Ironically, not one actual Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
song was performed. Several scenes included computer generated 3-D images. Prior to the game, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
distributed 3-D glasses
Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
at retailers for viewers to use. At the onset of the halftime show, primary sponsor Diet Coke
Diet Coke
Diet Coke is a sugar-free soft drink produced and distributed by The Coca-Cola Company. It was first introduced in the United States on August 9, 1982, as the first new brand since 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark...
aired the first commercial in 3-D (Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
had originally planned to use the 3-D Diet Coke
Diet Coke
Diet Coke is a sugar-free soft drink produced and distributed by The Coca-Cola Company. It was first introduced in the United States on August 9, 1982, as the first new brand since 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark...
commercial as part of the 1987-1988, aired in 3-D season finale of Moonlighting
Moonlighting (TV series)
Moonlighting is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 66 episodes...
, but withdrew plans due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America Strike
1988 Writers Guild of America strike
The 1988 Writers Guild of America strike was a strike action taken by members of both the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West against major United States television and film studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers...
).
This game also marked the debut of the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter
USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter
The USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter is an annual survey taken of television commercials by the USA Today newspaper in a live poll during the telecast in the United States of the annual professional American football championship game of the National Football League...
. The first winner of the annual survey was an ad from American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
starring Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
stars Dana Carvey
Dana Carvey
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for playing the role of Garth in the Wayne's World movies.-Early life:...
and Jon Lovitz
Jon Lovitz
Jonathan "Jon" Lovitz is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.-Early life:...
, who went to the game with different credit cards - Carvey with AmEx rival Visa, Lovitz with American Express.
The movie Brotherhood of the Rose aired after the game.
This Super Bowl is featured in NFL's Greatest Games
NFL's Greatest Games
NFL's Greatest Games is a series of 90-minute television programs that air on NFL Network, ESPN and related networks. They are condensed versions of some of the most famous games in the history of the National Football League, using footage and sound captured by NFL Films, as well as original...
under the title Ambush at Super Bowl XXIII.
Game summary
The game 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. Later on, Bengals defensive lineman Tim KrumrieTim Krumrie
Timothy A. Krumrie is a former American football nose tackle who played his entire NFL career for the Cincinnati Bengals, from 1983 through 1994...
twisted his ankle nearly 180 degrees, shattering two bones in his left leg.
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 Tom Rathman
Tom Rathman
Thomas Dean Rathman is a former American football fullback who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders . He is currently the running backs coach for the 49ers.-High school:...
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 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
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
, 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
Lewis Billups
Lewis Billups was a former American football cornerback who played seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers in the National Football League, recording 9 interceptions and 8 fumble recoveries...
trying to cover Rice one-on-one and made him pay for it by completing a pass to the receiver at the 10. But two plays later on a third down play, Bengals safety David Fulcher
David Fulcher
David Dwayne Fulcher is a former American Football safety who played for the Cincinnati Bengals , and the Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League...
made a touchdown saving tackle at the 2-yard line to keep Rathman from scoring. Cofer then attempted a 19-yard field goal, but a poor snap from center Randy Cross
Randy Cross
Randall "Randy" Laureat Cross , is a football analyst and former NFL offensive lineman. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in July 2011.-High school years:...
(though NBC's Dick Enberg initially blamed backup guard Chuck Thomas; who lined up next to Cross) threw off the kicker's timing and his kick sailed wide left. It became the shortest missed field goal in Super Bowl history.
The 49ers then forced the Bengals to punt on their next drive. On the play, San Francisco Pro Bowl punt returner John Taylor
John Taylor (American football player)
John Gregory Taylor is a former American football wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers. Taylor attended Pennsauken High School and was one of six NFL players to come from PHS during the 1980s. Taylor attended Delaware State College and was a member of their football team, the Hornets...
misplayed punter Lee Johnson
Lee Johnson (American football player)
Leland Eric Johnson Leland Eric Johnson Leland Eric Johnson (born November 27, 1961 in Dallas, Texas, is a former professional American football punter who played 18 seasons in the National Football League...
's kick, and it sailed over his head, bouncing all the way to the 49ers 9-yard line to make it a Super Bowl record 63 yard punt. But Taylor made up for his mistake by chasing the ball down and returning it for a Super Bowl record 45 yards to the Bengals 46-yard line. Thanks to Taylor, a seemingly routine punt had turned into a double record setter.
However, the 49ers were unable to take advantage of their excellent starting field position. On first down, running back Harry Sydney
Harry Sydney
Harry Sydney is a former professional American football player whose position was running back. He played six seasons in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers after three years with the Denver Gold and Memphis Showboats of the USFL...
fumbled a pitch from Montana and was downed for a 10-yard loss after he dove on the ball. On 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
Jim Skow
Jim Skow is a former American football defensive end who played seven seasons in the National Football League. He finished his career with 24 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. His best season was in 1988, recording 9.5 sacks and helping the Bengals reach Super Bowl XXIII, where he recorded several...
recovered the ball on his own 41-yard line. Cincinnati then drove to the San Francisco 42-yard line, but after 2 incomplete passes and defensive end Danny Stubbs
Danny Stubbs
Daniel Stubbs II is a former professional American football defensive end in the National Football League. He played for ten seasons from 1988 to 1999 for the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Miami Dolphins...
's 8-yard sack on Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
, they were forced to punt. However, Johnson pinned the 49ers back at their own 11-yard line with his punt. Then the Cincinnati defense limited the 49ers to just 1 yard on their ensuing drive, and ended up with great field position after defensive back Ray Horton
Ray Horton
Raymond Anthony Horton is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys. During that time, he recorded 19 interceptions and returned them for 264 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also recovered 8 fumbles, which he returned for...
returned San Francisco punter Barry Helton
Barry Helton
Barry Helton is a former punter with a 4 year career in the National Football League. He played in Super Bowl XXIII and Super Bowl XXIV for the San Francisco 49ers. He now coaches his son's baseball team, the Colorado Springs Cheyenne Mountain Indians and sells used cars in Colorado Springs....
's 37-yard punt 5 yards to the 49ers 44-yard line
On their ensuing drive, the Bengals managed to get into scoring range by driving 28 yards to the San Francisco 16-yard line, assisted by an 18-yard completion from Esiason to receiver Tim McGee
Tim McGee
Timothy Dwanye Hatchett McGee is a retired professional American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins from 1986 to 1994...
. But after Esiason's third down pass intended to wide receiver Eddie Brown was overthrown, they were forced to settle for kicker Jim Breech
Jim Breech
James Thomas Breech is a former American football kicker in the National Football League, who played for Oakland Raiders in 1979 and Cincinnati Bengals from 1980-1992. Before his NFL career, Breech played for the University of California and Sacramento High School...
'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
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
took a 2 – 0 halftime lead over the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
in Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1974 regular season. It would be the last pro game at legendary Tulane Stadium...
.
On their opening possession in the second half, 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
James Brooks (American football player)
James Brooks is a retired NFL football running back.-High school and college career:His young career started with success in elementary school. He led the Warner Robins High School Demons to a State championship and a National Championship ranking in 1976...
and 23-yard and 11-yard completions to Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth
Anthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for...
, setting up 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
Bill Romanowski
William Thomas "Bill" Romanowski is a former American football player. He was born in Vernon, Connecticut. A linebacker, he graduated from Rockville High School in 1984, Boston College in 1988 , and then went on to a 16-year career in the NFL, playing for the San Francisco 49ers , Philadelphia...
intercepted a pass from Esiason at the Bengals' 23-yard line. However, after a dropped pass by Jerry Rice, the 49ers offense could not get a first down, and they had to settle for Cofer's 32-yard field goal to tie the game.
With less than a minute left in the third quarter, it appeared that this would become the first Super Bowl ever to go 3 quarters without either team scoring a touchdown. But on the ensuing kickoff, Bengals kick returner Stanford Jennings
Stanford Jennings
Stanford Jamison Jennings is a former American football running back in the NFL. Jennings played seven seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals , and one each for the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He played college football at Furman University...
returned the ball 93 yards for a touchdown to give the Bengals a 13 – 6 lead. Jennings would be the second player to return a kickoff for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. Of the five Super Bowls played at Joe Robbie Stadium, four of them had a kickoff return for a score, all by the eventual losing team.
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 Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
, who turned it into a 31-yard gain. Then the San Francisco quarterback completed a 40-yard pass to Craig on the first play of the 4th quarter, moving the ball to the Bengals 14-yard line. Montana's next pass was nearly intercepted but dropped by Billups in the endzone. Montana then threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rice, and the game was tied, 13 – 13.
Cofer's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Bengals the ball at their own 35-yard line. But they could only reach the 43-yard line before being forced to punt. Taylor nearly turned the ball over by fumbling Johnson's punt, but his teammate Darryl Pollard
Darryl Pollard
Darryl Pollard is a former professional American football player who played cornerback for seven seasons in the National Football League....
recovered the ball at the San Francisco 18-yard line. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Montana completed a 44-yard pass to Rice, and then Craig ran for 7 yards, moving the ball to the Bengals 31-yard line. But after Craig was tackled for a 1-yard loss on the next play, Fulcher broke up a third down pass intended for Taylor, and then Cofer's ensuing 49-yard field attempt sailed wide right.
The Bengals took over from their own 32-yard line following the missed field goal, and retook the lead with a 10-play, 46-yard drive, featuring a 17-yard reception by backup receiver Ira Hillary on third down and 13, along with 21 yards on three carries from Ickey Woods
Ickey Woods
Elbert L. "Ickey" Woods is a former American football fullback who played his entire NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at UNLV...
and a 12-yard play-action sideline pass to James Brooks. At the end of the drive, Breech kicked a 40-yard field goal, giving the Bengals a 16-13 lead with 3:20 left in the game. The 49ers returned the ensuing kickoff to their own 15-yard line with 3:10 on the clock, but an illegal block penalty on the play pushed the ball back half the distance to the goal line to the 8.
Montana then led an 11-play, 92-yard drive to score the winning touchdown. In order to calm his teammates in the huddle just before the final game-winning drive, Montana pointed into the stadium crowd and said "Hey, isn't that John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
?" The tactic worked, and the 49ers were able to drive down the field for the win. It became the defining moment of Montana's "Joe Cool" reputation. Assuming that the Bengals would expect him to throw the ball near the sidelines (to enable the receivers to step out of bounds to immediately stop the clock), Montana first threw a pair of completions in the middle of the field, one to Craig and one to tight end John Frank
John Frank
John G. Frank was an American football player who played tight end in the NFL from 1984 to 1988 and earned two Super Bowl rings.-High school & college:He attended Mt...
. His next pass went 7 yards to Rice, which was then followed up by a pair of runs by Craig to reach their own 35-yard line. Montana then completed a 17-yard pass to Rice to advance the team to the Bengals 48-yard line, and followed it up with a 13-yard completion to Craig to move them to the 35-yard line.
But on the next play, Montana threw his first incomplete pass of the drive. After that, Cross committed an illegal man downfield penalty, which at the time was a 10-yard foul, moving the ball back to the 45-yard line and bringing up second down and 20 to go with just 1:15 left in the game. But Montana overcame the situation on the next play with a 27-yard completion to Rice, who caught the ball at the 33, evaded 3 Bengal defenders, and ran to the 18-yard line before Horton managed to tackle him to prevent a touchdown. An 8-yard pass to Craig then advanced San Francisco to the 10-yard line. Then with 39 seconds left in the game, Montana finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Taylor, giving the 49ers the lead for good. Finally, San Francisco's defense sealed the victory after Esiason's pass to Collinsworth was broken up as time expired.
Although Jerry Rice was named MVP, Montana had an MVP-worthy performance, completing 23 of 36 passes for a Super Bowl record 357 yards, throwing for 2 touchdowns, and gaining 14 rushing yards. Craig finished the game with 71 yards rushing, and 8 receptions for 101 receiving yards. He was the first running back in Super Bowl history to gain over 100 receiving yards. Taylor finished the game with a Super Bowl record 56 punt return yards. His 18.7 yards per return was also the highest average in Super Bowl history. For Cincinnati, Jennings rushed one time for 3 yards, and gained 117 yards and a touchdown on 2 kickoff returns. Woods was the top rusher of the game with 79 yards. But Esiason was limited to just 11 out of 25 completions for 144 yards and no touchdowns, with 1 interception. Collinsworth (who retired after this game) was the Bengals top receiver of the game, but with just 3 catches for 40 yards.
The 49ers became the 6th team to win the Super Bowl over a team with a better regular season record going into the game (12-6 for the 49ers to 14-4 for the Bengals). The 49ers also became the first team, since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, to win the Super Bowl after winning only 10 games during the regular season. Their 6 losses are tied for the most ever by a Super Bowl champion.
Box score
Starting lineups
| San Francisco | Position | Cincinnati |
|---|---|---|
| OFFENSE | ||
| Jerry Rice Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history... |
WR | Eddie Brown |
| Steve Wallace | LT | Anthony Muñoz Anthony Muñoz Michael Anthony Muñoz , is a Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle who played most of his career for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals... |
| Jesse Sapolu Jesse Sapolu Manase Jesse Sapolu Manase Jesse Sapolu Manase Jesse Sapolu (born March 10, 1961, Apia, Western Samoa, is a former football player in the National Football League. Sapolu played both center and offensive guard, and spent his entire career in a San Francisco 49ers uniform.... |
LG | Bruce Reimers Bruce Reimers Bruce Reimers is a former American football guard who played ten seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League.- High school career:... |
| Randy Cross Randy Cross Randall "Randy" Laureat Cross , is a football analyst and former NFL offensive lineman. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in July 2011.-High school years:... |
C | Bruce Kozerski Bruce Kozerski Bruce Kozerski is a former American football center who played twelve seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League. He was an alternate in the 1988, 1989, and 1990 Pro Bowls. "Mr. Versatile" as he was called, retired after the 1995 season. He married Elizabeth McMurrer and ... |
| Guy McIntyre Guy McIntyre Guy Maurice McIntyre is a former professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League... |
RG | Max Montoya Max Montoya Max Montoya is a former professional U.S. football player as a guard who played sixteen seasons in the National Football League. He is a four-time Pro Bowl guard who played in two Super Bowls with the Cincinnati Bengals. this man was one of the best that ever played the game.... |
| Harris Barton Harris Barton Harris Scott Barton is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the San Francisco 49ers.-Early life:... |
RT | Brian Blados Brian Blados Brian Blados is a former American football guard and tackle who played nine seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League. He attended Washington-Lee High School with Sandra Bullock, who was two years behind him... |
| John Frank John Frank John G. Frank was an American football player who played tight end in the NFL from 1984 to 1988 and earned two Super Bowl rings.-High school & college:He attended Mt... |
TE | Rodney Holman Rodney Holman Rodney Holman is a former professional American football player who played tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals , and the Detroit Lions . Holman graduated from Ypsilanti High School in 1978 where he starred on the football team and was an all-state wrestler... |
| John Taylor | WR | Tim McGee Tim McGee Timothy Dwanye Hatchett McGee is a retired professional American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins from 1986 to 1994... |
| Joe Montana Joe Montana Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons... |
QB | Boomer Esiason Boomer Esiason Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO... |
| Tom Rathman Tom Rathman Thomas Dean Rathman is a former American football fullback who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders . He is currently the running backs coach for the 49ers.-High school:... |
FB | Ickey Woods Ickey Woods Elbert L. "Ickey" Woods is a former American football fullback who played his entire NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at UNLV... |
| Roger Craig | RB | James Brooks |
| DEFENSE | ||
| Larry Roberts | LE | Jim Skow Jim Skow Jim Skow is a former American football defensive end who played seven seasons in the National Football League. He finished his career with 24 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. His best season was in 1988, recording 9.5 sacks and helping the Bengals reach Super Bowl XXIII, where he recorded several... |
| Michael Carter Michael Carter (athlete) Michael D'Andrea Carter , is a former U.S. Olympian track and field athlete and professional American football player.-High school years:... |
NT | Tim Krumrie Tim Krumrie Timothy A. Krumrie is a former American football nose tackle who played his entire NFL career for the Cincinnati Bengals, from 1983 through 1994... |
| Kevin Fagan | RE | Jason Buck Jason Buck Jason Ogden Buck is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. As a player for Brigham Young University, he won the Outland Trophy in 1986. He was taken with the 17th pick of the first round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He recorded six... |
| Charles Haley Charles Haley Charles Lewis Haley is a former American football linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys . He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft out of James Madison University... |
LOLB | Leon White |
| Jim Fahnhorst Jim Fahnhorst James Fahnhorst is a former National Football League linebacker from 1984 through 1990. During that span he appeared in three Super Bowls: Super Bowl XIX, Super Bowl XXIII and Super Bowl XIV for the San Francisco 49ers... |
LILB | Carl Zander Carl Zander Carl August Zander, Jr is former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League.... |
| Michael Walter Michael Walter (American football) Michael David Walter is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League for eleven seasons for the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.... |
RILB | Joe Kelly Joe Kelly (American football) Joseph Winston Kelly, Jr. is a former American football linebacker who played eleven seasons in the National Football League for six different teams. He played college football at the University of Washington and was drafted in the first round of the 1986 NFL Draft.-External links:*... |
| Keena Turner Keena Turner Keena Turner , is a former American professional football player who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 2nd round of the 1980 NFL Draft and traded on draft day to the San Francisco 49ers. A 6'2" 237 pound linebacker from Purdue University, Turner played in 11 NFL seasons and spent his entire... |
ROLB | Reggie Williams Reggie Williams (linebacker) Reginald Williams is a former professional American football player.The recipient of an academic scholarship, Williams was a three-time All-Ivy League linebacker in football and an Ivy League heavyweight wrestling champion at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts in... |
| Tim McKyer Tim McKyer Timothy Bernard McKyer is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 174-lb. cornerback from the University of Texas at Arlington, McKyer played in 12 NFL seasons for 7 different teams from 1986 to 1997... |
LCB | Lewis Billups Lewis Billups Lewis Billups was a former American football cornerback who played seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers in the National Football League, recording 9 interceptions and 8 fumble recoveries... |
| Don Griffin Don Griffin Donald Frederick Griffin is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 176-lb. cornerback from Middle Tennessee State University.-Career:Griffin played in 11 NFL seasons from 1986 to 1996... |
RCB | Eric Thomas |
| Jeff Fuller | SS | David Fulcher David Fulcher David Dwayne Fulcher is a former American Football safety who played for the Cincinnati Bengals , and the Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League... |
| Ronnie Lott Ronnie Lott Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players... |
FS | Solomon Wilcots Solomon Wilcots Solomon Wilcots is a former American football defensive back in the NFL. Wilcots played sixs in the league for the Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers.-Broadcasting:... |
Officials
- Referee: Jerry SeemanJerry SeemanJerry Seeman was an American football official in the National Football League from 1975 to 1990 and was the NFL's Senior Director of Officiating from 1991 to 2001, succeeding Art McNally...
(#70) - Umpire: Gordon Wells (#89)
- Head Linesman: Jerry Bergman (#17)
- Line Judge: Bob Beeks (#59)
- Field Judge: Bobby Skelton (#73)
- Side Judge: Gary LaneGary Lane (American football)Gary Owen Lane was an American football quarterback and American football official.After graduating from East Alton-Wood River High School in Wood River, Illinois in 1961, Lane played college football at the University of Missouri from 1963 to 1966 and later in the National Football League for...
(#120) - Back Judge: Paul Baetz (#22)
- Alternate Referee: Gene BarthGene BarthGene Barth was an American football official in the National Football League , who wore uniform number 14, which is now worn by Ron Winter. He is most notable for being the referee in Super Bowl XVIII, played January 22, 1984.-Personal:...
(#14) - Alternate Umpire: Ed Fiffick (#57)