Super Bowl XXIX was an
American footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
(now part of the suburb of
Miami GardensMiami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive...
) to decide the
National Football LeagueThe National Football League is the largest 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 its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
(NFL) champion following the
1994 regular seasonThe 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
(the 75th season of the NFL). The
National Football ConferenceThe National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . The NFC was created after the league merged with the American Football League in 1970. The NFC had 13 teams that year, all of which played in the NFL before the merger...
(NFC) champion
San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team. The team plays its home games in San Francisco, California, while the club's headquarters and practice facility are located in Santa Clara...
(16–3) defeated the
American Football ConferenceThe American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . The other is the National Football Conference . This conference, along with the NFC, contains 16 teams...
(AFC) champion
San Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are an American Professional Football team based in San Diego, California. They are currently members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The club began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League...
(13-6), 49–26. The 49ers became the first team to win five
Super BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League, the premier association of professional American football. In most years, the Super Bowl is the most-watched American television broadcast. Many popular singers and musicians have performed during the event’s pre-game and...
s while the Chargers were making their first Super Bowl appearance. The combined aggregate score of 75 and the 10 total touchdowns both remain Super Bowl records. This is the first time that both teams scored in all 4 quarters of a Super Bowl.
This marked the first time that two teams from the same state played in the Super Bowl. Some consider
Super Bowl XXVSuper Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season...
between the
New York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The team plays its home games at Giants Stadium, which also serves as its headquarters, and trains at an adjacent practice facility within the Meadowlands Sports Complex...
and
Buffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the metropolitan area of Buffalo, New York. They play their home games in the suburb of Orchard Park, and beginning in 2008, one home game is played in Toronto. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football...
to be the first such Super Bowl (
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
). Technically however, the Giants actually play in
East RutherfordEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 8,716. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located 7 miles west of Midtown Manhattan....
,
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
.
49ers quarterback Steve Young threw a record 6
touchdownA touchdown is the term for scoring American and Canadian football.-Description:To score a touchdown, one team must take the football into the opposite end zone. This can be done by rushing, in which the ball carrier carries the football forward into the end zone. It can also be done by passing,...
passes en route to the
Super Bowl MVPThe 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...
award. (His four TDs in a half tied Doug Williams from the
Washington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington, D.C. area. The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, which is in Prince George's County, Maryland. The team's headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn, Virginia, a community...
). He also completed 24 out of 36 passes for 325 yards, and was the top rusher of the game with 49 rushing yards (the first time both top passer and rusher were the same person). This game is regarded as Young's final leap out of the shadow of his predecessor,
Joe MontanaFor the actor with a similarly pronounced name, see Joe Mantegna.Joseph Clifford Montana, Jr., , nicknamed Joe Cool and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player whose professional career in the National Football League spanned the late 1970s through the mid-1990s...
, who had won four Super Bowls with the 49ers, two with Young as the backup quarterback. Young became the 5th player to win both the
NFL Most Valuable Player AwardThe 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. The AP NFL MVP has been shared three times, in 1960, 1997, and 2003...
and Super Bowl MVP during the same season. He follows
Bart StarrBryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and the Most Valuable Player of the first two Super Bowls. He earned four Pro Bowl selections and was inducted into the Pro...
in 1966,
Terry BradshawTerry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
in 1978,
Joe MontanaFor the actor with a similarly pronounced name, see Joe Mantegna.Joseph Clifford Montana, Jr., , nicknamed Joe Cool and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player whose professional career in the National Football League spanned the late 1970s through the mid-1990s...
in 1989, and
Emmitt SmithEmmitt James Smith III is a former American football player. He played for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals and is the NFL's all-time rushing leader, a record formerly held by his childhood hero, Walter Payton...
in 1993.
Background
NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXIX to Miami, Florida during their May 23, 1991 meeting. This was the seventh time that Miami hosted the game.
For the first time in five years, the
Buffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the metropolitan area of Buffalo, New York. They play their home games in the suburb of Orchard Park, and beginning in 2008, one home game is played in Toronto. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football...
would not be representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. They had collapsed during the second half of the season, losing 6 of their last 8 games and finishing the season with a 7-9 record.
San Francisco 49ers
From the
1988The 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....
to the
1993The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
seasons, the 49ers played in 5 out of 6 NFC Championship Games, winning Super Bowls
XXIIISuper 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 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...
and
XXIVSuper 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...
. But after coach
George SeifertGeorge Seifert is a former NFL head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers...
's team lost 2 consecutive NFC Championship Games to the
Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team that plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . They are headquartered in suburban Irving, Texas, which lies between Fort Worth and Dallas...
in
1992The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots–Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18...
and 1993, San Francisco brought in several veteran
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
s to strengthen their suspect defense. Among the players signed were defensive lineman
Richard DentRichard Lamar Dent is a former American football defensive end who played primarily for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XX.-Chicago Bears:...
, Charles Mann, and
Rickey JacksonRickey Anderson Jackson is a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers . He has been inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame...
, linebackers Ken Norton Jr. and
Gary PlummerGary Plummer is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 1986...
, and cornerback
Deion SandersDeion Luwynn Sanders is a former National Football League cornerback, Major League Baseball outfielder, and is currently an NFL Network commentator. He carries the nicknames "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion"....
.
Many critics and other NFL teams were angered at San Francisco's liberal use of the free agent rules to "buy a championship". In order to pay everyone, the team asked a number of players to renegotiate their contracts to free up money. And some free agents like Jackson and Sanders accepted one-year salaries far below their actual worth. The NFL later determined that the 49ers had cheated during the 1994 season by violating the salary cap. The 49ers were fined $600,000 and deprived of a 5th round draft pick in 2001 and a 3rd round draft pick in 2002. After the penalty against the 49ers was announced, one NFL owner stated: "I think they [the 49ers] got away with murder."
Still, the free agents enabled the 49ers to jump from the 18th ranked defense in the league to the 8th, and to jump from the league's 16th best defense against the run to the 2nd.
Pro BowlIn 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...
defensive lineman
Dana StubblefieldDana William Stubblefield is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. After graduating from Taylor High School in North Bend, Ohio, Stubblefield attended the University of Kansas....
led the team with 8.5 sacks. Rookie defensive tackle
Bryant YoungBryant Colby Young is a former NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers. He played the defensive tackle position. He was drafted by the 49ers in the 1st round in the 1994 NFL Draft...
was also a big threat to opposing quarterbacks and rushers, recording 42 tackles, 6 sacks, and a fumble recovery. Behind them, Norton played very effectively at the middle linebacker position, leading the team with 77 tackles and recording an interception. Pro Bowl safety
Merton HanksMerton Edward Hanks was a safety in the National Football League. Hanks attended Lake Highlands High School, where he was a district track and field champion. He went on to the University of Iowa, earning all-Big Ten honors at cornerback...
led the team with 7 interceptions for 93 return yards, while Sanders had 6 interceptions for 303 return yards and 3 touchdowns, earning him the
NFL Defensive Player of the Year AwardThe NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is given by the Associated Press to the league's most outstanding defensive player at the end of every NFL season since 1971. Multiple-award winners include Lawrence Taylor, who won it three times, and Joe Greene, Mike Singletary, Bruce Smith, Reggie...
. Pro Bowl safety
Tim McDonaldTim McDonald is a former professional American football player who played strong safety in the NFL.-High School:McDonald played high school football at Edison High School in Fresno....
was also a big contributor, recording 2 interceptions for 79 yards and 1 touchdown.
The 49ers offense was led by quarterback Steve Young, who replaced future
hall of famerThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, United States, on September 7 1963 with 17 charter inductees...
Joe MontanaFor the actor with a similarly pronounced name, see Joe Mantegna.Joseph Clifford Montana, Jr., , nicknamed Joe Cool and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player whose professional career in the National Football League spanned the late 1970s through the mid-1990s...
as the starter in
1991The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills.-Major rule changes:...
and
1992The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots–Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18...
due to injuries. But after Young led the league in passing in both 1991 and 1992, Montana was traded to the
Kansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, leaving Young as the undisputed starter in 1993. But even with his impressive passing statistics, Young was criticized as "not being able to win the big games" as Montana had done in leading the 49ers to Super Bowl victories in
XVISuper Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24th, 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...
and
XIXSuper 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...
, XXIII, and XXIV.
Still, Young again led the league in passing during the 1994 regular season with a
passer ratingPasser 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...
of 112.8, breaking Montana's record for the highest regular season rating in NFL history. Young recorded 324 out of 461 completions for 3,969 yards, 35 touchdowns, with just 10 interceptions. He also had 58 rushes for 293 yards and 7 touchdowns, and earned the
NFL Most Valuable Player AwardThe 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. The AP NFL MVP has been shared three times, in 1960, 1997, and 2003...
.
With Young at the helm, the 49ers led the league in total points scored (505) and helped them earn a league best 13-3 regular season record. Pro Bowl running back
Ricky WattersRichard "Ricky" James Watters is a former American football running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. Watters played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he played wide receiver on the...
was the team's leading rusher with 877 yards and 6 touchdowns, while also recording 66 receptions for 719 yards and 5 touchdowns. Rookie fullback William Floyd was the team's second leading rusher with 305 yards and 6 touchdowns, while also having 19 receptions for 145 yards. The team's leading receiver was Pro Bowl wide receiver
Jerry RiceJerry Lee Rice is an American former football player. He is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver ever and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
who had 112 catches for 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns. Receiver John Taylor was also a reliable target, catching 41 passes for 531 yards and 5 touchdowns. Pro Bowl tight end
Brent JonesBrent Michael Jones is a former American Football tight end who played almost his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers from . He was selected in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1986 NFL Draft...
added 49 receptions for 670 yards and 9 touchdowns. The offensive line was led by Pro Bowlers
Bart OatesBart Steven Oates is a former American football player in the National Football League for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He played center for the Giants from 1985-93 and with the 49ers from 1994-95...
and
Jesse SapoluManase Jesse Sapolu 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....
.
Meanwhile, running back
Dexter CarterDexter Anthony Carter , is the running backs coach at his alma mater, Florida State University. Carter was also a former American Football running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets in the National Football League for seven seasons from 1990 to 1996...
was a superb returner on special teams, gaining a combined total of 1,426 yards and a touchdown returning both punts and kickoffs.
San Diego Chargers
The Chargers were the
cinderella teamIn American and Canadian sports, a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament than expected. Cinderellas tend to gain much media and fan attention as they move closer to the championship game at the end of the tournament...
of the 1994 season, with very few expected them to even reach the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.
San Diego suffered losing seasons in the 1980s until former
Washington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington, D.C. area. The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, which is in Prince George's County, Maryland. The team's headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn, Virginia, a community...
General Manager
Bobby BeathardBobby Beathard is a former general manager in the National Football League. Over the course of his 38 years, his teams competed in seven Super Bowls , beginning with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1966, Miami Dolphins in 1972 and 1973, Washington Redskins in 1982, 1983, and 1987, and the San Diego...
joined the team in 1990. Beathard decided to rebuild the Chargers using the same model that he used to build the Redskins into Super Bowl contenders during the 1980s – a powerful running game built around big lineman, a passing game that helped sustain extremely long drives, and a bending but steady defense. After former
Georgia TechThe Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly called Georgia Tech, Tech, and GT, is a public, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States...
head coach
Bobby RossRobert Joseph Ross is a retired college and NFL football coach. His career as a college head coach included stints at The Citadel, the University of Maryland, Georgia Tech, and Army...
was hired by the Chargers in 1992, the team advanced to the playoffs winning the
AFC WestThe AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, formed in 1960 as the American Football League's Western Division. In 1970, it became the AFC West as a result of the AFL-NFL merger...
with an 11-5 regular season record. But in 1993, they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
Before the start of the 1994 season, San Diego was not expected to be a winning team because they brought in 10 new starters and 22 new players. However, they ended up winning their first 6 regular season games en route to an 11-5 record and the #2 AFC playoff seed.
The Chargers offense was led by quarterback
Stan HumphriesWilliam Stanley "Stan" Humphries is a former professional American football quarterback. He played for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He played college football at Northeast Louisiana...
, who was the Redskins' backup to
Mark RypienMark Robert Rypien is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He is the first Canadian born quarterback to start in the NFL.-Biography:...
during the 1991 season when they won
Super Bowl XXVISuper 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...
. During the 1994 season for San Diego, Humphries completed 264 out of 453 attempts for 3,209 yards and 17 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. Wide receiver
Mark SeayMark Edward Seay is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Long Beach State University....
was the team's leading receiver with 58 receptions for 645 yards and 6 touchdowns. Wide receiver Tony Martin had 50 catches for 885 yards and 7 touchdowns, wide receiver
Shawn JeffersonShawn Jefferson , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 9th round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
recorded 43 catches for 627 yards and 3 touchdowns, and tight end
Alfred PupunuAlfred Sione Pupunu is a former professional American football tight end who played nine seasons in the National Football League from 1992 to 2000.-High school career:...
had 21 receptions for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Running back
Natrone MeansNatrone Jermaine Means is a former professional American Football running back who played for the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers of the NFL from 1993 to 2000...
led the team in rushing with 1,350 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also recorded 39 receptions for 235 yards, and was named to the Pro Bowl. Fullback
Ronnie HarmonRonnie Keith Harmon is a former professional American football player. After a standout career at the University of Iowa in the Big Ten Conference, he played for 12 seasons in the NFL. A 6", 220-lb...
was also a big contributor, catching 58 passes for 615 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Chargers special teams was also a major threat with
Andre ColemanAndre Coleman is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver He attended Hickory High School in Hermitage, Pennsylvania while winning them a state championship. He played collegiately at Kansas State University...
, who returned 49 kickoffs for 1,293 yards (26.4 average yards per kickoff) and 2 touchdowns.
The Chargers had an excellent defensive line, anchored by Pro Bowl lineman
Leslie O'NealLeslie O'Neal is a former football defensive end who played 13 years in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams, and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1986 to 1999....
, who led the team with 12.5 sacks and forced four fumbles, Defensive tackle
Chris MimsChristopher Eddie Mims was an American football defensive end in the National Football League who played seven seasons for the San Diego Chargers and one season with the Washington Redskins. Mims retired in 2000 after being cut by the Chicago Bears in training camp that same year...
, who recorded 11 sacks, and Shawn Lee, who added 6.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Their linebacking corps was led by
Junior Seau Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. is an American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers during the 1990 NFL Draft...
, who was a pro bowl selection for the fourth consecutive year, recording 123 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries. Defensive back
Stanley RichardStanley Palmer Richard is a retired American football safety in the National Football League. Richard played at the University of Texas from 1987-90, where he was an All-American safety in 1990. He was drafted 9th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 1991 NFL Draft and played with the...
was a major weapon in the secondary, recording 4 interceptions, 224 return yards, and 2 touchdowns. Defensive back
Darrien GordonDarrien Jamal Gordon was born November 14, 1970 in Shawnee, Oklahoma) to James and Goldia Gordon. He graduated from Shawnee High School in 1989 where he was an All-State football player and two-time state champion wrestler as well as an honor student....
was also a major asset to the team, recording 4 interceptions and 32 return yards, while also adding another 475 yards and 2 touchdowns returning punts. Safety
Rodney HarrisonRodney Scott Harrison is a retired American football safety. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Western Illinois....
was a rookie on the team.
Playoffs
The 49ers first defeated the
Chicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the NFC North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 44-15, in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. Although Chicago scored first with a field goal, San Francisco scored 37 unanswered points to put the game out of reach by the end of the third quarter. Floyd scored 3 rushing touchdowns, while Young rushed for a touchdown and threw for another. The Bears managed to score 2 touchdowns in the final period, but the game was already out of reach.
San Francisco then defeated their arch-nemesis the
Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team that plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . They are headquartered in suburban Irving, Texas, which lies between Fort Worth and Dallas...
, 38-28, in the NFC Championship Game. Expected to be a close game, the 49ers converted 3 Dallas turnovers into 21 points in the first quarter. On the third play of the game, cornerback Eric Davis returned an interception from Cowboys quarterback
Troy AikmanTroy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, and currently a television sportscaster for the Fox network. He is formerly a joint owner of the NASCAR Sprint Cup racing team, Hall of Fame Racing, along with fellow former...
for a touchdown. Wide receiver
Michael IrvinMichael Jerome Irvin is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. He is regarded as one of the most successful wide receivers in the history of the National Football League...
lost a fumble on Dallas' next drive, setting up Young's 29-yard touchdown pass to Watters. Then Cowboys returner Kevin Williams lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and it was recovered by kicker
Doug BrienDouglas Robert Zachariah Brien was an American football placekicker. He played for the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, the Indianapolis Colts, the New Orleans Saints, and the San Francisco 49ers...
at Dallas' 35-yard line. Several plays later, Floyd scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give San Francisco a 21-0 lead less than 8 minutes into the game. With the score 24-14 in the closing minutes of the first half, Aikman threw 3 straight incompletions, and a short punt by the Cowboys set up Young's 28-yard touchdown completion to Rice with 8 seconds remaining in the first half. The Cowboys eventually cut their deficit to 38-28 with a touchdown run by
Emmitt SmithEmmitt James Smith III is a former American football player. He played for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals and is the NFL's all-time rushing leader, a record formerly held by his childhood hero, Walter Payton...
and Aikman's 10-yard touchdown pass to Irvin in the final period, but they were unable to score again. Although the Cowboys outgained the 49ers in total offensive yards (451-294), Aikman broke an NFC Championship Game record with 380 yards passing, and Irvin also broke an NFC Championship Game record with 192 receiving yards, Dallas was ultimately unable to overcome their first quarter turnovers.
In the AFC Divisional Playoffs, the Chargers managed to overcome a 21-6 halftime deficit to defeat the
Miami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a professional football team based in the Miami, Florida metropolitan area. They play home games at Land Shark Stadium, in the suburb of Miami Gardens. They are headquartered at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility in Davie, Florida. The Dolphins belong to the Eastern...
, 22-21. In the first half, San Diego was limited to only two John Carney field goals, while Miami quarterback
Dan MarinoDaniel Constantine Marino, Jr. is an American Hall of Fame quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
threw for over 180 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, the Chargers dominated the Dolphins in the second half, limiting their offense to just 16 plays. In the third quarter, after being stopped on 4th and goal at the one yard line, Chargers defensive lineman
Reuben DavisReuben Cordell Davis is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the ninth round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina....
tackled Dolphins running back
Bernie ParmaleeBernard "Bernie" Parmalee is the current Tight End and Assistant Special Teams Coach for the University of Notre Dame football team....
in the end zone for a safety. San Diego then took the ensuing free kick and marched 54 yards to score on Means' 24-yard touchdown run. Then with time running out, Humphries threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Seay, giving his team the lead 22-21. Miami, aided by a pass interference call, responded with a drive to the Chargers' 31-yard line, but kicker
Pete StoyanovichPeter Stoyanovich was an American football placekicker of Macedonian descent who played with the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and briefly the St. Louis Rams in the NFL...
's potential game winning 48-yard field goal attempt fell short and wide of the goal posts on the game's final play.
San Diego then faced the
Pittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are currently a member of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the AFC Championship. Once again, the Chargers fell behind early as the Steelers built up a 13-3 halftime lead. but in the third quarter Humpries fooled the Steelers secondary with a fake handoff in the backfield, and then threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to a wide open tight end
Alfred PupunuAlfred Sione Pupunu is a former professional American football tight end who played nine seasons in the National Football League from 1992 to 2000.-High school career:...
. The Chargers then took a 17-13 lead when Martin beat the Steelers secondary down the right sideline for a 43-yard touchdown reception. The Steelers advanced to the San Diego 3-yard line on their ensuing drive, but on fourth down, Chargers linebacker
Dennis GibsonDennis Michael Gibson is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League from 1987-1995 for the Detroit Lions and the San Diego Chargers...
sealed the victory by tipping away quarterback
Neil O'DonnellNeil Kennedy O'Donnell is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans...
's pass intended for running back
Barry FosterBarry Foster is a former American football running back in the National Football League.-Career:He attended Duncanville High School in Texas...
to turn the ball back over to San Diego on downs. Just like the 49ers in the NFC title game, the Chargers advanced to the Super Bowl despite the fact that the Steelers had outgained them in many key statistical categories such as total plays (80–47), total offensive yards (415–226), and time of possession (37:13–22:47).
Super Bowl pregame news
Entering Super Bowl XXIX, most sports writers and fans thought the Chargers had absolutely no chance of beating the 49ers. San Francisco was on track, winning 12 of its 13 last games, including their playoff victories. Many people also thought that the NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and the Cowboys was "The Real Super Bowl" because those two teams were commonly viewed as vastly superior to any AFC team. Furthermore, San Francisco crushed San Diego, 38-15, during the regular season. Therefore, the 49ers entered the game favored to win by more than 18 points, exceeded only by the 19 1/2 point spread in which the
Baltimore ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are 2006 champions of the American Football Conference and the National Football League ....
were favored over the
New York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the Northeastern New Jersey part of the tri-state New York metropolitan area. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays its home games in East...
in
Super Bowl IIISuper Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl" . This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history...
.
Many also speculated that Super Bowl XXIX would be the least watched game in Super Bowl history. In addition to the predicted blowout, the Chargers did not have as much national appeal nor a relatively large core fan base as the Chiefs, the Dolphins, or the Steelers. (This prediction ultimately turned out to be false. Although Super Bowl XXIX was viewed by 125.2 million people and had a
Nielsen RatingNielsen ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 41.3,
Super Bowl XXVISuper 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...
three years earlier was seen by 119.7 million viewers and recorded a 40.3 rating.)
This was the 7th Super Bowl to be played in Miami, at the time tying both New Orleans,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and the
Greater Los Angeles areaThe Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is the agglomeration of urbanized area around the county of Los Angeles, California, United States. Greater Los Angeles includes the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area as well as the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario Metropolitan Area, and the...
for hosting the Super Bowl the most times.
Television and entertainment
The game was broadcast in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American 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. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
with
play-by-play announcerSports commentary, in broadcasting, is a term that means the reporting of a sporting event with a voiceover describing the details of the game in progress. In North America, in a lot of sports, the sports commentator is assisted by a color commentator, and sometimes a sideline reporter...
Al MichaelsAlan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
and
color commentatorA color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The term is of North American origin. The color commentator provides expert analysis and background information, such as statistics, strategy and injury reports...
s
Frank GiffordFrancis Newton "Frank" Gifford is a former American football player and American sportscaster.-Early life:Gifford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Lola Mae and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller...
and
Dan DierdorfDaniel Lee "Dan" Dierdorf is a former American football player and current television sportscaster. He played 13 NFL seasons and has worked for ABC's Monday Night Football and CBS as a color commentator since his retirement....
.
Lynn SwannLynn Curtis Swann is an American former professional football player and sportscaster, and current politician. In 2006, he was the Republican nominee to run against the incumbent Ed Rendell for Pennsylvania Governor.-Early life:...
(
ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are an American Professional Football team based in San Diego, California. They are currently members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The club began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League...
sideline) and
Lesley VisserLesley Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the Super...
(49ers sideline) served as Sideline Reporters. During that Super Bowl, Visser became the first woman assigned to a Super Bowl Sideline.
Brent MusburgerBrent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ABC and ESPN television networks.-Early life and career:...
hosted all the events with the help of then-ABC Sports analyst
Dick VermeilRichard Albert "Dick" Vermeil is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles , St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs...
, Musburger's regular color commentator on ABC's
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
telecasts, and then-
New York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the Northeastern New Jersey part of the tri-state New York metropolitan area. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays its home games in East...
quarterback
Boomer EsiasonNorman 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...
. This would be the final Super Bowl hosted by Musburger, as all subsequent Super Bowls on ABC were hosted by
ESPNESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
's
Chris BermanChristopher James "Chris" Berman also known by the nickname Boomer is an American sportscaster. He anchors SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown, Sunday NFL Countdown, Baseball Tonight, U.S...
following the Disney purchase of ABC. Also, the trophy presentation for this game was the last to be held in the winning team's locker room, as all subsequent Lombardi Trophy presentations would be held on the field.
This was the last Super Bowl broadcast by the Monday Night team of Michaels, Gifford and Dierdorf. This was the broadcast team for
Monday Night FootballMonday Night Football is a live television broadcast of the National Football League. Originally airing on the ABC network from to , Monday Night Football was the second longest running prime time show on American broadcast network television and one of the highest-rated, particularly among male...
from 1987 - 1997. They worked ABC's coverage of Super Bowls XXII and XXV. This would also be the last Super Bowl aired on ABC until the
1999 seasonSuper Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...
.
Interestingly, the Tuesday prior to the Super Bowl, the ABC sitcom
Full HouseFull House is an American television sitcom that ran from September 22, 1987 to May 23, 1995 on ABC. Set in San Francisco, California, it chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner who, after the death of his wife in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and...
aired an episode called "Super Bowl Fun Day involving two main characters actually at the game. (Full House was set in San Francisco, and this was the only time during the show's run that the 49ers advanced to a Super Bowl aired on ABC).
A week earlier, the
SeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. The eponymous series was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
episode "
The Label Maker"The Label Maker" is the 98th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 12th episode for the 6th season. It aired on January 19, 1995.-Plot:...
" involved
JerryJerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
trying to give away his tickets to the game. He eventually decided to go, but unfortunately was stuck sitting next to
NewmanNewman is a recurring character on the television show Seinfeld, played by Wayne Knight from 1991 until the show's finale in 1998.- Background :...
.
To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special 75th anniversary logo was painted at midfield. Each player also wore a patch on their
jerseysA jersey is an item of knitted clothing, traditionally in wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover; this is to say, it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn...
with the same logo. During the regular season, teams also wore "throwback" jerseys for selected games. The 49ers wore their throwbacks (which paid tribute to the 1957 Niners) for most of the season, this game included.
30 second ads for Super Bowl XXIX went for $1.15 Million, the first time that Super Bowl ads exceeded the $1,000,000 mark.
Following the game ABC premiered the television drama
Extreme starring
James BrolinJames Brolin is an American television, film, character actor, producer, and director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television....
; this was the last series to premiere following the Super Bowl until
Family GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television sitcom, created by Seth MacFarlane, for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family which consists of Peter, Lois, Meg, Chris, Stewie, and their pet dog Brian...
premiered following
Super Bowl XXXIIISuper Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played on January 31, 1999 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1998 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference...
and is one of only three in the last fourteen years to premiere following a Super Bowl (joining
Family Guy and its spinoff
American Dad!American Dad! is a satirical American animated series owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions and produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television....
).
Pregame ceremonies
The pregame show held before the game featured
country musicCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
singer
Hank Williams, Jr.Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr., is an award-winning American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern Rock, blues, and traditional country...
, who performed his theme song for
Monday Night FootballMonday Night Football is a live television broadcast of the National Football League. Originally airing on the ABC network from to , Monday Night Football was the second longest running prime time show on American broadcast network television and one of the highest-rated, particularly among male...
, which was based on his single "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight".
Actress and singer
Kathie Lee GiffordKathie Lee Gifford is an American television hostess, singer, actor, noted for her 15-year run on the talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin. She has received 11 Emmy nominations...
(Frank Gifford's wife) later sang the national anthem. She was accompanied by then-
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
Heather WhitestoneHeather Leigh Whitestone McCallum is a former beauty queen who was the first deaf Miss America title holder, having lost most of her hearing at the age of eighteen months.-Early Life:...
who
signedAmerican Sign Language is the dominant sign language of the Deaf community in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
the anthem for the hearing impaired.
To honor the NFL's 75th season, several former players who were named to the league's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team joined the
coin tossCoin flipping or coin tossing is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to resolve a dispute between two parties or otherwise choose between two alternatives...
ceremony:
Otto GrahamOtto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...
,
Joe GreeneCharles Edward Greene, known as “Mean Joe” Greene, is a former all-pro American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Throughout the early 1970s he developed into arguably the most dominant defensive lineman in the NFL...
,
Ray NitschkeRaymond Ernest "Ray" Nitschke was a professional football player who played middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL. Wearing #66, he played fifteen seasons, from 1958-72.-Early life:...
, and
Gale SayersGale Eugene Sayers , also known as "The Kansas Comet", is a retired professional football player in the National Football League who spent his entire career with the Chicago Bears....
.
Halftime show
The halftime show was titled "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye" and was produced by
DisneyThe Walt Disney Company , often simply known as Disney, is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world, known for its family-friendly products...
to promote their
Indiana Jones AdventureIndiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye is a dark ride attraction within Adventureland at Disneyland. It opened on March 3, 1995. Based on the Indiana Jones films, guests accompany intrepid archeologist Dr. Indiana Jones on a turbulent high speed adventure through a dangerous lost...
attraction at
DisneylandDisneyland is an American theme park in Anaheim, California, owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division of The Walt Disney Company. It was dedicated with a press preview on July 17, 1955, and opened to the general public July 18, 1955...
that opened later that year. The show featured actors playing
Indiana JonesDr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. is a fictional adventurer, OSS agent, professor of archaeology, and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
and his girlfriend Marion who were raiding the
Vince Lombardi TrophyThe Vince Lombardi Trophy is the trophy awarded each year to the winning team of the National Football League's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. The trophy was originally called the "World Championship Game Trophy" in 1967, when the Super Bowl was originally named the AFL-NFL World...
from the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. The show also had performances by singers
Tony BennettTony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
and
Patti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte , best known by her stage name of Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter and actress. She fronted two groups, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, which received minor success on the pop charts in the 1960s, and Labelle, which received acclaim and a...
,
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
trumpeter
Arturo SandovalArturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in Havana Province, Cuba.Sandoval, while still in Cuba, was influenced by jazz legends Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie, finally meeting Dizzy later in 1977...
, and the Miami Sound Machine. The show ended with everybody singing "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", the song featured in Disney's (which later acquired ABC) 1994 film
The Lion KingThe Lion King is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Released to theaters on June 15, 1994 by Walt Disney Pictures, it is the 32nd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The story, which was strongly influenced by the William Shakespeare play Hamlet,...
.
Game summary
The 49ers dominated the game right from the start.
On the opening kickoff, a 15-yard facemask penalty on Chargers linebacker Doug Miller gave San Francisco the ball at their own 41-yard line. Then on the third play of the drive, 49ers quarterback Steve Young threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to
Jerry RiceJerry Lee Rice is an American former football player. He is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver ever and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
. The 49ers became the second team to take the opening kickoff and score a touchdown on that first drive (the first being the
Miami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a professional football team based in the Miami, Florida metropolitan area. They play home games at Land Shark Stadium, in the suburb of Miami Gardens. They are headquartered at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility in Davie, Florida. The Dolphins belong to the Eastern...
in
Super Bowl VIIISuper Bowl VIII was a professional American football game played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium. in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 1973 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Miami Dolphins defeated the National Football...
). After forcing the Chargers to punt, the 49ers advanced 79 yards in four plays, scoring on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Young to running back
Ricky WattersRichard "Ricky" James Watters is a former American football running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. Watters played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he played wide receiver on the...
to give San Francisco a 14-0 lead less than 5 minutes into the first quarter.
The Chargers responded on their ensuing possession, marching 78 yards in 13 plays and taking more than 7 minutes off the clock. Running back
Natrone MeansNatrone Jermaine Means is a former professional American Football running back who played for the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers of the NFL from 1993 to 2000...
finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to cut San Diego's deficit to 14-7. But the 49ers quickly countered after the ensuing kickoff, driving 70 yards in 10 plays, and Young threw his third touchdown pass of the game to fullback William Floyd for 5 yards, increasing the lead to 21-7.
Later in the second quarter, Chargers punter Bryan Wagner's 40-yard punt from his own 9-yard line gave the 49ers the ball at the San Diego 49. San Francisco then marched on a 9-play drive to score on Young's fourth touchdown pass, an 8-yard toss to Watters with 4:44 left in the half. The Chargers then took the ensuing kickoff and drove 62 yards from their own 25-yard line to the San Francisco 13. But after 3 incomplete passes, they were forced to settle for kicker John Carney's 31-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 28-10.
A 33-yard completion from Young to tight end
Brent JonesBrent Michael Jones is a former American Football tight end who played almost his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers from . He was selected in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1986 NFL Draft...
helped the 49ers reach the San Diego 29-yard line on their next possession, but Young's third down pass to Jones was overthrown and rookie kicker
Doug BrienDouglas Robert Zachariah Brien was an American football placekicker. He played for the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, the Indianapolis Colts, the New Orleans Saints, and the San Francisco 49ers...
missed a 47-yard field goal attempt. The Chargers then drove to their own 46-yard line, but 49ers defensive back Eric Davis intercepted Humphries' third down pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left in the half, and the score remained 28-10 at halftime. The Chargers 18-point halftime deficit ended up being the closest scoring margin they would reach for the rest of the game.
Leading 28-10 in the 3rd quarter, the 49ers added 14 more points. The Chargers were forced to punt after three plays on the opening drive of the second half, and
Dexter CarterDexter Anthony Carter , is the running backs coach at his alma mater, Florida State University. Carter was also a former American Football running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets in the National Football League for seven seasons from 1990 to 1996...
returned the ball 11 yards to his own 38-yard line. Young subsequently completed three consecutive passes for 53 yards on a 7-play, 62-yard drive that ended with Watters' third touchdown on a 9-yard run, tying the Super Bowl record for the most touchdowns in a game. After a 33-yard kickoff return by
Andre ColemanAndre Coleman is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver He attended Hickory High School in Hermitage, Pennsylvania while winning them a state championship. He played collegiately at Kansas State University...
, the Chargers advanced to the San Francisco 33-yard line, but they turned the ball over on downs when quarterback
Stan HumphriesWilliam Stanley "Stan" Humphries is a former professional American football quarterback. He played for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He played college football at Northeast Louisiana...
' fourth down pass was broken up by Davis. After the turnover, Young lead his team on a 10-play, 67-yard drive to score on his 5th touchdown pass, a 15-yard completion to Rice. The Chargers' only highlight of the 3rd quarter was when Coleman returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Then, wide receiver
Mark SeayMark Edward Seay is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Long Beach State University....
caught a pass for a successful
two-point conversionIn American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
(the first in Super Bowl history), but it only cut the deficit to 42-18.
The 49ers were forced to punt on their next drive, but San Diego ended up turning the ball over on downs when Means was tackled for a 4-yard loss on a fourth down and 1 from their own 37-yard line. Six plays later, Young threw his record setting sixth touchdown pass to Rice with 13:49 remaining in the game to make the score 49-18. The Chargers responded with a 13-play, 59-yard drive to get to the San Francisco 7-yard line, but 49ers defensive back
Deion SandersDeion Luwynn Sanders is a former National Football League cornerback, Major League Baseball outfielder, and is currently an NFL Network commentator. He carries the nicknames "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion"....
intercepted backup quarterback
Gale GilbertGale Reed Gilbert is a former American football quarterback who played eight seasons in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, and the San Diego Chargers....
's fourth down pass in the end zone. After 2 San Francisco punts and another interception, the Chargers scored the final points of the game with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Humphries to wide receiver Tony Martin and another two-point conversion to make the score 49-26. San Francisco recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran time off the clock before punting to the San Diego 7. San Diego drove to the San Francisco 35 before time ran out, and the game ended in a 49ers victory.
At the end of the game Young showed his jubilation at finally being able to win "the big one" while accepting the MVP trophy. "There were times when this was hard! But this is the greatest feeling in the world! "No one -- no one -- can ever take this away from us! No one, ever! It's ours!" Young and his teammates were equally enthusiastic in the locker room afterwards. "We're part of history", said guard
Jesse SapoluManase Jesse Sapolu 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....
. "This is probably the best offense people will see in their lifetimes." "Is this great or what?" Young added. "I mean, I haven't thrown six touchdown passes in a game in my life. Then I throw six in the Super Bowl! Unbelievable."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/features/superbowl/archives/29/
Rice caught 10 passes for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns, tying his own record for most touchdown receptions in a Super Bowl, and becoming the first player ever to do it twice. He also recorded 10 rushing yards. Watters rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 3 passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Means, who rushed for 1,350 yards in the regular season, was held to just 33 yards in the game. Humphries finished 24 out of 49 for 275 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions. Seay was the Chargers top receiver with 7 receptions for 75 yards, while
Ronnie HarmonRonnie Keith Harmon is a former professional American football player. After a standout career at the University of Iowa in the Big Ten Conference, he played for 12 seasons in the NFL. A 6", 220-lb...
added 8 catches for 68. Defensive end Raylee Johnson had two sacks. Coleman's 8 kickoff returns for 244 yards and a touchdown set the following Super Bowl records: most kickoff returns in a Super Bowl, most kickoff return yards in a Super Bowl, and most combined net yards gained in a Super Bowl.
This was the first Super Bowl to have two players each score three touchdowns. Rice matched his
Super Bowl XXIVSuper 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...
performance with his three touchdown catches. Watters also had three touchdowns, matching Roger Craig's 3 touchdowns, 2 receiving and 1 rushing, that Craig accomplished in
Super Bowl XIXSuper 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...
. Watters also became the second running back to catch 2 touchdown passes in a game, matching Craig.
Ken Norton, Jr. became the first player in to win three straight Super Bowls. Norton was a member of the Cowboys teams who won Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII.
Gale GilbertGale Reed Gilbert is a former American football quarterback who played eight seasons in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, and the San Diego Chargers....
became the first player to be a member of five straight Super Bowl teams. Gilbert was a member of the Bills who played in four straight Super Bowls XXV through XXVIII. Gilbert was on the losing team in all five Super Bowl games.
The 49ers' spectacular performance led to their offensive coordinator,
Mike ShanahanMichael Edward Shanahan is a former American football head coach, most recently for the Denver Broncos. He led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl victories in 1998 and 1999...
, and defensive coordinator,
Ray RhodesRaymond Earl Rhodes is the former American football head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. He is the current assistant defensive backs coach of the Houston Texans...
, gaining head coaching jobs the very next season for the
Denver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently a member of the American Football Conference Western Division in the National Football League . The Broncos began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined...
and the
Philadelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, respectively.
Bobby RossRobert Joseph Ross is a retired college and NFL football coach. His career as a college head coach included stints at The Citadel, the University of Maryland, Georgia Tech, and Army...
became the second coach, after Jimmy Johnson in
Super Bowl XXVIISuper Bowl XXVII was an American football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season...
, to lead a team to a college football national championship (
Georgia TechThe Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly called Georgia Tech, Tech, and GT, is a public, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States...
in 1990) and a Super Bowl.
Scoring summary
- SF - TD: Jerry Rice 44-yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 7-0
- SF - TD: Ricky Watters 51-yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 14-0
- SD - TD: Natrone Means 1 yard run (John Carney kick) SF 14-7
- SF - TD: William Floyd 5 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 21-7
- SF - TD: Ricky Watters 8 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 28-7
- SD - FG: John Carney 31 yards SF 28-10
- SF - TD: Ricky Watters 9 yard run (Doug Brien kick) SF 35-10
- SF - TD: Jerry Rice 15 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 42-10
- SD - TD: Andre Coleman 98 yard kickoff return (*2-pt conv: Mark Seay pass from Stan Humphries) SF 42-18
- SF - TD: Jerry Rice 7 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 49-18
- SD - TD: Tony Martin 30 yard pass from Stan Humphries (*2-pt conv: Alfred Pupunu pass from Stan Humphries) SF 49-26
*The Chargers became the first team to have a successful
two-point conversionIn American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
in the Super Bowl. This was the first season in which the NFL allowed 2-point conversions, and the Chargers actually had two in the game.
Notable quotes
- "Would somebody please get this monkey
- For the actor with a similarly pronounced name, see Joe Mantegna.Joseph Clifford Montana, Jr., , nicknamed Joe Cool and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player whose professional career in the National Football League spanned the late 1970s through the mid-1990s...
off my back?!" - Steve Young on the sidelines as it is now evident the 49ers will win the game
Starting lineups
Source:
| San Francisco | Position | OFFENSE
|
|---|
| John Taylor |
WR |
Mark Seay Mark Edward Seay is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Long Beach State University....
|
| Steve Wallace |
LT |
Stan Brock Stanley James Brock is an American football coach and the former head coach of the United States Military Academy college football program...
|
Jesse SapoluManase Jesse Sapolu 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 |
Isaac Davis |
| Bart Oates Bart Steven Oates is a former American football player in the National Football League for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He played center for the Giants from 1985-93 and with the 49ers from 1994-95...
|
C |
Courtney Hall Courtney Hall was a center and guard in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers. Hall attended Rice University....
|
| Derrick Deese Derrick Deese is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He co-hosts a radio show on Fox Sports Radio with Brian Webber weekends from 9am to 1pm Pacific Time.-Professional career:...
|
RG |
Joe Cocozzo Joe Cocozzo is a former American football guard who played in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers. Cocozzo attended the University of Michigan....
|
| Harris Barton Harris Scott Barton is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the San Francisco 49ers. His mother was from a very Orthodox Jewish background in Queens, New York and his father was from a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York...
|
RT |
Harry SwayneHarry Swayne was an offensive tackle in the NFL that played from 1987-2001. He is one of the few players to have started a Super Bowl with three different teams: Super Bowl XXIX with the Chargers, Super Bowl XXXIII with the Broncos and Super Bowl XXXV with the RavensHe was the chaplain for the...
|
| Brent Jones Brent Michael Jones is a former American Football tight end who played almost his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers from . He was selected in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1986 NFL Draft...
|
TE |
Alfred Pupunu Alfred Sione Pupunu is a former professional American football tight end who played nine seasons in the National Football League from 1992 to 2000.-High school career:...
|
Jerry RiceJerry Lee Rice is an American former football player. He is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver ever and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
|
WR |
Tony Martin |
| Steve Young |
QB |
Stan Humphries William Stanley "Stan" Humphries is a former professional American football quarterback. He played for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He played college football at Northeast Louisiana...
|
| Ricky Watters Richard "Ricky" James Watters is a former American football running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. Watters played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he played wide receiver on the...
|
RB |
Natrone Means Natrone Jermaine Means is a former professional American Football running back who played for the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers of the NFL from 1993 to 2000...
|
William FloydWilliam Floyd , was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New York....
|
FB-TE |
Duane Young Curtis Duane Young is a former professional American football tight end. He played for six seasons in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers and the Buffalo Bills....
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| DEFENSE |
| Dennis Brown Dennis Trammel Brown is a former defensive end who played 7 seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League....
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LE |
Chris Mims Christopher Eddie Mims was an American football defensive end in the National Football League who played seven seasons for the San Diego Chargers and one season with the Washington Redskins. Mims retired in 2000 after being cut by the Chicago Bears in training camp that same year...
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| Bryant Young Bryant Colby Young is a former NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers. He played the defensive tackle position. He was drafted by the 49ers in the 1st round in the 1994 NFL Draft...
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LDT |
Reuben Davis Reuben Cordell Davis is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the ninth round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina....
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| Dana Stubblefield Dana William Stubblefield is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. After graduating from Taylor High School in North Bend, Ohio, Stubblefield attended the University of Kansas....
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RDT |
Shawn Lee |
| Rickey Jackson Rickey Anderson Jackson is a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers . He has been inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame...
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RE |
Leslie O'Neal Leslie O'Neal is a former football defensive end who played 13 years in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams, and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1986 to 1999....
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| Ken Norton, Jr. |
LOLB |
David Griggs David Griggs . was a linebacker in the National Football League for six seasons. He started in Super Bowl XXIX for the San Diego Chargers. Griggs attended the University of Virginia...
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| Gary Plummer Gary Plummer is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 1986...
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MLB |
Dennis Gibson Dennis Michael Gibson is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League from 1987-1995 for the Detroit Lions and the San Diego Chargers...
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| Lee Woodall Lee Artis Woodall is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 1994 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 230-lb. linebacker from West Chester University, Woodall played in 8 NFL seasons from 1994 to 2001...
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ROLB |
Junior Seau Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. is an American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers during the 1990 NFL Draft...
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| Eric Davis |
LCB |
Darrien Gordon Darrien Jamal Gordon was born November 14, 1970 in Shawnee, Oklahoma) to James and Goldia Gordon. He graduated from Shawnee High School in 1989 where he was an All-State football player and two-time state champion wrestler as well as an honor student....
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| Deion Sanders Deion Luwynn Sanders is a former National Football League cornerback, Major League Baseball outfielder, and is currently an NFL Network commentator. He carries the nicknames "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion"....
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RCB |
Dwayne Harper Dwayne Harper is a former professional American football cornerback who played 12 seasons in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXIX for the San Diego Chargers....
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Tim McDonaldTim McDonald is a former professional American football player who played strong safety in the NFL.-High School:McDonald played high school football at Edison High School in Fresno....
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SS |
Darren Carrington Darren Carrington was a safety who played 8 seasons in the National Football League for five different teams. He started in Super Bowl XXIX for the San Diego Chargers and was the Denver Broncos kick returner in Super Bowl Super Bowl XXIV...
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| Merton Hanks Merton Edward Hanks was a safety in the National Football League. Hanks attended Lake Highlands High School, where he was a district track and field champion. He went on to the University of Iowa, earning all-Big Ten honors at cornerback...
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FS |
Stanley Richard Stanley Palmer Richard is a retired American football safety in the National Football League. Richard played at the University of Texas from 1987-90, where he was an All-American safety in 1990. He was drafted 9th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 1991 NFL Draft and played with the...
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OfficialsIn American football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game.During professional and college football games, seven officials operate on the field...
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
Jerry Markbreit is a former American football referee in the National Football League for 23 seasons and became one of the most recognizable referees in the game. Markbreit officiated football games for 43 seasons. From 1965 to 1975, Markbreit officiated college football games in the Big Ten...
- Umpire: Ron Botchan
Ronald Leslie "Ron" Botchan is a retired American football official from the National Football League . Prior to that he was an American football linebacker in the American Football League from 1960 to 1962. As an official, Botchan worked as an umpire for nearly his entire NFL career and wore the...
- Head Linesman: Ron Phares
- Line Judge: Ron Baynes
- Field Judge: Jack Vaughan
- Side Judge: Tom Fincken
- Back Judge: Timmie Mills
- Alternate Referee: Gerald Austin
Dr. Gerald "Gerry" Austin was an American football official in the National Football League from the 1982 season through the 2007 season. He wore uniform number 34. Austin has officiated in three Super Bowls, two as a referee and one as a side judge...
- Alternate Umpire: Rex Stuart