From McGee to Randel-El: Super Bowl Magic Moments

Brunch with your girlfriend. Laundry. Loading your iTunes. Reflecting on past Super Bowl glories. The two-week break before the Super Bowl provides opportunities for all kinds of enjoyment, on this the first Sunday Without Football. The sting of this day is taken away by the fact that we can look forward to The Biggest Sunday of Them All in seven days. Its as if the NFL has to wean its fans gradually off football; the break prevents the shock from being too great after the Bowl, since we have all gotten a taste today of the way Sundays will soon feel for many weeks. Suffice it to say that if you are sitting down to a plate of nachos and a beer to watch the Pro Bowl in a couple of weeks, you seriously need help letting go.

Superbowl.com provides a fun 5-question quiz which determines what team you should root for if still undecided. Give it a shot if you haven’t tried it yet, definitely good for a few laughs. The quiz told me what I already know, that I will be rooting for the Bears Sunday. Although I must say its hard not feel like the Colts are destined to win this one. More than anything in their epic come from behind win over the Pats last Sunday, I was impressed by Peyton Manning’s fire after throwing the interception that put Indy in a 21-3 hole. As annoying as it is to have his “being a leader” constantly drummed into our heads by the media, you could see his emotion at that moment, and he really did manage to keep his team focused and competitive when lesser players might sulk their way through the next couple of plays.

This week I ask the question, what were the great indelible moments in Super Bowl History? I take a personal approach, adding where I was, and the circumstances of my viewing the game into the mix. Beginning with my understanding of those early legendary Bowls before my birth, I give you the epic Grind It Out Sports Super Bowl Magic Moments.

Super Bowl 1 (1967) Green Bay 35 – Kansas City 10. Legendary night of partying for seldom used Packers WR Max McGee, who had an amazing 7 catches and 2 TDs motivated by pure fear, not wanting coach Vince Lombardi to know how hung over he was. After hiding under the covers and then sneaking back to the bars after curfew, McGee was still buying drinks for young LA ladies as the sun was coming up, since he didn’t expect to see a single pass, having only caught 7 all season in what was to be his last year. An injury to the starting WR thrust McGee into the spotlight. Future Super Bowl eve partiers would not exhibit McGee’s ability to bounce back and be a hero.

Super Bowl 3 (1969) New York Jets 16 – Baltimore 7. The legendary guarantee and equally legendary lambchops of Mr. Kissing Suzy Kolber himself, Broadway Joe Namath. This is the first known “guarantee” in sports, magically coming true against huge odds, and thereby for a short time giving credence to the word. Today, a sports “guarantee” is nothing more than a really strong prediction, a lock of the week if you will. Hundreds of “guarantees” since then have been false, with no consideration to the guarantor, the fans.

Super Bowl 4 (1970) Kansas City 23 – Minnesota 7. “They’re running around like a Chinese fire drill”. The late great Hank Stram of the Chiefs, first coach to be miked up on the sideline, pacing the sideline in his arrowhead-logo blazer, slapping his palm with his rolled up program.

Super Bowl 7 (1973) Miami 14 – Washington 7. Dolphin kicker Garo Yepremian picks up a wild snap and suddenly his dream of being a quarterback in the Super Bowl takes over. Garo's wobbly wounded duck of a pass goes sideways and is scooped up by rthe Skins for a 49 yard touchdown run the other way. Second only to the tumbling ski jumper on the Wide World of Sports, this picture of futility was ironically the only blemish on a Dolphins Super Bowl win which cemented their perfect season.

Super Bowl 8 (1974) Miami 24 – Minnesota 7. My brother Andrew is born on this day. This not only inspires years of mostly futile support for the Dolphins in our family, but also represents the first sign of my brother’s strange control over the Vikings, on whom he bestowed a curse which will prevent them from ever winning the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl 10 (1976) Pittsburgh 21 – Dallas 17. The concentration of Steeler WR Lynn Swann leaping to touch a long ball also touched by the defender, planting his foot and leaping again to snare the tipped pass out of the air.

Super Bowl 11 (1977) Oakland 32 – Minnesota 14. Raiders coach John Madden, in his black shirt and blue polyester pants, his curly hair swooped into a big puff, being carried off the field by his players with a classic look of joy…which allows him to “Boom!” - break into broadcasting.

Super Bowl 12 (1978) Dallas 27 – Denver 10. The first super bowl I can really remember watching although I can’t recall any of the game. My only memory is the image of the big beard of Broncos QB Craig Morton. Gimme a break, I was 8. However this began an uninterrupted run of Super Bowl viewings.

Super Bowl 13 (1979) Pittsburgh 35 – Dallas 31. Lynn Swann again, this time leaping into the endzone for the deciding TD.

Super Bowl 14 (1980) Pittsburgh 31 - LA Rams 19. I remember rooting for the Rams and their plucky underdog QB Vince Ferragamo, who held a 19-14 lead coming into the fourth quarter. Another Bradshaw bomb for the Steelers, this time to John Stallworth was predicted by family friend Bob Z, whose confidence in the favorite Steelers underscores my first taste of the perilous road of rooting for underdogs.

Super Bowl 15 (1981) Oakland 31 – Philadelphia 17. Scruffy Raiders linebacker Rod Martin grabs his third interception of the day, deflating the Eagles for good.

Super Bowl 16 (1982) San Francisco 26 – Cincinnati 21. Heroic and gritty goal line stand by the Niners D denied the Bengals on four attempts inside the three yard line and tips the balance to SF.

Super Bowl 17 (1983) Washington 27 – Miami 17. Bruising Redskin menace John Riggins, who had bullied the Dolphins all game despite my inept attempts to will the defense to stop him, turns a fourth-and-one attempt into a 43 yard back-breaking fourth quarter TD.

Super Bowl 18 (1984) LA Raiders 38 – Washington 7. Most remember Marcus Allen’s amazing reversal of field for a 74 yard TD. The real play of the game was the interception by unknown Raiders DB Jack Squirek. Redskins QB Joe Theismann, who was backed up deep in his own end threw a little toss in the flat which Squirek turned into a flash of a pick-6, a TD that kept the Skins out of the game.

Super Bowl 19 (1985) San Francisco 38 – Miami 16. A blur of disappointment and Joe Montana on another day of high Dolphins hopes in which no play is remembered.

Super Bowl 20 (1986) Chicago 46 – New England 10. I obnoxiously offered my friend Eric Klopfer (a Pats fan) a 20 point spread on a $20 bet which allowed me to relish the Bears 46-10 victory in smug satisfaction. Who can forget the Fridge scoring that touchdown?

Super Bowl 21 (1987) NY Giants 39 – Denver 20. Giants WR Phil McConkey scoops up a floating tip in the endzone for a TD in a game punctuated by my Mom’s cousin Bob Lichman’s shouts of “little Joe from Kokomo” every time Giants RB Joe Morris touched the ball. Cousin Bob’s joy was my first taste of a fan rewarded for years of suffering and unconditional support.

Super Bowl 22 (1988) Washington 42 – Denver 10. 35 points in a Redskins second quarter blitzkrieg, which I still use as the yardstick for the most points you can possibly expect to score in a quarter.

Super Bowl 23 (1989) San Francisco 20 – Cincinnati 16. I’ll never forget Bengals lineman Tim Krumrie breaking his leg and the gruesome image of his massive limb bending so disturbingly where there was no joint. The game, a rare thriller, came down to that winning drive by Montana as the clock was ticking down, capped by the pass to John Taylor in endzone traffic.

Super Bowl 24 (1990) San Francisco 55 – Denver 10. This one-sided slaughter is memorialized by the Simpsons in which Homer wishes he could be John Elway. He envisions himself spiking the ball in the endzone with a Super Bowl TD, only to learn the score is now 55-10 Niners. D’oh!!!

Super Bowl 25 (1991) Giants 20 – Buffalo 19. Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood goes wide right on a chance to win the game as I am down on my knees in the TV lounge of my college dorm, praying for Big Blue. The sweet taste of victory celebrated with a massive bucket of a margarita at Houlihans.

Super Bowl 26 (1992) Washington 37 – Buffalo 24. In a legendary mishap, Buffalo RB Thurman Thomas leaves his helmet in the dressing room and doesn’t notice until the game is about to start. Thomas misses the first possession, which features two running plays, the Bills have to punt and never recover. Thomas only gets 13 yards on the day.

Super Bowl 27 (1993) Dallas 52 – Buffalo 17, and Super Bowl 28 (1994) Dallas 30 – Buffalo 13. These were the dark ages for the Super Bowl. My girlfriend Joyce remembers how annoying, unemotional and formulaic these games were without recalling the exact teams involved, as many casual fans have, she has blocked out the details. Team America against the bumbling Bills provided no foothold for anyone not specifically rooting for one team. The two years run together without any indelible memories save for one. Huge Cowboys end Leon Lett showboating with a recovered fumble gets stripped by a hustling Bills WR Don Beebe at the one inch line. The fact that these two dismal Bowls are remembered for a quirky sideshow of play which did not affect the outcome of the game is a fitting statement.

Super Bowl 29 (1995) San Francisco 49 – San Diego 26. Only three plays into the game, Niners WR Jerry Rice is gone on a 44 yard breakaway TD. I am watching the game in my Mission District apartment in San Francisco and the crackle of gunfire and explosives can be heard at the exact moment of this early TD, the excitement of the rout being on that early was indescribable. Later there is dancing on the streets, waving of flags and bouncing automobiles in a wild scene.

Super Bowl 30 (1996) Dallas 27 – Pittsburgh 17. In a crushing moment which doomed this game to be remembered for failure, Steelers QB Neil O’Donnell threw a ball right to Cowboy DB Larry Brown, I mean right to him. Inexplicable for the Steelers and anyone rooting for either a good game or the breaking of 11 years of NFC dominance. I was at a San Francisco Super Bowl party where, naturally, we were unanimously rooting for the Steelers. The hostess comes in at that exact moment with a tray of snacks and lets out a big cheer. It was the fourth quarter and she was so focused on the chips and dips that she hadn’t picked up which team was in what uniform yet, and thought Pittsburgh just grabbed the INT. Her errant cheer echoes into the sullen room.

Super Bowl 31 (1997) Green Bay 35 - New England 21. Fleet footed Heisman winner Desmond Howard answers a Pats TD by scampering 99 yards for a Packer TD on the ensuing kickoff, slamming the door shut on the Tuna and the Pats.

Super Bowl 32 (1998) Denver 31 – Green Bay 24. John Elway scrambling for a first down gets knocked 360 degrees in the air, spinning the Broncos to an unexpected victory. Odd to remember rooting for Elway and the Broncos to break the 12 year NFC run and to upset what I assumed would be a dynasty by Brett Favre that never came to be.

Super Bowl 33 (1999) Denver 34 – Atlanta 19. Hanky panky in the late night hours by Falcons safety Eugene Robinson has him arrested for solicitation of a prostitute. After being awarded the Bart Starr award for “high moral character” earlier in the day, Robinson, a married father of two, caps his Super Bowl eve by offering a female undercover cop $40 for oral sex. His bust reverberates through the pregame discussions and when Robinson gets toasted on an 80 yard Elway bomb, his fate is sealed as a Super Bowl villain who feel prey to the bright lights of the big game.

Super Bowl 34 (2000) St. Louis 23 – Tennessee 16. Titans receiver Andre Dyson stretches out for a game tying touchdown as time expires, only to be tackled a yard short of the endzone, capping a thriller. Not to disparage the ending but you could kinda tell he wasn’t gonna get it.

Super Bowl 35 (2001) Baltimore 34 – New York Giants 7. I hosted a snow covered cookout with Giants fans. At a certain point in the third quarter everyone had fallen asleep except me. I had to wake everyone up to see replays of Ron Dixon’s 99 yard kickoff return, which was the only Giants score.

Super Bowl 36 (2002) New England 20 – St. Louis 17. Pats Adam Vinatieri with that clutch 48 yard game winner. But ya gotta remember Brady on that last drive with no timeouts. Great game and I feel nostalgic for the days of the Pats as loveable underdogs.

Super Bowl 37 (2003) Tampa Bay 48 – Oakland 21. In another disturbing example of pre Super Bowl partying gone awry, Raiders pro bowl center Barrett Robbins goes AWOL in Tijuana the day before the game (in San Diego), losing track of where and who he was in an alcohol-fueled bipolar episode. Unable to attend team functions he is sent home before the game. Backup Adam Treu is pushed around by Warren Sapp and company all game, as the Raiders are defeated while wondering why their offensive anchor wasn’t there.

Super Bowl 38 (2004) New England 32 – Carolina 29. After a great game-tying drive by the Panthers with 1:08 left, play of the game was a boneheaded kick out of bounds by Carolina kicker Jim Kasay. Starting at the 40 after the ensuing penalty gave the Pats plenty of time to maneuver Vinatieri into position for another Super Bowl winning kick.

Super Bowl 39 (2005) New England 24 – Philadelphia 21. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb throws up before an attempted fourth quarter drive and is strangely flat and unemotional while attempting in vain to lead his team.

Super Bowl 40 (2006) Pittsburgh 21 – Seattle 10. Steelers cement it on a trick play as wideout and former QB Antwan Randel-El catches a lateral and flings it 43 yards for a TD to Hines Ward.