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But en route to Super Bowl IX, the Steelers had started the regular season slowly, as Bradshaw and Joe Gilliam fought to be the team's starting quarterback. Gilliam had started for the first four games of the season, but Noll eventually made Bradshaw the starter. Although Bradshaw ended up completing only 67 out of passes for yards, 7 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, he helped lead the team to a regular season record.

The Steelers main offensive weapon however was running the ball. Harris rushed for 1, yards and five touchdowns, while also catching 23 passes for yards and another touchdown. Running backs Rocky Bleier , Preston Pearson , and Steve Davis also made important contributions, gaining a combined total of yards and eight touchdowns. But the Steelers' main strength during the season was their staunch "Steel Curtain" defense, which led the league with the fewest total yards allowed 3, and the fewest passing yards allowed 1, Both of the team's outside linebackers, Ham and Andy Russell , had been also selected to play in the Pro Bowl, while Lambert already had two interceptions for 19 yards in his rookie year.

In the defensive backfield, Blount, Wagner, and Glen Edwards made a strong impact against opposing passing plays. Minnesota's powerful offense was still led by veteran quarterback Fran Tarkenton , who passed for 2, yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Vikings' primary offensive weapon was running back Chuck Foreman , who led the team in receptions with 53 for yards and six touchdowns. He was also their leading rusher with rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Wide receiver Jim Lash was a major deep threat, with 32 receptions for yards a Fullback Dave Osborn contributed with rushing yards, and 29 receptions for yards. And the Vikings offensive line, led by future Hall of Fame left tackle Ron Yary , allowed only 17 sacks.

For the first time in four years, the Miami Dolphins were not able to advance to the Super Bowl. This transition effectively ended any opportunity of a long term Dolphin dynasty. While the Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills , , in the first round, the favored Dolphins lost to the Oakland Raiders , , giving up Raiders running back Clarence Davis ' 8-yard touchdown reception with 26 seconds remaining in the game with a play now known as the Sea of Hands.

The key play in the game occurred when the Dolphins were in control and were leading the Raiders midway through the fourth quarter. Cliff Branch hauled in a 72 yard touchdown pass from Raider QB Kenny Stabler when third year Dolphin defensive back Henry Stuckey , the man assigned to cover Branch on the play, fell down and the resultant wide open Branch caught the bomb and sprinted to the endzone.

Dolphin fans were furious because fan favorite Lloyd Mumphord was replaced with Stuckey. Mumphord and Coach Don Shula were involved in a feud at the time and it is thought that Stuckey was given the starting job for this game because of Shula's and Mumphord's differences of opinion. Afterwards, Stuckey was released in the offseason.

Many believed that had Mumphord had been in the game, there would have been no sea of hands play. Meanwhile, Minnesota allowed only a combined 24 points in their playoff wins against the St.

Louis Cardinals , , and their narrow defeat of the Los Angeles Rams , , after their defense stopped an attempted comeback touchdown drive from the Rams on the Vikings' own 2-yard line.

This game was also noted for a controversial procedure penalty during one Rams' drive when Los Angeles guard Tom Mack was called for a false start near the Viking goal line following Alan Page crossing the line of scrimmage unabated.

Sports writers and fans predicted that Super Bowl IX would be a low scoring game because of each team's defenses. As the NFC was the designated "home team" for the game, by NFL rules at the time the Vikings were required to wear their purple jerseys. Although the league later relaxed the rule from Super Bowl XIII onwards, the Vikings would've likely worn their purple jerseys anyways, given that they've worn their purple jerseys at home for much of their history aside from a few games in the s, when the NFL was encouraging but not requiring teams to wear white at home.

This was the only one of the four Super Bowls the Steelers of the s played in that the team wore their white jerseys, and the only Super Bowl the team would wear white at all until Super Bowl XL 31 years later. The game was originally scheduled for the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

Because construction on the dome was not yet finished, the game had to be moved to Tulane Stadium, home field for Tulane University. This proved to be quite pivotal, because of the inclement conditions low temperature and the field was slick from overnight rain. The last minute change of venue meant this was not only the last of three Super Bowls played at Tulane Stadium, but the last professional game ever played in the stadium, which was demolished five years later and replaced for the NFL season by the Louisiana Superdome , which has hosted every Super Bowl held in New Orleans since.

Charlie Jones served as the event's host, field reporter and would cover the trophy presentation prior to the NFL season , NBC did not have a pregame show.

The Grambling State University Band performed during both the pregame festivities and the national anthem. During the national anthem, they were backed by a Mardi Gras choir. The halftime show was a tribute to American jazz composer, pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington, also featuring the Grambling State University Band along with Ellington's son Mercer.

Ellington had died the previous May. Lou Grant was teaching Ted Baxter how to bet on football games, and used Ted's money, as well as some of his own to bet on the hometown Vikings winning the Super Bowl. The Vikings won the Super Bowl in this episode but Ted's hopes were dashed when it was revealed that Lou actually bet all the money on the Steelers. At the end of the show, Mary Tyler Moore announced the following over the credits: "If the Pittsburgh Steelers win the actual Super Bowl tomorrow, we want to apologize to the Pittsburgh team and their fans for this purely fictional story.

If on the other hand, they lose, remember, you heard it here first. As many predicted, the game was low scoring; both teams failed to score a touchdown or a field goal until the third quarter and ended up with the second lowest total of combined points in Super Bowl history.

The first quarter of the game was completely dominated by both teams' defenses. The Vikings were limited to 20 passing yards, zero rushing yards, and one first down. The Steelers did slightly better with 18 passing yards, 61 rushing yards, and four first downs.

Pittsburgh even managed to get close enough for their kicker Roy Gerela to attempt two field goals. But Gerela missed his first attempt, and a bad snap prevented the second one from getting off the ground.

In the second quarter, the Vikings got an opportunity to score when they recovered a fumble from fullback Rocky Bleier at the Steelers yard line. But they could only move the ball two yards in their next three plays, and then Vikings kicker Fred Cox missed a yard field goal attempt. The first score of the game occurred later in the period, when fullback Dave Osborn fumbled a pitch from Tarkenton in Minnesota's own end zone.

Tarkenton quickly dove on the ball to prevent a Steeler touchdown, but he was downed by Dwight White for a safety , giving Pittsburgh a lead. It was the first safety ever scored in a Super Bowl. The Vikings later threatened to score when Tarkenton led them on a yard drive to the Steelers yard line. With left in the half, Tarkenton threw a pass to receiver John Gilliam at the 5-yard line, but Steelers safety Glen Edwards hit him just as he caught the ball.

The ball popped out of his hands and right into the arms of Mel Blount for an interception. The half ended with the Steelers leading , the lowest halftime score in Super Bowl history and lowest possible, barring a scoreless tie.

On the opening kickoff of the second half, Minnesota's Bill Brown lost a fumble, and the Steelers recovered the ball at the Vikings' yard line. Then, Franco Harris moved the ball to the 6-yard line with a yard run.

Harris was then tackled for a 3-yard loss on the next play, but then made up for it with a 9-yard touchdown run after that, giving the Steelers a lead. After an exchange of punts, Minnesota got the ball back on their own yard line. On the second play of drive, Tarkenton's pass was deflected behind the line of scrimmage by Pittsburgh defensive lineman L. Greenwood , and bounced back right into the arms of Tarkenton, who then threw yard completion to Gilliam. However, officials ruled Tarkenton's first pass attempt was a completion to himself, and thus his second attempt was an illegal forward pass.

The penalty brought up third down and 11 yards to go, but Minnesota got the first down with running back Chuck Foreman 's yard run. Three plays later, Tarkenton completed a yard pass to tight end Stu Voigt at the Steelers yard line. However, White deflected Tarkenton's next pass attempt and Greene intercepted the ball, ending the Vikings' best offensive scoring opportunity. Early in the fourth quarter, the Vikings got another scoring opportunity when Minnesota safety Paul Krause recovered a fumble from Harris on the Steelers yard line.

On the next play, a yard pass interference penalty on Pittsburgh defensive back Mike Wagner moved the ball up to the 5-yard line.

But once again, the Steelers stopped them from scoring when Greene forced and recovered a fumble from Foreman. However, Pittsburgh failed to get a first down on their next possession and was forced to punt from deep in their own territory. Minnesota defender Matt Blair burst through the line to block the punt, and Terry Brown recovered the ball in the end zone for touchdown.

Broadcast in more than countries, the Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, with elaborate halftime shows, celebrity appearances and cutting-edge commercials adding to the appeal. Though the NFL officially formed in , the Super Bowl wasn't played until more than 40 years later. In , a group of businessmen who wanted to own football franchises—but were denied by the NFL—launched an alternative league, known as the American Football League AFL. Then, in , owners negotiated an agreement to merge the leagues by The champions of each play in the Super Bowl.

Against the Jets, though, Baltimore didn't score until the fourth quarter. As he left the field that afternoon at the Orange Bowl in Miami, "Broadway Joe" Namath pointed his index finger in the air. The Cowboys resurged in the s, and the Buffalo Bills became a powerhouse franchise, although they never won a Super Bowl, infamously losing four title games in a row from The AFC has bounced back in the years since the Bills' run of losses. Since , the Patriots have established themselves as a dynasty, with Tom Brady leading them to nine Super Bowl appearances and six wins.

Louis Rams 23, Tennesee Titans 16, Jan. Louis Rams 17, Feb. The early Super Bowls featured modest marching bands from local high schools or colleges during halftime shows.

As the years went on, popular musicians began to take the stage, and the shows evolved into much-anticipated spectacles. Some viewers consider the halftime show, now a full minute act, a bigger event than the football game, tuning in solely for the musical entertainment. The halftime show is famous for musical surprises…and mishaps. While some might consider it just a game, the Super Bowl has become a unique, shared experience in American culture.

The Super Bowl combines sports, music and advertising into one extreme event. In essence, it provides a fascinating picture of what many Americans consider ideal entertainment. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers each have five wins. Super Bowl History, Newsday. Super Bowl History, Ticket City. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!

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