Super Bowl History in Miami

Audio/Story posted January 27, 2020 in CommRadio, Sports by Danny Murray

Jordan Hession reviews the past Super Bowls held in Miami, reliving some of their the most iconic moments.

Super Bowl 54 looks to be one of the best matchups in a long time, but Miami has a rich history of great Super Bowl games being played in the Magic City.

Super Bowl II

The first Super Bowl at the Miami Orange Bowl saw the Green Bay Packers repeat as champions, defeating the Oakland Raiders 33-14. The crowd of 75,546 paying only $12 per ticket saw 14 future Hall of Famers, including Packers quarterback Bart Starr, who threw for 202 yards and one touchdown on his way to the game MVP.

Super Bowl III

Arguably the biggest upset in Super Bowl history came at the Miami Orange Bowl on January 12, 1969, when the little brother New York Jets of the AFL defeated the NFL powerhouse Baltimore Colts led by the legendary coach Don Shula and quarterback Johnny Unitas by a score of 16-7.

Jets quarterback Joe Namath received the game MVP award just three days after receiving the AFL MVP award and making his famous victory guarantee. This was also the first championship game to officially be trademarked the “Super Bowl.”

Super Bowl V

The Baltimore Colts got their Super Bowl victory at the Orange Bowl just two years later, when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 on January 17, 1971. Although the Cowboys lost the game, linebacker Chuck Howley was named MVP of the game, as he still is the only losing player to receive the award. This was also the first Super Bowl to be played on artificial turf.

Super Bowl X

The Cowboys' Orange Bowl woes continued on January 18, 1976, when they fell to the Pittsburgh “Steel Curtain” Steelers by a score of 21-17. This was a battle of two of the greatest coaches and quarterbacks to ever do it as Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw defeated Tom Landry and Roger Staubach. Wide receiver Lynn Swann received the MVP award for his 161 yards and one touchdown on only four catches.

Super Bowl XIII

The same matchup of Steelers and Cowboys just three years later ended with the same result, the Steelers winning 35-31. Many of the early Cowboys fans watching this game have a vivid memory of Jackie Smith missing a wide-open catch to tie the game in the end zone in the third quarter. Bradshaw picked up the MVP and the Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl in six years to close out the decade.

Super Bowl XXIII

The first Super Bowl in Joe Robbie Stadium featured a win by Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers over Boomer Esiason and the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 20-16. With the score tied at 3-3 at the half, a halftime performance by BeBop Bamboozled helped the 49ers offense come to life in the second half. Jerry Rice received the MVP award for his historic performance, collecting 11 catches for 215 yards and one score. Joe Montana also had a great game with 357 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Super Bowl XXIX

The 49ers' success in Joe Robbie continued with a dominant 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers. Steve Young had arguably the greatest performance in Super Bowl history with his six passing touchdowns and 325 yards in the win.

Super Bowl XXXIII

The Denver Broncos repeated as champions in 1999 when they convincingly defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 34-19. John Elway received the MVP award for his 336 passing yards and one touchdown in the final game of his career. Future Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis also had 102 yards on the ground for the Broncos.

Super Bowl XLI

A rainy night at Dolphin Stadium with a crowd of 74,512 watched Peyton Manning win his first Super Bowl, as he and coach Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17. Manning took home the MVP award with 247 passing yards and one touchdown.

Super Bowl XLIV

The Saints ended their drought in Sun Life Stadium on February 7, 2010, when they defeated the same Manning-led Colts 31-17. Saints quarterback Drew Brees took home the MVP with his 288 yards and two scores. The most memorable play of the game is the onside kick converted by the Saints to start the second half, which led the Colts receiver Hank Baskett being cut the next day.

 

Danny Murray is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, you can email him at dantemurray21@gmail.com.

About the Contributors

Jordan Hession's photo

Jordan Hession

Junior / Broadcast Journalism

Jordan Hession is a junior from Annapolis, Maryland majoring in broadcast journalism. Jordan is the co-host of CommRadio’s longest running live radio show The Sin Bin with Kyle Cannillo. In the summer of 2020, Jordan interned at SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio as a sports programmer. When Jordan is not discussing sports, he is writing various articles for collegiate and professional sports leagues and teams. Jordan has a love for all sports but has a genuine passion to spread ice hockey and baseball globally. Away from broadcast journalism, Jordan enjoys lifting weights and cooking. Jordan’s role models in the broadcast journalism industry include Doc Emrick, Gary Thorne and Mike Lange. In the future, Jordan sees himself working as a producer or host in sports talk radio and potentially television. To contact Jordan, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).