Super Bowl History, Facts, & Numbers

OK, as some of you may have seen on the Presidents of the United States post, I'm going to do virtually the same thing with the Super Bowl. First, I'll provide you with a brief origin of the event before I get to recapping the previous Super Bowls. Then we'll add a few single game records to go along with some facts and numbers that anyone can feel free to add to.

Origin

The National Football League began play in 1920, and struggled to financially survive in it's early history. Many rival leagues would attempt to compete with the NFL, but none were able to outlast them. The NFL would eventually make it's way to being one of the most popular sports in America by the 1950s.

In 1960, the NFL finally had met it's match as the rival American Football League established themselves. Previously, leagues of the same name attempted to compete with the NFL, but this one had legitimate shot. They were able to secure a television contract spear-headed by Lamar Hunt.

After both leagues had intense biddings and wars for players, they finally were able to agree to a merger on June 8, 1966. The two leagues agreed to have it's best teams meet in what they called the World Championship of Football. The first game saw the NFL Champion Green Bay Packers against the AFL Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Green Bay won the first two Championships, but the AFL would win the following two to even the score.

Super Bowl V marked the first time the event was called by it's current name. Eventually, expansion of teams and the playoff format would push the date of the game to the end of January and now first week in February. The Super Bowl has been the most watched event in the United States and has grew immensely in popularity around the world. The tradition of the Super Bowl on Sunday has become one of most notable events in television and sports history. The Vince Lombardi Trophy, named in honor after his death in 1970, is awarded to the winning team in each Super Bowl.

Now here's a brief look at each Super Bowl played to date....

Super Bowl I
Date: January 15, 1967
Location: Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 61,946
Neilsen Rating: CBS 22.6, NBC 18.5
Final score: Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10
MVP: Packers QB Bart Starr
Brief recap: Starr threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns as Green Bay scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to win the first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl II
Date: January 14, 1968
Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 75,546
Neilsen Rating: 36.8
Final score: Green Bay Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14
MVP: Packers QB Bart Starr
Brief recap: Starr threw for 202 yards and a touchdown, and Herb Adderley returned an interception for a touchdown for Green Bay.

Super Bowl III
Date: January 12, 1969
Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 75,389
Neilsen Rating: 36.0
Final score: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7
MVP: Jets QB Joe Namath
Brief recap: Namath guaranteed victory and got it as he's still the only MVP quarterback to not throw a touchdown. The Colts were -4 in turnover margin.

Super Bowl IV
Date: January 11, 1970
Location: Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 80,562
Neilsen Rating: 39.4
Final score: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7
MVP: Chiefs QB Len Dawson
Brief recap: Dawson threw for 142 yards and a touchdown while the Chiefs forced six turnovers while allowing a touchdown on defense.

Super Bowl V
Date: January 17, 1971
Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 79,204
Neilsen Rating: 39.9
Final score: Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13
MVP: Dallas LB Chuck Howley
Brief recap: The Colts came back in the last quarter sparked by an interception return which later tied the game 13-13. Jim O'Brien's field goal with five seconds left sealed the win for Baltimore.

Super Bowl VI
Date: January 16, 1972
Location: Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 81,023
Neilsen Rating: 44.2
Final score: Dallas Cowboys 24, Miami Dolphins 3
MVP: Cowboys QB Roger Staubach
Brief recap: Staubach threw for 119 yards and two touchdowns while the Cowboys defense held the Dolphins to just a second quarter field goal.

Super Bowl VII
Date: January 14, 1973
Location: Memorial Stadium, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 90,182
Neilsen Rating: 42.7
Final score: Miami Dolphins 14, Washington Redskins 7
MVP: Dolphins S Jake Scott
Brief recap: Scott had two interceptions in the game as the Dolphins defense prevented Washington from scoring an offensive touchdown with Miami finishing the season undefeated.

Super Bowl VIII
Date: January 13, 1974
Location: Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 71,882
Neilsen Rating: 41.6
Final score: Miami Dolphins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7
MVP: Dolphins FB Larry Csonka
Brief recap: Csonka ran for 145 yards and touchdowns as Miami scored the first 24 points of the game in route to consecutive Super Bowl wins.

Super Bowl IX
Date: January 12, 1975
Location: Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 80,997
Neilsen Rating: 42.4
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6
MVP: Steelers RB Franco Harris
Brief recap: Harris ran for 158 yards which was more than the Vikings had as a team as Steelers defense held them to just 119 total yards.

Super Bowl X
Date: January 18, 1976
Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 80,187
Neilsen Rating: 42.3
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Dallas Cowboys 17
MVP: Steelers WR Lynn Swann
Brief recap: Swann had four catches, 161 yards, and a 64-yard touchdown pass that sealed the win for Pittsburgh.

Super Bowl XI
Date: January 9, 1977
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Attendance: 103,438
Neilsen Rating: 44.4
Final score: Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14
MVP: Raiders WR Fred Biletnikoff
Brief recap: The Raiders had 429 total yards of offense, and got out to a 16-0 halftime lead as they won their first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XII
Date: January 15, 1978
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 75,583
Neilsen Rating: 47.2
Final score: Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10
MVP: Cowboys DE Harvey Martin and DT Randy White
Brief recap: The Cowboys defense forced eight turnovers including seven in the first half as they won their second Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XIII
Date: January 21, 1979
Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 79,484
Neilsen Rating: 47.1
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31
MVP: Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw
Brief recap: Bradshaw threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns as Pittsburgh held off a late Cowboys rally to win their third Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XIV
Date: January 20, 1980
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Attendance: 103,985
Neilsen Rating: 46.3
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19
MVP: Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw
Brief recap: Bradshaw threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers erased a 19-17 Rams lead with a pair of touchdowns in the last quarter.

Super Bowl XV
Date: January 25, 1981
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 76,135
Neilsen Rating: 44.4
Final score: Oakland Raiders 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10
MVP: Raiders QB Jim Plunkett
Brief recap: Plunkett threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns while the Raiders jumped out to a 14-0 lead which they never relinquished.

Super Bowl XVI
Date: January 24, 1982
Location: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Attendance: 81,270
Neilsen Rating: 49.1
Final score: San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21
MVP: 49ers QB Joe Montana
Brief recap: Montana passed for 157 yards, one touchdown, and had a rushing touchdown while the 49ers jumped out to a 20-0 lead to hold off the Bengals.

Super Bowl XVII
Date: January 30, 1983
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Attendance: 103,667
Neilsen Rating: 48.6
Final score: Washington Redskins 27, Miami Dolphins 17
MVP: Redskins RB John Riggins
Brief recap: Riggins rushed for 166 yards and had more total yards(181) than the entire offense for Miami in this game.

Super Bowl XVIII
Date: January 22, 1984
Location: Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Attendance: 72,920
Neilsen Rating: 46.4
Final score: Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington Redskins 9
MVP: Raiders RB Marcus Allen
Brief recap: Allen had 191 rushing yards and 209 total for the game as the Raiders scored a touchdown on offense, defense, and special teams in route to a win.

Super Bowl XIX
Date: January 20, 1985
Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California
Attendance: 84,059
Neilsen Rating: 46.4
Final score: San Francisco 49ers 38, Miami Dolphins 16
MVP: 49ers QB Joe Montana
Brief recap: Montana threw for 331 yards and had four touchdowns(3 passing, 1 rushing) as the 49ers controlled the game to win their second Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XX
Date: January 26, 1986
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 73,818
Neilsen Rating: 48.3
Final score: Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10
MVP: Bears DE Richard Dent
Brief recap: The Bears defense forced six turnovers, recorded seven sacks, and had safety as they dominated to win their first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XXI
Date: January 25, 1987
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Attendance: 101,063
Neilsen Rating: 45.8
Final score: New York Giants 39, Denver Broncos 20
MVP: Giants QB Phil Simms
Brief recap: Simms finished an incredible 22-for-25 passing for 268 yards and three touchdowns as the Giants cruised to a win.

Super Bowl XXII
Date: January 31, 1988
Location: Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
Attendance: 73,302
Neilsen Rating: 41.9
Final score: Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10
MVP: Redksins QB Doug Williams
Brief recap: Williams threw four touchdown passes and the Redskins scored 35 points in the second quarter after Denver got out to a 10-0 lead.

Super Bowl XXIII
Date: January 22, 1989
Location: Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 75,129
Neilsen Rating: 43.5
Final score: San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16
MVP: 49ers WR Jerry Rice
Brief recap: Rice had 11 catches, 165 yards, and a touchdown. Montana's touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left sealed the win for San Francisco.

Super Bowl XXIV
Date: January 28, 1990
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 72,919
Neilsen Rating: 39.0
Final score: San Francisco 49ers 55, Denver Broncos 10
MVP: 49ers QB Joe Montana
Brief history: Montana threw for a then-record five touchdowns as the 49ers easily won their 4th Super Bowl by dominating Denver.

Super Bowl XXV
Date: January 27, 1991
Location: Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Attendance: 73,813
Neilsen Rating: 41.8
Final score: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
MVP: Giants RB Ottis Anderson
Brief recap: Anderson rushed for 102 yards, but the game was decided when Bills kicker Scott Norwood missed a field goal wide right in the last minute.

Super Bowl XXVI
Date: January 26, 1992
Location: Hubert Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 63,130
Neilsen Rating: 40.3
Final score: Washington Redskins 37, Buffalo Bills 24
MVP: Redskins QB Mark Rypien
Brief recap: Rypien threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns as Washington scored the first 24 points of the game in route to a win.

Super Bowl XXVII
Date: January 31, 1993
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Attendance: 98,374
Neilsen Rating: 45.1
Final score: Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17
MVP: Cowboys QB Troy Aikman
Brief recap: The Cowboys defense forced a record nine turnovers and Aikman threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns in an easy win for Dallas.

Super Bowl XXVIII
Date: January 30, 1994
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 72,817
Neilsen Rating: 45.4
Final score: Dallas Cowboys 30, Buffalo Bills 13
MVP: Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith
Brief recap: Emmitt rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns as Dallas overcame a 13-6 halftime deficit with 24 unanswered points in the second half.

Super Bowl XXIX
Date: January 29, 1995
Location: Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 74,107
Neilsen Rating: 41.3
Final score: San Francisco 49ers 49, San Diego Chargers 26
MVP: 49ers QB Steve Young
Brief recap: Young threw for a record six touchdown passes as the 49ers cruised to their 5th Super Bowl win in convincing fashion.

Super Bowl XXX
Date: January 28, 1996
Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Attendance: 76,347
Neilsen Rating: 46.1
Final score: Dallas Cowboys 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
MVP: Cowboys CB Larry Brown
Brief recap: Larry Brown picks off two passes and the Cowboys converted both of the turnovers into touchdowns as the Steelers lose their first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XXXI
Date: January 26, 1997
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 72,301
Neilsen Rating: 43.3
Final score: Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21
MVP: Packers KR/WR Desmond Howard
Brief recap: Howard's 99-yard kickoff return touchdown in the 3rd quarter sealed the win for Green Bay as he had 244 total yards in the game.

Super Bowl XXXII
Date: January 25, 1998
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Attendance: 68,912
Neilsen Rating: 44.5
Final score: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24
MVP: Broncos RB Terrell Davis
Brief recap: Davis rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns as the AFC snapped the NFC's record of 13 consecutive Super Bowl wins.

Super Bowl XXXIII
Date: January 31, 1999
Location: Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 74,803
Neilsen Rating: 40.2
Final score: Denver Broncos 34, Atlanta Falcons 19
MVP: Broncos QB John Elway
Brief recap: Elway became the oldest player to win MVP as he had 336 passing yards and two total touchdowns as Denver repeats as Super Bowl winners.

Super Bowl XXXIV
Date: January 30, 2000
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 72,625
Neilsen Rating: 43.3
Final score: St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
MVP: Rams QB Kurt Warner
Brief recap: Warner threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams held off a late Titans drive to win their first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XXXV
Date: January 28, 2001
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Attendance: 71,921
Neilsen Rating: 40.3
Final score: Baltimore Ravens 34, New York Giants 7
MVP: Ravens LB Ray Lewis
Brief recap: Lewis had 11 total tackles and four defended passes as the Ravens defense didn't allow a touchdown in their convincing Super Bowl win.

Super Bowl XXXVI
Date: February 3, 2002
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 72,922
Neilsen Rating: 40.4
Final score: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
MVP: Patriots QB Tom Brady
Brief history: Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal with no time remaining gives the Patriots their first Super Bowl win.

Super Bowl XXXVII
Date: January 26, 2003
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Attendance: 67,603
Neilsen Rating:
Final score: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Oakland Raiders 21
MVP: Buccaneers S Dexter Jackson
Brief recap: Jackson had two of the three interception return touchdowns for Tampa Bay as they held down a powerful Raiders offense to win their first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XXXVIII
Date: February 1, 2004
Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 71,525
Neilsen Rating: 41.3
Final score: New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29
MVP: Patriots QB Tom Brady
Brief recap: Brady threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns while Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goal with four seconds left in the game.

Super Bowl XXXIX
Date: February 6, 2005
Location: ALLTEL Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
Attendance: 78,125
Neilsen Rating: 41.1
Final score: New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21
MVP: Patriots WR Deion Branch
Brief recap: Branch had 11 catches for 133 yards and the Patriots had a +3 turnover margin as the Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years.

Super Bowl XL
Date: February 5, 2006
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 68,206
Neilsen Rating: 41.6
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10
MVP: Steelers WR Hines Ward
Brief recap: Ward had five catches for 123 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers won their 5th Super Bowl in a game marred by controversy in officiating.

Super Bowl XLI
Date: February 4, 2007
Location: Dolphin Stadium, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 74,512
Neilsen Rating: 42.6
Final score: Indianapolis Colts 29, Chicago Bears 17
MVP: Colts QB Peyton Manning
Brief recap: Manning threw for 239 yards, and the Colts rushed for 191 yards as Indianapolis won the city's first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XLII
Date: February 3, 2008
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Attendance: 71,101
Neilsen Rating: 43.3
Final score: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
MVP: Giants QB Eli Manning
Brief recap: Manning threw for two touchdowns, both coming in the 4th quarter, as he connected with Plaxico Burress with 34 seconds left to end New England's bid of an undefeated season.

Super Bowl XLIII
Date: February 1, 2009
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Arizona Cardinals

Super Bowl single game records
-Most team points scored: 55, San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIV.
-Least team points scored: 3, Miami in Super Bowl VI.
-Most combined team points: 75, Super Bowl XXIX(49ers 49, Chargers 26).
-Least combined team points: 21, Super Bowl VII(Dolphins 14, Redskins 7).
-Passing yards: 414, Kurt Warner in Super Bowl XXXIV.
-Passing touchdowns: 6, Steve Young in Super Bowl XXIX.
-Rushing yards: 204, Timmy Smith in Super Bowl XXII.
-Rushing touchdowns: 3, Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII.
-Receiving yards: 215, Jerry Rice in Super Bowl XXIII.
-Receiving touchdowns: 3, Jerry Rice in both Super Bowl XXIV and XXIX.
-Interceptions: 3, Rod Martin in Super Bowl XV.
-Sacks: 3, Reggie White in Super Bowl XXXI.

Super Bowl facts and numbers:

-The NFC is 22-20 against the AFC in Super Bowl play which includes the first four years when it was known as the World Championship.
-Most wins: Dallas, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh each have five. The Steelers go for their sixth overall this year.
Most losses: Minnesota and Buffalo have lost four times. They haven't won a Super Bowl either.
Most wins without a loss: San Francisco is 5-0 in Super Bowl play.
-City that has hosted most Super Bowls: Miami and New Orleans have hosted nine.
-Highest rated game: Super Bowl XVI between the 49ers and Bengals drew 49.1
-Most viewers: Super Bowl XLII with 97.5 million in the U.S.

-Five teams have never played in a Super Bowl: Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New Orleans Saints. Cleveland and Detroit are the only two pre-expansion teams that have never appeared in a Super Bowl.
-Nine teams that appeared in a Super Bowl have never won: Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, and Tennesee Titans. Arizona Cardinals will join the list if they lose Super Bowl XLIII. So currently, 15 teams have never won a Super Bowl.

-This year's Super Bowl marks only the third time that two pre-expansion teams(before 1960) have met in the same game. The other two were Super Bowl XIV between the Steelers and Rams and Super Bowl XLI between the Colts and Bears.

-Only three times in Super Bowl history has a person won the game as a player and coach: Tom Flores as a player in Super Bowl IV and coach in Super Bowl XV. Mike Ditka as a player in Super Bowl VI and coach in Super Bowl XX. Tony Dungy as a player in Super Bowl XIII and coach in Super Bowl XLI.

-In 42 Super Bowls, 22 of them have seen both teams hold the lead at least once in those games

-Joe Montana holds the record with three Super Bowl MVPs. He threw 11 touchdowns in four games, and never had an interception in Super Bowl play. His career QB rating was 127.8.

-A 30 second commercial spot during the Super Bowl costed 42,000 during it's first game in 1967. The cost for this year's Super Bowl is $3 million which doesn't include production costs.

-Devin Hester is the only player to start out the Super Bowl with a kickoff return touchdown doing so in XLI.

-Super Bowl XIX is the only time in history where the event and Presidential Inauguration took place in the same day. Because the inauguration took place on a Sunday, Ronald Reagan's second term began privately in 1985. The next day, a public ceremony took place for Reagan.

I'm going to let everyone that reads this add more facts to this post. Anyone that adds facts or numbers here will be linked and given credit for them. Thanks for viewing!

Posted in: AFC, AFL, National Football League, NFC, NFL, records, Super Bowl

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