John Davies
There have been several crackers. And quite often, one play has defined the victory, whether it’s David Tyree’s catch for the Giants on another 4th down, or Santonio Holmes breaking the Cardinals' hearts in the final minute last season.
However, what makes the Super Bowl special is how one play can define the career of a player or a team. Scott Norwood is remembered for missing, Adam Vinatieri is remembered for scoring. John Elway is remembered for “the dive” and two late rings to crown his career, while you can still see all of Dan Marino’s fingers.
The most evocative memory for me though is feeling gutted for one of my favourite players, Steve McNair, in Super Bowl 34. The whole season came down to one play. With six seconds remaining, Steve threw to Kevin Dyson from the ten, who was tackled at the three and reached for the goaline, only to fall agonisingly half a yard short. Half a yard from glory. Half a yard from a career defining play. So close, yet so far. That’s what makes the Super Bowl so great.
And before you say it, no, he wasn't in the shotgun.............
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Alex Howells
I would say my favourite, non Buccaneer related, Super Bowl moment was at Super Bowl XL when Jerome Bettis won his final ever game in the NFL, in his home town and retired as a "World Champion". Although not used a great deal in the game he did score a touchdown to help the Steelers beat the Seahawks 21-10. This game is violent and brutal, and nothing demonstrated this more than Bettis' hard nose running style, that is was so nice to see a hard man, a big man, but a charasmatic man let his emotions flow at the end of the game and for it to be in his hometown of Detroit made it all the more special.
This is made even more emotional by the fact that shortly after the Steelers lost the 2004-2005 AFC Championship game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots (insert Papworth style UK Patriots rant), Ben Roethlisberger approached Bettis. He promised Bettis that if he came back for one last season, he would get him to the Super Bowl. Apparently, it was this promise that got Jerome Bettis to play one last season. In 12 NFL seasons, Bettis had reached the playoffs 5 times, but had never been in the Super Bowl. It just shows that some stories do have a happy ending and that dreams do, sometimes, come true.
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Gary Woollard
Super Bowls have given me some really magic moments over the years, but apart from SBXXXVII none of them have been football related.
XXXV was probably my greatest memory as the half-time show @ Ray-Jay (Giants v Trent Dilfer & the Ravens) threw up, Tyler, Perry & the mighty Aerosmith, entertainment at its finest. The following year only a few months after 9/11, U2 milked the emotional crowd in New Orleans to the max What wonderful moment when Bono opened out in his stars & striped lined, leather jacket, a truly inspired move that the yanks loved.
Up until SB XXII (1988, Washington V Denver) the entertainment had been mostly low key stuff with marching bands & dance orientated gigs, that year saw the legend Chubby Checker, top of the bill & music at half time has never looked back.
In the 22 years since the list of stars is impressive; New kids on the Block followed in 89, Michael Jackson, Dianna Ross, The Blues Bros (Akroyd, Goodman & Belushi) ZZ Top, Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, Shania Twain (Bucs V Raiders) Janet Jackson (get your tits out for the boys) Altered Images (Un-plugged) McCartney, The Stones, Springsteen, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the list goes on & on.
The pre & post game shows that go largely un noticed in the UK also draws massive stars, Sting, Santana & Bon Jovi, played on that wonderful night in San Diego the year our Bucs lifted the Vince Lombardi. The National Anthem has been sung by the likes of Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Beyonce, Cher, Claire Grogan, Harry Connick Jnr, to name but a few.
For me the best could just be about to happen as the Who are up at the break in Miami this year. I can’t wait for Daltrey & Townsend; I can however wait for the football! If it aint the Bucs, the game sure sucks.
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Steve Garget
For me it has to be Super Bowl XXVII, Cowboys v Bills on 31st January 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena .
It wasn’t a great game, the Cowboys ran out 52 – 17 winners, scoring 35 points off 9 turnovers. At this time the Cowboys truly were the powerhouse of the NFL with the likes of Aikman, Smith Irvine and Harper (sic) on offense and Russell Maryland, Charles Haley and Ken Norton on defense.
In 30 second spells at the end of both the first and second quarters, they scored 14 points to lead 28 -10 at the half. After only a field goal in the 3rd quarter they went on to score another 3 tds in the 4th. Garth Brooks sang the National Anthem and wacko Jacko did the half time show surrounded by hundreds of children from local schools, oops how times change.
All sounds pretty mundane doesn’t it, so what I here you ask made it so special. Well along with 98,373 other people, I was in the crowd. This was the first NFL game I ever attended and although the game itself was crap the setting of the Rose Bowl and the pre game activities made for an unbelievable experience.
Can’t quite remember what led to me going, think it may have been the brother-in-law who suggested it, cost £700(ish) for 3 nights which was a lot of money at the time but seems reasonable compared to a similar trip this year which would cost in excess of £3000.
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