Most memorable Super Bowl moments

Jan. 31, 2007

Ah, it is that time of year again. On Super Bowl Sunday more Americans will be glued to the TV, watching football, than any other sporting event all season. Who will we come away talking about - a superstar who falls flat on his face or some obscure player who rises to the occasion of football’s biggest spotlight? Here are the most unforgettable Super Bowl moments so far (in reverse order):
(10). Pittsburgh’s Lynn Swann makes an acrobatic sensational TD catch while falling down in 1976. The Steelers win again.
(9). San Francisco’s Joe Montana proves to be the greatest quarterback of all time as he throws a touchdown
pass to John Taylor with only 39 seconds left in 1989. Montana won four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVPs. Enough said.
(8) Proving that ice-water runs through his veins, Adam Vinatieri kicked a 48-yard FG on final play in 2002 to give the New England Patriots a victory.
(7) Quarterback Doug Williams came off the bench to lead Washington to one of the most lopsided victories in Super Bowl history in 1988. What made his performance noteworthy was that Williams is black and some fans still held racist views that African-American quarterbacks didn’t have the necessary stuff to succeed. Since Williams’ dominating performance, such bigoted talk has been banished into oblivion.
(6) In one of the closest Super Bowl games of all time, Tennessee’s Kevin Dyson was stopped by the St. Louis Rams a yard short of the winning touchdown on final play of the 2000 game. As the clock expired, Dyson looked up at the referee and prayed for a touchdown signal that never came.
(5) There is no earthly reason why this should make the list except it was so funny. The Miami Dolphins had methodically beaten everyone during the season, so kicker Garo Yepremian’s pathetic pass attempt in 1973 after a blocked field goal attempt provided one of the few dramatic moments during that season. When Washington intercepted Yepremian’s dying quail for a touchdown, at least the game was close.
(4) When Buffalo’s Don Beebe chased down Dallas defensive tackle Leon Lett and forced a fumble and touchback in 1993, old-school football fans rejoiced. Celebrating before crossing the goal line cost Lett and the Cowboys a touchdown. Take that, you showboating son-of-a-bee. Alas, Dallas went on to win the game in a blowout.
(3) You youngsters can’t appreciate it, but the first championship game in 1967 was the most anticipated. Before the NFL Green Bay Packers and AFL Kansas City Chiefs met, fans argued about whether NFL stars such as Bart Starr or AFL greats like Buck Buchanan would prevail. Instead, an aging and little-used Max McGee came off the bench to replace an injured Packer, making a decisive, one-handed touchdown catch for the Packers. McGee went on to catch six more passes and another TD, leading the Packers to victory. Later, he admitted to partying most of the night before, never
expecting to play in the game.
(2) Poor Scott Norwood. His misfortune seems to be replayed over and over every year about this time. Norwood’s last
second 47-yeard field goal attempt sailed just wide right on the final play of the game as Buffalo lost to the New York Giants in 1991. The kick actually looked good most the way.
(1) The most memorable Super Bowl moment of all time didn’t actually happen in the game. At the time it was unbelievable - Joe Namath guaranteed the New York Jets would beat the mighty Baltimore Colts days before the championship game. Most fans anticipated that Namath would regret ever opening his big mouth. After all, the NFL had creamed the AFL teams in the two previous championship meetings - and the Jets weren’t even the AFL’s best team during the regular season. Of course, Namath led the Jets to victory, the NFL and AFL merged, and - due to Namath’s audacity - this game came to be known as the Super Bowl.