Remember When?: Super Bowl XXIII

(With the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, I will look at the five Super Bowls that the 49ers played in. Why the 49ers you ask and not other Super Bowls, because this is my blog and I'm a 49ers fan. So deal with it.)

Super Bowl XXIII
San Francisco 20 Cincinnati 16
Location: Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
Date: January, 22 1989
MVP: Jerry Rice
Favorite: 49ers by 7
National Anthem: Billy Joel
Coin Toss: Nick Buoniconti, Bob Griese, and Larry Little
Network: NBC
Announcers: Dick Enberg and Merlin Olson
Nielsen Rating: 43.5

Background:
To give you the background of how the 49ers played their way into Super Bowl XXII, let me take you back when they won their last Super Bowl before this game.

The 49ers would have to transition to younger players over the next three years after beating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX. Out were players like Dwight Clark, Wendall Tyler, John Ayers, Dwight Hicks, Jack Reynolds, and Fred Dean. In were players like Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Harris Barton, Don Griffin, Charles Haley, Bill Romanoski, and Kevin Fagan. This would be a painful transition for the 49ers as they would be eliminated three years in a row, including a painful loss to the Minnesota Vikings in 1987 when the 49ers had the best record in the league.

This painful transition would carry over into the 1988 season. Steve Young and Joe Montana would battle in a quarterback competition. In fact, Young started a couple of the games in the season with coach Bill Walsh claiming Montana was hurt when many of his players questioned if Montana was hurt at all. After a 6-5 start, Montana lead the Niners to 4 wins in five games to finish out the season.

Roger Craig would once again have over 2,000 total yards on offense in the season and would be named the NFL offensive player of the year. The defense was lead by the secondary of Lott, Tim McKyer, and Eric Wright. The secondary intercepted 18 passes on the season, while Haley lead the team with 11.5 sacks.

The Cincinnati Bengals were also coming off a disappointing season in 1987. Head coach Sam Wyche and quarterback Boomer Esiason openly feuded during that entire season. The 1988 season would see Esiason and Wyche put away their differences. The Bengals would run the West Coast Offense in a no huddle formation. Because of this tweak in the offense, Esiason would lead the league in passing and win the MVP award. The offense was also lead by Ickey Woods who rushed for 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns. Ickey would gain a lot of media attention with his "Ickey Shuffle" dance after a touchdown.



In the playoffs, both the Bengals and Niners would dominate their opponents. Cincinnati defeated Seattle and Buffalo to reach the Super Bowl. The 49ers on the other hand would avenge their 87 loss to Minnesota and then would crush the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship becoming the first team since 1979 to win the NFC Championship on the road.

Pregame Notes:
- Despite having the better record and the MVP, the Bengals were 7 point dogs to the Niners because of Joe Montana.

- If you thought networks pimping their own product is bad now, it has really been going on for a while. Former Dolphins would take part in the coin toss. Bob Griese was one of those former Dolphins. Griese at the time was a college football announcer for NBC. This Super Bowl was being broadcasted on, you guessed it NBC.

- Cincinnati running back Stanley Wilson cuased some problems for the team as he was arrested in his hotel room while using drugs. He was suspended for the Super Bowl. This would become a trend for players playing in the Super Bowl in Miami. (See, Eugene Robinson)

Game Summary:
Despite a great finish, this was one of more boring Super Bowls in history. The first half ended with both teams tied at 3. The reason both teams struggled on offense in this game is because both coaches knew each other well. Sam Wyche was Bill Walsh's assistant for Walsh's first couple of years in San Francisco. Wyche was with the team when they won their first Super Bowl against Cincinnati. So yeah, both sides knew each other's offenses quite well.

The 1st half though would see some injuries that would significantly affect the game. 49ers offensive lineman Steve Wallace would break his ankle on the second play of the game and would not return. Bengals defensive lineman Tim Krumrie twisted his ankle 180 degrees and would break two bones in his leg. And of course NBC had to show about a thousand replay's of this grizzly injury. There was also two records broke on one play. Cincinnati punter Lee Johnson punted a record 63 yards while John Taylor returned the punt for a record 45 yards.

Neither team would score a touchdown until the end of the third quarter. Cincinnati kickoff returner Stanford Jennings returned a kickoff 93-yards for a touchdown and to give the Bengals the 13-6 lead.



The Niners though would score quickly to tie the game. Montana lead the Niners on a 4-play 85 yard drive that would end with a Jerry Rice touchdown. The game was tied 13-13 early in the fourth quarter. The Niners missed a field goal in the middle of the fourth quarter giving the Bengals the ball at the 32-yard line. The Niners would hold the Bengals to a field goal, which would give the Bengals the 16-13 lead with 3:20 left in the game. On the last drive of the game, Joe Montana would become a legendary quarterback who is still talked about today.

Because of an illegal block on the kickoff the Niners would start the drive on their own 8-yard line with 3:10 left in the game. Montana would lead the Niners on a 11-play, 92-yard drive that would cement his legacy. To calm his teammate Harris Barton before the drive started, Montana pointed out that John Candy was in the other end zone watching the game. He would say, "Hey, isn't that John Candy?" Needless to say, Joe Cool was born on this day.

Figuring the Niners would work the sidelines to save time, the Bengals were tricked when Montana threw to Roger Craig and tight end John Frank in the middle of the field on the first two plays of the drive. Montana's next pass was to Jerry Rice, then Roger Craig ran the ball to the Niners 35-yard line. Montana would once again throw to Rice for a 17-yard gain to the Bengals 48-yard line. And then followed this pass up with one to Roger Craig for a 13-yard gain to put the ball on the Bengals 35-yard line.

On the next play, Montana threw his first incomplete pass of the drive. After that, Cross committed an illegal man downfield penalty, which at the time was a 10-yard foul, moving the ball back to the 45-yard line and bringing up second down and 20 to go with just 1:15 left in the game. Montana though would complete a 27-yard pass to Jerry Rice to put the ball on the Bengals 18-yard line. A 8-yard pass to Roger Craig set the ball up at the Bengals 10-yard line.

The next play would be the final play that Bill Walsh would ever call. With 39 seconds in the game, Jerry Rice went into motion to draw the defense to him, while Montana would hit John Taylor in the end zone for the touchdown.



The 49ers would win the game 20-16 to capture their third Super Bowl of the 80's.

Postgame notes:
- Jerry Rice tied a Super Bowl record with 11 catches for over 200 yards and a touchdown. He was named MVP of the Super Bowl.

- Before the game, there was speculation that head coach Bill Walsh might retire after this game. Brent Musberger, who was the sideline reporter for CBS for this game, asked Walsh after the game if it was his last game which would make Walsh cry. Yes, Brent Musberger made Bill Walsh cry after the game. Walsh though would retire as the Niners coach and defensive coordinator George Seifert would take over the team.

- Although the NFL had played Super Bowls in Miami before, this was the first one in Joe Robbie Stadium. It's now called Sun Life Stadium or Land Shark Stadium or whatever the Dolphins owner can squeeze an extra nickle out of to buy the naming rights to that stadium.

- The Niners became the first team to win Super Bowl's on three different networks. (Super Bowl XVI-CBS, Super Bowl XIX-ABC and Super Bowl XXIII-NBC)

- This was the last Super Bowl to be played on the second to last Sunday of January. From that point on, all Super Bowl's have been played on the last Sunday of January and the beginning of February.

- This was the last outdoor Super Bowl to start earlier than 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, as it started just after 5 p.m.

(Sources: Wikipedia, ESPN.com, USA Today, SI Vault)

Remember When?: Super Bowl XIX

(With the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, I will look at the five Super Bowls that the 49ers played in. Why the 49ers you ask and not other Super Bowls, because this is my blog and I'm a 49ers fan. So deal with it.)

Super Bowl XIX
San Francisco 38 Miami 16
Location: Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, California
Date: January 20, 1985
MVP: Joe Montana
Favorite: 49ers by 3 1/2
National Anthem: San Francisco Boys and Girls Chorus
Coin Toss: President Ronald Reagan
Network: ABC
Announcers: Frank Gifford, Joe Theisman, and Don Meredith
Nielsen Rating: 46.4

Background:
Heading into the 1984 season, the Niners were coming off a very controversial loss to the Washington Redskins in the 1983 NFC Championship. So needless to say, the Niners were looking for revenge for that loss. The Niners in 1984 became the first team, since the league expanded to a 16 game schedule, to win 15 games with their only loss coming in the last second against Pittsburgh.

Joe Montana lead the offense with running backs Wendell Tyler and Roger Craig, with receivers Freddie Solomon and Dwight Clark and tight end Russ Francis. The defense didn't get a lot of media attention, but the unit lead the league in fewest points allowed. All four defensive backs Dwight Hicks, Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright, and Carlton Williamson were selected to the Pro Bowl. And the defensive line was anchored by Dwaine Board.



The Miami Dolphins on the other hand were lead by prolific second year quarterback Dan Marino, who broke every meaningful passing record that season. Mark Duper and Mark Clayton were Marino's main targets. While the Dolphins had a prolific offense, the defense was a little suspect.

The 49ers defense dominated the 1984 playoffs by only allowing 10 points in two games, including shutting out the Bears in the NFC Championship. While the offense was dominating in the playoffs, Montana did throw 5 interceptions in two games.

The Dolphins on the other hand were very dominating on offense scoring 76 points with Marino only throwing 1 interception. The Dolphins defense though allowed 38 points to Seattle and Pittsburgh.

Pregame Notes:
- This would be the second time in history that one of the Super Bowl participants would be the de facto home team. Since San Francisco is only thirty miles away from Palo Alto, the Niners would basically be a home team for this Super Bowl. The first time was when the Los Angles Rams played in the Rose Bowl.

- With Marino and Montana at quarterback, the hype surrounding these two would be at a all-time high complete with a SI cover with both quarterbacks.

- This would be the Super Bowl ever that would be broadcasted by ABC. In previous years, the broadcast would alternate between CBS and NBC.

- Clips of this game where used in the movie Ace Ventura: Pet Dective. Also actress Teri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives fame was a Niners cheerleader at the time and was seen several times on TV during the Super Bowl.

Game Summary
1st Quarter
The 49ers received the opening kickoff but did nothing with the ball and was forced the punt. Miami drove down the field on their first drive but ended up kicking a field goal to take the 3-0 lead. San Francisco drove 78 yards in 8 plays on their next drive, culminating in a 33-yard touchdown pass from Montana to reserve running back Carl Monroe to give them a 7-3 lead. Miami would then drive down the field and score with a Marino to Dan Johnson touchdown pass. Miami would end the 1st quarter with the 10-7 lead.

2nd Quarter
The Niners would take control of the game in the 2nd quarter. Defensive Coordinator George Seifert had the defense switch to a dime defense that would stop the run and also slow down the pass and hopefully create some turnovers. The new defense worked and forced Miami to punt from their own 10-yard line early in the quarter. Montana threw a 8-yard touchdown pass to Roger Craig as the Niners would take the 14-10 lead and never look back.

The Niners forced another Miami punt and Montana would score on a 6-yard run to make the score 21-10 Niners. The Niners defense once again forced another Miami punt, that lead to a Roger Craig 2-yard touchdown run, that would make the score 28-10 Niners. The Dolphins would kick two field goals to end the half to make the halftime score 28-15 Niners.

2nd Half
The 2nd half was highlighted by the Niners defense sacking Marino twice and intercepting him twice in the end zone no less. The Niners would score on a field goal and another Roger Craig touchdown, his third of the game. The Niners finished the game with a Super Bowl record 537 total offensive yards, while the Dolphins only had 314 total yards with only 25 rushing yards. The Niners would also sack Marino four times after being the least sacked quarterback in the league during the year. The Niners would also intercept Marino twice in the end zone.



Postgame Notes:
- Joe Montana would be the Super Bowl MVP and this was after he was made to look to be the lesser QB against Marino.

- The famous Apple Macintosh future commercial was aired during this Super Bowl. Update!: This commercial actually ran in the Super Bowl before this one, but I'm leaving this video up because after all these years it's still a cool commercial.



- Don Shula had this to say after the game, "We were dominated to the point where one play didn't make much of a difference. Our major objective was to contain Montana, and we did a terrible, terrible job of it."

- "Came to see an offense, and the wrong one showed up."- Randy Cross, 49ers Center.

- The final rating for the game was a 46.2

(Sourecs: Wikipedia, TV by the Numbers, USA Today, SI Vault)

Remember When?: Super Bowl XVI

(With the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, I will look at the five Super Bowls that the 49ers played in. Why the 49ers you ask and not other Super Bowls, because this is my blog and I'm a 49ers fan. So deal with it.)

Super Bowl XVI
San Francisco 26 Cincinnati 21
Location: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Date: January 24, 1982
MVP: Joe Montana
Favorite: San Francisco by 1
National Anthem: Diana Ross
Coin Toss: Bobby Layne
Network: CBS
Announcers: Pat Summerall and John Madden
Nielsen Ratings: 49.1

Super XVI was notable for different reasons. It was the first game played in a Northern City Pontiac, Michigan where the weather would wreck havoc on the traffic trying to get to the game. It was the first Super Bowl that Pat Summerall and John Madden called together. It was also the start of the 49ers dynasty that would last for over 20 years.

Background:
The 49ers surprised many in the league by going 13-3 on the season. Joe Montana emerged as a star quarterback in his third season in the league. Montana's favorite targets where Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon. The leading rusher was Rickey Patton and Earl Cooper was the first pure West Coast Offense running back serving as a running and receiving threat. The Niners defense was lead by 3 rookie defensive backs in Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright, and Carlton Williamson. The defense was also lead by veterans Jack Reynolds and Fred Dean.

The Cincinnati Bengals were also a surprise team going 12-4 on the season and never winning a playoff game in the teams history. The offense was lead by NFL MVP Ken Anderson who's deep threat was rookie Cris Collinsworth. Tight End Dan Ross and fullback Pete Alexander rounded out the offense that was protected by hall of fame lineman Anthony Munoz.

The conference championship games leading up to the Super Bowl were instant classics. The Chargers would go to Cincinnati after playing in The Epic in Miami. When San Diego arrived in Cincinnati to play the Bengals, the temperatures where -9 degrees with a wind chill of -50 degrees. Needless to say the cold weather Bengal team thrashed the Chargers 27-7.

The Niners on the other hand played an instant classic against the Dallas Cowboys. With the Niners losing 27-21 with time running out in the fourth quarter, Joe Montana lead the Niners down the field. With 51 seconds left in the game, Joe Montana found Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown which would be forever known as "The Catch" sending the Niners to their first Super Bowl.



Super Bowl Pre-game Notes:
- The Niners were favorites heading into the game despite being pretty evenly matched with the Bengals.

- Cincinnati head coach Forrest Gregg became the second person to have played and coached in a Super Bowl. Former Raiders coach Tom Flores was the first.

- This was the first Super Bowl to feature first-time Super Bowl participants since Super Bowl III.

- This was also the first Super Bowl to feature two teams who had losing records the previous year.

- This was the first Super Bowl to be played in a northern city and the only Super Bowl played in the Pontiac Silverdome.

Game Summary:
1st Quarter
The game started with the Niners fumbling the opening kickoff giving the ball to Cincinnati on the Niners 26-yard line. The Bengals wouldn't be able to captilize as Ken Anderson threw an interception to Dwight Hicks at the 5-yard line. Montana would drive the Niners down the field and would score a 1-yard touchdown on a QB sneak. The Niners lead 7-0 at the end of halftime.

2nd Quarter
Cincinnati would once again blow another scoring opportunity. Rookie Cris Collinsworth fumbled a pass from Ken Anderson at the five-yard line that was recovered by the Niners. Montana drove the Niners on a Super Bowl record 92-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Earl Cooper to make the score 14-0 Niners. With 4 minutes left in the half, the Niners went on another scoring drive that ended with a Ray Werching field goal to make the score 17-0 Niners. Then on the ensuing kickoff, Archie Griffin muffed the squib kick, giving the Niners the ball on the Bengals four-yard line. A offsides penalty on the Niners prevented them from scoring a touchdown, so Ray Werching kicked another field goal to make the score 20-0 at halftime. That would be the biggest lead in Super Bowl history.

3rd Quarter
The late field goal by the Niners would actually give the Bengals confidence heading into the 2nd half. Anderson lead the Bengals down the field and ran for a five-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 20-7 Niners. The Bengals defense, now inspired, held the Niners to only 8 plays and 4 yards on offense in the entire third quarter.

Late in the the quarter, the Bengals drove all the way down to the Niners three-yard line. What would ensue would be the greatest goal line stand in Super Bowl history. On first-and-goal, Pete Johnson took the handoff and was stoned at the one-yard line. On 2nd down, Johnson ran up the middle and lost a yard. On third-and-goal Niners linebacker Dan Bunz made one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history. Anderson faked a run to Johnson and threw a swing pass to Charles Alexander who was isolated by Bunz. Bunz was able to tackle Alexander at the one-inch line and prevent him from scoring. Rather than kicking the field goal, the Bengals decided to run Johnson up the middle once again. And once again he was stoned at the one-yard line giving the Niners the ball and the momentum.



4th Quarter
The Niners didn't do much with the ball and had to punt. Cincinnati would drive down the field and end the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to tight end Dan Ross. The Niners lead 20-14.

The Niners ensuing drive would drain a huge amount of time off the clock and ended with another Werching field goal to make the score 23-14 Niners. With five minutes left in the game, Anderson threw an interception to Niners cornerback Eric Wright which set up another Wersching field goal to make the score 26-14 Niners. Anderson would throw another touchdown to Dan Ross to make the score 26-21, but it would be too late for the Bengals.

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI.

Post Game Notes:
- Joe Montana was the game's MVP throwing for 157 yards one touchdown and rushing for 18 yards and a touchdown run.

- This is the only Super Bowl where the losing team scored more touchdown than the winning team. (Bengals 3, 49ers 2)

- Ray Wersching tied a Super Bowl record with 4 field goals.

- Cincinnati tight end Dan Ross made history by catching 11 passes for two touchdowns.

- Super Bowl XVI is still the most watched Super Bowl ever with 85 million viewers and is only second behind the series finale of MASH.

(Sources: Wikipedia, SI Vault, TV by the Numbers,)

Remember When?: 1998 Royal Rumble

Yesterday's post about the Chris Jericho arrest reminded me about this weekend's Royal Rumble. So on this Friday, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at when the WWE was actually fun to watch and remember one of the best era's of professional wrestling. And the 1998 Royal Rumble would kick off one of the greatest era's in professional wrestling.

The 1998 Royal Rumble is historic for many reason's besides the start of the attitude era. In the main event of the evening, the Undertaker faced Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship in a Casket Mask. During the match Michaels was flipped outside of the ring and landed awkwardly on the casket. At the time this looked like nothing, but the next day would change Michaels life and career. Michaels injured his back and his time in the WWE would be running out for the considerable future.

The buildup to the actual Royal Rumble match, saw Stone Cold Steve Austin destroy everyone in his sight. Austin would interfer in matches on Raw or appeared after matches giving his patented Stunner to his opponents. Stone Cold would have a huge target in the Rumble match.

The Royal Rumble match began with Cactus Jack(Mick Foley) as the first entrant bringing a trash can to the ring. Chainsaw Charlie(Terry Funk) was the second entrant bringing a chainsaw with him to the ring. Before Charlie could use the chainsaw, Cactus Jack hit him with the trash can and they both started a "Hardcore Fight" outside of the ring until the third entrant Tom Brandi came to the ring. This of course was the Royal Rumble that Mick Foley would appear in as all three of his alter ego's Cactus Jack, Mankind, and Dude Love.



Austin entered the Rumble as the 24th entrant. His music played and everyone in the ring quit fighting in anticipation for Austin. After a lengthy wait it appeared that Austin wasn't coming to the ring, that was until he appeared from behind and tossed Marc Mero and 8-Ball out of the ring.

The last four men remaining in the ring was Austin, Dude Love, The Rock, and Faarooq(Ron Simmons, Damn!). Dude Love and Austin teamed up against Rock and Faarooq, until Austin turned on Dude Love and allowed Faarooq to toss him out of the ring. When Faarooq turned around to face Austin, he was tossed out of the ring only leaving The Rock and Austin to be determined the Royal Rumble winner. The future of the WWE would be contending for a tittle shot in Wrestlemania XIV.

The two brawled and Austin threw The Rock out of the ring. The only thing was, that The Rock's feet never touched the ground and he reentered the ring. Austin promptly gave The Rock a stunner and threw him out of the ring to win the 1998 Royal Rumble and a title shot at Wrestlemania XIV against Shawn Michaels.



Aftermath of the 1998 Royal Rumble

You can debate what event started the "Attitude Era" began. You can say it was after Wrestlemania XIV when Austin was the Champion and he began a fued with Mr. McMahon. You may be right, but the seeds were planted during the 1998 Royal Rumble and the buildup to Wrestlemania XIV.

Mike Tyson was brought in to be the "special enforcer" for the match between Austin and Michaels. It was revealed on Raw that Tyson was actually allies with DX and Shawn Michaels adding up the odds against Austin.

Also in the buildup in the match was the future of Shawn Michaels. Michaels had injured his back in the Casket match against the Undertaker at the Royal Rumble and all signs pointed to Michaels retiring after his Wrestlemania match.

Wrestlemania XIV took place in Boston. At the end of the Austin-Michaels match, the referee was knocked out. After Austin delivered his Stunner to Michaels, Mike Tyson jumped into the ring and delivered the three count officially turning his back on DX and Shawn Michaels. Stone Cold Steve Austin was the new WWE Champion and the "Attitude Era" officially began in wrestling.

Poor Michaels. Not only did he lose the belt and had a bad back, but after the match Tyson cold cocked him and helped Austin celebrate the match. Michaels would not be in another match until 2002.

Remember When

At this point Florida is favored to beat Alabama in the SEC championship game by 10 points on Saturday.

I just want to know why everyone is favoring Florida over Alabama at this point. I know Tim Tebow and the Gator offense looks unstoppable at this point. But has everyone forgot that Alabama has one of the best defenses in the country.

This reminds when Alabama played Miami for the national championship game at the Sugar bowl in 1993.

Miami was a huge favored over Alabama and the players reminded everyone that they were favored. Lamar Thomas, who became famous for other reasons, talk the most amount of trash. One thing though, that Alabama team had one of the best defenses in the country.

During the game Thomas caught a long ball from Gino Torretta, who famously told his teammates to carry him to Marshall Faulk to tell him the Heisman was coming with him, then was stripped of the ball from George Teague.

The Alabama defense dominated a great offensive Miami team and end up winning the game 34-13. The Crimson Tide made Miami eat their words.

While Florida hasn't been talking the smack like Miami, the media sure has. Everyone in the media has been talking about Tim Tebow and the Florida offense. They are forgetting that Alabama is ranked number one, and has Nick Saban as their coach. Alabama's defense will win this game for the Crimson Tide.

So we need to think back and remember to never turn your backs to Alabama.