41 Bowl Super Time
41 Bowl Super Time
Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida (now part of the suburb of Miami Gardens) to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion following the 1994 regular season (the 75th season of the NFL). The National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers (16–3) defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) champion San Diego Chargers (13–6), 49–26. The 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowls while the Chargers were making their first Super Bowl appearance. The combined aggregate score of 75 and the ten total touchdowns both remain Super Bowl records. This is the first time that both teams scored in all four quarters of a Super Bowl.
This marked the first time that two teams from the same state played in the Super Bowl. Some consider Super Bowl XXV between the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills to be the first such Super Bowl (New York). Technically however, the Giants actually play in East Rutherford, New Jersey. To date, this was the latest championship won by any team of the four major sports in the San Francisco Bay Area.
49ers quarterback Steve Young threw a record 6 touchdown passes en route to the Super Bowl MVP award. (His four TDs in a half tied Doug Williams from the Washington Redskins). He also completed 24 out of 36 passes for 325 yards, and was the top rusher of the game with 49 rushing yards (the first time both top passer and rusher were the same person). This game is regarded as Young's final leap out of the shadow of his predecessor, Joe Montana, who had won four Super Bowls with the 49ers, two with Young as the backup quarterback. Young became the 5th player to win both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and Super Bowl MVP during the same season. He follows Bart Starr in 1966, Terry Bradshaw in 1978, Joe Montana in 1989, and Emmitt Smith in 1993.
Background
NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXIX to Miami, Florida during their May 23, 1991 meeting. This was the seventh time that Miami hosted the game.
For the first time in five years, the Buffalo Bills would not be representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. They had collapsed during the second half of the season, losing 6 of their last 8 games and finishing the season with a 7-9 record.
San Francisco 49ers
From the 1988 to the 1993 seasons, the 49ers played in 5 out of 6 NFC Championship Games, winning Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV. But after coach George Seifert's team lost 2 consecutive NFC Championship Games to the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and 1993, San Francisco brought in several veteran free agents to strengthen their defense. Among the players signed were defensive lineman Richard Dent, Charles Mann, and Rickey Jackson, linebackers Ken Norton Jr. and Gary Plummer, and cornerback Deion Sanders.
The free agents enabled the 49ers to jump from the 18th ranked defense in the league to the 8th, and to jump from the league's 16th best defense against the run to the 2nd. Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield led the team with 8.5 sacks. Rookie defensive tackle Bryant Young was also a big threat to opposing quarterbacks and rushers, recording 42 tackles, 6 sacks, and a fumble recovery. Behind them, Norton played very effectively at the middle linebacker position, leading the team with 77 tackles and recording an interception. Pro Bowl safety Merton Hanks led the team with 7 interceptions for 93 return yards, while Sanders had 6 interceptions for 303 return yards and 3 touchdowns, earning him the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. Pro Bowl safety Tim McDonald was also a big contributor, recording 2 interceptions for 79 yards and 1 touchdown.
The 49ers offense was led by quarterback Steve Young, who replaced future hall of famer Joe Montana as the starter in 1991 and 1992 due to injuries. But after Young led the league in passing in both 1991 and 1992, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving Young as the undisputed starter in 1993. But even with his impressive passing statistics, Young was criticized as "not being able to win the big games" as Montana had done in leading the 49ers to Super Bowl victories in XVI and XIX, XXIII, and XXIV.
Still, Young again led the league in passing during the 1994 regular season with a passer rating of 112.8, breaking Montana's record for the highest regular season rating in NFL history. Young recorded 324 out of 461 completions for 3,969 yards, 35 touchdowns, with just 10 interceptions. He also had 58 rushes for 293 yards and 7 touchdowns, and earned the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
With Young at the helm, the 49ers led the league in total points scored (505) and helped them earn a league best 13-3 regular season record. Pro Bowl running back Ricky Watters was the team's leading rusher with 877 yards and 6 touchdowns, while also recording 66 receptions for 719 yards and 5 touchdowns. Rookie fullback William Floyd was the team's second leading rusher with 305 yards and 6 touchdowns, while also having 19 receptions for 145 yards. The team's leading receiver was Pro Bowl wide receiver Jerry Rice who had 112 catches for 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns. Receiver John Taylor was also a reliable target, catching 41 passes for 531 yards and 5 touchdowns. Pro Bowl tight end Brent Jones added 49 receptions for 670 yards and 9 touchdowns. The offensive line was led by Pro Bowlers Bart Oates and Jesse Sapolu.
Meanwhile, running back Dexter Carter was a superb returner on special teams, gaining a combined total of 1,426 yards and a touchdown returning both punts and kickoffs.
San Diego Chargers
The Chargers were the surprise team of the 1994 season, with very few expecting them to even reach the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.
San Diego suffered losing seasons in the 1980s until former Washington Redskins General Manager Bobby Beathard joined the team in 1990. Beathard decided to rebuild the Chargers using the same model that he used to build the Redskins into Super Bowl contenders during the 1980s – a powerful running game built around big lineman, a passing game that helped sustain extremely long drives, and a bending but steady defense. After former Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Ross was hired by the Chargers in 1992, the team advanced to the playoffs winning the AFC West with an 11-5 regular season record. But in 1993, they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
Before the start of the 1994 season, San Diego was not expected to be a winning team because they brought in 10 new starters and 22 new players. However, they ended up winning their first 6 regular season games en route to an 11-5 record and the #2 AFC playoff seed. The Chargers went into the final game of the season vs. the Steelers needing a win to get the #2 seed, which came with a first round bye and a home game in the divisional round of the playoffs. Backup QB Gale Gilbert, subbing for injured starter Humphries, led the Chargers to a come from behind 37-34 win, with John Carney kicking a game winning field goal in the game's final seconds.
The Chargers offense was led by quarterback Stan Humphries, who was the Redskins' backup to Mark Rypien during the 1991 season when they won Super Bowl XXVI. During the 1994 season for San Diego, Humphries completed 264 out of 453 attempts for 3,209 yards and 17 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. Wide receiver Mark Seay was the team's leading receiver with 58 receptions for 645 yards and 6 touchdowns. Wide receiver Tony Martin had 50 catches for 885 yards and 7 touchdowns, wide receiver Shawn Jefferson recorded 43 catches for 627 yards and 3 touchdowns, and tight end Alfred Pupunu had 21 receptions for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Running back Natrone Means led the team in rushing with 1,350 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also recorded 39 receptions for 235 yards, and was named to the Pro Bowl. Fullback Ronnie Harmon was also a big contributor, catching 58 passes for 615 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Chargers special teams was also a major threat with Andre Coleman, who returned 49 kickoffs for 1,293 yards (26.4 average yards per kickoff) and 2 touchdowns.
The Chargers had an excellent defensive line, anchored by Pro Bowl lineman Leslie O'Neal, who led the team with 12.5 sacks and forced four fumbles, Defensive tackle Chris Mims, who recorded 11 sacks, and Shawn Lee, who added 6.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Their linebacking corps was led by Junior Seau, who was a pro bowl selection for the fourth consecutive year, recording 123 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries. Defensive back Stanley Richard was a major weapon in the secondary, recording 4 interceptions, 224 return yards, and 2 touchdowns. Defensive back Darrien Gordon was also a major asset to the team, recording 4 interceptions and 32 return yards, while also adding another 475 yards and 2 touchdowns returning punts. Safety Rodney Harrison was a rookie on the team.
Playoffs
For more details on this topic, see NFL playoffs, 1994-95.49ers
The 49ers first defeated the Chicago Bears, 44-15, in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. Although Chicago scored first with a field goal, San Francisco scored 37 unanswered points to put the game out of reach by the end of the third quarter. Floyd scored three rushing touchdowns, while Young rushed for a touchdown and threw for another.
San Francisco then defeated their arch-nemesis the Dallas Cowboys, 38-28
Super Bowl Ad Pricing History Chart
41.6: 27,540,000: 51,700,000: 1975: 110,000: 424,436: NBC: 42.4: 29,040,000: 56,050,000: 1976 ... Percentage of TV households watching average minute of Super Bowl telecast.
Fanbay.net - NFL Super Bowl Pick
Time (ET) away home Pick Line Best O/U ptsH pguH ptsA pguA hdr ... Season Game-by-game Point Differentials for Super Bowl 41: Bears vs. Colts.
Super Bowl XL - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
41.6 (est. 90.7 million viewers) [1] Market share: 62: Cost of 30-second commercial ... the national anthem as part of a pre-game tribute to New Orleans, a nine-time Super Bowl host ...
The pro-life Pam Tibow Superbowl ad may mean fielding a few ...
The Super Bowl: A Perfect Time To Discuss Abortion With Your Kids! Posted: January 29, 2010 at 10:50 AM ... By: Fitzpatrick | Fri, 01/29/2010 - 12:41. Oh yeah, no one knows, because no one ...
Colts-Saints could be Super Bowl for all time | Huddle Up | FanNation ...
Colts-Saints could be Super Bowl for all time ... Early thoughts on the Saints-Colts Super Bowl ... 1. ... January 25, 2010 01:41 AM ET
The Dallas Morning News | Dallas Cowboys/NFL news
4:41 PM Thu, Feb 07, 2008 | Permalink Tim ... and beat an undefeated team in the Super Bowl. The Giants, who jelled at the perfect time ... Super Bowl XXVII (game story / highlights) was ...
Official Pro Shop of the Indianapolis Colts :: Indianapolis Colts ...
The Indianapolis Colts store is your place to find Peyton Manning jerseys, Dallas Clark Jerseys, Super Bowl XLIV gear, and ladies colts merchandise!
Super Bowl XLI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the first time in Super Bowl history, the game was played in the rain, which was continuous ... for the incredible price of $12, the cost of three bags of the snack product) [41] ...
Amazon.com: super bowl 41 winners
A community about super bowl 41 winners. Tag and discover new products. ... We have no additional products to show you at the time. Add new products
Super Bowl Road Trip: Tofu Burrito Time! - Stampede Blue
by E.M.H. on Jan 31, 2010 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs ... Super Bowl Road Trip: Tofu Burrito Time! Super Bowl Road Trip: Meeting fans in DC
