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Super Bowl XIX was the 19th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 20, 1985 at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, following the 1984 regular season.

The National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins, 38–16. Much hyped as the battle between two great quarterbacks, Miami's Dan Marino and San Francisco's Joe Montana, the 49ers would end up taking the game in dominating fashion. It would be Marino's only trip to the Super Bowl during his career.

Montana, who was named the Super Bowl MVP, completed 24 of 35 passes for a Super Bowl record 331 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 5 rushes for 59 yards and 1 rushing touchdown. His 59 rushing yards were the most rushing yards ever gained by a quarterback in the Super Bowl.

This Super Bowl was unique in that it fell on the same day that Ronald Reagan was inaugurated for a second term as President of the United States. Because January 20 fell on a Sunday, Reagan was sworn in privately and the public ceremony took place the following day.

It was the most watched game in history with an estimated 115.9 million viewers. This game also was the first time television commercials ran for a million dollars a minute.

Background

NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XIX to Stanford University Stadium in Stanford, California on December 14, 1982. It became the first Super Bowl to be held in a primarily college stadium.

Montana and the 49ers

The 49ers advanced to their second Super Bowl in team history after becoming the first team ever to win 15 regular season games since the league expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978. Much of the hype surrounding the team was their offense, which boasted 5 Pro Bowlers. Quarterback Joe Montana recorded 279 out of 432 completions for 3,630 yards, 28 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions. Running back Roger Craig was one of the 49ers' major weapons, both rushing and receiving. Craig was the team's second leading rusher with 649 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns, and also caught 71 passes for 675 yards. Pro Bowl running back Wendell Tyler, who had rushed for a team record 1,262 yards during the regular season, recorded 7 rushing touchdowns, and also caught 28 passes for 230 yards and 2 touchdown receptions. Wide receivers Freddie Solomon and Dwight Clark also were deep threats, gaining a combined total of 1,617 yards and 16 touchdowns. Up front, 3 of the 49ers' 5 starting offensive linemen, Randy Cross, Fred Quillan, and Keith Fahnhorst, had been selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Overall, San Francisco's offense finished the season ranked second in the NFL in scoring (475 points) and fourth in total yards (6,544).

Although they did not get that much media attention as the offense, the 49ers defense led the league in fewest points allowed during the regular season (227). All 4 of the 49ers' starting defensive backs, Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright, Carlton Williamson, and Dwight Hicks, were selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Pro Bowl linebacker Keena Turner was also a major defensive weapon, recording 2 sacks and 4 interceptions for 51 yards. Defensive end Dwaine Board anchored the line, recording 10 sacks and 1 fumble recovery.

Marino and the Dolphins

As the Dolphins advanced to the Super Bowl for the fifth time in franchise history, much of the media focus was on Miami's young quarterback Dan Marino. In just his second year in the league, he broke nearly every NFL single season passing record. Marino set a record for the most completions in a season (362) and became the first quarterback ever to throw for over 5,000 yards, reaching a total of 5,084. He set the record the most games throwing for at least 300 passing yards (9) and the most games with 400 yards (4). Marino's 48 touchdown passes broke the previous record of 36, which was held by both George Blanda for the Houston Oilers in 1961 and Y.A. Tittle for the New York Giants in 1963. And he played the most games with at least 4 more touchdown passes (6) and the most consecutive games with at least 4 touchdown passes (4).

Thus going into Super Bowl XIX, many sports writers predicted that it would be the first of many Super Bowls that Marino would play in during his career. Marino had a unique ability to read the defenses quickly before setting up to throw and his skill of quickly releasing the ball made it very difficult for defenders to sack him. In addition, he had protection given to him by an offensive line led by all-pro center Dwight Stephenson and Pro Bowl guard Ed Newman. Because of these factors, Marino had only been sacked just 13 times in the regular season and not once in the playoffs.

The Dolphins had a number of offensive threats for Marino to use. Wide receivers Mark Clayton (73 receptions, 1389 yards, 18 touchdowns) and Mark Duper (71 receptions, 1,306 yards, 8 touchdowns) became the first teammates ever to each gain over 1,300 receiving yards in one season. Receiver Nat Moore caught 43 passes for 574 yards and 6 touchdowns, while tight end Dan Johnson contributed 34 receptions for 426 yards. While Miami's main offensive attack was passing, they still had a trio of great running backs: Tony Nathan, Woody Bennett, and Joe Carter. Both Nathan and Bennett finished the season with over 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards, while Carter contributed 495 rushing yards.

However, the Dolphins defense was a little suspect. Although it was anchored by defensive back brothers Lyle and Glen Blackwood, along with Pro Bowl linebacker A.J. Duhe and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Bob Baumhower, they tied the Oilers and the Minnesota Vikings for the most rushing yards allowed during the regular season (4.7 yards per attempt), and ranked just 19th in fewest yards allowed(5,759).

Despite their defensive flaws, the Dolphins' powerful offense led the NFL in scoring (513 points) and total yards gained (7,064), and helped the team reach an AFC best 14-2 regular season record.

Playoffs

The Dolphins gained 405 yards of total offense in their 31-10 playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks, and over 500 yards as they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 45-28, in the AFC Championship Game. In the victory over the Steelers, Marino completed 21 of 32 passes for 421 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 1 interception.

Meanwhile, the 49ers' underrated defense allowed the team to blitz through the playoffs. Although Montana threw a combined total 5 interceptions, they only gave up a combined total of 10 points and zero touchdowns in their victories over the New York Giants, 21-10, and the Chicago Bears, 23-0.

Television and entertainment

As a result of the 1982 television contract signed by the NFL with the three networks, this game was the first Super Bowl to be televised in the United States by ABC, as they earned their first turn at the Super Bowl, with a new alternation process started for the 1983 game. Previously, the Super Bowl telecast alternated between CBS and NBC, while both networks simulcasted the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game.

Frank Gifford was the play-by-play announcer, while then-ABC Sports analyst Don Meredith and then-Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann served as color commentators. Al Michaels and Jim Lampley hosted the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage for ABC. Michaels and Lampley were joined by analysts O. J. Simpson and Tom Landry.

The pregame festivities featured a tribute to the NFL and an appearance by various team mascots. Later, the Children's Choir of Los Angeles performed the national anthem.

In honor of Inauguration Day, Reagan, himself a California native, became the first president to participate in a Super Bowl coin toss ceremony, and is currently the only sitting president ever to do so. However, he did it from the White House via satellite. Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Hugh McElhenny was on the field during the ceremony.

The halftime show was titled "World of Children's Dreams" and featured Tops In Blue, an elite performing tour ensemble consisting of members from the U.S. Air Force.

Game summary

Instead of the predicted shootout between Dan Marino and Joe Montana, the game was mostly one-sided. The 49ers defense only allowed 25 rushing yards and 16 Dolphins points. San Francisco also intercepted Marino 2 times and sacked him 4 times. The Dolphins set a Super Bowl record for least rush attempts in a game (9).

But in the opening minutes of the game, it seemed that it would go the Dolphins' way. On the opening kickoff, rookie kick returner Derrick Harmon caught the ball too close to the sidelines and stepped out of bounds at the San Francisco 6-yard line. The 49ers managed to advance to the 41-yard line, but they were forced to punt, and Dolphins defensive back Fulton Walker returned the punt 9 yards to the Miami 36-yard line. Then on their first play of the drive, Marino completed a 25-yard pass to Tony Nathan, and 5 plays later they moved to the San Francisco 23-yard line. But after wide receiver Mark Clayton caught a third down pass and was tackled at 2-yards short of the first down, Miami had to settle for 37-yard field goal from Uwe Von Schamann.

The Dolphins' 3-0 lead did not last long as the 49ers stormed down the field on their next possession. Driving the ball 78 yards in 8 plays, San Francisco scored on a 33-yard pass from Montana to running back Carl Monroe to give them a 7-3 lead. But Miami retook the lead on their ensuing drive, with Marino completing 5 consecutive passes. After a 5-yard rush by Nathan, Marino threw twice to Clayton for gains of 18 and 11 yards. The next pass went to wide receiver Mark Duper for 13 yards. Marino then finished the drive with a pair of completions to tight end Dan Johnson: the first was for 21 yards, and the second was a 2-yard touchdown pass to give the Dolphins a 10-7 lead with 45 second left in the first quarter.

In the second period, the 49ers began to take control of the game. Safety Dwight Hicks broke up two consecutive Marino passes, and the Dolphins were forced to punt from their own 10-yard line. Then after taking the ball at the Miami 47-yard line, Montana scrambled for a 19-yard run, and then completed a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Dwight Clark to reach the 12-yard line. From there, Wendell Tyler rushed for 4 yards, and then Montana threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Roger Craig, giving the 49ers a 14-10 lead.

Miami then had to punt again on their ensuing possession, and San Francisco receiver Dana McLemore returned the ball 28 yards to the 49ers' 45-yard line. After advancing 15 yards with 2 running plays, Montana completed a pair of passes to tight end Russ Francis to move the ball 29 yards to the Miami 11-yard line. Craig ran for 5 yards on the next play, and then Montana ran the final 6 yards to the end zone for a touchdown, making the score 21-10. After the ensuing kickoff, Miami again was forced to punt after 3 plays, and McLemore returned Reggie Roby's 39-yard punt 10 yards to the 49ers' 48-yard line. San Francisco then took a 28-10 lead after a 52-yard, 9-play drive that ended with Craig's second touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run.

With about two minutes left in the half, the Dolphins finally managed to get a good drive going on their next possession. Marino completed 7 out of 9 passes, the last one being a 30-yard pass to tight end Joe Rose, to reach the 49ers 12-yard line. But San Francisco's defense tightened up on the next 3 plays, forcing 2 incompletions and a completed pass for no gain, and Miami was forced to settle for Von Schamann's second field goal of the game to make cut their deficit to 28-13 with 12 seconds left in the half. Then Miami caught a break as the 49ers fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Von Schmann then kicked his third field goal to cut the lead 28-16 by halftime.

But any thoughts of a Miami comeback ended early in the third quarter. On the first play second half, 49ers defensive end Dwaine Board tackled Nathan for a 1-yard loss. Then after Marino threw an incompletion, Board sacked him for a 9-yard loss on third down. For the fourth time in the game, Roby had to punt, and again McLemore gave the 49ers good field position with an 8-yard return to San Francisco's 47-yard line. The 49ers then drove 43-yards and that scored on kicker Ray Wersching's 27 yard field goal. On the Dolphins' ensuing drive, they were forced to punt again after Marino was sacked twice(once by defensive lineman Manu Tuiasosopo and once by Board). Starting their own 30-yard line after a 5-yard return by McLemore, Montana completed a 40-yard pass to Tyler, followed up with a 14-yard completion to Francis. Three plays later, Craig scored his third touchdown on a 16-yard reception to make the score 38-16. The score proved to be the last one from either team, as the defenses of both teams took over for the rest of the game - especially the 49ers' defense, who intercepted Marino twice.

Overall, San Francisco gained a Super Bowl record 537 yards, breaking the Oakland Raiders's record of 429 yards in Super Bowl XI, while limiting Miami to 314, with just 25 rushing yards. San Francisco's 38 points also tied a Super Bowl record set by the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII.

Marino finished the game with 29 out of 50 pass completions for 318 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Clayton was the top receiver of the game, with 6 receptions for 92 yards. Walker returned 4 kickoffs for 93 yards and gained 15 yards on 2 punt returns. Nathan was the Dolphins leading rusher with 18 yards, while also catching 10 passes for 83 yards. Craig had 58 rushing yards, 77 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns. He was the first player ever to score 3 touchdowns in a Super Bowl, and his 2 touchdown catches also tied a Super Bowl record. Tyler led San Francisco in rushing with 65 yards, and also caught 4 passes for 70 yards. Clark caught 6 passes for 77 yards. Board recorded 2 sacks. McLemore recorded 51 punt return yards, the second most in Super Bowl history..

Scoring summary

  • MIA- FG Von Schamann 37
  • SF- Monroe 33 pass from Montana (Wersching kick)
  • MIA- D. Johnson 2 pass from Marino (Von Schamann kick)
  • SF- Craig 8 pass from Montana (Wersching kick)
  • SF- Montana 6 run (Wersching kick)
  • SF- Craig 2 run (Wersching kick)
  • MIA- FG Von Schamann 31
  • MIA- FG Von Schamann 30
  • SF- FG Wersching 27
  • SF- Craig 16 pass from Montana (Wersching kick)

Trivia

  • This was the first Super Bowl ever in which the starting quarterbacks of each team both threw for over 300 yards. In addition, the two teams combined total of 851 offensive yards was a Super Bowl record.
  • Wendell Tyler became the first player to lead a Super Bowl in rushing for two different teams. As a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Tyler was the leading rusher in Super Bowl XIV with 60 yards.
  • This was the second time a team could have been considered a home team for a Super Bowl. That is with the 49ers played in nearby Stanford, Calif. The Los Angeles Rams also played nearby at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. in Super Bowl XIV.
  • The Dolphins joined the Dallas Cowboys as the only teams to appear in five Super Bowls. With their loss, the Dolphins also matched the Cowboys 2-3 record in their first five appearances. The 49ers would eventually appear in five Super Bowls as well, but would win all of them.
  • The two teams combined for the most points in a 1st quarter in Super Bowl history. The 49ers scored the most points in a 2nd quarter with 21, in Super Bowl history. The 49ers' 28 points in the first half was the most points in a first half in Super Bowl history. The two teams also combined for a record 44 first half points.
  • The 49ers tied the Los Angeles Raiders for the most points in a Super Bowl with their 38. The Raiders set the mark only a year earlier.
  • The 49ers' 288 offensive yards in the first half also tied the Raiders in Super Bowl XI for the most offensive yards in a half during a Super Bowl.
  • The combined records for the two teams coming into the game were and still are the best in Super Bowl history. The 49ers were 17-1 and the Dolphins 16-2 including their playoff games.
  • ABC featured MacGruder and Loud after the game.
  • Actress Teri Hatcher was a 49ers cheerleader at the time, she can be seen on several close ups during the game.
  • In a Strong Bad e-mail cartoon from the Homestar Runner website, a flier advertising this particular game washes up in a bottle on a deserted island that Strong Bad and Homestar happen to be stranded on.

Officials

  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • Umpire: Tom Hensley
  • Head Linesman: Leo Miles
  • Line Judge: Ray Dodez
  • Field Judge: Bob Lewis
  • Side Judge: Bill Quinby
  • Back Judge: Tom Kelleher

See also

References

Super Bowl | 1985 in sports | The NFL on ABC | San Francisco 49ers | Miami Dolphins

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Super Bowl XIX".

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