Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Super Bowl Top Ten: Non-Game Moments

Everyone loves the Super Bowl and has memories of the greatest plays and the top moments.

Buddy Ryan and Mike Ditka being carried off the field after Super Bowl XX, Joe Namath running off the field holding up the number 1, Kevin Dyson coming up 1 yard short of the Championship, Hines Ward's TD catch in XL, the New England Patriots choosing to enter as a team, etc, etc, etc.

But there are other stories that come up during the Super Bowl Week. So here's my list, in chronological order, of the Top Ten Non-Game Related Football Moments - I wish I could have seen in person.

Super Bowl III - Being at the Miami Touchdown Club to see Joe Namath respond to a rowdy Colts fan by stating, "We're gonna win the game. I guarantee it". Amazing enough as the Jets were 19 point underdogs. Seeing Namath and watching his confidence leading up to the game in one of the most historic guarantees in sports.

Super Bowl IV - Being in the room when Ed Sabol of NFL Films convinced Hall of Fame Kansas City Chief Head Coach Hank Stram to secretly wear a microphone during the game. Opening the door for the access we see and love to this day every week.

Super Bowl VI - Being in Don Schula's office at 1:30 AM when President Richard M. Nixon called in to suggest a play that the Dolphins should run during the game. The Dolphins subsequently did call the play and the pass was incomplete.

Super Bowl XVII - Being outside of Tampa Stadium as Howie Long and his teammates are dropped off in a Cab 1/2 mile from the stadium due to limited drop off zones and traffic forced to walk through the throngs of Redskin and Raider fans to get to the stadium before kickoff.

Super Bowl XX - Tie - Being in the helicopter as Bears QB mooned photographers during practice to show off his recent injury or being in the room as McMahon had to announce he was misquoted as calling the ladies of New Orleans sluts saying he was a late sleeper and wouldn't have been awake early enough to insult the ladies.

Super Bowl XXXIII - Being there as Falcon DB Eugene Robinson received the Bart Starr award for High Moral Character mere hours before being arrested for soliciting an undercover police office for prostitution.

Super Bowl XXXVI - Being in the upper decks of the Superdome to see if Matt Walsh really was up there video taping the Rams practices.

Super Bowl XXXVII - Being in the Tampa Bay game film room leading up to the Super Bowl as Former Raider and (then) Current Tampa Bay Head Coach Jon Gruden walks his players through exactly what the Raiders were planning to do as Bill Callahan hadn't changed much of Gruden's offense from his time in Oakland.

Super Bowl XL - Being there as Jerome Bettis (who was originally from Detroit) spends an ungodly amount of money on tickets for family and friends in the Detroit area.


Super Bowl XLII - Being there as the New York Post editors obtain the trademark for 18-1 in retaliation to the New England Patriots ownership attempting to register the trademark of 19-0 leading up to the Super Bowl.

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