Alex Carson
The Super Bowl
People look forward to the Super Bowl every year. Even if their favorite team isn’t going to be playing in the game, they still watch. Not only does it promise to be a great game; it is a great excuse to throw a party. If you are a tried and true football fan, there are things you may not know. Here are 40 Super Bowl facts that even die-hard fans don’t know.
The Name
Originally, the Super Bowl was called “The NFL-AFL World Championship Game.” It was occasionally called the Super Bowl, but it wasn’t recognized that way until 1970.
I’m Going to Disney World
Disney paid New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms $75,000 to shout “I’m going to Disney World” when they won Super Bowl XXI. They also paid the Broncos quarterback, John Elway to do the same if his team won.
Halftime Shows
The halftime show for Super Bowl I had two marching bands, trumpeter Al Hirt, two men wearing jet packs, and a flock of 300 pigeons. This was much different than Super Bowl LI when Lady Gaga dove from the roof of the NRG Stadium.
NFC
Between 1985 and 1997, the NFC had a winning streak with 13 straight Super Bowl victories. During this time, they outscored the AFC by a margin of 217, scoring 490 points to the AFC’s 219 points.
Beating MAS*H
For many years, the final episode of MAS*H was the
Western Pennsylvania
There
Horrible Show
The Super Bowl XXIII halftime show was very strange. The headliner was Elvis Presto, a magician, and Elvis impersonator. The show was also broadcast in 3D, which was cool at the time, but fans today would find it incredibly cheesy.
Joe Montana
Joe Montana won every Super Bowl that he started in. He never even had one interception.
Vince Lombardi Trophy
Every year, the winning Super Bowl team gets the Vince Lombardi Trophy, but no two are alike. Tiffany & Co newly mint each one.
The Losing Team
During Super Bowl V, Dallas Cowboys linebacker, Chuck Howley was named MVP. It was the first and only time a player from the losing team was given the honor.
Super Bowl I Tickets
The most expensive ticket at Super Bowl I cost $12. Today, it would be about $89.
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland is the only city never to have hosted a Super Bowl. Their team, the Browns, have never made it to a Super Bowl.
Money Making Day
Between the cities where gambling is legal, office pools, and bets between friends, Super Bowl is one of the busiest
Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning is the only quarterback to win the Super Bowl twice for two different teams. The Colts won in 2007, and the Broncos won in 2016.
Blackout Bowl
Super Bowl XLVII is also known as the Blackout Bowl because it was delayed 34 minutes after a power outage at the stadium. Some believe that Beyonce’s halftime show caused it, but this was never confirmed.
Cruise Ships
Days before Super Bowl XXXIX, officials in Jacksonville, FL discovered that they didn’t have enough hotel rooms for the NFL’s VIP guests. They ended up bringing in five cruise ships to serve as floating hotels.
Halftime
Super Bowl LI was the first ever to go into overtime. The New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons after trailing 28-3 in the third quarter. It was the biggest comeback in history.
Perfect Season
The Miami Dolphins are the only NFL team to have a perfect season. In 1972, they won all 14 games. They went to the Super Bowl and beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.
Patriots and Broncos
Between the two, they were in the Super Bowl 19 times. They also lost more than any other team. The
No Cheerleaders
Super Bowl XLV was the first not to have any cheerleaders since the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Green Bay Packers don’t have cheerleaders.
Bathroom Myth
There is a myth that sewage systems during the Super Bowl halftime fail due to excessive use. There is no evidence to support this claim.
Orbital Coin
Before each Super Bowl, there is a ceremonial coin flip. The coin used for Super Bowl XLIV spent 11 days orbiting Earth on a NASA space mission.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady has the most Super Bowl wins of any player in history. He won six Super Bowls during his career.
No Shutouts
There has never been a shutout in the Super Bowl. The lowest score was 3 by the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Rams.
Food
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Super Bowl is the
White House
The 1980 Pittsburgh Steelers were the first Super Bowl winners to be invited to the White House. They joined the World Series champs, the Pittsburgh Pirates to meet Jimmy Carter.
Over Run
During Super Bowl I, NBC went overtime with the halftime commercials, and they missed the second-half kickoff. To fix the problem, the Packers had to kick again.
Tie
The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl victories with six each.
Sod
Before each Super Bowl played on natural grass, fresh sod is installed. For Super Bowl 50, they needed 75,000 square feet.
Bonus
The team that wins the Super Bowl gets a bonus. In 2017, every Patriots player got $107,000, and each Falcon got $53,000 just for making it there.
Back-To-Back Seven teams had back-to-back Super Bowl wins:
Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers who did it twice.
Michael Jackson
When Michael Jackson headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII, the show had more viewers than the game. This was when the NFL decided always to get big-name acts.
Ronald Reagan
When the New York Giants won Super Bowl XXI, linebacker Harry Carlson dumped a Gatorade bucket of popcorn over President Reagan’s head during their visit to the White House.
Home Team
For
Streaking
Right after the
First Touchdown
Max McGee made the first touchdown during the first Super Bowl. He almost didn’t play due to a hangover.
Oldest Winner
Tom Brady is the oldest player to win a Super Bowl when they won Super Bowl LIII at the age of 41. Peyton Manning held the title before him at 39 years old during Super Bowl 50.
No Presidents
No sitting President has ever attended the Super Bowl, but many Vice Presidents did.
Bet
After the New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino donated 42 pounds of Dunkin Donuts coffee and 12 dozen Boston cream pies to New York charities as part of a bet.
College
LSU is known as DBU, for producing defensive backs. Alabama and Purdue University are called QBU or turning out so many quarterbacks.
