Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1970 season. It was the fifth edition of the Super Bowl and the first modern-era NFL championship game. The Colts defeated the Cowboys by the score of 16–13 on a field goal with 5 seconds left in the game. The game was played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, and was the first Super Bowl game played on artificial turf; specifically, the game was played on a Poly-Turf surface.
"1971 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 1971 season, see Super Bowl VI.
Baltimore Colts
(AFC)
(11–2–1)
January 17, 1971
Colts by 2.5
79,204
Tommy Loy (Trumpeter)
Southeast Missouri State College Marching Golden Eagles Band with Anita Bryant
Curt Gowdy, Kyle Rote and Bill Enis
39.9
(est. 46 million viewers)
75
$72,000
The game was the first Super Bowl played after the completion of the AFL–NFL merger. Beginning with this game and continuing to the present day, the Super Bowl has served as the NFL's championship game, with the winner of the AFC Championship Game and the winner of the NFC Championship Game facing off in the culmination of the NFL playoffs. As per the merger agreement, all 26 AFL and NFL teams were divided into two conferences with 13 teams in each. Along with the Colts, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to join the ten AFL teams to form the AFC; the remaining 13 NFL teams formed the NFC. This explains why the Colts represented the NFL in Super Bowl III, but the AFC for Super Bowl V. Baltimore advanced to Super Bowl V after posting an 11–2–1 regular season record. Meanwhile, the Cowboys were making their first Super Bowl appearance after posting a 10–4 regular season record.
The game is often referred to as the "Blunder Bowl," "Blooper Bowl," or "Stupor Bowl" due to it being marred with poor play, a blocked PAT, missed opportunities, penalties, turnovers, and officiating miscues. The two teams combined for a Super Bowl record 11 turnovers, with five solely in the fourth quarter.[1] The Colts' seven turnovers remain the most committed by a Super Bowl champion. Dallas also set a Super Bowl record with 10 penalties, costing them 133 yards. It was finally settled when Colts rookie kicker Jim O'Brien made a 32-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation time, then a Super Bowl record for least time in the lead for a champion.[2] Baltimore overcame a 13–6 deficit after three quarters and the loss of its starting quarterback Johnny Unitas to an injury in the second quarter. To date, the game is the only Super Bowl in which the Most Valuable Player Award was given to a member of the losing team: Cowboys' linebacker Chuck Howley, the first non-quarterback to win the award, after making two interceptions (sacks and tackles were not yet recorded).
Due to its blunders, the game is often regarded among the worst Super Bowls played,[3][4][5] but is also recognized as the title the Colts needed after losing Super Bowl III.[6]
Background[edit]
Host selection process[edit]
The NFL awarded Super Bowl V to Miami on March 17, 1970, at the owners' meeting held in Honolulu.[7][8] It marked the third Super Bowl to be played in the Orange Bowl. Three cities submitted bids: Miami, New Orleans, and Los Angeles (Coliseum). A potential bid by Pasadena (Rose Bowl) failed to materialize, and Houston (Astrodome) dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with conventions.[9]
Broadcasting[edit]
The game was broadcast in the United States by NBC with play-by-play announcer Curt Gowdy, color commentator Kyle Rote, and sideline reporter Bill Enis.
Although the Orange Bowl was sold out for the event, unconditional blackout rules in the NFL in the era prohibited the live telecast from being shown in the Miami area. The blackout was challenged in Miami-Dade District Court by attorney Ellis Rubin, and although the judge denied Rubin's request since he felt he did not have the power to overrule the NFL, he agreed with Rubin's argument that the blackout rule was unnecessary for the Super Bowl.[15] The game was also the first Super Bowl to be carried live in the state of Alaska, thanks to NBC's then-parent company RCA acquiring the Alaska Communications System from the United States Air Force.[16]
The video of the complete original broadcast, up until Chuck Howley's second interception, the first play of the fourth quarter, exists; however, the rest of the fourth quarter is missing from network vaults. The complete audio, including the post-game, does exist. Broadcast excerpts of the crucial fourth-quarter plays, recovered from the Canadian feed of NBC's original, also exist and circulate among collectors. (Two different NFL Films game compilations also cover the fourth-quarter plays, in part.)
46.04 million people in the US watched the game on television, resulting in a rating of 39.9 and a market share of 75.[17]
Part of
January 17, 1971
Southeast Missouri State Marching Band
Game summary[edit]
First quarter[edit]
The first three possessions of Super Bowl V ended quietly with each team punting after a three-and-out. Then, after a facemask penalty on Dallas during a punt back to Baltimore for the second time, the Colts started their second drive on their own 47-yard line, but on the first play, Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley intercepted a pass from Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas and returned it 22 yards to the Colts' 46-yard line, the first of 11 combined turnovers committed by both teams. The Cowboys failed to take advantage of the turnover, with a 15-yard holding penalty 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage pushing them back to a 3rd-and-33 situation. Fullback Walt Garrison could only gain 11 yards on the next play, forcing Dallas to punt. However, Colts punt returner/cornerback Ron Gardin fumbled the return, and the loose ball was recovered by Cowboys safety Cliff Harris at the Colts' 9-yard line. Baltimore managed to keep Dallas out of the end zone, forcing them to settle for kicker Mike Clark's 14-yard field goal to establish a 3–0 lead.
After a Colts punt, which they failed to keep from reaching the end zone, Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton completed a 14-yard pass to running back Dan Reeves, followed by a 41-yard pass to wide receiver Bob Hayes (Morton's longest pass of the game) to reach the Colts' 12-yard line, with a roughing the passer penalty on Colts defensive tackle Fred Miller adding 6 yards (half the distance to the goal), but Dallas was denied the end zone by the Baltimore defense for a second time. Linebacker Ted Hendricks deflected Morton's pass on first down, and running back Duane Thomas was tackled for a 1-yard loss on second down by cornerback Jim Duncan.
Second quarter[edit]
At the start of the second quarter, Morton was flagged for intentional grounding on third down while trying to avoid a sack by defensive tackle Billy Ray Smith, pushing the Cowboys back to the 22-yard line and forcing them to settle for Clark's 30-yard field goal, stretching the score to 6–0.
On their next possession, the Colts offense got a break. After two straight incompletions to open the drive, Unitas uncorked a pass to wide receiver Eddie Hinton that was both high and behind the receiver. The ball ricocheted off Hinton's hands, was tipped by Cowboys cornerback Mel Renfro,[24] then landed in the arms of tight end John Mackey, who sprinted 75 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys subsequently blocked kicker Jim O'Brien's extra point attempt to keep the score tied at 6–6, with O'Brien later saying that he was "awfully nervous" and hesitated a second too long before kicking it.[10]
After the next three possessions ended in punts, Cowboys linebacker Lee Roy Jordan forced a fumble on Unitas, and defensive tackle Jethro Pugh recovered the loose ball at the Baltimore 28. Dallas capitalized on the turnover in three plays; Thomas rushed for 4 yards, then Morton completed a 17-yard pass to Reeves, followed by a 7-yard touchdown pass to Thomas to establish a 13–6 lead. The Colts reached the Cowboys' 37 on their next drive, but turned the ball over yet again, with Unitas unleashing a fluttering interception to Renfro while taking a fierce hit by defensive end George Andrie. Unitas was knocked out of the game permanently on the play with a rib injury and was replaced by Earl Morrall, who was widely blamed for the Colts' loss to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. The Cowboys, starting from their own 15, were unable to score any points off the turnover. An offensive pass interference penalty on Hayes forced Dallas to punt. Starting from their own 48-yard line, the Colts offense, now led by Morrall, began to gain momentum. Morrall completed a 26-yard pass to Hinton, followed by a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Roy Jefferson. A personal foul penalty on Jordan put the ball on the Dallas 2-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the half and giving Baltimore a chance to tie the game. However, the Cowboys defense stiffened. Colts running back Norm Bulaich was stuffed on three consecutive rushing attempts from inside the 2-yard line. The Colts elected to convert fourth down, but Morrall threw a pass intended for tight end Tom Mitchell that fell incomplete, turning the ball over on downs and maintaining Dallas' 13–6 lead to end the half.
Third quarter[edit]
The second half was a parade of turnovers, sloppy plays, penalties, and missed opportunities. Baltimore's defense also held Dallas' offense scoreless for the rest of the game.
Duncan fumbled the opening kickoff while running into Cowboys running back Claxton Welch, and Dallas recovered the ball at Baltimore's 31. Then the Cowboys drove to the Colts' 2-yard line with the chance to take a two-score lead, but linebacker Mike Curtis punched the ball loose from Thomas before he could cross the goal line, and the Colts took over at their own 1 as Duncan was credited with the recovery–-a controversial call because when the resulting pile-up was sorted out, Dallas center Dave Manders was seen holding the ball. The energized Colts then drove to the Cowboys' 44-yard line, with Morrall completing a 26-yard pass to wide receiver Sam Havrilak, but came up empty when O'Brien's 52-yard field goal attempt fell short of the goal posts. However, instead of attempting to return the missed field goal, Renfro allowed it to bounce inside the Cowboys' own 1-yard line where it was downed by Colts center Tom Goode (NFL rules prior to 1974 allowed a field goal that fell short of the goal posts to be downed just like a punt; that rule is still in effect in high school football). "I thought it would carry into the end zone", Renfro explained after the game.[25]
Dallas, backed up to their own end zone, punted after a three-and-out. The Colts would have received the ball inside Dallas territory following the punt, but a clipping penalty on Baltimore running back Jack Maitland pushed the Colts back to their own 39 to begin the drive. Two plays later, however, Morrall completed a 45-yard pass to running back Tom Nowatzke to reach the Cowboys' 15-yard line.
Fourth quarter[edit]
However, three plays later, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Morrall threw an interception to Howley in the end zone to preserve the Cowboys' 13–6 lead.[26]
After forcing the Cowboys to punt, the Colts regained the ball on their own 18-yard line, still trailing 13–6. Aided by a pass interference penalty on Dallas safety Charlie Waters and a 23-yard pass from Morrall to Jefferson, the Colts advanced into Dallas territory. A second pass interference penalty, which was called on defensive back Cornell Green, gave the Colts a first down at the Dallas 39-yard-line. An 8-yard run by Nowatzke moved the ball to the 31-yard line. The Colts then attempted to fool the Cowboys with a flea-flicker,[10][11][27] resulting in one of the oddest plays in Super Bowl history. Havrilak took a handoff and ran right, intending to lateral the ball back to Morrall, but Pugh stormed into the backfield and prevented him from doing so. Havrilak (who played quarterback at Bucknell University) then threw a pass intended for Mackey, but it was caught instead by Hinton, who promptly took off for the end zone. However, Green stripped Hinton from behind at the 11, and the loose ball bounced wildly into the end zone, evading recovery attempts by six different players until it was eventually pushed through the back of the end zone for a touchback, thus returning the ball to the Cowboys at their 20.
Three plays after the turnover, Morton threw a pass that was deflected by Garrison and intercepted by Colts safety Rick Volk, who returned the ball 30 yards to the Cowboys' 3-yard line before getting tackled by wide receiver Reggie Rucker (Morrall later referred to that play as the play of the game).[11] Two plays later, Nowatzke scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, tying the game at 13–13. (O'Brien says he was much calmer and more confident on this extra point than on the first one, which was blocked.)
The next two possessions ended in traded punts, with the Cowboys eventually taking over in excellent field position at the Colts 48-yard line with less than two minutes left in the game.
On the second play of this potential game-winning drive, a 15-yard holding penalty on Cowboys offensive tackle Ralph Neely on the Dallas 42-yard line, which was a spot foul, pushed the Cowboys all the way back to their own 27-yard line (the NFL did not reduce the penalty for offensive holding to 10 yards until 1974).[28] Then, on 2nd-and-35, Morton threw a pass that slipped through the hands of Reeves and bounced for an interception into the arms of Mike Curtis, who then returned the ball 13 yards to the Cowboys' 28-yard line.
Two plays later, with nine seconds left in the game, O'Brien kicked the go ahead 32-yard field goal, giving Baltimore their first lead of the game, 16–13.[29] O'Brien says he was "on automatic" and was so calm and concentrating so hard that he didn't hear anything and saw only the ball.[10] After the field goal, in an enduring image, Cowboys defensive tackle Bob Lilly took off his helmet and hurled it through the air in disgust.
The Cowboys received the ball again on their own 40 with one second remaining after O'Brien's ensuing squib kick, but Morton's pass to Hayes was intercepted by safety Jerry Logan at the Baltimore 29, and the Colts were victorious.
Postscript[edit]
Morrall was the top passer of the game, with 7 out of 15 completions for 147 yards, with 1 interception. Before being knocked out of the game, Unitas completed 3 out of 9 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown, with 2 interceptions. Morton completed more passes than Morrall and Unitas combined (12), but finished the game with 118 fewer passing yards (127), and was intercepted 3 times (all in the fourth quarter). Mackey was the top receiver of the game with 2 receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. Nowatzke was the Colts' leading rusher with 33 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a pass for 47 yards. Dallas running back Walt Garrison was the leading rusher of the game with 65 rushing yards, and added 19 yards on 2 pass receptions.
Referencing the numerous turnovers, Morrall said, "It really was a physical game. I mean, people were flying into one another out there."[11] "It was really a hard-hitting game," wrote O'Brien. "It wasn't just guys dropping the ball. They fumbled because they got the snot knocked out of them."[10] Said Tom Landry:
Note: A seven-official system was not used until 1978, also Back Judge and Field swapped titles in 1998.