Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1990 season. The Giants defeated the Bills by the score of 20–19, winning their second Super Bowl.
"1991 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 1991 season, see Super Bowl XXVI.
Buffalo Bills (1)
(AFC)
(13–3)
January 27, 1991
73,813[3]
Whitney Houston with the Florida Orchestra
41.9
(est. 79.51 million viewers)[4]
63
$800,000
Jack Buck and Hank Stram
The game was held at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on January 27, 1991, and was the last time a Super Bowl would be held at Tampa Stadium. A memorable performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Whitney Houston and the Florida Orchestra preceded the game.[5] Jazz musician John Clayton arranged the piece. ABC, which broadcast the game in the United States, did not air the halftime show (which was headlined by the American boy band New Kids on the Block) live. Instead, the network televised a special ABC News report anchored by Peter Jennings on the progress of the ongoing Gulf War, then aired the halftime show on tape delay after the game.
The Bills and their explosive no-huddle offense were making their first Super Bowl appearance after finishing the regular season with a 13–3 record, and leading the league in total points scored with 428. In advancing to their second Super Bowl, the Giants also posted a 13–3 regular-season record, but with a ball-control offense and a defense that allowed a league-low 211 points. Super Bowl XXV became the first Super Bowl to feature two teams representing the same state, even though the Giants technically play in New Jersey.
The game is known for Bills placekicker Scott Norwood's last-second missed field goal attempt that went wide right of the uprights, starting a four-game losing streak in the Super Bowl for the Bills. The game became the first (and so far only) Super Bowl decided by one point and the first Super Bowl in which neither team committed a turnover. The Giants set a Super Bowl record-holding possession of the ball for 40 minutes and 33 seconds. The Giants also overcame a 12–3 second-quarter deficit and made a 75-yard touchdown drive that consumed a Super Bowl-record 9:29 off the clock.[6] Giants running back Ottis Anderson, who carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards and one touchdown, was named Super Bowl MVP. He was the first awardee to receive the newly named "Pete Rozelle Trophy" (named for the former commissioner, Pete Rozelle).[7] Anderson also recorded one reception for seven yards. The NFL in its 100 Greatest Games series ranked it at number 10.[8]
Background[edit]
Host selection process[edit]
NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXV to Tampa during a May 20, 1987 owners meeting held at Coronado, California. It was the second time that Tampa hosted the game; the city previously hosted XVIII on January 22, 1984. Voting for the "silver anniversary" Super Bowl drew bids from Tampa (Tampa Stadium), San Diego (Jack Murphy Stadium), Anaheim (Anaheim Stadium), Los Angeles (Coliseum), and Miami (Joe Robbie Stadium). The voting process took six ballots, and eventually narrowed down to two finalists: Tampa and San Diego. Anaheim and Los Angeles were eliminated on the first ballot, then Miami (already scheduled to host XXIII), was eliminated on the second.[9][10]
After three additional rounds, neither Tampa nor San Diego could garner the desired 3⁄4 vote (21 of 28 owners). To break the stalemate, the vote switched to a simple majority. Though the final tally was kept secret, Tampa was said to have won by a close margin of only 2–3 votes. The Tampa Bay area won by virtue of proven success hosting XVIII, and the plans to move the Gasparilla Pirate Festival to Super Bowl week. San Diego was slated to host XXII, but since that day had not yet come, some owners were reluctant to award the city a second Super Bowl before they completed their first.[9][10]
Broadcasting[edit]
The game was broadcast in the United States by ABC, including local ABC stations WABC-TV in New York City and WKBW-TV in Buffalo. The broadcast featured the Monday Night Football team of play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and color commentators Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf. Brent Musburger hosted all the events with the help of then-ABC Sports analysts Bob Griese and Dick Vermeil, Musburger's regular color commentator on ABC's college football telecasts.
Sponsors Coca-Cola and Diet Pepsi had to withdraw planned contest promotions or advertisements, due to the Gulf War situation. PepsiCo's contest, a heavily promoted $3 million giveaway in which viewers would be invited to call a toll-free number during the first three quarters; with the caller receiving a Diet Pepsi coupon and an opportunity to win one of 3 prizes totaling $1 million each, was also withdrawn due to FCC and Congressional fears and complaints from the telephone communications industry that the United States telephone system would be overwhelmed.[14]
CBS aired the game nationally on radio. Jack Buck served as play-by-play with Hank Stram as color commentator. In the teams' local markets, the game was carried on WNEW-AM in New York City with Jim Gordon, Dick Lynch, and Karl Nelson and WGR in Buffalo, New York with Van Miller, Ed Rutkowski, and Pete Weber.
The game was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4, in Mexico on the Canal de las Estrellas, in Canada on CTV and in Venezuela on Venevisión. Because of the Gulf War situation, this marked the first time the Super Bowl aired in most countries around the world. Outside of North America and England, this Super Bowl aired for the first time in countries such as Australia and Russia.