Steve Young's MVP performance in Super Bowl XXIX
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- Published: 2009-04-19
- Uploaded: 2011-01-10
- Author: mattschauer
Steve Young sets the Super Bowl record for most TD passes and crushes the Chargers.
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This marked the first time that two teams from the same state played in the Super Bowl. Some consider Super Bowl XXV between the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills to be the first such Super Bowl (New York). Technically however, the Giants actually play in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
49ers quarterback Steve Young threw a record 6 touchdown passes en route to the Super Bowl MVP award. (His four TDs in a half tied Doug Williams from the Washington Redskins). He also completed 24 out of 36 passes for 325 yards, and was the top rusher of the game with 49 rushing yards (the first time both top passer and rusher were the same person). This game is regarded as Young's final leap out of the shadow of his predecessor, Joe Montana, who had won four Super Bowls with the 49ers, two with Young as the backup quarterback. Young became the 5th player to win both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and Super Bowl MVP during the same season. He follows Bart Starr in 1966, Terry Bradshaw in 1978, Joe Montana in 1989, and Emmitt Smith in 1993.
For the first time in five years, the Buffalo Bills would not be representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. They had collapsed during the second half of the season, losing 6 of their last 8 games and finishing the season with a 7-9 record.
The free agents enabled the 49ers to jump from the 18th ranked defense in the league to the 8th, and to jump from the league's 16th best defense against the run to the 2nd. Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield led the team with 8.5 sacks. Rookie defensive tackle Bryant Young was also a big threat to opposing quarterbacks and rushers, recording 42 tackles, 6 sacks, and a fumble recovery. Behind them, Norton played very effectively at the middle linebacker position, leading the team with 77 tackles and recording an interception. Pro Bowl safety Merton Hanks led the team with 7 interceptions for 93 return yards, while Sanders had 6 interceptions for 303 return yards and 3 touchdowns, earning him the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. Pro Bowl safety Tim McDonald was also a big contributor, recording 2 interceptions for 79 yards and 1 touchdown.
The 49ers offense was led by quarterback Steve Young, who replaced future hall of famer Joe Montana as the starter in 1991 and 1992 due to injuries. But after Young led the league in passing in both 1991 and 1992, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving Young as the undisputed starter in 1993. But even with his impressive passing statistics, Young was criticized as "not being able to win the big games" as Montana had done in leading the 49ers to Super Bowl victories in XVI and XIX, XXIII, and XXIV.
Still, Young again led the league in passing during the 1994 regular season with a passer rating of 112.8, breaking Montana's record for the highest regular season rating in NFL history. Young recorded 324 out of 461 completions for 3,969 yards, 35 touchdowns, with just 10 interceptions. He also had 58 rushes for 293 yards and 7 touchdowns, and earned the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
With Young at the helm, the 49ers led the league in total points scored (505) and helped them earn a league best 13-3 regular season record. Pro Bowl running back Ricky Watters was the team's leading rusher with 877 yards and 6 touchdowns, while also recording 66 receptions for 719 yards and 5 touchdowns. Rookie fullback William Floyd was the team's second leading rusher with 305 yards and 6 touchdowns, while also having 19 receptions for 145 yards. The team's leading receiver was Pro Bowl wide receiver Jerry Rice who had 112 catches for 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns. Receiver John Taylor was also a reliable target, catching 41 passes for 531 yards and 5 touchdowns. Pro Bowl tight end Brent Jones added 49 receptions for 670 yards and 9 touchdowns. The offensive line was led by Pro Bowlers Bart Oates and Jesse Sapolu.
Meanwhile, running back Dexter Carter was a superb returner on special teams, gaining a combined total of 1,426 yards and a touchdown returning both punts and kickoffs.
San Diego suffered losing seasons in the 1980s until former Washington Redskins General Manager Bobby Beathard joined the team in 1990. Beathard decided to rebuild the Chargers using the same model that he used to build the Redskins into Super Bowl contenders during the 1980s – a powerful running game built around big lineman, a passing game that helped sustain extremely long drives, and a bending but steady defense. After former Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Ross was hired by the Chargers in 1992, the team advanced to the playoffs winning the AFC West with an 11-5 regular season record. But in 1993, they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
Before the start of the 1994 season, San Diego was not expected to be a winning team because they brought in 10 new starters and 22 new players. However, they ended up winning their first 6 regular season games en route to an 11-5 record and the #2 AFC playoff seed. The Chargers went into the final game of the season vs. the Steelers needing a win to get the #2 seed, which came with a first round bye and a home game in the divisional round of the playoffs. Backup QB Gale Gilbert, subbing for injured starter Humphries, led the Chargers to a come from behind 37-34 win, with John Carney kicking a game winning field goal in the game's final seconds.
The Chargers offense was led by quarterback Stan Humphries, who was the Redskins' backup to Mark Rypien during the 1991 season when they won Super Bowl XXVI. During the 1994 season for San Diego, Humphries completed 264 out of 453 attempts for 3,209 yards and 17 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. Wide receiver Mark Seay was the team's leading receiver with 58 receptions for 645 yards and 6 touchdowns. Wide receiver Tony Martin had 50 catches for 885 yards and 7 touchdowns, wide receiver Shawn Jefferson recorded 43 catches for 627 yards and 3 touchdowns, and tight end Alfred Pupunu had 21 receptions for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Running back Natrone Means led the team in rushing with 1,350 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also recorded 39 receptions for 235 yards, and was named to the Pro Bowl. Third-down back Ronnie Harmon was also a big contributor, catching 58 passes for 615 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Chargers special teams was also a major threat with Andre Coleman, who returned 49 kickoffs for 1,293 yards (26.4 average yards per kickoff) and 2 touchdowns.
The Chargers had an excellent defensive line, anchored by Pro Bowl lineman Leslie O'Neal, who led the team with 12.5 sacks and forced four fumbles, Defensive tackle Chris Mims, who recorded 11 sacks, and Shawn Lee, who added 6.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Their linebacking corps was led by Junior Seau, who was a pro bowl selection for the fourth consecutive year, recording 123 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries. Defensive back Stanley Richard was a major weapon in the secondary, recording 4 interceptions, 224 return yards, and 2 touchdowns. Defensive back Darrien Gordon was also a major asset to the team, recording 4 interceptions and 32 return yards, while also adding another 475 yards and 2 touchdowns returning punts. Safety Rodney Harrison was a rookie on the team.
San Francisco then defeated their arch-nemesis, the Dallas Cowboys, 38-28, in the NFC Championship Game. Expected to be a close game, the 49ers converted 3 Dallas turnovers into 21 points in the first quarter. On the third play of the game, cornerback Eric Davis returned an interception from Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman for a touchdown. Wide receiver Michael Irvin lost a fumble on Dallas' next drive, setting up Young's 29-yard touchdown pass to Watters. Then Cowboys returner Kevin Williams lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and it was recovered by kicker Doug Brien at Dallas' 35-yard line. Several plays later, Floyd scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give San Francisco a 21-0 lead less than 8 minutes into the game. With the score 24-14 in the closing minutes of the first half, Aikman threw 3 straight incompletions, and a short punt by the Cowboys set up Young's 28-yard touchdown completion to Rice with 8 seconds remaining in the first half. The Cowboys eventually cut their deficit to 38-28 with a touchdown run by Emmitt Smith and Aikman's 10-yard touchdown pass to Irvin in the final period, but they were unable to score again. Although the Cowboys outgained the 49ers in total offensive yards (451-294), Aikman broke an NFC Championship Game record with 380 yards passing, and Irvin also broke an NFC Championship Game record with 192 receiving yards, Dallas was ultimately unable to overcome their first quarter turnovers.
San Diego then faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship. Once again, the Chargers fell behind early as the Steelers built up a 13-3 halftime lead, but Humphries fooled the Steelers secondary with a 43-yard play-action touchdown pass to a wide open tight end Alfred Pupunu. The Chargers then took a 17-13 lead when Martin beat the Steelers secondary down the right sideline for a 43-yard touchdown reception. On their final drive, The Steelers advanced to the San Diego 3-yard line on their ensuing drive, but Chargers linebacker Dennis Gibson sealed the victory on fourth down by tipping away quarterback Neil O'Donnell's pass intended for running back Barry Foster to turn the ball back over to San Diego. Just like the 49ers in the NFC title game, the Chargers advanced to the Super Bowl despite the fact that the Steelers had outgained them in many key statistical categories such as total plays (80–47), total offensive yards (415–226), and time of possession (37:13–22:47).
Many also speculated that Super Bowl XXIX would be the least watched game in Super Bowl history. In addition to the predicted blowout, the Chargers did not have as much national appeal nor a relatively large core fan base as the Chiefs, the Dolphins, or the Steelers. (This prediction ultimately turned out to be false. Although Super Bowl XXIX was viewed by 125.2 million people and had a Nielsen rating of 41.3, Super Bowl XXVI three years earlier was seen by 119.7 million viewers and recorded a 40.3 rating.)
This was the 7th Super Bowl to be played in Miami, at the time tying both New Orleans, Louisiana and the Greater Los Angeles area for hosting the Super Bowl the most times.
This was the last Super Bowl broadcast by the Monday Night team of Michaels, Gifford and Dierdorf. This was the broadcast team for Monday Night Football from 1987 - 1997. They worked ABC's coverage of Super Bowls XXII and XXV. This would also be the last Super Bowl aired on ABC until the 1999 season.
Interestingly, the Tuesday prior to the Super Bowl, the ABC sitcom Full House aired an episode called "Super Bowl Fun Day" involving two main characters actually at the game. (Full House was set in San Francisco, and this was the only time during the show's run that the 49ers advanced to a Super Bowl aired on ABC).
A week earlier, the Seinfeld episode "The Label Maker" involved Jerry trying to give away his tickets to the game. He eventually decided to go, but unfortunately was stuck sitting next to Newman.
To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special 75th anniversary logo was painted at midfield. Each player also wore a patch on their jerseys with the same logo. During the regular season, teams also wore "throwback" jerseys for selected games. The 49ers wore their throwbacks (which paid tribute to the 1957 Niners) for most of the season, this game included.
30 second ads for Super Bowl XXIX went for $1.15 Million, the first time that Super Bowl ads exceeded the $1,000,000 mark.
Following the game ABC premiered the television drama Extreme starring James Brolin; this was the last series to premiere following the Super Bowl until Family Guy premiered following Super Bowl XXXIII and is one of only four in the last fourteen years to premiere following a Super Bowl (joining Family Guy, its spinoff American Dad!, and Undercover Boss which premiered following Super Bowl XLIV).
Actress and singer Kathie Lee Gifford (Frank Gifford's wife) later sang the national anthem. She was accompanied by then-Miss America Heather Whitestone who signed the anthem for the hearing impaired.
To honor the NFL's 75th season, several former players who were named to the league's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team joined the coin toss ceremony: Otto Graham, Joe Greene, Ray Nitschke, and Gale Sayers.
On the opening kickoff, a 15-yard facemask penalty on Chargers linebacker Doug Miller gave San Francisco the ball at their own 41-yard line. Then on the third play of the drive, 49ers quarterback Steve Young threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Rice. The 49ers became the second team to take the opening kickoff and score a touchdown on that first drive (the first being the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII), and setting a new Super Bowl record for the fastest touchdown (later broken by Devin Hester in Super Bowl XLI). After forcing the Chargers to punt, the 49ers advanced 79 yards in four plays, scoring on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Young to running back Ricky Watters to give San Francisco a 14-0 lead less than 5 minutes into the first quarter, and setting a Super Bowl record for the fastest "second" touchdown scored by a team.
The Chargers responded on their ensuing possession, marching 78 yards in 13 plays and taking more than 7 minutes off the clock. Running back Natrone Means finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to cut San Diego's deficit to 14-7. But the 49ers quickly countered after the ensuing kickoff, driving 70 yards in 10 plays, and Young threw his third touchdown pass of the game to fullback William Floyd for 5 yards, increasing the lead to 21-7.
Later in the second quarter, Chargers punter Bryan Wagner's 40-yard punt from his own 9-yard line gave the 49ers the ball at the San Diego 49. San Francisco then marched on a 9-play drive to score on Young's fourth touchdown pass, an 8-yard toss to Watters with 4:44 left in the half. The Chargers then took the ensuing kickoff and drove 62 yards from their own 25-yard line to the San Francisco 13. But after 3 incomplete passes, they were forced to settle for kicker John Carney's 31-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 28-10.
A 33-yard completion from Young to tight end Brent Jones helped the 49ers reach the San Diego 29-yard line on their next possession, but Young's third down pass to Jones was overthrown and rookie kicker Doug Brien missed a 47-yard field goal attempt. The Chargers then drove to their own 46-yard line, but 49ers defensive back Eric Davis intercepted Humphries' third down pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left in the half, and the score remained 28-10 at halftime. The Chargers 18-point halftime deficit ended up being the closest scoring margin they would reach for the rest of the game.
Leading 28-10 in the 3rd quarter, the 49ers added 14 more points. The Chargers were forced to punt after three plays on the opening drive of the second half, and Dexter Carter returned the ball 11 yards to his own 38-yard line. Young subsequently completed three consecutive passes for 53 yards on a 7-play, 62-yard drive that ended with Watters' third touchdown on a 9-yard run, tying the Super Bowl record for the most touchdowns in a game. After a 33-yard kickoff return by Andre Coleman, the Chargers advanced to the San Francisco 33-yard line, but they turned the ball over on downs when quarterback Stan Humphries' fourth down pass was broken up by Davis. After the turnover, Young lead his team on a 10-play, 67-yard drive to score on his 5th touchdown pass, a 15-yard completion to Rice. The Chargers' only highlight of the 3rd quarter was when Coleman returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Then, wide receiver Mark Seay caught a pass for a successful two-point conversion (the first in Super Bowl history), but it only cut the deficit to 42-18.
The 49ers were forced to punt on their next drive, but San Diego ended up turning the ball over on downs when Means was tackled for a 4-yard loss on a fourth down and 1 from their own 37-yard line. Six plays later, Young threw his record setting sixth touchdown pass to Rice with 13:49 remaining in the game to make the score 49-18. The Chargers responded with a 13-play, 59-yard drive to get to the San Francisco 7-yard line, but 49ers defensive back Deion Sanders intercepted backup quarterback Gale Gilbert's fourth down pass in the end zone. After 2 San Francisco punts and another interception, the Chargers scored the final points of the game with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Humphries to wide receiver Tony Martin and another two-point conversion to make the score 49-26. San Francisco recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran time off the clock before punting to the San Diego 7. San Diego drove to the San Francisco 35 before time ran out, and the game ended in a 49ers victory.
At the end of the game Young showed his jubilation at finally being able to win "the big one" while accepting the MVP trophy. "There were times when this was hard! But this is the greatest feeling in the world! "No one -- no one -- can ever take this away from us! No one, ever! It's ours!" Young and his teammates were equally enthusiastic in the locker room afterwards. "We're part of history", said guard Jesse Sapolu. "This is probably the best offense people will see in their lifetimes." "Is this great or what?" Young added. "I mean, I haven't thrown six touchdown passes in a game in my life. Then I throw six in the Super Bowl! Unbelievable."
Rice caught 10 passes for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns, tying his own record for most touchdown receptions in a Super Bowl, and becoming the first player ever to do it twice. He also recorded 10 rushing yards. Watters rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 3 passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Means, who rushed for 1,350 yards in the regular season, was held to just 33 yards in the game. Humphries finished 24 out of 49 for 275 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions. Seay was the Chargers top receiver with 7 receptions for 75 yards, while Ronnie Harmon added 8 catches for 68. Defensive end Raylee Johnson had two sacks. Coleman's 8 kickoff returns for 244 yards and a touchdown set the following Super Bowl records: most kickoff returns in a Super Bowl, most kickoff return yards in a Super Bowl, and most combined net yards gained in a Super Bowl.
This was the first Super Bowl to have two players each score three touchdowns. Rice matched his Super Bowl XXIV performance with his three touchdown catches. Watters also had three touchdowns, matching Roger Craig's 3 touchdowns, 2 receiving and 1 rushing, that Craig accomplished in Super Bowl XIX. Watters also became the second running back to catch 2 touchdown passes in a game, matching Craig.
Ken Norton, Jr. became the first player in to win three straight Super Bowls. Norton was a member of the Cowboys teams who won Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII. Deion Sanders became the first player to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, playing in the 1992 World Series with the Atlanta Braves.
Chargers quarterback Gale Gilbert became the first player to be a member of five straight Super Bowl teams. Gilbert was a member of the Bills who played in four straight Super Bowls XXV through XXVIII. Gilbert was on the losing team in all five Super Bowl games.
The 49ers' spectacular performance led to their offensive coordinator, Mike Shanahan, and defensive coordinator, Ray Rhodes, gaining head coaching jobs the very next season for the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. Bobby Ross became the second coach, after Jimmy Johnson in Super Bowl XXVII, to lead a team to a college football national championship (Georgia Tech in 1990) and a Super Bowl.
{| class="wikitable" ! width="100px"| San Francisco !! Position !! width="100px"| San Diego |- |colspan="3" align="center"| OFFENSE |- | John Taylor ||align="center"| WR|| Mark Seay |- | Steve Wallace || align="center"| LT || Stan Brock |- | Jesse Sapolu || align="center"| LG || Isaac Davis |- | Bart Oates || align="center"| C || Courtney Hall |- | Derrick Deese || align="center"| RG || Joe Cocozzo |- | Harris Barton || align="center"| RT || Harry Swayne |- | Brent Jones || align="center"| TE || Alfred Pupunu |- | Jerry Rice || align="center"| WR || Tony Martin |- | Steve Young || align="center"| QB || Stan Humphries |- | Ricky Watters ||align="center"| RB || Natrone Means |- | William Floyd ||align="center"| FB-TE || Duane Young |- |colspan="3" align="center"| DEFENSE |- | Dennis Brown || align="center"| LE || Chris Mims |- | Bryant Young || align="center"| NT-LDT || Reuben Davis |- | Dana Stubblefield || align="center"| RDT || Shawn Lee |- | Rickey Jackson || align="center"| ELE-RE || Leslie O'Neal |- | Lee Woodall ||align="center"| LOLB || David Griggs |- | Gary Plummer || align="center"| MLB || Dennis Gibson |- | Ken Norton, Jr. || align="center"| ROLB || Junior Seau |- | Eric Davis || align="center"| LCB || Darrien Gordon |- | Deion Sanders || align="center"| RCB || Dwayne Harper |- | Tim McDonald || align="center"| SS || Darren Carrington |- | Merton Hanks || align="center"| FS || Stanley Richard |}
Super Bowl 029 Category:San Francisco 49ers postseason Category:San Diego Chargers postseason Category:1994 National Football League season
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