Coordinates	22°34′12″N17°5′1″N
sb name	XLIII
visitor	Pittsburgh Steelers
home	Arizona Cardinals
visitor abbr	PIT
home abbr	ARZ
visitor conf	AFC
home conf	NFC
visitor conf	AFC
home conf	NFC
visitor total	27
home total	23
visitor qtr1	3
visitor qtr2	14
visitor qtr3	3
visitor qtr4	7
home qtr1	0
home qtr2	7
home qtr3	0
home qtr4	16
date
stadium	Raymond James Stadium
city	Tampa, Florida
attendance	70,774
odds	Steelers by 7
mvp	Santonio Holmes, Wide receiver
anthem	Jennifer HudsonASL translation by Kristen Santos
coin toss	Gen. David Petraeus
referee	Terry McAulay
halftime	Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
headerstyle	background:#efefef;
network	NBC
announcers	Al Michaels and John Madden
rating	42.0 (national)53.6 (Pittsburgh)47.5 (Phoenix) US viewership: 98.7 million est. avg., 151.6 million est. total
share	65 (national)79 (Pittsburgh)80 (Arizona)
commercial	$2.4 million–$3 million
last	XLII
next	XLIV }}

Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Steelers (15-4) defeated the Cardinals (12-8) by a score of 27-23, earning their sixth Super Bowl win, which gave Pittsburgh the record for most Super Bowl wins and moved them ahead of the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, whose shared record of five they had tied three years prior following their win in Super Bowl XL. Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes, who caught 9 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, including 4 for 71 on their final scoring drive, was named Super Bowl MVP. He was the third Steelers receiver ever to win the award, following Lynn Swann and Hines Ward.

The Cardinals entered the game seeking their first NFL title since 1947, the longest championship drought in the league. The club became an unexpected winner during the season and the playoffs with the aid of head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers' offensive coordinator in Super Bowl XL, and the re-emergence of quarterback Kurt Warner, who was the Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXXIV with his former team, St. Louis Rams.

Despite the global financial crisis and limited amount of ancillary festivities that are normally held before the game, the NBC television network broadcast attracted an average U.S. audience of 98.7 million viewers, making it the most watched Super Bowl in history to that point (now third behind Super Bowl XLIV and Super Bowl XLV).

Background

Host selection process

Tampa was selected for the game site on May 25, 2005, beating out three other finalists: Atlanta, Houston, and Miami. Super Bowl XLIII was the second Super Bowl at this venue and the fourth overall in that city.

In February 2008, the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee unveiled the Super Bowl XLIII logo, featuring an abstract representation of a football stadium, with blue and green colors representing the regional waterways and landscapes of Tampa Bay. Eight yards of playing field are shown, alluding to the game's status as the championship of the 2008 NFL season. In a tradition starting with the Super Bowl XL logo, two stars — one red, representing the AFC, and one blue, representing the NFC — are flanked on either side of the Super Bowl XLIII logo. The tagline for Super Bowl XLIII as well as the 2008 NFL season is "Believe In Now".

Teams

The seeds of Super Bowl XLIII can be traced back to the end of the 2006 season. After winning Super Bowl XL in 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to an 8–8 record the following year. At the end of 2006, Bill Cowher ended his 15-year tenure as their head coach, leaving with a 149–90–1 regular season record and a 12–9 record in the playoffs. Both offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and assistant head coach Russ Grimm were widely considered the front-runners to succeed Cowher in Pittsburgh.

Without waiting to see if Pittsburgh would hire him, however, Whisenhunt accepted the head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals, a team that held the second longest championship drought in U.S. sports (1947, with only the Chicago Cubs last winning their championship in ) and had never advanced to the Super Bowl in their franchise history. The Steelers then passed over Grimm and instead hired Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin. Once Tomlin was hired by the Steelers, Grimm joined Whisenhunt in Arizona in the same position as assistant head coach as he had in Pittsburgh, and the two of them began to remodel the perennial losing club into a winner like the Steelers.

Of historical note the game matched up two franchises previously merged into a single team, "Card-Pitt", for the 1944 season in response to the depleted rosters during World War II. Pittsburgh was going for its sixth Super Bowl win, which would place it in sole possession of the record for most Super Bowl wins, while the Cardinals were seeking their first league title since 1947 and only the second undisputed league championship in their history. (The then-Chicago Cardinals were named the NFL champions in 1925 for finishing with the best record, but also because the Pottsville Maroons had been fined and suspended for playing a game against the Notre Dame football team in another NFL franchise's territory.) It was the third Super Bowl in history to feature two pre-expansion era (pre-1960) teams, joining Super Bowl XIV (Steelers vs. Los Angeles Rams, the latter of which coincidentally also went 9-7 in the regular season) and Super Bowl XLI (Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears). This game also featured the oldest franchise in the NFC playing the oldest franchise in the AFC. The Cardinals were founded in 1898 as an independent amateur team in Chicago. The Steelers, founded in 1933 as the Pittsburgh Pirates, are one of only three AFC teams that pre-date the 1960 NFL season. The Cardinals and Steelers played each other twice per season from 1960 through 1969, first in the Eastern Division (1960–66), then in the Century Division of the Eastern Conference (1967–69).

It also was the first time that two quarterbacks who previously started for a Super Bowl winning team (Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger) opposed one another since Jim Plunkett's Los Angeles Raiders defeated Joe Theisman's Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. Warner started for the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV and Super Bowl XXXVI, winning the first and losing the second one, while Roethlisberger was the winning quarterback in Super Bowl XL.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Under Tomlin's first season as head coach, the Steelers improved to a 10–6 record in 2007. Pittsburgh then finished the 2008 season with the second best record in the AFC at 12–4, making the playoffs for the sixth time in the last eight seasons, and went on to earn their seventh Super Bowl trip in franchise history, breaking a three-way tie with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos for second most Super Bowl appearances and most Super Bowl appearances by an AFC team. By advancing to Super Bowl 45 the Steelers became tied with the Dallas Cowboys for most Super Bowl appearances ever (8).

The Steelers excelled on defense and led the NFL in fewest points (13.9) and yards (237.2) allowed per game, while also ranking second in sacks with 51. Up front, their line was anchored by defensive end Aaron Smith, who recorded 60 tackles and six sacks. Behind him two of the Steelers starting linebackers ranked among the top-ten sack leaders in the NFL, LaMarr Woodley (11.5 sacks) and Pro Bowler/NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison (16 sacks). Pro Bowl linebacker James Farrior was also a big contributor, recording 4 sacks and leading the team with 133 tackles. The Steelers secondary was led by pro bowl safety Troy Polamalu, who ranked second in the NFL with a career-high seven interceptions.

For the fifth year in a row the Steelers offense was led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who finished the season with 3,301 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, with 15 interceptions. His top target was the Steelers all-time receiving leader Hines Ward, who recorded his fifth 1,000-yard season with 81 receptions for 1,043 yards and seven touchdowns. Other reliable receiving options included Santonio Holmes (55 receptions for 821 yards), Nate Washington (40 receptions for 631 yards), and tight end Heath Miller (48 receptions for 514 yards). The Steelers ground game was led by two-time pro bowl running back Willie Parker, who had rushed for over 1,200 yards in each of his previous three seasons. Injuries in 2008 limited him to 791 yards in 11 games, but running back Mewelde Moore proved to be a solid replacement, rushing for 588 yards and catching 40 passes for 320 yards.

For their efforts, Tomlin won the 2008 Motorola Coach Of The Year Award and Harrison was named the 2008 GMC Sierra Defensive Player Of The Year. The Steelers rolled into the post-season as the AFC's second seed, behind only the Tennessee Titans, who would finish 13–3 but lose in their divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Arizona Cardinals

Under Whisenhunt's first season as head coach, the Cardinals finished with an 8–8 record in 2007. Arizona then finished the 2008 season with a 9–7 record and went on to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history, becoming only the second NFL team to do so with nine wins.

One reason for Arizona's success was the re-emergence of 37-year old quarterback Kurt Warner. After going undrafted and spending a few years in the Arena Football League, Warner became the St. Louis Rams starting quarterback in 1999 due to a pre-season injury of starter Trent Green. He went on to lead the Rams to two Super Bowls and one Super Bowl win (in which Warner was named MVP), while also winning two NFL MVP awards. But in 2002, Warner's production was drastically reduced by injuries and he soon lost his starting job to Marc Bulger. He eventually left the team to join the New York Giants, but once again he lost his starting job (replaced by an ineffective Eli Manning) and signed on with the Cardinals in 2005. For the third time, Warner lost his starting job due to mediocre performances and injuries. After the season, Arizona selected Heisman winning quarterback Matt Leinart with their first round draft pick. This, combined with another mediocre performance in the 2006 season, appeared to severely limit Warner's chances of ever being a permanent starter on the team. However, early in the 2007 season, Warner was thrust into the starting lineup to replace an injured Leinart, and by the end of the team's season, he had re-emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the league, throwing 27 touchdown passes with a passer rating of 89.8.

With his starting job on the team more secure, Warner posted one of his best seasons in 2008, throwing for 4,583 yards and 30 touchdowns, with only 14 interceptions, giving him an NFC best 96.9 rating. His top targets were receivers Larry Fitzgerald (96 receptions, 1,431 yards, 12 touchdowns), Anquan Boldin (89 receptions, 1,038 yards, 11 touchdowns), and Steve Breaston (77 receptions, 1,006 yards, three touchdowns, 904 special teams return yards), who made the Cardinals the fifth team ever to feature three players with over 1,000 receiving yards. The Cardinals ground game was led by veteran running back Edgerrin James and rookie Tim Hightower. James led the team with 514 yards, while Hightower rushed for 399 and scored 10 touchdowns. He was also a reliable target out of the backfield, catching 34 passes for another 237 yards. Overall, Arizona's offense ranked fourth in yards per game (365.8) and third in scoring (422 points) in 2008.

The Cardinals defense, however, had played inconsistently during the regular season, ranking just 28th in points allowed. Up front their line was anchored by defensive lineman Bertrand Berry, who recorded five sacks and forced two fumbles, along with tackle Darnell Dockett, known for his ability to blow up running plays. Linebacker Karlos Dansby was also a solid contributor, recording four sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles, while also leading the team with 119 tackles. The Cardinals secondary was led by rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (who led the team with four interceptions) and Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson (fourth on the team in tackles, 75).

Playoffs

Arizona advanced to the Super Bowl by beating the fifth-seeded Atlanta Falcons 30–24, the second-seeded Carolina Panthers, 33–13, and the sixth-seeded Philadelphia Eagles, 32–25. Warner played exceptionally well in those games, throwing for a total of 661 yards and eight touchdowns, with only two interceptions, giving him a rating of 112.1. The Cardinals also got a big performance out of Larry Fitzgerald, who caught 23 passes for a postseason record 419 yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, Arizona's 28th-ranked defense showed major improvement in the postseason, forcing twelve turnovers in their three games. This included five interceptions and one fumble from Carolina's pro bowl quarterback Jake Delhomme in the divisional round.

The Cardinals became the third NFL team to advance to the Super Bowl after winning three playoff games despite winning its division; the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII and the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI were the other two. In addition, they would become the first team to advance to the Super Bowl as both a division winner and a No. 4 seed. The Baltimore Ravens were the last No. 4 seed to advance to a Super Bowl before this game, as they were the No. 4 seed in the AFC when they went on to win Super Bowl XXXV, but were a wild-card team before the 2002 realignment gave each conference four divisions.

Pittsburgh began their Super Bowl run with a 35–24 win over the fourth-seeded San Diego Chargers, gaining 342 yards, avoiding any turnovers, holding the ball for 36:30 (including for 14:43 in the third quarter alone, an NFL record for a single quarter), and scoring a touchdown in every quarter. Also, Parker appeared to be fully recovered from his regular season injuries, as evidenced by his career postseason high 147-yard, two–touchdown performance against the Chargers. Pittsburgh then went on to beat, for the third time in the season, their AFC North division arch rivals, the sixth-seeded Baltimore Ravens, 23–14, holding them to 184 yards and forcing five turnovers.

Super Bowl pre-game notes

The AFC Champion Steelers stayed at the InterContinental Tampa and held their pre-game practices at the training facility of the University of South Florida Bulls. The NFC Champion Cardinals were based at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay and held their practices at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' training facility. Both teams arrived in the Tampa area on Monday, January 26.

Also on January 26, the NFL announced that the Super Bowl game would be one of the safest places in the United States during game time. Personnel from over 20 different federal agencies were on site to assist in protecting players and fans.

Pittsburgh entered the game as seven-point favorites over Arizona. Major factors for this included the view that the Steelers' defense was better compared to the that of the Cardinals and the feeling that the AFC was an overall better conference than the NFC.

The Cardinals were the designated "home team," as was the case for all NFC champions in odd numbered Super Bowls. Arizona wore their red jerseys, which it has done at home since moving into University of Phoenix Stadium in 2006 after predominantly wearing their white jerseys at home for their first 18 years in Arizona to combat the intense heat of September and October. As a result, the Steelers wore white jerseys for their second consecutive Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh improved to 3–0 lifetime wearing white jerseys in the Super Bowl after the victory in Super Bowl XLIII (Pittsburgh would eventually lose to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV while wearing white jerseys). The other two times the team wore white was as the "visiting team" against the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX (during a time when the designated "home" team was required to wear their team colored jerseys) and against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL despite being the "home team" that season but having road success in the playoffs. In addition, teams wearing white jerseys in the Super Bowl extended their winning streak to five games, dating back to Super Bowl XXXIX, currently the longest such streak between white and team colored jerseys in Super Bowl history. Pittsburgh also improved to 3-0 lifetime against NFC West Division teams in the Super Bowl, having previously beaten the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV and the Seahawks in XL.

Another pre-game storyline involved backup Steelers tight end/fullback Sean McHugh. McHugh, who spent the past three seasons with the Detroit Lions, made that team's 53-man roster at the end of the preseason, only to be released 24 hours later alongside linebacker Anthony Cannon in order for the Lions to make room for linebacker Ryan Nece and running back Marcus Thomas. The Steelers promptly signed McHugh after the team traded center Sean Mahan back to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a draft pick before the start of the season. The subsequent media attention surrounding McHugh had to do with him being deemed not good enough for the Lions (a team that would finish 0-16, the NFL's first imperfect season since the expansion 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers), but good enough for a Super Bowl team such as the Steelers and being a valuable blocker for Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker. McHugh himself had mixed feelings about the situation, feeling bad for his former Lions teammates, but also feeling it's a little payback for the Lions for releasing him in the first place. McHugh would play in the Super Bowl as a blocker, much like his regular season role.

The Cardinals became the second team to have their city/state location painted in their end zone for a Super Bowl, as their end zone read Arizona Cardinals. In Super Bowl XL, the Seattle Seahawks became the first team to have this, as their end zone read Seattle Seahawks. For all other Super Bowl teams, end zones have just featured the team nickname.

Economic effects

With all the cutbacks resulting from the severe economic downturn in the United States, the game was dubbed "The Recession Bowl." Restaurants were slow in business and many parties, including parties hosted by ''Playboy'' and ''Sports Illustrated'' were canceled. There were also 200 fewer sports journalists covering the game than at Super Bowl XLII the previous year. According to the online broker StubHub, tickets with a face value of $500 changed hands the week of the Super Bowl for an average $2,500 – a 40% drop from Super Bowl XLII in 2008 and 16% lower than Super Bowl XL in 2006. Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, the Big Three automobile makers, decided not to purchase television advertisements following the three companies' business struggles in 2008 and early 2009.

Broadcasting

Television

United States

The game was televised live in the United States on NBC, the network's first Super Bowl broadcast since Super Bowl XXXII at the end of the 1997 season, and was available in 1080i high definition. Play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and color commentator John Madden were in the booth, with Andrea Kremer and Alex Flanagan serving as sideline reporters. The pre-game show – a record five hours long – was hosted by the ''Football Night in America'' team headed by Bob Costas, and preceded by a two-hour special edition of ''Today'' hosted by the regular weekday team live from Tampa and the NFL Films – produced ''Road to the Super Bowl''. Matt Millen was part of the coverage as a studio analyst. The'' Today'' contribution included portions of a taped interview with President Obama and pictures of troops viewing the proceedings in Iraq.

John Madden was the first person to have announced a Super Bowl for each of the four major U.S. television networks, having called five Super Bowls for CBS, three for Fox, and two for ABC prior to joining NBC in 2006. Meanwhile, Al Michaels was the third man to do play-by-play for a Super Bowl on NBC television (following in the footsteps of Curt Gowdy and Dick Enberg). Also, Michaels became the second person (after Pat Summerall on CBS and Fox) to be the lead Super Bowl play-by-play announcer for two different major U.S. networks (ABC and NBC). This would prove to be the final game Madden would call, as he announced his retirement from broadcasting on April 16, 2009.

The Super Bowl was one of two major professional sports championship series NBC broadcast in 2009, as they would also broadcast the Stanley Cup Finals. Both championship series involved teams from Pittsburgh winning championships. Mike Emrick, Ed Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire mentioned this when they called the Stanley Cup Finals.

Super Bowl XLIII was the final Super Bowl to air in the analog television format in the United States before the nationwide digital television transition. The transition, originally scheduled for February 17 was pushed back to June 12, the same day the Penguins won the Stanley Cup.

With an average U.S. audience of 98.7 million viewers (and an estimated total viewership of 151.6 million), this was the third most watched Super Bowl in history, and the fourth most watched U.S. television program of any kind, trailing only Super Bowl XLV in 2011, which drew an average audience of 111 million; Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, average audience 106.5 million; and the final episode of ''M*A*S*H'' in 1983, average audience 106 million. However, the national Nielsen rating of 42.0 was lower than the 43.3 rating for the previous year's game. The telecast drew a 53.6 rating in Pittsburgh and a 47.5 rating in Phoenix, first and ninth respectively among local markets.

In Tucson, Arizona and surrounding areas, the analog but not digital feed of the Comcast cable service was interrupted by an unknown party, when 30 seconds from Playboy Enterprises-owned adult cable television channel Shorteez was broadcast to homes just after Larry Fitzgerald scored his fourth quarter touchdown to give the Cardinals a 23-20 lead. Minutes before this occurred, 10 seconds of an end credit segment from ClubJenna, another Playboy-owned channel, was shown. Comcast offered a $10 credit for customers who claimed to have seen the incident, and the Federal Communications Commission announced that it would investigate the cause of the incident. On February 4, 2011, Tucson Police and the FBI arrested Frank Tanori Gonzalez on suspicion of fraud and computer tampering in connection with the porn incident.

The telecast was also carried to U.S. service personnel stationed around the globe via the American Forces Network.

Commercials

In addition to featuring the game's first 1-second TV ad (courtesy of Miller High Life), Super Bowl XLIII marked the first time that a 30-second commercial time slot cost up to US $3 million for the airtime alone, excluding production and talent costs. Many traditional advertisers, such as Anheuser-Busch and PepsiCo, bought multiple ads at discounted rates. None of the "Big Three" U.S. automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) ran advertisements during the game. A short trailer for ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' premiered during the Super Bowl, a debut which director Michael Bay first revealed would occur in January. A preview of the upcoming ''Star Trek'' film also premiered during the game. However, with the weak economy, NBC was thought to have turned to companies already buying ad time for an additional purchase or two as set by the Los Angeles-based Forza Migliozzi agency, which would have eight advertisers simultaneously in one 30-second ad. SoBe and DreamWorks Animation aired a 3-D trailer for the upcoming film ''Monsters vs. Aliens'', along with a 3-D ad for Sobe Life Water that featured Ray Lewis and Todd Light dancing ''Swan Lake'' (renamed ''Lizard Lake'' for this ad), as well as the promo for the upcoming episode of ''Chuck'' in 3D. About 150 million "ColorCode 3-D" glasses were given away at grocery stores across the country for the ad. Hyundai also advertised its new Genesis Coupe in two 30-second commercials. All advertising slots were sold out one day before the game, resulting in sales of $206 million.

The top five ads as chosen by the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter were: # Doritos' fan-made ad about "free Doritos" being seen in a "crystal ball", with different results for two co-workers. Joseph and Dave Herbert from Batesville, Indiana, creators of the ad, won US $1,000,000; # Budweiser's Clydesdale love affair with a dancing horse; # Another Budweiser ad seeing another Clydesdale playing fetch showing off after the beer wagon's Dalmatian fetches a small stick; # A Bridgestone ad with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head driving in a toy car on a twisty road; # Another Doritos ad that shows the power of crunch with a woman being stripped down to her underwear, free money from an ATM and a policeman being turned into a monkey.

YouTube's top five in "Ad Blitz 2009" also saw the two Doritos ads finish first and fifth. The middle three featured E*Trade's Singing Baby ad, CareerBuilder.com's "The Official 2009 Super Bowl Commercial" and Pepsi Max's "I'm Good" finish second through fourth respectively.

ADBOWL results reflected the following ranking: # Bridgestone: Taters # Bridgestone: Hot Item # Doritos: Crystal Ball # Coca-Cola: Heist # Pepsi Max: I’m Good

Denny's had a popular commercial starring Nannerpus which promoted their Grand Slam breakfasts as "serious."

International telecasts

: SuperSport : NFL Network coverage was simulcasted on ESPN Australia on Foxtel and Austar. NBC commentary and graphics were simulcast free-to-air on Network Ten and Ten HD. The Ten broadcast was anchored by a four-man panel from Melbourne that included analysis from Philadelphia Eagles punter, Australian Sav Rocca. Also shown on SBS starting at 10am Australian Eastern Standard Time. : ORF1, ORF1 HD (00:00 CET). : ESPN Brasil. Paulo Antunes (commentating), Everaldo Marques (play-by-play) and André Kfouri (on field). : English language network CTV aired the game live throughout Canada, simulcasting the NBC broadcast, with Canadian law requiring cable and satellite providers to replace NBC's broadcast with CTV's feed (which contains Canadian commercials). The French language cable channel RDS (also owned by CTV) carried the game using NBC's video feed and its own announcers. : CCTV Sports, China Central Television and SMG (07:00, 2 February Beijing Time). Mainland only. : SportKlub (23:55 CET.) and : Nova Sport : TV3+ : ESPN America : Viasat Sport 1, Viasat Sport HD : France 2. : ARD Das Erste (00:10 CET.) : Sport 1 (Hungarian) : Stöð 2 Sport : TV3 (23:00 GMT.) : Rai Due and Rai Sport Più (00:00 CET), with Valerio Iafrate and Roberto Gotta, RAI's NFL hosts, as commentators. The digital transmission was in 16:9 and HD (where available). : NHK, Nippon Television and Gaora. (08:00, 2 February JST) : The game was broadcast on both Televisa and TV Azteca, with both telecasts distributed in HDTV. : SportKlub (cable), Elmag (terrestrial) (23:55 CET.) : ESPN Australia (NFL Network commentators, graphics/NBC simulcast) : Viasat Sport, Viasat Sport HD (00:00 CET.) : ESPN, Fox Sports Latin America. : Balls and Solar Sports (both live using the feed from the NFL Network); C/S 9 (delayed) : Nsport HD : Sport TV. Also in high-definition (16:9.) (23:00 WET) : 7TV, NTV Plus Sport and NTV Plus HD Sport : SportKlub (23:55 CET.) with , and : ASN (All Sports Network) : SBS Sports (08:00, 2 February KST) : Digital+ in HD (00:00 CET) : TV6, Viasat Sport, Viasat Sport HD (00:00 CET.) : Videoland Television Network aired the game live at 07:00AM, 2 February UTC +8. : Spormax. Also in High-definition [16.9] {01.00 EET}

: The game was broadcast on Sky Sports and on BBC One with programming starting at 22:00 and at 23:00 GMT respectively. This was one of only two NFL games broadcast on the BBC, the other being the international series. Coverage was presented by Jake Humphrey live from the venue, with summarizers Rod Woodson and Mike Carlson. Sky Sports' NFL host, Kevin Cadle, was in the studio with guests throughout the event, with co-presenter Nick Halling in Tampa providing analysis live from the event.

An international feed featured Bob Papa and Sterling Sharpe announcing, and was seen in 230 countries (including Antarctica) over 61 networks and 34 languages. ESPN Latin America also broadcasted across Latin America.

Radio

On radio, Westwood One had the national English-language broadcast rights to the game in the United States and Canada. It was only made available to local affiliates as part of a 57-game package of regular season and post-season games. Stations were not allowed to stream the broadcast on their web sites. Marv Albert and Boomer Esiason called the game for the network. The teams' flagship stations also carried the game with their respective local announcers: WDVE-FM and WBGG-AM in Pittsburgh (with Bill Hillgrove and Tunch Ilkin announcing), and KTAR-AM/FM in Phoenix (with Dave Pasch and Ron Wolfley announcing). Univision Radio/United Stations carried a Spanish-language feed for Hispanophone American listeners (with Clemson Smith-Muñiz and David Crommett announcing).

Sirius XM Satellite Radio carried 13 game feeds in ten languages to Sirius subscribers, as well as to XM subscribers with the "Best of Sirius" package. In addition to the four US feeds mentioned above, Sirius carried the following international feeds:

: BBC Radio 5 Live (English; Arlo White announcing) : NTV Plus (Russian) : France 2 (French) : NHK (Japanese) : ARD (German) : Telenet (Flemish) : SMG (Mandarin Chinese) : RAI (Italian; Iafrate-Gotta's TV audio) : Cadena Ser (Spanish)

FieldPass, the subscription Internet radio service provided by the league at NFL.com, carried most of these feeds, with select international feeds for free. Due to contractual restrictions, only Sirius XM and FieldPass were permitted to carry the local team broadcasts along with WDVE, WBGG, and KTAR, with the teams' other network radio affiliates instead carrying the Westwood One feed.

Entertainment and other ceremonies

Pregame

Journey performed during the pre-game show, and Jennifer Hudson sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" (arranged by Chris Walden) in her first public appearance since the murder of her nephew, brother and mother. Hudson became the second consecutive alumna from the ''American Idol'' television series to perform the national anthem at a Super Bowl (Jordin Sparks sang the anthem at Super Bowl XLII). The national anthem was translated into American Sign Language by Kristen Santos. Following the anthem, the U. S. Air Force Thunderbirds performed a fly-over. John Legend performed a short concert several hours before the game, while Faith Hill performed "America the Beautiful" prior to Hudson's performance of the national anthem. Also, the crew of US Airways Flight 1549 were recognized on field for their actions.

The NFL saluted four decades of champions during the coin toss ceremony and the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation. The coin toss featured Roger Craig (Super Bowl XXIII, 1989), John Elway (Super Bowl XXXIII, 1999) and Lynn Swann (Super Bowl XIII, 1979). Roger Craig followed last year's participants and fellow San Francisco 49ers Craig Walsh (son of Bill Walsh), Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice and Steve Young. General David Petraeus performed the actual coin toss. The Steelers called tails, but it landed on heads, so the Cardinals won the toss. Arizona deferred their choice to the second half, and the Steelers chose to receive, making it the first time in Super Bowl history that the coin toss winner kicked off to start the game. (The NFL had just changed the rule before the start of the season allowing the team that wins the coin toss to defer the choice to the second half, similar to that in college football and Canadian football.) By winning the toss, the Arizona Cardinals were the twelfth consecutive coin toss winner from the NFC, dating back to Super Bowl XXXII. Joe Namath (Super Bowl III, 1969) participated in the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation and he previously participated in the coin toss in Super Bowl XXVIII. Coincidentally, Namath—a native of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh—ultimately handed the trophy to his hometown team.

The Steelers entered Raymond James Stadium first, to "Right Here, Right Now" by Fatboy Slim.

The Cardinals entered last, as they were the "home" team, to "Ignition" by tobyMac.

Halftime

The Super Bowl XLIII halftime show, which was sponsored by Bridgestone for the second consecutive year, featured Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, with The Miami Horns and a gospel choir. Their halftime performance consisted of these songs in the following order:

"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"

"Born to Run"

"Working on a Dream"

"Glory Days"

Each of the numbers had at least one verse removed, in order to fit the overall performance in the intended 12-minute time limit. Springsteen had turned down numerous invitations to play at the Super Bowl before this one, unsure of its legitimacy, but finally accepted after realizing the prestige value.

Bruce Springsteen stated in an interview with Bob Costas, he would like Coldplay to perform the halftime show next year.

Home video

The Steelers 2008 season/Super Bowl XLIII championship home video went on sale on DVD on February 24, 2009. One week later on March 3, it was released on Blu-ray Disc, making it the first NFL Films home video release to be on Blu-ray Disc. The Blu-ray copy was "officially" sold exclusively through Amazon.com, though it was also available through the Sports Illustrated Super Bowl offer, and has since been made available at other retailers. Among its exclusive content included having most of the features in high-definition video as well as the NFL on Fox fourth-quarter coverage of the Steelers matchup against the Dallas Cowboys at Heinz Field in its entirety. The matchup, which took place during Week 14 and renewed the rivalry the two teams had in the 1970s & 1990's, saw the Steelers come back from a 4th quarter ten point deficit to win 20-13.

The New York Giants 2007 season/Super Bowl video was only released on DVD the previous year despite the fact that Toshiba dropped support of HD DVD (the primary rival of Blu-ray) just two weeks after Super Bowl XLII.

Game summary

Pittsburgh took the opening kickoff and moved down the field on a 71-yard scoring drive, with Ben Roethlisberger completing a 38-yard pass to Hines Ward and a 21-yard strike to Heath Miller, putting the ball at the Arizona 1-yard line. On third down, Roethlisberger appeared to score on a quarterback scramble, but it was overruled by a replay challenge, which determined that he was down before the ball crossed the goal line. Rather than make another attempt at a touchdown, Pittsburgh settled for a Jeff Reed 18-yard field goal to take the 3–0 lead. The Steelers quickly forced an Arizona punt and then drove back down the field for what would turn into more points. On the first play of their drive, Roethlisberger completed a 25-yard pass to Santonio Holmes. Following three more completions to Miller for 26 yards and another one to Holmes for 7, reserve running back Gary Russell went into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 10–0 on the second play of the second quarter. They became the first team to score on its first two drives since the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. On defense, Pittsburgh held Arizona to just one drive and one first down in the first quarter, while gaining 135 yards.

The Cardinals got going for the first time midway through the second quarter as a 45-yard completion from Kurt Warner to Anquan Boldin moved the ball to the Steelers' 1-yard line. On the next play, Warner nearly fell over after taking the snap, but he regained his balance and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ben Patrick. After an exchange of punts, Roethlisberger threw a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by linebacker Karlos Dansby at the Steelers 34-yard line with 2:46 left in the half. Seven plays later, the Cardinals drove to a first down on the Pittsburgh 1-yard line. But with 18 seconds left, Warner's pass was intercepted in the end zone by linebacker James Harrison, who then took off down the sideline for the longest play in Super Bowl history, a 100-yard return for a touchdown, increasing the Steelers' lead to 17–7 at halftime. A booth review was called to verify that Harrison had broken the plane, as he was tackled at the goal line, and the ruling stood. The official NFL Films footage for the game showed that Larry Fitzgerald was about to tackle Harrison at Arizona's 30-yard line, but teammate Antrel Rolle was illegally standing inside the sideline area and blocked Fitzgerald's path, allowing Harrison to get enough distance that he could cross the goal line when Fitzgerald caught up to him at the return's end.

After forcing a punt, the Steelers started off the third quarter with another long scoring drive. Aided by three personal foul penalties against Arizona, they moved the ball 79 yards in 14 plays and took 8:39 off the clock. However, they were unable to get into the end zone, despite two first downs inside the Cardinals 10 (a penalty against Arizona on a Steelers field goal attempt gave them another chance), and they had to settle for another Reed field goal to give them a 13-point lead, 20–7. After a few more punts, Warner led the Cardinals down the field on an eight-play, 87-yard scoring drive that took 3:57 off the clock, utilizing a no huddle offense. With 7:33 left in the game, Warner threw a high floating pass to Fitzgerald, who made a leaping catch through tight coverage by Ike Taylor for a touchdown, making the score 20–14.

Later on, Ben Graham's 34-yard punt pinned the Steelers back at their own 1-yard line. Two plays later on third down and 10, Roethlisberger threw a 20-yard pass to Holmes, but center Justin Hartwig was called for holding in the end zone, which not only nullified the catch, but gave the Cardinals a safety, raising the score to 20–16. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin later stated that losing the two points didn't faze him, as it didn't change how the Steelers called plays for the rest of the game on either defense or offense. Taking over on their own 36 after the free kick, Arizona took two plays to score, as Warner threw a pass to Fitzgerald on a post route. Fitzgerald caught the ball without breaking stride and took off down the middle of the field past the Steelers secondary for a 63-yard touchdown reception, giving Arizona their first lead of the game, 23–20.

Pittsburgh got the ball back on their own 22-yard line with 2:37 left in the game and two timeouts remaining. On their first play, a holding penalty pushed them back 10 yards. Roethlisberger then completed two passes to Holmes for 27 yards. After an 11-yard reception by Nate Washington and a 4-yard run by Roethlisberger, he completed a 40-yard pass to Holmes at the Cardinals 6-yard line. Two plays later, Holmes caught a pass in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown, managing to land with his toes inbounds before falling out of bounds. After a booth review, the touchdown pass stood. Reed's ensuing extra point made the score 27–23 with 35 seconds remaining. Following the ensuing kickoff, Warner completed a 20-yard pass to Fitzgerald and a 13-yarder to J. J. Arrington, moving the ball to the Steelers 44. With 18 seconds left, Warner prepared to attempt a Hail Mary pass, but linebacker LaMarr Woodley forced a fumble while sacking Warner, which defensive end Brett Keisel recovered, giving the ball back to Pittsburgh with five seconds left. Many viewers incorrectly assumed that the play had not been reviewed for a possible incomplete pass, but NFL Head of Officiating Mike Pereira later explained that it actually was reviewed, unnoticed by the public. It was the first and only time that Warner was not involved in a Super Bowl that was decided on the final play of the game. Roethlisberger took a knee, sealing the Steelers' NFL record sixth Super Bowl title.

Box score

Statistics

In Super Bowl XLIII, Arizona and Pittsburgh combined for the fewest rushing attempts (38) and the fewest rushing yards (91) in Super Bowl history. The Cardinals outgained the Steelers in both passing yards (374 to 234) and total yards (407 to 292), but were flagged for 11 penalties for 106 yards. Arizona's safety in the fourth quarter was only the sixth one scored in Super Bowl history, the first since Super Bowl XXV.

Warner completed 31 of 43 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. His 377 yards was the second most in Super Bowl history behind his own record of 414 yards in Super Bowl XXXIV (Warner also holds the third place record with 365 yards in Super Bowl XXXVI). With the three highest totals in Super Bowl history, he passed Joe Montana for most career yards in Super Bowl history with 1,156 (Montana threw for 1,142 yards in four games). He became the fifth quarterback in Super Bowl history to throw three touchdown passes in defeat (the others being Roger Staubach, Brett Favre, Jake Delhomme, and Donovan McNabb). He also became the first quarterback in Super Bowl history to have a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown in two different Super Bowls and is also the second quarterback to throw a fourth-quarter touchdown in three different Super Bowls (Terry Bradshaw threw a fourth-quarter touchdown in all four of his Super Bowls).

Warner's top target was Fitzgerald, who caught seven passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Fitzgerald set a single postseason record with seven touchdown receptions, passing Jerry Rice, who had six in the 1988 postseason. Fitzgerald as well as Holmes each had 100 yards receiving, marking the fourth time in Super Bowl history, one player from each team had over 100 yards in a Super Bowl. Michael Irvin and Andre Reed were the first in Super Bowl XXVII, followed by Deion Branch and Muhsin Muhammad in Super Bowl XXXVIII and Branch again a year later along with Terrell Owens in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Roethlisberger completed 21 of 30 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. Woodley had two sacks and a forced fumble, thus he continued setting NFL play-off records for consecutive multiple sack games by a player with 4. Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett had all of Arizona's three sacks, tying the Super Bowl record set by Reggie White in Super Bowl XXXI. Harrison's 100-yard interception return was the longest play of any kind in a Super Bowl.

With this victory, the Steelers became the first team to win three Super Bowls in the same state. Their victories in Super Bowls X and XIII were both at the Miami Orange Bowl.

Statistical comparison

!''Source: NFL.com''	!Pittsburgh Steelers	!Arizona Cardinals
First downs	20
Third down efficiency	4/10
Fourth down efficiency	0–0
Total yards	292
Passing yards	234
Passing – completions/attempts	21/30
Rushing yards	58
Rushing attempts	26
Yards per rush	2.2
Penalties–yards	7–56
Sacks against–yards	2–22
Fumbles–lost	0–0
Interceptions thrown	1
Time of possession	33:01

Individual leaders

^*Completions/Attempts ^aCarries ^bLong play ^cReceptions ^tTackles ^gForced Fumble

Starting lineups

colspan="2" align="center" colspan="2" align="center" align="center" align="center" align="center" align="center" align="center" colspan="2" align="center"

width="150px"	Arizona
colspan="4" align="center"	OFFENSE
Hines Ward	WR		Larry Fitzgerald
Max Starks	LT
Chris Kemoeatu	LG
Justin Hartwig	C
Darnell Stapleton	RG
Willie Colon (American football)	Willie Colon	> Levi Brown
Heath Miller	TE
Santonio Holmes	WR
Ben Roethlisberger	QB
Willie Parker	RB
Carey Davis	FB
colspan="4" align="center"	DEFENSE
	> Antonio Smith
Casey Hampton	NT ||	LDT	Bryan Robinson
Brett Keisel	RE ||	RDT	Darnell Dockett
LaMarr Woodley	LOLB ||	RE	Gabe Watson
James Farrior	LILB ||	LOLB	Chike Okeafor
Larry Foote	RILB ||	ILB	Gerald Hayes
James Harrison (American football)	James Harrison	ROLB
Ike Taylor	LCB
Bryant McFadden	RCB
Troy Polamalu	> Adrian Wilson
Ryan Clark (American football)	Ryan Clark	FS

Officials

The officials for the game were:

Referee: Terry McAulay, #77; second Super Bowl, refereed Super Bowl XXXIX.

Umpire: Roy Ellison #81

Head Linesman: Derick Bowers #74

Line Judge: Mark Perlman #9

Field Judge: Greg Gautreaux #80

Side Judge: Michael Banks #72

Back Judge: Keith Ferguson #61

Alternate Officials

*Referee: Ron Winter, #14

*Umpire: Darrell Jenkins #76

*Line Judge: Darryll Lewis #130

*Field Judge: Doug Rosenbaum #67

*Back Judge: Billy Smith #2

Post-game riots

In Pittsburgh, mostly in the Oakland neighborhood, riots broke out on the streets after the Steelers' victory. Rioters—mostly college students—caused about $150,000 in estimated damages. More than 60 people were arrested during and after the rioting, and at least two students were suspended. Two of the Steelers' former homes, Forbes Field and Pitt Stadium, were in the Oakland neighborhood.

Ring

The ring for the Pittsburgh Steelers was designed and made by Jostens working with Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II. The designs were also shown to James Farrior, Hines Ward, Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison before a final decision was made.

References

External links

Super Bowl 43 official website at NFL.com

Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee – Official web site

Category:2008 National Football League season Category:2009 in American sports Category:Pittsburgh Steelers postseason Category:Arizona Cardinals postseason Category:Sports in Tampa, Florida Super Bowl 043

da:Super Bowl XLIII de:Super Bowl XLIII es:Super Bowl XLIII fr:Super Bowl XLIII id:Super Bowl XLIII it:Super Bowl XLIII hu:Super Bowl XLIII nl:Super Bowl XLIII ja:第43回スーパーボウル no:Super Bowl XLIII pl:Super Bowl XLIII pt:Super Bowl XLIII ru:Супер Боул XLIII zh:第四十三届超级碗

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. This game is held at a selected site, usually a city that hosts an NFL team. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held, with Super Bowl I being the 1966 season championship game. The Super Bowl XLVI was played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, on February 5, 2012, to determine the champion of the 2011 season; the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots.

The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a “conference”, and the game was then played between the conference champions. Currently, the NFC leads the series with 24 wins to 21 wins for the AFC.

The day on which the Super Bowl is played is now considered a ''de facto'' American national holiday, called “Super Bowl Sunday”. It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most watched American television broadcast of the year. Super Bowl XLV played in 2011 became the most watched American television program in history, drawing an average audience of 111 million viewers and taking over the spot held by the previous year's Super Bowl, which itself had taken over the #1 spot held for twenty-eight years by the final episode of ''M*A*S*H''. The Super Bowl is also among the most watched sporting events in the world, mostly due to North American audiences, and is second to association football (soccer)’s UEFA Champions League final as the most watched annual sporting event worldwide.

Because of its high viewership, commercial airtime during the Super Bowl broadcast is the most expensive of the year because the viewing count of the Super Bowl is an average of 100,000,000 people every year. Due to the high cost of investing in advertising on the Super Bowl, companies regularly develop their most expensive advertisements for this broadcast. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcast's commercials has become a significant aspect of the event. In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the event's pre-game and halftime ceremonies because of the exposure.

Origin

For four decades after its 1920 inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival leagues. However, in 1960, it encountered its most serious competitor when the American Football League (AFL) was formed. The AFL vied heavily with the NFL for both players and fans, but by the middle of the decade the strain of competition led to serious merger talks between the two leagues. Prior to the 1966 season, the NFL and AFL reached a merger agreement that was to take effect for the 1970 season. As part of the merger, the champions of the two leagues agreed to meet in a "world" championship game for professional American football until the merger was effected.

Lamar Hunt, owner of the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs, first used the term "Super Bowl" to refer to this game in the merger meetings. Hunt would later say the name was likely in his head because his children had been playing with a Super Ball toy (a vintage example of the ball is on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio). In a July 25, 1966, letter to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Hunt wrote, "I have kiddingly called it the 'Super Bowl,' which obviously can be improved upon." Although the leagues' owners decided on the name "AFL-NFL Championship Game," the media immediately picked up on Hunt's "Super Bowl" name, which would become official beginning with the third annual game.

The "Super Bowl" name was derived from the bowl game, a term used to describe post-season college football games. The original "bowl game" was the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, California, which was first played in 1902 as the "Tournament East-West football game" as part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and moved to the new Rose Bowl Stadium in 1923. The stadium got its name from the fact that the game played there was part of the Tournament of Roses and that it was shaped like a bowl, much like the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut; the Tournament of Roses football game itself eventually came to be known as the Rose Bowl Game. Exploiting the Rose Bowl Game's popularity, post-season college football contests were created for Miami (the Orange Bowl) and New Orleans (the Sugar Bowl) in 1935, and for Dallas (the Cotton Bowl) in 1937. Thus, by the time the first Super Bowl was played, the term "bowl" for any big-time American football game was well established.

After the NFL's Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, some team owners feared for the future of the merger. At the time, many doubted the competitiveness of AFL teams compared with their NFL counterparts, though that perception changed when the AFL's New York Jets defeated the NFL's Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in Miami. One year later, the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL's Minnesota Vikings 23–7 in Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, which was the final AFL-NFL World Championship Game played before the merger. Beginning with the 1970 season, the NFL realigned into two conferences; the former AFL teams plus three NFL teams (the Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns) would constitute the American Football Conference (AFC), while the remaining NFL clubs would form the National Football Conference (NFC). The champions of the two conferences would play each other in the Super Bowl.

The game is played annually on a Sunday as the final game of the NFL Playoffs. Originally, the game took place in early to mid-January, following a fourteen-game regular season and two rounds of playoffs. Over the years, the date of the Super Bowl has progressed from the second Sunday in January, to the third, then the fourth Sunday in January; the game is currently played on the first Sunday in February, given the current seventeen-week (sixteen games and one bye week) regular season and three rounds of playoffs. Also, February is television's "sweeps" month, thus affording the television network carrying the game an immense opportunity to pad its viewership when negotiating for advertising revenue. The progression of the dates of the Super Bowl was caused by several factors: the expansion of the NFL's regular season in 1978 from fourteen games to sixteen; the expansion of the pre-Super Bowl playoff field from eight to twelve teams, necessitating the addition of a third round of playoffs (also in 1978); the addition of the regular season bye-week in the 1990s; and the decision to start the regular season the week following Labor Day.

The winning team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games and three of the five preceding NFL championships in 1961, 1962, and 1965. Following his death in September 1970, the trophy was named the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and was first awarded as such to the Baltimore Colts following their win in Super Bowl V in Miami.

Game history

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowls, the most of any team, while the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are tied for second place, with five victories each. Fifteen other NFL franchises have won at least one Super Bowl. Ten teams have appeared in Super Bowl games without a win. The Minnesota Vikings were the first team to have lost a record four times without a win. The Buffalo Bills played in a record four Super Bowls in a row, and lost every one. Four teams (the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans) have never appeared in a Super Bowl. The Browns and Lions both won NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl's creation, while the Jaguars (1995) and Texans (2002) are both recent NFL expansion teams. The Minnesota Vikings won the last NFL Championship before the merger, but lost to the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV.

1966–1967: Packers' early success

The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders following the 1966 and 1967 seasons, respectively. The Packers were led by quarterback Bart Starr (#15), who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for both games. These two championships, coupled with the Packers' NFL championships in , , and have led many people to consider the Packers to be the "Team of the '60s.", USA."

1968–1980: AFL/AFC dominance

In Super Bowl III, the AFL's New York Jets defeated the eighteen-point favorite Baltimore Colts of the NFL, 16–7. The Jets were led by quarterback Joe Namath (who had famously guaranteed a Jets win prior to the game) and former Colts head coach Weeb Ewbank, and their victory proved that the AFL was the NFL's competitive equal. This was reinforced the following year, when the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL's Minnesota Vikings 23–7 in Super Bowl IV. After the merger, the AFC dominated the Super Bowls of the 1970s; the Dallas Cowboys were the only NFC team to see Super Bowl success during the period, winning two championships.

During the 1970s, three teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins) won most of the decade's Super Bowls. Pittsburgh won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV, while the Cowboys claimed Super Bowls VI and XII and the Dolphins were victorious in Super Bowls VII and VIII, the first of which capped off the only undefeated season in NFL history. Only the Oakland Raiders managed to interrupt the dominance of these three teams, with a win in Super Bowl XI. The Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile, reached four Super Bowl games during the 1970s led by their powerful Purple People Eaters defense, only to lose each one.

By virtue of their four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s, the Steelers became the first NFL dynasty of the post-merger era. They were led by head coach Chuck Noll, the play of offensive stars Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster, and their dominant "Steel Curtain" defense, led by "Mean" Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, and Jack Lambert. The coaches and administrators also were part of the dynasty's greatness as evidenced by the team's "final pieces" being part of the famous 1974 draft. The selections in that class have been considered the best by any pro franchise ever, as Pittsburgh selected four future Hall of Famers, the most for any team in any sport in a single draft. The Steelers were the first team to win three and then four Super Bowls and appeared in six AFC Championship Games during the decade, making the playoffs in eight straight seasons. Nine players and three coaches and administrators on the team have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Pittsburgh still remains the only team to win back-to-back Super Bowls twice and four Super Bowls in a six-year period.

1981–1997: The NFC's winning streak

In the 1980s, the tables turned for the AFC, as the NFC dominated the Super Bowls of the new decade and most of those of the 1990s. The NFC won 15 of 16 Super Bowls during this time, from Super Bowl XIX to Super Bowl XXXI.

The most successful franchise of the 1980s was the San Francisco 49ers, which featured the West Coast offense of head coach Bill Walsh. This offense was led by three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Joe Montana, Super Bowl MVP wide receiver Jerry Rice, and tight end Brent Jones. Under their leadership, the 49ers won four Super Bowls in the decade (XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV) and made nine playoff appearances between 1981 and 1990, including eight division championships, becoming the second dynasty of the post-merger NFL. The 1980s also produced the 1985 Chicago Bears, who posted an 18–1 record under head coach Mike Ditka, colorful quarterback Jim McMahon, and Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton and won Super Bowl XX in dominating fashion. The Washington Redskins and New York Giants were also top teams of this period; the Redskins won Super Bowls XVII and XXII and the Giants claimed Super Bowls XXI and XXV. As in the 1970s, the Oakland Raiders were the only team to interrupt the Super Bowl dominance of other teams; they won Super Bowls XV and XVIII (the latter as the Los Angeles Raiders).

Following several seasons with poor records in 1980s, the Dallas Cowboys rose back to prominence in the 1990s. During this decade, the Cowboys made post season appearances every year except for the seasons of 1990 and 1997. From 1992 to 1996, the Cowboys won their division championship each year. After Conference championships by division rivals New York (1990) and Washington (1991), the Cowboys won three of the next four Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX) led by quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin. Their streak was interrupted by the 49ers, who won their league-leading fifth title overall with Super Bowl XXIX; however, the Cowboys' victory in Super Bowl XXX the next year also gave them five titles overall. The era of NFC dominance was closed out by the Green Bay Packers who, under quarterback Brett Favre, won Super Bowl XXXI, their first championship since Super Bowl II in the late 1960s.

1997–2000: The AFC rises again

Super Bowl XXXII saw quarterback John Elway and running back Terrell Davis lead the Denver Broncos to an upset victory over the defending champion Packers, snapping the NFC's thirteen-game winning streak. This signaled the start of a new streak for the AFC, in which AFC teams won eight of the following ten Super Bowls. The Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons the following season in Super Bowl XXXIII in Elway's final game; after an NFC win by the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV, the AFC came back with wins by the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.

2001–2007: The Patriots Dynasty

The Patriots became the dominant team throughout the early 2000s, winning the championship three out of four years early in the decade. They would become only the second team in the history of the NFL to do so. In Super Bowl XXXVI, first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady led his team to a 20–17 upset victory over the Rams. Brady would go on to win the MVP award for this game The Patriots also won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX defeating the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles respectively. This four year stretch of Patriot dominance was only interrupted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Super Bowl XXXVII title.

In the 2007 season, the Patriots became the first team in NFL history to have a 16–0 record in the regular season and easily marched through the AFC playoffs. They were heavy favorites in Super Bowl XLII, but they lost that game to the New York Giants 17–14, in large part due to a play that would become known as the Helmet Catch, in which Giants receiver David Tyree caught an Eli Manning pass by securing it against the side of his helmet. This pass would set up the eventual game-winning touchdown.

2007–Present: Parity

The second half of the 2000s featured parity among both conferences. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts continued the era of AFC dominance by winning Super Bowls XL and XLI. Two years later the Steelers won an NFL record sixth Super Bowl championship in Super Bowl XLIII. With three NFC teams logging Super Bowl victories in the four seasons following Super Bowl XLI (the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and Green Bay Packers), the NFC has shown increased parity when it comes to the League championship.

The Super Bowls of the late 2000s are marked by the performances of the several of the winning quarterbacks. Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and all added championships and Super Bowl MVP awards to their lists of individual accomplishments.

Television coverage and ratings

For many years, the Super Bowl has possessed a large US and global television viewership, and it is often the most watched television program of the year. The game tends to have high Nielsen television ratings, which is usually around a 40 rating and 60 share. This means that on average, 80 to 90 million people from the United States are tuned into the Super Bowl at any given moment.

A frequently misquoted figure from NFL press releases has led to the common perception that the Super Bowl has an annual global audience of around one billion people. In reality, the NFL states one billion as the game's ''potential'' worldwide audience, or the number of people able to watch the game. The New York-based media research firm Initiative measured the global audience for the 2005 Super Bowl at 93 million people, with 98 percent of that figure being viewers in North America, which meant roughly 2 million people outside North America watched the Super Bowl.

2011's Super Bowl XLV holds the record for total number of U.S. viewers, attracting an average audience of 111 million viewers, making the game the most viewed television broadcast of any kind in U.S. history.

The highest-rated game according to Nielsen was Super Bowl XVI in 1982, which was watched in 49.1 percent of households (73 share), or 40,020,000 households at the time. Ratings for that game, a San Francisco victory over Cincinnati, may have been aided by a large blizzard that had affected much of the northeastern United States on game day, leaving residents to stay at home more than usual. Also, because network television was still the predominant means of viewership and pay television services (cable, and later satellite) were still relatively unavailable, there were not many choices of things to watch on television. Super Bowl XVI still ranks fourth on Nielsen's list of top-rated programs of all time, and three other Super Bowls, XII, XVII, and XX, made the top ten.

Following Apple Computer's 1984 commercial introducing the Macintosh computer, directed by Ridley Scott, the broadcast of the Super Bowl became the premier showcase for high concept and expensive commercials. Famous commercial campaigns include the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign and the 1999 and 2000 dot-com ads. Prices have increased every year, with advertisers paying as much as $3 million for a thirty-second spot during Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. A segment of the audience tunes in to the Super Bowl solely to view commercials. The Super Bowl halftime show has spawned another set of alternative entertainment such as the Lingerie Bowl, the Beer Bottle Bowl, and other facets of American culture.

Super Bowl on TV

Super Bowl XIX 17 6 17

Network !! Number broadcast !! Years broadcast !! Future scheduled telecasts
ESPN on ABC	ABC	7	1985, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006 ||
NFL on CBS	CBS		1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 |>''2013'', ''2016'', ''2019'', ''2022''
NFL on Fox	Fox		1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011 |>''2014'', ''2017'', ''2020'', ''2023''
NFL on NBC	NBC		1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2009, 2012|>''2015'', ''2018'', ''2021''

Super Bowls I–VI were blacked out in the television markets of the host cities, due to league restrictions then in place.

Lead-out programming

The network that airs the Super Bowl typically takes advantage of the large audience to air an episode of a hit series, or to premiere the pilot of a promising new series in the lead-out slot, which immediately follows the Super Bowl and post-game coverage.

Entertainment

}}

Early Super Bowls featured a halftime show consisting of marching bands from local colleges or high schools; but as the popularity of the game increased, a trend where popular singers and musicians performed during its pre-game ceremonies and the halftime show, or simply sang the national anthem of the United States, emerged. Unlike regular season or playoff games, thirty minutes are allocated for the Super Bowl halftime.

The first halftime show to have featured only one star performer was Michael Jackson during Super Bowl XXVII in 1993. The NFL specifically went after him to increase viewership and to continue expanding the Super Bowl's reputation. Another notable performance came during Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, when U2 performed; during their second song, "Where the Streets Have No Name", the band played under a large projection screen which scrolled through names of the victims of the September 11 attacks.

The halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 generated controversy when Justin Timberlake removed a piece of Janet Jackson's top, exposing her right breast with a star-shaped pastie around the nipple. Timberlake and Jackson have maintained that the incident was accidental, calling it a "wardrobe malfunction". The game was airing live on CBS, and MTV had produced the halftime show. Immediately after the moment, the footage jump-cut to a wide-angle shot and went to a commercial break; however, video captures of the moment in detail circulated quickly on the internet. The NFL, embarrassed by the incident, permanently banned MTV from conducting future halftime shows. This also led to the FCC tightening controls on indecency and fining CBS and CBS-owned stations a total of $550,000 for the incident. The fine was later reversed in July 2008. CBS and MTV eventually split into two separate companies in part because of the fiasco, with CBS going under the control of CBS Corporation and MTV falling under the banner of Viacom (although both corporations remain under the ownership of National Amusements). For six years following the incident, all of the performers in Super Bowl halftime shows were artists associated with the classic rock genre of the 1970s and 1980s, with only one act playing the entire halftime show. The Rolling Stones played Super Bowl XL in 2006, and The Who played Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. The halftime show returned to a modern act in 2011 with The Black Eyed Peas. But during the halftime show of Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, M.I.A. gave the middle finger during a performance of "Give Me All Your Luvin'" with Madonna, which was caught TV cameras. An attempt to censor the gesture by blurring the entire screen came late.

Excluding Super Bowl XXXIX, the famous "I'm going to Disney World!" advertising campaign took place at every Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXI, when quarterback Phil Simms from the New York Giants became the first player to say the tagline. The Walt Disney Company ran the ad several times during the game, showing several players from both teams practicing the catch-phrase.

Venue

26 of 45 Super Bowls have been played in three cities; New Orleans (nine times), the Greater Miami area (ten times), or the Greater Los Angeles area (seven times). Stadiums that do not host an NFL franchise are not, by rule, prohibited from hosting the Super Bowl, and non-NFL stadiums have hosted the game nine times, with the Rose Bowl accounting for five of these. To date, however, no market or region without an NFL franchise has ever hosted a Super Bowl; all five Rose Bowl Super Bowls were hosted before the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Raiders left for St. Louis and Oakland respectively in 1995.

No team has ever played the Super Bowl in its home stadium. The closest have been the San Francisco 49ers who played Super Bowl XIX in Stanford Stadium, rather than Candlestick Park, and the Los Angeles Rams who played Super Bowl XIV in the Rose Bowl, rather than the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Besides those two, the only other Super Bowl venue that was not the home stadium to an NFL team at the time was Rice Stadium in Houston: the Houston Oilers had played there previously, but moved to the Astrodome several years prior to Super Bowl VIII. The Orange Bowl was the only AFL stadium to host a Super Bowl and the only stadium to host consecutive Super Bowls, hosting Super Bowls II and III.

Traditionally, the NFL does not award Super Bowls to stadiums that are located in climates with an expected average daily temperature less than 50°F (10°C) on game day unless the field can be completely covered by a fixed or retractable roof. Only three Super Bowls have been played in northern cities: two in the Detroit area—Super Bowl XVI at Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan and Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit—, and one in Minneapolis—Super Bowl XXVI. Super Bowl XLVI will also be played in a northern city, Indianapolis at the Lucas Oil Stadium. These four stadiums all have a roof. However, despite not having a retractable roof, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey was chosen for Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, in an apparent waiver of the warm-climate rule.

There have been a few instances where the league has yanked the Super Bowl from cities. Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 was originally awarded to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, but after Arizona voted to not recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1990, the NFL moved the game to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California in protest. After Arizona opted to create the holiday by ballot in 1992, Super Bowl XXX in 1996 was awarded to Tempe. Super Bowl XLIV, slated for February 7, 2010, was withdrawn from New York City's proposed West Side Stadium, because the city, state, and proposed tenants New York Jets could not agree on funding. Super Bowl XLIV was then eventually awarded to Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. And Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 was originally given to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, but after two sales taxes failed to pass at the ballot box, and opposition by local business leaders and politicians increased, Kansas City eventually withdrew its request to host the game. Super Bowl XLIX was then eventually awarded to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Selection process

The location of the Super Bowl is chosen by the NFL well in advance, usually three to five years before the game. Cities place bids to host a Super Bowl and are evaluated in terms of stadium renovation and their ability to host. The NFL owners then meet to make a selection on the site. On October 16, 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that a Super Bowl might be played in London, probably at Wembley Stadium. The game has never been played in a region that lacks an NFL franchise; seven Super Bowls have been played in Los Angeles, but none since the Los Angeles Raiders and Los Angeles Rams relocated to Oakland and St. Louis respectively in 1995.

Home team designation

The designated "home team" alternates between the AFC team in even-numbered games and the NFC team in odd-numbered games. This alternation was initiated with the first Super Bowl, when the Green Bay Packers of the NFL were the designated home team. Regardless of being the home or away team of record, each team has their team wordmark painted in one of the end zones along with their conference designation. Designated away teams have won 25 of 45 Super Bowls to date (.556).

Since Super Bowl XIII in January 1979, the home team is given the choice of wearing their colored or white jerseys. Formerly, the designated home team was specified to wear their colored jerseys, which resulted in Dallas donning their less familiar dark blue jerseys for Super Bowl V. While most of the home teams in the Super Bowl have chosen to wear their colored jerseys, there have been four exceptions; the Cowboys during Super Bowl XIII and XXVII, the Washington Redskins during Super Bowl XVII, and the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XL. The Cowboys, since , and Redskins, since the arrival of coach Joe Gibbs in , have traditionally worn white jerseys at home. Meanwhile, the Steelers, who have always worn their black jerseys at home since the AFL-NFL merger in , opted for the white jerseys after winning three consecutive playoff games on the road, wearing white. The Steelers' decision was compared with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX; the Patriots had worn white jerseys at home during the season, but after winning road playoff games against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins wearing red jerseys, New England opted to switch to red for the Super Bowl as the designated home team. White-shirted teams have won 27 of 45 Super Bowls to date (.600).

Cities and regions that have hosted or are scheduled to host the Super Bowl

Fifteen different regions have hosted, or are scheduled to host, Super Bowls. Super Bowl II 10 7 4 3 3 2 2 2

City/Region !! # hosted !! Years hosted
South Florida metropolitan area	Miami Area	10	1968, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1979, 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2010
New Orleans	| 1970, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002, 2013
Greater Los Angeles Area	| 1967, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1993
Tampa Bay Area	| 1984, 1991, 2001, 2009
San Diego	| 1988, 1998, 2003
Phoenix metropolitan area	Phoenix Area	| 1996, 2008, 2015
Houston	| 1974, 2004
Metro Detroit	|1982, 2006
Atlanta	| 1994, 2000
Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Jacksonville, Florida	Jacksonville
San Francisco Bay Area
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex
New York Metropolitan Area
Indianapolis

Individual stadiums that have hosted or are scheduled to host the Super Bowl

A total of twenty-two different stadiums have hosted, or are scheduled to host, Super Bowls. New OrleansSuper Bowl XIISuper Bowl IISuper Bowl XXIIISuper Bowl XI

Stadium !! Location !! # hosted !! Years hosted
	New Orleans, Louisiana||	7*	1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002, 2013
''Miami Orange Bowl''||	Miami>Miami, Florida	5	1968, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1979
Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Dolphin/Sun Life Stadium||	Miami Gardens, Florida	5	1989, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2010
Rose Bowl||	Pasadena, California	5	1977, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1993
''Tulane Stadium''||	New Orleans>New Orleans, Louisiana	3	Super Bowl IV>1970, [[Super Bowl VI
Jack Murphy/Qualcomm Stadium||	San Diego, California	3	Super Bowl XXII>1988, Super Bowl XXXII
[[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum||	Los Angeles, California	2	Super Bowl I
''[[Tampa Stadium''||	Tampa, Florida	2	Super Bowl XVIII
[[Georgia Dome||	Atlanta>Atlanta, Georgia	2	Super Bowl XXVIII
[[Raymond James Stadium||	Tampa, Florida	2	Super Bowl XXXV
[[University of Phoenix Stadium||	Glendale, Arizona	2*	[[Super Bowl XLII
Rice Stadium||	Houston>Houston, Texas	1	Super Bowl VIII>1974
Pontiac Silverdome||	Pontiac, Michigan	1	Super Bowl XVI>1982
Stanford Stadium†||	Stanford, California	1	Super Bowl XIX>1985
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome||	Minneapolis>Minneapolis, Minnesota	1	Super Bowl XXVI>1992
Sun Devil Stadium||	Tempe, Arizona	1	Super Bowl XXX>1996
Reliant Stadium||	Houston>Houston, Texas	1	Super Bowl XXXVIII>2004
EverBank Field||	Jacksonville, Florida	1	Super Bowl XXXIX>2005
Ford Field||	Detroit>Detroit, Michigan	1	Super Bowl XL>2006
Cowboys Stadium||	Arlington, Texas	1	Super Bowl XLV>2011
Lucas Oil Stadium||	Indianapolis>Indianapolis, Indiana	1	Super Bowl XLVI>2012
MetLife Stadium||	East Rutherford, New Jersey	1*	Super Bowl XLVIII>2014

''italics'' indicate a stadium that is now demolished. † The original Stanford Stadium, which hosted Super Bowl XIX, was demolished and replaced with a new stadium in 2006.

* references a future Super Bowl site

;Future Super Bowl host stadiums

2013 – Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana (10)

2014 – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey (1)

2015 – University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona (2)

The game has never been played in a region that lacked an NFL franchise, though cities without NFL teams are not categorically ineligible to host the event. London, England has occasionally been mentioned as a host city for a Super Bowl in the near future. The most likely venue would be Wembley Stadium. The stadium has hosted several NFL games as part of the NFL International Series and is specifically designed for large, individual events. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has openly discussed the possibility on different occasions. Time zone complications are a significant obstacle to a Super Bowl in London; a typical 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time start would result in the game beginning at 11:30 p.m. local time in London, an unusually late hour to be holding spectator sports (the NFL has never in its history started a game later than 9:15 p.m. local time).

Super Bowl L

Even though the Los Angeles area currently lacks an NFL franchise, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in 2009 that Super Bowl L (for the 2015 season, to be held in February 2016) could be held there to mark the 50th Super Bowl and to commemorate Super Bowl I, which was held at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. If Los Angeles were to host the game, it could be held at the proposed Farmers Field in Downtown Los Angeles (L.A. Live) or at the proposed Los Angeles Stadium in City of Industry, California. The NFL has not had a franchise in the city since the 1994 season and has not played a Super Bowl in the metropolitan area since 1993. It is expected that the venue for Super Bowl L will be announced in May 2012.

Super Bowl trademark

The NFL is vigilant on stopping what it says is unauthorized commercial use of its trademarked terms "NFL," "Super Bowl," and "Super Sunday." As a result, many events and promotions tied to the game, but not sanctioned by the NFL, are forced to refer to it with colloquialisms such as "The Big Game," or other generic descriptions. (A radio spot for Planters nuts parodied this, by saying "it would be ''super''...to have a ''bowl''...of Planters nuts while watching the big game!") The NFL claims that the use of the phrase "Super Bowl" implies an NFL affiliation, and on this basis the league asserts broad rights to restrict how the game may be shown publicly; for example, the league says Super Bowl showings are prohibited in churches or at other events that "promote a message," while venues that do not regularly show sporting events cannot show the Super Bowl on any television screen larger than 55 inches. Some critics say the NFL is exaggerating its ownership rights by stating that "any use is prohibited," as this contradicts the broad doctrine of fair use in the United States.

In 2006, the NFL made an attempt to trademark "The Big Game" as well; however, it withdrew the application in 2007 due to growing commercial and public-relations opposition to the move, mostly from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley and their fans, as the Stanford Cardinal football and California Golden Bears football teams compete in the ''Big Game'', which has been played since 1892 (28 years before the formation of the NFL and 75 years before Super Bowl I). Legislation was proposed by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch in 2008 "to provide an exemption from exclusive rights in copyright for certain nonprofit organizations to display live football games," and "for other purposes."

See also

List of Super Bowl champions

Super Bowl MVP Award

List of Super Bowl records

History of National Football League Championship (1920–present)

List of NFL champions (1920–1969)

List of Super Bowl head coaches

List of Super Bowl officials

List of Super Bowl broadcasters

Super Bowl advertising

List of Super Bowl lead-out programs

List of Super Bowl halftime shows

Super Bowl counterprogramming

List of national anthem performers at the Super Bowl

Super Bowl ring

National Football League lore

List of NFL franchise post-season droughts

Grey Cup, the equivalent event for the Canadian Football League

AFC Championship Game

NFC Championship Game

Super Bowl curse

References

Further reading

Chris Jones (February 2, 2005). "NFL tightens restrictions on Super Bowl advertisements". ''Las Vegas Review-Journal''.

John Branch (February 4, 2006). "Build It and They Will Come". ''The New York Times''.

Super Bowl play-by-plays from USA Today. Last accessed September 28, 2005.

All-Time Super Bowl Odds from The Sports Network. Last accessed October 16, 2005.

100 Greatest Super Bowl Moments by Kevin Jackson, Jeff Merron, and David Schoenfield; espn.com. Last accessed October 31, 2005.

Various Authors – "SI's 25 Lost Treasures" – ''Sports Illustrated'', July 11, 2005 p. 114.

"The Super Bowl I-VII." Lost Treasures of NFL Films. ESPN2. January 26, 2001.

"MTV's Super Bowl Uncensored". MTV. January 27, 2001.

"Talk Shows." CBS: 50 Years from Television City. CBS. April 27, 2002.

External links

Official Super Bowl website

Super Bowl Fan website

America's Game – America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, an NFL Films documentary of all Super Bowl winning teams

Category:American Football League Category:National Football League playoffs Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1967 Category:Annual sporting events in the United States Category:Annual television programs

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Coordinates	22°34′12″N17°5′1″N
Name	Santonio Holmes
Width	280px
Currentteam	New York Jets
Currentnumber	10
Currentpositionplain	Wide receiver
Birth date	March 03, 1984
Birth place	Belle Glade, Florida
Heightft	5
Heightin	11
Weight	192
Highschool	Glades Central
College	Ohio State
Draftyear	2006
Draftround	1
Draftpick	25
Debutyear	2006
Debutteam	Pittsburgh Steelers
Pastteams	Pittsburgh Steelers (–) New York Jets (–present)
Status	Active
Highlights	Super Bowl Champion (XLIII) Super Bowl XLIII MVP Led NFL with 18.1 yards per reception in 2007 Ranked 76th in NFL Network's The NFL Top 100 Players of 2011
Statweek	17
Statseason	2010
Statlabel1	Receptions
Statvalue1	287
Statlabel2	Receiving Yards
Statvalue2	4,581
Statlabel3	Receiving Touchdowns
Statvalue3	26
Nfl	HOL657297 }}

Santonio Holmes Jr. (born March 3, 1984) is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State. In 2009, Holmes was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIII.

Early years

Holmes attended Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida. He was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In football, he helped lead his team to two state titles and a 12-1 record as a senior. In basketball, he helped lead his team to a state runner-up finish as a senior. In track, his team won the state title during his junior year, and he was the member of a 4x400 meter relay team that won two state titles. Santonio graduated from Glades Central High School in 2002 with a 3.4 GPA.

College career

Holmes attended Ohio State University where he was red shirted when Ohio State University won the 2002 National Championship.

Holmes caught 245 passes for 2,295 yards and 25 touchdowns, while gaining 3,123 all-purpose yards. His 240 career receptions and 3,496 yards were ranked the fifth highest totals in school history at the time. His 25 touchdown catches ranked him 3rd.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

2006

Holmes left college a year early and was taken in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. The 25th pick overall, he was the first receiver since Plaxico Burress taken in the first round by the Steelers. Holmes, who wore number 4 at The Ohio State University (a number that isn't issued to wide receivers in the NFL), was issued number 10, previously worn in Pittsburgh by former kicker Roy Gerela and quarterback Kordell Stewart.

Early on in the Steelers' disappointing 2006 season, Holmes was criticized for his poor performance on special teams as a returner, a role in which he fumbled frequently. However, Holmes had better success as a receiver, displaying his athleticism and skill in several of the Steelers' games. He earned Week 6 Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week honors for his performance October 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs, totaling 58 yards receiving and 13 yards rushing.

Late in the season, Holmes replaced Cedrick Wilson in the starting lineup and finished the 2006 regular season with 49 receptions for 824 yards and 2 touchdowns. His best play of the season was also the last, when, in overtime of the Steelers' final game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, Holmes caught a pass from Ben Roethlisberger on a slant route and ran for a 67-yard touchdown to secure a win for the Steelers. He also returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown on December 17 against the Carolina Panthers.

2007

Holmes was named the Steelers' starting split end coming into training camp. He enjoyed a breakout season in 2007 as he led the Steelers in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and emerged as one of the better known deep threats in the NFL. In Week 1 of the season against the Cleveland Browns, Holmes caught a 40 yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger as they went on to defeat the Browns 34–7. Week 4 in a loss against the Arizona Cardinals, he enjoyed one of the best games in his young pro career as he finished the game with 6 receptions, 128 yards, and 2 touchdown catches. In week 9, he enjoyed another two touchdown game against the Baltimore Ravens, in a game which both touchdowns came in the first half. He finished the game with 4 catches, 110 yards, and two touchdowns. In week 16, Santonio Holmes amassed the most yards receiving in a game in his career, as he finished the game with 133 yards receiving against the St. Louis Rams. He finished the year with 942 yards receiving and 8 touchdown catches. He led the league in yards per catch.

In his first career playoff game, a 31–29 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he finished the game with 3 catches, 49 yards, and a touchdown.

2008

Despite returning no punts throughout the 2007 season, Holmes explored returning again for the 2008 season. During the offseason, Holmes had set a goal to play in all 16 games throughout the season, increasing his weight by 11 pounds through workouts in the offseason.

Holmes began the season with 2 receptions for 19 yards in a win against the Houston Texans. In the following 10-6 win over the Cleveland Browns, Holmes totaled 94 yards on 5 receptions and had a carry for 10 yards. In the following loss to the Eagles, he recorded 3 receptions for 32 yards. Holmes saw his first score the following week in an overtime win against the Baltimore Ravens, finishing with 61 yards on 3 receptions for a touchdown. Following a bye week, Holmes totaled 89 yards on 5 receptions in the win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

However, Holmes was benched following being arrested for possession of marijuana. Holmes was benched by coach Tomlin twice. He was forced to miss the following loss to the New York Giants, but was activated again for the Monday Night game against the Washington Redskins.

Statistically, Holmes' production decreased when compared to his 2007 stats. He declined in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving average. However, Holmes' still contributed big plays throughout the season, especially during the game versus the Cowboys where he caught a long pass that ignited a struggling Steelers offense.

In Super Bowl XLIII, Holmes secured the Steelers' NFL-record 6th Super Bowl win after catching a 6-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger with 35 seconds left in regulation. Holmes caught nine passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, including four receptions for 71 yards on their final game-winning drive. He was named Super Bowl MVP, becoming the sixth wide receiver to win the award, and also was the third Pittsburgh receiver to win the award, following Lynn Swann and Hines Ward.

New York Jets

On April 11, 2010, Holmes was traded to the New York Jets in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. (The Steelers eventually traded the pick to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a sixth round pick and reacquiring Bryant McFadden. The Cardinals used the pick on quarterback John Skelton.) Shortly before the trade, the NFL announced that Holmes would be suspended for the first four games of the season due to a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

The trade came after Holmes' incident in a nightclub (see below), coinciding with Ben Roethlisberger's own legal troubles, and the Steelers wanting to set an example of its players. Had Holmes not been traded, the Steelers would've simply released him, meeting a similar fate to that of former first round pick Huey Richardson, who was traded for a 7th round pick one year after going in the first round.

After serving a four game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, Holmes returned to practice on October 6, 2010. Although Holmes was forbidden to participate in practices with his teammates and he was suspended from playing for the Jets during their regular season contests, he still attended team meetings and worked out daily at the team's facilities.

On November 14, 2010 with 22 seconds to go in overtime against the Cleveland Browns, Santonio Holmes caught a pass on the Browns 31 yard line and carried it in for a touchdown, giving the Jets a 26-20 victory against Cleveland.

The very next week, on November 21, 2010, Holmes caught a game winning touchdown from Mark Sanchez with 10 seconds left and the Jets went on to beat the Texans 30-27.

Holmes resigned with the Jets during the offseason, shortly before the start of 2011 season agreeing to a 5 year deal.

Legal trouble

Holmes has acknowledged selling drugs on the street corner of his hometown of Belle Glade, Florida as a teenager; he says that his mother's influence and a desire to play professional football made him decide to stop.

Holmes was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida on May 27, 2006 for disorderly conduct. Charges were subsequently dropped after Holmes paid a fine. Holmes was arrested for a second time on June 18, 2006 for domestic violence and assault in Columbus, Ohio.

On July 7, 2006, Holmes appeared in Franklin County Court in Columbus, Ohio for both a pre-trial hearing regarding the domestic case and a hearing regarding the traffic ticket. He pled no contest to the traffic ticket and agreed to pay a fine. While Lashae Boone, the mother of Holmes' daughter and the victim in the assault case, requested that the domestic violence and assault charges be dropped, the prosecutor refused. Boone and their daughter accompanied Holmes to court. The charges were later dropped.

On October 23, 2008, Holmes was arrested in Pittsburgh and cited by officers for possession of marijuana. He released an apology after missing a game, stating that he wished to "focus all of [his] efforts on helping our team win on the field and achieve its ultimate goal."

On March 24, 2010, Anshonae Mills filed a lawsuit against Holmes over a March 7 incident in which she alleges Holmes threw a glass at her in an Orlando nightclub, resulting in a cut above her eye. Initially, Mills did not pursue charges, claiming Holmes and the police intimidated her into it, but the case has been reopened. Subsequently, after a Twitter comment criticizing the nightclub incident, Holmes told the follower to "kill urself." He later Tweeted it was time to "wake n bake," a reference to marijuana. Holmes alleges his account was hacked and it was not him making the comments.

On April 29, 2010, according to a report filed by authorities at Pittsburgh International Airport, a flight attendant told police that Holmes wouldn't turn off his iPod when requested and asked that officers speak to him. Holmes got off the Colgan Air flight and spoke to the officers, who reminded him to comply with regulations, but did not charge the wide receiver with anything. Holmes later talked to Jets head coach Rex Ryan about the incident.

References

External links

Official website

New York Jets bio

Pittsburgh Steelers bio

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:African American players of American football Category:American football wide receivers Category:New York Jets players Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football players Category:People from Belle Glade, Florida Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players Category:Players of American football from Florida Category:Super Bowl MVPs

da:Santonio Holmes de:Santonio Holmes es:Santonio Holmes fr:Santonio Holmes hu:Santonio Holmes no:Santonio Holmes pt:Santonio Holmes

Coordinates	22°34′12″N17°5′1″N
width	300px
currentnumber	13
currentposition	Quarterback
birth date	June 22, 1971
birth place	Burlington, Iowa
heightft	6
heightin	2
weight	214
debutyear	1998
debutteam	St. Louis Rams
finalyear	2009
finalteam	Arizona Cardinals
highlights	Rated #90 NFL player of all-time by NFL.com (#27 in public vote) GFC Player of the Year (1993) 4× Pro Bowl selection (1999, 2000, 2001, 2008) 2× All-Pro selection (1999, 2001) 2× ''AP'' NFL MVP (1999, 2001) 3× ''NEA'' NFL MVP (1999, 2001, 2008) PFWA MVP (1999) Super Bowl MVP (XXXIV) Super Bowl champion (XXXIV) Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (2008) Bart Starr Man of the Year Award (2009) At least 100 TD passes for two different teams (St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals) First QB to throw 3 TD passes in each of his first 3 games Most yards passing in a playoff campaign (1,156 in 2008) Holds top 3 passing records for Super Bowl games Iowa Barnstormers Hall of Fame
college	Northern Iowa
undraftedyear	1994
pastteams	Green Bay Packers ()* Iowa Barnstormers (–) Amsterdam Admirals () St. Louis Rams (–) New York Giants () Arizona Cardinals (–) : *Offseason and/or practice squad member only* |statweek
statseason	2009
statweek	17
statlabel1	Pass attempts
statvalue1	4,070
statlabel2	Pass completions
statvalue2	2,666
statlabel3	Percentage
statvalue3	65.5
statlabel4	TD-INT
statvalue4	208–128
statlabel5	Passing yards
statvalue5	32,344
statlabel6	QB Rating
statvalue6	93.7
nfl	WAR492511 }}

Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner (born June 22, 1971) is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League (NFL) teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing college football at Northern Iowa. Warner would go on to be considered one of the best undrafted players of all time, following a 12-year career regarded as one of the greatest stories in NFL history.

Warner first attained stardom while playing for the St. Louis Rams from 1998–2003, where he won two NFL MVP awards in 1999 and 2001 as well as the Super Bowl MVP award in Super Bowl XXXIV. He led the 2008 Arizona Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII (the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl berth), and owns the three highest single-game passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history. Warner currently holds the seventh-highest career passer rating of all-time (93.7), and the second-highest career completion percentage in NFL history with 65.5%. He also holds the highest completion percentage for a single game during the regular season, at 92.3 percent (24/26), on September 20, 2009, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He announced his retirement on January 29, 2010.

Early life

Born in Burlington, Iowa, Warner played football at Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and later went on to attend the University of Northern Iowa. At UNI, Warner was third on the Panthers' depth chart until his senior year. When Warner was finally given the chance to start, he was named the Gateway Conference's Offensive Player of the Year.

Professional career

Arena Football

Following his college career, Warner went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft. He was invited to try out for the Green Bay Packers' training camp in 1994, but was released before the regular season began; Warner was competing for a spot against Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer. While Warner was with the Green Bay Packers, the head coach was Mike Holmgren and the quarterbacks coach was Steve Mariucci, the San Francisco 49ers head coach in 1999. After Warner was released, Mariucci had told him that he knew Warner had enormous potential but was not ready to be an NFL quarterback yet.

It was at this time that Warner stocked shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Falls for $5.50 an hour. This story was often used as the starting point when telling of his rise to NFL stardom in 1999. A religious conversion around 1997 is also mentioned by him. Warner also returned to Northern Iowa and worked as a graduate assistant coach with the football team, all the while still hoping to get another tryout with an NFL team.

With no NFL teams willing to give him a chance, Warner turned to the Arena Football League in 1995 and signed with the Iowa Barnstormers. Warner was named to the AFL's First-team All-Arena in both 1996 and 1997 after he led the Barnstormers to Arena Bowl appearances in both seasons. Warner's performance was so impressive that he would be named twelfth out of the twenty Best Arena Football players of all time.

Before the 1997 Arena season, he requested and got a tryout with the Chicago Bears, but an injury to his throwing elbow caused by a spider bite sustained during his honeymoon prevented him from attending.

On August 12, 2011, Kurt Warner was named as an inductee into the AFL Hall of Fame.

St. Louis Rams

In 1998, Warner was finally signed by an NFL franchise, the St. Louis Rams, and was allocated to NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals, where he would lead the league in touchdowns and passing yards. Incidentally, his backup at the time was future Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, another famous rags-to-riches quarterback story. Returning to the United States for the season, Warner spent the 1998 campaign as St. Louis' third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono. His season ended completing only 4 of 11 pass attempts for 39 yards and a 47.2 QB rating.

1999 season

After releasing Banks and Bono following the 1998 season, the Rams signed free agent Trent Green to be their starting QB, and Warner was promoted to second string. When Green tore his ACL in a preseason game, Warner took over as the Rams' starter. St. Louis coach Dick Vermeil famously stated in a press conference that the team "we'll rally around Kurt Warner and we will play good football" before even seeing Warner work with the Rams' starting offense. With the support of running back Marshall Faulk and wide receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim, and Ricky Proehl, Warner put together one of the top seasons by a quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%. The Rams' high-powered offense, run by offensive coordinator Mike Martz, was nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf" and registered the first in a string of three consecutive 500-point seasons, an NFL record.

Warner threw three touchdown passes in each of the first three NFL starts; he is the only NFL quarterback in history to accomplish that feat. Warner drew more attention in the Rams' fourth game of the season, a home game against the San Francisco 49ers (who had been NFC West division champions for 12 of the previous 13 seasons). The Rams had lost their last 17 meetings with the 49ers, but Warner proceeded to throw a touchdown pass on each of the Rams' first three possessions of the game, and four TDs in the first half alone, to propel the Rams to a 28–10 halftime lead on the way to a 42–20 victory. Warner finished the game with five touchdown passes, giving him 14 in four games and the Rams a 4–0 record. Warner's breakout season from a career in anonymity was so unexpected that ''Sports Illustrated'' featured him on their October 18 cover with the caption "Who Is this guy?" He was named the 1999 NFL MVP at the season's end.

In the NFL playoffs, Warner ultimately led the Rams to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory against the Tennessee Titans. In the game, he threw for two touchdowns and a Super Bowl-record 414 passing yards, including a critical 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce when the game was tied with just over two minutes to play. Warner also set a Super Bowl record by attempting 45 passes without a single interception. For his performance, Warner was awarded the Super Bowl MVP, becoming the seventh player to win both the league MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards in the same year.

2000 season

Warner started the 2000 season where he had left off in his record-setting '99 campaign, racking up 300 or more passing yards in each of his first 6 games (tying Steve Young's record) and posting 19 touchdown passes in that stretch. Warner broke his hand and missed the middle of the season, but Trent Green filled in ably and the Warner/Green duo led the Rams to the highest team passing yard total in NFL history, with 5,232 net yards. Warner and Green's combined gross passing yard total was 5,492, which, if held by just one player, would surpass the single-season record set by Dan Marino (5,084 yards). In contrast to his previous season, however, Warner's turnover rate drastically increased in 2000, as he threw an interception in 5.2% of his attempts (compared to just 2.6% in 1999). The Rams were eliminated from the playoffs in the wild card round by the New Orleans Saints despite one of the most productive offensive years by an NFL team. In response to the disappointing season, nine of the Rams' eleven defensive starters would be cut during the offseason, and Trent Green was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

2001 season

Warner quickly returned to MVP form in 2001. Although his performance lagged behind his 1999 performance, he amassed a league-high 36 touchdown passes and 4,830 passing yards, third all-time behind only Dan Marino and Drew Brees. Warner's penchant for turnovers carried over from 2000, as he tossed a career-high 22 interceptions (despite completing a career-high 68.7% of his passes), but he still led "The Greatest Show on Turf" to its third consecutive 6–0 start (becoming the first NFL team to do so, later equalled by the 2005–2007 Indianapolis Colts), an NFL-best 14–2 record, and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI. Warner was also named the NFL MVP for the second time in three seasons, giving the Rams their third winner in as many years (running back Marshall Faulk won in 2000).

In Super Bowl XXXVI, Warner threw for 365 yards (then the second-highest, now the third-highest total in Super Bowl history) and a passing touchdown along with a rushing touchdown, but his rhythm was largely disrupted by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick's defensive game plan, and he tossed two costly interceptions which helped stake the heavy-underdog Patriots to a two-touchdown lead. After falling behind to the Patriots 17–3, though, the Rams rallied to tie the game late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Warner QB sneak touchdown run and a 26-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Ricky Proehl. The game ended in a loss for Warner and the Rams when Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, giving the Patriots the first of three Super Bowl wins in four years.

2002–03 seasons

Warner began the 2002 season as the Rams' starter, but he played poorly, throwing seven interceptions against only one touchdown as the team went 0–3. In the Rams' fourth game, this one against the Dallas Cowboys, Warner broke a finger on his throwing hand. Warner attempted to come back later in the season, but his injury allowed him to play only two more games (both losses). In contrast to his 103.4 career passer rating entering the season, Warner posted a minuscule 67.4 rating in 2002. The following season, Warner was replaced as the Rams' starting quarterback for good after fumbling six times in the team's opening-day game against the New York Giants. Warner later revealed that he had previously broken his hand and that it had not fully healed, making it more difficult to grip the football. His successor as the Rams' starting quarterback, Marc Bulger (another relatively unheralded quarterback coming out of college), stepped into the breach and played well upon replacing Warner.

New York Giants

2004 season

The Rams released Warner on June 1, 2004, and two days later, he signed a two-year deal with the New York Giants. Warner started the 2004 season as the Giants' starting quarterback, winning five of his first seven games, but following a two-game losing streak, highly-touted rookie quarterback Eli Manning was given the starting job. The Giants had a 5–4 win-loss record at the time of Warner's benching, finishing at 6–10 overall (going only 1–6 under Manning).

Arizona Cardinals

2005 season

In early 2005, Warner signed a one-year, $4-million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, and was quickly named the starter by coach Dennis Green. Warner posted three relatively mediocre performances before injuring his groin and being replaced by former starter Josh McCown. McCown performed well enough in the two games Warner missed that Green named McCown the starter for the remainder of the season.

But after McCown struggled in two straight games, Green re-inserted Warner into the starting line-up. After playing fairly well in two consecutive losses (passing for a total of nearly 700 yards), Warner defeated his former team, the Rams, by a score of 38–28. He passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns while posting a quarterback rating of 115.9. Warner's season ended in Week 15 when he partially tore his MCL.

Warner signed a new three-year deal with the Cardinals on February 14, 2006. The deal had a base salary of $18 million and, with performance incentives, could have been worth as much as $22 million.

2006 season

In Week One of the 2006 NFL season, Warner won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns in a win over San Francisco. Two weeks later, Warner passed the 20,000-yard passing milestone in his 76th game, the second-quickest of any player in NFL history (Warner accomplished the feat in one game more than it took record-holder Dan Marino).

After three subpar games in Weeks 2–4, Warner was replaced at quarterback by rookie Matt Leinart in the fourth quarter of Week 4. Then-coach Dennis Green stated that Warner would be the backup quarterback for the remainder of the season. In Week 16, Leinart went down with a shoulder injury against the 49ers, forcing Warner to see his first action since Week 4. Warner filled in nicely, as he was able to hang on for the Cardinals win. In Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers, Warner started again in place of the injured Leinart, throwing for 365 yards (which led the NFL for that week) and a touchdown, though the Chargers were able to hang on for a 27–20 win.

2007 season

Leinart was given the starting quarterback job at the start of the 2007 season. But in the third game of the season, against the Baltimore Ravens, Warner came off the bench to relieve an ineffective Leinart during the 4th quarter with the Ravens leading 23–6 at the beginning of the period. He would lead a furious comeback, as he completed 15 of 20 passes for 258 yds and 2 TDs. This brought Arizona to a tie game (23–23), though Arizona would go on to lose the game 26–23 after Baltimore kicked a last-second field goal.

On September 30, 2007, during the week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Warner relieved Leinart again, following another ineffective start by Leinart. Warner finished with 14/21 for 132 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions, while Leinart re-entered the game in the 4th quarter and led the Cardinals to their final touchdown. After Leinart was placed on injured reserve, Warner was named starter for the remainder of the 2007 season.

Warner passed for a career-high 484 yards against the 49ers in a 37–31 loss on November 25, but had a fumble in the end zone in overtime that was recovered by Tully Banta-Cain to lose the game. However, the following week showed an improvement for Warner and the Cardinals, as the above-mentioned victory over the Browns brought his team to 6–6 and kept them in the chase for the NFC Wild Card playoff spot. Warner finished the 2007 season with 27 passing touchdowns, just one shy of the Cardinals franchise record. Warner's performance earned him a $1 million dollar bonus for the year, and he fell just short of attaining a 90.0+ passer rating, which would have given him an extra $500,000.

2008 season

Leinart was named the Cardinals' starting QB going into the 2008 off-season, but Ken Whisenhunt stated that it would be very possible for Warner to be the starter before Week 1 of the regular season. Indeed, Warner was named the starter on August 30, 2008. That season, Warner had 4,583 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 67.1%. Warner also received FedEx Air Player of the Week honors for his performance during weeks 9 and 11 of the season.

On December 7, 2008, Warner led the Cardinals to a 34–10 win over his former team, the Rams, securing for the Cardinals the NFC West Division title and their first playoff berth since 1998. It was the Cardinals' first division title since 1975 and third of the post-merger era. As a result, the Cardinals would play only their second home playoff game ever, as they had never played a home playoff game in St. Louis despite winning two division titles. On December 16, 2008 Warner was named the starting quarterback for the NFC team in the 2009 Pro Bowl.

2008 post-season

On January 3, 2009, Warner led the Cardinals in their victory over the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 at home in the first round the playoffs. During the game Warner went 19 for 32, a completion percentage of 59.4%, for 271 yards. He threw two touchdowns and one interception. This win represented the first time the Cardinals had won a post-season home game since the 1947 NFL Championship Game.

On January 10, Warner led the Cardinals in their 20-point defeat of the Carolina Panthers 33–13 in Charlotte, North Carolina in the second round of the playoffs. During the game Warner went 21 for 32, a completion percentage of 65.6%, for 220 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. This win represented the first time the Cardinals won a game on the East Coast that entire season.

On January 18, Warner threw for 279 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles to help lead the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance in history. Warner is the second quarterback to make Super Bowl starts with two different teams joining Craig Morton (1970 Dallas Cowboys and 1977 Denver Broncos). He also became the third quarterback in NFL history to win a conference championship with two different teams, following Craig Morton and Earl Morrall.

In Warner's third career Super Bowl appearance on February 1, the Cardinals lost Super Bowl XLIII 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving him with a career 1–2 record in Super Bowls. Despite losing, Warner still managed to throw for 377 yards (the 2nd-highest total in Super Bowl history), completed 72% of his passes, and had a quarterback rating of 112.3. Warner has now recorded the three highest single-game passing yardage totals in the history of the Super Bowl, and joined Joe Montana, John Elway, Terry Bradshaw, and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks to throw a touchdown pass in three different Super Bowls. Warner has taken his team to the Super Bowl every year that he has played as the starting quarterback during all regular and post season games.

2009 season

Warner announced his desire to return to the Cardinals for the 2009 season. The Cardinals offered him a two-year contract worth around $20 million but Warner was looking for a contract that would pay him about $14 million a year and the two sides could not come to an agreement. On February 27, 2009 Warner became a free agent and went on to have talks with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers offered Warner a contract worth more than that offered by the Cardinals. On March 4, Warner re-signed with the Cardinals to a two-year deal worth $23 million total, $4 million for each of the next two years, with a $15 million signing bonus. Warner underwent arthroscopic hip surgery to repair a torn labrum on March 17, 2009. On September 20, 2009, Warner broke the NFL’s single-game record for completion percentage in the regular season, completing 24 of 26 passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Warner's 92.3 percent completion rate broke the previous NFL record set by Vinny Testaverde in 1993.

On November 1, 2009, Warner threw a career-high equaling 5 interceptions during a 34–21 loss to the Carolina Panthers. During the same game Warner became the first quarterback in the NFL to throw for over 14,000 yards with two different teams. On November 8, 2009, Warner equaled his career-high of 5 touchdown passes in a single game during a 41–21 victory over the Chicago Bears. This performance led to Warner being named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.

On November 15, 2009, Warner reached a career milestone with his 200th touchdown pass during a 31–20 win against the Seattle Seahawks.

On November 22, 2009, during a 21–13 victory over the St. Louis Rams, Warner left the game after suffering a concussion. Warner continued to suffer from post-concussion symptoms and on November 29, 2009, he was deactivated against the Tennessee Titans, breaking his consecutive starts streak at 41 straight games.

On December 6, 2009, Warner returned to action as the Cardinals defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30–17. Warner registered his fourth consecutive game with a passer rating of 120 or better, making him only the second quarterback in NFL history to accomplish the feat. After his three-touchdown performance, Warner was named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.

On December 27, 2009, Warner became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 touchdown passes with two different teams (Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton is the other), in the Cardinals' 31–10 win over the St. Louis Rams.

On December 29, 2009, Warner was named an alternate quarterback for the NFC team in the 2010 Pro Bowl.

2009 post season

On January 10, 2010, Warner threw 5 touchdowns and completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards in a 51–45 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The game had the highest combined total score in NFL playoff history. Warner became one of the very few quarterbacks in NFL history to throw more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4) in a playoff game. Warner finished the game with the second highest quarterback rating in NFL playoff history with a rating of 154.1. He also became the second quarterback to throw for 5 touchdown passes in a playoff game twice, and the first to do so since the merger. He also became the first quarterback to throw 5 touchdown passes in games played in three separate decades; 10/10/99 vs. 49ers, 1/16/2000 vs. Vikings, 11/8/2009 @ Bears, 1/10/2010 vs. Packers. He is also the oldest player to throw that many touchdown passes in a playoff game (38 years, 202 days). Warner now has the highest game winning percentage for home games in the playoffs: 1.000 (7–0) after Tom Brady lost his first home playoff game that same week.

On January 16, Warner was injured in the first half trying to tackle the ball carrier after an interception on the way to a 45–14 loss at New Orleans in the NFC Divisional round. He returned for the second half, but yielded to understudy Matt Leinart midway through the fourth quarter.

Retirement

On January 29, 2010 Warner officially announced his retirement from the National Football League. He said he was looking forward to finally being a true father to his seven kids, and that he wanted to spend time with his wife. He spoke on the impact and influence of his family, former teammates, and God. He will be eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame following the 2014 season.

Warner is now an Iowa Barnstormers broadcaster. On May 22, 2010 he was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Iowa Barnstormers Hall of Fame.

Warner is represented by Priority Sports and Entertainment for all aspects of his career.

Career stats

+ Passing Stats
! Year	! Team	! G-S	! PassingAtt.-Comp.	! Yards	! Pct.	! TDs	! Int.	! Long	! Sacks-Lost	! Pass Rating	! Starting Record
1990	UNI Panthers		13–8	141	.615	2					!
1991	UNI Panthers		25–15	25	.600	0					!
1992	UNI Panthers		18–5	69	.278	0					!
1993			296–173	2,747	.584	17					!
1995	Iowa Barnstormers	14–14	400–237	2,980	.593	43	14		0–0	94.70	! 7–5
1996	Iowa Barnstormers	14–14	422–259	3,336	.614	61	15		0–0	107.49	! 12–2
1997	Iowa Barnstormers	14–14	498–322	4,149	.647	79	14		0–0	118.55	! 11–3
1998		10–10	326–165	2,101	.506	15	6		0–0	78.8	! 7–3
		1–0	11–4	39	.364	0	0	21	0–0	47.7	! 0–0
		16–16	499–325	4,353	.651	41	13	75	29–201	109.2	! 13–3
		11–11	347–235	3,429	.677	21	18	85	20–115	98.3	! 8–3
		16–16	546–375	4,830	.687	36	22	65	38–233	101.4	! 14–2
		7–6	220–144	1,431	.655	3	11	43	21–130	67.4	! 0–6
		2–1	65–38	365	.585	1	1	37	6–38	72.9	! 0–1
		10–9	277–174	2,054	.628	6	4	62	39–196	86.5	! 5–4
		10–10	375–242	2,713	.645	11	9	63	23–158	85.8	! 2–8
		6–5	168–108	1,377	.643	6	5	64	14–104	89.3	! 1–4
		14–11	441–281	3,417	.623	27	17	62	20–140	89.8	! 5–6
		16–16	598–401	4,583	.671	30	14	79	26–182	96.9	! 9–7
		15–15	513–339	3,753	.661	26	14	45	24–172	93.2	! 10–5
Totals (NFL)		! 124–116	! 4,070–2,666	! 32,344	! .655	! 208	! 128	! 85	! 260–1,669	! 93.7	! 67–50
Totals (NFL/AFL/NFL Europe)		! 176–168	! 5,716–3,649	! 44,910	! .638	! 406	! 177	! 85	! 260–1,669	! 98.7	! 104–63
Postseason		! 13–13	! 462–307	! 3,952	! .665	! 31	! 14	! 92	! 19–96	! 102.8	! 9–4

NFL records

Most career yards passing in Super Bowl history – 1,156 yards

Most yards passing in a Super Bowl game – 414 yards (against Tennessee Titans) Three highest passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history: Warner also owns the 2nd highest (377 yards against Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII) and 3rd highest (365 yards against New England in Super Bowl XXXVI) passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history.

Only quarterback to throw 400+ yards in a Super Bowl game

Most touchdown passes in a single postseason – 11 touchdowns (in 2009, tied with Joe Montana in 1990)

Most yards passing in a single postseason – 1,147 yards (in 2009)

Highest completion percentage in a single game (regular season) – 92.3% (24/26) (9/20/09) (Highest single game completion percentage – Tom Brady 92.9% (26/28) (1/12/08)) Highest rate of games with 300+ yards passing (min. 100 games played) – 41.9% (52/124) Most consecutive games with 300+ yards passing – 6 games (tied with Steve Young and Rich Gannon) Most career games with a perfect passer rating (regular season) – 3 games (tied with Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger)

Fastest player to pass for 30,000 yards – 114 games (tied with Dan Marino)

Fastest player to pass for 10,000 yards

Only quarterback to throw for over 14,000 yards with two different teams (St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals)

Only quarterback to throw 40 touchdowns and win a Super Bowl in the same season (in 1999)

Most yards passing in the first two games of a season – 827 yards (in 2000)

Highest average passing yards per game on ''Monday Night Football'' – 329.4 yards (min 7 games)

Warner shares several records:

One of 2 quarterbacks to make Super Bowl starts with two different teams – (following Craig Morton – Dallas Cowboys (in 1970) and Denver Broncos (in 1977))

One of 2 quarterbacks to throw 100 touchdown passes with two different teams (following Fran Tarkenton)

One of 2 quarterbacks Tied to throw 5 touchdown passes in two different playoff games – (following Daryle Lamonica)

One of 2 quarterbacks to complete 80% of his passes in two playoff games (tied with Tom Brady)

One of 2 quarterbacks with 4 consecutive games with a passer rating over 120 (in 2009, tied with Johnny Unitas)

One of 3 quarterbacks to win a Conference championship with two different teams (following Craig Morton and Earl Morrall)

Warner also ranks second in several categories:

2nd highest career completion percentage (Min. 1500 attempts) – 65.5 (Chad Pennington, 66.0)

2nd highest career passing yards per game (Min. 100 games) – 260.4 yards/game (Peyton Manning is first)

2nd highest career completion percentage, playoffs – 66.5 (Drew Brees, 66.7)

2nd oldest quarterback to throw for 30 touchdowns in a season – aged 37 (in 2008) (Brett Favre, aged 40 (in 2009))

Broadcasting and television

In 2010, Warner joined NFL Network as an analyst. He can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access, as well as in-studio on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football pregame show, Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears. Warner also served as an analyst for the NFL Network's coverage of the 2010 Arena Football League playoffs.

On January 27, 2009, Warner made a special appearance on the NBC reality show ''The Biggest Loser''.

Warner made a guest appearance on Disney's ''The Suite Life on Deck'' as himself in the episode "Any Given Fantasy" which aired on the Disney Channel January 18, 2010.

On February 9, 2010, Warner was a surprise guest on the final episode of ''The Jay Leno Show''.

In August 2010, Fox Sports announced that Warner would be serving as a color analyst on the network's NFL coverage in the 2010 season. He will team with play-by-play announcers Chris Rose or Chris Myers to call regional games.

On August 30, 2010, it was announced on live television that Warner would be appearing as a contestant on ''Dancing with the Stars''. His professional dance partner was Anna Trebunskaya; the couple were eliminated in week 8, the Instant Choreography Week.

Television guest appearances
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Episode(s)
		Himself
	''The Suite Life on Deck''	Himself
''The Jay Leno Show''	Himself
	Himself

Endorsements

On December 3, 2010, Warner's first multi-year post-retirement endorsement agreement was announced. Amway North America announced that it had signed Warner to a multi-year endorsement agreement to represent the Nutrilite brand. Amway reportedly agreed to make a $50,000 donation Kurt Warner's First Things First Foundation.

Personal life

Kurt Warner was born to Gene and Sue Warner; he has a brother, Matt. Warner's parents divorced when he was 6. His father, Gene Warner remarried a year later. Warner's stepmother, Mimi Warner, also had a son named Matt (Post). The three boys formed a close relationship soon thereafter. He graduated in 1989 from Regis High School, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was quarterback of the school's Class 3A football team.

During college, Warner met his future wife, Brenda Carney Meoni; they married on October 11, 1997. Meoni is a United States Marine Corps veteran. She was divorced with two children – one of whom had been left brain-damaged and blind after being dropped by Brenda's ex-husband – when she and Kurt wed. After Warner was cut from the Packers' training camp in 1994, he got a job working the night shift as a stock boy at a local Hy-Vee grocery store, in addition to his work as an assistant-coach at Northern Iowa. While Warner was working as an assistant-coach, he and Brenda were living in Brenda's parent's basement in Cedar Falls. Warner was still hoping to get an NFL tryout, but with that possibility appearing dim and the long hours at the Hy-Vee for minimum wage taking their toll, Warner began his Arena League career.

After getting married, Warner officially adopted Brenda's two children from her first marriage and have since added 5 children of their own: Zachary Taylor Warner (b. 1989), son of Brenda, adopted by Kurt Jesse Jo Warner (b. 1992), daughter of Brenda, adopted by Kurt Kade Eugene Warner (b. 1998) Jada Jo Warner (b. 2001) Elijah Storm Warner (b. 2003) Sierra Rose Warner (b. 2005), twin to Sienna

Sienna Rae Warner (b. 2005), twin to Sierra

Kurt and Brenda Warner are devout evangelical Christians. His faith first emerged on the international scene following the Rams' Super Bowl victory, where he was named the game's MVP: {{bquote|Mike Tirico from ABC: "Kurt, first things first — tell me about the final touchdown pass to Isaac." Kurt Warner: "Well, first things first, I've got to thank my Lord and Savior up above — thank you, Jesus!"}}

Nine years later, upon leading the Cardinals to the franchise's first ever Super Bowl, Warner's response was similar:

Warner has usually attended charismatic churches, and believes that God healed him from a concussion he suffered in 2000. However, he himself eschews the term. In 2001, he told ''Charisma'', "I'm just a Christian."

Warner has also appeared in several public service announcements for Civitan International, promoting their volunteer efforts and their work with the developmentally disabled. This issue is personally close to Warner, as Zachary, his adopted son from Brenda's first marriage, suffered major brain damage as an infant when his biological father accidentally dropped him.

On October 24, 2006, he was featured in a political advertisement opposing a bill supporting embryonic stem cell research in Missouri. The advertisement was in response to a pro-embryonic research ad featuring Michael J. Fox. He appeared in the advertisement with James Caviezel, Patricia Heaton, Jeff Suppan, and Mike Sweeney. The advertisement aired during Game 4 of the 2006 World Series.

Warner has devoted time and money to his First Things First Foundation, the name of which was derived from his interview after winning the Super Bowl in 1999. The foundation is dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values, sharing experiences and providing opportunities to encourage everyone that all things are possible when people seek to put ‘first things first.’ The foundation has been involved with numerous projects for causes such as children's hospitals, people with developmental disabilities and assisting single parents. Warner's work both on and off the field resulted in him being awarded the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award 2008. In March 2009, Warner was honored with the Muhammad Ali Sports Leadership Award. Warner was selected by USA Weekend as the winner of its annual Most Caring Athlete Award for 2009. In December 2009, Warner topped a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players to name the best role model on and off the field in the NFL.

In February 2010, Warner received the annual Bart Starr Award, given for outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community. At the award presentation, Bart Starr said of Warner: "We have never given this award to anyone who is more deserving".

See also

List of NFL quarterbacks who have passed for 400 or more yards in a game

List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating

List of 300-yard passing games by NFL quarterbacks

List of Arena Football League and National Football League players

NFL QB Playoff records as starters

References

Further reading

Warner, Kurt & Silver, Michael, (2000). ''All Things Possible''. San Francisco: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-251717-1 (cloth) ISBN 0-06-251718-X (paper back).

Warner, Kurt & Brenda, (2009). ''First Things First''. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers Inc. ISBN 1414334060 (Hardcover)

External links

Kurt Warner at NFL.com

Kurt Warner at ESPN.com

Kurt Warner at azcardinals.com

Kurt Warner at ArenaFan Online

Pro-Football-Reference.com: Kurt Warner

The Football Database – Kurt Warner

Category:1971 births Category:American football quarterbacks Category:Amsterdam Admirals players Category:Arena football announcers Category:Arizona Cardinals players Category:Green Bay Packers players Category:Iowa Barnstormers players Category:Living people Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players Category:National Football League announcers Category:New York Giants players Category:Northern Iowa Panthers football players Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Burlington, Iowa Category:Players of American football from Iowa Category:St. Louis Rams players Category:Super Bowl MVPs Category:Undrafted National Football League players Category:American Christians

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