Super Bowl XIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1978 season. The Steelers defeated the Cowboys by the score of 35–31. The game was played on January 21, 1979, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, the fifth and last time that the Super Bowl was played in that building.

This was the first ever Super Bowl rematch (the Steelers had previously beaten the Cowboys, 21–17, in Super Bowl X), and both teams were attempting to be the first club to ever win a third Super Bowl. Dallas was also the defending Super Bowl XII champion, and finished the 1978 regular season with a 12-4 record, and posted playoff victories over the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams. Pittsburgh entered the game after posting a 14-2 regular season record and playoff wins over the Denver Broncos and the Houston Oilers.

Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who was named Super Bowl MVP, completed 17 out of 30 passes for Super Bowl records of 318 passing yards and 4 touchdown passes. His 75-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter also tied Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl V for the longest pass in a Super Bowl. The Cowboys were able to stay close, only trailing 21-17 at the end of the third quarter, but Pittsburgh scored two touchdowns in a span of 19 seconds in the fourth period. Dallas also could not overcome turnovers, drops, and a controversial penalty during the second half. The Cowboys were eventually able to score two touchdowns in the final minutes of the game, but still ended up being the first defending champion to lose in the Super Bowl, and to date the only losing Super Bowl team to score 30 points or more.

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. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played on January 15, 1967, following the 1966 regular season, while the most recent game, Super Bowl XLVI, was played on February 5, 2012, to determine the champion of the 2011 season.

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 25 wins to 21 wins for the AFC.

Troy Aumua Polamalu ( /ˌpoʊləˈmɑːluː/; born April 19, 1981), born Troy Aumua, is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the first round (sixteenth overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football for the University of Southern California.

Polamalu was born in Garden Grove, California. He graduated from Douglas High School in Winston, Oregon. Though playing in only four games (injuries) during his senior season, he was named to the 1998 Super Prep All-Northwest team, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, and the All-Far West League second team. A two-way player, Polamalu rushed for 671 yards with nine touchdowns and grabbed three interceptions.

Following his junior season, Polamalu was named to the All-State first team and was the All-Far West League Offensive Most Valuable Player for 9-1 Douglas. He rushed for 1,040 yards with 22 touchdowns and had 310 receiving yards. On defense, he made 65 tackles and had eight interceptions.

Johnny Lee Stallworth (born July 15, 1952, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) is a former American football wide receiver who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Alabama A&M, and was the Steelers' fourth-round draft pick in 1974. Stallworth played in six AFC championships, and went to four Super Bowls. His career statistics included 537 receptions for 8,723 yards and 63 TDs. His receptions were a franchise record until that record was surpassed by Hines Ward in 2005. Stallworth played in four Pro Bowls and was the Steelers' two-time MVP.

A native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Stallworth was an All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference receiver for Alabama A&M in 1972 and 1973. Stallworth earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Alabama A&M University.

Stallworth was the 82nd player taken in 1973. After a rookie year as an understudy, he became a starter in his second season and held that job for the rest of his 165-game career. Stallworth did battle a series of fibula, foot, ankle, knee and hamstring injuries that forced him to miss 44 regular-season games.

Jackie Larue Smith (born February 23, 1940 in Columbia, Mississippi) is a former professional American football player in the National Football League. He played tight end for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys from 1963 to 1978. He has career marks of 480 receptions, 7,918 yards, and 40 touchdowns. He attended Northwestern Louisiana State University, now Northwestern State University.

An outstanding football and track competitor at Northwest Louisiana, Smith joined the Cardinals in 1963. Smith was a talented receiver, a punishing blocker, a fierce competitor and an excellent runner after he caught the ball. He even handled the Cardinals' punting chores his first three seasons.

Smith became the Cardinals' starting tight end during his 1963 rookie season and remained a fixture at that spot the rest of his tenure in St. Louis. He gained 212 yards on nine receptions against the Pittsburgh Steelers that year.

The team's offensive co-captain, Smith had a string of 45 straight games from 1967 to 1970 with at least one reception. He played in 121 straight games, starting with his first NFL contest until a knee injury sidelined him in his ninth season in 1971.