Steelers Ohio
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Super Bowl XIII Super Bowl XIII was the 13th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida following the 1978 regular season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys, 35–31. It was the first ever Super Bowl rematch. The Steelers previously beat the Cowboys in Super Bowl X, 21–17. Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was named Super Bowl MVP. Bradshaw, who completing 17 out of 30 passes, broke Super Bowl records for the most passing yards in a game (318) and the most touchdown passes in a game (4). Also, his 75-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter tied Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl V for the longest in a Super Bowl. After the NFL increased its exposure by extending its schedule from 14 regular season games to 16, and increasing the playoffs from an 8-team tournament to 10, the league could not have been happier to see its two then-most popular teams meet in the Super Bowl again. Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers came into the game attempting to be the first team to ever win a third Super Bowl (after Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl X). Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw had the best season of his career, completing 207 of 368 passes for 2,915 yards and 28 touchdowns. He ranked as the second highest rated passer in the league (84.8), his 28 touchdown passes led the league, and he won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award. Wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth provided the team with a great deep threat. Swann recorded 61 receptions for 880 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Stallworth had 41 receptions for 798 yards and 9 touchdowns. Tight end Randy Grossman, who replaced injured starter Bennie Cunningham for most of the season, also was a big weapon by recording 37 receptions for 448 yards and one touchdown. In the Steelers' rushing game, running back Franco Harris was the team's leading rusher for the 7th consecutive season, recording 1,082 yards and 8 touchdowns, while also catching 22 passes for another 144 yards. Fullback Rocky Bleier had 633 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns, while also catching 17 passes for 168 yards. The Steelers' success on offense was due in large measure to their stellar offensive line, anchored by future hall of fame center Mike Webster Although Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" defense had some new starters this season, such as linemen John Banaszak and Steve Furness, and defensive back Tony Dungy, they finished second in the league against the run (allowing 107.8 yards per game) and ranked third in fewest total yards allowed (4,529). Once again, defensive tackles Joe Greene and L. C. Greenwood anchored the line, while Pro Bowl linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert combined for 7 interceptions. Dungy lead the team with 6 interceptions, while the rest of the secondary, defensive backs Mel Blount, Donnie Shell, and Ron Johnson, combined for 11. The Steelers went on to finish with the league's best regular season record (14-2). Dallas Cowboys The Cowboys became the first team to appear in five Super Bowls (after playing in Super Bowls V, VI, X and XII). The defending Super Bowl champions were again led by quarterback Roger Staubach. Staubach finished the season as the top rated passer in the NFL (84.9) by throwing 231 out of 413 completions for 3,190 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also rushed for 182 yards and another touchdown. Wide receivers Drew Pearson and Tony Hill provided the deep passing threats, combining for 90 receptions, 1,537 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Tight end Billy Joe Dupree contributed 34 receptions for 509 yards and 9 touchdowns. Running back Tony Dorsett had another fine season, recording a total of 1,703 combined rushing and receiving yards, and scoring a total of 9 touchdowns. Fullback Robert Newhouse and halfback Preston Pearson also contributed from the offensive backfield, combining for 1,326 rushing and receiving yards, while Newhouse also scored 10 touchdowns. The Cowboys also had a superb offensive line, led by Herbert Scott and 6-time Pro Bowler Rayfield Wright The Cowboys' "Doomsday Defense" finished the season as the top ranked defense in the league against the run by only allowing 107.6 yards per game. Pro Bowl linemen Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Harvey Martin and Randy White anchored the line, while linebackers Mike Hegman, D.D. Lewis and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson provided solid support. Their secondary, lead by safeties Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters, along with cornerbacks Bennie Barnes and Aaron Kyle, combined for 16 interceptions. The Cowboys started the regular season slowly, winning only six of their first ten games. Both the offense and the defense played ineffectively, including giving up interceptions and fumbles. But Dallas finished strong, winning their last six regular season games to post a 12-4 record. Playoffs Dallas marched through the playoffs, defeating the Atlanta Falcons, 27-20, and the Los Angeles Rams, 28-0. Meanwhile, the Steelers easily demolished the Denver Broncos, 33-10, and the Houston Oilers, 34-5. Super Bowl pregame hype Much of the pregame hype surrounded Super Bowl XIII centered around Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Henderson caused quite a stir before the NFC Championship Game by claiming that the Rams had "No Class" and the Cowboys would shut them out. His prediction turned out to be very accurate; the Cowboys did shut them out, aided by Henderson's 68-yard interception return for a touchdown. In the days leading up the Super Bowl, Henderson began talking about the Steelers in the same manner. He predicted another shutout and then made unfriendly comments about several Pittsburgh players. He put down the talent Grossman and the intellegence of Bradshaw, proclaiming "Bradshaw couldn't spell 'cat' if you gave him the 'c' and the 'a'". But the Steelers refused to get into a war of words with Henderson. Greene responded by saying the Steeler didn't need to say they were the best, they would just go out on the field and "get the job done". Television and entertainment The game was broadcast in the United States by NBC with Curt Gowdy handling play-by-play and color commentators Merlin Olsen and John Brodie. The pregame festivities featured the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and several military bands. The Colgate University Seven later performed the national anthem. The coin toss ceremony featured Pro Football Hall of Famer and longtime Chicago Bears owner/head coach George Halas. The halftime show was a "Carnival Salute to Caribbean" with various Caribbean bands. Game summary Although both teams entered the game with the best defenses in the league (the Cowboys only allowed 107.6 rushing yards per game while the Steelers only allowed 107.8), each side took advantage of the other team's mistakes throughout the game. But Dallas could not overcome their miscues in the second half. On their opening drive, the Cowboys advanced to the Pittsburgh 38-yard line, with running back Tony Dorsett gaining 38 yards off 3 running plays. But they lost the ball on a fumbled handoff while attempting to fool the Steelers defense with a double reverse play. After defensive lineman John Banaszak recovered the loose ball on the Pittsburgh 47-yard line, the Steelers attempted 2 running plays with running back Franco Harris carrying the ball, but only gained 1 yard. Then on third down, wide receiver John Stallworth caught a 12-yard pass to the Cowboys' 40-yard line. Then after throwing an incomplete pass, Bradshaw completed three consecutive passes, the last one being a 28-yard touchdown completion to Stallworth to take a 7-0 lead. On their next drive, the Cowboys responded by advancing to the Steelers 39-yard line, but were pushed back to their own 39-yard line after quarterback Roger Staubach was sacked twice, and they were forced to punt. Then on the Steelers' ensuing drive, Bradshaw threw a 22-yard pass to Harris and followed it up with a 13-yard pass to receiver Lynn Swann to move the ball to the Dallas 30-yard line. But on the very next play, Dallas linebacker D.D. Lewis ended the drive by intercepting a pass intended for Stallworth. With a little more than a minute to go in the period, Bradshaw fumbled the ball while being sacked by Cowboys lineman Harvey Martin, and defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones recovered it. On the next play from scrimmage, Staubach capitalized on Bradshaw's mistake with a 39-yard scoring strike to Tony Hill to tie the game at 7 as the first quarter expired. It was the first first quarter touchdown surrendered by Pittsburgh all season. The Steelers took possession at the start of the second quarter and advanced to their own 48-yard line. But on the next play, Dallas linebackers Mike Hegman and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson blitzed Bradshaw as he dropped back to pass. Henderson tackled Bradshaw as he was about to throw, causing him to fumble. Hegman picked up the loose ball and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown, giving the Cowboys a 14-7 lead. The Cowboys lead didn’t last long. On the third play of Pittsburgh's ensuing possession, Stallworth caught a pass from Bradshaw at the Steelers 35-yard line. He then broke a tackle from defensive back Aaron Kyle and outraced every other defender to the end zone, turning a simple 10-yard pass into a 75-yard touchdown completion to tie the score, 14-14. With less than two minutes remaining in the half, Dallas advanced to the Pittsburgh 32-yard line, after starting from their own 34-yard line. But Pittsburgh defensive back Mel Blount intercepted a pass from Staubach and returned it to the 29. With time running out, Bradshaw completed 2 passes to Swann for gains of 29 and 21 yards, moving the ball to the 16-yard line with 40 seconds left in the half. Then after throwing an incomplete pass, Harris ran the ball the ball to the 7-yard line. Then with just 26 seconds left, Bradshaw completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to fullback Rocky Bleier, giving the Steelers a 21-14 lead at halftime. The torrid scoring pace slowed during much of the third quarter, as both teams began to assert themselves on the defensive side of the ball. But late in the third quarter, Dallas drove down to the Steelers 10-yard line, mostly with Dorsett's rushing. Then on third down with less than three minutes remaining in the period, Staubach spotted 38-year old reserve tight end Jackie Smith wide open in the end zone and threw him the ball. The pass was a little behind Smith, but it was catchable. However, Smith dropped the pass and the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal from kicker Rafael Septien, cutting their deficit to 21-17. Though Smith played 16 years in the league and is now enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is perhaps best known for his embarassing blunder on the sport's biggest stage. ("Bless his heart," Curt Gowdy declared on the NBC-TV broadcast following Smith's gaffe, "he's got to be the sickest man in America.") A controversial penalty early in the fourth quarter paved the way for the Steelers to score 14 unanswered points. The Steelers advanced to their own 44-yard line after a crucial 3rd down pass from Bradshaw to tight end Randy Grossman, a 13-yard pass to Swann, and a 5-yard run by Harris. Bradshaw then attempted a pass to Swann, but the receiver collided with Cowboys defensive back Benny Barnes and fell to the ground as the ball rolled incomplete. However, Barnes was called for pass interference even though replays later showed that it could have been incidental contact. The penalty gave Pittsburgh a first down at Dallas' 23-yard line. Two plays and a penalty later, the Steelers faced third down and nine at the 22-yard line. Assuming the Cowboys would be expecting a pass, Bradshaw handed the ball off to Harris, who took the ball all the way into the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown run. The score increased Pittsburgh's lead to 28-17. Dallas then fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Dennis White recovered for the Steelers at the Cowboys 18-yard line. Pittsburgh took advantage of the turnover, scoring on the next play with Bradshaw's touchdown pass to Swann, increasing the lead to 35-17 with less than 7 minutes left in the game. Some of the Steelers were already celebrating on the sidelines, but the Cowboys were ready to attempt a comeback. Dallas stormed down the field on their next drive, marching 89 yards in 8 plays to score on Staubach's 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Billy Joe DuPree. Then, after recovering an onside kick, Dallas drove 52 yards in 9 plays, featuring 2 completions to receiver Drew Pearson for 22 and 25 yards, and scoring another touchdown on wide receiver Butch Johnson's 4-yard reception, cutting the score 35-31 with just 22 seconds left in the game. But the Cowboys' second onside kick attempt was unsuccessful. Bleier recovered the ball and the Steelers were able to run out the clock to win the game. Swann was the leading receiver in the game with 7 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. Stallworth recorded 115 yards and a touchdown off just 3 receptions. Dorsett was the top rusher of the game with 96 rushing yards, and also caught 5 passes for 44 yards. Harris was Pittsburgh's leading rusher with 68 yards, and he caught a pass for 22 yards. Staubach finished the game with exactly as many passing attempts (30) and completions (17) as Bradshaw, good for 228 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Scoring summary PIT- Stallworth 28 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) DAL- Hill 39 pass from Staubach (Septien kick) DAL- Hegman 37 fumble return (Septien kick) PIT- Stallworth 75 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) PIT- Bleier 7 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) DAL- FG Septien 27 PIT- Harris 22 run (Gerela kick) PIT- Swann 18 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) DAL- DuPree 7 pass from Staubach (Septien kick) DAL- Johnson 4 pass from Staubach (Septien kick) Trivia Dallas' Butch Johnson became just the second player to score touchdowns in back-to-back Super Bowls. Former Dallas running back Duane Johnson did this in Super Bowls V and VI. Both teams would meet again in Super Bowl XXX The Cowboys were the first defending champion to lose in the Super Bowl
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