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Super Bowl XVI

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Super Bowl XVI was the 16th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 24, 1982 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit) following the 1981 regular season.

DateJanuary 24, 1982
StadiumPontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
MVPJoe Montana, Quarterback
Favorite49ers by 1
Attendance81,270
Ceremonies
National anthemDiana Ross
Coin tossBobby Layne
Halftime showUp with People presents "Salute to the 1960s and Motown"
TV in the United States
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersPat Summerall and John Madden
Nielsen ratings49.1
Market share73
Cost of 30-second commercial$324,000

The National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals, 26–21. This was the first time since Super Bowl III that the game featured two teams that never competed in a Super Bowl before.

49ers quarterback Joe Montana was named the Super Bowl MVP, completing 14 of 22 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown.

The game was one of the most watched broadcasts in American television history, with more than 85 million viewers. The final national Nielsen rating was a 49.1, a Super Bowl record.

Background

San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco finished the regular season with a league-best 13-3 record. The 49ers' success surprised many because they finished with a 6-10 record during the previous season, and a 2-14 record before that. A major reason for the team's improvement was the emergence of their young quarterback Joe Montana. In just his third season in the league, Montana completed 311 out of 488 passes (a 63.7 completion percentage) for 3,565 yards and 19 touchdowns. His favorite targets were receivers Dwight Clark (85 receptions, 1,104 yards, and 4 touchdowns) and Freddie Solomon (59 receptions, 969 yards, and 8 touchdowns). Running back Ricky Patten was the top rusher on the team with 543 yards and 4 touchdowns, while also catching 27 passes for 195 yards. Multi-talented running back Earl Cooper also provided the team with a good running and receiving threat, rushing for 330 yards and catching 51 passes for 477 yards. Much of San Francisco's success was also aided by their offensive line, led by center Randy Cross and guard Fred Quillan.

Although the 49ers had 3 rookies starting as defensive backs, they all were major defensive threats: Carlton Williamson recorded 4 interceptions, Eric Wright had 3, and Ronnie Lott recorded 7 interceptions and tied an NFL record by returning 3 of them for touchdowns. Three-year veteran defensive back Dwight Hicks led the team with 9 interceptions, which he returned for 239 yards and a touchdown, giving the secondary a total of 23. Defensive end Fred Dean and linebacker Jack "Hacksaw" Reyonolds were big contributors up front, making it difficult for the opposing teams to rush the ball.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals finished with the best regular season record in the AFC at 12-4. Cincinnati was also a surprise team because, like the 49ers, they also had recorded a 6-10 record during the previous season.

Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson was the top rated passer in the league and won both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. He completed 300 out of 479 (62.6 percent) of his passes for 3,754 yards and 29 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions. Anderson was also an outstanding scrambler, rushing for another 320 yards and another touchdown. The Bengals main deep threat was rookie wide receiver Cris Collinsworth, who caught 67 passes for 1,009 yards and 8 touchdowns. Tight end Dan Ross had 71 receptions for 910 yards and 5 touchdowns, while wide receiver Isaac Curtis recorded 37 passes for 609 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fullback Pete Johnson was the leading rusher on the team, with 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also a good receiver out of the backfield, catching 46 passes for another 320 yards and 4 touchdowns. A big reason for Cincinnati's production on offense was their line, led by future hall of famer Anthony Munoz.

The Bengals also had an outstanding defense that had not given up more then 30 points in any of their regular season or playoff games. Their line was anchored by defensive ends Ross Browner and Eddie Edwards, who did a great job stopping the run. Like the 49ers, Cincinnati's main strength on defense was their secondary, led by defensive backs Louis Breeden, Ken Rilley, Bo Harris and Reggie Williams, who all combined for 16 interceptions.

Playoffs

Further information: NFL playoffs, 1981-82

The Bengals went on to defeat the Buffalo Bills, 28-21, and the San Diego Chargers, 27-7. Meanwhile, the 49ers went on to defeat the New York Giants, 38-24, and then narrowly beat the Dallas Cowboys, 28-27, on a last second touchdown pass known as The Catch.

Super Bowl pregame news

Going into Super Bowl XVI, most experts agreed that both teams were very evenly matched, but many thought Pete Johnson's rushing ability could prove to be the difference. Some also pointed out that Ken Anderson was an established 11-year veteran who had just finished the best season of his career, while the young Montana was only just starting to emerge as a top notch quarterback.

Television and entertainment

The game was broadcast in the United States by CBS and featured the broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator John Madden. The broadcast also featured the introduction of the telestrator to a national audience.

The pregame festivities featured the University of Michigan Band. Singer and actress Diana Ross sang the national anthem. The coin toss ceremony featured hall of fame quarterback Bobby Layne.

Up with People provided the halftime entertainment featuring a salute to the 1960s and Motown.

Game summary

The Bengals had the first opportunity to score early in the game after they recovered a fumble from at the 49ers 26-yard line on the opening kickoff. Quarterback Ken Anderson started the drive off with a completion to wide receiver Isaac Curtis for 8 yards, and followed it up with an 11-yard pass to tight end Dan Ross. Then, fullback Pete Johnson ran 2 yards to the 5-yard line. On the next play, Anderson threw a pass intended for Curtis in the end zone, but San Francisco defensive back Dwight Hicks intercepted the ball and returned it to the 49ers 32-yard line

From there, quarterback Joe Montana led the 49ers offense to the Cincinnati 47-yard line with 3 consecutive completions. Then, the 49ers ran a fake reverse – flea flicker play that involved wide receiver Freddie Solomon and ended with Montana completing a 14-yard pass to tight end Charles Young at the 33. Three running plays and Montana's 14-yard completion to Solomon moved the ball to the 1-yard line. Finally, Montana scored from there on a 1-yard touchdown run, giving San Francisco a 7-0 lead.

The Bengals threatened to score early in the second quarter when they advanced across the San Francisco 30-yard line. But after catching a 19-yard pass from Anderson at the 8-yard line, rookie wide receiver Cris Collinsworth lost a fumble while being tackled by 49ers defensive back Eric Wright. After recovering the fumble, the 49ers drove for a Super Bowl record 92 yards, scoring on an 11-yard pass from Montana to fullback Earl Cooper, increasing their lead to 14–0.

With just over 4 minutes left in the half, Montana lead the 49ers on another scoring drive. First, he completed a 17-yard pass to wide receiver Dwight Clark at the Cincinnati 49-yard line. Then, running back Ricky Patten ran twice, advanced the ball to the 39-yard line. Montana's next two completions to Clark and Solomon moved the ball to the 5-yard line. But then Montana threw 2 straight incompletions, forcing the 49ers to settle for kicker Ray Wersching's 22-yard field goal to increase their lead to 17-0.

With just 15 seconds left in the half, the 49ers recovered another fumble and Wersching kicked his second field goal, increasing the score 20–0, the largest halftime lead in Super Bowl history.

After receiving the opening kickoff of the second half, the Bengals drove 83 yards in 9 plays, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run by Anderson to cut the deficit to 20–7.

Later in the quarter, Collinsworth's 49-yard reception from Anderson moved the ball to the San Francisco 14-yard line. A few plays later, Bengals running back Pete Johnson successfully converted on a fourth down run, giving the Bengals a first down on the 3-yard line. But after a run for no gain, an incomplete pass, and a run to the 1-yard line, Cincinnati faced fourth down again. Rather than attempting a field goal, the Bengals tried to score a touchdown with Johnson running through the middle of the line. But San Francisco linebacker Jack Reynolds and safety Ronnie Lott tackled him for no gain, giving the ball back to the 49ers.

The Bengals scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a 4-yard pass from Anderson to Ross, cutting their deficit to 20-14 with just one touchdown and an extra point away from the lead. But the 49ers countered with a 50-yard, 9-play drive that took 4:41 off the clock, and included Montana's 22-yard pass to Wilson and 7 consecutive running plays. Wersching ended the drive with a 40-yard field goal to give San Francisco a 23-14 lead with just 5 minutes left. Then Wright intercepted a pass from Anderson on the Bengals next drive, and a few plays later Wersching kicked his fourth field goal to increase the 49ers lead to 26–14 with less than 2 minutes left in the game.

Anderson then completed 6 consecutive passes on the Bengals ensuing drive, the last one a 3-yard touchdown pass to Ross, to make the score 26–21 with less than 20 seconds left in the game. The Bengals tried an onside kick, but Clark recovered the ball for the 49ers, allowing San Fransisco to run out the clock to win the game.

The Bengals gained 356 yards of total offense to the 49ers' 275, marking the first time in Super Bowl history that the team that compiled the most yards lost. Despite gaining more yards, the Bengals were unable to overcome their 5 turnovers.

The game featured several great performances by players on both teams. Montana threw for 157 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for another 18 yards and a touchdown. Wright had an interception and forced a fumble. Collinsworth caught 4 passes for 107 yards, an average of 21.4 yards per catch. Ross recorded a Super Bowl record 11 receptions for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. Anderson finished the game with 25 out of 34 pass completions for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. He also gained 14 rushing yards and a touchdown on 6 carries. Anderson's 25 completions and his 73.5 completion percentage were both Super Bowl records.

Scoring summary

  • SF- Montana 1 run (Wersching kick)
  • SF- E. Cooper 11 pass from Montana (Wersching kick)
  • SF- FG Wersching 22
  • SF- FG Wersching 26
  • CIN- Anderson 5 run (Breech kick)
  • CIN- Ross 4 pass from Anderson (Breech kick)
  • SF- FG Wersching 40
  • SF- FG Wersching 23
  • CIN- Ross 3 pass from Anderson (Breech kick)

Trivia

  • This is the only Super Bowl to have ever been played at the Pontiac Silverdome. However, the site of Super Bowl XL is Ford Field in Detroit.
  • This was the first of 8 Super Bowls to be broadcast by the tandem of Pat Summerall and John Madden. The two would do 5 Super Bowls with CBS (XVI, XVIII, XXI, XXIV and XXVI) and 3 more with FOX (XXXI, XXXII and XXXVI).

See also

References

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