I don't care about this year's Super Bowl game all that much, but I am fascinated by everything that has to do with it. I always have been. Named after an extremely elastic bouncy toy named a Super Ball, and accidently coined originally by the then Kansas City Chiefs Owner Lamar Hunt, who saw his kids playing with it, the game has become far bigger than, well, the actual game.
So big, in fact, that there's no way Norman Stingley -- or anyone else for that matter -- could have imagined it would ever get anywhere this big back when it all started in the 1960's. (For more on the title of this article, read further).
But it has. And I love to have fun with a lot of the Super Bowl's fun facts. Like this one: Did you know that the first big game, played at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1967 between Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers and Hank Stram's Chiefs, was actually called the "AFL-NFL World Championship Game?" Green Bay won 35-10, and it's a good thing, too. Could you imagine how it would sound today if, next weekend, the Patriots and Rams were playing for something called "The Hank Stram Trophy?"
Anyway, the game wasn't actually called the "Super Bowl" until the famed third matchup when Joe Namath guaranteed his New York Jets would beat the powerful Baltimore Colts, which they did, 16-7, changing the course of NFL history forever. The Colts were favored by 17 points that day, and figured to give the NFL a third straight lopsided victory over the AFL, which effectively could have killed off this famous yearly competition before it ever gained the nationwide traction it has.
A Roman numeral wasn't affixed to the title of the game until Super Bowl V between the Colts and the Dallas Cowboys. It has been used in every game since, except for Super Bowl 50, which was referred to as, uh, Super Bowl 50. We're back to the Roman numerals now, and the Pats-Rams matchup will be number LIII.
The Rams have chosen to wear their blue "home" throwback uniforms for the game, which is an obvious sign that the NFC Champions are new to this whole experience. After all, everyone knows that the team wearing the white jersey has completely dominated Super Bowls over the years, winning 33 times and losing only 19.
White has won 12 of the past 14 matchups, a fact the Patriots were well aware of last season when they had the choice and, despite being the designated home team, chose to wear white jerseys, putting the Philadelphia Eagles in their home greens. (The Eagles, of course, spoiled that strategy with a 41-33 upset win, but just the fact that New England did something like that shows some of the lengths teams will go to for a Super edge).
Betting the game? Don't. Las Vegas has installed New England as a 2 1/2-point favorite, but don't look for an advantage there. In the 52 previous games, the favored team is 24-25-3 against the spread. Pretty close, and pretty well done by Vegas, I'd say. The last push, by the way, was the Rams' only Super Bowl victory, after the 1999 season, 23-16, over Tennessee. They were favored by exactly seven points that day. And that game was played in Atlanta, where this year's game is being played. And two seasons after that, following the 2001 campaign, the Patriots won their first Brady-Belichick Super Bowl, beating the (who else?) Rams, 20-17. That game was played Feb. 3, 2002, exactly 17 years to the day that this year's matchup will occur.
This kind of stuff can go on and on. So let's:
New England is hoping not to become the fourth team to lose consecutive Super Bowls. The first three teams to do that were Minnesota (1974-75), Denver (1986-87) and, of course, the famous Buffalo Bills, who dropped an amazing four straight from 1990-93. That Bills team is the only team to make four straight Super Bowls, however. The Miami Dolphins (1971-73) had been the only other franchise to make at least three straight -- until this year's Patriots accomplished it. Bills, Dolphins, Patriots. All from the AFC East. Hmmmm.
More? Ok. How about this: you'll be the life of the party on Super Bowl Sunday with the inane knowledge that this year's New England-Los Angeles matchup is the first ever between a pair of No. 2 seeds from their respective conferences. Seeding for the playoffs began in 1978, and a No. 2 has never before played against another No. 2 (the last No. 2 to win it, by the way, was the Pittsburgh Steelers following the 2008 season).
This also marks the first time that the same two cities (areas) have been represented in the World Series (Red Sox-Dodgers) and the Super Bowl (Pats-Rams) in the same season. And it's the seventh repeat matchup in Super Bowl history. (Dallas and Pittsburgh have met three times -- 1975, 1978, 1995 -- the only pair to accomplish that). Dallas-Buffalo (1992-93) is the only time the same two teams have met in back to back years.
The NFC leads the all-time series over the AFC, 27-25, largely due to the fact that the NFC once won an astounding 13 Super Bowls in a row (from 1984 through 1996). The average margin of victory in those 13 games was 21 points, and included San Diego's only Super Bowl appearance, a 49-26 loss to San Francisco following the 1994 season.
The 75 combined points scored in that game are that most scored in a Super Bowl, barely holding off last year's 74 point contest between New England and Philly. Miami 14, Washington 7 to complete the Dolphins' undefeated season of 1972 is the lowest scoring Super Bowl -- and Miami is the only team not to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl game, losing the '71 game to Dallas, 24-3.
There has been at least one field goal made in 50 of the 52 Super Bowls, including at least one in each of the last 44 games. There has never been a punt returned for a touchdown in a Super Bowl, nor has there been a shutout. The only overtime game was two seasons ago when New England beat Atlanta, 34-28, after rallying from 28-3 down to tie. Only once has the Super Bowl been tied after three quarters (New England-Philly after the '04 season).
We could go on and on. But you get the idea. To me it's Super fun. And the stuff bounces around in my mind all the time. Much like that ol' Super Ball would bounce around my living room. You know the Super Ball, right?
The one the game was named after. The toy invented in 1964.
By a guy named Norman Stingley.
