Randy Smith
I've watched the Super Bowl for 57 straight years. I've seen some really good games and some real duds. All that hype for two weeks before the game is played and it turns out to be like Super Bowl XXXV when Baltimore beat the Giants 34-7 or in Super Bowl XLVIII when Seattle clobbered Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 43-8. Then again, there have been really competitive games like Super Bowl XXXIV when the Titans lost to St. Louis 23-16 when the Titans were stopped on the one foot line with what would have been the tying touchdown as time ran out.
Of course the New York Giants' two wins over the Patriots were pretty sweet, and another great contest was last year when the Kansas City Chiefs edged Philadelphia 38-35.
For the most part, most Super Bowls have been good, competitive games. The one I remember most was in 1969 when I was a senior in high school. In Super Bowl III, the New York Jets were heavy underdogs to the Baltimore Colts. I was a cocky Colts' fan and I loved Johnny Unitas. I was so sure the Colts were going to win I bet one of my classmates fifty bucks the Colts would win the game. He took the Jets and I gave him no points at all. It was a very good bet, but my classmate listened to the Jets' Joe Namath guarantee his team would win and he was as sure as I was.
Long story short....the Jets won the game 16-7 for the AFL's first ever Super Bowl victory. I was devastated, not to mention that I was out fifty dollars. Johnny Unitas had missed most of the season with an elbow injury and his replacement, Earl Morrall had won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in leading the Colts to the Super Bowl. But Morrall was totally ineffective against the Jets. By the time Johnny U. got in the game, it was too late. Unitas drove the Colts down the field for their only touchdown and if he had entered the contest sooner the outcome could have been different....at least that's what I told everyone who would listen.
Even though I have watched every single Super Bowl since the first one in 1967, very few are memorable. I remember more about the food I've eaten than what I can recall about some of the games. The bottom line however is the fact that the Super Bowl is bigger than just a football game. It's an event and a celebration that very few people can ignore. There have been suggestions that the country should take the Monday after the game off, making it a national holiday. (Due to the fact that so many people are hungover long after the game ends.) I hope we have a good competitive game, which I think we will. I also hope we eat and drink in moderation....we'll all feel much better on Monday morning.
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com.