2001: The XFL Debuts With Games in Las Vegas and Orlando

On February 3, 2001 a new pro football league launched its season with two games. The XFL, founded by World Wrestling Federation promoter Vince McMahon, promised a brash and hard-hitting style of play that would contrast with the more staid, established NFL (it was assumed that the “X” stood for “Xtreme”, but the league insisted it was not an abbreviation). While there would be plenty of entertainment surrounding the games, much in line with the WWF’s format, the football was to be serious with adjustments to the rules that would heighten the action – for instance, while there would still be extra points, and they would be worth a single point as in the NFL, they could not be kicked but either run or passed for; fair catches on punts and kickoffs weren’t allowed; the opening coin toss was replaced by “the scramble” in which a player from each team vied for possession of a ball placed at the 50 yard line; and there would be no penalties for taunting or celebrating.

There were eight teams, all part of a single league entity (as opposed to individually operated franchises as in the NFL) and utilizing a set pay scale. They played a 10-game schedule, with two games per week on Saturday nights and two on Sundays throughout the season, which was played in the late winter/early spring months and thus not putting the XFL in direct competition with the NFL.

The first game on the opening Saturday night was at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas between the Las Vegas Outlaws and the visiting New York/New Jersey Hitmen. There were 30,389 fans in attendance and a national viewing audience for the game on NBC that exceeded expectations. Unfortunately for the new league, the game was a rather drab affair as the Outlaws defeated the Hitmen, 19-0. None of the three quarterbacks for the New York/New Jersey club (Charles Puleri, Wally Richardson, and Corte McGuffey) were effective as they combined to complete 18 of 40 passes for 205 yards with two interceptions.


Meanwhile, Las Vegas QB Ryan Clement (pictured at right) threw touchdown passes of 14 yards to TE Rickey Brady and 27 yards to WR Nakia Jenkins among his 13 completions (of 28 attempts) for 188 yards as the Outlaws scored all of their points in the first half. RB Rod Smart led the running attack with 46 yards on 13 carries and also caught two passes for 48 yards. In addition, he used the nickname “He Hate Me” in place of his last name on the back of his jersey, which made him an instant celebrity in the league (it was reported that he had actually wanted to use “They Hate Me”, but it was too long to fit).

The network cut away to the second game of the evening, at Orlando’s Citrus Bowl in front of 35,603 fans where the Orlando Rage hosted the Chicago Enforcers. This was a far closer and more high-scoring game, won by Orlando, 33-29. There were big plays as the Rage’s QB Jeff Brohm connected with WR Kevin Swayne on a 51-yard pass play for the first score of the contest and Chicago’s Tim Lester twice hit RB John Avery on TD passes that covered 68 and 64 yards respectively.


Avery (pictured at left), who had played for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, ran for 157 yards on 25 attempts and had 93 more yards on three pass receptions. But it was Brohm’s four touchdown passes that carried the day for Orlando – even though they missed all five extra point attempts (Chicago converted two of four).

The high television ratings of the first week failed to last into the second – the dropoff was significant, and they never rebounded. Football fans were disappointed in the caliber of play as well as the professional wrestling-style trappings that in turn fed a distrust of the legitimacy of the games. In attempting to appeal to both professional wrestling and football fans, the XFL failed to satisfy either, and it would ultimately doom the venture after one season.

Orlando put together the best record during the regular season at 8-2, but lost in the first playoff round. Chicago finished at 5-5 and second to the Rage in the Eastern Division, also losing in the first postseason round. Las Vegas and New York/New Jersey both missed the playoffs with identical 4-6 records, putting the Outlaws at the bottom of the Western Division and the Hitmen in third place in the Eastern.

John Avery built on his strong opening game performance to lead the league in rushing with 800 yards; Rod Smart was second with 555.

List of the Day: 1000-Yard Rushers, Other Leagues

AAFC
(All-America Football Conference, 1946-49)

Spec Sanders (pictured below)
New York Yankees, 1947
(231 att., 1432 yds., 6.2 avg., 18 TD)



WFL
(World Football League, 1974-75)


Anthony Davis
Southern California Sun, 1975
(239 att., 1200 yds., 5.0 avg., 16 TD)

Rufus Ferguson (pictured above)
Portland Storm, 1974
(260 att., 1086 yds., 4.2 avg., 6 TD)

J.J. Jennings
Memphis Southmen, 1974
(322 att., 1524 yds., 4.7 avg., 11 TD)

Kermit Johnson
Southern California Sun, 1974
(249 att., 1008 yds., 4.0 avg., 6 TD)

John Land (pictured below)
Philadelphia Bell, 1974
(243 att., 1136 yds., 4.7 avg., 8 TD)


Jim Nance
Houston Texans/Shreveport Steamer, 1974
(300 att., 1240 yds., 4.1 avg., 8 TD)

Tommy Reamon (pictured below)
Florida Blazers, 1974
(386 att., 1576 yds., 4.1 avg., 11 TD)



USFL
(United States Football League, 1983-85)


Gary Anderson (pictured above)
Tampa Bay Bandits, 1984-85
(1984-268 att., 1008 yds., 3.8 avg., 19 TD)
(1985-276 att., 1207 yds., 4.4 avg., 16 TD)

Albert Bentley
Oakland Invaders, 1985
(191 att., 1020 yds., 5.3 avg., 4 TD)

Curtis Bledsoe
Washington Federals, 1984
(246 att., 1080 yds., 4.4 avg., 7 TD)

Greg Boone
Tampa Bay Bandits, 1984
(193 att., 1009 yds., 5.2 avg., 8 TD)

Reggie Brown
Arizona Outlaws, 1985
(229 att., 1031 yds., 4.5 avg., 12 TD)

Kelvin Bryant (pictured below)
Philadelphia Stars, 1983-84
(1983-318 att., 1442 yds., 4.5 avg., 16 TD)
(1984-297 att., 1406 yds., 4.7 avg., 13 TD)
Baltimore Stars, 1985
(1985-238 att., 1207 yds., 5.1 avg., 12 TD)


Maurice Carthon
New Jersey Generals, 1984
(238 att., 1042 yds., 4.4 avg., 11 TD)

Joe Cribbs (pictured at bottom)
Birmingham Stallions, 1984-85
(1984-297 att., 1467 yds., 4.9 avg., 8 TD)
(1985-267 att., 1047 yds., 3.9 avg., 7 TD)

Todd Fowler
Houston Gamblers, 1984
(170 att., 1003 yds., 5.9 avg., 11 TD)

Bill Johnson
Denver Gold, 1985
(212 att., 1261 yds., 5.9 avg., 15 TD)

Buford Jordan (pictured below)
New Orleans Breakers, 1984
(214 att., 1276 yds., 6.0 avg., 8 TD)


Ken Lacy
Michigan Panthers, 1983
(232 att., 1180 yds., 5.1 avg., 6 TD)

Kevin Long
Chicago Blitz, 1983
(262 att., 1022 yds., 3.9 avg., 12 TD)
Arizona Wranglers, 1984
(225 att., 1010 yds., 4.5 avg., 15 TD)

Mike Rozier (pictured below #30)
Jacksonville Bulls, 1985
(320 att., 1361 yds., 4.3 avg., 12 TD)



Tim Spencer (pictured above #46)
Chicago Blitz, 1983
(300 att., 1157 yds., 3.9 avg., 6 TD)
Arizona Wranglers, 1984
(227 att., 1212 yds., 5.3 avg., 17 TD)

Herschel Walker (pictured at top)
New Jersey Generals, 1983-84-85
(1983-412 att., 1812 yds., 4.4 avg., 17 TD)
(1984-293 att., 1339 yds., 4.6 avg., 16 TD)
(1985-438 att., 2411 yds., 5.5 avg., 21 TD)

Arthur Whittington
Oakland Invaders, 1983
(282 att., 1157 yds., 3.7 avg., 6 TD)

1950: Curly Lambeau Leaves the Packers

February 1, 1950 marked the end of a significant chapter in Green Bay Packers history as Earl “Curly” Lambeau resigned after being the team’s only head coach, going back even before the franchise joined the NFL in 1921. It was the end of a sometimes tumultuous and often successful reign that was undermined by the need for Lambeau to cede more and more control of the team he had founded due to financial considerations.

The story of Curly Lambeau and the Packers began in 1919, when he was in college at Notre Dame playing under legendary Head Coach Knute Rockne and backing up the equally legendary (and ill-fated) fullback George Gip. Because of his ability as a passer, Rockne moved him to quarterback, but a tonsillectomy forced him to leave school. He never went back, taking a job in a meat packing plant in his hometown of Green Bay instead. Glad to be making an income but still wanting to play football, he obtained the backing of his employer, the Indian Packing Company, to field a company team that played others in the area. They were good, often winning by huge scores.

In 1921, the company, which had been bought by the Acme Packing Company, paid for entry into the fledgling National Football League (then called the American Professional Football Association). The team held its own on the field but was in a precarious financial situation, resulting in a corporation being created in 1923 that sold stock to keep the franchise afloat.

Meanwhile, with Lambeau as player-coach, the Packers became the first pass-oriented NFL team. The rules were not favorable to developing a passing offense in the 1920s – passing could only be done from five yards behind the line of scrimmage; an incompletion out of bounds, or two incomplete passes in the same series, meant giving up possession; and the ball was more round and far less sleek than its modern counterpart. Yet Lambeau had the Packers throwing from any point on the field, on any down, and by 1929 they were fielding a championship team.

Lambeau stepped aside as a player in ’29, as the club went 12-0-1 and won the first of three consecutive league titles. Acquiring players who often were considered malcontents with other teams, he won with eventual Hall of Famers Cal Hubbard at tackle, guard Mike Michalske, and the speedy and carefree halfback Johnny McNally (aka Johnny Blood).

In the 1930s, with the arrival of divisional play, rule changes that opened up the passing game, and a slimmer football, the Packers regularly contended in the NFL’s Western Division and won three more championships in 1936, ’39, and ’44. The passing tailbacks who succeeded Lambeau, Arnie Herber and Cecil Isbell, were outstanding and the arrival of trailblazing end Don Hutson in 1935 gave them pro football’s best deep threat to throw to.

Off the field, the franchise still faced recurring financial difficulties. The situation became more acute after 1945 – Hutson retired, and the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC) went into operation, driving up the cost of talent. The team’s performance began to suffer, and the Packers sank to 3-9 in 1948, the first losing season since 1933 – it was the precursor of things to come. The colorful and excitable Lambeau was increasingly in conflict with the directors who ran the club, especially after buying the Rockwood Lodge outside of town in ’47, a training facility where the players were also housed. Moving the players out of town rankled, and there were complaints that Lambeau’s outside insurance and real estate activities were interfering with his coaching duties.

The financial situation was once again so desperate in 1949 that an intrasquad game was organized for Thanksgiving Day that pulled in enough cash to keep the club afloat. The Packers went 2-10 and the conflict between Lambeau and the team’s directors reached the breaking point. A week before his resignation, the Rockwood Lodge burned down, a symbol of the coming break between founding coach and franchise.

The team’s directors wasted no time in replacing Lambeau with Gene Ronzani, the first of three ineffective head coaches in what became something of a lost decade in the ‘50s for the club. The unwieldy leadership-by-committee structure proved ineffective, and when Vince Lombardi was hired as head coach in 1959, he was also made general manager and given necessary control of the club with outstanding results.

Lambeau also wasted no time in moving on, taking over as head coach of the Chicago Cardinals for the 1950 season. The team went 5-7 in his first season and was 2-8 when he was let go in ’51 after more losses on the field and bickering with the front office. After two seasons in Washington, his coaching career ended following a 6-5-1 showing in 1953. Adept at running single-wing offenses, Lambeau had difficulty adapting to the T-formation, and it showed in the won-lost records.

The bitterness that marked his departure from Green Bay and the mediocre showings with the Cardinals and Redskins can’t overshadow what Lambeau accomplished in 29 seasons with the Packers. His record was an outstanding 209-104-21 for a winning percentage of .668, and the team won six championships in that span – since that includes years when the postseason didn’t yet exist, his playoff record was just 3-2. Of those 29 seasons, only three of them ended with a losing record – two of those being Lambeau’s last two years with the team. Adding in his overall tally as an NFL head coach, he was second only to Chicago’s George Halas at the time with 226 wins against 132 losses and 22 ties. Moreover, his approach to the passing game helped set the stage for today’s aerial-oriented offenses. And he found ways to keep the Packers operating as other small-city Midwestern teams dropped away.

While Lambeau expressed an interest in returning to coach the Packers in 1959, the directors didn’t take the idea seriously and hired Lombardi instead. But Lambeau’s contributions were not forgotton; upon his death in 1965, Green Bay’s City Stadium was renamed Lambeau Field. Just prior to that, in 1963, he was a charter inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1988: Redskins Ride 35-Point 2nd Quarter to Defeat Broncos in Super Bowl XXII

The Super Bowl following the strike-shortened 1987 season featured two teams who regularly reached the postseason in the 80s, the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos.

Washington, under Head Coach Joe Gibbs, was in the playoffs for the fifth time since 1982 and had appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one of them. Jay Schroeder had been the starting quarterback for most of the ’87 season, but had slumped and was replaced late in the campaign by veteran Doug Williams (pictured above). Williams, who had had a solid career with Tampa Bay followed by a stint in the USFL, rose to the occasion as the team won the NFC East with an 11-4 record and got past the Bears and Vikings, respectively, in winning the Divisional and conference title rounds. Behind an outstanding offensive line, the running attack utilized a stable of backs led by George Rogers (613 yards in 11 games) and Kelvin Bryant, the favored receiver out of the backfield (43 receptions). WR Gary Clark had an All-Pro season, catching 56 passes for 1066 yards in 12 games.

The AFC champions were the Denver Broncos, under Head Coach Dan Reeves, who were in the playoffs for the fourth time since 1983 and had lost the previous year’s Super Bowl to the Giants. QB John Elway was selected as NFL MVP by the Associated Press after throwing for 3198 yards and lifting the offense with his impressive overall skills. His receiving corps of wide receivers Vance Johnson, Ricky Nattiel, and Mark Jackson, known as “The Three Amigos”, combined for 99 catches and 1750 yards with 11 touchdowns. The rushing attack was led by RB Sammy Winder (741 yards). Denver easily got past Houston in the Divisional playoff and then won the AFC title contest in a 38-33 battle over Cleveland.

The Broncos were considered the favorites for the Super Bowl XXII matchup on January 31, 1988 before 73,302 fans at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium. Denver certainly made it look easy on the team’s first play from scrimmage as Elway went long to Nattiel for a 56-yard touchdown. On the next possession, the Broncos again drove to a score on a drive that featured a gadget play in which RB Steve Sewell faked a run and then threw to Elway for a 23-yard gain. However, after having a first down at the Washington 13 yard line, Denver was forced to settle for a 24-yard Rich Karlis field goal.

Late in the first quarter the Broncos once again drove into Redskins territory. On third-and-10 at the 30 yard line, SS Alvin Walton sacked Elway for an 18-yard loss that took Denver out of field goal range and forced a punt. On the ensuing possession, Williams slipped while dropping back to pass and twisted his knee, forcing him to leave the game for the remainder of the series as Schroeder stepped in.

Williams was back under center when the Redskins got the ball back in the second quarter after Denver again had to punt, and while visibly limping led the offense on an unprecedented tear. The Redskins scored touchdowns on each of the next five possessions prior to halftime, four of them on Williams passes. On Washington's first play of the quarter, Williams hit WR Ricky Sanders for an 80-yard TD. Next, it was Williams hitting Clark for a 27-yard score and 14-10 lead. RB Timmy Smith, a backup during the season who had carried the ball only 29 times for 126 yards and was told just prior to game time that he would be starting, took off on a 58-yard touchdown run to make it 21-10. The fourth score came on another Williams to Sanders pass play, this time covering 50 yards. Finally, just a minute before the end of the half, Williams hit TE Clint Didier with an eight-yard throw and the score at the intermission was an astounding 35-10.

As for the Broncos in the second quarter, they punted twice, missed a field goal, and Elway threw two interceptions under heavy pressure. Washington’s domination had been as complete as the score indicated. The second quarter statistics alone showed Williams completing 9 of 11 passes for 228 yards and four TDs and Smith with 122 yards on just five carries.


The second half was an anticlimax. Williams directed the offense with time-consuming precision and Elway was barraged by a relentless pass rush. Washington scored once more in the fourth quarter on a 68-yard drive that was capped by a four-yard TD run by Smith. The final score was 42-10.

Doug Williams was the game’s MVP as he ended up completing 18 of his 29 passes for a then-Super Bowl record 340 yards with the four TDs and a lone interception. In doing so, he became the first African-American quarterback to lead a team to victory in the Super Bowl – a fact that had been endlessly hyped prior to the game and added an extra layer of pressure that he overcame admirably. Timmy Smith (pictured above left) justified the decision by Coach Gibbs to start him in place of the bigger but slower George Rogers as he set a Super Bowl record with 204 yards on 22 carries with two scores. Ricky Sanders (pictured below) caught 9 passes for 193 yards and two TDs.

For the losing Broncos, John Elway completed just 14 of 38 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown against three interceptions. Mark Jackson and Steve Sewell led the club with four pass receptions apiece, with Jackson accumulating the most yards (76). As it was, “The Three Amigos” accounted for only six receptions. Falling behind so quickly, Denver ran the ball 17 times, for 97 yards, with RB Gene Lang gaining the most yards with 38 on five attempts.

Overall, Washington burned the Broncos for 602 total yards (Denver had 327). The Redskins defense sacked Elway five times in addition to intercepting three of his passes.

The Redskins were unable to follow up on their success, going 7-9 in 1988 and tying for third place in the tough NFC East. Williams suffered from injuries and split time with Mark Rypien at quarterback. Timmy Smith gained just 470 yards and, for all intents and purposes, his career was over (he carried once for Dallas in a 1990 game). Denver also missed the playoffs in ’88, finishing in second place in the AFC West with an 8-8 record, but returned to the Super Bowl following the 1989 season – and lost in humiliating fashion once again, to the 49ers.

2000: Titans Come Up a Yard Short, Fall to Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV

The Rams had not been very successful since moving from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995; in fact, they had had nothing but losing records since getting to the NFC Championship game following the ’89 season. Dick Vermeil, who had last coached in the NFL with the Eagles in 1982, became the head coach in 1997 but, in two seasons, had compiled a mediocre 9-23 tally.

It didn’t appear that 1999 would be any better when QB Trent Green, who they were counting upon to start after signing him away from the Redskins as a free agent, went down for the year with a knee injury in the preseason. Replacing him was Kurt Warner (pictured above), a 28-year-old unknown with an arena football and NFL Europe background who had appeared in one game in ’98 as a backup to Tony Banks and Steve Bono. What occurred became the stuff of pro football legend as Warner proceeded to pass for 4353 yards and a league-leading 41 touchdowns while compiling a top-ranked 109.2 passer rating. Veteran Pro Bowl WR Isaac Bruce hauled in 77 passes for 1165 yards and 12 TDs, while rookie WR Torry Holt added 52 catches for 788 yards. RB Marshall Faulk, acquired from the Colts in the offseason, contributed 1381 rushing yards, with a 5.5 yards-per-carry average, along with a team-leading 87 pass receptions for another 1048 yards.

The Rams roared through the ’99 schedule, piling up 526 points in winning the NFC West with a 13-3 record. They defeated Minnesota in the Divisional playoff round and then got past Tampa Bay, 11-6, in a tense, hard-fought NFC Championship game.

Their opponent in Super Bowl XXXIV was the Tennessee Titans, another team that had relocated in the preceding decade. Formerly the Houston Oilers, the club had moved to Tennessee in 1997 and, after a couple of nomadic years moved into its new home, Adelphia Coliseum, with a new name, the Titans, for ’99. Through all the moving and related distractions, Head Coach Jeff Fisher gathered together the pieces of a winning football team. In 1999, Tennessee came in second in the AFC Central with a 13-3 tally, good enough to earn a wild card spot in the postseason.


The Titans operated a conservative offense guided by QB Steve McNair (pictured at right) and the running of RB Eddie George (1304 yards). TE Frank Wycheck led the receiving corps (69 catches, 641 yards). The rugged defense featured rookie DE Jevon Kearse (aka “The Freak”), CB Samari Rolle, and SS Blaine Bishop. They defeated Buffalo in stunning fashion in the Wild Card playoff, and proceeded to beat the Colts and Jaguars in the Divisional and AFC Championship contests, respectively.

There were 72,625 fans present at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome on January 30, 2000 for the Super Bowl matchup. St. Louis moved the ball with ease in the first half, amassing 294 yards and driving inside the Tennessee 20 yard line on each possession but coming away with just three field goals. On the first drive, holder Rick Tuten bobbled the snap to thwart a field goal attempt, and placekicker Jeff Wilkins, who was successful on kicks of 27, 29, and 28 yards, also missed a 34-yarder.

The Titans threatened to score just once in the half, but Al Del Greco missed a 47-yard field goal attempt following a 42-yard drive. Tennessee amassed just 89 yards of offense, but was down only 9-0 at the half.

In the first possession of the second half, the Titans made it into field goal range but Del Greco’s 47-yard attempt was blocked by CB Todd Lyght. The Rams turned around and moved once more deep into Tennessee territory, highlighted by a 31-yard pass completion from Warner to Bruce. Warner tossed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Holt and St. Louis was ahead 16-0 and seemed to be in control.

However, the Titans offense came alive, scoring 16 points in under 14 minutes to tie the game. A 23-yard scramble by McNair set up Tennessee’s first score of the game, a one-yard rush by George. The try for a two-point conversion failed. But after the Rams were forced to punt, the Titans came right back with a 13-play, 79-yard drive that was capped by another short Eddie George touchdown run.

Once again, the Titans defense forced St. Louis to punt, and Tennessee again capitalized as Del Greco booted a 43-yard field goal to knot the score at 16-16 with just over two minutes remaining. It didn’t stay tied for long - on their next play, Warner fired a long pass to Bruce; hit as he was throwing, the ball was a bit underthrown but the wide receiver adjusted, and breaking a tackle he streaked into the end zone to complete the 73-yard touchdown play.

With 1:54 left in the fourth quarter, the Titans took over on their 12 yard line and proceeded to drive down the field. On third-and-five at the St. Louis 26, McNair barely avoided a sack and hit WR Kevin Dyson with a pass that gained 16 yards. There were now just six seconds left and the ball ten yards away from the end zone as McNair threw one last pass on a slant to Dyson who caught it in full stride at the three. Rams LB Mike Jones grabbed Dyson and tackled him a yard short of the goal line as time ran out (pictured at bottom). The Super Bowl had come within a yard (and successful extra point) of going into overtime; as it was, the Rams capped their remarkable season with a 23-16 win.


The Rams outgained the Titans with 436 yards to 367. Most of that was accounted for by the game’s MVP, Kurt Warner, who set a Super Bowl record with 414 yards on his 24 completions out of 45 passes thrown, including two touchdowns. Isaac Bruce gained 162 yards on 6 catches with a TD, while Torry Holt added 7 receptions for 109 yards and a score and Marshall Faulk (pictured at left) caught five for 90 yards. The Rams gained just 29 yards on the ground, with Faulk rushing for 17 yards in 10 carries.

Eddie George rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns on 28 attempts, while Steve McNair added 64 yards on 8 carries. McNair also completed 22 of 36 passes for 214 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions (neither team suffered a turnover). TE Jackie Harris was Tennessee’s top pass receiver with 7 catches for 64 yards.

Dick Vermeil retired, having finally won a championship (although he returned to coach the Chiefs in 2001). The Rams were back in the postseason in 2000 as a wild card entry, losing in the first round, and returned to the Super Bowl in ’01, when they were upset by the Patriots. Kurt Warner’s career was derailed by a hand injury and he lost his starting job to Marc Bulger; he would eventually return to the Super Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals following the 2008 season. As for the Titans, they improved to 13-3 in 2000 but were upset by Baltimore in the Divisional playoff round.

1995: 49ers Return to Top, Defeat Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX

After winning four Super Bowls in the 1980s, stretching from the 1981 to ’89 seasons, the San Francisco 49ers had come up short in the years from 1990 to ’93. They had not won fewer than 10 games, but had lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship games following the 1992 and ’93 seasons.

By 1994, the 49ers had retooled significantly since first rising to prominence in 1981. Head Coach Bill Walsh, builder of the dynasty, was gone, as was QB Joe Montana. So were others who had starred along the way, such as RB Roger Craig, WR Dwight Clark, and safety Ronnie Lott.

The ’94 49ers were still under Walsh’s successor, Head Coach George Seifert, who had led the team to its last championship in 1989, his first year at the helm. QB Steve Young (pictured above) had emerged from Montana’s shadow to lead the NFL in passing for the fourth consecutive season (with a then-record 112.8 rating) as well as touchdown passes (35), touchdown percentage (7.6), completion percentage (70.3), and yards per attempt (8.6); his 3969 yards ranked fourth. As he had been for Montana, WR Jerry Rice was Young’s favorite target, leading the league with 1499 yards on his 112 catches with 13 TDs. RB Ricky Watters had emerged to gain 1596 yards from scrimmage (877 rushing, 719 receiving). The defense featured DT Dana Stubblefield, flashy CB Deion Sanders, and safeties Merton Hanks and Tim McDonald.

San Francisco compiled a 13-3 record in winning the NFC West, easily defeated the Bears in the Divisional playoff round, and finally got past the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game by a 38-28 margin.

Opposing the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX were the San Diego Chargers, who had stunned the favored Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game. The Chargers, under Head Coach Bobby Ross, had gone 11-5 in winning the AFC West. Stan Humphries , while hardly an elite quarterback, played through injuries, had a strong arm, and provided good leadership. RB Natrone Means contributed 1350 yards rushing. LB Junior Seau and DE Leslie O’Neal anchored a defense that was especially effective against the run.

The 49ers were favored as the teams met for the championship on January 29, 1995 before 74,107 fans at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. They wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Young threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Rice just three plays into the game. On their next possession, they scored again, this time taking only four plays when Young passed to Watters for a 51-yard TD.

The Chargers showed poise, however, as they controlled the ball for over seven minutes and went 78 yards in 13 plays to score on a one-yard run by Means. Still, the San Diego defense couldn’t stop San Francisco’s offense, as the Niners went up by 21-7 on yet another touchdown pass by Young, this time of five yards to FB William Floyd.

Just under five minutes before halftime, Young threw his fourth TD pass of the game, connecting with Watters for a second time from eight yards out. John Carney kicked a 31-yard field goal for the Chargers and the score stood at 28-10 at the half.

The Niners pulled away in the third quarter, with Watters scoring his third touchdown on a nine-yard run and Young connecting with Rice for a 15-yard score. San Diego WR Andre Coleman returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and the Chargers successfully converted a two-point PAT on a Humphreys pass to WR Mark Seay. But at 42-18, there was little doubt as to the outcome.

Young set a Super Bowl record with his sixth touchdown pass, hitting Rice for the third time from seven yards out. San Diego scored one last time, on a 30-yard pass play from Humphries to WR Tony Martin, and after another successful two-point conversion, the final score was 49-26.


The 49ers outgained the Chargers by 455 yards to 354. Steve Young was the game’s MVP as he completed 24 of 36 passes for 325 yards with the six TDs and no interceptions. Jerry Rice (pictured at bottom) led the receivers with 10 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Young was actually the leading rusher as well, with 49 yards on five carries, but Ricky Watters (pictured) gained 47 yards with his 15 attempts, including a TD, and also had another 61 yards and two scores on three pass receptions.

As for San Diego, Stan Humphries went to the air 49 times, completed 24 for 275 yards and had a TD, but also threw two interceptions. Natrone Means was held to 33 yards on 13 attempts. Ronnie Harmon, used primarily as a pass receiver out of the backfield, had 8 receptions for 68 yards while Mark Seay accumulated 75 yards on 7 catches.

It was a great performance by San Francisco in becoming the first team to win five Super Bowls (joined the next year by Dallas, but since passed by Pittsburgh with a fifth and sixth). Steve Young proved himself as a championship-caliber quarterback, on his way to joining Joe Montana in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 49ers were in the playoffs for the next four seasons, although they didn’t reach the Super Bowl in any of them. San Diego dropped to 9-7 in 1995, still making the postseason as a wild card team and losing in the first round; the Chargers then fell into a long, eight-year playoff dry spell.

1959: Vince Lombardi Hired as Head Coach/GM of Packers

By the late 1950s, the Green Bay Packers franchise was at a critical juncture. Once one of the perennial powers in the NFL, they had not been over .500 since 1947. The last of the small-city Midwestern teams that had been the bedrock of the league in its early stages, there was grumbling among the hierarchy that perhaps it was time for the Packers to go. The fans were frustrated with losing, and had endured a succession of disappointing coaches since Curly Lambeau stepped aside after the ’49 season.

The most recent of those coaches, Ray “Scooter” McLean, had been forced to resign after a dreadful 1-10-1 campaign in 1958. The directors who ran the team knew that a bold choice was in order, especially after the failure of the genial McLean. While there were several candidates under consideration, respected figures around the league recommended the assistant coach who ran the New York Giants offense, Vince Lombardi.

Lombardi hadn’t been a head coach above the high school level, but he had been an assistant under Red Blaik at Army and Jim Lee Howell with the Giants. He had gained a reputation as intelligent and in the forefront of modern developments in offensive game planning in New York, and had been granted total control of the offense by Howell (Tom Landry exercised similar authority over the defense).

On January 28, 1959 the Packers named Lombardi not only head coach, but general manager – control that the previous coaches hadn’t been given. He made it clear that he was in charge, and that he was used to winning.

The Packers had not been well coached in recent years, but personnel director Jack Vainisi had managed to accumulate some talent. Some of that talent had been misused – most notably Paul Hornung, who had done poorly as a quarterback and fullback – and there were plenty of diamonds in the rough, like QB Bart Starr and FB Jim Taylor. There were solid veterans in All-Pro center Jim Ringo and offensive end Max McGee, and other young players like guards Jerry Kramer and Forrest Gregg (moved to OT), linebackers Ray Nitschke and Bill Forester, offensive tackles Norm Masters and Bob Skoronski, in addition to Hornung, Starr, and Taylor. To that core, Lombardi added rookie Boyd Dowler, a college quarterback who was converted to flanker. He also traded an established star offensive end, Billy Howton, to Cleveland for two young defensive linemen, DE Bill Quinlan and DT Henry Jordan, and also dealt with the Colts for guard Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston. Another acquisition, Lamar McHan, started the season at quarterback. And he acquired 34-year-old safety Emlen Tunnell from the Giants to bring stability to the defensive backfield.

The Packers won their first three games, including a 9-6 home-opening victory over the Bears that had the team carrying the new coach off the field on their shoulders (pictured below). But they then lost five straight games, and Lombardi turned the offense over to Starr for the remainder of the season; Green Bay finished with four wins and an overall record of 7-5. It was good enough for a third-place tie with San Francisco in the Western Conference and was the team’s best showing since 1945.

Hornung’s performance was the most stunning of that first season – he had gone from misfit to versatile standout in the offense, thriving in the option halfback position and handling the placekicking while leading the NFL in scoring with 94 points and the team in rushing with 681 yards. Starr was still developing at quarterback, but had outplayed the veteran McHan. Dowler led the club in pass receiving with 32 catches; McGee was the deep threat, averaging 23.2 yards-per-catch on 30 receptions for 695 yards and five touchdowns. As anticipated, the veteran Ringo anchored the promising offensive line.

The defense emerged as a key asset, with the linebacker corps of Forester, Dan Currie, and Tom Bettis proving to be a very good unit, while backup Nitschke was developing fast. Quinlan and Jordan became stars on the line. Jesse Whittenton emerged at defensive halfback, as did safety John Symank.

The stage was set for a progression to the Western Conference title in ’60 and, in ’61, the first of two consecutive league championships. There would be five NFL titles in all before Lombardi retreated exclusively to the front office following the 1967 season. Several of the young players of that 1959 season would end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As has been pointed out many times, Lombardi was not the most innovative head coach in pro football history, but he was outstanding at adapting other coaches’ methods and was a great teacher and motivator. When it came to the fundamentals, and performing the basics well, Lombardi’s teams excelled. The power sweep was the signature play of his offense over the years, and the Packers ran it with skill because they practiced it relentlessly and executed with precision.

Over nine seasons, the Packers compiled an 89-29-4 regular season record under Lombardi’s guidance, for a .754 winning percentage, and were 9-1 in the postseason. Considering his significant influence on coaching methods and the game in general, his nine years with Green Bay (he also coached one last year in Washington in 1969) seems surprisingly brief. But he set a standard for pro football coaches that others in the years since have sought to measure up to; it is only fitting that the Super Bowl winner’s trophy is named after him.