ESPN.com - Most memorable Super Bowl moments

ESPN.com: Page 2

Monday, February 4, 2002
Updated: February 6, 12:16 PM ET
Most memorable Super Bowl moments

Page 2 staff

Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal Sunday in Super Bowl XXXVI was one of the most thrilling finishes in Super Bowl history, but where does it rank in the history of memorable Super Bowl moments?


	Joe Namath led the Jets to the biggest Super Bowl upset of all-time.

We're glad you asked because this week Page 2 presents our list of the 10 most memorable moments in Super Bowl history. Check out our list, then see what Page 2 readers thought were the top 10 most memorable Super Bowl moments.

Here's our list:

1. Satisfaction guaranteed
Chances are no upset in Super Bowl history will ever match Super Bowl III. The Jets' 16-7 stunner of the Colts not only shocked the football world, it redefined it and laid the ground work for the NFL-AFL merger. And no moment from that January day in 1969 was more memorable than Jets quarterback Joe Namath jogging off the field with his right index finger raised in the air. After guaranteeing a victory earlier in the week, Broadway Joe delighted in his moment.


	Kevin Dyson comes up a yard short in Super Bowl XXXIV.

2. The Longest Yard
Four Super Bowls have been decided on the final play -- but only one came down to the final yard. When Rams linebacker Mike Jones stopped Titans receiver Kevin Dyson one yard short of the end zone in Super Bowl XXXIV, he not only preserved St. Louis' only Super Bowl title, he provided the most dramatic finish in the history of the big game.

3. "This one's for John"
How badly did John Elway want a ring after losing the first three Super Bowl appearances of his career? Just check out Elway's first-down run late in the third quarter of Super Bowl XXXII. With Denver facing a third-and-6 at the Green Bay 12, Elway sprinted from the pocket and leaped for the first-down marker, where he was met by two Packers defenders and sent helicoptering into the air. The 37-year-old not only got the first down, he bolted up and pumped his fist, inspiring the Broncos to a 31-24 upset.

4. Vinatieri delivers victory
You probably remember this one like it was yesterday. With just seven seconds left on the clock and the score deadlocked at 17-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI, the Patriots' Adam Vinatieri trotted on the field and cooly hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give New England the first NFL title in its 42-year history with a 20-17 win over St. Louis.

5. Joe Cool
Joe Montana was flawless in four Super Bowls, but he did his best work at the end of Super Bowl XXIII when he hit John Taylor with a 10-yard TD pass with 39 seconds left to lift San Francisco to a 20-16 victory over Cincinnati. That dramatic TD pass capped a remarkable 97-yard drive in 2:36.

6. A graceful Swann
What was the best catch in Super Bowl history? For our money, it was Lynn Swann's juggling, acrobatic grab while falling down over the Cowboys' Mark Washington in Super Bowl X. Swann bobbled the ball initially, but never lost concentration as he was falling to the ground and pulled in a 53-yard gain that helped Pittsburgh rally for a 21-17 victory.


	Bills kicker Scott Norwood pushed this 47-yard field goal wide right as time ran out in Super Bowl XXV.

7. Kicking himself
Kickers are paid to kick -- not throw the football. Never was that made more clear than in Super Bowl VII. With the Dolphins about to put the finishing touch on a perfect season with a victory over the Redskins, Miami kicker Garo Yepremian lined up for a 42-yard field goal. When the low kick was blocked, Yepremian picked up the football and proceeded to throw the worst pass in Super Bowl history. The ball slipped out of the kicker's small right hand and then Yepremian knocked the ball up into the air. Redskins safety Mike Bass plucked the ball out of midair and returned it for a touchdown, cutting Miami's lead to 14-7. Fortunately for Yepremian, the Dolphins held on for their first Super Bowl victory.

8. Wide Right
Buffalo is the only team to lose four consecutive Super Bowls. The Bills would have a much different legacy, however, if kicker Scott Norwood had converted on a 47-yard field goal as time expired in Super Bowl XXV. Instead, Norwood's kick sailed wide right, preserving the Giants' 20-19 victory and starting Buffalo's run of futility.


	Leon Lett taught a lesson to football players everywhere -- hold the celebration for the end zone.

9. Showboat runs aground
It didn't have much of an impact on the final result of Super Bowl XXVII -- except to save the Bills from even further embarrassment in their 52-17 loss to the Cowboys. But it did send quite a message to showboaters. Buffalo receiver Don Beebe scored a victory for gritty hustlers everywhere when he chased down Dallas defensive tackle Leon Lett from behind and knocked the ball loose -- just as Lett was showboating his way toward the end zone with a fumble return. Beebe knocked the ball through the end zone for a touchback, robbing Lett of the score he was prematurely celebrating.


	The Fridge hit paydirt in the Bears' Super Bowl XX rout

10. The Fridge gets his fill
Talk about the ultimate in 1980s excess. Not only did the Bears humiliate the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, Chicago piled it on by allowing 310-pound defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry to score on a 1-yard touchdown plunge. A lot of folks are still upset that Mike Ditka chose to hand the ball to Perry while all-time NFL rushing champ Walter Payton did not reach the end zone in the only Super Bowl appearance of his career

Also receiving votes

Dallas' Jackie Smith drops a TD pass in the Cowboys' 35-31 loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XXIII

Colts rookie kicker Jim O'Brien wins Super Bowl V with a 32-yard field goal in the final seconds

Willie Brown's interception return for a touchdown helps Oakland defeat Minnesota 32-14 in Super Bowl XI.

Desmond Howard's 99-yard kickoff return in the Packers' 35-21 victory over the Pats in Super Bowl XXXI

John Stallworth's 78-yard TD catch lifts the Steelers to their fourth title in Super Bowl XIV

Kenny King's 81-yard TD on a screen pass from Jim Plunkett in Super Bowl XV

The 49ers' second-half goal-line stand preserves their 26-21 victory over the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI

John Riggins rambles 43 yards on fourth-and-inches to lift Washington over Miami 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII

The Redskins score 35 points in the second quarter of Super Bowl XXII to bury the Broncos

Marcus Allen spectacular 74-yard TD run in the Raiders' 38-9 victory over the Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII

Butch Johnson's diving catch in the end zone on a 45-yard pass from Roger Staubach that helped Dallas romp over Denver 27-10 in Super Bowl XII

Jack Squirek's interception just before half in the Raiders' 38-9 victory over the Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII