GaryMrMets
02-02-2005, 10:46 PM
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/special1/article.adp?id=20050104230009990004&ncid=SPR0001200501290000000001
What's the most hearbreaking moment in Super Bowl history?
Vikings lose fourth Super Bowl
Len Dawson gambling accusations
Walter Payton not scoring a TD
Whitney Houston's national anthem
Eugene Robinson prostitute debacle
Two players go AWOL
Titans come up short
Leon Lett's showboating
Jackie Smith's drop in end zone
Scott Norwood's wide right
http://cdn.digitalcity.com/nfl_2004/widget_quiz_nfl_legends
1. Who was to be called in front of a grand jury with Len Dawson?
Doyle Brunson
Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder
Joe Namath
Pete Rose
2. How many Super Bowls have the Vikings been to since 1977?
0
1
3
4
3. What award did Eugene Robinson win for his 'high moral character' before Super Bowl XXXIII?
Bart Starr Award
Divine Brown Award
Pete Rozelle Award
Walter Camp Award
4. Where did Bengals RBs coach Jim Anderson find Stanley Wilson on the morning of Super Bowl XXIII?
Bathroom floor
Hotel bar
Hotel bed
Movie theater
5. Who embarrasssed Leon Lett when he cause a fumble near the end zone in Super Bowl XXVII?
Don Beebe
Mark Kelso
Marv Levy
Scott Norwood
Top 10 Heartbreak Moments in Super Bowl History
Gambling, Drugs and Payton Not Getting a TD Highlight the List
By SAL MAIORANA, AOL Exclusive
They are the indelible moments of every Super Bowl, the celebratory confetti falling from the sky, the Vince Lombardi Trophy hoisted to the heavens, and the annual proclamation from the game MVP that he's going to Disney World.
The emotions of victory are powerful indeed. How else do you explain the tears of joy that roll down the cheeks of hulking football players who pride themselves on toughness and machismo?
But emotion is a two-way street, and on Super Bowl Sunday, for every tear that drops in victory, there are two or three that moisten in defeat. Every game has a winner, every game has a loser. Every game has a hero, every game has a goat. Every game has a moment of triumph that we will never forget. Every game has a moment of failure that we will never forget.
Here is a list of the top 10 Super Bowl heartbreaks:
10. The Vikings Lose, Again
Perhaps this was going to finally be the year for the Vikings, already three-time Super Bowl losers in a game that had only been played 10 times to date. Fran Tarkenton and company were up against John Madden's rebellious Raiders at the Rose Bowl, but early on it was apparent this day would be no different for Minnesota than any of its previous Super Bowl failures.
Oakland scored on three consecutive possessions in the second quarter to take a 16-0 lead, and then hard-hitting Raiders safety Jack Tatum delivered one of the most vicious hits in Super Bowl history when he crunched Minnesota's Sammy White, sending White's helmet flying through the air. Fortunately, his head wasn't still in it.
Late in a game that was already decided, Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown provided the exclamation point on the Vikings' woe by intercepting a Tarkenton pass intended for White and returning it down the sideline for a Super Bowl-record 75-yard touchdown return. The final was 32-14, and more than a quarter century later the Vikings haven't been back to the Super Bowl.
9. Dawson Gambling Accusations
It should have been one of the greatest weeks of Len Dawson's life, but instead it became, as he would say, "an ordeal for me.''
The classy quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, fresh off an AFL Championship Game victory over arch-rival Oakland, arrived in New Orleans ready to prepare for Super Bowl IV against Minnesota. Instead, he spent the week defending himself from allegations that he was involved in a gambling controversy.
Just five days before kickoff, NBC reported that Dawson, Joe Namath of the Jets, Bill Munson of Detroit and Karl Sweetan of the Rams - all quarterbacks - were going to be called to appear before a federal grand jury in Detroit which was investigating sports gambling.
Dawson's involvement stemmed from his casual friendship with Donald Dawson (no relation), a known gambler and bookmaker who had been arrested a few days earlier. Len Dawson was asked by pro football commissioner Pete Rozelle to take a lie detector test, which he passed, and the league's independent investigation exonerated him of any wrongdoing, so when NBC aired its report, Rozelle was livid and called it "totally irresponsible."
"Unfortunately it put a great deal of stress on me, and more so on my family, but I asked the good Lord to give me the strength and the courage to play my best," Dawson said following the Chiefs' 23-7 victory over Minnesota, a victory he hardly could enjoy.
8. Why Not Walter?
The 1985 Chicago Bears will forever be regarded as one of the greatest teams in football history, their 18-1 final record and 46-10 Super Bowl XX rout of New England the ultimate proof.
They were superbly talented, expertly coached, ridiculously confident, and impossibly controversial. Quarterback Jim McMahon was the ringleader of this circus, and there were a cast of characters who followed behind their headband and sunglass-wearing, punk-haired pied piper.
Perhaps the most recognizable was William "The Refrigerator" Perry, the Bears' mammoth rookie defensive tackle who became an instant legend that year for his girth, his gap-toothed smile, and because coach Mike Ditka used him as a fullback in a few instances, even allowing him to carry the ball.
It was good for a few laughs, watching the rotund 350-pounder pancaking overmatched defenders, but late in the third quarter of the Bears' annihilation of the Patriots, Ditka went to the Perry card once too often.
One of the classiest players the NFL has ever known, Walter Payton, on the back end of his career and playing in his first and only Super Bowl, had not yet scored a touchdown in the game even though the Bears were ahead 39-3. Faced with a first-and-goal at the 1, Ditka should have called Payton's number and allowed the NFL's all-time leading rusher at the time to add another line to his Hall of Fame resume. Instead, Ditka opted for theater, the Fridge got the ball, and he plunged in for a touchdown.
7. Whitney Houston's National Anthem
Steve Tasker, the Buffalo Bills' great special teams player from their Super Bowl days and now a CBS television analyst, knew it was no ordinary day when he was standing on the sidelines before Super Bowl XXV listening to Whitney Houston sing the National Anthem.
"They have the flyover with the jets which you see a lot and it's usually no big deal, but then the attack helicopter flies over with a gun on it, with a soldier hanging out the side, low enough where you can tell the guy hadn't shaved that day and they flew it like they meant business," Tasker recalled. "And then Whitney Houston hits the last note of the Anthem and I look over at Larry Nemmers who's one of the officials and he's crying his eyes out. I turn around and look in the stands and everybody has a little American flag and they're waving it with one hand and wiping their eyes with the other."
No, the day Super Bowl XXV was played was no ordinary day, and it was no ordinary game. The United States had just entered Desert Storm and American men and women were risking their lives in Iraq and Kuwait, yet the Super Bowl went on. There was talk of canceling the game, but it was only talk, so the Bills and Giants took the field and gave everyone a game for the ages. New York won 20-19, but other than Scott Norwood's field goal which sailed wide right, depriving Buffalo of the victory, what is most remembered about that game was Houston's stirring rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner that tugged at heart strings all over the country, and the world.
Sure, it came out a few days later that it was pre-recorded, but no one seemed to mind. As Tasker said, "It became a hit single."
6. Eugene Robinson Gets Hooked
The morning before he was to play in Super Bowl XXXIII for the Atlanta Falcons, highly-respected safety Eugene Robinson was presented the Bart Starr Award in recognition of his "high moral character." Ever eloquent, Robinson thanked everyone associated with the award, then went out later that night and embarrassed those very same people, not to mention himself and his family.
While his wife and children were back in their Miami hotel room, Robinson went down to South Beach and was charged with soliciting an undercover police officer for oral sex. His arrest was quite obviously the biggest news of the week. Robinson played the next day at Pro Player Stadium against Denver, but he wasn't mentally into the game. In the second quarter he was beaten badly by Denver's Rod Smith and John Elway took advantage, firing an 80-yard touchdown pass that gave the Broncos a 17-3 lead.
Robinson was playing in the Super Bowl for the third year in a row. He had won a championship with Green Bay in 1996, lost to these same Broncos in 1997, and then lost 34-19 in this game.
What's the most hearbreaking moment in Super Bowl history?
Vikings lose fourth Super Bowl
Len Dawson gambling accusations
Walter Payton not scoring a TD
Whitney Houston's national anthem
Eugene Robinson prostitute debacle
Two players go AWOL
Titans come up short
Leon Lett's showboating
Jackie Smith's drop in end zone
Scott Norwood's wide right
http://cdn.digitalcity.com/nfl_2004/widget_quiz_nfl_legends
1. Who was to be called in front of a grand jury with Len Dawson?
Doyle Brunson
Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder
Joe Namath
Pete Rose
2. How many Super Bowls have the Vikings been to since 1977?
0
1
3
4
3. What award did Eugene Robinson win for his 'high moral character' before Super Bowl XXXIII?
Bart Starr Award
Divine Brown Award
Pete Rozelle Award
Walter Camp Award
4. Where did Bengals RBs coach Jim Anderson find Stanley Wilson on the morning of Super Bowl XXIII?
Bathroom floor
Hotel bar
Hotel bed
Movie theater
5. Who embarrasssed Leon Lett when he cause a fumble near the end zone in Super Bowl XXVII?
Don Beebe
Mark Kelso
Marv Levy
Scott Norwood
Top 10 Heartbreak Moments in Super Bowl History
Gambling, Drugs and Payton Not Getting a TD Highlight the List
By SAL MAIORANA, AOL Exclusive
They are the indelible moments of every Super Bowl, the celebratory confetti falling from the sky, the Vince Lombardi Trophy hoisted to the heavens, and the annual proclamation from the game MVP that he's going to Disney World.
The emotions of victory are powerful indeed. How else do you explain the tears of joy that roll down the cheeks of hulking football players who pride themselves on toughness and machismo?
But emotion is a two-way street, and on Super Bowl Sunday, for every tear that drops in victory, there are two or three that moisten in defeat. Every game has a winner, every game has a loser. Every game has a hero, every game has a goat. Every game has a moment of triumph that we will never forget. Every game has a moment of failure that we will never forget.
Here is a list of the top 10 Super Bowl heartbreaks:
10. The Vikings Lose, Again
Perhaps this was going to finally be the year for the Vikings, already three-time Super Bowl losers in a game that had only been played 10 times to date. Fran Tarkenton and company were up against John Madden's rebellious Raiders at the Rose Bowl, but early on it was apparent this day would be no different for Minnesota than any of its previous Super Bowl failures.
Oakland scored on three consecutive possessions in the second quarter to take a 16-0 lead, and then hard-hitting Raiders safety Jack Tatum delivered one of the most vicious hits in Super Bowl history when he crunched Minnesota's Sammy White, sending White's helmet flying through the air. Fortunately, his head wasn't still in it.
Late in a game that was already decided, Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown provided the exclamation point on the Vikings' woe by intercepting a Tarkenton pass intended for White and returning it down the sideline for a Super Bowl-record 75-yard touchdown return. The final was 32-14, and more than a quarter century later the Vikings haven't been back to the Super Bowl.
9. Dawson Gambling Accusations
It should have been one of the greatest weeks of Len Dawson's life, but instead it became, as he would say, "an ordeal for me.''
The classy quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, fresh off an AFL Championship Game victory over arch-rival Oakland, arrived in New Orleans ready to prepare for Super Bowl IV against Minnesota. Instead, he spent the week defending himself from allegations that he was involved in a gambling controversy.
Just five days before kickoff, NBC reported that Dawson, Joe Namath of the Jets, Bill Munson of Detroit and Karl Sweetan of the Rams - all quarterbacks - were going to be called to appear before a federal grand jury in Detroit which was investigating sports gambling.
Dawson's involvement stemmed from his casual friendship with Donald Dawson (no relation), a known gambler and bookmaker who had been arrested a few days earlier. Len Dawson was asked by pro football commissioner Pete Rozelle to take a lie detector test, which he passed, and the league's independent investigation exonerated him of any wrongdoing, so when NBC aired its report, Rozelle was livid and called it "totally irresponsible."
"Unfortunately it put a great deal of stress on me, and more so on my family, but I asked the good Lord to give me the strength and the courage to play my best," Dawson said following the Chiefs' 23-7 victory over Minnesota, a victory he hardly could enjoy.
8. Why Not Walter?
The 1985 Chicago Bears will forever be regarded as one of the greatest teams in football history, their 18-1 final record and 46-10 Super Bowl XX rout of New England the ultimate proof.
They were superbly talented, expertly coached, ridiculously confident, and impossibly controversial. Quarterback Jim McMahon was the ringleader of this circus, and there were a cast of characters who followed behind their headband and sunglass-wearing, punk-haired pied piper.
Perhaps the most recognizable was William "The Refrigerator" Perry, the Bears' mammoth rookie defensive tackle who became an instant legend that year for his girth, his gap-toothed smile, and because coach Mike Ditka used him as a fullback in a few instances, even allowing him to carry the ball.
It was good for a few laughs, watching the rotund 350-pounder pancaking overmatched defenders, but late in the third quarter of the Bears' annihilation of the Patriots, Ditka went to the Perry card once too often.
One of the classiest players the NFL has ever known, Walter Payton, on the back end of his career and playing in his first and only Super Bowl, had not yet scored a touchdown in the game even though the Bears were ahead 39-3. Faced with a first-and-goal at the 1, Ditka should have called Payton's number and allowed the NFL's all-time leading rusher at the time to add another line to his Hall of Fame resume. Instead, Ditka opted for theater, the Fridge got the ball, and he plunged in for a touchdown.
7. Whitney Houston's National Anthem
Steve Tasker, the Buffalo Bills' great special teams player from their Super Bowl days and now a CBS television analyst, knew it was no ordinary day when he was standing on the sidelines before Super Bowl XXV listening to Whitney Houston sing the National Anthem.
"They have the flyover with the jets which you see a lot and it's usually no big deal, but then the attack helicopter flies over with a gun on it, with a soldier hanging out the side, low enough where you can tell the guy hadn't shaved that day and they flew it like they meant business," Tasker recalled. "And then Whitney Houston hits the last note of the Anthem and I look over at Larry Nemmers who's one of the officials and he's crying his eyes out. I turn around and look in the stands and everybody has a little American flag and they're waving it with one hand and wiping their eyes with the other."
No, the day Super Bowl XXV was played was no ordinary day, and it was no ordinary game. The United States had just entered Desert Storm and American men and women were risking their lives in Iraq and Kuwait, yet the Super Bowl went on. There was talk of canceling the game, but it was only talk, so the Bills and Giants took the field and gave everyone a game for the ages. New York won 20-19, but other than Scott Norwood's field goal which sailed wide right, depriving Buffalo of the victory, what is most remembered about that game was Houston's stirring rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner that tugged at heart strings all over the country, and the world.
Sure, it came out a few days later that it was pre-recorded, but no one seemed to mind. As Tasker said, "It became a hit single."
6. Eugene Robinson Gets Hooked
The morning before he was to play in Super Bowl XXXIII for the Atlanta Falcons, highly-respected safety Eugene Robinson was presented the Bart Starr Award in recognition of his "high moral character." Ever eloquent, Robinson thanked everyone associated with the award, then went out later that night and embarrassed those very same people, not to mention himself and his family.
While his wife and children were back in their Miami hotel room, Robinson went down to South Beach and was charged with soliciting an undercover police officer for oral sex. His arrest was quite obviously the biggest news of the week. Robinson played the next day at Pro Player Stadium against Denver, but he wasn't mentally into the game. In the second quarter he was beaten badly by Denver's Rod Smith and John Elway took advantage, firing an 80-yard touchdown pass that gave the Broncos a 17-3 lead.
Robinson was playing in the Super Bowl for the third year in a row. He had won a championship with Green Bay in 1996, lost to these same Broncos in 1997, and then lost 34-19 in this game.