Here’s what happened.
The National Football League (NFL) season-ending championship game, better known as the Super Bowl, has been hosted by the city of Atlanta twice. Both games took place on January 30, and both were played at the Georgia Dome.
Atlanta has also played in a Super Bowl. On January 31, 1999, The American Football Conference (AFC) Champion Denver Broncos routed the National Football Conference (NFC) Champion Atlanta Falcons 34-19, in Super Bowl XXXIII.
Here’s why it mattered then.
Super Bowl XXXVIII in 1994 featured the NFC Champion Dallas Cowboys versus the AFC Champion Buffalo Bills. The Bills led 13-6 at halftime but were shut out for the rest of the game. The 30-13 ending was Buffalo’s fourth straight Super Bowl loss. Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith earned the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors with 30 carries for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also catching 4 passes for 26 yards.
Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 featured the NFC Champion St. Louis Rams versus the AFC Champion Tennessee Titans. Each team had a long history playing in another city: The Rams were in Los Angeles from 1946-79; the Titans had been the Houston Oilers from 1960-96. Rams quarterback Curt Warner earned MVP honors with 24-45 passes, 414 yards, and 2 touchdowns. The game ended with Rams linebacker Mike Jones tackling Titans wide receiver on the One-Yard line to prevent a potential game-tying touchdown. The play has become known as “The Tackle.”
Here’s why it matters now.
Thanks to an ice storm that struck that weekend, Atlanta area weather was just as historic as Super Bowl XXXIV. Nonetheless, tourism revenue and global media coverage make the Super Bowl a coveted event.
For example, Super Bowl XXXIV generated many millions of dollars in economic impact for Atlanta and the region. City and State officials are actively courting the NFL to bring a third Super Bowl to Georgia.
Here’s the latest update . . .
Super Bowl XLVI will be played on February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The AFC Champion New England Patriots will face the NFC Champion New York Giants. The game is being popularly regarded as a “rematch” of Super Bowl XLII. The Giants upset the Patriots in that 2008 game and denied them an historic undefeated season. New Orleans, Louisiana will host the game for a record-tying 10th time in 2013.
The Super Bowl has historically been hosted by cities with at least one NFL franchise. However, Los Angeles, which hosted Super Bowl I in 1967, is under consideration for the game’s Golden (50th Anniversary) edition, Super Bowl L, in 2016.
. . . And here’s an interesting fact!
Emmitt Smith and a fellow Super Bowl MVP are champions in another competition. Smith won the Dancing With The Stars Season 3 trophy on November 15, 2006. Hines E. Ward, Jr., Super Bowl XL (2006) MVP, won the Season 12 trophy on May 24, 2011. Ward played collegiate football for the University of Georgia.
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