By Woodrow Carroll
Super Bowl LVII will be played in Glendale, Ariz. Sunday, Feb. 12. The venue operates under the name of State Farm Stadium and will pit the Kansas City Chiefs, 14-3, and Philadelphia Eagles, 14-3, for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
With more than a half-century of history, the Super Bowl has had its moments. In addition to the game, we have come to expect an array of interesting advertising segments and stultifying and dull halftime performances.
Given that it was Vince Lombardi who guided the Green Bay Packers to victory in what has come to be known as Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II, the name attached to the trophy is most apropos. Early on, the games were called the World Professional Football Championship making it easy to see why the term Super Bowl and the attached Roman numeral quickly caught on.
In 2016 the game was called Super Bowl 50 and lacked the Roman numerals. Super Bowl 50 was played in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Feb. 7, 2016. The game found the Denver Broncos defeating the Carolina Panthers, 24-10. Few came to call that game a classic.
Entering this year’s Super Bowl LVII there have been no shutouts, although a few teams have displayed little offense. In Super Bowl VI the Dallas Cowboys finished in front of the Miami Dolphins, 24-3. In Super Bowl LIII the New England Patriots were 13-3 victors over the Los Angeles Rams.
In 1948 and 1949, the Philadelphia Eagles took back-to-back shutout victories in the NFL championship games, prior to the Super Bowl. The Eagles shut out the Chicago Cardinals, 7-0, in the Philly freezing cold in 1948. In 1949 the Eagles shut out the Rams, 14-0, in pouring rain in Los Angeles.
In Super Bowl LI, New England who scored the winning touchdown in overtime to give New England a 34-28 victory.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Patriots kicked a field goal to make it 28-12. Then followed another Patriots’ touchdown and the Pats trailed, 28-20.. Many figured Tom Brady would come through. He did with a touchdown pass to James White with less than a minute left in regulation. A successful two-point conversion and it was on to overtime that saw White haul in the game-winner.
A tip of the Big Ten hat to White. White played four seasons for the University of Wisconsin. While in Madison, Wis., White scored 42 touchdowns rushing and added three by receptions.
White ended up playing eight seasons in the NFL. So, his Super Bowl success was not that of a one-year wonder.
Andy Reid, the Kansas City Chiefs head coach, has been the boss man of the Chiefs since 2013. Prior to that Reid coached the Eagles, 1999 through 2012.
A victory by the Chiefs this year would give the franchise its third Super Bowl championship.. Kansas City, which lost to the Packers in what has come to be known as Super Bowl I in 1967, defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7, in Super Bowl IV. After a 50-year wait, the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers (SB LIV), 31-20 three seasons ago.
Super Bowl LIV in 2018, saw the Eagles end up on the long end of a 41-33 score with the Patriots, thus, the City of Brotherly Love (Philadelphia) took its first Super Bowl championship.