On This Date in Sports January 24, 1982: Super Joe
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silverdome. It is the first Lombardi Trophy for the 49ers and the first of three Super Bowl MVPs for Joe Montana. Thanks to a stirring goal-line stand in the third quarter, the Niners hold off a late charge from Cincinnati. Both teams posted 6-10 records in 1980 and ended prolonged playoff droughts. The 49ers would become the team of the 1980s, winning three more Super Bowls during the decade.
As the 1970s ended, the San Francisco 49ers were a team in ruin. They had not made the playoffs since 1972 and had just one winning season over the final seven years. They went 2-14 in consecutive seasons and did not have the number one pick, thanks to a disastrous trade with the Buffalo Bills to land a washed-up O.J. Simpson. They had gone through five coaches in five years before hiring Bill Walsh in 1979. The 49ers posted a 6-10 record in 1980 but installed Joe Montana at quarterback and planted the seeds for a turnaround in the 1981 draft by selecting Ronnie Lott with the eighth pick. The Niners began the season with a loss to the Detroit Lions at the Silverdome and were 1-2 before finding their groove. San Francisco would win 12 of their next 13 games to finish 13-3, the best record in the NFL. In the playoffs, the Niners beat the New York Giants 38-24 and edged the Dallas Cowboys 28-27 with Dwight Clark's catch.
The Cincinnati Bengals were the talk of the NFL at the start of the season as they introduced new uniforms, going from a plain orange helmet with Bengals written on the side to using tiger stripes. The new-look did the Bengals well as they had their first winning season since 1976 and made the playoffs for the first time since 1975. Led by Forrest Gregg, who played for Lombardi's Green Bay Packers, the Bengals won the AFC Central with a 12-4 record. They hosted their first playoff game, beating the Buffalo Bills 28-21. A week later, in the coldest game in NFL history, the Bengals froze out the San Diego Chargers 27-7 in the AFC Championship Game.
Super Bowl XVI was the first to be held in a northern city. The 49ers had beaten the Bengals 21-3 in December at Riverfront Stadium. While a dome made conditions perfect for football, outside fans trudged through freezing weather and ice to get inside the Pontiac Silverdome near Detroit. It was personal for 49ers coach Bill Walsh, a longtime Bengals assistant who was passed over for the head coach job when Paul Brown retired in 1975. Walsh eventually spent two seasons as coach at Stanford before landing the job with the 49ers. Super Bowl XVI on CBS would be the first called by Pat Summerall and John Madden.
The Bengals had the ball to start the game and drove deep into Niners' territory. However, Ken Anderson was intercepted by Dwight Hicks at the five-yard line. The 49ers took their first possession into the end zone as Joe Montana scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak. In the second quarter, the Bengals were approaching the red zone again when Cris Collinsworth fumbled at the eight-yard line after a 19-yard pass. Joe Montana again made Cincinnati pay, as he connected with Earl Cooper on an 11-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 14-0. On the ensuing kickoff, Pete Johnson misplayed a squib kick by Ray Wersching, pinning the Bengals at the two-yard line. After the Niners got the ball back, Wersching nailed a 22-yard field goal with 18 seconds left and decided to squib another kickoff. This time the result was even better for San Francisco as Archie Griffin fumbled at the four, giving the 49ers three more points to hold a 20-0 lead at the half.
The reeling Bengals got a much-needed touchdown to start the third quarter, as Ken Anderson had a five-yard scramble into the end zone. The Bengals' defense began to take control as they had forced a pair of three and outs. With a 49-yard pass to Cris Collinsworth, the Bengals were again in the San Francisco red zone, taking the ball down to the five-yard line. A pair of runs by Pete Johnson had the ball down to the doorstep of the end zone when Anderson completed a pass to Charles Alexander, who was about to get in when Dan Bunz made a game-saving tackle, forcing fourth down and the one-yard line. Again they turned to Pete Johnson, who stopped as Hacksaw Reynolds plugged the hole to complete one of the most thrilling goal-line stands in Super Bowl history.
After the goal-line stand, the Bengals again forced a three and out and got the ball back in San Francisco territory as the fourth quarter began. The Bengals would find the end zone this time, as Dan Ross reeled in a four-yard pass from Anderson. With their lead reduced to six points, the 49ers had their first sustained drive of the second half turn into three points as Ray Wersching hit a 40-yard field goal. Eric Wright would quickly get the ball back for San Francisco as he picked off Ken Anderson to set up another Wersching field goal with two minutes left. The Bengals would get a second touchdown catch by Dan Ross, who set a record with 11 receptions that day, but it was too little too late, as Dwight Clark recovered an on-side kick with 20 seconds left to end the game.