Black Super Bowl Highlights: XXXI-XXXIX

Super Bowl XXXI: Green Bay 35, New England 21
KR/PR Desmond Howard – MVP

It takes a tremendous performance for a kickoff returner to earn MVP honors, but that’s exactly what happened when Green Bay returned to the Super Bowl for the first time since the Lombardi era. Though the Packers boasted an offense including young rifelman Brett Favre and talented wideout Antonio Freeman, the spark they needed to claim their first Super Bowl in 29 years was the former Heisman winner Howard. Considered a bust through most of his career, the former first round pick of the Redskins became a household name again overnight as he returned a kickoff 99 yards all the way to the endzone late in the third quarter. Howard’s return crushed a comeback bid by the Patriots that had pulled them within a touchdown. He would tie the Super Bowl record for total return yards (244) and combined net yards gained (244). From scrimmage, Freeman was the story of the game, hauling in three catches for 105 yards including a spectacular 81-yard touchdown.

Super Bowl XXXII: Denver 31, Green Bay 24
RB Terrell Davis -- MVP

John Elway’s coronation was Terrell Davis’ finest hour. Elway finally won an elusive Super Bowl title, but it was future Chunky Soup pitchman Davis who handed it to him. Davis carried the ball a punishing 30 times and scored three times, tying the all-time Super Bowl record with three touchdowns. His final score came with just 1:45 left on the clock, giving the Broncos the final lead of the game. On the other side of the ball, Antonio Freeman played brilliantly and likely would’ve battled his quarterback for MVP had the Packers repeated. Freeman finished with nine catches, 126 yards and two touchdowns. But the day, and the MVP, belonged to Terrell Davis.

Super Bowl XXXIII: Denver 34, Atlanta 19
DB Darrien Gordon

Elway took all the headlines and the MVP with his gutsy Super Bowl XXXIII performance, but it was Gordon’s standout defensive effort that kept the quick strike Falcons offense at bay. Morten Andersen banged home a 28-yard field goal and the Broncos’ Jason Elam missed a pair to open the second half. But before the Falcons could capitalize, Darrien Gordon picked off a pair of passes inside the Broncos’ 20 on successive possessions, killing drives and breaking the Falcons’ spirit. Each interception set up a Denver touchdown, ensuring that Elway retired a winner. Rod Smith cemented his reputation as the best undrafted receiver in NFL history, catching five passes for 152 yards and a touchdown.

Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16
QB Steve McNair

McNair became the first black quarterback to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl and he came within a single yard of being the second to win it. Black stars dominated Super Bowl XXXIV as Marshall Faulk picked up 107 yards from scrimmage, Torry Holt caught seven passes for 109 yards and a score, Eddie George led all runners with 95 yards and two touchdowns and Isaac Bruce headlined the stat sheet with a 162 yard, one touchdown performance. But the biggest storyline was McNair’s trip to the Super Bowl, the first by a black quarterback in a dozen years. McNair managed the Titans perfectly, countering Kurt Warner’s Super Bowl record 414 yards and the “Greatest Show on Turf” with a 22-26 passing day. The ex-Alcorn State quarterback marched the Titans down the field with 1:54 left, ultimately avoiding a sack and connecting with Kevin Dyson to move to the Rams’ 10 yard line. With six seconds left, McNair again hit a slanting Dyson who burst towards the end zone before being spun to ground by Mike Jones, stretching the ball out to the one yard line. The Titans became the first team to rally from a 16 point deficit and, more than losing, McNair simply ran out of time.

Super Bowl XXXV: Baltimore 34, New York Giants 7
RB Jamal Lewis

The Raven’s Ray Lewis would win MVP honors though more for the play of his defense than his individual effort. The Ravens allowed just 152 total yards, forced five turnovers and picked up four sacks (Lewis’ line was three tackles and four passes broken up), but in a Super Bowl devoid of offense, Lewis stood out as the game’s biggest star. Lewis moved the otherwise anemic Ravens’ offense, churning out 102 yards and a touchdown and giving the Ravens the edge the Giants simply didn’t have. Super Bowl XXXV marked another unique first for black players. The Ravens became just the second team and first black trio to record an offensive, defense and special team touchdown. Jermaine Lewis returned a kick for a touchdown, Jamal Lewis rushed for one and Duane Starks returned an interception 49 yards for the third.

Super Bowl XXXVI: New England 20, St. Louis 17
RB Antowain Smith

The era of the Patriots began with an upset of the would-be dynasty Rams. New England quarterback Tom Brady would win the MVP award for his heroics on the game’s final drive and the enduring image will always be Adam Viniateri’s field goal as time expired, but the catalyst of the Patriots’ offense was Antowain Smith. Smith turned the wheels every possession, grinding out a game-high 92 yards on 18 carries, offsetting a passing game that misfired early. Three Rams turnovers, including an interception Ty Law took to the house for the Patriots first score, proved the difference in the game.

Super Bowl XXXVII: Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21
DB Dwight Smith

Take your pick among Bucs’ defenders for MVP honors. In a game in which Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon threw a record five interceptions, any member of the Tampa Bay secondary could’ve claimed the honor. Free safety Dexter Jackson took the award after picking off the first two passes and giving Tampa Bay a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. But Dwight Smith owned the best stat line, picking off two passes and returning them both for touchdowns, one a 50 yarder, another 44. Keenan McCardell caught two touchdowns and Derrick Brooks returned another interception to for a touchdown. The game’s bittersweet moment came when Jerry Rice grabbed his final Super Bowl touchdown, though the Raiders were already hopelessly behind. Rice finished with the Super Bowl career record for most receptions (33), touchdowns (8, five better than any other player) and yards (589).

Super Bowl XXXVII: New England 32, Carolina 29
WR Muhsin Muhammad

The game will likely be better remembered for its contribution of “wardrobe malfunction” to the American lexicon than the action on the field, but it wasn’t for lack of excitement. In what was arguably the most exciting Super Bowl of all time – and at least the most exciting quarter – the Patriots and Panthers swapped the lead back and forth in the fourth quarter while scoring 37 points between the two teams. But the highlight play of the Super Bowl came when Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme hit Muhsin Muhammad streaking down the left sideline for a Super Bowl record 85 yard touchdown. The lead wouldn’t hold, though, as the Patriots rallied to win their second Super Bowl in three years.

Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24, Philadelphia 21
WR Deion Branch – MVP, QB Donovan McNabb

McNabb became just the third black quarterback to play in the Super Bowl and with little help from running back Brian Westbrook, he was forced to shoulder the offense. McNabb responded with a 357-yard effort, the third best total in Super Bowl history, and all three Philadelphia touchdowns. But his three interceptions, including a final pick with nine seconds left, trumped the yardage when it counted. Meanwhile Deion Branch made an assault on history, catching a record-tying 11 passes (tying Danny Ross and Jerry Rice) for the most in any Super Bowl. Branch was a steady and prolific threat, pulling down 11 catches for 133 yards, none longer than 27 yards.