Black Super Bowl Highlights: XI-XX

Super Bowl XI: Oakland 32, Minnesota 14
RB Clarence Davis

Raiders receiver Fred Biletnikoff claimed MVP honors for a four-catch, 79 yard, zero touchdown effort as the Raiders claimed the first Super Bowl trophy to officially bear the name "Lombardi Trophy." But the power behind the Raiders’ record setting 429 yards of offense and possible should’ve-been-MVP was running back Clarence Davis. Davis, the tough as nails tailback that followed O.J. Simpson at USC, did something Simpson never managed, leading his team to the Super Bowl trophy with a 136 rushing yards on just 16 carries – an 8.5 yard per carry average.

Super Bowl XII: Dallas 27, Denver 10
DT Harvey Martin -- MVP

The Cowboys arrived at the apex of the Tom Landry era on the backs of the “Doomsday Defense.” They never stood taller than Super Bowl XII. The plot line of the Super Bowl was Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach squaring off against Craig Morton, the man he displaced in Dallas. The two went to battle, but when the war was over Harvey Martin had won. Martin, who became just the second black player to win the MVP award, shared honors with defensive end Randy White, marking the only time in history two players shared MVP honors. “Too Beautiful” Martin led a Dallas defense which forced eight Denver turnovers and held the Broncos to just 156 yards en route to the Cowboys’ second Super Bowl title.

Super Bowl XIII: Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31
WR Lynn Swann, WR John Stallworth

Quarterback Terry Bradshaw deservedly won the MVP award for his record-shattering performance (326 yards, four touchdowns), but his receivers made his exceptional talent look even better. Swann and Stallworth each posted 100 yard games, the first time teammates broke that mark in the Super Bowl. Swann was the workhorse, catching seven balls for 129 yards and a touchdown while Stallworth hauled in three for 115 yards and two touchdowns. The battle of the decade’s two dominant teams featured a who’s who of black football legends including Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Swann, Stallworth, Mel Blount, Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Donnie Shell, Rayfield Wright, Tony Dorsett and incumbent MVP Harvey Martin.

Super Bowl XIV: Pittsburgh 31, L.A. Rams 19
WR Lynn Swann, WR John Stallworth

Super Bowl XIV was a near carbon copy of its predecessor. Pittsburgh’s aerial show lit up the scoreboard as Swann and Stallworth again both again combined for over 200 yards receiving and Franco Harris ground out the clock on the ground. The finest pair of receivers to play in the Super Bowl cemented a reputation which would lead them both to Canton; Stallwoth caught three balls for 121 yards and a touchdown and Swann hauled in five catches for 79 yards. Super Bowl XIV would be the final ride for one of football’s greatest dynasties and arguably the NFL’s greatest collection of black stars of all time.

Super Bowl XV: Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10
LB Rod Martin

The knockout punch of Super Bowl XV also happened to be the first. Martin intercepted Philadelphia quarterback Ron Jaworski on his first pass attempt, en route to a Super Bowl record-tying three interceptions. Martin led a bend-but-don’t-break Raiders defense that allowed 360 yards but kept the Eagles perpetually out of the game. Offensively, Raiders tailback Kenny King, who only caught for 145 yards during the season, set a record when he caught a desperation pass out of the backfield, broke a tackle and dashed 80 yards for the touchdown, the longest reception in Super Bowl history.

Super Bowl XVI: San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21
FS Dwight Hicks

San Francisco’s first title in franchise history is best remembered for the emergence of Joe Montana, but in one of the most tightly contested Super Bowls of all time, the game could’ve been over before Montana ever stepped on the field. San Francisco return man Amos Lawrence earned an ignominious Super Bowl first when he fumbled the opening kickoff on the 49ers’ 26 yard line. The Bengals then marched to the five before Ken Anderson missed his target and found San Francisco free safety Dwight Hicks instead. Hicks raced the ball back out to the 32 yard line, preventing the score that very likely would’ve made Montana a loser in his first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XVII: Washington 27, Miami 17
KR Fulton Walker

The Redskins’ and running back John Riggins took home all the hardware, but the play of the game belonged to the Dolphins Fulton Walker. A see-saw first half was headed for a locker room tie after the Redskins scored to pull to a 10-10 tie, but 13 seconds later Walker did what no player before had ever done to give the Dolphins a 17-10 lead. Walker grabbed the kickoff at the three-yard line and dashed 97 yards to the end zone to give Miami the halftime advantage. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, it was the last points they’d score. In fact, the return man Walker outgained the entire Miami offense, posting a Super Bowl record 190 return yards to just 176 yards of total offense by the Dolphins.

Super Bowl XVIII: L.A. Raiders 38, Washington 9
RB Marcus Allen -- MVP

The defending world champion Washington Redskins played in Super Bowl XVIII, but like everyone else who paid for a seat at Tampa Stadium, all they could do was sit back and watch the Marcus Allen show. The Raiders defense dominated and Allen rushed for 191 and two touchdowns, but the most memorable play was Allen’s 71 yard touchdown scamper. The former Heisman Trophy winner took the handoff and ran left before reversing his field and running through a sea of Redskins in the middle of the field and breaking free for a touchdown. Allen’s touchdown, the last of the game for the Raiders’, remains one of the Super Bowl’s most memorable plays. The 38 points by Los Angeles set a Super Bowl record.

Super Bowl XIX: San Francisco 38, Miami 16
RB Roger Craig

Joe Montana posted another tremendous Super Bowl and claimed his second MVP trophy in his second trip, but it was the versatility of 49ers running back Roger Craig that made the team move. A Pro-Bowler, Craig rushed for 58 yards and hauled in 77 yards worth of passes (two for touchdowns) to keep the San Francisco offense dynamic. Two and a half months later, the 49ers would draft a little known receiver out of Mississippi Valley State to fill that role.

Super Bowl XX: Chicago 46, New England 10
DE Richard Dent – MVP, William Perry

The Chicago Bears and their vaunted “46 Zone” defense brought everything except the kitchen sink (including an extra large Fridge) against the hapless Patriots, the last team into the playoffs in the AFC. The Cinderella Patriots won on the road in each round, but against the Bears, a team that went 15-1 in the regular season, midnight came awful early. New England took the quickest lead in Super Bowl history with a field goal after a Walter Payton fumble, but the lead would be fleeting and forgettable. Dent registered 1.5 sacks and forced two fumbles to lead a crushing defense that kept the Patriots in negative yardage in the first half (-19 yards) and held the leading New England rusher to just four yards. But the most memorable moment of Super Bowl XX came when William “Refrigerator” Perry burst across the 1-yard line and into the end zone for the game’s final touchdown.