Bradley Ruzicka

Headline: Green Bay Packers’ QB Lynn Dickey goes deep with a then Packers’ record 4,458 yards passing, but it was not enough to save Head Coach Bart Starr’s job.

Regular Season Record: 8 – 8 (Second Place NFC Central Division)

Offseason Highlights: On February 12, the Green Bay Packers extended Head Coach Bart Starr’s contract through 1984. Team President Judge Robert Parins issued a statement stating that the team had had an interesting and, for the most part, entertaining season, but was not without its problems. According to Stanton Greene in his book, Falling Starr – Bart Starr As Head Coach Of The Green Bay Packers 1975-83, “He knew he couldn’t fire Starr after finally making the playoffs, and no one wanted to repeat the lame duck situation of 1981, so he was obligated to extend Bart into 84, but he obviously wasn’t happy about it. To put it simply, it was clear that the Judge wanted Bart out as coach and was waiting for the first opportunity to drop the axe.”

Green Bay’s 1983 draft yielded only one player of note. Using the 11th overall selection, acquired from the New Orleans Saints for the rights to 1980 1st round pick DE Bruce Clark, who had jilted the Packers in favor of the Canadian Football League (CFL), Green Bay selected CB Tim Lewis out of the University of Pittsburgh. The Packers had given up their own 1983 1st round pick in the 1981 trade for WR John Jefferson. Lewis played all of his four seasons for Green Bay, starting 42 out of 51 games, including all 16 games in 1984-85. A standout cornerback, he was considered to be one of the more skilled players on a weak Packers’ defense. He led or shared the team lead in interceptions in 1983 and 1985, finishing with a career total of 16 picks. His 99 yard interception return for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams on November 18 1984 remains a team record.

Unfortunately, Lewis’ career was cut short by a severe neck injury suffered in a 1986 game against the Chicago Bears. At the same time Green Bay was adding a rising star in their defensive secondary, the Packers lost one of their more important veteran defenders, DE Mike Butler, to the United States Football League (USFL), leaving a huge hole in the defensive line. But the story behind Butler’s departure was more complicated than what was known at the time. Stanton Greene noted, “Although Butler had signed a contract to begin play with the Tampa Bay Bandits [in 1984], … he was still under contract to the Packers in 1983 and was more than willing to play. What happened next is muddy, but someone in the Packers organization, possibly Judge Parins, who now controlled the purse strings, ruled that Butler could not play. God knows why.”

The 1983 NFL draft is frequently referred to as the Quarterback Class of 1983, because six quarterbacks were taken in the first round. The next highest number is five, taken in the 1999 NFL draft. Out of this class, four played in the Super Bowl, four were selected to play in the Pro Bowl, and three were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All six quarterbacks were drafted by AFC teams. In 11 of the 16 years following this draft, the AFC was represented in the Super Bowl by a team led by one of these quarterbacks; the Denver Broncos by John Elway (five times), the Buffalo Bills by Jim Kelly (four times), the Miami Dolphins by Dan Marino (once), and the New England Patriots by Tony Eason (once). Only two of these signal callers, Todd Blackledge (Kansas City Chiefs) and Ken O’Brien (New York Jets), never reached the Super Bowl.

Elway, out of Stanford University, was actually selected as the first overall pick by the Baltimore Colts. However, he was wary of playing for the Colts, then among the worst teams in the league. His father also advised him against playing for Head Coach Frank Kush, who had a reputation as a harsh taskmaster. While Elway preferred football, his agent, Marvin Demoff, later stated that baseball was “a true option”. More importantly, the possibility gave Elway leverage in negotiations with Baltimore. After unsuccessfully attempting to negotiate a private agreement with the Colts, in which Elway would cite his alleged desire to remain on the West coast to explain the team trading him, Elway publicly threatened to join the Yankees full time if Baltimore did not trade him.

Demoff wrote in his journal, published three decades later, that “[John] would be a garbage collector before he’d play for Baltimore.” Elway’s refusal to join the Colts was controversial. Pittsburgh Steelers’ QB Terry Bradshaw denounced him, stating “you should play baseball … he’s not the kind of guy you win championships with”. However, many other NFL teams began negotiations with Baltimore for the quarterback. One possibility was trading Elway for San Francisco 49ers’ QB Joe Montana, whose team had had a poor 1982 season. Another was a trade with the San Diego Chargers, who were negotiating a new contract with its star QB Dan Fouts. The New England Patriots were interested, but the Colts did not wish to trade Elway to a team in the same division.

Baltimore’s General Manager Ernie Accorsi badly wanted Elway. Accorsi later said he (correctly) did not foresee the 1984 NFL draft producing any first round quarterbacks, and announced Elway as the team’s choice as soon as possible during the 15 minute window on draft day, surprising observers. But Elway reiterated his wish to not play for the Colts at a press conference, saying “As I stand here right now, I’m playing baseball”. Rather than risk no return on their first overall selection, Baltimore decided to pursue a trade for OT Chris Hinton, who the Denver Broncos had chosen as the fourth overall pick. On May 2, Colts’ Owner Robert Irsay and Accorsi agreed to trade Elway for Hinton, backup QB Mark Hermann, and a 1st round pick in 1984 (used to select OG Ron Solt).

In total, the 1983 draft yielded seven future Pro Football Hall of Famers, six of whom were selected in the draft’s first round, including Elway, the 2nd overall selection, SMU RB Eric Dickerson (Los Angeles Rams), the 9th overall selection, USC OT Bruce Matthews (Houston Oilers), the 14th overall selection, University of Miami’s Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills), the 27th overall selection, Pittsburgh’s Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins), and the 28th overall selection, Texas A&I CB Darrnell Green (Washington Redskins). The seventh member of the 1983 draft to reach the Hall of Fame was the 203rd overall selection, Tennessee State DE Richard Dent (Chicago Bears).

Each of the 12 rounds of the 1983 draft contained at least one player who was later selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Bleacher Report named the 1983 draft class the “greatest of all time”. Unfortunately, for the Packers and for Starr, none of those players resided in Green Bay.

Regular Season Highlights: The half season of success experienced by Green Bay in 1982 translated into only an 8-8 record in 1983. The Packers could never gain any momentum during the season, hovering around .500 the entire year, and finishing one game behind the 9-7 Detroit Lions. Although Green Bay ended the season with the same record as the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers finished ahead of Chicago in the NFC Central Division based on a better record against common opponents (5-5 to the Bears’ 4-6), with Minnesota finishing in fourth place, after being eliminated from the three way tie based on conference record (Chicago’s 7-7 and Green Bay’s 6-6 to Vikings’ 4-8).

Offensively, Green Bay would, at times, look like the most exciting team in the NFL, beginning on the road with their opening day win over the Houston Oilers, 41-38, on Stenerud’s 42 yard field goal in overtime. QB Lynn Dickey completed his first 18 passes in a row, a team record, as well as tied his own team record with five touchdown passes. Although Dickey was forced to leave the game at the end of regulation play due to injury, backup QB David Whitehurst came off the bench to lead the Packers to the winning field goal. Unfortunately, in a performance that would be repeated throughout the season, the defense gave up 498 yards to a team that would finish with a record of 2-14, losing both of their nose tackles, Terry Jones and Rich Turner, to injury over the course of the game.

Combined with the loss of Mike Butler to the USFL during the offseason, Green Bay’s defense was already in critical condition after 1983’s first week. According to Greg Koch in 2010, “[The loss of Jones and Turner] really crippled our defense for the rest of the year. When you’re soft up the middle, you can’t keep those guys away from your linebackers. It really made it tough on us.” That softness was particularly noticeable the next week in their home opener, a 25-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, when the Packers surrendered 285 yards rushing, despite another near flawless performance by Dickey, who completed 14 out of 20 passes for 290 yards and 3 touchdowns. After only two weeks, Green Bay’s defense had given up 969 total yards.

The Packers split their next four games, giving them a 3-3 record. The offense continued its’ explosive play, including a crushing 55-14 home victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5, a game that would see one of the highest scoring offensive performances in Green Bay history, racking up 519 yards. Week 7 saw the Packers edge the 1982 NFL Champion Washington Redskins at home, 48-47, on a Monday night, in one of the most exciting regular season games in league history. Dickey had a career night, completing 22 out of 31 attempts for 387 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was later quoted as saying, “Those kinds of games I can remember stepping into the huddle and looking at everyone and saying, ‘this is great, and can you imagine they’re paying us to do this.’ I didn’t want to tell them I would do it for nothing.”

Stenerud nailed a 20 yard field goal with 54 seconds remaining, after a 56 yard pass from Dickey to RB Gerry Ellis, in a game that featured five lead changes in the last 15 minutes. The Redskins had a chance to win at the end, but K Mark Mosley missed a 39 yard field goal attempt as the clock ran out. The two teams combined for 1,025 yards, of which 771 were through the air, and 56 first downs. Green Bay’s victory over Washington was the highest scoring game in MNF history and was voted one of the ten best games in Packers’ history. Unfortunately, the next week would see Dickey throw three interceptions in an overtime loss to Minnesota at Lambeau Field, 20-17, leaving Green Bay at 4-4, two games behind the division leading Vikings at the season’s midpoint.

For the 1983 Packers, exhilarating home wins over Tampa Bay and Washington were offset by dispiriting road losses to the 3-12-1 New York Giants, 27-3, on a Monday night in Week 4 and to division rival Detroit, 38-14, in Week 6. Week 9 saw Green Bay lose its’ second straight game, another road loss, this time to the Cincinnati Bengals (34-14), their third blowout loss in six weeks. However, consecutive home victories over the Cleveland Browns (35-21) and Minnesota (29-21) respectively put the Packers back in control of their own destiny at 6-5 with five games to play, despite the defense giving up more than 400 yards in each game. But then two straight overtime losses to the Lions, 23-20, and the Atlanta Falcons, 47-41, in Weeks 12 and 13 left Green Bay tied for second place with a 6-7 record.

Dickey was knocked out of the Lions’ game with a concussion, leaving it up to Whitehurst to again pull out a victory. Unfortunately, unlike his success against Houston, he was unable to move the offense, throwing for only 33 yards and 2 interceptions, in what would be his last appearance as a Packer. But Green Bay continued to persevere, winning a close contest in Week 14 over Chicago in their final home game of the year, 31-28, while scratching out an overtime victory the next week against Tampa Bay on the road, 12-9, their third Monday night game of the season. Yet, despite their win over the Bears, Packer fans were uncharacteristically contentious and subdued.

Greene observed, “During the ceremony for Ray [Nitschke], when the other Packer jersey retirees were read off, Hutson, Canadeo, and lastly Starr, a chorus of boos cascaded across the stadium. When Judge Parins stood up to do Ray the honors, he was greeted with an even heavier round of boos.” Still, at 8-7, Green Bay was tied for first place with Detroit. In the end, a winning season, a possible division title, and a second consecutive playoff berth came down to the last game, Week 16 against Chicago, in Solider Field. Prior to the game, the local press was full of speculation as to whether or not this would be Starr’s last game if the Packers lost.

It was a freezing, windy day on the shores of Lake Michigan, and the Bears prevailed, 23-21, in another hard fought contest. Dickey put his team up, 21-20, with a touchdown pass to TE Paul Coffman with 3:08 left in the game. But second year QB Jim McMahon led Chicago on a 10 play, 58 yard drive, culminating in a 22 yard Bob Thomas field goal with 10 seconds remaining. After the season ended, Dickey commented, “We were constantly playing catch-up. Bart knew this, the defensive guys knew it, everybody knew it. So Bart would tell me, ‘Don’t worry about throwing interceptions.’ Bart would say, ‘If we don’t score 40 points, we’re going to lose.'” The day after the loss to the Bears, Bart Starr’s coaching rein ended when he was unceremoniously fired by Parins.

Starr said of his firing, “He [Parins] didn’t thank me for my efforts, didn’t say a word about my twenty year contribution to the Green Bay Packer organization. He didn’t even express any regret about having to make the decision. He sounded as though he were delivering a cold, unemotional sentence in his circuit court.” Trainer Domenic Gentile commented, “Starr said that Parins came into his office and said rather bluntly, ‘Bart, you are relieved of your duties as head coach.’ Parins then turned and walked out … There is no good way to fire a man, but Bart deserved better than that cold slap in the face.” Starr finished his nine year coaching career with a record of 52-76-3, leading the Packers to only two winning seasons (1978, 1982) and two .500 seasons (1981, 1983).

Despite being forced to pass on nearly every possession in an effort to score points quickly, Dickey had his finest year to date, finishing with 289 completions in 484 attempts for 4,458 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions, earning him a QB Rating of 87.3. He led the NFL in passing yards, passing yards per game, passing yards per attempt, and passing touchdowns. At the time, Dickey was only the fifth player in NFL history to pass for over 4,000 yards and had the third highest single season yardage total ever, exceeded only by San Diego Chargers’ QB Dan Fouts in 1980 and 81. To date, his 4,458 yards has been exceeded only once in Green Bay history, by QB Aaron Rogers in 2011 (4,643). Unfortunately, Dickey also finished first overall in passes intercepted.

Like 1982, Whitehurst, in his last season playing for Green Bay, saw limited action, completing 18 out of 35 passes for 149 yards, no touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a QB Rating of 38.9. And, for the second year in a row, third year quarterback and 1981 first round selection Rich Campbell did not attempt a single pass in the regular season. Like Dickey, WR James Lofton had his finest season to date, with 58 catches for 1,300 yards (22.4 yards per catch) and 8 touchdowns, finishing first overall in yards per reception and third in receiving yards. WR John Jefferson and TE Paul Coffman also enjoyed their best seasons as Packers. Jefferson finished with 57 catches for 830 yards and 7 touchdowns while Coffman caught 54 passes for 814 yards and 11 touchdowns, the 4th most receiving touchdowns in the NFL.

Ellis led the Packers in rushing with 141 carries for 696 yards (4.9 yards per carry, tied for 3rd overall) while also catching 52 passes for 603 yards, scoring 6 total touchdowns. RB Eddie Lee Ivory had another abbreviated season, missing the majority of the second half of the year after leaving the team due to a drug issue. Ivory rushed for 340 yards in 86 attempts (4.0 yards per carry) and 2 touchdowns. Future Hall of Fame K Jan Stenerud had another great year in Green Bay. In his 17th season, he scored 115 points, 9th overall, hitting 52 of 52 extra points and 21 out of 26 field goals (80.8%). Stenerud surpassed fellow Hall of Famer and former Oakland Raider George Blanda with 336 field goals in the Packers December 12 victory over Tampa Bay, when his four field goals accounted for all of the team’s points.

Overall, Green Bay’s offense scored 52 touchdowns and 429 total points. But the Packers’ weakened defense gave up 400+ yards in half their games, 500+ yards in their October 17 win over Washington, and a total of 439 points. The offense finished 21st in rushing (1,807), 2nd in passing (4,365), and 5th in scoring. Defensively, the Packers were the exact opposite, finishing 26th against the run (2,641), 24th against the pass (3,762), and 26th out of 28 teams in points allowed. Greene wrote, “Green Bay had played five overtime games and lost three. Two other losses was by less than a touchdown. Any one of those losses tipped the other way would have earned the Packers a playoff berth and kept Starr his job for another year.”

The World Champion Redskins finished with the NFL’s best record at 14-2, winning the NFC East title and the NFC’s top playoff seed. The San Francisco 49ers came back from their dismal 1982 performance to win the NFC West title and the NFC’s second playoff seed with a 10-6 record. Detroit’s 9-7 record was good enough to win the NFC Central title, their first division championship since 1957, and the NFC’s third playoff seed. The 12-4 Dallas Cowboys (fourth seed) and the 9-7 Los Angeles Rams (fifth seed) were the NFC’s Wild Card teams.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Raiders and the Miami Dolphins finished with the AFC’s best records at 12-4, winning the AFC West and East titles respectively. The AFC’s top playoff seed went to Los Angeles by virtue of their regular season victory over the Dolphins. Miami thus became the AFC’s second playoff seed. Pittsburgh won the AFC Central title and the AFC’s third playoff seed with a 10-6 record. The Seattle Seahawks (fourth seed) and the Denver Broncos (fifth seed) were the AFC’s Wild Card teams at 9-7. Seattle finished ahead of Denver based on a better division record (5-3 to Broncos’ 3-5) after the 9-7 Cleveland Browns were eliminated from the three way tie based on head-to-head record (Seattle and Denver 2-1 to Browns’ 0-2).

For the Steelers, 1983 was 14 year veteran QB Terry Bradshaw’s last season. Needing a win in the final game of the season to make the playoffs, Bradshaw dragged his 36 year old right arm out for one grand finale in the media capital of the world. Clearly not himself, Bradshaw still authored a last great performance, playing two complete series, and directing touchdown drives of 77 yards in 8 plays and 72 yards in 9 plays. He completed 5 of 8 passes for 77 yards and the 2 scores; 17 yards to WR Gregg Garrity and 10 yards to WR Calvin Sweeney. Above all else, he inspired the team to a 34-7 win over the New York Jets that clinched the division championship and a second straight appearance in the playoffs.

Washington QB Joe Theismann won the 1983 NFL Most Valuable Player Award as well as Offensive Player of the Year. Miami DE Doug Betters won Defensive Player of the Year, while Baltimore Colts’ LB Vernon Maxwell won Defensive Rookie of the Year. Rams’ RB Eric Dickerson won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Washington Head Coach Joe Gibbs won Coach of the Year.

Post Season Highlights: In the NFC Wild Card Playoffs, the Los Angeles Rams traveled to Texas Stadium to play the Dallas Cowboys while, in the AFC, the Seattle Seahawks hosted the Denver Broncos in the Kingdome. The winners would advance to their respective Divisional Playoffs. Due to the Christmas holiday, the two wild card playoff games were played over a span of three days.

On December 24, the Seattle Seahawks won their first playoff game in team history with QB Dave Krieg’s 12 of 13 completions for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. They also got a big performance out of rookie RB Curt Warner, who rushed for 99 yards.

Seattle scored on the opening drive of the game, with Warner carrying the ball on six of eight plays, and Krieg hitting WR Steve Largent for a 17 yard touchdown pass, for a 7-0 lead. After a few punts, Denver tied the game at 7-7, with WR Jesse Myles’ 13 yard touchdown reception from QB Steve DeBerg. After forcing the Seahawks to punt, Deberg drove the Broncos to the Seattle 29 yard line. However, DT Kerry Justin intercepted Deberg’s underthrown pass, and returned the ball 45 yards to set up K Norm Johnson’s 37 yard field goal, giving the Seahawks a 10-7 lead. Denver responded with a drive to the Seattle 5 yard line but, once again, failed to score, as RB Gerald Wilhite lost the ball and the Seahawks recovered it, with less than two minutes left in the half.

On Seattle’s first drive of the second half, Krieg completed a 28 yard pass to TE Charlie Young and a 34 yarder to Largent on the next play. Following 2 carries by Warner for 6 yards, Krieg finished the possession with a 5 yard touchdown pass to TE Pete Metzelaars, making the score 17-7. The Seahawks went on to score two more touchdowns, an 18 yard pass from Krieg to WR Paul Johns on the first play of the fourth quarter, and a 2 yard run by the reserve RB David Hughes with 9 minutes 34 seconds remaining in the game, for a final score of 31-7. Rookie QB John Elway made his playoff debut for Denver, replacing DeBerg in the fourth quarter. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 123 yards and 1 interception.

On December 26, the Los Angeles Rams converted three turnovers into 17 second half points, to upset the heavily favored Dallas Cowboys.

Los Angeles scored in the first quarter on QB Vince Ferragamo’s 18 yard touchdown pass to WR Drew Hill, after an 85 yard drive, for a 7-0 lead. Ferragamo, in his 7th professional season, started all 16 games for the first time in his on again / off again Rams career. Dallas then tied the game, 7-7, with 53 seconds left in the half, after QB Danny White capped a 70 yard drive with a 14 yard touchdown pass to WR Tony Hill. The Cowboys subsequently took a 10-7 lead in the third period, with K Rafael Septien’s 41 yard field goal. But then Los Angeles took advantage of three Dallas turnovers to score 17 unanswered points.

The Rams first recovered a muffed punt at the Cowboys’ 16 yard line, setting up WR Preston Dennard’s 16 yard touchdown reception from Ferragamo, to take a 14-10 advantage. Then, an interception of a White pass set up Ferragamo’s 8 yard touchdown to WR George Farmer, extending the Los Angeles lead to 21-10. Finally, DB Leroy Irvin’s 94 yard interception return to the Dallas 3 yard line set up K Mike Lansford’s 20 yard field goal, for a 24-10 Rams lead. White was intercepted for the third time on the Cowboys’ next drive. By the time White threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to TE Doug Cosbie to cut the Los Angeles lead to 24-17, only 1:03 remained on the clock. The Rams ran out the clock to seal a 24-17 victory.

In the Divisional Playoffs, the AFC East Champion Miami Dolphins hosted the AFC Wild Card winner, the Seattle Seahawks, in the Orange Bowl, while the NFC Central Champion Detroit Lions traveled to Candlestick Park to play the NFC West Champion San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, the NFC East Champion and top seed Washington Redskins hosted the NFC Wild Card winner, the Los Angeles Rams, in RFK Stadium, while the AFC Central Champion Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to play the AFC West Champion and top seed Los Angeles Raiders. The winners would advance to their respective Conference Championship games.

On December 31, the Seattle Seahawks converted three turnovers in the second half into 13 points, while RB Curt Warner rushed for 113 yards, caught 5 passes for 38 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns. By the end of the game, Miami turned the ball over five times, including consecutive fumbled kickoffs in the closing minutes.

After a scoreless first quarter, Miami struck first on rookie QB Dan Marino’s 19 yard pass to TE Dan Johnson. However, K Uwe von Schamann’s extra point attempt was blocked for a 6-0 lead. Seattle RB Zachary Dixon then returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards to set up QB Dave Krieg’s 6 yard touchdown pass to RB Cullen Bryant, giving the team a 7-6 lead. The Dolphins later retook a 13-7 lead, with Marino’s 32 yard touchdown throw to WR Mark Duper near the end of the half. In the third quarter, the Seahawks recovered a fumble that led to Warner’s 1 yard touchdown, giving Seattle the lead at 14-13. In the fourth quarter, Seahawks’ CB Kerry Justin’s interception of a Marino pass was converted into a 27 yard field goal by K Norm Johnson, increasing their lead to 17-13.

With time running out, Seattle made their only blunder of the day, when Krieg threw an interception to Miami DB Gerald Small, who returned the ball 18 yards, setting up RB Woody Bennett’s 3 yard touchdown and giving the Dolphins a 20-17 lead with 3:43 left in regulation. However, the Seahawks’ WR Steve Largent, who had no receptions up to this point, caught a pair of passes from Krieg for gains of 16 and 40 yards, as the team drove to retake the lead, 24-20, on Warner’s 2 yard touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami fumbled the ball and Seattle recovered it, setting up Johnson’s 37 yard field goal, increasing the score to 27-20. Amazingly, the Dolphins fumbled again on the next kickoff. The Seahawks again recovered the ball, enabling the team to run out the clock, for a 27-20 victory.

Later that day, Detroit Lions’ K Eddie Murray made three field goals, including a postseason record 54 yard kick, but missed two attempts in the fourth quarter, the second a potential winning 43 yard kick against the San Francisco 49ers, with five seconds left in the game.

Detroit scored on Murray’s 37 yard field goal less than five minutes into the game for a 3-0 lead. They were poised to score again on their next drive, but the 49ers intercepted a pass from QB Gary Danielson on San Francisco’s 15 yard line. The 49ers’ offense then drove 85 yards in 10 plays, taking a 7-3 lead on a 1 yard touchdown run by Roger Craig. On the first play of the Lions’ next drive, rookie LB Riki Ellison intercepted Danielson and returned the ball 4 yards to the Lions’ 24 yard line. Four plays later, RB Wendell Tyler’s 2 yard touchdown increased the 49er lead to 14-3 early in the second quarter. Things kept getting worse for Detroit, as Danielson threw two more interceptions on each of their next two possessions.

However, the Lions defense managed to prevent San Francisco from converting either one of them into points. On their subsequent drive, RB Billy Sims took off on a 56 yard run, to the 49er 1 yard line, before being tackled by S Eric Wright. Despite a 1st and goal on the 1 yard line, Detroit could not get into the end zone, and settled for Murray’s second field goal, cutting the score to 14-6. Following a San Francisco punt, the Lions moved the ball to the 49ers’ 37 yard line in the closing seconds of the half, where Murray made a playoff record 54 yard field goal, for a 14-9 deficit going into halftime. In the third quarter, Danielson threw his fifth interception of the day, giving San Francisco the ball at the Detroit 45 yard line.

QB Joe Montana’s 27 yard completion to TE Russ Francis, and Tyler’s 11 yard run gave the team a 1st and goal from the 7 yard line. However, the Lions made a key goal line stand, forcing K Ray Wersching’s 19 yard field goal, putting the 49ers up 17-9. Danielson then rallied Detroit back, with six completions on a 10 play, 73 yard drive, that ended with Sims’ 11 yard score, cutting the deficit to 17-16 with 13:36 left in the fourth quarter. The Lions’ defense subsequently gave their team a great chance to take the lead, when they recovered a Craig fumble on the San Francisco 37 yard line. But penalties stalled the drive, and Murray missed a field goal attempt from 43 yards.

Still, Detroit’s defense came up with another huge opportunity, as they intercepted a Montana pass, and returned it 24 yards to the 49er 27 yard line. This time, the Lions’ offense managed to covert the turnover into a 2 yard touchdown by Sims, giving Detroit their first lead of the game, 23-17, with 4:44 remaining. Up to this point, Montana had been rather ineffective, completing just 12 of 25 passes for 151 yards with an interception and no touchdowns. But, with the game on the line, Montana rallied his team with a scoring drive to put San Francisco back into the lead.

Starting from their own 30 yard line, the 49ers advanced to the Lions’ 27 yard line by the time of the two minute warning. Montana completed 4 passes for 24 yards, hooked up with Francis for a 13 yard gain on the next play, and then threw a 14 yard touchdown completion to WR Freddie Solomon, giving San Francisco a 24-23 lead with 1:23 left in regulation. Detroit drove 49 yards to set up a 43 yard field goal attempt for Murray in the closing seconds, but his kick was wide right by a narrow margin, enabling the 49ers to pull out a win, 24-23.

On January 1 1984, the Washington Redskins crushed the Los Angeles Rams by scoring on their first five possessions.

Washington drove 65 yards in 8 plays on their opening possession, including QB Joe Theismann’s 29 yard completion to WR Charlie Brown on 3rd and 5. RB John Riggins rushed 6 times for 23 yards and scored with a 3 yard touchdown, for a 7-0 lead. Five minutes later, Theismann threw a 40 yard touchdown to WR Art Monk, extending the Redskins lead to 14-0. An interception by Washington of a pass from Los Angeles QB Vince Ferragamo set up K Mark Moseley’s 42 yard field goal for a 17-0 lead with less than a minute left in the first quarter. Early in the second period, Nick Giaquinto returned a punt 48 yards to set up a 1 yard touchdown by Riggins, giving the Redskins a 24-0 lead with nearly 14 minutes left until halftime.

At this point, the Rams finally managed to respond, with Ferragamo’s 32 yard touchdown pass to WR Preston Dennard, cutting the deficit to 24-7. But this was as close as Los Angeles would get, as Washington added two more touchdowns before halftime; a 21 yard catch by Monk from Theismann and a 1 yard plunge by Riggins, for a 38-7 lead. Moseley’s two field goals, 36 and 41 yards, were the only scoring in the third quarter, giving the Redskins a 44-7 lead. Then, in the fourth quarter, DB Darrell Green intercepted Ferragamo’s pass after it bounced off rookie RB Eric Dickerson, returning it 72 yards for a touchdown, sealing Washington’s lopsided 51-7 victory.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Raiders scored three touchdowns in the third quarter en route to a 38-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were playing without injured QB Terry Bradshaw.

In the first quarter, a 15 yard run by Pittsburgh RB Frank Pollard and QB Cliff Stoudt’s 44 yard completion to WR Wayne Capers sparked a 78 yard drive. But, when faced with 4th and inches near the goal line, they opted for K Gary Anderson’s 17 yard field goal, and a 3-0 lead. The Steelers defense forced a punt on the next drive, but P Ray Guy’s 34 yard kick planted them on their own 14 yard line. On the next play, Los Angeles’ DB Lester Hayes returned an interception of a Stoudt pass 18 yards for a touchdown, making the score 7-3.

After forcing a punt, Raider RB Marcus Allen started off a drive with 2 carries for 13 yards. Then, QB Jim Plunkett got his team rolling, completing a 9 yard pass to TE Todd Christensen, a 17 yard pass to Allen, and 2 passes to WR Cliff Branch for 34 yards, moving the ball to the Pittsburgh 5 yard line. Allen eventually finished the drive with a 4 yard touchdown, increasing the Los Angeles lead to 14-3 in the second quarter. Later on, after the Raiders received a Steelers punt with 1:02 left in the half, Allen’s 21 yard run and Plunkett’s 17 yard completion to Branch set up a 45 yard field goal from K Chris Bahr, giving Los Angeles a 17-3 halftime lead.

The Raiders then scored three touchdowns in the third period to put the game out of reach. First, they took the opening kickoff and stormed 72 yards, scoring on a 9 yard touchdown by RB Kenny King, for a 24-3 lead. Then, after a punt, Allen scored on a 49 yard touchdown burst, increasing his team’s lead to 31-3. Pittsburgh managed to respond with Stoudt’s 58 yard touchdown pass to WR John Stallworth, cutting the Steelers’ deficit to 31-10. But Los Angeles stormed right back, scoring on Hawkins’ 2 yard touchdown run, to make the final score a convincing 38-10 victory.

That loss to the archrival Raiders would be the final game for Terry Paxton Bradshaw. During his Steelers’ career, Bradshaw won four Super Bowl titles in a six year period (1974-75, 1978-79), becoming the first quarterback to win three, and then four, Super Bowls, while leading Pittsburgh to eight AFC Central championships. Although the first player selected in the 1970 NFL Draft, it took Bradshaw several seasons to adjust to professional football. His first few seasons were erratic, and he was widely ridiculed by the media for his rural roots and perceived lack of intelligence. However, despite losing his starting job at the beginning of the 1974 season to QB Joe Gilliam, Bradshaw came of age over the course of the year, ultimately leading the Steelers to their first Super Bowl victory, 16-6, over the Minnesota Vikings.

With Bradshaw now firmly at the helm of the Pittsburgh offense, the Steelers would again win the Super Bowl in 1975, this time over the Dallas Cowboys, in an all-time classic game, 21-17. Bradshaw had his finest season in 1978, when he was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, after a season in which he completed 207 of 368 passes for 2,915 yards, threw a league leading 28 touchdown passes, notched a third Super Bowl victory, 35-31, in a rematch against the Cowboys, and won his first Super Bowl MVP award. Bradshaw claimed his fourth Super Bowl title, and second straight Super Bowl MVP, the next year in Super Bowl XIV, passing for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns, in a 31-19 win over the Rams. Bradshaw would play another four seasons, but the Steelers would not return to the Super Bowl.

An elbow injury prior to the 1982 season, and subsequent off-season surgery, forced Bradshaw to miss the first 14 games of the 1983 campaign. He came off the bench to lead his team to victory and a playoff berth in the season’s final game, but reinjured his elbow on what would be the final throw of his storied career, a 10 yard touchdown pass. During that career, Bradshaw completed 2,025 out of 3,901 passes (51.9%) for 27,989 yards, 212 touchdowns, 210 interceptions, and a QB Rating of 70.9. But he saved his best football for the big games. In four Super Bowl appearances, Bradshaw passed for 932 yards and 9 touchdowns, both Super Bowl records at the time he retired. In a total of 19 postseason games, he completed 261 passes for 3,833 yards and 30 touchdowns. Bradshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility.

On January 8, the NFC Championship Game pitted the Washington Redskins against the San Francisco 49ers in Washington’s RFK Stadium. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Raiders played the Seattle Seahawks for the AFC Championship in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In the NFC, after the San Francisco 49ers erased a 21-0 fourth quarter deficit, two controversial penalties against the 49ers led to Washington Redskins’ K Mark Moseley overcoming an awful day and kicking the winning field goal.

The first quarter was scoreless. The closest either team came was Washington’s drive inside the San Francisco 30 yard line that ended when RB Joe Washington lost a fumble. In the second quarter, the Redskins managed to fool the 49ers with a trick play, when PR Nick Giaquinto threw the ball across the field to Darrell Green, who took it all the way to the end zone. However, Giaquinto inadvertently threw a forward pass rather than a lateral, and the score was called back. Washington still managed to drive into San Francisco territory, but ended up with no points, when Moseley drove a 45 yard field goal attempt wide right.

After forcing a punt, QB Joe Theismann’s 46 yard completion to TE Clint Didier moved the ball to the 49ers’ 18 yard line, setting up a 4 yard touchdown by RB John Riggins, for a 7-0 lead with 6:16 left in the half. Later in the quarter, the Redskins drove deep into San Francisco territory, featuring a first down run by P Jeff Hayes on a fake punt. But, once again, Moseley sent a field goal wide right, this time from 35 yards, and the score remained 7-0 Washington at the end of the half. The 49ers started the second half with a drive into Redskin territory, aided by a controversial ruling in which RB Wendell Tyler dropped the ball just a second after catching it, and then dove on it. Officials ruled the play a fumble and recovery for San Francisco rather than an incompletion. But K Ray Wersching later slipped on the muddy field while attempting a 50 yard field goal, and it fell well short.

On Washington’s next drive, the Redskins ran another trick play, this time a pass from Riggins, who threw a 36 yard completion to WR Charlie Brown inside the 49ers’ 15 yard line. But all it led to was Moseley’s third missed field goal of the day, this one from 38 yards, that he once again sent wide right. Midway through the third quarter, San Francisco WR Freddie Solomon lost a fumble that Washington recovered on the 49ers’ 36 yard line. A few plays later, a pass interference penalty moved the ball to the 6 yard line. Riggins took it those final six yards to the end zone with two more runs, making the score 14-0. Then, on their next drive, Theismann completed a 70 yard touchdown pass to Brown, giving the Redskins a 21-0 lead with just over a minute left until the final period.

However, with 14:37 left in the game, San Francisco QB Joe Montana completed a 5 yard touchdown pass to WR Mike Wilson, cutting the deficit to 21-7. The 49ers subsequently forced a punt, but San Francisco fumbled the ball away. Still, Washington was unable to capitalize, failing to get a first down, and once again coming up empty when Moseley missed his fourth field goal of the day, a 41 yarder. On the next play, Solomon scored on a 76 yard touchdown reception from Montana, further narrowing the Redskin lead to 21-14. Later, with 7:08 remaining, Wilson tied the game, 21-21, with a 12 yard touchdown reception from Montana.

Washington then marched on a 13 play, 78 yard drive that took 6:12 off the clock and set up Moseley’s 25 yard field goal with 40 seconds left in the game, for a 24-21 lead. The possession was aided by two controversial penalties. First, on 2nd and 10 from the 49ers’ 45 yard line, Theismann threw a long incompletion intended for WR Art Monk, but CB Eric Wright was called for pass interference at the 18 yard line. It seemed that nobody had a reasonable chance to catch the ball which, under the rule, would have nullified any pass interference penalty. San Francisco Head Coach Bill Walsh was quoted after the game as saying “It could not have been caught by a 10 foot Boston Celtic.”

Second, on 3rd and 5 from the 49ers’ 13 yard line, CB Ronnie Lott was called for holding on what seemed to be a harmless act with Brown far away from where the pass fell incomplete. San Francisco got the ball back one last time, but Montana was intercepted by CB Vernon Dean on the final play of the game, sealing the Redskins’ 24-21 victory. This was the only postseason meeting between Hall of Fame coaches Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs, whose teams would combine for six Super Bowl appearances and five Super Bowl wins during the 1980s.

Meanwhile, while the Seattle Seahawks had defeated the Los Angeles Raiders twice during the regular season, this game had a very different outcome. Los Angeles outgained Seattle in total yards, 405-197, intercepted five passes, while overcoming four turnovers of their own. The Seahawks were held to 65 rushing yards, while Raiders’ RB Marcus Allen ran for 154 yards, caught 7 passes for 62 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns.

Seattle returned the opening kickoff to the 40 yard line and the Seahawks then drove to the Los Angeles 34 yard line. But DB Lester Hayes picked off a pass from QB Dave Krieg and returned it 44 yards to the Seattle 26 yard line. On the Raiders ensuing drive, a 19 yard run by Allen set up a 20 yard field goal by K Chris Bahr, for a 3-0 Los Angeles lead. In the second quarter, Allen broke off a 16 yard carry, while Raiders’ QB Jim Plunkett completed passes to WRs Cliff Branch and Malcolm Barnwell for gains of 11 and 20 yards respectively, on a 61 yard drive that ended with RB Frank Hawkins’ 1 yard touchdown, extending the lead to 10-0. The Seahawks went three and out, and Los Angeles got the ball back with good position on their 40 yard line. Plunkett’s 49 yard completion to Barnwell set up Hawkins’ second rushing touchdown, making the score 17-0.

With 1:02 left in the half, Seattle desperately tried to put some points on the board before halftime, but the Raiders intercepted Krieg’s pass at his own 40 yard line. A 20 yard completion from Plunkett to Barnwell then set up Bahr’s 45 yard field goal to give Los Angeles a 20-0 halftime lead. In the second half, the Seahawks finally got a scoring opportunity, when Hawkins fumbled the ball on the first play from scrimmage, and Seattle recovered. However, all they got out of the it was Krieg’s third interception of the game on the first play after the fumble. At this point, Krieg was benched and replaced by backup QB Jim Zorn.

Meanwhile, the Raiders drove to the Seahawks’ 9 yard line. Seattle intercepted a pass from Plunkett in the end zone to keep his team in the game, but even this turned out to be insufficient. Just two plays later, CB Mark Davis recorded his second interception of the day, this one on the Seahawks’ 46 yard line. On the next play, Allen took off on a 43 yard burst, and then caught a 3 yard touchdown pass, to make the score 27-0. After being completely dominated, Seattle finally managed to strike back, moving the ball 74 yards in 10 plays, and scoring on Zorn’s 11 yard touchdown pass to RB Dan Doornick, cutting the deficit to 27-7. Seahawk LB Bruce Scholtz then intercepted a Plunkett pass that bounced out of Barnwell’s hands on the Seattle 25 yard line.

But, once again, Los Angeles’ defense proved too formidable, as a 2 yard loss on a screen pass to RB Curt Warner, a holding penalty, and incomplete passes pushed the Seahawks out of field goal range, forcing a punt. The start of the fourth quarter saw Seattle blow another scoring chance, when the Raiders intercepted a Zorn pass after the Seahawks had recovered Plunkett’s fumbled pitch to Allen on the Los Angeles 25 yard line. Then, the next time they had the ball, Seattle drove to the Raiders’ 40 yard line, only to see DE Greg Townsend sack Zorn for a 23 yard loss on 4th and 4. After turning the ball over on downs, Bahr kicked a 35 yard field goal to give Los Angeles an insurmountable 30-7 lead with 3:57 left. At this point, all that remained was Zorn’s meaningless touchdown pass to TE Charlie Young, making the final score 30-14.

Thus, the NFC’s top seed, the Washington Redskins, would meet the AFC’s top seed, the Los Angeles Raiders, in Super Bowl XVIII. For Washington, it was the first time since the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978-79 that the previous year’s champion would be making a return trip to the Super Bowl. For the Raiders, it would be their second Super Bowl appearance in four years.

Super Bowl Highlights: On January 22 1984, at Tampa Stadium, the AFC Champion Los Angeles Raiders, led by Head Coach Tom Flores, now in his fifth season, played the NFC Champion Washington Redskins, led by third year Head Coach Joe Gibbs, in Super Bowl XVIII. It was the first time the Super Bowl had been held in Tampa Florida. Both coaches had previously won a Super Bowl with their respective teams, Flores in 1980 and Gibbs in 1982.

Washington entered the game appearing to be even better than the previous season, when they defeated the Miami Dolphins, 27-17, in Super Bowl XVII. The Redskins finished the regular season with the NFL’s best record, their two losses by only one point each (to the Dallas Cowboys, 31-30, and the Green Bay Packers, 48-47). In addition, Washington set an NFL record with 541 points, far ahead of the second place Dallas. The Redskins had a number of efficient offensive weapons. In addition to winning the MVP Award, All-Pro QB Joe Theismann was the second rated passer in the  league (97.0), behind only Atlanta Falcons’ QB Steve Bartkowski (97.6), completing 276 out of 459 passes (60.1%) for 3,714 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions, ranking in the Top 10 in passing attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and percent intercepted. He also rushed for 234 yards and another touchdown.

Washington’s main deep threats were WRs Charlie Brown (78 receptions, 1,225 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Art Monk (47 receptions, 746 yards, 5 touchdowns), with the latter fully healthy after the previous year’s injury that caused him to miss the entire postseason. Brown finished in the Top 10 among all receivers in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. WR Alvin Garrett, who replaced Monk during 1982, emerged as a significant contributor, catching 25 passes for 332 yards. All-Pro RB John Riggins once again was the team’s top rusher, with 1,347 yards (5th overall) and set a then NFL record by scoring the most rushing touchdowns (24) in a season. Multi-talented RB Joe Washington recorded 772 rushing yards while also catching 47 passes for 454 yards and 6 touchdowns.

The offensive line featured two All-Pros, LT Joe Jacoby and LG Russ Grimm. K Mark Moseley led the NFL in scoring with 161 points and Riggins finished second with 144 points, making them the first teammates to finish a season as the NFL’s top two scorers since 1951. Overall, the Redskins finished 3rd in rushing yards (2,625) and 7th in passing yards (3,514). The Redskins’ defense led the league in fewest rushing yards allowed (1,289) while finishing 11th in scoring defense, allowing 332 points. However, Washington finished dead last in passing yards allowed (3,975). All-Pro DT Dave Butz recorded 11.5 sacks. On the other side of the line, DE Dexter Manley recorded 11 sacks and an interception. All-Pro DB Mark Murphy led the NFL with 9 interceptions, while the other starters in the secondary, DBs Vernon Dean, Anthony Washington, and Ken Coffey, along with rookie Darrell Green, combined for 13 interceptions.

The Raiders, in their second season in Los Angeles since moving from Oakland, had made it to their fourth Super Bowl in team history. Los Angeles QB Jim Plunkett, in his 12th year, completed 230 out of 379 (60.7%) passes for 2,935 yards, 20 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, and a QB Rating of 82.7 during his 13 starts. Plunkett was replaced in midseason for three games by four year veteran QB Marc Wilson but regained the starting role after Wilson was injured. Plunkett’s favorite target was All-Pro TE Todd Christensen, who had a career year, leading the NFL with 92 receptions for 1,247 yards (4th overall) and 12 touchdowns (3rd overall). WRs Cliff Branch and Malcolm Barnwell combined for 74 receptions, 1,209 yards, and 6 touchdowns.

But the largest impact on offense was RB Marcus Allen. In just his second NFL season, Allen led the team in rushing yards (1,014) on 266 attempts and total yards from scrimmage (1,604), while ranking second on the team in receptions (68) for 590 yards and in total touchdowns (11). But Allen was not the only key running back on the team. Kenny King and Frank Hawkins combined for 1,119 total rushing and receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns. Overall, the Raiders finished 3rd in scoring offense (442 points), 10th in rushing yards (2,240), and 9th in passing yards (3,446). Los Angeles also had a powerful special teams attack, led by Greg Pruitt, who topped the NFL in punt returns (58) and punt return yards (666), while also rushing for 154 yards and 2 scores.

On defense, their three man front was led by Pro Bowl DEs Howie Long and Lyle Alzado, who had 7 sacks, along with rookie DE Greg Townsend, who recorded 10.5 sacks, as well as a 66 yard fumble return for a touchdown. The linebacking corps was led by Pro Bowlers Rod Martin and Matt Millen, along with 15 year veteran and future Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks. CB Mike Haynes, picked up by the Raiders as a free agent from the New England Patriots during the regular season, and CB Lester Hayes were widely considered to be the best tandem in the NFL. Overall, Los Angeles finished 4th against the run (1,586 yards allowed) as well as 13th against the pass (3,162 yards allowed) and points allowed (338).

During the first half, Los Angeles scored on offense, defense, and special teams, becoming the first team to score two non-offensive touchdowns in a Super Bowl. Less than five minutes into the game, the Raiders blocked Jeff Hayes’ punt deep in Washington territory and recovered the ball in the end zone, to give Los Angeles a 7-0 lead. On their ensuing drive, the Redskins were forced to punt, but the Raiders muffed the catch, and Washington recovered the ball on the Los Angeles 42 yard line. However, the Redskins could only advance to the Raiders’ 27 yard line and came away with no points, after Mark Moseley missed a 44 yard field goal attempt.

Early in the second quarter, Jim Plunkett completed a 50 yard pass to Cliff Branch, advancing the ball to the Washington 15 yard line. Two plays later, Plunkett threw a 12 yard touchdown pass to Branch, increasing the lead to 14-0. Branch became just the fourth player to catch a touchdown in two different Super Bowls, after Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Butch Johnson. On their next drive, the Redskins moved the ball 73 yards in 12 plays to the Los Angeles 7 yard line, with Joe Theismann completing a 17 yard pass to Alvin Garrett and three passes to TE Clint Didier for 50 yards. However, Rod Martin broke up Theismann’s third down pass attempt, forcing Washington to settle for a 24 yard Moseley field goal, and a 14-3 deficit.

The Raiders took the ensuing kickoff and drove 41 yards to the Redskins’ 39 yard line. The drive stalled when Plunkett’s third down pass fell incomplete, but Ray Guy’s 27 yard punt pinned Washington back at their own 12 yard line with 12 seconds left in the half. From there, Joe Gibbs had Theismann run a screen play called “Rocket Screen”. However, in what would become the play of the game, Los Angeles LB Jack Squirek intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Raiders a 21-3 halftime lead. The defense was prepared for the play, as Theismann had successfully completed an identical screen pass to Joe Washington for a 67 yard gain in their 37-35 victory over Los Angeles on October 2.

In fact, Raiders’ LBs Coach Charlie Sumner had sent Squirek onto the field as a last second substitution, specifically to cover Washington. “I was mad,” said Matt Millen, who had to run off the field to avoid a penalty. “I’d called a blitz, and I was cranked up for it, but he told Jack to play the screen and sent him in. I guess Charlie knows what he’s doing, huh?” The Redskins regrouped in the second half, and scored on their opening drive, by marching 70 yards in 9 plays. First, they returned the opening kickoff to the Washington 30 yard line. Then, Theismann completed a 23 yard pass to Charlie Brown, advancing to the Los Angeles 47 yard line. Eight plays later, John Riggins finished the drive with a 1 yard touchdown. Moseley’s extra point attempt was blocked, but the Redskins had cut the lead to 21-9.

However, the Raiders completely took over the rest of the game, preventing any chance of a Washington comeback. On the ensuing drive, the Redskins were called for a 38 yard pass interference penalty, setting up Marcus Allen’s 5 yard touchdown run seven plays later, to make the score 28-9. Late in the third quarter, Washington had an opportunity to score after they recovered a Branch fumble at the Los Angeles 35 yard line. They moved the ball nine yards in their next three plays, for a 4th and 1 on the Raider 44 yard line. The Redskins attempted to convert the fourth down with a run by Riggins, just like their successful fourth down conversion against Miami in the previous Super Bowl. But this time, Riggins was tackled by Martin for no gain.

On the next play, the last play of the third quarter, Plunkett handed the ball off to Allen, who started to run left as the play was designed. But after taking an unusually wide turn in that direction, Allen saw a lot of defenders in front of him and cut back to the middle, before taking off for a then Super Bowl record 74 yard touchdown run, increasing Los Angeles’ lead to 35-9. This play would later be immortalized by one of the last great lines from John Facenda, who said, “As Washington’s hopes faded into the dying daylight, on came Marcus Allen, running with the night.” In the fourth quarter, the Raiders sacked Theismann three times, forcing him to fumble once, and intercepted a pass. Meanwhile, a 39 yard run from Allen set up a 21 yard field goal from K Chris Bahr, to make the final score 38-9.

Marcus Allen became the third Heisman Trophy winner to be named the Super Bowl MVP, with 20 carries for a then record of 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. WR Cliff Branch was the top receiver of the game, with 6 receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown. Guy punted 7 times for 299 yards (42.7 average), with 244 net yards (34.8 average), and planted five of his seven punts inside the 20 yard line. LB Rod Martin recorded a sack, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery. The game was also the last in the career of Raiders’ LB Ted Hendricks, who retired upon earning his fourth Super Bowl ring (three with the Raiders and one with the Baltimore Colts).

Conclusion: For Green Bay fans, the 1983 season was a disappointing end to a disappointing nine seasons under legendary former QB Bart Starr. If Packer fans had expected Starr to be the second coming of Vince Lombardi, they were left feeling particularly frustrated. Starr had been catapulted into a job he wasn’t ready for as a result of his tremendous exploits as a player. While he got better at coaching with each passing year, the team never quite clicked long enough for a true breakthrough. Something always happened in those 8-8 years to prevent Green Bay from recording that one more win that would have made their record a much more palatable 9-7. There were three losing seasons, partly the result of a lack of talent left behind by former Head Coach Dan Devine, before the Packers at last recorded an 8-7-1 winning season in 1978.

Unfortunately for Starr, consistent winning never followed. But, throughout his tenure, Starr never quit. He was tenacious and dedicated, leaving the franchise in a far better position then when he took them over in 1975, both on and off the field. According to Stanton Greene, “Bart had gone out with his head held high. He didn’t leave behind a scrap heap as had Devine or both of his successors.” The highest praise came from an unlikely source, Chicago Bears’ Head Coach Mike Ditka. Said Ditka, “The Packers won’t find a man to fill his shoes with as much class and character.” Once again, and for the fourth time since Lombardi’s retirement as head coach in 1967, Green Bay would have to find another coach to lead them back to glory, beginning in 1984.

Said Greene, “Bart was a lousy coach for most of six years and competitive for three, with moments of brilliance counter balanced by episodes best left forgotten, but he was dedicated. Maybe too much.” Long time teammate, WR Carroll Dale, may have put it best when he said, “Bart probably expected too much out of himself. He gave way more of himself than is asked of any coach.” Greene further stated, “Bart should have gotten another season, or even two. It was his team. He had built it and he should have been allowed to see it to the end of the line.” Former OT Greg Koch, who Starr drafted in 1977 and for whom he played seven seasons, stated simply, “I think Starr got shafted.”

The last word goes to Bart Starr, quoting Theodore Roosevelt on the day he was fired, “It’s not the critic that counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or whether the doer of deeds could have done them better,” he said. “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, and often comes up short again and again. Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause. And who, if at best in the end, knows the triumph of higher treatment and high achievement. And who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his soul shall never be with those cold and timid ones who know neither victory nor defeat.”

To end this post, I’ve attached the NFL Films Super Bowl XVIII Highlight video, narrated once again by the great John Facenda.

Tragically, for NFL fans everywhere, the Super Bowl XVIII highlight film would be the final voiceover work done by this most famous of NFL narrators. One night in 1965, Facenda went to a local tavern, the RDA Club, which happened to be showing footage produced by NFL Films. He enjoyed the slow motion game sequences that were already an NFL Films trademark, and would later recall, “I started to rhapsodize about how beautiful it was. Ed Sabol, the man who founded NFL Films, happened to be at the bar. He came up to me and asked, ‘If I give you a script, could you repeat what you just did?’ I said I would try.”

Thus began Facenda’s association with NFL Films, one that would continue until his death from lung cancer on September 26 1984, at the age of 71. Probably one of the best remembered, and most frequently quoted, example of Facenda’s NFL Films narration is something he never actually said; “the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field”. It was actually a quote ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman made up, mimicking Facenda’s voice when he said it. Steve Sabol, son of Ed, claimed that, “John may have made a game seem more important than it was because he read lines with a dramatic directness.” Legendary NBC broadcaster Bob Costas called Facenda’s voice “one of the most remarkable instruments in the history of broadcasting.” There has never been, and will never be, another like John Facenda!

In addition to the Super Bowl XVIII Highlight film, I’ve attached one of my favorite John Facenda videos. Entitled “The Autumn Wind”, is a poetic tribute to the once, and future, Oakland Raiders.

Enjoy!!

As always, your feedback is appreciated!