192-735: Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1991 season . The Redskins defeated the Bills by a score of 37–24, becoming the fourth team after the Pittsburgh Steelers , the now Las Vegas Raiders and
384-422: A gridiron in appearance. Other major rule changes included a reduction of the field size to 110 by 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (100.6 m × 48.8 m) and the adoption of a scoring system that awarded four points for a touchdown, two for a safety and a goal following a touchdown , and five for a goal from the field . Additionally, tackling below the waist was legalized, and a static line of scrimmage
576-403: A halftime period, and the first and third quarters are followed by a short break. Before the game starts, the referee and each team's captain meet at midfield for a coin toss . The visiting team can call either "heads" or "tails"; the winner of the toss chooses whether to receive or kick off the ball or which goal they wish to defend. They can defer their choice until the second half. Unless
768-412: A screen pass from Elway and returning it 11 yards for Buffalo's only touchdown of the game. After backup quarterback Gary Kubiak scored Denver's only touchdown with less than two minutes to go, the Bills then clinched the victory when defensive back Kirby Jackson forced and recovered a fumble from running back Steve Sewell on Denver's final drive of the game. Treadwell's three missed field goals were
960-401: A 10-yard-long chain between them, are used to measure for a first down. The chain crew stays on the sidelines during the game, but if requested by the officials they will briefly bring the chains on to the field to measure. A typical chain crew will have at least three people—two members of the chain crew will hold either of the two sticks, while a third will hold the down marker. The down marker,
1152-624: A 12–4 regular season record and were coming off a 38–6 playoff blowout over the Dallas Cowboys . Many sports writers predicted that the NFC Championship Game would be much closer than the Redskins' win over the Lions in the season opening game because Detroit's future Hall of Fame running back, Barry Sanders , did not play in it due to injury. He had recorded 1,548 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in
1344-543: A 68-minute monsoon during the 7th inning ), CBS annoyed many diehard fans by airing the William Shatner -hosted reality series Rescue 911 during the delay. On April 7, CBS aired a special program called Season of Dreams: Baseball 1990 . Hosted by Greg Gumbel , the special not only previewed the 1990 Major League Baseball season , but also CBS' upcoming baseball coverage in general. Joining Gumbel were CBS Sports analyst Tim McCarver and Pat O'Brien , who presented
1536-525: A PAT attempt or successful field goal, the scoring team must kick the ball off to the other team. A safety is scored when the ball carrier is tackled in the carrier's own end zone. Safeties are worth two points, which are awarded to the defense. In addition, the team that conceded the safety must kick the ball to the scoring team via a free kick . Football games are played on a rectangular field that measures 120 yards (110 m) long and 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (48.8 m) wide. Lines marked along
1728-516: A career in broadcasting (and later as a team executive). During the CBS telecast, it was mentioned that Leonard Smith (the Bills' regular starting strong safety) couldn't play as a result of an infection in his knee. Bills defensive line coach Chuck Dickerson mocked the Washington Redskins ' famed offensive line, " The Hogs " in a television interview. Dickerson said Redskins tackle Joe Jacoby
1920-491: A career total of 801, just 18 behind the all-time record held by Steve Largent . Wide receiver Ricky Sanders was also a big element of the passing game, catching 45 passes for 580 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Redskins' primary weapon in the backfield was running back Earnest Byner , who ranked 5th in the NFL with 1,048 rushing yards, while also catching 34 passes for 308 yards and scoring 5 touchdowns. Rookie running back Ricky Ervins
2112-604: A celebration to the winter season and the Winter Olympics . The halftime show was produced by Timberline Productions. Nearly 2,000 performers were involved in the show. The show featured drill teams, professional dancers (including ballroom dancing couples), the 60-piece Minnesota Youth Symphonies, color guards and drill teams from area high schools, and rollerbladers . In addition, Pride of Minnesota marching band performed, former Olympic champions Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill skated. Singer Gloria Estefan performed during
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#17328526936582304-473: A common draft that would take place each year, and it instituted an annual World Championship game to be played between the champions of each league. This championship game began play at the end of the 1966 season. Once the merger was completed, it was no longer a championship game between two leagues and reverted to the NFL championship game, which came to be known as the Super Bowl . College football maintained
2496-404: A considerable "good-guy air"). Ron Bergman wrote of Kaat's performance during the 1990 ALCS , "This was a night for pitchers to excel. Dave Stewart . Roger Clemens . Jim Kaat [on commentary]." Despite the rave reviews, Jim Kaat admitted that he was frustrated. He felt that at that point and time, the idea of figuring out what to talk about during a three-hour broadcast had become intimidating. As
2688-567: A feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to "selling refrigerators to Eskimos ". Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia then agreed to intercollegiate play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association , although Yale did not join until 1879. Yale player Walter Camp , now regarded as
2880-453: A field goal instead. A group of officials, the chain crew, keeps track of both the downs and the distance measurements. On television, a yellow line is electronically superimposed on the field to show the first down line to the viewing audience. There are two categories of kicks in football: scrimmage kicks, which can be executed by the offensive team on any down from behind or on the line of scrimmage, and free kicks. The free kicks are
3072-428: A game between Yale and Princeton, both teams used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records. Each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0–0 tie. This "block game" proved extremely unpopular with both teams' spectators and fans. A rule change was necessary to prevent this strategy from taking hold, and a reversion to the scrum was considered. However, Camp successfully proposed
3264-576: A game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club . This is the first recorded instance of a player being paid to participate in a game of American football , although many athletic clubs in the 1880s offered indirect benefits, such as helping players attain employment, giving out trophies or watches that players could pawn for money, or paying double in expense money. Despite these extra benefits,
3456-463: A high of 26 °F (−3 °C) and low of 9 °F (−13 °C), about 2 °F (1.1 °C) above average. This and Super Bowl LII , played at the Metrodome's replacement U.S. Bank Stadium , remain the northernmost Super Bowls ever played. The Metrodome also hosted the 1992 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four , making it the only stadium to host both events in the same calendar year. It also hosted
3648-565: A huge sum of money to broadcast Major League Baseball. On December 14, 1988, CBS announced the results of guidance provided by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth , Major League Baseball's broadcast director Bryan Burns, CBS Inc. CEO Laurence Tisch as well as CBS Sports executives Neal Pilson and Eddie Einhorn in making a decision. The network paid approximately US$ 1.8 billion (equivalent to 2.57 billion in 2023) for exclusive over-the-air television rights for over four years (beginning in 1990 ). CBS paid about $ 265 million each year for
3840-452: A large factor in the outcome of the defensive struggle. During the week leading to Super Bowl XXVI, it seemed most of the pressure was on the Bills. The AFC Championship Game appeared to be the best defensive effort by Buffalo all season, as they held the Broncos to only a touchdown, while also limiting Elway to just 11 of 21 completions for 121 yards and no touchdowns, with one interception. But
4032-533: A large stick with a dial on it, is flipped after each play to indicate the current down and is typically moved to the approximate spot of the ball. The chain crew system has been used for over 100 years and is considered an accurate measure of distance, rarely subject to criticism from either side. Football is a full-contact sport, and injuries are relatively common. Most injuries occur during training sessions, particularly ones that involve contact between players. To try to prevent injuries, players are required to wear
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#17328526936584224-553: A league-suggested numbering scheme. Although the sport is played almost exclusively by men, women are eligible to play in high school, college, and professional football. No woman has ever played in the NFL, but women have played in high school and college football games. In 2018, 1,100 of the 225,000 players in Pop Warner Little Scholars youth football were girls, and around 11% of the 5.5 million Americans who report playing tackle football are female according to
4416-408: A long circumference of 28 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (71 to 72 cm), and a short circumference of 21 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). In college and high school play the ball has a long axis of 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 to 11 + 7 ⁄ 16 inches (27.6 to 29.1 cm), a long circumference of 27 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (70 to 72 cm), and
4608-568: A lot of baseball just sitting next to Frisch. CBS had other backup crews for games featuring the Chicago Cubs and White Sox , Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds . In these cases, Bob Finnegan would handle the play-by-play duties with various analysts depending on the city. CBS did not have Game of the Week rights from any other ballparks in those years. Pee Wee Reese replaced Blattner as Dean's partner in 1960 . That year, Jerry Coleman hosted
4800-420: A minimum of 10 feet (3.0 m) on high school fields. Goal posts are padded at the base, and orange ribbons are normally placed at the tip of each upright as indicators of wind strength and direction. The football itself is a prolate spheroid leather ball, similar to the balls used in rugby or Australian rules football . To contain the compressed air within it, a pig's bladder was commonly used before
4992-670: A national champion of college football. The first was the Bowl Coalition , in place from 1992 to 1994. This was replaced in 1995 by the Bowl Alliance , which gave way to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1997. The BCS arrangement proved to be controversial , and was replaced in 2014 by the College Football Playoff (CFP). A football game is played between two teams of 11 players each. Playing with more on
5184-513: A new orange and yellow package. "Willing and Able" by Prince was then used in a video montage during the closing credits of CBS' coverage. Also, this game was part of a broadcasting service test commissioned by the U.S. Navy . The ships participating were the USS America ; USS Concord ; USS Eisenhower ; USS Inchon ; USS Monterey ; USS Normandy and the USS Sierra . Following
5376-428: A pass hits the ground without a player having caught it. A forward pass can be legally attempted only if the passer is behind the line of scrimmage; only one forward pass can be attempted per down. As in rugby, players can also pass the ball backwards at any point during a play. In the NFL, a down also ends immediately if the runner's helmet comes off. The offense is given a series of four plays, known as downs . If
5568-427: A quarter ends, play continues until the down is completed. If certain fouls are committed during play while time has expired, the quarter may be extended through an untimed down . Games last longer than their defined length due to play stoppages—the average NFL game lasts slightly over three hours. Time in a football game is measured by the game clock. An operator is responsible for starting, stopping and operating
5760-510: A rendition of " Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy ". This was followed by "Frosty", an original composition involving rapping based on the character described in the song Frosty the Snowman . During this performance two 30-foot inflatable snowman figures were inflated, and dancing snowman figures were also utilized. The University of Minnesota Marching Band took the field during this song. This
5952-439: A result, Kaat would bring notes into the booth, but in the process, found himself providing too much detail. He ultimately confided in his broadcasting partner, Dick Stockton, that he wanted to work without notes. So Stockton hooked Kaat up with then-lead NFL on CBS color commentator, John Madden for a telephone seminar. Madden said if he brought notes into the booth he felt compelled to use them and would "force" something into
Super Bowl XXVI - Misplaced Pages Continue
6144-414: A round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head, or sides, with the objective being to advance it into the opponent's goal. Rutgers won the game 6–4. Collegiate play continued for several years with games played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia , Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19, 1873, to create
6336-422: A rule in 1882 that limited each team to three downs , or tackles, to advance the ball 5 yards (4.6 m). Failure to advance the ball the required distance within those three downs would result in control of the ball being forfeited to the other team. This change effectively made American football a separate sport from rugby, and the resulting five-yard lines added to the field to measure distances made it resemble
6528-486: A second weekly game and the American League Championship Series ). Former ABC color commentator Tim McCarver was hired by CBS to be Musburger's partner while NBC's Jim Kaat was hired to be Buck's. However, weeks before CBS was to debut its MLB coverage, on April 1, 1990, Musburger was fired by the network over what CBS perceived to be a power grab by Musburger in taking on the assignment (at
6720-436: A secondary signal. Women can serve as officials; Sarah Thomas became the NFL's first female official in 2015. The seven officials (of a standard seven-man crew; lower levels of play up to the college level use fewer officials) on the field are each tasked with a different set of responsibilities: Another set of officials, the chain crew , are responsible for moving the chains. The chains, consisting of two large sticks with
6912-532: A segment on the numerous player transitions , leading up to the start of the 1990 season. CBS initially did not want to start their 1990 coverage until after the network had aired that year's NBA Finals (which was the last time CBS aired the Finals before the NBA's move to NBC ). Therefore, only 12 regular season telecasts were scheduled The broadcasts would have been on each Saturday from June 16 through August 25 and
7104-675: A separate cable television deal would bring each team an additional $ 4 million. Each team could also cut its own deal with broadcast and cable television channels and radio stations to serve as their local broadcasters (for example, the New York Yankees signed a cable deal with MSG that would pay the team $ 41 million annually for 12 years). Reportedly, after the huge television contracts with CBS and ESPN were signed, baseball clubs spent their excess millions on free agent players. Author and presidential speechwriter Curt Smith however, said that Major League Baseball's deal with CBS Sports
7296-559: A set of equipment. At a minimum players must wear a football helmet and a set of shoulder pads , but individual leagues may require additional padding such as thigh pads and guards, knee pads, chest protectors, and mouthguards . Most injuries occur in the lower extremities, particularly in the knee, but a significant number also affect the upper extremities. The most common types of injuries are strains , sprains , bruises , fractures , dislocations , and concussions . Major League Baseball on CBS Major League Baseball on CBS
7488-410: A short circumference of 20 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). Football games last for a total of 60 minutes in professional and college play and are divided into two halves of 30 minutes and four quarters of 15 minutes. High school football games are 48 minutes in length with two halves of 24 minutes and four quarters of 12 minutes. The two halves are separated by
7680-460: A special live episode of In Living Color and was able to attract and keep Super Bowl viewers. As a result, in order to retain Super Bowl viewership, it was decided that Michael Jackson would perform at halftime during Super Bowl XXVII , followed by more big-name talent during subsequent Super Bowl halftimes. Both teams entered the game as the two highest scoring teams in the league, but after
7872-452: A standard set of rules for use by all schools. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet (122 m × 76 m) were specified. Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. After playing McGill University using both American (known as "the Boston game ") for the first game and Canadian (rugby) rules for
Super Bowl XXVI - Misplaced Pages Continue
8064-477: A telecast. On his seminar with John Madden, Jim Kaat said "Then John told me if he did his homework it would be stored in his memory bank. And if it is important it will come out. If it doesn't, it probably wasn't that important." A mildly notorious moment came during CBS' coverage of the 1990 All-Star Game from Wrigley Field in Chicago . In a game that was marred by rain delays for a combined 85 minutes (including
8256-418: A three-year contract with Major League Baseball. NBC paid roughly US$ 6 million per year for the 25 Games of the Week , $ 6.1 million for the 1967 World Series and All-Star Game , and $ 6.5 million for the 1968 World Series and 1968 All-Star Game . In replacing CBS, NBC traded a circus for a seminar. Pee Wee Reese said " Curt Gowdy was its guy (1966–75), and didn't want Dizzy Dean – too overpowering. Curt
8448-596: A touchdown. Sanders was held to just 59 total yards, and linebacker Wilber Marshall sacked Lions quarterback Erik Kramer three times. Meanwhile, the Bills first defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 37–14, avenging a 33–6 Monday night loss during the regular season, in which the Chiefs recorded six sacks, recovered five fumbles, and gained 239 rushing yards, with running backs Harvey Williams and Christian Okoye recording over 100 rushing yards each. During this playoff game,
8640-449: A tradition of postseason bowl games . Each bowl game was associated with a particular conference and earning a spot in a bowl game was the reward for winning a conference. This arrangement was profitable, but it tended to prevent the two top-ranked teams from meeting in a true national championship game, as they would normally be committed to the bowl games of their respective conferences. Several systems have been used since 1992 to determine
8832-429: Is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense , the team with possession of the oval-shaped football , attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or throwing it , while the defense , the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance
9024-425: Is called on the offense. There are two main ways the offense can advance the ball: running and passing . In a typical play, the center passes the ball backwards and between their legs to the quarterback in a process known as the snap . The quarterback then either hands the ball off to a running back, throws the ball, or runs with it. The play ends when the player with the ball is tackled or goes out-of-bounds or
9216-437: Is caught or recovered behind the line of scrimmage. If it is touched or recovered by the kicking team beyond this line, it becomes dead at the spot where it was touched. The kicking team is prohibited from interfering with the receiver's opportunity to catch the ball. The receiving team has the option of signaling for a fair catch , which prohibits the defense from blocking into or tackling the receiver. The play ends as soon as
9408-403: Is known as a two-point conversion . In general, the extra point is almost always successful, while the two-point conversion is a much riskier play with a higher probability of failure; accordingly, extra point attempts are far more common than two-point conversion attempts. A field goal (FG), worth three points, is scored when the ball is place kicked or drop kicked through the uprights and over
9600-407: Is responsible for all kicking plays. The special teams unit of the team in control of the ball tries to execute field goal (FG) attempts, punts , and kickoffs , while the opposing team's unit will aim to block or return them. Three positions are specific to the field goal and PAT (point-after-touchdown) unit: the placekicker (K or PK), holder (H), and long snapper (LS). The long snapper's job
9792-507: Is the branding used for broadcasts of Major League Baseball (MLB) games produced by CBS Sports , the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States. CBS has aired Major League Baseball telecasts in several variations dating back to the 1950s. CBS broadcast Games 3–4 of the 1947 World Series (the first World Series to ever be televised) with Bob Edge on the call. However,
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#17328526936589984-421: Is to block members of the defensive line from tackling the ball carrier on running plays or sacking the quarterback on passing plays. The leader of the offensive line is the center, who is responsible for snapping the ball to the quarterback, blocking, and for making sure that the other linemen do their jobs during the play. On either side of the center are the guards (G), while tackles (T) line up outside
10176-437: Is to snap the football to the holder, who will catch and position it for the placekicker. There is not usually a holder on kickoffs, because the ball is kicked off a tee; however, a holder may be used in certain situations, such as if wind is preventing the ball from remaining upright on the tee. The player on the receiving team who catches the ball is known as the kickoff returner (KR). The positions specific to punt plays are
10368-589: The 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants , still referred to as the "Greatest Game Ever Played". The game, a 23–17 overtime victory by the Colts, was seen by millions of television viewers and had a major influence on the popularity of the sport. This, along with the innovations introduced by the new American Football League (AFL) in the early 1960s, helped football to become
10560-546: The 1991 American League Championship Series between the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays and Dick Stockton 's prologue for Game 5 of the 1992 American League Championship Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics , CBS used "In Celebration of Man" by Yanni , which is now known for being the theme music for NBC 's U.S. Open golf coverage. Also during CBS' 1992 ALCS coverage, CBS enlisted
10752-605: The 1991 World Series as the Twins defeated the Braves . Minneapolis is the only city, and the Metrodome is the only venue, to host all three events in a 12-month span (all three of these events aired on CBS , who would go on to purchase their Twin Cities affiliate, WCCO-TV , later in the year). The Metrodome was the smallest stadium to ever host the Super Bowl in terms of capacity. Stadium representatives insisted they were planning to rectify
10944-500: The 1992 Summer Olympics from Barcelona . Two weeks prior to the announcement of the baseball deal with CBS, NBC had committed itself to paying $ 401 million for U.S. broadcast rights to the 1992 Summer Olympics. After the baseball deal was announced, some skeptics surmised that CBS had lowballed the Barcelona bidding so that it would have at least $ 1 billion to spend on baseball. According to industry insiders, neither NBC nor ABC wanted
11136-401: The 1992 Winter Olympics (which started 13 days later), and allowed the network to air the Super Bowl as a lead-in program for its Olympics coverage . For this game, as they had done for Super Bowl XXIV, CBS debuted a new theme and opening for its NFL coverage. Composed by Frankie Vinci, the theme was used for the next two seasons on television and on CBS Radio after that; several remixes of
11328-971: The All-Star Game from Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York . Red Barber , who was the primary broadcaster for the Brooklyn Dodgers at the time, provided play-by-play. Barber had already, by 1946, added to his Brooklyn duties a job as sports director of the CBS Radio Network , succeeding Ted Husing and continuing through 1955. There, his greatest contribution was to conceive and host the CBS Football Roundup , which switched listeners back and forth between broadcasts of different regional college games each week. On August 11, 1951 , CBS' flagship television station WCBS-TV in New York City broadcast
11520-614: The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates , CBS used David Arkenstone 's " Desert Ride ", which would subsequently be used during Bob Costas ' prologue for NBC 's coverage of Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns . During the closing credits of CBS' coverage of Game 4 of the 1990 World Series (after the Cincinnati Reds swept the Oakland Athletics ), CBS used James Horner 's score from
11712-483: The Dallas Cowboys , 24–21. Their only other defeat was a meaningless loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the final game of the regular season in which they rested most of their starters because they had already clinched the #1 NFC playoff seed. The Bills' no-huddle "K-Gun" offense once again dominated the league by gaining an NFL-leading 6,525 yards and scoring 458 points, second only to Washington. The leaders of
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#173285269365811904-511: The Denver Broncos , who were coming off a 26–24 win over the Houston Oilers , in which quarterback John Elway led them on an 87-yard drive to set up kicker David Treadwell 's game-winning field goal with only 16 seconds left. It was predicted that this AFC Championship Game would be a shootout between the Bills' powerful offense and the superb postseason play of Elway. But neither Elway nor
12096-824: The Los Angeles Dodgers -Phillies game on July 14 (at 9:30 a.m.); in 1964, the station pre-empted the Kansas City Athletics – New York Yankees game on May 16 (at 10:45) and the Milwaukee Braves – St. Louis Cardinals game on May 17. All four games did air on NBC affiliate KSBW in Salinas , KXTV in Sacramento and ABC affiliate KHSL-TV in Chico (the games also aired on KOLO-TV in Reno, Nevada , however it joined
12288-634: The San Francisco 49ers to win three Super Bowls. The Bills became the third team, after the Minnesota Vikings (Super Bowls VIII and IX ) and the Denver Broncos (Super Bowls XXI and XXII ) to lose back-to-back Super Bowls. The game was played on January 26, 1992, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis , Minnesota , the first time the city played host to a Super Bowl. Both teams finished
12480-619: The Washington Commanders ). The game was broadcast in the United States by CBS , and featured the broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator John Madden for the fifth time. Lesley Visser , Jim Gray , and Pat O'Brien reported on the sidelines; Visser would later preside over the presentation of the Lombardi Trophy to the Redskins, becoming the first woman to do so. The Super Bowl Today
12672-595: The World Series , League Championship Series , All-Star Game , and the Saturday Game of the Week . CBS replaced ABC (which had broadcast Monday and later Thursday night baseball games from 1976 to 1989 ) and NBC (which had broadcast Major League Baseball in some shape or form since 1947 and the Game of the Week exclusively since 1966 ) as the national broadcast network television home of Major League Baseball. It
12864-602: The Yankees ' batting order. When asked about how it went, Kell said, "Fine. But in our 15 minutes, Casey didn't get past the leadoff batter." Jack Whitaker and Frankie Frisch announced the backup games from 1959 to 1961 . They usually did games that took place in Philadelphia , New York City , Washington, D.C. or Baltimore . Whitaker once said in three years, he would only broadcast three innings because CBS would not switch away from Dizzy Dean. However, he said that he learned
13056-582: The Zoomar Lens (the first commercially successful zoom lens ) to cover a Brooklyn Dodgers / Cincinnati Reds game. Later that year, CBS televised Game 1 of the National League tie-breaker series between the Dodgers and the New York Giants . Red Barber and Connie Desmond called that particular game and John Derr served as a field reporter. The remaining two games (including the legendary " Shot Heard 'Round
13248-571: The cast of Sesame Street such as Big Bird , Oscar the Grouch and Telly Monster to help with the intros. During the 1993 All-Star Game and postseason, highlights of past All-Star Games and postseason moments were scored using the John Williams composed theme from the movie Jurassic Park . Also during the commercial breaks of the 1993 All-Star Game, CBS provided a snippet of Don Henley 's " The Boys of Summer ". Van Halen 's " Right Now "
13440-411: The kickoff , which starts the first and third quarters and overtime and follows a try attempt or a successful field goal; the safety kick follows a safety. On a kickoff, the ball is placed at the 35-yard line of the kicking team in professional and college play and at the 40-yard line in high school play. The ball may be drop kicked or place kicked. If a place kick is chosen, the ball can be placed on
13632-407: The punter (P), long snapper, upback , and gunner . The long snapper snaps the football directly to the punter, who then drops and kicks it before it hits the ground. Gunners line up split outside the line and race down the field, aiming to tackle the punt returner (PR)—the player who catches the punt. Upbacks line up a short distance behind the line of scrimmage, providing additional protection to
13824-468: The snap , the line of scrimmage , eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs. Later rule changes legalized the forward pass , created the neutral zone , and specified the size and shape of the football. The sport is closely related to Canadian football , which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game, although its rules were developed independently from those of Camp. Most of
14016-462: The "Father of American Football", secured rule changes in 1880 that reduced the size of each team from 15 to 11 players and instituted the snap to replace the chaotic and inconsistent scrum . While the game between Rutgers and Princeton is commonly considered the first American football game, several years prior in 1862, the Oneida Football Club formed as the oldest known football club in
14208-450: The 'Game of the Week'. There's a much better game – Dodgers – Giants – over on NBC ." Dean also once refused a Falstaff ad because the date was Mother's Day . When United Airlines backed CBS' Game of the Week telecasts, Dean – who hated to fly – said "If you have to, pod-nuh, Eastern is much the best." That year, George Kell served as host for the pregame show. During one broadcast, Kell hoped to ask guest Casey Stengel about
14400-407: The 1947 World Series was only seen in four markets via coaxial inter-connected stations: New York City ; Philadelphia ; Schenectady, New York ; Washington, D.C. ; and, environs surrounding these cities. Outside of New York, coverage was pooled, which continued through 1950 . By that point, World Series games could be seen in most of the country, but not all. On July 12, 1949, CBS broadcast
14592-531: The AFL New York Jets signed rookie Joe Namath to a then-record $ 437,000 contract (equivalent to $ 4.23 million in 2023). A five-year, $ 40 million NBC television contract followed, which helped to sustain the young league. The bidding war for players ended in 1966 when NFL owners approached the AFL regarding a merger, and the two leagues agreed on one that took full effect in 1970. This agreement provided for
14784-437: The Bills jumped to a 24–0 lead in the 3rd quarter, with Kelly throwing three touchdown passes, the first two to Reed and the third to Lofton. The Bills also got a big performance out of Thomas, who rushed for over 100 yards, and kicker Scott Norwood , who made three field goals. Meanwhile, unconcerned with Kansas City's weak passing game, Buffalo played Bennett and Talley close to the line of scrimmage on nearly every play to stuff
14976-437: The Bills' high-powered offense was completely shut down, limited to just a single field goal for the entire game. In addition, the Bills could have easily been eliminated by the Broncos, had Treadwell not missed three field goal attempts, two of which hit the uprights. The performance also gave an opportunity for Gibbs and the Redskins' coaches to devise a strong game plan to exploit their Super Bowl opponent's weaknesses. "Denver
15168-461: The Bills' offense had much success in the 10–7 Bills victory in a game totally dominated by defense. Bennett, who spent almost as much time in the Denver backfield as Elway, had another great game, constantly pressuring Elway, sharing one sack, and tackling Denver rushers behind the line of scrimmage three times. Bills linebacker Carlton Bailey also made a big impact late in the 3rd quarter, intercepting
15360-576: The FCS and 85 scholarship players in the FBS, respectively. Individual players in a football game must be designated with a uniform number between 1 and 99, though some teams may "retire" certain numbers , making them unavailable to players. NFL teams are required to number their players by a league-approved numbering system, and any exceptions must be approved by the commissioner . NCAA and NFHS teams are "strongly advised" to number their offensive players according to
15552-409: The Redskins out of the end zone. After running back Gerald Riggs was stopped for no gain on two rushing attempts, Rypien appeared to complete a 2-yard touchdown pass to Monk. However, instant replay determined that after Monk caught the ball, his right foot stepped out of bounds, deeming the pass incomplete, and bringing up fourth down. This was the first time in Super Bowl history that instant replay
15744-452: The Sports and Fitness Industry Association. The role of the offensive unit is to advance the football down the field with the ultimate goal of scoring a touchdown . The offensive team must line up in a legal formation before they can snap the ball. An offensive formation is considered illegal if there are more than four players in the backfield or fewer than five players numbered 50–79 on
15936-579: The United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. American football evolved from the sports of rugby and soccer . Rugby, like American football, is a sport in which two competing teams vie for control of a ball, which can be kicked through a set of goalposts or run into the opponent's goal area to score points. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 , between Rutgers and Princeton , two college teams. They consisted of 25 players per team and used
16128-455: The United States. The team consisted of graduates of Boston's elite preparatory schools and played from 1862 to 1865. The introduction of the snap resulted in an unexpected consequence. Before the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position. However, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they could now hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, in
16320-547: The United States: official time was kept on a scoreboard clock rather than on a watch in the referee's pocket, as the NFL did; optional two-point conversions by pass or run after touchdowns; names on the jerseys of players; and several others, including expansion of the role of minority players, actively recruited by the league in contrast to the NFL. The AFL also signed several star college players who had also been drafted by NFL teams. Competition for players heated up in 1965, when
16512-773: The World " that ended Game 3 to send the Giants to the World Series ) were broadcast by NBC with Ernie Harwell and Russ Hodges on the call. By 1955 , Dizzy Dean and the Game of the Week would move from ABC to CBS (the rights were actually set up through the Falstaff Brewing Corporation ). "CBS' stakes were higher" said Buddy Blattner , who left the Mutual Broadcasting System to rejoin Dean. Ron Powers wrote about
16704-597: The Year Award and the NFL Most Valuable Player Award . With 2,067 yards from scrimmage, Thomas led the league in that category for the third consecutive season. Just like Washington, Buffalo had more than one threat in their backfield. Running back Kenneth Davis emerged as a big threat, rushing for 624 yards, catching 20 passes for 118 yards, and scoring 5 touchdowns. The Bills also had several major weapons in their passing game. Wide receiver Andre Reed led
16896-460: The advent of artificial rubber inside the leather outer shell to sustain crushing forces . At all levels of play, the football is inflated to 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 to 13 + 1 ⁄ 2 psi (86 to 93 kPa), or just under one atmosphere, and weighs 14 to 15 ounces (400 to 430 g); beyond that, the exact dimensions vary slightly. In professional play the ball has a long axis of 11 to 11 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (28 to 29 cm),
17088-509: The aforementioned Super Bowl I . Washington entered Super Bowl XXVI leading the league during the regular season in scoring with 485 points, while allowing the second-fewest points (224). The team was led by Mark Rypien , head coach Joe Gibbs' third different starting Super Bowl quarterback. Rypien led the NFC during the regular season in passing yards (3,564) and touchdown passes (28). With 249 out of 421 completions and only 11 interceptions, he earned
17280-575: The afternoon broadcasts. The games covered varied from the ones NBC-TV were offering at the time to games outside of NBC's sight. In 1987 , CBS broadcast the Pan American Games for the fourth and to date, final time. For the baseball coverage, John Dockery handled the play-by-play with Mark Marquess on color commentary. One year later, CBS broadcast the championship game for the College World Series . Brent Musburger served as
17472-422: The announcer, director, producer and thus, smoothing on-air flow. In 1957 , CBS added a Sunday Game of the Week . ABC's Edgar Scherick said "In '53 , no one wanted us. Now teams begged for "Game"'s cash." That year, the National Football League (NFL) began a US$ 14.1 million revenue-sharing pact. By 1965 , Major League Baseball ended the large-market blackout , got $ 6.5 million for exclusivity, and split
17664-511: The annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Bills elected to wear their home blue uniforms with white pants; the Redskins therefore wore white uniforms with burgundy pants, which was their own home preference at the time. This was Jerry Markbreit 's third Super Bowl as the game's referee (having previously officiated Super Bowls XVII and XXI ) tying the record set by Norm Schachter ( I , V , and X ), Jim Tunney ( VI , XI , and XII ), and Pat Haggerty ( XIII , XVI , and XIX ). Off
17856-410: The ball at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive . Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal . The team with the most points at
18048-435: The ball is caught, and the ball may not be advanced. Officials are responsible for enforcing game rules and monitoring the clock. All officials carry a whistle and wear black-and-white striped shirts and black hats except for the referee, whose hat is white. Each carries a weighted yellow flag that is thrown to the ground to signal that a foul has been called. An official who spots multiple fouls will throw their hat as
18240-478: The ball off, throws it, or runs with it. The primary role of the halfback, also known as the running back or tailback, is to carry the ball on running plays. Halfbacks may also serve as receivers. Fullbacks tend to be larger than halfbacks and function primarily as blockers, but they are sometimes used as runners in short-yardage or goal-line situations. They are seldom used as receivers. The offensive line (OL) consists of several players whose primary function
18432-438: The bids were opened, NBC and ABC found to their chagrin that he preferred network exposure for all postseason games. Only CBS, with its weak prime time programming, dared go for that. Before the previous television contract (which ran from 1984 to 1989 ) with Major League Baseball was signed, CBS was at one point, interested in a pact which would have called for three interleague games airing only on Thursday nights during
18624-413: The crossbars of the defense's goalposts. In practice, almost all field goal attempts are done via place kick. While drop kicks were common in the early days of the sport, the shape of modern footballs makes it difficult to reliably drop kick the ball. The last successful scoring play by drop kick in the NFL was accomplished in 2006; prior to that, the last successful drop kick had been made in 1941. After
18816-418: The deaf fans. The coin toss ceremony featured Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Noll . Noll, former Steelers Hall of Fame head coach who had retired a month earlier after 23 seasons, conducted the coin toss. Noll's Steelers had lost to both of these teams earlier in the season by large margins (52–34 to Buffalo and 41–14 to Washington). STS-42 , a Space Shuttle mission, was in orbit during
19008-399: The defense is to prevent the offense from scoring by tackling the ball carrier or by forcing turnovers . Turnovers include interceptions (a defender catching a forward pass intended for the offense) and forced fumbles (taking possession of the ball from the ball-carrier). The defensive line (DL) consists of defensive ends (DE) and defensive tackles (DT). Defensive ends line up on
19200-430: The defensive backfield. They are divided into two types: middle linebackers (MLB) and outside linebackers (OLB). Linebackers tend to serve as the defensive leaders and call the defensive plays, given their vantage point of the offensive backfield. Their roles include defending the run, pressuring the quarterback, and tackling backs, wide receivers, and tight ends in the passing game. The defensive backfield , often called
19392-534: The earlier game, but could only complete 14 out of 28 passes for 170 yards and no touchdowns in the rematch. Still, Washington dominated the Falcons again by forcing 6 turnovers and rushing for 162 yards. The Redskins held the ball for over 36 minutes while running back Ricky Ervins recorded 104 rushing yards and a touchdown. Then Washington crushed the Detroit Lions 41–10 in the NFC Championship Game. The Lions posted
19584-582: The end credits of the 1989 film Glory . A recurring theme during CBS' coverage of the postseason was the usage of Michael Kamen 's "Overture" from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves . From start to finish, an audio montage of baseball's most memorable moments played over it, followed by a video and music (with no narration) recap of both League Championship Series and the World Series from 1991 to 1993 . The "Training" cue from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
19776-503: The end of the first quarter, both of them would be scoreless. The game started with a parade of miscues by both teams. First, the opening kickoff had to be redone because Bills kicker Brad Daluiso kicked the ball before referee Jerry Markbreit signaled to begin play. Then after Washington was forced to punt on their opening possession, Bills running back Thurman Thomas missed the first two plays of Buffalo's first drive because he misplaced his helmet. After an exchange of punts to start
19968-419: The end of the game wins. American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of soccer and rugby . The first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 , between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton , using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp , the "Father of American Football", established
20160-472: The ends and sides of the field are known as the end lines and sidelines . Goal lines are marked 10 yards (9.1 m) inward from each end line. Weighted pylons are placed the sidelines on the inside corner of the intersections with the goal lines and end lines. White markings on the field identify the distance from the end zone. Inbound lines, or hash marks , are short parallel lines that mark off 1-yard (0.91 m) increments. Yard lines , which can run
20352-404: The ends of the line, while defensive tackles line up inside, between the defensive ends. The primary responsibilities of defensive ends and defensive tackles are to stop running plays on the outside and inside, respectively, to pressure the quarterback on passing plays, and to occupy the line so that the linebackers can break through. Linebackers line up behind the defensive line but in front of
20544-486: The entire baseball package—that is, regular-season games, both League Championship Series and the World Series—because such a commitment would have required them to preempt too many highly rated prime time shows. Thus, ABC and NBC bid thinking that two of the networks might share postseason play again or that one of the championship series might wind up on cable. Peter Ueberroth had encouraged the cable idea, but after
20736-443: The exclusive national radio broadcaster for the World Series and All-Star Game. This came after NBC ended its radio association with baseball in order to clear space for its 24-hour "News And Information" service programming. In 1985 , CBS Radio started broadcasting a weekly Game of the Week . CBS Radio usually did two games each Saturday, one on the afternoons and another during the evenings. Typically, CBS' markets aired only
20928-556: The features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football. The two sports are considered the primary variants of gridiron football . American football is the most popular sport in the United States in terms of broadcast viewership audience. The most popular forms of the game are professional and college football , with the other major levels being high-school and youth football. As of 2022 , nearly 1.04 million high-school athletes play
21120-399: The fewest sacks in the league with just 9, 10 sacks less than the team that allowed the second-fewest. Even Washington's special teams unit was a big threat. Running back Brian Mitchell led the NFL in punt return yards (600) and punt return touchdowns (2) with a 13.3 yards per return average, while also gaining 583 yards returning kickoffs. Kicker Chip Lohmiller made the pro bowl, leading
21312-468: The field is punishable by a penalty. Teams may substitute any number of their players between downs; this "platoon" system replaced the original system, which featured limited substitution rules, and has resulted in teams utilizing specialized offensive, defensive and special teams units. The number of players allowed on an active roster varies by league; the NFL has a 53-man roster, while NCAA Division I allows teams to have 63 scholarship players in
21504-454: The field was shortened to 100 yards (91 m) long, two 10-yard-long (9.1 m) end zones were created, and teams were given four downs instead of three to advance the ball 10 yards (9.1 m). The roughing the passer penalty was implemented in 1914, and eligible players were first allowed to catch the ball anywhere on the field in 1918. On November 12, 1892, Pudge Heffelfinger was paid $ 500 (equivalent to $ 16,956 in 2023) to play
21696-561: The field, Super Bowl XXVI was also the site of a protest led by the American Indian Movement . Attended by about 2,000 protestors, the demonstration was intended to pressure Redskins management into changing the team's name , which some found offensive. The team would remove the name Redskins in the 2020 season , thus making Super Bowl XXVI the last Super Bowl appearance for Washington under the franchise's old nickname (should Washington advance to any future Super Bowls, it will be as
21888-468: The first baseball game ever televised in color between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves from Ebbets Field, in which the Braves beat the Dodgers 8–1. As were all color programs at the time, it was transmitted via a field-sequential color system developed by CBS. Signals transmitted this way could not be seen on existing black-and-white sets. Four years prior on July 21, WCBS used a prototype version of
22080-491: The first woman to cover the World Series in 1990 . It was initially speculated that Dick Stockton would not have been available to contribute as the secondary play-by-play announcer due to his football and basketball commitments for CBS. In the interim between Brent Musburger's firing and Jack Buck's promotion, there had been speculation that if Al Michaels won an arbitration case involving ABC, he would join CBS as its lead baseball announcer. Michaels had been feuding with
22272-599: The formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, later renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The legal forward pass was introduced in 1906, although its effect was initially minimal due to the restrictions placed on its use. The idea of a 40-yard-wider field was opposed by Harvard due to the size of the new Harvard Stadium . Other rule changes introduced that year included
22464-419: The game clock based on the direction of the appropriate official . A separate play clock is used to show the amount of time within which the offense must initiate a play. The play clock is set to 25 seconds after certain administrative stoppages in play and to 40 seconds when play is proceeding without such stoppages. If the offense fails to start a play before the play clock reads "00", a delay of game foul
22656-409: The game had a strict sense of amateurism at the time, and direct payment to players was frowned upon, if not prohibited outright. Over time, professional play became increasingly common, and with it came rising salaries and unpredictable player movement, as well as the illegal payment of college players who were still in school. The National Football League (NFL), a group of professional teams that
22848-545: The game was a 60 Minutes interview with future President Bill and Hillary Clinton and an episode of 48 Hours . Super Bowl XXVI was telecast in over 100 countries around the world, including Australia ( Network Ten ), Canada ( CTV ), Mexico ( Canal 13 ) and the United Kingdom ( Channel 4 ). Super Bowl XXVI was featured in the episode of The Simpsons entitled " Lisa the Greek ", which aired three days prior to
23040-498: The game, Washington drove 87 yards, the majority of which came from quarterback Mark Rypien 's four passes to wide receiver Art Monk for a total gain of 79 yards. Monk's fourth reception was for a 31-yard gain, in which he caught the ball at the Buffalo 27-yard line, and subsequently broke a tackle by cornerback Kirby Jackson , but was forced out of bounds at the 2-yard line by safety Mark Kelso . The Bills' defense then stiffened to keep
23232-597: The game, and correctly predicted that Washington would win. The pregame show featured local Minnesota youth including the Metropolitan Boys Choir, the Minnesota Youth Symphonies , and local marching bands. Singer Harry Connick Jr. later sang the national anthem. For the first time in Super Bowl History, the anthem was also performed in sign language , with Lori Hilary signing the anthem for
23424-579: The game. Indianapolis' unsuccessful bid had seen the city offer the league perks such as free suites at and free limousine rides to the 1992 Indianapolis 500 . Super Bowl XXVI became the second Super Bowl to be played in a cold, winter climate city. The first one was Super Bowl XVI on January 24, 1982, at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan , a suburb of Detroit . Temperatures in Minneapolis on game day were
23616-411: The game. A live downlink between the Metrodome and Discovery happened during the pregame show. Three of the mission's seven crew members demonstrated a 'human coin toss' in space. Buffalo head coach Marv Levy stated his famous phrase "Where else would you rather be?" to his players moments before kickoff, as shown on NFL Films highlights. The halftime show was titled "Winter Magic", and featured
23808-443: The ground or a tee; a holder may be used in either case. On a safety kick, the kicking team kicks the ball from their own 20-yard line. They can punt, drop kick or place kick the ball, but a tee may not be used in professional play. Any member of the receiving team may catch or advance the ball. The ball may be recovered by the kicking team once it has gone at least ten yards and has touched the ground or has been touched by any member of
24000-434: The guards. The principal receivers are the wide receivers (WR) and the tight ends (TE). Wide receivers line up on or near the line of scrimmage, split outside the line. The main goal of the wide receiver is to catch passes thrown by the quarterback, but they may also function as decoys or as blockers during running plays. Tight ends line up outside the tackles and function both as receivers and as blockers. The role of
24192-469: The league in fields goals (31) and extra points (56) made. Washington's defense, which ranked third in the NFL in fewest yards allowed (4,638), was led by All-Pro defensive back Darrell Green , who was one of the fastest players in the NFL, and Pro Bowl linebacker Wilber Marshall . Green and Marshall recorded 5 interceptions each, with Marshall recording 75 return yards and a touchdown, while also compiling 5.5 sacks and forcing 4 fumbles. Safety Brad Edwards
24384-503: The most popular sport in the United States by the mid-1960s. The rival AFL arose in 1960 and challenged the NFL's dominance. The AFL began in relative obscurity but eventually thrived, with an initial television contract with the ABC television network. The AFL's existence forced the conservative NFL to expand to Dallas and Minnesota in an attempt to destroy the new league. Meanwhile, the AFL introduced many new features to professional football in
24576-429: The movie Rudy . Meanwhile, during the closing credits for Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, they used Bob Seger 's " The Famous Final Scene " followed by Billy Joel 's " Famous Last Words ". CBS for the most part, bypassed the division and pennant races. Instead, its schedule focused on games featuring major-market teams, regardless of their record. Major League Baseball's four-season tenure with CBS ( 1990 – 1993 )
24768-509: The network over an alleged violation of company policy. Michaels' contract with ABC was originally set to expire in late 1992. Ultimately however, ABC announced a contract extension that sources said would keep Michaels at ABC through at least the end of 1995 and would pay him at least $ 2.2 million annually with the potential to earn more. That would make Michaels the highest-paid sports announcer in television. Meanwhile, Jim Kaat earned rave reviews for his role as CBS' backup analyst (which flashed
24960-448: The network without the NFL until it acquired the AFC package from NBC for the 1998 season . Super Bowl XXVI was not originally in CBS' rotation; since it had just broadcast Super Bowl XXIV two years earlier. CBS would have received Super Bowl XXVII as part of the rotation while NBC would have aired Super Bowl XXVI. Instead, the NFL made an exception for CBS, which had acquired the rights to
25152-429: The offense advances ten or more yards in the four downs, they are awarded a new set of four downs. If they fail to advance ten yards, possession of the football is turned over to the defense. In most situations, if the offense reaches their fourth down they will punt the ball to the other team, which forces them to begin their drive from farther down the field; if they are in field goal range , they might attempt to score
25344-468: The offense, quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas , both had the best seasons of their careers. Kelly completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 3,844 yards and a league-leading 33 touchdowns, with only 17 interceptions, to give him a 97.6 passer rating. Thomas rushed for 1,407 yards, caught 62 passes for 620 yards, and scored 12 touchdowns to earn him both the NFL Offensive Player of
25536-429: The offensive line. Players can line up temporarily in a position whose eligibility is different from what their number permits as long as they report the change immediately to the referee, who then informs the defensive team of the change. Neither team's players, except the center (C), are allowed to line up in or cross the neutral zone until the ball is snapped. Interior offensive linemen are not allowed to move until
25728-638: The option clause for affiliates to carry baseball or football in place since 1957 . In 1963 and 1964, viewers in San Francisco were unable to see certain baseball telecasts aired by CBS on KPIX-TV locally, although the games aired on stations in markets adjacent to the Bay Area . In 1963, KPIX pre-empted the July 13 game between the San Francisco Giants – Philadelphia Phillies (at 10:15 a.m.), and
25920-426: The performance. Boitano and Hamill left the field on a snowmobile. Gloria Estefan then took the stage, and performed her songs " Live for Loving You " and " Get on Your Feet ". The show then concluded with a reprise of the "Winter Magic" song. Estefan would later perform at the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXIII which was held in her hometown of Miami. To compete with the halftime show, Fox decided to broadcast
26112-445: The plane of the two end lines. The crossbar of these posts is 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground, with vertical uprights at the end of the crossbar 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) apart for professional and collegiate play, and 23 feet 4 inches (7.11 m) apart for high school play. The uprights extend vertically 35 feet (11 m) on professional fields, a minimum of 10 yards (9.1 m) on college fields, and
26304-473: The play of quarterback Jim Kelly and their "K-Gun" no-huddle offense . However, their defense ranked second to last in the league in total yards allowed. Super Bowl XXVI was dominated by Washington. Early in the second quarter, the Redskins jumped out to a 17–0 lead from which the Bills could not recover. Washington also sacked Kelly four times and intercepted him four times. Rypien, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 292 yards, two touchdowns and an interception,
26496-410: The play-by-play announcer that year as well as in 1989 . Joining Musburger in the booth was Rick Monday in 1988 and Joe Morgan in 1989. By the end of the 1987-88 season , CBS finished in last place and was looking to get themselves out of the slump that they had gotten themselves into. They decided that sports would be a very powerful tool to put CBS back on the map. So on that end, they paid
26688-448: The point(s)-after-touchdown (PAT) or conversion, which is a single scoring opportunity. This is generally attempted from the two- or three-yard line, depending on the level of play. If the PAT is scored by a place kick or drop kick through the goal posts, it is worth one point, typically called the extra point. If the PAT is scored by what would normally be a touchdown, it is worth two points; this
26880-512: The pot. With CBS now carrying the Game of the Week , the network's stations in Phoenix ( KOOL-TV ), Little Rock ( KTHV ) and Cedar Rapids ( KGAN-TV ) were finally receiving the broadcasts. Bud Blattner said "America had never had TV network ball. Now you're getting two games a week [four, counting NBC, by 1959 ]." In 1958 , Dizzy Dean ruffled the feathers of CBS Sports head Bill MacPhail when he said "I don't know how we come off callin' this
27072-561: The pregame show for CBS' Game of the Week broadcasts. A rather embarrassing incident for Coleman occurred when he was interviewing Cookie Lavagetto when the " Star-Spangled Banner " started. Coleman later said, "Believe me, when the Anthem starts, I stop, whether I'm taping, talking, or eating a banana." In 1962 , CBS dropped the Sunday baseball Game of the Week once the NFL season started, dropping
27264-481: The primary package goes to CBS. And to our friends at what's known in the industry as " Black Rock ", good luck in 1990 and beyond. A trademark of CBS' baseball coverage was its theme music, composed by Bob Christianson and Tony Smythe. One writer in 2015, noting that CBS' coverage of that era was considered by many fans to be "low-quality", remarked that the majestic, mature, and soaring theme music could be considered "the best part of CBS’ baseball coverage". Besides
27456-556: The prologues (with the play-by-play announcer previewing the upcoming matchup) for the Saturday Game of the Week , the music was usually set to the opening graphic of an opaque rendition of the CBS Eye entering a big, waving red, white and blue bunting and then a smaller, unfolding red, white and blue bunting (over a white diamond) and floating blue banner (which usually featured an indicating year like for instance, " 1991 World Series ") complete with dark red Old English text. Pat O'Brien
27648-422: The punter. In football, the winner is the team that has scored more points at the end of the game. There are multiple ways to score in a football game. The touchdown (TD), worth six points, is the most valuable scoring play in American football. A touchdown is scored when a live ball is advanced into, caught, or recovered in the opposing team's end zone. The scoring team then attempts a try, more commonly known as
27840-401: The receiving team. The three types of scrimmage kicks are place kicks, drop kicks, and punts. Only place kicks and drop kicks can score points. The place kick is the standard method used to score points, because the pointy shape of the football makes it difficult to reliably drop kick. Once the ball has been kicked from a scrimmage kick, it can be advanced by the kicking team only if it
28032-439: The reduction of playing time from 70 to 60 minutes and an increase of the distance required for a first down from 5 to 10 yards (4.6 to 9.1 m). To reduce infighting and dirty play between teams, the neutral zone was created along the width of the football before the snap. Scoring was also adjusted: points awarded for field goals were reduced to three in 1909 and points for touchdowns were raised to six in 1912. Also in 1912,
28224-479: The regular season with the best record in their respective conference. The Redskins posted a 14–2 regular season record, and led the league during the regular season with 485 points. Washington head coach Joe Gibbs entered the game seeking his third Super Bowl victory with the team, but with his third starting Super Bowl quarterback, Mark Rypien . The Bills finished the regular season with a 13–3 record and advanced to their second consecutive Super Bowl, largely through
28416-501: The remaining 15 games of the season, and 99 combined rushing and receiving yards against Dallas in the playoffs. However, the Redskins crushed Detroit in this game as well, quickly forcing two Lions turnovers and building up a 10–0 lead before the game was five minutes old. The Redskins scored 41 points off of two touchdown runs by Riggs, two field goals from kicker Chip Lohmiller , a pair of touchdown passes from Rypien to Monk and Clark, and Green's 32-yard 4th-quarter interception return for
28608-628: The reteaming of Dean and Blattner, "they wanted someone who'd known Diz, could bring him out." Gene Kirby , who had worked with Dean and Blattner at Mutual and ABC, produced the telecasts and also filled in on announcing duties. Bob Finnegan, who along with Bill McColgan had called backup games for ABC, performed the same role for CBS, working with a variety of color men including future Wide World of Sports host Jim McKay and future World News Tonight anchor Frank Reynolds . In 1956, CBS Sports director Frank Chirkinian devised an earplug called an Intercepted Feed Back (or IFB) in order to connect
28800-534: The rulebook for the 1876 college football season , when the sport first shifted from soccer-style rules to rugby-style rules. Although it could easily have been called "rugby" at this point, Harvard, one of the primary proponents of the rugby-style game, compromised and did not request the name of the sport be changed to "rugby". The terms " gridiron " or "American football" are favored in English-speaking countries where other types of football are popular, such as
28992-549: The run. Both players combined for 13 tackles, while the Bills' defense held Kansas City to 77 yards on the ground. Chiefs running back Barry Word , who became their primary rusher since the Monday Night game and rushed for over 100 yards in each of Kansas City's previous three games, was limited to just 50 yards. In addition, Buffalo's defense knocked Chiefs quarterback Steve DeBerg out of the game and intercepted backup quarterback Mark Vlasic four times. Buffalo then played against
29184-515: The running game." Redskins linebacker Matt Millen was bidding to become the first player to play in a Super Bowl victory for three different franchises (he played in Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII with the Raiders, and Super Bowl XXIV with the 49ers ). However, Millen was deactivated for the game and watched from the Redskins sideline. He retired from the NFL shortly after the game to pursue
29376-601: The season. The proposed deal with CBS involved respectively American League East teams playing the National League East , and the American League West playing the National League West . At the end of their coverage of the 1989 World Series , ABC commentator Al Michaels said: If you'll indulge us just another moment, this is the end of our association with baseball. I think as many of you may know,
29568-452: The second one, the Harvard players preferred the Canadian style of having only 11 men on the field, running the ball without having to be chased by an opponent, the forward pass, tackling, and using an oblong instead of a round ball. An 1875 Harvard–Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two Princeton athletes who were impressed by it. They introduced the sport to Princeton,
29760-437: The second-highest passer rating in the league (97.9). Rypien had several great targets to whom he could throw. Wide receiver Gary Clark was the main deep threat on the team, catching 70 passes for 1,340 yards and 10 touchdowns. On the other side of the field, wide receiver Art Monk , playing in his 12th NFL season, was just as reliable, catching 71 passes for 1,049 yards and 8 touchdowns. Monk's 71 receptions in 1991 gave him
29952-427: The secondary play-by-play announcer in 1993 . Gumbel was in return, replaced by Andrea Joyce, who served as a field reporter for the first three seasons of CBS' coverage. On the teaming of Buck and McCarver, Broadcasting magazine wrote "The network has exclusivity, much rides on them." Joining the team of Buck and McCarver was Lesley Visser (who was, incidentally, married to the aforementioned Dick Stockton), became
30144-503: The secondary, consists of cornerbacks (CB) and safeties (S). Safeties are themselves divided into free safeties (FS) and strong safeties (SS). Cornerbacks line up outside the defensive formation, typically opposite a receiver to be able to cover them. Safeties line up between the cornerbacks but farther back in the secondary. Safeties tend to be viewed as "the last line of defense" and are responsible for stopping deep passing plays as well as breakout running plays. The special teams unit
30336-469: The shortage of capacity by adding temporary seating. However, they accomplished it mostly by converting existing chair-back seats to bench seats. When the NFL found out about that plan, they did not approve. However, by then it was too late to move the game elsewhere. The attendance mark of 63,130 was second-lowest at the time (following the first Super Bowl 's attendance of 61,946). It is now the 4th-lowest in history, behind LV (24,835), LVIII (61,629), and
30528-429: The show's finale. The performance began with a 30-second overture, leading into an introduction by Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill, welcoming viewers to Minnesota, “where winter’s the hottest time of the year.” This was followed by the original composition "Winter Magic". Performers on the field spelled out the word "winter" followed by the word "magic". This was followed by " Walking in a Winter Wonderland ", followed by
30720-411: The snap of the ball. The main backfield positions are the quarterback (QB), halfback/tailback (HB/TB), and fullback (FB). The quarterback is the leader of the offense. Either the quarterback or a coach calls the plays. Quarterbacks typically inform the rest of the offense of the play in the huddle before the team lines up. The quarterback lines up behind the center to take the snap and then hands
30912-408: The song were used from the time CBS resumed covering NFL games in 1998 until the end of the 2002 season ; after that, CBS began using an E.S. Posthumus composition and has used it ever since. In addition, CBS also rolled out a new network-wide graphics package for its sports coverage. With a few minor tweaks, the red, white, and blue graphic displays stayed in place until 1996, when CBS rolled out
31104-523: The sport in the U.S., with another 81,000 college athletes in the NCAA and the NAIA . The National Football League (NFL) has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world . Its championship game, the Super Bowl , ranks among the most-watched club sporting events globally. In 2022, the league had an annual revenue of around $ 18.6 billion, making it the most valuable sports league in
31296-422: The team with 81 receptions for 1,113 yards and 10 touchdowns, and also rushed 12 times for 136 yards. On the other side of the field, veteran wide receiver James Lofton recorded 57 receptions for 1,072 yards and 8 touchdowns to earn his 8th Pro Bowl appearance and finished the year just 55 yards short of the all-time receiving yardage record, held by Steve Largent (13,089 yards). Pro Bowl tight end Keith McKeller
31488-491: The time was played at the collegiate level . The upstart NFL received a boost to its legitimacy in 1925, however, when an NFL team, the Pottsville Maroons , defeated a team of Notre Dame all-stars in an exhibition game . A greater emphasis on the passing game helped professional football to distinguish itself further from the college game during the late 1930s. Football, in general, became increasingly popular following
31680-524: The time, Musburger was CBS' lead college basketball announcer, host of The NFL Today , and was the main studio host for the NBA and had felt that he had been given too many broadcasting assignments by the network). With Musburger's firing, Buck was moved up to the lead broadcast team alongside McCarver. His position as backup announcer alongside Kaat was taken by CBS' lead NBA announcer, Dick Stockton . Studio host Greg Gumbel took over for Stockton as
31872-430: The two July 1963 games in progress, at 10:25 and 9:55 a.m. on the respective dates). By 1964 , CBS' Dean and Reese called games from Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field , St. Louis , Philadelphia and Baltimore . The New York Yankees got a $ 550,000 share of CBS' $ 895,000. Six clubs that exclusively played nationally televised games on NBC were paid $ 1.2 million. The theme music used on the CBS telecasts during this era
32064-411: The width of the field, are marked every 5 yards (4.6 m). A one-yard-wide line is placed at each end of the field; this line is marked at the center of the two-yard line in professional play and at the three-yard line in college play. Numerals that display the distance from the closest goal line in yards are placed on both sides of the field every ten yards. Goalposts are located at the center of
32256-408: The winning team decides to defer, the losing team chooses the option the winning team did not select—to receive, kick, or select a goal to defend to begin the second half. Most teams choose to receive or defer, because choosing to kick the ball to start the game allows the other team to choose which goal to defend. Teams switch goals following the first and third quarters. If a down is in progress when
32448-402: The world. Other professional and amateur leagues exist worldwide, but the sport does not have the international popularity of other American sports like baseball or basketball ; the sport maintains a growing following in the rest of North America, Europe, Brazil, and Japan. In the United States, American football is referred to as "football". The term "football" was officially established in
32640-407: Was "a Neanderthal – he slobbers a lot, he probably kicks dogs in his neighborhood." He also said tackle Jim Lachey "has bad breath. Players will fall down without him even touching them." Redskins coach Joe Gibbs got his hands on some tapes of Dickerson and played them at a team meeting on the night before the game. (Levy fired Dickerson three days after the game.) As the designated home team in
32832-405: Was "sportscasting's Exxon Valdez ." Had baseball valued national promotion provided by the Game of the Week , said Smith, it never would have crafted a fast-bucks plan that has cut off the widest viewership. "It's an obscene imbalance", Smith also said, "to have 175 games going to 60 percent of the country [in reference to Major League Baseball's corresponding cable deal with ESPN, which at the time
33024-593: Was a Dixieland styled rendition of " Take Me Out to the Ballgame ". In 1966 , the New York Yankees , which in the year prior played 21 Games of the Week for CBS (which had actually just purchased the Yankees ), joined NBC's television package. The new package under NBC called for 28 games compared to the 123 aired across the three networks in 1960 . Play-by-play Color commentators Hosts/field reporters As previously alluded to, on October 19, 1966, NBC signed
33216-460: Was also a big contributor with 44 receptions for 434 yards, while receiver Don Beebe had 32 catches, 414 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Once again, the Bills' offensive line was led by center Kent Hull , along with left tackle Will Wolford and Pro Bowl left guard Jim Ritcher . But the Bills had big problems on their defense. Buffalo ranked just 27th (out of 28 teams) in yards allowed, 19th in points allowed, and recorded only 31 sacks. A reason for this
33408-506: Was also a big factor in the secondary, recording four interceptions. Up front, their line was anchored by defensive end Charles Mann , who recorded 11 of Washington's 50 sacks, and recovered a fumble. Defensive end Fred Stokes also made a big impact with 6.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and an interception. The Redskins stormed to a league-best 14–2 regular season record. After crushing the Detroit Lions 45–0 on opening day, they recorded 11 consecutive wins before suffering their first loss to
33600-514: Was also a major asset to the running attack, rushing 145 times for 680 yards for an average of 4.7 yards per carry, while also catching 16 passes for 181 yards. And when Washington was near the goal line, they usually relied on fullback Gerald Riggs , who rushed for 248 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. The Redskins' offensive line, known as " The Hogs ", was led by Pro Bowl tackle Jim Lachey and guard Mark Schlereth , along with four-time Pro Bowl veterans Russ Grimm and Joe Jacoby . The Hogs allowed
33792-592: Was followed by a salute to the 1992 Winter Olympics athletes, with Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill skating to the song " One Moment in Time ", on sheets of Teflon that were embedded on the tops of large platforms that were placed on the field for the show. After they finished their skating performance, the tribute to Olympians continued to the song " Don't Stop Me Now ". Members of the 1980 United States Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team took stage for this tribute, holding sparklers . Rollerbladers also took part in this segment of
33984-450: Was hosted by Greg Gumbel and Terry Bradshaw with Randy Cross and Dan Fouts contributing team reports, and Visser, Madden, Jim Gray, Bernard Goldberg and Mike Francesa (among others) contributing feature segments. This would be the last Super Bowl to air on CBS until Super Bowl XXXV at the end of the 2000 season . CBS lost the NFC package to Fox following the 1993 season , leaving
34176-457: Was instituted. Despite these new rules, football remained a violent sport. Dangerous mass-formations like the flying wedge resulted in serious injuries and deaths. A 1905 peak of 19 fatalities nationwide resulted in a threat by President Theodore Roosevelt to abolish the game unless major changes were made. In response, 62 colleges and universities met in New York City to discuss rule changes on December 28, 1905. These proceedings resulted in
34368-486: Was made the host of the All-Star Game, the postseason, and the World Series, despite having watched, by his own admission, a total of "perhaps two" baseball games in his entire life at that point. The network used the slogan "Baseball's biggest moments are on CBS!" to promote its regular season Game of the Week broadcasts. For Pat O'Brien's prologue for Game 3 of the 1990 National League Championship Series , between
34560-418: Was marred by turmoil and shortcomings throughout. The original plan was for Brent Musburger to be the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS' baseball telecasts (thus, having the tasks of calling the All-Star Game, National League Championship Series , and World Series ), with veteran broadcaster and lead CBS Radio baseball voice Jack Buck to serve as the secondary announcer (which would involve calling
34752-631: Was named Super Bowl MVP . The telecast of the game on CBS was seen by an estimated 79.6 million viewers. This was the first time that a major television network successfully scheduled Super Bowl counterprogramming : Fox aired a special live football-themed episode of its popular sketch comedy show In Living Color during the halftime show. NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXVI to Minneapolis during their May 24, 1989, meeting in New Orleans . Indianapolis ( Hoosier Dome ), Detroit ( Pontiac Silverdome ), and Seattle ( Kingdome ) also made bids for
34944-456: Was nice, but worried about mistakes. Diz and I just laughed." Falstaff Brewery hyped Dean as Gowdy in return said "I said, 'I can't do " Wabash Cannonball ." Our styles clash --" then came Pee Wee Reese. Gowdy added by saying about the pairing between him and Reese, "They figured he was fine with me, and they'd still have their boy." To many, baseball meant CBS's 1955–64 Game of the Week thoroughbred. In 1976 , CBS Radio replaced NBC Radio as
35136-474: Was one of the largest agreements (to date) between the sport of baseball and the business of broadcasting . The cost of the deal between CBS and Major League Baseball was about 25% more than in the previous television contract with ABC and NBC. The deal with CBS was also intended to pay each team (26 in 1990 and then, 28 by 1993 ) $ 10 million a year. The network would also be paying an estimated $ 7.1 million per game or $ 790,000 per inning, and $ 132,000 per out;
35328-442: Was only available in about 60% of the country] and 16 games going to the rest." He added: "Baseball has paid a grievous price for being out of sight and out of mind. It's attacked the lower and middle classes that forms baseball's heart. . . . In the end, the advertising community has come to view baseball as a leper." One possible key factor towards why NBC lost the baseball package to CBS was due to their commitment to broadcasting
35520-519: Was originally established in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, aimed to solve these problems. This new league's stated goals included an end to bidding wars over players, prevention of the use of college players, and abolition of the practice of paying players to leave another team. By 1922, the NFL had established itself as America's premier professional football league. The dominant form of football at
35712-410: Was played against an all slow-motion montage of the entire series. As Tim McCarver recapped the first six games of the 1991 World Series before Game 7, CBS used Hans Zimmer 's "Fighting 17th" from the movie Backdraft for the soundtrack. During Pat O'Brien's prologue for CBS' coverage of the 1992 Major League Baseball All-Star Game , Ennio Morricone 's theme from the 1987 film The Untouchables
35904-409: Was successful being aggressive. That may have aided us a little bit in our thinking," said Redskins defensive coordinator Richie Petitibon. "Looking at them before they had played Denver, we kind of thought you had to put pressure on this guy (Jim Kelly). We attacked the line of scrimmage more than usual. We wanted to blitz to stop the run early in the game. It's sometimes tough to pick up blitzes against
36096-424: Was that defensive linemen Bruce Smith and Jeff Wright had missed most of the season with injuries. One of the few bright spots on the Bills' defense was Pro Bowl linebacker Cornelius Bennett , who recorded 78 tackles, 9 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Another Pro Bowl linebacker, Darryl Talley , led the team with 90 tackles and 5 interceptions, while also recovering 2 fumbles and forcing 4. Cornerback Nate Odomes
36288-519: Was the leader of the secondary with 5 interceptions, which he returned for 120 yards and a touchdown, along with 66 tackles and a fumble recovery. Despite their defensive problems, the Bills finished the season with an AFC-best 13–3 regular season record. The Redskins first defeated the Atlanta Falcons , 24–7, in a rain-soaked playoff game that was closer than their 56–17 regular season win over Atlanta. Rypien had 442 passing yards and 6 touchdowns in
36480-463: Was used during the opening for the network's coverage of Game 4 of the 1993 American League Championship Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox . During the prologue for Game 1 of the 1993 World Series , CBS used Hans Zimmer 's "The Walk Home" from the movie Cool Runnings . During the prologue for Game 6 of the 1993 World Series (CBS' final Major League Baseball telecast to date), they used Jerry Goldsmith 's "Tryouts" from
36672-422: Was used to overturn a touchdown. Washington then tried to salvage the drive with a 19-yard field goal attempt by kicker Chip Lohmiller , but holder/backup quarterback Jeff Rutledge fumbled the snap, turning the ball over on downs and keeping the game scoreless. American football American football , referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football ,
36864-405: Was used. CBS previously used this particular theme for the prologue of their 1990 National League Championship Series coverage. NBC would subsequently use Morricone's theme during the closing credits for their coverage of Game 6 of the 2000 American League Championship Series (the network's final Major League Baseball broadcast for the next 22 years). During Pat O'Brien's prologue for Game 1 of
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