- Super Bowl XVII
Infobox SuperBowl
sb_name = XVII
visitor =Miami Dolphins
home =Washington Redskins
visitor_abbr = MIA
home_abbr = WAS
visitor_conf = AFC
home_conf = NFC
visitor_total = 17
home_total = 27visitor_qtr1 = 7
visitor_qtr2 = 10
visitor_qtr3 = 0
visitor_qtr4 = 0home_qtr1 = 0
home_qtr2 = 10
home_qtr3 = 3
home_qtr4 = 14 |date=January 30 ,1983
stadium = Rose Bowl Stadium
city = Pasadena, California
attendance = 103,667
odds = Dolphins by 3
MVP =John Riggins ,Running back
anthem =Leslie Easterbrook
coin_toss =Elroy Hirsch
referee =Jerry Markbreit
halftime =Bob Jani Productions presents "KaleidoSUPERscope" with the Los Angeles Super Drill Team
network =NBC
announcers =Dick Enberg andMerlin Olsen
rating = 48.6
share = 69
commercial = $400,000
last = XVI
next = XVIIISuper Bowl XVII was an
American football game played onJanuary 30 ,1983 [This was the latest date a Super Bowl was played untilSuper Bowl XXII , which was played on January 31, 1988.] at the Rose Bowl inPasadena, California to decide theNational Football League (NFL) champion following the 1982 regular season. TheNational Football Conference (NFC) championWashington Redskins (12-1) defeated theAmerican Football Conference (AFC) championMiami Dolphins (10-3), 27–17, as the Redskins scored 17 unanswered points in the second half and gained aSuper Bowl record 276 yards on the ground, while holding the Dolphins to just 47 offensive plays for 176 total yards, 76 of which came on a single play.Washington Running back
John Riggins was namedSuper Bowl MVP . He finished the game with 2 Super Bowl records: the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl game (166), and the most rushing attempts (38). His performance was also his fourth 100 yard rushing game in a row in a postseason game, a postseason record. Riggins also recorded a reception for 15 yards, giving him more total yards than the entire Miami team. [This was the second time a single player (In this case Riggins) gained more total yards than his oponnent's entire team in a Super Bowl.Franco Harris also gained more yards than the entire Minnesota offense inSuper Bowl IX .]This game came at the end of a season that was significantly shortened by a players' strike. The game was a rematch of
Super Bowl VII ten years before, where the Dolphins completed their 17–0 perfect season at the Redskins' expense by a score of 14–7.Background
NFL players' strike
A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 regular season from a 16-game schedule to 9. Because of the shortened season, the NFL adopted a special 16-team playoff tournament. Division standings were ignored. Eight teams from each conference were seeded 1-8 based on their regular season records.
The modified schedule forced the league to extend the regular season into January for the first time. After the 57-day strike, the NFL extended the regular season one weekend (pushing the end of the regular season back from December 26 to January 2), moving back the start of the playoffs and eliminating the week off for the first time since
Super Bowl IV .The strike-shortened season impacted 4 teams that made the playoffs during the 1981 regular season. The
San Francisco 49ers , winners ofSuper Bowl XVI , suffered a 3-6 record. TheBuffalo Bills , theNew York Giants , and thePhiladelphia Eagles did not qualify for the playoffs either. TheCleveland Browns andDetroit Lions qualified for the playoffs despite 4-5 records, the only sub-.500 teams to reach the NFL playoffs.Washington Redskins
Super Bowl XVII was the Redskins' first Super Bowl victory, and their second Super Bowl appearance, since they were defeated by the Dolphins, 14-7, in
Super Bowl VII . This was the second rematch in Super Bowl history, as the two teams met in Super Bowl VII. Washington finished the strike-shortened regular season with an 8-1 record, the best in the NFC, and led the NFL in fewest points allowed (128).Redskins quarterback
Joe Theismann finished the season as the top rated passer in the NFC, completing 161 out of 252 (63 percent) of his passes for 2,033 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also rushing for 150 yards. The main weapons in the passing game were wide receivers Charlie Brown (32 receptions, 690 yards, and 8 touchdowns) andArt Monk (35 receptions, 447 yards, and 1 touchdown). Running backJohn Riggins led the Redskins running game, rushing for 553 yards and 3 touchdowns during the regular season. Much of Washington's success on offense was also attributed to their offensive line, affectionately known as "The Hogs."Washington also had impact players on their
special teams .Mark Moseley became the firstplacekicker ever to win theNFL Most Valuable Player Award , making 20 out of 21 field goals and all 18 of his extra point attempts. Kick returnerMike Nelms also gained a combined total of 809 yards returning kickoffs and punts.The Redskins defense was led by 6-foot-7 295-pound defensive tackle
Dave Butz , who anchored the line, along with defensive endsDexter Manley andTony McGee , who each recorded 6.5 sacks. Washington secondary was led by defensive backsVernon Dean andJeris White , who each recorded 3 interceptions.Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins finished the strike-shortened regular season with a 7-2 record, ranking them second in the AFC.
The Dolphins' main strength was their defense, nicknamed the "Killer Bees" because 6 of their 11 starters had last names that began with the letter "B". The "Killer Bees", anchored by
Pro Bowl defensive tackleBob Baumhower , led the league in fewest total yards allowed (2,312) and fewest passing yards allowed (1,027). LinebackerA.J. Duhe was extremely effective at blitzing and in pass coverage. And the Dolphins secondary, consisting of defensive backsDon McNeal ,Gerald Small and brothers Lyle andGlenn Blackwood , combined for 11 interceptions.However, the Dolphins' passing attack, led by quarterback
David Woodley , ranked last in the league with 1,401 total yards, 8 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. One of the few bright spots in the Dolphins passing attack was wide receiverJimmy Cefalo , who gained 356 yards off of just 17 receptions, an average of 20.9 yards per catch. Wide receiverDuriel Harris also provided a deep threat with 22 receptions for 331 yards.But Miami's strength on offense was their running game, ranking 3rd in the league with 1,344 yards. Pro Bowl running back
Andra Franklin was the team's top rusher with 701 yards and 7 touchdowns. Running backTony Nathan rushed for 233 yards, and caught 16 passes for another 114 yards. Woodley himself also recorded 207 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. One reason for the Dolphins' rushing success was the blocking of their offensive line, led by future hall of fame centerDwight Stephenson , along with Pro BowlersBob Kuechenberg andEd Newman .Playoffs
The Dolphins advanced through the special 16-team playoffs by defeating the
New England Patriots , 28-13, theSan Diego Chargers , 34-13, and theNew York Jets , 14-0, to earn a trip to their fourth Super Bowl in team history.Meanwhile, the Redskins beat the
Detroit Lions , 31-7, theMinnesota Vikings , 21-7, and theDallas Cowboys , 31–17.Before the playoffs, the 33-year old Riggins told coach
Joe Gibbs "I'm really getting down the road. I don't have many of these left. I've been out two weeks and I'm ready. Give me the ball." [http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/NFLplayoffperform.html] Gibbs did just that, and Riggins ended up rushing for a combined total of 444 yards and 3 touchdowns during those playoff victoriesAnother key contributor in the playoff games was backup wide receiver
Alvin Garrett , who replaced Monk after he suffered a leg injury that kept him out of the entire postseason. Although he only recorded one reception during the regular season, Garrett caught a combined total of 13 receptions for 231 yards and 4 touchdowns in Washington's 3 playoff games.uper Bowl pregame news
Entering Super Bowl XVII, the Dolphins were favored to win the game, primarily because of their "Killer Bees" defense, which had recorded 12 interceptions in their 3 playoffs games, including 5 each in the final two. Another reason why the Redskins were the underdogs was because they had 26 players on their 45-man roster who had been signed by the team as
free agents , including 14 who had never even been drafted by an NFL team.Television and entertainment
The game was televised in the
United States by NBC, withDick Enberg handling theplay-by-play duties andcolor commentator Merlin Olsen in the broadcast booth.Len Berman and his "NFL '82" castmates,Mike Adamle ,Ahmad Rashad andPete Axthelm anchored the pregame, halftime and postgame coverage. NBC's nationalNielsen rating of 48.6 was the second-highest for a Super Bowl broadcast, trailing only the 49.1 garnered bySuper Bowl XVI on CBS the year before.The
Los Angeles Unified School District All-City Band played during the pregame ceremonies. Later, actressLeslie Easterbrook performed the national anthem.The coin toss ceremony featured Pro Football Hall of Fame running back
Elroy Hirsch . In an infamous incident, Dolphins captainBob Kuechenberg called "tails," and the coin came down "tails." However, refereeJerry Markbreit became confused by the similar design of both sides of the coin and incorrectly thought "heads" had landed. After a short discussion with his head linesman,Dale Hamer , Markbreit corrected his mistake before the kickoff.The halftime show was produced by
Bob Jani Productions and titled "KaleidoSUPERscope", and featured the Los Angeles Super Drill Team.Following the game, NBC aired the premiere episode of "
The A-Team ", beginning the tradition of the game's host network airing programming after the game.The game was shown live in the UK for the first time when
Channel 4 , Britain's newest channel (launched2 November 1982 ) covered it.Game summary
Miami scored first on their second possession with a 76-yard touchdown pass from quarterback
David Woodley to wide receiver Jimmy Cefalo. Then after forcing the Redskins to punt, Woodley attempted a deep pass again, but was hit by Washington defensive endDexter Manley causing him to fumble, and defensive tackleDave Butz recovered the ball. The turnover led to Redskins kickerMark Moseley 's 31-yard field goal to cut the lead 7–3 two plays into the second quarter.Miami kick returner
Fulton Walker returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the Dolphins 47-yard line. From there, the Dolphins advanced to the Redskins 3-yard line. But Woodley's pass fell incomplete on third down, so Miami had to settle for kickerUwe von Schamann 's 20-yard field goal to increase their lead to 10-3 with 6 minutes left in the half. Although the drive was only 50 yards long, it consisted of 13 plays and took 8:39 off the clock.Aided by a 27-yard completion from quarterback
Joe Theismann to tight endRick Walker , four runs and a 15-yard reception by running backJohn Riggins , and a 12-yard run from Theismann himself, the Redskins marched 80 yards in 11 plays to score on wide receiver Alvin Garrett's 4-yard touchdown reception.Garrett's touchdown tied the game 10-10 with less than 2 minutes left in the half, but the tie did not last long: Fulton Walker returned the ensuing kickoff a Super Bowl record 98 yards for a touchdown to give the Dolphins a 17–10 lead. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl history.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff forced Washington to start their next drive at their own 7-yard line, but they managed to get to the 28 on their first 4 plays. Then a pass interference penalty on defensive back
Lyle Blackwood on the next play moved the ball to the Miami 42-yard line. Immediately after Blackwood's penalty, wide receiver Charlie Brown's 24-yard reception advanced the Redskins to the Dolphins 16-yard line. After calling their final timeout with 14 second left, Washington made one last attempt to score a touchdown before trying a field goal. Theismann's subsequent pass was caught by Garrett, but he was tackled at the 9-yard line by defensive backGlenn Blackwood , preventing any field goal attempt as the Redskins were unable to stop the clock before time expired in the half.Both teams opened the second half trading punts. But after driving to their own 47-yard line on their second possession of the third period, the Redskins managed to fool the Dolphins with a reverse play. Riggins took a hand off from Theismann, who then handed the ball off to Garrett, who was running in the opposite direction. The play worked perfectly as Garrett ran the ball 44 yards to Miami's 9-yard line before being tackled. But the Dolphins defense only allowed Washington to advance to the 3-yard line on their next three plays, and so the Redskins had to settle for another field goal from Moseley to cut their deficit to 17–13.
Later in the third period, Theismann was intercepted by Miami linebacker A.J. Duhe at the Redskins 47-yard line. After the turnover, the Dolphins reached the 37-yard line, and Woodley tried to pass the ball deep to Cefalo again. But Washington defensive back
Vernon Dean deflected the ball and safety Mark Murphy made a one-handed interception at the 5-yard line as he was falling to the ground. After the Redskins got a first down, Theismann had a pass blocked at the line of scrimmage byKim Bokamper . Bokamper nearly intercepted the pass in the Redskins' end zone but for a timely move by Theismann to knock the ball out of Bokamper's hands. The Redskins then drove to Miami's 43-yard line, and once again tried to fool Miami with a trick play, this time a flea flicker. Riggins took a pitch from Theismann, ran up to the line of scrimmage, and then pitched the ball back to Theismann who then attempted to pass it. But this time Miami was not fooled, and Lyle Blackwood made a diving interception at the 1-yard line. (This was the first Super Bowl ever to have 3 consecutive drives end with interceptions).However, Blackwood's interception turned out to be somewhat beneficial for the Redskins, as it pinned Miami back at their own 1. The Dolphins could only gain 3 yards with their next three plays, and Washington ended up getting the ball back with great field position on their own 48-yard line. The Redskins ran three plays to reach Miami's 43-yard line, but then faced a fourth down and one to go. Instead of punting, the Redskins decided to gamble and attempt to get the first down with a run from Riggins. But Riggins did a lot more than pick up the first down. Coach Joe Gibbs called his trademark play I-Right 70 Chip, starting TE Clint Didier in motion towards the right, then reversing motion back to the left. Theismann handed to Riggins who broke a tackle from Miami cornerback
Don McNeal and took off for a 43-yard touchdown run, giving Washington their first lead of the game, 20–17, with a little more than 10 minutes remaining in the game. McNeal, who was assigned to cover Didier on the play, slipped briefly as Didier changed direction. The Redskins ran the play to the left, behind Didier and FB Otis Wonsley, and Riggins ran over McNeal to score the touchdown. Although McNeal did indeed slip briefly while following Didier across the formation, it would have made little difference in the outcome of the play. Despite a valiant effort by McNeal, the 185 lb. corner could do little more than hold on briefly as he met the 240 lb. Riggins running with a full head of steam, hit him high, and slid down his body as The Diesel pulled away towards the end zone and the Redskins 1st Super Bowl victory.Washington quickly forced Miami to punt on their next possession, and punt returner
Mike Nelms 's 12-yard return gave the Redskins great field position at the Dolphins 41-yard line. The Redskins then executed 5 consecutive running plays by Riggins, consuming a lot of time off the clock and moving the ball to the 23-yard line. Then on third down, Theismann made a key pass completion to Brown to the 9-yard line. Riggins then advanced the ball to the 6-yard line with two more runs. Then after the 2-minute warning, Brown caught a touchdown pass on the next play, giving the Super Bowl title to the Redskins, 27–17.Washington had completely dominated Miami in the second half, allowing only two first downs and no pass completions. Overall, the Dolphins gained just 9 first downs and 4 completions in the entire game. "Their way is what we called Dolphin football," said left guard
Bob Kuechenberg , the only holdover from Miami's three previous Super Bowl teams in the 1970s. "They controlled the second half and they're fitting world champions." [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/features/superbowl/archives/17/]Woodley finished the game with just 4 out of 14 completions for 97 yards. Receiver
Duriel Harris , who recorded 2 receptions for 15 yards, was the only other Dolphins player to catch a pass in the game besides Cefalo. And after catching a 76-yard pass in the first quarter, Cefalo caught just 1 more pass for 6 yards in the entire game. Walker finished the game with 4 kickoff returns for 190 yards and a touchdown, setting Super Bowl records for most kickoff return yards and highest single game yards per return average(47.5).Meanwhile, Theismann, the first starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl while wearing a single digit number (7), finished 15 out of 23 for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. He also added 20 rushing yards on 3 carries. Brown was the Redskins leading receiver with 6 receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown. Nelms returned 6 punts returns for 52 yards, both Super Bowl records, and returned 2 kickoffs for 44 yards.
Overall, Washington gained 400 yards of offense, including a Super Bowl record 276 rushing yards, while limiting Miami to only 176, with just 34 yards in the second half.
coring summary
*MIA - TD: Jimmy Cefalo 76 yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick) 7–0 MIA
*WAS - FG: Mark Moseley 31 yards 7–3 MIA
*MIA - FG: Uwe von Schamann 20 yards 10–3 MIA
*WAS - TD: Alvin Garrett 4 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) 10–10 tie
*MIA - TD: Fulton Walker 98 yard kickoff return (Uwe von Schamann kick) 17–10 MIA
*WAS - FG: Mark Moseley 20 yards 17–13 MIA
*WAS - TD: John Riggins 43 yard run (Mark Moseley kick) 20–17 WAS
*WAS - TD: Charlie Brown 6 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) 27–17 WASQuotes
(From Redskins broadcaster
Frank Herzog 's call used forNFL Films )""There is the snap. He'll hand to Riggins. Good hole! He's got the first down to the 40...He's GONE! The 35, the 30, the 20. HE'S GONE, HE'S GONE!!! TOUCHDOWN, Washington Redskins!! Woo hoo!!"
tarting lineups
Miami Washington OFFENSE
Duriel Harris 82 WRAlvin Garrett 89Jon Giesler 79 LTJoe Jacoby 66Bob Kuechenberg 67 LGRuss Grimm 68Dwight Stephenson 57 CJeff Bostic 53Jeff Toews 60 RG Fred Dean 63Eric Laakso 68 RTGeorge Starke 74Bruce Hardy 84 TEDon Warren 85Jimmy Cefalo 81 WR Charlie Brown 87David Woodley 16 QBJoe Theismann 7Tony Nathan 22 RBJohn Riggins 44Andra Franklin 37 RB/TERick Walker 88 DEFENSEDoug Betters 75 LEMat Mendenhall 76Bob Baumhower 73 NT/LTDave Butz 65Kim Bokamper 58 RE/RTDarryl Grant 77Bob Brudzinski 59 LOLB/REDexter Manley 72A.J. Duhe 77 LILB/LLBMel Kaufman 55Earnie Rhone 55 RILB/MLBNeal Olkewicz 52Larry Gordon 50 ROLB/RLBRich Milot 57Gerald Small 48 LCBJeris White 45Don McNeal 28 RCBVernon Dean 32Glenn Blackwood 47 SSTony Peters 23Lyle Blackwood 42 FS Mark Murphy 29Officials
*Referee:
Jerry Markbreit
*Umpire:Art Demmas
*Head Linesman:Dale Hamer
*Line Judge: Bill Reynolds
*Field Judge: Don Orr
*Side Judge: Dave Parry
*Back Judge:Dick Hantak
*Alternate:Bob McElwee
*Alternate:Burl Toler ee also
*
1982 NFL season
*NFL playoffs, 1982-83 References
* [http://www.superbowl.com/ Super Bowl official website]
*cite book | title=2006 NFL Record and Fact Book | publisher=Time Inc. Home Entertainment | id=ISBN 1-933405-32-5
*cite book | title=Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League | publisher=Harper Collins | id=ISBN 1-933405-32-5
*cite book | title=The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995 | id=ISBN 0-89204-523-X
*http://www.pro-football-reference.com - Large online database of NFL data and statistics
* [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/super/superbowl-plays.htm Super Bowl play-by-plays] fromUSA Today (Last accessed September 28, 2005)
* [http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=nfl/superbowl/2005/superbowl-alltime-odds.htm All-Time Super Bowl Odds] from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)
*Super Bowl XVII was referenced in the 1994 Warner Bros. film . However in the movie they played against the San Francisco 49ers, which more reflectsSuper Bowl XIX .
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.