Super Bowl III
The
New York Jets defeated the
Baltimore Colts 16-7 in
Super Bowl III. This game marked the first time the game was referred to by it's colloquial name "
Super Bowl", and marked the first time an
AFL team had defeated an
NFL team to win the undisputed world championship of pro football.
Joe Namath won the game
MVP award, leading the Jets to one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
Fast Facts
- January 12, 1969
- Site: Orange Bowl
- Location: Miami, FL
- Attendance: 75,389
- MVP: Joe Namath
- Television: NBC
The Colts - overwhelming favorites
The Colts finished the 1968 season with a 13-1 regular season. Their defense tied the league record for fewest points allowed in a season, recorded four shutouts, and after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs, they avenged their only regular season loss by mauling the Cleveland Browns 34-0 in the NFL Championship Game. Many experts were conceding the unofficial title of "Greatest Team of All-Time" to the Colts.
The Guarantee
The Jets went 11-3, and defeated the Oakland Raiders in the AFL Championship Game 27-23. Still, the Jets were installed as an 18-point underdog by oddsmakers. But Namath predicted before the game, "We're gonna win the game - I guarantee it." Although he didn't throw a touchdown pass in the game, he was consistently accurate with quick passes that kept Baltimore's famous blitzing defense from affecting him. The Jets ball control offense kept churning the clock, while their defense forced 5 turnovers and held Baltimore to just 7 points.
A little girl named Heidi
The strangest moment of the 1968 football season came during a late November contest between the Jets and Raiders in Oakland. The Jets led the Raiders 32-29 with 1:05 remaining. It was 7:00PM on the East Coast, and NBC decided to switch from televising the game to the start of the movie Heidi. Because of this, millions of fans missed the Raiders scoring two late touchdowns and winning the game 43-32. The NBC switchboard was flooded with so many angry calls, that it actually blew circuits and ceased to be operational. From then on, all major sports organizations placed language in their television contracts to have games aired until their conclusion.
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