The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl XIV. This victory by Pittsburgh marked the second time they won consecutive Super Bowl championships, giving them a total of four titles in a six year span. Many declared them the "Team of the 1970's" as a result of this. The Rams finished the regular season as NFC West champions, but their 9-7 record was the worst for any Super Bowl participant in history. As for the Steelers, quarterback Terry Bradshaw was named the game's Most Valuable Player for a second straight time, equaling a feat that only Bart Starr had previously accomplished to that point.
As the Rams Turn
The Rams not only struggled on the field during the 1979 season, but off the field as well. Team owner Carroll Rosenbloom drowned under mysterious circumstances before the season commenced. This happened shortly after the team announced it would be leaving the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and relocate to nearby Anaheim. After Rosenbloom's death, a battle for control of the franchise ensued between his son Steve and his wife, Georgia Frontiere. Eventually, Frontiere gained control of the club and fired the son. The Rams qualified for the playoffs, but were faced with using backup quarterback Vince Ferragamo in place of injured starter Pat Haden. Ferragamo lead them to a surprising upset of Dallas and then a shutout win over the league's Cinderella story, Tampa Bay, to reach the Super Bowl.
City of Champions
The victory by the Steelers was their 4th Super Bowl title in a 6 year span. Many in Pittsburgh suggested that they should be billed as "The City of Champions" because the Pittsburgh Pirates had won the 1979 World Series. However, the Steelers did not appear in another Super Bowl for 16 seasons, and went 26 seasons without winning another title.
Game Summary
| Super Bowl XIV | |||||||
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 19 | ||
| Pittsburgh | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 | ||
Scoring
FIRST QUARTER
PIT - Matt Bahr 41-yard FG
LA - Cullen Bryant 1-yard RUN (Frank Corral kick)
SECOND QUARTER
PIT - Franco Harris 1-yard RUN (Roy Gerela kick)
LA - Frank Corral 31-yard FG
LA - Frank Corral 45-yard FG
THIRD QUARTER
PIT - Lynn Swann 47-yard PASS from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
LA - Ron Smith 24-yard PASS from Lawrence McCutcheon (kick failed)
FOURTH QUARTER
PIT - John Stallworth 73-yard PASS from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
PIT - Franco Harris 1-yard RUN (Roy Gerela kick)