Pat Imig posted on February 08, 2012 02:16
A personal story about family and football in America, written Saturday Feb. 4th 2012.
January 27th, 1991, the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants battled in the closest Super Bowl finish in the American game's history. By now, you've heard how it ended. Scott Norwood kicked it wide right from 47 yards out preserving a Giants win and offering up the first of four straight Super Bowl losses for the Bills.
While the game's finish is famously remembered, the pre-game festivities are equally revered. In the midst of the Gulf War, Whitney Houston performed one of history's greatest renditions of the Star Spangled Banner. Houston's solo was so good it cracked #20 on the Billboard Singles Chart, the first time the American National Anthem reached such a plateau in popular culture.
The wave of patriotism provided the backdrop for one of the most compelling 60 minutes of football in Super Bowl history. As the 70,000 in attendance chanted "USA, USA" in unison, the game was ready to be played.
On the New York Giants sideline, Bill Parcells stood hours away from his first retirement from head coaching in the NFL. Parcells began his career as an assistant coach in the 1960s, which included a stint at Army (1966-1969) and nearly a decade later, a head coaching job at Air Force Academy. After falling into and out of the real estate industry, Parcells landed a job as linebackers coach for the New England Patriots in 1980. A year later, he became defensive coordinator of the Giants and the rest became history.
Parcells' counterpart at Super Bowl XXV was Bills head coach Marv Levy. In NFL circles, Levy is synonymous with military style speeches and stories, and a love of Winston Churchill. Levy's father Sam was a veteran of World War I who lied about his age to enlist in the US Marines Corps at age 16. As pointed out by Joe Horrigan at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the senior Levy was wounded and gassed at the famous battle of Belleau Wood in France, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart.
Said son Marv: “My dad was a totally honest, hard-working man. He taught me values about what this country should represent that I felt very strongly about – specifically opportunity."
Levy carried that mindset throughout his life, beginning with his service in the Air Force in World War II. The land of opportunity allowed Levy the chance to work as coach at the University of New Mexico, University of California, and College of William and Mary. Levy's first head coaching job actually took place right here in St. Louis, coaching the football and basketball teams at St. Louis Country Day School in 1953.
In the NFL, Levy brought the Kansas City Chiefs back to respectability and eventually did the same for the Bills starting in 1986. The team would win 6 AFC East championships with Levy as its leader, man who once answered a reporter's question about whether a game was must-win with, "This is not a must win. World War II was a must win."
Slices of Americana weren't just relegated to the sidelines at Super Bowl 25, either; they emanated from the TV broadcast booth too. The TV play-by-play man was ABC's (now NBC's) Al MIchaels, the man who called the Miracle on Ice. His colleagues were collegiate All Americans in their own right: Frank Gifford (USC) and Dan Dierdorf (University of Michigan). For the American sports fan, there couldn't have been a better choice for a TV announcer to call the game.
On the radio dial, the play-by-play man was Jack Buck. Buck was an American patriot who served in World War II, and was awaded a Purple Heart after being injured by shrapnel in his leg and forearm. Later in life, Buck chronicled his tours of duty through poetry. His poem about D-Day aptly titled 6-6-44.
Just as he was a narrator and orator for fans of baseball's St. Louis Cardinals and fans of pro football throughout the years, Buck was a narrator for the American spirit. It was Jack Buck who recited his own words six days after the 9-11 attacks, reaffirming to everyone that we should get back to living and working.
As the CBS radio voice of the NFL, Buck was paired with Hall of Fame head coach Hank Stram. Stram volunteered his service in World War II after attending college at the University of Purdue. As a head coach, he won a record 3 AFL Championships and one Super Bowl (Super Bowl 4). For nearly 20 years, Buck and Stram called Monday Night Football on CBS Radio.
While all this was taking place in Tampa at Super Bowl 25, I was in South City, St. Louis watching the big game at Grandpa's house. Grandpa was the only person I knew at the time with a big screen TV, so gathering with family at his house for this particular Super Bowl is a memory I'll never forget.
Like many of the people mentioned above, Grandpa served in World War II. He worked to provide for his family and provide homes for families in St. Louis as a real estate agent. Grandpa and Grandma had five children -- three girls, two boys -- and the two boys followed in their dad's footsteps, serving in the Vietnam War.
That Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, I bet Grandpa $1 that the New York Giants would win the game. He was sure the Buffalo Bills would win. I'm also pretty sure he took the bet knowing that even if the Bills did win, he wouldn't get a dollar out of my pockets. For all I knew, Grandpa might have wanted the Giants to win too. But he wouldn't dare tell me.
But one dollar? Come on, that's a lot of money for a 2nd grader. That's a soft pretzel or Star Crunch at the school cafeteria on Monday, with some change left over. (Keep in mind these prices are from 1991, long before inflation and scares of poor health infiltrated elementary school lunches.)
The ebb and flow of Super Bowl 25 left fans and viewers on the edge of their seats, especially 2nd graders who gambled their pocket accounts on the team quarterbacked by Jeff Hostetler. One of the most overlooked plays of the game occurred in the 2nd quarter when Hostetler was sacked by Bruce Smith in the end zone for a safety. If Hostetler had fumbled it away instead of maintaining possession, the Bills would have scored a touchdown instead of 2 points and Norwood's wide right probably never happens.
The Giants opened the 2nd half with a Super Bowl record 9:29 drive capped off by an Ottis Anderson touchdown. The Bills responded when Thurman Thomas opened up the 4th quarter with a 31 yard rushing touchdown.
From there, it came down to the kickers. The Giants' kicker Matt Bahr converted a 21 yard chip shot to give the Giants the lead in the 4th quarter. The Bills stalled on their final drive and were at the mercy of Norwood's leg from 47 yards out.
A worldwide viewing audience watched as history unfolded, and Grandpa and one of his nine grandsons were glued to the Television.
Norwood's kick veered right and the Giants won the Super Bowl as one of the great underdogs in football history. And an 8 year old 2nd grader rejoiced telling Grandpa to pay up.
Looking back, Grandpa would have paid that fee just to spend that Super Bowl Sunday with his family. And even if Norwood had made the kick, there was no way Grandpa was asking for his winnings. He would have told his 8 year old grandson to keep that dollar and put it to work for himself.
This memory for me is one of the reasons I associate the Super Bowl every year with country and family. If there really is an American Game, this is it.
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