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Date | January 20, 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Stadium | Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Terry Bradshaw, quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
Favorite | Steelers by 10.5[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||
Referee | Fred Silva | ||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 103,985[3][4] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||||||||
Rams: Jackie Slater, Jack Youngblood Steelers: Art Rooney (owner), Bill Nunn (administrator), Dan Rooney (team administrator), Chuck Noll (head coach), Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, Donnie Shell, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Mike Webster | |||||||||||||||||||
Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
National anthem | Cheryl Ladd | ||||||||||||||||||
Coin toss | Fred Silva with Art Rooney | ||||||||||||||||||
Halftime show | Up with People presents "A Salute to the Big Band Era" | ||||||||||||||||||
TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier | ||||||||||||||||||
Nielsen ratings | 46.3 (est. 76.2 million viewers)[5] | ||||||||||||||||||
Market share | 67 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cost of 30-second commercial | $222,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | CBS Radio | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Jack Buck and Hank Stram | ||||||||||||||||||
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1979 season. The Steelers defeated the Rams by the score of 31–19, becoming the first team to win four Super Bowls. The game was played on January 20, 1980, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and was attended by a Super Bowl record 103,985 spectators.[3][4] It was also the first Super Bowl where the game was played in the home market of one of the participants, as Pasadena is 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Downtown Los Angeles.
The Rams became the first team to reach the Super Bowl after posting nine wins or fewer during the regular season since the NFL season expanded to 16 games in 1978. Their 9–7 regular season record was followed by postseason wins over the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers were the defending Super Bowl XIII champions, and finished the 1979 regular season with a 12–4 record, and posted playoff victories over the Miami Dolphins and the Houston Oilers.
Despite the final score, Super Bowl XIV was a seesaw battle for the majority of the contest. The lead changed seven times, which remains a Super Bowl record as of 2023. It was the third Super Bowl where the winning team was behind at halftime (Super Bowl V and Super Bowl X were the others; the Colts trailed the Cowboys 13–6 at the half in V en route to win 16–13, while the Steelers trailed the Cowboys 10–7 in X and won 21–17) and the first where they were behind by the fourth quarter. Los Angeles took the lead three times while Pittsburgh took it four times, including the game clincher. The Rams led 13–10 at halftime before Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw connected with wide receiver Lynn Swann on a 47-yard touchdown pass. Los Angeles regained the lead on a halfback option play with running back Lawrence McCutcheon's 24-yard touchdown pass to Ron Smith. But Pittsburgh controlled the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points with Bradshaw's 73-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Stallworth, and running back Franco Harris' 1-yard touchdown run. Despite throwing three interceptions, Bradshaw was named Super Bowl MVP by completing 14 of 21 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns.[6]