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SuperBowlConcierge.com > Super Bowls > Super Bowl 31 MVP Desmond Howard |
Super Bowl History |
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The pregame show featured Los del Río who performed their multi-platinum smash hit
"Macarena", the dance craze that became a worldwide summer hit in 1996. Country
singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter and Cajun musical group Beausoleil also
appeared. R&B singer Luther Vandross later sang the national anthem and Miss Louisiana 1996 Erika Schwarz Wright performed sign language for the national anthem The coin toss ceremony featured the following past Super Bowl winning head coaches: Hank Stram, Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, and George Seifert. |
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Super Bowl MVP XXXI |
Desmond Howard enjoyed a celebrated college football career, winning the Heisman
Trophy while starring at the University of Michigan in 1991. His pro football career,
however, was judged more by potential than actual production. But in 1996, Howard finally made his mark in the NFL. He picked the perfect stage, too, to showcase his ability -- Super Bowl XXXI. Signed as a free agent, Howard found his niche as the Packers' return specialist. He led the NFL with a 15.1-yard punt return average and punt returns for touchdowns with 3. He took back a punt 92 yards for a TD in Green Bay's regular-season finale against Detroit and continued his roll into the postseason. Against the 49ers, Howard set a team record with 117 punt return yards on just two attempts, including a 71-yarder. In the NFC Championship Game against the Panthers, Howard returned 4 kickoffs for 104 yards, including a 46-yarder, as the Packers advanced to their first Super Bowl in 29 years. |
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The halftime show was titled "Blues Brothers Bash" and featured actors Dan Aykroyd,
John Goodman, and James Belushi as the Blues Brothers. The show highlighted
blues music and also had performances by the rock band ZZ Top and singer James
Brown, nicknamed "The Godfather of Soul". While practicing for the show, Laura Patterson, one of a 16-member professional bungee jumping team, died of massive cranial trauma when she jumped from the top level of the Superdome with improperly handled bungee cords and smashed head-first into the concrete-based playing field. The bungee jumping portion of the show was removed from the program and a commemoration of Patterson was added. |
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Desmond Howard returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and Brett Favre passed
for two touchdowns and ran for a score as the Packers won their first Super Bowl
in twenty-nine years. Howard, en route to garnering the MVP trophy, equaled a Super Bowl record with 244 total return yards. It was Favre's arm that struck first, as he hit Andre Rison for a 54-yard touchdown pass on the Packers' second play from scrimmage to take a 7-0 lead. Two plays later Doug Evans made a diving interception of Drew Bledsoe's pass at the 28-yard line, setting up Chris Jacke's field goal and giving the Packers a 10-0 lead just 6:18 into the Super Bowl. The Patriots answered with touchdowns on their next two possessions. Craig Newsome's pass interference penalty set up the first touchdown and a 44-yard completion from Bledsoe to Terry Glenn preceeding Ben Coates's touchdown gave New England its first and only lead. The 24 combined first quarter points were the most in Super Bowl history. Green Bay struck again 56 seconds into the second quarter as Favre hit Antonio Freeman with a Super Bowl-record 81-yard touchdown bomb. Jacke booted his second field goal on Green Bay's next possession. After a Mike Prior interception, Favre orchestrated a 74-yard, nearly 6-minute drive that concluded with a diving Favre touching the ball against the pylon to give Green Bay a 27-14 halftime lead. Curtis Martin brought the Patriots to within a score by running in from 18 yards out with 3:27 left in the third quarter. But Howard broke the Patriots' spirit by returning the ensuing kickoff a Super Bowl-record 99 yards. Favre found Mark Chmura for the 2-point conversion to finish the scoring. Bledsoe was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter as the Patriots never crossed midfield in four fourth-quarter possessions. Reggie White set a Super Bowl record with three sacks. Favre completed 14 of 27 passes for 246 yards, with no interceptions. Bledsoe completed 11 more passes than Favre, but for just seven more yards, and threw four interceptions. |
GAME RECAP |
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New England 14 0 7 0
21 Green Bay 10 17 8 0 35 |
BOX SCORE |
1 2 3
4 Total |
Date January 26, 1997 Stadium Louisiana Superdome City New Orleans, Louisiana MVP Desmond Howard, Kick Returner/Punt Returner Favorite Packers by 14 National anthem Luther Vandross Coin toss Past Super Bowl winning coaches: Hank Stram, Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, George Seifert Referee Gerald Austin Halftime show James Brown, ZZ Top, and The Blues Brothers Attendance 72,301 TV in the United States Network FOX Announcers Pat Summerall and John Madden Nielsen Ratings 43.3 Market share 65 Cost of 30-second commercial US$1.2 million |
Super Bowl 31 Information |
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Future Super Bowl Locations |
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Super Bowl XLII, Glendale, Ariz. Feb. 3, 2008 Super Bowl XLIII, Tampa, Fla. Feb. 1, 2009 Super Bowl XLIV, South Florida TBA, 2010 Super Bowl XLV, North Texas TBA, 2011 |
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Then against New England at the Superdome, Howard made his mark in Super Bowl lore,
personally putting a stop to the Patriots' third-quarter comeback with a record
99-yard kickoff return for a TD. Ironically, Howard didn't think he had a chance at winning the MVP. "I really didn't expect them to be kicking the ball that much," he said. Howard got his kicks -- and then some -- in Super Bowl XXXI. |