Super Bowl XV
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Date | January 25, 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Stadium | Nielsen ratings 44.4 | (68.29 million viewers)[4] | |||||||||||||||||
Market share | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cost of 30-second commercial | $324,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | CBS Radio | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Jack Buck and Hank Stram | ||||||||||||||||||
Super Bowl XV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1980 season. The Raiders defeated the Eagles by the score of 27–10, becoming the first wild card playoff team to win a Super Bowl.
The game was played at the
The Raiders were making their third Super Bowl appearance after posting an 11–5 regular season record, but losing a tiebreaker to the AFC West division winner San Diego Chargers. Oakland then advanced to the Super Bowl with playoff victories over the Houston Oilers, Cleveland Browns, and San Diego. The Eagles were making their first Super Bowl appearance after posting a 12–4 regular season record and postseason victories over the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys.
Aided by two touchdown passes from quarterback
Background
Host selection process
The NFL awarded Super Bowl XV to New Orleans on March 13, 1979, at the owners' meetings in Honolulu. For the first time, three Super Bowl host cities were deliberated and selected at the same meeting (XV, XVI, and XVII). A total of eight cities submitted bids: New Orleans, Detroit (Silverdome), Pasadena (Rose Bowl), Los Angeles (Coliseum), Miami, Seattle (Kingdome), Dallas (Cotton Bowl), and Houston (Rice Stadium). New Orleans was selected for their fifth Super Bowl overall, and second at the Louisiana Superdome, cementing their status in the regular host rotation. Detroit (XVI) and Pasadena (XVII) were other cities chosen at the meeting.[5][6]
After hosting five previous Super Bowls, Miami was noticeably left out, largely due the aging condition of the Orange Bowl, and for a hotel room mix-up at Super Bowl XIII two months earlier.[7][8] Dolphins owner Joe Robbie, locked in an ongoing feud with the city of Miami and Dade County over stadium improvements or construction of a new stadium, actually lobbied against Miami hosting the game. Robbie convinced the other owners to vote down Miami, in an effort to gain leverage towards building a new stadium. South Florida would not be selected to host another Super Bowl until Joe Robbie Stadium was built, and it hosted XXIII.[9][10]
Oakland Raiders
Super Bowl XV was the climax of Jim Plunkett's revival as an NFL starting quarterback. The 1970 Heisman Trophy winner was selected with the first pick of the 1971 NFL draft by the New England Patriots and was later named the 1971 NFL Rookie of the Year. But Plunkett suffered through five losing seasons with the Patriots and two uneven seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before being released as a free agent before the 1978 season.
Plunkett was signed by Oakland to be their backup quarterback, and thus he did not see much playing time, throwing no passes in 1978 and just 15 passes in 1979. Meanwhile, Oakland traded long time starting quarterback Ken Stabler in the 1979 off-season to replace him with Dan Pastorini, a former high school rival of Plunkett who had been selected two spots below him in the 1971 draft. After the Raiders started the 1980 season with a 2–3 record, Pastorini broke his leg and suddenly Plunkett was thrust into the starting role. The 33-year-old Plunkett got off to a bad start, throwing 5 interceptions in a 31–17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after relieving Pastorini. However, he recovered and led the Raiders to victory in 9 of their last 11 games in the season, qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card team. Plunkett made 165 out of 320 pass completions for 2,299 yards, 18 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. He also contributed 141 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.
The Raiders' main offensive deep threat was wide receiver Cliff Branch (44 receptions, 858 yards, 7 touchdowns), while wide receiver Bob Chandler contributed 49 receptions for 786 yards and 10 touchdowns. Running back Mark van Eeghen was the team's top rusher with 838 yards and 5 touchdowns, while also catching 29 passes for 259 yards. Six games into the season, the Raiders made a surprise trade, sending future Hall of Fame tight end Dave Casper to the Houston Oilers for one first round and two second round draft picks. Veteran tight end Raymond Chester proved to be a capable starter for the rest of the year, catching 28 passes for 366 yards and 4 touchdowns. Halfback Kenny King rushed for 761 yards and catching 22 passes for 145 yards. The Raiders also had an outstanding offensive line led by two future Hall of Famers, tackle Art Shell and guard Gene Upshaw. Upshaw became the first player to play in three Super Bowls with the same team in three different decades. He also played in Super Bowls II (1967) and XI (1976).
Oakland's defense, anchored by defensive linemen
The Raiders were led by head coach Tom Flores, the first Hispanic coach to win a Super Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles
In 1980, under head coach Dick Vermeil, the Philadelphia Eagles, who had not played in a league championship since their 1960 NFL championship, advanced to their first Super Bowl. Philadelphia's offense ranked 6th in the league in scoring (384 points) and 8th in yards gained (5,519). The Eagles were led by quarterback Ron Jaworski, who completed 257 out of 451 passes for 3,529 yards during the regular season, including 27 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. Another key player on the Eagles offense was halfback Wilbert Montgomery, who was widely considered one of the top running backs in the NFL after rushing for more than 1,200 yards in each of the previous two seasons. Injuries during the 1980 regular season had limited him to just 778 yards, but he proved he was fully recovered in the postseason by rushing for 194 yards in the NFC title game. Montgomery was also a superb receiver out of the backfield, recording 50 receptions for 407 yards. The other main deep threats on offense, wide receivers Harold Carmichael and Charlie Smith, along with tight end Keith Krepfle, combined for 125 receptions, 2,090 yards, and 16 touchdowns.
The Eagles' defense led the league in fewest points allowed during the regular season (222), while ranking second in fewest yards (4,443). Nose tackle
Playoffs
The Eagles advanced through the playoffs, defeating the Minnesota Vikings, 31–16, and the Dallas Cowboys, 20–7.
Meanwhile, Plunkett and the Raiders defeated the Houston Oilers 27–7, the Cleveland Browns 14–12 (on a play known as Red Right 88), and the San Diego Chargers 34–27. In doing so, Oakland became the second wild card team to advance to the Super Bowl since the 1970 merger, the first from the AFC, and the first wild card team to win three postseason rounds since the NFL expanded to a 10-team playoff format in 1978. Hayes had a spectacular performance in the playoffs, adding 5 more interceptions to give him a total of 18 picks in 19 games.
Super Bowl pregame news and notes
In the days before the game, most sports writers were speculating over whether, if the Raiders won, NFL Commissioner
Oakland became the first team to avenge a regular-season loss in the Super Bowl. The Eagles defeated the Raiders 10–7 on November 23 at Veterans Stadium.
This game marked the first Super Bowl where both teams used the 3–4
The Raiders became the first team to appear in a Super Bowl in three different decades (1960s, 1970s and 1980s), having previously played in Super Bowls II and XI.
As of Super Bowl LVII, this is the earliest Super Bowl from which both coaches are still living.
Broadcasting
The game was broadcast in the
Like the game two years before, NBC used the same custom, synthesizer-heavy theme in place of their regular music. This game would also be the first Super Bowl to air with closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing. Toward the end of NBC's coverage, a montage of the game, the arrival of the hostages following their release, and the inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th President of the United States aired to the tune of "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang.
A repeat episode of CHiPs, "11-99: Officer Needs Help", served as NBC's Super Bowl lead-out program.
Entertainment
The pregame festivities honored the end of the Iran hostage crisis (which was announced 5 days before the game), and featured a performance by the Southern University band. A large yellow bow 80-foot (24 m) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide was attached to the outside of the Superdome, while miniature bows were given to fans and every player wore a yellow stripe on the back of their helmets. (Yellow bows had been used in the US throughout the hostages' time in captivity as a sign of support.)
Singer, actress, and dancer Helen O'Connell later sang the national anthem. The coin toss ceremony featured Marie Lombardi, the widow of Pro Football Hall of Fame Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi.
The halftime show, featuring singers and dancers, was a "Mardi Gras Festival", with a performance from "Up With People".
Game summary
First quarter
Raiders linebacker
Second quarter
The Eagles got on the board on their next drive, with Jaworski completing passes to tight end
Third quarter
The Raiders then took the opening kickoff of the second half and scored in six plays. Despite a holding penalty on offensive tackle Henry Lawrence, Plunkett completed a 13-yard pass to King and a 32-yard completion to wide receiver Bob Chandler to move the ball to the Eagles 33-yard line. Then after a 4-yard run by running back Mark van Eeghen, Plunkett threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Branch, increasing Oakland's lead to 21–3. The Eagles responded by driving 56 yards to the Raiders 34, aided by two receptions by Carmichael for a total of 37 yards, but on 3rd-and-3, Jaworski threw his second interception of the game to Martin. The Raiders subsequently drove 40 yards on Plunkett's passes to tight end Raymond Chester and Chandler for gains of 16 and 17 yards, respectively. The drive stalled at the Philadelphia 28, forcing Oakland to settle for Bahr's 46-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 24–3.
Fourth quarter
The Eagles finally managed to score a touchdown that counted early in the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to 24–10. Starting from their own 12-yard line, a 43-yard reception by wide receiver Charlie Smith and a 19-yard catch by Parker sparked an 88-yard, 14-play drive that was capped by Jaworski's 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Keith Krepfle. But on their ensuing drive, Oakland marched 72 yards in 12 plays, the longest a 23-yard completion from Plunkett to Chandler. The Eagles kept the Raiders out of the end zone, but Bahr kicked a 35-yard field goal, increasing Oakland's lead to 27–10 and capping off the scoring.
The Raiders' defense then dominated the rest the game, forcing two turnovers on the Eagles' last two possessions of the game to prevent any chance of a comeback. On the Eagles' next drive, Jaworski fumbled a snap and defensive end Willie Jones recovered it. Following a Raiders punt, Martin recorded a Super Bowl record third interception, and the Raiders reached the Eagles 19 to run out the clock and win the game.
Cliff Branch's two touchdowns tied a Super Bowl record. Only Max McGee in Super Bowl I and John Stallworth in Super Bowl XIII caught two touchdowns prior to Branch. Jaworski finished the game with more completions (18) and yards (291) than Plunkett but completed just 18 of 38 attempts and was intercepted 3 times. Van Eeghen was the top rusher of the game with 75 yards. King was the top receiver with 93 yards and a touchdown off of just 2 receptions. Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery led Philadelphia in rushing and receiving with 44 rushing yards and 6 receptions for 91 yards. The Eagles' loss came hours after former head coach Joe Kuharich had died.
After the game, the expected heated confrontation between Rozelle and Davis was actually very civil. As Rozelle presented the Lombardi Trophy to Davis, he praised Plunkett, head coach Tom Flores, the players, and the entire Raiders organization for being the first wild card team to win the Super Bowl. Davis thanked Rozelle, then proceeded to also praise the team.
Oakland became only the second wild card team to make it to the Super Bowl and the first to come away victorious. The
Following the March 11, 2023 death of Bud Grant, this is the earliest Super Bowl where both teams' head coaches are still living.
Box score
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Raiders (AFC) | 14 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 27 |
Eagles (NFC) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at
Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Final statistics
Sources: NFL.com Super Bowl XV, Super Bowl XV Play Finder Oak, Super Bowl XV Play Finder Phi, Super Bowl XV Play by Play
Statistical comparison
Oakland Raiders | Philadelphia Eagles | |
---|---|---|
First downs | 17 | 19 |
First downs rushing | 6 | 3 |
First downs passing | 10 | 14 |
First downs penalty | 1 | 2 |
Third down efficiency | 6/12 | 5/12 |
Fourth down efficiency | 0/0 | 1/1 |
Net yards rushing | 117 | 69 |
Rushing attempts | 34 | 26 |
Yards per rush | 3.4 | 2.7 |
Passing – Completions/attempts | 13/21 | 18/38 |
Times sacked-total yards | 1–1 | 0–0 |
Interceptions thrown | 0 | 3 |
Net yards passing | 260 | 291 |
Total net yards | 377 | 360 |
Punt returns-total yards | 2–1 | 3–20 |
Kickoff returns-total yards | 3–48 | 6–87 |
Interceptions-total return yards | 3–44 | 0–0 |
Punts-average yardage | 3–42.0 | 3–36.3 |
Fumbles-lost | 0–0 | 1–1 |
Penalties-total yards | 5–37 | 6–57 |
Time of possession | 29:49 | 30:11 |
Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
Individual statistics
Raiders Passing | |||||
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C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
Jim Plunkett | 13/21 | 261 | 3 | 0 | 145.0 |
Raiders Rushing | |||||
Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
Mark Van Eeghen
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18 | 75 | 0 | 8 | 4.17 |
Kenny King | 6 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 3.00 |
Derrick Jensen | 4 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 4.25 |
Jim Plunkett | 3 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 3.00 |
Arthur Whittington | 3 | –2 | 0 | 0 | –0.67 |
Raiders Receiving | |||||
Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
Cliff Branch | 5 | 67 | 2 | 29 | 7 |
Bob Chandler | 4 | 77 | 0 | 32 | 6 |
Kenny King | 2 | 93 | 1 | 80 | 3 |
Raymond Chester | 2 | 24 | 0 | 16 | 3 |
Mark Van Eeghen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Arthur Whittington | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Eagles Passing | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
Ron Jaworski | 18/38 | 291 | 1 | 3 | 49.3 |
Eagles Rushing | |||||
Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
Wilbert Montgomery | 16 | 44 | 0 | 8 | 2.75 |
Leroy Harris | 7 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 2.00 |
Louie Giammona | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7.00 |
Perry Harrington | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4.00 |
Ron Jaworski | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Eagles Receiving | |||||
Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
Wilbert Montgomery | 6 | 91 | 0 | 25 | 10 |
Harold Carmichael | 5 | 83 | 0 | 29 | 8 |
Charles A. Smith | 2 | 59 | 0 | 43 | 5 |
Keith Krepfle | 2 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
John Spagnola | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
Rodney Parker | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 3 |
Leroy Harris | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Billy Campfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1Completions/attempts 2Carries 3Long gain 4Receptions 5Times targeted
Records set
The following records were set in Super Bowl XV, according to the official NFL.com boxscore[12] and the Pro-Football-Reference.com game summary.[13]
Player Records Set[13] | ||
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Longest scoring play | 80 yards reception | Kenny King (Oakland) |
Passing Records | ||
Most attempts, game | 38 | Ron Jaworski (Philadelphia) |
Highest passer rating, game | 145.0 | Jim Plunkett (Oakland) |
Longest pass | 80 yards (TD) | |
Receiving Records | ||
Longest Reception | 80 yards (TD) | Kenny King (Oakland) |
Defense | ||
Most interceptions, game | 3 | Rod Martin (Oakland) |
Records Tied | ||
Most touchdowns, game | 2 | Cliff Branch (Oakland) |
Most receiving touchdowns, game | 2 | |
Most completions, game | 18 | Ron Jaworski (Philadelphia) |
Most interceptions, career | 3 | Rod Martin |
Most kickoff returns, game | 5 | Billy Campfield (Philadelphia) |
Most 40-plus yard field goals, game | 1 | Chris Bahr (Oakland) |
- ‡ Sacks have been an official statistic since Super Bowl XVII by the NFL. Sacks are listed as "Tackled Attempting to Pass" in the official NFL box score for Super Bowl XV.[12]
Team Records Set[13] | ||
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Defense | ||
Most yards allowed in a win | 360 | Raiders |
Records Tied | ||
Most points, first quarter | 14 | Oakland |
Largest lead, end of first quarter | 14 points | |
Fewest turnovers, game | 0 | |
Fewest rushing touchdowns | 0 | Raiders Eagles |
Fewest times sacked | 0 | Eagles |
Records Set, both team totals[13] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Total | Raiders | Eagles | |
Passing, Both Teams | |||
Most passing yards (net) | 551 | 260 | 291 |
Fewest times sacked | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Punting, Both Teams | |||
Fewest punts, game | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Records tied, both team totals | |||
Most points, first quarter | 14 | 14 | 0 |
Fewest rushing touchdowns | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Starting lineups
Source:[14]
Hall of Fame‡
Oakland | Position | Philadelphia |
---|---|---|
Offense | ||
Cliff Branch‡ | WR | Harold Carmichael‡ |
Art Shell‡ | LT | Stan Walters |
Gene Upshaw‡ | LG | Petey Perot |
Dave Dalby | C | Guy Morriss |
Mickey Marvin | RG | Woody Peoples |
Henry Lawrence | RT | Jerry Sisemore |
Raymond Chester | TE | Keith Krepfle |
Bob Chandler | WR | Charlie Smith |
Jim Plunkett | QB | Ron Jaworski |
Mark Van Eeghen |
RB | Leroy Harris |
Kenny King | RB | Wilbert Montgomery |
Defense | ||
John Matuszak | LE | Dennis Harrison |
Reggie Kinlaw | MG | Charlie Johnson
|
Dave Browning | RE | Carl Hairston |
Ted Hendricks‡ | LLB | John Bunting
|
Matt Millen | ILB | Bill Bergey |
Bob Nelson | ILB | Frank LeMaster |
Rod Martin | RLB | Jerry Robinson |
Lester Hayes | LCB | Roynell Young |
Dwayne O'Steen | RCB | Herm Edwards |
Mike Davis | SS | Randy Logan |
Burgess Owens | FS | Brenard Wilson |
Officials
- Referee: Ben Dreith #12 second Super Bowl (VIII)
- Umpire: Frank Sinkovitz #20 first Super Bowl on field
- Head Linesman: Tony Veteri #8 fourth Super Bowl (II, VII, X)
- Line Judge: Tom Dooley#10 first Super Bowl
- Back Judge: Tom Kelleher#7 fourth Super Bowl (IV, VII, XI)
- Side Judge: Dean Look #9 second Super Bowl (XIII)
- Field Judge: Fritz Graf #17 third Super Bowl (V, VIII)
- Alternate Referee: Dick Jorgensen #6 worked Super Bowl XXIV
- Alternate Umpire: John Keck #4 worked Super Bowl XXX
Dooley, Graf, Kelleher and Veteri wore #7 at their respective officiating positions during 1979-81 (except Dooley was promoted to Referee for 1981, wearing #19), but Kelleher had priority on the number for the Super Bowl, due to his seniority. Kelleher and Veteri became the third and fourth officials to work four Super Bowls, joining Jack Fette and Stan Javie.
References
Specific
- ^ DiNitto, Marcus (January 25, 2015). "Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll". The Linemakers. Sporting News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Super Bowl History". Vegas Insider. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Super Bowl Winners". NFL.com. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Super Bowl Nielsen TV Ratings, 1967–2009 – Ratings". TV by the Numbers. January 18, 2009. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ^ "Super Bowl Game-Time Temperatures". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "Super Bowl XV box score". SuperBowl.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Super Bowl XV statistics". Pro Football reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^ "Super Bowl XV–National Football League Game Summary" (PDF). NFLGSIS.com. National Football League. January 25, 1981. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
General
- 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book. Time Inc. Home Entertainment. July 2006. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
- Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
- News, Sporting (February 1995). The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995. )
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com – Large online database of NFL data and statistics
- Super Bowl play-by-plays from USA Today (Last accessed September 28, 2005)
- All-Time Super Bowl Odds[permanent dead link] from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)