Monthly Archives: January 2013
NFL: The Closest Super Bowls in History
The New York Giants Won Super Bowl XXV By One Point When Scott Norwood’s Field Goal Attempt Went Right
Four of the last five Super Bowls have been decided by a possession – seven points or less (well, eight if you want to be technical, but “8″ just doesn’t have that ring, and the two-point conversion is not as much a “given” as the PAT).
The game wasn’t always so thrilling. Many were no-contests, particularly through the late 1970s and 1980s. Take a look at the 20 Biggest Blowouts in Super Bowl History to confirm.
All together, 16 of the 46 Super Bowls played have been decided by a possession, listed below. These examples exemplify a recent fact about the NFL – an increase in parity between teams and conferences over the past two decades.
Ten of the 16 closest Super Bowls occurred after 1990, including five of the top six.
Follow @VinGetzCHART UPDATED: February 3, 2013 to include the Baltimore Ravens 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers. What a game that was!
| SB | SEASON | DIFF | WINNER | PTS | LOSER | PTS | |
| 1. | XXV | 1990 | 1 | New York Giants | 20 | Buffalo Bills | 19 |
| 2. | XLVII | 2012 | 3 | Baltimore Ravens | 34 | San Francisco 49ers | 31 |
| 2. | XLII | 2007 | 3 | New York Giants | 17 | New England Patriots | 14 |
| 2. | XXXIX | 2004 | 3 | New England Patriots | 24 | Philadelphia Eagles | 21 |
| 2. | XXXVIII | 2003 | 3 | New England Patriots | 32 | Carolina Panthers | 29 |
| 2. | XXXVI | 2001 | 3 | New England Patriots | 20 | St. Louis Rams | 17 |
| 2. | V | 1970 | 3 | Baltimore Colts | 16 | Dallas Cowboys | 13 |
| 8. | XLVI | 2011 | 4 | New York Giants | 21 | New England Patriots | 17 |
| 8. | XLIII | 2008 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 27 | Arizona Cardinals | 23 |
| 8. | XXIII | 1988 | 4 | San Francisco 49ers | 20 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 |
| 8. | XIII | 1978 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 35 | Dallas Cowboys | 31 |
| 8. | X | 1975 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 21 | Dallas Cowboys | 17 |
| 13. | XVI | 1981 | 5 | San Francisco 49ers | 26 | Cincinnati Bengals | 21 |
| 14. | XLV | 2010 | 6 | Green Bay Packers | 31 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 25 |
| 15. | XXXIV | 1999 | 7 | St. Louis Rams | 23 | Tennessee Titans | 16 |
| 15. | XXXII | 1997 | 7 | Denver Broncos | 31 | Green Bay Packers | 24 |
| 15. | VII | 1972 | 7 | Miami Dolphins | 14 | Washington Redskins | 7 |
Photo: nydailynews.com
Top 10 Quarterbacks with the Most Passing Touchdowns in the Super Bowl
Joe Montana Has the Most Passing Touchdowns in Super Bowl History
San Francisco 49ers‘ Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana is amongst the leaders in a host of Super Bowl offensive categories, including this one: he’s got the most passing touchdowns in the big game with 11.
But that’s not to say this is an unbreakable record. Tom Brady is just two off the pace. Brady is tied for second all-time with Terry Bradshaw.
Here are the top 10 quarterbacks with the most career passing touchdowns in the Super Bowl. Not surprisingly, they all have rings, and six of the 10 have more than one as a starter.
Another Niners quarterback, Steve Young, holds the single-game record – he threw six in Super Bowl XXIX.
Follow @VinGetz| QB | TDs | TEAM | SUPER BOWL | TDs | SEASON | |
| 1. | Joe Montana | 11 | San Francisco 49ers | Super Bowl XVI | 1 | 1981 |
| Super Bowl XIX | 3 | 1984 | ||||
| Super Bowl XXIII | 2 | 1988 | ||||
| Super Bowl XXIV | 5 | 1989 | ||||
| 2. | Tom Brady | 9 | New England Patriots | Super Bowl XXXVI | 1 | 2001 |
| Super Bowl XXXVIII | 3 | 2003 | ||||
| Super Bowl XXXIX | 2 | 2004 | ||||
| Super Bowl XLII | 1 | 2007 | ||||
| Super Bowl XLVI | 2 | 2011 | ||||
| 2. | Terry Bradshaw | 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Super Bowl IX | 1 | 1974 |
| Super Bowl X | 2 | 1975 | ||||
| Super Bowl XIII | 4 | 1978 | ||||
| Super Bowl XIV | 2 | 1979 | ||||
| 4. | Roger Staubach | 8 | Dallas Cowboys | Super Bowl VI | 2 | 1971 |
| Super Bowl X | 2 | 1975 | ||||
| Super Bowl XII | 1 | 1977 | ||||
| Super Bowl XIII | 3 | 1978 | ||||
| 5. | Steve Young* | 6 | San Francisco 49ers | Super Bowl XXIX | 6 | 1994 |
| 5. | Kurt Warner | 6 | St. Louis Rams | Super Bowl XXXIV | 2 | 1999 |
| St. Louis Rams | Super Bowl XXXVI | 1 | 2001 | |||
| Arizona Cardinals | Super Bowl XLIII | 3 | 2008 | |||
| 7. | Troy Aikman | 5 | Dallas Cowboys | Super Bowl XXVII | 4 | 1992 |
| Super Bowl XXX | 1 | 1995 | ||||
| 7. | Brett Favre | 5 | Green Bay Packers | Super Bowl XXXI | 2 | 1996 |
| Super Bowl XXXII | 3 | 1997 | ||||
| 9. | Jim Plunkett | 4 | Oakland Raiders | Super Bowl XV | 3 | 1980 |
| L.A. Raiders | Super Bowl XVIII | 1 | 1983 | |||
| 9. | Doug Williams | 4 | Washington Redskins | Super Bowl XXII | 4 | 1987 |
Photo: sportige.com
PGA and LPGA Golfers Who Have Scored 59 or Less on Tour
David Duval and Annika Sorenstam After Scoring an Official 59
Ten golfers in PGA and LPGA history have scored a 59 or less in either an official, unofficial or qualifying tournament on tour. They are listed below.
Annika Sorenstam is the lone LPGA representative. She shot a 59 in the 2000 Standard Register PING tournament at Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix. Sorenstam put “on a display of precision golf that was two strokes better than any woman had ever shot,” said the Associated Press of the achievement.
What about the men, then? There is historical evidence of a handful of professional 55′s and more frequent 56′s and 57′s. These, though, were either not tour-related or occurred on a course less than 6,500 yards, the minimum length required for the men’s record books.
Nine men have shot 59 or less on the PGA Tour – five in an official capacity, three qualifiers and Phil Mickelson at the unofficial Grand Slam of Golf in Hawaii.
There are other pro golfers that have scored either 58 or 59, but on different tours (like the Japan and Canadian). Including those below, that makes 19 golfers total with the ultimate in scorecard bragging rights. See all of them here.
Follow @VinGetz| GOLFER | SCORE | RND | YEAR | TOURNAMENT | COURSE | TYPE | Tour | |
| 1. | Al Geiberger | 59 (-13) | 2/4 | 1977 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | Colonial Country Club (Cordova, TN) | Official | PGA |
| 2. | Chip Beck | 59 (-13) | 3/5 | 1991 | Las Vegas Invitational | Sunrise Golf Club (Las Vegas, NV) | Official | PGA |
| 3. | David Duval | 59 (-13) | 5/5 | 1999 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | Arnold Palmer West Course (La Quinta, CA) | Official | PGA |
| 4. | Shigeki Maruyama | 58 (-13) | 1/2 | 2000 | U.S. Open qualifying round | Woodmont Country Club South Course (Rockville, MD) | Qualifying | PGA |
| 5. | David Gossett | 59 (-13) | 4/6 | 2000 | Qualifying school tournament | Jack Nicklaus West Course (La Quinta, CA) | Qualifying | PGA |
| 6. | Annika Sörenstam | 59 (-13) | 2/4 | 2001 | Standard Register PING | Moon Valley Country Club (Phoenix, AZ) | Official | LPGA |
| 7. | Phil Mickelson | 59 (-13) | 2/2 | 2004 | PGA Grand Slam of Golf | Poipu Bay Golf Course (Kauai, HI) | Unofficial | PGA |
| 8. | Harrison Frazar | 59 (-13) | 4/6 | 2008 | Qualifying school tournament | Jack Nicklaus West Course (La Qunita, CA) | Qualifying | PGA |
| 9. | Paul Goydos | 59 (-12) | 1/4 | 2010 | John Deere Classic | TPC Deere Run (Silvis, IL) | Official | PGA |
| 10. | Stuart Appleby | 59 (-11) | 4/4 | 2010 | Greenbrier Classic | Greenbrier Old White Course (Springs, WV) | Official | PGA |
Photos: ingolfwetrust.com / atevenpar.blogspot.com
