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| Date | January 28, 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Larry Brown, cornerback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Cowboys by 13.5[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Red Cashion | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 76,347[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Vanessa Williams, American Sign Language translation by Mary Kim Titla | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Joe Montana representing previous Super Bowl MVPs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Diana Ross | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dick Enberg, Phil Simms, Paul Maguire, Jim Gray and Will McDonough | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 46.0 (est. 94.08 million viewers)[4] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Market share | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | $1.085 million | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS Radio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jack Buck and Hank Stram | ||||||||||||||||||
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1995 season. The Cowboys defeated the Steelers by the score of 27–17, winning their fifth Super Bowl in team history.[5] The game was played on January 28, 1996, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Both teams entered the game trying to tie the San Francisco 49ers for the record for most Super Bowl wins by a franchise (5). The Cowboys, who posted a 12–4 regular season record, were making their eighth Super Bowl appearance, while the Steelers, who recorded an 11–5 regular season record, were making their fifth appearance. This was also the fifth rematch between Super Bowl teams. The game was the third time the two longtime rivals had met in a Super Bowl, the most between any two NFL teams. The two teams met previously in Super Bowl X in 1975 and Super Bowl XIII in 1979, with Pittsburgh having won both games.[5] Dallas became the first team to win three Super Bowls in four years, while Pittsburgh's defeat was their first Super Bowl loss in team history. As of 2024, this remains the last time the Cowboys appeared in a Super Bowl.
Dallas' Larry Brown, a 12th-round draft pick, who was still grieving the death of his infant son two and a half months prior,[6][7] became the first cornerback to be named Super Bowl MVP by recording two interceptions in the second half, which the Cowboys converted into two touchdowns to prevent a Steelers comeback.[5] Dallas built a 13–0 lead in the second quarter before Pittsburgh scored with 13 seconds left in the half to cut their deficit to 13–7. Midway through the 3rd quarter, Brown made his first interception and returned it 44 yards to the Pittsburgh 18-yard line to set up running back Emmitt Smith's 1-yard touchdown run. The Steelers then rallied to cut their deficit to 20–17 in the 4th quarter. But Brown recorded his second interception on Pittsburgh's next drive and returned it 33 yards to the Steelers 6-yard line to set up Smith's 4-yard rushing touchdown.
The NBC television broadcast broke the record at the time for the most-watched sporting event ever on American television, and was the second-most watched television program of all time behind the final episode of M*A*S*H in 1983.[8]
- ^ DiNitto, Marcus (January 25, 2015). "Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll". 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. National Football League. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Super Bowl Nielsen TV Ratings, 1967–2009 – Ratings". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ^ a b c Barnhart, John; St. Angelo, Ron (1996). Keeping Up With the Boys: From Austin to Super Bowl XXX : The Dynasty Continues. Taylor Publishing. ISBN 0-87833-952-3.
- ^ Plaschke, Bill (January 29, 1996). "SUPER BOWL XXX / Cowboys 27, Steelers 17 : Brown Leaves Tragedy Behind". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ Pearlman, Jeff. Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty.
- ^ Margulies, Lee (January 30, 1996). "Super Bowl XXX Breaks Record for Audience Size". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2021.