Super Bowl XXXII

"1998 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 1998 season, see Super Bowl XXXIII.

Super Bowl XXXII
DateJanuary 25, 1998 (1998-01-25)
StadiumQualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
MVPTerrell Davis, running back
FavoritePackers by 11[1][2]
RefereeEd Hochuli
Attendance68,912[3]
Ceremonies
National anthemJewel[4]
Coin tossJoe Gibbs, Doug Williams and Eddie Robinson
Halftime showBoyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Martha Reeves, and Queen Latifah
TV in the United States
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersDick Enberg, Phil Simms, Paul Maguire, Jim Gray, John Dockery, and Randy Cross
Nielsen ratings44.5
(est. 90 million viewers)[5]
Market share67
Cost of 30-second commercial$1.3 million
Radio in the United States
NetworkWestwood One
AnnouncersHoward David and Matt Millen

Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XXXI champion Green Bay Packers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1997 season. The Broncos defeated the Packers by the score of 31–24. The game was played on January 25, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, the second time that the Super Bowl was held in that city.[6] Super Bowl XXXII also made Qualcomm Stadium the only stadium in history to host both the Super Bowl and the World Series in the same year.

This was Denver's first league championship after suffering four previous Super Bowl losses, three of which under Elway, and snapped a 13-game losing streak for AFC teams in the Super Bowl (the last win being the Los Angeles Raiders' win in Super Bowl XVIII after the 1983 season). The Broncos, who entered the game after posting a 12–4 regular-season record in 1997, became just the second wild card team to win a Super Bowl and the first since the Raiders in Super Bowl XV. The Packers, who entered the game as the defending Super Bowl XXXI champions after posting a 13–3 regular-season record, were the first team favored to win by double digits to lose a Super Bowl since the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.

The game was close throughout much of the contest. The Broncos converted two turnovers to take a 17–7 lead in the second quarter before the Packers cut the score to 17–14 at halftime. Green Bay kept pace with Denver in the second half, before tying the game with 13:31 remaining. Both defenses stiffened until Broncos running back Terrell Davis scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:45 left. Despite suffering a migraine headache that caused him to miss most of the second quarter, Davis was named Super Bowl MVP. He ran for 157 yards, caught two passes for 8 yards, and scored a Super Bowl record three rushing touchdowns. As of 2024, Davis remains the most recent running back to be named Super Bowl MVP.

  1. ^ DiNitto, Marcus (January 25, 2015). "Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll". The Linemakers. The Sporting News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  2. ^ "Super Bowl History". Vegas Insider. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  3. ^ "Super Bowl XXXII Box Score: Denver 31, Green Bay 24". SuperBowl.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "History of Super Bowl Entertainment" (PDF). 2019 NFL Postsesason Media Guide. NFL Enterprises, LLC. January 3, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com". TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  6. ^ San Diego's first was Super Bowl XXII after the 1987 season.