Super Bowl V was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1970 season. It was the fifth edition of the Super Bowl and the first modern-era NFL championship game. The Colts defeated the Cowboys by the score of 16–13 on a field goal with 5 seconds left in the game to win their first Super Bowl and first NFL championship since 1959. The game was played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, and was the first Super Bowl game played on artificial turf; specifically, the game was played on a Poly-Turf surface.
The game was the first Super Bowl played after the completion of the AFL–NFL merger. Beginning with this game and continuing to the present day, the Super Bowl has served as the NFL's championship game, with the winner of the AFC Championship Game and the winner of the NFC Championship Game facing off in the culmination of the NFL playoffs. As per the merger agreement, all 26 AFL and NFL teams were divided into two conferences with 13 teams in each. Along with the Colts, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to join the ten AFL teams to form the AFC; the remaining 13 NFL teams formed the NFC. This explains why the Colts represented the NFL in Super Bowl III, but the AFC for Super Bowl V. Baltimore advanced to Super Bowl V after posting an regular season record. Meanwhile, the Cowboys were making their first Super Bowl appearance after posting a regular season record.
The game is often referred to as the "Blunder Bowl," "Blooper Bowl," or "Stupor Bowl" due to it being marred with poor play, a blocked PAT, missed opportunities, penalties, turnovers, and officiating miscues. The two teams combined for a Super Bowl record 11 turnovers, with five solely in the fourth quarter. The Colts' seven turnovers remain the most committed by a Super Bowl champion. Dallas also set a Super Bowl record with 10 penalties, costing them 133 yards. It was finally settled when Colts rookie kicker Jim O'Brien made a 32-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation time, then a Super Bowl record for least time in the lead for a champion.Stood until Super Bowl LI, where the Patriots led for zero in-game seconds and won. Baltimore overcame a 13–6 deficit after three quarters and the loss of its starting quarterback Johnny Unitas to an injury in the second quarter. To date, the game is the only Super Bowl in which the Most Valuable Player Award was given to a member of the losing team: Cowboys' linebacker Chuck Howley, the first non-quarterback to win the award, after making two interceptions (sacks and tackles were not yet recorded).
Due to its blunders, the game is often regarded among the worst Super Bowls ever played, but is also recognized as the title the Colts needed after losing Super Bowl III.
Background Host selection process The NFL awarded Super Bowl V to Miami on March 17, 1970, at the owners' meeting held in Honolulu. It marked the third Super Bowl to be played in the Orange Bowl. Three cities submitted bids: Miami, New Orleans, and Los Angeles (Coliseum). A potential bid by Pasadena (Rose Bowl) failed to materialize, and Houston (Astrodome) dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with conventions.
Baltimore Colts
The Colts were an unspectacular but well-balanced veteran team, led by 37-year-old star quarterback Johnny Unitas. He had regained his starting spot on the team in 1969 upon recovering from an injury that led him to miss the majority of the 1968 season. Unitas played inconsistently during the 1970 regular season; he threw for 2,213 yards, but recorded more interceptions than touchdowns. He also had injury problems, missing two regular season games and giving Earl Morrall more significant playing time. Morrall put up better statistics (792 yards, 9 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a 97.6 passer rating), but head coach Don McCafferty decided to start Unitas for the playoffs. (According to Jim O'Brien, Morrall was just as good as Unitas in the players' opinion.)Jim O'Brien, "Super Bowl V," Super Bowl: The Game of Their Lives, Danny Peary, editor. Macmillan, 1997.
In addition, Baltimore had three solid weapons in the passing game: wide receivers Eddie Hinton and Roy Jefferson, and future Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey combined for 119 receptions, 1,917 yards, and 15 touchdowns. In the backfield, running back Norm Bulaich was the team's top rusher with 426 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also catching 11 passes for another 123 yards.
The Colts' main strength was their defense. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Bubba Smith anchored the line. Behind him, the Colts had two outstanding linebackers: Pro Bowler Mike Curtis, who recorded 5 interceptions, and Ted Hendricks. In the secondary, Pro Bowl safety Jerry Logan recorded 6 interceptions for 92 return yards and 2 touchdowns, while safety Rick Volk had 4 interceptions for 61 return yards.
Don Klosterman, formerly with San Diego, Kansas City, and Houston in the AFL, became the Colts' general manager in 1970. Future Colts GM Ernie Accorsi was the public relations director.
Baltimore finished the regular season winning the AFC East with an record, the best in the AFC. Only the Minnesota Vikings had a better record among all NFL teams at
Dallas Cowboys The Cowboys overcame many obstacles during the regular season. Running back Calvin Hill, the team's second leading rusher with 577 yards and four touchdowns, was lost for the year after suffering a leg injury late in the regular season. Wide receiver Bob Hayes was also benched by head coach Tom Landry for poor performances on several occasions.
Most significantly, the Cowboys had a quarterback controversy between Craig Morton and Roger Staubach; the two alternated as starters during the regular season. Landry eventually settled on Morton for most of the latter half of the season, because he felt less confident that Staubach would follow his game plan (Landry called all of Morton's plays).Bill McGrane, "A Mad, Mad, Mad Super Bowl," The Super Bowl: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of America's Greatest Game. Simon & Schuster, 1990 Morton had also done well in the regular season, throwing for 1,819 yards and 15 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions, earning him a passer rating of 89.8. In contrast, Staubach, although a noted scrambler and able to salvage broken plays effectively, threw for 542 yards, and only two touchdowns with eight interceptions, giving him a 42.9 rating.
Hayes was the main deep threat on the team, catching 34 passes for 889 yards (a 26.1 yards per catch average) and ten touchdowns, while also rushing four times for 34 yards and another touchdown, and adding another 116 yards returning punts. On the other side of the field, wide receiver Lance Rentzel (who would be deactivated for the last few weeks of the season and postseason following an indecent exposure charge; being replaced in the starting lineup by Reggie Rucker) recorded 28 receptions for 556 yards and 5 touchdowns.
However, the main strength on the Cowboys offense was their running game. Rookie running back Duane Thomas rushed 151 times for 803 yards (a 5.1 yards per carry average) and five touchdowns, while adding another 416 yards returning kickoffs. Fullback Walt Garrison, who replaced the injured Hill, provided Thomas with excellent blocking and rushed for 507 yards and three touchdowns. Garrison was also a good receiver out of the backfield, catching 21 passes for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. Up front, Pro Bowl guard John Niland and Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright anchored the offensive line.
Like the Colts, the Cowboys' main strength was their defense. Nicknamed the "Doomsday Defense", they allowed just one touchdown in their last six games prior to the Super Bowl. Their line was anchored by Hall of Fame defensive tackle Bob Lilly. Behind him, linebackers Lee Roy Jordan, Dave Edwards, and Hall of Famer Chuck Howley excelled at stopping the run and pass coverage. The Cowboys had an outstanding secondary, led by the Hall of Fame tandem of Mel Renfro and Herb Adderley, who combined for seven interceptions. Dallas also had two rookie safeties: Hall of Famer Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters, who led the team with five interceptions, while Harris recorded two.
Dallas finished the regular season winning the NFC East with a record, winning their final five regular season games to overcome the St. Louis Cardinals (who lost their final three games and fell to third place in the final standings) and New York Giants (who lost their finale to the Los Angeles Rams; a Giants victory would have given New York the NFC East title based upon a better division record and forced a coin toss between the Cowboys and Detroit Lions for the wild card playoff spot).
Playoffs
The Cowboys began their playoff run at home, defeating the Detroit Lions at the Cotton Bowl, needing only a field goal and a safety to advance. One week later, Dallas squared off against the San Francisco 49ers in the first-ever NFC Championship Game. Aided by Thomas' 143 rushing yards and key interceptions by Renfro and Jordan late in the third quarter (both of which were converted into touchdowns), the Cowboys held off the 49ers 17–10 to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time.
Meanwhile in the AFC bracket, Baltimore began their playoff run by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 17–0 in a game in which Unitas would only complete 6 passes, but two of them being crucial touchdown passes, for the victory. The next week, Baltimore would play the Oakland Raiders in the first AFC Championship Game. The Colts defeated the Raiders 27–17 off the strength of strong defensive play, with Raiders quarterback Daryle Lamonica being intercepted three times. With the win, the Colts advanced to their second Super Bowl.
Super Bowl pregame news and notes Super Bowl V provided both teams with an opportunity to shake off prior shortcomings. For the Colts, the game represented a chance to redeem themselves for their humiliating loss to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. Volk commented, "Going to the game a second time took away some of the awe. I think we were able to focus better. There was no way we were going to let ourselves get beat again." Further pressure was on the Colts as the Baltimore Orioles achieved redemption of their own four months earlier, beating the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series after falling to the New York Mets a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the game was a chance for the Cowboys to lose their nickname of "next year's champions" and their reputation of "not being able to win the big games". Although Dallas had won more games (52) than any other team in professional football over the previous five seasons, they had yet to win a league title. In 1966 and 1967, the Cowboys had opportunities to advance to the first two Super Bowls, but narrowly lost both times to the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship. In the 1966 NFL Championship, the Cowboys failed to score a potential game-tying touchdown on four attempts from the Green Bay 2-yard line. One year later, in the 1967 NFL Championship (famously known as the "Ice Bowl"), the Cowboys surrendered a Packers game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left in the game.
The Cowboys were listed as the designated home team entering the game. Under the rules in place at the time, the Cowboys were forced to wear their blue jerseys. Although they had not worn blue at home since 1963, they had worn their blue jerseys twice in 1970 (a Week 3 loss to St. Louis and a Week 13 victory over Cleveland).
Prior to kickoff, the Colts were listed as 2.5 point favorites with the over/under on combined points listed at 36.