Ross scored two touchdowns and had . Ross caught 11 passes (the most ever by a tight end in a Super Bowl) and he was tied for the most receptions in a Super Bowl with Jerry Rice (who tied Ross' record in the Super Bowl rematch 7 years later), Deion Branch, and Wes Welker until Demaryius Thomas broke that record in Super Bowl XLVIII with 13 catches. For the first time since Super Bowl III, both teams were making their first Super Bowl appearance. From there, quarterback Joe Montana led the 49ers offense to the Cincinnati 47-yard line with three consecutive completions. For the first time, three Super Bowl host cities were deliberated and selected at the same meeting (XV, XVI, and XVII). Ray Horton Horton was a cornerback for the Bengals between 1983-1988 then moved on to Dallas for 1989-1992 and was part of the Cowboys' Super Bowl XXVII champions. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 300 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the game. (AP Photo), Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, left, prepares to throw during the AFC championship game against the San Diego Chargers in Cincinnati on Jan. 10, 1982. Ray Wersching kicked a further 2 field goals to secure a 26-21 victory for the 49ers. The Bengals managed to score their final touchdown with 16 seconds left, but could not recover the ensuing onside kick. As of 2023, Super Bowl XVI remains the highest rated championship game in the history of the National Football League. We present them here for purely educational purposes. "He said, Ive got the radio on and were leading 7-0. After exchanging another field goal each in the third quarter, Stanford Jennings broke the game open with a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown. He helped resurrect the Taft High School football program. I think that helped us more than anything because we got more reps, more plays in that week outside." Three-year veteran defensive back Dwight Hicks led the team with nine interceptions, which he returned for 239 yards and a touchdown, giving the secondary a total of 23. Bengals defensive player Mike Fuller helps break up the play. Cincinnati Begals quarterback Ken Anderson turns to make a handoff during the AFC championship game against the San Diego Chargers in Cincinnati on Jan. 10, 1982. Mark it down. The 49ers defeated the Bengals. Cincinnati Bengals players listed alphabetically or numerically. Patton was the game's leading rusher with 55 yards on 17 carries. Newer generations of Cincinnati Bengals fans may not know the players whotwice faced the San Francisco 49ers in the team's two Super Bowls in the 1980s. Following the touchdown came a squib kick by kicker Ray Wersching that was finally recovered by Bengal receiver David Verser, who was quickly tackled at the 2-yard line. James Brooks A four-time Pro Bowl player for the Bengals between 1984-1991, Brooks played against the Bengals prior to their first Super Bowl in the AFC championship "Freezer Bowl" as a San Diego Charger. Do you have a sports website? Perhaps the best moment of the season for the Bengals was defeating the Raiders 3117. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. Bo Harris In the Bengals 1981 3-4 scheme, Harris was the left outside linebacker. He now lives in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area working in operations, facilities and finance. Reggie Williams The Dartmouth grad was in year six of a 14-year career. He was also a good receiver out of the backfield, catching 46 passes for another 320 yards and 4 touchdowns. 1 overall seed. Just a year after the Bengals made it to the Super Bowl only to be beaten by the Rams, they're back in the AFC Championship Game against the same team they beat last season: The Kansas City Chiefs. [6][7], Michigan governor William Milliken, Detroit mayor Coleman Young, and Pontiac mayor Wallace E. Holland were part of the delegation, and notably offered the Silverdome rent-free. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Focus on Sport/Getty Images The same held true for the Chargers. When Joe Burrow said his career is the Bengals' Super Bowl window, he wasn't kidding. "1982 Super Bowl" redirects here. (AP Photo), Cincinnati Bengals tight end M.L. This Super Bowl was simulcast in Canada on the CTV Television Network, which was airing the Super Bowl for the first time. Cincinnati was also a surprise team because, like the 49ers, they had recorded a 610 record during the previous season. But then Montana threw two straight incompletions, forcing the 49ers to settle for Wersching's 22-yard field goal to increase their lead to 170. David Verser Verser was the Bengals' first-round pick in 1981 out of Kansas ahead of second-round receiver Cris Collinsworth. The game was one of the most watched broadcasts in American television history, with more than 85 million viewers. Former NFL executive director Don Weiss wrote in his book "The Making of the Super Bowl" that the game had been awarded to the Silverdome by the league as a "reward" to the locally-headquartered automobile companies Ford Motor Company and Chrysler for their "many years of sponsoring pro football". Not too bad for a tight end no ones heard of if you ask me. Pro Football Network, LLC. Brian Blados Starting at right tackle the former first-round pick was a Bengal from 1984-1991. Super Bowl XXIII was held at Joe Robbie Stadium near Miami, FL, on January 22, 1989, and was a rematch between Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco. Carl ZanderZander started at left inside linebacker and played 106 games for the Bengals between 1985-1991. : Bruce Coslet (Wide Receivers), Dick LeBeau (Defensive Backs), Dick Modzelewski (Defensive Line) and George Sefcik (Quarterbacks/RB), Principal Owner/General Manager: Paul Brown, Training Camp: Wilmington College (Wilmington, Ohio), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 2:32PM. Cincinnati Bengals roster for the 1982 NFL season. Before that appearance, they made two Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s before suffering a franchise drought in the 90s that spilled into the 2000s. Harris. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held in a cold-weather city. Much of San Francisco's success was aided by their offensive line, which featured Dan Audick (LT), John Ayers (LG), Fred Quillan (C), Randy Cross (RG), and Keith Fahnhorst (RT). Ken Anderson was drafted by the Bengals in the third round of the 1971 NFL Draft. He had 65 career interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl in 1981, gaining 1,077 yards. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Here's a breakdown of the Bengals and Rams'' rosters by . In 1988, Esiason passed for 3,572 yards on 388 attempts and won the MVP award, much like Anderson did the year he took the team to the title game. In Super Bowl XXIII, he suffered a broken leg early in the game. The final national Nielsen rating was 49.1 (a 73 share), which is still a Super Bowl record, and ranks second to the final episode of M*A*S*H in 1983 among television broadcasts in general. (AP Photo), Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, left, reacts as San Diego Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts, right, looks dejected after the Bengals defeated the Chargers in the AFC championship in Cincinnati on Jan. 10, 1982. This was also only the second Super Bowl to not take place in one of the three so-called 'big Super Bowl Cities' (the other was Houston in January 1974). The game was televised in the United States by CBS and featured the broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator John Madden (the latter making his Super Bowl debut as a broadcaster). This time, a cast including Zac Taylor, Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and a Bengals team . He was a Bengal from 1986 to 1992, making the Pro Bowl three times. He completed 300 of 479 (62.6 percent) passes for 3,754 yards and 29 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions. Last but not least is tight end Dan Ross. 1 seed. Ross died at age 49 in 2004 n New Hampshire. (Super Bowl XLIX holds the record for total U.S. viewership, with an average audience of 114 million, but only earned a rating of 47.5 and a 72 share). (AP Photo) January 10, 1982 Ken. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. They defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round before sweeping aside the San Diego Chargers in the Conference Championship. The band later performed the Canadian National Anthem, which was not televised. The College Football Hall of Famer coached with the Bengals from 1995-2002. He was a Bengal from 1987-1992 and part of their SWAT-team secondary. Collinsworth was a rookie in 1981 and helped the team to their 12-4 record on the back of his 1,009 yards receiving on 67 catches. LeClair died in November 2019 at age 69. (AP Photo), Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Louis Breedon, right, intercepts a pass to San Diego Chargers receiver Charlie Joinor, left, to break up a second quarter drive by the Chargers in Cincinnati on Jan. 10, 1982. Arms, hands, face. 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). 1 seed. It was more like, 'Where are we? Either way, almost every football fan from the late 80s remembers his name as well as his signature dance. Anderson was also an outstanding scrambler, rushing for 320 yards and one touchdown, leading all NFL quarterbacks in rushing yards. Gregg passes the torch of toughness to his Bengals in the bitterly cold weather embedding Cincinnati the week of the game with ominous game day weather forecasts. Ross BrownerThe former first-round pick out of Notre Dame was a Bengal from 1978-1986. Cincinnati had the fewest turnovers of any team during the 1981 season with 24, while San Francisco ranked second with 25. A big reason for Cincinnati's production on offense was their line, led by future Hall of Fame tackle Anthony Muoz and guard Max Montoya. This was also the only Super Bowl to date between two teams who had losing records the previous season, although Super Bowl XXXIV matched a team that had a losing record in 1998 (St. Louis Rams) against a team that finished a mediocre 88 that year (Tennessee Titans). Three of Cincinnati's turnovers helped San Francisco build a then-Super Bowl record 200 halftime lead, off a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown from quarterback Joe Montana and two field goals by Ray Wersching. [5] Automotive executives Tom Murphy (GM), Henry Ford II (Ford), John J. Riccardo (Chrysler), and Gerald C. Meyers (AMC) were all members of the Detroit host committee. Up with People provided the halftime entertainment featuring a salute to the 1960s and Motown. (Schedule and Results), Playoffs:Lost Wild Card 17-44 vs. New York Jets, Other Notable Asst. Tim McGee McGee caught two passes in the Super Bowl. The game was played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The Cincinnati Bengals went into Super Bowl 56 with a less-than-stellar Super Bowl history in the game itself. The Bengals joined the American Football League (AFL) as an expansion team in 1968. This was the first Super Bowl to feature two first-time participants since Super Bowl III (there has been only one since, Super Bowl XX between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots).