WHAT HAPPENED AT THE 1983 SUPER BOWL?

Following an owner’s meeting that was held in Honolulu on March 13, 1979, Super Bowl XVII was awarded to Pasadena.

Super Bowl XVII was played between the AFC’s Miami Dolphins and NFC’s Washington Redskins on January 30, 1982, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California to decide which team would be crowned champions of the 1982 football season.

Although Miami were firm favorites in the run up the game, the Washington Redskins emerged victorious with a score of 27-17.

Notable for:

  • This Super Bowl ended a football season that had been significantly shorter than usual as a result of the NFL players’ strike. The teams had played only nine regular games during the season, and a special playoff tournament of 16 teams playing four rounds had been run.
  • In advance of the game, the Redskins were the solid underdogs because 26 of the 45-man team had been signed as free agents and 14 had never previously been drafted by an NFL team. In addition, just 10 of the 46 had any prior experience of playing in the playoffs.

The game got off to the start everyone had been expecting when, just six minutes into the game, the Dolphin’s quarterback, David Wooley, passed to Jimmy Cefalo to score a 76-yard touchdown and secure a 7-0 lead.

Having traded field goals in the second quarter, Theismann passed to Alvin Garrett on a four-yard touchdown throw that came following an 80-yard drive that included 11 plays. The score was now level at 10-10 with two minutes of the first half remaining. However, within 13 seconds, Miami reasserted its lead, returning the kickoff 98 yards to score.

Things calmed down somewhat in the third quarter, and just three points were scored via a 20-yard field goal from Mark Moseley, leaving the Redskins trailing the Dolphins by just four points.

It wasn’t until the final period of the game that the Redskins really got going. Riggins secured Washington’s first lead of the game with just over 10 minutes remaining when he advanced 43 yards for a touchdown. Charlie Brown completed the scoring having caught a six-yard pass from Theismann.

Riggins was named MVP, having secured two records during Super Bowl XVII: the most rushing yards (166) and the most rushing attempts (38).

Final Score: Miami Dolphins (AFC) 17 – Washington Redskins (NFC) 27
Date: January 30, 1983
Stadium: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
MVP: John Riggins, Running back
Favorite: Dolphins by 3
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
Attendance: 103,667

Anthem: Leslie Easterbrook
Coin toss: Elroy Hirsch
Halftime show: Bob Jani Productions presents “KaleidoSUPERscope” with the Los Angeles Super Drill Team and the Los Angeles Unified School District All City Marching Band