Super Bowl 1985

Following an owner’s meeting that was held in Dallas on December 14, 1982, Super Bowl XIX was awarded to Stanford University Stadium in Stanford, California.

Super Bowl XIX was played between the AFC’s Miami Dolphins and NFC’s San Francisco 49ers on January 20, 1985, at the Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, to decide which team would be crowned champions of the 1984 football season.

In the run up to the big game, a great deal of hype surrounded the quarterbacks of the two teams: Joe Montana of San Francisco and Dan Marino of Miami and neither of them disappointed. However, it was the 49ers that emerged triumphant, dominating the second half of the game to win by 38-16.

Notable for:

• This was the first Super Bowl that the current president participated in the coin toss. Although he didn’t attend the game in person, Ronald Reagan appeared live via a satellite from the White House to toss the coin.
• It was also the first time in history that one of the teams had somewhat of a home-field advantage, with the stadium located just 30 miles from the 49ers then-home stadium, Candlestick Park.

Going into the game, Miami was well known for its powerful passing attack. However, the 49ers successfully tamed their offense and impressed the spectators with a dominating presence on the field throughout the game.

By the end of the first quarter, the Dolphins had notched up a 10-7 lead. However, the 49ers commanded a strategic position in the second quarter to clock up a 28-16 point lead by the halftime.

A new Super Bowl record was set by the 49ers’ running back Roger Craig, who accumulated three touchdowns on pass receptions of eight and 16 yards and a run of two yards.

During the game, San Francisco clocked up a total of 537 net yards to set a new Super Bowl record. The 49ers also held a significantly higher possession of the ball during the game, with 37.11 minutes compared to the Dolphin’s 22.49.

The MVP accolade went to Joe Montana, joining the likes of Bart Starr (Green Bay) and Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh) as the only players in Super Bowl history to be nominated MVP twice. During the game, he completed 24 of 35 passes covering 331 yards. He also scored three touchdowns, rushed five times over 659 yards.