Super Bowl 1990

Following an owner’s meeting that was held in Phoenix, between 10th and 15th March 1985, Super Bowl XXIV was awarded to New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally, the owners had planned on voting for the XXIV host during a meeting in May the previous year. However, after the balloting process by which Super Bowl XXI was awarded took more than two hours, the owners decided to reschedule voting for XXIV. Twelve cities had participated in the bidding process for Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV: Anaheim, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Tempe.

Super Bowl XXIV was played between the AFC’s Denver Broncos and NFC’s San Francisco 49ers on January 28, 1990, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans to decide which team would be crowned champions of the 1989 football season.

The 49ers achieved a major victory over the Broncos, ending the game 55-10.

Notable for:

• Super Bowl XXIV remains the most one-sided game in Super Bowl history. San Francisco clocked up the highest points ever scored by a team as well as the highest winning margin.

The 49ers completely outplayed the Broncos, gaining 461 yards and holding the ball for 39:31. They also scored on six of their opening eight drives. On the contrary, the Broncos managed possession of just 20:20 and were limited to 167 yards.

Joe Montana opened the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jerry Rice. The Broncos waged a 49-yard scoring drive in response, which ended in a field goal from David Treadwell.

Shortly after, the 49ers completely took control of the game and never relinquished it. In the first quarter, they scored a further touchdown, although Mike Cofer failed to convert the extra point. In the second quarter, the Broncos were forced to punt within three plays of the kickoff, and the 49ers rapidly took advantage with another touchdown. With just over a minute of the second quarter remaining, they scored yet again, with a 38-yard completion from Montana to Rice, extending their lead to 27-3.

The 49ers strong performance continued in the third quarter with touchdowns from Rice and Taylor taking the score to 41-10. The Broncos failed to gain any ground in the fourth quarter and were, yet again, completely dominated by the 49ers. Further touchdowns were scored by Rathman and Craig, closing out the game at 55-10.

Joe Montana was named the MVP, marking the third time he had received this award during the four Super Bowl wins his team had secured. During the game, he completed 22 of 29 passes, representing a completion percentage of 75.9%, the second highest in the history of Super Bowl. He also set a Super Bowl record by successfully completing 13 passes.