WHAT HAPPENED AT SUPER BOWL 2009?
The bid to host the 2009 Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLIII, was contested between four possible host cities: Tampa, Atlanta, Houston, and Miami. After losing out the previous year to Phoenix, Tampa was announced as the host city on May 25th 2005, marking it the second time the Raymond James Stadium had hosted the Super Bowl and the fourth time overall for the city.
The game took place in the middle of the global financial crisis and was termed the ‘Recession Bowl.’ Many of the usual festivities were canceled, such as pre and post-game parties, and there were 200 fewer journalists in attendance than the previous year.
Super Bowl XLIII attracted another record breaking television audience, with the game attracting an average of 89.7 million viewers in the United States.
The 2009 football show piece took place on the 1st February and saw five-time champions Pittsburgh Steelers face off against the Arizona Cardinals, a team with the unhappy record of the longest championship drought in the NFL, having not won a title since 1947. The Cardinals were the surprise package of the 2008 season, compiling a winning record under former Steelers offensive coach Ken Whisenhunt.
The game looked to be going one way as the Steelers raced ahead to a 20-7 lead at the end of the first half, the highlight of which was a Super Bowl record beating interception for Pittsburgh linebacker
James Harrison recorded a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown. With the lead extended to 20-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, it looked like the Steelers would cruise to an inevitable victory; however, this was abruptly turned on its head. Arizona reeled out 16 unanswered points, including a 64-yard reception by Cardinal wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, to take the lead with 2.34 remaining on the clock. The Steelers finally responded, putting together a 78-yard drive, 73-yards of which was four reception by wide receiver Santonio Holmes, ending in a game winning touchdown pass with just 35 seconds remaining on the clock. This was a feat that would see Holmed names as Super Bowl XLIII MVP. The victory for the Steelers sealed their place in sports history as the only team ever to win six Super Bowls.
Final Score: Pittsburgh Steelers 27 versus Arizona Cardinals 23
Date: February 1, 2009
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
MVP: Santonio Holmes, Wide Receiver
Favorite: Steelers by 7
Referee: Terry McAulay
Attendance: 70,774
National Anthem: Jennifer Hudson
Coin Toss: Gen. David Petraeus
Halftime Show: Bruce Springstee and the E Street Band
Halftime setlist:
“Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”
“Born to Run”
“Working on a Dream”
“Glory Days”
The 2009 recession hit the Super Bowl party scene hard, and both Penthouse and Playboy canceled their huge parties. Maxim went ahead with a scaled-back show; albeit, “scaled back” still included 1400 guests. Kessler also went ahead but kept things sleek and intimate without going over the top.
Maxim was not the only ones to throw a party regardless. ESPN organized a competing event on Friday night that was attended by Little Steven Van Zandt, Lil’ Wayne, Lindsay Lohan, and Vinny Testaverde.
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