I was born in 1986. Suffice it to say, I haven’t been around for most of the Super Bowls. Plus, not many people realize this about me…but I wasn’t really into football until I got into college. Yeah, when I was in high school, it was nothing but nu metal and WWE (nerd!). So, I don’t have this extensive memory bank of classic Super Bowl moments. I have vague recollections of the Dallas Cowboys stacking rings and Steve Young slaughtering the San Diego Chargers when I was a kid, but that’s about it.
So, it seems like it would be rather pretentious of me to come up with a phony “Top 10 Super Bowls” list, considering I wasn’t around for most of ’em. So, instead of writing something forced, I figured I’d just share my own personal favorite Super Bowls. Just being transparent and honest, folks. You can always count on us for that.
I’ll also mention a couple of honorable mentions this year. The New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl after the 2009 season is one of my all time favorite sports moments. That game was hard to cut from the list, but as you’ll read, some of these games had a lot of sentimentality attached to them. Personally, I also enjoyed watching the Seahawks absolutely shit wreck Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos after the 2013 season. I loved how nasty that Seahawks defense was, and I’ve never been the biggest Manning fan. Another game that most people hated, but I rather enjoyed. And, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers showdown from a season ago didn’t cross my mind here.
Alright. On to the list.
5. Super Bowl XL
2005 was the first season I watched after getting back into football. I remember being blown away that the Seattle Seahawks were actually good. Growing up, they were among the laughingstocks of the league. Though the game wasn’t really all that great, it was my first real glimpse at the day-long festival that is the Super Bowl.
I watched it at home with my parents after we had gone downtown (Nashville) for lunch. The city was buzzing even though the Titans were terrible that year. That’s when the magnitude of this event really set it. The big story was Jerome Bettis winning a Super Bowl and retiring, but the next day, everyone was talking about how the refs screwed the Seahawks over. It was certainly more controversial than entertaining, but for some reason, I think I’ll always remember getting that full experience (when I was old enough to clearly remember it) for the first time.
4. Super Bowl XLIII
Another Super Bowl I watched with my parents. I swear I actually had friends in college, guys. But, there was always something comforting about being around the TV together for these events.
The Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers put on a hell of a show. James Harrison had that ridiculous end zone to end zone touchdown. Santonio Holmes had that toe tap game clinching touchdown for the Steelers. And, Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald almost engineered one hell of a comeback.
I can remember on one of Fitzgerald’s long touchdowns, my mom made a joke that she would kill me for sharing with the internet. Fitzgerald catches a nice pass, and I look at my dad, and say, “wow – Fitz has a damn good set of hands, huh?” My mom chimes in with, “I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t lookin’ at his hands.” The room cracked up, but in her defense, Larry Fitzgerald has always been known for his yams.
3. Super Bowl XLIX
What a war that contest was between the Seahawks and New England Patriots. I did absolutely nothing special for this one, by the way. It was just a damn good game, and it all came down to that one play at the end. To this day, people are still talking about Pete Carroll‘s decision to throw the ball at the goal line instead of running it in with Marshawn Lynch. That game made Malcolm Butler a damned hero.
2. Super Bowl XLII
The 2007 New England Patriots are honestly probably the best football team I’ve ever watched. That offense was unstoppable between Tom Brady and Randy Moss. They go 18-0 en route to the Super Bowl – a game they were heavily favored in.
But, the New York Giants were set to play spoiler, and they did. David Tyree made that miracle catch, and Eli Manning hit Plaxico Burress on the fade route in the end zone for the go-ahead score. To this day, it’s probably the biggest upset I’ve ever seen.
I remember hosting a Super Bowl party at our apartment in college that year. I had eaten so much food that the excitement of the game forced me to vomit. Like, I didn’t even drink alcohol at that point in my life. I was just so full that my stomach could not handle that momentous occasion.
At the time, I remember saying that upset was our generation’s version of Broadway Joe’s Jets upsetting the Colts.
1. Super Bowl LI
Yeah, there’s really no question about this for me. Super Bowl LI is the greatest of all time. The Patriots coming back from down 28-3 to win it in overtime. It was an all time gutsy performance by the Pats, and a classic football game. Damn near close to perfect.
What are your favorite Super Bowl memories? Feel free to hit the comments below.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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