Super Bowl Heroes & Goats Trivia Quiz

Answer: Don Beebe fumbled while running for a TD because he started celebrating too early

Bills' coach Marv Levy was fined by the league when he missed a mandatory press conference before Super Bowl XXV, the team's first appearance in the game. After narrowly losing that game, the Bills had a particularly bad outing the following year, losing 37-24 to the Redskins in a contest far more one-sided than the score indicates.

Star running back Thurman Thomas couldn't find his helmet at the start of the game, missing the Bills' first two plays (the Redskins had the ball first; Thomas had much extra time in which he could have found his helmet).

Late in the first half, with the Bills trailing 17-0, they drove to the Redskins' 20. Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly was then sacked at the 28, and on the next play, he threw an incomplete pass to Andre Reed, who thought he was interfered with. Reed threw his helmet, resulting in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and forcing the Bills out of field goal range.

Don Beebe WAS involved in a play in which a sure touchdown turned into a fumble, but was the hero, not the goat. In Super Bowl XXVII, with the Bills trailing the Cowboys 52-17, quarterback Frank Reich - starter Jim Kelly had been injured - fumbled and the Cowboys' Leon Lett picked the ball up and was running unimpeded toward the end zone, 65 yards away. About ten yards from scoring, Lett slowed down and raised the ball in the air. The Bills' Don Beebe caught up with him from behind, swatted the ball from his hand, and it rolled through the end zone for a touchback, giving Buffalo the ball back.

Answer: There were three drives in which the 49er defense held the Bengals scoreless inside the 10

Understandably yet undeservedly overlooked on a team with Joe Montana and his offensive weapons, the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s had a stellar defense as well. In Super Bowl XVI, won by the 49ers 26-21, their defense made the win possible by shutting the Bengals down three times inside their 10.

In the first quarter, the Bengals recovered the 49ers fumble of the opening kickoff and penetrated to the 5, before throwing an interception ending the drive and leading to the 49ers first touchdown. In the second quarter, the 49ers recovered a fumble by the Bengals' Cris Collinsworth on their own 8, then drove 92 yards to their second touchdown. In the third quarter, the Bengals had a first-and-goal on the 49er 3, but were shut down for four plays without scoring.

Answer: He was carried from the field on a stretcher after being knocked unconscious

"Two hammers to [Boyd] Dowler, one to [Carroll] Dale should be enough," was one of hundreds of predictions by Williamson in the weeks leading up to the game, talking about how he'd dominate the Packers' receivers and lead the Chiefs to victory. In the end, Dowler was injured early in the game - not by Williamson - and replaced by Max McGee who caught seven passes for two touchdowns. Dale played the whole game. Williamson recorded three tackles, the last of which, late in the game, knocked him unconscious.

The Packers beat the Chiefs 35-10. Williamson was later hired as a Monday Night Football announcer, replacing Don Meredith who left for another network. For his first game, during the 1974 preseason, he wore a necklace showing an upraised middle finger.

He proved to be so terrible as a broadcaster that he was fired before the regular season began, replaced by former Detroit Lion Alex Karras.

Answer: Timmy Smith

Before Super Bowl XXII, Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, hoping to light a fire under underachieving first string running back George Rogers, announced that Timmy Smith, a backup all season long, would start the game. Smith, who'd gained just 126 yards in the regular season and 138 yards in two playoff games, rose to the challenge - 204 yards in 22 carries in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for Smith, the Redskins' quarterback Doug Williams had an even more spectacular day, throwing four second quarter TD passes to lock up MVP honors. Also unfortunately, that was the only high point of Smith's NFL career.

He reported to training camp grossly overweight the next year, and gained only 455 yards all season. He did not play the next season, and wound up his career with the 1990 Cowboys, carrying six times for six yards.

Answer: Earl Morrall

Earl Morrall can be viewed as one of the most undeservedly lucky or undeservedly unlucky American pro athletes in history (my vote is for unlucky). A solid and reliable NFL backup, he was elevated into the starting role for the 1968 Baltimore Colts when Johnny Unitas was injured. Morrall made the most of the opportunity, winning NFL MVP honors that season.

Unfortunately, none of the Colts that year, coaches or players, took their Super Bowl opponents, the NY Jets, very seriously, and they didn't spend much time preparing for the game.

After Morrall smoothly dissected the Jets' defense in the Colts' opening drive, they missed an easy field goal attempt, and let their wheels fall off. Their offense showed little after that, and Morrall went on to throw three interceptions while deep in Jet territory.

In the worst of them, he perfectly executed a trick "flea flicker" play at the end of the first half, then completely overlooked wide-open receiver Jimmy Orr in the Jets' end zone. His pass into coverage was intercepted as time ran out. Throwing to Orr would have allowed the Colts to tie the game.

In Super Bowl V, Morrall came into the game in the second quarter to relieve the injured Unitas. He performed solidly in one of the most mistake-ridden Super Bowls ever (the teams combined for 6 interceptions, 5 lost fumbles, 14 penalties) as the Colts beat the Cowboys 16-13. Two seasons later, Morrall, now with the Dolphins, took over when starter Bob Griese broke his leg in the fifth game and guided Miami the rest of the way toward its perfect 14-0 regular season. He also led the Dolphins to a first-round playoff victory, before Griese returned to play in the AFC championship game and Super Bowl. Morrall won his third Super Bowl ring coming in occasionally off the bench for the 1973 Dolphins (he did not play in either Dolphins' Super Bowl win) before retiring as a Dolphin after the 1976 season.

Answer: He was the subject of gambling allegations

Len Dawson, the cool and unflappable quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, had an excellent reputation as a decent person and model citizen. All that threatened to come undone in 1970 when, five days before Super Bowl IV, NBC reported that gambler Donald "Dice" Dawson (no relation) had been arrested carrying a large amount of cash, and the quarterback's telephone number.

The NFL released a statement supporting Len Dawson, who acknowledged a casual acquaintance with the gambler and nothing more. In the game itself, Dawson performed well enough - 12-for-17 passing with 142 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT - to be named the game's MVP as the Chiefs easily beat the favored Vikings 23-7.

After the game, Dawson took a call from President Richard Nixon, who voiced his support for the quarterback.

A complete investigation after the season cleared him. The Super Bowl was a nice end to a difficult season for Dawson. He injured his knee in the second game and spent six weeks recovering. His father passed away during the time he was sidelined. Dawson was later elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and enjoyed a successful career in broadcasting.

Answer: "Mean" Joe Greene

Although "Mean" Joe Greene played for four Super Bowl winners, he was never a game MVP - those honors went to Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, and twice to Terry Bradshaw. MVP awards were earned by the others: Super Bowl V (Howley, first defensive player chosen as MVP, and the first MVP who played for the losing team), VII (Scott), and XII (White and Harvey Martin, the first co-MVPs).

Answer: He was arrested for soliciting a prostitute

Robinson was arrested the night before the Super Bowl in a police prostitution sting, after trying to buy a "favor" from an undercover officer. In the game, he was beaten on an 80-yard TD pass as the Denver Broncos beat his Falcons, 34-19. Robinson returned the Bart Starr award.

Answer: Scott Norwood

Although O'Brien won Super Bowl V for the Baltimore Colts 16-13, and Vinatieri won Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVII for the Patriots 20-17 and 32-29 with last-second kicks, had they missed, their teams would still have had a chance to win - their kicks won games that had been tied (the question refers to a team that was trailing). Only poor Scott Norwood, his Buffalo Bills team trailing the Giants 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV, had a chance to bring his team from behind with one kick to win the game.

His infamous kick from 47 yards sailed wide right.

Answer: Insult the women of the host city

The colorful McMahon made the most of the weeks and days leading up to the Super Bowl: He cut the famous rap video "Super Bowl Shuffle" with many of the Bears stars. He had a dispute with the league stemming from his habit of wearing commercial logo headbands.

When he was fined for this by NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle after the Bears' first playoff game, he wore a headband in the NFC championship bearing Rozelle's name in his handwriting. Rozelle, although keeping McMahon's fine in place, sent him a note saying he thought the stunt was "funny as hell." In the Super Bowl itself, McMahon wore another hand-lettered headband bearing the name of one of his friends.

He was accused by a television reporter of referring to the women of Super Bowl host city New Orleans as "sluts." The reporter later admitted fabricating the accusation. Spurning the attentions of the team physician, he demanded the Bears hire an acupuncturist to treat his sore back.

When a helicopter of photographers went over a Bears' practise, he "mooned" the photographers. Bears coach Mike Ditka claimed that McMahon's antics helped take pressure off his teammates. Maybe they did - they beat the New England Patriots 46-10 in the most lopsided Super Bowl outcome to that point.