# It's Super Bowl 50!! What's Your Earliest Super Bowl You Remember Watching? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 28, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493 "2016-01-28T15:18:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/41 "2016-01-29T04:46:28Z")
The first Super Bowl I can remember watching was Super Bowl XVII. Washington beat Miami 27-17 in a game famously dominated by John Riggins. I remember knowing that Cincinnati and San Francisco were playing in Super Bowl XVI but I do not remember watching it. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/42 "2016-01-29T11:08:39Z")
I’ve never watched a whole Super Bowl. But I did watch _Black Sunday_, in the theater no less! And I look for the commercials. I remember Bud Bowls, and tune in for the Puppy Bowl each year now. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/43 "2016-01-29T12:08:30Z")
The one where Joe Montana’s 49ers crushed Dan Marino’s Dolphins, tarnishing the fact that Marino had enjoyed the better season as an individual quarterback. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/44 "2016-01-29T12:24:12Z")
My first Super Bowl was XV, Raiders vs. Eagles. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/45 "2016-01-29T17:29:47Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Your Vikings got bitch-slapped four times in Super Bowls, right? 😃 Yeah, thanks for the reminder. Four appearances, but they never once put up much of a fight. I mean, the Bills lost four, too, but they were in a row and they darn near won the first one (shaking my head, Norwood). On the other hand, the Vikings _were_ NFL **champions** in 1969 (the final pre-merger season), so we’ve got that going for us, which is nice. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/46 "2016-01-29T17:38:01Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Super Bowl III, January 12, 1969. The first to officially bear the name “Super Bowl”. Johnny Unitas vs. “Broadway Joe” Namath. This was my first one to remember too. It was actually more Earl Morrall than Johnny U. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/47 "2016-01-29T17:38:28Z")
I remember watching exactly one Super Bowl by choice. It was as dull as I expected, because it’s pro football. I have watched a few halftime shows on my own volition, but not the game. I doubt this year will be different. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/48 "2016-01-29T18:24:24Z")
> [@Uncle\_Jocko](#): > > Yeah, thanks for the reminder. Four appearances, but they never once put up much of a fight. I mean, the Bills lost four, too, but they were in a row and they darn near won the first one (shaking my head, Norwood). > > On the other hand, the Vikings _were_ NFL **champions** in 1969 (the final pre-merger season), so we’ve got that going for us, which is nice. Yeah, but kinda hollow, given the Super Bowl loss. And the one that showed that the upstart AFL had caught up: Namath and the Jets beating the Colts could have been written off as a one-off fluke (and was by many people; that’s why the Chiefs were 13-point underdogs going into Super Bowl 4) but two convincing AFL wins in a row? Not so much. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/49 "2016-01-29T18:25:25Z")
> [@Doyle](#): > > This was my first one to remember too. > > It was actually more Earl Morrall than Johnny U. Yeah, by the time they brought Unitas off the bench, it was too late for him to save the game. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/50 "2016-01-29T19:01:44Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Yeah, by the time they brought Unitas off the bench, it was too late for him to save the game. He still might have had a chance, had the Colts not incomprehensibly failed to kick a field goal on fourth down trailing 16-7 with 2:30 left in the game and all three time outs. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/51 "2016-01-29T20:16:55Z")
My parents are huge Steeler fans, so I must have at least been aware of the Steelers’ first two SB wins, but the first one I remember was the third, XIII, when they beat the Cowboys 35-31. I was ten. That sparked a serious interest and I watched the Steelers whenever they were on for a few years, until the team’s decline coincided with my getting old enough to not want to spend Sundays hanging out with my parents. Since then, I’ve watched most of them with varying degrees of interest. This year I’ll miss it entirely, though. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/52 "2016-01-29T20:35:54Z")
I vaguely remember Super Bowl III. I definitely remember the game the Jets played against the College All-Stars at Soldier Field the following summer (I even remember the score; Jets 26, All-Stars 24). ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/53 "2016-01-29T20:55:45Z")
> [@Uncle\_Jocko](#): > > Yeah, thanks for the reminder. Four appearances, but they never once put up much of a fight. Yeah, sorry about that. They were a strong team, always in it, and often ruining my Decembers and Januarys. > [@Uncle\_Jocko](#): > > I mean, the Bills lost four, too, but they were in a row and they darn near won the first one (shaking my head, Norwood). Take a look at this Norwood jersey, maybe you’ve seen it: [http://wyrk.com/this-is-the-best-buffalo-bills-jersey-ive-ever-seen-picture/](http://wyrk.com/this-is-the-best-buffalo-bills-jersey-ive-ever-seen-picture/) They really should have won that one. ESPN did an excellent 30 for 30 episode on those four Bills teams. I love the city of Buffalo’s outpouring of love and support for those teams, and especially for Norwood. Highly recommended for any fan of the sport and its history. > [@Uncle\_Jocko](#): > > On the other hand, the Vikings _were_ NFL **champions** in 1969 (the final pre-merger season), so we’ve got that going for us, which is nice. That you do. That was a Joe Kapp led team. Nice guy, I’ve met him, he used to own a bar called Kapps in downtown Mountain View, CA. A bit of trivia, Joe Kapp is the only QB ever to start in a Rose Bowl, a Grey Cup, and a Super Bowl. No other QB has ever done that. Kapp won the Grey Cup but lost the other two. To date, that Rose Bowl (1959) was the last time Cal appeared in the Rose Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/54 "2016-01-29T22:32:30Z")
Like a few others on this thread, the first Super Bowl I watched was Super Bowl VI in 1972 between Dallas and Miami. However, I didn’t like either team and didn’t care who won. I was six and had just started following football that season. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/55 "2016-01-30T01:29:44Z")
Probably Super Bowl XXIX in 1995. San Francisco 49, San Diego 26. I was 12 years old, and not a football fan yet. I didn’t become one until the year my hometown Colts made it to the AFC Championship Game. I watched part of _this_ Super Bowl because there was a big party for the youth and kids at my church that year, at the church. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/56 "2016-01-30T20:09:17Z")
Super Bowl VII, while VI is the first one I am aware of having happened the previous year (that was the first year I collected Topps football cards, and Joe Namath was at the bottom of the first pack I opened and therefore the first whose card I saw. Strictly beginner’s luck). Washington was a slight (one to two points) fave despite Miami’s perfect 16-0 heading in. I have an easy time keeping track of the number of the coming Super Bowl game, as it always has matched my age exactly, even through strike/lockout seasons. It also has always put me right in the ballpark of the price of a first-class postage stamp. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/57 "2016-02-05T00:56:35Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > He still might have had a chance, had the Colts not incomprehensibly failed to kick a field goal on fourth down trailing 16-7 with 2:30 left in the game and all three time outs. Watch the NFL film of that game. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear Unitas came off the bench to win the game. Super bowl 3 was the first I saw. I don’t remember seeing, or being aware of 1 or 2. But my family was visiting relatives that done and I saw parts of the game with my cousin. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@The\_Tof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tof)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/58 "2016-02-05T07:33:47Z")
Bears and Patriots… 10 years old. I have some recollection of a commercial featuring Dan Marino and Joe Montana after one of the Super Bowls before this, but I don’t remember watching the game. What’s funny is I remember significant Charger games played before this… (The Freeze bowl that Bullitt mentioned, and the epic Miami/Charger game) But I don’t remember any Super Bowls before this. I probably lost interest when the Chargers season was done. ---
**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/59 "2016-02-05T10:46:54Z")
I had a flurry of interest of NFL in the 90s thanks to Channel Four highlights in the UK and Madden '93 on the Sega Mega Drive, but I’m pretty sure I never actually watched a Super Bowl (or even any live game) during that time. Then I pretty much lost interest for years and years, until my flatmate in 2006-08 got the full Sky TV package as he was working for them, and we both got really into it. Anyway, the first Super Bowl I watched was Giants v Patriots, the Helmet Catch one. Not a bad first SB! ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493/60 "2016-02-05T11:44:21Z")
> [@The\_Tof](#): > > Bears and Patriots… > > 10 years old. > > I have some recollection of a commercial featuring Dan Marino and Joe Montana after one of the Super Bowls before this, but I don’t remember watching the game. > > What’s funny is I remember significant Charger games played before this… (The Freeze bowl that Bullitt mentioned, and the epic Miami/Charger game) But I don’t remember any Super Bowls before this. I probably lost interest when the Chargers season was done. Just watched that Bears-Patriots Super Bowl yesterday. Not a great game, but just amazing to watch that defense. Didn’t appreciate it as much when I was 11. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-super-bowl-50-whats-your-earliest-super-bowl-you-remember-watching/744493.md?page=4)