Introduction 10-9

8. Franco Harris – Running Back, 1976, Pittsburgh Steelers: Super Bowl X showcased the Pittsburgh Steelers vs the Dallas Cowboys at the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL. Pittsburgh rallied in the fourth quarter to win 21-17 behind a Super Bowl record 161 yards on four catches from Lynn Swann, who was named MVP of the game.

Franco Harris, drafted in the 1st round (13th overall) in the 1972 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and four-time Super Bowl Champion. Harris carried the ball 27 times for 82 yards, and added a 26 yard catch. On their first possession, the Steelers ran five consecutive plays, four of which by Harris who accumulated 16 yards before they had to punt. On the second possession, another four consecutive runs, two by Harris for 12 yards. Once the Cowboys defense sucked in to stuff the run, Bradshaw went deep to Swann for 32 yards, leading to a Steeler touchdown. Dallas was able to slow Harris after that, holding him to only 17 more yards to rest of the half.

Even though they were down at the halftime, 10-7, Pittsburgh continued to hammer the Cowboys with Harris. Five of their first six plays of the 2nd half were to Harris: they ran right, sweep right, left around, right off tackle, and left again. Pittsburgh was still down 10-7 going into the 4th quarter, and opened with a 26 yard pass to Harris. The Steelers continued to pound Harris into the Cowboys line, up 15-10 with 4:25 left in the 4th. The touchdown that sealed the deal that possession was simple: Franco for four yards, Franco for two yards, and then Bradshaw to Swann for the 64 yard TD.

7. Matt Millen – Linebacker, 1984, Los Angeles Raiders: Super Bowl XVIII was a battle between the Los Angeles Raiders and Washington Redskins at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, FL. The Raiders took an early lead and never looked back winning 38-9. Running back Marcus Allen was the MVP of the game, the only championship by a team from Los Angeles.

Matt Millen, drafted in the 2nd round (43rd overall) in the 1980 NFL Draft, was part of a feared Raiders defense featured Pro Bowlers Howie Long, Millen, and Rod Martin. Millen had six tackles and one sack in the game. On Washington’s second possession of the game Millen made two tackles on bruising running back John Riggins, who was last year’s Super Bowl MVP. When Joe Theismann had the Redskins driving on their first possession on the 2nd quarter, Millen came up with a huge sack when Theismann rolled out on the play. After the loss of seven yards, Washington was unable to convert and had to punt to Los Angeles, who drove down the field to take a 14-0 lead.

Millen’s most famous contribution to the game was a play he wasn’t even on the field. Trailing 14-3 with :12 seconds left in the first half, Washington called a “Rocket Screen.” Raiders LB coach recognized the play, and pulled an enraged Millen, who was going to blitz, off the field for Jack Squirek to jump the screen. He did, and took it all the way for a touchdown to give LA a commanding 21-3. Millen added three more tackles, all against Riggins, in the third quarter, which ended with the Raiders leading 35-9.

Check back tomorrow for numbers 6 and 5!

Introduction

10. Andre Collins/Tim Johnson – Linebacker/Defensive Lineman, 1992, Washington Redskins: Our only tie of our rankings, fittingly, goes to two teammates. Super Bowl XXVI pitted the Washington Redskins vs the Buffalo Bills at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, MN. The game was won 37-24 by Washington, led by game MVP Mark Rypien.

Tim Johnson, drafted in the 4th round (141st overall) in the 1987 NFL draft, was a key member of the 1986 Penn State National Championship team. In the Super Bowl, he had 3.5 tackles, including a tackle for a loss he shared with Andre Collins in the 2nd quarter against Thurman Thomas. With Buffalo driving in the third quarter, Johnson made a downfield tackle of wide receiver Don Beebe short of the first down marker. In the fourth quarter, Buffalo had just scored to make it 37-17, and recovered an onside kick. A 13 yard shotgun draw play from running back Kenneth Davis got Buffalo a 1st and goal. They tried to run the same play again to catch Washington off-guard, but Johnson made the tackle after only a three yard gain.

Andre Collins, drafted in the 2nd round (46th overall) in the 1990 NFL Draft, was the team’s leading tackler that season with 151 tackles. In the Super Bowl, he had 4.5 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss, including the aforementioned shared tackle for loss with Tim Johnson. Teammate Brad Edwards stole the show on defense with 4 tackles, 5 pass deflections, and two picks with 56 return yards, but Collins led the team in tackles from his linebacker position. He also keyed the Redskins defense that shut-out Buffalo in the first half, making them only the 9th team in history to do so. His biggest stop was with the Bills driving in the 2nd quarter trying to get a score before halftime; on a 2nd and two, he stuffed Thurman Thomas for a loss of four yards.

Ironically, Matt Millen was also on this team, his last season in the NFL.

9. Matt Millen – Linebacker, 1990, San Francisco 49ers: Super Bowl XXIV was a matchup of the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA. The game was the most lopsided game in Super Bowl history as the 49ers rolled to a 55-10 victory, led by MVP Joe Montana.

Matt Millen, drafted in the 2nd round (43rd overall) in the 1980 NFL Draft, was part of a dominating 49ers defense that included Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley and Bill Romanowski. In the Super Bowl, he had 5.5 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss. Two of his tackles came on Denver’s first drive of the game, bringing down running back Bobby Humphrey and quarterback John Elway on consecutive plays. San Francisco quickly put the game out of reach with scores in six of their first eight drives, but the 49ers defense prevented Denver from keeping pace. After a San Francisco touchdown to make it 20-3, Millen stopped Humphrey for a three yard loss on the first Broncos play. In the third quarter, the game well out of reach at 41-3, Millen teamed up with Haley to stop Humphrey for a 2 yard loss on 2nd and goal from the 1.

Check back tomorrow for numbers 8 and 7!

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