Super Bowl XXXIV
The
St. Louis Rams defeated the
Tennessee Titans 23-16 in
Super Bowl XXXIV. The victory was the first Super Bowl title for the Rams, and marked their first
NFL championship since
1951. The
Most Valuable Player of the game was Rams quarterback
Kurt Warner, who was the feel good story of the
1999 season. Warner, who had bounced around playing both in
Arena Football League and
NFL Europe, took the starting job at the start of the season from an injured
Trent Green. Warner then led a team which had suffered previously through nine straight winless campaigns to the championship.
Fast Facts
- January 30, 2000
- Site: Georgia Dome
- Location: Atlanta
- Attendance: 72,625
- MVP: Kurt Warner
- Television: ABC
Greatest Show On Turf
The Rams offense helped lead them to a league best 13-3 regular season record, leading the league in total yards, passing yards, and scoring. Warner's weapons included all-pro running back Marshall Faulk, and all-pro wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. The group earned the nickname "The Greatest Show on Turf", but it was their much maligned defensive unit which stepped in helping them win the NFC Championship Game 11-6 over Tampa Bay. Then in the Super Bowl, clinging to a 23-16 lead, linebacker Mike Jones tackled Tennessee wide receiver Kevin Dyson at the 1-yard line as time expired to secure the Super Bowl title.
Music City Miracle
The Titans, who had changed their name from the Tennessee Oilers prior to the season, were in their first season in Nashville, following two years in Memphis. The franchise had relocated from Houston, where they had played since helping launch the American Football League in 1960. The old Oilers had lost to Buffalo in the 1993 playoffs by allowing the greatest come-from-behind victory in league history. But the franchise exacted a measure of revenge in the 1999 Wild Card playoff when, after allowing a late touchdown, they scored on the ensuing kickoff. Lorenzo Neal took the squibbed kickoff and handed the ball to Frank Wycheck, who then ran to his right and then threw the ball backwards to the other side of the field to Dyson, who outran the stunned coverage to score the winning touchdown as time expired. The play, known in the playbook as "Home Run Throwback", allowed the Titans to begin their playoff march to the Super Bowl, and has forever become known as the "Music City Miracle".
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