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Super Bowl XXXVI was the 36th championship game of the modern National Football League (NFL). The game was played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana following the 2001 regular season.

The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots (14-5) defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams (16-3), 20 – 17, as kicker Adam Vinatieri made a game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired. The Rams had been 14-point favorites to win the game, making the Patriots' victory one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.

Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady, who completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards with a touchdown and marched his team down the field for the game winning score, was named Super Bowl MVP.

Due to the September 11, 2001 attacks and the NFL schedule being moved one week back, Super Bowl XXXVI was rescheduled from the original date of January 27 to February 3. The halftime performance by U2 is considered one of the better halftime shows in the history of the Super Bowl, as is Mariah Carey's rendition of the National Anthem. Since the attacks, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated each subsequent Super Bowl a National Special Security Event (NSSE). By 2004, the league had restored the traditional pre-Super Bowl bye week that had been abolished prior to the 2001 NFL season, to reduce the possibility of the Super Bowl being unexpectedly delayed again.

Background

St. Louis Rams

After their Super Bowl winning 1999 season, the Rams offense again dominated the league, leading the NFL in passing, scoring, and total yards. However, they had one of the worst defenses in the league, ranking second to last in points allowed. This, along with injury problems and a coaching change (Super Bowl winning coach Dick Vermeil left the team and was replaced by Mike Martz), caused them to slip to a 10-6 record in 2000 and be eliminated in the wild card round of the playoffs.

However, after signing several new defensive players in the offseason, the Rams finished the 2001 season with the NFL's best regular season record at 14-2, and advanced to their second Super Bowl appearance in the last 3 seasons. In 2001, they led the league in both total offensive yards (6,930) and scoring (503). This was their third consecutive season with over 500 points, an NFL record. On defense, they only allowed 271 points, improving their 31st ranking from last season to 7th.

Their offense, nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf", is widely considered one of the best in NFL history. There seemed to be an endless amount of offensive talent at every position. Quarterback Kurt Warner was awarded the NFL Most Valuable Player Award after throwing for 4,830 yards and 36 touchdowns, with 22 interceptions, and earning a league high 101.4 passer rating. Wide receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce each amassed over 1,100 receiving yards, combining for 142 receptions, 2,469 yards, and 13 touchdowns. Wide receiver Ricky Proehl caught 40 passes for 563 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tight end Ernie Conwell caught 38 passes for 431 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim caught 39 passes for 374 yards, and added another 333 yards returning punts.

Running back Marshall Faulk won NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award for the third year in a row. He rushed for 1,382 yards, caught 83 passes for 765 yards, scored 21 touchdowns, and became the first NFL player ever to gain more than 2,000 combined rushing and receiving yards for 4 consecutive seasons. Running back Trung Canidate was also a major contributor, rushing for 441 yards, catching 17 passes for 154 yards, returning kickoffs for 748 yards, and scoring 6 touchdowns. Up front, their offensive line was led by guard Adam Timmerman and offensive tackle Orlando Pace, who was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row.

The Rams also had a solid defense, ranking third in the league in fewest yards allowed (4,733). The line was anchored by Pro Bowl defensive end Leonard Little, who led the team with 14.5 sacks and recovered a fumble, and defensive end Grant Wistrom, who recorded 9 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery. Behind them, the Rams linebacking core was led by London Fletcher, who had 4.5 sacks and 2 interceptions. St. Louis also had an outstanding secondary, led by Dre' Bly (6 interceptions, 150 return yards, and 2 touchdowns), Pro Bowler Aeneas Williams (4 interceptions, 69 return yards, 2 touchdowns), and Dexter McCleon (4 interceptions, 66 yards).

New England Patriots

The Patriots' chances for a Super Bowl appearance seemed to be doomed barely after the season had begun. Before the season even started, quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein died of a heart attack. The Patriots lost their first two games, and starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury that caused him to miss the rest of the regular season. His replacement was second-year quarterback Tom Brady, a sixth-round draft pick who had thrown only 3 passes in 2000. Then in the fourth game of the year, wide receiver Terry Glenn, their leading receiver in 2000, was benched for the rest of the season due to off the field problems.

But Brady surprised the league by having an outstanding regular season and leading New England to an 11-5 record. He completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 2,843 yards and 18 touchdowns with 12 interceptions and was selected to the Pro Bowl. Veteran Pro Bowl wide receiver Troy Brown was the main threat in the passing game, recording 101 receptions for 1,199 yards and 5 touchdowns, while also adding another 413 yards and 2 touchdowns returning punts. On the other side of the field, wide receiver David Patten was also a significant threat, catching 51 passes for 749 yards and 4 touchdowns. Running back Antowain Smith provided the team with a good rushing attack, rushing for 1,157 yards, catching 19 passes for 192 yards, and scoring 13 touchdowns.

New England also had a very solid defense. Up front, linemen Bobby Hamilton (7 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), and Richard Seymour excelled at pressuring quarterbacks and stuffing the run. Behind them, the Patriots had 3 superb linebackers in Mike Vrabel (2 interceptions, 3 sacks), Willie McGinest (5 sacks), and Tedy Bruschi (2 interceptions). But the biggest strength of the defense was their secondary. Defensive back Otis Smith led the team with 5 interceptions, which he returned for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cornerback Ty Law intercepted 3 passes, returning them for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns. Safety Lawyer Milloy had 2 interceptions and was the only player on defense to make the Pro Bowl.

In a precursor of things to come, the Patriots hosted the Rams in a nationally televised, ESPN Sunday night regular-season game eleven weeks prior to Super Bowl XXXVI. The underdog Patriots jumped out to an early lead before the Rams wore New England down in the second half and won 24-17. The Rams, however, came out of the game pretty banged up; four of their defensive players were knocked out of the game with injuries. The Patriots' physical play led Rams coach Mike Martz, in an eerie premonition, to say after the game that the Patriots were "a Super Bowl-caliber team." The Patriots would drop to 5-5 after the loss, but would not lose another game the rest of the season.

Playoffs

The Rams started out their postseason with a 45-17 win over the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. Expected to be a close shootout between Warner and Packers quarterback Brett Favre, the Rams defense dominated the Packers by intercepting a playoff record 6 passes from Favre and returning 3 of them for touchdowns. The Rams offense also racked up 24 points on 2 touchdown passes by Warner, a touchdown run by Faulk, and a field goal by Jeff Wilkins, helping St. Louis put the game away by the end of the third quarter.

One week later, the Rams advanced to the Super Bowl with a 29-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game. Philadelphia managed to build a 17-13 halftime lead, but St. Louis stormed back with 16 unanswered second half points (2 touchdown runs by Faulk and a Wilkins field goal) to clinch the win. Warner finished the game with 22 of 33 pass completions for 212 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions, while Faulk rushed for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns.

In the AFC, the Patriots defeated the Oakland Raiders 16-13 in a driving New England snowstorm, aided by a controversial official ruling in the fourth quarter that caused this game to be known as the "tuck game". With his team trailing the Raiders 13-10 late in the fourth quarter, Brady appeared to lose a fumble while being sacked by defensive back Charles Woodson, and linebacker Greg Biekert recovered the ball. However, the play was reviewed by instant replay. Invoking the "tuck rule" which was unheard of to most football fans, where a ball is ruled an incomplete pass after the quarterback starts any forward motion, the play was overturned in a controversial decision that is still heavily debated. Brady then led his team to the Raiders 29-yard line, where kicker Adam Vinatieri made a 45-yard field goal (a dramatic kick through heavy snowfall that barely cleared the crossbar) to send the game into overtime. In the extra period the Patriots won on another Vinatieri field goal, this one from 23 yards.

One week later in the AFC title game, the Patriots traveled to Heinz Field to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were coming off a 27-10 win over the previous season's Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. New England scored first with a 55-yard punt return touchdown by Brown, but in the second quarter, Brady was knocked out of the game replaced by Bledsoe in a dramatic reversal of events that took place earlier in the season. After the Steelers scored a field goal, Bledsoe threw an 11-yard pass to Patten to give the Patriots a 14-3 halftime lead. Early in the second half, the Steelers moved from their own 32 to the New England 16, where they lined up for a field goal. But Brandon Mitchell blocked it, Troy Brown picked up the ball at the 40 and ran 11 yards before lateraling to Antwaan Harris, who took it 49 yards for the score that made it 21-3. Pittsburgh countered with 2 third quarter touchdowns, but the Patriots thwarted the comeback attempt by scoring a field goal in the fourth quarter and intercepting 2 passes from Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart in the final 3 minutes of the game.

Effect of the September 11, 2001 attacks

Preparations for Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans were planned ever since the city was awarded the game during the NFL's October 1998 meetings. However, the September 11, 2001 attacks led the league to move both the playoffs and the Super Bowl one week back. Rescheduling the game from January 27 to February 3 was a difficult task. Not only would the game itself have to be moved, but all related events and activities had to be accommodated. It was normal for there to be an open weekend between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl. However, in this particular season, there wasn't one. Beginning in the 2001 season, the league moved the opening week of games to the weekend after Labor Day. (The date of the Super Bowl had been set through 2003, so the bye week would not return until 2004, when the Super Bowl would be moved to the first weekend in February.)

The NFL and New Orleans officials worked diligently to put together a deal to reschedule the game. At first, the league considered shortening the regular season, shortening the playoffs, or even moving the game to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. To further complicate the situation, the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention was scheduled to occupy the Superdome on February 3. On October 3, 2001, the NFL announced their intentions to hold the game on February 3, and by late fall, the three parties came to a final settlement, where the NADA would move their convention's date to the original Super Bowl week, allowing the NFL to move the game back seven days.

Following Super Bowl tradition, the original logo for Super Bowl XXXVI was to have a flavor that represented the host city. A logo was designed and distributed on a very small amount of memorabilia items in early 2001. After the 9/11 attacks, a new logo reflecting American pride was designed, featuring the shape of the 48 contiguous states (see the top of this article). Merchandise featuring the original logo is now considered extremely collectible.

Television and entertainment

The game was broadcast in the United States by FOX television, with the broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator John Madden. This was Summerall's 26th and (to date) final Super Bowl broadcast on television or radio, and his final telecast with Madden; the two had been paired since 1981. James Brown hosted all the events with help from his then-fellow FOX NFL Sunday cast members Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Cris Collinsworth.

The overall theme of the Super Bowl entertainment was a celebration of the freedom and spirit of America. The confetti was red, white, and blue. That color scheme would go on to be used for every Super Bowl from that point on.

This game was the last Super Bowl played on antiquated AstroTurf. About a year before the game was held, stadium officials considered bringing in natural grass for the game. The system would use large trays of grass grown and cultivated outdoors, and brought inside to be placed on the field of play. Cost concerns, and the fact that it had never been done before, prompted stadium and league officials to abandon the project. During the 2003 season, the Superdome replaced its AstroTurf surface with AstroPlay, a surface that more closely simulates natural grass. The last two teams to play their home games on AstroTurf, the Rams and the Indianapolis Colts, switched to FieldTurf in 2005.

Pregame ceremonies

Before the game, an ensemble of singers Barry Manilow, Yolanda Adams, James Ingram, Wynonna and Patti LaBelle performed Manilow's song "Let Freedom Ring".

In a video segment, past and present NFL players read excerpts from the Declaration of Independence. Former U.S. presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton appeared in another videotaped segment and recited some of the speeches by Abraham Lincoln. Because Ronald Reagan had Alzheimer's disease, his wife Nancy appeared on the segment instead.

Singers Mary J. Blige and Marc Anthony, along with the Boston Pops Orchestra, performed "America the Beautiful". Paul McCartney then sang his 9/11 tribute song "Freedom." Afterwards, singer Mariah Carey, accompanied by the Boston Pops Orchestra, performed the national anthem.

George H. W. Bush became the first president, past or present, to participate in a Super Bowl coin toss in person (Ronald Reagan participated in the Super Bowl XIX coin toss via satellite from the White House in 1985). Bush was joined by hall of fame and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, who played at the United States Naval Academy and was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VI, played 30 years prior at New Orleans' Tulane Stadium.

Halftime show

The halftime show featured a three-song set from Irish rockers U2, fresh off their successful Elevation Tour. After renditions of "Beautiful Day" and "MLK", the band launched into "Where the Streets Have No Name," featuring two backdrops with the names of victims of the 9/11 attacks floating into the sky behind the band and Bono opening his jacket to reveal an American flag printed into the lining.

Game summary

The Patriots dispensed with the traditional individual player introductions, choosing to enter the stadium as a team. This unselfish approach carried over into the game; even though the Rams outgained the Patriots 427-267 in total yards, New England forced three turnovers and converted them into 17 points, while committing no turnovers themselves. Ever since the Patriots' now-famous "team introduction" in Super Bowl XXXVI, the NFL decided to forgo individual player introductions for the Super Bowl ; every subsequent Super Bowl (except XXXVII) has had "team introductions" on both sides.

The Rams scored first midway through the first quarter, driving 48 yards in 10 plays to set up a 50-yard field goal by kicker Jeff Wilkins. The rest of the quarter was scoreless as both teams' defenses took control. Early in the second quarter, the Rams drove to New England's 34-yard line, but quarterback Kurt Warner threw an incompletion on third down, and Wilkins' subsequent 52-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

In the second quarter, with 8:49 left on the clock, New England defensive back Ty Law intercepted a pass intended for receiver Isaac Bruce and took off for a 47-yard touchdown return to give the Patriots a 7-3 lead. With less than two minutes left in the first half, Warner completed a pass to receiver Ricky Proehl at the Patriots 40-yard line, but New England defensive back Antwan Harris forced a fumble while tackling him. Patriots defensive back Terrell Buckley recovered the ball. New England quarterback Tom Brady would lead a drive that culminated with an 8-yard touchdown pass to receiver David Patten with just 31 seconds left in the half to give New England a 14-3 halftime lead. It was the first time during the entire season that St. Louis fell behind in a game by more than eight points.

The Patriots took the opening kickoff of the second half, but could only reach the St. Louis 43-yard line before being forced to punt. Aided by a 20-yard reception by wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim, a 22-yard reception by Bruce, and a defensive pass interference penalty on Patriots defensive back Otis Smith, the Rams advanced to the New England 41-yard line. But on the next play, linebacker Mike Vrabel and defensive lineman Richard Seymour sacked Warner for a 9-yard loss. Warner then threw 2 consecutive incomplete passes, forcing the Rams to punt.

Later in the third quarter, Smith intercepted a pass intended for Rams wide receiver Torry Holt after Holt slipped while coming off the line of scrimmage, and returned the ball 30 yards to the Rams 33-yard line. St. Louis' defense kept the Patriots out of the end zone, but kicker Adam Vinatieri made a 37-yard field goal to increase New England's lead to 17-3.

The Rams responded by driving to the Patriots' 3-yard line on their ensuing drive. On fourth-and-goal, the Rams decided to go for the touchdown with a quarterback sneak by Warner. However, Warner fumbled the ball while being tackled by linebacker Roman Phifer. Defensive back Tebucky Jones recovered the fumble and returned it 97 yards for an apparent touchdown that would have increased the Patriots lead to 24-3. However, the play was nullified by a holding penalty on linebacker Willie McGinest, giving the Rams a first down on the 1-yard line instead. New England kept the Rams out of the end zone for one more play, but Warner scored on a second down, 2-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 17-10.

After Warner's touchdown, the Rams defense forced the Patriots to a three-and-out. St. Louis then drove from their own 7-yard line to the New England 36-yard line, aided by a 30-yard reception by Proehl. However, McGinest sacked Warner for a 16-yard loss on second down, pushing the Rams back to their 46-yard line. St. Louis ended up punting after Warner's third down pass was incomplete.

The Rams forced New England to another three-and-out, and they got the ball back on their own 45-yard line with 1:51 left in the game. Warner threw three consecutive completions: an 18-yard pass to Hakim, an 11-yard one to receiver Yo Murphy, and finally a 26-yard touchdown completion to Proehl to tie the game 17-17 with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots had no timeouts left for their ensuing drive, causing color commentator John Madden to famously declare that the Patriots should run out the clock and go to overtime. Instead, New England decided to go for the win, as Brady opened the drive with three completions to running back J.R. Redmond, which moved the ball to their 41-yard line with 33 seconds left. After an incomplete pass, Brady completed a 23-yard pass to wide receiver Troy Brown, and followed it up with a 6-yard completion to tight end Jermaine Wiggins to advance to the Rams' 30-yard line. Brady then spiked the ball with seven seconds left, setting up Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal attempt. Vinatieri's game-winning kick sailed through the uprights as time expired, marking the first time in Super Bowl history that a game had been won by a score on the final play. There was some controversy over whether there should have been time left on the clock for the Patriots to kick off for one final play.

Warner finished the game with 28 completions out of 44 passes for 365 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions, and rushed 3 times for 6 yards and a touchdown. Warner's 365 passing yards were the second highest total in Super Bowl history behind his own record of 414 yards set in Super Bowl XXXIV. Hakim was the top receiver of the game with 5 catches for 90 yards, and also rushed once for 5 yards. Rams running back Marshall Faulk led the team with 76 rushing yards, and also caught 4 passes for 54 yards. Patriots running back Antowain Smith was the top rusher of the game with 92 yards, and caught a pass for 4 yards. Troy Brown was the Patriots leading receiver with 6 catches for 89 yards, a 15-yard kickoff return, and a 4-yard punt return, giving him 108 total yards.

Scoring summary

• STL - FG: Jeff Wilkins 50 yards 3-0 STL
• NE - TD: Ty Law 47 yard interception return (Adam Vinatieri kick) 7-3 NE
• NE - TD: David Patten 8 yard pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick) 14-3 NE
• NE - FG: Adam Vinatieri 37 yards 17-3 NE
• STL - TD: Kurt Warner 2 yard run (Jeff Wilkins kick) 17-10 NE
• STL - TD: Ricky Proehl 26 yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick) 17-17 tie
• NE - FG: Adam Vinatieri 48 yards 20-17 NE

Starting lineups

Officials

• Referee: Bernie Kukar
• Umpire: Jeff Rice
• Head Linesman: Mark Hittner
• Line Judge: Ron Phares
• Field Judge: Pete Morelli
• Side Judge: Laird Hayes
• Back Judge: Scott Green
• Alternate Referee: Mike Carey
• Alternate Umpire: Ron Botchan

Notes and references

1. Accessed 17 June 2007.

• Super Bowl official website
• 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book. Time Inc. Home Entertainment. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
• The Sporting News: History of the Super Bowl (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• http://www.pro-football-reference.com - Large online database of NFL data and statistics
• Super Bowl play-by-plays from USA Today (Last accessed September 28, 2005)
• All-Time Super Bowl Odds from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)

See also

• 2001 NFL season
• NFL playoffs, 2001-02

• 2002 in American football
• Super Bowl
• New England Patriots
• Saint Louis Rams
• Sports in New Orleans