2/3/10 XLIV Super Bowl fun facts on The Counter Project

The most all-American of holiday weekends is upon us. The weekend where we pay homage to our mightiest and swiftest warriors, where we give thanks for corporate success and excess by shushing those around us in order to better see and hear the three-million dollar ads flicker across out big screens, and where we spend half of a Sabbath Day in a gluttonous orgy of pizza, pork and chicken wings. Yes, Super Bowl weekend is here.

This year will mark the XLIVth (44^th for us non-Romans) time we’ve gathered for this annual occasion, and of course, the game pits the Saints of New Orleans against the Colts of Indianapolis. And in honor of the event, I thought I’d give you 44 Super Facts to wow your friends with this Sunday—you know, for when the pre-game show gets to feel a bit tedious, or when the second half gets dragged down by the third stringers (either players or commercials).

From the basics to the obscure, from the past to the present, here you go:

This year’s game in Miami is the 10^th time the south Florida hotspot has played host to the big game.
Although this is the New Orleans Saints’ first trip to the Super Bowl, their city has hosted it nine times.
Minnesota, Buffalo and Denver have lost the game more times than any other teams: four.
Buffalo lost the game four times in a row.
Pittsburgh has more Super Bowl victories than any other team: six.
Three players have won the Super Bowl both as a player and a coach: Mike Ditka, Tom Flores and Tony Dungy.
This year is the first time in 16 years that the number one playoff seeds are meeting in the Super Bowl.
In even-numbered Super Bowls, the AFC team is designated as the home team, which means the Colts will be wearing their white home jerseys this year.
This year’s half-time entertainment will be The Who.
New York City was originally selected as the 2010 host city for the Super Bowl, pending the completion of West Side Stadium, but when the state of New York failed to provide $300 million to fund it, the bidding was re-opened with Miami finally winning the honors over Atlanta and Houston.
Miami is the first city to host a Super Bowl twice since the terrorist attack of 9/11. That means it’s the only city to have hosted two Super Bowls designated as a National Special Security Event.
This is the first year the Pro Bowl has been played before the Super Bowl, and the first time since 1979 that it hasn’t been played in Hawaii.
If the Pro Bowl hadn’t been moved, it would have been competing with the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, as well as the second full day of competition in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The Saints led the NFL in scoring, averaging just over 32 points a game this season.
The Saints are the first team to start the season 13-0 and finish the season with three straight losses.
The Saints scored 76 points in both of the playoff wins that got them to the Super Bowl this year.
Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell leads the Colts to the Super Bowl this year, one year after Tony Dungy exited, similar to the situation where Jon Gruden lead the Bucs to the Super Bowl the year after Dungy was canned at Tampa Bay.
Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning’s dad played 10 seasons for the New Orleans Saints, and still calls the city home, but has said he will definitely be rooting for his son and the Colts to win on Sunday.
Despite being an official NFL sponsor, this is the first time in 23 years that Pepsi will not have an ad running during the Super Bowl.
FedEx, another official sponsor, also purchased no ads.
All ad slots were sold out by February 1.
The $2.8 million price tag for a 30-second spot is down from the $3 million price last year.
For the second straight year, no American automaker will run an ad.
Radio broadcasts of the game in the U.S. and Canada will be called by Marv Albert and Boomer Esiason.
Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will be calling the game from the booth for television.
This is the third year in a row that an American Idol alum will sing the National Anthem—Carrie Underwood performs this year, while Jordin Sparks sang it two years ago and Jennifer Hudson sang it last year.
Only four teams have never been to a Super Bowl: the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and of course the Detroit Lions.
The site of this year’s Super Bowl changed names less than a month ago, from Mud Shark Stadium to Sun Life Stadium.
The referee for Sunday’s game is Scott Green.
The Colts are favored by 4.
Michigan is the only cold-weather state to host the Super Bowl twice: in 1982 at the Pontiac Silverdome, and in 2006 at Ford Field.
The only cold-weather state other than Michigan to host the Super Bowl is Minnesota in 1992.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA has hosted the big game five times, but hasn’t hosted one since 1993.
The state that has hosted the most Super Bowls is California with 11—in Pasadena, Los Angeles, Stanford and San Diego.
Denver gave up more than 50 points in two separate trips to the Super Bowl—55 against San Francisco in 1990 and 52 against Dallas in 1993.
The lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever was Super Bowl VII (1972) where the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins 14-7.
The most interceptions in a Super Bowl by one person was in 1981 when Oakland linebacker picked off three from Philadelphia.
February 7 (this year) is the latest the Super Bowl has ever been played.
This is the fourth time the Colt franchise has appeared in the Super Bowl—two times when they were in Baltimore, and now twice in Indianapolis.
Every time the Colt franchise has played in the Super Bowl, it has been played in Miami—they’ve lost once and won twice.
The game will air on CBS (Channel 62 in Detroit).
This is CBS’ 50^th year of NFL coverage.
The weather forecast for Miami on Sunday is a high of 71 with mostly sunny skies.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:28p.

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Member Opinions:

By: 7and7 on 2/4/10
Not a sports fan, but I'll be watching this at a friends house on Sunday with about 50 other people. So true about it being an "All American holiday." Seems like people put as much planning in for this day as they do with Christmas or Thanksgiving.

By: Greely on 2/4/10
Don't forget #45: Peyton Manning lines his helmet with baloney slices before every game.

By: Ant on 2/5/10
46. "Super Bowl" is from the Latin "Superbus Boloniense," which means "proud bouillon."

47. The losing quarterback of every Super Bowl dating back to 1975 has mysteriously died within 3 years of the loss.

48. The only president to ever play in a Super Bowl was Lyndon Johnson.

By: Bababooey on 2/5/10
And...
49 The coin flipped at the beginning is really made out of chocolate.

50. The Who are curerntly working on perfecting this year's "Wardrobe Malfunction."

How could you forget those??

:)

By: TimothyT on 2/5/10
Are facts 45-50 guaranteed to be correct, or do I risk ridicule if I use them on Sunday?

;)

By: triscuit on 2/5/10
Interesting that Michigan is the only cold weather state to host it twice. And it's surprising that NY never has.

By: triscuit on 2/5/10
And I'd like to add:

51. The only head coach to bench his entire team and play the second half by himself is... Coach Ditka while leading a certain team known worldwide as da Bears!

By: Fargus on 2/5/10
I'd like to know if it's true that the water level of cities all across the country drops at halftime (because everyone's flushing). That's something I've always heard, but don't know if it's just an urban legend or not.

By: Bababooey on 2/6/10
I'm totally using #51. I don't care if it's true or not, it's awesome! And it give me an opportunity to interject "DA BEARS" into the conversation!

By: triscuit on 2/6/10
Fargus I've heard that too, but don't know if its' true.

By: triscuit on 2/6/10
And Bababooey, knock yerself out!

By: Fargus on 2/8/10
Ok, I used 31 and 32 during the game yesterday. I heard that Indianapolis will host it in two years, so that will add Indiana to the list of cold weather states.

By: 7and7 on 2/9/10
#34 is wrong. Florida has hosted it 15 times, 10 in Miami, 4 in Tampa, 1 in Jacksonville.

By: Johnny.Christmas on 2/11/10
I've never understood why they even play the game in cold weather states. I think this should be a nice warm destination game. Hawaii, Florida, Texas, California, Louisiana, Georgia...not Michigan or Minnesota.

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