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Date | January 15, 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Stadium | Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Randy White, Defensive tackle; and Harvey Martin, Defensive end | ||||||||||||||||||
Favorite | Cowboys by 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
Referee | Jim Tunney | ||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 75,583 | ||||||||||||||||||
Future Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||||||||
Cowboys: Tex Schramm (team administrator), Tom Landry (coach), Mike Ditka‡ (asst. coach), Tony Dorsett, Mel Renfro, Roger Staubach, Randy White, Rayfield Wright. ‡ elected as a player. Broncos: none. |
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Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
National anthem | Phyllis Kelly of Northeast Louisiana University | ||||||||||||||||||
Coin toss | Red Grange | ||||||||||||||||||
Halftime show | "From Paris to the Paris of America" with the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles, Pete Fountain, and Al Hirt | ||||||||||||||||||
TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier | ||||||||||||||||||
Nielsen ratings | 47.2 (est. 78.94 million viewers) |
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Market share | 67 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cost of 30-second commercial | $162,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
Super Bowl XII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1977 season. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 27–10 to win their second Super Bowl. The game was played on January 15, 1978, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. This was the first time that the Super Bowl was played in a domed stadium, and the first time that the game was played in prime time.
The game pitted Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach against their former quarterback, Craig Morton. Led by Staubach and the Doomsday Defense, Dallas advanced to its fourth Super Bowl after posting a 12–2 regular season record and playoff victories over the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings. The Broncos, led by Morton and the Orange Crush Defense, made their first Super Bowl appearance after also posting a 12–2 regular-season record and postseason wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders.
The Cowboys defense dominated most of Super Bowl XII, forcing eight turnovers and allowing only eight pass completions by the Broncos for just 61 yards. Two of those interceptions led to 10 first-quarter points. Denver's longest play of the game was just 21 yards, which occurred on their opening drive. Dallas expanded its lead to 20–3 in the third quarter after wide receiver Butch Johnson made a diving catch in the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown reception. Denver cut the lead down to ten, 20–10, after an ineffective Morton was replaced by Norris Weese late in the third period, but the Cowboys put the game out of reach in the fourth when fullback Robert Newhouse threw a 29-yard touchdown pass on a halfback option play to receiver Golden Richards.