Super Bowl week might be a good time to look ahead to what will happen in Sunday’s big game, what parties there are to look forward to and what funny new commercials will air, but it’s also a good time to look back.
While Las Vegas is hosting the big game for the first time, the center of the sports world has been on Houston three times in past years.
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Make no mistake, some of the most memorable moments in Super Bowl history have taken place here in Houston. Here’s a look back at the three times the Super Bowl has been played in Space City.
Super Bowl LI (Feb. 2017)
Monday marked the seventh anniversary of Super Bowl history, given it still remains the only time a Super Bowl game has gone into overtime. It also produced arguably the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history courtesy of the great Tom Brady.
The Atlanta Falcons seemed well on their way to their first ever Super Bowl title, nursing a 28-3 lead halfway through the third quarter over the New England Patriots.
But behind Brady, the Patriots stormed back, cutting their deficit to 28-20 with 5:56 remaining and then tying the game at 28 with 57 seconds left after a 1-yard touchdown run by James White and a successful 2-point conversion pass from Brady to Danny Amendola.
After winning the coin toss in overtime, the Patriots drove down the field and won the game on a 2-yard touchdown run by White.
It was New England’s fifth Super Bowl title and Brady was named MVP.
Super Bowl XXXVIII (Feb. 1, 2004)
More than 20 years ago, the Super Bowl came to Houston for the second time ever, but for the first time to NRG Stadium.
Seeking its second Super Bowl title in three years, the New England Patriots were favorites coming in, but found themselves in a fight against the Carolina Panthers, who were just in their ninth season as an NFL franchise.
Trailing 22-21 with 6:53 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Patriots drove the field and took a 29-22 lead on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Mike Vrabel and a 2-point conversion run by Kevin Faulk.
The Panthers answered, tying the game with 1:08 left on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Ricky Proehl.
But proving that the team that was going to get the ball last would win, the Patriots drove back down the field, milked the clock to the last seconds, and won 32-29 on a 41-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri with 4 seconds remaining.
Brady was named MVP.
Super Bowl VIII (Jan. 24, 1974)
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Super Bowl played in Houston, and it was significant in that it marked the first time the game was played somewhere other than the Los Angeles, Miami or New Orleans areas.
It was played at Rice Stadium because the Astrodome was considered too small to host the game because it only had a capacity of roughly 50,000 people for football.
At the time, the Miami Dolphins were the league’s gold standard and were making their third straight Super Bowl appearance. The Dolphins weren’t unbeaten like they were the year prior (the only year to this day an NFL team has gone unbeaten in a season), but were still 12-2 and favored over the Minnesota Vikings (12-2).
On a cloudy and cool day where the temperature at kickoff was 50 degrees, the game played true to expectation, with Miami dominating. The Dolphins jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and led 24-0 midway through the third quarter en route to their second straight title. Miami hasn’t won a Super Bowl since.
Larry Csonka became the first running back to be named Super Bowl MVP.