Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V was the first Super Bowl since the merger of the AFL and NFL. The game took place on Sunday, January 17, 1971. The Baltimore Colts, AFC Champions took on the Dallas Cowboys, NFC Champions. A sellout crowd of 79,204 attended the game at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The stadium would host a Super Bowl for the third time. The only difference was that the Orange Bowl went to artificial turf recently.
NBC Television and Radio covered the game. An estimated television audience of 46 million fans watched.
The Colts, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, would become a part of the new American Football Conference. This was to even the amount of teams in the AFC and NFC to 13 teams each.
The Colts, 2.5 point favorites, would defeat the Cowboys, 16-13 in what is known as the "Blunder Bowl." The Colts committed seven of the 11 turnovers in the game, and yet won! Chuck Howley, linebacker of the Cowboys, was named the game's MVP in a losing cause. He would be the first player from a losing team to win the award.
Earl Morrall would replace injured Johnny Unitas in the second half and was the most effective passer. Kicker, Jim O'Brien's 32 yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation won it for Baltimore. At the time, this would be the closest margin of victory.
Though the game was sold out, it was blacked out in the Miami area. A lawsuit was filed. Unfortunately, it was denied but future Super Bowls were televised in the local area, sellout or no sellout.
Super Bowl V has gone down as one of the worst Super Bowls ever played. However, Baltimore would win its first Super Bowl after losing the third one to the heavily underdog New York Jets.