4 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE FANTASTIC FINISHES CHAPTER TWO DEFENSIVE STANDS CHAPTER THREE 14 SUPER THRILLERS 24 CHAPTER FOUR DEFINING MOMENTS 34 HONORABLE MENTIONS 44 INDEX 47 GLOSSARY 46 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 47
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CHAPTER ONE FANTASTIC FINISHES BY the time Super Bowl XXIII kicked off in January 1989 the game was an established tradition The championship of the National Football League NFL was the biggest day in American sports Millions watched on television around the world too However the Super Bowl didn't have a history of exciting games at that point Only once in the first 22 contests did the winning points come in the final minute That had happened all the way back in Super Bowl V after the 1970 season But that game was hardly a classic It's mostly remembered for the 11 combined turnovers committed by the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys So football fans were ready for excitement when the San Francisco 49ers met the Cincinnati Bengals in 1989 at Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium Both teams were known for their San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana drops back to pass early in Super Bowl XXIII on January 22 1989 5
