Poll: How Many Super Bowls Have You Watched Live?

[RiverDog]

I've watched every single one, live as they happened, from Bart Starr vs. Len Dawson to Patrick Mahomes vs. Tom Brady. A few things I can remember about the first Super Bowl:

It was played in the LA Coliseum, and was far from a sell-out. Both NBC, which had the TV rights to the AFL games, and CBS, which owned the NFL rights, televised the game. Curt Gowdy was the lead announcer for NBC, not sure of the lead announcer for CBS, perhaps Pat Summerall. It was played early in January.

It wasn't called the Super Bowl initially, it was the AFL-NFL World Championship. Chiefs owner and AFL founder Lamar Hunt came up with the name, inspired by a toy he had gotten his son for Christmas called a "super ball", a toy I had myself, that was a very dense rubberized ball, slightly bigger than a golf ball as I recall, that was advertised as being able to be bounced over a 4 story(?) building.

It wasn't until the late 70's-80's that Super Bowl parties became the norm. I will have to admit to nodding off during one of them as I was watching it by myself and woke up when Curt Gowdy was going nuts about the Raiders "old man" Willie Brown returning an interception for a TD vs. the Vikings. It wasn't until the Giants-Bills Super Bowl, the one that Scott Norwood missed a 40 something yarder, that I saw the game at a Super Bowl party.

So what are some memories you have of your Super Bowl experience?

[mykc14]

I don't know exactly how many I have watched live, but I know I watched them in passing when I was a young kid. The first one I remember actually sitting down and watching the whole game was when I was 9. The 1990 season was when I really became invested in all football games, not just the Seahawks. Before that I would basically just watch the Seahawks and when they were done I wouldn't pay very close attention to what was going on with other games. From 1990 on I still only really cared about the Seahawks, but I did watch every game and I haven't missed a SB live since. So I would say 31 for me.

[RiverDog]

I don't know exactly how many I have watched live, but I know I watched them in passing when I was a young kid. The first one I remember actually sitting down and watching the whole game was when I was 9. The 1990 season was when I really became invested in all football games, not just the Seahawks. Before that I would basically just watch the Seahawks and when they were done I wouldn't pay very close attention to what was going on with other games. From 1990 on I still only really cared about the Seahawks, but I did watch every game and I haven't missed a SB live since. So I would say 31 for me.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that I was 12 years old and in the 6th grade when I saw SB 1, and I think that was the same season of the infamous "Ice Bowl", Cowboys vs. Packers, where Bart Starr scored the winning TD on a quarterback sneak on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, a game I also watched live.

[Aseahawkfan]

Not many. I mainly watched with my dad when young. I watched the Seahawk Super Bowls obviously. I watched the 90s Cowboys. I liked that team. I watched some of the Cowboys-Steelers in the 70s. Half my family is from Texas and were Dallas fans. The Cowboys had great uniforms and everyone knew about the Dallas Cheerleaders.

Other than those Super Bowls, I can't remember many. If my team isn't there, I don't much care.

[Hawktawk]

I’m somewhere in the 40s . My dad didn’t allow TV till I was in 8th grade although we did go to a neibors to watch Apollo land on the moon. When the Hawks came into being I started paying attention and have probably seen almost every game since . It’s a family tradition .

[curmudgeon]

Every. Single. One. I guess that makes one “vintage”……..

[c_hawkbob]

Yup me too, all of 'em.

[RiverDog]

Ahh, I'm in good company.

[Agent 86]

I think it is 40ish for me. My first memory was Raiders/Skins in 1984 (I was 9 years old), but I know I watched a couple before that with my Dad and brothers.

No real outstanding memories outside of 48, there have been some great games I recall between Patriots/Panthers ('04), Ravens/49'ers ('13), and Eagles/Patriots('18). Lots of others obviously but I was probably too young to appreciate them at the time.

A little off topic but a story I like to share on how I became a Seahawks fan, it was right around the time I probably watched my first Super Bowl in the early 1980's. My Dad's friend had gone to a game in Seattle and brought back 3 jerseys for me and my 2 brothers. A Bradshaw Steelers, a Ferragamo Rams, and a Zorn Seahawks. We all got one by random choice I think (I was the youngest so maybe I got last pick? ) but to this day we remain die hard fans of those 3 teams. So my older brother is lovin life right now with his Rams going. I of course will be cheering for the Bengals not only for division rival reasons, but also for brotherly rival reasons. Don't want him having bragging rights. But I am so glad I got that Zorn jersey, I still have it.

Nice thread Riv, good to hear some Super Bowl stories from you "older" folk from before I can remember. I hope one day to witness a Super Bowl live in person at the stadium would be a very cool experience.

[RiverDog]

I think it is 40ish for me. My first memory was Raiders/Skins in 1984 (I was 9 years old), but I know I watched a couple before that with my Dad and brothers.

No real outstanding memories outside of 48, there have been some great games I recall between Patriots/Panthers ('04), Ravens/49'ers ('13), and Eagles/Patriots('18). Lots of others obviously but I was probably too young to appreciate them at the time.

A little off topic but a story I like to share on how I became a Seahawks fan, it was right around the time I probably watched my first Super Bowl in the early 1980's. My Dad's friend had gone to a game in Seattle and brought back 3 jerseys for me and my 2 brothers. A Bradshaw Steelers, a Ferragamo Rams, and a Zorn Seahawks. We all got one by random choice I think (I was the youngest so maybe I got last pick? ) but to this day we remain die hard fans of those 3 teams. So my older brother is lovin life right now with his Rams going. I of course will be cheering for the Bengals not only for division rival reasons, but also for brotherly rival reasons. Don't want him having bragging rights. But I am so glad I got that Zorn jersey, I still have it.

Nice thread Riv, good to hear some Super Bowl stories from you "older" folk from before I can remember. I hope one day to witness a Super Bowl live in person at the stadium would be a very cool experience.

Your comments weren't really off topic as the thread is more of a nostalgic recollection topic. I'm always fascinated with how various people from outside the region became fans of different teams. I've lived my entire life in Washington, so it was an easy adaption for me to become a Seahawk fan, but prior to 1976, I was a fan of a lot of different teams, including, in chronological order, the Niners, Chiefs, Cowboys, and Dolphins. NFL games usually came on in the mornings, AFL games in the afternoons, so I needed two sets of favorites, one for each league.

Back to the Super Bowl. As I mentioned above, I've lived my entire life in Washington, and as such, I have never seen a game from anywhere else but within the friendly confines of the Evergreen State. That's likely to change this year as my plan is to fly to Colorado and watch the game with a friend that I've been meeting at various NFL cities for Seahawks games over the past 8-9 years.

And yes, attending a Super Bowl in person is on my bucket list, too. Hopefully it will involve the Seahawks.

What are everyone else's plans for Super Bowl weekend?

[govandals]

I think I am around 40 watched live. There was a period in the 90's when I worked on Sunday so I recorded them for 5 years on VHS and watched them after work.
I have hazy memories of the second Steeler-Cowboy Super Bowl after the 78 season. I vividly remember Steelers-Rams the following year. I've watched every SB since then.

[Clem7]

In the "every single one" bracket.
River, the Ice Bowl NFL championship game with Green Bay and Dallas blows most Super Bowls away.

[RiverDog]

In the "every single one" bracket.

River, the Ice Bowl NFL championship game with Green Bay and Dallas blows most Super Bowls away.

Yes, it was a great game. I was a Cowboys fan back then. Don Meredith was the QB, Dan Reeves the RB, Bullet Bob Hayes was a WR, Jethro Pugh and Bob Lilly were DT's....

The Super Bowl, or the AFL-NFL Championship game as it was called back then, was anti climatic as the Packers were heavy favorites and indeed, blew out the Chiefs.