Surprise Super Bowl Heroes

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Surprise Super Bowl Heroes — page 4 — CHAPTER ONE UNSUNG OFFENSE Max McGee didn’t expect to play much in Super Bowl I The Green Bay Packers wide receiver backed up Boyd Dowler who was one of the best pass catchers in the National Football League NFL But when Dowler injured his shoulder early in the game on January 15 1967 McGee went in He wasn’t in the best of shape Since he didn’t think he would play McGee had broken the team curfew and stayed out late the night before But with 6 35 left in the first quarter McGee broke down the middle of the field Quarterback Bart Starr’s pass was behind the 34-year-old receiver McGee reached his right hand back to pull it in and raced to the end zone for the first touchdown in Super Bowl history It was just McGee’s fifth catch of the season He would finish Seven of Max McGee’s 12 career playoff receptions came in Super Bowl I 5

Surprise Super Bowl Heroes — page 5 — 41 the game with seven receptions for 138 yards McGee also caught another touchdown pass SNELL STEPS UP Heading into Super Bowl III in January 1969 much of the talk around the New York Jets surrounded their quarterback Joe Namath had predicted his underdog team would beat the Baltimore Colts Few believed him Even his own teammates weren’t thrilled with Broadway Joe’s boast Matt Snell right plows across the goal line for the Jets only touchdown of Super Bowl III 6

Surprise Super Bowl Heroes — page 6 — One of those teammates was Matt Snell the team’s star running back Snell had rushed for more than 700 yards during the regular season He added 71 more in the team’s 27 23 victory over the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League AFL playoffs to reach the Super Bowl But with all the hype around Namath no one was talking about Snell On a muddy Super Bowl Sunday in Miami both teams struggled to score The game was still 0 0 when the Jets took over at their own 20 with 14 09 remaining in the second quarter They put together a 12-play scoring drive Snell touched the ball on seven of them He finished it off with a 4-yard touchdown run It was New York’s only touchdown in a 16 7 upset victory Snell finished the game with 30 carries for 121 yards He also grabbed four passes for 40 yards The game’s Most Valuable Player MVP Award went to Namath But the victory would not have been possible without Snell PLUNKETT’S COMEBACKS Not many teams wanted quarterback Jim Plunkett in the summer of 1978 He had spent seven seasons playing for bad teams in New England and San Francisco Plunkett was so beaten up from taking sacks over the years that he could barely suit up However the Oakland Raiders took him in Two years later when starting quarterback Dan Pastorini was injured during the regular 7

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