They showed extended highlights of one key game each week, with scoring and short highlights for all the other games. The program lasted about an hour and a quarter. I was hooked.
I had to pick a team to root for. Having no friends or family in the US there were no ties to a particular team so I had my pick. I liked the idea of New York, so decided a NY team would be for me, and I didn't like musicals so the Jets were out as they sounded a bit "West Side Story", so it was the New York (Football) Giants. You called them the NY Football Giants to differentiate them from the baseball Giants who had left town for San Fran some 25 years earlier. Although to be fair I didn't know this piece of folklore until relatively recently.
Had I any idea about football, I might have chosen a team with a greater likelihood of winning, but having made my bed I lay in it. The NYG are an NFC team, so just for balance I plucked the Cincinnati Bengals from the AFC. But be aware, the NYG are my team.
At the time the big names in the NFL were the Redskins (John Riggins, Joe Thiesmann), the Raiders (Jim Plunkett), the Eagles (with Ron "The Polish Rifle" Jaworski at QB). The Joe Montana led 49ers and Dan Marino led Dolphins were coming to fruition.
I don't remember if the Super Bowl was shown from the start, but pretty early on a few friends - Steve, Duncan, Pete H - decided to take Super Bowl Monday off so we could (try and) stay up all night to watch the game. We would have beer, chilli, hot dogs - all things designed to put us to sleep.
More often than not I would fail to remain awake for the whole game, doing that terrible "head bob" thing when you're tired enough to fall asleep where you sit, but your head isn't well enough supported to allow you to drift off.
I remember the shock and awe of the 2nd Qtr or Super Bowl XXII, when, having conceded 10 pints in the 1st Qtr, Doug Williams and the Redskins destroyed the Broncos by scoring 35 points. That pretty much put that hat on that, leaving the experts to flannel their way through another couple of hours trying to explain how the Broncos come recover.....
Interestingly the half time show was Chubby Checker and The Rockettes. My how things have changed.
One game I did stay awake for all of was Super Bowl XXV. Not only because it featured my NYGs but because it went all the way to the end with Scott Norwood missing a game-winning field goal with seconds remaining. This game was one of only two Super Bowls in which neither team committed a turnover.
My abiding memories of those early Super Bowls was a dominance by the NFC teams who beat either Denver or Buffalo. I'm sure some other teams were there, I just don't remember. For Denver, and their franchise QB John Elway, there was a happy ending as they won two championships, but for coach Marv Levy and QB Jim Kelly of the Bills there was no such redemption.
Jan 27th 1997 I was due to fly to Florida, so decided that as I was a poor sleeper on planes, I'd stay up all the previous night watching the Packers/ Patriots play in Super Bowl XXXI. Then, my logic went, I'd be SO tired I'd be bound to sleep on the plane......we arrived in Atlanta airport to see plenty of people walking round with large plastic cheeses on their heads, and I hadn't slept a wink. I suffered mightily over the next few days as I tried to claw back that lost sleep.
That brings me to last nights game. Denver and Carolina. Carolina having played wonderfully all season, with verve and panache, went into the game with the edge, and the potential to run away with the game. Denver had the better defense but had aging Peyton Manning running the offense. He'd been dropped during the regular season, but had come back in the playoffs to guide them to the Super Bowl.
Levis Stadium, site of Super Bowl 50 (here shown for a 49ers home game)
What a great game. I stayed up until halftime, set the box to record the rest and managed to avoid the result when I got up, and watched the final half this morning. Not scintillating attacking play, but close all the way through with great defense on both sides of the ball. I'm glad I took the chance to watch it. I should do this every year.
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