Date: Jan. 21, 1979
Attendance: 79,484
Venue: Orange Bowl
MVP: Terry Bradshaw
Super Bowl XIII
Steelers 35, Cowboys 31
Bradshaw's Performance Spells MVP

The Greatest Matchup in Super Bowl History!
For me, this is the greatest football game of all time. Not necessarily because it was the most dramatic or exciting game ever played (although those elements were certainly there), but because it pitted two dynasties (each at the height of their success) against one another for the World Championship. From a standpoint of having your brightest stars perform at their highest levels against a great adversary, it's the best I've ever seen. Swann, Stallworth, Harris, Bleier, Blount, Lambert, Ham, Greene... all played at the top of their games in this one. But it was Terry Bradshaw who truly stood head and shoulders above the rest. In a game that was the finest moment of the greatest team of all time, the absolute pinacle of a dynasty, it was Bradshaw who shined brightest. I watch my videotape of the broadcast of this game often, and I never tire of it... if there is a football heaven, surely this is it.

Articles & Analysis
Must Read! EXTENSIVE Full Length Articles!
Great In-Depth Recap
Pittsburgh Press Recap
Bradshaw was the Key
Franco vs. Henderson
Terry's Perspective
My Take on the Game

The Participants
Complete Rosters
The Coaches

The Game
Play by Play
Super Bowl Recap
RealAudio Broadcast

The Statistics
Final Game Totals
Individual Stats
'78 Team Comparison
Bradshaw's '78 Stats
Franco's '78 Stats
Swann's '78 Stats

Other Super Bowls
Extensive Info!
Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl X
Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XXX

Game Broadcasts
Broadcasts on VHS
Audio Broadcasts



Listen to S.B. XIII

Player Tributes
Terry Bradshaw
Jack Lambert
Franco Harris
Lynn Swann

Related Links
SteelRef.com

E-Mail Us!
Bradshaw Won the Spelling Bee
"Bradshaw couldn't spell CAT if you spotted him the C and the A."
-- Dallas LB "Hollywood" Henderson --

By halftime, Terry Bradshaw had broken every significant Super Bowl passing record... and when it was all over, he'd earned unanimous game MVP honors and had led the Steelers to their 3rd Lombardi Trophy. Considering Bradshaw was named league MVP in '78, set an NFL record for most TD passes in a single season, was the highest-rated passer in the AFC, and earned near-unaimous All-Pro honors, Henderson's comments seem a bit misplaced. One thing was for sure... Terry knew how to spell M-V-P! Below are some great, in-depth articles about Super Bowl XIII:
• Great In-Depth Recap
• Pittburgh Press Recap
• Bradshaw was the Key
 • Franco vs. Henderson
• Terry's Pespective
• My Take on the Game

Be sure to visit our extensive, info-packed tribute pages dedicated to Bradshaw, Swann, Lambert, & Franco!


Must See! Complete Play-By-Play!
CLICK HERE for a complete game script detailing each and every play of Super Bowl XIII! This gamebook includes graphical drive summaries (pictured), play-by-play descriptions of who made the play, how much yardage was gained, who made the tackle, down and distance, field position, time elapsed, drive summaries, plus my own personal observations about key plays and more (Whew!).

Plus, if you REALLY wanna do it right, you can even listen to a rebroadcast of Super Bowl XIII (graciously provided by broadcast.com) while you follow along with the play-by-play & drive summaries.


Super Bowl XIII Boxscore
Steelers 35, Cowboys 31
January 21, 1979 1 2 3 4 Final
Pittsburgh Steelers 7 14 0 14 35
Dallas Cowboys 7 7 3 14 31

1st Quarter
• Steelers: Stallworth 28-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela Kick).
• Cowboys: Hill 39-yard pass from Staubach (Septien kick).
2nd Quarter
• Cowboys: Hegman 37-yard fumble recovery return (Septien kick).
• Steelers: Stallworth 75-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela Kick).
• Steelers: Blier 7-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela Kick).
3rd Quarter
• Cowboys: Septien 27-yard FG.
4th Quarter
• Steelers: Harris 22-yard run (Gerela Kick).
• Steelers: Swann 18-yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela Kick).
• Cowboys: DuPree 7-yard pass from Staubach (Septien kick).
• Cowboys: B. Johnson 4-yard pass from Staubach (Septien kick).


You Want Stats? We've Got STATS!
From first downs to return yardage to quarterback comparisons, it's all here!
• Final Game Stats
• Individual Stats
• Season Stats
Speaking of stats, we all know Bradshaw put up some big numbers in this one. But his effectiveness on 3rd down was the key: 8 of 9, 165 yards, 2 TDs (a QB rating of 226.6)! THAT, my friends, is how you win a Super Bowl!
Cowboys fans LOVE to whine about the Jackie Smith drop (which, contrary to popular belief, occurred in the 3rd quarter, not the 4th). It wouldn't have changed a thing, my bruthas. Bradshaw's final pass, a beautiful 18-yard TD dart to Swann that upped the Steeler lead to 35-17, came with just 6 and 1/2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Here's a little statistical QB comparison between Bradshaw & Staubach at that point in the game:
Bradshaw 17 of 30, 56.7%, 318 yards, 4 TDs, 1 IntQB Rating 124.0
Staubach 7 of 17, 41.2%, 115 yards, 1 TD, 1 IntQB Rating 59.7
My point? Staubach's final game stats ended up looking pretty good (17 of 30, 228 yds, 3 TD, 1 Int) and suggest a shoot-out, but the above stats portray a much more accurate picture of the game. The bulk of Jolly Roger's yardage, completions, & TDs came in GARBAGE TIME! The Cowboys of that era were a great team... a dyanasty in their own right... but they were simply out-classed by the Steelers.
Final Game Stats
Totals for every category you can think of, from yardage to 3rd down efficiency.
Individual Stats
Who made the plays? Passing, rushing, & receiving stats (plus more) for each player.
Season Stats
A statistical comparison of the two teams from the regular season & Playoffs.


Team Rosters from Super Bowl XIII
The Steelers' & Cowboys' rosters were a veritable who's who of pro football during the late '70s, and for my money, this was the best Super Bowl matchup of all time. Consider these facts, my bruthas. Each team fielded the top offense & top defense from their respective conference. The two offensive units were incredibly evenly matched: Bradshaw vs. Staubach; Harris vs. Dorsett; Swann & Stallworth vs. Pearson & Hill. Defensively, however, Pittsburgh had a decided edge. Both clubs had great defensive lines (L.C. Greenwood & "Mean Joe" Greene vs. Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Randy White, & Harvey Martin), but the Steelers had overwhelming superiority at linebacker with Lambert & Ham, and Pittsburgh's secondary fielded greats such as Mel Blount and Donnie Shell. The only truly great player for Dallas once you got past their defensive line was safety Cliff Harris. It's also interesting to note that both of these squads had incredible depth. Below are the complete rosters for both teams from Super Bowl XIII.

Pittsburgh Steelers Roster
Dallas Cowboys Roster
More to Come...
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