Count Up to Super Bowl 50: A Look at Super Bowl V

Super Bowl V goes down in history as the first AFL-NFL merger and that amalgamation continues to this day. Super Bowl V was played on January 17, 1971 in Miami Florida at the Orange Bowl. Attendance at this particular Super Bowl was 79,204. Not the biggest amount of people to ever head to Super Bowl, but still a great turn out.

The Baltimore Colts won against the Dallas Cowboys 16-13. An interesting fact about this game is that it was the first Super Bowl to be played on artificial turf. No one is sure if it was the new turf or the actual players that earned this Super Bowl the title of “Stupor Bowl.” The Dallas Cowboys set a Super Bowl record for a record amount of penalties, ten to be exact. Baltimore even won the game despite losing their quarterback in the second quarter.

This game continues to be an interesting one because it’s the only Super Bowl in which the MVP award was given to someone on the losing team. Chuck Howley played his heart out during Super Bowl V and intercepted 2 passes. He was also the first person who was not a quarterback to win the MVP award. It’s said the Bubba Smith, the Colts Defensive End, would not wear his Super Bowl V ring because of the “sloppy play” that went down in history on January 17, 1971.