RANKING THE SUPER BOWLS

Old-timers say that of the 3,000 reporters in Tampa, Fla., for today’s game, only eight have covered all 34 previous Super Bowls. As one of the eight, The Times’ Bob Oates was asked to name the best and worst Super Bowls. In order of quality or historic relevance, here’s how he lines up the 34:

RANK: 1.

GAME NO.: III

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 12, 1969, Miami; NEW YORK JETS 16, BALTIMORE 7

OATES’ COMMENTS: The most meaningful American football game ever played was won on the leadership of Jet quarterback Joe Namath, who, toppling a 17-point favorite, instantly made the Super Bowl what it still is. In the national mind, Namath’s surprise win put the disrespected AFL on a par with the NFL.

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RANK: 2.

GAME NO.: XXXIV

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 30, 2000, Atlanta; ST. LOUIS 23, TENNESSEE 16

OATES’ COMMENTS: A year ago, Kurt Warner’s passes decided what I think of as the most interesting football game ever played, a game saved by Ram Mike Jones, who tackled Titan Kevin Dyson one yard short of the end zone on the last play in the last second. Unforgettable was the 73-yard Warner to Isaac Bruce pass play for the decisive touchdown in the last two minutes.

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RANK: 3.

GAME NO.: XXXII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 25, 1998, San Diego; DENVER 31, GREEN BAY 24

In one of the two most interesting games I’ve seen, Terrell Davis and John Elway ended a 13-year NFC Super Bowl winning streak on a day when Brett Favre kept the Packers constantly in contention.

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RANK: 4.

GAME NO.: XXIX

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 29, 1995, Miami; SAN FRANCISCO 49, SAN DIEGO 26

OATES’ COMMENTS: Although this was a rout, starting with the 49ers’ third play--Steve Young to Jerry Rice, 44 yards for a touchdown--it was an unforgettable presentation of the West Coast offense at its all-time peak.

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RANK:5.

GAME NO.: I

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 15, 1967, Los Angeles Coliseum, GREEN BAY 35, KANSAS CITY 10

OATES’ COMMENTS: The first game was important because it was the first arranged by Commissioner Pete Rozelle between NFL and AFL champions. Afterward, The Times’ Mal Florence persuaded Green Bay Coach Vince Lombardi to proclaim, for the first time, that the NFL was the better league.

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RANK: 6.

GAME NO.: IV

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 11, 1970, New Orleans, KANSAS CITY 23, MINNESOTA 7

OATES’ COMMENTS: In Hank Stram’s coaching masterpiece, this was the game that convinced some of us that the AFL had been superior from the start of a series in which Lombardi’s uncanny coaching temporarily disguised NFL weaknesses. Eleven of 13 Super Bowls in this stretch were won by AFL or AFC teams.

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RANK: 7.

GAME NO.: XVI

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 24, 1982, Pontiac, Mich.; SAN FRANCISCO 26, CINCINNATI 21

OATES’ COMMENTS: The Silverdome was new and apparently well loved when this game introduced 49er Coach Bill Walsh and the football-changing, pass-first West Coast offense to most of America. As an NFC team ended the AFL-AFC monopoly and began an NFC run of 15 wins in 16 Super Bowls, Joe Montana won the first of his four championships. All told, the 49ers were to win a record five Super Bowls in 16 years.

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RANK: 8.

GAME NO.: XXIII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 22, 1989, Miami; SAN FRANCISCO 20, CINCINNATI 16

OATES’ COMMENTS: In Bill Walsh’s last game as a coach, the 49ers won their third Super Bowl when, in the last 3:20, Joe Montana drove 92 yards, throwing a 10-yard pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left in the most exciting Super Bowl finish until last year’s.

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RANK: 9.

GAME NO.: XXXIII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 31, 1999, Miami; DENVER 34, ATLANTA 19

OATES’ COMMENTS: Looking invincible in their second consecutive Super Bowl triumph, Mike Shanahan’s Broncos seemed capable of winning three or four, and would have, I still think, if injuries hadn’t cut down all their stars, Davis and Brian Griese among them.

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RANK: 10.

GAME NO.: X

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 18, 1976, Miami; PITTSBURGH 21, DALLAS 17

OATES’ COMMENTS: Proving Cowboy Hollywood Henderson wrong--Henderson had expressed doubt that Terry Bradshaw could spell cat if you gave him the C and the T--the Steelers won on two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the most memorable a 64-yard pass play, Bradshaw to Lynn Swann.

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RANK: 11.

GAME NO.: XIII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 21, 1979, Miami; PITTSBURGH 35, DALLAS 31

OATES’ COMMENTS: With the personnel to win six consecutive Super Bowls, Steeler teams did win four in this span (1975-80).

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RANK: 12.

GAME NO.: XXV

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 27, 1991, Tampa, Fla.; NEW YORK GIANTS 20, BUFFALO 19

OATES’ COMMENTS: Starting an 0-4 run at the Super Bowl in consecutive years, the Bills would have won this one if Scott Norwood could have kicked straight.

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RANK: 13.

GAME NO.: XXVII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 31, 1993, Rose Bowl; DALLAS 52, BUFFALO 17

OATES’ COMMENTS: With teammates recruited by Coach Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aikman threw four touchdown passes, all on first-down plays, to win the first of his three Super Bowls in four years.

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RANK: 14.

GAME NO.: XXIV

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 28, 1990, New Orleans; SAN FRANCISCO 55, DENVER 10

OATES’ COMMENTS: The West Coast offense in full flower set the Super Bowl scoring record.

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RANK: 15.

GAME NO.: XV

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 25, 1981, New Orleans; OAKLAND 27, PHILADELPHIA 10

OATES’ COMMENTS: Al Davis’ second of three wins in four Super Bowls, this one was memorable because Jim Plunkett, who is 2-0 at the Super Bowl, and whom I keep advocating for the Hall of Fame, was the winning quarterback for the first time.

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RANK: 16.

GAME NO.: XXX

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 28, 1996, Tempe, Ariz.; DALLAS 27, PITTSBURGH 17

OATES’ COMMENTS: This one was Barry Switzer’s.

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RANK: 17.

GAME NO.: XXXI

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 26, 1997, New Orleans; GREEN BAY 35, NEW ENGLAND 21

OATES’ COMMENTS: This one was Brett Favre’s.

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RANK: 18.

GAME NO.: XVII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 30, 1983, Rose Bowl; WASHINGTON 27, MIAMI 17

OATES’ COMMENTS: As the first of three Super Bowl wins in 10 years for Joe Gibbs, Game XVII featured 166 yards rushing by John Riggins.

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RANK: 19.

GAME NO.: XXII

OATES’ COMMENTS: Jan. 31, 1988, San Diego; WASHINGTON 42, DENVER 10

OATES’ COMMENTS: Gibbs’ second Super Bowl victory featured a record four second-quarter touchdown passes by Doug Williams.

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RANK: 20.

GAME NO.: XX

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 26, 1986, New Orleans; CHICAGO 46, NEW ENGLAND 10

OATES’ COMMENTS: Jim McMahon, Buddy Ryan, and Mike Ditka bewildered the Bourbon Street mobs and also the Patriots.

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RANK: 21.

GAME NO.: II

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 14, 1968, Miami; GREEN BAY 33, OAKLAND 14

OATES’ COMMENTS: In Lombardi’s last Packer game, no one expected him to beat Al Davis by this much.

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RANK: 22.

GAME NO.: XVIII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 22, 1984 Tampa, Fla.; L.A. RAIDERS 38, WASHINGTON 9

OATES’ COMMENTS: In Gibbs’ only Super Bowl defeat in four appearances, no one expected Davis to beat him by this much, but it was all over after Jack Squirek intercepted Joe Theismann’s pass just before the half and ran it back five yards for a touchdown and a 21-3 lead.

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RANK: 23.

GAME NO.: XI

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 9, 1977, Rose Bowl; OAKLAND 32, MINNESOTA 14

OATES’ COMMENTS: John Madden’s Super Bowl.

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RANK: 24.

GAME NO.: VII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 14, 1973, Los Angeles Coliseum; MIAMI 14, WASHINGTON 7

OATES’ COMMENTS: In George Allen’s Super Bowl, the Redskins scored only on what was charitably ruled a fumble by Miami kicker Garo Yepremian. For Dolphin Coach Don Shula, it was the end of a magical season, the NFL’s only 17-0 season.

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RANK: 25.

GAME NO.: XXVIII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 30, 1994, Atlanta; DALLAS 30, BUFFALO 13

OATES’ COMMENTS: This was the day the Bills lost their fourth Super Bowl in four years, but they never would have reached any of those four games without Jim Kelly’s novel no-huddle, shotgun offense, for never at any time in those four years did they have the AFC’s best players.

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RANK: 26.

GAME NO.: XXVI

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 26, 1992, Minneapolis; WASHINGTON 37, BUFFALO 24

OATES’ COMMENTS: Everyone loved the Metrodome that year when the NFL proved that the Super Bowl can be played anywhere.

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RANK: 27.

GAME NO.: XIX

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 20, 1985, Palo Alto; SAN FRANCISCO 38, MIAMI 16

OATES’ COMMENTS: San Francisco was the host as the NFL gave the nation’s football reporters a week in the world’s most civilized city. But at Stanford Stadium, they would have shouted you out of the press box if you’d predicted that Dan Marino’s first Super Bowl was going to be his last.

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RANK: 28.

GAME NO.: XIV

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 20, 1980, Rose Bowl; PITTSBURGH 31, L.A. RAMS 19

OATES’ COMMENTS: With Vince Ferragamo opposing Terry Bradshaw in the Rams’ fourth NFL title game in 49 California years--but their only Super Bowl--they led at the end of each of the first three quarters. Even so, that wasn’t much team. That year, neither were the fading Steelers.

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RANK: 29.

GAME NO.: XXI

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 25, 1987, Rose Bowl; NEW YORK GIANTS 39, DENVER 20

OATES’ COMMENTS: One of several Dan Reeves-John Elway misadventures.

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RANK: 30.

GAME NO.: XII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 15, 1978 New Orleans; DALLAS 27, DENVER 10

OATES’ COMMENTS: The forgettable Broncos fumbled four times and threw four interceptions.

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RANK: 31.

GAME NO.: V

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 17, 1971, Miami; BALTIMORE 16, DALLAS 13

OATES’ COMMENTS: Rookie kicker Jim O’Brien won a forgettable early Super Bowl with five seconds to play.

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RANK: 32.

GAME NO.: IX

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 12, 1975, New Orleans; PITTSBURGH 16, MINNESOTA 6

OATES’ COMMENTS: In a 30-degree Louisiana freeze at Tulane Stadium, the forgettable Vikings claimed the third of four Super Bowl losses.

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RANK: 33.

GAME NO.: VI

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 16, 1972, New Orleans; DALLAS 24, MIAMI 3

OATES’ COMMENTS: I’ve forgotten it.

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RANK: 34.

GAME NO.: VIII

DATE, CITY, RESULT: Jan. 13, 1974, Houston; MIAMI 24, MINNESOTA 7

OATES’ COMMENTS: In the only Super Bowl ever played at Rice Stadium, Bob Griese threw only seven passes for Miami, completing all but one.