FOOTBALL

What They Said

The greatest quotes from 34 years of Super Bowls

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by Jeff Merron

Super Bowl I: Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10
"Why not call our championship game the Super Bowl?" – Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, who got the idea from his daughter's toy "Super Ball"

Super Bowl II: Green Bay Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14
"I'll play anywhere for $15,000." – Packers cornerback Herb Adderly, when asked if he would rather play in Los Angeles, site of Super Bowl I, or Miami, site of Super Bowl II. The winning share was $15,000, and each player on the losing team received $7,500.

Super Bowl III: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7
"The Jets will win on Sunday, I guarantee it." – Jets quarterback Joe Namath, three days before the Super Bowl

"He's a good quarterback, but he's still a young man. When he gets a little older he'll get some humility." – Colts defensive end Billy Ray Smith on Joe Namath, before the Super Bowl

Super Bowl IV: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7
"I'm hanging up in the stands and the crowd's reaction shocked me. There was no sympathy, not even laughter. The crowd was ugly. It started ripping my balloon apart, tearing at it and pulling the sign off. All I could think of was the late 1700s in France when they used to have balloon launchings and charged people to watch. Lots of times when the balloon didn't take off, the people would attack it and rip it to shreds, then go after the guy inside. But I'm saying to myself, 'This is 200 years later and this is a silly old football game. Why are these people acting this way?'" – George Stokes, one of the pilots in a pregame balloon race in the stadium

Super Bowl V: Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13
"After the game, your fingernails are clean." – Colts linebacker Mike Curtis on playing on the artificial turf of Miami's Orange Bowl

"When we lined up (for the winning field goal), the Dallas linemen were yelling at me, trying to distract me. Other teams always do that. Then, for a second, I remembered our practices and how Billy Ray Smith would holler at me, and I said to myself, 'This is only Billy Ray yelling.' I knew I was either going to win or lose the game for us. Some of the fellows came over to me and started talking. Tom Mitchell said, 'Don't worry about anything. Just kick it.' It felt good going off my foot. I knew it was good." – Jim O'Brien, who kicked the winning field goal with less than two minutes remaining

Super Bowl VI: Dallas Cowboys 24, Miami Dolphins 3
"What time is it?" – Cowboys running back Duane Thomas, before the game, in one of his famously uncooperative responses to a reporter's question

Super Bowl VII: Miami Dolphins 14, Washington Redskins 7
"I had never prayed so much. God came through for me. I thought I was doing something good, something to help the team. Instead it was almost a tragedy. I almost caused a disaster." – Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian, who in the fourth quarter had a kick blocked, recovered the ball, and threw a pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown

Super Bowl VIII: Miami Dolphins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7
"This isn't like it was the first two years. I wouldn't say that we're bored, but it's just not the same exciting adventure it was in the other years. I came here to talk about the Super Bowl, but I have so little conversation about it, I really don't know what to say anymore. People want to hear me talk about faith and morals. That's fine, but I'm a football player." – Dolphins fullback Larry Csonka

Super Bowl IX: Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6
"I feel so good about winning I'm almost weak." – Steelers defensive lineman "Mean" Joe Greene, after the game

Super Bowl X: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Dallas Cowboys 7
"I'll be glad to leave here. I feel like eating palm trees. I don't like this place. It's for people with arthritis. They come here to play golf and to die." – Steelers defensive tackle Ernie Holmes, before the game, which was played in Miami

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