Friday, January 29, 2010

Ten Super Bowls in Miami


No event captivates the nation's attention like the Super Bowl. This year's big game is to be played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens on February 7th, and will pit the Indianapolis Colts against the New Orleans Saints.

The Super Bowl and South Florida have a long history together. Super Bowl XLIV will be the tenth Super Bowl played in South Florida; it is the fifth at the Miami Dolphins' current home, and five were played at the Orange Bowl in Miami. After February 7th, more Super Bowls will have been played in South Florida than anywhere else, though New Orleans is slated to catch up in 2013. The Orange Bowl hosted the championship game three of the first five years it was played, and is the only venue to have hosted it for two consecutive years, 1968-1969.

Miami is also no stranger to the Pro Bowl. The NFL's all-star game began to be played in Honolulu in 1980. Before that, it moved venues just as the Super Bowl does. The Orange Bowl was the Pro Bowl's home once, in 1975.

South Florida attracts the Super Bowl for much the same reason that it attracts many tourists. Come January or February, when the temperatures don't get above freezing in the northern part of the country, the sun and surf are welcome for a weekend. Or a week. Or two. The added incentive must be very motivating for the Colts. The franchise has been to four Super Bowls over the course of its existence, including 2010. All four of them have been played in South Florida.

-- Robert Harkins, Assistant Curator

This photo: Super Bowl in the Orange Bowl, 1968. City of Miami Collection, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, CM-11384

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