Super Bowl XLI was the first time two African-American head coaches have led their teams to the Super Bowl. The Colts defeated the Bears by the score of 29–17. The game was played on February 4, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. CBS’ broadcast of the game was watched by an estimated average of 93.2 million viewers, making it at the time the fifth most watched program in U.S. television history. SB XLI was not without its controversies. First NFL league officials banned the traditional practice of tailgating at the Super Bowl. A tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. It’s like a mini party with food and drinks. Originally, spokesmen for Dolphin Stadium announced that tailgating would be permitted as usual. However, the NFL quickly contradicted this statement, announcing an NFL owner-imposed ban on all tailgating and prohibiting non-ticketed fans within a two-block-radius of the stadium. I guess the NFL did not want to lose out on concession revenue. Secondly, the NFL upset a large number of fans by threatening churches with lawsuits if they had Super Bowl parties. That went about as far as a flying pig. After a long series of bad press, the NFL issued a written statement clarifying their policy, saying that they did not object to churches hosting Super Bowl parties so long as they did not charge admission and showed the game on “a television of the type commonly used at home”. Prince performed in the halftime show and with over 140 million viewers tuning in.
The first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl was Doug Williams. Williams is known for his remarkable performance with the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXII. This Super Bowl came at the end of a season that was shortened by a players’ strike. Each team only missed one regular season game due to the labor dispute, but three games were played mostly with replacement players until the dispute was settled. Williams, who was named the Super Bowl MVP, passed for a Super Bowl record 340 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception. He was the first African-American starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Williams also became the first player in Super Bowl history to pass for four touchdowns in a single quarter, and four in a half. Williams suffered from injuries the following season and was replaced by Mark Rypien, who eventually won the starting job. Williams would play one final season in 1989, as Rypien’s backup. He retired with a 5-9 record as Redskins starter (8-9, counting playoffs) and a 38-42-1 record as a regular season starter (42-45-1, including 7 playoff starts). He had 100 passing touchdowns, and 15 rushing touchdowns, in 88 NFL games.
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