Editing Super Bowl VI (section)

==Background==
===Host selection process===
The NFL awarded Super Bowl VI to New Orleans on March 23, 1971, at the owners meetings held in Palm Beach, Florida. Six cities submitted bids: [[Miami]], [[Dallas]], [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], [[New Orleans]], [[Los Angeles]], and [[Houston]]. It took fourteen ballots to finally select a winner. Miami and Dallas emerged as the heavy favorites. After thirteen deadlocked votes, support for both Dallas and Miami eroded after owners including [[Al Davis]] and [[Billy Sullivan (American football)|Billy Sullivan]] noted that the [[Dallas Cowboys|Cowboys]] and [[Miami Dolphins|Dolphins]] both were both favorites to reach the Super Bowl. They argued against a team having a potential competitive advantage of a home game for the Super Bowl. Owners compromised on the 14th vote and selected New Orleans.<ref name="MN03-24-71pg33">{{cite news|title=Super Bowl VI - New Orleans becomes a compromise choice (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116308094/|first1=Al|last1=Levine|newspaper=The Miami News|page=33|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 24, 1971|accessdate=January 12, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="MN03-24-71pg37">{{cite news|title=Super Bowl VI - New Orleans becomes a compromise choice (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116308165/|first1=Al|last1=Levine|newspaper=The Miami News|page=37|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 24, 1971|accessdate=January 12, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="MN03-24-71pg33a">{{cite news|title=Miami wants change in Super selection (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116308122/|first1=Al|last1=Levine|newspaper=The Miami News|page=33|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 24, 1971|accessdate=January 12, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="MN03-24-71pg37a">{{cite news|title=Miami wants change in Super selection (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116308189/|first1=Al|last1=Levine|newspaper=The Miami News|page=37|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 24, 1971|accessdate=January 12, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref> City representatives, namely those from Miami, argued that future votes involve awarding multiple Super Bowl sites at the same meeting. They also floated the idea of rotating the host city between [[American Football Conference|AFC]] and [[National Football Conference|NFC]] cities annually. This would provide the hosts with greater preparation time, and prevent them from having to prepare bids every year.<ref name="MN03-24-71pg33a"/><ref name="MN03-24-71pg37a"/> The idea to vote on multiple Super Bowls was implemented the following year, but the AFC/NFC rotation was never implemented.

===Dallas Cowboys===
{{Main article|1971 Dallas Cowboys season}}

The Cowboys entered the season still having the reputation of "not being able to win the big games" and "next year's champion". The [[Super Bowl V]] loss added more fuel to that widely held view.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl V - Dallas Cowboys vs. Baltimore Colts - January 17th, 1971 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197101170clt.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> As in the previous season, Dallas had a quarterback controversy as Staubach and [[Craig Morton]] alternated as starting quarterback (in a loss to the Bears in game 7, Morton and Staubach alternated ''plays'').<ref name=Staubach>Roger Staubach, "Super Bowl VI", ''Super Bowl: The Game of Their Lives'', Danny Peary, editor. Macmillan, 1997. {{ISBN|0-02-860841-0}}</ref> The Cowboys were 4–3 at the season midpoint, including a 24–14 loss to the [[New Orleans Saints]] at Tulane Stadium. But after head coach [[Tom Landry]] settled on Staubach, the Cowboys won their last seven regular season games to finish with an 11–3 record.

[[File:1986 Jeno's Pizza - 01 - Duane Thomas.jpg|thumb|right|Dallas running back [[Duane Thomas]] rushing for a 3rd quarter touchdown in Super Bowl VI.]]
Staubach finished the regular season as the NFL's top rated passer (101.8) by throwing for 1,882 yards, 15 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. He was also a terrific rusher, gaining 343 yards and 2 touchdowns on 41 carries. Dallas also had an outstanding trio of running backs, [[Walt Garrison]], [[Duane Thomas]], and [[Calvin Hill]], who rushed for a combined total of 1,690 yards and 14 touchdowns during the season. Garrison led the team in receptions during the season (40). (Thomas, upset that the Cowboys would not renegotiate his contract after his excellent rookie year, had stopped talking to the press and to almost everyone on the team). Wide Receivers [[Bob Hayes]] and [[Lance Alworth]] also provided a deep threat, catching a combined total of 69 passes for 1,327 yards and 10 touchdowns. The offensive line, anchored by all-pro tackle [[Rayfield Wright]], [[Pro Bowl]]ers [[John Niland (American football)|John Niland]] and [[Ralph Neely]], and future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Famer]] [[Forrest Gregg]], was also a primary reason for their success on offense.  Neely had broken his leg in November in a dirt-bike accident, and was replaced first by Gregg and then by [[Tony Liscio]], who came out of retirement.

The Dallas defense (nicknamed the "[[Doomsday Defense]]") had given up only one touchdown in the last 14 quarters prior to the Super Bowl.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/1971.htm |title=1971 Dallas Cowboys Statistics & Players |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |date=January 1, 1970 |access-date=September 1, 2016}}</ref> Their defensive line was anchored by Pro Bowl defensive tackle [[Bob Lilly]], who excelled at pressuring quarterbacks and breaking up running plays. Dallas also had an outstanding trio of linebackers: Pro Bowler [[Chuck Howley]], who recorded 5 interceptions and returned them for 122 yards; [[Dave Edwards (linebacker)|Dave Edwards]] 2 interceptions; and [[Lee Roy Jordan]], who recorded 2 interceptions. The Cowboys secondary was led by 2 future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] cornerbacks [[Herb Adderley]] (6 interceptions for 182 return yards) and [[Mel Renfro]] (4 interceptions for 11 yards). Safeties [[Cliff Harris]] and Pro Bowler [[Cornell Green (defensive back)|Cornell Green]] combined for 4 interceptions.  Harris added 29 kickoff returns for 823 yards, an average of 28.4 yards per return (3rd in the NFL). They were also helped out by weak side linebacker D.D. Lewis.

===Miami Dolphins===
{{Main article|1971 Miami Dolphins season}}

The Dolphins, who advanced to the Super Bowl just five years after their founding in 1966, were based primarily around their league-leading running attack, led by running backs [[Larry Csonka]] and [[Jim Kiick]]. Csonka rushed for 1,051 yards, averaging over five yards per carry, and scored seven touchdowns. Versatile Jim Kiick rushed for 738 yards and three touchdowns, and was second on the Dolphins in receiving with 40 receptions for 338 yards. They fumbled once (by Kiick) between the two of them during the regular season. But Miami also had a threatening passing game. Quarterback [[Bob Griese]], the AFC's leading passer and most valuable player, put up an impressive performance during the season, completing 145 passes for 2,089 yards and 19 touchdowns with only 9 interceptions. Griese's major weapon was wide receiver [[Paul Warfield]], who caught 43 passes for 996 yards (a 23.2 yards per catch average) and a league-leading 11 touchdowns. The Dolphins also had an excellent offensive line to open up holes for their running backs and protect Griese on pass plays, led by future Hall of Fame guard [[Larry Little]].

Miami's defense was a major reason why the team built a 10–3–1 regular season record, including eight consecutive wins. Future Hall of Fame linebacker [[Nick Buoniconti]] was a major force reading and stopping plays, while safety [[Jake Scott]] recorded 7 interceptions and led the NFL in punt return yards with 318.

===Playoffs===
{{main article|1971–72 NFL playoffs}}

Before this season, the Dolphins had never won a playoff game in franchise history, but they surprised the entire NFL by advancing to the Super Bowl with wins against the two previous Super Bowl champions. The Dolphins became the first of the four teams which had commenced play in the NFL or [[American Football League|AFL]] after the start of the [[Super Bowl era]] to contest so much as a title game,{{efn|''Title game'' in this context refers to an NFL/AFL Championship Game prior to the [[NFL-AFL merger]] and an NFC/AFC Championship Game after the merger.}} let alone earn a berth in the world championship game.

First Miami defeated the [[1971 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] (winners of [[Super Bowl IV]]), 27–24, in the longest game in NFL history with kicker Garo Yepremian's game-winning field goal after 22 minutes and 40 seconds of overtime play in the final Chiefs game at [[Municipal Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)|Municipal Stadium]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs - December 25th, 1971 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197112250kan.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Later, Miami shut out the defending Super Bowl champion [[1971 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]], 21–0, in the AFC Championship Game, with safety [[Dick Anderson]] intercepting 3 passes from Colts quarterback [[Johnny Unitas]] and returning one of them for a 62-yard touchdown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFC Championship - Baltimore Colts at Miami Dolphins - January 2nd, 1972 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197201020mia.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

Meanwhile, the Cowboys marched to the Super Bowl with playoff wins over the [[1971 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]], 20–12 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, and the [[1971 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]], 14–3 in the NFC Championship Game, giving up only one touchdown in the two games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings - December 25th, 1971 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197112250min.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys - January 2nd, 1972 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197201020dal.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Super Bowl pregame news and notes===
Soon after the Dolphins' win in the AFC Championship Game, Shula received a phone call at his home from President [[Richard Nixon]] at 1:30 in the morning. Nixon had a play he thought would work, a particular pass to Warfield.<ref>{{cite news|title=Everybody At Super Bowl Except Silent Duane Talking About President's Play|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13905992/everybody_at_super_bowl_except_silent/|access-date=September 21, 2017|work=The Bee|agency=Associated Press|date=January 11, 1972|page=9|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sullivan|first1=Paul|title=Nixon and the Straw|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/07/30/nixon-and-the-straw-back-when-he/|access-date=August 15, 2017|work=Chicago Tribune|date=July 30, 1989|archive-date=August 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815184021/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-07-30/sports/8901010025_1_aluminum-bat-ouch-dodgers-pitcher-orel-hershiser|url-status=live}}</ref> (That particular play, which was called late in the first quarter, was broken up by [[Mel Renfro]].)

When asked about the Dolphins' defensive team prior to Super Bowl VI, Landry said that he could not recall any of the players' names, but they were a big concern to him. Over the years this remark has been regarded as the origin of the nickname "No-Name Defense".  However, it was Miami defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger who had originally given his squad the nickname after the Dolphins had beaten the Baltimore Colts in the AFC Championship.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Underwood|first=John|title=They Kept Coming and Coming|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=January 10, 1972|pages=15–17}}</ref>

According to Tom Landry, the Cowboys were very confident. "When they talked among themselves they said there was no way they were going to lose that game."<ref name=McGrane>Bill McGrane, "Winning the Big One", ''The Super Bowl: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of America's Greatest Game''. Simon & Schuster, 1990 {{ISBN|0-671-72798-2}}</ref>

The Cowboys used the [[New Orleans Saints]]' practice facility in [[Metairie, Louisiana|Metairie]] as its training headquarters for the game. The Dolphins split their practices between Tulane Stadium and [[Tad Gormley Stadium]] in New Orleans' [[City Park (New Orleans)|City Park]]. Dallas' team hotel was the Hilton across from [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport|New Orleans International Airport]] in [[Kenner, Louisiana|Kenner]], and Miami lodged at the Fontainebleau Motor Hotel in New Orleans' [[Mid-City New Orleans|Mid-City]] neighborhood.

On Media Day, Duane Thomas refused to answer any questions and sat silently until his required time was up. Roger Staubach surmises that Duane Thomas would have been named MVP if he had cooperated with the press prior to the game.<ref name=Staubach/> In the Cowboys' locker room after the game, flustered CBS reporter [[Tom Brookshier]] asked Duane Thomas a long-winded question, the gist of which was "You're fast, aren't you?" Thomas, who had shunned the press all season, simply said "Evidently." Thomas became the first player to score touchdowns in back-to-back Super Bowls, having a receiving touchdown in [[Super Bowl V]].

Dolphins safety [[Jake Scott]] entered Super Bowl VI with a broken left hand. He broke his right wrist during the game but never came out. With both hands in casts for three months, he said "When I go to the bathroom, that's when I find out who my real friends are."<ref>Dave Hyde, ''Still Perfect! The Untold Story of the 1972 Miami Dolphins'', p115. Dolphins/Curtis Publishing, 2002 {{ISBN|0-9702677-1-1}}</ref>

This was the first Super Bowl to match two teams which played its home games on [[artificial turf]]. Both of the Cowboys' home stadiums of 1971, the [[Cotton Bowl (stadium)|Cotton Bowl]] and [[Texas Stadium]], had turf, as did the Dolphins' [[Miami Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]] (specifically [[Poly-Turf]]). [[1970 Dallas Cowboys season|The previous year]], the Cowboys became the first team to play its home games on turf to make it to a Super Bowl.

It was hoped the [[Louisiana Superdome]] would be ready in time for the [[1972 NFL season]] (had construction stayed on schedule, it is likely this game would have been played elsewhere, with either [[Super Bowl VII]] or [[Super Bowl VIII]] awarded to New Orleans). However, wrangling between labor unions and Louisiana politicians, led by [[Governor of Louisiana|Governor]] [[John McKeithen]], led to a lengthy delay in construction, and groundbreaking did not take place until August 11, 1971, five months before this game. The Superdome was not completed until August 1975, forcing [[Super Bowl IX]] to be moved to Tulane Stadium. That Super Bowl proved to be the final NFL game in the stadium, which was demolished in late 1979.

The night before the game, [[Joe Frazier]] successfully defended his [[List of heavyweight boxing champions|heavyweight boxing championship]] with a fourth-round knockout of Terry Daniels (at the time of the fight, a student at Dallas' [[Southern Methodist University]]) at the [[Harrah's New Orleans|Rivergate Convention Center]] (now Caesar's Palace New Orleans), which was one mile south of the construction site for the Superdome on [[Poydras Street]]. The next day, the Rivergate hosted a [[closed-circuit television]] broadcast of the game, charging $10 per person.

The temperature at kickoff was a sunny and windy {{convert|39|F}}, making this the coldest Super Bowl to date.<ref name="Coldest SB ever" />

This was the final Super Bowl where both teams head coaches (Landry of the Cowboys, Shula of the Dolphins) wore suits.

As of [[Super Bowl LVIII]], this the earliest Super Bowl from which any of the game officials (referee [[Jim Tunney (American football)|Jim Tunney]]) are still living.