Editing Super Bowl X (section)

==Background==
===Host selection process===
The NFL awarded Super Bowl X to Miami on April 3, 1973, at the owners' meetings held in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]].<ref name="OS04-07-1973pg23">{{cite news|title=Super Bowl To New Orleans In 1975|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117293925/|newspaper=The Orlando Sentinel|page=23|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=April 4, 1973|accessdate=January 26, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref> This was the fourth time that the Super Bowl was to be played at the [[Miami Orange Bowl]]. For the second time, the owners selected two consecutive Super Bowl host cities at the same meeting. Only three cities submitted bids for the two games. Representatives from [[New Orleans]], Miami, and [[Los Angeles]] each made presentations; all three cities had already hosted the Super Bowl.<ref name="EPHP04-03-1973pg8">{{cite news|title=Expansion Is Given Go-Ahead|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117294132/|first1=Joe|last1=Carnicelli|newspaper=El Paso Herald-Post|page=8|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=April 3, 1973|accessdate=January 26, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref> New Orleans was awarded [[Super Bowl IX]], while Miami was given X.<ref name="TBSM4-04-1973pg27">{{cite news|title=NFL owners award 1975 Super Bowl game to New Orleans' Superdome|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117294855/|first1=Cameron C.|last1=Snyder|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|page=27|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=April 4, 1973|accessdate=January 26, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref>

As part of their pitch, the representatives from Miami specifically requested the 1976 game over the 1975 game. Miami had initially been selected as one of the [[United States Bicentennial]] celebration cities, so [[Joe Robbie]] and [[Don Shula]] lobbied in favor of tying the game to the Bicentennial.<ref name="MH04-04-1973pg163">{{cite news|title=Miami Gets '76 Super Bowl|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117294328/|first1=Ray|last1=Crawford|newspaper=The Miami Herald|page=163|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=April 4, 1973|accessdate=January 26, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref>

===Dallas Cowboys===
{{main|1975 Dallas Cowboys season}}

The Cowboys, considered a [[Cinderella team]] entering the Super Bowl, advanced to their third Super Bowl in team history with their rather high-tech offense and "flex" defense. Quarterback [[Roger Staubach]] had a solid season, passing for 2,666 yards and 17 touchdowns (but he also threw 16 interceptions), while also rushing for 310 yards. Staubach's favorite target was wide receiver [[Drew Pearson (American football)|Drew Pearson]] who led the team with 46 receptions for 822 yards and 8 touchdowns. Wide receiver [[Golden Richards]] and tight end [[Jean Fugett]] were also reliable targets in the Cowboys' passing game, combining for 59 receptions and 939 receiving yards.

But despite their solid passing game, Dallas was a run-based team. Fullback [[Robert Newhouse]] was their leading rusher with
930 yards, and also caught 34 passes for 274 yards. Halfback [[Doug Dennison]] contributed 388 yards. Perhaps the most talented player in the backfield was halfback [[Preston Pearson]] (no relation to receiver Drew Pearson), who signed on the team as a [[free agent]] after being cut by the Steelers in the preseason.  Preston rushed for 509 yards, caught 27 passes for 351 yards, and added another 391 yards returning kickoffs.  Preston had been especially effective in the playoffs, where he caught 12 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns, and was extremely eager to increase his numbers in the Super Bowl against the team that let him go.  Up front, the offensive line was led by All-Pro right tackle [[Rayfield Wright]].

The Cowboys' "Flex" defense was anchored by linemen [[Harvey Martin]] and [[Ed "Too Tall" Jones]]. Linebacker [[Lee Roy Jordan]] led the team with six interceptions, while linebacker [[D. D. Lewis (Dallas Cowboys)|D.D. Lewis]] was an effective weapon pass rushing. The starting players in Dallas' defensive secondary, future Hall of Fame cornerback [[Mel Renfro]], cornerback Mark Washington, and safeties [[Charlie Waters]] and future Hall of Famer [[Cliff Harris]], combined for 12 interceptions.

Even though the Cowboys finished in second place in the [[NFC East]] with a 10–4 record, they qualified for the playoffs as the [[National Football Conference|NFC]]'s [[wild card (sports)|wild-card]] team (during that time, only one wild card team from each conference entered the playoffs).<ref>{{Cite web |title=1975 NFL Standings & Team Stats |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1975/index.htm |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>  The Dallas Cowboys became the first [[National Football Conference|NFC]] [[Wild card (sports)|wild card]] team to reach the Super Bowl.

===Pittsburgh Steelers===
{{main|1975 Pittsburgh Steelers season}}

The Steelers became the first official #1 seed to reach the Super Bowl. Playoff seeds were instituted in [[1975 NFL season|1975]]. The Steelers finished the regular season with a league-best 12–2 record, dominating opponents with their "Steel Curtain" defense and powerful running game.  The team finished the season ranked 5th in most points scored (373) and 2nd in fewest points allowed (162). Fullback [[Franco Harris]] ranked second in the league with 1,246 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, while also catching 28 passes for 214 yards and another touchdown. Halfback [[Rocky Bleier]] had 528 rushing yards, and fullback [[John Fuqua|John "Frenchy" Fuqua]] added 285 yards and 18 receptions. Still, the Steelers had a fine passing attack led by quarterback [[Terry Bradshaw]]. Bradshaw threw for 2,055 yards, 18 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while rushing for 210 yards and three touchdowns. One reason why Bradshaw's numbers were much improved from the previous season was the emergence of wide receivers [[Lynn Swann]] and [[John Stallworth]]. Both saw limited playing time in the previous season, but became significant contributors in 1975. Swann caught a team-leading 49 passes for 781 yards and 11 touchdowns. Stallworth only had 20 receptions, but he had an average of 21.2 yards per catch, recording a total of 423 reception yards.

The Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defense dominated the league, ranking third in fewest yards allowed (4,019) and sending 8 of their 11 starters to the [[Pro Bowl]]: defensive linemen [[Joe Greene]] (future Pro Football Hall of Fame player) and [[L. C. Greenwood]]; future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] linebackers [[Jack Ham]] and [[Jack Lambert (American football)|Jack Lambert]]; [[Andy Russell (American football)|Andy Russell]], the team's third starting linebacker; future Hall of Fame defensive back [[Mel Blount]]; and safeties [[Glen Edwards (safety)|Glen Edwards]] and [[Mike Wagner]].

Greene made the Pro Bowl despite missing six games with injuries. Linebackers Ham and Lambert and cornerback Blount, who led the league with 11 interceptions and was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, had the best seasons of their careers.  Wagner had 4 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries, while Edwards had 3 interceptions, while also returning 25 punts for 267 yards.

===Playoffs===
{{Further|1975–76 NFL playoffs}}

Dallas went on to defeat the [[1975 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]], 17–14, with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Staubach to Drew Pearson with less than a minute to play in what was called the "[[The Hail Mary (American football game)|Hail Mary pass]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings - December 28th, 1975 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197512280min.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> They went on to crush the [[1975 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]], 37–7, in the [[NFC Championship Game]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams - January 4th, 1976 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197601040ram.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> As a result, the Cowboys became the first wild card team to advance to the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, even though Pittsburgh's offense lost a total of 12 turnovers in their two playoff games, the Steelers only gave up a combined total of 20 points in their victories over the [[1975 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]] in the AFC Divisional playoff game 28–10, and the [[1975 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]] in the [[AFC Championship Game]] 16–10.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Baltimore Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 27th, 1975 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197512270pit.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=AFC Championship - Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 4th, 1976 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197601040pit.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Super Bowl pregame news and notes===
Coming into Super Bowl X, most sports writers and fans expected that Swann would not play. He had suffered a severe concussion in the AFC Championship Game against the Raiders that forced him to spend two days in a hospital. If he did play, many assumed he would just be used as a decoy to draw coverage away from the other receivers.

Throughout the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Swann was unable to participate in several team practices or was limited to only a minor workout in them. However, a few days before the game, he received a verbal challenge from Dallas safety [[Cliff Harris]], who stated, "I'm not going to hurt anyone intentionally. But getting hit again while he's running a pass route must be in the back of Swann's mind. I know it would be in the back of my mind."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nflportal.com/SuperBowl/sb10.html|title=Super Bowl X|website=www.nflportal.com|access-date=January 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202032816/http://www.nflportal.com/SuperBowl/sb10.html|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Swann responded "I'm still not 100 percent. I value my health, but I've had no dizzy spells. I read what Harris said. He was trying to intimidate me. He said I'd be afraid out there. He needn't worry. He doesn't know Lynn Swann. He can't scare me or the team. I said to myself, 'The hell with it, I'm gonna play.'<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/133819105/|title=Can't Blame this on Washington|last=Mann|first=Dan|date=January 29, 1999|work=The Palm Beach Post|access-date=January 21, 2018|archive-date=January 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122072630/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/133819105/|url-status=live}}</ref>  Sure, I thought about the possibility of being reinjured. But it's like being thrown by a horse. You have to get up and ride again immediately or you may be scared the rest of your life."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/01/26/legends-grow-from-super-bowls-past/|title=Legends Grow From Super Bowls Past|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=January 21, 2018|language=en|archive-date=January 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122072214/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-26/sports/8601080229_1_louisiana-superdome-orange-bowl-super-bowl-xi|url-status=live}}</ref>

Super Bowl X was the final NFL officiating assignment for veteran referee [[Norm Schachter]], who also served as the referee for [[Super Bowl I]] and [[Super Bowl V]]. Schachter, one of six men to serve as referee for at least three Super Bowls, worked as an officiating supervisor and instant replay official following his on-field retirement. This was the first Super Bowl where penalties and other information were announced by the referee over a wireless microphone, an innovation of Cowboys general manager [[Tex Schramm]] which went into effect at the start of the 1975 season.

Super Bowl X was also the first Super Bowl where the starting placekickers were both soccer-style kickers: [[Roy Gerela]] for Pittsburgh and [[Toni Fritsch]] for Dallas.

This was the first Super Bowl to have the game's respective edition denoted on the field. It was located at the 35-yard line but only the roman numeral. Beginning [[Super Bowl XI|the next year]], the entire name of that years Super Bowl would be on the 35 yard line. The NFL would do this up until [[Super Bowl XXXI]] where they placed the team's helmets at the 30-yard line and the Super Bowl logo at the 50 yard line, this practice would continue until [[Super Bowl XXXVII]] where it was retired immediately following that game. The NFL shield would return to the 50 yard line (in addition to placing that games logo at the 25 yard line) [[Super Bowl XXXVIII|the next year]] where it has remained ever since.