Editing Super Bowl XII (section)

==Background==
===Host selection process===
The NFL awarded Super Bowl XII to New Orleans on March 16, 1976, at the owners' meetings held in [[San Diego]]. It was the first of seven Super Bowls (as of {{nfly|2023}}) to be played at the [[Caesars Superdome|Louisiana Superdome]]. However, it was not the first one scheduled for the Superdome; [[Super Bowl IX]] was scheduled to be played there,<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> but construction delays forced it to be played at [[Tulane Stadium]].

A total of six cities submitted bids: [[New Orleans]], [[Miami]], [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]] ([[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]]), [[Los Angeles]] ([[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum|Coliseum]]), [[Dallas]], and [[Houston]]. However, Dallas dropped out of the running due to a date conflict with a [[Convention (meeting)|convention]]. A favorite going into the vote, New Orleans won on the fourth ballot after representatives promised they would prevent [[price gouging]] by the local hotels.<ref name="TMH03-17-1976pg105">{{cite news|title=Super Bowl '78 Home is Superdome|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117584367/|newspaper=The Miami Herald|page=105|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 17, 1976|accessdate=January 30, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref> In selecting the Superdome, owners rejected maintaining an [[American Football Conference|AFC]]/[[National Football Conference|NFC]] host site rotation, an unofficial, and mostly coincidental pattern that had been in place for several seasons.<ref name="PPG03-17-1976pg21">{{cite news|title=Superdome Will Host Super Bowl in 1978|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117583976/|first1=David|last1=Fink|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|page=21|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 17, 1976|accessdate=January 30, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref>

===Staubach v. Morton===
The main storyline surrounding Super Bowl XII was Cowboys quarterback [[Roger Staubach]] versus Broncos quarterback [[Craig Morton]].<ref name=stvsmor/> Morton began his career playing for Dallas in [[1965 Dallas Cowboys season|1965]]. Staubach joined the Cowboys in [[1969 Dallas Cowboys season|1969]] after four years of service in the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]], and soon both quarterbacks competed for the starting job. During [[1970 Dallas Cowboys season|the 1970 season]], both Morton and Staubach started for about half of the regular season games. Morton was ultimately selected to lead the team through the playoffs and eventually to their [[Super Bowl V]] loss to [[1970 Baltimore Colts season|the Baltimore Colts]], 16–13. The next year, Staubach won the starting job and eventually led Dallas to defeat [[1971 Miami Dolphins season|the Miami Dolphins]] in [[Super Bowl VI]], 24–3. Staubach was also named Super Bowl MVP during that game. In [[1972 Dallas Cowboys season|1972]], Morton started most of the Cowboys' games as Staubach was out with a separated shoulder. However, in the division playoffs against [[1972 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco]], Staubach relieved Morton and rallied the team to victory, which assured Staubach of the starting job going forward.  Morton was relegated to backup status until he left the team in [[1974 Dallas Cowboys season|1974]] to join [[1974 New York Giants season|the New York Giants]].

===Morton and the Broncos' Orange Crush Defense===
{{Main|1977 Denver Broncos season}}
{{See also|Orange Crush Defense}}

After spending three years with the Giants, Morton became the starting quarterback for the Broncos, a franchise with a dismal history.  It had taken them 14 years (1960–1973) to record their first winning season and they had never once made the playoffs.  But under the leadership of the newly arrived Morton and their new coach [[Red Miller]], Denver finished 1977 with a 12–2 record and earned the #1 seed in the AFC.

Morton did not put up a large number of passing yards (1,929) during the regular season, but he threw 14 touchdown passes and only 8 interceptions, while also rushing for 125 yards and 4 touchdowns, earning him the [[NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award]]. Denver tight end [[Riley Odoms]] was his main target, with 37 receptions for 429 yards. Wide receiver [[Haven Moses]] was also a major deep threat, catching 27 passes for 539 yards, an average of 20 yards per catch. However, the Broncos main offensive strength was their rushing game. Denver had 3 running backs, [[Otis Armstrong]], [[Lonnie Perrin]], and [[Rob Lytle]], who carried the ball equally, combining for 1,353 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.  On [[special teams]], multi-talented wide receiver [[Rick Upchurch]] led the NFL with 653 punt return yards, while also catching 12 passes for 245 yards and recording 456 yards returning kickoffs.

The backbone of the Broncos was their defense, a unit known as the "[[Orange Crush Defense|Orange Crush]]", which used a 3–4 formation anchored by four superb linebackers, including [[Randy Gradishar]] (3 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries) and [[Tom Jackson (American football, born 1951)|Tom Jackson]] (4 interceptions, 93 return yards, 1 touchdown). Defensive End [[Lyle Alzado]] anchored the line, while their secondary was led by defensive backs [[Bill Thompson (American football)|Bill Thompson]] (who recorded 5 interceptions) and [[Louis Wright (American football)|Louis Wright]] (who had 3 interceptions).  The Broncos defense had given up just 148 points during the season, an average of just 10.6 per game and the 3rd-fewest in the NFL.

===Staubach and the Cowboys' Doomsday Defense===
{{Main|1977 Dallas Cowboys season}}
{{See also|Doomsday Defense}}

With Staubach and his team's [[Doomsday Defense]], the Cowboys won the [[NFC East]] with a 12–2 regular season record.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1977 Dallas Cowboys Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/1977.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

Staubach threw for 2,620 yards and 18 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions, while also gaining 171 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground.  Wide receiver [[Drew Pearson (American football)|Drew Pearson]] was the leading receiver on the team with 48 receptions for 870 yards, while [[Pro Bowl]] tight end [[Billy Joe DuPree]] recorded 28 receptions for 347 yards and provided blocking support on running plays.

The Cowboys also had a new weapon on offense: rookie running back [[Tony Dorsett]], the previous year's Heisman Trophy winner. Despite not becoming a full-time starter until the tenth game of the regular season, Dorsett led the team in rushing with 1,007 yards, scored 13 total touchdowns, and was the team's third leading receiver with 29 receptions for another 273 yards. Veteran fullback [[Robert Newhouse]] provided Dorsett with blocking, and was the team's second leading rusher with 721 yards, while also catching 16 passes for another 106 yards. Running back [[Preston Pearson]] contributed 341 yards rushing, caught 46 passes for 535 yards, and scored 5 touchdowns.  The Cowboys' offensive line was led by All-Pro tackle [[Rayfield Wright]].

Meanwhile, the Cowboys' Doomsday Defense remained in the superb form that helped lead the Cowboys' [[Super Bowl X]] appearance.  Their defensive line consisted of [[Harvey Martin]] (who recorded 20 sacks and earned the [[National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award]]), [[Jethro Pugh]], [[Ed "Too Tall" Jones]] and [[Randy White (American football)|Randy White]].  Behind them, the Cowboys had a trio of linebackers, [[Thomas Henderson (American football)|Thomas Henderson]] (3 interceptions), [[D. D. Lewis (linebacker, born 1945)|D.D. Lewis]], and [[Bob Breunig]], who provided pass coverage and run stoppage. Dallas also had a secondary led by future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Famers]] cornerback [[Mel Renfro]] and safety [[Cliff Harris]] and [[Pro Bowl]] safety [[Charlie Waters]].

===Playoffs===
{{Further|1977–78 NFL playoffs}}

The Cowboys earned their second trip to the Super Bowl in three years by defeating [[1977 Chicago Bears season|the Chicago Bears]], 37–7, and [[1977 Minnesota Vikings season|the Minnesota Vikings]], 23–6, in the playoffs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys - December 26th, 1977 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197712260dal.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NFC Championship - Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys - January 1st, 1978 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197801010dal.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>  Their "Doomsday Defense" proved as dominant as ever in those two games, forcing 7 turnovers against Chicago and 4 against the Vikings.

Meanwhile, the Broncos earned their first ever trip to the Super Bowl in team history by defeating the two previous league champions: [[1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season|the Pittsburgh Steelers]], 34–21, and [[1977 Oakland Raiders season|the Oakland Raiders]], 20–17, in the playoffs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos - December 24th, 1977 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197712240den.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=AFC Championship - Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos - January 1st, 1978 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197801010den.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> This made Morton the first quarterback to start a Super Bowl game for two different franchises,{{efn|As of [[Super Bowl LVII]], three other quarterbacks — [[Kurt Warner]] with [[1999 St. Louis Rams season|the Rams]] and [[2008 Arizona Cardinals season|Cardinals]], [[Peyton Manning]] with [[2006 Indianapolis Colts season|the Colts]] and [[2013 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]], and [[Tom Brady]] with [[2001 New England Patriots season|the New England Patriots]] and [[2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] — also accomplished the feat.}} and he remains the only quarterback to have started two different franchises' ''first'' Super Bowl appearances.

This was the final Super Bowl in the 14-game schedule era. The following season, the NFL went to a 16-game schedule, which remained in place through the [[2020 NFL season]], before being replaced by a 17-game regular season in {{nfly|2021}}.

===Super Bowl pregame news and notes===
Super Bowl XII provided an opportunity for Morton to not only beat his former team, but also to redeem himself for his Super Bowl V loss and the loss of his starting job to Staubach. For Staubach, he had a chance to win his second Super Bowl and defeat his old rival, showing that he truly was the better quarterback of the two.

[[Tony Dorsett]] became the first football player in history to win an [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] National Championship one year (with [[1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|the University of Pittsburgh Panthers]]) and a Super Bowl the next. Dorsett won both championships in the same building; Pitt clinched the 1976 national championship by defeating [[1976 Georgia Bulldogs football team|the Georgia Bulldogs]] in [[1977 Sugar Bowl|the Sugar Bowl]] on January 1, 1977.

Dallas was the only NFC team to win the Super Bowl during the 1970s (although both Baltimore and Pittsburgh were pre-merger NFL teams). Both Cowboy victories in the decade came in New Orleans against teams making their first Super Bowl appearance.

This was the first Super Bowl between two teams who had met in regular season play. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 14–6 on the final Sunday of the regular season at [[Texas Stadium]]. Both teams' starters saw limited action in that contest, since both squads had already clinched their respective division championships and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Denver was 12–1 and Dallas 11–2 prior to the Dec 18 matchup. It was the first of only two times that  two teams have played each other in the Super Bowl after playing on the final weekend of the regular season (the New York Giants and New England Patriots played in the final week of the 2007 regular season and met again in [[Super Bowl XLII]]). Under NFL scheduling rules put in place by Commissioner [[Roger Goodell]] prior to [[2010 NFL season|the 2010 season]], the Super Bowl participants will no longer be able to play each other on the final weekend of the regular season, since all games on the final weekend now match division opponents.

This was the first Super Bowl to feature arrow markers every ten yards, beginning at the 10 yard line, to indicate the direction of the nearest goal line, which were first used at Kansas City's [[Arrowhead Stadium]] in 1973. They became mandatory league-wide the following season in [[1978 NFL season|1978]].