Editing Super Bowl XV (section)

==Background==
===Host selection process===
The NFL awarded Super Bowl XV to [[New Orleans]] on March 13, 1979, at the owners' meetings in [[Honolulu]]. For the first time, three Super Bowl host cities were deliberated and selected at the same meeting (XV, [[Super Bowl XVI|XVI]], and [[Super Bowl XVII|XVII]]). A total of eight cities submitted bids: New Orleans, [[Detroit]] ([[Pontiac Silverdome|Silverdome]]), [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]] ([[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]]), [[Los Angeles]] ([[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum|Coliseum]]), [[Miami]], [[Seattle]] ([[Kingdome]]), [[Dallas]] ([[Cotton Bowl (stadium)|Cotton Bowl]]), and [[Houston]] ([[Rice Stadium (Rice University)|Rice Stadium]]). New Orleans was selected for their fifth Super Bowl overall, and second at the [[Caesars Superdome|Louisiana Superdome]], cementing their status in the regular host rotation. Detroit (XVI) and Pasadena (XVII) were other cities chosen at the meeting.<ref name="SPT03-14-1979pg29">{{cite news|title=Super Bowl sun warms Snow Belt (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118641092/|newspaper=The Miami Herald|first1=Ron|last1=Martz|page=29|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1979|accessdate=February 14, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="SPT03-14-1979pg36">{{cite news|title=Super Bowl sun warms Snow Belt (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118641201/|newspaper=The Miami Herald|first1=Ron|last1=Martz|page=36|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1979|accessdate=February 14, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref>

After hosting five previous Super Bowls, [[Miami metropolitan area|Miami]] was noticeably left out, largely due the aging condition of the [[Miami Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]], and for a hotel room mix-up at [[Super Bowl XIII]] two years earlier.<ref name="DFP03-14-1979pg53">{{cite news|title=Michigan's Super Bowl army reached out a winner (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118686572/|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|first1=Vito|last1=Stellino|page=53|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1979|accessdate=February 15, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="DFP03-14-1979pg60">{{cite news|title=Michigan's Super Bowl army reached out a winner (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118686686/|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|first1=Vito|last1=Stellino|page=60|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1979|accessdate=February 15, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref> [[Miami Dolphins|Dolphins]] owner [[Joe Robbie]], locked in an ongoing feud with the city of Miami and [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Dade County]] over stadium improvements or construction of a new stadium, actually lobbied against Miami hosting the game. Robbie convinced the other owners to vote down Miami, in an effort to gain leverage towards building a new stadium. [[South Florida]] would not be selected to host another Super Bowl until [[Hard Rock Stadium|Joe Robbie Stadium]] was built, and it hosted [[Super Bowl XXIII|XXIII]].<ref name="FLDN03-14-1979pg23a">{{cite news|title=Joe's Message To South Florida: No New Stadium, No Super Bowl|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118639386/|newspaper=Fort Lauderdale News|first1=Bernie|last1=Lincicome|page=23|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1979|accessdate=February 14, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="FLDN03-14-1979pg23b">{{cite news|title=Robbie's 'No' Vote Keeps Super Bowl From Miami|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118639297/|newspaper=Fort Lauderdale News|page=23|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1979|accessdate=February 14, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref>

===Oakland Raiders===
{{Main article|1980 Oakland Raiders season}}

Super Bowl XV was the climax of [[Jim Plunkett]]'s revival as an NFL starting quarterback. The 1970 [[Heisman Trophy]] winner was selected with the first pick of the 1971 NFL draft by the [[New England Patriots]] and was later named the 1971 [[NFL Rookie of the Year Award|NFL Rookie of the Year]]. But Plunkett suffered through five losing seasons with the Patriots and two uneven seasons with the [[San Francisco 49ers]] before being released as a free agent before the 1978 season.

Plunkett was signed by Oakland to be their backup quarterback, and thus he did not see much playing time, throwing no passes in 1978 and just 15 passes in 1979.  Meanwhile, Oakland traded long time starting quarterback [[Ken Stabler]] in the 1979 off-season to replace him with [[Dan Pastorini]], a former high school rival of Plunkett who had been selected two spots below him in the 1971 draft.  After the Raiders started the 1980 season with a 2–3 record, Pastorini broke his leg and suddenly Plunkett was thrust into the starting role. The 33-year-old Plunkett got off to a bad start, throwing 5 interceptions in a 31–17 loss to the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] after relieving Pastorini. However, he recovered and led the Raiders to victory in 9 of their last 11 games in the season, qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card team. Plunkett made 165 out of 320 pass completions for 2,299 yards, 18 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. He also contributed 141 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.

The Raiders' main offensive deep threat was wide receiver [[Cliff Branch]] (44 receptions, 858 yards, 7 touchdowns), while wide receiver [[Bob Chandler]] contributed 49 receptions for 786 yards and 10 touchdowns. Running back [[Mark van Eeghen]] was the team's top rusher with 838 yards and 5 touchdowns, while also catching 29 passes for 259 yards.  Six games into the season, the Raiders made a surprise trade, sending future Hall of Fame tight end [[Dave Casper]] to the [[Houston Oilers]] for one first round and two second round draft picks.  Veteran tight end [[Raymond Chester]] proved to be a capable starter for the rest of the year, catching 28 passes for 366 yards and 4 touchdowns. Halfback [[Kenny King (running back)|Kenny King]] rushed for 761 yards and catching 22 passes for 145 yards. The Raiders also had an outstanding offensive line led by two future Hall of Famers, tackle [[Art Shell]] and guard [[Gene Upshaw]]. Upshaw became the first player to play in three Super Bowls with the same team in three different decades. He also played in Super Bowls [[Super Bowl II|II]] (1967) and [[Super Bowl XI|XI]] (1976).

Oakland's defense, anchored by defensive linemen [[John Matuszak]] (8 sacks), [[Cedrick Hardman]] (9.5 sacks), and [[Dave Browning]] (6.5 sacks), led the league in forced turnovers (52) and interceptions (35). Defensive back [[Lester Hayes]] led the league in interceptions (13) and interception return yards (273), and was the league's [[National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award|Defensive Player of the Year]].  Safety [[Burgess Owens]] added three interceptions, returning them for 59 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders also had a trio of great linebackers: future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Famer]] [[Ted Hendricks]] (3 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries, 8.5 sacks) [[Pro Bowl]]er [[Rod Martin]] (3 Interceptions), and standout rookie [[Matt Millen]].

The Raiders were led by head coach [[Tom Flores]], the first Hispanic coach to win a Super Bowl.

===Philadelphia Eagles===
{{Main article|1980 Philadelphia Eagles season}}

In 1980, under head coach [[Dick Vermeil]], the Philadelphia Eagles, who had not played in a league championship since their 1960 NFL championship, advanced to their first Super Bowl.  Philadelphia's offense ranked 6th in the league in scoring (384 points) and 8th in yards gained (5,519). The Eagles were led by quarterback [[Ron Jaworski]], who completed 257 out of 451 passes for 3,529 yards during the regular season, including 27 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. Another key player on the Eagles offense was halfback [[Wilbert Montgomery]], who was widely considered one of the top running backs in the NFL after rushing for more than 1,200 yards in each of the previous two seasons. Injuries during the 1980 regular season had limited him to just 778 yards, but he proved he was fully recovered in the postseason by rushing for 194 yards in the NFC title game. Montgomery was also a superb receiver out of the backfield, recording 50 receptions for 407 yards. The other main deep threats on offense, wide receivers [[Harold Carmichael]] and [[Charlie Smith (wide receiver)|Charlie Smith]], along with tight end [[Keith Krepfle]], combined for 125 receptions, 2,090 yards, and 16 touchdowns.

The Eagles' defense allowed the fewest points in the league during the regular season (222) while ranking second in fewest yards (4,443). Nose tackle [[Charlie Johnson (Eagles and Vikings football)|Charlie Johnson]] anchored the line, and even managed to record 3 interceptions. Defensive end [[Claude Humphrey]] led the team in sacks with 14.5, while fellow defensive end [[Carl Hairston]] added 9 sacks and defensive tackle [[Ken Clarke]] had 7. Linebackers [[Jerry Robinson (linebacker)|Jerry Robinson]] (4 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions) and [[Bill Bergey]] excelled at both stopping the run and pass coverage. Philadelphia also had a fine secondary, led by veteran defensive backs [[Herman Edwards]] (3 interceptions) and [[Brenard Wilson]] (6 interceptions), along with rookie [[Roynell Young]] (4 interceptions). The Eagles' defense was a major factor in their hard-fought 10–7 victory over the Raiders in the regular season; they sacked Plunkett 8 times.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oakland Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles - November 23rd, 1980 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198011230phi.htm |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Playoffs===
{{Further|1980–81 NFL playoffs}}
The Eagles advanced through the playoffs, defeating the [[1980 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]], 31–16, and the [[1980 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]], 20–7.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles - January 3rd, 1981 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198101030phi.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles - January 11th, 1981 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198101110phi.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

Meanwhile, Plunkett and the Raiders defeated the [[1980 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]] 27–7, the [[1980 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]] 14–12 (on a play known as [[Red Right 88]]), and the [[1980 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]] 34–27.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wild Card - Houston Oilers at Oakland Raiders - December 28th, 1980 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198012280rai.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns - January 4th, 1981 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198101040cle.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=AFC Championship - Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers - January 11th, 1981 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198101110sdg.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> In doing so, Oakland became the second [[wild card (sports)|wild card]] team to advance to the Super Bowl since the 1970 merger, the first from the AFC, and the first wild card team to win three postseason rounds since the NFL expanded to a 10-team playoff format in [[1978 NFL season|1978]].  Hayes had a spectacular performance in the playoffs, adding 5 more interceptions to give him a total of 18 picks in 19 games.

===Super Bowl pregame news and notes===
In the days before the game, most sports writers were speculating over whether, if the Raiders won, NFL Commissioner [[Pete Rozelle]] would present the [[Vince Lombardi Trophy]] to the team's owner [[Al Davis]]. Prior to the season, the league declined to approve the Raiders' proposal to move from the [[Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum]] in [[Oakland, California]] to the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]] in [[Los Angeles]]. In response, Davis sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws. The conflict caused much friction between Rozelle and Davis. (The Raiders would eventually win the lawsuit, allowing the team to move to Los Angeles before the [[1982 NFL season|1982 season]].)

Oakland became the first team to avenge a regular-season loss in the Super Bowl. The Eagles defeated the Raiders 10–7 on November 23 at [[Veterans Stadium]].

This game marked the first Super Bowl where both teams used the 3–4 [[American football strategy|defensive formation]] as their base defense. The Raiders were the first team to use the 3–4 in the Super Bowl in [[Super Bowl XI]] against the [[Minnesota Vikings]], although the [[Miami Dolphins]] used a version of the 3–4 ("53 defense") in [[Super Bowl VI]], [[Super Bowl VII]] and [[Super Bowl VIII]]. The 3–4 would be used by at least one team in every Super Bowl between Super Bowl XV and [[Super Bowl XXVIII|game XXVIII]].

The Raiders became the first team to appear in a Super Bowl in three different decades (1960s, 1970s and 1980s), having previously played in Super Bowls [[Super Bowl II|II]] and [[Super Bowl XI|XI]].

As of [[Super Bowl LVIII]], this is the earliest Super Bowl from which both coaches are still living, and the earliest from which ''either'' coach is still living following the death of [[Bud Grant]] in March 2023.