Super Bowl XXII 25 Years Ago: 10 Things Bronco Fans Don’t Remember

What were you doing 25 years ago today? If you are a Denver Broncos fan you were in agony  watching Super Bowl XXII, featuring the Broncos and the Washington Redskins. It was the Broncos third trip to the Super Bowl, their second consecutive appearance, and their third straight Super Bowl loss, falling to the Redskins 42-10. Remember the game? The Broncos scored on their very first offensive play and led 10-0 after the first quarter. That's when the agony started. The Redskins scored 35 points in the second quarter to turn the game into a route before halftime.

Here's 10 more things you probably don't remember about Super Bowl XXII.

1)This was the year the NFL played the first three games of the season with replacement players because of  a labor dispute and players strike. The Broncos went 10-4 -1 during the regular season beating Houston and Cleveland in the playoffs. The AFC Championship game was secured when Browns running back Ernest Byner fumbled inside the  Broncos'  5- yard line  with 1:12 to play,  with his team driving for a game-tying touchdown. It became known as "The Fumble".

2) The game was played at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, and was attended by 73,301 fans. It was the first of three Super Bowls to be played in San Diego.(1998,2003)

3) The National Anthem was performed by Herb Alpert. It was the last non-vocal performance of the Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl to date.

4) The halftime show was put on by  Chubby Checker and  The Rockettes. It was produced by Radio City Music Hall and featured 88 Grand Pianos.

5) The game was broadcast on ABC with announcers Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf,  and Frank Gifford. Keith Jackson hosted the pre-game show along with Lynn Swann and Mike Adamle.

6) The cost of a 30 second commercial was $645,000.( This year it's close to $4 million. That's $126,666 per second.) Remember this funny Diet Coke commercial with Demi Moore?

7) Washington quarterback Doug Williams was named the game's MVP, completing 18 of 29 passes for 340 yards and 4 touchdowns. He became the first quarterback to throw for four touchdowns in a single quarter, and was the first African-American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl. By the way, he started the season as a back up to Jay Schroeder, and didn't become a starter until mid-way through the season.

8) The Broncos were favored by 3 points by the odds makers to beat Washington largely because of John Elway who was named the league's Most Valuable Player and voted to start for the AFC in the Pro Bowl. Elway was sacked  5 times and threw three interceptions.

9) Each  member of the winning team received a bonus of $36,000 while the losing team members received $18,000. (Last year the winners got a record $88,000 and the losers $44,000.)

10) "The Wonder Years" premiered on ABC right after the game. At the time, it was only the second successful series to debut after a Super Bowl.(The "A- Team" was the other.) Remember Joe Cocker singing the theme song for "The Wonder Years?"