Super Bowl XXI
Giants vs. Broncos
January 25, 1987
Rose Bowl • Pasadena, Calif.
Yrs | 1986 crew | College | Prev. Playoff | Prev. SB | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 9 | Jerry Markbreit | 11 | Illinois | DIV SF-NYG | XVII | |
U | 101 | Bob Boylston | 9 | Barth | Alabama | WC LA Rams-WAS | |
HL | 72 | Terry Gierke | 6 | McCarter | Portland State | WC LA Rams-WAS | |
LJ | 59 | Bob Beeks | 19 | Tunney | Lincoln | DIV SF-NYG | XIV, XVI, XVIII |
FJ | 82 | Pat Mallette | 18 | Wyant | Nebraska | WC KC-NYJ | |
SJ | 90 | Gil Mace | 13 | Tunney | Westminster | DIV WAS-CHI | |
BJ | 92 | Jim Poole | 12 | Haggerty | San Diego State | DIV NE-DEN |
- Replay official: Art McNally
- Replay assistant: Jack Reader
- Alternates:
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- Umpire: Hendi Ancich
- Coin toss: Willie Davis (Hall of Fame defensive end for Browns and Packers)
This was the first Super Bowl to have a replay official.
[Include patches/uniform alterations for the Super Bowl/season here. None for XXI]
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
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20 |
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7 |
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39 |
First replay review misses decisive angle
[Originally appeared as #9 on our list of 50 Super Bowl calls.]
Covering officials: R Jerry Markbreit, replay official Art McNally.
Instant replay made its first appearance in a Super Bowl when the Broncos faced the Giants for Super Bowl XXI. With about three minutes left in the first half, the Broncos had the ball deep in their own territory. Broncos quarterback John Elway threw a 25-yard pass downfield to tight end Clarence Kay. The initial call on the field, was that Kay did not have control of the ball when he went down, making the pass incomplete.
After the ruling, director of officiating Art McNally, working the game as a replay judge, paged the officials on the field to signal that instant replay would take a look. As referee Jerry Markbreit, now in his second Super Bowl, waited for the decision to come down, CBS showed several views that were inconclusive. At the time, the replay official was solely responsible for making the decision to overturn a call. When Markbreit received the call from the replay booth, he announced that the call had been confirmed. On the next play, Elway was sacked in the end zone for a safety.
This turned out to be wrong, though. When the half came to a close, CBS was able to find an angle that conclusively showed that Kay had caught the ball. This play certainly had an influence when replay would be reinstituted in 1999. The replay booth would get all the same views as the broadcaster; the decision was made in concert with the referee; and “stands” was introduced for cases where the available views cannot provide conclusive proof either way. — Marcus Griep

Football Zebras network
Football Zebras network

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Rules review video: Touching the pylon, ball carrier down, and targeting with the lights out

Rules review video: Unconventional handoffs, unnecessary roughness, and roughing the passer

Rules review video: Scrimmage kick advancement, targeting, and blocking below the waist

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Rules review video: Kick catch interference, invalid fair catch signal, and penalty enforcements

Rules review video: Roughing the kicker, forced touching, and kick catch interference

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Rules review video: Illegal forward pass, illegal touching, and simulated kneeldowns

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Week 13 photo album, 2023

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Week 13 officiating liveblog

Officiating crews for the 2023 college football conference championship games

Week 13 referee assignments

Week 12 photo album, 2023

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Week 12 referee assignments

Rules review video: Kick catch interference, invalid fair catch signal, and penalty enforcements

Injury ends the season for down judge Derick Bowers

Rules review video: Roughing the kicker, forced touching, and kick catch interference

NFL targeting a game in Madrid in 2024

Week 3 referee assignments

Referee assignments, preseason week 3

Week 7 referee assignments

Week 4 referee assignments

Week 1 referee assignments

Week 8 referee assignments

Week 6 referee assignments

Week 12 referee assignments

Rules review video: Touching the pylon, ball carrier down, and targeting with the lights out

Rules review video: Unconventional handoffs, unnecessary roughness, and roughing the passer

Rules review video: Scrimmage kick advancement, targeting, and blocking below the waist

Rules School: Officiating mechanics at the end of the half

Rules review video: Kick catch interference, invalid fair catch signal, and penalty enforcements

Rules review video: Roughing the kicker, forced touching, and kick catch interference

Rules review video: Targeting, replay tools, and an experiment with the kickoff line

Rules review video: Illegal forward pass, illegal touching, and simulated kneeldowns

Rules review video: Defensive pass interference, coaches on the field, and defense re-establishing in bounds

Rules review video: Safeties, replay calling penalties, and kicks over the uprights

‘Exceptional situational awareness’ highlights the Call of the Week
