PHOENIX — It's been built up for months, and now with the match-up set, it's the Valley's time to shine as we play host to Super Bowl 57!
It's the fourth Super Bowl the Phoenix metro has played host to in the game's history.
The first Super Bowl in Arizona was supposed to be in 1993. It was later moved to the Los Angeles area after an initiative to create a Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday in Arizona failed to pass. The NFL had threatened to move the game if the vote failed, and the organization followed through. The law was finally passed by Arizona voters in 1992, but it was too late to get the 1993 Super Bowl back.
It wasn't long before the Valley got to play host to its first Super Bowl though. Super Bowl XXX (30) in 1996 was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. So-called "America's team," the Dallas Cowboys, took down the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17. That Super Bowl was the last time the Dallas Cowboys won a Super Bowl.
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The Super Bowl returned to the Valley 12 years later for Super Bowl XLII (42) in 2008. This was the first Super Bowl hosted at what was called the University of Phoenix Stadium at the time, which is now State Farm Stadium. In a huge upset, Eli Manning led the New York Giants to a victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 17-14. New York's win prevented the Patriots from becoming the first undefeated team in the NFL since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. It was the first of two times Eli Manning would spoil the recently retired Tom Brady's chance at a Super Bowl win, as the Giants went on to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl again in 2012 in Indianapolis.
In 2015, the big game came back to Glendale for Super Bowl XLIX (49). Brady and the Patriots would return to the NFL's championship game, looking to avenge their loss from seven years prior. They faced the reigning Super Bowl champion, the Seattle Seahawks, who had blown out the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium outside New York City in 2014. After being down 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter, Brady would lead one of his signature comebacks, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter to win the game 28-24. It was Brady's fourth Super Bowl victory, and he was named the game's MVP for the third time in his career.
This year, there will be no Tom Brady, but there will be two quarterbacks who could very well be in more Super Bowls in the coming years. Kansas City is led by Patrick Mahomes, who at the age of 27, has led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl four times, winning the game in 2020. On the other side, the Eagles' Jalen Hurts is in his first Super Bowl, but the Alabama product is only 24 years old and in his third season in the league.
The game should be a great one to watch, and the Valley will get to play host to all of the action!
