Super Bowl X Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18 , 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami , Florida to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion following the 1975 regular season . The American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion Pittsburgh Steelers ( 12 – 2 ) defeated the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion Dallas Cowboys ( 10 – 4 ) , 21 – 17 . This game featured a contrast of styles between the Steelers and the Cowboys , which were , at the time , the two most popular teams in the league . Pittsburgh safety Glen Edwards halted a late Dallas rally with an end zone interception as time expired . Steelers receiver Lynn Swann , who caught four passes for a Super Bowl record 161 yards and one touchdown including a diving catch after tripping over Cowboys ' cornerback Mark Washington in the second quarter , was named the Super Bowl ' s Most Valuable Player . Swann was the first wide receiver to win the Super Bowl MVP award and probably secured his eventual induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Background . Pittsburgh Steelers . The Steelers became the first official # 1 seed to reach the Super Bowl . Playoff seeds were instituted in 1975 . The Steelers finished the regular season with a league best 12 – 2 record , dominating opponents with their " Steel Curtain " defense and powerful running game . Fullback Franco Harris ranked second in the league with 1 , 246 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns , while also catching 28 passes for 214 yards and another touchdown . Halfback Rocky Bleier had 528 rushing yards , and fullback John " Frenchy " Fuqua added 285 yards and 18 receptions . Still , the Steelers had a fine passing attack led by quarterback Terry Bradshaw . Bradshaw threw for 2 , 055 yards , 18 touchdowns , and nine interceptions , while rushing for 210 yards and three touchdowns . One reason why Bradshaw ' s numbers were much improved from the previous season was the emergence of wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth . Both saw limited playing time in the previous season , but became significant contributors . Swann caught a team leading 49 passes for 781 yards and 11 touchdowns . Stallworth only had 20 receptions , but he had an average of 21 . 2 yards per catch , recording a total of 423 reception yards . The Steelers ' " Steel Curtain " defense dominated the league , ranking third in fewest yards allowed ( 4 , 019 ) and sending 8 of their 11 starters to the Pro Bowl : defensive linemen Joe Greene and L . C . Greenwood ; future Hall of Fame linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert ; Andy Russell , the team ' s third starting linebacker ; future Hall of Fame defensive back Mel Blount ; and safeties Glen Edwards and Mike Wagner . Greene made the Pro Bowl despite missing six games with injuries . Ham and Lambert had the best seasons of their careers , while Blount led the league with 11 interceptions . Dallas Cowboys . The Cowboys advanced to their third super bowl in team history with their rather high - tech offense and " flex " defense . Quarterback Roger Staubach had a solid season , passing for 2 , 666 yards and 17 touchdowns , while also rushing for 310 yards . Wide receiver Drew Pearson led the team with 46 receptions for 822 yards and 8 touchdowns . Wide receiver Golden Richards and tight end Jean Fugett were also reliable targets in the Cowboys ' passing game , combining for 59 receptions and 939 receiving yards . Like the Steelers , Dallas was a run based team . Fullback Robert Newhouse was their leading rusher with 930 yards , and also caught 34 passes for 274 yards . Halfback Doug Dennison contributed 388 yards . Perhaps the most talented player in the backfield was Halfback Preston Pearson ( no relation to receiver Drew Pearson ) , who signed on the team as a free agent after being cut by the Steelers in the pre - season . Preston rushed for 509 yards , caught 27 passes for 351 yards , and added another 391 yards returning kickoffs . Preston had been especially effective in the playoffs , where he caught 12 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns , and was extremely eager to increase his numbers in the Super Bowl against the team that let him go . Up front , the offensive line was led by All - pro tackle Rayfield Wright . The Cowboys ' " Flex " defense was anchored by linemen Harvey Martin and Ed " Too Tall " Jones . Linebacker Lee Roy Jordan led the team with six interceptions , while linebacker D . D . Lewis was an effective weapon pass rushing . The starting players in Dallas ' defensive secondary , future Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Renfro , cornerback Mark Washington , and safeties Charlie Waters and Pro Bowler Cliff Harris , combined for 12 interceptions . Even though the Cowboys finished in second place in the NFC East with a 10 - 4 record , they qualified for the playoffs as the NFC ' s wild - card team ( during that time , only one wild card team from each conference entered the playoffs ) . The Dallas Cowboys are the first NFC wild card team to reach the Super Bowl . Playoffs . Dallas went on to defeat the Minnesota Vikings , 17 – 14 , with a 50 - yard touchdown pass from Staubach to Drew Pearson with less than a minute to play in what was called the " Hail Mary pass " . They went on to crush the Los Angeles Rams , 37 - 7 , in the NFC Championship Game . As a result , the Cowboys became the first ever wild card team to advance to the Super Bowl . Meanwhile , the Steelers only gave up a combined total of 20 points in their playoff victories over the Baltimore Colts , 28 – 10 , and the Oakland Raiders , 16 – 10 . Super Bowl pregame news and notes . Coming into Super Bowl X , most sports writers and fans expected that Swann would not play . He had suffered a severe concussion in the AFC Championship Game against the Raiders that forced him to spend two days in a hospital . If he did play , many assumed he would just be used as a decoy to draw coverage away from the other receivers . Throughout the week leading up to the Super Bowl , Swann was unable to participate in several team practices or was limited to only a minor workout in them . However , a few days before the game , he received a verbal challenge from Dallas safety Cliff Harris , who stated " I ' m not going to hurt anyone intentionally . But getting hit again while he ' s running a pass route must be in the back of Swann ' s mind . I know it would be in the back of my mind . " Swann responded " I ' m still not 100 percent . I value my health , but I ' ve had no dizzy spells . I read what Harris said . He was trying to intimidate me . He said I ' d be afraid out there . He needn ' t worry . He doesn ' t know Lynn Swann . He can ' t scare me or the team . I said to myself , ' The hell with it , I ' m gonna play . ' Sure , I thought about the possibility of being reinjured . But it ' s like being thrown by a horse . You have to get up and ride again immediately or you may be scared the rest of your life . " Television , radio and entertainment . CBS televised the game in the United States with play - by - play announcer Pat Summerall ( calling his first Super Bowl in that role ) and color commentator Tom Brookshier . Towards the end of the game , Hank Stram took over for Brookshier , who had left the booth to head down to the locker room area to conduct the postgame interviews with the winning team . On radio , Verne Lundquist and Al Wisk announced the game for the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network , and Jack Fleming and Myron Cope called the game for the Steelers Radio Network . Ed Ingles and Jim Kelly called the game nationally for CBS Radio . The overall theme of the Super Bowl entertainment was to celebrate the United States Bicentennial . Each Dallas and Pittsburgh player wore a special patch with the Bicentennial Logo on their jerseys . The performance event group Up with People performed during both the pregame festivities and the halftime show titled " 200 Years and Just a Baby : A Tribute to America ' s Bicentennial " . Up with People dancers portrayed various American historical figures along with a rendition of Steve Goodman ' s City of New Orleans . Singer Tom Sullivan sang the national anthem . Scenes for the 1977 suspense film " Black Sunday , " about a fictional terrorist attack on the Super Bowl via the Goodyear Blimp , were filmed during the game . Game summary . The Steelers won their second straight Super Bowl , largely through the plays by Swann and by stopping a rally by the Cowboys late in the fourth quarter . Officials did not call a single penalty on the Steelers during the game , while the Cowboys were called for only 2 penalties for 20 yards . On the opening kickoff , the Cowboys ran a reverse where rookie linebacker Thomas " Hollywood " Henderson took a handoff from Preston Pearson and returned the ball a Super Bowl record 48 yards before kicker Roy Gerela forced him out of bounds at the Steelers 44 - yard line . But on the first play of the game , Steelers defensive lineman L . C . Greenwood sacked Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach , forcing him to fumble . Although Dallas recovered the fumble , they eventually were forced to punt . Pittsburgh managed to get one first down and advanced to Dallas 40 - yard line , but then they too were forced to punt . Steelers punter Bobby Walden fumbled the snap . Walden managed to recover his own fumble , but Dallas took over on Steelers 29 - yard line . On the very next play , Staubach threw a 29 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson , taking a 7 – 0 lead . Instead of trying to immediately tie the game on a long passing play , the Steelers ran the ball on the first four plays of their ensuing possession , and then quarterback Terry Bradshaw completed a 32 - yard pass to wide receiver Lynn Swann to reach the Cowboys 16 - yard line . Two running plays further advanced the ball to the 7 - yard line . Then on third down and one , the Steelers managed to fool the Cowboys . Pittsburgh brought in two tight ends , which usually signals a running play . After the snap , tight end Randy Grossman faked a block to the inside as if it were a running play , but then ran a pass route into the endzone , and Bradshaw threw the ball to him for a touchdown , tying the game , 7 – 7 . Dallas responded on their next drive , advancing the ball 51 yards ( 30 of them on five carries from fullback Robert Newhouse ) and scoring on kicker Toni Fritsch ' s 36 - yard field goal to take a 10 - 7 lead early in the second quarter . The Steelers subsequently advanced to the Cowboys 36 - yard line on their next possession , but on fourth down and two , Bradshaw ' s pass was broken up by Dallas safety Cliff Harris . Later in the period , Dallas drove to the Steelers 20 - yard line . But in three plays , the Cowboys lost 25 yards . On first down , Newhouse was tackled for a 3 - yard loss by linebacker Andy Russell . Then Greenwood sacked Staubach for a 12 - yard loss . And on third down , Staubach was sacked again , this time for a 10 yard loss , by defensive end Dwight White . The sacks pushed Dallas out of field goal range and they were forced to punt . The Steelers offense got the ball back their own 6 - yard line with 3 : 47 left in the half . On the drive , Bradshaw completed a 53 - yard pass to Swann to advance the ball to the Cowboys 37 - yard line ; Swann ' s catch has become one of the most memorable acrobatic catches in Super Bowl history . But the drive stalled at the 19 - yard line , and ended with no points after Gerela missed a 36 - yard field goal attempt with 22 seconds remaining in the period . Early in the third quarter , Pittsburgh got a great scoring opportunity when defensive back J . T . Thomas intercepted a pass from Staubach and returned it 35 yards to the Cowboys 25 - yard line . But once again the Steelers failed to score as the Dallas defense kept Pittsburgh out of the end zone and Gerela missed his second field goal , a 33 - yard attempt . After the miss , Harris mockingly patted Gerela on his helmet and thanked him for " helping Dallas out , " but was immediately thrown to the ground by Steeler linebacker Jack Lambert . Lambert could have been ejected from the game for defending his teammate , but the officials decided to allow him to remain . The third quarter was completely scoreless and the Cowboys maintained their 10 - 7 lead going into the final period . But early in the fourth quarter , Dallas punter Mitch Hoopes was forced to punt from inside his own goal line . As Hoopes stepped up to make the kick , Steelers running back Reggie Harrison broke through the line and blocked the punt . The ball went through the end zone for a safety , cutting the Dallas lead to 10 – 9 . Then Steelers running back Mike Collier returned the free kick 25 yards to the Cowboys 45 - yard line . Dallas halted the ensuing drive at the 20 - yard line , but this time Gerela successfully kicked a 36 - yard field goal to give Pittsburgh their first lead of the game , 12 – 10 . Then on the first play of the Cowboys ' next drive , Steelers defensive back Mike Wagner intercepted a pass from Staubach and returned it 19 yards to the Dallas 7 - yard line . The Cowboys defense again managed to prevent a touchdown , but Gerela kicked an 18 - yard field goal to increase the Steelers lead to 15 – 10 . The Steelers regained possession of the ball on their own 30 - yard line with 4 : 25 left in the final period , giving them a chance to either increase their lead or run out the clock to win the game . But after two plays , the Steelers found themselves facing 3rd down and 6 on their own 36 - yard line . Assuming that the Cowboys would be expecting a short pass or a run , Bradshaw decided to try a long pass and told Swann in the huddle to run a deep post pattern . As Bradshaw dropped back to pass , Harris and linebacker D . D . Lewis both blitzed in an attempt to sack him . But Bradshaw managed to dodge Lewis and throw the ball just before being leveled by Harris and lineman Larry Cole , who landed a helmet - to - helmet hit on Bradshaw . Swann then caught the ball at the 5 - yard line and ran into the end zone for a 64 - yard touchdown completion . Bradshaw never did see Swann ' s catch or the touchdown since Coles ' hit to Bradshaw ' s helmet knocked him out of the game with a head injury . It was only after he was assisted to the locker room that he was told what happened . After play resumed , Gerela missed the extra point attempt , but the Steelers now had a 21 – 10 lead with 3 : 02 left in the game , and the Cowboys needed two touchdowns to come back . Staubach then led his team 80 yards in 5 plays on the ensuing drive , scoring on a 34 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Percy Howard and cutting their deficit to 21 – 17 ( Howard ' s touchdown reception was the only catch of his NFL career ) . After Gerry Mullins recovered Dallas ' onside kick attempt , the Steelers then tried to run out the clock on the next drive with four straight running plays , but the Cowboys defense stopped them on fourth down at their 39 - yard line , giving Dallas one more chance to win . Some questioned why Noll would elect to go for it on fourth down but , as later explained by NFL films , his entire kicking game had been suspect all game long with Gerela missing an extra point and two field goals while Walden fumbled a snap on a punt and nearly had two others blocked . ( Gerela ' s problems may have begun on the opening kickoff when he was forced to make a touchdown saving tackle on Hollywood Henderson . ) With 1 : 22 left in the game , Staubach started out the drive with an 11 - yard scramble to midfield , and then followed it up with a 12 - yard completion to Preston Pearson at the Steelers 38 - yard line . On the next play , Staubach fumbled the snap but managed to recover the ball and throw it out of bounds . On second down , he threw a pass intended for Howard in the end zone , but the ball bounced off Howard ' s shoulder , and a Hail Mary replay was not to be . Then on third down , Staubach once again tried to complete a pass to Howard in the end zone , but the ball was tipped by Wagner into the arms of safety Glen Edwards for an interception as time expired , sealing Pittsburgh ' s victory . It was the first time in 10 Super Bowls that the team scoring first lost . Bradshaw finished the game with 9 out of 19 pass completions for 209 yards and two touchdowns , with no interceptions . He also added another 16 yards rushing the ball . Staubach completed 15 out of 24 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions . He also rushed for 22 yards on five carries , but was sacked seven times . Steelers running back Franco Harris was the leading rusher of the game with 82 rushing yards , and also caught a pass for 26 yards . Newhouse was the Cowboys top rusher with 56 yards , and caught two passes for 12 yards . Greenwood recorded a Super Bowl record four sacks but it has gone unrecognized since the NFL didn ' t officially record sacks until 1982 . Officials . " Note : A seven - official system was not used until 1978 "