Super Bowl XIV Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20 , 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena , California to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion following the 1979 regular season . Aided by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter , the American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion Pittsburgh Steelers ( 15 - 4 ) defeated the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion Los Angeles Rams ( 11 - 8 ) , 31 – 19 , to win their fourth Super Bowl in team history . The Rams would not appear in the Super Bowl again until after they moved to St . Louis in 1995 . They would appear in Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 and Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 . This game was the first Super Bowl ( and the only one until Super Bowl XLI ) to feature two pre - expansion era ( pre - 1960 ) teams . It was also the first time that a team with nine wins or fewer reached the Super Bowl , and the last such occurrence until Super Bowl XLIII . The Rams were also the first " host " team to participate in the Super Bowl ( although the game was not in their home stadium , the Rams were the official hosts ) . Despite throwing three interceptions , Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was named the game ' s MVP by completing 14 of 21 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns . Background . Pittsburgh Steelers . The Steelers won the AFC Central with a 12 – 4 regular season record , and advanced to their second consecutive Super Bowl and their fourth appearance in the last six seasons . Pittsburgh appeared to be even better than what they were in their three previous Super Bowl victories . They led the league with 6 , 258 yards in total offense , an average of 391 yards per game and just 31 yards short of an NFL record . The team also led the league in scoring with 412 points . Pittsburgh Quarterback Terry Bradshaw had another fine season as the leader of the Steelers offense , throwing for 3 , 724 yards and 26 touchdowns during the regular season ( but he did throw 25 interceptions ) . Wide receiver John Stallworth was his top target with 70 receptions for 1 , 183 yards and 8 touchdowns , while wide receiver Lynn Swann caught 41 passes for 808 yards , an average of 19 . 7 yards per catch . Steelers starting tight end Bennie Cunningham , who missed most of the previous season due to injuries , was also a big contributor with 36 receptions for 512 yards . Running back Franco Harris was the Steelers leading rusher for the 8th consecutive season with 1 , 186 yards and 11 touchdowns . He also recorded his 7th consecutive season with more than 1 , 000 yards , tying an NFL record set by Jim Brown . Harris also had his best year as a receiver out of the backfield , catching a career high 36 passes for a career high 291 yards and another touchdown . Fullback Rocky Bleier also had another superb season , providing Harris with excellent blocking while also contributing 711 combined rushing and receiving yards . And Running back Sidney Thornton also emerged as a big threat with 816 total yards and averaging 5 yards per carry . Pittsburgh also had a solid offensive line , led by center Mike Webster . The Steelers " Steel Curtain " defense finished the regular season as the top rated defense in the AFC , limiting opponents to only 4 , 621 offensive yards . Up front , linemen Joe Greene and L . C . Greenwood terrorized opposing quarterbacks and rushers . And linebackers Jack Lambert and Jack Ham excelled at run stopping and pass coverage , combining for 8 interceptions . The Steelers also had a fine secondary , led by defensive backs Mel Blount , who recorded 3 interceptions , and Donnie Shell , who had 5 . Los Angeles Rams . Adversity hovered over the Rams long before the season began . During the off - season , in a mysterious accident , owner Carroll Rosenbloom drowned , and a power struggle ensued between Carroll ' s son , Steve Rosenbloom , and his second wife , Georgia Frontiere . Georgia eventually gained control of the team and fired her stepson . Prior to Carroll Rosenbloom ' s death , the Rams had already announced their intentions to leave the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and move to Anaheim Stadium in Orange County for the 1980 season . The Rams barely outscored their opponents in total points , 323 to 309 , and finished the regular season with a 9 - 7 record , the worst ever by a team who advanced to the Super Bowl ( that record was later tied by the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII ) . The team was plagued with injuries during the regular season , including the loss of their starting quarterback Pat Haden . His replacement , Vince Ferragamo , completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw twice as many interceptions ( 10 ) as touchdowns ( 5 ) . But he still led the Rams to victory in 6 of their last 7 games . The Rams gained 6 , 006 total yards of offense during the regular season , ranking second in the league . The team ' s main offensive weapon was running back Wendell Tyler , who rushed for 1 , 109 yards , caught 32 passes for 308 yards , and scored 10 touchdowns . Tyler ' s rushing yards came off just 218 rushing attempts , giving him a league leading 5 . 1 yards per carry average . Fullback Cullen Bryant provided Tyler with excellent blocking while also gaining 846 total yards and scoring 5 touchdowns . Wide receiver Preston Dennard was the team ' s main deep threat , catching 43 passes for 766 yards and 4 touchdowns . The offensive line , led by tackle Doug France , Jackie Slater and guard Dennis Harrah , paved the Rams running attack to 4th in the NFC during the season despite injuries . They also gave up only 29 sacks . But the Rams main strength was their defense which featured defensive end Jack Youngblood , who made the Pro Bowl for the 7th year in a row and was playing with a broken leg , and lightning - quick Fred Dryer on the opposite end . Behind them , the Rams had 2 outstanding linebackers : Jack " Hacksaw " Reynolds , and Jim Youngblood ( no relation to Jack ) , who had recorded 5 interceptions and returned 2 for touchdowns . The Rams also had a solid secondary , led by free safety Nolan Cromwell who also grabbed 5 interceptions . Playoffs . In the playoffs , the Rams avenged the previous year ' s NFC Championship Game shutout loss to the Dallas Cowboys by beating them 21 – 19 . Then they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game , 9 – 0 , scoring only three field goals . Meanwhile , the Steelers went on to defeat the Miami Dolphins , 34 – 14 , and the Houston Oilers , 27 – 13 , in the playoffs . During those two playoff games , the Pittsburgh defense limited running backs Larry Csonka and Earl Campbell , respectively , to a combined total of only 35 rushing yards . Campbell was the league ' s rushing leader during the regular season with 1 , 697 yards , but could only gain 15 yards against the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game . Super Bowl pregame news and notes . Pittsburgh was heavily favored to win Super Bowl XIV and become the first team to win 4 Super Bowls . Most people did not think that the Rams even belonged on the same field with the Steelers . In fact , Sports Illustrated had called the NFC Championship Game a game for losers , played by losers . One sports writer sarcastically suggested that Bradshaw throw left - handed and the Rams should be allowed to play with 12 men on the field to make the Super Bowl more competitive . However , Pittsburgh themselves were not taking their opponents lightly . In their previous meetings , the Rams held a 12 – 1 – 2 all - time record over the Steelers , including wins in 1971 , 1975 , and 1978 . Bradshaw became the second quarterback to start four Super Bowls , joining his counterpart from Super Bowls X and XIII Roger Staubach . Television and entertainment . CBS televised the game in the United States with play - by - play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator Tom Brookshier . One of the guest analysts for the network ' s studio pregame show was former Oakland Raiders coach John Madden ; he impressed CBS executives so much that he replaced Brookshier as lead game analyst in 1981 . The Los Angeles Unified School District All - City Band played during the pregame ceremonies . Later , actress and singer Cheryl Ladd performed the national anthem . The coin toss ceremony featured longtime Steelers owner Art Rooney . The performance event group Up with People performed during the halftime show titled " A Salute to the Big Band Era " . The famous Coca - Cola commercial in which " Mean " Joe Greene gives a boy his game jersey aired during CBS ' telecast of the game . However , it is technically not viewed as a Super Bowl ad since it actually debuted on October 1 , 1979 , not during the day of the game . The city of Pittsburgh celebrated its third major pro championship in 13 months . The Steelers had also won the previous year ' s Super Bowl , and the city ' s Major League Baseball team , the Pirates , had won the World Series three months before this Super Bowl game . Ten days after the Steelers ' Super Bowl victory , the city ' s National Hockey League team , the Pittsburgh Penguins , changed its uniform colors to match the black and gold scheme of the Pirates and Steelers , as well as that of the Pittsburgh city flag . Game summary . Despite being the underdogs , the Rams managed to hang on to a 13 – 10 lead at halftime , and a 19 – 17 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter . But the Steelers held the Rams scoreless in the fourth quarter and scored two touchdowns for the win . Despite the game ' s uneven matchup and a final score , this game is regarded by some as one of the most competitive games in Super Bowl history . Overall , the lead changed 7 times between both teams , a Super Bowl record ; the Rams took the lead 3 times while the Steelers took it 4 times . The Rams took the opening kickoff but the Steel Curtain , however , managed to force a three - and - out . Then on the Steelers ' 7th play of their first possession , quarterback Terry Bradshaw completed a 32 - yard pass to running back Franco Harris to reach the Los Angeles 26 - yard line . But a third down pass fell incomplete , forcing Pittsburgh to settle for a 41 - yard field goal from rookie kicker Matt Bahr . Bahr ' s ensuing kickoff was very short , giving the Rams great field position at their 41 - yard line . On the first play of the drive , Los Angeles running back Wendell Tyler caught a 6 - yard pass from Vince Ferragamo . Then on the next play , Tyler took a handoff , ran left , broke some tackles , and ran 39 yards to the Steelers 14 - yard line before he was finally dragged down by Pittsburgh defensive back Donnie Shell , the longest run against the Steelers all season . 6 plays later , fullback Cullen Bryant scored on a 1 - yard touchdown run to give the Rams a 7 – 3 lead . But the lead did not last long . Pittsburgh defensive back Larry Anderson returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to his own 47 - yard line , and then the Steelers marched 53 yards in 9 plays using every offensive weapon in their arsenal . First , Harris ran for 12 yards , fullback Rocky Bleier ran for 1 , then tight end Bennie Cunningham caught a pass for 8 . Bleier ran again for 2 , followed by Bradshaw ' s 18 - yard completion to receiver Lynn Swann on the last play of the first quarter . The second period opened with Bradshaw ' s 13 - yard completion to Cunningham to reach the Los Angeles 5 - yard line , and then Harris ran through the middle to the 4 . Wide receiver John Stallworth was then stopped at the 1 - yard line , but then Harris ran to the right untouched and scored a touchdown on the next play , giving the Steelers a 10 - 7 lead . But like the Rams ' previous lead , the Steelers lead also turned out to be short - lived . Aided by a 20 - yard pass interference penalty against Shell , Los Angeles advanced 67 yards in 10 plays to score on 31 - yard field goal from kicker Frank Corral to tie the game . Anderson gave the Steelers great field position after returning the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Pittsburgh 46 - yard line , but the Steelers could not move the ball and had to punt . The Rams were also forced to punt on their next possession after only gaining 6 - yards . But on the first play of the Steelers ' next drive , Los Angeles defensive back Dave Elmendorf intercepted a pass from Bradshaw and returned it 10 yards to Pittsburgh ' s 39 - yard line . On the first 2 plays after the turnover , Ferragamo was sacked for a 10 - yard loss and threw an incomplete pass . But he managed to overcome the situation with a 12 - yard completion to Bryant on third down and a 10 - yard completion to receiver Billy Waddy on 4th down and 8 . Ferragamo ' s next pass was complete to tight end Terry Nelson for a first down at the 13 - yard line , but after throwing 2 incompletions , Pittsburgh lineman John Banaszak sacked Ferragamo on third down . However , Corral kicked a 45 - yard field goal to give the Rams a 13 - 10 halftime lead . Many observers were surprised that the heavily favored Steelers trailed at the end of the half . " How can you mess up this way ? " Steelers assistant coach Woody Widenhofer asked his team at halftime . " Didn ' t we go over these things a dozen times ? You guys are standing out there like statues . " Anderson once again gave the Steelers great starting field position , returning the opening kickoff of the second half 37 yards to the Pittsburgh 39 - yard line . The Steelers lulled the Rams defense by running the ball on three consecutive plays of the drive , and then Bradshaw burned them with a 47 - yard touchdown completion to Swann , who made a leaping catch at the Los Angeles ' 2 - yard line and tumbled into the end zone , to give Pittsburgh a 17 - 13 lead . But they didn ' t hold it . After starting the ensuing drive with 2 running plays , Ferragamo completed a 50 - yard pass to Waddy . Then on the next play , Ferragamo handed the ball off to running back Lawrence McCutcheon who started to run to the right . The Steelers defense came up to tackle him behind the line of scrimmage , only to watch him throw a 24 - yard touchdown pass to Ron Smith . Corral missed the extra point attempt , but the Rams had retaken the lead , 19 - 17 . The Steelers had some success advancing into Rams territory on their next 2 possessions only to see the Rams intercept the ball both times . First , Rams free safety Eddie Brown stopped the ensuing Steelers drive with an interception , lateraling to Pat Thomas to gain an additional two yards . Then after a punt , Pittsburgh drove all the way to the Rams 16 - yard line , but Los Angeles defensive back Rod Perry intercepted a pass intended for Stallworth . Thus , the third quarter ended with the Rams still in the lead , 19 - 17 , seemingly in control of the game . Worse yet , Pittsburgh lost Lynn Swann to injury . With 12 : 59 left in the game , Rams punter Ken Clark ' s 59 - yard punt planted Pittsburgh back on their own 25 - yard line . Then faced with 3rd down and 8 , Bradshaw took the snap , faked a handoff , and then threw a pass to Stallworth , who was running a streak pattern down the middle of the field . Stallworth caught the ball barely beyond the outstretched hand of Rams defensive back Rod Perry and took it all the way to the end zone for a 73 - yard go - ahead touchdown to make the score 24 - 19 for the Steelers . The NFL Films highlight film notes that safety Eddie Brown was supposed to help Rod Perry in covering Stallworth , but for some reason Brown ignored the Steeler receiver . On the ensuing kickoff , the Rams tried a reverse on the kickoff which resulted in poor field position . After an exchange of punts , the Rams mounted one final , spirited drive to regain the lead . Ferragamo smartly moved the Rams down the field , completing 3 or 4 passes around runs by Tyler . His 15 - yard completion to Billy Waddy on 3rd and 13 moved the Rams to the Pittsburgh 32 - yard line with just under 6 minutes remaining . However , on the following play , Ferragamo made his first , and only mistake of the game . Despite the fact that Waddy had broken free down the right side of the field , Ferragamo had zeroed in on Ron Smith down the middle of the field , but he didn ' t notice Pittsburgh linebacker Jack Lambert playing behind Smith . As Ferragamo released the ball , Lambert jumped in front of Smith and intercepted the pass with 5 : 24 remaining . When faced with a 3rd down and 7 on their ensuing drive , Bradshaw once again made a crucial long pass completion to Stallworth , this time a 45 - yard reception to the Rams 22 - yard line gain barely beyond the outstretched hand of Rod Perry . Two plays later , a questionable pass interference penalty on Los Angeles cornerback Pat Thomas in the end zone gave the Steelers a first down at the 1 - yard line . The Rams managed to keep Bleier and Harris out of the end zone for 2 plays , but Harris then scored on a third down , 1 - yard touchdown run to give the Steelers a 31 - 19 lead and put the game away . The Rams responded by driving to Pittsburgh ' s 37 - yard line , but ended up turning over the ball on downs with 39 seconds left in the game , and the Steelers ran out the clock for the win . This was the third time in Super Bowl history that a team overcame a deficit entering the fourth quarter to win the game . The Baltimore Colts entered the final quarter down 13 - 6 against Dallas in Super Bowl V and won the game 16 - 13 . The Pittsburgh Steelers started the final period against Dallas in Super Bowl X down 10 - 7 and eventually won the game 21 - 17 . The lead had changed hands seven times , a Super Bowl record to this day . Franco Harris , Lynn Swann , and John Stallworth became the fourth , fifth and sixth players to score touchdowns in back - to - back Super Bowls , respectively . Ferragamo finished the game with 15 out of 25 completions for 212 yards , with 1 interception . Tyler was the top rusher of the game with 60 yards , and caught 2 passes for 20 yards . Waddy was the Rams leading receiver with 3 catches for 75 yards . Harris led the Steelers in rushing with 44 yards and 2 touchdowns , while also catching 3 passes for 66 yards . Stallworth was the top receiver of the game with 3 receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown , an average of 40 . 3 yards per catch . Swann had 5 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown . Larry Anderson set a Super Bowl record with 162 yards from his 5 kickoff returns . Of note to the betting public was Los Angeles ' kicker Frank Corrall ' s missed extra point . The spread on the game was Steelers by 11 ; had Corrall made his final extra point try , the Rams would have covered in a 31 - 20 loss . But instead , the Steelers covered .