Super Bowl XIII Super Bowl XIII was an American football game played on January 21 , 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami , Florida to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion following the 1978 regular season . This was the last of five Super Bowl s to be played at the Orange Bowl . The American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion Pittsburgh Steelers ( 17 – 2 ) defeated the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion Dallas Cowboys ( 14 – 5 ) , 35 – 31 . It was the first Super Bowl rematch ( the Steelers had previously beaten the Cowboys , 21 – 17 , in Super Bowl X ) . The game , which was not decided until the final minute , has long been considered one of the best Super Bowls . Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was named Super Bowl MVP . Despite throwing one interception and losing two fumbles , Bradshaw completed 17 out of 30 passes for 318 yards and 4 touchdowns . His 318 passing yards and 4 passing touchdowns broke Super Bowl records . Also , his 75 - yard touchdown pass in the second quarter tied Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl V for the longest pass in a Super Bowl . Bradshaw became the first player since the 1970 AFL - NFL Merger to win both the Super Bowl MVP and the AP Most Valuable Player Award during the same season . Meanwhile , the Cowboys could not overcome turnovers , drops , and a controversial penalty during the second half . The Cowboys were the first defending champion to lose in the Super Bowl . They were also the first to lose two Super Bowls to the same team ( they lost 21 – 17 to the Steelers in Super Bowl X ) . The Cowboys were the first team , and to date the only team , to score 30 points or more and still lose the Super Bowl . This was later featured on NFL ' s Greatest Games as Battle of Champions . Background . For the 1978 – 79 season , the NFL extended its schedule from 14 regular season games to 16 , and increased the playoffs from an 8 - team tournament to 10 , creating two extra playoff games . The three division winners from each conference would be ranked first through third and be given a week off , and two wild card teams from each conference , seeded fourth and fifth , would play a playoff game with the winner going on to play the first seeded team ( or , if they were in the same division , the second seed ) . Pittsburgh Steelers . The Steelers joined the Cowboys in their attempt to be the first team to ever win a third Super Bowl , after wins in Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl X . Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw had the best season of his career , completing 207 of 368 passes for 2 , 915 yards and 28 touchdowns , with 20 interceptions . He ranked as the second highest rated passer in the league ( 84 . 8 ) , his 28 touchdown passes led the league , and he won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award . Wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth provided the team with a great deep threat . Swann recorded 61 receptions for 880 yards and 11 touchdowns , while Stallworth had 41 receptions for 798 yards and 9 touchdowns . Tight end Randy Grossman , who replaced injured starter Bennie Cunningham for most of the season , also was a big factor , recording 37 receptions for 448 yards and a touchdown . In the Steelers ' rushing game , running back Franco Harris was the team ' s leading rusher for the 7th consecutive season , recording 1 , 082 yards and 8 touchdowns , while also catching 22 passes for another 144 yards . Fullback Rocky Bleier had 633 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns , while also catching 17 passes for 168 yards . The Steelers ' success on offense was due in large measure to their stellar offensive line , anchored by future hall of fame center Mike Webster Although Pittsburgh ' s " Steel Curtain " defense had some new starters this season , such as linemen John Banaszak and Steve Furness , and defensive back Tony Dungy , they finished No . 1 in fewest points allowed ( 195 ) second in the league against the run ( allowing 107 . 8 yards per game ) and ranked third in fewest total yards allowed ( 4 , 529 ) . Once again , defensive tackles Joe Greene and L . C . Greenwood anchored the line , while Pro Bowl linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert combined for 7 interceptions . Dungy lead the team with 6 interceptions , while the rest of the secondary , defensive backs Mel Blount , Donnie Shell , and Ron Johnson , combined for 11 . Dallas Cowboys . The Cowboys became the first team to appear in five Super Bowls ( after playing in Super Bowls V , VI , X and XII ) . Dallas led the league in scoring ( 384 ) and was No . 2 in total yards ( 5959 ) . The defending Super Bowl champions were once again led by quarterback Roger Staubach . Staubach finished the season as the top rated passer in the NFL ( 84 . 9 ) by throwing 231 out of 413 completions for 3 , 190 yards and 25 touchdowns , with 16 interceptions . ) He also rushed for 182 yards and another touchdown . Wide receivers Drew Pearson and Tony Hill provided the deep passing threats , combining for 90 receptions , 1 , 537 yards , and 7 touchdowns . Tight end Billy Joe Dupree contributed 34 receptions for 509 yards and 9 touchdowns . Running back Tony Dorsett had another fine season , recording a total of 1703 combined rushing and receiving yards , and scoring a total of 9 touchdowns . Fullback Robert Newhouse and halfback Preston Pearson also contributed from the offensive backfield , combining for 1 , 326 rushing and receiving yards , while Newhouse also scored 10 touchdowns . The Cowboys also had a superb offensive line , led by Herbert Scott and 12 - time Pro Bowl er Rayfield Wright The Cowboys ' " Doomsday Defense " finished the season as the top ranked defense in the league against the run by only allowing 107 . 6 yards per game , 2nd overall ( 4009 ) , 3rd in points allowed ( 208 ) . Pro Bowl linemen Ed " Too Tall " Jones , Harvey Martin and Randy White anchored the line , leading the league with 58 sacks , while linebackers Bob Breunig , D . D . Lewis and Thomas " Hollywood " Henderson provided solid support . Their secondary , led by safeties Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters , along with cornerbacks Benny Barnes and Aaron Kyle , combined for 16 interceptions . The Cowboys started the regular season slowly , winning only six of their first ten games . But Dallas finished strong , winning their last six regular season games to post a 12 – 4 record . Playoffs . Dallas marched through the playoffs , defeating the Atlanta Falcons , 27 – 20 , and the Los Angeles Rams , 28 – 0 . Meanwhile , the Steelers easily demolished the Denver Broncos , 33 – 10 , and the Houston Oilers , 34 – 5 . Super Bowl pregame news and notes . Although the Super Bowl had grown into America ' s biggest one - day sporting event by this point , many believe the 13th edition began the game ' s evolution to unofficial national holiday . It was the first Super Bowl with a true heavyweight title - fight feel , given the Steelers ' and Cowboys ' unquestioned status as the two best teams in the NFL , and the honor of the first three - time Super Bowl champion that would go to the winner . Super Bowl XIII can arguably be called the greatest collection of NFL talent ever to gather for a game . In addition to Coaches Noll and Landry , 14 players would end up being voted into the Hall of Fame : Nine Pittsburgh players : Bradshaw , Harris , Swann , Stallworth , Webster , Greene , Lambert , Ham , and Blount , and five from Dallas : Staubach , Dorsett , White , Wright , and Jackie Smith , who the Cowboys lured out of retirement from the St . Louis Cardinals due to injuries to Cowboy tight ends , most notably , Jay Saldi . Other Hall of Famers who participated in the game were from Dallas : GM / President Tex Schramm , and defensive coordinator Ernie Stautner , who actually was a HOF defensive tackle for the Steelers . Additional Hall of Famers from Pittsburgh included owner Art Rooney , Sr . , and son Dan Rooney . This was the first Super Bowl in which the designated " home " team was allowed to select between their team colored jersey or their white jersey , a rule similar to that of home games in the regular season and playoffs . Previously , the designated " home " team was required to wear their team colored jersey . The Cowboys , who traditionally wear their white jerseys in home games and often only wear their blue jerseys against teams that have similar policies for themselves ( most notably against the Washington Redskins and occasionally the Philadelphia Eagles ) , were forced to wear their blue jerseys as the " home " team in Super Bowl V , which the team lost to the Baltimore Colts and is widely believed where the " blue jersey jinx " started with America ' s Team . Not wanting a repeat of that being the designated " home " team in Super Bowl XIII , the Cowboys were able to persuade the NFL to change the rule to allow the " home " team to choose so that they could wear their white jerseys . The Cowboys would later repeat the option of wearing white jerseys as the " home " team in Super Bowl XXVII , while the Redskins would do so in Super Bowl XVII and , ironically , the Steelers ( who always wear their black jerseys in home games ) in Super Bowl XL due to the team ' s success on the road that season . Much of the pregame hype surrounded Super Bowl XIII centered around Cowboys linebacker Thomas " Hollywood " Henderson . Henderson caused quite a stir before the NFC Championship Game by claiming that the Rams had " no class " and the Cowboys would shut them out . His prediction turned out to be very accurate ; the Cowboys did shut them out , aided by Henderson ' s 68 - yard interception return for a touchdown . In the days leading up the Super Bowl , Henderson began talking about the Steelers in the same manner . He predicted another shutout and then made unflattering comments about several Pittsburgh players . He put down the talent and the intelligence of Bradshaw , proclaiming " " Bradshaw couldn ' t spell ' cat ' if you spotted him the ' c ' and the ' a ' . " " But the Steelers refused to get into a war of words with Henderson . Greene responded by saying the Steelers didn ' t need to say they were the best , they would just go out on the field and " " get the job done . ' " The matchup of quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Roger Staubach is still the only one in Super Bowl history to feature two quarterbacks with two Super Bowl victories . With this start , Staubach became the first quarterback to start four Super Bowls . Bradshaw joined Fran Tarkenton , Bob Griese as well as Staubach as only three quarterbacks to start at least three Super Bowls . Television and entertainment . The game was televised in the United States by NBC , with Curt Gowdy handling play - by - play and color commentator s Merlin Olsen and John Brodie . Dick Enberg served as the pregame host for the broadcast . Also taking part in NBC ' s coverage were Bryant Gumbel and Mike Adamle . This was Gowdy ' s seventh and final Super Bowl telecast , and his last major event for NBC before moving to CBS later in 1979 . Enberg had essentially succeeded Gowdy as NBC ' s lead NFL play - by - play announcer in the 1978 regular season , and network producers didn ' t decide until nearly the last minute which man would get the Super Bowl call . NBC preceded the game with the first network broadcast of " Black Sunday " , a 1977 motion picture that depicts a terrorist attack on a fictitious Super Bowl game in the Orange Bowl between Pittsburgh and Dallas ( and which utilized footage shot during Super Bowl X ) . The pregame festivities featured the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and several military bands . The Colgate Thirteen performed the national anthem , while the Stetson University Army ROTC Color Guard presented the Colors . The coin toss ceremony featured Pro Football Hall of Fame r and longtime Chicago Bears owner / head coach George Halas . The halftime show was a " Carnival Salute to Caribbean " with various Caribbean bands . Radio . The national radio broadcast of Super Bowl XIII was carried by the CBS Radio Network , with Jack Buck and Hank Stram calling the action . Locally , Verne Lundquist and Brad Sham called the game for the Cowboys on KRLD - AM in Dallas , while Jack Fleming and Myron Cope called it for the Steelers on WTAE - AM in Pittsburgh . A technical glitch led to Fleming and Cope ' s commentary going out over NBC ' s television broadcast in place of the network ' s own audio during the coin toss ceremony . Game summary . Both teams entered the game with the best defenses in the league ( the Cowboys only allowed 107 . 6 rushing yards per game while the Steelers only allowed 107 . 8 ) , and each side took advantage of the other team ' s mistakes throughout the game . But Dallas could not overcome their miscues in the second half . On their opening drive , the Cowboys advanced to the Pittsburgh 38 - yard line , with running back Tony Dorsett gaining 38 yards off 3 running plays . But they lost the ball on a fumbled handoff while attempting to fool the Steelers defense with a reverse - pass play . Receiver Drew Pearson later explained " We practiced that play for three weeks . It is designed for me to hit Billy Joe 15 to 17 yards downfield . We practiced the play so much it was unbelievable we could fumble it . I expected the handoff a bit lower , but I should have had it . Billy Joe was in the process of breaking into the clear when the fumble occurred . " The play was similar to the near - turnover by Butch Johnson in the previous game . After defensive lineman John Banaszak recovered the loose ball on the Pittsburgh 47 - yard line , the Steelers attempted 2 running plays with running back Franco Harris carrying the ball , but only gained 1 yard . Then on third down , wide receiver John Stallworth caught a 12 - yard pass to the Cowboys ' 40 - yard line . Then after throwing an incomplete pass , Terry Bradshaw completed 2 consecutive passes , the second one a 28 - yard touchdown completion to Stallworth to take a 7 – 0 lead . On their next drive , the Cowboys responded by advancing to the Steelers 39 - yard line , but were pushed back to their own 39 - yard line after quarterback Roger Staubach was sacked twice , and they were forced to punt . Then on the Steelers ' ensuing drive , Bradshaw threw a 22 - yard pass to Harris and followed it up with a 13 - yard pass to receiver Lynn Swann to move the ball to the Dallas 30 - yard line . But on the next play , Dallas linebacker D . D . Lewis ended the drive by intercepting a pass intended for Stallworth . With a little more than a minute to go in the period , Bradshaw fumbled the ball while being sacked by Cowboys lineman Harvey Martin , and defensive end Ed " Too Tall " Jones recovered it . Staubach then capitalized on Bradshaw ' s mistake three plays later with a 39 - yard scoring strike to receiver Tony Hill , tying the game at 7 as the first quarter expired . Pittsburgh sent eight men on an all - out blitz , but Staubach got the pass away just before he was hit by Steelers ' safety Mike Wagner . Hill beat Donnie Shell in single - coverage and scored the only first quarter touchdown surrendered by Pittsburgh all season ( In Super Bowl X , the Cowboys also scored a first quarter touchdown against a Steeler team that hadn ' t permitted one all year ) . The Steelers took possession at the start of the second quarter and advanced to their own 48 - yard line . On the next play , Dallas linebackers Mike Hegman and Thomas " Hollywood " Henderson went after Bradshaw on a blitz . After taking the snap , Bradshaw collided with Franco Harris and the ball popped loose . Bradshaw scooped it up and rolled to his right , looking to pass , but Henderson wrapped him up before he could throw , while Hegman ripped the ball out of his hands and returned the fumble 37 yards for a touchdown , giving the Cowboys a 14 – 7 lead . The Cowboys lead didn ’ t last long . On the third play of Pittsburgh ' s ensuing possession , Stallworth caught a pass from Bradshaw at the Steelers 35 - yard line . He then broke a tackle from defensive back Aaron Kyle and outraced every other defender to the end zone , turning a simple 10 - yard pass into a 75 - yard touchdown completion to tie the score , 14 – 14 . Bradshaw later explained that Stallworth was not even the primary receiver on the play : " I was going to Lynn Swann on the post , " he said , " but the Cowboys covered Swann and left Stallworth open . I laid the ball out there and it should have gone for about 15 yards , but Stallworth broke the tackle and went all the way . " Pittsburgh ' s " Steel Curtain " defense then dominated the Dallas offense on their ensuing drive . First , Banaszak tackled fullback Robert Newhouse for 4 - yard loss . Next , linebacker Jack Ham tackled Dorsett for a 3 - yard loss on an attempted sweep . On third down , defensive tackle Joe Greene sacked Staubach , forcing a fumble that bounced through the hands of Steelers ' defensive lineman Steve Furness . Cowboys lineman Tom Rafferty eventually recovered at the Dallas 13 - yard line . Theo Bell then returned Danny White ' s eunsuing 38 - yard punt 3 yards to the Dallas 38 - yard line . The Steelers began their ensuing drive with Bradshaw ' s 26 - yard completion to Swann . Jones tackled Harris for an 8 - yard loss on the next play , but a subsequent holding penalty on Henderson gave Pittsburgh a first down at the Dallas 25 - yard line . However , after an incomplete pass and a 2 - yard run by Harris , Hegman sacked Bradshaw for an 11 - yard loss on third down , pushing the ball back to the 34 - yard line . The Steelers then came up empty after kicker Roy Gerela ' s 51 - yard field goal attempt hit the crossbar . With less than two minutes remaining in the half , Dallas advanced to the Pittsburgh 32 - yard line , after starting from their own 34 - yard line . But Pittsburgh defensive back Mel Blount intercepted a pass from Staubach and returned it 13 yards to the 29 , with a personal foul on Dallas tight end Billy Joe Dupree adding another 15 yards and giving the Steelers the ball at their own 44 - yard line ( note : The interception happened on exactly the same play that Drew Pearson scored on in the first quarter of Super Bowl X . Mike Wagner intercepted Staubach on exactly the same playcall in the 4th quarter of the same game . ) . With time running out , Bradshaw completed 2 passes to Swann for gains of 29 and 21 yards , moving the ball to the 16 - yard line with 40 seconds left in the half . Then after throwing an incomplete pass , Harris ran the ball to the 7 - yard line . Then with just 26 seconds left , Bradshaw completed a 7 - yard touchdown pass to fullback Rocky Bleier , giving the Steelers a 21 – 14 lead at halftime . The torrid scoring pace slowed during much of the third quarter , as both teams began to assert themselves on the defensive side of the ball . But late in the quarter , a 12 - yard punt return by Cowboys receiver Butch Johnson gave Dallas good field position on their 42 - yard line . The Cowboys subsequently drove down to the Steelers 10 - yard line , mostly with Dorsett ' s rushing . Then on third down with less than three minutes remaining in the period , Staubach spotted 38 - year old reserve tight end Jackie Smith wide open in the end zone and threw him the ball . The pass was a little low , but it was catchable . However , Smith dropped the pass and the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal from kicker Rafael Septien , cutting their deficit to 21 – 17 . Though Smith played 16 years in the league and is now enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame , he is perhaps best known for his embarrassing blunder on the sport ' s biggest stage . Two controversial penalties early in the fourth quarter paved the way for the Steelers to score 14 unanswered points . The Steelers advanced to their own 44 - yard line after a crucial 3rd down pass from Bradshaw to tight end Randy Grossman , a 13 - yard pass to Swann , and a 5 - yard run by Harris . Bradshaw then attempted a pass to Swann , but the receiver collided with Cowboys defensive back Benny Barnes and fell to the ground as the ball rolled incomplete . However , official Fred Swearingen called Barnes for pass interference . Replays showed that it could have been incidental contact , as Swann seemed to run into Barnes . The penalty gave Pittsburgh a first down at Dallas ' 23 - yard line . Two plays later , the Steelers faced 3rd down and 4 from the Dallas 17 . Henderson sacked Bradshaw for a 12 - yard loss , but the play was nullified by a delay of game penalty on Pittsburgh , bringing up 3rd down and 9 instead of a fourth down . Replays clearly showed the whistle blew before the play ' s onset , plus most of the players pulled up and stopped playing after a whistle sounded , but Henderson claimed , " I didn ' t hear a whistle until after I had knocked Bradshaw down . The same guy ( Swearingen ) made that call too . Who is that guy ? " " Franco Harris confronted Henderson for taunting Bradshaw after the whistle , and on the next play , Bradshaw handed the ball off to Harris , who raced untouched , with help from the umpire impeding Cowboys ' safety Charlie Waters ' attempt to tackle him , up the middle for a 22 - yard touchdown run . The score increased Pittsburgh ' s lead to 28 – 17 . On the ensuing kickoff , video shows that Gerela slipped when trying to plant his foot , causing him to squib the ball , which bounced to Cowboy lineman Randy White at the 24 - yard line . White , who was playing the game with a cast on his broken left hand , fumbled the ball before being hit by Tony Dungy and Pittsburgh linebacker Dennis Winston recovered the ball at the Dallas 18 - yard line . On the next play , Bradshaw threw an 18 - yard touchdown pass to Swann , increasing the Steelers ' lead to 35 – 17 with less than 7 minutes left in the game . Some of the Steelers were already celebrating victory on the sidelines , but the Cowboys refused to give up . On their next drive , Dallas drove 89 yards in 8 plays , including an 18 - yard scramble by Staubach on 3rd and 11 and a 29 - yard run by Dorsett , to score on Staubach ' s 7 - yard touchdown pass to Dupree . Then after Dallas ' Dennis Thurman recovered an onside kick at 2 : 19 , Drew Pearson caught 2 passes for gains of 22 and 25 yards ( the second catch on 4th down and 18 ) as the Cowboys drove 52 yards in 9 plays to score on Staubach ' s 4 - yard touchdown pass to Butch Johnson . With the ensuing extra point , the score was cut to 35 – 31 with just 0 : 22 left in the game . But the Cowboys ' second onside kick attempt was unsuccessful . Bleier recovered the ball and the Steelers were able to run out the clock to win the game . Swann was the leading receiver in the game with 7 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown . Stallworth recorded 115 yards and a touchdown off just 3 receptions . Stallworth and Swann became the first pair of teammates to each have 100 yards receiving in a Super Bowl and first time two receivers did it in the same game . Dorsett was the top rusher of the game with 96 rushing yards , and also caught 5 passes for 44 yards . Harris was Pittsburgh ' s leading rusher with 68 yards , and he caught a pass for 22 yards . Staubach finished the game with exactly as many passing attempts ( 30 ) and completions ( 17 ) as Bradshaw , good for 228 passing yards , 3 touchdowns , and 1 interception . Butch Johnson caught 2 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown , returned 3 kickoffs for 63 yards , and gained 33 yards on 2 punt returns , giving him 126 total yards . Starting lineups . Pittsburgh Dallas