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Super Bowl XXXV was an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
and the
National Football Conference The National Football Conference (NFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference ...
(NFC) champion
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
to decide the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
(NFL) champion for the 2000 season. The Ravens defeated the Giants by a score of 34–7, tied for the seventh largest Super Bowl margin of victory with
Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cham ...
. The game was played on January 28, 2001, at
Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida that opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football program. The s ...
in
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...
. The Ravens, who posted a 12–4 regular season record, became the third wild card team to win the Super Bowl and the second in four years. The Giants entered the game seeking to go 3–0 in Super Bowls after also finishing the regular season with a 12–4 record. Baltimore allowed only 152 yards of offense by New York (the third-lowest total ever in a Super Bowl), recorded 4 sacks, and forced five turnovers. All sixteen of the Giants' possessions ended with punts or interceptions, with the exception of the last one, which ended when time expired in the game. New York's lone touchdown, a 97-yard kickoff return, was quickly answered by Baltimore on an 84-yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff. The Giants became the first team since the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
in Super Bowl XXIII not to score an offensive touchdown and the fifth overall. Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis, who made three solo tackles, two assists, and blocked four passes, was named
Super Bowl MVP The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's (NFL) championship game. The winner is chosen by a panel of 16 football writers ...
. Counting the 1958 and 1959 NFL Championship Games, this was the fourth title game that involved teams from Baltimore and New York, and the first such matchup since
Super Bowl III Super Bowl III was an American football game played on January 12, 1969 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the first to officially bear the trademark name " ...
, in which the New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts. A team from
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
had not won a Super Bowl since the Colts' victory in 1971.


Background

NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XXXV to Tampa during their October 31, 1996, meeting in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
metropolitan area to host the game at least three times, joining
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
, and
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
. Other cities under consideration at the meeting were Miami, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Owners initially planned on selecting only two hosts (XXXIII and XXXIV), but decided to name three after strong showings by the respective delegations. Tampa was essentially promised a Super Bowl after committing to the construction of a new stadium. Miami, Atlanta, and Tampa were selected to host XXXIII, XXXIV, and XXXV, respectively.


Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens entered the game with the second-best defense in allowing yards in the league, with the fewest points allowed (165) and the fewest rushing yards allowed (970) during the regular season. At the time, they were the only team to hold the opposition to under 1,000 yards rushing in a season since the NFL adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978. Baltimore's 165 points allowed broke the record set by the
1985 Chicago Bears The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, who had given up 187 points. The Ravens' defense had held their opponents to ten or fewer points in eleven games, including four shutouts. The defense was led by a trio of outstanding linebackers: Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper, and Ray Lewis. During the regular season, Boulware recorded 7 sacks, while Sharper forced five fumbles and made one interception. Lewis was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by recording three sacks, making 138 tackles, and intercepting two passes. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Sam Adams and veteran Tony Siragusa anchored the defensive line, along with defensive ends Rob Burnett (10.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries) and Pro Bowler
Michael McCrary Michael Curtis McCrary (born July 7, 1970) is a former American football player who was defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) between 1993 and 2002. McCrary was a two- ...
(6.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries). Baltimore also had an outstanding corps of defensive backs led by Pro Bowl veteran safety Rod Woodson, who along with Kim Herring,
Duane Starks Duane Lonell Starks (born May 23, 1974) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 10th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami. Starks, who earned a Super Bowl r ...
, and Chris McAlister combined for 17 interceptions. On offense, the Ravens' main strength was rushing, led by rookie Jamal Lewis (1,364 yards, six rushing touchdowns, 27 receptions, 298 yards) and Priest Holmes (588 yards, 32 receptions, 221 yards). Also, tight end Shannon Sharpe recorded 67 receptions for 810 yards and five touchdowns. Receiver Qadry Ismail added 49 receptions for 655 yards and four touchdowns. The offensive line was anchored by tackle Jonathan Ogden, who was named to the
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
for the fourth consecutive season. On special teams, Jermaine Lewis ranked second in the NFL with 36 punt returns for 578 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching nineteen passes for 161 yards and another score. Kicker Matt Stover led the NFL in field goals made (35) and attempted (39), while ranking seventh in field goal percentage (89.7) and second in scoring (135 points). However, the Baltimore offense was mediocre, ranking only thirteenth in the league in scoring (333 points), sixteenth in total yards (5,301), and 23rd in passing yards (3,102). The team had a lot of trouble scoring, and at one point they went through five games without scoring an offensive touchdown (although they managed to win two of those games). But they managed to regroup, as head coach Brian Billick forbade anyone to use the "P-word" (presumably "postseason" or "playoffs") until the team actually played in it. The Ravens' outspoken defensive lineman, Tony Siragusa, did utter the word "playoffs" on two occasions and was fined $500. Since the fine (and Billick's ban) were clearly symbolic and playful, Billick explained himself by saying, "He got a $400 fine for doing it on national television and $100 for doing it on his radio show. The reason being because no one listens to his show anyway." In place of the "P-word", the word " Festivus" was used, the December 23
secular holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...
featured in an episode of the popular American television
sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...
''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...
'' (the Ravens organization played along with this theme for that year's playoffs by showing a clip of
Cosmo Kramer Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character in the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998) played by Michael Richards. The character is loosely based on comedian Kenny Kramer, Larry David's ...
saying "A Festivus miracle!" on the stadium screen during the team's only home playoff game that year). The Super Bowl was thereafter referred to as "Festivus Maximus." Midway through the season, with the team at 5–3, Billick benched starting quarterback Tony Banks and replaced him with Trent Dilfer. Although his statistics were hardly distinguished (twelve touchdowns, eleven interceptions, 76.6 passer rating), and the team lost in his first game as a starter, Dilfer led them to victory in their last seven regular season games to finish in second place in the
AFC Central The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was adopted after the restructuring of the 2002 NFL ...
with a 12–4 record and entered the playoffs as a wild-card team.


New York Giants

The Giants advanced to Super Bowl XXXV after posting a 7–9 record in the previous year. Their big draft acquisition during the off-season was
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...
Ron Dayne, the
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...
Heisman Trophy winner. The plan was to have his power running style complement running back Tiki Barber's speed and pass-catching ability. The two would be called the Giants' "Thunder and Lightning" backfield. Although Dayne had a solid rookie year by rushing for 770 yards, the breakout star during the regular season was Barber. Barber had 1,006 rushing yards in 213 attempts, caught seventy passes for 719 yards, and scored ten touchdowns. He also returned 44 punts for 506 yards and gained 266 yards returning kickoffs, giving him 2,495 total yards. Kerry Collins entered the season as the Giants' unquestioned starting quarterback. Although he helped lead the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
to the 1996 NFC Championship Game, he endured a mediocre season in
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
. In
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, he quit part way through the season after the team opened the campaign with a four-game losing streak. After spending the remainder of the 1998 season with the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, Collins was signed in 1999 as the Giants' second-string quarterback, but soon claimed the starting job. In leading the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV, Collins completed 311 out of 529 passes for 3,610 yards and 22 touchdowns during the regular season. His favorite targets, in addition to Barber, were wide receivers
Amani Toomer Amani Askari Toomer (born September 8, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver and punt returner who played his entire career for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He registered over 1,000 receiving yards each ...
(78 receptions, 1,094 yards, seven touchdowns), and Ike Hilliard (55 receptions, 787 yards, eight touchdowns), along with fullback
Greg Comella Gregory F. Comella (born July 29, 1975 in Wellesley, Massachusetts) is a former professional American football fullback in the National Football League. Football career Comella played 7 seasons in the NFL between 1998 and 2005 for the New York G ...
(36 receptions for 274 yards). The Giants offensive line featured guard Ron Stone, the team's only Pro Bowl selection from the offense. The Giants also had a powerful defense, led by Pro Bowl defensive end
Michael Strahan Michael T. Strahan ( ; born November 21, 1971) is an American television personality, journalist, and former professional football player. He played his entire 15-year professional career as a defensive end for the New York Giants of the Natio ...
, who recorded 9.5 sacks, and defensive tackle Keith Hamilton who recorded ten. Defensive backs Jason Sehorn,
Emmanuel McDaniel Emmanuel McDaniel (born July 27, 1972) is a former professional American football cornerback who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins and the Ariz ...
, Reggie Stephens, and Shaun Williams combined for fourteen interceptions. Pro Bowl linebacker
Jesse Armstead Jessie Willard Armstead (born October 26, 1970) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) who played for eleven seasons with the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins between 1993 and 2003. He played col ...
led the team in total tackles with 102, while also recording five sacks and an interception. The Giants lost just four games that season, having won six of their first eight games before a subsequent two-game losing streak put them at 7–4 with five games to go. In what would be his defining moment, head coach Jim Fassel, at a press conference following the Giants' loss to the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
, guaranteed that his team would make the playoffs. The Giants responded by winning their last five regular season games to reach 12–4 and win the
NFC East The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Dallas Cowboys (based in Arlin ...
for the first time in three years.


Playoffs

With an explosive defense and a "play-it-safe" offense, the Ravens became the seventh wild-card team to reach the Super Bowl, and third in four seasons, after allowing only a combined one touchdown and three field goals in their playoff wins over the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
, the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, and the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...
. Meanwhile, the Giants defeated their
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
, the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
, 20–10, and shut out the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...
, 41–0, the most lopsided game in NFC Championship game history.


Pre-game news

Officially, the win made the Ravens the quickest expansion team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl, although much like the 1950 Browns winning the NFL Championship in their first season in the NFL after coming over from the
All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...
, the Ravens were not an expansion team in the traditional sense of the term that started out as a completely brand new organization, coaching staff and players from scratch. The Giants, as the designated home team, wore blue jerseys with grey pants. The team had previously worn blue jerseys with white pants in their two prior Super Bowl victories, but before the 2000 season, they replaced the Big Blue Wrecking Crew-era uniforms with a modern version of their early 1960s set. The Ravens donned all-white uniforms for the game.


Broadcasting

The game was broadcast in the United States by CBS (their first since
Super Bowl XXVI Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion f ...
in January 1992). Play-by-play announcer
Greg Gumbel Greg Gumbel (born May 3, 1946) is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments for CBS Sports (most notably, the National Football League and NCAA basketball). The older brother of news and sportscaster Bryan ...
became the first
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
announcer to call a major sports championship on network television. He was joined in the broadcast booth by
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and th ...
Phil Simms Phillip Martin Simms (born November 3, 1955) is an American former football quarterback who spent his entire 15-year professional career playing for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He is currently a television spor ...
. Armen Keteyian and Bonnie Bernstein served as sideline reporters. Jim Nantz hosted all the events with help from his then-fellow cast members from '' The NFL Today'': Mike Ditka, Craig James, Randy Cross, and Jerry Glanville. The desk reporting was done aboard the famous ''Buccaneer Cove'' pirate ship at the end zone of Raymond James Stadium. The broadcast featured the brand-new EyeVision instant-replay system, which provided rapid-fire sequential shots from a series of cameras positioned around the top of the stadium. It allowed for bullet time effects, similar to those used in the movie ''
The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in The Matrix (franchise), ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Car ...
''. It was extremely unusual for CBS to debut a major new technology system at an event the size of the Super Bowl. The EyeVision system proved its mettle when it helped to uphold a replay challenge on a Jamal Lewis 4th-quarter
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...
. EyeVision was also used during the broadcast of the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show, which was directed by ''Saturday Night Live'' director Beth McCarthy-Miller. EyeVision would mostly fall out of use after Super Bowl XXXV, not being used in an NFL game until an upgraded version was announced for
Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) ...
. CBS also produced a separate
HDTV High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the ...
broadcast of the game in the 1080i format, with Kevin Harlan and Daryl Johnston announcing. It was the second year that the game was televised in both standard-definition TV (
NTSC The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...
) and HDTV. As previously mentioned, this was the first Super Bowl to be aired on CBS in nine years (after XXVI). Following the
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
season,
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...
bought the rights to air the NFC package, leaving CBS without the NFL for the next four years until
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, when they began broadcasting the
AFC AFC may stand for: Organizations * Action for Children, a UK children's charity * AFC Enterprises, the franchisor of Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits * Africa Finance Corporation, a pan-African multilateral development finance institution * A ...
package, bringing an end to NBC's 33-year stint. (NBC would later outbid ABC for the prime time NFL package in 2006, which resulted in these match-ups moving from
Monday Monday is the day of the week between Sunday and Tuesday. According to the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 8601 standard, it is the first day of the week and in countries that adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is ...
to
Sunday Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...
.) Along with being the first African-American to be the play-by-play announcer for a Super Bowl, Gumbel also became the third person to both host a Super Bowl pregame show and call the game, joining Dick Enberg and Al Michaels. Gumbel was the host during his first stint with CBS for
Super Bowl XXVI Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion f ...
, and he was the pregame host for Super Bowls XXX and XXXII when he was with NBC. Professional wrestler
Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1 ...
, a big Giants fan, was in attendance for the game.


Entertainment


Pregame ceremonies

Before the game, a pregame show titled "Life's Super in Central Florida" was held, featuring Sting, Styx, and PYT. The show was directed and choreographed by Lesslee Fitzmorris from Covington, Louisiana. To honor the 225th anniversary of the birth of the United States, singer
Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
performed "America the Beautiful". The song was signed (ASL) by Tom Cooney. To honor the 10th anniversary of the
Persian Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
, 10 military veterans from the conflict including former general
Norman Schwarzkopf Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. (; August 22, 1934 – December 27, 2012) was a United States Army general. While serving as the commander of United States Central Command, he led all Coalition of the Gulf War, coalition forces in the Gulf ...
were introduced on the field. The vocal group (and Florida natives)
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The ...
then sang the national anthem becoming the only boyband to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. The coin toss ceremony honored the two previous Super Bowls that were played in Tampa. Representing the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
' win in Super Bowl XXV was the game's MVP, Ottis Anderson, and former head coach Bill Parcells (coincidentally, tight end Howard Cross was the only Giants player on the 1990 team that was still active). Representing the Los Angeles Raiders' win in
Super Bowl XVIII Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XVII champion Washington Redskins and the American Football Conferen ...
was that game's MVP, Marcus Allen, and former head coach
Tom Flores Thomas Raymond Flores (born March 21, 1937) is a former American football coach and quarterback. After his retirement as a coach, he was a radio announcer for more than twenty years. Flores won a total of four Super Bowls in his playing and c ...
. This was the last Super Bowl to have individual player introductions for both teams (both the Ravens' and Giants' defenses were announced). In Super Bowl XXXVI, the New England Patriots bucked this trend and were introduced all at once as a team; the Rams, however, still used individual player introductions in that game. Starting with
Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cham ...
, the league decided to have both participating teams introduced collectively as teams, instead of introducing them individually by player.


Halftime show

The halftime show was produced by MTV, then a sister network of CBS before the re-merger. The show was titled, "The Kings of Rock and Pop". It was headlined by Aerosmith and 'N Sync, and also featured appearances from
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal R ...
, Mary J. Blige, and Tremors featuring The Earthquake Horns. The show featured a back-and-forth medley between Aerosmith and 'N Sync.


Community events

The city of Tampa moved its annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival from its usual date in early February to the Saturday before the game. It was the largest Gasparilla in history, with over 750,000 attending.


Game summary


First quarter

Both defenses dominated early in the first quarter as the first five possessions of the game ended in punts. On the fifth punt, Ravens kickoff/punt returner Jermaine Lewis returned the ball 33 yards to the New York 22-yard line. Although a holding penalty on the return moved the ball back to the 41-yard line, Baltimore took only two plays to score on quarterback Trent Dilfer's 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Brandon Stokley Brandon Ray Stokley (born June 23, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver and current radio personality. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at University of ...
.


Second quarter

Early in the second quarter, New York advanced to midfield, only to lose the ball when Ray Lewis deflected a pass into the arms of linebacker Jamie Sharper for an interception. Then on the next play, a holding penalty against the Giants nullified linebacker Jessie Armstead's 43-yard interception return for a touchdown that would have tied the game. Later in the period, Dilfer completed a 44-yard pass to receiver Qadry Ismail to set up a 47-yard field goal by Ravens kicker Matt Stover to extend Baltimore's lead, 10–0. With the aid of a 27-yard run from running back Tiki Barber, the Giants advanced all the way to the Ravens' 29-yard line on their ensuing drive, but Baltimore defensive back Chris McAlister intercepted a pass from quarterback Kerry Collins to keep New York scoreless at halftime.


Third quarter

The Giants forced the Ravens to punt on the opening drive of the second half. Five plays later, Ravens safety Kim Herring intercepted Collins at the New York 41-yard line. The Ravens then advanced to the 24-yard line, but the drive stalled and Stover missed a 41-yard field goal attempt. After an exchange of punts, Ravens defensive back
Duane Starks Duane Lonell Starks (born May 23, 1974) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 10th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami. Starks, who earned a Super Bowl r ...
intercepted a pass from Collins and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown, setting off a chain of events unseen before in Super Bowl history: three touchdowns on three consecutive plays in 36 seconds. On the ensuing kickoff, Ron Dixon returned the ball 97 yards for the Giants' first and only score of the game. But Jermaine Lewis returned the next kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, making the score 24–7 for the Ravens. It was the first time in history two kickoffs were returned for touchdowns in the same Super Bowl game, and on back-to-back kickoffs.


Fourth quarter

The Giants gained only one first down on their final four possessions and were never able to move the ball into Baltimore territory. Meanwhile, the Ravens added 10 more points to their lead, making the final score 34–7. A few possessions after Jermaine Lewis' touchdown, Giants punter Brad Maynard's 34-yard punt from his own four to the 38-yard line and tight end Ben Coates' 17-yard reception set up a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Jamal Lewis early in the fourth quarter. Dixon fumbled the ensuing kickoff to Ravens defender Robert Bailey, setting up Stover's 34-yard field goal with 5:27 left in the game.


Box score


Statistical overview

Dilfer threw for 153 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. Jamal Lewis rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown (only the second rookie to rush for 100 yards in the Super Bowl, joining
Timmy Smith Timothy LaRay Smith (born January 21, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for ...
in Super Bowl XXII, while also being the first rookie to score a rushing touchdown in a Super Bowl since Smith in 1988), and caught a pass for four yards. Stokley was the top receiver of the game with three receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. Jermaine Lewis recorded 152 total all-purpose yards (111 kickoff return yards, 34 punt return yards, seven receiving yards, one rushing yard) and a touchdown. Collins had a passer rating for the game of only 7.1, the second worst in Super Bowl history, threw four interceptions (tying a Super Bowl record that has since been surpassed by
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
quarterback Rich Gannon's five interceptions in
Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cham ...
) and completed only 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards. Barber was the Giants' leading rusher with 49 yards, also catching six passes for 26 yards and returning two punts for thirteen yards, while Dixon tallied six kickoffs for 154 yards and a touchdown with a sixteen yard pass catch. While Giants punter Brad Maynard set an undesirable Super Bowl record with eleven punts, Baltimore punter Kyle Richardson nearly matched him with ten punts. Overall, both teams combined for only 396 total yards, the lowest in Super Bowl history. The Ravens joined
Super Bowl XVIII Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XVII champion Washington Redskins and the American Football Conferen ...
's Los Angeles Raiders in the record books as the only teams to score offensive, defensive and special teams touchdowns in the same Super Bowl. The third team to do the same were the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
in
Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion fo ...
. Super Bowl XXXV was the second Super Bowl since 1975 in which the losing team failed to score at least ten points, after Super Bowl XVIII. All the main contributors for the Ravens on offense, defense, and special teams were named Lewis. Linebacker Ray Lewis, a native of
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...
, less than an hour from Super Bowl host city
Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Co ...
, who made three solo tackles, two assists, and blocked four passes, became the second linebacker to be named
Super Bowl MVP The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's (NFL) championship game. The winner is chosen by a panel of 16 football writers ...
after Chuck Howley in
Super Bowl V Super Bowl V was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to determine the National Football League (NFL) champi ...
. Lewis also became the first defensive player to be honored since Larry Brown in Super Bowl XXX, and at the time the seventh defensive player to be Super Bowl MVP, joining Howley,
Jake Scott Jacob E. Scott III (July 20, 1945 – November 19, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a free safety and punt returner from 1970 to 1978 for the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NF ...
, Harvey Martin, Randy White, Richard Dent, and Brown (since Lewis, only three additional defensive players have been named Super Bowl MVP:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
safety Dexter Jackson in
Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cham ...
,
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
linebacker Malcolm Smith in
Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion fo ...
, and
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
linebacker Von Miller in
Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) ...
). Despite being named the game's Most Valuable Player, Lewis did not go to Walt Disney World because of an investigation during the previous year. Quarterback Trent Dilfer went in his place. Jamal Lewis was the top rusher of the game, Jermaine Lewis notched 145 yards and a touchdown on special teams. In addition, the Ravens defense was coached by
Marvin Lewis Marvin Ronald Lewis (born September 23, 1958) is an American football coach who is the special advisor to the head coach at Arizona State. Previously, Lewis was the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) for ...
. The Ravens defense has since been considered among the greatest of all time. The Ravens defense became the third to shut-out their opponent in Super Bowl history; the Giants' only points came on a kickoff return. Washington in
Super Bowl VII Super Bowl VII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion f ...
scored against Miami only after the late fumble by Garo Yepremian, which was returned for a touchdown. The only points Pittsburgh allowed to Minnesota in Super Bowl IX came on the return of a blocked punt. The
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
started a trend of seven different NFC Champions in seven years. The Giants would return to the Super Bowl in 2007 and again in 2011 defeating the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
on both occasions, ending the current trend at the time, but starting a new one. Beginning with the 2001 St. Louis Rams, who played in Super Bowl XXXVI, there were ten different NFC Champions in ten years. Once again, the Giants ended the trend and started another one. Beginning with the 2008
Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) cham ...
participant
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...
, there were six different NFC Champions in six years. This streak was finally ended by the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
, who advanced to the Super Bowl in both 2013 and 2014. The
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
would later win Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
(which was also aired on CBS). Ray Lewis was a member of both Ravens' Super Bowl wins. In between the Ravens' victories, the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...
, the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
, and the Patriots would have a Super Bowl appearance more than once, with New England and Pittsburgh winning more than once. The only other AFC team to make the Super Bowl in that stretch were the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...
, in
Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cham ...
. Had the Giants won, it would have marked the first year since 1989 that a Super Bowl and World Series champion came from the same metropolitan area. The
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...
won the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 World Series, 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The ...
during the Giants' season. Including the
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kans ...
' win in the
Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
and the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...
' runner-up finish to the rival Yankees, there were four teams from the
New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...
that made the championship round of their respective leagues in the same year.


Final statistics

Sources:
NFL.com Super Bowl XXXVSuper Bowl XXXV Play Finder BalSuper Bowl XXXV Play Finder NYG


Statistical comparison


Individual leaders

1Completions/attempts 2Carries 3Long gain 4Receptions 5Times targeted


Records set

The following records were set in Super Bowl XXXV, according to the official NFL.com boxscore, the 2016 NFL Record & Fact Book and the ProFootball reference.com game summary. Turnovers are defined as the number of times losing the ball on interceptions and fumbles.


Starting lineups

Source:


Officials

* Referee:
Gerald Austin Gerald Austin (born December 4, 1941) is a retired American football official, who worked in the National Football League (NFL) from the 1982 season through the 2007 season. He wore uniform number 34, which is now worn by Clete Blakeman. Austi ...
#34 third Super Bowl (XXIV as side judge, XXXI as referee) * Umpire: Chad Brown #31 first Super Bowl * Head Linesman: Tony Veteri, Jr. #36 first Super Bowl * Line Judge: Walt Anderson #66 first Super Bowl * Field Judge: Bill Lovett #98 first Super Bowl * Side Judge: Doug Toole #4 second Super Bowl (XXXII) * Back Judge: Bill Schmitz #122 first Super Bowl * Alternate Referee: Larry Nemmers #20 (side judge for XXV) * Alternate Umpire: Jeff Rice #44


Surveillance

The
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". ...
criticized a test of a system used at the event to monitor the people in attendance. A group of four companies installed a
face recognition A facial recognition system is a technology capable of matching a human face from a digital image or a video frame against a database of faces. Such a system is typically employed to authenticate users through ID verification services, an ...
system to scan the faces of fans entering the stadium and compare them with a database of criminals. Attendees were not told that they were subject to this surveillance. Tampa police reported that the system identified nineteen criminals, but due to complaints and trouble with
false positive A false positive is an error in binary classification in which a test result incorrectly indicates the presence of a condition (such as a disease when the disease is not present), while a false negative is the opposite error, where the test resul ...
results, it was not re-used the next year. Super Bowl XXXVI and all subsequent Super Bowls have been designated as a
National Special Security Event A National Special Security Event (NSSE) is an event of national or international significance deemed by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be a potential target for terrorism or other criminal activity. These events hav ...
, qualifying for extra security detail from the Secret Service.


Notes and references


Super Bowl official website
* * *
The Sporting News: History of the Super Bowl
(Last accessed December 4, 2005)
pro-football-reference.com
– Large online database of NFL data and statistics

from
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...
(Last accessed September 28, 2005)
All-Time Super Bowl Odds
from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Super Bowl 035 Super Bowl 2000 National Football League season 2001 in American football 2001 in American television 2001 in sports in Florida 21st century in Tampa, Florida Baltimore Ravens postseason New York Giants postseason Sports competitions in Tampa, Florida 2001 in American sports January 2001 sports events in the United States