RSS
NFL Super Bowl XII: Cowboys 27 Broncos 10
The Cowboys Defeat the Broncos 27-10 to win Super Bowl XII, Cowboys Randy White & Harvey Martin named co-MVPs
HOME > SPORTS > FOOTBALL > SUPER BOWLS
The Dallas Cowboys evened their Super Bowl record at 2-2 by defeating Denver before a sellout crowd of 75,583, plus 102,010,000 television viewers, the largest audience ever to watch a sporting event.
Dallas converted two interceptions into 10 points and Efren Herrera added a 35-yard field goal for a 13-0 halftime advantage.
In the third period Craig Morton engineered a drive to the Cowboys' 30 and Jim Turner's 47-yard field goal made the score 13-3.
After an exchange of punts, Butch Johnson made a spectacular diving catch in the end zone to complete a 45-yard pass from Roger Staubach and put the Cowboys ahead 20-3.
Following Rick Upchurch's 67-yard kickoff return, Norris Weese guided the Broncos to a touchdown to cut the Dallas lead to 20-10.
Dallas clinched the victory when running back Robert Newhouse tossed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Golden Richards with 7:04 remaining in the game. It was the first pass thrown by Newhouse since 1975.
Harvey Martin and Randy White, who were named co-most valuable players, led the Cowboys' defense, which recovered four fumbles and intercepted four passes
SUPER BOWL XII co-MVPs:
Randy White and Harvey Martin, Dallas Cowboys
For the first and only time in Super Bowl history, two players shared the MVP award. Defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin were the leaders of a Dallas defense that forced eight Denver turnovers -- - four interceptions and four fumble recoveries -- in the 27-10 victory. Broncos quarterbacks had only 8 completions in 24 attempts under the fierce Cowboy rush, led by White and Martin. The Cowboys' "Doomsday Defense" led by White and Martin were instrumental in limiting the Broncos to only 156 yards of total offense (2.7 yards per play) in the 27-10 win.
Martin and White joined Dallas linebacker Chuck Howley (Super Bowl V) and Miami safety Jake Scott (Super Bowl VII) as the only defensive players to win the MVP award. Later Chicago defensive end Richard Dent (Super Bowl XX) and Dallas cornerback Larry Brown (Super Bowl XXX) would be added to the list.
Super Bowl XII
SUPER BOWL XII SCORING
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | ||
Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 27 | |
Denver Broncos | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | |
1st Quarter
DAL Dorsett 3 run (Herrera kick), 10:31
DAL FG Herrera 35, 13:29
2nd Quarter
DAL FG Herrera 43, 3:44
3rd Quarter
DEN FG Turner 47, 2:28
DAL Johnson 45 pass from Staubach (Herrera kick), 8:01
DEN Lytle 1 run (Turner kick), 9:21
4th Quarter
DAL Richards 29 pass from Newhouse (Herrera kick), 7:56
Dallas Cowboys - Team Statistics
Total First Downs |
17 |
Rushing |
8 |
Passing |
8 |
Penalty |
1 |
Total Net Yardage |
325 |
Total Offensive Plays |
71 |
Avg. Gain per Offensive Play |
4.6 |
Rushes |
38 |
Yards Gained Rushing (Net) |
143 |
Average Yards per Rush |
3.8 |
Passes Attempted |
28 |
Passes Completed |
19 |
Had Intercepted |
0 |
Tackled Attempting to Pass |
5 |
Yards Lost Attempting to Pass |
35 |
Yards Gained Passing (Net) |
182 |
Punts |
5 |
Average Distance |
41.6 |
Punt Returns |
1 |
Punt Return Yardage |
0 |
Kickoff Returns |
3 |
Kickoff Return Yardage |
51 |
Interception Return Yardage |
46 |
Fumbles |
6 |
Own Fumbles Recovered |
4 |
Opponent Fumbles Recovered |
4 |
Penalties |
12 |
Yards Penalized |
94 |
Total Points Scored |
27 |
Touchdowns |
3 |
Rushing |
1 |
Passing |
2 |
Returns |
0 |
Extra Points |
3 |
Field Goals |
2 |
Fields Goals Attempted |
5 |
Safeties |
0 |
Third-Down Efficiency |
5/17 |
Fourth-Down Efficiency |
1/1 |
Time of Possession |
38:38 |
Denver Broncos - Team Statistics
Total First Downs |
11 |
Rushing |
8 |
Passing |
1 |
Penalty |
2 |
Total Net Yardage |
156 |
Total Offensive Plays |
58 |
Avg. Gain per Offensive Play |
2.7 |
Rushes |
29 |
Yards Gained Rushing (Net) |
121 |
Average Yards per Rush |
4.2 |
Passes Attempted |
25 |
Passes Completed |
8 |
Had Intercepted |
4 |
Tackled Attempting to Pass |
4 |
Yards Lost Attempting to Pass |
26 |
Yards Gained Passing (Net) |
35 |
Punts |
4 |
Average Distance |
38.3 |
Punt Returns |
4 |
Punt Return Yardage |
22 |
Kickoff Returns |
6 |
Kickoff Return Yardage |
173 |
Interception Return Yardage |
0 |
Fumbles |
4 |
Own Fumbles Recovered |
0 |
Opponent Fumbles Recovered |
2 |
Penalties |
8 |
Yards Penalized |
60 |
Total Points Scored |
10 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
Rushing |
1 |
Passing |
0 |
Returns |
0 |
Extra Points |
1 |
Field Goals |
1 |
Fields Goals Attempted |
1 |
Safeties |
0 |
Third-Down Efficiency |
1/12 |
Fourth-Down Efficiency |
2/3 |
Time of Possession |
21:22 |
Dallas Cowboys - Player Statistics
Passing |
CP/AT |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
Staubach |
17/25 |
183 |
0 |
1 |
Newhouse |
1/1 |
29 |
0 |
1 |
D.white |
1/2 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
Rushing |
No. |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Dorsett |
15 |
66 |
19 |
1 |
Newhouse |
14 |
55 |
10 |
0 |
D.White |
1 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
P.Pearson |
3 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
Staubach |
3 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
Laidlaw |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Johnson |
1 |
-9 |
9 |
0 |
Receiving |
REC |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
P. Pearson |
5 |
37 |
0 |
11 |
DuPree |
4 |
66 |
0 |
19 |
Newhouse |
3 |
-1 |
0 |
5 |
Johnson |
2 |
53 |
1 |
45 |
Richards |
2 |
38 |
1 |
29 |
Dorsett |
2 |
11 |
0 |
15 |
D.Pearson |
1 |
13 |
0 |
13 |
Interceptions |
INT |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Washington |
1 |
27 |
27 |
13 |
Kyle |
1 |
19 |
19 |
0 |
Barnes |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Hughes |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Punting |
NO |
AVG |
LG |
BLK |
D. White |
5 |
41.6 |
53 |
0 |
Punt Returns |
NO/FC |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Hill |
1/1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Kickoff Returns |
NO |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Johnson |
2 |
29 |
15 |
0 |
Brinson |
1 |
22 |
22 |
0 |
Denver Broncos - Player Statistics
Passing |
CP/AT |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
Morton |
4/15 |
39 |
0 |
4 |
Weese |
4/10 |
22 |
0 |
0 |
Rushing |
CAR |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
Lytle |
10 |
35 |
1 |
16 |
Armstrong |
7 |
27 |
0 |
18 |
Weese |
3 |
26 |
0 |
10 |
Jensen |
1 |
16 |
0 |
16 |
Keyworth |
5 |
9 |
0 |
6 |
Perrin |
3 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
Receiving |
REC |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
Dolbin |
2 |
24 |
0 |
15 |
Odoms |
2 |
9 |
0 |
10 |
Moses |
1 |
21 |
0 |
21 |
Upchurch |
1 |
9 |
0 |
9 |
Jensen |
1 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
Upchurch |
1 |
-7 |
0 |
7 |
Interceptions |
INT |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
None |
-- |
--- |
-- |
-- |
Punting |
NO |
AVG |
LG |
BLK |
Dilts |
4 |
38.3 |
46 |
0 |
Punt Returns |
NO/FC |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Upchurch |
3/1 |
22 |
8 |
0 |
Schultz |
1/0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Kickoff Returns |
NO |
YDS |
LG |
TD |
Upchurch |
3 |
94 |
67 |
0 |
Schultz |
2 |
62 |
37 |
0 |
Upchurch |
1 |
17 |
17 |
0 |
January 16, 1978
Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Attendance: 76,400
Recommend
Super Bowl Games & Super Bowl MVP History
-
Super Bowl I
Green Bay Packers 35 Kansas City Chiefs 10 -
Super Bowl II
Green Bay Packers 33 Oakland Raiders 14 -
Super Bowl III
New York Jets 16 Baltimore Colts 7 -
Super Bowl IV
Kansas City Chiefs 23 Minnesota Vikings 7 -
Super Bowl V
Baltimore Colts 16 Dallas Cowboys 13 -
Super Bowl VI
Dallas Cowboys 24 Miami Dolphins 3 -
Super Bowl VII
Miami Dolphins 14 Washington Redskins 7 -
Super Bowl VIII
Miami Dolphins 24 Minnesota Vikings 7 -
Super Bowl IX
Pittsburgh Steelers 16 Minnesota Vikings 6 -
Super Bowl X
Steelers 21 Dallas Cowboys 17 -
Super Bowl XI
Oakland Raiders 32 Minnesota Vikings 14 -
Super Bowl XII
Cowboys 27 Denver Broncos 10 -
Super Bowl XIII
Pittsburgh Steelers 35 Dallas Cowboys 31 -
Super Bowl XIV
Pittsburgh Steelers 31 Los Angeles Rams 19 -
Super Bowl XV
Oakland Raiders 27 Philadelphia Eagles 10 -
Super Bowl XVI
San Francisco 49ers 26 Cincinnati Bengals 21 -
Super Bowl XVII
Washington Redskins 27 Miami Dolphins 17 -
Super Bowl XVIII
Los Angeles Raiders 38 Washington Redskins 9 -
Super Bowl XIX
San Francisco 49ers 38 Miami Dolphins 16 -
Super Bowl XX
Chicago Bears 46 New England Patriots 10 -
Super Bowl XXI
New York Giants 39 Denver Broncos 20 -
Super Bowl XXII
Washington Redskins 42 Denver Broncos 10 -
Super Bowl XXIII
San Francisco 49ers 20 Cincinnati Bengals 16 -
Super Bowl XXIV
San Francisco 49ers 55 Denver Broncos 10 -
Super Bowl XXV
New York Giants 20 Buffalo Bills 19 -
Super Bowl XXVI
Washington Redskins 37 Buffalo Bills 24 -
Super Bowl XXVII
Dallas Cowboys 52 Buffalo Bills 17 -
Super Bowl XXVIII
Dallas Cowboys 30 Buffalo Bills 13 -
Super Bowl XXIX
San Francisco 49ers 49 San Diego Chargers 26 -
Super Bowl XXX
Dallas Cowboys 27 Pittsburgh Steelers 17 -
Super Bowl XXXI
Green Bay Packers 35 New England Patriots 21 -
Super Bowl XXXII
Denver Broncos 31 Green Bay Packers 24 -
Super Bowl XXXIII
Denver Broncos 34 Atlanta Falcons 19 -
Super Bowl XXXIV
Saint Louis Rams 23 Tennessee Titans 16 -
Super Bowl XXXV
Baltimore Ravens 34 New York Giants 7 -
Super Bowl XXXVI
New England Patriots 20 Saint Louis Rams 17 -
Super Bowl XXXVII
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48 Oakland Raiders 21 -
Super Bowl XXXVIII
New England Patriots 32 Carolina Panthers 29 -
Super Bowl XXXIX
New England Patriots 24 Philadelphia Eagles 21 -
Super Bowl XL
Steelers 21 Seahawks 10 -
Super Bowl XLI
Colts 29 Bears 17 -
Super Bowl XLII
New York Giants 17 New England Patriots 14 -
Super Bowl XLIII
Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Arizona Cardinals 23 -
Super Bowl XLIV
New Orleans Saints 31 Indianapolis Colts 17
NFL Super Bowl History, Scores, Summaries & Super Bowl MVP Articles