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The Super Bowl is the biggest event on the sporting calendar, and over the years it has been played in some of the greatest stadiums in the land. The record for the largest attendance has been unbroken for approaching half a century and seems very unlikely to be beaten in the next few years.
Let’s take a closer look at the top 5 Super Bowl attendances of all time and find out which game was watched in person by the biggest crowd:
Super Bowl XIV, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, saw the Pittsburgh Steelers face off against the Los Angeles Rams in front of a record crowd of 103,985. The final score of 31-19 to the Steelers might suggest that they had an easy time of it, but in fact the lead changed hands a record 7 times over the course of the contest. Pittsburgh only managed to pull clear of their rivals in the fourth quarter, with Super Bowl MVP Terry Bradshaw orchestrating the win and ensuring that the Steelers successfully defended their title from the previous season.
Super Bowl XVII, hosted again at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, featured a matchup between the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) and the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins led by a touchdown at half-time, but were reeled in by Washington, thanks in no small part to an inspired performance by running back John Riggins. Riggins would go on to claim the MVP, notching up more total yards from scrimmage on his own than the entire Miami offense.
Super Bowl XI is the third entry on our list to be held at the mighty Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The current capacity of that stadium is limited to 92,542, meaning that these records are unlikely to be broken at the same venue in the foreseeable future. This edition of the championship game pitted the Oakland Raiders against the Minnesota Vikings in a clash for football supremacy. The Raiders would go on to dominate the contest, winning 32-14 to become the first AFL champions to take the Super Bowl title following the AFL/NFL merger.
The only game on our list to take place outside of Pasadena, Super Bowl XLV saw the Green Bay Packers take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The crowd of 103,219 witnessed a hard-fought contest between these two storied franchises, with the Packers eventually coming out on top by 31-25. Aaron Rodgers earned the Most Valuable Player award as he led the Pack to victory in front of a huge crowd in the stadium and a record-breaking 111 million viewers watching at home.
The fifth game on our rankings was watched by a crowd of 101,063, with the New York Giants going on to beat the Denver Broncos by 39-20. The Broncos were narrowly ahead at half-time, but the Giants would pull away in the second half, led by MVP quarterback Phil Simms. The massive audience would also get to witness an early incarnation of the now-traditional Gatorade Shower, with coach Bill Parcells receiving a drenching after victory was sealed.
The NFL remains on top of the sporting tree in the US, as these massive attendance figures will testify. However, since no current NFL team has a stadium whose capacity exceeds 100,000, it is unlikely that we will see new entrants to our top five list unless there is a return to college stadiums in the future. The popularity of the sport has never been greater just the same, and TV audiences around the world demonstrate that the NFL continues to grow in popularity every year.
Ross has been writing about sports for over a decade, spcecializing in the NFL, soccer and boxing. His written work has appeared on a number of online publications over that time.