Category: NFL News

Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas is fast approaching and the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers have been preparing for the big game over the last two weeks. But you know who else has to prepare for Super Bowl Sunday? The mascots. Those furry larger-than-life characters bring an excitement level to the game and the fans in attendance, and have to be on their game as well when the Super Bowl spotlight is on them. 

In the NFL, all players dream of making it to the big game, but, hey, for mascots this is the ultimate stage as well. For the Chiefs and 49ers we are talking about K.C. Wolf and Sourdough Sam, respectively. Unlike some of the other teams in the league, these mascots and their names are not obviously linked to their teams. 

For those wondering just how these mascots came to be on the sidelines, we did the research so you don’t have to.

K.C. Wolf

The original Chiefs mascot was named Warpaint and it was a horse ridden by a man in a headdress. K.C. Wolf replaced this mascot in 1989. Wolves are not the thing most people think of when they picture Kansas City or Missouri, and according to Wolf.org, the state does not even have a wolf population. Wolves may not be running around the area, but there is one running around Arrowhead Stadium. 

The concept of the mascot came from a group of wild fans that sat in temporary bleachers at Municipal Stadium, the baseball and football stadium that housed the Chiefs from 1963 to 1971. These fans, who were called the “Wolfpack,” clearly made quite the impact on the team, and their legacy lives on forever in the form of the current mascot. The K.C. part of the name is rather obvious. 

K.C. Wolf has its own Twitter account and was the first NFL mascot to be inducted in the Mascot Hall of Fame. K.C. Wolf has attended multiple Super Bowls, as this is the Chiefs fourth appearance in five years. 

Sourdough Sam

Sourdough Sam is the first official mascot for the Bay Area’s team and stepped onto the scene in 1994. Before Sam, a mule, Clementine, was at games in the 1950s and 1960s donning a red saddle during appearances. 

In the 1970s, the team went with their gold rush theme and had a prospector-type of mascot. Sourdough Sam has gone through changes, from outfit variations to even a change in eye color, and eventually took the persona of a miner rather than a prospector. He wears a jersey and of course wears the number 49, for obvious reasons. 

Nicknamed SDS, the team’s icon is described as “the hardest working mascot in the NFL” and “loves to have fun.” When Sourdough Sam is not at Levi’s Stadium, he is digging in the gold mines and enjoying his favorite food which is a San Fran staple: sourdough bread. You know a food is important to a city when their team’s mascot bears the name. 

So when you’re watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, be sure to pay extra attention to these mascots who have also worked their whole lives for this moment. 

How to watch the 2024 Super Bowl

• Date: Sunday, Feb. 11
• Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
• TV: CBS, Nickelodeon | Stream: CBS broadcast on Paramount+

Who would’ve thought that a child’s toy would’ve been the inspiration for the name of the greatest spectacle in professional sports? It’s safe to say that not even Lamar Hunt, the man who is credited with coining the “Super Bowl” name, could have thought that his idea — let alone the game itself — would become the cultural phenomenon that it is today.  

Hunt’s foray into professional sports had a humble beginning. He had tried and failed twice to acquire an NFL team, and that’s when he decided to do the unthinkable: create a brand new football league that would one day compete with the league that spurned him. Hunt’s goal, however, was not payback. The goal of Hunt’s league — the American Football League — was to create a more exciting brand of football while tailoring rules to help the offenses (sound familiar?). 

After several lean years, the AFL quickly established itself as a more fun, entertaining alternative to the more traditional NFL. Not only did AFL games include higher point totals, they also included colorful jerseys (to help reel in young fans) and just as colorful personalities that included Chiefs coach Hank Stram and Jets quarterback Joe Namath.

Along with Namath, the league possessed several household names that included Jack Kemp (who quarterbacked the Bills to two AFL titles while appearing in four straight AFL title games) and Chargers receiver Lance Alworth, whose career earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Over time, the league thought it was ready to compete with the mighty NFL, and before the start of the 1966 season, Hunt, who was also the owner of the Chiefs, penned a letter to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle to see if the NFL champion would care to face his league’s champion once their own championship game had concluded.

“If possible, I believe we should ‘coin a phrase’ for the Championship Game,” Hunt wrote, according to Michael MacCambridge’s book, “America’s Game.” “I have kiddingly called it the ‘Super Bowl,’ which obviously can be improved upon.” 

Rozelle, according to former NFL publicity director Don Weiss, did not love the nickname. It’s been reported that Rozelle would have called the game the Pro Bowl if that wasn’t already the name of the league’s all-star game.

“Pete was a pretty regular person, but he was a stickler on words and grammar, and ‘super’ was not his idea of a good word,” Weiss said. “He thought ‘super’ was a word like ‘neat’ or ‘gee-whiz.’ It had no sophistication.”

When no other ideas came to light, Rozelle and Hunt settled on the first game between the two leagues being branded as the “AFL-NFL Championship Game.”

Rozelle wasn’t the only one who didn’t love Hunt’s “Super Bowl” nickname. Before pitching the name to Rozelle in his note, Hunt initially mentioned it during a meeting with the other AFL team owners when trying to decide if there should be one or two weeks between the leagues’ respective title games and the AFL-NFL Championship Game. While no one directly shot down Hunt’s idea, the name Super Bowl was received with chuckles by the other owners.

“Nobody ever said, ‘Let’s make that the name of the game,’” Hunt recalled in MacCambridge’s book. “Far from it, we all agreed it was far too corny to be the name of the new title game.”

At this point in the story, there are a few questions that need answered. Where did Hunt’s “Super Bowl” idea come from? And how did the AFL-NFL Championship Game get renamed to the Super Bowl after it was mocked by AFL owners and rejected by Rozelle?

The answer to the first question can be traced back to a kid’s toy that was played with by Hunt’s children during the mid ’60s. One day, Hunt saw his kids playing with a Superball, a “mystery ball with 1,000 bounces” that was branded as “the greatest ball ever created.”

While the AFL-NFL Championship Game was the official name for the 1967 game played between the AFL champion Chiefs and the NFL champion Packers, the game was often referred to in the media as “the World Series of football.” But while that nickname never gained momentum with the general public, several players and media members had begun to use Hunt’s “Super Bowl” nickname when publicly talking about the AFL-NFL title game. In fact, NFL Films, during their coverage of Green Bay’s 35-10 victory, referred to it as the “Super Bowl.”

Over the next year, the phrase “Super Bowl” spread like wildfire, as fans, players, media circuits and national commentators had starting using Hunt’s phrase on a regular basis. Following the second AFL vs. NFL installment, another blowout victory by Vince Lombardi’s Packers (this time over Al Davis’ Raiders), the leagues decided to officially use Hunt’s nickname as the official name of the AFL-NFL matchup. 

Super Bowl III, played in January of 1969, was the first AFL-NFL game that was officially dubbed as the Super Bowl. Fittingly, the third installment of his annual game would break the mold while helping make the Super Bowl the spectacle that it is today. Despite being 18-point underdogs to Don Shula’s heavily favored Colts heading into the game, Namath famously guaranteed a victory for his Jets. With more hype surrounding this Super Bowl than the previous two combined, Namath, in front of a packed house at Miami’s fabled Orange Bowl, helped lead the Jets to a shocking upset that exponentially increased the popularity of the NFL and Super Bowl while also providing instant validation for Hunt and the AFL.

A year later, the AFL and NFL agreed to merge following the 1969 season, meaning that the fourth installment of the Super Bowl would be the final game ever played between the two leagues. A year after watching the Jets become the first AFL team to defeat the NFL, Hunt looked on with pride as his Chiefs pulled off their own upset in Super Bowl IV, defeating the Vikings, a 13-point favorite, 23-7 to even the AFL’s record with the NFL at two wins apiece.

While the Super Bowl trophy has been named after Lombardi, the AFC championship trophy has been named in Hunt’s honor. Fittingly, Hunt’s team, the Chiefs, will vie to win the franchise’s third Lombardi Trophy Sunday against the Eagles. 

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — already the first player to win league MVP and Super Bowl MVP before his 25th birthday — joined a select group of players by winning MVP of Super Bowl LVII, which Kansas City won, 38-35 over the Eagles to cap the 2022 season.

The MVP of the Chiefs’ victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, Mahomes has become the fifth player to win the award twice. Each of the previous multiple Super Bowl MVP winners also played quarterback and — with recently-retired Tom Brady the lone exception — are currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Mahomes joins Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as two-time Super Bowl MVPs. Joe Montana was the first three-time winner, while Brady’s five MVP trophies is the measuring stick. 

As we get ready for Super Bowl 58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, we take a look back at all of the scores and MVPs of all 57 Super Bowls. 

Chiefs Super Bowl championship gear released

The Chiefs have won their third Super Bowl title. You can now buy Chiefs Super Bowl championship shirts, hats, jerseys, hoodies, and much more to celebrate the historic win. Get gear here now.

We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

Already the first player to win league MVP and Super Bowl MVP before his 25th birthday, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes joined a select group of players by winning MVP of Super Bowl LVII, which the Chiefs won, 38-35, over the Eagles to cap the 2022 season.

The MVP of the Chiefs’ victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, Mahomes has become the fifth player to win the award twice. Each of the previous multiple Super Bowl MVP winners also played quarterback and — with recently-retired Tom Brady the lone exception — are currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Mahomes joins Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as two-time Super Bowl MVPs. Joe Montana was the first three-time winner, while Brady’s five MVP trophies is the measuring stick. 

As we brace for Super Bowl 58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, we take a look back at all of the scores and MVPs of all 57 Super Bowls. 

Chiefs Super Bowl championship gear released

The Chiefs have won their third Super Bowl title. You can now buy Chiefs Super Bowl championship shirts, hats, jerseys, hoodies, and much more to celebrate the historic win. Get gear here now.

We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

Patrick Mahomes won his second league MVP award on Thursday, and has made more NFL history on Sunday night. Already the first player to win league and Super Bowl MVP before his 25th birthday, the Chiefs’ quarterback has joined a select group of players by winning MVP of Super Bowl LVII, which the Chiefs won 38-35 over the Eagles. 

The MVP of the Chiefs’ victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, Mahomes has become the fifth player to win the award twice. Each of the previous multiple Super Bowl MVP winners also played quarterback and — with recently-retired Tom Brady the lone exception — are currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Mahomes joins Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as two-time Super Bowl MVPs. Joe Montana was the first three-time winner, while Brady’s five MVP trophies is the measuring stick. 

Here’s a look back at all of the scores and MVPs of all 57 Super Bowls. 

Chiefs Super Bowl championship gear released

The Chiefs have won their third Super Bowl title. You can now buy Chiefs Super Bowl championship shirts, hats, jerseys, hoodies, and much more to celebrate the historic win. Get gear here now.

We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

Last year, Patrick Mahomes won his second league MVP award. Already the first player to win league MVP and Super Bowl MVP before his 25th birthday, the Chiefs’ quarterback joined a select group of players by winning MVP of Super Bowl LVII, which the Chiefs won 38-35 over the Eagles. 

The MVP of the Chiefs’ victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, Mahomes has become the fifth player to win the award twice. Each of the previous multiple Super Bowl MVP winners also played quarterback and — with recently-retired Tom Brady the lone exception — are currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Mahomes joins Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as two-time Super Bowl MVPs. Joe Montana was the first three-time winner, while Brady’s five MVP trophies is the measuring stick. 

As we brace for Super Bowl 58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, we take a look back at all of the scores and MVPs of all 57 Super Bowls. 

Chiefs Super Bowl championship gear released

The Chiefs have won their third Super Bowl title. You can now buy Chiefs Super Bowl championship shirts, hats, jerseys, hoodies, and much more to celebrate the historic win. Get gear here now.

We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — already the first player to win league MVP and Super Bowl MVP before his 25th birthday — joined a select group of players by winning MVP of Super Bowl LVII, which Kansas City won, 38-35 over the Eagles to cap the 2022 season.

The MVP of the Chiefs’ victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, Mahomes has become the fifth player to win the award twice. Each of the previous multiple Super Bowl MVP winners also played quarterback and — with recently-retired Tom Brady the lone exception — are currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Mahomes joins Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as two-time Super Bowl MVPs. Joe Montana was the first three-time winner, while Brady’s five MVP trophies is the measuring stick. 

As we get ready for Super Bowl 58 on Sunday, Feb. 11, we take a look back at all of the scores and MVPs of all 57 Super Bowls. 

Chiefs Super Bowl championship gear released

The Chiefs have won their third Super Bowl title. You can now buy Chiefs Super Bowl championship shirts, hats, jerseys, hoodies, and much more to celebrate the historic win. Get gear here now.

We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. 

It really isn’t an NFL postseason without a classic showdown between longtime rivals. Fortunately, the 2024 playoffs has such a matchup with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys squaring off on Super Wild Card Weekend. 

The Cowboys stroll into the playoffs with the No. 2 seed. Mike McCarthy’s team is among the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Conversely, Matt LaFleur’s Packers are a surprise playoff team after capturing the No. 7 seed by virtue of their Week 17 win over the Chicago Bears. Adding to the intrigue of this game is the fact that McCarthy will coach against his old team in the playoffs for the first time. 

Before we get to Sunday’s game, here’s a look at the five greatest games in the history of Cowboys and Packers. 

Packers outlast Cowboys to advance to Super Bowl I

The 1966 NFL Championship Game between Green Bay and Dallas didn’t just determine that year’s NFL champion, it would also determine which team would play (and likely win) the first AFL-NFL Championship Game, a game that would later be known as the Super Bowl. 

In front of a sellout Cotton Bowl crowd, the Packers raced out to a 14-0 lead after special teamer Jim Grabowski returned a fumble for a score. Despite Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr’s 51-yard touchdown pass to Carroll Dale, two rushing touchdowns by the Cowboys and two Danny Villanueva field goal trimmed the Packers’ lead to 21-20 minutes into the third quarter. Green Bay responded to back-to-back touchdown passes, as Starr — who went 19-28 for 304 yards and four touchdowns — found Max McGree and Frank Clark for scores. 

But after Dallas quarterback Don Meredith found Frank Clarke for a 68-yard score, Dallas was in position to tie the game on the game’s final possession. Green Bay’s defense, however, ended the Cowboys’ comeback bid when Dave Robinson’s pressure of Meredith forced an errant pass that was intercepted by Tom Brown on the Cowboys’ final offensive play. 

Green Bay would go onto defeat the AFL champion Chiefs in Super Bowl I, 35-10. 

Packers cool Cowboys in legendary Ice Bowl 

A partisan Packers crowd inside Lambeau Field braved the -23 windchill to see if their team could win a fifth NFL championship in a seven-year span while getting back to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys didn’t make it easy, however, with Dallas taking a 17-14 fourth quarter lead on Lance Rentzel’s 50-yard touchdown pass from halfback Dan Reeves. 

Undaunted, Starr and the Packers drove into Cowboys’ territory before facing third and goal from the 1-yard-line with just seconds left. After using their final timeout, legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi decided to risk having the clock run out on his team by calling a running play. Starr, who was supposed to give the ball to Chuck Mercein, decided to keep the ball while running behind Hall of Fame lineman Jerry Kramer.

The score gave Green Bay a 21-17 lead en route to a 33-14 win over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II. It would be the Packers’ final championship during their decade of dominance. 

Fast start, strong finish propel Cowboys to title game win over Favre’s Packers

After already defeating Brett Favre’s Packers twice in postseason play, the Cowboys raced out to a 14-3 lead in the 1995 NFC Championship Game on two touchdown passes from Troy Aikman to Michael Irvin. Undaunted, Favre — who won his first of three straight league MVPs that season — completed a 73-yard touchdown pass to speedster Robert Brooks to cap off an exciting first quarter. 

Favre continued to fire away, throwing two more touchdown passes that included his go-ahead touchdown pass to Brooks with 5:19 left in the third. The Cowboys countered with Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, who that season set the then-NFL record with 25 touchdown runs during the regular season. Following Favre’s second touchdown pass to Smith, Dallas embarked on a 14-play, 90-yard drive that ended with Smith’s 5-yard touchdown run with 12:24 left. 

Five plays after Smith’s score, cornerback Larry Brown — who would make two similar plays on his way to earning MVP honors two weeks later in Super Bowl XXX — picked off Favre while setting up Smith’s game-clinching score. 

Despite taking the Packers’ best punch, the Cowboys prevailed, 38-37, en route to becoming the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a four-year span. Green Bay, despite losing to Dallas in the regular season, would go 13-3 during the 1996 regular season before defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. 

The Dez Bryant game

A week after helping lead the Cowboys to only their second playoff victory since Super Bowl XXX, quarterback Tony Romo led Dallas into Lambeau Field for a Divisional Round matchup during the 2014 postseason. After taking leads of 7-0 and 14-7, Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray — who rushed for a Cowboys single-season record 1,845 rushing yards during the regular season — gave Dallas a 21-13 third-quarter lead with his 1-yard touchdown run. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers — that year’s league MVP — led Green Bay’s comeback, firing touchdown passes to Davante Adams and Richard Rodgers that gave the home team a 26-21 win with 9:10 left. 

The Cowboys quickly responded, with Murray’s 30-yard run helped get Dallas into Green Bay territory. But after the draft stalled, Dallas faced a fourth and two on the Packers’ 32 with 4:42 left. That’s when Romo lofted a deep pass to Dez Bryant, who appeared to haul in the pass while putting the Cowboys in position to advance to their first conference title game in 19 years. 

That’s when the officials, after reviewing the play, ruled that Bryant “did not complete the act of making the catch” while awarding the ball to the Packers.

Green Bay would then run out the clock while defeating the Cowboys in the postseason for the first time in 47 years. And while Dallas fans spent the week (and years since) railing against the league’s decision to overturn Bryant’s score, Green Bay lost an equally heartbreaking game to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game. 

Rodgers leads improbable comeback, ends Cowboys’ dream season 

The 2016 Cowboys appeared to have a feeling of destiny entering the postseason. Led by rookie sensations Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas won an NFC-best 13 regular season games while earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Cowboys were also looking to settle the score with the Packers two years removed from their gut-wrenching playoff loss at Lambeau. 

Green Bay, having defeated New York in the wild-card round, raced out to a 21-3 lead that included two touchdown runs by Ty Montgomery. While Dallas responded with 10 consecutive points, Rodgers’ second touchdown pass, a 3-yard pass to Jared Cook, gave Green Bay a 28-13 lead with just over 11 minutes left in the third quarter. 

Dallas continued to battle, as touchdowns by Bryant and Jason Witten helped set up Dan Bailey’s game-tying, 52-yard field goal with 35 seconds left. After having trailed for most of the game’s first 59 minutes, the Cowboys had appeared to have forced overtime while keeping their Super Bowl hopes alive. 

That’s when Rodgers ended those dreams for good, as he fired an improbable, 36-pass to Cook that set up Mason Crosby’s game-winning, 51-yard field goal as time expired. 

That win, coupled by Green Bay’s 2017 regular season victory over Dallas, has given the Packers a 19-17 series lead entering Sunday night’s showdown. 

One of the major non-football storylines that centers around the Super Bowl is the halftime show. These days, the halftime show is one of the most exciting performances of the year and is headlined by some of the biggest artists of all time. 

Last year, Rihanna took the stage at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. Before that, five performers took the stage for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, California: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed halfway through the Rams win over the Bengals. 

And now it’s Usher’s turn as he’ll headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. 

For the artists who play the halftime show at the Super Bowl, they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. It was not always like that however. 

So, what were the shows like before they were must-see television? Do you remember that killer halftime show featuring the Rockettes, Chubby Checker and the 88 grand pianos in 1988? Do you remember the captivating “Be Bop Bamboozled” at the Orange Bowl in 1989? No, no you do not. Ditto Carol Channing (twice) or any one of those four annoyingly contrived Up With People performances in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

The Super Bowl halftime show, before Michael Jackson, was an endless wasteland of college marching bands and maddening flag-spinning tributes, from salutes to Hollywood (twice), to Motown, to the Big Band Era, to the Caribbean, to Duke Ellington. We also got the New Kids on the Block (1991) not singing any of their biggest hits and Gloria Estefan (1992) providing the soundtrack for Olympic figure skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano of “What would Brian Boitano do?” fame, because nothing says a Minnesota Super Bowl like the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine.

Then we got the King of Pop at the Rose Bowl in 1993 — and the Super Bowl halftime show was never the same again.

Here is the complete list of previous Super Bowl halftime performers and themes:

2024: Usher

2023: Rihanna

2022: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige

2021: The Weeknd

2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muniz

2019: Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi

2018: Justin Timberlake, The Tennessee Kids

2017: Lady Gaga

2016: Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars

2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott

2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers

2013: Beyonce

2012: Madonna

2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash

2010: The Who

2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

2008: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

2007: Prince and the Florida A&M marching band

2006: The Rolling Stones

2005: Paul McCartney

2004: Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake

2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting

2002: U2

2001: “The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith, ‘N’Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly

2000: “A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir

1999: “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover

1998: “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations

1997: “Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi (also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top)

1996: Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter

1995: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks

1994: “Rockin’ Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt

1993: “Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt.

1992: “Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill

1991: “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block

1990: “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas

1989: “Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects

1988: “Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker

1987: “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary”

1986: “Beat of the Future”

1985: “A World of Children’s Dreams”

1984: “Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen”

1983: “KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound)

1982: “A Salute to the 60s and Motown”

1981: “A Mardi Gras Festival”

1980: “A Salute to the Big Band Era” with Up with People

1979: “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands

1978: “From Paris to the Paris of America” with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt

1977: “It’s a Small World” including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue

1976: “200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial

1975: “Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State band

1974: “A Musical America” with University of Texas band

1973: “Happiness Is.” with University of Michigan marching band and Woody Herman

1972: “Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team

1971: Florida A&M band

1970: Carol Channing

1969: “America Thanks” with Florida A&M University band

1968: Grambling State band

1967: University of Arizona and Grambling State marching bands

One of the major non-football storylines that centers around the Super Bowl is the halftime show. These days, the halftime show is one of the most exciting performances of the year and is headlined by some of the biggest artists of all time. 

Last year, Rihanna took the stage at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. Before that, five performers took the stage for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, California: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed halfway through the Rams win over the Bengals. 

Usher headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas (airing on CBS and Paramount+) on Feb. 11. 

For the artists who play the halftime show at the Super Bowl, they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. It was not always like that however. 

So, what were the shows like before they were must-see television? Do you remember that killer halftime show featuring the Rockettes, Chubby Checker and the 88 grand pianos in 1988? Do you remember the captivating “Be Bop Bamboozled” at the Orange Bowl in 1989? No, no you do not. Ditto Carol Channing (twice) or any one of those four annoyingly contrived Up With People performances in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

The Super Bowl halftime show, before Michael Jackson, was an endless wasteland of college marching bands and maddening flag-spinning tributes, from salutes to Hollywood (twice), to Motown, to the Big Band Era, to the Caribbean, to Duke Ellington. We also got the New Kids on the Block (1991) not singing any of their biggest hits and Gloria Estefan (1992) providing the soundtrack for Olympic figure skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano of “What would Brian Boitano do?” fame, because nothing says a Minnesota Super Bowl like the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine.

Then we got the King of Pop at the Rose Bowl in 1993 — and the Super Bowl halftime show was never the same again.

Here is the complete list of previous Super Bowl halftime performers and themes:

• 2024: Usher with special guests Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., will.i.am, Lil Jon, Ludacris
• 2023: Rihanna
• 2022: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige
• 2021: The Weeknd
• 2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muniz
• 2019: Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi
• 2018: Justin Timberlake, The Tennessee Kids
• 2017: Lady Gaga
• 2016: Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars
• 2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott
• 2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 2013: Beyonce

• 2012: Madonna
• 2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash
• 2010: The Who
• 2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
• 2008: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
• 2007: Prince and the Florida A&M marching band

• 2006: The Rolling Stones
• 2005: Paul McCartney
• 2004: Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake
• 2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting
• 2002: U2
• 2001: “The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith, ‘N’Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly

• 2000: “A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir
• 1999: “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover
• 1998: “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations
• 1997: “Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi (also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top)
• 1996: Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter

• 1995: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks
• 1994: “Rockin’ Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt
• 1993: “Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt

• 1992: “Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill
• 1991: “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block
• 1990: “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas
• 1989: “Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects
• 1988: “Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker
• 1987: “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary”
• 1986: “Beat of the Future”
• 1985: “A World of Children’s Dreams”
• 1984: “Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen”
• 1983: “KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound)
• 1982: “A Salute to the 60s and Motown”
• 1981: “A Mardi Gras Festival”
• 1980: “A Salute to the Big Band Era” with Up with People
• 1979: “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands
• 1978: “From Paris to the Paris of America” with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt
• 1977: “It’s a Small World” including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue
• 1976: “200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial
• 1975: “Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State band
• 1974: “A Musical America” with University of Texas band
• 1973: “Happiness Is.” with University of Michigan marching band and Woody Herman
• 1972: “Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team
• 1971: Florida A&M band
• 1970: Carol Channing
• 1969: “America Thanks” with Florida A&M University band
• 1968: Grambling State band
• 1967: University of Arizona and Grambling State marching bands

One of the major non-football storylines that centers around the Super Bowl is the halftime show. These days, the halftime show is one of the most exciting performances of the year and is headlined by some of the biggest artists of all time. 

Last year, Rihanna took the stage at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. Before that, five performers took the stage for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, California: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed halfway through the Rams win over the Bengals. 

And now it’s Usher’s turn as he’ll headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. 

For the artists who play the halftime show at the Super Bowl, they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. It was not always like that however. 

So, what were the shows like before they were must-see television? Do you remember that killer halftime show featuring the Rockettes, Chubby Checker and the 88 grand pianos in 1988? Do you remember the captivating “Be Bop Bamboozled” at the Orange Bowl in 1989? No, no you do not. Ditto Carol Channing (twice) or any one of those four annoyingly contrived Up With People performances in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

The Super Bowl halftime show, before Michael Jackson, was an endless wasteland of college marching bands and maddening flag-spinning tributes, from salutes to Hollywood (twice), to Motown, to the Big Band Era, to the Caribbean, to Duke Ellington. We also got the New Kids on the Block (1991) not singing any of their biggest hits and Gloria Estefan (1992) providing the soundtrack for Olympic figure skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano of “What would Brian Boitano do?” fame, because nothing says a Minnesota Super Bowl like the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine.

Then we got the King of Pop at the Rose Bowl in 1993 — and the Super Bowl halftime show was never the same again.

Here is the complete list of previous Super Bowl halftime performers and themes:

2024: Usher

2023: Rihanna

2022: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige

2021: The Weeknd

2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muniz

2019: Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi

2018: Justin Timberlake, The Tennessee Kids

2017: Lady Gaga

2016: Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars

2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott

2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers

2013: Beyonce

2012: Madonna

2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash

2010: The Who

2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

2008: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

2007: Prince and the Florida A&M marching band

2006: The Rolling Stones

2005: Paul McCartney

2004: Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake

2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting

2002: U2

2001: “The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith, ‘N’Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly

2000: “A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir

1999: “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover

1998: “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations

1997: “Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi (also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top)

1996: Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter

1995: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks

1994: “Rockin’ Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt

1993: “Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt.

1992: “Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill

1991: “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block

1990: “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas

1989: “Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects

1988: “Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker

1987: “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary”

1986: “Beat of the Future”

1985: “A World of Children’s Dreams”

1984: “Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen”

1983: “KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound)

1982: “A Salute to the 60s and Motown”

1981: “A Mardi Gras Festival”

1980: “A Salute to the Big Band Era” with Up with People

1979: “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands

1978: “From Paris to the Paris of America” with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt

1977: “It’s a Small World” including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue

1976: “200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial

1975: “Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State band

1974: “A Musical America” with University of Texas band

1973: “Happiness Is.” with University of Michigan marching band and Woody Herman

1972: “Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team

1971: Florida A&M band

1970: Carol Channing

1969: “America Thanks” with Florida A&M University band

1968: Grambling State band

1967: University of Arizona and Grambling State marching bands

One of the major non-football storylines that centers around the Super Bowl is the halftime show. These days, the halftime show is one of the most exciting performances of the year and is headlined by some of the biggest artists of all time. 

Last year, Rihanna took the stage at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. Before that, five performers took the stage for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, California: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed halfway through the Rams win over the Bengals. 

And now it’s Usher’s turn as he’ll headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas (airing on CBS and Paramount+) on Feb. 11. 

For the artists who play the halftime show at the Super Bowl, they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. It was not always like that however. 

So, what were the shows like before they were must-see television? Do you remember that killer halftime show featuring the Rockettes, Chubby Checker and the 88 grand pianos in 1988? Do you remember the captivating “Be Bop Bamboozled” at the Orange Bowl in 1989? No, no you do not. Ditto Carol Channing (twice) or any one of those four annoyingly contrived Up With People performances in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

The Super Bowl halftime show, before Michael Jackson, was an endless wasteland of college marching bands and maddening flag-spinning tributes, from salutes to Hollywood (twice), to Motown, to the Big Band Era, to the Caribbean, to Duke Ellington. We also got the New Kids on the Block (1991) not singing any of their biggest hits and Gloria Estefan (1992) providing the soundtrack for Olympic figure skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano of “What would Brian Boitano do?” fame, because nothing says a Minnesota Super Bowl like the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine.

Then we got the King of Pop at the Rose Bowl in 1993 — and the Super Bowl halftime show was never the same again.

Here is the complete list of previous Super Bowl halftime performers and themes:

• 2024: Usher
• 2023: Rihanna
• 2022: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige
• 2021: The Weeknd
• 2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muniz
• 2019: Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi
• 2018: Justin Timberlake, The Tennessee Kids
• 2017: Lady Gaga
• 2016: Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars
• 2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott
• 2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 2013: Beyonce

• 2012: Madonna
• 2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash
• 2010: The Who
• 2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
• 2008: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
• 2007: Prince and the Florida A&M marching band

• 2006: The Rolling Stones
• 2005: Paul McCartney
• 2004: Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake
• 2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting
• 2002: U2
• 2001: “The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith, ‘N’Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly

• 2000: “A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir
• 1999: “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover
• 1998: “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations
• 1997: “Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi (also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top)
• 1996: Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter

• 1995: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks
• 1994: “Rockin’ Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt
• 1993: “Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt

• 1992: “Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill
• 1991: “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block
• 1990: “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas
• 1989: “Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects
• 1988: “Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker
• 1987: “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary”
• 1986: “Beat of the Future”
• 1985: “A World of Children’s Dreams”
• 1984: “Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen”
• 1983: “KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound)
• 1982: “A Salute to the 60s and Motown”
• 1981: “A Mardi Gras Festival”
• 1980: “A Salute to the Big Band Era” with Up with People
• 1979: “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands
• 1978: “From Paris to the Paris of America” with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt
• 1977: “It’s a Small World” including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue
• 1976: “200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial
• 1975: “Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State band
• 1974: “A Musical America” with University of Texas band
• 1973: “Happiness Is.” with University of Michigan marching band and Woody Herman
• 1972: “Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team
• 1971: Florida A&M band
• 1970: Carol Channing
• 1969: “America Thanks” with Florida A&M University band
• 1968: Grambling State band
• 1967: University of Arizona and Grambling State marching bands

One of the major non-football storylines that centers around the Super Bowl is the halftime show. These days, the halftime show is one of the most exciting performances of the year and is headlined by some of the biggest artists of all time. 

Last year, Rihanna took the stage at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. Before that, five performers took the stage for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, California: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed halfway through the Rams win over the Bengals. 

And now it’s Usher’s turn as he’ll headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas (airing on CBS and Paramount+) on Feb. 11. 

For the artists who play the halftime show at the Super Bowl, they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. It was not always like that however. 

So, what were the shows like before they were must-see television? Do you remember that killer halftime show featuring the Rockettes, Chubby Checker and the 88 grand pianos in 1988? Do you remember the captivating “Be Bop Bamboozled” at the Orange Bowl in 1989? No, no you do not. Ditto Carol Channing (twice) or any one of those four annoyingly contrived Up With People performances in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

The Super Bowl halftime show, before Michael Jackson, was an endless wasteland of college marching bands and maddening flag-spinning tributes, from salutes to Hollywood (twice), to Motown, to the Big Band Era, to the Caribbean, to Duke Ellington. We also got the New Kids on the Block (1991) not singing any of their biggest hits and Gloria Estefan (1992) providing the soundtrack for Olympic figure skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano of “What would Brian Boitano do?” fame, because nothing says a Minnesota Super Bowl like the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine.

Then we got the King of Pop at the Rose Bowl in 1993 — and the Super Bowl halftime show was never the same again.

Here is the complete list of previous Super Bowl halftime performers and themes:

• 2024: Usher
• 2023: Rihanna
• 2022: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige
• 2021: The Weeknd
• 2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muniz
• 2019: Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi
• 2018: Justin Timberlake, The Tennessee Kids
• 2017: Lady Gaga
• 2016: Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars
• 2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott
• 2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 2013: Beyonce

• 2012: Madonna
• 2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash
• 2010: The Who
• 2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
• 2008: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
• 2007: Prince and the Florida A&M marching band

• 2006: The Rolling Stones
• 2005: Paul McCartney
• 2004: Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake
• 2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting
• 2002: U2
• 2001: “The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith, ‘N’Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly

• 2000: “A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir
• 1999: “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover
• 1998: “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations
• 1997: “Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi (also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top)
• 1996: Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter

• 1995: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks
• 1994: “Rockin’ Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt
• 1993: “Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt

• 1992: “Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill
• 1991: “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block
• 1990: “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas
• 1989: “Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects
• 1988: “Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker
• 1987: “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary”
• 1986: “Beat of the Future”
• 1985: “A World of Children’s Dreams”
• 1984: “Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen”
• 1983: “KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound)
• 1982: “A Salute to the 60s and Motown”
• 1981: “A Mardi Gras Festival”
• 1980: “A Salute to the Big Band Era” with Up with People
• 1979: “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands
• 1978: “From Paris to the Paris of America” with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt
• 1977: “It’s a Small World” including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue
• 1976: “200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial
• 1975: “Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State band
• 1974: “A Musical America” with University of Texas band
• 1973: “Happiness Is.” with University of Michigan marching band and Woody Herman
• 1972: “Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team
• 1971: Florida A&M band
• 1970: Carol Channing
• 1969: “America Thanks” with Florida A&M University band
• 1968: Grambling State band
• 1967: University of Arizona and Grambling State marching bands

One of the major non-football storylines that centers around the Super Bowl is the halftime show. These days, the halftime show is one of the most exciting performances of the year and is headlined by some of the biggest artists of all time. 

Last year, Rihanna took the stage at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. Before that, five performers took the stage for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, California: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed halfway through the Rams win over the Bengals. 

And now it’s Usher’s turn as he’ll headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. 

For the artists who play the halftime show at the Super Bowl, they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. It was not always like that however. 

So, what were the shows like before they were must-see television? Do you remember that killer halftime show featuring the Rockettes, Chubby Checker and the 88 grand pianos in 1988? Do you remember the captivating “Be Bop Bamboozled” at the Orange Bowl in 1989? No, no you do not. Ditto Carol Channing (twice) or any one of those four annoyingly contrived Up With People performances in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

The Super Bowl halftime show, before Michael Jackson, was an endless wasteland of college marching bands and maddening flag-spinning tributes, from salutes to Hollywood (twice), to Motown, to the Big Band Era, to the Caribbean, to Duke Ellington. We also got the New Kids on the Block (1991) not singing any of their biggest hits and Gloria Estefan (1992) providing the soundtrack for Olympic figure skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano of “What would Brian Boitano do?” fame, because nothing says a Minnesota Super Bowl like the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine.

Then we got the King of Pop at the Rose Bowl in 1993 — and the Super Bowl halftime show was never the same again.

Here is the complete list of previous Super Bowl halftime performers and themes:

2024: Usher

2023: Rihanna

2022: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige

2021: The Weeknd

2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muniz

2019: Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi

2018: Justin Timberlake, The Tennessee Kids

2017: Lady Gaga

2016: Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars

2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott

2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers

2013: Beyonce

2012: Madonna

2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash

2010: The Who

2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

2008: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

2007: Prince and the Florida A&M marching band

2006: The Rolling Stones

2005: Paul McCartney

2004: Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake

2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting

2002: U2

2001: “The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith, ‘N’Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly

2000: “A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir

1999: “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover

1998: “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations

1997: “Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi (also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top)

1996: Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter

1995: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks

1994: “Rockin’ Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt

1993: “Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt.

1992: “Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill

1991: “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block

1990: “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas

1989: “Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects

1988: “Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker

1987: “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary”

1986: “Beat of the Future”

1985: “A World of Children’s Dreams”

1984: “Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen”

1983: “KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound)

1982: “A Salute to the 60s and Motown”

1981: “A Mardi Gras Festival”

1980: “A Salute to the Big Band Era” with Up with People

1979: “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands

1978: “From Paris to the Paris of America” with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt

1977: “It’s a Small World” including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue

1976: “200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial

1975: “Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State band

1974: “A Musical America” with University of Texas band

1973: “Happiness Is.” with University of Michigan marching band and Woody Herman

1972: “Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team

1971: Florida A&M band

1970: Carol Channing

1969: “America Thanks” with Florida A&M University band

1968: Grambling State band

1967: University of Arizona and Grambling State marching bands

One of the major non-football storylines that centers around the Super Bowl is the halftime show. These days, the halftime show is one of the most exciting performances of the year and is headlined by some of the biggest artists of all time. 

Last year, Rihanna took the stage at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. Before that, five performers took the stage for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, California: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed halfway through the Rams win over the Bengals. 

And now it’s Usher’s turn as he’ll headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. 

For the artists who play the halftime show at the Super Bowl, they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. It was not always like that however. 

So, what were the shows like before they were must-see television? Do you remember that killer halftime show featuring the Rockettes, Chubby Checker and the 88 grand pianos in 1988? Do you remember the captivating “Be Bop Bamboozled” at the Orange Bowl in 1989? No, no you do not. Ditto Carol Channing (twice) or any one of those four annoyingly contrived Up With People performances in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

The Super Bowl halftime show, before Michael Jackson, was an endless wasteland of college marching bands and maddening flag-spinning tributes, from salutes to Hollywood (twice), to Motown, to the Big Band Era, to the Caribbean, to Duke Ellington. We also got the New Kids on the Block (1991) not singing any of their biggest hits and Gloria Estefan (1992) providing the soundtrack for Olympic figure skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano of “What would Brian Boitano do?” fame, because nothing says a Minnesota Super Bowl like the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine.

Then we got the King of Pop at the Rose Bowl in 1993 — and the Super Bowl halftime show was never the same again.

Here is the complete list of previous Super Bowl halftime performers and themes:

2024: Usher

2023: Rihanna

2022: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige

2021: The Weeknd

2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muniz

2019: Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi

2018: Justin Timberlake, The Tennessee Kids

2017: Lady Gaga

2016: Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars

2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott

2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers

2013: Beyonce

2012: Madonna

2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash

2010: The Who

2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

2008: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

2007: Prince and the Florida A&M marching band

2006: The Rolling Stones

2005: Paul McCartney

2004: Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake

2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting

2002: U2

2001: “The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith, ‘N’Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly

2000: “A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir

1999: “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover

1998: “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations

1997: “Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi (also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top)

1996: Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter

1995: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks

1994: “Rockin’ Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt

1993: “Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt.

1992: “Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill

1991: “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block

1990: “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas

1989: “Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects

1988: “Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker

1987: “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary”

1986: “Beat of the Future”

1985: “A World of Children’s Dreams”

1984: “Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen”

1983: “KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound)

1982: “A Salute to the 60s and Motown”

1981: “A Mardi Gras Festival”

1980: “A Salute to the Big Band Era” with Up with People

1979: “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands

1978: “From Paris to the Paris of America” with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt

1977: “It’s a Small World” including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue

1976: “200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial

1975: “Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State band

1974: “A Musical America” with University of Texas band

1973: “Happiness Is.” with University of Michigan marching band and Woody Herman

1972: “Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team

1971: Florida A&M band

1970: Carol Channing

1969: “America Thanks” with Florida A&M University band

1968: Grambling State band

1967: University of Arizona and Grambling State marching bands

One of the major non-football storylines that centers around the Super Bowl is the halftime show. These days, the halftime show is one of the most exciting performances of the year and is headlined by some of the biggest artists of all time. 

Last year, Rihanna took the stage at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. Before that, five performers took the stage for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, California: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed halfway through the Rams win over the Bengals. 

And now it’s Usher’s turn as he’ll headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas (airing on CBS and Paramount+) on Feb. 11. 

For the artists who play the halftime show at the Super Bowl, they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. It was not always like that however. 

So, what were the shows like before they were must-see television? Do you remember that killer halftime show featuring the Rockettes, Chubby Checker and the 88 grand pianos in 1988? Do you remember the captivating “Be Bop Bamboozled” at the Orange Bowl in 1989? No, no you do not. Ditto Carol Channing (twice) or any one of those four annoyingly contrived Up With People performances in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

The Super Bowl halftime show, before Michael Jackson, was an endless wasteland of college marching bands and maddening flag-spinning tributes, from salutes to Hollywood (twice), to Motown, to the Big Band Era, to the Caribbean, to Duke Ellington. We also got the New Kids on the Block (1991) not singing any of their biggest hits and Gloria Estefan (1992) providing the soundtrack for Olympic figure skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano of “What would Brian Boitano do?” fame, because nothing says a Minnesota Super Bowl like the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine.

Then we got the King of Pop at the Rose Bowl in 1993 — and the Super Bowl halftime show was never the same again.

Here is the complete list of previous Super Bowl halftime performers and themes:

• 2024: Usher
• 2023: Rihanna
• 2022: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige
• 2021: The Weeknd
• 2020: Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Emme Muniz
• 2019: Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi
• 2018: Justin Timberlake, The Tennessee Kids
• 2017: Lady Gaga
• 2016: Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars
• 2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott
• 2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 2013: Beyonce

• 2012: Madonna
• 2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash
• 2010: The Who
• 2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
• 2008: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
• 2007: Prince and the Florida A&M marching band

• 2006: The Rolling Stones
• 2005: Paul McCartney
• 2004: Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake
• 2003: Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting
• 2002: U2
• 2001: “The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith, ‘N’Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly

• 2000: “A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir
• 1999: “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover
• 1998: “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations
• 1997: “Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi (also featuring “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown and ZZ Top)
• 1996: Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter

• 1995: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks
• 1994: “Rockin’ Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt
• 1993: “Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt

• 1992: “Winter Magic” including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill
• 1991: “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block
• 1990: “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas
• 1989: “Be Bop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects
• 1988: “Something Grand” featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker
• 1987: “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary”
• 1986: “Beat of the Future”
• 1985: “A World of Children’s Dreams”
• 1984: “Super Bowl XVIII’s Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen”
• 1983: “KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound)
• 1982: “A Salute to the 60s and Motown”
• 1981: “A Mardi Gras Festival”
• 1980: “A Salute to the Big Band Era” with Up with People
• 1979: “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands
• 1978: “From Paris to the Paris of America” with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt
• 1977: “It’s a Small World” including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue
• 1976: “200 Years and Just a Baby” Tribute to America’s Bicentennial
• 1975: “Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State band
• 1974: “A Musical America” with University of Texas band
• 1973: “Happiness Is.” with University of Michigan marching band and Woody Herman
• 1972: “Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team
• 1971: Florida A&M band
• 1970: Carol Channing
• 1969: “America Thanks” with Florida A&M University band
• 1968: Grambling State band
• 1967: University of Arizona and Grambling State marching bands