Super Bowl Media Day: Interview With Chicago Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Super Bowl XLI – Tuesday, January 30, 2007
QUOTES FROM CHICAGO BEARS MEDIA DAY
HEAD COACH LOVIE SMITH
(on any opportunities to visit with Tony Dungy and their relationship) “We got a chance to spend some time together last
night and this morning. I am just thankful for the opportunity Tony gave me. I was the defensive backs coach at Ohio State
and Tony hired me on his first staff as the linebackers coach and put me in charge of coaching Hardy Nickerson, Derrick
Brooks and guys like that. I’ll always be grateful and thankful for that opportunity. To compete against him on a national
stage like this is a dream come true.”
(on what he learned from Tony Dungy) “One of the early things I got from Tony was that he brought different personalities
in on his coaching staff and told all of us to just be ourselves. That was my philosophy coming in. I’ve always tried to be
myself. As a young coach, it is good to see someone at the top level handle themselves that way. Hopefully, guys out there
right now that aren’t screamers and yellers will realize that players want you to teach them as much as anything. They want
you to help them with their trade. They will not turn you off as much if you reason with them as a real man.”
(on his relationship with his mother) “Like all sons, I loved my mother dearly. At a young age, she let me know that I could
do whatever I wanted to do, not to use being poor or where I came from as an excuse for what happens to me in life., to not
feel sorry for yourself and she preached to me about hard work. To not set your dreams too low, but shoot for the sky and
I’ve had a chance to see her persevere. I’ve had a chance to see her fight diabetes that has taken her sight, but she doesn’t
complain. Every day her glass is half full. I get a lot of advice each week from quite a few people and she’s definitely one of
them. I’m trying to figure out how my mom who can’t see can give me this kind of advice and try to tell me exactly who I
should start and all that. She’s a football lady and I’m just glad she will get a chance to hear the game here at Dolphin
Stadium.”
(on if his calm attitude has helped Rex Grossman) “I hope so. Rex isn’t looking over his shoulder. None of our players are.
They know it’s a game of production and you have to produce, but they know at the same time, there is a reason why we
have chosen them to be in this position. Rex knows that there is a reason he is leading our team. We believe in him. He is a
good football player and all Rex has to do is look at his record. He has been a winner throughout his life and he has been that
way with us since he has been our quarterback. He’s fought through a lot, too. The only thing I have seen that has hurt him
has been injuries and this year he has been injury-free and we are excited about that.”
(on his thoughts about making history as an African-American coach in the Super Bowl) “I have had a chance to reflect on
what we are doing. I know that we are taking a step in the right direction. I know about the guys that have come before me
that did not get an opportunity, and some of the guys that did. I’m going to talk about winning. I know about John
Thompson being the first black coach to win in the NCAA basketball tournament. I had a chance to communicate with Bill
Russell a little bit this week and he is the first Afro-American basketball coach to win an NBA title. I know about all of that.
One of our teams will win so we will have a black coach that has led his team to the Super Bowl and hopefully, young
coaches out there will see that and know that you can achieve whatever you like.”
(on how he sees the Super Bowl as a platform for his religious faith) “My relationship, first, is with Jesus Christ and he is the
center of my life. I try to live a Christian life. I would like for guys to know my faith based on what they see on a day-to-day
basis. I had a chance to see that on a daily basis with Tony Dungy. I had a chance to see Tony through a lot of storms and he
has been the same guy all the way. This is also an opportunity for us to acknowledge our belief in Jesus Christ, which we do,
and hopefully more people with come around to him based on that.”
(on if it is special to be one of the first Afro-Americans to coach in the Super Bowl) “Yes, it is very special to both of us.
We would like to open doors for others coming through the ranks and I think we are doing that, being on an international
stage like this. At the same time, both of us would like to be the first black coach to hold up that world championship
trophy.”
-more

Super Bowl Media Day: Interview With Colts Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Super Bowl XLI – Tuesday, January 30, 2007
QUOTES FROM INDIANAPOLIS COLTS MEDIA DAY
OFF. COORDINATOR TOM MOORE

(on how much Peyton Manning is involved in the game planning) “We talk about it and there are things he likes and some
things he doesn’t feel comfortable with, but we go over it and hash it out and make sure we’re on the same page and make
sure we’re doing things that are sound and things he feels comfortable with. It’s important that he feels comfortable with it
and the chances of him being successful go up. I don’t want to put a guy in there and have him do something that says Tom
Moore says you got to do this. Well, he’s the guy that has to take the snap and there are lots of things you can do so let’s do
good things. I take my hat off to him, he comes up with a lot of great suggestions.”

(on play of the offensive line) “They are doing excellent and it’s evidenced by being able to run the football. One of the big
things is pass protection. In other words, we take big pride in pass protection and we take big pride in not getting the
quarterback hit. We want to keep the quarterback clean and the offensive line has done a great job.”

(on if the offensive line is overlooked) “I don’t know of any offensive line that truly gets the recognition that they deserve
because it’s the toughest position to play and the toughest position to coach. We who coach them and are around them, we
know how good they are.”

(on how the offense has changed over the last three decades) “I think the biggest change that goes on continually and that’s
why you have to keep up to date, are all the substitution packages. Defensively, they are running substitutes in the game all
the time. Substitution pattern and getting your blocking and protections squared away, that’s a constant thing that keeps
advancing.”

(on if his coaching philosophy has changed) “No, my philosophy has not changed. My philosophy is to get your best 11
players on the field and get your offense designed that takes advantage of their abilities.”

(on the toughness of the Bears front four) “They are great athletes and they are very well coached. Their coaching staff is
excellent. Lovie (Smith) does a great job with the coordinators – they are very well coached. You watch them execute and
you have so much respect for them and their ability. They are excellent.”

(on play calling during the game) “I give him (Manning) an idea of what we’re thinking. We have a set game plan and I give
him certain ideas and he goes from there. He makes a lot of great calls, any of the bad ones are mine.”

(on not being a head coach) “I don’t worry about that stuff. I have to be me. I have not been cheated because I haven’t been a
head coach. Nobody owes me anything. I haven’t been cheated. I’ve been 30 years in this League and it’s a privilege to coach
in the National Football League. The way I’ve been able to raise my family, the things I’ve done and the biggest thing, 30
years to do exactly what you want to do and have fun. You can’t buy that with money. “

2006 NFL PLAYER COMPENSATION FOR NFL POSTSEASON GAMES

From NFLMedia.com

*Wild Card Games:

$18,000
Divisional Playoff Games:

$20,000
Conference Championship Games:

$37,500
Super Bowl Winning Players:

$78,000
Losing Players:

$40,000
Pro Bowl Game Winning Players:

$40,000
Losing Players:

$20,000

NFL Super Bowl Hotel and Media Center Information - NFLMedia.com

For anyone in the media who may not have access to the website

NFL HEADQUARTERS — Marriott Biscayne Bay,
1633 North Bayshore Drive, Miami, FL 33132,
(305) 374-3900; FAX: (305) 536-6411.

NFL Office: (212) 450-2000.

MEDIA CENTER — Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL (305) 673-7311;

FAX: (305) 673-7435. Registration Desk will open at 2:00 P.M., Sunday, January 28, and each day thereafter from
8:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M. Media Lounge will open at 2:00 P.M., Sunday, January 28, and each day thereafter at 8:00
A.M. Week of game credentials can be picked up beginning Sunday, January 28 at 2:00 P.M. Gameday credentials can be picked up beginning at 10:00 A.M., Friday, February 2.

Any credentials not picked up by 6:00 P.M., Saturday, February 3, will be available at the Media Center beginning at 10:00 A.M. on Sunday, February 4. There will be no willcall at Dolphin Stadium on gameday.

ESPN's Len Pasquarelli Points To Offense's Running Game As Key To Colts Success

Colts' running game key to Super Bowl run

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Overlooked amid the Indianapolis defense's suddenly stout performance against the run in the postseason is that the Colts' offense has taken care of the other half of football's most basic formula for playoff success.

Run the ball and stop the run. That's the simple equation, most NFL purists contend, for winning in the postseason.

And in advancing to the first Super Bowl appearance since the franchise relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, the Colts have surprised almost as many skeptics by achieving the first of those goals as they have by allowing just 76.7 yards rushing per game in their three postseason contests after surrendering a league-worst 173.0 yards per game rushing during the regular season.

Indianapolis has outrushed all three playoff opponents by a whopping average of 61.0 yards per game. The Colts, who averaged 110.1 rushing yards during the regular season, have averaged 137.7 yards in the postseason. Their rushing attempts have risen, from 27.4 per outing to 35.0. And the offensive split has changed, as well. During the season, the Colts ran the ball on 43.4 percent of their snaps. The quota is up to 46.5 percent in the playoffs.

"That might not seem like a lot," tailback Dominic Rhodes said. "But it's made a difference. Teams, I think, have been a little surprised by how we've stuck with the run. The good part is, we've run when we had to and run when we wanted to. We've used the run to dictate to people, and that's a good feeling."

Count the New England Patriots among those stunned by the Indianapolis offense's unusual reliance on the running game. The Patriots allowed 32 second-half points to the Colts in a 38-34 AFC Championship Game loss.

"With them being down like they were at halftime by so much [a 21-6 score], I think we felt like they might come out desperate and just throw every down in the second half," said New England defensive end Ty Warren. "But they didn't panic and just go one-dimensional. They stayed with the run, and it kind of kept us off-balance, definitely."

In fact, in the second half, the Colts were surprisingly balanced for a team playing from so far in arrears. On its 45 second-half snaps, Indianapolis had 21 rushing plays and 24 pass plays. On the first two possessions of the second half, both of which culminated in touchdowns that lifted the Colts into a 21-21 tie, the offensive mix was 11 passes and 11 runs.

That the Colts didn't panic, and didn't abandon the run, had another ancillary benefit: It resulted in an incredibly lopsided snap-count, one that, combined with Indianapolis' no-huddle "quick" offense, physically drained the Patriots' defensive front seven.

Beginning with 3:06 left in the second quarter, until there were just four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Colts ripped off 34 offensive snaps, compared to only four by New England. For the game, the Colts had 80 snaps, while New England managed only 59 plays.

"It's probably the most ignored or underrated part of our offense," said Indianapolis Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday. "For whatever reason, people keep hanging that finesse label on us. But we've shown that we can run the ball, that we can stay in the game running it and close out games running it."

That has certainly been the case in the playoffs, where offensive coordinator Tom Moore and QB Peyton Manning -- who has more freedom to audible than any quarterback in the league and makes most of his calls at the line of scrimmage -- have blended the run brilliantly with the team's explosive passing game.

Against the Kansas City Chiefs, who were supposed to have the more dangerous rushing attack, the Colts ran for 188 yards and established tempo early. Their offensive mix defined balance, with 40 passes and 40 runs.

In the divisional-round victory at Baltimore, which featured the NFL's top-rated defense overall, and second-ranked unit versus the run, Indianapolis had more rushes (35) than passes (31). And the defining moment of that game came in the final half of the fourth quarter, when the Colts just jammed the ball down the throats of the smack-talkin' Ravens. Leading 12-6 with 7:36 to play, the Colts put together a 12-play drive that included 11 runs, ended in Adam Vinatieri's game-clinching field goal and bled all but 23 seconds from the clock.

"Peyton has really handled the run well," Saturday said. "His instincts have been tremendous."

Although it isn't a hard-and-fast rule of the Indianapolis offense, the Colts characteristically key off the alignment of the opponent's safeties to determine when they run. If the safeties are in a Cover 2 or split look, backed 10 to 12 yards off the line of scrimmage and essentially unable to play run support, Indianapolis will usually run. When there is just a single high safety, Manning will throw.

The formula has been a successful one for the Colts. All they need is for it to work one more time and they'll have run themselves to a Super Bowl title.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

Oakland Tribune's Monte Poole On The Color Barrier In The NFL and In Sports

Color barrier: Sports still has long way to go
Column by Monte Poole
Article Last Updated: 01/29/2007 02:37:52 AM PST

WELCOME TO Super Bowl Week, where football fans will be inundated with stories about Indianapolis and Chicago, about the various Colts and Bears, about fans and skin color.

We'll see and hear plenty about these, most assuredly the last one.

Because the skin color of Colts coach Tony Dungy is a relative match with that of Bears coach Lovie Smith. This is news not simply because neither is white but because neither is white and both have nurtured and coaxed their teams into the NFL's championship game.

Their incidental involvement in this bit of history is undeniable. The most pleasant aspect of this, though, should be the flattening of another color barrier.

Another one down, a hundred or so still standing.

If this is an example of sport leading the way, providingmembers of a race previously considered unfit with the opportunity to prove otherwise, it should be noted that sport has slowed its pace toward achieving a truly equal society.
Ownership, the most significant and aristocratic level of sports, has been excruciatingly slow to accept non-whites.
The power brokers remain overwhelmingly white — whiter than the much-publicized head-coaching ranks in NCAA Division I-A football. The owner/managing-partner level among the 92 teams in our three major sports — MLB, NBA, NFL — is roughly 2 percent Asian, black or Latino.

To be more distinct, a total of two.

Bob Johnson in 2003 bought the rights to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, becoming the second majority owner of a major sports team; Peter Bynoe and Bertram Lee bought the Denver Nuggets in 1989, lasting three years as owners.
Johnson's purchase preceded by four months that of Artie Moreno buying the Anaheim Angels, making him the first Latino to become majority owner.
Though Hiroshi Yamauchi, the Japanese billionaire and former majority owner of the Seattle Mariners, preceded Johnson and Moreno, he sold his shares a few years ago.
Several individuals of color own minority stakes, including Magic Johnson with the Lakers, but only Bob Johnson and Moreno top the organizational chart.
Meanwhile, Reggie Jackson, urged by commissioner Bud Selig to be patient in his quest for baseball ownership, has nothing to show after nearly a decade. Joe Morgan's attempt to become president-owner of the A's, with a group led by Bob Piccinini, was rebuffed. Alabama attorney and businessman Donald Watkins, with a reported worth in excess of $1 billion, was denied in his effort to buy the Minnesota Twins in 2001 because MLB was uncomfortable with his finances.
Former Duke player Brian Davis failed in a recent bid to lead a group seeking to purchase the Memphis Grizzlies. Reggie Fowler's attempt to become majority owner of the Minnesota Vikings died amid questions about his financial wherewithal; he now is a minority owner of the team under Zygi Wilf, who received unanimous approval.
This is not so much an allegation of racism as a recitation of facts, thereby highlighting the color barriers still in existence in sport.
So many have come down, from the playing fields to the executive offices, from merely reaching the position to actually winning championships. This is another. Dungy or Smith will become the first black head coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
If the definitive integration moment in this country is Jackie Robinson's entrance into the Major Leagues in 1947, the pivotal moments of measured progress came with the promotion of Bill Russell to head coach of the NBA Boston Celtics in 1966, the hiring of Frank Robinson as manager of the Cleveland Indians in 1975 and the promotion of Art Shell to head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1989.
Seeing these men earn authority and experience success opened minds and softened hearts. It suggested that, lo and behold, fitness for a specific job had much less to do with skin color than with character and intellect.
Had these moves not been made on the social gameboard, would someone like Barack Obama be in position to think about running for president?
But Obama, though identified as a political star, still can't consider himself a favorite. If sports is his barometer, he is a decided underdog.
While the sight of Dungy on one sideline and Smith on the other surely represents a measure of progress, it also reiterates the statement regarding character and intellect.
Which might be enough to convince an owner or athletic director to consider what he or she might not have in the past: That a black coach not only can win a championship but also hold his own in the upper levels of society.
As sport pats itself on the back this week, reminding everyone of how far it has come, let's not kid ourselves. It still has a ways to go. We all do.
Monte Poole can be reached at (510) 208-6461 or by e-mail at
mpoole@angnewspapers.com.

Super Bowl XLI - Chicago Bears Arrive In Miami - Miami Herald

Bears touch down in Miami
The Bears landed at Miami International Airport armed with camcorders and cameras to record an unforgettable week.
BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD - Miami Herald

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith, wearing a navy-colored suit with an orange shirt and tie, emerged from the team plane Sunday afternoon leading a contingent of his players, who captured the moment with their digital cameras and camcorders.

The Super Bowl-bound Bears had arrived.

The procession of players, coaches and team employees lasted about 15 minutes and featured several familiar faces, including former Florida Gators quarterback Rex Grossman and defensive end Alex Brown.

Moments earlier as the plane taxied down the Miami International Airport runway, a large Bears logo on the side of the plane came into clear view and the pilot opened his window to show off a Chicago Bears flag.

United flight 9900 landed at Miami International Airport at about 3:40 p.m. amid little fanfare aside from the media horde of about four dozen photographers and cameramen; the team's arrival was closed to the public and players did not speak to the media.

''We're treating this as a presidential arrival,'' airport media relations manager Marc Henderson said.

Media had to arrive at the airport about two hours before the Bears landed because of security protocol. A packed shuttle escorted the media onto the runway, where dogs sniffed their belongings and security personnel screened media with a security wand.

Nearly 90 minutes later the Bears made their grand entrance before being whisked away by a police caravan to the nearby Hilton Miami Airport Hotel.

The Bears' fate in Super Bowl XLI won't be decided until Sunday at Dolphin Stadium. But the Bears already held one edge over the Indianapolis Colts: being the first team to arrive.

City Of Arlington, Texas Announces Super Bowl XLV Effort - City Of Arlington Website

The City of Arlington is leading a regional effort to bring Super Bowl XLV to the North Texas area in 2011. - City Of Arlington News

The game would be played at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

This week, elected officials from throughout the North Texas area joined Cowboys officials to support the formation of a Super Bowl Bid Committee. The bid application is due to the National Football League in April 2007. The selection could be announced in May 2007.

On Thursday, the North Texas Commission Board of Directors approved a resolution, pledging their support for this effort to further enhance worldwide prestige for the region, and to create “substantial economic activity and positive fiscal impacts for local taxing jurisdictions.”

“This regional effort has an economic impact of hundreds of millions of dollars that will allow us to fund efficient, better government,” said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck. “We urge all businesses, cities, counties and citizens throughout the region to join in and support this positive enterprise.”

Robert Dale Morgan - The North Texas Super Bowl Bid Committee Lands His Help

D-FW grabs for Super Bowl
New 'Boys stadium in good position to land 2011 game; vote due in May
Dallas Business Journal - January 12, 2007
by Dave Moore

If landing an NFL Super Bowl is all about getting a head start, North Texas has a good shot at nabbing the big game for 2011.

Besides having the most-expensive football stadium in the National Football League to bid with, North Texas has landed Robert Dale Morgan, who was part of successful Super Bowl bids for Atlanta in 2000 and Houston in 2004.

The North Texas Super Bowl bid committee also has acquired the pro-bono services of Denis Braham, a Texas attorney who helped draft laws for the Texas Legislature that aided Houston in its bid for the 2004 Super Bowl.

What's more, North Texas appears to be the only community that is loudly and blatantly proclaiming that it will fight to land Super Bowl XLV.

While the city of Indianapolis has said it's likely to enter a bid, and Arizona says it also will pursue the bowl game, neither has launched an official effort to bring the bowl game home. Rumblings are that New Orleans might submit a bid, but so far, those rumors are unconfirmed.

"You'll have the most phenomenal stadium in football history, and they've got to give you the game," said Jordy Tollett, a consultant with the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, referring to the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington.

Tollett was president and CEO of the Houston bureau when it made its bid for the 2004 Super Bowl. Tollett worked with Morgan and others to land the Super Bowl for the Houston region.

Morgan, a 23-year veteran of sports marketing and event management, was president and chief executive officer of the 2004 Houston Super Bowl Host Committee. Morgan, who couldn't be reached, also was president of the 2000 Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee and vice president of championship management for the PGA Tour, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Tollett said the $1 billion Cowboys stadium -- which cost Arlington taxpayers $325 million -- is a crucial ingredient in North Texas' proposal. Reliant Stadium in Houston played that role for that region's application, he said.

"I think if taxpayers make that kind of commitment to the NFL, that they will honor you by giving you ... a Super Bowl," Tollett said. "It's great for the community."

Estimates are that Super Bowls draw 120,000 people and about $300 million in economic impact, while costing about $20 million for pre- and post-game parties. Braham and others involved in the North Texas bid say communities throughout the region will need to work together to feed, house and entertain those crowds, and to assemble an application that will be approved by NFL football team owners.

The owners will vote for a site for the 2011 Super Bowl in May, after applications from communities are submitted on April 2.

Other rivals?

It might be argued that Indianapolis, whose citizens covered $575 million of the Lucas Oil Stadium's $675 million cost, also has a good shot at the event.

Deputy Indianapolis Mayor Steve Campbell would be glad to argue that case, though Indianapolis officials will only say that the city is leaning toward entering the 2011 Super Bowl derby.

"We feel confident that we have the apparatus that can get it done," Campbell said. "It's a culmination of what we've been doing for 30 years." He said while the Super Bowl might be higher profile, events that Indy has hosted -- including the Indianapolis 500 -- draw greater crowds.

Campbell acknowledged that the groundbreaking of Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis was a lynchpin in the consideration for pursuing a Super Bowl there.

Arizona, too, is counting on its newly constructed, $455 million University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale to draw a Super Bowl in 2011; it's already won the right to host the game in 2008. Hopes are to draw a Super Bowl to the stadium every five years, according to documents from the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, which owns the stadium.

The belief that newer stadiums have a better chance of attracting Super Bowls appears to have some foundation. Between 1992 and 2010, only five Super Bowls will have been held in stadiums more than a decade old, according to a Business Journal review of NFL records. And since '92, only two Super Bowls have been held north of the Mason-Dixon Line: one in Detroit and one in Minneapolis.

Tollett said it's no secret that the owners of professional teams like to vote for Super Bowls in warm destinations.

"I think they're going to occasionally go north, but I think they'll stay in a warmer climate," he said. "It's held in January or February and ... businesses want to head south for hosting purposes. I think it makes sense that they stay in a warmer destination."

Few would discount Arizona's climate.

"Just as in 2008, we have the infrastructure, the hotels and we have an unbelievably great stadium," said Debbie Wardrop, CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. "We have great weather and a great West Coast destination."

Indianapolis, meanwhile, brags of having 200 restaurants within walking distance of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Braham said a consortium of North Texas cities will collectively offer Super Bowl crowds a splendid time. And a regional Super Bowl application is the key to success, he added.

"You're going to have the international and national press there, focused on where the ... Super Bowl is being held," said Braham, who was recently named CEO of Winstead, Sechrest and Minick PC.

"The community coming together to show their hospitality to the fans, to the league, to the owners, teams, etc., is critical," he said. "The more they can show themselves as coming together as one, the more impressive the presentation will be."

New Dallas Cowboys Stadium
Location: Arlington
Seating capacity: 80,000, expandable to up to 100,000 for special events
Cost: $1 billion (estimated)
Completion date: 2009
Designer/ architect: HKS, Dallas
Replaces: Texas Stadium

Special features: A 60-yard-wide, center-hung video screen will allow crowds to see action up close; an 86-foot-high glass wall built into the facility will glow during evening games.

Arizona Cardinals Cardinals ready to bid for Super Bowl XLV

Cardinals ready to bid for Super Bowl XLV
Michael Bidwill tells Valley mayors of plan
Ken Alltucker
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 15, 2006 12:00 AM

With a Super Bowl locked up for 2008, Arizona's football interests expect to once again bid for pro football's showcase game in 2011.

Arizona Cardinals Vice President Michael Bidwill said Tuesday that the organization will submit a Super Bowl XLV bid in March during an NFL owners meeting.

Bidwill made his comment during a Super Bowl Host Committee luncheon attended by mayors across the Valley.
advertisement

"It's our intention to explore this," Bidwill said after the meeting.

Host Committee Chairman Mike Kennedy described the bid process as "incredibly competitive" because "everybody wants it."

NFL owners typically select a host city during their spring meeting.

Arizona's Super Bowl Committee is kicking into high gear, planning events leading up to the Feb. 3, 2008, game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The NFL selected Tampa and south Florida as Super Bowl hosts for 2009 and 2010, respectively.

During the luncheon, Frank Supovitz, the National Football League's senior vice president of events, said cities that prepare early for the Super Bowl tend to get the biggest economic payoff.

Roger Staubach Will Head The North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bid Committee

Staubach to head SB bid committee

Posted: January 25, 2007

Associated Press

DALLAS -- Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach was selected Thursday to chair an effort to bring the Super Bowl to North Texas.

The North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bid Committee wants the game to be played at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington in 2011, two years after the venue is scheduled to open.


Bids must be turned in to the NFL by April 2. Team owners will review the bids and decide the venue in May.

"With tens of thousands of people expected to travel to the site of Super Bowl XLV, the economic impact would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars for our region," the former Dallas Cowboys star said in a news release.

Construction started last year for the 75,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium, two years after Arlington voters approved paying for half of the original $650 million price tag by raising sales, hotel and motel, and car-rental taxes.

Arlington, between Dallas and Fort Worth, is also home to baseball's Texas Rangers.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

If Colts Win Super Bowl, Coach Tony Dungy May Retire - ESPN

After you read this ESPN article, you'll understand why

Dungy will ponder future with Colts after Super Bowl
Associated Press


INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts coach Tony Dungy will wait until after Indianapolis plays in the Super Bowl against Chicago to consider his future with the team.

Dungy signed a contract extension last year that would keep him in Indianapolis through 2009. But many have wondered whether the 51-year-old coach, who previously said he intended to retire at age 50, might resign if he wins the Super Bowl.

"That's something I've not thought a whole lot about," he said Wednesday. "I'll sit down with [owner] Jim [Irsay] and my wife at the end of the year. The first thing you have to do is make sure you're still wanted back. I never take that for granted any more."

Dungy made a similar statement after last season, when the Colts were eliminated from the playoffs in a 21-18 loss at home to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.

He has said since then that he always anticipated returning to the sideline this season.

There's little doubt Irsay would like Dungy back.

Irsay has often praised Dungy for his commitment to football and his life outside of it, and recently called Dungy's coaching job in 2002 one of the best he's ever seen.

Dungy ranks among the active leaders in victories with a record of 114-62. He's gone 60-20 in five seasons with the Colts, who won their first AFC title during their Indianapolis era Sunday with a 38-34 victory over New England. It's the first time Dungy has taken a team to the Super Bowl as a head coach.

Before joining the Colts in 2002, Dungy spent six seasons in Tampa Bay.

Off the field, however, Dungy has endured trying times since coming to Indianapolis.

His mother, Cleomae, died in January 2002, and his father, Wilbur, died in June 2004. Tony Dungy's oldest son, 18-year-old James, committed suicide at his apartment in Tampa, Fla., in December 2005.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

"Blue Sunday" Is Indy Colts New Song And Video

Ok. It's not the Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle, but it's something to work with for the Colts' fans. Here's Blue Sunday, the song and the video:

My AFC Championship Playoff Game Experience - Colts 38, Patriots 34

It's hard to begin to put into words how truly amazing this past weekend was. I had the opportunity to be at the AFC Championship game at the RCA Dome on Sunday. Being a Colts fan since they moved to my hometown in 1984, you can imagine my excitement.

While my beloved Colts have put forth efforts (and failed) several times to reach the big game, this year seemed different to me. I guess the media got tired of copying and pasting "Manning can't win the big one, Colts will never make the Superbowl", etc. etc. because this year, there didn't seem to be much hype about Indy in the press. They quietly made their way to the AFC Championship game.

On my connecting flight from Houston to Indy on Saturday, my excitement began to grow. As I boarded with the sea of Stokely, Addai, Manning and Freeney jerseys, I just couldn't contain myself. I gave high fives to and carried on conversations with complete strangers who were dressed in head-to-toe blue and white, just like me.




On Saturday evening, we headed out to check out the Circle City. We ended up tailgating (yes, I realize it was still about 18 hours before the game) in a parking lot with several Colts fans. It was freezing but I didn't care. I was too nervous and excited to notice. The shouts and honking of passer bys kept us warm.Finally...Sunday comes! I wake up to 3 inches of snow. Get up, get dressed and head downtown to check into my hotel. I started to feel discouraged with the number of Pats fans I encountered in the lobby. We watch the beginning of the Bears/Saints game and then head to the RCA Dome.




The outside of the Dome is plastered with GIANT blue and white letters that read "AFC CHAMPIONSHIP". Reality begins to creep in...win one more game and we're in the big show!We find our seats, watch warm-ups and pray that no loud Pats fans sit near us. By the time the game started, there were so few Pats fans in the stands, I felt proud that Indy fans actually heeded Peyton's advice "Don't sell your tickets to Pats fans!”

The game starts and the crowd is into it. I mean it's loud. But, as you can imagine, the noise diminished rather quickly through the remainder of the first half.As the first half drew to a close, I realized...I am NOT prepared for my Colts to lose this game!

The second half begins and it's like a whole new team. As our Colts determination began to grow, so did the crowds. The noise level comes back up and it would only get better!

Fast forward to the Addai touchdown to put the Colts ahead by 4. That hole was so big I could have made it through! The Dome just went berserk! But, being the realist that I am, knew that if anyone could make something out of a last, one minute drive, it would be Tom Brady. As the Pats continued to go through downs, we began to get more excited.

It was just then that the THE play that I will never forget happened. Tom Brady intercepted! The place erupted! I hugged my mom and every other Colts fan around me!! The floor was shaking from the jumping and I actually couldn't hear what my mom was saying to me (and she was right next to me). I had to sit down because I actually felt like I could pass out at any moment. All I could do is stand there and cry. I don't know if it was out of relief or adrenaline or just thankful that after all of the years of disappointing endings, Dungy, Manning and the Colts were finally going to the Superbowl!!




The confetti guns went off creating a blizzard of blue and white confetti, Will Smith's "Miami" is blaring over the PA system and the scoreboard reads "Colts 38, Patriots 34 / 00:00 / 4th Quarter". It's a Colts fan's dream come true.As they are setting up the podium for the trophy presentation I look around and realize, this is what it's all about. We all know at the end of the day, football is a business. But for this moment, it was about the fans that have seen their heroes fall so many times and for the coaches and players who have put their heart and souls into getting into the big game. It was a proud day for all Indy fans, players and coaches.




As we hear Dungy and Manning start to talk to Jim Nantz, I started to think of all of the elements this Superbowl entails, the first time two African-American coaches will face off in the big game, Peyton Manning is now 200 pounds lighter after getting that giant monkey off his back, the Colts just staged the biggest comeback in postseason history, an all-Midwest Superbowl and most importantly, the Colts have a great chance of bringing the Lombardi trophy to Indianapolis.We listen to the trophy presentation and then head outside to the mayhem!



We are shoulder to shoulder getting outside the Dome. A thundering chant of "Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl" is roaring from the crowd. When I was finally able to get to the top of the stairs to start my decent down to Capital Street, I was taken aback again. Chills run down my body, but not from the 20 degree weather, it was from the view. The sea of people in their blue and white, the posters, the Indy Star copies with "Super Colts" waiving in the air.

Again, I thought to myself, this is what the NFL is all about.

Tony Dungy Proud of Two Black Coaches In Super Bowl

Dungy proud of two black coaches in Super Bowl
After a decades-long struggle for minority coaches in professional football, the Colts' Tony Dungy fully embraces the significance of two black head coaches in the Super Bowl.
BY MICHAEL WALLACE
mwallace@MiamiHerald.com

INDIANAPOLIS - Tony Dungy could only shake his head in disbelief as he reflected on the numbers back then.

Way back when black head coaches in the NFL didn't exist. Back when any thought of establishing a pipeline of minority head coaches essentially was a pipe dream.

That was the reality the Indianapolis Colts' coach stepped into in 1981 when he accepted his first NFL coaching job as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dungy quickly did the math. Then, he set out to alter the equation.

''When I came into the league, there were 14 African-American assistant coaches and 28 teams,'' Dungy, 51, said Monday, a day after he and the Bears' Lovie Smith became the first black head coaches to reach the Super Bowl.

``People who had an opportunity to change that were going to have to do it. It was about bringing good coaches and people into the league. In my heart of hearts, it was also to bring good African-American coaches.''

On Feb. 4, Dungy faces one of the protégés he groomed when the Colts play Smith's Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium. It will be the first meeting between black head coaches in the Super Bowl, which guarantees a black coach will lead his team to the title for the first time in NFL history.

For that reason, Dungy said next week's historical matchup represents ''a win-win'' situation.

It's also the high-water mark in a decades-long struggle for minority coaches who have had to overcome discriminatory hiring practices to land jobs at the top level.

''I realize the position we're in,'' Smith, 49, told reporters in Chicago after the Bears beat the New Orleans Saints to get to the Super Bowl. ``It's hard to put into words, but I know a lot of great coaches who came before me that didn't get this opportunity.''

Smith was a college assistant until 1996 when Dungy, then head coach at Tampa Bay, hired him to coach linebackers. Of the 45 questions Dungy was asked at Monday's news conference, 20 were related to his role in fighting through obstacles to create opportunities for himself and other black coaches.

COACHING TREE

Dungy is the league's only active coach to lead his team to the playoffs seven consecutive seasons. He is at the top of a coaching tree that saw a fourth former assistant land a top job on Monday when Mike Tomlin became the Steelers' first black head coach. Herm Edwards (Kansas City) and Rod Marinelli (Detroit), who is white, also have worked for Dungy.

''An opportunity like this, to get to the big game, has been a long time coming for him,'' said Colts lineman Anthony McFarland, who also played for Dungy in Tampa. ``I wish it would have happened for him years ago in Tampa. But he's got it now, and it couldn't be any better.''

The attention on Dungy and Smith leading to the Super Bowl should raise concerns about the overall low number of minority head coaches, said Floyd Keith, executive director of the Indianapolis-based Black Coaches Association.

There were seven black head coaches among the NFL's 32 teams this season, and two -- Dennis Green (Arizona) and Art Shell (Oakland) -- since have been fired. In college, there were only five among 119 Division I-A schools. The University of Miami made Randy Shannon the sixth after the season.

''I don't know if we'll ever match a day in the NFL of this magnitude,'' Keith said Monday. ``I don't know if you can adequately describe it, but you just appreciate it. It should send a message that color should never be a barrier. The issue is the quality. But some of the breakthroughs in the NFL, we're not seeing in college.''

Shannon's hiring was a significant step, but more need to be taken, said Florida State associate athletic director Bob Minnix, a member of the BCA's board of directors.

EVALUATING COLLEGES

Minnix said the BCA has started to circulate a report card that evaluates hiring practices of college athletic departments. It serves a purpose similar to that of the NFL's so-called ''Rooney Rule,'' which mandates that owners must interview minority candidates in coaching searches.

''On the collegiate level, we're woefully behind the times,'' Minnix said. ``We're just trying to help colleges make up ground. I applaud the University of Miami. But with Randy's hire, it's slow progress.''

Dungy sees that progress with programs now in place that once didn't exist. He said being one of two black coaches in the Super Bowl should continue to raise awareness.

''Some of the impediments are out of the way,'' he said. 'I think about my generation of kids who watched Super Bowls and never saw African-American coaches and didn't think that you could coach. Now, they can look at us and say, `Hey, I might be the coach one day.' That's special.''

RCA Dome Celebration After Colts RB Joseph Addai Scores Winning TD

This video shows the pandemonium at the RCA Dome after the Colts RB Joseph Addai scored the winning TD in the AFC Championship Game:

Super Bowl Party - Leather And Laces And Penthouse "Goin Deep" Super Party - AOL Fanblog

Super Bowl Party Quest: First Miami Party Webpages Are Up
Posted Jan 16th 2007 10:50PM by Stephanie Stradley

Visit our blog about Bauer's Pure Rush Super Bowl Party

My quest is to go to some fabu parties during my Super Bowl trip that I won after being named 2006 Ultimate Texans Fan. As long as I am searching the web for the best party info, I thought I'd share....

From what I can tell, this year's Super Bowl might be the biggest party event of all time. I am not exaggerating.
The last time the Super Bowl was held in a city that is really known as being a "party city" was Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans in 2002. Since there are few places as appealing as South Beach in February, apparently, the game and the parties that weekend are going to be hot tickets according to this article in the Miami Herald:

''Generally, we have about 30 more parties than the other Super Bowl cities,'' said John Webb, the sports tourism director for Broward County, who is also in charge of finding venues for local Super Bowl organizers. Webb said his latest list shows 104 events -- ``And we don't know about all of them.''

So far, only a few websites for the bigger parties are starting to go up (uh, the links are probably not the safest for work unless you work somewhere kind of relaxed):

* Leather & Laces Friday, February 2nd, 9pm-5am at Chakra , 15th Street and Ocean Drive.
The celebrity hosts for this 4th annual event are beautiful and clearly not chosen to appeal my particular demographic, though I am sure that they are delightful people and fun to party with: Carmen Electra, Jenny McCarthy, Kelly Monoco, Victoria Silverstedt and Brande Roderick.
The list of invited players and celebs is far too vast for me to mention other than by this link. Personally, I believe, in all seriousness, that a SB party is probably not worth going to unless someone associated with the show Entourage is in attendance. HBO makes magnificent television.
And, hey, it is nice to justify spending money to go to this event because the proceeds go to great causes.

* The Penthouse "Goin' Deep" Super Party Saturday, February 3rd, 10pm-5 am at Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave.
The featured entertainer for this party is Snoop Dogg. No particular list of guests is given other than saying it will include mingling with 28 Penthouse Pets, and "A List" celebs, actors, musicians and athletes.

I don't doubt folks will want to be there because everybody loves Snoop. (Funny non-PC link, and the translations on that page are funnier, even if your French isn't so good).

Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle Video

The famous Chicago Bears Super Bowl shuffle video is here, reposted after 20 years in hibernation:

Cirque du Soleil To Perform in Super Bowl XLI Pregame Show - Superbowl.com

Cirque du Soleil to perform in Super Bowl XLI pregame show
(Jan. 9, 2007) -- Cirque du Soleil and Miami-based artist Romero Britto will team to celebrate South Florida and football in an unprecedented performance in the Super Bowl XLI pregame show on CBS at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida on Sunday, Feb. 4, the NFL announced.

The Super Bowl is annually the nation's highest-rated TV program. More than 141 million viewers watched last year's game in the U.S. Super Bowl XLI will be broadcast to a potential worldwide audience of 1 billion in more than 230 countries and territories.

Inspired by Brazilian street theater, 60 professional performers and hundreds of other participants will participate in the pregame show, which will be a high-energy extravaganza of music, dance, gymnastics and circus arts linked by a multi-colored football theme. The Cirque du Soleil performers will be a living, breathing canvas for Britto, whose signature pop-art has come to define the color and vibrancy of South Florida.

Grammy® Award Winner Louie Vega will supply an original musical score and will perform with his Elements of Life Orchestra featuring vocalist Anane while the Cirque du Soleil performance comes to life.

The Cirque du Soleil team will include Fernand Rainville, director of creation, Patricia Ruel, creator of costumes and accessories, Geneviève Dorion-Coupal, choreographer and Daniel Cola, acrobatic coach.

Don Mischer Productions and White Cherry Entertainment will produce the Super Bowl XLI pregame show as part of their season-long marquee entertainment agreement with the NFL. The two companies produced the NFL Opening Kickoff 2006 special from Pittsburgh and the Thanksgiving special from Kansas City on NFL Network. In addition to the pregame show, they also will produce the Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show. Don Mischer Productions will serve as executive producer and director, while White Cherry Entertainment, led by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, will serve as executive producers. The NFL has worked the past three years with both Don Mischer Productions and White Cherry Entertainment on Opening Kickoff and Super Bowl shows.

David Saltz of Red Eye Flight Productions will also serve as producer of the pregame show. Saltz has worked with Cirque on their Beatles inspired LOVE production and has brought them together with Britto for this original Super Bowl performance. Saltz has worked with the NFL on Opening Kickoff and Super Bowl Halftime the past three years.

With Dungy and Smith In Super Bowl XLI, African Americans Forced To See Positive Role Models

Yes, I know the title of my post is controversial. But it's also true. It comes from several episodes in my personal life that I will never forget and caused me to think that we -- African Americans or "blacks" if you will (I use the terms interchangebly) -- have actually conditioned ourselves to accept a second class place in American Life. (Oh, if youre wondering, that's me on the left, in the suit.)



Now, with the two teams in Super Bowl XLI being coached by African Americans -- the Chicago Bears by Lovie Smith and the Indianapolis Colts by Tony Dungy, Blacks are actually forced to see ourselves in positive role model positions. It's about time and will help me reduce, but not erase the memory of the following occurences in my life.

The first one was when I was 14-years-old. (I'm 44 now.) I was just leaving a McDonald's Restaurant located in South Chicago and just off Avalon Avenue, when an older Black man walked in and yelled "I want the manager! Where's the manager?!" I don't know what his complaint was but he seemed angry. So a tall, well dressed Black man walked out from behind the counter and identified himself as the manager. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Naw. You're not the manager. I wanna see the White Man." That's what he said, and I obviously never forgot it. I left the place as my Mom was waiting for me outside, but those words "I wanna see the White Man" never left my head.

The second occurence was during a visit to see my auntie in Tennessee when I was 17-years-old. One of her family friends was bragging about how he purchased a new car almost every year "Like the White man does" he said. And he kept saying it. It was annoying to me and so I asked Mom about it. "That's how some of us think," she said. "It's not right, but you're being exposed to it."

No kidding.

I was never told or even allowed to think that I could not do something because I am Black. I was never instructed that there are "two rules" -- one for Blacks and the other for Whites. I was also never discouraged from seeing the late Economist John Kenneth Galbraith as my hero even though he's White. No one ever told me that his position or way of thinking was not attainable to me or anyone else because they were or I am Black. I was never told not to date interracially because I was Black. I was never told that I could not be with Asian or White or Latino or any "different" friends because I am African American. Never.

I was always instructed to expect to see Blacks in important positions and indeed my Mom knew Blacks who were. Blacks like Arnold Grant, who was the first African American Regional Director of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the 60s. Or my father, who I'm named after, and who invented an electric ladder. Or my late stepfather Chester Yerger, Jr., who fought in World War II and who's father was part of one of Arkansas' most prominent families. Thus, I'm happy that at least one of the members of the Federal Reserve Board are Black -- there should be more. The point is, I was brought up to expect greatness from Blacks.

But I digress.

I've seen more examples of Black self-hatred and dislike of other Blacks who rise to positions of power or prominence than the opposite. You can take the examples I gave, or San Francisco Radio Station KNBR's Personality Rod Brooks' recent statements calling Black Coaches "one of those" as if they were a bad thing, or Black on Black crime, I could go on and on.



But now, with Colts Coach Tony Dungy exorcising the demons of Patriots past, and Lovie Smith expecting his Chicago Bears to be Super Bowl champions and then willing his team to the game, I have a reason to smile. And Blacks everywhere do as well.

This adds to the expected greatness of Tiger Woods, and the rise of Barack Obama to Senator and perhaps President of the United States of America. It means we can expect greatness from us, and indeed should insist on it. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith coaching in the World's largest single day sports event seen by almost 1 Billion people, will do almost as much for Black self-esteem as Martin Luther King did decades ago and today. A tall statement, perhaps. But consider the size of the Super Bowl TV audience once again and then think about it.

Still, it's a jarring experience for some of us to see this. Derrick Bell, the noted Black law professor formerly of Harvard and now at New York University, told the story of an African American cab driver who asked what he did, and when he told him, the driver said "Man, it's guys like you that make it hard for me." What he meant, was that he could not easily use the fact that he's Black as a reason for not succeeding. Indeed, it's a reason to at least try. We all know that racism is alive and well but it makes life harder when we as Blacks don't expect to excell because of it. It's better to fight racism and battle through it, but not destroy one's self because of it.

Thus, the next time -- regardless of who you are as we need all hands on deck to rid ourselves of this self-esteem problem -- you hear someone Black ask "Where's the White Man?" when an African American manager appears, don't slap the crap out of him, just say to him "He's in line, ordering from the Black man who runs the place."

Coming to Miami? Come to the Bauer's Super Bowl Party!

Super Bowl XLI: Chicago Bears v. Indianapolis Colts - NFL.com

Sunday, February 4, 6:25 p.m. ET on CBS

Super Bowl XLI will have a fresh look with two teams that haven't seen the NFL's title game in a long time. The Bears are back in the Super Bowl for first time since winning Super Bowl XX in January of 1986, while the Colts will make a Super Bowl appearance for the first time since the franchise, then located in Baltimore, beat Dallas in Super Bowl V.

Both teams started the 2006 season fast with the Bears winning their first seven games on their way to the NFC North title and the Colts starting 9-0 on their way to the AFC South crown. The game will feature strength against strength with the Colts' offense, ranked third in the regular season, going against a Bears defense that finished the season ranked fifth overall.

Both teams have plenty of talent, with Chicago sending seven players to the Pro Bowl, six from the defense or special teams, and the Colts boasting five Pro Bowl players, all from the offense. Bears coach Lovie Smith and Colts coach Tony Dungy are close friends, dating back to Smith's time working on Dungy's staff with the Tampa Bay Bucs, and the two are the first African-American head coaches to reach the Super Bowl.

NFL SUPER BOWL XLI FACT SHEET - SUPER BOWL MIAMI NFL / MEDIA HOTELS - ECONOMIC IMPACT: $350 million - PRESS RELEASE

I found this press release from the Miami Super Bowl XLI Host Committee complete by accident and posted it. It's full of information on the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami.

SUPER BOWL XLI FACT SHEET

HOST COMMITTEE: The South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee is a private, not-for-profit 501 c (6) Florida Corporation that serves as the liaison between the National Football League and local efforts in the planning and executing of Super Bowl XLI. The 32 NFL owners awarded the game to South Florida on the condition that a Host Committee was established.

The South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, which is chaired by Mr. Rodney Barreto. Day-to-day operations are handled by a small full-time staff under the direction of Mr. Michael Kelly, President of the Host Committee, a grouping of sub-committees and thousands of dedicated volunteers.

HOST COMMITTEE CONTACT INFORMATION:
South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee
2269 Dan Marino Boulevard, Miami Gardens, Florida 33056
Phone: 305-626-7341
Fax: 305-614-7567
Website: www.superbowlxli.org

E-mail: General Information - info@superbowlxli.org, Media - media@superbowlxli.org,
Volunteer - volunteer@superbowlxli.org

SUPER BOWL XLI WHERE & WHEN: Super Bowl XLI will be played at Dolphin Stadium on
Sunday, February 4, 2007, at approximately 6 p.m. EST.

SUPER TRADITION: Super Bowl XLI is the 9th Super Bowl to be hosted in South Florida since
1968. This ties the record for the most Super Bowls hosted by a community.

1) Super Bowl II – played January 14, 1968 (Green Bay Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14)
2) Super Bowl III – played January 12, 1969 (New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7)
3) Super Bowl V – played January 17, 1971 (Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13)
4) Super Bowl X – played January 18, 1976 (Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17)
5) Super Bowl XIII – played January 21, 1979 (Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31)
6) Super Bowl XXIII – played January 22, 1989 (San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16)
7) Super Bowl XXIX – played January 29, 1995 (San Francisco 49, San Diego 26)
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8) Super Bowl XXXIII –played January 31, 1999 (Denver 34, Atlanta 19)
9) Super Bowl XLI – to be played February 4, 2007
10) Super Bowl XLIV - to be played February 7, 2010

ECONOMIC IMPACT: Super Bowl XLI is expected to generate over $350 million in total economic impact for the region. Most of these dollars will be generated from the 125,000 visitors who patronize hotels, restaurants, stores and attractions and indirectly from exposure that leads to increased tourism and business relocation.

PRACTICE SITES: AFC Champions – Miami Dolphins Training Facility (Nova Southeastern University Davie Campus); NFC Champions – University of Miami (Coral Gables).
MEDIA CENTER: The Media Center will be located at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
HOTELS AND LODGING: The NFL in conjunction with the Host Committee has approximately 20,000 hotel rooms under contract. For further information on ‘Fan Housing’, please visit SuperBowl.org

NFL Headquarters Hotel for Super Bowl XLI:

♦ Marriott Biscayne Bay
1633 N. Bayshore Drive, Miami, Florida 33132 (p) 305-374-3900
Team Hotels for Super Bowl XLI:

♦ Hilton Miami Airport (NFC Team)

5101 Blue Lagoon Drive, Miami, Florida 33126 (p) 305-262-1000
♦ Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa (AFC Team)
3030 Holiday Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33316 (p) 954-525-4000

Media Hotels for Super Bowl XLI:

♦ Hyatt Regency Miami
400 SE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33131 (p) 305-358-1234
♦ Doubletree Surfcomber
1717 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139 (p) 305-532-7715
♦ Holiday Inn South Beach
2201 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139 (p) 305-779-3200
♦ Fairfield Inn & Suites
Page 3
4101 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (p) 305-673-3337
♦ Four Points by Sheraton
4343 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (p) 305-531-7494
♦ Best Western Beach Resort
4333 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (p) 305-532-3311
♦ Deauville Resort
6701 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33141 (p) 305-865-8511

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE BOARD MEMEBERS:

Rodney Barreto (Chairman), The Barreto Group
Joe Bailey, Dolphins Enterprises
Steve Belous, Ernst & Young
Bruce Jay Colan, Holland & Knight
Dean Colson, Colson Hicks Eidson
Shaun Davis, Shaun Davis & Associates
Victor Diaz, Podhurst Orseck
Albert Dotson, Bilzin Sumberg Dunn Price & Axelrod
Linda Gill, Gill Hotels Company
Nicki Grossman, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
Robert J. Henninger, Huizenga Holdings, Inc.
Pete Hernandez, Miami-Dade County
W.E. “Mac” McLaughlin, Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Angel Medina, Jr., Regions Bank
Bruce Schulze, Dolphin Stadium
Phil Smith, Phil Smith Mitsubishi & KIA
William D. Talbert, III, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE STAFF:
Michael Kelly, President
Myra Berk, Executive Administrator
Ken Elder, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing
Nicole Epley, Director of Operations & Special Events
Gary Hartfield, Director of Community Outreach
Soulan Johnson, Director of Volunteer Services
Leslie Bauknight Nixon, Community Outreach/Public Relations Coordinator
Donn Patchen, Director of Communications
Kathryn Rogers, Director of VIP Relations/Hospitality Services

Page 4
SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEES:
Communications – This committee is responsible for developing a comprehensive media/public relations plan that is designed to promote Super Bowl XLI programs and events, and to foster a sense of community pride in hosting Super Bowl XLI throughout the South Florida region.

Co-Chairs: Gary Bitner, Evan Contorakes
Staff Contact: Donn Patchen
Community Outreach - The Community Outreach Committee is responsible for conveying to all segments of our population the ways in which people can get involved with the local Super Bowl XLI movement. Of particular importance to this committee is the implementation of the NFL’s Emerging Business Program in order to promote and facilitate opportunities for local businesses. This committee will also develop a comprehensive youth outreach program that will provide all students an opportunity to participate in Super Bowl XLI and will work with the NFL to enhance the existing Youth Education Town (YET) Centers. YET Centers were built during the two most recent Super Bowls in South Florida. The facilities are high-tech educational facilities designed to benefit economically disadvantaged youth.

Co-Chairs: Dr. Wilhelmena Mack, Al Padron, Bryan Finnie
Staff Contact: Gary Hartfield
Corporate Marketing - The committee works towards the development of sponsorship opportunities, creating and monitoring prospect lists, and developing sponsorship packages and benefits in order to provide the resources necessary to accomplish our organizational objectives.

Co-Chairs: Phil Smith, Jose Cancela
Staff Contact: Ken Elder
Government Relations – This committee will ensure that the federal, state and local governments are informed about the preparations surrounding Super Bowl XLI and that governmental compliance with all bid parameters are met.

Co-Chairs: Marshall Criser, Joel Gustafson
Staff Contact: Michael Kelly
Page 5
Hospitality Services – This committee is responsible for welcoming visitors to South Florida in a warm and memorable manner and providing exceptional service throughout their stay. This committee will identify a sufficient number of accommodations in the area suitable for both VIP’s and general fans. The committee will also develop programs to properly train the local service industry to embrace the opportunity of hosting a Super Bowl in our community.

Co-Chairs: Christopher Pollock, Larry Gautier
Staff Contact: Kathryn Rogers
Operations – In conjunction with the NFL’s transportation and logistical consultants, this committee is responsible for the integrated planning of all aspects of traffic, transportation, parking, public safety and spectator/visitor movement, including ground and air transport. This committee will also be responsible for preparing Dolphin Stadium and the surrounding areas to host Super Bowl XLI and ancillary activities, establishing a local medical services program and securing and preparing practice sites.

Co-Chairs: Pete Hernandez, Rob Hernandez
Staff Contact: Nicole Epley
Special Events – This committee is responsible for producing all Host Committee events and for coordinating and facilitating the calendar of ancillary events that surround the Super Bowl so that visitors and residents have a “super” week whether they have a game ticket or not.

Co-Chairs: John Webb, Victor Diaz
Staff Contact: Nicole Epley
Volunteer Services – The Volunteer Services Committee recruits, trains and coordinates more than 8,000 volunteers who will assist in many areas (e.g. Meet & Greet, NFL Experience, airports, hotels, transportation, special events, command center, visitor information line). This committee will work closely with the Hospitality Committee to provide first-class service to our visitors.
Co-Chairs: Elaine Adler, Kelly Tortoriello
Staff Contact: Soulan Johnson

SPECIAL EVENTS INFORMATION: Dozens of events are staged each year during Super Bowl week. The dates for several key events surrounding Super Bowl XLI are:

♦ Saturday and Sunday, January 27 and 28; Wednesday through Sunday, January
31 through February 4 – NFL Experience
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♦ Saturday and Sunday, January 27 and 28 – NFL Youth Football Clinics
♦ Sunday, January 28 and Saturday, February 3 – İSuper Fieston!
♦ Monday, January 29 – Opening Ceremonies, “A Salute to South Florida’s Super
Tradition”
♦ Tuesday, January 30 – Miami-Dade County Media Party
♦ Wednesday, January 31 – Broward County Media Party
♦ Wednesday, January 31 and Saturday, February 3 – NFL Global Junior
Championship XI
♦ Thursday, February 1 – International Media Reception
♦ Friday, February 2 – South Beach Celebrity Shootout
♦ Friday, February 2 – Super Bowl Gospel Celebration
♦ Saturday, February 3 – NFL Charities Golf Classic
♦ Saturday, February 3 – Super Bowl Saturday Night
♦ Saturday, February 3 – Taste of the NFL
♦ Saturday, February 3 – Volleypalooza
♦ Sunday, February 4 – NFL On Location
♦ Sunday, February 4 – The Touchdown Club
Additional information regarding the many special events that will occur during Super Bowl week in South Florida will be posted on www.superbowlxli.org as soon as the details are confirmed.

# # #
Contact:
Donn Patchen, Director of Communications, 305.614.7560, dpatchen@superbowlxli.org
Maria Scott, Media Relations, 305.614.7558, mscott@superbowlxli.org

2005 TAMPA SUPER BOWL BID PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS NFL SUPER BOWL BID RESPONSE EXAMPLE

For anyone responsible for assembling a Super Bowl Bid, this is a good example of what it should contain and how the bidding organization should respond to the NFL's requirements.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
May 3, 2005
Karen Brand, 813/342-4052

Tampa, FL -- The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau planned to get a jump on the
competition by submitting the area’s bid to host Super Bowl XLIII to NFL owners a day earlier
than the official deadline. The organization shipped the 80-page “Host City Bid Specifications
with Responses for Super Bowl XLIII (2009)” to the 32 team owners and NFL staff for delivery
on Friday, April 29. The official deadline was Monday, May 2.

“It’s just one of the many tactics and strategies we have in place to set our bid apart from the
others,” explained Dick Beard, chair of the Super Bowl Task Force. “We’re doing everything we
can to call attention to Tampa’s bid and position ourselves as the best choice for hosting the
world’s most spectacular sporting event. I think we’re off to a good start.”

The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau compiled the response with support from various
community organizations including Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, Tampa International
Airport, Tampa Sports Authority, and area hotels. The bid included over 50 letters of support
from business and community leaders across the region. Packaged in a customized binder for
each team, the document showcases the area’s beaches, warm weather, and leisure pursuits.
“Our goal with the bid book was to remind the owners that there’s nowhere else in the country
that they’d rather be than Tampa in February for the Super Bowl,” said Paul Catoe,
President/CEO of the Tampa Bay CVB. “We have the total package: a great stadium, a solid
hotel block, tremendous community support, and a legacy of success and innovation every time
we’ve hosted the Super Bowl. And don’t forget our award-winning airport, world-class
attractions, warm weather, championship golf, and some of the best beaches in the country.”

-more-
SUPER BOWL BID
SHOWCASES TAMPA BAY’S
BEST ATTRIBUTES

Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau
400 N. Tampa Street, Suite 2800
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 223-1111
(813) 229-6616 www.visittampabay.com

Page 2
Super Bowl Bid Showcases Area’s Best
Page 2

In response to the requirements set forth by the NFL, some of the elements of the bid include:
• Resolutions from the City and County protecting the NFL from unauthorized promotional
activities during the Super Bowl period (“ambush marketing”).
• Resolutions from the City and County confirming that there will be no charge for any
public security/safety services provided outside the Stadium, the NFL Experience, and
all other facilities used for NFL Official Events.
• The City and/or County must create a one-mile “clean zone” around the Stadium and
pertinent downtown areas where no unauthorized merchandise vending will be allowed.
• The Host Committee will provide cost-free venues for both the Friday night party and the
Saturday night parties sponsored by the NFL. Venues suggested include the Tampa
Convention Center, MacDill Air Force Base, USF Sun Dome, The Florida Aquarium, A
La Carte Event Pavilion, Busch Gardens, and The Plaza at the St. Pete Times Forum.
• The Host Committee will provide three top-quality 18-hole golf courses for the NFL
Charities Golf Classic at no charge.
• Funding for the Host Committee activities will be derived from sponsorship and
corporate contributions, tourist development funds, the Florida Sports Foundation, and
hotel rebates.
If Tampa Bay’s bid is successful, it would mark the fourth time the area has played host to the
Super Bowl: Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, the Super Bowl XXV anniversary game in 1991 during
the Gulf War, and Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Super Bowl XLIII will be played on Sunday,
February 1, 2009.
Tampa is competing with Houston, Miami, and Atlanta for the 2009 Super Bowl.
Representatives from the Tampa Bay area will make a presentation on May 25 in Washington,
D.C. at the NFL Owner’s Meeting. A decision is expected following the conclusion of the
meeting.

# # #
The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau is an independent, non-profit membership
organization created to attract and serve visitors to Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay CVB is funded, in part, by the
Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners/Tourist Development Council.
www.VisitTampaBay.com

Indy Star Points To RCA Dome Crowd As "X-Factor"

I found this in the Colts Blog area of the Indy Star:

The RCA Dome will probably be at its loudest. It’s often said that home-field advantage doesn’t matter to the ultimate competitors in the most important games, but the climate-controlled venue should have a dramatic effect on this game. Colts fans have waited 22 seasons for their first AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis. They won’t sit on their hands unless New England forces them to do it. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is seasoned enough to block out the noise, but New England must be careful in how it attacks a fast-improving speedy Colts defense, which feeds off crowd energy and, led by pass rusher Dwight Freeney, has been a step too fast for visitors this season. The Colts have enjoyed four home games this season with four sacks apiece. That includes the AFC wild-card playoff victory over Kansas City. The Colts have generated 23 of their 31 sacks at home. And the Colts are 9-0 in their dome this season.

Edge: Colts

I could not agree more. This already noisy crowd will be sky-high jacked up for this first-time-in-Indy contest. It's hard for me see the Colts not feeding off this tribal-warfare-dance level frenzy of people. It will impact everything. It's just that -- if you're Peyton Manning -- you hope the crowd know when to be quiet and when to get loud.

Indianapolis Is Bidding For The 2011 Super Bowl - WTHR, Mary Milz/Eyewitness News

Indy hopes to court Super Bowl
Jan 5, 2007 02:38 PM

Mary Milz/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - It's not too early for Indianapolis to think Super Bowl - the 2011 Super Bowl, that is. Indianapolis, Phoenix and Dallas have all expressed interest in hosting football's big event.

Indianapolis business and government leaders think the city has a good shot at getting the game with Lucas Oil Stadium opening in 2008, but a great stadium is just the start.

So what will it take to host the Super Bowl? The NFL's Brian McCarthy said the NFL's checklist starts with weather. Temperatures must average 50 degrees or higher in January or the host city must have a climate-controlled venue. Lucas Oil meets that requirement.

That venue needs at least 70,000 seats. Lucas Oil can provide that. McCarthy said if the venue is new, the host team must have played at least two regular seasons in the stadium. The Colts will have.

The host city must also provide two comparable practice facilities. Indy has the Colts training facility, but needs another.

Capital Improvement Board President Fred Glass said that's one requirement the city needs to address.

"That's going to be an expense," Glass said. "It's the challenge of a cold-weather city. We have to have a top over our second facility. We'll be able to do it. It's just the expense."

McCarthy said the host city must provide a first-class media center able to accommodate 3,500 journalists from around the world. It must provide between 700,000 and one million square feet for the NFL Experience, an interactive theme park and it must have facilities able to house large-scale events, like the Commissioners' party, expected to draw 5,000 to 7,000 people.

Glass said the expanded convention center should accommodate much of that, with other venues such as Conseco Fieldhouse also available.

"We're built for entertainment to host big events," Glass said, pointing to the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard and U.S. Grand Prix. Indy has also hosted five men's Final Four Championships.

McCarthy said the NFL also requires a host city to provide 27,000 available hotel rooms within an hour's drive of the venue. Those rooms must be designated for the Super Bowl.

"That will be one of the challenges," Glass said, "But I believe we'll absolutely be able to meet that and without bringing cruise ships up the White River or anything off the wall like that."

Glass was referring to Jacksonville, Florida which hosted the Super Bowl in 2005. Because it didn't have enough hotel rooms, Jacksonville used cruise ships to make up the difference.

He said the new 1,000-room JW Marriott convention center hotel will help considerably. It's due to open in early 2010. Also on the list of NFL requirements?

Adequate security, transportation and 5,000 to 10,000 volunteers. No problem, said Glass.

"Again, the events we put on are a huge advantage for us," Glass said. "We know how to run big events. Our police officers know how to run events, our firefighters do."

Nearby attractions can help. Miami, the site of this year's Super Bowl, offers an array of outdoor activities including beaches, boating, fishing and golfing. Glass said while Indianapolis can't compete with South Florida on weather, it does offer an array of attractions and a compact, easy-to-get-around downtown.

"The hotels are close to the venues, the restaurants and bars, so you get this buzz of activity that you don't get in other places," Glass said. "What we bring is this excitement focused on downtown."

Glass estimates the cost of hosting a Super Bowl in Indianapolis at $15 million to $20 million, all money that would be privately raised. Glass said he and others exploring the feasibility of a bid, will make a decision by month's end. At this point, he said, it looks likely they will pursue it.

The NFL requires bids by April first. McCarthy said league officials will then spend a month or so helping cities improve their bids. Those cities will make a final presentation to the NFL owners, who meet in Nashville in mid-May.

A final decision is expected then.

Prince To Perform at Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show

Prince to perform at Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show - Superbowl.com

NEW YORK (Dec. 10, 2006) -- Prince, one of the world's most electrifying performers, is set to perform in the Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show on CBS at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida on Sunday, Feb. 4, the NFL announced today. The announcement was made live on CBS' NFL pregame show, The NFL Today.

Prince is more than just one of the world's most popular and influential musicians -- he is an international icon. One of the greatest living performers of our time, he has sold nearly 100 million albums and is a member of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He has won six Grammy Awards (he's one of the leading nominees this year with five Grammy nominations) and five American Music Awards. He has one of the most recognizable and successful bodies of work of any musician, consisting of 20 Top 10 hits which include "Purple Rain," "Little Red Corvette," "1999," "Kiss," "When Doves Cry," "Cream," "Diamonds and Pearls" and countless others. There is no question that when it comes to his achievements, Prince has made an indelible mark on rock 'n roll history.

The Super Bowl is annually the nation's highest-rated TV program. More than 141 million viewers watched last year's game in the U.S. Super Bowl XLI will be broadcast to a potential worldwide audience of 1 billion in more than 230 countries and territories.

This year marks the first time Pepsi, which has been an NFL sponsor the past five seasons, has sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show.

Don Mischer Productions and White Cherry Entertainment will produce the Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show as part of their season-long marquee entertainment agreement with the NFL. The two companies produced the NFL Opening Kickoff 2006 special from Pittsburgh and the Thanksgiving special from Kansas City on NFL Network. In addition to the halftime show, they also will produce the Super Bowl XLI pregame show. Don Mischer Productions will serve as executive producer and director, while White Cherry Entertainment, led by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, will serve as executive producers. The NFL has worked the past three years with both Don Mischer Productions and White Cherry Entertainment on Opening Kickoff and Super Bowl shows.

SUPER BOWL XLI Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash - Thursday, February 1 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS INFO

Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash

The event includes two concerts with top musical acts and NFL players and will be taped to air on television the Saturday night before the Super Bowl. This event is part of a concert series and will be aired on VH-1.

Location: NFL Experience Built by the Home Depot
Dolphin Stadium Grounds
2269 Dan Marino Boulevard
Miami Gardens, FL 33056
Date and Time: Thursday, February 1 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Features performances by: Kanye West, Fergie and John Legend
Friday, February 2 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Features performances by Daddy Yankee and Aventura
Tickets and Cost: Tickets are $35 general admission and $50 for seats. Tickets are
available through www.ticketmaster.com.

Troupe21's Player Networking Event In Miami, Thursday, February 1, 2007

I talked to Guy Troupe, President of Troupe21, about two years ago and just before his second Players Networking Event. It's a great idea and well-presented as well. If you have a business that can benefit from working with a former NFL player, and you're going to be in Miami for Super Bowl XLI, contact Guy. The text below is from his website. Here's the location and info:

Thursday, February 1, 2007
Troupe21's Player Networking Event
Location: Bank of America Tower
www.troupe21.com



The Player Networking Event™, an exclusively owned property of Troupe21 & Associates, was created to help current and former athletes transition from sports. In major team sports such as baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, hockey, football and men’s soccer—statistics say that over 1,000 professional athletes are forced to retire from a playing career each year—and an additional 30,000 athletes competing in these sports at NCAA member schools must transition to the traditional world of work annually. When faced with transition at such a young age players are looking to associate with new teams, and powerful brands, that will provide them with opportunities to display the transferable skills they have acquired as a result of years of practice and competition.

The Player Networking Event™, also known as PNE, is designed to help current and former athletes understand the importance of networking and helps to facilitate (1) athlete-to-athlete partnerships and consulting relationships; (2) exposure for organizations in place to help athletes with career transition; (3) recruiting opportunities for corporations targeting athletes as future employees; (4) access for corporations targeting athletes for partnerships, endorsement and franchising opportunities, and (4) targeted sales and marketing opportunities.

PNE, which began in professional football at the NFL Super Bowl in 1999, is a three hour networking extravaganza with soft music, food, beverages and display booths for major corporations interested in working with athletes. Sponsors and Strategic Allies help to make PNE a worthwhile experience for all involved. Click one of the links below to learn more about the expansion of PNE.

Motorola Mile At Super Bowl XLI: Ocean Drive (between 5th and 15th Streets) Miami

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS INFO
Motorola Mile At South Beach
Come enjoy the Motorola Mile at South Beach. From Thursday, February 1 to Sunday, February 4, Motorola is opening up Ocean Drive on Miami Beach to pedestrian only traffic, (between 5th and 15th Streets), creating a walk through South Florida History. Super Bowl XLI is the ninth Super Bowl hosted by the region. Football fans will take a trip through past South Florida Super
Bowls as they walk down the street passing photos and stories that will be used to bring those great memories to life. Motorola will light up the night with a unique lighting display featuring a tribute to the eight past Super Bowls in South Florida and Super Bowl XLI.

Location: Ocean Drive (between 5th and 15th Streets)
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Dates and Times: Thursday, February 1 to Sunday, February 4
Tickets and Cost: Free and open to the public

SUPER BOWL XLI NFL Youth Football Clinics

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS INFO
NFL Youth Football Clinics

Over 3,200 boys and girls ages 8-12 invited from local elementary and middle schools, youth
football programs and community youth organizations will partake in youth football clinics.
Participants will learn basic football fundamentals, sportsmanship and team work from NFL
players and youth coaches. More information is available at www.nflyouthfootball.com.
Location: Orange Bowl Stadium (January 27)

1501 NW Third Street
Miami, FL 33125
Lockhart Stadium (January 28)
1350 NW 55TH Street

Miami, FL 33309

Dates and Times: Saturday, January 27 Orange Bowl Stadium

Clinic #1: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Clinic #2: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Clinic #3: 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Clinic #4: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday, January 28 Lockhart Stadium

Clinic #1: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Clinic #2: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Clinic #3: 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Clinic #4: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Tickets and Cost: Free Event

Super Bowl XLI -- The NFL Experience In Miami Opens Saturday, January 27 10 a.m.

SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL XLI HOST COMMITTEE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS INFO
NFL Experience
The NFL Experience Built by the Home Depot is the most exciting continuous event surrounding
Super Bowl XLI. The NFL Experience is pro football’s interactive theme park offering
participatory games, displays, entertainment attractions, kids’ clinics, free autograph sessions
and the largest football card show of the year. More information is available at
http://www.superbowl.com/features/nfl_experience


Location: Dolphin Stadium Grounds
2269 Dan Marino Boulevard
Miami Gardens, FL 33056
Dates and Times: Saturday, January 27 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, January 28 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Thursday, February 1 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday, February 2 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday, February 3 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, February 4* 11 a.m.


Tickets and Cost: Tickets are available via online at www.superbowl.com or via phone at
(866) TIX-4NFL (846-4635). Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 for
children (12-and-under).
* Note: Closed to general public. Game Ticket Holders Only

Miami Gets Ready To Host Super Bowl XLI - The Associated Press

Seductive, sleepless Miami gets ready to play Super Bowl host
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By MATT SEDENSKY, The Associated Press
Jan 14, 2007 5:55 AM (1 day ago)
Current rank: Not ranked

MIAMI - When 75,000 fans pack into Dolphin Stadium for the Super Bowl, when the coin is finally tossed and that ball is first kicked, this city will become, temporarily at least, the football capital of the world.

But no matter how many tens of millions of homes the game is beamed into, Miami is like a runway model wearing an oversized football jersey that hangs to her knees. This city can't hide its seductive, playful, sleepless nature behind a facade of pigskin and turf.

Those that descend here for the big game on Feb. 4 will be greeted by the sandy coastline and pulsating clubs that have long been synonymous with this tropical playground, but also a lively arts scene, distinct neighborhoods and surprisingly serene escapes.

As game day nears, the opportunities for a visitor are as diverse as this city that is both sleek and gritty, authentic and artificial, boisterous and serene.

FOOTBALL: Game festivities kick off Jan. 29 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, with Hootie & the Blowfish performing and stars of Super Bowls past, including Jerry Rice, in attendance. Dozens of other events are scattered throughout game week, too, including Super Saturday Blast on Biscayne, a free pep rally at Bicentennial Park in Miami on Feb. 3 that is capped by fireworks.

FAMILIES: An interactive football theme park, "The NFL Experience," will be open in the Dolphin Stadium parking lot Jan. 27 and 28 and Feb. 1 through 4. Among other things, the NFL Experience offers visitors the chance to test their play-by-play broadcasting skills, experience a drive to the end zone while harnessed to a bungee and test their passing accuracy using special targets. Meanwhile, the Miami Children's Museum is offering its own football program, giving kids a chance to learn referees' signals, dress up in football gear and try to kick a field goal.

ARTS: The city's profile in the art world has grown exponentially since Art Basel, the decades-old Swiss festival, established an American outpost on Miami Beach five years ago. You're too late for the December event, but art lovers will find numerous other options, including the spectacular exhibit of glassblower Dale Chihuly's work at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables. Thousands of pieces of the artist's work hang from trees, rise from the ground and float on water; they're particularly impressive if you visit at night, though the Fairchild only stays open late on Thursdays. Elsewhere, Lorna Simpson's collection of photographic and video works closes at the Miami Art Museum on Super Bowl Sunday and "The Syringa Tree," a tale of growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, closes at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center in Fort Lauderdale a day earlier.

MUSIC: From Fergie to the Florida Grand Opera, musicians are packing in for concerts surrounding the game. Dolphin Stadium will play host to the "Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash" on Feb. 1, with Kanye West and John Legend among the performers. The sounds of Caribbean and Latin American music will be featured in "Nations in Rhythm" in Dania Beach on Jan. 27. Mel Torme and the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra will both be in West Palm Beach on Jan. 30; "The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration" is in Miami on Jan. 27; and Willie Nelson takes the stage at the glittering new Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami on Jan. 31.

THE BEACH: Special events abound on Miami Beach during Super Bowl week. On Feb. 3, 350 top fashion models from around the world face off in Volleypalooza, which is billed as the "sexiest sporting event of the year." Clubs will likely be packed as game day nears, including Penthouse Magazine's "Going Deep" party at Mansion on Feb. 3 with Snoop Dogg performing. And in yet another "what it feels like to be in the NFL" type event, Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th Streets will shut down to vehicle traffic to create the Motorola Mile. Visitors can take a walk through exhibits highlighting Super Bowl milestones and step unto an interactive football field that allows a chance to experience scoring the winning touchdown or simply perform an end-zone dance. All that said, a visitor would be remiss to omit a day at the beach from their visit, as they would to leave without a nod to Cuban culture or Art Deco architecture.

THE UNEXPECTED: For all the chaos the Super Bowl will unleash on South Florida, visitors will likely still be able to enjoy quiet escapes. A nighttime walk from South Pointe, along the South Beach shoreline is inescapably serene. The Holocaust Memorial is a moving, typically hushed spot that allows a guest to stand beside statues of the tortured, panicked and heartbroken. And Espanola Way on South Beach feels like a lower-key Mediterranean escape for dinner or drinks.

Visitors to the city will notice the massive construction - including dozens of new hotels, AmericanAirlines Arena and the Carnival Center - that have ascended since the last time the Super Bowl stopped here, seven years ago. And one look up, at countless cranes giving way to still more high rises, means the city will transform itself again before the big game returns in 2010.