The 1985 Pro Bowl was the NFL's 35th annual all-star game which featured the outstanding performers from the 1984 season. The game was played on Sunday, January 27, 1985, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii before a crowd of 50,385.[1] The final score was AFC 22, NFC 14.[2]
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| Date | January 27, 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Mark Gastineau (New York Jets) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Chuck Heberling | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 50,385 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Frank Gifford, Don Meredith & Lynn Swann | ||||||||||||||||||
Chuck Noll of the Pittsburgh Steelers led the AFC team against an NFC team coached by Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka.[3] The referee was Chuck Heberling.[1]
Mark Gastineau of the New York Jets was named the game's Most Valuable Player.[2] Players on the winning AFC team received $10,000 apiece while the NFC participants each took home $5,000.[4]
Game Recap
editFor 26 minutes of this game, it was scoreless, then the NFC had the ball on their own 20-yard line with 4:10 left in the first half. On first down Joe Klecko sacked Neil Lomax for an 11-yard loss, then on second down Rod Martin sacked him for an 8-yard loss and on third down Mark Gastineau tackled Eric Dickerson for a safety and an AFC 2-0 lead. Later in the game Seattle's Fred Young blocked a partial punt to set the next score as NFL MVP of 1984 Dan Marino threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Allen as the AFC head to the locker room with a 9-0 lead at Halftime.
In the second half especially the third quarter, the NFC mounted the best drive of the game as it went 66 yards on 12 plays and capping it off with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Super Bowl XIX MVP Joe Montana to James Lofton with 8:04 left in period three. Then the NFC went into high gear as they had a 53-yard 9-play drive that culminated with a 1-yard touchdown run by Walter Payton with 35 seconds into the fourth quarter and a 14-9 lead. But then here comes the AFC as a 56-yard pass from Marino to Marcus Allen set a successful 33-yard field goal by the Seattle Seahawks Norm Johnson to cut the NFC lead to 14-12.
Now the NFC was driving trying to put this exhibition game out of reach, but with 5:15 left in the game and with the NFC at the AFC 15-yard line on third, Marino tried to hand off to 1984 record breaking sensation Eric Dickerson, but the two collided causing a fumble, and Art Still picked it up and ran 83 yards for a touchdown and the AFC took the lead 19-14. In the closing minutes, the AFC lead by the game's MVP Mark Gastineau shut down the NFC the rest of the way and Norm Johnson's 22-yard field goal with 43 seconds left in the game gave the AFC the victory and close the book on the 1984 NFL Season.
The game was televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports, and it was also the last telecast of Don Meredith's illustrious broadcasting career.
AFC roster
editOffense
edit| Position | Starter(s) | Reserve(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | 13 Dan Marino, Miami | 17 Dave Krieg, Seattle |
| Running back | 32 Marcus Allen, L. A. Raiders 23 Sammy Winder, Denver |
28 Greg Bell, Buffalo 41 Earnest Jackson, San Diego 24 Freeman McNeil, N.Y. Jets |
| Wide receiver | 85 Mark Duper, Miami 82 John Stallworth, Pittsburgh |
89 Mark Clayton, Miami 80 Steve Largent, Seattle |
| Tight end | 82 Ozzie Newsome, Cleveland | 46 Todd Christensen, L.A. Raiders |
| Offensive tackle | 78 Anthony Muñoz, Cincinnati 76 Brian Holloway, New England |
70 Henry Lawrence, L. A. Raiders |
| Offensive guard | 73 John Hannah, New England 64 Ed Newman, Miami |
63 Mike Munchak, Houston |
| Center | 57 Dwight Stephenson, Miami | 52 Mike Webster, Pittsburgh |
Defense
edit| Position | Starter(s) | Reserve(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | 99 Mark Gastineau, N.Y. Jets 75 Howie Long, L.A. Raiders |
67 Art Still, Kansas City |
| Defensive tackle | 72 Joe Nash, Seattle | 73 Bob Baumhower, Miami 73 Joe Klecko, N.Y. Jets |
| Outside linebacker | 53 Rod Martin, L.A. Raiders 57 Mike Merriweather, Pittsburgh |
56 Andre Tippett, New England |
| Inside linebacker | 56 Robin Cole, Pittsburgh 57 Steve Nelson, New England |
77 A.J. Duhe, Miami |
| Cornerback | 37 Lester Hayes, L.A. Raiders 22 Mike Haynes, L.A. Raiders |
22 Dave Brown, Seattle |
| Free safety | 20 Deron Cherry, Kansas City | 26 Vann McElroy, L.A. Raiders |
| Strong safety | 45 Kenny Easley, Seattle |
Special teams
edit| Position | Starter(s) | Reserve(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Punter | 4 Reggie Roby, Miami | |
| Placekicker | 9 Norm Johnson, Seattle | |
| Kick returner | 83 Louis Lipps, Pittsburgh | |
| Special Teamer | 50 Fredd Young, Seattle |
NFC roster
editOffense
edit| Position | Starter(s) | Reserve(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | 16 Joe Montana, San Francisco | 15 Neil Lomax, St. Louis |
| Running back | 29 Eric Dickerson, L.A. Rams 34 Walter Payton, Chicago |
20 Wendell Tyler, San Francisco 32 James Wilder, Tampa Bay |
| Wide receiver | 81 Roy Green, St. Louis 81 Art Monk, Washington |
80 James Lofton, Green Bay 82 Mike Quick, Philadelphia |
| Tight end | 82 Paul Coffman, Green Bay | 84 Doug Cosbie, Dallas |
| Offensive tackle | 66 Joe Jacoby, Washington 78 Mike Kenn, Atlanta |
71 Keith Fahnhorst, San Francisco |
| Offensive guard | 51 Randy Cross, San Francisco 60 Russ Grimm, Washington |
72 Kent Hill, Los Angeles Rams |
| Center | 56 Fred Quillan, San Francisco | 56 Doug Smith, Los Angeles Rams |
Defense
edit| Position | Starter(s) | Reserve(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | 95 Richard Dent, Chicago 63 Lee Roy Selmon, Tampa Bay |
75 Bruce Clark, New Orleans |
| Defensive tackle | 99 Dan Hampton, Chicago | 54 Randy White, Dallas |
| Outside linebacker | 57 Rickey Jackson, New Orleans 56 Lawrence Taylor, N. Y. Giants |
58 Keena Turner, San Francisco |
| Inside linebacker | 50 Mike Singletary, Chicago 54 E. J. Junior, St. Louis |
53 Harry Carson, N. Y. Giants |
| Cornerback | 28 Darrell Green, Washington 42 Ronnie Lott, San Francisco |
36 Mark Haynes, N.Y. Giants |
| Free safety | 22 Dwight Hicks, San Francisco | |
| Strong safety | 25 Todd Bell, Chicago | 27 Carlton Williamson, San Francisco |
Special teams
edit| Position | Starter(s) | Reserve(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Punter | 10 Brian Hansen, New Orleans | |
| Placekicker | 3 Jan Stenerud, Minnesota | |
| Kick returner | 80 Henry Ellard, L.A. Rams | |
| Special Teamer | 40 Bill Bates, Dallas |
References
edit- ^ a b "1985 Pro Bowl game book" (PDF). NFL Game Statistics & Information. National Football League. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ a b "AFC's defense scoops up Pro Bowl win". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. AP. January 28, 1985. p. 18. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
- ^ "49ers, Dolphins get another shot Sunday in Pro Bowl tilt". The Vindicator (Youngstown, Ohio). AP. January 26, 1985. p. 14. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ "NFL Pro Bowl history". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
External links
edit- "1985 Pro Bowl players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.