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Super Bowl memories
This year, the NFL celebrates a half century of the Super Bowl. Here are some of the biggest moments from the storied history of the Super Bowl.
More playoff memories:

Malcolm Butler's interception of a Russell Wilson pass in the end zone with 20 seconds remaining in the game preserved the Patriots' fourth Super Bowl win in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era. The Patriots entered the final quarter of play down 10 points to the Seahawks, but Brady rallied New England to victory with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

Jacoby Jones returned the opening kickoff of the second half a Super Bowl-record 108 yards for his second touchdown in the Ravens' win over the 49ers. Jones' return touchdown put Baltimore up 28-6, and then the Ravens needed to fend off a furious 49ers rally to preserve the victory. While the Ravens collected a second Vince Lombardi Trophy in franchise history, the 49ers lost for the first time in six trips to the Super Bowl.

Four years after David Tyree's amazing catch propelled the Giants to a shocking win over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, Mario Manningham did much of the same for New York in another Super Sunday showdown with New England. Manningham's 38-yard sideline grab set up the go-ahead score in the Giants' win. (AP Photo/Scott Boehm)

Nick Collins' pick six was an early turning point in a Super Bowl showdown of two of the NFL's most storied franchises. With the Packers up 7-0, Collins made it 14-0 by picking off a fluttering Ben Roethlisberger pass that was sent off course when the QB had his arm hit by Howard Green. The Packers held off the Steelers' second-half surge to collect their fourth Super Bowl victory and NFL-record 13th championship.

With the Colts driving down the field and threatening to force a tie in Super Bowl XLIV, Tracy Porter's pick six of Peyton Manning sealed the first-ever championship for the Saints, a franchise that had experienced far more lows than highs during its 40-plus year history.

Santonio Holmes' amazing touchdown catch with 35 seconds remaining delivered a sixth Super Bowl title for Pittsburgh, which has collected more Lombardi Trophies than any other team.

A frantic 12-play, 83-yard drive led to a shocking victory for the Giants. It was highlighted by one of the most spectacular plays in NFL history: A 32-yard completion from Eli Manning to David Tyree. The play was unique at both ends. Manning magically escaped the grip of the New England pass rush, then heaved what appeared to be a desperation pass deep down the middle of the field, where Tyree leaped and used his helmet to gain control of the ball and somehow maintained possession. Four plays later, the Giants scored the winning touchdown to prevent the previously unbeaten Patriots from 19-0 and pro football immortality.

Five turnovers, including two interceptions (one by Bob Sanders) by Rex Grossman, doomed the Bears and helped Peyton Manning get that long-awaited Super Bowl triumph. On a rainy evening in Miami, the Colts collected their first Super Bowl title since moving to Indianapolis.

Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal in the closing seconds closed out one of the greatest upsets in NFL history and started the Patriots' dynasty. Before marrying a supermodel and becoming a national sporting icon, Tom Brady rose from relative obscurity by leading the Patriots to the improbable Super Bowl win over the team known as the "Greatest Show on Turf".

Rams linebacker Mike Jones tracked down Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson for the most famous tackle in Super Bowl history. The relatively anonymous Jones became a Super Bowl hero by corralling Dyson at the 1-yard line as time expired, preventing the game-tying touchdown and preserving the Rams' first Super Bowl title.

With the score tied at 17 late in the third quarter, John Elway's 8-yard scramble for a first down -- a play often referred to as "the helicopter play" for how he spun through the air after being hit -- helped set up a touchdown and inspire the Broncos to a surprising upset of the defending Super Bowl champion Packers. It was Elway's first Super Bowl title in four tries. A year later, Elway added another Super Bowl triumph and promptly retired on top.

Leon Lett's showboat-to-strip moment of infamy at the Rose Bowl is what most remember from the Bills' third consecutive Super Bowl defeat. The Cowboys, meanwhile, earned their first Lombardi Trophy in 15 years in the rout, which kicked off a run of three championships in four years.

Anytime a football fan hears the words "wide right," an image of Scott Norwood's heartwrenching miss in the closing moments of Super Bowl XXV comes to mind. Behind backup QB Jeff Hostetler, the Giants put together a game plan for success against the high-flying Bills in this edge-of-your-seat thriller. It was the first of four consecutive Super Bowl setbacks for Buffalo.

A vintage late-game scoring drive orchestrated by QB Joe Montana resulted in the winning strike to John Taylor in one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever played. The 49ers started the drive at their own 8-yard line, and covered 92 yards over 11 plays to attain the decisive score with 34 seconds left. The win marked the 49ers' third Super Bowl triumph and the end of coach Bill Walsh's tenure with the team. For the Bengals, it was the second time in as many tries they lost to the 49ers in the Super Bowl, having also lost Super Bowl XVI.

Things got out of hand in this lopsided Super Sunday showdown, as the Bears' famed 46 defense registered seven sacks and allowed just seven rushing yards. Even a defensive lineman -- William "the Refrigerator" Perry -- got to score a rushing touchdown. That sight wasn't completely out of the ordinary during that 1985 season, however, as Perry scored three offensive touchdowns for one of the most colorful championship teams in Super Bowl history. The victory marked the team's first, and only, championship since 1963.

The Raiders' last Super Bowl triumph was also their most emphatic, a surprising rout of the defending champion Redskins. Marcus Allen provided the heroics with two touchdown runs, including an epic 74-yard scoring run. The Raiders' win marked the last for the AFC for 14 years until the Broncos finally ended that streak in Super Bowl XXXII. By then, the Raiders had already abandoned Los Angeles and returned to Oakland.

John Stallworth's 28-yard touchdown catch kicked off the scoring in a thrilling tussle between two champions. The Cowboys entered the game as defending Super Bowl champs. The Steelers had already won two Super Bowls prior to Super Bowl XIII. While the Steelers won a third Super Bowl (and would add a fourth title a year later), the loss was the Cowboys' third in five Super Bowl appearances.

Fred Biletnikoff had just 79 yards receiving against the Vikings, but his four key receptions from Ken Stabler helped earn him most valuable player honors as the Raiders collected their first Super Bowl triumph. While the Raiders embarked on a championship run of three titles in eight years, the Vikings suffered their fourth Super Bowl loss. Minnesota has yet to return to pro football's ultimate stage.

Lynn Swann's acrobatic catches helped the Steelers win a second consecutive Super Bowl. After a two-year hiatus from the big game following a victory in Super Bowl X, the Steelers went on to win two more Super Bowls following the 1978 and 1979 seasons to earn the title as the "Team of the '70s."

Garo Yepremian's football follies moment in Super Bowl VII was the only imperfection during a victory that capped a perfect 17-0 season for the Dolphins. When Yepremian's field goal attempt that could have put the Dolphins up 14-0 was blocked by the Redskins, the kicker picked up the loose ball and attempted to throw a pass. Instead, the Redskins' Mike Bass corralled the ball that flailed out of Yepremian's hands and returned it for Washington's only score.

After two years of NFL domination over the AFL representative in the Super Bowl -- courtesy of the Green Bay Packers -- not many expected anything different when the Jets met the Colts in the third championship. Many had considered the 1968 Colts to be a stronger outfit than even Vince Lombardi's Packers. Still, Joe Namath made a famous guarantee before Super Bowl III, and followed through on the bombastic boast to lead the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. The importance of the Jets' groundbreaking victory over the Colts has been the topic of much debate, but the obvious impact was respect for the fledgling AFL.

Vince Lombardi's victory ride after Super Bowl II was well-earned. In his final game as Packers coach, Lombardi led Green Bay to its fifth championship in seven seasons. Following that historic run, the Packers would go 29 long years before another championship.

The AFL-NFL merger in 1966 meant an end to the feud between the two leagues and an end-of-the-season showdown between their best teams in what was then called the "First AFL-NFL World Championship Game." Just 61,946 fans attended the first Super Bowl at the spacious Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and those fans -- and a television audience on two major networks -- witnessed a convincing win for the Packers. In time, the Super Bowl grew exponentially in popularity from its humble beginning to the biggest American sporting event of the year.