Super Bowl XXXVI was the 36th Super Bowl, the championship of American football. It was held on February 3, 2002, in New Orleans, Louisiana

Score: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17

The game

Entering the game as 14-point underdogs (based on betting odds), the Patriots dispensed with the traditional individual player introductions, choosing to enter the stadium as a team. This unselfish approach carried over into the game. The first Patriot score was a defensive touchdown, on an interception by Ty Law. The Patriot defense held the poorly coached Rams offense to a single field goal during the first half. The explosive Rams rebounded from a 17-3 deficit with two touchdowns, and with a mere two minutes remaining in regulation the game was tied, 17-17. Rather than running out the clock and playing for overtime, the Patriot offense launched one of its few successful scoring drives of the day, with quarterback Tom Brady, the game's MVP, moving the ball into range for a game-winning 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri that split the uprights at the exact moment that the game clock expired.

Scoring Summary

• STL- FG Wilkins 50
• NE- Law 47 interception return (Vinatieri kick)
• NE- Patten 8 pass from Brady (Vinatieri kick)
• NE- FG Vinatieri 37
• STL- Warner 2 run (Wilkins kick)
• STL- Proehl 26 pass from Warner (Wilkins kick)
• NE- FG Vinatieri 48

Trivia

The Super Bowl was originally scheduled for January 27, but the September 11, 2001 attacks led to the NFL schedule being moved one week back. Because of the attacks, Homeland Security has made the Super Bowl each year a National Special Security Event.

Following Super Bowl tradition, the original logo for Super Bowl XXXVI was to have a flavor that represented the host city. A logo was designed and distributed on a very small amount of memorabilia items in early 2001. After 9/11, a new logo reflecting American pride was designed, featuring the shape of the 48 contiguous states (see above). Merchandise featuring the original logo is now considered extremely collectible.

Will very likely be the last Super Bowl ever played on antiquated AstroTurf.

The game was televised in the U.S. by Fox and was the last to feature the broadcast team of Pat Summerall and John Madden, who had worked together since 1981.

Before the game, the living former presidents (Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton) appeared in a videotaped segment and recited some of the speeches by Abraham Lincoln. Past and present NFL players, in another videotaped segment, read excerpts from the Declaration of Independence.

George H. W. Bush became the first president, past or present, to participate in a Super Bowl coin toss in person (Ronald Reagan participated in the Super Bowl XIX coin toss via satellite from the White House in 1985).

The halftime show featured an incredible three-song set from Irish rockers U2, fresh off their successful Elevation world tour. After rousing renditions of "Beautiful Day" and "MLK", the band launched into an explosive version of "Where the Streets Have No Name," featuring two backdrops with the names of victims of the 9/11 attacks floating into the sky behind the band and Bono opening his jacket to reveal an American flag printed into the lining.

As noted earlier, the Patriots entered "en masse" rather than being announced individually, while the Rams were announced in the traditional individual fashion. In every Super Bowl since then, each team has been announced as a whole, copying the Patriots' switch.

See also

• NFL playoffs, 2001-02