A Super Bowl Story

This year's Super Bowl reminded me of a nice little collectible that's been stored away for years.  Many years ago, a colleague of mine told me he had some sports collectibles that he didn't want and asked if I was interested.  You may have guessed my answer was pretty obvious.  In this little pile of collectibles was a booklet given to attendees of the 1992 Super Bowl (Wash v Buffalo) held in Minneapolis.

It turns out my colleague was also a part-time equipment guy who worked at the Dome with the local university.  He was given the opportunity to work during the Super Bowl and help out with equipment issues and was able to obtain this booklet of cards.  He wasn't much interested in collectibles and neither were his kids, so I was the lucky recipient.

The booklet is loaded with team sets for that years Super Bowl participants.  Each team set is complete with anyone who was issued a card in the 1991 Pro Set edition. 

Each card is exactly the same as the regular Pro Set issue (including card number) except for the conference champs logo inserted in the upper right corner.

There is also a special 5 card set that includes these cards of each conference.  I'm sure Detroit fans yearn for the days when the Lions could win a division crown.  And Buffalo was on roll back in those days, unfortunately the Bills couldn't finish the job.

Included is this nice card of the Minneapolis skyline along with the HHH Metrodome.  Though the dome's collapse in 2010 is probably the most remembered incident, the roof actually collapsed several times before then.  The reverse side of the card gives us a few Super Bowl facts, such as how it's hardly ever hosted in a Northern city, and also some highlights about the dome's history.  There is one obvious error however, as I believe the 1987 MLB All Star game was held in Oakland (the Metrodome hosted it in 1985).

There's also a card about the NFL Experience, which was held in the Minneapolis Convention Center.  Unfortunately I never got to experience this but it sounds fun.

Then there is a card with a nice mock up of Minneapolis and the Lombardi trophy.  The reverse has all the details about that year's SB.  You'll note the legendary team of Pat Summerall and John Madden called the game, Harry Connick Jr sang the anthem and something called "Winter Magic" was the halftime show (I believe that Gloria Estefan actually performed).  I'm not sure why Chuck Noll did the coin toss, but maybe Bud Grant was ice fishing or otherwise unavailable.

Finally, anyone who collected Pro Set football back then also remembers their PSA cards.  So in case all of those in attendance needed a reminder, some of these were included in the booklet.

Oh, and almost forgot about this.  Part of the cache of memorabilia my colleague passed on to me also included this home made sign that was hung in the locker room.  A few of the Bills signed this, including Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Marv Levy and Bruce Smith.  Someday I may have it framed, but for now it sits in a nice cool, dry place.

If you're a Bills fan, that period in their history was probably a blast and most Viking fans can relate.  If the Bills we're playing for the Lombardi trophy this year it would have been hard to cheer against them. I guess for now I'll only dream of the next time the Vikings make it to a Championship game and enjoy the memorabilia I have, be it for the Vikes or Bills.