# Super Bowl XVI
**Super Bowl XVI** was the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league)'s championship game for the 1981 season, in which the [San Francisco 49ers](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-49ers) of the NFC defeated the [Cincinnati Bengals](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati-bengals) of the AFC, 26-21, on January 24, 1982 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html) It was the first Super Bowl ever played in a northern U.S. city[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/1980-1999/1982) • [3](https://library.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/football/yearbooks/FDETLMG-2000-detroit-lions-media-guide.pdf) and gave the 49ers the first NFL championship in franchise history.[4](https://edge-operations.nfl.com/media/hfjn4oid/2024-record-fact-book-incl-supplemental.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and site | January 24, 1982, Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan; indoors; attendance 81,270[1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html) |
| Score | San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21; by quarters SF 7-13-0-6, CIN 0-0-7-14[1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html) |
| Firsts | First Super Bowl held in the North; first NFL title for the 49ers[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/1980-1999/1982) • [4](https://edge-operations.nfl.com/media/hfjn4oid/2024-record-fact-book-incl-supplemental.pdf) |
| Kicking record | Ray Wersching's 4 field goals (22, 26, 40, and 23 yards) tied the Super Bowl record[4](https://edge-operations.nfl.com/media/hfjn4oid/2024-record-fact-book-incl-supplemental.pdf) • [1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html) |
| Record drive | A 12-play, 92-yard touchdown drive ending in Earl Cooper's 11-yard scoring catch set a Super Bowl record for the longest drive[5](https://operations.nfl.com/media/nppjkdp1/2023-record-and-fact-book.pdf) |
| Passing | Ken Anderson 25 of 34 for 300 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions; Joe Montana 14 of 22 for 157 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, a 100.0 rating[1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html) |
| Coaches | Bill Walsh, 49ers (Hall of Fame), defeated Forrest Gregg, Bengals[6](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/super-bowl-coaches) |
| Television | CBS telecast rated 49.1 with a 73.0 share, then the highest rating of any televised sports event; a record 110.2 million viewers[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/1980-1999/1982) |
## Game summary
San Francisco built a 20-0 halftime lead and held on. [Joe Montana](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-montana) accounted for two first-half touchdowns and Ray Wersching added two field goals as the 49ers took command, and the defense kept the Bengals' potent attack in check for much of the game.[7](https://media.49ers.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/14173445/San-Francisco-49ers-2020-Media-Guide-8-21.pdf) Montana scored the game's first points when he leaped over the pile on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, capping an 11-play, 68-yard drive.[8](https://www.49ers.com/news/faithful-time-machine-super-bowl-xvi) • [5](https://operations.nfl.com/media/nppjkdp1/2023-record-and-fact-book.pdf) The second touchdown came at the end of the record 92-yard, 12-play drive, with fullback Earl Cooper catching an 11-yard scoring pass from Montana; Wersching then kicked field goals of 22 and 26 yards for the 20-0 halftime margin.[5](https://operations.nfl.com/media/nppjkdp1/2023-record-and-fact-book.pdf) • [1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html)
Cincinnati rallied in the second half. Ken Anderson ran 5 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, and in the fourth Dan Ross caught touchdown passes of 4 and 3 yards from Anderson, the last cutting the deficit to 26-21.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html) Wersching's 40- and 23-yard field goals in the fourth quarter provided the margin that held.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html) The 49ers' defense also pitched a goal-line stand against the NFL's hottest offense, a sequence the Bengals' own retrospective identifies as the turning point of the game.[9](https://www.bengals.com/news/super-close-18480541)
## Statistical record
The box score shows a contrast in styles. Anderson outpassed Montana by a wide margin, completing 25 of 34 attempts for 300 yards with 2 touchdowns against 2 interceptions, a 95.2 rating; Montana completed 14 of 22 for 157 yards and 1 touchdown with no interceptions, a 100.0 rating, and added a rushing touchdown.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html) The Los Angeles Times later noted that Anderson passed for nearly twice what Montana did in that [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl), yet Montana won the duel.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-21-sp-915-story.html) Tight end Dan Ross caught 11 passes for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns for [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati), and [Cris Collinsworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/cris-collinsworth) had 5 receptions for 107 yards.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html) San Francisco's defense recorded 5 sacks, one each by Jim Stuckey, Fred Dean, Keena Turner, Jack Reynolds, and Bobby Leopold, and intercepted 2 passes, by Dwight Hicks and Eric Wright.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html)
## Teams and coaches
The 49ers were led by third-year coach Bill Walsh, a former Bengals assistant who had spent five years as Cincinnati's quarterbacks coach and played a significant role in developing [Ken Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-anderson-quarterback) into an All-Pro.[8](https://www.49ers.com/news/faithful-time-machine-super-bowl-xvi) • [9](https://www.bengals.com/news/super-close-18480541) Walsh turned his short-passing West Coast Offense into a league-wide craze while rebuilding a franchise that had gone 2-14 in 1978; after losing two of their first three games in 1981, the 49ers won 15 of the next 16, behind Montana, receivers [Dwight Clark](https://www.edgepedia.org/dwight-clark) and Freddie Solomon, and a defense led by Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds, Fred Dean, and a secondary with three rookies, [Ronnie Lott](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronnie-lott), Eric Wright, and Carlton Williamson.[9](https://www.bengals.com/news/super-close-18480541) • [11](https://as.com/us/us/2019/08/31/nfl/1567281557_200696.html) Montana, drafted by Walsh in the second round in 1979, was in his third season.[11](https://as.com/us/us/2019/08/31/nfl/1567281557_200696.html)
Forrest Gregg coached the Bengals, in his second season with the team.[6](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/super-bowl-coaches) Cincinnati entered as the NFL's highest-scoring offense, built around Anderson, the league MVP that season, and a line anchored by Anthony Munoz.[9](https://www.bengals.com/news/super-close-18480541) • [1](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html)
## Setting and broadcast
Winter weather interfered with the northern venue. Icy roads, runways, and parking lots delayed many fans from reaching the Silverdome in time for kickoff, but a standup crowd filled the 80,000-seat stadium, and the official attendance was 81,270.[12](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/01/24/Icy-roads-runways-and-parking-lots-delayed-many-fans/2056380696400/)
The game was a television landmark. The CBS telecast achieved the highest rating of any televised sports event to that time, 49.1 with a 73.0 share, and was viewed by a record 110.2 million fans; CBS Radio reported a record 14 million listeners.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/1980-1999/1982)
## Aftermath
The victory began a dynasty. Walsh won three Super Bowls with San Francisco (XVI, XIX, and XXIII) in ten years, and Montana was named Super Bowl MVP in XVI, XIX, and XXIV.[11](https://as.com/us/us/2019/08/31/nfl/1567281557_200696.html) • [13](https://as.com/us/us/2018/04/18/nfl/1524011328_377553.html) The 49ers and Bengals met again in [Super Bowl XXIII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xxiii) after the 1988 season, when Cincinnati lost 20-16 on a late San Francisco drive.[14](https://as.com/us/us/2020/01/03/nfl/1578018793_748682.html) The win over Cincinnati also marked a milestone in the game's competitive history: San Francisco's title was part of only the second stretch of consecutive Super Bowl victories by NFC teams, after Green Bay's in Super Bowls I and II.[4](https://edge-operations.nfl.com/media/hfjn4oid/2024-record-fact-book-incl-supplemental.pdf)
## References
1. [Super Bowl XVI box score and game statistics, Pro Football Archives](https://profootballarchives.com/nflboxscores1/1981nfl233.html)
2. [1982, Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/football-history/1980-1999/1982)
3. [Detroit Lions Media Guide (2000)](https://library.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/football/yearbooks/FDETLMG-2000-detroit-lions-media-guide.pdf)
4. [Super Bowl Summaries, NFL Record & Fact Book (2024)](https://edge-operations.nfl.com/media/hfjn4oid/2024-record-fact-book-incl-supplemental.pdf)
5. [Super Bowl Summaries, NFL Record & Fact Book (2023)](https://operations.nfl.com/media/nppjkdp1/2023-record-and-fact-book.pdf)
6. [Super Bowl Coaches, Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/super-bowl-coaches)
7. [San Francisco 49ers 2020 Media Guide](https://media.49ers.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/14173445/San-Francisco-49ers-2020-Media-Guide-8-21.pdf)
8. [Faithful Time Machine: Super Bowl XVI, 49ers.com](https://www.49ers.com/news/faithful-time-machine-super-bowl-xvi)
9. [Super close, Bengals.com](https://www.bengals.com/news/super-close-18480541)
10. [Return Engagement: Anderson at Super Bowl Again, Los Angeles Times (1989)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-21-sp-915-story.html)
11. [Bill Walsh, el genio que cambió las ofensivas en la NFL, AS (2019)](https://as.com/us/us/2019/08/31/nfl/1567281557_200696.html)
12. [Icy roads, runways and parking lots delayed many fans, UPI Archives (1982)](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/01/24/Icy-roads-runways-and-parking-lots-delayed-many-fans/2056380696400/)
13. [Joe Montana interview, AS (2018)](https://as.com/us/us/2018/04/18/nfl/1524011328_377553.html)
14. [Muere Sam Wyche, exentrenador de Cincinnati Bengals, AS (2020)](https://as.com/us/us/2020/01/03/nfl/1578018793_748682.html)
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