Super Bowl V was the first ever Super Bowl to be played on artificial turf, and took place on January 17, 1971. This game featured two teams who had very strong seasons in the Baltimore Colts, who finished with a record of 11-2-1, against the Dallas Cowboys who finished at 10-4. This Super Bowl was the first one played following the AFL-NFL Merger, which took all 26 teams and divided them into 2 different conferences (the AFC and NFC). This game was called the “Blunder Bowl” and the “Stupor Bowl” by some fans due to the fact that it involved quite a few penalties, turnovers, poor play, and miscues by the referees. In the end, the Colts took the game 16-13 when rookie kicker Jim O’Brien kicked a 32 year field goal with only five seconds remaining in the game. The game had an incredible 11 turnovers between the two teams, and even more amazing is the fact that the Colts gave up the ball 7 times; which is the record for most turnovers committed by a winning team in the Super Bowl. Colts defense end Bubba Smith actually would not wear his Super Bowl ring due to the sloppy play of his team.

The Colts actually had to make a comeback as they were down 13-6 at the half, and lost their quarterback Johnny Unitas to a rib injury in the second quarter. Unitas was replaced by quarterback Earl Morrall, who was able to help get the team back into the game and get in position to win in the end. When the game was over, the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award was actually given to a member of the losing team; as Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley received the award. Howley intercepted two passes in the game, but refused to accept the award because it was meaningless to him since his team lost the game in the end.

The Colts did struggle quite a bit in this game, and their quarterback Johnny Unitas had a very up and down season, as he finished with more interceptions than touchdowns on the year. While Morrall actually posted better stats than Unitas throughout the regular season, head coach Don McCafferty decided to start Johnny U for the playoffs. The Colts strongest asset was their defense though, as they had multiple Pro-Bowlers and and an all around great defensive team. In the end, while the team struggled in the big game; they were able to overcome the turnovers and get the biggest win of all as they won Super Bowl V.