Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2001 season. The underdog Patriots defeated the heavily favored Rams by the score of 20–17. It was New England's first Super Bowl championship, and the franchise's first league championship of any kind. The game was also notable for snapping the AFC East's long streak of not being able to win a Super Bowl championship, as the division's teams had lost 7 Super Bowls between the Miami Dolphins' victory in 1974 and the Patriots' 2002 win. This was the last Super Bowl to feature the St. Louis Rams; after relocating to Los Angeles in 2016, the Rams returned to the NFL's championship game in Super Bowl LIII, in which they were again defeated by the Patriots. The Rams would not win another Super Bowl until Super Bowl LVI, as the Los Angeles Rams, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals.
Aeneas Demetrius Williams is an American former football cornerback and safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Arizona Cardinals franchise. He played college football for the Southern Jaguars and was selected in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Cardinals, where he spent 10 seasons. During his final four seasons, he was a member of the St. Louis Rams. Williams received eight Pro Bowl selections and three first-team All-Pro honors, as well as being on the second NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
London Levi Fletcher-Baker is an American former linebacker who played for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Redskins. He played college football at John Carroll and signed with Rams as an undrafted free agent in 1998. After four seasons with the Rams, he was a member of the Bills for five seasons and spent his last seven seasons with the Redskins. He made four Pro Bowls during his Redskins tenure and won a Super Bowl title with the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Steven Rashad Jackson is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams. He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and was selected in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Rams, where he spent his first nine seasons. In his final three seasons, he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons from 2013 to 2014 and the New England Patriots in 2015. Named to three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams during his Rams tenure, Jackson is the franchise's all-time leading rusher.
Richard Scott Proehl is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Proehl played 17 seasons with the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts. He played in four Super Bowls and won two: Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams and Super Bowl XLI with the Colts. He is remembered as a member of "The Greatest Show on Turf".
Roman Zubinsky Phifer is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). Known primarily as a member of the New England Patriots, Phifer is currently the Senior Personnel Executive for the Denver Broncos.
"The Greatest Show on Turf" was a nickname for the high-flying offense of the St. Louis Rams during the 1999, 2000, and 2001 National Football League (NFL) seasons. The offense was designed by attack-oriented offensive coordinator and head coach Mike Martz who mixed an aerial attack and a run offense in an Air Coryell-style offense. The Rams' offense during these three seasons produced record scoring and yardage, three NFL MVP honors, and two Super Bowl appearances and one championship. In 2000, the team set an NFL record with 7,335 total offensive yards. Of those, 5,492 were passing yards, also an NFL team record.
Madison Smith Hedgecock is a former American football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of North Carolina. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. An All-Pro selection in 2008, Hedgecock earned a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII over the-then undefeated New England Patriots.
Joshua Thomas McDaniels is an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career in 2001 with the New England Patriots, where he served as the offensive coordinator for 14 non-consecutive seasons. During McDaniels' first stint as offensive coordinator from 2006 to 2008, New England set the season record for points scored and won 16 of their 16 regular season games in 2007. In his second stint from 2012 to 2021, the Patriots won three Super Bowl titles. McDaniels was also among the Patriots personnel to be present for all six of their titles during the Brady–Belichick era.
The St. Louis Stallions was the name of a proposed National Football League (NFL) franchise which was to have been located in St. Louis, Missouri, in the early 1990s. There were two attempts to get a team with that name in St. Louis, which had been without a professional football franchise since the end of the 1987 season, when the Cardinals left the city to move to Phoenix, Arizona.
Jackie Ray Slater, nicknamed "Big Bad Jackie", is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career with the Rams franchise: 19 seasons in Los Angeles, from 1976 to 1994, and one in St. Louis in 1995. Slater holds the record amongst all offensive linemen who have played the most seasons with one franchise.
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The 2002 season was the St. Louis Rams' 65th in the National Football League, their eighth in St. Louis and their third under head coach Mike Martz.
The 2001 season was the St. Louis Rams' 65th in the National Football League (NFL), their seventh in St. Louis and their second under head coach Mike Martz. The Rams improved on their 10–6 record from last year, and finished 14–2. The St. Louis Rams in 2001 set a franchise record for wins in a season (14), while also going a perfect 8–0 on the road. Quarterback Kurt Warner would go on to win his second league MVP award. Along with Warner's 1999 MVP award and Marshall Faulk's 2000 award, the Rams had amassed the last three NFL MVP awards.
The 2001 season was the New England Patriots' 32nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their 42nd season overall. They finished with an 11–5 record and a division title before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVI.
Christopher Howard Long is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. The son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and older brother of NFL guard Kyle Long, he played college football at the University of Virginia and won the Ted Hendricks Award as a senior. Long was selected by the St. Louis Rams second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, where he spent eight seasons. He later played one season for the New England Patriots and two for the Philadelphia Eagles, winning a Super Bowl title with each.
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play their home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, which they share with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The 2012 season was the St. Louis Rams' 75th in the National Football League (NFL), their 18th in St. Louis and their first under head coach Jeff Fisher. Finishing at 7–8–1, they improved on their 2–14 record from 2011. In Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, the game ended in a 24–24 tie, the first since the 2008 NFL season. It was Sam Bradford's second and final full season as the Rams starting quarterback as two torn ACLs sidelined him for much of the next season and the entire 2014 season.
The National Football League (NFL) is the premier professional American football league in the United States, and is also one of the major North American professional sports leagues. Controversies in the NFL include subjects such as questionable championship rulings, team relocation decisions, and criminal behavior by players. Many of the recent controversies have surrounded NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, player conduct, and/or the league's role in player safety.
The 2018 NFC Championship Game was a National Football League (NFL) game played on January 20, 2019, to determine the National Football Conference (NFC) champion for the 2018 NFL season. The visiting Los Angeles Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–23 in sudden death overtime to advance to their first Super Bowl since the 2001 season. The outcome, however, was mired in controversy because of unpenalized pass interference committed by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman on Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis near the end of regulation, which would be nicknamed the "NOLA No-Call".
