By Dan Curtis, '08 | Sports Editor

The Superbowl is the grandest stage in all of sports. Every year, NFL players and organizations claim their greatness by winning championships. Dolphin Stadium in Miami which was the site of last Sunday’s game, has an illustrious history for great Superbowls, including the 1994 match-up between San Fransisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers; a historic game in which Steve Young finally was able to rid the proverbial “monkey” from his back. Feb. 4, 2007, however, meant more to the NFL and to America than any ordinary Superbowl.

Prior to this year, an African American coach had never been fortunate enough to reach the “big game.” The Indianapolis Colts coach, Tony Dungy, and the Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith who are both of African American decent, made history by becoming the first black head coaches to coach in the Superbowl.

The two are great friends on and off the field and were rooting for each other to reach the Superbowl together so they could each have the distinction of being first.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, was also a main point of focus in the two weeks prior to the game. Having reached the playoffs in 4 consecutive seasons without winning a championship, Peyton has practically been crucified for “folding” under the spotlight.

Throughout his career, Manning’s ability in the regular season could be considered among the best of all-time, but many believed that his career achievements wouldn’t be validated if a Superbowl ring continued to evade him.

Peyton silenced his critics Sunday night with an impressive performance that warranted his MVP award and led the Colts to a 29-17 victory.

The Bears, whose last appearance in the Superbowl was 1985, left Miami with some of questions regarding the team’s future including Quarterback Rex Grossman. The Chicago Bears organization has to decide whether or not they want to retain the 26 year old quarterback who’s in the last year of his contract.

Although Grossman showed some flashy signs of stardom throughout the season, he made some amateurish mistakes later in the year which led many to believe that he was the worst quarterback in the history of the Superbowl.

Superbowl XLI in general turned out to be a very exciting and eventful game that may perhaps go down as one of the most historic and influential championship games in the history of professional sports.