Where are yesterday’s Super Bowl heroes?
A look at what former Super Bowl Most Valuable Players are doing these days, including multiple award-winners and one who played on the losing team.
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Then: In Super Bowl XIII, Bradshaw threw for four touchdowns and 318 yards in a 35-31 shootout with Dallas. The next year he copped the award again by throwing two more touchdown passes, to bring his total to nine, as Pittsburgh beat the Los Angeles Rams, 31-19.
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XV – JIM PLUNKETT
QB, Oakland Raiders
Game played Jan. 25, 1981
Now: Plunkett does radio and TV work for Raiders’ postgame and highlight shows, and owns a beer distributorship in Stockton, Calif.
Then: Plunkett threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns as Oakland beat Philadelphia, 27-10, to become the first wild-card team to win the Super Bowl.
XVI, XIX, and XXIV – JOE MONTANA
QB San Francisco 49ers
Games played Jan. 24, 1982; Jan. 20, 1985; and Jan. 28, 1990;
Now: The Notre Dame grad has dabbled in the northern California winery business in recent years. Days before this year’s Super Bowl, his former bachelor-pad condo in San Francisco from his playing days with the 49ers was put on the market.
Then: Montana led the 49ers to their first Super Bowl title by throwing for one TD, running for another, and leading several impressive scoring drives, including one of 92 yards, in a 26-21 win over Cincinnati. … In San Francisco’s 38-16 victory over Miami in SB XIX, Montana threw for a Super Bowl record 331 yards, completing three for touchdowns while also rushing for a TD. … His performance in SB XXIV made Montana the game’s MVP for an unmatched third time. In that game he set Super Bowl record with five touchdown passes in a lopsided 55-10 win over Denver.
XVII – JOHN RIGGINS
RB, Washington Redskins
Game played Jan. 30, 1983
Now: A passionate outdoorsman, Riggins is the host of “Riggo on the Range,” a show on the Sportsman Channel that features his hunting trips around the country.
Then: Riggins capped a string of four-straight postseason games with more than 100 rushing yards by carrying 38 times for 166 yards in Washington’ s 27-17 win over Miami.
XVIII – MARCUS ALLEN
RB Los Angeles Raiders
Game played Jan. 22, 1984
Now: Allen enjoys playing a lot of golf, sometimes with another great NFL running back and friend, Eric Dickerson.
Then: In one of the most memorable runs in Super Bowl history, Allen reversed field and sprinted 74 yards on the final play of the third quarter in the Raiders’ 38-9 victory over Washington. Allen’s 191 yards on 20 carries was a new SB record.
XX – RICHARD DENT
DE Chicago Bears
Game played Jan. 26, 1986
Now: Dent heads up the Make a Dent Foundation in Chicago, a community-service organization that “facilitates the advancement of inventive and effective ways of helping people help themselves.”
Then: Dent led a dominating Bears defense in holding New England to just seven rushing yards in a 46-10 Super Bowl blowout. Dent was credited with 1-1/2 quarterback sacks and with forcing two fumbles.
XXI – PHIL SIMMS
QB, New York Giants
Game played Jan. 25, 1987
Now: Since retiring as a player, Simms has developed into a first-rate analyst who currently works for CBS alongside play-by-play man Jim Nantz and on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL,” where he teams with James Brown and Cris Collinsworth.
Then: Simms led the Giants to their first Super Bowl championship, a 39-20 win over Denver, with a spectacular performance. He completed 22 of 25 passes, including 10 in a row during one stretch, and wound up with 268 passing yards and one TD.



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