Executive Round Up: Favorite Super Bowl Memory
The most anticipated football game of the year is near, so we asked executives in the industry what their favorite Super Bowl-related memory is. Here’s what they had to say.
Mike Arnold
Lead Director, Super Bowl LVIII
CBS Sports
I was nervous about directing my first Super Bowl (XLI), which was in Miami (Colts-Bears). I spoke to John Madden the night before and he said, ‘You’ll probably be a little bit nervous. The best thing that can happen is a team runs three or four plays and has to punt on their first possession, and you can get your shorts on straight.’ Devin Hester ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. I spoke to Madden later and told him, ‘I never got a chance to get my shorts on straight!’
Danielle DeLauro
EVP
VAB
That’s an easy one for me—the Giants-Bills Super Bowl where the Bills missed the field goal to win. Poor Scott Norwood. I feel so bad for him, but I remember sitting there watching it and I thought [the Giants] lost the game. I thought, ‘There’s no way he’s going to miss this.’ I remember where I was when it happened. It’s just one of those core memories you’re never going to forget.
Kevin Grigsby
Executive Producer/SVP
FanDuel TV
The most memorable Super Bowl to me was the Superdome power outage delay between the Ravens and the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. In television, we try to prepare for the unexpected, but a power outage delaying the biggest television event of the year by over 30 minutes is an unpredicted calamity. As a television executive myself, it stuck with me because it was a crisis in the most high-pressure situation imaginable. And for the team at CBS and they did remarkable job given the circumstances.
Charlie Yook
Executive Producer
NFL Network
As a fan? Super Bowl XX when the Bears won it all (I’m from Chicago). Professionally? Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. One moment that sticks out—I was stuck behind the pyro during the Carolina Panthers introductions, and as Cam Newton ran onto the field, the flames shot up and almost burned my face. But it was worth it. And the game was incredible, with Von Miller winning MVP and Peyton Manning concluding his career with his 2nd Super Bowl title.
