Steelers' Bill Cowher Said Shocking Onside Kick In Super Bowl XXX "Was There The Whole Game"

Pittsburgh Steelers fans who have been around since the 1995 season don't have many nice things to say about Super Bowl XXX. Thanks a lot, Neil O'Donnell. For those who don't remember, the Steelers lost on the biggest stage to one of their biggest historical rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. 

The Steelers and the Cowboys have battled for a Lombardi Trophy more than any other teams in the NFL, with Pittsburgh leading 2-1. Dallas was ready to get payback for the tough losses they faced in the 1970s, and Pittsburgh wanted to preserve their honor and maintain their perfect record. 

Fans love to blame O'Donnell. To be fair, he deserves a lot of the blame, but football is a team sport. It wasn't all on him. There was a lot that worked against the Steelers; it wasn't just O'Donnell's ridiculous number of incomplete passes or his multiple turnovers. Despite how frustrating much of that game was, some flashes of brilliance led to sparks of hope. 

Recently, former Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher spoke about one of those flashes of inspiration. Cowher was only in his fourth season at the helm and trying hard to fill the void left by the legendary Chuck Noll. Known for his passion and football genius, Cowher really wanted to bring home the "one for the thumb" at the end of that season. 

Now an analyst, Cowher and the crew from NFL Today sat down to share a legendary moment. Cowher said he knew they were going to use an onside kick during Super Bowl XXX. The question was really when.  

"I knew we'd have it, and the question was, do you do it on the opening kickoff, or do you save it? The only reason I didn't do it on the opening kickoff, I didn't feel like it was a momentum changer because no momentum was created. But in the third quarter, we had just scored, and I knew it was there. Norm Johnson executed, Deon Figures picked it up. It was there the whole game, so it's just a matter of having the right time to call."

Cowher told his co-hosts that he knew he had a shot when he saw the Cowboys relax a bit and their front line start to retreat a little. That gamble worked in Cowher and the Steelers' favor. They were able to recover the ball and score a touchdown. That decreased the Cowboys' lead to just a field goal with just under seven minutes left in the game. 

The momentum did shift the way Cowher had wanted, and hope bloomed among the fans again. The Steelers were serious underdogs going into the game, Dallas was favored by 13.5 points. Unfortunately, the momentum shift didn't last. Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown picked off that infamous pass from O'Donnell. It looked like O'Donnell threw the ball right to him. They were eventually able to score another touchdown, taking all the wind out of Pittsburgh's sails and ending their shot, at least for then, at a fifth championship. 

Steelers' Neil O'Donnell Never Recovered 

O'Donnell seemed to pack up and disappear from Pittsburgh immediately following Super Bowl XXX. Despite all the jokes Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd made comparing O'Donnell to infamous and missing teamster, Jimmy Hoffa, the truth isn't far behind. He might not have literally disappeared, but his career did. 

The Steelers did actually offer O'Donnell a new contract in spite of the loss. However, they couldn't come close to what the New York Jets offered him, a five-year $25 million deal. He not only got away from the frustrated Steelers fans, he got closer to his home state of New Jersey. 

He suffered a shoulder injury that ended his season and never seemed to find the same level of success he had in Pittsburgh. He became a journeyman and later spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tennessee Titans. 

Do you remember that Super Bowl and what did you think of the onside kick? Click to comment below. 

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