If the ceremonial coin toss before Sunday ’s Super Bowl turns up headspring , everyone inscribe in the Papa John ’s client allegiance computer program will win a gratis enceinte one - pinch pizza and a two - liter bottle of Pepsi Max . thou of other fans will collect on a 50 - 50 prop bet . The Super Bowl coin toss has n’t always been such a grown deal . Here ’s a abbreviated look at the history of the pre - game spectacle .
Red Grange Breaks the Ice
For the first 11 Super Bowls , a plot official deport the coin flip . In 1978 , at Super Bowl XII in New Orleans , Chicago Bears great and Hall of Famer Red Grange became the first renown to perform the flip .
The Dallas Cowboys – the designated visiting squad – call heads and gain ground the flip . Dallas work on to beat the Denver Broncos , 27 - 10 . Kansas City Chiefs possessor Lamar Hunt , who gave the Super Bowl its name and may have also been responsible for the coin toss becoming a televised consequence , enter in the coin flip ceremonial occasion before Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta . A calendar month after her husband ’s last in December 2006 , Norma Hunt took part in the coin toss with Hall of Fame field general Dan Marino before Super Bowl XLI .
By the Numbers
In 45 Super Bowls to escort , the open coin toss has fall up heads 24 fourth dimension and tails 21 times . The NFC has won the toss 31 times out of 45 , include a singular 14 uncoiled years . The New England Patriots were the last AFC squad to win the coin toss , right smart back in 1997 . The team that win the coin toss is 22 - 23 all - time and has lost 10 of the last 15 Super Bowls . All but two teams that have won the coin flip have elect to receive the opening kickoff . The Arizona Cardinals became the first squad to prorogue to the second one-half in Super Bowl XLIII and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers , 27 - 23 . The Green Bay Packers deferred after winning the pass in last yr ’s Super Bowl en route to a 31 - 25 winnings .
Another Set of Eyes
Most of the ceremonial coin tossers have been former coaches and players . Los Angeles Rams great Elroy Hirsch performed the duty at Super Bowl XVII with a ceremonial coin that had helmet on one side ( tooshie ) and players deem helmets on the other side ( heads ) . Miami ’s Bob Kuechenberg called tails and the coin landed with the helmets side up , but referee Jerry Markbreit was confused . Markbreit turned to Washington Redskins signal caller Joe Theismann and order , “ Heads . You win the toss . ” Hirsch pointed out the misapprehension , and after Markbreit turned off his mike to obviate any further embarrassment , sorted thing out . According to Markbreit , Theismann turned to him and said , “ You recognize , I recollect when you used to work in the Big Ten and you stunk then . Where the nether region did they get you ? ” It was n’t the last time Markbreit would hear about his mistake . NFL commissioner Peter Rozelle came into the footlocker elbow room after the game , found Markbreit in the cascade , and said , “ Markbreit , once you got past the coin pass , you did fine . ”
Teach Me How to Flip It?
Marie Lombardi , the widow woman of fabled Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi , whose name adorns the Super Bowl trophy , was selected to flip the coin before Super Bowl XV . “ Somewhere up there , a charabanc is appear down and saying , ‘ What is that woman doing out there on the field ? ’ ” Lombardi told newsperson after get a line that she had been chosen . Lombardi had reportedly never flipped a coin before , so NFL functionary drop time practicing with her at the apparel rehearsal on the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. before the game .
Coins in Space
In 1992 , CBS attain out to NASA to see if it would be unforced to bear a pre - crippled coin pass aboard the Discovery space birdie . There was only one trouble . “ A coin summersault in space would be right tough since the coin wo n’t come down , ” NASA chief flight theater director Randy Stone assure newsperson . “ It will just flick and flick and riff . ” or else , Canadian cosmonaut Roberta Bondar hold a coin and performed two backward flips before being work to a stop . The coin come up heads , just as it did at the actual coin flip before the secret plan , which was bear by Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll . A ceremonial coin that was proceed to be used for the coin toss before Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston flew with the space bird Columbia that was destroyed upon reentry to the Earth ’s atmosphere in 2003.The Columbia ’s crew was honour at halftime of the game . The coin used in the ceremonial toss before Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 traveled more than 4 million Admiralty mile on space shuttle Atlantis . Leland Melvin , who played with the Lions and Cowboys before becoming an astronaut , was among the people who travel with the coin in space .
Presidents
In 1985 , Ronald Reagan became the first chairman to perform the coin toss , but he was n’t on the theater at Stanford Stadium . San Francisco 49ers Hall of Famer Hugh McElhenny relayed the call to the chairman , who was show slash the coin from the White House . George H.W. Bush and Roger Staubach do the ceremonial coin flip before Super Bowl XXXVI .
