On January 30, 1988: The Washington Redskins have a quarter for the ages. Trailing the Denver Broncos 10-0 in Super Bowl XXII, they score 35 points in the second period on the way to a 42-10 victory. Doug Williams completes 9 of 11 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns — 80 and 50 yards to Ricky Sanders, 27 yards to Gary Clark, and 8 yards to Clint Didier. Rookie Tim Smith runs for 122 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown. All this takes place in the second quarter, with Washington needing only 18 plays to get its five touchdowns. Williams finishes 18-for-29 for 340 yards and earns the game’s MVP award. (Only Joe Montana, with 357 yards in 1989, will throw for more yards in a Super Bowl.) While Williams is the first African-American to quarterback a Super Bowl team, he says, “I didn’t come here as a black quarterback, I came here as quarterback of the Washington Redskins.” Smith, in his first start of the season, runs for 204 yards, a Super Bowl record. He scores his second touchdown, on a four-yard run, in the fourth quarter. The Redskins are the only team to gain more than 600 yards — they have 602 — in a Super Bowl.
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