1990 American Football Season

The 1990 American football season was a year defined by razor-thin margins, historic heartbreak, and chaotic controversies that forever shaped the sport’s lore. From one of the most dramatic Super Bowl finishes in history to a deeply debated split national championship in the collegiate ranks, it was a season where every single point—and every single down—mattered.

Here is a glimpse of what football in 1990 looked like:

The NFL Season: “Wide Right” and Playoff Expansion

The 1990 NFL season was a pivotal transitional year. Under new commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the league expanded the playoffs from 10 to 12 teams (adding a third wild-card berth per conference) and reinstated bye weeks for the first time since 1966 to extend the television broadcasting schedule.

The regular season was dominated by the San Francisco 49ers, who posted a 14–2 record and were heavily favored to complete a “three-peat” under MVP quarterback Joe Montana. However, the New York Giants upset them 15–13 in a brutal NFC Championship Game, winning on a 42-yard Matt Bahr field goal as time expired. In the AFC, the Buffalo Bills and their high-octane “K-Gun” offense crushed the Los Angeles Raiders 51–3 in the conference title game.

This set up an iconic clash of styles in Super Bowl XXV: the methodical, physical Giants against the explosive Bills.

• The Strategy: The Giants, led by backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler and veteran running back Ottis Anderson (the eventual Super Bowl MVP), utilized a masterful ball-control game plan that kept Buffalo’s offense on the sidelines for over 40 minutes.
• The Climax: Trailing 20–19 with just eight seconds remaining, the Bills drove into field goal range to win the game.
• “Wide Right”: Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood’s 47-yard attempt famously sailed wide right of the goalpost. The Giants claimed their second Super Bowl victory, unwittingly starting a tragic streak of four consecutive Super Bowl losses for the Bills.

College Football: The Split Championship

The 1990 collegiate season was pure chaos, ultimately ending with a split National Championship that frustrated fans and helped lay the groundwork for a unified title game (the precursor to the BCS).

• The Colorado Buffaloes: Despite a turbulent season, Colorado claimed the AP Poll National Championship. Their 11–1–1 campaign was permanently marred by the infamous “Fifth Down Game” against Missouri, where officials mistakenly lost track of downs, giving the Buffaloes an extra play on the goal line to score the game-winning touchdown. Colorado secured their AP title by defeating Notre Dame 10–9 in the Orange Bowl.
• The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: As the nation’s only undefeated team (11–0–1), Georgia Tech claimed the UPI Coaches Poll title. They emphatically won the Citrus Bowl by dismantling Nebraska 45–21, edging out Colorado by a single point (847 to 846) in the final coaches’ ballot.
• The Heisman Trophy: BYU quarterback Ty Detmer won the Heisman in a landslide, throwing for over 5,000 yards and breaking numerous NCAA passing records in the process.

1990 Football Milestones

Beyond the championships, the 1990 season featured several notable milestones, individual achievements, and shifting dynasties:

• Emmitt Smith Arrives: The Dallas Cowboys drafted Florida running back Emmitt Smith, who rushed for 937 yards and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. His arrival completed the Cowboys’ “Triplets” (alongside Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin), setting the stage for their 1990s dynasty.
• Defensive Dominance: Buffalo Bills defensive end Bruce Smith terrorized quarterbacks with 19 sacks, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. Meanwhile, Chicago Bears safety Mark Carrier snagged a league-leading nine interceptions to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
• The Run and Shoot: Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon threw for a massive 4,689 yards and 33 touchdowns. He orchestrated the innovative, pass-heavy Run and Shoot offense to near perfection, earning the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.

A Deep Dive into 1990 Football History and Highlights

• January 1, 1990 – At the Annual Rose Bowl Game, the USC Trojans outlasted the Michigan Wolverines 17-10. SC running back Ricky Ervin was the game’s MVP.
• January 5, 1990 – A notable off-field event unfolded in Canadian football: Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats executive J Donald Crump was appointed as the 8th Commissioner of the Canadian Football League.
• January 10, 1990 – The NCAA approved random drug testing for college football players.
• January 14, 1990 – The AFC Championship at Denver’s Mile High Stadium was a matchup of two teams we had seen three times in a four-year period of the late 1980’s: the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos. The website Taylorblitztimes.com has a great, detailed article on the game. Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns 37-21.
• January 14, 1990 – Candlestick Park, San Francisco –The NFC Championship: San Francisco 49ers crushed the Los Angeles Rams, 30-3, to advance to the Super Bowl, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. The only three touchdowns of the game came during the 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, powered by the Niners’ Bert Jones, Roger Craig, and Joe Montana, culminating in John Taylor‘s 18-yard scoring connection.
• January 28, 1990 – Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans –Super Bowl XXIV. The Denver Broncos ran into a buzzsaw in the San Francisco 49ers. Jerry Rice scored three touchdowns and tormented the Broncos’ defense with 138 yards in receiving. The San Francisco 49ers showed there was no doubt that they were the best team in football as they slaughtered the Denver Broncos, 55-10. Quarterback Joe Montana won the MVP honors, posting an astronomical QB rating of 147.6 per PFR and throwing for 297 yards and 5 TDs. (Pro-Football-Reference).
• February 4, 1990 – Aloha Stadium, Honolulu – The NFC defeated the AFC 27-21 in the Pro Bowl. Los Angeles Rams defensive back Jerry Gray earned the game’s MVP award for his outstanding performance in the secondary.
• April 18, 1990 – A group in Birmingham, Alabama, was issued an original World League of American Football franchise, the Birmingham Fire.
• April 22, 1990 – The 1990 NFL Draft took place in New York City, and the Indianapolis Colts made the first overall pick, selecting University of Illinois quarterback Jeff George. 
• May 22, 1990 – NFL Hall of Fame player Deion Sanders, who also played in MLB, clashed with Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk. Find more on this story in our May 22 Post, here.
• June 4, 1990 – Penn State joins Big 10 – The power of college football conferences took a dramatic shift as the Penn State Nittany Lions officially received the votes needed to become the first new member of the Big Ten since Michigan State joined the conference in 1949.
• July 17, 1990 – Deion Sanders foils Bo Jackson’s home run bid: Sanders hits an inside-the-park home run for the Yankees; during the play, Bo Jackson dives for the ball and suffers a separated shoulder.
• July 17, 1990 – Injury sidelines Bo Jackson: Jackson exits the game after hitting three home runs in three at-bats, losing his chance for a fourth round-tripper.
• October 14, 1990 – Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium  – San Francisco 49er quarterback Joe Montana passes for 6 touchdowns versus the Atlanta Falcons.  Five of the scoring strikes were to Montana’s favorite target, Jerry Rice, in the 45- 35 Niners win over the Falcons.
• November 3, 1990 – The Astrodome, Houston, Texas –Texas Christian University quarterback Matt Vogler completes 44 passes, including 5 touchdowns for an NCAA football record 690 passing yards, but was outmatched when the opposing Houston Cougars quarterback David Klingler threw for 7 TDs. The Cougars overcame the great offensive showing of the TCU Horned Frogs with a 56-35 final score. 
• November 12, 1990, “The Body Bag Game” –Coach Buddy Ryan had an innovative approach to motivating his players. The Eagles coach threatened that his squad would beat the Redskins so badly “they’ll have to be carted off in body bags” in a pregame speech. The Eagles’ defense promptly responded, scoring 3 touchdowns and winning 28–14, knocking 8 Redskins out of the game.
• November 18, 1990 –The New York Giants run their record to 10-0 as the G-men drop the Detroit Lions in a shutout, 20-0, per pro-football-reference.com. The following two weeks of the season would give the Giants back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers, leaving the team at 13-3 and another late-season loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Giants would get their revenge on the Bills, though, in Super Bowl XXV, as after a Scott Norwood game-ending field goal attempt sailed wide right, the Giants would win the title game by the score of 20-19, with running back Ottis Anderson winning the game’s MVP. (source)
• November 25, 1990 – BC Place, Vancouver –The 78th Grey Cup to determine the Champion of the CFL was played. The Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers faced off to play for the cup that year. It was the Blue Bombers who came out on top by a wide margin of 50-11 on the scoreboard. The offensive Most Valuable Player was Tom Burgess, while Greg Battle was the Defensive MVP of the game. The Most Valuable Canadian was Warren Hudson.
• December 1, 1990 – The 56th winner of the Heisman Trophy Award was Ty Detmer, the great quarterback from Brigham Young University. His 15,031 career passing yards and 121 touchdowns show he was one of the best college QBs ever.
• December 1, 1990 – Legion Field, Birmingham –The 55th Iron Bowl was one of the more memorable ones. The Tigers had entered this game having won the four previous gridiron contests against Alabama. Top moments in this game, according to SI.com, were Tide kicker Phillip Doyle booting three field goals and the Alabama offense rolling the dice and going for a fourth and one from midfield. It was a tight game, so those plays mattered when both defenses were playing so well. Alabama outlasted Auburn 16-7 to end the Tigers’ winning streak against them.
• December 9, 1990 – New York Giants running back Otis Anderson became the eighth player to rush for at least 10,000 yards in a career, per OnthisDay.com.