1994 American Football Season

The 1994 American football season was a landmark year characterized by historic milestones, offensive explosions, and unforgettable finishes. At the professional level, the NFL celebrated its 75th anniversary with a slew of rule changes designed to increase scoring, while the college ranks featured a controversial split in the national championship debate between two historic, undefeated powerhouses.

The NFL’s 75th Anniversary and Super Bowl XXIX

The 1994 NFL season marked the league’s 75th year, celebrated visually by teams wearing throwback uniforms and a diamond anniversary patch. To revitalize the game and increase offensive production, the league introduced the two-point conversion, moved the kickoff spot back to the 30-yard line, and adopted the neutral zone infraction rule.

• The 49ers and Cowboys Rivalry: The season’s central narrative was the fierce battle for NFC supremacy. After losing the previous two NFC Championship games to the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers loaded up on free agents—most notably signing reigning Defensive Player of the Year Deion Sanders. The 49ers finally turned the tables, besting the Cowboys 38–28 in the NFC Championship.
• Super Bowl XXIX: San Francisco capped off their dominant run by dismantling the San Diego Chargers 49–26. Quarterback Steve Young finally stepped out of Joe Montana’s shadow, winning the regular-season MVP and throwing a Super Bowl-record six touchdown passes to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.
• Statistical Leaders: Detroit’s Barry Sanders led the league in rushing with 1,883 yards, while San Francisco’s Jerry Rice paced all receivers with 1,499 yards.

College Football’s Undefeated Debate

The 1994 collegiate season was dominated by the debate over which undefeated team was truly the best in the nation, fueling early demands for a college football playoff system.

• Nebraska’s Title Run: Head coach Tom Osborne finally secured his first consensus National Championship. Despite losing star quarterback Tommie Frazier to blood clots in his leg, the Cornhuskers relied on a punishing offensive line (anchored by Outland Trophy winner Zach Wiegert) and a dominant defense to finish 13–0. They capped the year with a dramatic 24–17 comeback victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl.
• Penn State’s Offensive Juggernaut: Joe Paterno’s Penn State Nittany Lions also finished undefeated (12–0) after winning the Rose Bowl. Led by quarterback Kerry Collins and running back Ki-Jana Carter, Penn State boasted one of the greatest offenses in Big Ten history but ultimately finished #2 in the AP and Coaches polls.
• Heisman Trophy: Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide after rushing for 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns.

1994 Gridiron Milestone Moments

Beyond the championships, the 1994 season delivered several unique moments and bizarre footnotes that remain etched in football lore:

• The Miracle at Michigan: On September 24, #7 Colorado stunned #4 Michigan 27–26 in Ann Arbor when Buffaloes quarterback Kordell Stewart heaved a 64-yard Hail Mary that was deflected and caught by Michael Westbrook as time expired.
• The “Shula Bowl”: On October 2, Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula faced off against his son, Cincinnati Bengals head coach David Shula. It was the first time in NFL history a father and son coached against each other. Miami won the game 23–7.
• The “Choke at Doak”: In a legendary college rivalry game, the Florida Gators led the Florida State Seminoles 31–3 in the fourth quarter, only for FSU to mount an incredible comeback and tie the game at 31–31. (College football did not adopt overtime until 1996). The teams met again in a bowl rematch dubbed the “Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter,” where Florida State won the Sugar Bowl 23–17.

A Deep Dive into 1994 Football History and Highlights

• January 1, 1994 – RB Brent Moss of Wisconsin was the MVP of the 80th Rose Bowl game as he and his fellow Badgers took care of business against the UCLA Bruins 21-16.
• January 1, 1994 – The 1994 Orange Bowl listed the No. 1-ranked Seminoles, who faced Tom Osborne’s No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers in an unforgettable game of FSU Redemption.
• January 3, 1994 – Candlestick Park, San Francisco – The Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers finished the season by going into Overtime. The Eagles Quarterback Bubby Brister completed 26 of 43 of his passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns.  Steve Young, the southpaw signal caller of the San Francisco 49ers, was used sparingly as the team prepared for the playoffs in this meaningless game. Per the Pro-Football-Reference website, Young completed 15 of 19 passes for 165 yards and 2 TDs, becoming the first quarterback to win 3 straight NFL passing titles and the first to post 3 consecutive seasons with a passer rating of 100 or more. The Niners, with Steve Bono in relief, suffered the OT loss to the Philadelphia Eagles 37-34.
• January 15, 1994 – Lawrence Taylor announced his retirement from the NFL, per a report on SportsCasting.com. Taylor, known as LT, was a member of the New York Giants for his entire Pro career, which spanned 13 seasons from 1981 through 1993. He made the Pro Bowl in 10 of those seasons and was voted the 1986 NFL Most Valuable Player after dropping quarterbacks an amazing 20.5 times behind the line of scrimmage.
• January 23, 1994 – Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York – The 1993 season’s AFC Championship game saw the passing offenses almost nullified by the defenses. Bills running back Thurman Thomas thrived with 186 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns as the Buffalo Bills beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-13, to advance to Super Bowl XXVIII. (Source)
• January 23, 1994 – Texas Stadium, Irving – The Dallas Cowboys secured their spot in Super Bowl XXVIII by defeating the San Francisco 49ers 38-21 in the NFC Championship game.
• January 30, 1994 – Georgia Dome, Atlanta – The Buffalo Bills played in their fourth straight Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXVIII, against the powerful Dallas Cowboys. Things looked promising for the Bills in the first half as they held a 13-6 lead in the locker room. The third quarter, though, things started to unravel according to the statmuse.com website article on the game.  Cowboys defender James Washington picked up a 3rd quarter Bill fumble and rambled 48 yards for a score to tie the game. It was then more stifling defense and a heavy dose of running back Emmitt Smith, who scored twice in the second half, leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 30-13 win over the Buffalo Bills. The game’s MVP was Emmitt Smith, who, besides his two late TDs, added 132 hard-earned yards on the ground.
• February 6, 1994 – The National Conference defense dominated the 1993 season Pro Bowl, winning 17-3. Atlanta Falcons wideout Andre Rison was named the game’s MVP.
• February 18, 1994 – The Shreveport Pirates joined the Canadian Football League as the fourth US-based team. Unfortunately, the team folded in 1995, one year later.
• March 29, 1994, Coach Jimmy Johnson resigned as head Coach of the  Dallas Cowboys. Johnson left the Cowboys because of a feud with owner Jerry Jones. Johnson coached five seasons in Dallas, made the playoffs in each of his last three, and walked away from the Cowboys after winning back-to-back Super Bowls (Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII). Johnson returned as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 1996 to 1999 after a two-year hiatus.
• April 24, 1994 – In the 1994 NFL Draft, Ohio State’s Dan Wilkinson was taken first by the Cincinnati Bengals. Few future Hall of Famers emerged from this draft.
• June 17, 1994 – Former star O.J. Simpson (Heisman winner, USC Trojans, Buffalo Bills) was charged with the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman per ESPN. After failing to turn himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department, Simpson was driven by Al Cowlings in a Ford Bronco through Southern California, becoming the center of an infamous, live-televised police pursuit witnessed by an estimated 95 million Americans.
• June 20, 1994 – Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson was formally arraigned on murder charges for the killings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman. [Source]
• June 25, 1994 – The First All-American High School Football Game was played at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Orchestrated by Dale Dougherty, this event showcased elite talent from across the nation and became a historical cornerstone of prep all-star games. [Source]
• September 3, 1994 – The University of Florida quarterback Terry Dean throws a record seven touchdowns in the first half against New Mexico State in a lopsided 70-21 Gator win. Lopsided, you think? Seven touchdowns in one half? Amazing. That same year, that same day, 1994, the University of Miami Hurricanes set an NCA record for the most consecutive home wins at 58, knocking off Georgia Southern 56 to nothing.
• September 4, 1994 – Marino’s Five-TD Shootout: Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino put on a masterclass against rival New England, throwing for five touchdowns in a thrilling 39-35 win to notch his career-record 18th game with four or more passing scores.
• October 2, 1994 – The first time in NFL history that opposing coaches were father and son, as Don Shula led the Miami Dolphins and his son, David Shula, coached the Cincinnati Bengals. The older version prevailed as the Dolphins toppled the Bengals 23-7.
• October 8, 1994, Boston College defeated Notre Dame in the 6th edition of the series between the two schools, known as the “Holy War,” 30-11 in Chestnut Hill.
• October 10, 1994 – The New York Giants retired the jersey number 56 in honor of their great former linebacker, Lawrence Taylor.
• October 17, 1994 – Last meeting of Elway vs Montana in a Monday Night Football Classic. More on this classic game here.
• November 12, 1994 – Penn State, led by QB Kerry Collins, had one heck of a comeback win to preserve their season. More on this story in our post The 96-Yard Nightmare: How Kerry Collins Led Penn State’s Impossible Comeback.
• November 27, 1994, CFL Grey Cup, BC Place, Vancouver: BC Lions beat Baltimore FC, 26-23; first-ever championship in pro football history featuring a US vs. Canada matchup; Lions win on last-second Lui Passaglia field-goal.
• November 27, 1994 – The Miami Dolphons pulled off one of the most memorable trick plays ever, as Dan Marino faked a spike and instead threw a TD pass to defeat the New York Jets. You can read more on this in our post The Greatest Trick Play of the 90s: Dan Marino’s Fake Spike Game.
• December 3, 1994: The #6 Florida Gators narrowly edged out the #3 Alabama Crimson Tide, 24-23, in the 3rd SEC Championship Game. Enjoy our great write-up on this game, The Fateful Kick: How Danny Wuerffel Snatched the 1994 SEC Championship from Alabama.
• December 10, 1994 – The 60th Heisman Trophy Award went to Rashaan Salaam of the University of Colorado, who played the position of running back. The Heisman’s official webpage tells us that Rashaan was the first player from Colorado to win the Award as he became the third finalist in the history of the Trophy to surpass 2000 yards rushing in a season for Division I. Salaam totaled 2055 yards on the season with 24 scores and a remarkable 7.61 rushing average to lead the Buffs to a 4th place ranking in the polls.