The 1999 American football season was a landmark year characterized by high-octane offenses, unforgettable Cinderella stories, and wire-to-wire dominance. From the emergence of one of the NFL’s greatest offenses to a college football powerhouse going undefeated, the year delivered moments that are still celebrated in football lore.
The NFL: “The Greatest Show on Turf”
In the professional ranks, the 1999 season belonged to the St. Louis Rams. After losing their starting quarterback, Trent Green, to a torn ACL in the preseason, the Rams turned to an unknown former Arena Football backup named Kurt Warner. What followed was a historic offensive explosion.
- An Unstoppable Offense: Dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf,” the Rams’ offense revolutionized the league. Led by Warner, versatile running back Marshall Faulk, and receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, St. Louis scored a staggering 526 points during the regular season.
- Super Bowl XXXIV: The Rams finished 13–3 and met the Tennessee Titans in the Super Bowl. In one of the most iconic finishes in NFL history, Titans receiver Kevin Dyson was tackled just one yard short of the end zone as time expired by Rams linebacker Mike Jones, preserving a 23–16 victory for St. Louis.
- MVP Honors: Kurt Warner swept the awards, winning both the NFL regular-season MVP and the Super Bowl MVP, capping off an improbable journey from stocking grocery shelves to football immortality.
College Football: Unprecedented Perfection
The 1999 collegiate season was defined by a legendary program operating at peak performance and a bruising running back shattering records.
- Florida State’s Perfect Season: Head coach Bobby Bowden led the Florida State Seminoles to a flawless 12–0 record. The team achieved a rare feat, becoming the first in NCAA history to go “wire-to-wire”—meaning they were ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll from the preseason all the way through the final postseason rankings.
- The BCS National Championship: The Seminoles secured the national title by defeating Michael Vick and the undefeated Virginia Tech Hokies 46–29 in the Sugar Bowl, highlighted by a breathtaking MVP performance from FSU receiver Peter Warrick.
- The Heisman Trophy: Wisconsin Badgers running back Ron Dayne won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide. Nicknamed “The Great Dayne,” he finished the 1999 season by becoming the NCAA Division I-A career rushing leader.
1999 Milestones of the Gridiron
Beyond the champions, the 1999 season produced several historic milestones and storylines that defined the era:
- The Return of the Browns: The NFL saw the Cleveland Browns return as an expansion franchise, restoring football to a city that had lost its original team to Baltimore just four years earlier.
- Defensive Standouts: While offenses largely stole the headlines, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp dominated the trenches. Sapp won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, anchoring a legendary defense that led Tampa Bay to the NFC Championship game.
- The First “Bowden Bowl”: On October 23, 1999, FSU’s Bobby Bowden faced off against his son, Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden, in the first-ever father-son coaching matchup in NCAA Division I-A history. FSU won the tightly contested game 17–14, which also marked Bobby Bowden’s 300th career victory.
A Deep Dive into 1999 Football History and Highlights
- January 1, 1999 – The 85th edition of the Rose Bowl Game featured a shootout between the Wisconsin Badgers and the UCLA Bruins. Barry Alvarez’s Badgers were on the good side of the final score in the 38-31 win, as the game’s MVP was Ron Dayne.
- January 3, 1999 – The “Catch II” occurred as the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Green Bay Packers in an NFC Wildcard Playoff game on a catch by Terrell Owens.
- January 4, 1999 – College Football, 1st BCS National Championship, Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ: #1 Tennessee beats #2 Florida State, 23-16, at the 28th Fiesta Bowl.
- January 11, 1999 – Marty Schottenheimer resigned as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs after 10 seasons. Schottenheimer had great success as an NFL head coach not only with the Chiefs but also with the Cleveland Browns a decade earlier. CBSNews.com tells how Marty’s teams played well in the regular season, but his failures in the playoffs led to many disappointments for Chiefs and Browns fans. It’s a shame that he is remembered for his failures rather than for the tremendous success his teams achieved. His 145 victories ranked him 10th in NFL history at the time.
- January 17, 1999 – Mile High Stadium in Denver saw the Broncos beat the New York Jets 23-10 in the AFC Championship game.
- January 17, 1999, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, the Atlanta Falcons faced the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game. The Vikings, 15-1 in the regular season and heavy favorites, led 27-20 with 2:18 remaining. Kicker Gary Anderson, perfect on the season with 35 field goals and 59 extra points, missed a field goal that would have extended the lead. The Falcons capitalized, tying the game and eventually winning in overtime with a field goal. The loss ended one of the Vikings’ best seasons and entered NFL lore as “The Miss,” with a final score of Atlanta Falcons 30, Minnesota Vikings 27. (source)
- January 31, 1999 – Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida – Super Bowl XXXIII featured the Dirty Birds of the Atlanta Falcons facing the AFC Champs, the Denver Broncos. Denver was the defending champs, as a year earlier, they had defeated Green Bay for the franchise’s first championship, per PFR. Quarterback John Elway was getting a little long in the tooth, but his mastery of the offense was never in doubt. The Falcons were appearing in their first Super Bowl, led by Quarterback Chris Chandler and running back Jamal Anderson. The Broncos were a little too much for upstart Atlanta, though, as they grounded the Falcons 34-19. Elway, who threw for 336 yards and a touchdown, took home the MVP trophy and traveled to Disney. A 30-second commercial during this Super Bowl would set you back a cool $1.6 million. (Source)
- February 7, 1999 – Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii – The AFC East Division had once again taken the honor of the Pro Bowl MVP award as both the New York Jets Wide Receiver Keyshawn Johnson and Ty Law, the cornerback of the New England Patriots, were selected for their fine play in the game. The final score of this all-star contest was the AFC knocking off the NFC squad 23-10 in the 1998 NFL Pro Bowl.
- February 16, 1999 – O.J. Simpson‘s 1968 Heisman Trophy is sold for $230,000 to help settle a $33.5 million civil judgment against Simpson for the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend.
- March 27, 2000 – NFL officials announced that the 1999 season was the first time paid attendance averaged over 65,000 per game. It was also the first time in the League’s history that paid attendance reached over 20 million for all games in a single season.
- April 17, 1999 – The NFL Draft was held. University of Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch was the first pick by the expansion Cleveland Browns franchise. (full coverage of the 1999 NFL Draft)
- May 2, 1999 – was indeed a big day in the career of John Elway, as exactly 16 years after the 1983 trade that sent number 7 to Denver, he announced his retirement from the NFL.
- June 22, 1999 – The NFL’s “Sunday Ticket” package was officially confirmed to be moving from its pioneering home on C-Band satellite to the newly launched DirecTV service, permanently altering how fans consume out-of-market games.
- June 24, 1999 – The Death of Marion Motley: Pro football mourned the loss of legendary fullback and linebacker Marion Motley. A true pioneer, Motley was one of four African American players to permanently reintegrate modern professional gridiron in 1946 with the Cleveland Browns, using his punishing 238-pound frame to become the AAFC’s all-time leading rusher and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
- September 13, 1999 – Denver, Colorado – The Denver Broncos officially retired quarterback John Elway’s number seven jersey.
- October 2, 1999 – We had a college football barn-burner when the 21st-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide upset number 3 Florida and their 30-game home win streak in a tight one, 40-39. Shaun Alexander, the future Seattle Seahawk standout, crossed the stripe between the pylons 4 times to help the Tide roll!
- October 6, 1999 – The NFL awarded the Houston Texans franchise a spot as the 32nd team in the League. Businessman Bob McNair and his Houston contingent went on a wild ride filled with patience, persistence, and a little bit of luck. McNair and others attempted to obtain an NHL franchise for Houston in June 1997, but the effort failed. A couple of weeks later, the Texas city learned that its beloved NFL team, the Oilers, was leaving for Tennessee. This prompted Bob McNair and his partners to change gears and petition for a new NFL franchise. In 1998, Cleveland was awarded the 31st franchise by the League offices in New York, and everyone knew that the NFL desired to have an even number of teams for scheduling balance. McNair and his group pushed hard to secure the franchise rights, but were met with a disappointing result when the League approved Los Angeles as the 32nd team. All hope was not lost, though, as the LA award had a contingent clause stating that a suitable ownership group and stadium would be in place by September 15, 1998. This deadline was not met, and in the spring of 1999, NFL owners voted to award Houston an expansion team, with McNair as the team’s owner. On October 6, 1999, the NFL officially announced the Texans as its newest expansion team.
- November 28, 1999, CFL Grey Cup, BC Place, Vancouver: Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeat Calgary Stampeders, 32-21; reverse previous year’s result.
- December 4, 1999 – No. 7 Alabama exacted revenge for their 1993 loss by defeating No. 5 Florida, 34-7, in the SEC Championship Game.
- December 13, 1999, The Manhattan Downtown Athletic Club handed the 65th Heisman Trophy Award to Running Back Ron Dayne of Wisconsin. Dayne put up some gaudy numbers. In the late 1990s, on December 13, 1999, the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan awarded the 65th Heisman Trophy to Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne. As noted by Heisman.com, Dayne’s senior year produced 1834 rushing yards, making him one of just five players to surpass 1000 yards in four seasons. Including bowl games, he set a career NCAA record with 7125 yards rushing. legitimate career to settle into a true pocket passer style of quarterbacking, according to the Heisman Trophy’s official website. From the shotgun formation, White threw for 3744 yards and 40 touchdowns on only 8 interceptions to lead the Sooners to an undefeated season. Jason White was also a unanimous All-American, won the AP’s Player of the Year, the consensus Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, the Davey O’Brien Award winner, and the Jim Thorpe Courage Award.