1988 American Football Season

The 1988 American football season delivered legendary moments, unforgettable matchups, and historic milestones across both the professional and collegiate levels. It was a year defined by dominant individual performances, thrilling championship finishes, and the end of an era for several iconic figures in the sport.

Here is a photo of what 1988 American football looked like.

The NFL Season: Montana’s Magic and Coaching Farewells

In the National Football League, the 1988 season culminated in one of the most exciting finishes in Super Bowl history. The playoffs ultimately came down to a showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII.

• Super Bowl XXIII: Trailing 16–13 with 3:10 left on the clock, 49ers quarterback Joe Montana orchestrated a legendary 92-yard game-winning drive. Capped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver John Taylor with just 34 seconds remaining, San Francisco secured a 20–16 victory and their third championship of the decade.
• MVP Honors: Despite the Super Bowl loss, Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player after leading Cincinnati’s high-powered offense to a 12–4 regular-season record.
• End of an Era: The 1988 season marked the final year on the sidelines for legendary Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry, as well as the final season for San Francisco’s Bill Walsh, who retired on top after securing his third Super Bowl ring.

College Football: The Irish Return to Glory and a Historic Heisman

The 1988 collegiate season was equally captivating, featuring an undefeated national champion and arguably the greatest single-season individual performance in college football history.

• Notre Dame’s Perfect Season: Head coach Lou Holtz led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a perfect 12–0 record and the consensus National Championship. The defining moment of their season occurred on October 15 in the famous “Catholics vs. Convicts” game, where the Irish narrowly upset the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes 31–30, snapping Miami’s 36-game regular-season winning streak.
• Fiesta Bowl Finale: Notre Dame secured the national title by decisively beating the previously unbeaten and No. 3-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers 34–21 in the Fiesta Bowl.
• Barry Sanders’ Historic Run: Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide. Sanders shattered dozens of NCAA records, rushing for an incredible 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in just 11 games—a statistical feat that remains the gold standard for running backs in college football.

A Deep Dive into 1988 Football History and Highlights

Beyond the championships, 1988 stood out for its impact on the sport’s landscape. The NFL promoted Johnny Grier, the league’s first African-American referee, marking a significant milestone in officiating history. Additionally, the Cardinals franchise relocated from St. Louis to Phoenix, Arizona, expanding the league’s footprint in the Southwest. Between Joe Montana’s clutch heroics in the pros, Barry Sanders’ unprecedented production in college, and the legendary Notre Dame–Miami clash, the 1988 football season firmly etched its place as one of the most memorable years in the history of the gridiron.

• January 1, 1988 – At the 74th Rose Bowl Game, the Michigan State Spartans, with the help of Game MVP Percy Snow, overcame the USC Trojans, 20-17.
• January 16, 1988, the St. Louis Cardinals football team announced it would move to Phoenix, according to barstoolsports.com. The franchise spent 27 years in the Gateway to the West City. The Cardinals, who are the oldest franchise in the NFL, are the first to have called three different cities home. Our colleague on the Sports History Network, Joe Ziemba, has some great Podcasts on the history of the Cardinals, especially their years in Chicago. Joe is probably one of the foremost experts on Cardinals history, as evidenced by his great book “When Football was Football.”
• January 17, 1988 – at Mile High Stadium in Denver – the AFC Championship game featured the Cleveland Browns facing the Denver Broncos. Trailing by five points in the final minutes, the Browns mounted a methodical final drive. However, running back Earnest Byner lost possession at the Denver 3-yard line, resulting in a Broncos recovery with just over a minute remaining. The Denver Broncos held on to beat the Cleveland Browns, 38-33, in a game defined by “The Fumble.” This moment became one of the most devastating and memorable in NFL playoff history, shaping both franchises’ legacies.
• January 17, 1988 – RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.,hosted the NFC Championship, where the Washington Redskins defeated the Minnesota Vikings 17-10.
• January 31, 1988– Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego – Super Bowl XXII was not a very close one when the Denver Broncos faced the Washington Redskins. The Broncos jumped out quickly to a 10-0 lead after Ricky Nattiel caught a John Elway pass for 56 yards and a score. But the Powerful Washington team rattled off 42 unanswered points as QB Doug Williams caught fire and threw for 340 yards and 4 TDS to help the Washington Redskins cruise to a 42-10 victory. The MVP was Doug Williams, according to Pro Football Reference.
• February 7, 1988 – Aloha Stadium, Honolulu – We start today’s headlines at the NFL Pro Bowl as the American Football Conference outlasted the National Football Conference by the score of 15-6. The top star in this contest was Buffalo Bills Defensive End Bruce Smith, who took home the MVP award.
• March 23, 1988 – Dan Fouts Retires  – The legendary “Air Coryell” architect and Hall of Fame quarterback officially announced his retirement today in 1988 after 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers.
• April 24, 1988 – At the New York 1988 NFL Draft, Auburn tight end Aundray Bruce was the top pick by the Atlanta Falcons. Notables include Hall of Famers Tim Brown (Raiders, sixth), Michael Irvin (Cowboys, 11th), Randall McDaniel (Vikings, 19th), Thurman Thomas (Bills, second round), and Dermontti Dawson (Steelers, second round).
• September 12, 1988 – This is the very first NFL game played in Phoenix, Arizona, as the newly transplanted Cardinals hosted the Dallas Cowboys. The matchup was a Monday Night Football game that week, and the Cowboys spoiled the party in the desert with a 17-14 victory over the Redbirds.
• September 17, 1988 – A top-10 college football showdown between No. 10 Florida State and No. 3 Clemson was a classic, rain-soaked battle. With the score tied 21-21 and a little over a minute left on the clock, the tension in Clemson’s Death Valley was palpable. The Seminoles faced a 4th and 4 from their own 20-yard line, a situation that screamed “punt.” But Florida State coach Bobby Bowden had other plans—a play so audacious it would become the stuff of legend. Bowden called a daring fake punt known as the “Puntrooskie.” The play was a deception masterpiece: the snap went to up-back Dayne Williams, who then placed the ball between the legs of fellow up-back LeRoy Butler. Butler, with no one in front of him, took off running to the left sideline. The Clemson defense, completely fooled by the fake over-the-head snap, stood frozen as Butler streaked 78 yards down the field. The stunned silence of the 84,000 fans in attendance was a testament to the play’s sheer audacity. Butler was finally tackled at the Clemson 1-yard line, setting up the game-winning score. A few plays later, kicker Richie Andrews sealed the 24-21 victory with a 19-yard field goal. The “Puntrooskie” was more than just a trick play; it was a defining moment for Bowden and the Florida State program. It perfectly captured his reputation as a fearless gambler and solidified his team’s identity as a national powerhouse. Reflecting on the moment, Bowden said, “We were determined; somebody was going to win that game.” His willingness to risk it all paid off, turning a routine punt into one of the most famous plays in college football history and cementing the legacy of a legendary coach. The game was so exciting and memorable that ESPN in 2020 named it as the 99th Greatest College Football Game of All Time.
• October 15, 1988, South Bend, Indiana – The reigning champion Miami Hurricanes entered Notre Dame Stadium to face an undefeated Fighting Irish squad. It was a big game with much on the line. The hype of this game, colloquially known as Catholics vs. Convicts, lived up to every ounce of the buildup.
• With 45 seconds left to play, the Hurricanes scored a touchdown to make the score 30-31 in favor of the Irish. Hurricane Head Coach Jimmy Johnson had a decision to make: kick the extra point and hopefully go into overtime, or go for two and go for the jugular in regulation. Johnson elected to go for the win in regulation, and the Irish defender Pat Terrel batted down the Hurricane pass from QB Steve Walsh to preserve the Notre Dame one-point lead and the Irish victory! We have a full coverage story on the Catholics vs. Convicts game of 1988.
• October 15, 1988,  Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska – A second pretty awesome matchup in college football on the same day! Number 7 Nebraska would entertain number 10 Oklahoma State in a Big 8 Conference showdown. The Huskers came out putting on the heat as they grabbed every opportunity they had to jump out to a 42-0 lead early in the second quarter over their rivals! The Cowboys suddenly awoke from the nightmare they were in and rattled off 21 points in the second quarter, but found themselves down 49-21 at the half.
• The most amazing part of this contest was that the yardage was not all through the air, as one might expect in such a high-scoring game, according to a HuskerMax.com story. There was a total of only 349 passing yards in the game for the two teams combined. The combined rushing yards were an NCAA record at 778 for the game. Nebraska running back Ken Clark ran for 256 yards on 27 attempts to lead the Huskers, while OSU Cowboys Star Barry Sanders paced his team with 35 rushes for 189 yards in the Nebraska 63 to Oklahoma State 42 final score.
• October 29, 1988 – A story from the NFF: Washington State scored 28 points in the second half to upset No. 1 UCLA and College Football Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Terry Donahue, 34-30. Cougar running back Rick Swinton scored the go-ahead touchdown with 6:21 remaining in the game. The Bruins had an opportunity late in the fourth quarter to win the game, but Aikman misfired on four consecutive passes from the Washington State six-yard line as Washington State’s defense stood tall to preserve the victory.
• October 30, 1988 – The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey – The New York Jets defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 1st time in history. The Steelers and the Jets have only squared off against each other 22 times since the AFL/NFL merger at the time of this writing, and Pittsburgh holds the edge in the series 17-5. The first meeting took place in the 1970 season with Pittsburgh upsetting the Jets 21-17 in Pittsburgh.
• October 31, 1988 – Indianapolis, Indiana – The 1st nationally televised NFL game in Indianapolis took place. ABC’s Monday Night Football, with its broadcast team of Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf, and Al Michaels, brought the Colts and their guests, the Denver Broncos, into living rooms across the country. The Colts franchise had moved from Baltimore in March of 1984. The Colts defeated the Denver Broncos that historic evening, 55-23.
• November 12, 1988 – Houston, Texas –The University of Wyoming was riding high in the 1988 season, ranked tenth in the nation and sporting the top offense in the country, when they arrived in Texas to play the University of Houston. According to an article on the NFF’s website, Houston defensive tackle Glen Montgomery recorded six of his team’s 16 sacks. It made 14 tackles to lead the Cougars in knocking out undefeated Wyoming from the top 10. Cowboy quarterback Randy Welniak was dropped behind the line of scrimmage nine times in the first half alone as the high-powered Wyoming offense finished with -37 yards rushing. The Cougars attained a 28-3 lead behind College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Andre Ware’s touchdown passes to Patrick Cooper and Brian Williams. Houston upset No. 10 Wyoming, 34-10. 
• November 19, 1988 –Rodney Peete was a bit under the weather, but his play surely did not show it, as Peete led the USC Trojans over Troy Aikman and the UCLA Bruins.
• November 20, 1988 – Dublin’s Lansdowne Road Stadium, Ireland –The first NCAA American Football game to ever be played in Europe took place as Boston College defeated Army 38-24 in a contest promoted as the ‘Emerald Isle Classic’ per Onthisday.com. 
• November 27, 1988 – CFL Grey Cup, Lansdowne Park, Ottawa: Winnipeg Blue Bombers edge BC Lions, 22-21; first Grey Cup game won by a team with only a .500 season.
• December 3, 1988 – Oklahoma State Cowboys junior back Barry Sanders won the 54th Heisman Trophy Award by sweeping all six voting regions after recording a then-record 2,628 rushing yards and 39 total touchdowns.
• December 18, 1988 – The Seattle Seahawks win their 1st-ever division title, per the Washington Post. The division AFC West title came down to a pivotal game with the LA Raiders. Yes, I did just say AFC West and the LA Raiders. Seattle was in the AFC West Division from its inception in the 1970s until the 2002 realignment, when it moved to the NFC West. Also, the Raiders franchise spent some time calling Los Angeles home between stints in Oakland and before moving to Las Vegas in 2020. Now that that is cleared up, the Seahawks won the AFC West with a 9-7 record, and they dashed the Raiders’ hopes, who came into the game at 7-8. It was a close one, though, as the final score was Seahawks 43, Raiders 37. QB Dave Krieg threw four TDs, and wideout Steve Largent extended his streak of consecutive games catching a pass to 167 in the victory. The Seahawks would lose to the Cincinnati Bengals 21-13 in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.