Game 12: Zachary Taylor vs. Super Bowl XII

Little is known about either Zachary Taylor or Super Bowl 12. Here's what we do know.

Taylor was a 40-year military veteran who had become a national hero fighting against Mexico. This was the first Super Bowl to be played in prime time and was watched by 102,010,000 viewers, the largest audience ever for a sporting event. Taylor was known as "Old Rough and Ready" because he was up for anything, and because nicknames back then often started with "Old" regardless of age. The game matched Dallas's "Doomsday Defense" against Denver's "Orange Crush." Taylor was in office only for about 16 months. On July 4, 1850, he attended a ceremony connected with the construction of the Washington Monument. He felt hot, reportedly, so drank a bunch of water, then ate cherries and drank "iced milk." That night he got gastroenteritis and a fever. He died on July 9. The big game was sloppy -- it featured 10 fumbles and 4 interceptions, all of the INTs thrown by Broncos QB Craig Morton. Denver didn't score in the first half, and the result was never much in doubt, as the Cowboys won easily, 27-10. For a game that so many people watched, it was pretty poor excuse for entertainment. That's 1978 network prime time for you. But prior to dying, Taylor had done most of the legwork to get California admitted to the U.S., as a non-slave state.

Who wins? Look at it this way: if you could live through either another Taylor Presidency or another Cowboys Super Bowl blowout, which would you choose? Think hard. That's right. We're thinking ABC: Anything But Cowboys. Victory Taylor.

SCORE AFTER THIS MATCH: Presidents 9, Super Bowls 3

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