Game 41: George H.W. Bush vs. Super Bowl XLI

We don't have Royal Families in American government or football. Here's about as close as it gets. Prescott Bush was a Wall Street banking tycoon from Connecticut who became a U.S. Senator in 1952. He never made it to President, but he had a son and a grandson who did. Archie Manning was a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints from 1972 to 1982.  He never made it to the Super Bowl, but he had two sons who did. Family connections don't guarantee a ride to the top in the NFL or the USA, but these guys show it sure doesn't hurt.

Archie's sons Peyton Manning and Eli Manning both won Super Bowls (putting them atop the NFL father-son family tree that includes Phil and Chris Simms, Kellen Winslow I and II, Joe and Dan Klecko, and of course Mosi and Lofa Tatupu). Peyton entered rain-soaked Super Bowl XLI in 2007 respected as a great quarterback but with a reputation for not winning the big ones. And it didn't look good this time either when Chicago Bears return specialist Devin Hester took the game's opening kickoff back 93 yards for a score -- the first TD on an opening kickoff in Super Bowl history.  Later that quarter, a Thomas Jones run set up a Rex Grossman-to-Muhsin Muhammad TD pass that gave the Bears a 14-6 lead after one quarter.

But Manning and the Colts defense pushed back. By the half, the Colts were up 16-14. They then turned to a ball control offense, setting loose running backs Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai to eat time. They combined for 190 ground yards. The Colts D, spearheaded by safety Bob Sanders, forced three Bears fumbles in the game and intercepted Grossman twice in fourth quarter to seal a 29-17 win.  When it was done, Tony Dungy was the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl.

George Herbert Walker Bush sailed into office as Ronald Reagan's longtime VP.  His international expertise as former Director of the CIA, and his connections to big business and the oil industry, seemed to color some of his key moves. The Berlin Wall came down under Bush's watch. When Iraq invaded oil-rich Kuwait, Bush launched Operation Desert Storm to push Iraq out -- and begin a new era of U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf.  Domestically, he did not control the ball.  He said "Read my lips. No new taxes!" but there were more taxes. The government paid a king's ransom to failed, poorly regulated Savings and  Loans. By 1992, the economy was hurting super-badly, and Bush lost his seat to Bill Clinton.

Score this for the Super Bowls. They go one point up as we head into the thrilling final weekend of America Bowl.  Consider this our own version of the two-minute warning.    

Score after this match: Super Bowls 21, Presidents 20.

Go to next match.