The Best and Worst Super Bowl Trash Talk 1967-2007

Fred "The Hammer" Williamson Started it Off in Super Bowl I

Willaimson yapped incessantly about his patented "hammer" technique during the week before the game while the Packers weren't sure whether to seethe or laugh. Well, the Green Bay Packers got the last laugh as their squad began pulling away on their way to a 35-10 victory. In the second half, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson was knocked out cold by Packer running back Donny Anderson. After trainers administered the smelling salts and Williamson was getting to his feet, Packer guard Fuzzy Thurston stood by...humming the 60's folk song "If I had a Hammer".

Williamson was selected to replace "Dandy" Don Meredith on ABC's Monday Night Football in 1974. "The Hammer" didn't fare any better than he had in the Super Bowl, as ABC replaced him with Alex Karras after the preseason in a last minute desperation move.The poor guy must have been abysmal to get booted while Howard Cosell remained. "The Hammer', just as in his Super Bowl appearance, became the nail.

In the 70's, after the Super Bowl had exploded into the American conscience forever, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys had quite a rivalry, meeting twice in a period of 4 years in the Big Game. The Steelers won in a squeaker the first time, winning 21-17 and Cowboys safety Cliff Harris apparently didn't learn from Fred "The Hammer" Willaimson's example of a few years earlier.

Steeler star receiver Lynn Swann had missed part of the AFC Championship with a concussion and spent a few days in the hospital before the Super Bowl. Harris repeatedly questioned Swann's toughness, called him "soft", football parlance for a "wuss", and warned Swann about going across the middle of the field. It was clearly an attmept to get into Swann's head. It didn't work any more than The Hammer's harangue in Super Bowl I.

Swann had only 4 catches, but for a whopping 161 yards and a touchdown. To add insult to injury, or vice versa, Cowboys tough guy "wannabe" Cliff Harris, who resembled Snidely Whiplash a bit, taunted Steeler kicker Roy Gerela who had just missed a 36 yard field goal. Harris grabbed Gerela, patted him on the helmet and made comments I'm sure were not of the "keep your head up" variety.

Jack Lambert of Pittsburgh, who was a tough guy, grabbed Harris and body slammed him to the turf WWF-style. An official was standing nearby but kept his hankie in his pocket as Harris whined to the ref like a 10 year old who had his lunch money taken.