The Absolutely Most Bizarre Stories in Super Bowl History

There’s that common phrase: “you can’t make this stuff up.” What follows are a number of stories related to the NFL’s ultimate game – the Super Bowl. When you read each story, you may even say to yourself that you couldn’t make something like that up. Amazingly, each of these stories is true.

The Hangover

No, Ken Jeong didn’t jump out of a car’s trunk naked at the Super Bowl, but it’s a wonder that Max McGee was able to find his uniform in Super Bowl I. McGee had caught just four passes the entire 1966 season. He wasn’t planning on playing much in the Super Bowl, so he decided a night on the town was in the cards.

McGee reportedly stayed out all night, but on Super Bowl Sunday, starting WR Boyd Dowler got hurt on the third snap of the game. McGee didn’t even have his helmet, so he took a teammate’s, went onto the field and eventually caught the first touchdown pass in Super Bowl history. He ended his career day catching seven passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns – all with a hangover. Oh, after his playing days he was one of the founders of the Mexican restaurant chain Chi-Chi’s.

Coke & A Smile

Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson’s Drug Addiction Was So Severe He Snuck Liquid Cocaine Into Super Bowl 13

Dallas Cowboys LB Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson had some coke before Super Bowl XIII. It was not the popular soft drink either. Henderson indulged in some cocaine before and during the game, actually. Henderson mixed cocaine with some water and put it in a nasal spray bottle so he could take hits during the game. 

Henderson, of course, was known to have a drug addiction problem. A few years after Super Bowl XIII, he was arrested for smoking crack with two teenage girls. He spent 28 months in prison. His Cowboys lost that Super Bowl too falling 35-31 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Speaking of Coke

Stanley Wilson had a pretty decent career as a running back with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was all set to play in Super Bowl XXIII against the San Francisco 49ers. You may remember how that game turned out. 

It actually didn’t turn out at all for Wilson. He was found on game day passed out naked in his hotel room bathtub. When paramedics arrived, Wilson got a sudden burst of energy and, like Jeong in The Hangover, ran out of the hotel. He wasn’t found for several days. It’s no shock that he never played another NFL down.

Hit the Showers

After that same Super Bowl XIII when Hollywood Henderson was all coked up, the end of the game had one of the more bizarre moments in history. In the Steelers winning locker room, an old bald white dude comes strolling out of the shower. He sets up shop in a locker near Mean Joe Greene. He even started taking questions from the media. At some point, someone realized that he wasn’t a player so the media moved on. The man never identified himself, but NFL Films Steve Sabol remembers him vividly. The man got dressed and walked out.

Gone Boy Gone

Barrett Robbins was ready to start at center for the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII against Tampa Bay. Then, he wasn’t.

Robbins pulled the ultimate vanishing act and was nowhere to be found until 8 p.m. on game day. The game, of course, was already underway. Robbins had spent the entire night before in Tijuana. If you’ve never been to Tijuana imagine spring break times 100. 

Robbins had some issues with depression and mental health. His wife said Robbins had gone to Tijuana because he thought they had already won the game. The Raiders didn’t win, by the way. They got smoked 48-21 by the Bucs.