N.Y. Wins 20-19; Security Tight at Super Bowl

Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with four seconds remaining Sunday at Tampa, Fla., and the New York Giants won the closest game in Super Bowl history, 20-19.

In the 25th Super Bowl, a game the National Football League had considered postponing because of the Persian Gulf War, Norwood’s pressure kick for the Buffalo Bills sailed about three feet wide to the right.

The game was played under tight security, with such trademarks as the ubiquitous blimp missing, and meticulous checks of bags and packages at gates.

Fans had to pass through X-ray machines and metal detectors to get into Tampa Stadium, which was surrounded by a six-foot fence and concrete barriers. About 20 security guards in yellow windbreakers were stationed about 10 feet from each gate, checking each spectator who passed through gaps in yellow restraining ropes.

There was a regiment of 1,700 uniformed police and troopers representing 18 law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, which sent an antiterrorist SWAT team.

On the field, the Giants, using a ball-control offense, dominated the second half but nearly lost control when they couldn’t convert on third and three at the Buffalo 49-yard line with 2 minutes, 41 seconds left. Instead, they had to punt and Buffalo, with the dangerous Jim Kelly at quarterback, had one last chance.

He moved the Bills smartly downfield but couldn’t come up with the big play and Buffalo had to try the kick, even though Norwood was slightly out of his range.

Although the game went on as scheduled, reminders of the Persian Gulf War were everywhere. Military helicopters flew overhead as the Giants ran onto the field for pregame warmups while a band played “Anchors Aweigh.”

“I’m real glad to see all the security,” Harold Arlen, 58, of Bridgewater, N.J., told the Associated Press. “The more the better. I was kind of worried about coming to the game in the beginning. This may be the safest place in the world today.”

Police, Army and Coast Guard helicopters circled the stadium but other aircraft, even the customary blimp, were prohibited from flying over the stadium from noon until midnight.

The game was televised and broadcast live to the Persian Gulf by Armed Forces Radio and Television Services.

In Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Marines learned how to negotiate deadly minefields and to penetrate elaborate fortifications, then crowded around radios and televisions for the game.

At an air base munitions bunker in Dhahran, Tech. Sgt. Lee James had to settle for near beer instead of the real thing as he and 30 other men watched the game.

Their Super Bowl suits consisted of bulky chemical protective gear with gas masks strapped to the hip. Bets were as likely to concern the chances Saddam Hussein would interrupt with a Scud attack as the results of the game.

President Bush and his wife, Barbara, saluted the troops during a videotaped message televised during halftime ceremonies, which featured a show, called “Small World Salute to 25 Years of Super Bowls.” Produced by Disney, it was dedicated to the servicemen and women of Operation Desert Storm.

The 2,000 young people in the show wore yellow ribbons, and 72,000 small American flags were handed out to the fans.

The game also was shown in Israel for the first time. It started after 1 a.m. but Israelis were awake and watching while on the alert for Iraqi missile attacks.

Israel television began all-night broadcasting after the Persian Gulf War started.