1985 Pro Bowl

The 1985 Pro Bowl was the NFL's 35th annual all-star game which featured the outstanding performers from the 1984 season. The game was played on Sunday, January 27, 1985, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii before a crowd of 50,385. The final score was AFC 22, NFC 14.

Chuck Noll of the Pittsburgh Steelers led the AFC team against an NFC team coached by Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka. The referee was Chuck Heberling.

Mark Gastineau of the New York Jets was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Players on the winning AFC team received $10,000 apiece while the NFC participants each took home $5,000.

Game Recap
For 26 minutes of this game, it was scoreless, then the NFC had the ball on their own 20-yard line with 4:10 left in the first half. On first down Joe Klecko sacked Neil Lomax for an 11-yard loss, then on second down Rod Martin sacked him for an 8-yard loss and on third down Mark Gastineau tackled Eric Dickerson for a safety and an AFC 2-0 lead. Later in the game Seattle's Fred Young blocked a partial punt to set the next score as NFL MVP of 1984 Dan Marino threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Allen as the AFC head to the locker room with a 9-0 lead at Halftime.

In the second half especially the third quarter, the NFC mounted the best drive of the game as it went 66 yards on 12 plays and capping it off with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Super Bowl XIX MVP Joe Montana to James Lofton with 8:04 left in period three. Then the NFC went into high gear as they had a 53-yard 9-play drive that culminated with a 1-yard touchdown run by Walter Payton with 35 seconds into the fourth quarter and a 14-9 lead. But then here comes the AFC as a 56-yard pass from Marino to Marcus Allen set a successful 33-yard field goal by the Seattle Seahawks Norm Johnson to cut the NFC lead to 14-12.

Now the NFC was driving trying to put this exhibition game out of reach, but with 5:15 left in the game and with the NFC at the AFC 15-yard line on third, Marino tried to hand off to 1984 record breaking sensation Eric Dickerson, but the two collided causing a fumble, and Art Still picked it up and ran 83 yards for a touchdown and the AFC took the lead 19-14. In the closing minutes, the AFC lead by the game's MVP Mark Gastineau shut down the NFC the rest of the way and Norm Johnson's 22-yard field goal with 43 seconds left in the game gave the AFC the victory and close the book on the 1984 NFL Season.

The game was televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports, and it was also the last telecast of Don Meredith's illustrious broadcasting career.