The Super Bowl is upon us! While some folks may be more excited about the halftime show or the Puppy Bowl, the NFL’s grand finale is still full of fanfare and grandiose moments. This year’s Super Bowl is the 60th installment of the big game, or Super Bowl LX if you’re a Roman numeral enthusiast.
Texas cities have hosted Super Bowls on four occasions, most recently in 2017. Here’s a look at the history of those games.
Here’s When Texas Hosted the Super Bowl
In 60 Super Bowls so far, a Texas city has played host just four times. Three of those games were in Houston, with the other in Arlington:
Super Bowl VIII, January 13, 1974: Houston, Texas
Rice Stadium, home of the Rice Owls, served as Texas’s introduction to Super Bowl festivities. The Miami Dolphins won their second Super Bowl in a row, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 in front of 71,882 fans.
Dolphins running back Larry Csonka earned the first MVP for a running back, finishing the game with 33 carries and 145 yards. Both the carries and yards were a Super Bowl record, though they’ve since been surpassed.
Super Bowl XXXVIII, February 1, 2004: Houston, Texas
This game was hosted at Reliant Stadium, which had just been built less than two years earlier for $352 million. The New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers, 32-29. This was the second of Tom Brady’s six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots; it was also his second Super Bowl MVP.
Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goal with four seconds remaining to give New England the victory. However, for QUITE some time, the biggest moment of this Super Bowl was during the halftime show, when Justin Timberlake ripped off Janet Jackson’s top, exposing her breast (which was covered by a nipple shield) before the lights went out on the show. Jackson unfairly received the brunt of criticism for the show, and the term “wardrobe malfunction” had never been uttered so much before or since.
Super Bowl XLV, February 6, 2010: Arlington, Texas
The only Super Bowl held at Cowboys Stadium, this Super Bowl was the first one outside of the Rose Bowl in California to host more than 100,000 people (official attendance: 103,219). Those attendees got treated to a game between two of the league’s most storied franchises, the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Though the Packers jumped out to a 21-3 lead, the Steelers trimmed the deficit down to three before ultimately losing 31-25.
Aaron Rodgers won Super Bowl MVP, throwing for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Super Bowl XLV also set a record for the fewest combined rushing attempts in a Super Bowl game, with the Packers and Pittsburgh totaling a mere 36 carries between them. As of 2026, this game is the last time either of these franchises has reached the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LI, February 5, 2017: Houston, Texas
NRG Stadium was home to the most recent Super Bowl in Texas. In terms of official attendance, this Super Bowl is actually the smallest crowd among the Texas games, with NRG Stadium holding 70,807. Still, the fans were treated to an all-time comeback. The New England Patriots, after falling behind 28-3, rallied to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime, 34-28.
The Falcons lost a game earlier this season when they scored a touchdown to go up by one point in the final minutes, then threw an interception on the two-point conversion to lose the lead. That felt like the wildest way to lose a game, but then this Super Bowl happened. Falcons cornerback Robert Alford had a fumble recovery and an 82-yard interception return for a touchdown, and would have been in the running for Super Bowl MVP if the Falcons had won the game. Instead, the Patriots meticulously put up 25 points in the final quarter and a half, then drove down the field and won on the first possession of overtime.
This game also saw over 30 records either broken or tied. The 25-point comeback is the largest in NFL history, Brady went 43 for 62 for 466 yards (all Super Bowl records), and James White caught 14 passes (another record) for 110 yards. Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett tied a Super Bowl record with three sacks.
And there are the four times Texas hosted the Super Bowl! The next time the big game visits Texas isn’t confirmed, though the track record of exciting games is pretty solid. And it’s impressive that four separate venues have hosted each appearance. If you’re at a Super Bowl party this year, I hope you’re given plenty of Lone Star State hospitality.