But the bigger storyline played itself out during the course of the game and as the final seconds ticked off the clock, as Tony Dungy became the first black head coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory.
Much had been made in the weeks leading up to the game that both Dungy and Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith already had made history, becoming the first black head coaches to reach their sport's ultimate stage. Dungy took a moment to recognize the historic significance of the moment. As he accepted the Vince Lombardi trophy, Dungy thanked the black assistant head coaches before him that paved the way such as Jimmy Ray, Sherman Lewis and Lionel Taylor.
"Great coaches," Dungy said later, "that I know could have done this if they'd been given the opportunity. I feel good I was the first one to do it and represent the guys who came before me. I dedicate the game to them," Dungy told ESPN.
"There's a lot of African-American men that can do the job," Dungy added after the game.
The victory was a particularly significant moment of redemption for Dungy, who was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 after leading that team to the playoffs in successive years, only to see his replacement lead the team to a Super Bowl victory with the team he created just a year later.
"I'm proud to be the first African-American coach to win this," Dungy said during the trophy ceremony. "But again, more than anything, Lovie Smith and I are not only African-American but also Christian coaches, showing you can do it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that."
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