Bookies Don’t Want Repeat Of ‘79

The last time the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers met in the Super Bowl, the unthinkable happened in Las Vegas’ sports books.

With more than $70 million at stake in this year’s game, bookmakers are betting it won’t happen again.

“Everybody who had a ticket won that day,” Jimmy Vaccaro said of the 1979 game. “We just got slaughtered on that one. It was the biggest loss for the sports books ever.”

Dallas opened an 11-1/2-point favorite Sunday night over the Steelers for Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, Ariz., the third year in a row that the NFC champion has been a double-digit favorite in the championship game.

The matchup between two high-profile teams and the proximity of the Super Bowl itself to Las Vegas this year has most predicting that legal wagering on the game will go well over $70 million and set a Super Bowl record.

“We’ll have wall-to-wall people in here two weeks from now,” said Vaccaro, sports book manager at the Mirage hotel-casino. “I look for this to be the biggest Super Bowl we’ve ever booked.”

The combination of the Dallas offensive explosion against Green Bay and Pittsburgh’s lethargic win widened what was expected to be about a 9-point spread between the two Super Bowl-bound teams.

Bookmakers hope the line helps them avoid the disaster that struck in Super Bowl XIII when the Steelers beat the Cowboys 35-31 and bettors on both sides cleaned up.

That game opened with the Steelers a 3-1/2-point favorite, and Pittsburgh fans quickly put their money down. When the line changed to 4 points and then 4-1/2 points, Dallas money poured in.

Super Bowl XXX figures to attract more even betting this year because of a smaller spread, but Dallas is still the team most big money players like to bet on.

That included a bettor Sunday at the Mirage, who gave away 9 points with a $500,000 winning bet on Dallas over Green Bay.

“He’ll get it all paid in a minute or two,” Vaccaro said as time wound down on the game. “But that’s OK. We’ll just have to get it back from him in two weeks.”

Haskell remains in hospital

Green Bay wide receivers coach Gil Haskell was in serious condition with a head injury after being hit in a sideline accident during Sunday’s NFC championship game.

Haskell remained in the hospital Sunday night and will stay there today for evaluation, the Packers announced after their 38-27 loss to Dallas.

Jennifer Coleman, spokeswoman for Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, said team Dr. John Gray was with Haskell. She said Gray requested that no further information be released.

Haskell’s head struck the artificial turf at Texas Stadium when Cowboys safety Darren Woodson blocked flanker Robert Brooks out of bounds and into the Packers’ 51-year-old assistant late in the second quarter.

Jerry and Jimmy together again

Jimmy Johnson returned to the Texas Stadium sidelines, and even shook hands with his old boss Jerry Jones.

The two haven’t exactly been friends since Johnson and Jones split up after the Dallas Cowboys won the 1994 Super Bowl.

Johnson landed comfortably with several television analysis jobs, the top one being on Fox.

In his capacity as a reporter, Johnson wanted field access to last year’s NFC championship game between the Cowboys and 49ers at San Francisco. Jones, however, feared it would be a distraction to his team, so he got the NFL to keep Johnson off the Candlestick Park turf.

This year, Jones mellowed.

Sort of.

After Johnson was hired as coach of the Miami Dolphins last week, Jones told Johnson to look elsewhere for assistant coaches. Jones said he wouldn’t release any of his staff to work for Johnson and he cited a new league rule that allows him to “protect” two coaches from being taken.

Johnson did not seek the hand of Cowboys coach Barry Switzer while roaming the field before the game.

Oh well. They can shake at midfield in Joe Robbie Stadium when the Dolphins and Cowboys meet in the fall.

Nowhere to jump

When the Packers’ Robert Brooks caught a 73-yard touchdown in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against Dallas, he was ready to celebrate. Just not in his usual style.

Brooks went to the back of the end zone and did a little dance that combined the moves of Dallas’ top tappers, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin.

Brooks had to shun his usual leap into the stands because the seats behind the end zone at Texas Stadium are too high. He decided not to even try it Saturday during a walk-through at the stadium.

It’s been some time between blocks

When Green Bay’s Bernard Carter blocked John Jett’s first-quarter punt for Dallas, it was a first in a long time for both teams.

The last time the Packers blocked a punt was in December 1990. Green Bay never had blocked a kick in 25 postseason games.

The last time Dallas had a punt blocked was in the 1993 Super Bowl. The punter then was Mike Saxon. Jett had never had a punt blocked since replacing Saxon.

Numbers game

Dallas’ Michael Irvin became the ninth receiver in NFL history to gain 1,000 yards receiving during the postseason. His sixth catch - a 28-yarder in the second quarter - gave him 68 in the playoffs, breaking Drew Pearson’s team record.

Brett Favre’s second-quarter touchdown pass to Keith Jackson was his 131st postseason completion for Green Bay, breaking Bart Starr’s team record.

Robert Brooks’ 73-yard touchdown in the first-quarter broke two Packers’ postseason records. It was the longest for Green Bay, and it gave him 31 career catches.

Leon Lett’s first-quarter interception for Dallas was the first of his career. It was the first turnover by the Packers in three games this postseason.

Chris Jacke tied a Green Bay record by scoring in his seventh straight postseason game. It was last done by Don Chandler in 1968.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN - NFC Championship notebook