The game: Super Bowl XXIII

The date: Jan. 22, 1989

The setting: Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.

The protagonists: Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, John Taylor

The circumstances: With 3:10 left in the game, Cincinnati was leading 16-13 after Jim Breech's 40-yard field goal. San Francisco had taken over, first-and-10, at its 8-yard line following a half-the-distance penalty on the kickoff return.

The moment: Trying to settle his teammates down before they broke from the huddle, Montana turned to tackle Harris Barton and called his attention to a familiar face in the stands. "Hey," he said, "isn't that John Candy?" Super Joe then drove the 49ers 92 yards, rifling the winning 10-yard touchdown pass to Taylor with 34 seconds left. With 1:15 showing on the clock, the Niners had been facing a second-and-20 near midfield before Montana and Rice conspired to doom the Bengals for a second time in the Super Bowl. On a day when Rice would finish with 11 receptions for 215 yards and claim MVP honors, the most prolific receiver in NFL history snared a tightly threaded Montana ball over the top and high-stepped past three would-be Cincinnati tacklers, picking up 33 yards to the 18. Montana next found Roger Craig for a gain of 8 before Taylor, beating single coverage on a post pattern, scored the winning points.

The upshot: With their third Lombardi Trophy in nine seasons and having won the most dramatic Super Bowl yet played, Bill Walsh's 49ers secured their legacy as one of the NFL's greatest teams. Just for fun, they added a fourth title under George Seifert the following season, routing the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV.