What life was like when the Patriots beat the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI
Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, right, and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady have a few words and shake hands during warmups on Feb. 3, 2002 before Super Bowl XXXVI at the Superdome in New Orleans. Credit: Getty Images/Ezra Shaw
When the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots meet in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, Feb. 3, it will be 17 years to the day that the two franchises first met in a Super Bowl. The Patriots defeated the Rams, 20-17, at the Superdome in New Orleans in Super Bowl XXXVI. Here's a look at what life was like in 2002.
Meet Me in St. Louis
The Rams, who began as the Cleveland Rams in 1937 and played there through 1945 when they won the NFL championship, were in the midst of a 21-year stint in St. Louis when they first faced the Patriots in the Super Bowl following the 2001 season. The Rams moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles for the 1946 season before moving to St. Louis in 1995. In 2016, the Rams moved back to Los Angeles.
Brady's first
Tom Brady will appear in a record ninth Super Bowl on Sunday, but Super Bowl XXXVI was Brady's first after taking over for Drew Bledsoe as the Pats' starter in Week 3 after entering a Week 2 loss to the Jets when Bledsoe was carted off on a stretcher following a nasty hit that left him with a concussion. Brady was just 24 at the time. Now, he's 41.
Call me, maybe?
The iPhone, which had nine versions in the top 12 most popular smartphones in the United States in Q4 of 2018, according to DeviceAtlas, did not yet exist. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs announced the iPhone in 2007, and the company released the iPhone XS in September 2018.
Netflix, chilled
In 2002, Netflix made its initial public offering with 600,000 members in the United States back when it was still a DVD subscription service. As of October 2018, the streaming service had more than 137 million subscribers worldwide, according to CNN.
Social media
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram didn't exist yet. Not even Myspace did. Myspace was created by Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe in 2003. TheFacebook.com, which later became Facebook, launched in February 2004. Twitter made its debut in March 2007 at South by Southwest. And Instagram was founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger.
U Got It Bad
Usher's "U Got It Bad" was the No. 1 song on Billboard's Hot 100 for five weeks, including the week of Super Bowl XXXVI.
History at the Oscars
"A Beautiful Mind," starring Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly and Christopher Plummer, won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 74th Annual Academy Awards on March 24, 2002. Halle Berry became the first African American to win in the Best Actress category for her performance in "Monster's Ball," and Denzel Washington became the second African-American man to get the nod for Best Actor for his role in "Training Day."
The Olympics return to the U.S.
Just five days after the Patriots beat the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, the Winter Olympics kicked off in Salt Lake City. The Games featured 2,399 athletes from 77 countries. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, a cross country skier and biathlete from Norway, led the individual medal count with four golds. Germany beat out the United States in total medals, 35-34.
Brazil wins World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan was held from May 31 to June 30. Brazil defeated Germany, 2-0, in the final in Yokohama. The United States was eliminated by Germany, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. In 2018, the U.S. didn't qualify for the World Cup.
The Brady bunch
Brady's teammates in Super Bowl XXXVI consisted of the likes of Antowain Smith, Kevin Faulk and Troy Brown. As for his current teammates, Julian Edelman was 15, Rob Gronkowski was 12 and Sony Michel was two weeks shy of his seventh birthday.
Opposing QB
Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who was 7 when Brady led the Patriots' past the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, is the same age now (24) as Brady was in his first Super Bowl.
Gassed at the tank
The average price for a gallon of regular gas in 2002 was $1.345, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2018, the average was $2.719.
From the Oval Office
President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law on Jan. 8 and created the Department of Homeland Security on June 7.
Correction: A previous version of this story named "Chicago," the Academy Award's Best Picture winner. It won the award the following year.
SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Long Island teams win 8 state titles On this episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra, Ben Dickson and Michael Sicoli recap the state championships including baseball and lacrosse.
SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Long Island teams win 8 state titles On this episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra, Ben Dickson and Michael Sicoli recap the state championships including baseball and lacrosse.
