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The Super Bowl is rarely reserved for places like Minneapolis. Decades of games in locales like southern California, Florida, and Louisiana have ensured warm weather and clear skies for the most important football game of the year.
But that doesn’t mean America’s northern cities have been left in the cold for the big game. The emergence of shiny new stadiums — domes and open-air venues alike — have helped push the Super Bowl into new markets like the New York metro area and Indianapolis or return the game to states like Minnesota and Michigan. And while those cities won’t be challenging Miami or New Orleans for a spot on the league’s regular bowl rotation, they still present an opportunity for fans in colder climates to watch a season finale in their own backyards.
As Minneapolis hosts Super Bowl LII between the Eagles and Patriots this weekend, let’s look back at all the times the Super Bowl was played in cities with snow on the ground in February.
Super Bowl XLVIII: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
While most of the other entries on this list took place inside domed stadiums, this 2014 showdown between the Seahawks and Broncos took a gamble by playing an outdoor game in the Northeast. It paid off, as the temperature hit an unseasonably warm 49 degrees at kickoff. Seattle thrived in the relative warmth, blowing out Peyton Manning’s Denver team in a 43-8 rout.
Super Bowl XLVI: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
The NFL rewarded the Colts for replacing the old Hoosier Dome with a state-of-the-art stadium by giving Indianapolis its first Super Bowl in 2012. The venue, which has twice hosted the NCAA’s Final Four, bore witness to Eli Manning’s second NFL championship at the expense of Tom Brady and the Patriots in a 21-17 victory.
Super Bowl XL: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
The Lions’ new stadium played host to a Jerome Bettis homecoming in 2006 as his Steelers handled the Seahawks to earn Pittsburgh’s fifth Super Bowl title. Ben Roethlisberger completed just nine of his 21 passes, but four (and one from Antwaan Randle El) were to Hines Ward, whose 123-yard performance earned him MVP honors in an otherwise forgettable game.
Super Bowl XXVI: The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Twin Cities’ first hosting gig was in the dual-use stadium that the Vikings and Twins called home. Built with all the ambiance of a 1970s airport, the Metrodome marked the northern-most Super Bowl on record. Minneapolis would be one of four cities to watch the Bills lose in the biggest game of the year — in this case, a 37-24 defeat at Washington’s hands that wasn’t as close as the final score suggested.
Super Bowl XVI: The Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
The first northern Super Bowl was played inside the Detroit area’s monument to concrete and AstroTurf, the Silverdome. The 49ers ran out to a 20-0 halftime lead, then hung on to deny the Bengals’ comeback to deliver San Francisco its first Lombardi Trophy. Over the next 12 years, the Niners would add four more to their collection.
Even though Pontiac played host to a Super Bowl, it wouldn’t be the biggest event in the stadium’s history. More than 92,000 people were in attendance in 1987 to watch Hulk Hogan body slam Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III.