Bud Bowl, Super Bowl XXIII

Bottles of Bud and Bud Light competed in a game running parallel to the real action, with scoring continuing throughout. The battle proved so compelling that the Bud Bowl had eight iterations, ending at Super Bowl XXXI.

Hey Kid, Catch, Super Bowl XIV

The Coca-Cola spot moved slowly and the overblown background music was corny, but the moment when Joe Greene’s meanness melted away in the stadium tunnel and he tossed a young fan his jersey remains a pure classic.

When I Grow Up, Super Bowl XXXIII

A witty, insightful ad for the job-search site Monster.com. Kids talked about hoping to grow up to “be a yes man,” or to “be replaced on a whim,” or to “file all day.” The rare ad that drew laughs and intelligently promoted the product.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3AjdCkBJ_A

Old Milwaukee, Super Bowl XLVII

In a bizarre spot that aired only in Sherman, Texas, Ardmore, Okla., and Glendive, Mont., a mustachioed, tank-topped Will Ferrell made out with a middle-aged non-supermodel on a bus for nearly 30 seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDO66T__1E4

Ram Trucks, Super Bowl XLVII

Chrysler reappropriated “So God Made a Farmer,” a talk by radio host Paul Harvey at the 1978 Future Farmers of America convention. Setting the speech to images of the rural U.S. yielded a Super Bowl one-off and an arresting surprise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpZ0TGjbWE

SUPER BOWL GOLD: 50 Years of The Big Game was published by Sports Illustrated Books, an imprint of Time Inc. Books. Copyright 2015 Time Inc. Used by permission.