I was glad to see this blog post on NFL.com recognizing Whitney Houston's place in NFL history. The music legend died Saturday at the age of 48. Which means she was just 27 years old when she took the field at Tampa Stadium to sing the National Anthem before Super Bowl XXV.
If you'll allow for a little first-person indulgence... I remember this well because I was a 25-year-old kid at his first Super Bowl that year, and I was on the field as well. Since the United States had just embarked on the Gulf War prior to that game, it was the first Super Bowl that featured hard-core security as you entered the stadium. It was the first time this country had been to war since Vietnam (tragically, it's old hat for today's generation of 25-year-olds), and there was an air of anxiety.
What I remember most about standing on the sidelines as Houston belted out an emotionally-charged "Star-Spangled Banner" wasn't her incredible singing (truth be told, it was lip-synced -- but it was still Whitney's voice). What I remember most was watching the reaction of the fans in the stadium.
Watching on TV could not have done it justice. Many of the fans in attendance were crying. Many more than usual were singing along. It was truly a stirring moment.
I'm not big on patriotic events, but this was one for the books. With the crowd in a frenzy after Houston's anthem, two teams that both wear red, white and blue took center stage for America's greatest sporting event, and they proceeded to play what is still the only Super Bowl ever decided by one point.
Super Bowl XXV remains a shining example of how sports in our culture can help ease tensions and bring people together. And Whitney Houston played a powerful role in it.
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