Is this the first time twin cities have hosted the Super Bowl?

Nope!

Of course, it’s the first time almost-brand-new U.S. Bank Stadium has played host to the Big Game, but it’s not the first time the Twin Cities have set the stage for the ultimate football showdown.

On January 26, 1992, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was packed to the gills for Super Bowl XXVI, a clash between the NFC champion Washington Redskins and the AFC champion Buffalo Bills. The Redskins won. Final score: 37-24.

January 26, 1992 was cold by almost anyone’s standards except Minnesotans. With a high of 26 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 9, it was a balmy 2 degrees above average for the day.

A 30-second commercial spot during Super Bowl XXVI cost $850,000. Gloria Estefan was the halftime performer.

The 1991-1992 sports season was massive for the Twin Cities. A few months before Super Bowl XXVI, the hometown baseball team, the Minnesota Twins, beat the Atlanta Braves in the World Series, and that meant the Metrodome got a warm-up for the Super Bowl by hosting World Series games. (Depending on your preferred sport, you might argue that the Super Bowl was a “cool-down” after the World Series instead.)

As if that weren’t enough, the Metrodome also hosted the 1992 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, which took place shortly after the Super Bowl.

And there’s your answer: This is the second time the Twin Cities have hosted the Super Bowl. So we might be a little rusty after 26 years, but it’s probably like riding a bike. Or throwing a football.

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