FOR USE AS DESIRED
January 25, 2002

PRESS BOX NOTES – AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

NO, 1 VS. NO. 2: This Sunday will mark the 10th time since 1975 (the first year playoff teams were seeded based upon record) that the AFC’s No. 1-seeded team (Pittsburgh Steelers) and No. 2 seed (New England Patriots) have met each other in the AFC Championship Game. The home team has won six of these meetings for a .667 winning percentage. Following are the previous nine times the top two seeds have met in the AFC Championship Game and the results of those contests:

YEAR	# 1 SEED	# 2 SEED	OUTCOME
1975	Pittsburgh Steelers	Oakland Raiders	Steelers 24 @ Raiders 13
1986	Cleveland Browns	Denver Broncos	Broncos 23 @ Browns 20
1987	Denver Broncos	Cleveland Browns	Browns 33 @ Broncos 38
1988	Cincinnati Bengals	Buffalo Bills	Bills 10 @ Bengals 21
1989	Denver Broncos	Cleveland Browns	Browns 21 @ Broncos 37
1990	Buffalo Bills	L.A. Raiders	Raiders 3 @ Bills 51
1991	Buffalo Bills	Denver Broncos	Broncos 7 @ Bills 10
1994	Pittsburgh Steelers	San Diego Chargers	Chargers 17 @ Steelers 13
1998	Denver Broncos	New York Jets	Jets 10 @ Broncos 23

THE HOST WITH THE MOST: This Sunday will mark the eighth time since 1970 that the Pittsburgh Steelers have hosted a Championship Game, which ties them with San Francisco for the most in the NFL in that span. Following is a list of the teams that have hosted the most AFC/NFC Championship Games:

TEAMS	GAMES HOSTED
Pittsburgh Steelers*	8
San Francisco 49ers	8
Miami Dolphins	6
Dallas Cowboys	5
Washington Redskins	5

* Includes this Sunday against New England

BRADY: FIRST START TO FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP: New England quarterback TOM BRADY this Sunday will become the seventh quarterback since 1970 to take his team to a championship game in the year of his first start. Brady is 12-3 as a starter this year. The quarterbacks to accomplish the feat since 1970:

QUARTERBACK	YEAR OF CHAMPIONSHIP	PLAYOFF PROGRESS
Pat Haden, L.A. Rams	1976	Lost to Minnesota, 24-13
Vince Ferragamo, L.A. Rams	1979	Lost to Pittsburgh in SB XIV, 31-19
Dieter Brock, L.A. Rams	1985	Lost to Chicago, 24-0
Kordell Stewart, Pittsburgh	1997	Lost to Denver, 24-21
Shaun King, Tampa Bay	1999	Lost to St. Louis, 11-6
Kurt Warner, St. Louis	1999	Won SB XXXIV over Tennessee, 23-16
Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota	2000	Lost to NY Giants, 41-0

FIRST-YEAR STADIUM SUCCESS: The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Heinz Field will become the second stadium since 1970 to host a Conference Championship Game in the first year of a stadium’s existence. The only other team to host a Championship Game in its stadium’s first year was the Dallas Cowboys in 1971 at Texas Stadium, who defeated the San Francisco 49ers 14-3 on January 2, 1972. Dallas then went on to win Super Bowl VI. The Steelers are 8-1 this year at Heinz Field and have won their past five home games.

LEN DAWSON: Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback LEN DAWSON will present the AFC Champion with the LAMAR HUNT TROPHY at the conclusion of Sunday’s game. The Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl IV for the Kansas City Chiefs, Dawson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 1957 NFL Draft. He passed for 28,711 yards, 239 touchdowns and had a career 82.6 passer rating in 18seasons, while rushing for 1,293 yards and nine scores. Dawson led the 1962 Dallas Texans and the 1966 and 1969 Chiefs to AFL titles. He was named the AFL Player of the Year in 1962, won four AFL passing crowns, and played in five AFL/NFL All-Star games. Dawson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.