Grass or turf? Looking back at every Super Bowl playing surface
Grass or turf? Looking back at every Super Bowl playing surface originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Every football player dreams of stepping onto a Super Bowl field. Last year, however, the field did not reach a Super Bowl standard.
Players on both the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles struggled to keep their footing in Super Bowl LVII. The game was played in Glendale, Ariz., on a natural grass playing surface that is rolled in and out of State Farm Stadium, which has a retractable roof. The slippery field prompted some Eagles players to change their cleats mid-game.
Now, the Super Bowl is headed to a new city that could face similar playing surface issues.
Las Vegas will host its first Super Bowl when the Chiefs go for a repeat against the San Francisco 49ers. Like State Farm Stadium, Allegiant Stadium is an indoor venue that rolls a natural grass surface in and out. While there hasn’t been noticeable slipping, the stadium’s Bermuda grass was in horrible shape the last time it hosted an NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos in Week 18.
The 49ers are already experiencing field concerns in Las Vegas this week leading up to the game. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported that some 49ers shared safety concerns about their practice field on the UNLV campus, comparing it to a “sponge.”
Despite recent issues at the Super Bowl and in Las Vegas, longtime groundskeeper George Toma, known as the “Sodfather,” expects a much better playing surface this time around.
“You'll see at Las Vegas now, they'll have the best playing field ever,” Toma told the Associated Press.
Before the Chiefs and 49ers run out onto the field on Sunday, let’s look back at previous Super Bowl playing surfaces.
How many Super Bowls have been played on grass?
Super Bowl LVIII will be the 34th Super Bowl played on grass and the fifth Super Bowl to be played on grass indoors.
Three of the prior Super Bowls played on indoor grass were in Glendale (Super Bowls XLII, XLIX and LVII). The only other one was at Houston’s Reliant Stadium for Super Bowl XXXVIII between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.
While the stadiums in Glendale and Houston have retractable roofs, Allegiant Stadium has a fixed, translucent roof.
How many Super Bowls have been played on turf?
Twenty-four Super Bowls have been played on turf.
The first 15 Super Bowls to feature turf were played on either Poly-Turf or a variation of AstroTurf. Super Bowl XL in Detroit was the first with a modern turf variant, as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks on Ford Field’s FieldTurf surface. Since then, eight Super Bowls have been played on either FieldTurf, Matrix Turf or other synthetic turf.
Of the 24 turf Super Bowls, 18 have been played indoors compared to six outside. Super Bowl XLVIII between the Seahawks and Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium was the most recent Super Bowl to be played on turf outdoors.
Super Bowl playing surfaces
Here is a look at the playing surface for all 58 Super Bowls:
Super Bowl | Teams | Stadium | Location | Playing surface |
I | Chiefs vs. Packers | Memorial Coliseum | Los Angeles, Calif. | Grass |
II | Packers vs. Raiders | Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla. | Grass |
III | Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla. | Grass | |
IV | Vikings vs. Chiefs | Tulane Stadium | New Orleans, La. | Grass |
V | Colts vs. Cowboys | Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla. | Poly-Turf |
VI | Cowboys vs. Dolphins | Tulane Stadium | New Orleans, La. | Poly-Turf |
VII | Dolphins vs. Washington | Memorial Coliseum | Los Angeles, Calif. | Grass |
VIII | Vikings vs. Dolphins | Rice Stadium | Houston, Texas | AstroTurf |
IX | Steelers vs. Vikings | Tulane Stadium | New Orleans, La. | Poly-Turf |
X | Cowboys vs. Steelers | Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla. | Poly-Turf |
XI | Raiders vs. Vikings | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif. | Grass |
XII | Cowboys vs. Broncos | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La. | Monsanto "Mardi Grass" turf |
XIII | Steelers vs. Cowboys | Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla. | Grass |
XIV | Rams vs. Steelers | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif. | Grass |
XV | Raiders vs. Eagles | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La. | Monsanto "Mardi Grass" turf |
XVI | 49ers vs. Bengals | Pontiac Silverdome | Pontiac, Mich. | AstroTurf |
XVII | Dolphins vs. Washington | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif. | Grass |
XVIII | Washington vs. Raiders | Tampa Stadium | Tampa, Fla. | Grass |
XIX | Dolphins vs. 49ers | Stanford Stadium | Palo Alto, Calif. | Grass |
XX | Bears vs. Patriots | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La. | Monsanto "Mardi Grass" turf |
XXI | Broncos vs. Giants | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif. | Grass |
XXII | Washington vs. Broncos | Jack Murphy Stadium | San Diego, Calif. | Grass |
XXIII | Bengals vs. 49ers | Joe Robbie Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla. | Grass |
XXIV | 49ers vs. Broncos | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La. | Monsanto "Mardi Grass" turf |
XXV | Bills vs. Giants | Tampa Stadium | Tampa, Fla. | Grass |
XXVI | Washington vs. Bills | Metrodome | Minneapolis, Minn. | AstroTurf |
XXVII | Bills vs. Cowboys | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif. | Grass |
XXVIII | Cowboys vs. Bills | Georgia Dome | Atlanta, Ga. | AstroTurf |
XXIX | Chargers vs. 49ers | Joe Robbie Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla. | Grass |
XXX | Cowboys vs. Steelers | Sun Devil Stadium | Tempe, Ariz. | Grass |
XXXI | Patriots vs. Packers | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La. | Monsanto "Mardi Grass" turf |
XXXII | Packers vs. Broncos | Qualcomm Stadium | San Diego, Calif. | Grass |
XXXIII | Broncos vs. Falcons | Pro Player Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla. | Grass |
XXXIV | Rams vs. Titans | Georgia Dome | Atlanta, Ga. | AstroTurf |
XXXV | Ravens vs. Giants | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Fla. | Grass |
XXXVI | Rams vs. Patriots | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, La. | Monsanto "Mardi Grass" turf |
XXXVII | Raiders vs. Buccaneers | Qualcomm Stadium | San Diego, Calif. | Grass |
XXXVIII | Panthers vs. Patriots | Reliant Stadium | Houston, Texas | Indoor grass |
XXXIX | Patriots vs. Eagles | Alltel Stadium | Jacksonville, Fla. | Grass |
XL | Seahawks vs. Steelers | Ford Field | Detroit, Mich. | FieldTurf |
XLI | Colts vs. Bears | Dolphin Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla. | Grass |
XLII | Giants vs. Patriots | University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, Ariz. | Indoor grass |
XLIII | Steelers vs. Cardinals | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Fla. | Grass |
XLIV | Saints vs. Colts | Sun Life Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla. | Grass |
XLV | Steelers vs. Packers | Cowboys Stadium | Arlington, Texas | Matrix Turf |
XLVI | Giants vs. Patriots | Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind. | FieldTurf |
XLVII | Ravens vs. 49ers | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans, La. | Sportturf |
XLVIII | Seahawks vs. Broncos | MetLife Stadium | East Rutherford, N.J. | FieldTurf |
XLIX | Patriots vs. Seahawks | University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, Ariz. | Indoor grass |
50 | Panthers vs. Broncos | Levi's Stadium | Santa Clara, Calif. | Grass |
LI | Patriots vs. Falcons | NRG Stadium | Houston, Texas | FieldTurf |
LII | Eagles vs. Patriots | U.S. Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, Minn. | Sportturf |
LIII | Patriots vs. Rams | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Ga. | FieldTurf |
LIV | 49ers vs. Chiefs | Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla. | Grass |
LV | Chiefs vs. Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Fla. | Grass |
LVI | Rams vs. Bengals | SoFi Stadium | Inglewood, Calif. | Matrix Turf |
LVII | Chiefs vs. Eagles | State Farm Stadium | Glendale, Ariz. | Indoor grass |
LVIII | 49ers vs. Chiefs | Allegiant Stadium | Las Vegas, Nev. | Indoor grass |
