The 1996 Pro Bowl began with a bang that was one for the record books. The attendance for the game was 50,034. The coaches were Mike Holmgren of Green Bay and Ted Marchibroda of Indianapolis
Only 2:26 into the game, Cincinnati’s Jeff Blake connected with Pittsburgh’s Yancy Thigpen on a spectacular 93 yard touchdown pass, the second longest in the Pro Bowl’s history. Later in the quarter, Atlanta’s Morten Andersen connected on a 36 yard field goal. It was 7-3 after one quarter. The NFC exploded in the second quarter for three straight scores. San Francisco’s Jerry Rice caught a one yard touchdown pass from Green Bay’s Brett Favre, Ken Harvey of the Redskins returned an interception 36 yards and Andersen kicked his second field goal to make the halftime advantage 20-7 for the NFC.
In the third quarter, the Colts’ Jim Harbaugh connected with Curtis Martin of New England for a 17 yard scoring pass. There was no scoring in the final period and the final score was NFC 20, AFC 13.
Jerry Rice, playing in his 10th consecutive Pro Bowl, had six receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown to earn player of the game honors. For Morton Andersen, his two field goals gave him ten in his pro bowl career. His eight points on the afternoon would establish him as the greatest individual scorer in Pro Bowl history with 45 points.
