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Sunday, February 7, 2016

Bay Area Super Bowl MVPs: Merv Corning's Take

PERSPECTIVE
by John Turney

At the Beginning of Super Bowl 50, the Bay Area Super Bowl MVPs were at midfield to help with the coin toss. They were Fred Biletnikoff, Jim Plunkett, Marcus Allen, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and Steve Young.

Back in the day, the NFL commissioned  watercolor artist Merv Corning to capture those MVP performances. Sadly, Mr. Corning passed away in 2006. However, the tradition of the NFL having someone paint the MVPs ended after the 1998 Super Bowl.

Here are the six that were on the field today:

Steve Young. Credit: Merv Corning

Jerry Rice. Credit: Merv Corning

Joe Montana. Credit: Merv Corning

Marcus Allen.  Credit: Merv Corning

Jim Plunkett. Credit: Merv Corning

Fred Belitnikoff.  Credit: Merv Corning




4 comments:

  1. Merv Corning was great. I would love to see a book of all of his NFL related work. I'd buy it in a second.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I am personal friends with his widow Tula. We are trying to get some book publishing company to do just that. However, the NFL no longer publishes books, they license things via NFLPA, etc . . . but NFL Properties that published all those great books of the 1970s and 1980s is not around.

      So, it is tough. Corning has works that very few have ever seen and not published ever.

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  2. I read the book is coming out November 17th 2020, called "Merv Corning - An American Artist."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That book is already out http://www.youngsgalleryfineart.com/merv-corning-book.html

      the football only book will come out sometime in the future

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