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What: “Lost Treasures of NFL Films--Vol. 17: Super Bowls VIII-XIII”

Where: ESPN Classic, tonight, 7

NFL Films digs into its vast film archive--the world’s largest sports film library--and puts together a show that looks back at Super Bowls VIII-XIII, the latest in a series produced from hundreds of hours of retrieved footage that was never aired.

“As we looked at the footage, it reminded us just how much the Super Bowl grew from 1974 and 1979,” says series host Steve Sabol, the president of NFL Films.

The 1974 game was played at Rice Stadium in Houston, and the Miami Dolphins defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 24-7. NFL Films caught up with one of the stars of the game, Dolphin defensive tackle Manny Fernandez.

The next Super Bowl was played in New Orleans, but because the Superdome was under construction, the game was played at Tulane Stadium. This time, the Vikings were beaten by Pittsburgh. Featured is Steeler defensive end Dwight White, who spent Super Bowl week in the hospital with viral pneumonia, played in the game, then went home and spent another week in a hospital.

The next year the Steelers won again, defeating the Dallas Cowboys, and the Steelers’ Lynn Swann was the MVP. But NFL Films chose to feature Cowboy receiver Golden Richards, who was tracked down in Utah.

The 1977 Super Bowl was the last one played entirely in daylight. It was held at the Rose Bowl, where the Oakland Raiders defeated the Vikings. An interesting tidbit came when NFL Films tried to shoot Raider coach John Madden, who was camera-shy and shooed the cameraman away.

“I don’t do those things,” Madden says.

Featured is Raider defensive tackle Dave Rowe, but not for reasons you might think. Rowe is brought back to NFL Films’ headquarters in Mt. Laurel, N.J., and shown there is a conference room named after him. That’s because four employees named Dave have their offices all in a row. Well, actually, one of the four is Suzanne Morgan, but she has changed her name to Suzanne “Dave” Morgan in order to fit in.

Larry Stewart