Winning numbers

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says he wears No. 7 on his jersey in honor of his boyhood hero, John Elway of the Denver Broncos. Many people consider 7 a lucky number, and it's certainly an auspicious one to wear when you consider Elway's Hall of Fame career. But is it a wise choice for someone starting his first Super Bowl? With No. 7 on his chest, Elway won back-to-back NFL championships after the 1997 and 1998 seasons, when Roethlisberger was in high school and still only drinking Gatorade like a champion. But quarterbacks wearing No. 7 also lost four straight Super Bowls from the 1986 season to 1989, when Big Ben was in grade school and drinking only milk like a champion. (Elway lost three of those games; Boomer Esiason of the Bengals -- "that sour-faced guy on CBS" to younger readers -- lost the other.) All together, starting quarterbacks wearing No. 7 have won three Super Bowls and lost seven.

Only one number has been worn by the losing starting quarterback in more Super Bowls and more consecutive Super Bowls: No. 12. That number has been worn by the losing starter in 10 games, including five in a row (Jim Kelly of the Bills in 1990-93 and Stan Humphries of the Chargers in '94). On the other hand, No. 12 is also the number worn by the winning starting quarterback in the most Super Bowls (13) and the most consecutive Super Bowls (eight from 1972 to 1979).

Which starting QB number has had the best overall record in Super Bowl games? Take heart, Seattle Seahawks fans:

QB #	W	L	PCT.
8	5	0	1.000
19	1	0	1.000
16	7	2	.778
15	3	2	.600
12	13	10	.565
9	1	1	.500
4	1	1	.500
11	2	3	.400
17	1	2	.333
13	1	2	.333
7	3	7	.300
14	1	3	.250
3	0	1	.000
5	0	2	.000
10	0	3	.000

Your winning and losing starting quarterbacks -- and, most important, their jersey numbers -- of the Super Bowl era. Numbers worn by Roethlisberger and Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck are highlighted in their team colors:

GAME	WINNING QB		LOSING QB
I	15	Starr	16	Dawson
II	15	Starr	3	Lamonica
III	12	Namath	15	Morrall
IV	16	Dawson	11	Kapp
V	19	Unitas	14	Morton
VI	12	Staubach	12	Griese
VII	12	Griese	17	Kilmer
VIII	12	Griese	10	Tarkenton
IX	12	Bradshaw	10	Tarkenton
X	12	Bradshaw	12	Staubach
XI	12	Stabler	10	Tarkenton
XII	12	Staubach	7	Morton
XIII	12	Bradshaw	12	Staubach
XIV	12	Bradshaw	15	Ferragamo
XV	16	Plunkett	7	Jaworski
XVI	16	Montana	14	Anderson
XVII	7	Theismann	16	Woodley
XVIII	16	Plunkett	7	Theismann
XIX	16	Montana	13	Marino
XX	9	McMahon	11	Eason
XXI	11	Simms	7	Elway
XXII	17	Williams	7	Elway
XXIII	16	Montana	7	Esiason
XXIV	16	Montana	7	Elway
XXV	15	Hostetler	12	Kelly
XXVI	11	Rypien	12	Kelly
XXVII	8	Aikman	12	Kelly
XXVIII	8	Aikman	12	Kelly
XXIX	8	Young	12	Humphries
XXX	8	Aikman	14	O'Donnell
XXXI	4	Favre	11	Bledsoe
XXXII	7	Elway	4	Favre
XXXIII	7	Elway	12	Chandler
XXXIV	13	Warner	9	McNair
XXXV	8	Dilfer	5	Collins
XXXVI	12	Brady	13	Warner
XXXVII	14	Johnson	12	Gannon
XXXVIII	12	Brady	17	Delhomme
XXXIX	12	Brady	5	McNabb