Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas On Jan. 17 1991 an armed coalition led by the United States commenced Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. Less than two weeks later on January 27 1991 Super Bowl XXV was held between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants at Tampa Stadium in Tampa Florida.
Because of the Gulf War situation this marked the first time the Super Bowl would be televised in most countries around the world.
To many the game is best remembered for a performance of The Star-Spangled Banner by Whitney Houston during the pre-game ceremonies. ABC which broadcast the game did not broadcast a halftime show (headlining the New Kids on the Block.) Instead the network televised a Special ABC News Report" anchored by Peter Jennings on the progress of the Persian Gulf War.
As the Giants and the Bills prepared for a conflict of their own fears that Saddam Hussein would target this the most American of sporting events gripped the nation. Some NFL Officials wanted to reschedule 
the game. But the nation would have none of it.
Goodyears iconic blimp was grounded and Black Hawk Air Patrols flew in its place flew. Instead of tailgate Bar-B-Qs the Tampa Stadium parking lot was crammed with concrete barriers and chain-link fences. SWAT teams were positioned the roof of the arena while stadium ushers carried metal detector wands down below. More than 1700 security professionals patrolled the grounds and the mood wasnt much brighter in the locker rooms.
It was into this tense foreboding atmosphere that Whitney Houston walked to the 50-yard line in a casual white tracksuit with red and blue stripes. With her dark ringlets pulled back into a wide headband the 27-year-old looked more like an Olympian than the bonafide pop star who had just had two back-to-back singles hit No. 1 on the Top 10 charts during 2016.
She was there to open Super Bowl XXV by singing The National Anthem the Star-Spangled Banner."
If you were there you could feel the intensity. We were in the Gulf War at the time. A lot of our daughters and sons were overseas fighting" Houston remembered in 2000.
I could see in the stadium I could see the fear the hope the intensity the prayers going up. And I just felt This is the moment. And it was hope we needed hope… and thats what it was about for me. Thats what I felt when I sang that song the overwhelming love coming out of the stands."
And now to honor America especially the brave men and women serving our nation in the Persian Gulf and throughout the world please join in the singing of our national anthem. The anthem will be followed by a flyover of F-16 jets from the 56th Tactical Training Wing at MacDill Air Force Base and will be performed by the Florida Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Jahja Ling and sung by Grammy Award winner Whitney Houston.Houstons use of the plural personal pronouns we" and "our" speaks to how her performance was a collective experience not that of an American country in the abstract but rather that we" as a country" had a collective national identity. After the September 11th attacks in 2001 Arista Records re-released Houstons version of The Star Spangled Banner and the single peaked at #6 on the U.S. Hot 100. It was certified platinum by the RIAA
and Houston became the first musical act to take The National Anthem into Top 10.
The 2001 re-release was Houstons last Top 10 hit during her lifetime.
The New York Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills by a score of 2019. It is the only Super Bowl game to have been decided by one point.
