Making Super Bowl history

Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 may have been the final clicks of the shutter for John Biever capturing photos of the big game, but his legacy will live on in colorful clarity forever.

“I think this is going to be it. You’ve gotta cut it off sometime,” the legendary photographer, a Port Washington native who lives in San Diego, said.

“A lot of media were aiming for 50. I can do 10 more.”

Biever, 75, is the only person to have worked all the Super Bowls, starting when he was 15 with his father Vernon in 1967 when the contest was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. It featured the Bievers’ beloved Green Bay Packers beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. Biever got a shot of Packers’ coach Vince Lombardi after the game with Vernon in the background.

Now, Biever, who has told visual stories of the game and its celebrity fans from Jim Taylor to Lawrence Taylor to Taylor Swift, has become part of the Super Bowl’s legacy. Several media outlets did pieces on his streak, putting him in an unfamiliar spot.

“I’m used to being behind the camera, not in front of it,” he said.

NFL Photos, his part-time employer for the past decade, threw him a party on the Friday before the game and he was given a game ball with his name on it. On Sunday, he received a poster signed by all the photographers working the game.

“Some of the messages were very nice. They recognized me very well,” Biever said.

He enjoyed catching up with colleagues at camera company parties.

“It was a good chance to see other photographers in a more relaxed setting,” Biever said. “Once you get to the game, everybody tends to be nervous.”

Not Biever. At least not anymore.

“It’s pretty routine now for me. I hate to say it. I think that helps, though. You don’t get too nervous that you miss pictures. You just feel more comfortable,” he said.

Biever’s spot at the game was in the last row of the first section on the 45-yard line. He was just fine with not being on the sideline and having to dodge players.

“You see more and more photographers getting hit or almost getting hit on TV now,” he said.

Players only collided with Biever once, breaking his glasses. It was during the kickoff of Super Bowl XXVIII in 1993 when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills, 30-13.

This time, he enjoyed a safe vantage point that came with its own entertainment.

“You’re amongst the fans. I tell you, that’s a whole different experience. People are standing with their arms waving, calling plays for the quarterback,” he said.

Runners taking memory cards to the photo work room would bring snacks, but Biever said he was careful not to drink too much. The line for the men’s room of the On the Fifty club behind his section was about 60 deep.

“You have to plan before and after the game to take your breaks,” Biever said.

For this game, he could have left in the middle of the action and not missed much.

“It was terrible, probably one of the five worst I’ve been to. For the first half, it was field goals,” Biever said. “It got a little better in the second half. I think the right team won. Defense has taken over the NFL now.”

Following in his father’s footsteps

Vernon was the Packers’ team photographer from 1946 to 2006, essentially creating the job that opened doors for many others. He taught Biever and his brother Jim the craft of sports photography.

Jim took over for his father and worked for the Packers for more than 35 years, retiring in 2015.

John Biever earned a business degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and worked as a stringer in Madison and for the Milwaukee Journal before joining Sports Illustrated.

His most famous shot wasn’t from a Super Bowl. It’s the iconic Bart Starr quarterback sneak in the Ice Bowl on Dec. 31, 1967, that edged the Packers over the Cowboys. Many cameras froze in -16 degree temperatures with wind chills reaching -50, but Biever captured the shot that will be frozen in time forever. He still gets royalties from the photo.

Biever has other legendary shots to his credit from other sports, including Tiger Woods winning his first Masters in 1997 and Michael Jordan’s shot to beat the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in 1998. Those were two of Biever’s more than 130 Sports Illustrated covers.

He has shot 14 Final Fours, 10 Olympics and 24 Masters.

A Biever book deal awaits

Biever has never done a book of his work, but he is considering it.

“Doing a book doesn’t really excite me as much. As a journalist, the next day’s edition or next year’s edition was the important one,” he said.

Just finding some of his photos would be a challenge. Sports Illustrated, he said, is not good at organizing its files. He would have to fly to New York City and look through negatives at the once strong company that is now down to a skeleton crew.

Keeping up with tools of the trade

Biever used a Nikon Z9, the company’s top mirrorless camera, and a 600-millimeter lens on a monopod at the Super Bowl.

He switched from digital single-lens reflex cameras to mirrorless versions a couple of years ago. Mirrorless cameras don’t make any clicking noise when they take photos, which is advantageous at golf tournaments.

The autofocus and other features are much improved today.

“Football players who were coming at you had to be within three inches of focus. That used to separate the men from the boys,” Biever said, adding he supports the upgrades. “I’m for anything that helps you take better pictures.”

Biever is retired and doesn’t take many photos aside from the Super Bowl, but he still can catch the best moments. His pass breakup shot is No. 3 in the NFL’s top 10 photos of Super Bowl LX at https://www.nfl.com/photos.

Family memories to cherish

Biever has fond memories of shooting the first 35 Super Bowls with his father, and some with his brother. The Packers’ victories are his favorites.

“I’m just glad I was able to continue the streak for as long as I did,” he said. “It was a big deal for my dad. He wanted me to continue the streak. I got to 60. That part’s good.”

While the Biever bloodline at the Super Bowl may be coming to a close, a Biever still plans to work the game next year. John’s wife Deb helps coordinate photographers on the field and run memory cards back to the photo room.

“They asked her to keep doing it. She’s a big part of the operation now,” John said. “The Biever name is going to continue.”

John, however, doesn’t plan to make the 120-mile trip to Inglewood, Calif., for Super Bowl LXI.

“I think I’m going to be playing golf that day,” he said. “I’ve seen enough Super Bowls.”