Super! Nothing should be more super than a Super Bowl assignment for a 25-year-old sportswriter.

So why was that opportunity 25 years ago more a career lowlight than a highlight? How did a dream become a nightmare?

Here’s the story. …

I was the University of Alabama beat reporter for The Birmingham (Ala.) News. When the 1982-83 basketball schedule was announced, I noted that Alabama would play at UCLA two days before Super Bowl XVII. I campaigned early and often, and the sports editor eventually promised to get me a credential to The Big Game at the Rose Bowl in picturesque Pasadena, Calif.

The Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins met for the NFL championship. When the week arrived, there was plenty to write about, because the Dolphins were loaded with former Alabama players: defensive tackle Bob Baumhower, cornerback Don McNeal, running back Tony Nathan and center Dwight Stephenson.

Oh, yeah. Alabama won the basketball game in an era when UCLA seldom lost at Pauley Pavilion.

Big deal? Yes, but I was super excited about the other assignment.

Media day was a challenge. I zeroed in on the former Alabama players, but if I remember, only Baumhower was a good interview.

That’s the thing. I should remember. Right? I should remember every minute of every day as I settled in on an assignment to savor.

Early that Wednesday morning, I rode a bus to an Orange County compound where the players again assembled. On the way, I read in The Los Angeles Times that legendary Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant had been hospitalized the previous day.

I gathered more material for pregame stories, then took the bus back to the media hotel. When I reached the lobby, I received a message. “Call the office,” it said.

It couldn’t be, I muttered to myself. But I knew.

A fellow reporter answered the phone.

“Are you going to tell me what I think you’re going to tell me?” I asked. This I recall vividly.

“Uh … yeah,” he said.

The rest is a fog. I begged to fly back immediately to Birmingham. The sports editor told me to stay put. The entire newsroom was covering The Story. I could do an Alabama basketball team reaction piece. Whoopee. I could talk to Dolphins who played for the Bear. Too late.

The game? The Redskins won 27-17. On a fourth-quarter, fourth-and-1 play, John Riggins shook from McNeal’s clutch and ran 43 yards for the decisive touchdown. It’s the only play I recall. It put the Redskins ahead 20-17.

After the game, I remember hanging out in the Redskins’ locker room until only quarterback Joe Theismann and a charming old man remained. He was Theismann’s dad. Otherwise, all I recall is that I was 2,000 miles from where I wanted to be.

Super Bowl? More like a Stupor Bowl.