Cincinnati Bengals fans have not watched their team in a Super Bowl in thirty-three years.
But on Sunday, the home team has an opportunity to break that streak when the Bengals (12-7) face the Kansas City Chiefs (14-5) in the AFC championship, one win away from Super Bowl LVI (56).
In the 1988 season, the Bengals finished 12-4 and then won the divisional playoff round and claimed the AFC title, advancing to Super Bowl XXIII (23) where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 20-16.
The team has never won a Super Bowl.Â
Cincinnati also won the AFC title in the 1981 season, advancing to Super Bowl XVI (16) where they also lost to the 49ers, 26-21.
Incidentally, in the NFC conference championship game on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams in the other bid for a Super Bowl appearance.
That means that it is possible for the Bengals to make their third appearance in a Super Bowl where they could face the 49ers for the third time in the sport’s biggest game.
Northern Kentucky loves its Cincinnati pro sports teams and is rooting hard for the Bengals again, just as the region did ahead of the Super Bowl in January of 1989.
LINK nky grabbed some photos from the archives of the Kenton County Public Library Faces and Places database (search the archives here) that show some of those January 1989 celebrations, and present them below, with permission from the library. The captions are provided by the library through its archives, bolstered by a collection from the Kentucky Post newspaper.
Children from the Union Learning Center in Union had Bengals dress up day at the day care.
Steven Tolliver, 7, Kate Michels (Chairperson, Redwood Winetasting Committee) and Billy Bach, 10, admiring a football autographed by the entire Bengals team. The ball was to be auctioned off to help the children at Redwood.
Dan Horn, 425 Ward Ave, Bellevue, decorated the front of his home for the Bengals game.
Debbie Williams, 31, shows her stripes as she joins in with other daycare teachers at South Side Baptist Church.
Mindy Steinbrunner, 7, watches the Ickey Shuffle contest at Blessed Sacrament School in Ft. Mitchell along with everyone else. She has a construction paper Bengals helmet on her head with Ickey’s number on it.
Tammy Hornsby, 28, is not praying for a Bengals win, although she admits that might not be a bad idea. She is leading daycare students at South Side Baptist Church in grace prior to lunch.
Cpt. Ron Becker, Ft. Mitchell looks out the front door of the Ft. Mitchell Fire Dept. through Bengals decorations painted by Ron’s son – Lt. Doug Becker. Ron is employed by GCIA as a firefighter and is a captain with the Ft. Mitchell Volunteer Fire Department.
Painting of a Bengals player on a window at Fifth Third Bank at 7th and Monmouth, Newport.