After first being dismissed with the entire staff one day after the end of the 1979 season, Modzelewski was rehired by Gregg, who had been selected as the Bengals' new head coach. The team struggled to a 6–10 season in 1980, but then put together a memorable year in 1981, ending with the franchise's first-ever trip to the Super Bowl. Despite a 26–21 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI, the Bengals returned to the post-season the following year, but lost in the first round of the expanded playoff system.
