Super Bowl Sunday, an unofficial holiday in the United States, is known for hype, excess and oversaturation.

Tom Petty is, by rock star standards, understated.

On the surface, pairing the two doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. But, Petty and his trusty band of 30 years, the Heartbreakers, headline the Super Bowl halftime show that will be seen by close to 100 million viewers in the US and many more across the globe.

"The most significant thing about it is the people watching worldwide," Petty, 57, told the Associated Press. "It's probably the biggest audience you can have, I would imagine."

In the three years following Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction," the people who produce the halftime show have tried to raise the bar with iconic music acts.

Paul McCartney played in 2005. The Rolling Stones rocked the stage in 2006. Last year, Prince played a searing mini-set in a driving rainstorm.

This year, it's Petty's turn.

The Heartbreakers share the program with Kylie Minogue, Paula Abdul (no surprise, since the game is on Fox and she stars in "American Idol"), Soulja Boy and Jordin Sparks.

Whether you like Petty's music or not (brace yourself for "American Girl," "Running Down a Dream" and perhaps "Free Fallin"), he brings an air of stately credibility to a halftime enterprise that began 42 years ago with marching bands and "Up With People" and evolved into star-studded, pyrotechnic extravaganzas designed to promote movies, theme park rides, TV shows and just about anything but football.

With help from Wikipedia and other sources, here is a look at Super Bowl halftime shows through the years with themes (where appropriate) and entertainers. Use the Talkback feature to pick your favorite and least favorite of all-time.

I (1967) -- University of Arizona & University of Michigan Bands

II (1968) -- Grambling State University Band

III (1969) -- America thanks... Florida A&M University

IV (1970) -- Tribute to Mardi Gras, Carol Channing

V (1971) -- Florida A&M University Band

VI (1972) -- Salute to Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and the USMC Drill Team

VII (1973) -- Happiness is... Michigan Marching Band & Woody Herman

VIII (1974) -- A Musical America, University of Texas Band and Judy Mallett (Miss Texas 1973) on fiddle

IX (1975) -- Tribute to Duke Ellington, Mercer Ellington & Grambling State University Bands

X (1976) -- 200 Years and Just a Baby: A Tribute to America's Bicentennial, Up With People

XI (1977) -- Disney's "It's a Small World," Los Angeles Unified All-City Band & Audience card stunt

XII (1978) -- Tyler Apache Belles Drill Team, Pete Fountain & Al Hirt

XIII (1979) -- Salute to Caribbean, Ken Hamilton, various Caribbean bands

XIV (1980) -- A Salute to the Big Band Era, Up With People

XV (1981) -- Mardi Gras Festival, Southern University band, Helen O'Connell

XVI (1982) -- Salute to the 1960s and Motown, Up With People

XVII (1983) -- KaleidoSUPERscope, Los Angeles Super Drill Team

XVIII (1984) -- Disney's Salute to Superstars of Silver Screen, University of Florida and Florida State University bands

XIX (1985) -- World of Children's Dreams, Tops In Blue

XX (1986) -- Beat of the Future, Up with People

XXI (1987) -- Salute to Hollywood's 100th Anniversary, Southern California-area High School drill teams and dancers

XXII (1988) -- Something Grand, Chubby Checker, The Rockettes, and 88 grand pianos

XXIII (1989) -- Diet Coke Be Bop Bamboozled in 3-D, Elvis Presto, South Florida-area dancers and performers and 3-D effects

XXIV (1990) -- Salute to New Orleans & 40th Anniversary of Peanuts. Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw, Irma Thomas, Nicholls State University band, Southern University band, USL band

XXV (1991) -- Walt Disney World Small World Tribute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl with New Kids on the Block, Disney characters, Warren Moon, 2,000 local children, Audience card stunt

XXVI (1992) -- Winter Magic, Gloria Estefan with Olympic Figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill

XXVII (1993) -- Michael Jackson Halftime Show with 3,500 local children.

XXVIII (1994) -- Rockin' Country Sunday with Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, The Judds

XXIX (1995) -- Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye... Indiana Jones & Marion, Patti LaBelle, Tony Bennett, Arturo Sandoval, Miami Sound Machine

XXX (1996) -- Take Me Higher: A Celebration of 30 Years of the Super Bowl with Diana Ross

XXXI (1997) -- Blues Brothers Bash with Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi along with ZZ Top, James Brown

XXXII (1998) -- Salute to Motown's 40th Anniversary with Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, The Temptations, Queen Latifah

XXXIII (1999) -- Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing with Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Savion Glover

XXXIV (2000) -- Tapestry of Nations with Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton, 80-person choir

XXXV (2001) -- The Kings of Rock and Pop with Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock (pre-recorded intro skit), Aerosmith, 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly

XXXVI (2002) -- U2 with a tribute to Sept. 11 victims

XXXVII (2003) -- Shania Twain, No Doubt, Sting

XXXVIII (2004) -- Jessica Simpson with University of Houston and Texas Southern bands, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, P. Diddy, Kid Rock

XXXIX (2005) -- Paul McCartney

XL (2006) -- The Rolling Stones

XLI (2007) -- Prince, FAMU Marching 100 band

XLII (2008) -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Kylie Minogue, Paula Abdul, Soulja Boy, Jordin Sparks, Akon