Super Bowl I

Lore & Background

Coming into the game, billed by some as the 'supergame', considerable animosity existed between the AFL and NFL, thus the teams representing the two rival leagues (the Chiefs and Packers, respectively) felt additional pressure to win. The Chiefs posted an 11–2–1 record during the regular season, and defeated the Buffalo Bills 31–7 in the AFL Championship Game. The Packers finished the regular season at 12–2 and defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34–27 in the NFL Championship Game. Many sportswriters and fans believed any team in the older NFL was vastly superior to any club in the upstart AFL, and so expected the Packers would blow out the Chiefs. The first half of Super Bowl I was competitive, as the Chiefs outgained the Packers in total yards, 181–164, and kept pace with the Packers by posting a 14–10 score at halftime. Early in the third quarter, Packers safety Willie Wood intercepted a pass and returned it 50 yards to the 5-yard line. The turnover sparked the Packers to score 21 unanswered points in the second half. Packers quarterback Bart Starr, who completed 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, was named MVP.

In Their Own Story

The California light warmed the natural grass of the Coliseum, but the chill of the rivalry was palpable in the air. Bart Starr stood at the line, his eyes scanning the Chiefs' defense, seeing not chaos, but order waiting to be disrupted. The crowd roared as he snapped the ball, a perfect spiral finding an open receiver for a first down. On the sideline, Vince Lombardi watched with arms crossed, his expression unreadable, yet his presence was a fortress. Every tackle by the Packers' defense echoed like a gavel strike, declaring that while this might be the first of many, it would be the last time the league's title was in question.

Reader's Guide

As NBC and CBS had held the rights to nationally televise AFL and NFL games, respectively, it was decided both networks were allowed to televise the game. The game remains the only Super Bowl to have been simulcast in the United States by two of the then-'Big Three' broadcast companies. Several recent Super Bowls have been simultaneously broadcast on network television as well as cable and streaming platforms.

Did You Know?

• The Packers' shares from the game were $15,000 each for winning and $8,600 each from the NFL championship.
• The Chiefs' shares were $7,500 each for losing and $5,308 each from the AFL championship.
• The game was not awarded to Los Angeles until December 1, 1966, less than seven weeks before kickoff.