Anniversary Of The First Super Bowl ~
January the 15th marks the anniversary of the very first Super Bowl. Although it was not originally called the Super Bowl (that would be a name it would gain later), it was still the introduction to a new and historic chapter in american football history.
Anniversary Of The First Super Bowl
This game began with the emergence of the American Football League, or AFL, just a few years before the game was played. Up until that time, the only professional american football league was the NFL. Although other professional American football leagues had tried, none of them had succeeded in challenging the NFL for superiority. But when owners Lamar Hunt, Bud Adams and Al Davis collaborated to bring professional football to their home cities and formed the league in 1960, the NFL had its first real challenge. The AFL succeeded in taking a vast majority of the top college players that year and the NFL realized that they were in for a fight.
The AFL survived for six seasons on its own, but strapped for cash and battling higher salary demands brought on by the competition between the two leagues, the AFL agreed to a merger with the NFL in 1966. Both leagues operated separately with the exception of the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, which would later become known as the Super Bowl.
The game featured the NFL Champions, the heavily favored Green Bay Packers, coached by the legendary Vince Lombardi, the man for whom the Super Bowl winner’s trophy is now named, and the AFL Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, coached by Hank Stram. The game also featured two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, the Packers’ Bart Starr and the Chiefs’ Len Dawson. It would be played in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The first half of the game was pretty close, with the Packers holding a 14-10 lead at halftime (a halftime, by the way, which featured marching bands, not the huge stars that their are in today’s Super Bowl halftime shows). In the second half, however, Green Bay took control and scored 21 unanswered points to win the game by a final score of 35-10. Bart Starr would be named the Most Valuable Player.
This would be the first of two consecutive Super Bowl victories for the Packers, cementing their legacy and earning Green Bay the nickname of “Titletown USA.” It would not be until Super Bowl III that the AFL would mount a serious threat to the NFL, when Joe Namath would lead the upstart New York Jets against a heavily favored Baltimore Colts squad, lead by an aging Johnny Unitas. But, that’s another story for another time…
Did You Watch The First Super Bowl?
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wow! i didn’t know the chiefs were in the first super bowl… they are not soo great right now… haha!!!
Sandy a la Mode recently posted..A Weekend Trip To Texas With My Girls
I’m not old enough to have watched it, but I hear tales from those who did all the time!
thanks for the history lesson. too bad our 49ers took out the Packers on Saturday otherwise they could have possibly played the Super Bowl on the anniversary!
Teresha recently posted..No nonsense colored tights add flare to my mom-fashion style
I didn’t know this either! I love the Superbowl! Go pats!!
mel recently posted..SpongeBob SquarePants: Extreme Kah-Rah-Tay!
Twitter: CinnyBBS
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lol, no I didn’t watch the first superbowl…I’m Canadian after all so I’m all about the hockey!! LOL
Cinny recently posted..This #Frockstar films a shampoo commercial for #KarinaNation on The Peak in #HongKong
I wasn’t alive during the first Superbowl, but I think it would be fun to watch!
Stacie recently posted..Remembering Sandy Hook Victims: Chase Kowalski #26Acts
I did not know much of this superbowl history. Very interesting.
Jenn @comebackmomma recently posted..3 Time Saving Workouts
I am certainly OLD enough to have watched the first super bowl (I would have been 6) but I wasn’t aware if I did. I do remember Man landing on the moon though.. #IAmThatOld
Still Blonde after all these YEARS recently posted..Heirloom IceBox Oatmeal Cookie Recipe, Creating Moments with Tea!
I probably have seen two super bowls since I moved into the States, but I do love the history of it
Lena – @elenka29 recently posted..Speed Stacks – Sport or Not?
I love football, however I was not around for the first super bowl
Interesting history lesson, I wasnt alive then but it would have been cool, I think I am going to watch the game online this year. Here’s a post sharing where to watch: http://www.real.com/resources/watch-super-bowl-online