History of the Super Bowl
Although the NFL Officially established in 1920, the Super Bowl was not played until more than 40 years later.
In 1960, a group of businessmen who wanted to own football franchises – but were turned down by the NFL – started an alternative league, known as the American Football League (AFL).
For several years, the NFL and AFL were rivals, competing for fans, players and support. Then, in 1966, the owners negotiated a agreement to merge leagues around 1970.
The first Super Bowl, which featured the champions of the AFL (Kansas City Chiefs) and NFL (Green Bay Packers), took place on January 15, 1967. The game was originally called the “Game AFL-NFL World Championship. Later, Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt proposed using the term “Super Bowl» to refer to the championship match.
After the leagues merged, the NFL split into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each player’s champions participate in the Super Bowl.
The first Super Bowl
In Super Bowl IThe NFL champion Green Bay Packers defeated the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 on January 15, 1967, in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Even though ticket prices averaged $12, the game was not a sellout, the only non-sellout in the history of the game. The game attracted 61,000 fans and was televised by CBS and NBC.
The following year, the Packers decisively won Super Bowl II against the Oakland Raiders, 33-14. Many wondered if the AFL champion could beat the NFL’s best.
LEARN MORE: 10 things you might not know about the first Super Bowl
Joe Namath’s Super Bowl III Guarantee
In Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969, the AFL champion New York Jets, a 17.5-point underdog, defeated the NFL champion Baltimore Colts, 16–7, a result considered one of the greatest upsets in sports. It was the first Super Bowl victory for the new American Football League.
The Jets were led by brash quarterback Joe Namath, who had guaranteed New York a victory. The Colts, coached by Don Shula, finished the regular season 13-1 and defeated the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns in the NFL playoffs. Against the Jets, however, Baltimore didn’t score until the fourth quarter.
As he left the field that afternoon at the Orange Bowl in Miami, “Broadway Joe” Namath pointed his index finger in the air – one of the most famous scenes in the history of sport.
The Super Bowl grew in popularity after the AFL-NFL merger.
Super Bowl: 1970s to present
During the 1970s, three teams – the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys – dominated the NFL, winning a total of eight Super Bowls in 10 years.
NFC franchises won 16 of the 20 Super Bowls played in the 1980s and 1990s. The San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bear, Washington The Redskins (now Washington Football Team) and the New York Giants stood out during these years.
The Cowboys re-emerged in the 1990s and the Buffalo Bills became a powerhouse franchise, although they never won a Super Bowl, losing four title games in a row between 1991 and 1994.
The AFC bounced back from the Bills’ losing streak. From 1995 to 2016, the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts represented the conference in 20 of the AFC’s 22 Super Bowl appearances. .
The Patriots established themselves as a dynasty starting in the 2001 season, with a quarterback Tom Brady leading them to nine Super Bowl appearances and six wins.
Memorable Super Bowl games
Super Bowl III (New York Jets 16 | Baltimore Colts 7, January 12, 1969): The Jets’ victory was the first Super Bowl for the AFL, widely considered at the time to be inferior to the NFL.
Super Bowl XIII (Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31, January 21, 1979): Steelers Quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns.
Super Bowl XXIII (San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16, January 22, 1989): Joe Montana threw the game-winning touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left, capping an 11-play, 92-yard drive.
Super Bowl XXV (New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19, January 27, 1991): A missed field goal by the Bills gave the Giants their second Super Bowl victory in five years.
Super Bowl XXXIV (St. Louis Rams 23, Tennesee Titans 16, January 30, 2000): The Rams stopped the Titans on the 1 yard line in the final seconds.
Super Bowl XXXVI (New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17, February 3, 2002): A field goal down the stretch secured the victory for the Patriots.
Super Bowl XLII (New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14, February 3, 2008): The Giants stunned the Patriots, ruining what would have been the second perfect season of the Super Bowl era. David Tyree’s “helmet catch” on New York’s final drive led to Eli Manning hitting Plaxico Burress for the game-winning score. New England finished the season 18-1.
Super Bowl XLIX (New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24, February 1, 2015): Malcolm Butler’s interception on the 1-yard line with 28 seconds remaining sealed the victory for the Patriots.
Super Bowl LI (New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28, February 5, 2017): In this epic game, the Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit to win the first overtime game of the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl MVP
Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr won the first two MVP awards. Quarterbacks have won the award more than any other position, by far. Former New England quarterback Tom Brady, who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020, has won five Super Bowl MVP awards: four with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers. (Brady has announced his retirement in 2022.)
Super Bowl Halftime Show
The first Super Bowls featured marching bands. Then popular musicians took center stage and the shows turned into highly anticipated shows. Some viewers view the halftime show, which now lasts more than 30 minutes, as a more important event than the game.
Internationally famous Michael JacksonU2, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Prince, BeyonceColdplay and others performed during the halftime show.
The halftime show is famous for its musical surprises…and its mishaps. On February 3, 2013, during Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, a power outage occurred during Beyoncethe halftime show. During Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston on February 1, 2004, the public was in uproar because of the “nipple holders» controversy during the performance of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake.
READ MORE : The Evolution of the Super Bowl Halftime Show
Super Bowl TV Ratings
The first Super Bowl between Green Bay and Kansas City was broadcast on CBS and NBC. According to SportsMediaWatch.com, 26.75 million people watched the game on CBS (22.6 rating), 24.43 million on NBC (18.5 rating). (See here for the definition of point and split notes.)
The second Super Bowl, exclusively on CBS, had a 36.8 rating, with more than 39 million viewers. Super Bowl III, Joe Namath’s “guarantee game” between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Colts, brought together more than 41 million viewers on NBC.
The highest rated game was Super Bowl XVI between the 49ers and Bengals on January 24, 1982, with a rating of 49.1.
Super Bowl XLIX (February 1, 2015) between New England and Seattle was the most watched (114 million).
The game’s broadcast rights have recently alternated between NBC, CBS and Fox. In 2021, the NFL signs new media rights deal this will add ESPN to the Super Bowl rotation starting in 2026.
Super Bowl Facts and Figures
-
The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots each have six Super Bowl wins, the most of any team. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers each have five wins.
-
With five losses each, the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are tied for the most Super Bowl losses.
- The Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns are the only teams not to appear in the Super Bowl.
- The Patriots have made the most Super Bowl appearances of any team (11).
- The champion team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the legendary Green Bay Packers coach who won the first two Super Bowls.
- Since the football season spans two calendar years, Roman numerals are used to identify each Super Bowl.
- The location of the Super Bowl changes every year.
- Tampa Bay, in Super Bowl LV, is the only team to win a Super Bowl at home.
- Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest food consumption day in the United States, with only Thanksgiving behind him.
- The NFL restricts the use of the phrase “Super Bowl” for advertising purposes. Companies are coming up with creative alternatives, for example calling it a “great game.”
Sources:
NFL History: Super Bowl Winners, ESPN.
The history of the Super Bowl, The American historian.
History of the Super Bowl, News day.
Ranking of the 51 Super Bowls, ABC News.
History of the Super Bowl, Ticket City.
Fast facts about the Super Bowl, CNN.
