1967 : Packers face Chiefs in first Super Bowl
On this day in 1967, at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Green Bay
Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the first-ever world
championship game of American football.
In the mid-1960s, the intense competition for players and fans between
the National Football League (NFL) and the upstart American Football
League (AFL) led to talks of a possible merger. It was decided that
the winners of each league's championship would meet each year in a
single game to determine the "world champion of football."
In that historic first game--played before a non-sell-out crowd of
61,946 people--Green Bay scored three touchdowns in the second half to
defeat Kansas City 35-10. Led by MVP quarterback Bart Starr, the
Packers benefited from Max McGee's stellar receiving and a key
interception by safety Willie Wood. For their win, each member of the
Packers collected $15,000: the largest single-game share in the
history of team sports.
Postseason college games were known as "bowl" games, and AFL founder
Lamar Hunt suggested that the new pro championship be called the
"Super Bowl." The term was officially introduced in 1969, along with
roman numerals to designate the individual games. In 1970, the NFL and
AFL merged into one league with two conferences, each with 13 teams.
Since then, the Super Bowl has been a face-off between the winners of
the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football
Conference (NFC) for the NFL championship and the coveted Vince
Lombardi Trophy, named for the legendary Packers coach who guided his
team to victory in the first two Super Bowls.
Super Bowl Sunday has become an unofficial American holiday, complete
with parties, betting pools and excessive consumption of food and
drink. On average, 80 to 90 million people are tuned into the game on
TV at any given moment, while some 130-140 million watch at least some
part of the game. The commercials shown during the game have become an
attraction in themselves, with TV networks charging as much as $2.5
million for a 30-second spot and companies making more expensive,
high-concept ads each year. The game itself has more than once been
upstaged by its elaborate pre-game or halftime entertainment, most
recently in 2004 when Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction"
resulted in a $225,000 fine for the TV network airing the game, CBS,
and tighter controls on televised indecency.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1967 : Packers face Chiefs in first Super Bowl
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52344
1559 : Elizabeth crowned queen of England
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4676
1870 : First appearance of the Democratic donkey
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4677
1929 : Martin Luther King Jr. born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4678
1970 : Qaddafi becomes premier of Libya
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6777
1970 : Biafra surrenders to Nigeria
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4679
#########################################
On this day in 1967, at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Green Bay
Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the first-ever world
championship game of American football.
In the mid-1960s, the intense competition for players and fans between
the National Football League (NFL) and the upstart American Football
League (AFL) led to talks of a possible merger. It was decided that
the winners of each league's championship would meet each year in a
single game to determine the "world champion of football."
In that historic first game--played before a non-sell-out crowd of
61,946 people--Green Bay scored three touchdowns in the second half to
defeat Kansas City 35-10. Led by MVP quarterback Bart Starr, the
Packers benefited from Max McGee's stellar receiving and a key
interception by safety Willie Wood. For their win, each member of the
Packers collected $15,000: the largest single-game share in the
history of team sports.
Postseason college games were known as "bowl" games, and AFL founder
Lamar Hunt suggested that the new pro championship be called the
"Super Bowl." The term was officially introduced in 1969, along with
roman numerals to designate the individual games. In 1970, the NFL and
AFL merged into one league with two conferences, each with 13 teams.
Since then, the Super Bowl has been a face-off between the winners of
the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football
Conference (NFC) for the NFL championship and the coveted Vince
Lombardi Trophy, named for the legendary Packers coach who guided his
team to victory in the first two Super Bowls.
Super Bowl Sunday has become an unofficial American holiday, complete
with parties, betting pools and excessive consumption of food and
drink. On average, 80 to 90 million people are tuned into the game on
TV at any given moment, while some 130-140 million watch at least some
part of the game. The commercials shown during the game have become an
attraction in themselves, with TV networks charging as much as $2.5
million for a 30-second spot and companies making more expensive,
high-concept ads each year. The game itself has more than once been
upstaged by its elaborate pre-game or halftime entertainment, most
recently in 2004 when Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction"
resulted in a $225,000 fine for the TV network airing the game, CBS,
and tighter controls on televised indecency.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1967 : Packers face Chiefs in first Super Bowl
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52344
1559 : Elizabeth crowned queen of England
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4676
1870 : First appearance of the Democratic donkey
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4677
1929 : Martin Luther King Jr. born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4678
1970 : Qaddafi becomes premier of Libya
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6777
1970 : Biafra surrenders to Nigeria
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4679
#########################################
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