Robert Orlandini is a veteran writer and editor with 20 years' experience. He started his career as a sports writer with the "Tribune-Star" daily newspaper in Terre Haute, Ind., and has since written and edited several daily, weekly and niche publications as well as several online publications.
Overview
The Super Bowl has come a long way from its infancy in the late 1960s. From its humble beginnings as a simple championship game between teams from rival professional football leagues, the Super Bowl has grown to become one of the most popular entertainment events each year.
What's in a Name?
The Super Bowl was originally known as the "AFL-NFL World Championship Game." By the time the game was played in 1967, however, AFL executive Lamar Hunt had proposed the term "Super Bowl," an idea that came to him after seeing his daughter's "Super Ball," according to the Sporting News.
One Game; Two Networks
Two television networks broadcast the first Super Bowl in 1967. Both CBS and NBC were granted rights to televise the game from Los Angeles. Commercials sold for less than $100,000 per minute.
No Contests
Green Bay of the NFL easily won the first two Super Bowls. Coach Vince Lombardi's Packers disposed of AFL champ Kansas City 35-10 in Super Bowl I and Oakland 33-14 in Super Bowl II. It would be nearly 30 years before the Packers won another title.
A Guaranteed Victory
Quarterback Joe Namath of the New York Jets guaranteed his team would become the first AFL team to win a Super Bowl in Super Bowl III over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. The Jets did just that, shocking football fans with a 16-7 triumph.
Have Dome, Will Play
While many Super Bowls are played in Florida and California, Michigan became the first cold-weather state to host a Super Bowl in 1982, when San Francisco defeated Cincinnati in Super Bowl XVI in the Pontiac Silverdome.
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