The Super Bowl grew in popularity after the AFL-NFL merger. The Jets were led by brash quarterback Joe Namath, who had guaranteed a New York win. The Colts, coached by Don Shula, finished the regular season 13-1 and beat the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns in the NFL playoffs. Against the Jets, though, Baltimore didn't score until the fourth quarter.Īs 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 more famous scenes in sports history. It was the first Super Bowl win for the upstart American Football League. In Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969, the AFL champion New York Jets, a 17.5-point underdog, beat the NFL champion Baltimore Colts, 16-7-a result considered one of the sport's greatest upsets. READ MORE: 10 Things You May Not Know About the First Super Bowl Joe Namath's Guarantee in Super Bowl III Many questioned whether the AFL champion could beat the NFL's best. The next year, the Packers decisively won Super Bowl II against the Oakland Raiders, 33-14. The game drew 61,000 fans and was televised by CBS and NBC. Although ticket prices averaged $12, the game was not a sellout-the only non-sellout in the game's history. In Super Bowl I, the NFL champion Green Bay Packers defeated the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10, on January 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The champions of each play in the Super Bowl. The game was originally called the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game.” Later, Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt proposed using the term “Super Bowl” to refer to the championship game.Īfter the leagues merged, the NFL split into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The first Super Bowl, which featured the AFL (Kansas City Chiefs) and NFL champion (Green Bay Packers), was played on January 15, 1967. Then, in 1966, owners negotiated an agreement to merge the leagues by 1970. In 1960, a group of businessmen who wanted to own football franchises-but were denied by the NFL-launched an alternative league, known as the American Football League (AFL).įor several years, the NFL and AFL were rivals, competing for fans, players and support. Though the NFL officially formed in 1920, the Super Bowl wasn't played until more than 40 years later.
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