NFL / National Football League Super Bowl History 1967-1996

The Super Bowl was a plan hatched in the late 1960’s as part of a merger agreement between the National Football League (NFL) and the upstart American Football League. (AFL). At the time both leagues had soaring popularity and the battle over star players was very competitive.

In 1966, then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, opened talks with the AFL about the merger plans and the greatest single day in sports was born.

From A Super Ball To The Super Bowl

It is said that Pete Rozelle wanted to call the proposed inter league Championship the “Big One”. During the negotiations on the merger plan for the two leagues the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs Lamar Hunt (who was a founder of the AFL) coined the phrase Super Bowl after watching his kids play with a Super Ball.

That little ball which was manufactured by toy company Wham-O and advertised as “a ball that can bounce higher than any ball in the world” is on display at the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in Canton Ohio. The name Super Bowl was also consistent with college football Championship games which were and still are known as “Bowl Games”.

The Super Bowl Evolves from Humble Beginnings

The first three games in Super Bowl History had their tickets printed with the name “World Championship Game” and were played in 1967, 1968 and 1969. Super Bowl IV was played on January 11, 1970 between the Kansas Chiefs and the Minnesota Vikings and was the first game where the tickets were printed using the Super Bowl name with roman numerals to distinguish it.

Super Bowl IV was played in Tulane Stadium before a then record crowd of 80,562 fans and was the first of eight Super Bowls that have been played in New Orleans. The City of New Orleans has hosted the second most Super Bowl games next to Miami which has hosted ten Super Bowl Games.

NFC Versus AFC Super Bowl History

After the Green Bay Packers represented the NFC and won the first two Super Bowls the AFC took over and dominated the NFC for the next 13 years. The Pittsburgh Steelers won four Championships in that time frame while the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins won two each. Over all, through the first 15 Super Bowls, the AFC had a 11-4 record. The four NFC winners were the aforementioned Packers and the Dallas Cowboys who won two Super Bowls each.

As dominant as the AFC was in the early years, the NFC crushed them in the games over the next 15 years. The Los Angeles Raiders were the only AFC team to win a Super Bowl between the years 1982 and 1996. In those fifteen games the NFC outscored the AFC by a combined 517-274 score. The NFC was led by the great teams from San Francisco (five wins) and Dallas (three wins).

The Buffalo Bills set a record for futility when they lost four straight Super Bowl games from 1991-1994 during that era. The Denver Broncos also lost three Super Games in that time period. Those loses included the worst defeat in Super Bowl history when the San Francisco 49ers pounded the Broncos 55-10 to win Super Bowl XXIV.

Who will make history during Super Bowl XLV? We can’t wait to find out as the NFL 2010 season kicks off in three days!