The Super Bowl has evolved into a multimillion-dollar event that brings thousands to a sold-out stadium each year to watch the AFC and NFC champions face off in one of the biggest sporting events of the year for the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Whether you're an avid sports fan, a casual watcher or not into sports at all, it is hard to avoid Super Bowl talk in the early months of the year. Even if you aren't a football fan, you may watch for the big-time entertainer performing during the halftime show, which has evolved into a short, yet extravagant concert.
Even though the Super Bowl has become such an enormous event, one where even the commercials are highly anticipated, it wasn't always that way.
The big game dates back to 1967, when it wasn't called the Super Bowl. It was first known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, where two teams battled it out in front of a less-than-sold-out crowd and a ticket could be had for just $12. That game in 1967 was the start of a long history of nail-biting games, monumental moments and legendary halftime performances for the NFL.
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The first-ever Super Bowl game was played by the Green Bay Packers, the National Football League champion and the Kansas City Chiefs, the winners out of the American Football League.
This game was played before the name "Super Bowl" was adopted at the suggestion of Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt.
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The Green Bay Packers came out victorious in Super Bowl I against the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.
The Packers were led by legendary head coach Vince Lombardi. The Super Bowl trophy was later named after the coach.
The Green Bay Packers also reached Super Bowl II, playing the Oakland Raiders and winning by a score of 33-14.
Super Bowl I was played Jan. 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
Super Bowl I remains the only Super Bowl broadcast by two different networks. NBC, the official broadcaster of the AFL, and CBS, which broadcast NFL games, both televised the event.
The score was tight at halftime of the first Super Bowl with the Packers holding a 14-10 lead over the Chiefs.
The Chiefs were able to score one touchdown that game, and it came in the second quarter on a pass to Curtis McClinton.
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After halftime, Green Bay built its lead and won 35-10.
The quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl I was Len Dawson. A legendary photograph of Dawson during halftime of that first Super Bowl shows him smoking a cigarette in the Kansas City Chiefs' locker room.
Although Dawson lost the first Super Bowl, he did have a Super Bowl win with the Chiefs for Super Bowl IV when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7.
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Dawson's many awards during his time in the NFL included the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Dawson died on Aug. 24, 2022 at the age of 87.
The University of Arizona Marching Band and the Grambling State University Marching Band were among the performers at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The Anaheim High School Ana-Hi-Steppers Drill Team and flag girls also performed.
Since that first game, the Super Bowl Halftime Show has become an enormous production where many legendary performances have taken place. Past performers have included Madonna, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5 and Shakira.
