How Did the Super Bowl Start?

The Super Bowl is the single largest sporting event in North America. Over 200 million people tune in every January to watch the NFC champions and AFC champions duke it out for the Vince Lombardi trophy. It's become so much of a cultural staple that it's hard to believe it had very humble roots--it wasn't even called the Super Bowl for the first few years of its existence.

Rival Leagues

When the Super Bowl got started, there were two entirely different pro football leagues. The NFL was old and well-established, but the upstart AFL--which began in 1960--was making waves with a faster and more exciting style of play.

The Merger

In 1966, the two leagues agreed to merge into one starting in 1970. As part of the agreement, their respective champions would meet every year to determine a "world champion of football."

The First Game

The first Super Bowl--though it wasn't called that--was held on January 16th, 1967. The NFL's Green Bay Packers soundly defeated the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.

AFL's Rise

The NFL was widely considered the dominant league, an assumption borne out by the first two Super Bowls. In Super Bowl III, however, the AFL's New York Jets scored a stunning upset over the NFL's Baltimore Colts... proving that the AFL was the equal of its older brother.

The Name

Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt is widely credited with coining the name "Super Bowl." He claims he thought of it after watching his children play with a super ball; it was intended to be a stopgap until a real name could be found, but it ended up sticking.