What Is the History of the Super Bowl?

Believe it or not, we’re closer to Super Bowl 100 than Super Bowl 1. Fans of the NFL have been betting on Super Bowl odds for decades, but how did arguably the biggest sporting event in the United States come to be? 

Below, I’ll discuss the history of the Super Bowl and provide some facts you may have never heard. 

The History of the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the NFL’s league championship game. Today, it features one team from the NFC (National Football Conference) and AFC (American Football Conference) and is played on the second Sunday in February. 

Super Bowl Origins

In the early 20th century, the NFL faced fierce competition from other leagues, most notably the AFL (American Football League). 

In 1961, the AFL commissioner, Joe Foss, invited the NFL to a “World Playoff” game. While this didn’t materialize, merger meetings between the two leagues occurred just a few years later. 

During those meetings, Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt referred to the championship game as the “Super Bowl.” 

He cited that the name was likely inspired by his children playing with the Super Ball toy. 

So, why is it called the Super Bowl? Well, it’s likely a combination of a kid’s toy and the term “bowl” being used in several of college football’s biggest matchups that had started decades earlier, including the inaugural Rose Bowl, played in 1902. 

While Hunt referred to it as that, he wasn’t completely confident in the name, writing a letter to then-commissioner Pete Rozelle saying it could “obviously be improved upon.”

However, the media latched on to the name and used it despite other proposed names like “Merger Bowl,” “Summit Bowl,” and “The Game.” 

The trophy for the Super Bowl-winning team is called the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the coach of the Packers, who won Super Bowls 1 and 2. 

The First Super Bowl

Super Bowl 1 was played following the 1966 regular season. In the two seasons leading up to that, the Green Bay Packers won the first two AFL-NFL Championship games. 

Then, when it was renamed, the Packers won the first Super Bowl, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. They also won Super Bowl 2, beating the Oakland Raiders. 

Winningest Super Bowl Teams

During the 1970s, NFL fans saw dominant franchises win numerous Super Bowls. The Miami Dolphins won Super Bowls 7 and 8, and the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowls 9, 10, 13, and 14. 

Because of those four Super Bowl wins within that one decade and two more at Super Bowl 40 and 43, the Steelers had the most Super Bowl wins with six until the New England Patriots tied them in 2019, winning Super Bowl 53. 

Today, the franchises remain tied for the most wins in Super Bowl history. However, the Patriots hold the record for most Super Bowl appearances with 11. 

Teams To Never Win a Super Bowl

There are 12 active NFL teams that have never won a Super Bowl, including the following:

• Arizona Cardinals
• Atlanta Falcons
• Buffalo Bills
• Carolina Panthers
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns
• Detroit Lions
• Houston Texans
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Minnesota Vikings
• Tennessee Titans. 

Of those 12, eight have appeared in the Super Bowl but didn’t win. 

Most notably, the Bills made the Super Bowl in four straight seasons (1990 to 1993) and lost all of them. 

The four teams to never make the Super Bowl are the Browns, Lions, Texans, and Jaguars. 

The Browns and Lions did win NFL Championships before the Super Bowl era, though. 

The Jaguars and Texans are expansion franchises that began playing in 1995 and 2022, respectively. 

What Are Three Facts About the Super Bowl?

Here are three facts about the Super Bowl that you may not know:

• Not only did the Vikings make four Super Bowls and lose them, but they never held the lead in any game. 
• Miami has hosted 11 Super Bowls, the most of any city. 
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams are the only teams to play in the Super Bowl at their home field. Not only did they both win the game, but they happened in back-to-back seasons.