Super Bowl I-IX: The Legend Begins

The Super Bowl began as a challenge game between the NFL and the AFL, named after a toy that belonged to the NFL Commissioner’s daughter. The toy was called the “super ball,” and so the game became the Super Bowl.

What started as a challenge that couldn’t fill the LA Coliseum became legitimate in Super Bowl III, when the NFL gambling underdog Jets delivered on Joe Namath’s famous guarantee. The Jets shocked the Baltimore Colts and proved that the upstart AFL could live with the established NFL teams. The Leagues merged in 1970, saw a Perfect Season in 1972 and the birth of the modern era when Pittsburgh beat Minnesota in Super Bowl IX.

Going to a Super Bowl party? Download Sports Interaction’s fantastic 2012 printable PDF Super Bowl prop sheet!

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