---
title: "First Super Bowl"
year: 1967
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1967/super-bowl-i"
slug: "super-bowl-i"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1967-01-15"
---

# First Super Bowl

> The Green Bay Packers' victory in the inaugural championship game created America's most-watched annual sporting event and cultural phenomenon.

On January 15, 1967, the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10 in a game that didn't yet have a permanent name. It was billed as the AFL–NFL World Championship Game, a one-off merger showdown between football's two rival leagues that would reshape American sports.

## Summary

The first AFL–NFL World Championship Game was an American football game played on January 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The National Football League (NFL) champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American Football League (AFL) champion Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 35–10.

## Key facts

- **Date**: January 15, 1967
- **Venue**: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- **Final Score**: Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10
- **Attendance**: 61,946
- **Packers Head Coach**: Vince Lombardi
- **Chiefs Head Coach**: Hank Stram
- **AFL Founded**: 1960
- **AFL–NFL Merger Announced**: June 8, 1966

## Timeline

- **1960-08-14** - AFL launches
  The American Football League begins play as a rival to the NFL, starting with eight teams and heavy investment from new owners seeking national sports prominence.
- **1966-06-08** - AFL–NFL merger announced
  After six years of competition and escalating bidding wars for players, the two leagues agree to merge. The first championship game between their champions is scheduled for January 1967.
- **1967-01-15** - First championship game played
  The Green Bay Packers, defending NFL champions under coach Vince Lombardi, defeat the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs 35–10 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before 61,946 fans.
- **1967-01-23** - Game retroactively named
  The game is formally designated as the 'Super Bowl,' a name inspired by the Super Ball toy and popularized by Kansas City owner Lamar Hunt.
- **1970-06-08** - AFL–NFL merger completed
  The two leagues officially consolidate into a single organization, with the annual championship game—now called the Super Bowl—becoming the league's flagship event.

## Impact

The game crystallized the end of professional football's turf war and proved the merger between the upstart AFL and the established NFL was economically viable. It established a cultural institution that would become the de facto American secular holiday.

## Sources

- [First Super Bowl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_I) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1967/super-bowl-i