Super Bowl I The First AFL - NFL World Championship Game in professional American football , later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame , was played on January 15 , 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles , California . The National Football League ( NFL ) champion Green Bay Packers ( 14 – 2 ) scored 3 second - half touchdowns en route to a 35 – 10 win over the American Football League ( AFL ) champion Kansas City Chiefs ( 12 – 3 – 1 ) . Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr , who completed 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns , with 1 interception , was named Super Bowl MVP . Background . Origins . The " First AFL - NFL World Championship Game " was established as part of the June 8 , 1966 merger agreement between the NFL and the AFL . However , Los Angeles was not awarded the game until six weeks prior to the kickoff . The date of the game was also not set until around that time . Since the AFL Championship Game was originally scheduled for Monday , December 26 and the NFL Championship Game for Sunday , January 1 ( the reverse of the situation in 1960 ) , it was suggested the game be played on Sunday , January 8 , 1967 . It was eventually decided to hold an unprecedented TV doubleheader on January 1 , 1967 , with the AFL Championship Game in Buffalo starting at 1 p . m . and the NFL Championship Game in Dallas starting at 4 p . m . Coming into this first game , there was considerable animosity between the two rival leagues , with both of them putting pressure on their respective champions to trounce the other and prove each league ' s dominance in professional football . Still , many sports writers and fans believed that the game was a mismatch , and that any team from the long - established NFL was far superior to the best team from the upstart AFL . The 2 teams that played were the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs . The Packers ended up winning 35 to 10 . Kansas City Chiefs . The Chiefs entered the game after recording an 11 - 2 - 1 mark during the regular season . In the AFL Championship Game , they beat the Buffalo Bills , 31 - 7 . Kansas City ' s high powered offense led the AFL in points scored ( 448 ) and total rushing yards ( 2 , 274 ) . Their trio of running back s , Mike Garrett ( 801 yards ) , Bert Coan ( 521 yards ) , and Curtis McClinton ( 540 yards ) all ranked among the top ten rushers in the AFL . Quarterback Len Dawson was the top rated passer in the AFL , completing 159 out of 284 ( 56 percent ) of his passes for 2 , 527 yards and 26 touchdowns . Wide receiver Otis Taylor provided the team with a great deep threat by recording 58 receptions of 1 , 297 yards and 8 touchdowns . Receiver Chris Burford added 58 receptions for 758 yards and 8 touchdowns . And tight end Fred Arbanas , who had 22 catches for 305 yards and 4 touchdowns , was one of 6 Chiefs offensive players who were named to the All - AFL team . The Chiefs also had a strong defense , with All - AFL players Jerry Mays and Buck Buchanan anchoring their line . Linebacker Bobby Bell , who was also named to the All - AFL team , was great at run stopping and pass coverage . But the strongest part of their defense was their secondary , led by All - AFL safeties Johnny Robinson and Bobby Hunt , who each recorded 10 interceptions , and defensive back Fred Williamson , who recorded 4 . Their Head Coach was Hank Stram . Green Bay Packers . The Packers were an NFL dynasty after being a losing team eight years earlier . The team had posted an NFL - worst 1 – 10 – 1 record in 1958 before legendary head coach Vince Lombardi was hired in January 1959 . But Lombardi was determined to build a winning team . During the offseason , he signed Fred " Fuzzy " Thurston , who had been cut from three other teams but ended up becoming an All - Pro left guard for Green Bay . Lombardi also made a big trade with the Cleveland Browns that brought three players to the team who would become cornerstones of the defense : linemen Henry Jordan , Willie Davis , and Bill Quinlan . Lombardi ' s hard work paid off , and the Packers improved to a 7 – 5 regular season record in 1959 . They surprised the league during the following year by making it all the way to the 1960 NFL Championship Game . Although the Packers lost 17 – 13 to the Philadelphia Eagles , they had sent a clear message that they were no longer losers . Green Bay went on to win NFL Championships in 1961 , 1962 , 1965 , 1966 , and 1967 . Packers veteran quarterback Bart Starr was the top - rated quarterback in the NFL for 1966 , and won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award , completing 156 out of 251 ( 62 . 2 percent ) passes for 2 , 257 yards , 14 touchdowns , and only 3 interceptions . His top targets were wide receivers Boyd Dowler and Carroll Dale , who combined for 63 receptions for 1 , 336 yards . Fullback Jim Taylor was the team ' s top rusher with 705 yards , and also caught 41 passes for 331 yards . ( Before the season , Taylor had informed the team that instead of returning to the Packers in 1967 , he would become a free agent and sign with the expansion New Orleans Saints . Lombardi , infuriated at what he considered to be Taylor ' s disloyalty , refused to speak to Taylor the entire season . ) The team ' s starting halfback , Paul Hornung , was injured early in the season , but running back Elijah Pitts did a good job as a replacement , gaining 857 combined rushing and receiving yards . And the Packers offensive line was also big reason for the team ' s success , led by All - Pro guards Jerry Kramer and Thurston , along with Forrest Gregg . Green Bay also had a superb defense , which displayed its talent on the final drive of the NFL Championship Game , stopping the Dallas Cowboys on 4 consecutive plays starting on the Packers 2 - yard line to win the game . Lionel Aldridge had replaced Quinlan , but Jordan and Davis still anchored the defensive line , linebacker Ray Nitschke excelled at run stopping and pass coverage , while the secondary was led by defensive backs Herb Adderley and Willie Wood . Wood was another example of how Lombardi found talent in players that nobody else could see . Wood had been a quarterback in college and was not drafted by an NFL team . When Wood joined the Packers in 1960 , he was converted to a free safety and he went on to make the All - Pro team 9 times in his 12 year career . Super Bowl pregame news and notes . Many people considered it fitting that the Chiefs and the Packers would be the teams to play in the first ever AFL - NFL World Championship Game . Kansas City owner Lamar Hunt was the person who founded the AFL , while Green Bay was widely considered one of the better teams in NFL history ( even if they couldn ' t claim to be founding members of their own league ) . ( CBS announcer Frank Gifford , who interviewed Lombardi prior to the game , said Lombardi was so nervous " he held onto my arm and he was shaking like a leaf . It was incredible . " ) Lombardi was under intense pressure from the entire NFL that the Packers not only win but preferably win big . The Chiefs saw this game as an opportunity to show they were good enough to play against any NFL team . One player who was really looking forward to compete in this game was Dawson , who had spent 3 years as a backup in the NFL before joining the Chiefs . ( The Chiefs were also nervous . Linebacker E . J . Holub said " the Chiefs were scared to death . Guys in the tunnel were throwing up . " ) In the week prior to the game , Chiefs cornerback Fred " The Hammer " Williamson garnered considerable publicity by boasting he would use his " hammer " - - forearm blows to the head — to destroy the Packers ' receivers , stating " Two hammers to ( Boyd ) Dowler , one to ( Carroll ) Dale should be enough . " The two teams played with their respective footballs from each league - The Chiefs used the AFL ball by Spalding , the Packers played with the NFL ball by Wilson . The AFL ' s two - point conversion rule was not used and would not be used in any of the first four Super Bowls . Television . Simulcast . This game is the only Super Bowl to have been broadcast in the United States by two television network s simultaneously ( no other NFL game was subsequently carried nationally on more than one network until December 29 , 2007 , when the New England Patriots faced the New York Giants on NBC , CBS , and the NFL Network ) . At the time , CBS held the rights to nationally televise NFL games while NBC had the rights to broadcast AFL games . It was decided to have both of them cover the game . Each network used its own announcers : Ray Scott ( doing play - by - play for the first half ) , Jack Whitaker ( doing play - by - play for the second half ) , and Frank Gifford provided commentary on CBS ; while Curt Gowdy and Paul Christman were on NBC . NBC did have some problems . A little - known fact about SB I is that at the start of the second half , the Chiefs received the opening kickoff and returned it for good field position , around midfield . However , NBC did not return in time from a halftime commercial break for the start of the second half . Ironically , the AFL network missed the first kickoff and return , and the Chiefs were forced to receive another " official " kickoff , this one being stopped around the Chiefs ' twenty . They then advanced the ball to their own 49 - yard line , but were intercepted , a play that turned the game around . Professional Football pundits to this day wonder what the game ' s outcome would have been , had the first kickoff return not been expunged from history . NBC was also forced to broadcast the game over CBS ' cameras ( CBS received prerogative to use its feed and feed and less innovative camera placement and angles , since the Coliseum was home to the NFL ' s Rams ) . In other words , NBC ' s crew had little to no control over how the game was shot . Super Bowl I was the only Super Bowl in history that was not a sellout in terms of attendance , despite a TV blackout in the Los Angeles area ( at the time , NFL games were required to be blacked out in the market of origin , even if it was a neutral site game and if it sold out ) . Days before the game , local newspapers printed editorials about what they viewed as a then - exorbitant $ 12 USD price for tickets , and wrote stories about how to pirate the signal from TV stations outside the Los Angeles area . Lost footage . Much to the dismay of television historians , all known broadcast tapes which recorded the game in its entirety were subsequently destroyed in a process of wiping , the reusing of videotape by taping over previous content , by both networks . This was due to the idea that the game wasn ' t going to become what it did , plus videotapes were extremely expensive back then . This has prevented contrast and compare studies of how each network handled their respective coverage . Despite this , television and sports archivists remain on the lookout , and at least two small samples of the telecast survive : a recording of Max McGee ' s opening touchdown and Jim Taylor ' s first touchdown run ( Packers ' second touchdown ) , both were shown on HBO ' s 1991 two - part sports documentary , " " . NFL Films had a camera crew present , and retains a substantial amount of film footage in its archives , some of which has been released for home video and cable presentations . In January of 2011 , it was reported that a recording of the CBS telecast had been found in a Pennsylvania attic and restored by the Paley Center for Media in New York . The 2 " color videotape is incomplete , and is missing the halftime show and most of the third - quarter footage , but is still the most complete version of the broadcast yet discovered . Ceremonies and entertainment . The first Super Bowl halftime show featured American trumpeter Al Hirt , and the marching bands from the University of Arizona and Grambling State University . ( At least one source incorrectly lists the University of Michigan Band . ) The postgame , trophy presentation ceremony was handled by CBS ' Pat Summerall and NBC ' s George Ratterman . Summerall and Ratterman were forced to share a single microphone . Game summary . After both teams traded punts on their first possessions of the game , the Packers jumped out to an early 7 – 0 lead , driving 80 yards in 6 plays . On the last play , Bart Starr threw a pass to reserve receiver Max McGee , who had replaced injured starter Boyd Dowler earlier in the drive . McGee slipped past Chiefs cornerback Willie Mitchell , made a one - handed catch at the 23 - yard line , and then took off for a 37 - yard touchdown reception . On their ensuing drive , the Chiefs moved the ball to Green Bay ' s 33 - yard line , but kicker Mike Mercer missed a 40 - yard field goal . Early in the second quarter , Kansas City marched 66 yards in 6 plays , featuring a 31 - yard reception by receiver Otis Taylor , to tie the game on a 7 - yard pass to Curtis McClinton from quarterback Len Dawson . But the Packers responded on their next drive , advancing 73 yards down the field and scoring on fullback Jim Taylor ' s 14 - yard touchdown run with the team ' s famed " Power Sweep " play . Dawson was sacked for an 8 - yard loss on the first play of the Chiefs next drive . But he followed it up with four consecutive completions for 58 yards , including a 27 - yarder to Chris Burford , setting up Mercer ' s 31 - yard field goal to make the score 14 - 10 at the end of the half . At halftime , it appeared that the Chiefs had a chance to win . Many people watching the game were surprised how close the score was and how well the AFL ' s champions were playing . Kansas City actually outgained the Packers in total yards , 181 – 164 , and had 11 first downs compared to the Packers ' 9 . The Chiefs were exuberant at halftime . Hank Stram said later " I honestly thought we would come back and win it . " The Packers were disappointed with the quality of their play in the first half . " The coach was " concerned " " said defensive end Willie Davis later . Lombardi told them the game plan was sound but that they had to tweak some things and execute better . On their first drive of the second half , the Chiefs advanced to their own 49 - yard line . But on a third down pass play , a heavy blitz by linebackers Dave Robinson and Lee Roy Caffey rushed Dawson ' s throw , and the ball was intercepted by Willie Wood , who then returned it 50 yards to Kansas City ' s 5 - yard line . ( " the biggest play of the game , " wrote Starr later ) . On their first play after the turnover , running back Elijah Pitts scored on a 5 - yard touchdown run to give the Packers a 21 - 10 lead . The Packers defense would then dominate the Chiefs offense for the rest of the game , only allowing them to cross midfield once , and for just one play . The Chiefs were forced to deviate from their game plan , and that hurt them . The Chiefs ' offense totaled 12 yards in the third quarter , and Dawson was held to 5 out of 12 second half pass completions for 59 yards . Meanwhile , Green Bay forced Kansas City to punt from their own 2 - yard line after sacking Dawson twice and got the ball back with good field position on their own 44 . McGee subsequently caught 3 passes for 40 yards on a 56 - yard drive that ended with his 13 - yard touchdown reception . Midway through the fourth quarter , Starr completed a 25 - yard pass to Carroll Dale and a 37 - yard strike to McGee , moving the ball to the Chiefs 18 - yard line . Four plays later , Pitts scored his second touchdown on a 1 - yard run to close out the scoring , giving the Packers the 35 - 10 win . Also in the fourth quarter , Fred Williamson , who had boasted about his " hammer " prior to the game , was knocked out when his head collided with running back Donny Anderson ' s knee , and then suffered a broken arm when Chiefs linebacker Sherrill Headrick fell on him . Williamson had three tackles for the game . Hornung was the only Packer not to see any action . Lombardi had asked him in the fourth quarter if he wanted to go in , but Hornung declined , not wanting to aggravate a pinched nerve in his neck . McGee , who caught only four passes for 91 yards and one touchdown during the season , finished Super Bowl I with seven receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns . The Green Bay Packers were each paid a salary of $ 15 , 000 as the winning team . The Chiefs were paid $ 7 , 500 each . Final statistics . Source : NFL . com Statistical comparison . Note : According to NBC Radio announcer Jim Simpson ' s report at halftime of the game , Kansas City led 11 to 9 in first downs at halftime , 181 to 164 in total yards , and 142 to 113 in passing yards ( Green Bay led 51 to 39 in rushing yards ) . Bart Starr was 8 of 13 with no interceptions , while Len Dawson was 11 of 15 with no interceptions . Green Bay led 14 - 10 at halftime . Green Bay had the ball five times , although only for a minute or so on the last possession ; they punted on their first possession , scored a touchdown on their second , punted on their third , scored a touchdown on their fourth , and had the ball when the half ended on their fifth . Kansas City had the ball four times - - - punting on their first possession , driving to a missed field goal on their second possession , scoring a touchdown on their third , and kicking a field goal on their fourth . This means that , in the second half , Green Bay led 12 to 6 in first downs , 203 to 58 in total yards , 115 to 25 in passing yards , and 82 to 33 in rushing yards ( the Packers won the second half , 21 - 0 ) . Starr and his late - game replacement , Zeke Bratkowski , were 8 for 11 with one interception ; Dawson and his late - game replacement , Pete Beatherd , were just 6 for 17 , also with one interception . Each team had the ball seven times in the second half , although Green Bay ' s first possession was just one play and their seventh possession was abbreviated because the game ended . Green Bay scored a touchdown on their first ( one play ) possession , punted on their second , scored a touchdown on their third , was intercepted at KC ' s 15 yard line on their fourth ( just Starr ' s fourth interception of the year ) , scored a touchdown on their fifth , punted on their sixth , and had the ball when the game ended on their seventh possession . Kansas City was intercepted on their first possession - - - Wood ' s return to the five set up Pitts ' TD that made it 21 - 10 - - - and then punted on each of their next six possessions . Starting lineups . Source : Officials . " Note : A seven - official system was not used before 1978 . " Since officials from the NFL and AFL wore different uniform designs , a " neutral " uniform was designed for this game . These uniforms had the familiar black and white stripes , but the sleeves were all black with the official ' s uniform number . This design was also worn in Super Bowl II , but was discontinued after that game when AFL officials began wearing uniforms identical to those of the NFL during the 1968 season , in anticipation of the AFL - NFL merger in 1970 .