The American Football League Is Created

On Aug. 14, 1959, at the call of Dallas businessman Lamar Hunt, a new professional football league to be called the American Football League (AFL) was organized to begin play in 1960. 

 Charter memberships were issued to Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York. Buffalo and Boston were admitted later that year. Early in 1960, Minneapolis defected to the National Football League (NFL) and Oakland was picked as a replacement city. 

The whole idea seemed so far-fetched, even after AFL teams started playing, that the eight team owners became known as the "Foolish Club."

At 9 a.m. on August 14, 1959, a group of visionary men that included Hall of Famer Lamar Hunt and Tennessee Titans Bud Adams met in the South Imperial Suite of The Conrad Hilton in Chicago, Illinois to form the American Football League.

Almost every element that makes pro football the world's most popular sport that it is today can be traced to the American Football League and the huge changes its presence eventually brought to the sport. 

By the time the fierce AFL-NFL war of the 1960s was over, the expanded National Football League of the 1970s stretched from coast-to-coast and from border to border. Fans poured into NFL stadiums in record numbers. Rapidly increasing television coverage introduced pro football to hundreds of millions of new fans on every continent.

The Super Bowl was destined to become the most watched sports spectacle in the history of the world. The AFL was viewed by the masses as a "David" matched against an unbeatable "Goliath" for almost half of its 10-year history. 

But when the "rags-to-riches" story was concluded, the AFL had achieved what no other NFL challenger had ever accomplished - equality in a new and exciting pro football world.  

The Green Bay Packers of the original NFL won the first two Super Bowls convincingly, causing many people to question if the AFL teams could compete. The very next year, the New York Jets of the AFL upset the Baltimore Colts of the NFL for the AFL's first Super Bowl Title. The Chiefs also of the AFL won the 4th Super Bowl, evening the record at 2-2.

Since the construction of the combined league, the original AFL teams have won 20 Super Bowls while original NFL teams have taken 25. Three Super Bowls have been won by teams created after the merger (the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens, twice.)

The Winner of each Super Bowl receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after Vince Lombardi, the great coach for the Green Bay Packers who led his team to victory in each of the first two Super Bowls. Following his death, the trophy was named prior to Super Bowl V in his honor.

49ers Beat Chargers In Super Bowl

On Jan. 29, 1995, the San Francisco 49ers became the first NFL franchise to win five Super Bowls with a 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers in an all-California affair in Miami.

Quarterback Steve Young was named the game's MVP after throwing for 325 yards with a 24-for-36 efficiency.

Young was responsible for all six of his team's touchdowns as he threw six TD passes and no interceptions.

The victory for Young, was his only Super Bowl victory as a starter, he had another victory on the bench behind Joe Montana in 1989.

This was also the last time the 49ers were in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers five Super Bowl victories ties them for second all-time with the Dallas Cowboys and behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers who have six victories.

Last years Super Bowl was also played in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome, home of the New Orleans Saints, as the 49ers were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens, in what many labeled the "Harbaugh-bowl" or "Harbaughcalypse."

In 1990 the 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 55-10 in the then called Louisiana Super Dome to win Super Bowl XXIV (24), the last under Joe Montana.

Since Super Bowl XXIV (24) the Super Dome has played host to two more Super Bowls, 1997 in Super Bowl XXXI (31) with the Green Bay Packers against the New England Patriots and in 2002 in Super Bowl XXXVI (36) with the New England Patriots against the St. Louis Rams.

Super Bowl History

January 26th has been a day where many Super Bowls were played. Here are a few that had some very interesting story lines.

On Jan. 26, 1986 Super Bowl XX (20) was played The Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots by a score of 46-10 in the Louisiana Superdome.

At the time, it was the most lopsided Super Bowl in history as linebacker Richard Dent was named the game's MVP.

New England jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but then Chicago's defense clamped down and the offense picked it up a notch. The Bears rattled off the next 44 points to secure their victory.

The Superdome in New Orleans is playing the host for this years Super Bowl with the 49ers and Ravens.

On Jan. 26, 1992, Super Bowl XXVI (26) was played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.,

Mark Rypien of the Washington Redskins was the game's MVP as the Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills by a score of 37-24. Rypien threw for 292 yards on 18-for-33 passing.

Washington had a 24-0 lead before Buffalo even scored its first points in the third quarter.

On Jan. 26, 1997, the Green Bay Packers won their first Super Bowl in the modern NFL over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI (31).

Desmond Howard was the game's MVP as his 99-yard kickoff return in the third quarter sealed the game for the Packers.

The final score was 35-21 as quarterback Brett Favre beat the Patriots' Drew Bledsoe.

On Jan. 26, 2003, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders, in Super Bowl XXXVII (37).

The final score was 48-21 as the Buccaneers scored three touchdowns directly off interceptions.

Dwight Smith had two of those interceptions and Derrick Brooks had the other as Tampa Bay won their only Super Bowl title in their only appearance in the Super Bowl to this point.

NFL Debuts Super Bowl

On Jan. 15, 1967, the NFL would host the first ever Super Bowl.

The site was Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif. and the Green Bay Packers, led by quarterback Bart Starr, defeated Len Dawson and the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 35-10.

Green Bay scored three touchdowns in the second half to break open a close game that was only 14-10 at the halfway point. Starr was 16-for-23 and 250 yards en route to being named the game's MVP.

The historic day marked the first-ever contest between the NFL and AFL, which were in competition with each other at the time.

The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions. Currently, the National Football Conference (NFC) leads the series with 25 wins to 21 wins for the American Football Conference (AFC).

Three years later, the leagues merged and the single-greatest game in American team sports took off to become an advertising juggernaut, which is because the Super Bowl every year is one of the most watched sporting events on television.

But it is not just about television and advertising, the Super Bowl is about showing your dominance over the league, and bringing home a Vince Lombardi Trophy to your fans.

The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered by some a de facto American national holiday, is called "Super Bowl Sunday". It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowls, the most of any team; the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have five victories each; and both the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants have four Super Bowls championships.

Thirteen other NFL franchises have won at least one Super Bowl.

Ten teams have appeared in Super Bowl games without a win.

The Minnesota Vikings were the first team to have lost a record four times without a win. The Buffalo Bills played in a record four Super Bowls in a row, and lost every one. Four teams (the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans) have never appeared in a Super Bowl.

The Browns and Lions both won NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl's creation, while the Jaguars (1995) and Texans (2002) are both recent NFL expansion teams.

The Minnesota Vikings won the last NFL Championship before the merger, but lost to the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV.

Green Bay Packers Play First Game

On Oct. 23, 1921, the Green Bay Packers play their first game.

The Green Bay Packers played their first official NFL game against the Minneapolis Marines. 

The Packers won the game 7-6 when Curly Lambeau kicked the winning extra point. 

The Packers are one of the most beloved franchises in NFL history and have won 13 league championships, including 11 NFL Championships between 1929 and 1967, the first two AFL-NFL Super Bowls, in 1966 and 1967. More recently the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI in 1996 and Super Bowl XLV in 2010.