Denver Broncos 1966

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1966 PRO BOWL

Denver Broncos 1966

Super Bowl 1
Fourth quarter
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 one-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 t… Moreo 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.[25] 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. After the game was over, a reporter asked Vince Lombardi about if he thought Kansas City was a good team. Lombardi responded that though the Chiefs were an excellent, well-coached club, he thought several NFL teams such as Dallas were better.[43] Less

Super Bowl 1
Third quarter
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 collapsed the Chiefs pocket. Robinson, tackle Henry Jordan, and Packer right end Lionel Aldridge converged on Dawson who threw weakly toward tight end Fred Arbanas. The wobbly pass was intercept… Moreed by Willie Wood.[12] Wood raced 50 yards to Kansas City's five-yard line where Mike Garrett dragged him down from behind. This was "the biggest play of the game," wrote Starr later.[42] On their first play after the turnover, running back Elijah Pitts scored on a five-yard touchdown run off left tackle to give the Packers a 21–10 lead. Stram agreed that it was the critical point of the game.[10][11] The Packers defense then dominated 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 Kansas City offense totaled only 12 yards in the third quarter, and Dawson was held to five of 12 second-half pass completions for 59 yards.

Meanwhile, Green Bay forced Kansas City to punt from their own two-yard line after sacking Dawson twice and got the ball back with good field position on their own 44-yard line (despite a clipping penalty on the punt return). McGee subsequently caught three passes for 40 yards on a 56-yard drive. Taylor ran for one first down, Starr hit McGee for 16 yards on third-and-11, and a third down sweep with Taylor carrying gained 8 yards and a first down at the Kansas City 13. The drive ended with Starr's 13-yard touchdown toss to McGee on a post pattern. Less

Super Bowl 1
Second quarter
Early in the second quarter, Kansas City drove 66 yards in six plays, featuring a 31-yard reception by receiver Otis Taylor, to tie the game on a seven-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 "… MorePower Sweep" play. Taylor's touchdown run was the first in Super Bowl history. This drive was again highlighted by Starr's key passes. He hit McGee for 10 yards on third and five; Dale for 15 on third and ten; Fleming for 11 on third and five; and Pitts for 10 yards on third and seven to set up Taylor's TD on the next play.

Packers' defensive linemen Willie Davis (left) and Henry Jordan (right) sack Chiefs' quarterback Len Dawson (middle) during the game.
Dawson was sacked for an eight-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. This set up Mercer's 31-yard field goal to make the score 14–10 at the end of the half.

At halftime, the Chiefs appeared to have 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 Green Bay 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."[25] The Packers were disappointed with the quality of their play in the first half. "The coach was concerned", said defensive end Willie Davis later.[25] Lombardi told them the game plan was sound, but that they had to tweak some things and execute better.[42] Less

Super Bowl 1
First quarter
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 six plays. The drive was highlighted by Starr's passes, to Marv Fleming for 11, to Elijah Pitts for 22 yards on a scramble, and to Carroll Dale for 12 yards. On the last play, Bart Starr threw a pass to reserve receiver Max McGee, who had r… Moreeplaced re-injured starter Boyd Dowler earlier in the drive. (Dowler had injured the shoulder the previous week after scoring a third quarter touchdown; Cowboys defensive back Mike Gaechter had upended him several steps after scoring and he landed awkwardly.) 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 (McGee had also caught a touchdown pass after replacing an injured Dowler in the NFL championship game). 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. Less

Green Bay Packers
Main article: 1966 Green Bay Packers season
The Packers were an NFL dynasty turning around what had been a losing team just 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. "Their offense was like a conga dance," one sportswriter quipped. "1, 2, 3 and kick."[22]

Lombardi was determined t… Moreo build a winning team. During the preseason, 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. In addition 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, and 1966.

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 of 251 (62.2%) passes for 2257 yards (9.0 per attempt), 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, adding 4 touchdowns, and caught 41 passes for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns. (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.)[23] The team's starting halfback, Paul Hornung, was injured early in the season, but running back Elijah Pitts, a replacement, gained 857 all purpose yards. The Packers' offensive line was also a big reason for the team's success, led by All-Pro guards Jerry Kramer, and Fuzzy Thurston, and tackle Forrest Gregg.

Green Bay also had an excellent defense that displayed their talent in the NFL championship game, stopping the Dallas Cowboys on four consecutive plays starting from the Packers 2-yard line on the final drive 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 went on to make the All-Pro team 9 times in his 12-year career.[24] Less

When the NFL began its fortieth season in 1960, it had a new and unwanted rival: the American Football League. The NFL had successfully fended off several other rival leagues in the past, and so the older league initially ignored the new upstart and its eight teams, figuring it would be made up of nothing but NFL rejects, and that fans were unlikely to prefer it to the NFL. But unlike the NFL's pr… Moreior rivals, the AFL survived and prospered, in part by signing "NFL rejects" who turned out to be highly talented players the older league had badly misjudged. Soon the NFL and AFL found themselves locked in a massive bidding war for the top free agents and prospects coming out of college. Originally, there was a tacit agreement between the two not to raid each other by signing players who were already under contract with a team from an opposing league. This policy broke down in early 1966 when the NFL's New York Giants signed Pete Gogolak, a placekicker who was under contract with the AFL's Buffalo Bills. The AFL owners considered this an "act of war" and immediately struck back, signing several contracted NFL players, including eight of their top quarterbacks.[citation needed]

Eventually the NFL had enough and started negotiations with the AFL in an attempt to resolve the issue. As a result of the negotiations, the leagues signed a merger agreement on June 9, 1966. Among the details, both leagues agreed to share a common draft in order to end the bidding war for the top college players, as well as merge into a single league after the 1969 season. In addition, an "AFL-NFL World Championship Game" was established, in which the AFL and NFL champions would play against each other in a game at the end of the season to determine which league had the best team.[14]

Super Bowl I – Los Angeles Coliseum
Los Angeles was not awarded the game until December 1, less than seven weeks prior to the kickoff;[15] likewise, the date of the game was not set until December 13.[13] Since the AFL Championship Game originally was scheduled for Monday, December 26, and the NFL Championship Game for Sunday, January 1 (the reverse of the situation following the 1960 season), the "new" championship game was suggested to be played Sunday, January 8. Eventually, an unprecedented TV doubleheader was held on January 1, with the AFL Championship Game telecast from Buffalo starting at 1 p.m. EST on NBC and the NFL Championship Game telecast from Dallas starting at 4 p.m. EST (3 p.m. CST) on CBS.[13]

Coming into this "first" game, considerable animosity still existed 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 the game was a mismatch, and any team from the long-established NFL was far superior to the best team from the upstart AFL. The Green Bay Packers played the Kansas City Chiefs, with the Packers winning 35–10.[16]

The players' shares were $15,000 each for the winning team and $7,500 each for the losing team.[17] This was in addition to the league championship money earned two weeks earlier: the Packers shares were $8,600 each,[18] and the Chiefs were $5,308 each.[19][20]

Kansas City Chiefs
Main article: 1966 Kansas City Chiefs season
The Chiefs entered the game after recording an 11–2–1 mark during the regular season. In the AFL championship game, they defeated 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 backs, 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 of 284 (56%) 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 for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns. Receiver Chris Burford added 58 receptions for 758 yards and eight touchdowns, and tight end Fred Arbanas, who had 22 catches for 305 yards and four touchdowns, was one of six 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. The strongest part of their defense, though, 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 four. Their head coach was Hank Stram.[21] Less