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