Pham Dinh Vien

The Super Bowl history as we know it today had its beginnings in the mid-1960s when a group of football owners decided to streamline the game, the rules and to produce a world champion game for professional football players, much like the World Series does for baseball.

Early super bowl history from the 1920’s; football teams started to form professional organizations and over the course of the next 40 years, several owners formed a committee as part of the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). The idea was to separate teams into conferences according to different areas of the USA. Each team would join their respective conference and at the end of the regular season, a play off against the top two champions of each conference would play in what was known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.

During the 1st annual AFL-NFL World Championship Game, the media had reported this game as being a “super” bowl, relating to the bowl games that already had been made popular in college football. After the Rose Bowl, sports writers referred to college games as Bowl games because of the shape of the Rose Bowl stadium. When this first championship game of professional football players had convened the media insistently referred to it as the Super Bowl. Yet it took a few years for the name to actually become part of the professional game.

In the late 1960’s it was decided to call the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, the Super Bowl and to designate a roman numeral after the super bowl to chronologically list each annual game Starting with Super Bowl III. Super Bowl history would also change the name of the Trophy awarded to the winner of the game to the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the coach of the Green Bay packers, whom had won the first and second Super Bowls.

Super Bowl history would be made several times over the course of the 40-plus years, culminating with the Pittsburgh Steelers victory in Super Bowl XLIII. The Steelers would be the first team to reach 7 super bowls and the first team to own 6 Vince Lombardi Trophies.

Other Super Bowl History facts: Super Bowl XLI would have the first Black Coach as a winner of a super Bowl. Florida is the state that has hosted the Super Bowl the most times (Ten as of Super Bowl XLIV). Out of the current 32 teams in the NFL, 15 have never won a super Bowl. The super Bowl has never been held at a playing team’s home stadium. More than 90 million people watch the live event each year on television. The first Super Bowl tickets were as low as $6, while the current lowest price (face value) to see the live game is $900. Longest touchdown run in super bowl history was Steeler’s Willie Parker’s 75 yards in super bowl XL.

Football teams across America will continue to make Super Bowl history as the game has gained national in international popularity over the last 40 odd years.

Popularity: 21% [?]

George Halas organized the Chicago Bear’s football team in 1919 as an independent football club. In 1920, the Chicago Bears joined the National Football League (NFL), making their home in Chicago, Illinois. In 1970, They became part of the National Football Conference (NFC) central division, until 2002, when they joined the northern division.

Since 1983, Virginia Halas McCaskey is listed as the owner of the Chicago Bears, although the Halas family has had a vested interest in the Bears since their beginning in the 1920’s. The current chairman is Michael McCaskey with Jerry Angelo as General Manager and Lovie Smith as head coach.

Before the advent of the annual World Championship of Football (now known as the Super Bowl), the Chicago Bears had an impressive showing at Championship games, winning 8 times between 1921 and 1963. The Bears have appeared in two Super Bowls (1985 and 2006) and have won once in 1985. However, the team is consistent in making it into playoff spots having had 24 appearances in playoff games since 1933.

The famous Wrigley field was home to the Chicago Bears from 1921 until 1970, when their new stadium Soldier Field was built in 1971. This was their home field until a new Soldier Field was finished in 2003, (except for the 2002 season when they played at Memorial Stadium).

More than 30 Chicago Bear’s players have been inducted into the Football Hall of Fame, including head coach Mike Ditka (who also played Tight End in 1961-63). Two of the most famous inductees are Dick Butkus (Linebacker) and Walter Payton (Running Back).

The Chicago Bears were a subject of parodies on the Saturday Night Live TV series during the 1980’s which lent the moniker ‘Da Bears’ to the team. The parodies were mostly centered on the inability of the Bear’s to win a championship. Even though they had remarkably had great seasons their shot at a Super Bowl trophy was not realized until the Super Bowl XX, where the Chicago Bears soundly defeated the New England Patriots in a bone-crushing win of 46 over 10.

Probably one of the most memorable ‘characters’ of the Chicago Bears was Defensive Tackle William “Refrigerator” Perry, also known as the ‘Fridge’. This 320-pound ’spectacle’ enlivened the fans when he barreled through the line as a blocker or carrying the ball. His large frame did well to support Payton as a blocker during the regular season.

In their appearance at Super Bowl XLI, the Chicago Bears were the underdog to the Indianapolis Colts by 6 1/2 points. The final score was 29-17, Colts. This was the rainiest Super Bowl in History and although the Chicago Bears put forward their best game, they just could not pull it off, despite having a great regular season and strong showing in the Super Bowl.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Every year right around fall a lot of people start to think about purchasing Super Bowl tickets for the upcoming Super Bowl game in the new year. However, by the time the super bowl rolls around the price of super bowl tickets have escalated into as much as 3 or 4 times their face value.

In 2010, super bowl tickets will have a face value of $900, yet it may be hard to find your tickets at that price, unless you are fortunate enough to either find a generous seller or you are selected through the NFL’s random drawing.

The NFL does not make the super bowl tickets available through ticket agents, rather they hold a random drawing in which selected entrants will have the privilege of purchasing their super bowl tickets. Each year starting on February 01, and running until June 01, the NFL will accept requests from the general public to purchase tickets. Entries are limited to one per address and must be sent via certified or registered mail. Persons selected in the random drawing will have the opportunity to purchase two super bowl tickets.

Every year for the last decade, the NFL has made available on average 75,000 super bowl tickets. Yet, the number of available tickets is dependent on the seating capacity of the stadium. The 2010 Super Bowl XLIV will be held at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida that has a seating capacity of 76,500. However the last four times a super bowl was held at Dolphin Stadium, the capacity was never reached, (Super Bowl 23 - 75,129, Super Bowl 29 - 74,107, Super Bowl 33 - 74,803, and Super Bowl 41 - 74,512).

By far, the best way and the least expensive method to obtain your super bowl tickets will be to enter the NFL random drawing, unless you prefer to wait later in the season of which it could cost as much as $3000 to $4000 per ticket. In the last few days before Super Bowl XLIII, super bowl tickets were selling for up to $3000 on most popular internet sites.

Of course, if you get your tickets and later decide you do not want to attend the Super Bowl, you can easily offer your super bowl tickets in the secondary market for a sizable profit.

Popularity: 24% [?]

If the idea of attending a live super bowl game might sound appealing, you will want to look into all the possible options for getting a discount through many travel agencies offering super bowl packages. Ticket and travel agencies offering super bowl packages to the recent Super Bowl XLIII held in Miami, had price ranges from as low as $900 to a high of nearly $5000. Proper planning now will prepare you for the best deal and the best accommodations.

Early planning is the key to getting the best accommodations. Most hotels and resorts reserve a certain amount of space for large events such as the super bowl, so by preplanning you can be assured of getting into some of these premium rooms. You may want to design your own super bowl package, or use the services of a travel agency.

If you choose to put together your own super bowl package, start by checking the Internet for hotels, restaurants car rentals and shuttles near the super bowl that you will make use of. Ask for special discounts that you may be eligible for such as AAA, AARP or super bowl discounts. Most businesses in the host city are more than happy to help you get your money’s worth by offering discounts when you let them know you are coming for the super bowl.

If you choose to use a Ticket or travel agency to plan your super bowl package, the best place to start is to find an agency that is certified, bonded and has plenty of years of experience in the business. Make sure you pay special attention to any fine print in regards to the super bowl package they offer, as well as their terms for cancellations and refunds.

Make sure your super bowl package includes transportation to and from the game as well. Most hotels provide free shuttle service, however some do not, and only have taxi and bus service available. If you are setting up your own super bowl package, you may want to consider renting a car for the weekend.

A few good tips to make sure you do not get caught up in any potential super bowl package scams:

If you are purchasing your ticket from any agency, make sure it is a valid ticket, check the date, time and the official NFL logo, and make sure you read the ticket release information carefully.

Use a major credit card to pay for your tickets, this will protect you in case you need to make a chargeback (for example, the ticket company may have misled you or the tickets are invalid)

Confirm all reservations at least two weeks in advance of your trip. The flight, the hotel, any car rental company should have your reservation in your name by this time. If not, call your agent immediately and make an inquiry. This will save you a lot of headaches if you plan ahead.

Do not give into high-pressure sales people, if the deal sounds too good to be true, call the hotel, airline, and car rental company to confirm the price. Your package price should be less, however if you are being offered an unbelievably low rate, this should send up a red flag.

The best way to get the perfect super bowl package is to plan ahead well in advance of the game, Get your tickets early and make your reservations early. This will ultimately save you money and frustration.

Popularity: 20% [?]

February 4, 2007 would be the rainiest super bowl on record as the unrelenting southern Florida rain poured throughout most of the game. Super Bowl XLI would not only be remembered for the torrential downpours as much as it would for the history the game made in featuring the first Black coach to ever win a super bowl. Tony Dungy who lost his son James to suicide in 2005, became the first black head coach to win an NFL title.

Super Bowl XLI was held nearly 40 years after the first World Championship Football game in 1967. Super Bowl XLI featured the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears. Both teams had played in one previous super bowl of which they had each won. Facing off two previous champions, both with nearly equal regular season records seemed to make for an exciting and interesting game. However, the rain coupled with several missed opportunities, on each part of the teams, disappointed a lot of fans at super bowl XLI. A report from ESPN defined Super Bowl XLI, between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears, as the worst Super Bowl ever.

A major disappointment according to many fans and sports writers was the fact that Peyton Manning was awarded the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). Although many others felt he deserved it for his outstanding 10-year career, he did not live up to his record in Super Bowl XLI. In total, Manning completed 65.8 percent of his passes, but his quarterback rating of 81.8 was the worst of any Super Bowl MVP. He had one touchdown pass and one interception.

Another disappointment to the fans was the announcement by the NFL that tailgating would not be permitted. This was the first super bowl where the NFL stepped in to ban a time-honored tradition of partying outside the stadium during a super bowl. At first, a spokesman for Dolphin Stadium announced tailgating would be allowed, then a quick statement released a short time later by the NFL owners stated that there would be a ban on tailgating and that any non-ticketed fans would be prohibited within a two block radius of the stadium.

Probably the event that garnered the most outrage was the NFL’s attempt to prohibit churches from hosting super bowl parties during Super Bowl XLI. The NFL’s legal counsel sent a letter to the Fall Creek Baptist church in Indianapolis advising the church to cancel their planned super bowl party and to remove the super bowl logo from their website as it violates trademark law, and they could not use their projection screen to play the game. The NFL only permits one TV and it has to be less than 55″. This sparked an immediate backlash of bad publicity as churches all across the USA protested and newspapers began running the story. The NFL subsequently backed off and revised their policy.

Popularity: 20% [?]

The super bowl is one of the biggest sports betting event of the year with an estimated $10 billion dollars wagered on anything and everything related to this single days events. The super bowl odds on who will win are not made just days or even weeks before the super bowl, they are actually posted a year in advance, right after the current super bowl is over.

For example, immediately after Super Bowl XLII, the super bowl odds on who would win Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 was set by many oddsmakers and book makers in Vegas. Their super bowl odds on the two teams who did make it to the super bowl are quite interesting. The Pittsburgh Steelers were at 18/1 and the Arizona Cardinals a whopping 50/1. The overwhelming favorite to win the Super Bowl XLIII, with 9/5 odds, was New England Patriots.

Historically, the middle of the pack, when it comes to odds is usually the teams that make it as far as the super bowl. Although you can bet on these teams in the preseason when the bookmakers set the odds, the majority of the bets placed on the Super Bowl are made within weeks of the game. This is largely because the super bowl odds for the upcoming game is relatively closer to a realistic return than the preposterous 100/1 chances from the preseason.

Other super bowl odds that are fun to examine are historical odds from super bowls past. 64% of the time, the team that scored first ended up winning their super bowl. Another fun super bowl odd is that 80% of the time, the team that leads at half-time ended up winning the Super Bowl, while teams in the lead at the end of the third quarter were 88% to win. One other fun fact is that there is a 96% chance a field goal will be made, as there has been at least one field goal in 41 of the 43 Super Bowls to date. So if someone wants to give you super bowl odds on whether a field goal will be made, this might be your best bet!

Future super bowl odds for Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 have the New England Patriots at 8/1, Dallas Cowboys at 9/1, while the super bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers are 10/1 and the Arizona Cardinals are again an underdog at 30/1. The bottom of the Super Bowl odds chart for 2010 has the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs at 100/1. Now, that is a bet you probably do not want to make.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Super Bowl XL would be the sixth time the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared in a Super Bowl since the championship games began in 1967. It would also be their opportunity to seize a 5th super bowl ring and trophy, matching the record of the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

The regular season for the Steelers did not go so well as they had an 11-5 record, they were the #6 seed in the playoffs and went on to win the conference and eventually Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks (13-3 season). The final score of 21-10 gave Pittsburgh the ‘one for the thumb’ they had waited nearly 25 years for. The Super Bowl XL win would be the first for coach Bill Cowher, since taking the job as head coach in 1992, even though the Steelers had made the playoffs in 10 out of his 14 seasons.

The NFL logo was “The Road to Forty” as this was the 40th annual super bowl. Super Bowl XL was held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The stadium was opened in 2002 and this was only the second super bowl ever held in Detroit, the first was Super Bowl XVI.

The start of the game was rough for the Steelers as they struggled to gain yardage. The first quarter ended with 3-0 Seattle, and with less than 5 minutes left in the second quarter, the Steelers found themselves on the third down with 28 yards for a first down. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw to Hines Ward, receiver, gaining 37 yards. On the next two plays, Jerome Bettis carried the ball to within 1 yard of the goal line. The two-minute warning sounded on the third down as Roethlisberger faked a handoff and dove into the end zone himself. The second quarter ended with Pittsburgh ahead at 7-3.

In the third quarter of Super Bowl XL, Willie Parker made a record breaking 75-yard touchdown run to push the Steelers to 14-3. Seattle would catch up with a 16-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Jerramy Stevens, closing in on the Steelers at 14-10. A fourth quarter play by Randle El in a reverse threw a 43-yard pass to Hines Ward, and Jeff Reed kicked the field goal to put the score at 21-10. Seattle drove for 48 yards however was unable to make it deep enough. The Steelers took possession of the ball and held it for almost 41/2 minutes, when Seattle regained the ball, there was less than 2 minutes on the clock.

The Seahawks gained 48 yards in 2 receptions then made a few pass attempts resulting in incompletions. With 11 seconds left, the Seahawks incomplete pass on the 4th down turned the ball over to the Steelers. Only three seconds remained in the game, when Roethlisberger’s kneel-down ended Super Bowl XL.

Popularity: 18% [?]

In 1920, eleven football teams across the United States came together to form a football association in an effort to streamline the game, the rules and further the sport as a great American pastime. This association would later become known as the National Football League (NFL). Originally, it was named the American Professional Football Association, later becoming the American Professional Football League in 1921 and finally settling on its current name in 1922.

The National Football League is divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football conference (NFC). Each conference has four divisions with 4 teams in each division. The purpose of the National Football League is to set up each teams schedule against the other teams to reach a playoff and ultimately the annual Super Bowl.

The National Football League sets a seventeen-week schedule in which each team will play 16 games, with one week off. The regular season normally begins on the first Thursday after Labor Day (September 1) and will end in late December or early January. At the conclusion of the regular season, the six top teams from each conference (AFC and NFC) will play in a single elimination tournament, known as the playoffs. The top two teams from the playoffs that will then face off in the Super Bowl.

The National Football League is the exclusive owner of all rights to the Super Bowl and sets rules and guidelines for merchandising, ticketing and any related business, including selecting the stadium where the Super Bowl will be held each year. That task is accomplished through a bidding process in which a host city will make a proposal to the National Football League for the Super Bowl to be held in their city.

The National Football League has strict requirements for Host cities, one of which is the seating capacity of the stadium. This is the reason many cities have built or rebuilt their stadiums in recent years. Another consideration is the impact the super Bowl will have on the area. For example, when Jacksonville hosted their first Super Bowl in 2005 (Super Bowl XXXIX), they had several problems that put a strain on local resources, one of which was the enormous amount of people using the public bathrooms that caused an unanticipated strain on the local wastewater plant.

Nevertheless, The National Football League, as a governing body, has been instrumental in bringing Football into the home of millions of Americans as well as making it as popular as the great American pastime of Baseball.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Without a doubt, the last Sunday of January or the first Sunday in February is the most active day in the year for millions of people as they prepare to watch all the action on Super Bowl Sunday. It is considered an unofficial holiday in many areas as local stores and businesses will close early if their home team is in the Super Bowl. This tradition has its roots in great American culture, which started more than 40 years ago.

The first Super Bowl Sunday was actually not called ‘Super Bowl Sunday’ it was the First AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The term Super Bowl has a few legendary stories from where it originated. The media at the time referred to the game as a Super Bowl, mainly because of the college games being referred to as Bowl Games after the Rose Bowl. This was to be the pinnacle of all football games and therefore the media gave it this unofficial name. However, the NFL did not actually use the name until a few years later as the Official name of the world championship.

Another legend says that Lamar Hunt gave the name Super Bowl to the annual super bowl Sunday event. It is remarked that Hunt recalls seeing his child playing with a toy that was extremely popular in the mid-1960s, called a super ball. He jokingly told several team owners at an NFL conference that they should call the championship the Super Bowl, since the name of the toy was already hugely popular and this would be a play on words of something that is well-known across America.

Whether the legends are true is not as important as the amount of people who find themselves involved in Super Bowl Sunday as an annual ritual. The Last several Super Bowl Sunday’s have drawn a national television audience of more than 90 million people, making it one of the most watched events of all time.

Super Bowl Sunday also is the 2nd largest family-gathering and food-stuffing ‘holiday’ next to Thanksgiving. More money is spent on snacks, drinks and tailgating party supplies on super bowl Sunday than any other day of the year.
It is true America loves their super bowl Sunday, it has far surpassed the other great American pastime of Baseball’s World Series, and it is just a matter of time before Super Bowl Sunday becomes an ‘Official’ national holiday.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Detroit Michigan’s Ford Field played host to the 2006 Super Bowl featuring the American Football Conference (AFC) champions, Pittsburgh Steelers, against the National Football Conference champions (NFC) Seattle Seahawks. The 2006 Super Bowl would be the 40th Super Bowl played since the inception of the World Championship game in 1967. Played on February 5, 2006, The Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking for their 5th super bowl ring trying to accomplish that task since 1980 to gain ‘one for the thumb’.

The 2006 Super Bowl would be the first appearance at a super bowl for the Seattle Seahawks and the 6th time for the Steelers. Because of their strong showing at previous Super Bowls, the Steelers were able to capitalize on the ‘rookie’ Seahawks, who inevitably made quite a few mistakes in the game. Although they scored first late in the 1st quarter, the Seahawks suffered from a few missed opportunities, dropped balls and penalties. The end of the First quarter had the Seahawks leading with 3-0, however, with less than 2 minutes left in the first half Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ran a 1 yard sneak, putting the half time score at 7-3, Steelers.

On the very first drive of the second half, the Steelers scored when Willie Parker made a record 75-yard touchdown run. The lead would close in as The Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens made a 16-yard touchdown reception bringing the score to 14-10, Steelers.

In the fourth quarter Steelers Randle El locked up the game with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward (Wide Receiver) in a fake reverse play. This put the score at 21-10, Steelers, and pretty much cinched the game for the Steelers, with just a few minutes left in the game, The Seahawks would not be able to close the gap.

With the Steelers 2006 Super Bowl win, this ties them for the most Super Bowls won with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. Another record at the 2006 Super Bowl was Ben Roethlisberger, being the youngest quarterback to ever win a super bowl at 23 years and 11 months, despite having the lowest quarterback rating (22.6) ever by a Super Bowl winning quarterback.

Hines Ward, who had an exceptional year and even better 2006 Super Bowl was named the 2006 Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) with 5 receptions for 123 yards, one touchdown and 18 yards rushing.

Popularity: 18% [?]