Editing Super Bowl (section)

==Origin==
[[File:SuperBowl I - Los Angeles Coliseum.jpg|thumb|[[Super Bowl I|The first Super Bowl]] at [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]]]]
Since the turn of the 20th century, [[college football]] teams from across the United States have scheduled "[[bowl game]]s" against each other. The original "bowl game" was the [[Rose Bowl Game]] in [[Pasadena, California]], which was first played in 1902 as the "Tournament East–West football game" as part of the [[Pasadena Tournament of Roses]]. In 1923, the Tournament East-West football game moved to the new [[Rose Bowl Stadium]]; the stadium got its name from the fact that the game played there was  part of the Tournament of Roses and that it was shaped like a bowl, much like the [[Yale Bowl]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut]]. The Tournament of Roses football game thus eventually came to be known as the Rose Bowl Game. Exploiting the Rose Bowl Game's popularity, post-season college football contests were created for Miami (the [[Orange Bowl]]), New Orleans (the [[Sugar Bowl]]), and [[El Paso]] (the [[Sun Bowl]]) in 1935, and for [[Dallas]] (the [[Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton Bowl]]) in 1937. By the time the first Super Bowl was played, the term "bowl" for any major American football game was well established.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is the Super Bowl? Read together with your kids through the history, facts, and figures related to one of the world's biggest sporting events! |url=https://www.twinkl.com.ph/teaching-wiki/super-bowl#:~:text=Eventually,%20the%20term%20'bowl',Ball%20toy%20at%20the%20time. |access-date=January 31, 2024 |website=twinkl.com}}</ref>
[[File:1986 Jeno's Pizza - 15 - Willie Davis (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Packers defeated the Chiefs in the [[Super Bowl I|first]] AFL–NFL Championship Game]]

For four decades after its 1920 inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival leagues. In 1960, it encountered its most serious competitor when the [[American Football League]] (AFL) was formed. The AFL vied with the NFL for players and fans. After the [[1960 American Football League season|AFL's inaugural season]], AFL commissioner [[Joe Foss]] sent an invitation to the NFL on January 14, 1961, to schedule a "World Playoff" game between the two leagues' champions, beginning with the upcoming 1961 season.<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=American Football League Official Guide 1964 |location=Saint Louis, Missouri |publisher=The [[Sporting News]] |page=41 |date=1964 }}</ref> The first World Playoff game, if actually played, would have matched up the AFL champion [[1961 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]] against the NFL champion [[1961 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1966 - Chiefs vs. Packers - Super Bowl I - "The First AFL-NFL Championship Game" |url=https://www.nfl.com/100/originals/100-greatest/games-53 |access-date=June 13, 2024 |website=[[NFL.com]]}}</ref>

In the mid-1960s, [[Lamar Hunt]], owner of the AFL's [[Kansas City Chiefs]], first used the term "Super Bowl"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2012/01/super-bowl-why-do-we-call-it-that-why-roman-numerals/ |title='Super Bowl' – Why Do We Call It That? Why Roman Numerals? |author=Tinley, Josh |date=January 31, 2012 |work=Midwest Sports Fans |access-date=January 28, 2012 |archive-date=February 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203055918/http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2012/01/super-bowl-why-do-we-call-it-that-why-roman-numerals/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> to refer to the AFL–NFL championship game in the merger meetings. Hunt later said the name was likely in his head because his children had been playing with a [[Super Ball]] toy;<ref name="cabpirsb">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OspaAAAAIBAJ&pg=7015%2C4718358 |via=Google News |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Corny and a bit presumptuous, but it's still the 'Super Bowl' |date=January 7, 1970 |page=1C |access-date=December 30, 2020 |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512060328/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OspaAAAAIBAJ&pg=7015,4718358 |url-status=live }}</ref> a vintage example of the ball is on display at the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in [[Canton, Ohio|Canton]], Ohio. In a July 25, 1966, letter to NFL commissioner [[Pete Rozelle]], Hunt wrote, "I have kiddingly called it the 'Super Bowl,' which obviously can be improved upon."

The leagues' owners chose the name "AFL–NFL Championship Game",<ref name="wtnspl">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MtgfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3999%2C1286543 |via=Google News |newspaper=Fort Scott Tribune |location=Kansas |agency=Associated Press |title=What to name the Super Bowl? Rozelle asks newsmen to help |date=May 26, 1967 |page=8 |access-date=December 30, 2020 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511211906/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MtgfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3999,1286543 |url-status=live }}</ref> but in July 1966 the ''Kansas City Star'' quoted Hunt in discussing "the Super Bowl—that's my term for the championship game between the two leagues",<ref name="ap19660718">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4052280// |via=Newspapers.com | title='Super Bowl' Site May Be Rose Bowl | work=The Evening Standard | date=July 18, 1966 | agency=Associated Press | access-date=January 16, 2016 | page=14 | archive-date=November 12, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112063922/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4052280/the-evening-standard/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and the media immediately began using the term.<ref name="ap19660730">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4052256// |via=Newspapers.com | title=Merge Gives Incentive to AFL Champs – Collier | work=Pottstown Mercury | date=July 30, 1966 | agency=Associated Press | access-date=January 16, 2016 | page=12 | archive-date=August 4, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804002450/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4052256/the-mercury/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Green Bay safety [[Tom Brown (safety)|Tom Brown]] used the name leading up to the first championship game: "I would guess you can't get any bigger in professional football than to play in the first Super Bowl game".<ref>{{cite news|title=Baseball 1st Love of Packers' Tom Brown|date=January 7, 1967|newspaper=Wausau Daily Record-Herald|page=10|agency=AP|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wausau-daily-herald/171543814/|access-date=May 2, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> In May 1967, The league stated that "not many people like it. It's a bad play on words. Everything became super this and super that". Rozelle was asking for suggestions, and early contenders included "Merger Bowl", "Summit Bowl", and "The Game".<ref name=susgatend>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mOBOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hAEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7132%2C3259997 |work=Toledo Blade |location=(Ohio) |agency=Associated Press |title=Super saga at end! |date=May 26, 1967 |page=33}}</ref> The Associated Press reported that "Super Bowl" "grew and grew and grew—until it reached the point that there was Super Week, Super Sunday, Super Teams, Super Players, ad infinitum".{{r|wtnspl}} "Super Bowl" became official beginning with the third annual game.<ref>{{cite book |last = MacCambridge |first = Michael |title = America's Game |url = https://archive.org/details/americasgameepic0000macc |url-access = registration |location = New York |publisher = Random House |year = 2004 |page = [https://archive.org/details/americasgameepic0000macc/page/237 237]}}</ref>

[[Roman numerals]] are used to identify each Super Bowl, rather than the year in which it is held, since the fifth edition, in January 1971.<ref name="isgtspbl">{{cite news|last=Rosenthal|first=Gregg|title=NFL won't use Roman numerals for Super Bowl 50|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-won-t-use-roman-numerals-for-super-bowl-50-0ap2000000355943|publisher=National Football League|date=June 4, 2014|access-date=February 2, 2018|archive-date=December 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201194151/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000355943/article/nfl-wont-use-roman-numerals-for-super-bowl-50|url-status=live}}</ref> The sole exception to this naming convention tradition occurred with [[Super Bowl 50]], played on February 7, 2016, following the {{nfly|2015}} season. The following year, the [[nomenclature]] returned to Roman numerals for [[Super Bowl LI]].
[[File:1986 Jeno's Pizza - 37 - Joe Namath (cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[1968 New York Jets season|New York Jets]] were the first AFL team to win a Super Bowl ([[Super Bowl III|III]]), upsetting the [[1968 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]]]]

After the NFL's [[1967 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] won the first two Super Bowls, some team owners feared for the future of the merger. At the time, many doubted the competitiveness of AFL teams compared with their NFL counterparts, though that perception changed when the AFL's [[1968 New York Jets season|New York Jets]] defeated the heavily favored NFL contender [[1968 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]] in [[Super Bowl III]] in Miami. One year later, the AFL's [[1969 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] defeated the NFL's [[1969 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] 23–7 in [[Super Bowl IV]] in New Orleans, which was the final AFL–NFL World Championship Game played before the merger. Beginning with the 1970 season, the NFL realigned into two conferences; the former AFL teams plus three NFL teams (the [[1970 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]], [[1970 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]], and [[1970 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]]) would constitute the [[American Football Conference]] (AFC), while the remaining NFL clubs would form the [[National Football Conference]] (NFC). The champions of the two conferences would play each other in the Super Bowl.

The winning team receives the [[Vince Lombardi Trophy]], named after the former [[Vince Lombardi|coach]] of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games as well as five [[NFL championships]] preceding the merger ([[1961 NFL Championship Game|1961]], [[1962 NFL Championship Game|1962]], [[1965 NFL Championship Game|1965]], [[1966 NFL Championship Game|1966]], [[1967 NFL Championship Game|1967]]). Following Lombardi's death in September 1970, the trophy was named after him. The first trophy awarded under the new name was presented to the Baltimore Colts following their win in [[Super Bowl V]] in Miami.