Other rivals to the NFL through the decades had sprung up:
American Football League (1926), American Football League (1936–1937), American Football League (1940–1941), All-America Football Conference (1946–1949). None of them had the financial muscle and the organizational skills behind them that Lamar Hunt’s American Football League had.
One of Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s suggestions for the name of the new game was “The Big One.” That name never caught on. “Pro Bowl,” did not work. “World Series of Football.” That died quickly. It was deemed too imitative of baseball’s Fall Classic.
Quarterback Bart Starr of the Packers on Vince Lombardi: “It was a fabulous experience all of us had playing for him, being coached by him. I could hardly wait for the next morning to get into the meeting to start that day off. He made everything so exciting, so challenging. He was a brilliant teacher and because of it he was a fabulous coach.”
KC player Ed Lothamer said of Kansas City Coach Hank Stram: “There were times when he had practices and a band playing. If an entertainer or celebrity was in Kansas City, often they would call Hank, and Hank would invite them to come over and watch practice. People like Muhammad Ali, Jim Nabors, Al Hirt, Edie Gorme and Steve Lawrence, all watched us practice. You never knew who was going to pop up.”
Prior to that first Super Bowl Game on January 15, 1967 the Packers and the Chiefs had never played against each other. Actually, no NFL team had ever played against an AFL team—not even an exhibition game.
