I received a phone call at my office last Thursday afternoon from a dedicated reader – and radio listener – who asked me to write something about past Super Bowls.
I told the caller – who is a 91-year-old lady with purple hair – that I would certainly try.
So, let’s reach into our ragbag and see what type of football scraps we can find.
The first Super Bowl was played on January 15, 1967, in sunny southern California. The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.
The game was played at the Los Angeles Coliseum in front of 32,000 empty seats. Many fans blamed the high price of tickets ($10.00 to $12.00) as a turnoff.
Super Bowl I, known as the AFL-NFL Championship, was telecast on the CBS and NBC networks. The CBS announcers were Ray Scott, Jack Whitaker, and Frank Gifford. The NBC microphones were manned by Curt Gowdy, Paul Christman, and Charlie Jones.
The cost of a 30-second commercial was $37,000. But for $42,000 the sponsor could have their ad air on both networks.
Super Bowl V was played on January 17, 1971.
It was the first Super Bowl that I can remember.
What also was unique about this day?
The Lincoln Journal-Star newspaper published a large tabloid honoring the 1970 Nebraska football team’s first national championship claimed on January 1, 1971.
I spent more time reading the tabloid than I did watching the Baltimore Colts defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 16-13.
Super Bowl VIII was played on January 13, 1974. The game kicked off during the early afternoon. I slept through most of the first half as I was recovering from participating in a 12-hour basketball marathon. The Raymond Central FFA was raising money for muscular dystrophy. My round-the-clock dedication raised $7.50.
Super Bowl X was played on January 18, 1976. The halftime show was performed by Up with People, marking the first Super Bowl halftime show not to have a marching band as its headlining act. Taking place the year of the United States Bicentennial, the performance’s theme was “200 Years and Just a Baby: A Tribute to America’s Bicentennial”.
Super Bowl XII. Dallas 27, Denver 10. The Broncos first of eight Super Bowls. They have won three and lost five.
Super Bowl XX was played on January 26, 1986. Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10. The cost of a 30-second TV commercial was $550,000.
Super Bowl XXXVI was played on February 3, 2002. New England 20, St. Louis 17. It was the first Super Bowl played during the month of February and the last time that legendary announcers Pat Summerall and John Madden would announce a Super Bowl together.
Super Bowl LV, played on February 13, 2022. Los Angeles Rams 23, Cincinnati 20. The Bengals were coached by former Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor. Taylor passed for a total of 5,850 yards as a Cornhusker in 2005 and 2006.
This Sunday’s Super Bowl is Super Bowl LIX (59).
It will be played in the Louisiana Superdome for the eight time. The stadium that has hosted the most Super Bowls.
The game will be televised by FOX. The announcers will be Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady.
A commercial will cost up to eight million dollars.
Kansas City is a 1.5-point favorite over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chiefs will wear their road white jerseys while the Eagles will wear their home midnight green.
If you’re superstitious, teams that have worn their home uniforms in the Super Bowl are just 4-16 over the last 20 years.
So, there are some scraps I have pulled from the Super Bowl ragbag.
All for Alliance’s favorite purple-haired-lady.
Oh, and when was the last time a team wore purple jerseys in the big game?
February 3, 2013. The purple-clad Baltimore Ravens beat San Francisco 34-31.
How about the last time a team wore true Lola Shires’ purple hair jerseys?
January 9, 1977. The Minnesota Vikings – also known as the Purple People Eaters – lost to the Oakland Raiders, 32-14. The Vikings have not qualified for the Super Bowl since.
Whoopsie-Doodle! I just let another scrap out of my Super Bowl ragbag.