Super Bowl

With the excitement of the Super Bowl behind us some may be asking: “Why did they name it the Super Bowl?” Although, it may be more likely that you are asking: “Why did I bet on them?” Either way, here is how the championship game got its name.

Super Ball Toy

Back in the 1960s the National Football League was the biggest football organization with the American Football League as its biggest rival. In 1966 both leagues decided to enter into a merger and it was decided that the champions of these leagues would play each other in a major game at the end of the year.

By the 1970s the two leagues finally merged and it came time to decided what the big game would be called. Suggestions ranged from World Championship Game to The Big One. The story goes that Lamar Hunt, the coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, came up with the name Super Bowl after watching his kids playing with a Super Ball toy. Hunt suggested the name as a joke and it was quickly accepted as a temporary name until a better one could be found. Apparently, the media liked the name so much that they decided to use it and a temporary name became a permanent one.

After 46 games this temporary name has stood the test of time.

I thank Matt for suggesting this topic.