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January 25, 2009 It’s been over 120 years since German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche coined his famous phrase; “Out of chaos, comes order.” But, clearly he must’ve been talking about the National Football League and a particular Sunday that happens only once a year. And, as anyone can tell you, it’s become an international event that is beyond Super… It wasn’t always this way; in fact its origin is somewhat accidental if not unintentional. The first ever AFL-NFL Championship game was played on Sunday January 15, 1967. The biggest concern was how badly Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers would whip the upstart Kansas City Chiefs. Lombardi had called the AFL a ‘Mickey Mouse League’ and fittingly, the inaugural game was played just down the road from Disneyland at the LA Coliseum. Tickets were $12 apiece and they ended up giving hordes of them just to beef up attendance, but even still, there were still over 30,000 empty seats! The game wasn’t yet called The Super Bowl; in fact it wouldn’t even be until Super Bowl IV until they actually printed the words ‘Super Bowl’ on the game tickets. But, travel back with me a few years before we get too ahead of ourselves. The year was 1966 and a war was raging between the AFL and NFL. The newer sleeker AFL was bucking the long established stodgy NFL and in their quest for respect, they engaged in a bidding war for talent. The war had been intense for the better part of 6 years, but became more extreme when the AFL scored a victory as a court ruled in favor of the Houston Oilers over the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. The case required a legally binding final decision after both clubs had signed the highly touted Billy Cannon, the Heisman Trophy winner from LSU. The stakes elevated for college talent and sky-high bonuses became reality when the AFL’s New York Jets signed Alabama quarterback Joe Namath to a $400,000 contract in 1965! Not to be outdone, the Atlanta Falcons doled out $600,000 to Texas linebacker Tommy Nobis, and the Green Bay Packers ponied up $711,000 to Texas Tech running back Donny Anderson! But the straw that broke the camel’s back happened when Buffalo place-kicker Pete Gogolak, signed with the New York Giants after playing out his option with the Buffalo Bills in 1965. The “no-tampering” code had officially been violated, and the clash had reached a pinnacle. On April 7, 1966 AFL Commissioner Joe Foss, who had done his best to act as a peacemaker, resigned. Enter the ultimate Maverick and GM of the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis. He assumed the reigns as commissioner of the AFL and his hawkish presence coupled with a clever game plan, would ultimately create history. Al Davis organized an AFL War Chest and urged owners to start collaborating with the stated intent of raiding NFL stars. The NFL had always bragged of its superiority largely due to the number of star quarterbacks the league boasted, and Davis wanted a full-scale effort to sign those quarterbacks for the AFL. True to form, his Raiders pilfered QB Roman Gabriel from the LA Rams, and the Houston Oilers got San Francisco 49er QB John Brodie to agree to a 5-year deal. Within days, eight NFL quarterbacks began dickering with the AFL to see what they could get! By early June 1966, the NFL relented. Less than two months after he became commissioner, Al Davis got what he really wanted… a merger deal between the AFL and the NFL. Although the actual merger wouldn’t consummate until 1971, there were many implementations that took place right away. A common draft was established in 1967, inter-league season play began that fall, and 3-years later, regular season contests combining the leagues, commenced. But, most importantly, the immediate establishment of a championship game between the AFL and NFL was formed. It would be called the AFL-NFL Championship game. The AFL-NFL Championship had a drab ring to it, and there is much conjecture as to how the actual name ‘Super Bowl’ was born. One popular story has to do with a high-level executive scratching his head at home one weekend trying to come up with a catchy title, when he noticed his son bouncing a ‘Super Ball,’ a famous toy from the 60’s. Others dismiss this story as apocryphal. Common belief is that an un-named sportswriter coined the moniker one day out of nowhere and it stuck. Truly however, this is one story that has a very happy ending. Gabriel never went to the Raiders and Brodie never left the 49ers, but he managed to procure a $1million dollar settlement. Meanwhile, Al Davis resigned as commissioner of the AFL 30 days after the merger. Nietzsche was right. For one Sunday every year, The Super Bowl has become the order of the day. (c) 2009 Novi
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