The Super Bowl is a hugely popular sporting event held every year to select the champion of the National Football League (NFL). Millions of fans congregate around televisions on a Sunday in January or February to witness this battle. With broadcast in more than 170 countries, the Super Bowl is one of the most-watched athletic events globally, with great halftime shows and new advertisements adding to the appeal.
The Super Bowl’s History
Although the NFL was founded in 1920, the Super Bowl was not held until more than 40 years later.
The American Football League was founded in 1960 by business people who wanted to buy football clubs but were turned down by the NFL (AFL).
The NFL and AFL were rivals for many years, battling for fans, players, and support. The owners then reached an agreement in 1966 to unite the leagues by 1970.
The inaugural Super Bowl was held on January 15, 1967, and featured the AFL champion (Kansas City Chiefs) and the NFL champion (Green Bay Packers). The “AFL-NFL World Championship Game” was the initial name of the game. Lamar Hunt, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, later proposed using the name Super Bowl.
The NFL was split into two conferences after the merger: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC) (NFC). Each league’s champions compete in the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl’s First Game
On January 15, 1967, in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the NFL champion Green Bay Packers defeated the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs with 35-10 in Super Bowl I. The game drew 61,000 spectators and was broadcasted live on CBS and NBC. Despite ticket prices averaging $12, the game did not sell out—it was the game’s only non-sellout in its history.
The Packers won Super Bowl II against the Oakland Raiders by 33-14 the following year. Many doubted that the AFL champion could beat the finest in the NFL.
List of Super Bowl winners with Dates
| Date | Winner | Score | Location |
| 1/15/1967 | Green Bay Packers | 35-10 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| 1/14/1968 | Green Bay Packers | 33-14 | Miami Orange Bowl |
| 1/12/1969 | New York Jets | 16-7 | Miami Orange Bowl |
| 1/11/1970 | Kansas City Chiefs | 23-7 | Tulane Stadium (New Orleans, LA) |
| 1/17/1971 | Baltimore Colts | 16-13 | Miami Orange Bowl |
| 1/16/1972 | Dallas Cowboys | 24-3 | Tulane Stadium (New Orleans, LA) |
| 1/14/1973 | Miami Dolphins | 14-7 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| 1/13/1974 | Miami Dolphins | 24-7 | Rice Stadium (Houston, TX) |
| 1/12/1975 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16-6 | Tulane Stadium (New Orleans, LA) |
| 1/18/1976 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 21-17 | Miami Orange Bowl |
| 1/9/1977 | Oakland Raiders | 32-14 | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) |
| 1/15/1978 | Dallas Cowboys | 27-10 | Louisiana Superdome |
| 1/21/1979 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 35-31 | Miami Orange Bowl |
| 1/20/1980 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 31-19 | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) |
| 1/25/1981 | Oakland Raiders | 27-10 | Louisiana Superdome |
| 1/24/1982 | San Francisco 49ers | 26-21 | Pontiac Silverdome (Pontiac, MI) |
| 1/30/1983 | Washington Redskins | 21-17 | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) |
| 1/22/1984 | Los Angeles Raiders | 38-9 | Tampa Stadium |
| 1/20/1985 | San Francisco 49ers | 38-16 | Stanford Stadium |
| 1/26/1986 | Chicago Bears | 46-10 | Louisiana Stadium |
| 1/25/1987 | New York Giants | 39-20 | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) |
| 1/31/1988 | Washington Redskins | 42-10 | San Diego-Jack Murphy Stadium |
| 1/22/1989 | San Francisco 49ers | 20-16 | Joe Robbie Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL) |
| 1/28/1990 | Sans Francisco 49ers | 55-10 | Louisiana Superdome |
| 1/27/1991 | New York Giants | 20-19 | Tampa Stadium |
| 1/26/1992 | Washington Redskins | 37-24 | Metrodome (Minneapolis, MN) |
| 1/31/1993 | Dallas Cowboys | 52-17 | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) |
| 1/30/1994 | Dallas Cowboys | 30-13 | Georgia Dome |
| 1/29/1995 | San Francisco 49ers | 49-26 | Joe Robbie Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL) |
| 1/28/1996 | Dallas Cowboys | 27-17 | Sun Devils Stadium (Tempe, AZ) |
| 1/26/1997 | Green Bay Packers | 35-21 | Louisiana Superdome |
| 1/25/1998 | Denver Broncos | 31-24 | Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego, CA) |
| 1/31/1999 | Denver Broncos | 34-19 | Pro Player Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL) |
| 1/30/2000 | St. Louis Rams | 23-16 | Georgia Dome |
| 1/28/2001 | Baltimore Ravens | 34-7 | Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL) |
| 2/3/2002 | New England Patriots | 20-17 | Louisiana Superdome |
| 1/26/2003 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 48-21 | Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego, CA) |
| 2/1/2004 | New England Patriots | 32-29 | Reliant Stadium (Houston, TX) |
| 2/6/2005 | New England Patriots | 24-21 | Alltel Stadium (Jacksonville, FL) |
| 2/5/2006 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 21-10 | Ford Field (Detroit, MI) |
| 2/4/2007 | Indianapolis Colts | 29-17 | Dolphin Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL) |
| 2/3/2008 | New York Giants | 17-14 | University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, AZ) |
| 2/1/2009 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 27-23 | Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL) |
| 2/7/2010 | New Orleans Saints | 31-17 | Sun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL) |
| 2/6/2011 | Green Bay Packers | 31-25 | Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
| 2/5/2012 | New York Giants | 21-17 | Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN) |
| 2/3/2013 | Baltimore Ravens | 34-31 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, LA) |
| 2/2/2014 | Seattle Seahawks | 43-8 | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
| 2/1/2015 | New England Patriots | 28-24 | University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, AZ) |
| 2/7/2016 | Denver Broncos | 24-10 | Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco, CA) |
| 2/5/2017 | New England Patriots | 34-28 | NRG Stadium (Houston, TX) |
| 2/4/2018 | Philadelphia Eagles | 41-33 | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
| 2/3/2019 | New England Patriots | 13–3 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium
(Atlanta Georgia) |
| 2/7/2021 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 31–9 | Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida) |
Teams With no Appearance in the Super Bowl
Only four teams have not appeared in the Super Bowl games so far, and they are:
- Detroit Lions
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cleveland Browns
- Houston Texans
Final Words
As this year’s Super Bowl is drawing closer, don’t hesitate to bank on early Super Bowl odds at Fanduel before the event. Visit NBC Sports and Fanduel to follow every update on injuries, player picks, and odds.