Tampa Bay Super Bowl Prologue

The Chicago Bears and Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans finished the 1932 regular season tied, so the league decided to stage a one game playoff the following week in Chicago. Due to below zero temperatures, coupled with ice and snow, that game was moved indoors to an 80 yard field at Chicago Stadium. The Bears had played an exhibition game there in 1930, but this was the first official NFL indoor game. The only touchdown in the Bears 9-0 victory came on a disputed option pass from Bronko Nagurski to Red Grange. It was not considered a postseason game, counted in the regular season standings and dropped Portsmouth to third place. However, the success of the game lead owners to create two divisions and an official title game for the 1933 season. The first official NFL Championship Game was played at Wrigley Field and Chicago defeated the New York Giants 23-21.

The days of the NFL Championship Game were to first steps to the immense popularity of today's game. It is a history of a time when the league began to gain acceptance. Redskins owner George Preston Marshall moved the 1936 game to New York's Polo Grounds due to lack of support in Boston. Green Bay won that game 21-6 and the following season the Redskins would be playing in Washington. Rookie Sammy Baugh threw three touchdown passes to lead the Washington Redskins to a 28-21 victory over Chicago in the 1937 game. A few years later, Chicago would get revenge in a big way. Lead by quarterback Sid Luckman, the Bears destroyed the Redskins 73-0 in the 1940 title game. The 1945 game was the last played in Cleveland before the Rams moved to Los Angeles. In the first one point victory in the NFL Championship Game, the Cleveland Rams defeated Washington 15-14. The 1948 game saw a 7-0 win by Philadelphia over the Chicago Cardinals in the heavy snow of Shibe Park. Lou Groza kicked a 16 yard field goal, with 28 seconds remaining, to propel the Cleveland Browns over the Los Angeles Rams 30-28 in 1950. A fourth quarter touchdown pass by Bobby Layne gave the Detroit Lions a 17-16 win over Cleveland at Tiger Stadium in 1953.

In 1958, the NFL took a giant leap in popularity with what is still remembered as "the greatest game ever played." A Pat Summerall field goal opened the scoring at Yankee Stadium, then a Johnny Unitas to Raymond Berry touchdown pass put the Baltimore Colts up 14-3. The New York Giants recaptured the lead on a Frank Gifford TD catch, before a Steve Myhra field goal tied the game with seven seconds on the clock. At the 8:15 mark of the first overtime in NFL history, Alan Ameche ran for his second score of the day and the Colts had a 23-17 victory. The 1967 game was the famous "Ice Bowl" and the kickoff temperature in Green Bay was a brutal thirteen degrees below zero. Bart Starr threw two touchdown passes to Boyd Dowler and the Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 to move on to Super Bowl II. By 1970, the NFL teams were now the NFC and the NFL champion was decided in the Super Bowl.

With the NFL established, a serious challenger would come in the form of the American Football League in 1960. As early as 1961, the AFL proposed a "super- championship game" and in 1964 NBC came up with the idea of an all-star game between the two leagues called the "World Series." Not wanting to lend credibility to the new league, the NFL rejected those ideas. Funded by a decent television contract, the AFL could compete against the older league for players. That competition threatened the stability of both leagues and, in 1966, a merger between the two was announced. The champions would play each other after the 1966 season and the leagues would formally merge, when their current television contracts expired, for 1970 season. The Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers were financially compensated to join the ten AFL teams to create two balanced conferences, the American and National Football Conferences. This merger lead to the Super Bowl.

The first AFL-NFL World Championship Game was played on January 15, 1967 at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. While some were calling it the Super Bowl, it was not until Super Bowl IV that the name was printed on the tickets. The legend has it Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt came up with the idea while watching his daughter play with her "superball" toy. Since CBS and NBC each had a contract with one of the leagues, that initial game was the first time a major sporting event was broadcast live on two networks. It was also the only time the game did not sellout. Green Bay defeated Kansas City 35-10 and the following year the Packers topped Oakland 33-14. In 1971, the World Championship Game Trophy was renamed the Vince Lombardi Trophy in honor of the late Packers head coach. The NFL had two lopsided victories, before the New York Jets provided the upset and first victory for the AFL. Since then, victories have come in streaks. At one stretch, the AFL/AFC won eleven of thirteen games, later the NFC won thirteen in a row.

While historically the games have not been close, they are a part of the American experience. A bold Joe Namath delivered on his prediction of victory. A field goal by Jim O'Brien with five seconds left lifted the Colts over the Cowboys. Garo Yepremian attempts to throw a pass after a blocked field goal, and it is returned for a touchdown, as the Miami Dolphins cap off a perfect season. The "Steel Curtain" defense leading Pittsburgh to four titles in the 1970s. Cowboys tight end Jackie Smith dropping a Roger Staubach pass in the end zone of a 35-31 loss to the Steelers. William "The Refrigerator" Perry scoring a touchdown for Chicago. Buffalo going to four straight and losing each time. San Francisco winning five Super Bowls and the Cowboys winning three times in four years in the 1990s.

Today, Super Bowl Sunday is a part of the fabric of America. The game's brightest stars are on the biggest stage and the game is typically the highest rated television program of the year. The anticipation grows in the two weeks between the conference championships and the big game. Players and coaches become larger than life. Even the stadiums and host cities become a part of American lore.

Communities bid for the exposure that hosting a Super Bowl brings and make lucrative offers to the NFL for the opportunity. In the early 1980s, when the NFL Buccaneers were the only game in town, a task force was formed to bring the Super Bowl to Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers connection had lead to the NFL Pro Bowl coming to Tampa Stadium after the 1977 season, and the Bucs themselves hosted the 1979 NFC Championship Game, but nothing on the magnitude of the Super Bowl had ever come to the area.

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