The Super Bowl is the biggest spectacle in American sports, and do you ever wonder how it got its name? Surprisingly, the title didn’t come about as a result of intense brainstorming or marketing strategy-it nearly came about through accident. The name traces its origin to a bouncy children’s toy and to a passing remark from an influential team owner.
NFL-AFL Merger and the “Hunt” for the Name of the Championship Game
In 1966, the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) agreed to a full integration that was to come into place in 1970. As a result of this agreement, both leagues provided plans for conducting a championship game between their best teams, but this legendary encounter did not have any official name.
But then, the NFL Commissioner at that time, Pete Rozelle, had some notions of his own. These included “The Big One” and “Pro Bowl,” neither of which caught fire. Instead, the game just became the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game.”
How a Kids’ Toy Led to “Super Bowl”
Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, is often credited with coming up with the name. He later recalled that he came up with it while watching his children play with a Super Ball, a wildly popular bouncy toy in the 1960s. In a 1966 league meeting, Hunt nonchalantly threw out “Super Bowl” as a temporary name. He confessed he thought it was “a little corny” and never expected it to stick.
However, the media loved it. Reporters and broadcasters began using the phrase before the league officially recognized it, and it quickly caught on.
Debate Over Lamar Hunt’s Role in the Naming of the Super Bowl
Even though it is attributed to Lamar Hunt, some historians assert that the media had started to use the name “Super Bowl” even before he first presented it. It was stated by an article that was released in 2011 that reporters first started using it on their own and that it was merely reiteration on Hunt’s part.
Regardless of how the name came to be, the Pro Football Hall of Fame still recognizes Lamar Hunt for his role. The Hall even shows a replica of the Super Ball in his honor, paying tribute to how a simple toy helped name the biggest game in football history.
When Did the Name Become Official?
Despite increasing popularity, however, championship games played in 1967 and 1968 were still officially known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The name “Super Bowl” had really caught on pretty much everywhere, though, when Super Bowl III was played in 1969. It finally became the official name by Super Bowl IV, played in 1970, with the league.
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