(A victorious Vince Lombardi walks off the field. All photos via NFL Films)

The Green Bay Packers, the best team in the NFL, faced the Kansas City Chiefs, the best team in the AFL, in the first ever meeting between the two leagues. The heavily favored Packers held their own and handily vanquished the upstart Chiefs. The game drew a record 65 million viewers and continues annually to this day, where it remains the most watched program on American television.

Super Bowl I was so devoid of commercialism that it barely resembles the Super Bowls we see today. Tickets for the big game didn't cost the thousands they do now; they actually had to move the crowd closer so they could make a better impression for the TV cameras. It wasn’t even known as the "Super Bowl" back then, rather it was the "AFL-NFL Championship Game." Only until Chiefs' owner Lamar Hunt saw his kid playing with a superball did its present name take form.

(It's hard to believe getting tickets to the Super Bowl used to be this easy)

Only five men, four team captains and a referee were present for the coin flip. Compare that to today where several dozen cameramen, crew and teammates crowd the proximity. The halftime show was just a college marching band, a far cry from a declothed Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake duet. It remains the only Super Bowl to be broadcasted on two major stations. CBS owned the NFL license and NBC had the AFL, so commissioner Pete Rozelle allowed both networks to carry the game. The opening kickoff of the second half actually had to be replayed because NBC wasn't back from commercial yet.

(Both CBS and NBC's broadcast recordings were taped over, meaning that no complete copy of the game exists)

Green Bay's defense won the game just as much as their offense did. Kansas City's high-octane running game was grounded to a halt, producing only 72 rushing yards. They resorted to the passing game and got by thanks to several trick plays. In the second period, a fake pass allowed Len Dawson to find Curtis McClinton for a 7-yard touchdown. It was the Chiefs' first and only touchdown of the game.

The Packers' offense showed their stripes in the second half. Bart Starr continually converted passes on third downs that kept the drive alive. Starr's 250 yards and two touchdowns would earn him the MVP, though he was hardly the only candidate. Max McGee, out drinking the night before -- anticipating that he wouldn't play -- went in when wide receiver Boyd Dowler separated his shoulder on the second play of the game. McGee had caught only four passes in the entire regular season but looked like a bona fide All-Star against Kansas City, making seven catches for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Even better, he became the answer to the trivia question, "Who caught the first touchdown in Super Bowl I?"

In the end the Packers, heralded as one of the greatest teams in football history, were too much for the Chiefs. The game concluded with Green Bay winning 35-10. Vince Lombardi's squad was granted the "World Championship Game Trophy" for their efforts -- a trophy that only three years later would be named after Lombardi himself.

Further reading:

McGee was a beloved figure [Journal Sentinel]