The first Super Bowl game was played in January 1967 as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. After both leagues merged in 1970, the Super Bowl became the NFL's championship game. Since then, the game has been played annually on a Sunday following the playoffs, originally early to mid January, then late January, and in 2002, the first Sunday in February. This became a permanent change for the 2003 NFL Season. Super Bowl I: In the first matchup of the AFL and NFL champions, the NFL's Green Bay Packers, led by coach Vince Lombardi and quarterback Bart Starr, defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. The Packers outscored the Chiefs 21-0 in the second half after struggling in the first half. Only 61,946 attended the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, making it the only Super Bowl that hasn't sold out. No network footage exists of Super Bowl I. It was taped over, supposedly for a soap opera. Super Bowl Trophy Trivia: The winning Super Bowl team gets the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games. Following his death in September 1970, the trophy was named the Vince Lombardi Trophy, first awarded at Super Bowl V in Miami. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is made by Tiffany, takes 72 man hours to produce, and it costs $12,500. The NFL also pays for up to 150 rings for the winning Super Bowl team at $5,000 apiece (plus adjustments for extra gold or diamonds) and 150 pieces of jewelry for the losing Super Bowl team, each to cost up to half the price of the Super Bowl ring More Super Bowl Trivia: No NFL team has ever played the Super Bowl on its own home field. Most Super Bowl appearances: 8 - Dallas Cowboys (won 5, lost 3) 6 - Pittsburgh Steelers (won 5, lost 1) 6 - Denver Broncos (won 2, lost 4) Most Super Bowl Wins: 5 - Dallas Cowboys 5 - San Francisco 49ers 5 - Pittsburgh Steelers 4 teams have an undefeated record in Super Bowl play -- the 49ers (5-0), Giants (2-0), Bears (1-0) and Jets (1-0). 7 NFL teams have never been to a Super Bowl -- Arizona, Carolina, Cleveland, Detroit, Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay. The most points scored in the Super Bowl was 42 by 49ers receiver Jerry Rice in three career games. Rice had a record three touchdowns in both Super Bowl XXIV vs. Denver and Super Bowl XXIX vs. San Diego. The most rushing attempts in a Super Bowl were 57 by the Steelers in their 16-6 Super Bowl IX victory against Minnesota. Franco Harris had 34, Rocky Bleier 17, Terry Bradshaw 5, and Lynn Swann 1. Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, NFC teams have an 18 - 14 record over the AFC. The lowest average yards per carry in a Super Bowl were 0.64 by the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. The Patriots rushed for a mere 7 yards on 11 carries in the 46-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. Only one time has the Super Bowl been tied at halftime. The Bengals and 49ers were tied 3-3 in Super Bowl XXIII. There has never been a punt returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. There have been five kickoffs returned for touchdowns, the last by Atlanta's Tim Dwight (Super Bowl XXXIII). The 12 most watched TV programs of all time are Super Bowls, with the 2004 game the highest rated ever, with 144.4 million viewers watching at least a portion of the broadcast. More Americans watched the Super Bowl last February than bothered to vote in the 2004 presidential election. The National Retail Federation estimates that about 44 million people attend 7.5 million Super Bowl parties on game day, making it a bigger excuse for a party than New Year's Eve. Dave Cole Copyright ©