How a Bouncy Toy Created the "Super Bowl"

At the end of every NFL season, the world stops for a spectacle known as the Super Bowl. It’s a name so ingrained in our culture that it feels like it has existed forever. But in 1966, the term "Super Bowl" wasn't just unofficial—it was actually hated by the NFL Commissioner.

A Collision of Two Leagues

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the NFL had a problem. A new rival, the American Football League (AFL), had emerged. Founded by Lamar Hunt, the AFL was comprised of wealthy enthusiasts who were tired of being denied NFL franchises.

By 1966, after a decade of bidding wars and a newfound influx of television revenue, the two leagues finally agreed to a merger. Part of that agreement included a "World Championship Game" between the top team of each league. The only problem? No one knew what to call it.

"The Big One" and Other Failures

In July 1966, six months before the first championship was played, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle held meetings to brainstorm a title. Rozelle’s suggestions were, to put it mildly, lackluster. He proposed "The Big One" and even "The World Series of Football" (the latter of which was technically a recycled name from a 1902 tournament).

The owners weren't impressed. They eventually settled on the clunky, formal title: The AFL-NFL World Championship Game. It was a mouthful that lacked any marketing "bounce."

The Wham-O Connection

The solution didn't come from a boardroom—it came from a living room. Lamar Hunt noticed his children, including Lamar Hunt Jr., playing with a new toy from the Wham-O company. It was a high-bouncing pink ball made of Zectron, famously known as the Super Ball.

As Hunt watched the ball fly higher than his kids could throw it, the name stuck in his head. He thought of the famous college "Bowls"—the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl—and combined the concepts. He brought the name "Super Bowl" to the July meetings.

Rozelle initially shot it down, thinking it lacked dignity. However, the media caught wind of the name. Even though the official tickets for that first game on January 15, 1967, between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs didn't use the term, newspapers were already calling it the "Super Bowl" the day before the kickoff.

From Toy to National Holiday

The name proved too catchy to ignore. By Super Bowl III—the legendary game where Joe Namath and the Jets proved the AFL could actually win—the name was officially adopted.

Today, sixty years later, we no longer think of a small pink toy when we hear the name. We think of legends, dynasties, and a game that has become an unofficial national holiday. All thanks to a little bit of "bounce" and a father watching his kids play.

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