During the early 1960s there were two major American professional football leagues: the NFL and the American Football League (AFL). The first Super Bowl, held in 1967, was played between the champions of these two leagues. In that game, the Green Bay Packers of the NFL beat the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL, 35-10. However, the championship was not officially called the Super Bowl until 1970, when the two leagues merged to form the modern NFL.
The Green Bay Packers, led by coach Vince Lombardi, also won the second Super Bowl in 1968. The surprise victory in the 1969 Super Bowl, in which the New York Jets of the AFL defeated the Baltimore Colts (now Indianapolis Colts) of the NFL, generated greater interest in the championship game. In that contest, New York quarterback Joe Namath became famous when he brashly guaranteed the Jets' upset victory.