Super Bowl II
The NFL awarded Super Bowl II to Miami on the 25th of May 1967. This decision came during the owners meetings held in New York City. Five cities had been considered for the second edition of the championship game. Those locations included Los Angeles at the Coliseum and Houston at the Astrodome. Dallas with its Cotton Bowl also competed for the honor. New Orleans offered Tulane Stadium as a potential venue. The league eliminated Los Angeles after lackluster attendance figures from Super Bowl I. The Orange Bowl committee had previously lobbied unsuccessfully to host an NFL Championship Game. That contest was not normally played on neutral fields. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle stated it was helpful to move the game around. He wanted to avoid playing the event in the same city every year. Playing the game in an AFL town established a precedent for competitive balance. The local contingent led by mayor Robert King High prepared just under eight months for the event. Hotel accommodations and stadium capacity were key factors in the selection process.
Both starting running backs from the previous season left the team before 1967. Future Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor departed Green Bay. Coach Vince Lombardi relied on second-year reserve Donny Anderson instead. Rookie Travis Williams filled another backfield role after injuries sidelined his replacements. Fullbacks Chuck Mercein and Ben Wilson signed as free agents to help compensate for the losses. Veteran quarterback Bart Starr missed four games during the regular season due to injuries. He finished the year with nearly twice as many interceptions as touchdown passes. Carroll Dale recorded thirty-five receptions for seven hundred thirty-eight yards. Pro Bowler Boyd Dowler caught fifty-four passes for eight hundred forty-six yards. Grabowski became the team's leading rusher with four hundred sixty-six yards. Wilson gained four hundred fifty-three yards while Anderson totaled seven hundred thirty-three yards from scrimmage. Special teams standout Travis Williams returned eighteen kickoffs for seven hundred forty-nine yards. His average return was a whopping forty-one point one yards per attempt. The defense allowed only two hundred nine points, ranking third best in the NFL. Three members of the secondary named themselves to the Pro Bowl including Willie Wood and Herb Adderley. Ray Nitschke led the linebacking corps behind a superb defensive line.
The Raiders stormed to the top of the AFL with a thirteen win and one loss record. Their only defeat came against the New York Jets on October 7 by a score of twenty-seven to fourteen. They crushed the Houston Oilers forty to seven in the AFL Championship game. Starting quarterback Daryle Lamonica threw for three thousand two hundred twenty-eight yards. He also posted an AFL-best thirty touchdown passes. Center Jim Otto anchored the offensive line alongside rookie guard Gene Upshaw. Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff led the team with forty receptions for eight hundred seventy-six yards. Tight end Billy Cannon caught thirty-two passes for six hundred twenty-nine yards. Three running backs carried the ball equally combining for fifteen hundred ten yards. Defensive back Rodger Bird led the AFL with six hundred twelve punt return yards. The main strength of the Raiders was their defense nicknamed The Eleven Angry Men. All-Stars Tom Keating and Ben Davidson anchored the defensive line. Davidson had broken the jaw of Jets quarterback Joe Namath during a regular season game. Dan Conners excelled at blitzing while recording three interceptions. Willie Brown led the team with seven interceptions. Safety Warren Powers recorded six interceptions returning them for one hundred fifty-four yards.
Green Bay entered as a fourteen-point favorite despite expert consensus calling this the weakest Packer championship team. Most fans and sports writers believed top NFL teams were superior to the best AFL clubs. The drama focused on rumors that Lombardi might retire after the game. This contest proved to be the final one for Packers wide receiver Max McGee. It was also the last game for place kicker Don Chandler. The game used tuning fork or slingshot goalposts invented by Jim Trimble and Joel Rottman. These new posts made their debut at the start of the season for both leagues. They first appeared at the pro level in Canada before Super Bowl II. CBS paid two point five million dollars for broadcast rights. Ray Scott handled play-by-play duties alongside color commentators Pat Summerall and Jack Kemp. Kemp was the first Super Bowl commentator still an active player at the time. He played for Buffalo of the American Football League. The telecast was considered lost until later found in NFL Films vaults. Almost eighty percent of the country lost the video feed during the second quarter.
The game was televised in the United States by CBS. This marked the first of seventeen Super Bowls rotated annually between networks. The Orange Bowl was sold out for the event. NFL blackout rules prevented the live telecast from being shown in the Miami area. During the latter part of the second quarter, almost eighty percent of the nation lost the video feed. Three minutes of halftime also suffered from this technical failure. CBS blamed the glitch on a breakdown in AT&T cable lines. Thirty-nine point twelve million people watched the game on television. The rating reached thirty-six point eight with a market share of sixty-eight. The overnight Arbitron rating hit forty-three. All that survived initially were in-game photos shown in Sports Illustrated on the 8th of January 1969. NFL Films had no copy of the full game available at first. They did possess footage used for their highlight film. The entire telecast eventually rested in the vaults of NFL Films. The pregame ceremonies featured two giant figures dressed as players. One represented the Packers while the other wore Raiders colors. They faced each other near the fifty-yard line. The Grambling College Tiger Marching Band performed the national anthem and halftime show.
Don Chandler set records for most points scored in a game with fifteen total points. Boyd Dowler established the longest scoring play at sixty two yards. Bart Starr became the first back-to-back Super Bowl MVP for his performance. The Packers won their third consecutive World Championship, the second such occasion in NFL history. The 1965 through 1967 teams remain the only squad to win three consecutive championships. No NFL team has accomplished this feat since that era. Daryle Lamonica holds the record for most passing attempts in a single game with thirty four. He also recorded the lowest completion percentage at forty-four point one percent. The Raiders committed three turnovers while Green Bay had none. The Packers outgained Oakland in rushing yardage one hundred sixty to one hundred seven. They held time of possession for thirty five minutes and fifty-four seconds. Max McGee finished his career with one reception totaling thirty-five yards. Bill Miller topped receivers with five catches for eighty-four yards and two touchdowns. The game remains the only Super Bowl played in the same stadium in consecutive seasons. It was followed by Super Bowl III at the Orange Bowl the next year.
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Common questions
When was Super Bowl II awarded to Miami?
The NFL awarded Super Bowl II to Miami on the 25th of May 1967. This decision came during owners meetings held in New York City.
Who were the starting running backs for Green Bay before the 1967 season?
Future Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor departed Green Bay before the 1967 season. Coach Vince Lombardi relied on second-year reserve Donny Anderson instead.
What was the record of the Oakland Raiders entering Super Bowl II?
The Raiders stormed to the top of the AFL with a thirteen win and one loss record. Their only defeat came against the New York Jets on October 7 by a score of twenty-seven to fourteen.
How many people watched Super Bowl II on television?
Thirty-nine point twelve million people watched the game on television. The rating reached thirty-six point eight with a market share of sixty-eight.
Why did CBS lose most of the video feed during Super Bowl II?
Almost eighty percent of the nation lost the video feed during the second quarter due to a breakdown in AT&T cable lines. Three minutes of halftime also suffered from this technical failure.