Coming into the game, billed by some as the "supergame",[6][7] considerable animosity existed between the AFL and NFL, thus the teams representing the two rival leagues (Kansas City and Green Bay, respectively) felt additional pressure to win.

Many sportswriters and fans believed any team in the older NFL was vastly superior to any club in the upstart AFL, and so expected Green Bay would blow out Kansas City.

[8][9] The first half of Super Bowl I was competitive, as the Chiefs outgained the Packers in total yards, 181–164, and kept pace with Green Bay by posting a 14–10 score at halftime.

Soon the NFL and AFL found themselves locked in a massive bidding war for the top free agents and prospects coming out of college.

This policy broke down in early 1966 when the NFL's New York Giants signed Pete Gogolak, a placekicker who was under contract with the AFL's Buffalo Bills.

The AFL owners considered this an "act of war" and immediately struck back, signing several contracted NFL players, including eight of their top quarterbacks.

[23] Wide receiver Otis Taylor provided the team with a great deep threat by recording 58 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns.

Kansas City's offensive line was led by tackle Jim Tyrer, who had been selected to the AFL Pro Bowl for the 5th time in his career.

During the preseason, he signed Fred "Fuzzy" Thurston, who had been cut from three other teams, but ended up becoming an All-Pro left guard for Green Bay.

Lombardi also made a big trade with the Cleveland Browns that brought three players to the team who would become cornerstones of the defense: linemen Henry Jordan, Willie Davis, and Bill Quinlan.

)[32] The team's starting halfback, Paul Hornung, was injured early in the season and replaced by running back Elijah Pitts, who gained 857 all-purpose yards.

[33] The Packers' offensive line was also a big reason for the team's success, led by All-Pro guards Jerry Kramer, and Fuzzy Thurston, and tackle Forrest Gregg.

Lionel Aldridge had replaced Quinlan, but Jordan and Davis still anchored the defensive line; linebacker Ray Nitschke excelled at run stopping and pass coverage, while the secondary was led by Herb Adderley and Willie Wood.

One player who was looking forward to competing in this game was Len Dawson, who had spent three years as a backup in the NFL before joining the Chiefs.

However, during the week preceding the game, tensions flared between the staff of the two networks (longtime arch-rivals in American broadcasting), who each wanted to win the rating war, to the point where a fence was built between the CBS and NBC trucks.

[45] In addition, Rozelle decreed that NBC would not be able to use its cameramen and technical personnel, instead forcing it to use the feed provided by CBS,[46] since the Coliseum was home to the NFL's Rams.

[47] Super Bowl I was the only Super Bowl that was not a sellout, despite the TV blackout in Los Angeles (at the time, the local blackout was required even at a neutral site and even if the stadium did sell out), shutting out the vast Los Angeles market and network-owned stations KNXT (Channel 2, CBS; now KCBS-TV) and KNBC (Channel 4, NBC).

[49] In January 2011, a partial recording of the CBS telecast was reported to have been found in a Pennsylvania attic and restored by the Paley Center for Media in New York.

[50] The Paley Center has restored and digitized the footage and showed the recording to the public for the first time on February 10, 2024, as part of an exhibit, being staged in partnership with the NFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, on the history of the Super Bowl called "Beyond the Big Game".

This footage was nearly all on film with the exception of several player introductions and a post-game locker room chat between Pat Summerall and Pete Rozelle.

[55] The Los Angeles Ramettes, majorettes who had performed at all Rams home games, entertained during pregame festivities and after each quarter.

[44] The halftime show was produced by Tommy Walker, and featured trumpeter Al Hirt, the marching bands from the University of Arizona and Grambling College, the Ana-Hi-Steppers (more information below), 300 pigeons, 10,000 balloons and a flying demonstration by the hydrogen-peroxide-propelled Bell Rocket Air Men.

McGee slipped past Chiefs cornerback Willie Mitchell, made a one-handed catch at the 23-yard line, and then went the distance for the touchdown.

On their ensuing drive, Kansas City moved the ball to Green Bay's 33-yard line, during which quarterback Len Dawson completed an 18-yard pass to tight end Fred Arbanas and running back Mike Garrett rushed for 9 yards, but kicker Mike Mercer missed a 40-yard field goal attempt wide left.

On the third play of the drive, Starr appeared to complete a 64-yard touchdown pass to Dale, but this was nullified by a false start penalty against Green Bay.

As the drive continued, however, Starr converted four straight third downs; he hit McGee for 10 yards on 3rd-and-6, then Dale for 15 on 3rd-and-10, then Fleming for 11 on 3rd-and-5, and then Pitts for 10 on 3rd-and-7 to set up fullback Jim Taylor's 14-yard touchdown run with the team's famed Packers sweep play.

But on a third-down pass play, a heavy blitz by linebackers Dave Robinson and Lee Roy Caffey collapsed the Chief's pocket.

The wobbly pass was intercepted by safety Willie Wood,[12] who raced 50 yards to Kansas City's 5-yard line before being dragged down from behind by Garrett.

The drive ended with Starr's 13-yard touchdown pass to McGee on a post pattern, giving Green Bay a 28–10 lead.

This design was also worn in Super Bowl II, but was discontinued after that game when AFL officials began wearing uniforms identical to those of the NFL during the 1968 season, in anticipation of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.