How it unfolded
Champions of two leagues that had agreed to merge met for the first time, though the name 'Super Bowl' did not yet exist. A 100,000-seat Coliseum held only 61,946 — more than 30,000 empty. Green Bay was favoured by 14. The first half stayed close: backup receiver Max McGee, in for an injured Boyd Dowler, caught a 37-yard touchdown reaching behind his back, and the score was 14–10 at halftime. The second half broke open when Willie Wood intercepted Len Dawson and returned it 50 yards to the Kansas City 5; Elijah Pitts scored on the next play for 21–10. Green Bay added two more touchdowns. McGee had seven catches for 138 yards and two scores; Bart Starr went 16-of-23 for 250 yards and two touchdowns and won MVP. It remains the only Super Bowl simulcast on CBS and NBC.
Why it still matters
The starting line of an annual event that became America's largest single broadcast. It also left the impression that the AFL was not yet equal to the NFL — setting up the weight of the Jets' upset two years later. Empty seats and dual networks frame how much larger everything became afterward.