August 23, 2026
August 23, 2026
1966 Green Bay Packers: First Super Bowl Champions
The Super Bowl era officially began when the leadership of both the NFL and the AFL agreed to schedule a game pitting their league champions against each other. Coming off a successful 1965 season, the 1966 Green Bay Packers were set to not only defend their NFL Championship, but to chase a higher goal: becoming the first-ever winners of the Super Bowl.
The Packers went 12-2 in 1966, winning the NFL Western Conference by three games over the Baltimore Colts. Following the smashmouth football principles instilled by head coach Vince Lombardi, the Packers were easily one of the best teams in football that year.
Quarterback Bart Starr completed 156 of 251 pass attempts for 2,257 yards and 14 touchdowns. Starr also gained 104 yards on 21 rushing attempts and scored 2 touchdowns. Fullback Jim Taylor had 705 yards on 204 rushing attempts and scored 4 touchdowns, while also catching 41 passes for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns. Halfback Elijah Pitts gained 393 yards on 115 rushing attempts and scored 7 touchdowns, adding 26 receptions for 460 yards and 3 touchdowns. Halfback Paul Hornung gained 200 yards on 76 rushing attempts and scored 2 touchdowns, while also catching 36 passes for 460 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tight end Carroll Dale had 37 receptions for 876 yards and 7 touchdowns, split end wide receiver Marv Fleming had 31 receptions for 361 yards and 2 touchdowns, and flanker wide receiver Boyd Dowler had 29 receptions for 392 yards. According to the full 1966 team statistics, Green Bay’s offense ranked among the league’s best that season.
Halfback Donny Anderson gained 104 yards on 25 rushing attempts and scored 2 touchdowns on offense, and he also contributed on special teams, returning 6 punts for 124 yards and 1 touchdown along with 23 kickoffs for 533 yards. Cornerback Herb Adderley added 14 kick returns for 320 yards and also played a major role on defense, recording 4 interceptions for 125 yards and 1 touchdown, plus 2 fumble recoveries.
Outside linebacker Dave Robinson had 5 interceptions for 60 yards and 2 fumble recoveries. Safety Tom Brown had 4 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. Cornerback Bob Jeter had 5 interceptions for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 1 fumble recovery. Outside linebacker Lee Roy Caffey had 3 interceptions for 62 yards and 1 touchdown, plus 1 fumble recovery. Safety Willie Wood had 3 interceptions for 38 yards and 1 touchdown. Defensive back Doug Hart had 1 interception for 40 yards and 1 touchdown, plus 1 fumble recovery. Middle linebacker Ray Nitschke had 2 interceptions, and linebacker Tommy Crutcher had 1 interception. Defensive ends Lionel Aldridge and Willie Davis each had 2 fumble recoveries.
The Packers’ biggest win of the regular season came in Week 7 on October 23, a 56-3 demolition of the Atlanta Falcons. Their closest win of the season came in Week 2 on September 18, when Green Bay barely edged the Cleveland Browns 21-20.
On January 1, 1967, the Packers traveled to the Cotton Bowl to face the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship Game, which would no longer be the final step for any football team. Bart Starr completed 19 of 28 pass attempts for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Carroll Dale caught 5 passes for 128 yards and 1 touchdown. Dallas quarterback Don Meredith completed 15 of 31 passes for 238 yards and 1 touchdown, and halfback-fullback Don Perkins gained 108 yards on 17 rushing attempts and scored 1 touchdown. Cowboys wide receiver Frank Clarke caught 3 passes for 102 yards and 1 touchdown.
Elijah Pitts put Green Bay on the board first with a 17-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, and running back Jim Grabowski followed with an 18-yard fumble-return touchdown. Dallas running back Dan Reeves then scored on a 3-yard touchdown run, and Don Perkins tied the game at 14-14 with a 23-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, Carroll Dale hauled in a 51-yard touchdown reception, and Cowboys kicker Danny Villanueva answered with an 11-yard field goal, making the halftime score 21-17.
After Villanueva kicked a 32-yard field goal in the third quarter, Boyd Dowler caught a 16-yard touchdown pass for Green Bay, and wide receiver Max McGee sealed the win in the fourth quarter with a 28-yard touchdown catch. Frank Clarke’s 68-yard touchdown reception wasn’t enough for the Cowboys, as the Packers went on to win the NFL Championship 34-27.
The Green Bay Packers advanced to the very first Super Bowl, where they faced the American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 15. Max McGee had a standout game, catching 7 passes for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns. As the game progressed, the outcome was never really in doubt, as the Packers controlled Super Bowl I from start to finish, beating the Chiefs 35-10.
Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson completed 16 of 27 pass attempts for 211 yards and 1 touchdown, but also threw 1 interception. Bart Starr, who would go on to be named the game’s Most Valuable Player, completed 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns, though he also threw 1 interception.
In the first quarter, Max McGee made history by catching the first touchdown pass in Super Bowl history, a 37-yard strike. In the second quarter, Chiefs fullback-tight end Curtis McClinton caught a 7-yard touchdown pass, and Jim Taylor answered for Green Bay with a 14-yard touchdown run. Kansas City kicker Mike Mercer added a 31-yard field goal to make the halftime score 14-10. That would be as close as the Chiefs would get.
The Packers seized total control in the second half, as Elijah Pitts scored on a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Max McGee followed with a 13-yard touchdown reception. Pitts capped the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run, sealing the 35-10 victory.
The Green Bay Packers paved the way for how championships would be won moving forward. The Super Bowl trophy itself would eventually be renamed the Vince Lombardi Trophy, honoring the head coach who led the 1966 Green Bay Packers, and the team that followed, to the first two Super Bowl titles in NFL history.
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