Rozelle and the "Super Bowl":

1. He Hated the Name “Super Bowl” The story of Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt suggesting the name “Super Bowl” after seeing his kids playing with a Super Ball is a familiar one, but what you might not know is that Rozelle hated the name. When he helped create the game, Rozelle wanted to call it the “AFL-NFL Championship Game,” which you’ve got to admit leaves something to be desired in the catchiness department. Owners then considered “the Big One,” before deciding that sounded a bit silly, too. Only then did Hunt propose the Super Bowl idea, which passed over Rozelle’s strong objections.

Rozelle hated the name so much that during the first two Super Bowls he actually asked his publicists and reporters not to use the name. Rozelle later explained, “I thought it was corny. ‘Super’ was a word we used at Compton High.”

Rozelle does, however, get credit for adding Roman numerals to the game’s name. He later explained that since the game was played in January following the fall season, simply referring to it with a year would be confusing. “It’s not an affectation, as some charge. It’s for clarification. When you say Super Bowl I, it helps you remember it as a 1967 game for the 1966 championship.”