If you walked into the stadium today, you’d see a bronze statue of a guy named Jackie Robinson. It’s a sunny spot in Los Angeles, usually filled with a mix of UCLA students and tourists trying to find the best angle for a photo. But back in 1967, this place was the center of a sports experiment that almost nobody cared about at the time.
So, where was Super Bowl 1 played? It happened at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
It wasn't called the "Super Bowl" yet. Not officially. On the tickets, it was the "AFL-NFL World Championship Game." Sounds a bit corporate, doesn't it? It basically was. The NFL and the AFL were bitter rivals that had finally agreed to a merger, and this game was the first time their champions would actually square off to see who was boss.
The Coliseum is iconic now. It’s hosted Olympics and World Series games. But on January 15, 1967, it felt weirdly empty.
The Empty Seats Nobody Mentions
Everyone assumes the first Super Bowl was this massive, cultural explosion from second one. It wasn't. Honestly, it was kind of a dud at the gate. While the Coliseum could hold about 94,000 people, only 61,946 actually showed up. You’ve got to realize how wild that is for the biggest game in American history. One out of every three seats was empty.
Why? Ticket prices.
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People complained that $12 was too much to pay for a football game. Think about that next time you’re looking at a $5,000 seat on StubHub. There was also a local TV blackout in Los Angeles, which was standard practice back then to force people to the stadium. It didn't really work. People just stayed home or didn't care enough to make the drive.
Green Bay vs. Kansas City: A Mismatch?
The game featured the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Vince Lombardi, the legendary Packers coach, was incredibly stressed. He wasn't just playing for a trophy; he was playing for the reputation of the entire NFL. He felt that if his team lost to an "inferior" AFL team, it would be a total embarrassment.
The Packers were the powerhouse. The Chiefs were the upstarts.
It stayed close for a while. At halftime, the score was 14-10. The AFL fans were starting to get cocky. Then, the third quarter happened. Green Bay’s Max McGee—who, legend has it, was nursing a massive hangover after breaking curfew the night before—caught two touchdowns. The Packers pulled away, winning 35-10.
The Two-Network Chaos
One of the weirdest facts about where Super Bowl 1 was played is that it’s the only time two different major networks broadcast the same Super Bowl simultaneously. NBC had the AFL rights. CBS had the NFL rights. They both set up cameras at the Coliseum.
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The tension was real.
The crews literally built a fence between their technical trucks so they wouldn't talk to each other. They didn't share footage. They didn't share talent. If you were watching at home, you chose your side based on which league you liked more. Interestingly, the footage of this game was "lost" for decades because the networks recorded over the tapes to save money. It wasn't until 2011 that a nearly complete version was found in a basement in Pennsylvania.
Why the Coliseum Was the Choice
Los Angeles was the logical pick for a January game. You wanted warmth. You wanted a big market. The Coliseum had the history. Built in the 1920s as a memorial to WWI veterans, it already had a "big game" feel, even if the crowd didn't fill the stands that day.
The field itself was grass, which seems normal now but was a point of contention as artificial turf started to become a "futuristic" trend in other stadiums later on. The atmosphere was surprisingly low-key. There were no high-tech light shows. The halftime show consisted of university marching bands and some guys with jetpacks. Yes, actual jetpacks. It was the 60s, after all.
Understanding the Legacy of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
When you think about where Super Bowl 1 was played, you have to look at how that specific venue shaped the NFL’s identity. The Coliseum is massive. It's sprawling. It represents the "Old Guard" of American sports. By hosting the first merger game there, the NFL was claiming a sense of tradition.
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The stadium has changed a lot since '67. They've renovated the peristyle. They've added luxury boxes. But the bones are the same. When you walk through the tunnels today, you’re walking the same path Bart Starr took when he headed toward the end zone for that first-ever MVP performance.
Key Takeaways for the History Buff
- Location: 3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA.
- The Date: January 15, 1967.
- Attendance: 61,946 (The only Super Bowl to ever fail to sell out).
- The Result: Packers 35, Chiefs 10.
- The MVP: Bart Starr, Green Bay quarterback.
How to Visit the Site of Super Bowl 1
If you actually want to see where it happened, you don't need a Super Bowl ticket. The Coliseum is still very much active. It’s the home of the USC Trojans. You can catch a college game there on a Saturday and sit in the same general area where fans watched history in 1967.
- Check the Schedule: USC games are the best way to see the stadium in its intended football configuration.
- Take a Tour: The Coliseum offers guided tours that take you into the locker rooms and onto the field.
- Visit the Peristyle: This is the famous arched end of the stadium. It's open to the public during certain hours and houses the Olympic torch.
- Look for the Plaques: There are markers throughout the stadium commemorating the first championship game.
The most important thing to remember is that the "Super Bowl" wasn't born as a billion-dollar spectacle. It started as a nervous experiment in a half-empty stadium in California. The location mattered because it proved that the two leagues could coexist on the same turf. Without that afternoon in the Los Angeles sun, the modern NFL wouldn't exist.
To truly appreciate the history, look up the restored footage of the 1967 broadcast. Seeing the graininess of the film against the backdrop of the Coliseum's white arches puts the scale of today's games into perspective. It reminds us that every giant started as a small, slightly disorganized idea in a warm city.