Winners of Super Bowls in Order: The Real History of the Lombardi Trophy

Winners of Super Bowls in Order: The Real History of the Lombardi Trophy

Football fans love a good debate. Who is the GOAT? Which dynasty actually mattered? But when you strip away the shouting matches on social media, the only thing that genuinely sticks is the hardware. The Lombardi Trophy doesn't care about "what ifs." It only cares about who finished the job.

If you are looking for the winners of super bowls in order, you are essentially looking at the DNA of American culture over the last 60 years. It’s a list that started in a half-empty stadium in Los Angeles and ended up as a global holiday.

The Early Days and the Merger

Before it was the "Super Bowl," it was just a clunky title: the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The NFL was the established big brother. The AFL was the flashy, pass-heavy upstart. Honestly, most people thought the AFL teams were a joke until Joe Namath opened his mouth.

  • Super Bowl I (1967): Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10. Bart Starr was the MVP. The world didn't know what it was watching yet.
  • Super Bowl II (1968): Green Bay Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14. Vince Lombardi’s last stand in Green Bay.
  • Super Bowl III (1969): New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7. The "Guarantee." This changed everything.
  • Super Bowl IV (1970): Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7. Hank Stram was mic'd up, and the AFL officially proved it belonged before the leagues fully merged.

The Steel Curtain and the 70s Grinders

The 1970s belonged to the defenses. If you weren't getting hit in the mouth, you weren't playing football. The Pittsburgh Steelers built a dynasty that still defines the city's identity.

Super Bowl V (1971) saw the Baltimore Colts edge out Dallas 16-13. It’s often called the "Blunder Bowl" because of all the turnovers. Then came the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI (1972), crushing Miami 24-3.

Don't forget the 1972 Dolphins. They went 17-0. They capped it off in Super Bowl VII (1973) with a 14-7 win over Washington. They did it again in Super Bowl VIII (1974), beating Minnesota 24-7.

Then the Steelers took over.
Pittsburgh won Super Bowl IX (1975) and Super Bowl X (1976). After a brief interruption by the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI (1977) and the Cowboys in Super Bowl XII (1978), the Steelers came back for more. They grabbed Super Bowl XIII (1979) and Super Bowl XIV (1980).

Four rings in six years. Absolute dominance.

The West Coast Offense and 80s Excess

The 80s were basically the Joe Montana show. Bill Walsh's "West Coast Offense" turned the league upside down.

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  1. Super Bowl XV (1981): Oakland Raiders 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10.
  2. Super Bowl XVI (1982): San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21. The start of the Niners' reign.
  3. Super Bowl XVII (1983): Washington Redskins 27, Miami Dolphins 17. John Riggins’ iconic 4th-down run.
  4. Super Bowl XVIII (1984): Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington Redskins 9. Marcus Allen’s "run for the ages."
  5. Super Bowl XIX (1985): San Francisco 49ers 38, Miami Dolphins 16. Montana vs. Marino. It wasn't close.

Wait, we have to talk about the '85 Bears. Super Bowl XX (1986) was a 46-10 demolition of the Patriots. That defense was terrifying. They even released a rap song.

The rest of the decade saw the New York Giants (Super Bowl XXI), Washington (Super Bowl XXII), and two more for the 49ers (Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV). The 49ers' 55-10 win over Denver in 1990 remains the biggest blowout in the game's history.

The 90s Cowboys and the Buffalo Heartbreak

You can't list the winners of super bowls in order without feeling for Buffalo. They went to four straight. They lost all four.

  • Super Bowl XXV (1991): NY Giants 20, Buffalo 19. "Wide Right."
  • Super Bowl XXVI (1992): Washington 37, Buffalo 24.
  • Super Bowl XXVII (1993): Dallas 52, Buffalo 17.
  • Super Bowl XXVIII (1994): Dallas 30, Buffalo 13.

The Cowboys were the "Team of the 90s." Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin. They won three titles in four years, including Super Bowl XXX (1996) against Pittsburgh. Between them, the San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl XXIX) and the Green Bay Packers (Super Bowl XXXI) kept the NFC's 13-game winning streak alive.

The AFC finally broke through when John Elway got his ring in Super Bowl XXXII (1998) and Super Bowl XXXIII (1999). Then came the "Greatest Show on Turf"—the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV (2000). One yard short. That's all Tennessee needed.

The Brady and Belichick Epoch

Everything changed in 2002. A skinny kid named Tom Brady stepped in for an injured Drew Bledsoe.

Super Bowl XXXVI (2002) saw the Patriots upset the Rams 20-17. It was the birth of a dynasty that refused to die. They won Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004) and Super Bowl XXXIX (2005).

Other teams had their moments, of course.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Super Bowl XXXVII) had an all-time defense. The Pittsburgh Steelers (Super Bowl XL and XLIII) added two more trophies. The Indianapolis Colts (Super Bowl XLI) finally got Peyton Manning a ring. And the New York Giants (Super Bowl XLII and XLVI) became the only team that could consistently ruin Brady's day.

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Then there was the "Brees Era" in New Orleans with Super Bowl XLIV (2010) and Aaron Rodgers’ masterpiece in Super Bowl XLV (2011).

The Patriots returned to the mountaintop in Super Bowl XLIX (2015) thanks to Malcolm Butler's interception on the goal line. They followed that with the greatest comeback ever in Super Bowl LI (2017), erasing a 28-3 deficit against Atlanta. Their final win of the era came in Super Bowl LIII (2019), a defensive slugfest against the Rams.

The Modern Era: Chiefs and the New Guard

We are currently living in the Patrick Mahomes era. It’s hard to bet against him.

Super Bowl LIV (2020) saw the Chiefs come back against the Niners.
Then, Tom Brady proved it wasn't just the Patriots' system by winning Super Bowl LV (2021) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Los Angeles Rams (Super Bowl LVI) bought a championship with a "f-them picks" strategy in 2022.

But Kansas City wasn't done.
They won Super Bowl LVII (2023) against the Eagles in a high-scoring thriller. They defended their title in Super Bowl LVIII (2024) by beating the 49ers in overtime.

The most recent showdown, Super Bowl LIX (2025), saw the Philadelphia Eagles take the crown in New Orleans, defeating the Chiefs 40-22. It was a statement game that finally broke the KC stranglehold on the trophy.

The Complete List of Champions

If you need a quick reference for the record books, here is how the titles have landed:

The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most wins with 6 each. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers sit right behind them with 5. The Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, and New York Giants all have 4.

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Teams like the Denver Broncos, Washington Commanders, and Las Vegas Raiders have 3.

The Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Indianapolis Colts all have 2.

Rounding out the one-win club: the New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, and the New York Jets.

What Most People Get Wrong

A lot of people think the Super Bowl has always been the biggest thing on TV. It wasn't. The first one didn't even sell out. You could buy a ticket for $12. Now, a 30-second commercial costs roughly $7 million.

Also, the "home team" curse is real, though it was finally broken by the Bucs and the Rams recently. Before that, no team had ever won a Super Bowl in their own stadium.

If you're looking to win your next trivia night, remember that the Buffalo Bills are the only team to make four straight appearances, while the Minnesota Vikings are 0-4 in the big game. The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars have still never even made it to the Sunday.

To truly understand the winners of super bowls in order, you have to look past the scores. You have to look at the shifts in how the game is played—from the ground-and-pound 70s to the air-raid dominance of today.

Keep an eye on the upcoming season's injuries and trade deadlines. If you're tracking the next dynasty, watch the cap space of the young AFC quarterbacks. History tells us that once a team finds their rhythm, they usually stay at the top for at least three to five years. Don't be surprised if we see a new name on this list within the next decade.