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10 Facts You May Not Know About The Super Bowl

By Daniel Friedman
» More Columns

Super Bowl 50 is rapidly approaching, and with that in mind, here are 10 things you may or may not know about the big game.

1. It started as part of the NFL/AFL merger agreement and when the merger was completed in 1970, it was played between the champions of both conferences.

2. The NFC has won 26 of the 49 Super Bowls.

Vince Lombardi Trophy
Outside linebacker and Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith of the Seattle Seahawks holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy following victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 48 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Feb. 2, 2014. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

3. The game was not called the Super Bowl at first, but the moniker caught on in the media. For the third title game, the NFL officially dubbed it the "Super Bowl."

4. Lamar Hunt, legendary owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, originally coined the term "Super Bowl." He said the words were probably in his head because his kids had been playing with a Super Ball.

5. Including this Sunday's game, CBS has broadcasted the most Super Bowls (19).

Joe Namath
(credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Images)

6. There was initially serious doubt the AFL teams would ever be remotely competitive compared to the NFL teams, but the Jets became the first AFL team to win the championship game, when they took Super Bowl III.

7. The second half kickoff of Super Bowl I had to be redone because the broadcast hadn't yet returned from airing a commercial for Winston cigarettes.

8. Super Bowls I-VI were blacked out on television in the host cities.

Recording artist Katy Perry performs onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Recording artist Katy Perry performs onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. Photo Credit: Getty Images

9. Super Bowl halftime shows didn't start featuring prominent recording artists until 1991; before then, the shows had themes and typically featured university marching bands.

10. Super Bowl 50 will be the 12th hosted in California. Florida has hosted the most title games with 15, between Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville.

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