Photos: 4 things from Super Bowl I you likely won’t see this year
(NEXSTAR) — The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will soon face off at Super Bowl LVIII (that’s 58, if you aren’t versed in Roman numerals) in a rematch of Super Bowl LIV (or 54).
The game could be historic in a number of ways. If the Chiefs are victorious, for instance, they will become just the eighth team to win Super Bowls in back-to-back years, joining an exclusive club the 49ers have been a member of since 1990.
It was the Green Bay Packers that did it first, however, winning the first two Super Bowls (then known as the AFL–NFL World Championships) in the 1960s. The first team they beat? The Chiefs.
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It’s too soon, of course, for fans to assume that the Chiefs will be able to secure their third Lombardi Trophy in five years. But there are a few things fans can assume they won’t see at Sunday’s game, despite appearing at Super Bowl I between the Chiefs and Packers in 1967.
Goal posts in the end zone
Yes, it’s true, those massive yellow goal posts were once in the end zone. They were also a slightly different shape, looking more like an H than the U shape we’re familiar with today.
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In the late 1920s, the NFL put its goal posts on the end line (where they are today), following a move the NCAA had made. That led to fewer field goals and more tied games, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
When the NFL produced its own rule book in 1933, the league moved the posts back to the goal line. In 1966, the year before Super Bowl I was played, the rule changed again. This time, the goal posts had to be offset from the goal line. Though you can’t tell in the pictures below, the rules also mandated the posts be bright gold.
After the 1966 season, the Pro Football Hall of Fame says the posts changed from having two legs, as they do above, to the “sling-shot” shape we’re more familiar with. It wasn’t until 1974 that the goal posts would go to the end line in an effort to force offenses to play for touchdowns instead of field goals.
The coaching attire
Head coaches today have their own styles. If you’re an avid football fan, you can probably imagine exactly what head coaches Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan will be wearing during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
For reference, here’s how they dressed for their most recent games:
You can also probably imagine that the head coaches during Super Bowl I weren’t wearing anything close to the attire Reid and Shanahan will don.
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Instead, the coaches — Hank Stram of the Chiefs, on the left below, and Vince Lombardi of the Packers — dressed as though they were heading into the office immediately after the game. Stram, as you can see, was sporting a sport coat with the Chiefs logo. Lombardi, meanwhile, was rocking a red and blue tie (it’s unclear why he it wasn’t green and gold).
Attendance … or lack of attendance
Super Bowl I was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which seats 77,500. However, records show less than 62,000 were in attendance during the game — and even fewer had stayed to the end.
Some of the empty seats can be seen in the photo of Stram above, and also in the photos of the game below.
American football player Len Dawson (center, #16 in white), quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, throws the ball as opponant Lee Roy Coffey (left, #80) closes in during the first AFL-NFL World Championships (also known as Super Bowl I), Los Angeles, California, January 15, 1967. The Packers went on to win the game 35-10. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images) American football player Reg Carolan (center, in white) of the Kansas City Chiefs catches a passes but is tackled by Ray Nitschke of the Green Bay Packers during the first AFL-NFL World Championships (also known as Super Bowl I), Los Angeles, California, January 15, 1967. The Packers went on to win the game 35-10. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CA – January 15: Elijah Pitts #22 of the Green Bay Packers carries the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl I January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Packers won the game 35-10. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 15, 1967: The members of the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs walk off the field at the conclusion of Super Bowl I on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Packers beat the Chiefs, 35-10 to win the professional football World Championship. 19670115-FR-348 1967 Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images
Allegiant Stadium, where Super Bowl LVIII is being held, has a capacity of 65,000, but additional seating can be added to allow for roughly 71,800. Those that attend this year will likely stick around much longer into the game. In the photo below taken after Super Bowl LVII, you can still see most of the attendees in their seats as the confetti flies. (Sorry, Philadelphia Eagles fans.)
As of Thursday, there are still numerous seats available for Super Bowl LVIII, according to Ticketmaster. They’ll run you at least $6,250, well above the $10 they cost for Super Bowl I in 1967.
Entertainment
Sure, the Super Bowl serves as an entertainment outlet. Millions of people will tune in for just the halftime show this year. But during Super Bowl I, the entertainment aspect was slightly different.
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The in-game entertainment for Super Bowl I included performances from multiple marching bands and jazz trumpeter Al Hirt, pictured below. Hirt performed the national anthem with the University of Arizona and Grambling University. The bands from the universities of Arizona and Michigan performed at halftime.
While we won’t know for sure until Sunday’s game, we likely won’t see marching bands join Reba McEntire during the national anthem, or Usher during the halftime show.
There’s one more sighting that, if you’re a Chiefs fan, you hope you won’t see: the cheer team crying over the outcome of the game, like this cheerleader pictured at Super Bowl I.
If you’re a 49ers fan, you may be hoping for such a sighting, though.
Super Bowl LVIII will kick off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
