1962: Starr’s 5 TD Passes Lead Packers to Win Over College All-Stars

The 29^th College All-Star Game on August 3, 1962 featured the Green Bay Packers, NFL Champions of the previous season, facing a group of All-Stars under the direction of Otto Graham, who was back at the helm for the fifth consecutive year.

Coached by Vince Lombardi, the Packers had the league’s most prolific scorer, HB Paul Hornung, plus FB Jim Taylor to fuel the running attack and QB Bart Starr (pictured at right) was an accurate passer, all operating behind an outstanding line. The defense was also strong from front to back and contained players coming off of All-Pro performances such as DT Henry Jordan, OLB Bill Forester, and CB Jesse Whittenton.

The All-Stars had future pro standouts on the roster that included QB John Hadl and HB Curtis McClinton of Kansas, QB Roman Gabriel from North Carolina State, HB Lance Alworth of Arkansas, and Utah State DT Merlin Olsen. However, they were missing two running backs due to illness: Baylor HB Ronnie Bull and, far more seriously, HB Ernie Davis, the Heisman Trophy winner from Syracuse, who was in the early stages of the leukemia that, tragically, would end his life the following year.

There were 65,000 fans in attendance on a 79-degree Friday night at Chicago’s Soldier Field. The All-Stars took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards in 13 plays with John Hadl behind center. Hadl, typically rolling out to take advantage of his mobility, completed all four of his passes along the way, including one that was partially deflected by DE Willie Davis but was still hauled in by Lance Alworth for a 22-yard gain. FB Earl Gros from LSU (who was also Green Bay’s first-round draft pick) dove into the end zone from a yard out on a third down play for a touchdown. Greg Mather of Navy added the extra point.

CB Herb Adderley returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards and the Packers responded with a 67-yard scoring series in seven plays, although hindered by two holding penalties. Bart Starr completed three passes to flanker Boyd Dowler, for 49, 26, and 22 yards, the last of which was good for a TD. Paul Hornung converted to tie the score at 7-7.

That was it until midway through the second quarter when the All-Stars got a break on a turnover. HB Lew Carpenter of the Packers fumbled a punt and Kentucky center Irv Goode recovered at the Green Bay 27. The turnover resulted in three running plays and a 26-yard Mather field goal that put that collegians back in front by 10-7.

Once again it appeared that the Packers would respond with a score until Notre Dame CB Angelo Dabiero intercepted a Starr pass intended for split end Max McGee at the goal line and returned it 37 yards. However, any hopes the All-Stars had of adding to their lead were extinguished when LB Dan Currie picked off a sideline pass by Roman Gabriel and ran it back 31 yards to the All-Star 27. With less than a minute remaining in the first half, Starr connected with Dowler for 23 yards down the middle and then, rolling out to his right, fired a pass to TE Ron Kramer for a four-yard touchdown. Hornung added the PAT and the Packers were ahead by 14-10 at the half. Neither team had distinguished itself on the ground in the first thirty minutes of play, with Green Bay, known for its outstanding running game, gaining just 17 yards and the All-Stars, who had 104 yards through the air, being held to a net total of minus one yard.

Once again the pro champs turned the ball over on a kick when Adderley fumbled the second half kickoff and Oregon State HB Hank Rivera recovered and returned it to the Green Bay 25. Following a run by Gros for three yards, Hadl threw to Ohio State end Charlie Bryant, who outmaneuvered SS John Symank for a 22-yard TD. With the successful Mather conversion, the All-Stars were once again in the lead by a 17-14 margin.

The Packers came back with a 10-play, 67-yard drive. Starr hit Dowler (pictured at left) for a 22-yard touchdown and, with Hornung’s kick, Green Bay was back in front by 21-17. A personal foul helped the All-Stars along on their next possession that reached the Green Bay three before the defense held and Mather kicked a 14-yard field goal to make it a one-point contest. 

Up by just 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter, the Packers finally pulled away in the final period. It started on the second play of the quarter when Starr completed a five-play, 64-yard series with a touchdown pass to McGee from 20 yards out and Hornung booted the point after.

Shortly thereafter, a 28-yard punt return by FS Willie Wood gave Green Bay the ball in All-Star territory and it took just two plays to score again. Starr passed to McGee along the sideline for a play that covered 35 yards for a TD. Hornung converted once again.

The All-Stars had to turn the ball over on downs and, with their reserves in the game, the Packers advanced to one more score, going 44 yards in 10 plays. The drive was helped along by a roughing-the-kicker call on a McGee punt. HB Elijah Pitts, just returned from Army duty, capped the scoring with a three-yard carry around end with less than two minutes remaining in the contest. Hornung kicked his game-record sixth extra point and what had been a close game for three quarters resulted in a 42-20 win for the Packers.

Green Bay led in total yards (380 to 237) and first downs (16 to 11). The Packers turned the ball over three times, to two suffered by the collegians.

Bart Starr completed 13 of 22 passes for 255 years and his five touchdown passes set an All-Star Game record. John Hadl (pictured at right), who was named MVP for the All-Stars, completed 6 of 10 passes and averaged 48.8 yards on five punts.

The win by the Packers gave the pro champs a lead of 19 to 8 in the series, with two ties, and it was the third for Green Bay. They went on to repeat as NFL Champions in 1962, going 13-1 to top the Western Conference and then defeating the Giants for the second straight year in the league title contest.

John Hadl joined the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League and went on to a 16-year pro career, also spending time with the Rams, Packers, and Oilers and throwing for 33,503 yards and 244 touchdowns. He was selected to four AFL All-Star Games and two Pro Bowls.

1954: Bears Rally to Defeat Packers with Fourth Quarter TDs

The Chicago Bears had a 3-3 record as they hosted their arch-rivals, the Green Bay Packers, on November 7, 1954. Coached by “the Papa Bear”, owner George Halas, the Bears, who started the season off slowly, were benefiting from the play of rookie end Harlon Hill, who was proving to be a potent deep receiving threat. Veteran FB Harry “Chick” Jagade, obtained from the Browns, helped the running attack while Halas alternated veteran QB George Blanda with rookie Zeke Bratkowski.

Green Bay was under the guidance of first-year Head Coach Lisle Blackbourn and, after starting off with three losses, had reeled off three straight wins to come into the game with Chicago also at 3-3. QB Tobin Rote was a talented, if inconsistent, passer and rookie end Max McGee bolstered the receiving corps.

There were 47,038 fans in attendance at Wrigley Field. Chicago jumped out to the early lead thanks largely to the passing of George Blanda. He threw to end Jim Dooley for a 40-yard touchdown to complete a 72-yard drive in seven plays. Blanda, also the team’s placekicker, added the extra point.

Following an unsuccessful field goal attempt by Green Bay’s Fred Cone, Blanda then passed the Bears down the field on a 10-play, 54-yard series leading to a two-yard carry for a TD by Chick Jagade. Two of those throws were nearly intercepted but dropped and the Packers were flagged on a questionable pass interference call as well. Blanda again converted.

Down by 14-0, the Packers scored twice in the last ten minutes of the first half. A 49-yard possession that took 10 plays resulted in a four-yard scoring pass from Tobin Rote to Max McGee. Soon afterward, HB Veryl Switzer (pictured at left) grabbed a punt on the bounce and returned it 93 yards, getting several good blocks along the way as he raced down the sideline. A bad snap from center caused the extra point attempt to go awry as Fred Cone’s kick was blocked, but Chicago’s lead was narrowed to 14-13 at halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, Cone kicked a 30-yard field goal and the visitors jumped ahead by 16-14. That remained the situation until early in the fourth quarter when the Packers extended their lead following an interception of a Blanda pass by safety Clarence Self. Self returned the pickoff 22 yards and, on the next play, McGee caught a pass from Rote and made an outstanding run for a 37-yard touchdown. Cone converted and Green Bay was up by 23-14.

With 7:42 left to play the Bears were down by nine points and faced fourth-and-three at their own 48. Zeke Bratkowski’s high kick was fumbled by Switzer as he was hit by DE Ted Daffer. C/LB Wayne Hansen scooped the ball up and returned it 14 yards for a touchdown. Blanda converted to make it a two-point game at 23-21.

The Packers responded by advancing methodically to the Chicago 35 thanks to two passes by Rote and a penalty on the Bears. However, the drive stalled and Cone’s 46-yard field goal attempt was wide with the time now down to 4:05. Taking over at their 20, the Bears ran six plays and got first downs on passes from Blanda to FB Pete Perini for 20 yards and end Bill McColl for 26. Another pass, which HB Don Kindt grabbed away from two defenders, gained 21 yards and put the ball at the Green Bay seven. On the next play, Blanda, heavily pressured by DT Dave Hanner, threw to HB/OE John Hoffman in the corner of the end zone for a TD. The Bears were in front by five points with just over two minutes left to play.

The Packers went to the air and Rote (pictured at right) completed six passes, the longest covering 38 yards to HB Al Carmichael, to reach the Chicago 16. But time was running out and, on the game’s final play, Rote lost hold of the ball and DE Ed Sprinkle recovered as the gun sounded. Chicago won by a final score of 28-23.

The Bears led in total yards (382 to 335) while the teams were even in first downs with 21 apiece and turnovers with two. Each club was also penalized six times.

George Blanda completed 24 of 46 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns while giving up two interceptions. John Hoffman caught 9 passes for 110 yards and a TD, helped by the Packers double-teaming Harlon Hill, and also ran the ball 12 times for 60 yards. For the Packers, Tobin Rote was successful on 17 of 42 throws for 204 yards and two TDs with none intercepted. Max McGee had five catches.

The Bears lost to the Browns the next week but won their four remaining games to finish second in the Western Conference at 8-4. Green Bay went in the opposite direction, beating the Colts but then losing the last four contests to end up fifth with a 4-8 record.

George Blanda suffered a shoulder injury that cost him the last four games of the season but still ranked third in touchdown passes (15), fourth in pass attempts (281), and sixth in passing yards (1929). John Hoffman tied his career high with 28 catches, which gained 354 yards. His winning touchdown against the Packers was his only scoring reception although he had three rushing TDs.

Tobin Rote topped the NFL in pass attempts (382) and completions (180) and placed second in passing yards (2311). He also rushed for 301 yards and eight touchdowns. Max McGee completed his first pro season with 36 catches for 614 yards (17.1 avg.) and ranked fourth in the league with nine receiving TDs.

1959: Third Quarter Surge Propels Colts Over Packers

The Baltimore Colts, defending champions of the NFL, had a 3-1 record as they hosted the Green Bay Packers on October 25, 1959. Head Coach Weeb Ewbank’s team had a potent offense directed by QB Johnny Unitas, operating behind an outstanding line and with excellent receivers in ends Raymond Berry and Jim Mutscheller as well as HB Lenny Moore, who was frequently flanked out where his speed could be best utilized but was also an excellent runner from scrimmage. FB Alan “the Horse” Ameche provided power between the tackles. If there was concern with the defense, it was that age was beginning to wear it down, but players like DE Gino Marchetti and DT Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb were still of a high caliber.

Green Bay, under new Head Coach Vince Lombardi, had won its first three games before losing badly to the Rams the previous week. QB Lamar McHan, a sixth-year veteran obtained from the Cardinals, performed well in the early going while HB Paul Hornung, who lacked speed but was versatile, was thriving in the new regime. After years of mediocrity, the Packers had the look of a rebuilding team with promise.

There were 57,557 fervent fans in attendance at Memorial Stadium. They saw a scoreless first quarter, but Green Bay had the ball as the period wound down and went 79 yards in two plays to get on the board. On the first play of the second quarter, FB Lew Carpenter ran 55 yards off tackle for a touchdown, sliding on his stomach into the end zone. Paul Hornung added the extra point.

The Colts responded with a 14-play, 80-yard drive. Lenny Moore had a 15-yard run and Unitas threw passes to Jim Mutscheller and Raymond Berry as well as Moore along the way. Unitas connected with Berry for an eight-yard TD to cap the series and Steve Myhra added the extra point to tie the score at 7-7. Not only did the Packers give up a touchdown, but they lost star safety Bobby Dillon to an injury that cost him the rest of the game and further hindered their efforts at pass defense.

Baltimore advanced 79 yards in nine plays on its next series. Unitas again had throws to Berry and Moore, plus Alan Ameche, and rookie HB Alex Hawkins also ran effectively. Ameche ran the final three yards for a touchdown, Myhra again added the PAT, and the Colts took a 14-7 lead into halftime.

The second half did not begin auspiciously for the Packers when DB Johnny Symank muffed the kickoff and LB Ray Nitschke recovered and ran it to his 12 yard line. But three plays into the third quarter, Lamar McHan connected with end Max McGee (pictured at left) for an 81-yard touchdown. With the successful extra point, the score was tied at 14-14. It proved to be the high water mark for Green Bay.

The teams exchanged punts, and safety Johnny Sample of the Colts had a 25-yard return to the Green Bay 36. A pass interference penalty moved the ball to the 28 and, six plays later, Baltimore moved in front. Unitas passed for first downs to Moore and Berry and, after two carries by Ameche lost yardage, Unitas faked a handoff and threw to the fullback who was uncovered in the end zone for a three-yard TD. Myhra added the extra point.

Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, McHan threw a short pass that was intercepted by LB Bill Pellington, and he returned it 30 yards for another Baltimore touchdown. Myhra converted again and the home team’s lead was up to 14 points.

The Packers took the kickoff and again turned the ball over in short order, this time on the third play as McHan’s poorly-thrown pass beyond the reach of Paul Hornung was picked off by safety Ray Brown. Brown returned the interception 44 yards to the Green Bay 18. The Colts needed six plays to reach the end zone again as Unitas completed three passes to Berry, the last for a two-yard TD. In less than six minutes, the Colts had a 35-14 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, Baltimore nearly extended the lead when DHB Carl Taseff returned a punt 75 yards that was nullified by a clipping penalty. However, shortly thereafter “Big Daddy” Lipscomb recovered a fumble by McHan that was forced by Gino Marchetti and Baltimore padded its margin with a 43-yard Steve Myhra field goal.

The Packers scored once more on a McHan pass to rookie end Boyd Dowler that covered four yards, finishing off an 80-yard series, but it was long after the game had been decided. Baltimore won handily by a final score of 38-21.

Green Bay had the edge in total yards (344 to 309) while the Colts led in first downs (25 to 16). However, Baltimore recorded four sacks, to two by the Packers, and Green Bay turned the ball over six times, to devastating effect in the third quarter, while the Colts had two.

Johnny Unitas completed 19 of 29 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns while giving up no interceptions. Raymond Berry (pictured below) had 10 catches for 117 yards and two TDs while Lenny Moore contributed four receptions for 41 yards in addition to 42 yards on 8 rushing attempts. For the Packers, Lamar McHan threw for two TDs, but was intercepted four times. Thanks to the long scoring catch, Max McGee gained 110 yards on his three receptions.

The win kept the Colts in a tie for first in the Western Conference with the 49ers and, while they lost their next two games, they won the rest to again finish first with a 9-3 record. They defeated the Giants in the NFL Championship game for the second straight year. Green Bay lost its next three contests, marking five straight, before turning around and finishing the season with a four-game winning streak to end up at 7-5 and tied for third place in the conference with San Francisco. By the end, McHan had given way at quarterback to Bart Starr. While the Colts swept the season series with Green Bay and were clearly the superior team, in the next year the tide began to turn.

Johnny Unitas set a new NFL record for touchdown passes with 32 while also leading the league in pass attempts (367), completions (193), and yards (2899). He received MVP as well as first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl recognition. Also garnering first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl honors were Raymond Berry, who led the league with 66 pass receptions for 959 yards and 14 TDs, and Lenny Moore, who had 47 catches for 846 yards and six scores and rushed for 422 yards and two more touchdowns on 92 carries for a third-ranked 1268 yards from scrimmage.

1959: Packers Edge Bears in Vince Lombardi’s Debut as Head Coach

On September 27, 1959 the Green Bay Packers not only kicked off a new regular season but a significant new chapter in the franchise’s history. Of course, no one knew at the time how significant that chapter would be, but the team’s new head coach and general manager, Vince Lombardi, was highly regarded and brought a new attitude to Green Bay.

The Packers had once been one of the league’s better clubs, regularly contending and winning six NFL Championships. But the last of those titles had come in 1944, six years before the club’s founder and original coach, Curly Lambeau, resigned. The decade of the 1950s had not been a good one, with just two break-even seasons and a dreadful 1-10-1 record under Ray “Scooter” McLean in ’58. There were whispers that the league’s last small-city Midwestern team would not survive much longer. Lombardi, most recently the offensive coach of the New York Giants, was brought in to restore the franchise to respectability and was granted the necessary authority to reshape the club.

Lombardi had talent to work with, including veteran Pro Bowl center Jim Ringo to anchor the offensive line, end Max McGee, and DT Dave Hanner. There were promising young players available to develop that included QB Bart Starr, FB Jim Taylor, G Jerry Kramer, OT Forrest Gregg, and LB Ray Nitschke. The underachieving Paul Hornung was penciled in to become an option halfback, in the manner of Frank Gifford of the Giants. Through trades, DT Henry Jordan, DE Bill Quinlan, and G Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston were added, as well as 34-year-old veteran safety Emlen Tunnell from New York to lend leadership to the defensive backfield. A five-year veteran quarterback, Lamar McHan, was also obtained to start ahead of Starr.

There were 32,150 fans in attendance for the opening game at Green Bay’s City Stadium. The Bears, coached by owner George Halas, were seven-point favorites and were coming off an 8-4 record in 1958. Chicago was known for its running game, featuring FB Rick Casares and HB Willie Galimore, on offense and a tough defense that included DE Doug Atkins, linebackers Bill George and Joe Fortunato, and DB J.C. Caroline.

The Bears scored first with a 46-yard field goal by John Aveni late in the second quarter. Meanwhile the Packers, with McHan at quarterback, managed to drive inside the Chicago 20 on four occasions through the first three quarters but came up empty each time.

Paul Hornung, the team’s placekicker as well as halfback, missed two field goal attempts, from 19 and 14 yards, that were both wide to the left. A third attempt never got away due to a bad snap from center. The fourth drive was thwarted by an interception.

On the third play of the fourth quarter, Aveni kicked his second field goal from 42 yards out to make it 6-0 in favor of Chicago. However, thanks to Max McGee’s punting with the wind behind him, the Packers were able to put points on the board during the final period.

Midway through the fourth quarter, a 54-yard punt by McGee was fumbled by DHB Richie Petitbon after he had returned it nine yards. The ball was recovered by Jim Ringo at the Chicago 26. From there, Jim Taylor and Hornung alternated carries until Taylor ran five yards for a touchdown on the sixth play of the drive. Hornung’s extra point put the Packers up by one.

With 2:21 left on the clock, McGee, helped by a 30 mph wind at his back, punted 61 yards to pin the Bears down at their two yard line, where the kick went out of bounds. Shortly thereafter, Dave Hanner tackled Bears QB Ed Brown in the end zone for a safety as he searched for an open receiver. It was enough to seal the upset 9-6 win for Green Bay. The new coach was carried off the field by his players after Ringo handed him the game ball (pictured at bottom).

It was a stunning triumph for the Packers, matching their victory total of 1958. Chicago’s well-regarded running game was held to just 75 yards and two first downs by the surprisingly tough Green Bay defense, where the line play was outstanding and linebackers Bill Forester, Tom Bettis, and Dan Currie played notably well. Green Bay led in total yards (262 to 164) and first downs (16 to 10). Each club turned the ball over twice and was penalized five times.

Jim Taylor (pictured above) led all rushers with 98 yards on 22 carries and Paul Hornung added 61 yards on 19 attempts. Lamar McHan completed just 3 of 12 pass attempts for 81 yards while Hornung threw two option passes and was successful on one for 20 yards. No Packer caught more than one pass, with Max McGee gaining 61 yards on his to lead the club.

Chicago quarterbacks Zeke Bratkowski and Ed Brown combined for 10 completions in 23 attempts. Rick Casares gained 29 yards on 11 carries and Willie Galimore was right behind with 28 yards, also on 11 attempts, and led the team in receiving yards with 37 on three pass receptions. Flanker Jim Dooley caught 4 passes for 36 yards.

“We planned the game the way the defense played it,” explained Vince Lombardi. “Just before the kickoff we went over our defense again. It was a team effort.”

Lombardi also reminded the players before the game “about the great football tradition here” and told them “we have a chance to do something about it.”

“We were not up to par,” summed up George Halas regarding the Bears. “We made mistakes.”

The opening-week win for the Packers was the first of three straight before a five-game losing streak (including a 28-17 loss to the Bears in Chicago) dropped their record to 3-5. However, the emergence of Bart Starr as starting quarterback was part of a four-win rally to close out the season at 7-5 and a tie for third place in the Western Conference with the 49ers. The Bears recovered to end up at 8-4 and second in the conference.

Paul Hornung led the NFL in scoring with 94 points as he emerged as a major point-producer – he also led the team with 681 yards on the ground. Jim Taylor lost time due to burns sustained during a home kitchen accident but showed his potential with 452 rushing yards.

The basis was laid for the Packers to win their first of three straight Western Conference titles the next year and five league championships overall under Lombardi. To say the least, more than respectability was achieved.

1967: Packers Defeat Chiefs in 1st Super Bowl

The merger between the NFL and AFL that was announced in June of 1966 was set to take place in stages. Final merger into an enlarged National Football League was to take place in 1970; a common draft and interleague preseason games would occur in 1967. But the first major occurrence was to be a game between the league champions following the ’66 season.

What would officially come to be known as Super Bowl I was already being popularly referred to as the “Super Bowl” when the first was held on January 15, 1967. At the time, however, the proper name was the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. It was played on a sunny day at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles before a non-sellout crowd of 61,946 and was televised by two networks. It was also widely assumed that the NFL champion Green Bay Packers would likely defeat the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, but of course no one could truly know, adding to the element of curiosity.

Green Bay had led the Western Conference with a 12-2 record under Head Coach Vince Lombardi, and defeated Dallas in a close contest for the older league’s title. It was the second straight championship for the Packers and fourth of the Lombardi era that had commenced in 1959. QB Bart Starr led the NFL in passing and threw just three interceptions on the season. FB Jim Taylor and HB Paul Hornung were showing signs of age and wear (Hornung sat out the postseason), but were ably supplemented by HB Elijah Pitts and high-priced rookies HB Donny Anderson and FB Jim Grabowski. But the veteran core on both offense and defense provided a solid, stable team that was used to winning.

It was fitting that the Chiefs represented the AFL, since their owner, Lamar Hunt, was also the league’s founder. Coached by Hank Stram since the franchise’s conception, they handily won the Western Division with an 11-2-1 tally and defeated Buffalo, the team that had won the previous two AFL titles, in the Championship game. Solid on both sides of the ball, they also had their league’s top passer in QB Len Dawson. Flanker Otis Taylor and split end Chris Burford were dependable receivers, and rookie HB Mike Garrett provided speed to the outside to supplement FB Curtis McClinton and HB Bert Coan. Most notable on the defense were DT Buck Buchanan, LB Bobby Bell, and FS Johnny Robinson.

The first casualty of the day was Green Bay split end Boyd Dowler, who reinjured a sore shoulder while blocking on the second play of the game and didn’t return. However, veteran replacement Max McGee (pictured at top), who had caught only four passes during the ’66 season, scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history about nine minutes into the first quarter when he reached back to snag an underthrown pass from Starr while running a post pattern and ended up with a 37-yard TD.

The Chiefs, effectively utilizing their “floating pocket” and play-action passes that kept the Packers defense guessing, drove 66 yards in six plays during the second quarter to even the score. Dawson threw key passes to Garrett and Taylor, and the touchdown came on a seven-yard pass to McClinton.

Green Bay came right back with an 11-play drive that included passes by Starr for 10 yards to McGee in a third-and-six situation, 15 yards to flanker Carroll Dale on third-and-ten, and 11 yards to TE Marv Fleming on third-and-five. Jim Taylor ran the final 14 yards around the left end for the touchdown and a 14-7 lead.

Kansas City wasn’t done yet, moving 50 yards in five plays that ended with a 31-yard field goal by Mike Mercer with 54 seconds remaining in the half. The score stood at a surprisingly close 14-10 at halftime. Moreover, the Chiefs had outgained the Packers (181 yards to 164) and also led in first downs (11 to 9).

The Packers made the decision to blitz heavily in the second half, and it paid off with the play that turned the tide decisively in their direction early in the third quarter. The Chiefs had moved briskly to their own 49 yard line after taking the second half kickoff. Dawson’s pass intended for TE Fred Arbanas was tipped by the heavy pass rush and intercepted by safety Willie Wood, who returned it to the Kansas City five (pictured below). Elijah Pitts scored on the next play, and the Chiefs didn’t mount a threat for the rest of the game, punting after each of their last six possessions.


Green Bay scored twice more, on a 13-yard pass from Starr to McGee and a one-yard run by Pitts that made the final score 35-10. Most satisfying to many of the Packers was when brash CB Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, who had been a non-factor in the game, was knocked out of action on a power sweep by Donny Anderson.

When it was all over, the Packers outgained Kansas City, 358 yards to 239. Bart Starr (pictured below), the game’s MVP, completed 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards with two TDs and an interception. Jim Taylor was the game’s top ground gainer with 56 yards on 17 carries and a score, while Elijah Pitts ran for 45 yards on 11 attempts and two touchdowns. Max McGee had an outstanding day in place of Dowler, catching 7 passes for 138 yards and two TDs.


For the Chiefs, Len Dawson (pictured at bottom) tossed 27 passes and completed 16 of them for 211 yards with a touchdown and the big interception. The team had just 72 yards on 19 rushes, with Dawson the top ground gainer with 24 yards on three carries; Mike Garrett and Curtis McClinton had 17 and 16 yards, respectively, each on six runs. Chris Burford led the receivers with 4 catches for 67 yards, while Otis Taylor was right behind at 4 for 57.

Afterward, Vince Lombardi said, “In my opinion, the Chiefs don’t rate with the top names in the NFL. They are a good football team with fine speed, but I’d have to say NFL football is better.”

Willie Wood perhaps best summed up the feelings of the Packers players when he said, “We didn’t play any bush leaguers, and we were happy to accomplish what we did. You could probably hear the giant sigh of relief in the dressing room when the game was over.”

Hank Stram saw his team’s weaknesses exposed by Green Bay and began making upgrades in the offseason. The Chiefs didn’t return to the Super Bowl until the 1969 season, but when they did, the result was very different. Green Bay was back again in ’67, in what would be Lombardi’s last year coaching the team.