1966 NFL Championship Game
The 1966 NFL Championship Game was the 34th NFL championship, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. It was the final game of the 1966 NFL season. This was also the last Championship game before the inauguration of the NFL playoffs the following year.
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| Date | January 1, 1967 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Bart Starr (quarterback; Green Bay) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 74,152 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Packers: Vince Lombardi (head coach/gm), Herb Adderley, Willie Davis, Forrest Gregg, Paul Hornung, Henry Jordan, Jerry Kramer, Ray Nitschke, Dave Robinson, Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, Willie Wood Cowboys: Tex Schramm (team administrator), Gil Brandt (team administrator), Tom Landry (coach), Bob Hayes, Chuck Howley, Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro | |||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jack Buck, Ray Scott, Frank Gifford | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jack Drees, Jim Morse | ||||||||||||||||||
It determined the champion of the National Football League (NFL), which met the champion of the American Football League (AFL) in Super Bowl I, then formally referred to as the first AFL–NFL World Championship Game. The Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers (12–2), defending league champions, were hosted by the Dallas Cowboys (10–3–1), the Eastern Conference champions.
At the time, the home field for the NFL Championship Game alternated between the two conferences; even-numbered years were hosted by the Eastern and odd-numbered by the Western. Starting with the 1975 season, playoff sites were determined by regular season record, rather than a rotational basis.
The New Year's college bowl game at the Cotton Bowl for the 1966 season included the SMU Mustangs of Dallas. It was played the day before, New Year's Eve, which required a quick turnaround to transform the natural grass field. The stadium was filled to its 75,504 capacity for both games, but both local teams came up short.