For many, the Super Bowl isn’t even about the teams playing in the game; it’s about food, camaraderie and commericals as much as it is football. And for those of us here at SportsLogos.net, our main focus is the overall aesthetic of the game — what the teams are wearing, what the field looks like and so forth.
Along those lines, we’ve taken a look back at the uniform history of the Super Bowl (in cartoon form, no less) and have compiled every Super Bowl program in one place for your viewing pleasure.
You’ll notice the program for the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game in 1967, retroactively named Super Bowl I, was priced at just $1. By comparison, those attending Super Bowl LIV next month will be able to purchase a game program for $20.
The program for the 1969 game was notably the first to use the phrase “Super Bowl” and remains to this day as the only program to feature an action shot of both teams.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy became a permanent fixture on the program’s cover in 1976 (Super Bowl X) and has been paired with something indicative of the city in which the game was played since the following year, while team logos first appeared on a holographic, stadium-only edition of the program in 2005 (Super Bowl XXXIX).
This year’s program pulls inspiration from the tropical flare of Miami, with palm trees, exotic flowers and neon colors surrounding the Lombardi Trophy, as well as some notable figures who either played a significant role in league history (Jim Brown) or appeared in one of the 10 previous Super Bowls in the Magic City (Jerry Rice, for example).
Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will take place on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Photos via the National Football League.