Super Bowl II

Background

The Packers advanced to their second straight AFL-NFL World Championship Game, but had a much more difficult time then in the previous season. Both of their starting running backs from the previous year, future hall of famers Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor, had left the team. Their replacements, Elijah Pitts and Jim Gabrowski, were both injured early in the season, forcing Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi to use veteran reserve running back Donny Anderson and rookie Travis Williams. Fullbacks Chuck Mercien and Ben Wilson, who were signed as free agents after being discarded by many other teams, were also used to help compensate for the loss of Hornung and Taylor. And Starr also had to missed 4 games during the season with injuries.

Related Topics:
Paul Hornung - Jim Taylor - Elijah Pitts - Jim Gabrowski - Vince Lombardi - Donny Anderson - Travis Williams - Chuck Mercien

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The Packers barely won the NFL's Central Division with a 9-4-1 regular season record, but managed to blowout their first playoff opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, in the Western Conference Championship Game, 28-7. Green Bay went on to narrowly defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL championship game for the second year in a row, in one of the most famous games in NFL history: The Ice Bowl.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles Rams - Dallas Cowboys - Ice Bowl

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In contrast, the Raiders had stormed to the top of the AFL with a 13-1 regular season record (their only defeat was an October 7th loss to the New York Jets, 27-14) and went on to crush the Houston Oilers, 40-7, in the AFL Championship game. They had lead all AFL and NFL teams in scoring with 468 points. And starting quarterback Daryle Lamonica had thrown 30 touchdown passes, the most by any NFL and AFL quarterback in the season.

Related Topics:
October 7 - New York Jets - Houston Oilers - Daryle Lamonica

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Despite Oakland's accomplishments, and the fact that most experts agreed that this was the weakest of the all the Packer NFL championship teams, the Packers still were 14-point favorites to win the Super Bowl. Like the previous year, most fans and sports writers believed that all of the NFL teams were superior to all of the AFL teams.

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Thus, most of the drama and discussions surrounding the game was not about which team would win, but on the rumors that Lombardi might retire from coaching after the game. The rumors would prove to be true as Lombardi did resign as Green Bay's head coach after the game. The game would also prove to be the final one for Packers wide receiver Max McGee, one of the heroes of Super Bowl I, and place kicker Don Chandler.

Related Topics:
Wide receiver - Max McGee - Super Bowl I - Don Chandler

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