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Super Bowls II and III
Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 2:23 pm
by MatthewToy
As we all know this was the only time the games were played in the same venue two years in a row. Which got me to thinking, was there talk in those days of permanently playing the Super Bowl in Miami?
Re: Super Bowls II and III
Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 7:38 pm
by Mark L. Ford
Representatives from the Orange Bowl made that argument at the owners meeting on March 19, 1969, and the official report had been that New Orleans beat out Miami in a vote that wasn't unanimous, but that wouldn't be disclosed. The Miami News reported a different story on March 20, that Pete Rozelle simply told that their choice would be "Is there anybody opposed to New Orleans?" and no vote was taken. Joe Robbie told the newspaper, "If he had asked 'Would you prefer Miami or New Orleans?' he would have gotten an entirely different response."
Miami had originally gotten Super Bowl II because less than 62,000 people had showed up for the first one in Los Angeles, and the Coliseum was less than 2/3 full. Since the Miami game was a sellout, NFL owners voted 25-0 on May 14, 1968 to play #3 in Miami instead of New Orleans, and it was a sellout again. But Rozelle's argument was that after being in an AFL city for two straight years, it should be in an NFL city again. It never really did turn into a rotation between NFC and AFC cities.
Re: Super Bowls II and III
Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 8:11 pm
by Reaser
Didn't "Miami" also once make a proposal to host the NFL Championship (pre-Super Bowl)?
Swear I remember reading something like that once or twice while going through old newspapers (or maybe it was here?)
Re: Super Bowls II and III
Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 10:04 pm
by Bob Gill
I believe Miami hosted every game in the ten-year history of the Playoff Bowl, which that matched the second-place teams in each conference. That one started in 1960, so maybe it gave somebody in the city administration the idea of trying to get the title game. Or, maybe Miami had already asked for the championship game and took the Playoff Bowl as a consolation prize. Or maybe there was no relation at all.
That does mean, though, that Miami hosted the Playoff Bowl AND the Super Bowl two years in a row, which is something no city will ever be able to match.