Super Bowl 50 is rapidly approaching

Super Bowl 50 is rapidly approaching. While there are now four fewer teams in the running, it’s still anyone’s guess as to which team will ultimately earn the right to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy in celebration of a championship season.

However, while we’re focused on the Super Bowl, let’s not forget there are still two champions to be determined before anyone hoists the VLT. First there must be an American Football Conference Champion and a National Football Conference Champion. Remember? The Super Bowl is played between two Conference Champions. And that requirement goes back 50 years to when the American Football League and the National Football League met in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, aka the Super Bowl, as a part of the merger between the two rival leagues.

All right, all right, all right. I know if you’re reading my blog, there’s a pretty good chance that you already know this. But here’s where I’m going with this. Today, the AFC Championship Trophy is known as the Lamar Hunt Trophy, in honor of the founder of the AFL and the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt. The NFC Championship Trophy is named the George S. Halas Trophy, in honor of George Halas, one of the founders of the NFL and the Chicago Bears.

Unfortunately, neither Lamar nor George are alive to witness and celebrate the upcoming milestone Super Bowl. However, the two First Ladies of Football, Virginia McCaskey, the daughter of George Halas, and Norma Hunt, the wife of Lamar will be watching and celebrating the historic event and doing so with an appreciation that only they could have. A wife and a daughter of the founders of two rival leagues that now play as one. These two women know firsthand how hard their loved ones worked to make their leagues a success. They know how much they loved the game and how proud they both were with what they had built.

Norma and Lamar Hunt, 1970

And proud they must have been.  But even in their most optimistic moment, I can’t imagine that either Lamar Hunt or George Halas ever imagined that their pro football ventures would be as successful as they have become.  And while success is what they worked so hard to achieve, it was more than that.

Both of these pro football pioneers were sportsmen first and businessmen second.  Not that either ever wanted to lose money, but they were both ready and willing to do so – and indeed did – to see their dreams through fruition.

George Halas and daughter Virginia.

I recently came across a quote from George Halas that I think would still represent his feelings if he were here today to share them. And I’m sure it’s a sentiment that would have been echoed by Lamar Hunt, the man who, don’t forget, came up with the term “Super Bowl.”

“I suppose some people think an interest in sports is frivolous, but not for myself. I’ve loved sports since I was old enough to cross a Chicago street by myself. I’m happy I made pro football a career. It has been good to me in the material sense, but more important is that I have been associated with youth in all my years as a pro football coach and owner.”

So as we prepare to enjoy the 50^th edition of the Super Bowl, I’d like to salute two of the game’s greatest contributors and extend a thank you to Virginia McCaskey and Norma Hunt for allowing us to enjoy the fruits of their loved one’s dreams.

Super Bowl Rematch Update

Each week in my blog, I update the results of the Super Bowl rematches taken place throughout the season leading up to Super Bowl 50. Here they are through Week 10.

WEEK	DATE	TEAMS	SB MEETING	SB Rematch Results
1	Sept. 13	Miami at Washington	SB VII - Miami 14, Washington 7; XVII - Washington 27, Miami 17	Miami, 17 at Washington, 10
2	Sept. 21	New York Jets at Indianapolis	SB III - New York Jets 16, Baltimore 7	New York Jets, 20 at Indianapolis, 7
3	Sept. 27	Pittsburgh at St. Louis	SB XIV - Pittsburgh 31, Los Angeles 19	Pittsburgh, 12 at St. Louis Rams, 6
3	Sept. 28	Kansas City at Green Bay	SB I - Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10	Kansas City, 28 at Green Bay, 38
4	Oct. 4	New York Giants at Buffalo	SB XXV - New York Giants 20, Buffalo 19	New York Giants, 24 at Buffalo, 10
6	Oct. 18	Baltimore at San Francisco	SB XLVII - Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31	Baltimore, 20 at San Francisco, 25
6	Oct. 18	Arizona at Pittsburgh	SB XLIII - Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23	Arizona, 13 at Pittsburgh, 25
6	Oct. 18	Kansas City at Minnesota	SB IV - Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7	Kansas City, 10 at Minnesota, 16
7	Oct. 25	New Orleans at Indianapolis	SB XLIV - New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 17	New Orleans, 27 at Indianapolis, 21
8	Nov. 1	Green Bay at Denver	SB XXXII - Denver 31, Green Bay 24	Green Bay, 10 at Denver, 29
10	Nov. 15	Minnesota at Oakland	SB XI - Oakland 32, Minnesota 14	Minnesota, 30 at Oakland, 14
10	Nov. 15	New England at New York Giants	SB XLII - New York Giants 17, New England 14; XLVI - New York Giants 21, New England 17	New England, 27 at New York Giants, 26
11	Nov. 22	Dallas at Miami	SB VI - Dallas 24, Miami 3	Dallas, 24 at Miami, 14
12	Nov. 29	Pittsburgh at Seattle	SB XL - Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10	Pittsburgh 30, at Seattle, 39
13	Dec. 6	Philadelphia at New England	SB XXXIX - New England 24, Philadelphia 21	Philadelphia, 35 at New England, 28
15	Dec. 20	Buffalo at Washington	SB XXVI - Washington 37, Buffalo 24	Buffalo, 25 at Washington, 35
15	Dec. 20	Green Bay at Oakland	SB II - Green Bay 33, Oakland 14	Packers, 30 at Raiders, 20
15	Dec. 20	Cincinnati at San Francisco	SB XVI - San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21; XXIII - San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16	Cincinnati, 24 at San Francisco 14
16	Dec. 27	Dallas at Buffalo	SB XXVII - Dallas 52, Buffalo 17; XXVIII - Dallas 30, Buffalo 13	Dallas, 6 at Buffalo, 16