Super Bowl II

January 14, 1968 • Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida • CBS • 3:05 p.m. EST Green Bay Packers Super Bowl II Oakland Raiders 33 Team 1 2 3 4 Totals Packers 3 13 10 7 33 Raiders 0 7 0 7 14 14

Super Bowl II
Green Bay Packers Oakland Raiders (NFL) (AFL) (9–4–1) (13–1) 33 14 1 2 3 4 Total GB 3 13 10 7 33 OAK 0 7 0 7 14
Date	January 14, 1968
Stadium	Miami Orange Bowl
City	Miami, Florida
MVP	Bart Starr, Quarterback
Favorite	Packers by 14
National anthem	Grambling State University Band
Coin toss	Jack Vest
Referee	Jack Vest
Halftime show	Grambling State University Band
Attendance	75,546
TV in the United States
Network	CBS
Announcers	Ray Scott, Pat Summerall, and Jack Kemp
Nielsen Ratings	36.8 (est. 39.12 million viewers)
Market share	68
Cost of 30-second commercial	$54,000
Super Bowl II Program  < I Super Bowl III >

The second AFL–NFL World Championship Game (known retroactively as Super Bowl II) was an American football game played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.

Aided by kicker Don Chandler's 4 field goals and defensive back Herb Adderly's 60-yard interception return for a touchdown, the National Football League (NFL) champion Green Bay Packers (9–4–1) defeated the American Football League (AFL) champion Oakland Raiders (13–1), 33–14.

Coming into the game, much like during the first Super Bowl, many sports writers and fans believed that any team in the NFL was vastly superior to any club in the AFL. The Packers, the defending champions, posted a 9–4–1 record during the 1967 NFL season before defeating the Los Angeles Rams 28–7 in the first round of the playoffs, then outlasted the Dallas Cowboys 21–17 in the frigid NFL Championship Game (popularly known as the Ice Bowl). The Raiders finished the regular season at 13–1, then defeated the Houston Oilers 40–7 in the AFL Championship Game.

As expected, Green Bay dominated Oakland throughout the majority of Super Bowl II. The Raiders could only score two touchdown passes from quarterback Daryle Lamonica. Meanwhile, Packers kicker Don Chandler made four field goals, including three in the first half, while cornerback Herb Adderley had a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown that put the game away. Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr was named the MVP for the second straight time, becoming the first back-to-back Super Bowl MVP for his 13 of 24 passes for 202 yards and one touchdown.

The Packers won their third consecutive World Championship, the second such occasion in NFL history (the 1929-31 Green Bay Packers did it first). The 1965-67 Packers became the first and only team to win three consecutive championship games, as there were no NFL playoff games from 1920-1932. No NFL team has accomplished this feat since.

NFL All-Pro offensive linemen Jerry Kramer (right) and Forrest Gregg (left, background) lifting HC Vince Lombardi at game's end, his final as Packers HC

Background

Green Bay Packers

The Packers advanced to their second straight AFL-NFL World Championship Game, but had a much more difficult time than in the previous season. Both of their starting running backs from the previous year, future Pro Football Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor, had left the team. Their replacements, Elijah Pitts and Jim Grabowski, 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 Mercein 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. Meanwhile the team's 33-year old veteran quarterback Bart Starr had missed 4 games during the season with injuries, and finished the season with nearly twice as many interceptions (17) as touchdown passes (9).

The team's deep threat was provided by veteran receivers Carroll Dale, who recorded 35 receptions for 738 yards (a 21.1 average), and 5 touchdowns; and Pro Bowler Boyd Dowler, who had 54 catches for 846 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Packers still had the superb blocking of linemen Jerry Kramer, Fred Thurston and Forrest Gregg. On special teams, Williams returned 18 kickoffs for 749 yards and an NFL record 4 touchdowns, giving him a whopping 41.1 yards per return average. But overall the team ranked just 9th out of 16 NFL teams in scoring with 332 points.

The Packers defense, however, allowed only 209 points, the 3rd best in the NFL. Even this figure was misleading, since Green Bay had yielded only 131 points in the first 11 games (when they clinched their division), the lowest total in professional football. Three members of Green Bay's secondary, the strongest aspect of their defense, were named to the Pro Bowl: defensive backs Willie Wood, Herb Adderley, and Bob Jeter. The Packers also had a superb defensive line led by Henry Jordan and Willie Davis. Behind them, the Packers linebacking core was led by Ray Nitschke.

The Packers won the NFL's Central Division with a 9–4–1 regular season record, clinching the division in the 11th week of the season. During the last three weeks, the Packers gave up an uncharacteristic total of 78 points, after having yielded only about a dozen points per game in their first 11 contests. In the playoffs, Green Bay returned to its dominant form, blowing away their first playoff opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, in the Western Conference Championship Game, 28–7. Green Bay would then come from behind to 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 lore: The Ice Bowl.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders, led by head coach John Rauch, 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 led all AFL and NFL teams in scoring with 468 points. And starting quarterback Daryle Lamonica had thrown for 3,228 yards and 30 touchdown passes, the most by any NFL or AFL quarterback in the season.

The offensive line was anchored by center Jim Otto and guard Gene Upshaw, along with Pro Bowlers Harry Schuh and Wayne Hawkins. Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff led the team with 40 receptions for 876 yards, an average of 21.3 yards per catch. On the other side of the field, tight end Billy Cannon recorded 32 passes for 629 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. In the backfield, the Raiders had 3 running backs, Clem Daniels, Hewritt Dixon, and Pete Banaszak, who carried the ball equally and combined for 1,510 yards and 10 touchdowns. On special teams, defensive back Rodger Bird led the AFL with 612 punt return yards and added another 148 yards returning kickoffs.

The main strength of the Raiders was their defense, nicknamed "The 11 Angry Men". The defensive line was anchored by Pro Bowlers Tom Keating and Ben Davidson. Davidson was an extremely effective pass rusher who had demonstrated his aggressiveness in a regular season game against the New York Jets by breaking the jaw of Jets quarterback Joe Namath while sacking him. Behind them, Pro Bowl linebacker Dan Conners excelled at blitzing and pass coverage, recording 3 interceptions. The Raiders also had 2 Pro Bowlers defensive backs: Willie Brown, who led the team with 7 interceptions, and Kent McCloughan, who had 2 interceptions. Safety Warren Powers recorded 6 interceptions, returning them for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Super Bowl pregame news and notes

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 were 14-point favorites to win the Super Bowl. Like the previous year, most fans and sports writers believed that the top NFL teams were superior to the top AFL teams.

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 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.

Television and entertainment

The game was televised in the United States by CBS, with Ray Scott handling the play-by-play duties and color commentators Pat Summerall and Jack Kemp in the broadcast booth. Kemp was the first Super Bowl commentator who was still an active player (with Buffalo of the AFL) at the time of the broadcast. The status of this game's broadcast is currently unknown.

It was the first time a Super Bowl was televised live on only one network, which has been the case for all following Super Bowl games. While the Orange Bowl was sold out for the game, unconditional blackout rules in the NFL prevented the live telecast from being shown in the Miami area.

The pregame ceremonies featured two giant figures, one dressed as a Packers player and the other dressed as a Raiders player. They appeared on opposite ends of the field and then faced each other near the 50-yard line.

The Grambling State University Band performed both the national anthem and during the halftime show.

Game summary

On Oakland's first offensive play, a sweep, Ray Nitschke shot through a gap and literally upended fullback Hewitt Dixon in what was one of Nitschke's signature plays of his entire career. The hit was so vicious, it prompted Jerry Green, a Detroit News columnist sitting in the press box with fellow journalists, to say in a deadpan, that the game was over. The Packers opened up the scoring with Don Chandler's 39-yard field goal after marching 34 yards on their first drive of the game. Meanwhile, the Raiders were forced to punt on their first two possessions.

The Packers then started their second possession at their own 3-yard line, and in the opening minutes of the second quarter, they drove 84 yards to the Raiders 13-yard line. However, they once again had to settle for a Chandler field goal to take a 6–0 lead. Later in the period, the Packers had the ball on their own 38-yard line and they made a big play with a play action pass. Starr faked a handoff in the backfield and then threw a pass to receiver Boyd Dowler. The Raiders defensive backs were fooled by the fake handoff, allowing Dowler to slip by the man covering him, catch the pass, and outrun the defense to score on a 62-yard touchdown completion, increasing the lead to 13–0.

After being completely dominated until this point, the Raiders offense finally struck back their next possession, advancing 79 yards in 9 plays, and scoring on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Daryle Lamonica to receiver Bill Miller. The score seemed to fire up the Raiders' defense, and they forced the Packers to punt on their next drive. Raiders returner Rodger Bird gave them great field position with a 12-yard return to Green Bay's 40-yard line, but Oakland could only gain 1 yard with their next 3 plays and came up empty when George Blanda's 47-yard field goal attempt fell short of the goal posts. Oakland's defense again forced Green Bay to punt after 3 plays on the ensuing drive, but this time after calling for a fair catch, Bird fumbled punter Donny Anderson's twisting, left footed kick, and Green Bay recovered the ball. After 2 incomplete passes, Starr threw a 12-yard completion to Anderson (who also played running back in addition to being the punter) to set up Chandler's third field goal as the half expired, giving the Packers a 16–7 lead.

At halftime, Packers guard Jerry Kramer said to his teammates (referring to Lombardi), "Let's play the last 30 minutes for the old man."

Any chance the Raiders might have had to make a comeback seemed to completely vanish in the second half. The Packers had the ball three times in the third quarter, and held it for all but two and a half minutes. On the Packers first drive of the second half, Starr completed a 35-yard pass to receiver Max McGee (McGee's only reception of the game, and the final one of his career), eventually setting up Anderson's 2-yard touchdown run, making the score 23–7. The Packers increased their lead to 26–7 on their next drive after Chandler kicked his fourth field goal. Early in the fourth quarter, Starr was knocked out of the game when he jammed the thumb on his throwing hand when sacked by Davidson. (Starr was replaced by Zeke Bratkowski, who would be sacked on his only pass attempt.) But later in the period, the Packers put the game completely out of reach after defensive back Herb Adderley intercepted a pass from Lamonica and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown, making the score 33–7. Oakland did manage to score on their next drive after the turnover with a second 23-yard touchdown pass from Lamonica to Miller, set up by Pete Banaszak's 41-yard reception on the previous play. But all the Raiders' second touchdown did was make the final score look remotely more respectable, 33–14.

At the end of the game, coach Lombardi was carried off the field by his victorious Packers in one of the more memorable images of early Super Bowl history. It would in fact be Lombardi's last game as Packer coach and his ninth consecutive playoff victory.

Oakland's Bill Miller was the top receiver of the game with 5 receptions for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. Green Bay fullback Ben Wilson was the leading rusher of the game with 62 yards despite missing part of the second half while looking for a lost contact lens on the sidelines. Don Chandler ended his Packer career in style with 4 field goals. Lamonica finished the game with 15 out of 34 pass completions for 208 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The Packers had no turnovers, and only one penalty.

Box score and Game Information

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	3	13	10	7	33
Raiders	0	7	0	7	14

• Stadium: Miami Orange Bowl
• Date: January 14, 1968
• Time: 3:05 p.m. EST
• Weather: 86°F, partly cloudy

Quarter	Time	Team	Drive			Scoring Information	Score
			Length	Plays	Time		GB	OAK
1	9:53	GB	34	9	3:51	FG: Don Chandler 39 yards	3	0
2	11:52	GB	84	16	8:40	FG: Don Chandler 20 yards	6	0
2	10:50	GB	62	1	:11	TD: Boyd Dowler 62 yard pass from Bart Starr (Don Chandler kick)	13	0
2	6:15	OAK	78	9	4:35	TD: Bill Miller 23 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick)	13	7
2	:01	GB	9	3	:22	FG: Don Chandler 43 yards	16	7
3	5:54	GB	82	11	4:41	TD: Donny Anderson 2 yard run (Don Chandler kick)	23	7
3	:02	GB	37	8	4:47	FG: Don Chandler 31 yards	26	7
4	11:03	GB	N/A			TD: Herb Adderley 60 yard interception return (Don Chandler kick)	33	7
4	9:13	OAK	74	4	1:50	TD: Bill Miller 23 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick)	33	14

Final statistics

Source:The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football, (1973), p. 139, Macmillan Publishing Co. New York, NY, LCCN 73-3862

Statistical comparison

	Green Bay Packers	Oakland Raiders
First downs	19	16
First downs rushing	11	5
First downs passing	7	10
First downs penalty	1	1
Net yards rushing	160	107
Passes attempted	24	34
Passes completed	13	15
Interceptions-yards	1-60	0-0
Net yards passing	162	186
Total yards	322	293
Punts-average	6-39.0	6-44.0
Yards per rush	3.9	5.4
Fumbles-lost	0-0	3-2
Penalties-yards	1-12	1-31

Individual leaders

Packers Passing
	C/ATT	Yds	TD	INT
Bart Starr	13/24	202	1	0
Packers Rushing
	Car	Yds	TD
Ben Wilson	17	62	0
Donnie Anderson	14	48	1
Travis Williams	8	36	0
Starr	1	14	0
Chuck Mercein	1	0	0
Packers Receiving
	Rec	Yds	TD
Carroll Dale	4	43	0
Marv Fleming	4	35	0
Anderson	2	18	0
Boyd Dowler	2	71	1
Max McGee	1	35	0

Raiders Passing
	C/ATT	Yds	TD	INT
Daryle Lamonica	15/34	208	2	1
Raiders Rushing
	Car	Yds	TD
Hewritt Dixon	12	54	0
Larry Todd	2	37	0
Pete Banaszak	6	16	0
Raiders Receiving
	Rec	Yds	TD
Bill Miller	5	84	2
Banaszak	4	68	0
Fred Biletnikoff	2	10	0
Billy Cannon	2	25	0
Dixon	1	3	0
Warren Wells	1	17	0

Starting lineups

Source:

Green Bay	Position	Oakland
OFFENSE
Boyd Dowler	SE	Bill Miller
Bob Skoronski	LT	Bob Svihus
Gale Gillingham	LG	Gene Upshaw
Ken Bowman	C	Jim Otto
Jerry Kramer	RG	Wayne Hawkins
Forrest Gregg	RT	Harry Schuh
Marv Fleming	TE	Billy Cannon
Carroll Dale	FL	Fred Biletnikoff
Bart Starr	QB	Daryle Lamonica
Donny Anderson	HB	Pete Banaszak
Ben Wilson	FB	Hewritt Dixon
DEFENSE
Willie Davis	LE	Ike Lassiter
Ron Kostelnik	LT	Dan Birdwell
Henry Jordan	RT	Tom Keating
Lionel Aldridge	RE	Ben Davidson
Dave Robinson	LLB	Bill Laskey
Ray Nitschke	MLB	Dan Conners
Lee Roy Caffey	RLB	Gus Otto
Herb Adderley	LCB	Kent McCloughan
Bob Jeter	RCB	Willie Brown
Tom Brown	LS	Warren Powers
Willie Wood	RS	Howie Williams

Officials

• Referee: Jack Vest (AFL)
• Umpire: Ralph Morcroft (NFL)
• Head Linesman: Tony Veteri (AFL)
• Line Judge: Bruce Alford (NFL)
• Field Judge: Bob Baur (AFL)
• Back Judge: Stan Javie (NFL)

Note: A seven-official system was not used until 1978

References

• Super Bowl official website

 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book,. Time Inc. Home Entertainment.  ISBN 1-933405-32-5.

 Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League,. Harper Collins.  ISBN 1-933405-32-5.

 The Official NFL Encyclopedia Pro Football,. NAL Books.  ISBN 0-453-00431-8.

 The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995,.  ISBN 0-89204-523-X.

• http://www.pro-football-reference.com - Large online database of NFL data and statistics
• Super Bowl play-by-plays from USA Today (Last accessed September 28, 2005)
• All-Time Super Bowl Odds from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)

Bibliography

• Gruver, Edward (2002). Nitschke. Lanham, MD.:Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 1-58979-127-4