The Super Bowl is more than a game—it’s the apex of American sports and culture. That means the trophy the two teams play for is more than just a trophy. It’s a symbol of excellence that will be remembered forever.
Behind every victory there lies a story that played out over the course of months. As players and coaches overcame trials and tribulations to scratch and claw out wins, climb atop the standings and advance—and win—the biggest game in the world.
This list covers every Super Bowl champion.
The Early Years and the First Super Bowl
The first Super Bowl certainly lacked the pageantry that current iterations have, it was still a crucial milestone in the history of professional football.
It was called the AFL-NFL World Championship and featured Vince Lombardi and the Packers defeating the Chiefs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 35–10 on Jan. 15, 1967. With Super Bowl ticket prices routinely hitting $1,000+ today, it might be a bit shocking to know that Super Bowl I failed to sell out, with more than 30,000 empty seats at kickoff.
Still, more than 50 million Americans tuned into both CBS and NBC to watch the game. It confirmed that public interest was definitely there for a championship game.
The Packers would also win Super Bowl II, and in 1970, the NFL would rename the “World Professional Football Championship Trophy” to the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Green Bay going back-to-back in the first two Super Bowls cemented Lombardi's legacy as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. Broadway Joe Namath led the Jets to the first upset in Super Bowl history, the Dolphins won two of three Super Bowls in the early 1970s and then the Steel Curtain defense propelled the Steelers to four titles in six seasons.
The Dynasty Era
The 49ers and Cowboys dominated the 1990s, continuing decorated franchise histories and establishing new dynasties. John Elway and the Broncos went back-to-back before the Patriots began what many consider to be the most impressive run in the history of professional football in the 2000s.
The Modern Era
This era saw the completion of the Patriots' dynasty, which saw the team play in nine Super Bowls over a 20-year run. It also marked the rise of the Kansas City Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City has made the Super Bowl in five of the last six seasons, winning three of them as of the time of this writing.
Notable Super Bowl Dynasties
In a league that demands parity from its members, some NFL franchises haven’t just climbed to the mountaintop but managed to establish residency there.
Dallas Cowboys: Dallas won three titles in four years (1992, '93 and '95), all of which came in dominant fashion. Led by Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys fell just short of the Super Bowl in 1994. Some say that Dallas’s roster being so good was the reason the NFL instituted the free agency policy we’re now so familiar with in 1993.
San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers captured four championships in nine years (1981, '84, '88 and '89) and did so with two different quarterbacks and coaches. Quarterback Joe Montana and head coach Bill Walsh won the first three, with Steve Young and George Seifert winning the last. San Francisco’s West Coast offensive scheme revolutionized the NFL, and the team was fortunate enough to have two Hall of Fame quarterbacks through the 1980s and ’90s.
New England Patriots: New England has created two individual dynasties since 2001. The Patriots won three titles in four years (2001, '03 and '04) in the early 2000s and then won three in five years (2014, '16 and '18) in the 2010s. Head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady remained constants for both runs.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Pittsburgh won four championships in six years (1974, '75, '78 and '79), dominating the ’70s. The Steelers remain the only franchise to win back-to-back Super Bowls on two separate occasions.
Kansas City Chiefs: Kansas City is the NFL’s latest dynasty, capturing three Super Bowls in a five-year span (2019, '22 and '23). The Chiefs also appeared in a fourth Super Bowl during that stretch, but fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kansas City is currently one of the favorites to appear in Super Bowl LIX.
Super Bowl MVPs: The Players Who Defined Championship Games
The Largest and Smallest Margins of Victory in Super Bowl History
The biggest blowout in Super Bowl history came on Jan. 28, 1990. The 49ers decimated the Denver Broncos 55–10 at Super Bowl XXIV. Three first-half touchdown passes from Montana had San Francisco up 27–3 at halftime. Denver’s lone touchdown came in the third quarter, and the 45-point margin of victory stands alone as the largest ever.
The smallest margin of victory is three points, which has happened nine times. The first occurrence was Super Bowl V, in which Baltimore defeated Dallas 16–13. The other eight times all happened within the last 16 years, including three-straight times dating back to 2022.
Super Bowl Underdog Wins
The New York Jets defeating the then-Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III remains the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. The Colts were 18-point favorites before getting stunned by Broadway Joe Namath 16–7.
Brady and the Patriots’ first Super Bowl victory is the second-biggest upset. The then-St. Louis Rams closed as a 14-point favorite in Super Bowl XXXVI, but the Patriots prevailed 20–17.
The New York Giants upset a Patriots team that was favored by 12.5-points in Super Bowl XLII, preventing New England from becoming the second team in history to finish undefeated.
Viewed as an unbeatable team, the Minnesota Vikings—dubbed the “Purple People Eaters”—were 12-point favorites over the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV. Kansas City (and the AFL as a whole) wasn’t considered to be a viable threat, but it was the Chiefs who were victorious.
Notable Super Bowl Moments and Records
Brady has the most Super Bowl wins with seven and also has the most Super Bowl MVP awards with five. Brady is also the only player in NFL history to win a Super Bowl in three different decades.
Three players are tied for the most Super Bowl losses. Offensive lineman Glenn Parker, linebacker Cornelius Bennett and quarterback Gale Gilbert have all lost five Super Bowls.
Ken Norton Jr. spent 13 years in the NFL with the Cowboys and 49ers. He is the only player in history to win three consecutive Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX).
Jerry Rice has scored the most points in Super Bowl history. Rice scored 48 points with the 49ers and Oakland Raiders. Rice also has the most receiving yards with 589. However, Rice does not hold the record for most catches in a single Super Bowl—that honor goes to Patriots running back James White (14).
The most common matchup in Super Bowl history is Dallas vs. Pittsburgh, which has occurred three times.
There has never been a shutout in Super Bowl history.
Read More About the Super Bowl
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Super Bowl Winners, Scores & Champions of Every NFL Season.
