On this day, January the 12th, in the year of 1969, Super Bowl III, played between the New York Jets and the then Baltimore Colts, was played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.

In what was the first AFL-NFL Championship Game to be called the Super Bowl, the game carried off the field baggage with it, as the AFL wanted to prove that they could beat the NFL.

Jets quarterback Joe Namath was so confident that the Jets could upset the Colts that he guaranteed victory, a move which was in character for the charismatic Namath.

The average cost of admission for the game was $12.00 (around $85.00 today), attended by around 75,000, and watched by an average of 42 million Americans. 

Super Bowl III saw a slow start with the Jets maining a seven to zero lead heading into the half. The game ended with a sixteen to seven Jets victory, with a scoreless Joe Namath being voted the most valuable player.

Impacting NFL-AFL relations, it showed the AFL can field championship caliber teams against the longer tenured NFL (Lines) (Britannica).

To read more daily facts and tidbits and about the New York Jets, see the Barron Perspectives “On this Day Archives” webpage and such articles as “(Joe Namath Signed) On This Day – January 2nd” and “(Silent NFL Game) On This Day – December 20th”.