First and Fisher: What High Schools were represented in the first Super Bowl

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On January 15, 1967, the biggest football game in the world wasn’t known as the Super Bowl. Instead, the game between the National Football League champion Green Bay Packers and the American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs was called the AFL-NFL Championship Game.

That game, that would later become known as Super Bowl I, was played in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Sunday, over 55-years later, Super Bowl LVI or Super Bowl 56, will be played again in the City of Angels.

After we posted a story about where every player on the Bengals’ and Rams’ active roster played high school football idea, I thought it would be fun to look back at the first Super Sunday. Below you’ll be able to see the rosters from that AFL-NFL Championship.

15 Jan 1967, Sun The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) Newspapers.com

Like this year’s game, Texas led Super Bowl I with the most former high school football players. The Lone Star State was represented by 17 former high schoolers. California had seven former high school football players in SBI, followed by Alabama and Pennsylvania with six players each.

In all, 29 states, plus the District of Columbia were represented in Super Bowl I. This year, 28 states, plus D.C., are represented.

Lanett High School in Alabama was the only school with more than one player on the field. Former Panthers Bobby Hunt (safety) and Dave Hill (tackle) played for the Chiefs in the 35-10 defeat.

Super Bowl I High School Football Players by State

StatePackersChiefs Total
Texas61117
California347
Alabama156
Pennsylvania426
Illinois404
Ohio134
Georgia123
New Jersey123
Arkansas202
Indiana022
Kansas022
Kentucky202
Louisiana112
Michigan022
Oklahoma112
West Virginia202
Connecticut101
Florida101
Idaho101
Iowa011
Maryland101
Massachusetts101
Minnesota101
Missouri011
North Carolina011
Tennessee101
Virginia101
Washington, DC101
Wisconsin101
Wyoming101

Green Bay Packers Roster

No. NamePositionHigh  School/State
5Paul HornungHRFlaget (Kentucky)
12Zeke BratkowskiQBDanville Schlarman (Illinois)
15Bart StarrQBSidney Lanier (Alabama)
21Bob JeterDBWeir (West Virginia)
22Elijah PittsHBPine Street (Arkansas)
24Willie WoodDBArmstrong (Washington, DC)
26Herb AdderleyDBNortheast (Pennsylvania)
27Red MackFLHampton (Pennsylvania)
31Jim TaylorFBBaton Rouge (Louisiana)
33Jim GrabowskiFBChicago Taft (Illinois)
34Don ChandlerKWill Rogers (Oklahoma)
37Phil VanderseaFBNorthbridge (Massachusetts)
40Tom BrownDBBlair (Maryland)
43Doug HartDBHandley (Fort Worth, Texas)
44Donny AndersonHBStinnett (Texas)
45Dave HathcockDBKingsbury (Tennessee)
50Bill CurryCCollege Park (Georgia)
56Tommy Joe CrutcherLBMcKinney (Texas)
57Ken BowmanCRock Island (Illinois)
60Lee Roy CaffeyLBThorndale (Texas)
63Fuzzy ThurstonGAltoona (Wisconsin)
64Jerry KramerGSandpoint (Idaho)
66Ray NitschkeLBProviso East (Illinois)
68Gale GillinghamGLittle Falls (Minnesota)
72Steve WrightTManual (Kentucky)
73Jim WeatherwaxDTRedlands (California)
74Henry JordanDTWarwick (Virginia)
75Forrest GreggTSulphur Springs (Texas)
76Bob SkoronskiTFairfield Prep (Connecticut)
77Ron KostelnikDTCentral Cambia (Pennsylvania)
78Bob BrownDEEast Tech (Cleveland, Ohio)
80Bob LongFLWashington Twp. (Pennsylvania)
81Marv FlemingTECompton (California)
82Lionel AlderidgeDEPittsburg (California)
84Carroll DaleEJ.J. Kelly (West Virginia)
85Max McGeeEWhite Oak (Texas)
86Boyd DowlerECheyenne (Wyoming)
87Willie DavisDEBooker T. Washington (Arkansas)
88Bill AndersonTEManatee (Florida)
89Dave RobinsonLBMoorestown (New Jersey)

Kansas City Chiefs Roster

No. NamePositionHigh  School/State
10Pete BeathardQBEl Segundo (California)
14Bobby PlyDBMission (Texas)
15Mike MercerKDubuque (Iowa)
16Len DawsonQBAlliance (Ohio)
17Fletcher SmithDBBooker T. Washington (Dallas, Texas)
18Emmitt ThomasDDAngleton Marshall (Texas) 
20Bobby HuntDBLanett (Alabama)
21Mike GarrettHBRoosevelt (Los Angeles, California)
22Willie MitchellDBWheatley (Texas)
23Bert CoanHBPasadena (Texas)
24Fred WilliamsonDBFroebel (Indiana)
25Frank PittsES.H. Archer (Atlanta, Georgia)
32Curtis McClintonFBWichita North (Kansas)
35Stewart StoverLBOklahoma Military Academy (Oklahoma)
42Johnny RobinsonDBUniversity High (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
44Jerrel WilsonFBS.S. Murphy (Alabama)
45Gene ThomasFBNorth (Akron, Ohio)
52Bud AbellLBSoutheast (Kansas City, Missouri)
55E.J. HolubCLubbock (Texas)
56Bert CoreyLBDerry Area (Pennsylvania)
58Andy RiceDTHallettsville (Texas)
60Al Reynolds GWinchester (Kansas)
61Dennis BiodrowskiGWirt (Indiana)
64Curt MerzGJonathan Day (New Jersey)
66Wayne FrazierCHillcrest (Alabama)
69Sherrill HeadrickLBNorth Side (Fort Worth, Texas)
71Ed BuddeGDenby (Detroit, Michigan)
72Tony DiMidioTUpper Darby (Pennsylvania)
73Dave HillTLanett (Alabama)
75Jerry MaysDESunset (Texas)
76Hatch RosdahlGRidgefield Park (New Jersey)
77Jim TyrerTNewark (Ohio)
78Bobby BellLBCleveland (Shelby, North Carolina)
80Reggie CarolanESir Francis Drake (California)
84Fred ArbanasTESt. Mary’s (Redford, Michigan)
85Chuck HurstonDEJordan (Columbus, Georgia)
86Buck BuchananDTParker (Birmingham, Alabama)
87Aaron BrownDEAbraham Lincoln (Port Arthur, Texas)
88Chris BurfordEOakland (California)
89Otis TaylorFLWorthing (Texas)
16 Jan 1967, Mon Janesville Daily Gazette (Janesville, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.