What Number Is This Super Bowl? the Real Story Behind Super Bowl Lx in 2026
By Robert Thorne
The tradition dates back to the visionary tenure of Pete Rozelle. During the late 1960s, the NFL was wrestling with an awkward scheduling reality: regular season games took place in the fall, while the championship took place in January or February of the following calendar year. Calling a matchup the "1970 championship" when the regular season occurred during the 1969 campaign generated constant confusion in newsrooms and record books.
Rozelle proposed assigning Roman numerals to establish an unbroken continuum. Retrospectively labeling the first four title games as Super Bowls I, II, III, and IV, the league formally introduced the Latin format for Super Bowl V on January 17, 1971, when the Baltimore Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys.
Rozelle openly admitted that the classical Latin system bestowed instant historical dignity upon a relatively young sport. Placing Roman letters on championship programs made an American football contest look like a clash of gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. Decades later, that branding choice remains one of sports marketing’s most recognized signatures.
Robert Thorne covers electric vehicle innovations, autonomous driving systems, global mobility trends, and automotive engineering developments.
