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PHOTO OF SAMUEL AUGUSTUS MAVERICK
COURTESY OF THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER.
PHOTO OF BESSIE COLEMAN COURTESY OF
THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
(Bottom) The first Super Bowl,
known in 1967 as the AFL-NFL World
Championship Game. The NFL’s Green
Bay Packers defeated the AFL’s Kansas
City Chiefs, 35-10.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFE MAGAZINE
ARCHIVES.
Samuel Augustus Maverick Bessie Coleman 3, 1959, with the help of Houston oilman
K.S. “Bud” Adams, Hunt announced
Continued from the previous page split-second blitzes, driven by passion the formation of the American Football
tempered with strategy and constantly League. The franchise consisted of
independent, often stubborn, individual evolving in unexpected ways, football is exactly two teams: the Dallas Texans
committed to going it alone. And in the perhaps Texas’ perfect metaphor. But for and the Houston Oilers. Within two
years since, Texas has produced no many years, professional football did not weeks, teams from Los Angeles, Denver,
shortage of mavericks who have risen exist in the Lone Star State. In 1959, New York and Minneapolis had signed
to national attention. In the past fifty Lamar Hunt, sixth child of oil tycoon on as well.
years, three Texans have laid claim to H.L. Hunt, got it in his head that Dallas In 1966, boasting 10 teams and a
the Oval Office, each of them utterly was in need of an NFL team. Despite lucrative television contract with
unique in their personal and political numerous efforts and impressive offers, NBC, the AFL merged with the NFL,
styles. We produced daredevil aviatrix he was rebuffed at every turn. bringing along with it scoreboard clocks,
Bessie Coleman, whose multicultural The 26 year old Hunt decided if he personalized jerseys and the two-point
lineage made her both the first African couldn’t join ‘em, beat ‘em. On August conversion. The two leagues agreed that,
American and the first Native American by 1970, the two leagues would be known
to hold an international pilot license. It only as the NFL, and that two champion
was our former governor Ann Richards teams would engage in a final title game
who became America’s longest-serving at the end of each season. The NFL
female senator and a woman from proposed they call the game “The Big
Harris County whose campaign for “the One,” but it was Hunt, in an offhanded
economic liberation of women” used Pink remark, provided the name that stuck:
Cadillacs as motivation. We’ve been a Super Bowl.
driving force behind space exploration,
wind energy, Spanish-language radio ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG
and America’s long running obsession
with the wild, wild west.
So, next time you hear someone
carelessly tossing around this famed
Texan’s name, remember this: mavericks
may be many things, but the one thing
they will never be is branded.
MONDAY NIGHT MADNESS
From Friday Night Lights to high schools
with $60 million dollar stadiums, it’s no
secret that Texans love their football.
Comprised of timeless legends and
80 | SUNRAYS MARCH 2016
