01/15/1967 • 7 views
Max McGee’s First Super Bowl TD Came Despite a Severe Hangover
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Max McGee, reportedly ill and hungover, scored the first-ever Super Bowl touchdown on January 15, 1967, highlighting an unlikely contribution to the Packers’ 35–10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
McGee had not expected to play much that day. He was a backup wide receiver to Boyd Dowler and had reportedly spent the night before the game partying; contemporary and later accounts describe him as ill and suffering from a severe hangover. According to multiple sources, McGee was not on the initial game plan as a primary target.
Early in the second quarter, with the Packers facing a second-and-goal from the Chiefs’ 1-yard line, quarterback Bart Starr handed the ball to McGee on a play that produced the first touchdown reception in Super Bowl history. The scoring play was a short pass from Starr to McGee, who finished a drive that had been sustained by key runs and plays earlier in the series. That touchdown put Green Bay ahead 14–0 and helped establish momentum for the Packers.
McGee’s contribution extended beyond the touchdown. He finished the game with several receptions and helped the Packers’ passing attack, while Green Bay’s defense and running game also played major roles in the lopsided score. Vince Lombardi’s Packers, already established as an NFL powerhouse, used a balanced offense and staunch defense to control the game and secure the championship.
The story of McGee’s hangover and unexpected touchdown became part of football folklore. Accounts vary on specifics—how ill he was, precisely when he drank the night before, and how reluctant he was to suit up—but the core facts are consistent across primary game records and reputable historical accounts: McGee caught the first Super Bowl touchdown and later recounted, in interviews, that he had not planned to play and felt unwell. Historians note that such anecdotes can be amplified over time, so while the general story is well attested, some colorful details are disputed or based on personal recollection rather than contemporaneous documentation.
The January 15, 1967 game inaugurated an event that would become a major American sporting tradition. While McGee’s touchdown is a memorable human element of that game, the Packers’ victory reflected broader strengths: strategic coaching by Lombardi, effective execution by Starr and the offense, and a defense that limited the Chiefs’ scoring opportunities.
Legacy: Max McGee’s first Super Bowl touchdown remains a frequently cited anecdote about the game’s origins, illustrating both the unpredictable human elements of sport and the lasting narratives that grow around landmark events. The basic facts—date, teams, final score, and McGee’s touchdown—are supported by official game records; the hangover detail derives from McGee’s own later accounts and contemporaneous reportage and is sometimes embellished in retellings.