The WWII Fighter Ace and Medal of Honor Recipient Who Helped Give America the Super Bowl
Marine Capt. Joe Foss is shown with his cigar beside his plane at his base somewhere in the South Pacific.
Military.com | By Stephen Ruiz
Published January 30, 2025
As a fighter ace who received the Medal of Honor after shooting down 26 Japanese planes over Guadalcanal during World War II, Joe Foss was accustomed to bold action. He was not afraid to think big, either.
So when Foss -- then the commissioner of the upstart American Football League -- sent a letter to his NFL counterpart, Pete Rozelle, in December 1963, it was not totally out of character for him to suggest a matchup between the leagues’ respective champions.
"The establishment of a World Series of professional football is necessary to the continued progress of our game if we're to be true sportsmen and not merely businessmen in sports," Foss wrote in his seven-paragraph letter. "Pro football has now attained the status where many regard it as our national sport. What could be more fitting then than for us to match baseball in having an annual classic between the leagues."
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