The very first Super Bowl aired on TWO networks back in 1967, CBS and NBC, and miraculously, neither of them saved a recording of the game. Even crazier, the NFL doesn’t have it either.
In fact, there’s only one known copy of the game, and it’s owned by a guy named Troy Haupt, who’s a nurse anesthetist in North Carolina. The “New York Times” says his father recorded it, and it’s just been sitting in an attic all these years.
So he tried selling it to the NFL. He was asking for $1 million, which doesn’t seem ridiculous since it may very well be the ONLY copy out there. But that was too rich for the league’s blood and they countered with $30,000.
CBS stepped in and made a sweeter offer: $25,000, an interview for a pregame segment for this year’s Super Bowl, PLUS two tickets to the actual game.
Troy was cool with that, but the NFL threatened to SUE him if he sold it to anyone else, because it’s, quote, “copyrighted footage.” So for now, he’s holding on to it.
