Photographer John Biever and the Super Bowl are one and the same.
Neither has existed without the other.
Biever started photography under his father, Vernon, who was the Green Bay Packers team photographer, and tagged along to the first-ever Super Bowl between the Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs in 1967 when he was 15. He has been to every one since.
On Sunday, Super Bowl 60 between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, Calif., will be his final one, as he is retiring.
From tagging along with his father and the Packers to the first two stints, shooting for NFL Properties, decades with Sports Illustrated and stints with NFL Photos, Biever’s lenses have captured the sport’s most significant moments on its grandest stage.
The Athletic asked Biever, 74, to share five of his favorite Super Bowl pictures spanning the six decades of his work. Here are the photographs, with his explanations of their significance.
Max McGee at Super Bowl I
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Max McGee runs toward the end zone in Super Bowl I as the Packers defeated the Chiefs 35-10 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 15, 1967. (John Biever)
Biever: This is Max McGee scoring the first-ever touchdown in Super Bowl I. The photo also shows many empty seats in the background, something you no longer see. It acts as a bookend start to my 60-game Super Bowl streak.
Joe Namath at Super Bowl III
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath celebrates his Super Bowl III victory over the Baltimore Colts at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla., on Jan. 12, 1969. Days before the game, Namath guaranteed the Jets would win. (John Biever)
Biever: This was important as it was the first AFL win and set the stage for the NFL-AFL merger. It’s more an important moment than a great photo.
John Madden at Super Bowl XI
John Madden is carried off the field after his Oakland Raiders defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 9, 1977. (John Biever)
Biever: I was in the right position as the game ended. It shows the joy on John Madden’s face.
Tom Brady at Super Bowl LV
Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare to enter the field before routing the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 7, 2021. (John Biever)
Biever: I like the spotlight on Tom Brady’s face. This was also the COVID-19 Super Bowl, where photographers weren’t allowed on the field. NFL Photos got me a seat at the right spot in the end zone where the team entered.
Patrick Mahomes at Super Bowl LVII
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes avoids a sack in a 38-35 Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 12, 2023. (John Biever)
Biever: Patrick Mahomes is scrambling and looking for Travis Kelce, who is in the foreground running right to left. I like the composition and intensity showing on Mahomes’ face. And having both Kansas City stars in the same frame is a real plus, too.
