Olympic gold medal figure skater, Dick Button, had been shopping the idea of a professional athletes' decathlon to the three major network sports departments with no success. Button eventually got in touch with 'Fram Oil Filters' who agreed to underwrite half the sponsorship costs. The ABC Television Network had lost the rights to the NBA, so they needed some weekend sports programming. ABC bought the idea and the first competition was scheduled as a two-hour, one-shot special.
The very first event ever held in Superstars was to provide one the most indelible moments in Superstars history. The swimming heats were the first event to be contested. Each heat was 50 meters, or two laps of the 25 meter pool. The top two finishers in each heat would advance to the final along with the fastest third place finisher. As Peter Revson, Bob Seagren, Jean-Claude Killy and Joe Frazier lined up for the start, no one was quite sure what to expect. There had never been the likes of Superstars competition before. The gun sounded and the four athletes dove into the pool. Joe Frazier did what is best described as a belly flop and it became quickly evident that Frazier did not know how to swim. As the rest of the swimmers were in a close competition to win the heat (Revson won it), Frazier was desperately doggie paddling to reach the 25 meter mark and grab onto the wall. Frazier did complete the 50 meters, but in more than double the time of the other competitors. Apparently, he did not realize that he could not swim.
The natural selection for golf was Jack Nicklaus, but he declined feeling that he would not do well. Arnold Palmer declined due to his age. Gary Player was selected and ready to compete. Horse racing's Willie Shoemaker had to back out, so he was replaced with triple Olympic gold medalist Jean-Claude Killy who had just started a new professional skiing circuit. When Gary Player was sidelined due to surgery, Olympic pole vault champion Bob Seagren, who had been lobbying to be included since he had heard about the idea, was invited as the tenth athlete. Seagren was to start competition in the newly formed International Track Association, a professional track and field league, the following month. Ice hockey's initial representative, Stan Mikita of the Chicago Black Hawks, fractured a bone in his heel and was replaced by New York Ranger Rod Gilbert. Once the idea of the competition got out, many athletes like Seagren wanted in. American League MVP Dick Allen's agent contacted the organizers a week before the event, but there was no room as Johnny Bench was already on board.
Reaction was good, especially in terms of television ratings. ABC was more than happy with the telecast, and returned in 1974 with five weeks worth of Superstars. The golf event did not come across well on television and the table tennis was quickly eliminated, being replaced with an event that would become a signature of Superstars, the obstacle course.
The initial competition was scheduled for February 19th and 20th, 1973 and would be broadcast on Sunday, February 25 on the ABC Network. The developers, Cavanagh Communities Corporation, who had given each athlete a plot of land in Rotonda, Florida hosted a banquet for the athletes in the home of their vice-president, legendary announcer Ed McMahon of 'The Tonight Show'. Rotonda had seven golf courses and the athletes were given what seemed to be a sales pitch to buy land in a soon-to-be resort community.