Super Bowl IV
The
Kansas City Chiefs defeated the
Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV. This would be the final time that the game was played between the champion of two separate leagues. Following this game, the 10 teams that made up the
American Football League would merge with the 16 existing teams of the
National Football League to form one league. Thus, with Kansas City's victory, the two leagues would end their head-to-head championship game series at two victories each. Chiefs quarterback
Len Dawson was 12 of 17 for 142 yards and one TD pass to
Otis Taylor. Dawson was named the game's
MVP.
Fast Facts
- January 11, 1970
- Site: Tulane Stadium
- Location: New Orleans
- Attendance: 80,562
- MVP: Len Dawson
- Television: CBS
Purple People Eaters
It would be ironic that the Vikings would represent the NFL in this the 50th regular season of the league. Minnesota was originally slated to take one of the eight AFL franchises in 1960, but backed out at the last minute when they were offered an expansion team by the established NFL. Oakland would take their place in the AFL alignment. As for the 1969 Vikes, they went 12-2 in the regular season, and were led by the exploits of former CFL quarterback Joe Kapp and a ferocious defense known as the "Purple People Eaters". Playoff victories over the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns gave the Vikings their first league championship.
Hank's Wild West Vareity Show
The Chiefs were one the poster children for the high-flying, high-scoring, free-wheeling style of football synonymous with the AFL. They featured five future Pro Football Hall of Fame members in Dawson, linebackers Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell, defensive tackle Buck Buchanan, and placekicker Jan Stenerud. The Chiefs finished in 2nd place in AFL Western Division with an 11-3 mark. They won in the divisional playoffs over the defending Super Bowl champion New York Jets, and then defeated their arch rivals, the Oakland Raiders in the final AFL Championship Game. Their win over the Vikings made them the first non-division champion ever to win a Super Bowl
65 Toss Power Trap
The game wasn't the only entertainment: there was an infamous pre-game ceremony which featured a hot air balloon that crashed into the end zone seats before take-off, and a forgettable halftime show that featured a reenactment of the Civil War's Battle of New Orleans. But the lasting entertainment value from the game came from Chiefs coach Hank Stram, who agreed to wear a hidden microphone for NFL Films. It was the first time any coach had been wired for sound in a Super Bowl, and the hilarity of Stram's "spontaneous remarks" led to the highlight film production from the game becoming one of the most popular in sports history. Most infamous was Stram calling for a goal line play called "65 Toss Power Trap". The Chiefs scored a touchdown on the play on a run by Mike Garrett.
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