In the final game before the merger of the NFL and AFL took effect, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV on Jan. 11, 1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.
The win by the AFL’s Chiefs evened the Super Bowl series with the NFL at 2-2. Green Bay had won the first two games, and the New York Jets won Super Bowl III.
Despite the Jets win over the Baltimore Colts the previous year, many felt it was a fluke and believed that the NFL was still superior to the AFL. The Vikings were 13.5-point favorites to beat the Chiefs.
Minnesota dominated the NFL in 1969, its ninth year as a franchise.
It was Bud Grant's third year as head coach after a successful 10-year run in the Canadian Football League at Winnipeg. The Blue Bombers advanced to the Grey Cup six times under Grant, winning four.
The Vikings had the NFL's best defense and highest-scoring offense. Minnesota allowed an NFL-record 133 points on defense and scored 379 points.
During the regular season, the Vikings had a 12-2 record. The losses came on the opening Sunday and the final week. In between, Minnesota won 12 straight, the league's longest winning streak in 35 years.
In the NFL Playoffs, the Vikings rallied to top the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 in the divisional round and then Cleveland 27-7.
Kansas City won the AFL crown. After an 11-3 regular season and second-place finish in the Western Division, the Chiefs defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Jets 13-6 and Oakland 17-7. The Raiders had defeated the Chiefs twice during the regular season.
Jan Stenerud kicked three field goals for Kansas City in Super Bowl IV.
The Chies led 16-0 at halftime. Jan Stenerud kicked field goals of 48, 32 and 25 yards and Mike Garrett scored from five yards out on ’65 toss power trap.’
You can go find the clip if you want to watch it. The NFL blocks me from sharing a link.
The Vikings got on the board in the third quarter with Dave Osborn scoring from four yards out and Fred Cox kicked the extra point.
KC would put the game away later in the quarter with Len Dawson and Otis Taylor combining on a 46-yard touchdown.
The final offensive totals were fairly even although the Chiefs won convincingly. Kansas City had 273 yards (151 rushing and 122 passing) while Minnesota had 239 yards (67-172).
Dawson was 12-for-17 for 142 yards passing with one interception for Kansas City.
For the Vikings, Joe Kapp was 16-25 for 183 yards with two interceptions in his final game for Minnesota and Gary Cuozzo was 1-3 for 16 yards with one interception.
Super Bowl IV box score
Minnesota 0 0 7 0 - 7
Kansas City 3 13 7 0 – 23
Scoring plays
First quarter
KC – Jan Stenerud 48 FG
Second quarter
KC – Jan Stenerud 32 FG
KC – Jan Stenerud 25 FG
KC – Mike Garrett 5 run (Jan Stenerud kick)
Third quarter
MINN – Dave Osborn 4 run (Fred Cox kick)
Fourth quarter
KC – Otis Taylor 46 pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick)
Individual statistics
Offense
Rushing
Minnesota: Bill Brown 6-26, Oscar Reed 4-17, Dave Osborn 7-15, Joe Kapp 2-9. Kansas City: Mike Garrett 11-39, Frank Pitts 3-37, Wendell Hayes 8-31, Warren McVea 12-26, Len Dawson 3-11, Robert Holmes 5-7.
Receiving
Minnesota: John Henderson 7-111, John Beasley 2-41, Oscar Reed 2-16, Bill Brown 3-11, Dave Osborn 2-11, Gene Washington 1-9. Kanas City: Otis Taylor 6-81, Frank Pitts 3-33, Mike Garrett 2-25, Wendell Hayes 1-3.
Passing
Minnesota: Joe Kapp 16-25-183-0-2, Gary Cuozzo 1-3-16-0-1. Kansas City: Len Dawson 12-17-142-1-1.
Defense
Fumble recoveries
Minnesota: Jim Vellone. Kansas City: Johnny Robinson, Remi Prudhomme.
Interceptions
Minnesota: Paul Krause. Kansas City: Willie Lanier, Emmitt Thomas, Johnny Robinson.
Team statistics
First downs: Minnesota 13, Kansas City 18.
Rushing: Minnesota 19-67, Kansas City 42-151.
Passing: Minnesota 17-28-199-0-3, Kansas City 12-17-142-1-1.
Fumbles-lost: Minnesota 3-2, Kansas City 0-0.
Penalties: Minnesota 6-67, Kansas City 4-47.
Hall of Famers
A total of 16 eventual Hall of Famers were involved in the game.
Minnesota
Mick Tingelhoff
Ron Yary
Carl Eller
Alan Page
Paul Krause
Bud Grant
Jim Finks
Kansas City
Len Dawson
Curley Culp
Buck Buchanan
Bobby Bell
Willie Lanier
Emmitt Thomas
Jan Stenerud
Hank Stram
Lamar Hunt
Balloon crash
Before the game started, a hot air balloon containing the Vikings’ mascot blew into the air and crashed into the stands.
Two hot-air balloons were supposed to lift off from the field, one for each team.
The Chiefs balloon ascended without incident. But the balloon with a Vikings mascot in the basket dragged across the field before crashing into the stands.
No one was injured, but it may have been a sign of what was to come for Minnesota fans.
For Vikings fans, the incident brought back memories from only a few weeks earlier at Metropolitan Stadium in on Dec. 14, 1969, when a hot air balloon holding 11-year-old Rick Snyder during a halftime show and sailed away, just missing the right-field light towers on his journey across southeast Bloomington.
The balloon proceeded to the southeast and splashed down directly into the frigid and slush-filled waters of the Minnesota River.
Fun facts
Here are some fun facts about Super Bowl IV:
The winning share for the Chiefs was $15,000 per player. Vikings players received $7,500.
The cost of a Super Bowl ticket was $15.
The game was televised on CBS with Jack Buck on play-by-play, Pat Summerall as analyst and Frank Gifford and Jack Whitaker on the sidelines.
CBS had the radio rights with Bob Reynolds on play-by-play and Tom Hedrick as analyst.
Pat O' Brien voiced the national anthem with Doc Severinsen on trumpet.
The game was a sellout, but the NFL's unconditional blackout rules in place at the time prohibited the live telecast from being shown in the New Orleans area.
CBS erased the videotape a few days after the game, just as they had done with Super Bowls I and II, which they broadcast. Videotape was expensive then and networks did not believe old games were worth saving. The only reason this game exists is because the CBC and the French version on Radio-Canada in Canada and in Québec carried the broadcast.
We are the champions
Here are the reigning champions in each sport.
Super Bowl: New York Jets
World Series: New York Mets
NBA: Boston Celtics
NHL: Montreal Canadiens
College football: Texas
College basketball: UCLA
Masters: George Archer
Daytona 500: LeeRoy Yarbrough
Indy 500: Mario Andretti
On that date
No. 1 TV show: Marcus Welby M.D., ABC
No. 1 Movie: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
No. 1 song: Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head, B. J. Thomas
No. 1 book: The Godfather, Mario Puzo
Governor of Minnesota: Harold LeVander
U.S. President: Richard Nixon
Significant news story: General Odumegwu Ojukwu, President of Biafra, fled from the secessionist state that he had created flying out of Uli, the republic's only airfield, minutes before Nigerian bombers arrived to cut off the airfield.
SOURCES: National Football League, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, pro-footballreference.com, Wikipedia, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, NCAA, Augusta National Golf Club, Daytona International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Library of Congress, Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, Billboard, Sports Illustrated, New York Times.