Super Bowl – Chiefs and AFL Draw Even in Super Bowl IV

Although the AFL New York Jets upset the NFL Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III, the junior circuit still got no respect. Minnesota was a 12-point betting favorite.

Before the game, Oakland Raiders legend George Blanda remarked, “They’re (the media and oddsmakers) doing it again. They’re making the same mistake as last year.”

Blanda knew far more about the Raiders’ hated arch-rival than the media “experts.” And he knew that the AFL Chiefs were superior.

CBS televised Super Bowl IV with the popular Jack Buck (father of Joe Buck) handling the play-by-play. An All-Star crew of Pat Summerall, Frank Gifford, and the elegant wordsmith Jack Whitaker assisted Buck for a first-rate telecast.

Super Bowl Futures – The Final Pure Super Bowl

Super Bowl IV would be the final game in the existence of the American Football League. When the NFL and AFL merged in 1966, the leagues continued to operate separately. But starting in the 1970 season, the merger would take full effect with all 26 teams in one institution. Thus, the bitter AFL and NFL rivalry would end after Super Bowl IV.

Super Bowl Predictions – 40 for 60

The 1969 Minnesota Vikings remain one of the most inspiring pro football teams ever. Their rallying cry was 40 for 60, meaning 40 men going all out for the entire 60 minutes of a game. Minnesota finished 12-2 and won the NFL Championship Game 27-7 over the Cleveland Browns.

Swashbuckling quarterback Joe Kapp was the Vikings’ leader and commanded a level of respect from his teammates rarely seen in history. Kapp was not a smooth passer. But he was the toughest player on the Vikings.

The best example of Kapp’s toughness came in the NFL Championship Game when he collided with Cleveland linebacker Jim Houston on a quarterback run and knocked Houston out of the game. Houston fell as if he were shot. Kapp casually got up and swaggered back to the huddle.

Minnesota led the NFL in scoring and allowed the fewest points in the league. Their defense, known as the “Purple People Eaters,” was among the best. Despite their high-scoring offense, the Vikings had a no-frills personality that came from head coach Bud Grant. Minnesota only had a few formations and plays in their playbook but ran them with precision.

Super Bowl Bets – Chiefs Take the Hard Road

Kansas City finished 11-3 but second to the Oakland Raiders in the AFL West. Although the term “Wild Card” wasn’t yet part of pro football’s vernacular, the Chiefs made the playoffs because the AFL created a new format where the 2^nd place teams got in. Like many others from the AFL, the idea proved to be decades ahead of its time.

However, Kansas City got no favors in the playoffs. They had to go to New York and defeat the defending World Champion Jets 13-6. That win required one of the greatest goal-line stands in pro football history. New York had to settle for a fourth quarter field goal after having a first-and-goal at the Kansas City 1-yard line.

In the final AFL Championship Game at Oakland, the Chiefs escaped with a 17-7 win despite numerous mistakes and turnovers. But their famed Redwood Forest Defense shut down the Raiders all game.

By this time, the Chiefs’ defense was emerging in the public’s minds as one of the most dominant fans had ever seen. Kansas City allowed the fewest points in the 1969 AFL season.

Kansas City was a frustrating team for fans and gamblers. Even AFL critics admitted the Chiefs roster was loaded with talent. But they always seemed to come up short in the biggest games. Head coach Hank Stram was brutally criticized through the years.

Stram was an innovator and sharp dresser. He was accused of being too fancy with his wardrobe and offense, known as “Hand Stram’s Wild West Variety Show.” Stram had his offense do multiple shifts with motion on most plays. And he developed the “moving pocket” to help protect Dawson. His playbook was several inches thick.

But beneath the flash was a physically bruising team that was massive in size and powerful at the line of scrimmage. Supplementing that was superb team speed and the best kicker (Jan Stenerud) and punter (Jerrel Wilson) in pro football.

Odds to win the Super Bowl – Lenny The Cool Faces Fires of Hell

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson suffered a season from hell. He missed half the season with a knee injury, and most doctors told him not to return to action.

Later in the year, his father died a couple of days before the Chiefs played at the defending world champion New York Jets. Dawson played anyway and was stellar in a 34-16 win that put Kansa City on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

And then, on the Monday before the Super Bowl, NBC News reported that Dawson was linked to an FBI investigation regarding organized crime and gambling. The Chiefs had to call a press conference at the team hotel and have Dawson face the press to deny all charges. The issue died forever afterward but not before causing a major distraction.

Online betting Super Bowl – The Wrong Team was Favored

Minnesota’s offense was rendered helpless by the Redwood Forest Defense. Meanwhile, Stram and Dawson stuck to traps, misdirections, reverses, and draws to burn the Vikings’ overly aggressive defense. Kansas City limited its passing to short routes to neutralize the terrifying Vikings pass rush. And Jan Stenerud staked the Chiefs to a 9-0 lead with three field goals to demoralize Minnesota.

One of the Vikings said that Stenerud deserved Super Bowl MVP honors. That is because anytime the Chiefs reached the 50, they were a threat to score. Another Viking player said he knew his team was in trouble when he watched Stenerud and punter Jerrel Wilson during warmups. It was like watching rockets launch into the sky.

As for the toughest Viking of all, quarterback Joe Kapp was knocked out of the game by the punishing Redwood Forest in the fourth quarter.

In the third quarter, the game was clinched when Len Dawson beat a Viking blitz by hitting Otis Taylor on a short hitch pass. Taylor broke a tackle, faked another Viking out of his jock, and took it in for a 46-yard backbreaking touchdown.

At that point, everyone knew the game was over. There was no way plodding Minnesota would come back on the Redwood Forest.

The President of What?

Before the game, President Richard Nixon called Hank Stram to voice his confidence in Len Dawson’s integrity and to wish the Chiefs well. After the game, Nixon called again and asked to speak to Dawson. When a Chiefs PR man told Dawson the President was on the phone for him, Dawson replied, “The President of what?” But the call ended well with Presidential praise and Nixon’s hearty congratulations.

Super Bowl Lines – Hank Stram – Film Star

The night before the game, Ed and Steve Sabol of NFL films knocked on Stram’s door with an offer he couldn’t refuse. The Sabols wanted to wire Stram for sound the entire game. At first, Stram refused. But the Sabols told Stram they wanted to wire him because they expected Kansas City to win. In a 1968 experiment, Stram was wired and impressed the Sabol’s during a big win over the Boston Patriots. After Stram got what he called sufficient “Coin of the Realm,” the Sabols agreed to terms. The idea was a smash hit as Stram was witty, boisterous, and hilarious. It remains the most popular Super Bowl video of all time.

History’s Verdict

With the win, the Kansas City Chiefs and American Football League got even with the NFL. Each league won two of the four “pure” Super Bowls. Kansas City redeemed itself for its loss in Super Bowl I.

When the Jets upset the Colts, it was considered a fluke. But when the Chiefs took apart the Vikings, the unanimous verdict was that the better team won and that the AFL was the equal of the NFL just in time for the merger.

The loaded Chiefs remain one of the most underrated champions ever. In the postseason, they held the three highest-scoring teams in football to seven points or less.   All three games were played away from home. Seven of their 1969 players made the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So too did head coach Hank Stram.

If not for their 1971 Christmas Day loss to the Miami Dolphins in the Longest Game Ever Played, the Chiefs would likely have been in their third Super Bowl out of the first six played. And several other deserving players would probably be in Canton.

Many observers question why the powerful Chiefs didn’t win more championships. The best answer is that, in that era, pro football was loaded with truly dominant teams at the top. The parity that we see today was not envisioned in the 1960s and early 1970s.

As for the 1969 Minnesota Vikings, they left the field as one of the most admired losing teams to have ever played on Super Sunday. Minnesota got three more Super Bowl chances under Grant but was never quite good enough to finish. Yet the Grant Era produced one of the NFL’s most beloved and legendary teams.

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