The stage for Kansas Citys upset of Minnesota in the fourth edition of the Super Bowl was essentially set the year before, when the brash New York Jets toppled the Baltimore Colts and showed how an upstart AFL team could beat an opponent from the supposedly superior NFL.
There was no more ominous sign of trouble for the Vikings, though, than during the pregame pageantry on that blustery, gloomy afternoon on Jan. 11, 1970, in New Orleans. As a mascot for the Vikings climbed into the basket of a hot air balloon, the wind sent his ride careening out of control and crashing into the seats that sent fans in that area scrambling for safety.
Thanks to the Chiefs, well, the Vikings themselves never got off the ground that afternoon, either. The 23-7 victory by Kansas City was the perfect way for the AFL to wrap up a decade of existence in the last Super Bowl before the two leagues merged.
Minnesota had not only the highest-scoring team in the NFL, but the stingiest defense with an average of only 9.5 points per game allowed. The Chiefs, meanwhile, finished behind the Oakland Raiders in the AFLs West Division that season and were pegged as a 13-point underdog.
They took a stronger, smarter group to Tulane Stadium than the one that lost 35-10 to the Green Bay Packers in the first Super Bowl, though, and head coach Hank Stram was an inspiring innovator who directed a shrewd strategy on offense and defense to keep the Vikings off kilter.
We looked at each other and thought, No way. We dont think these guys can score on us, said Chiefs linebacker Bobby Bell, one of six future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the defense alone. Thats what we told our offense.
Bell and his fellow linebackers stacked up behind the defensive linemen to keep the Vikings continually guessing. The Chiefs forced five turnovers and harassed Minnesotas Joe Kapp so thoroughly that one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL was forced out in the fourth quarter with shoulder, rib and elbow injuries.
There wasnt any doubt that the better team won, Kapp told the Minneapolis Tribune that day. The Kansas City defense looked like a redwood forest. I cant remember one individual playing better than any other. They all seemed to stand out.
Jan Stenerud, the Norwegian soccer-style kicker and another Hall of Famer who wound up finishing his career with the Vikings, made three field goals for the Chiefs. The Vikings had three eventual Hall of Fame players on their defense, including Alan Page and Carl Eller on the feared Purple People Eaters front four, and a head coach in Bud Grant who like Stram wound up enshrined in Canton.
The Vikings werent prepared for the progressive formations and plays Stram sent in for quarterback Len Dawson to operate out of, though, as the NFL took a clear step forward from the pure smashmouth style of the 1960s.
Stram was famously miked up for NFL Films during the game, the first coach to do so. His ceaseless sideline chattering and cackling became the soundtrack for Kansas Citys decisive triumph, including this oft-quoted moment of encouragement: Just keep matriculating the ball down the field, boys.
Here is a closer look at how that game influenced each franchise:
KANSAS CITY
The Vikings exacted a small measure of revenge in the conveniently scheduled opener of the following regular season, beating Kansas City 27-10 behind four turnovers forced including interceptions of Dawson by Karl Kassulke and Paul Krause. The Chiefs finished just 7-5-2 in 1970.
