Perhaps none was more important that the Chiefs big upset of the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. The innovative coach won more games and more championships than any other team in the league history. Under his guidance, the team won AFL titles in 19 and was the only coach in AFL history to take his team to two Super Bowls. From the beginning, it was Stram who built the team into winners. The win also put an exclamation point on the success enjoyed by the Chiefs throughout their years in the AFL, a league founded by owner Lamar Hunt. With the Vikings playing catch-up and forced to throw often, Kansas City’s relentless defense intercepted three passes in the fourth quarter to seal the win.įor the Chiefs, the victory avenged their loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I. That allowed the Chiefs to build a comfortable 16-0 halftime lead off three Stenerud field goals and a 5-yard touchdown run by Mike Garrett. The Chiefs defense – anchored by Hall of Famers Lanier, Bell and Buchanan - stymied the Vikings offense. While the focus of the game was on the tough Vikings defense versus the Chiefs’ offense led by Dawson, it turned out to be the formidable Kansas City defense that stole the show. As such, the Chiefs took the field with an “AFL-10” patch on their jerseys to signify their pride in the league that existed for 10 seasons from 1960 to 1969. ![]() The AFL and NFL were to begin play as one league the following season. Perhaps overlooked was the fact that the Hank Stram-led Chiefs had a rather well-balanced team that had been on a roll through the end of the regular season and into the playoffs.Īdding fuel to the fire was the fact that Kansas City was playing in the last game ever by an AFL team. ![]() ![]() Carl Eller, Alan Page, Gary Larsen and Jim Marshall comprised the famed “Purple People Eaters.” Like the Jets, the Chiefs were big underdogs heading into the Super Bowl game against the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.Īfter all, the Vikings were led by one of the most dominating defensive lines in history. One season later, the Kansas City Chiefs represented the AFL in pro football’s title game. The American Football League was soaking in the limelight after the New York Jets’ stunning upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. “The Chiefs players were all laughing at Oakland’s players.” “As the Chiefs were waiting for the team buses, they saw all the Oakland players leave the stadium with their bags in their hands, going home instead of the Super Bowl,” Kansas City team historian Bob Moore said. Kansas City went into Oakland and stunned the Raiders 17-7, sending the Chiefs (and not the bags-packed Raiders) to New Orleans. But Stram’s team took the game that mattered. They had won the West with a 12-2 record and beaten the Chiefs in two regular-season match-ups. Send them home unpacking: The Oakland Raiders’ players were so sure they’d dispatch the Chiefs in the AFL Championship Game that they packed their bags to head to the Super Bowl after the game. The Chiefs dominated the Vikings, who were a 13-point favorite. Most impressive win: The 23-7 win over Minnesota in Super Bowl IV. That defense was really the difference-maker for that team.” “I remember that playoff run and we just didn’t give anything up. ![]() “Our defense was special,” Stenerud said. Minnesota’s high-powered offense managed a meager seven points during Super Bowl IV. During the playoffs, they limited the Jets and Raiders to a combined 13 points. Even though Dawson missed six games because of an injury, the defense kept the Chiefs on the Super Bowl highway. Kansas City had to beat the Jets and Raiders on the road in the playoffs before they had a chance to upset Minnesota in the Super Bowl.īut Kansas City’s defense buried teams all season. They ended the season with an 11-3 record and finished a game behind the Oakland Raiders in the AFL’s Western Division. The team’s road to the Super Bowl was not easy. Stram was known for his innovative coaching, big personality, snappy clothes and an absolute love for his players. The Chiefs were stacked with future Pro Football Hall of Fame players Len Dawson, Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, Willie Lanier, Emmitt Thomas and Jan Stenerud, and led by legendary coach Hank Stram. Three years earlier, the same group lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I.īut it all came together in 1969. The 1969 Kansas City Chiefs were a veteran outfit that played together for quite while.
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