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| Date | January 11, 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Len Dawson, quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Vikings by 13.5[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | John McDonough | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 80,562 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Doc Severinsen with Pat O'Brien | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | John McDonough | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Southern University Band, re-enactment of the Battle of New Orleans | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jack Buck and Pat Summerall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 39.4 (est. 44.3 million viewers) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Market share | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | $78,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS Radio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Bob Reynolds and Tom Hedrick | ||||||||||||||||||
Super Bowl IV was an American football game played on January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the fourth and final AFL–NFL World Championship Game in professional football prior to the AFL–NFL merger taking effect the following season. The American Football League (AFL) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football League (NFL) champion Minnesota Vikings by the score of 23–7.[2][3][4][5] This victory by the AFL squared the Super Bowl series with the NFL at two games apiece as the two leagues merged after the game.[6]
Despite the AFL's New York Jets winning the previous season's Super Bowl, many sports writers and fans thought it was a fluke and continued to believe that the NFL was still superior to the AFL, and thus fully expected the Vikings to defeat the Chiefs;[7] the Vikings entered the Super Bowl as 13½ point favorites.[1][2][8][9] Minnesota posted a 12–2 record in 1969, then defeated the Los Angeles Rams 23–20 for the Western Conference title,[10] and the Cleveland Browns 27–7 in the NFL Championship Game.[11] The Chiefs, who previously appeared in the first Super Bowl, finished the regular season at 11–3; they continued with two road wins in the AFL playoffs, dethroning the New York Jets 13–6, and then taking down division rival Oakland Raiders 17–7 in the final AFL title game.
Under wet conditions, the Chiefs defense dominated Super Bowl IV by limiting the Minnesota offense to only 67 rushing yards, forcing three interceptions, and recovering two fumbles. Kansas City's Len Dawson became the fourth consecutive winning quarterback to be named Super Bowl MVP. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. Dawson also recorded three rushing attempts for 11 yards.
Super Bowl IV is also notable for NFL Films miking up the Chiefs' Hank Stram during the game, the first time that a head coach had worn a microphone during a Super Bowl.
- ^ a b Loomis, Tom (January 11, 1971). "Vikings, Chiefs violent". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. D1 – via Google News.
- ^ a b "Dawson leads Chiefs to 23-7 Super Bowl upset". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. January 12, 1970. p. 6. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ Maule, Tex (January 19, 1970). "Wham, bam, Stram!". Sports Illustrated. p. 10. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ "Dawson sends Vikings reeling in Super Bowl". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 12, 1970. p. 3B. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ Johnson, Chuck (January 12, 1970). "Super Chiefs beat Vikings in every way". Milwaukee Journal. p. 13, part 2.
- ^ Livingston, Pat (January 12, 1970). "Super Chiefs roar past Vikings". Pittsburgh Press. p. 61.
- ^ "Viks get big margins in polls". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. January 11, 1970. p. 13.
- ^ DiNitto, Marcus (January 25, 2015). "Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll". Sporting News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Super Bowl History". Vegas Insider. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Maule, Tex (January 5, 1970). "The Purple Gang rubs out L.A." Sports Illustrated. p. 10. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ Maule, Tex (January 12, 1970). "Kapping the Browns". Sports Illustrated. p. 10. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.