SUPER BOWL IV QUOTE OF THE DAY 

"Pump it in there, baby. Just keep matriculating the ball down the field, boys."

 

-Chief Coach Hank Stram as caught on the sidelines of Super Bowl IV by NFL Films. The Chiefs beat the Vikings 23-7 on January 11, 1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans to tie the NFL and AFL at 2 victories each in the season immediately preceding inter-league play and the full NFL-AFL merger in 1970. 



FROM WIKIPEDIA . . .

Super Bowl IV, the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, was played on a January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. The American Football League (AFL) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football League (NFL) champion Minnesota Vikings by the score of 23-7. This victory by the AFL squared the Super Bowl series with the NFL at two games apiece. This was also the final AFL-NFL World Championship Game before the two leagues fully merged into one after the season.

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; the Vikings entered the Super Bowl as 12.5 to 13-point favorites. Minnesota posted a 12-2 record during the 1969 NFL season before defeating the Cleveland Browns, 27-7, in the 1969 NFL Championship Game. The Chiefs, who previously appeared in the first Super Bowl, finished the 1969 AFL season at 11-3, and defeated the Oakland Raiders, 17-7, in the 1969 AFL Championship 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.

For the first time, a famous celebrity was featured during the Super Bowl halftime show. After three consecutive years of school bands, singer and comedienne Carol Channing led a tribute to Mardi Gras. 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.

Ten-year AFL patch worn by the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV.

Many people believed that Len Dawson's level of play in the AFL was not comparable to the NFL. Dawson himself had spent 5 seasons in the NFL as a backup before going to the AFL and becoming one of its top quarterbacks. "The AFL saved my career," said Dawson.^[3] In his 8 AFL seasons, he had thrown more touchdown passes (182) than any other professional football quarterback during that time. But because many still viewed the AFL as being inferior to the NFL, his records were not considered significant. Dawson's first chance to prove himself against an NFL team ended in failure, with his Chiefs losing 35-10 in Super Bowl I, reinforcing the notion that his success was only due to playing in the "inferior league".

[edit] Television and entertainment

Super Bowl IV was broadcast in the United States by CBS with play-by-play announcer Jack Buck and color commentators Pat Summerall and Frank Gifford. While the game was sold out at Tulane Stadium, the NFL's unconditional blackout rules prohibited the live telecast from being shown in the New Orleans area.

Trumpeters Al Hirt and Doc Severinsen "faced off" during the pregame show in a "Battle of the Horns". A planned hot-air balloon race fizzled when the balloon marked NFL and carrying a "Viking" lifted off prematurely, failed to gain altitude, and crashed into the stands in the end zone. Apollo astronauts then recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and Hirt later performed the national anthem. Actress and singer Carol Channing was featured during the halftime show that paid tribute to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The Southern University Marching Band was also featured during the halftime show, playing "Get Ready", and several New Orleans jazz standards with Hirt, and Lionel Hampton. The band also did a dance routine to "Rampart Street", and performed the background music to a Battle of New Orleans recreation.

[edit] Hank Stram "miked for sound"

The night before the game, Ed Sabol of NFL Films met with Hank Stram and convinced Stram to wear a hidden microphone during the game so his comments could be recorded for the NFL Films Super Bowl IV film. They agreed the microphone would be kept secret. 

This would be the first time that a head coach had worn a microphone during a Super Bowl. This has led to one of the best-known and most popular of the NFL Films Super Bowl films due to the constant chatter and wisecracking of Stram.  The success and popularity of this first Super Bowl wiring of a winning head coach led to 24 years of Newman continuing to wire players and coaches for NFL Films.

Some excerpts of Stram include:

• Observing the confusion in the Vikings defense: "Look at Kassulke (Viking SS Karl Kassulke) out there, it looks like he's in a Chinese fire drill." 

• Before the Chiefs' first touchdown, he sent in the play "65 toss power trap." When the Chiefs scored on the play, Stram laughed while yelling to his players on the bench, "Ha ha, 65 toss power trap! What'd I tell ya, boys? 65 toss power trap! Ha ha."

• On Otis Taylor's touchdown reception that clinched the game, Stram is heard yelling and laughing while Taylor is running to the end zone "Ha ha, go Otis, that a baby! Woo hoo!"