Super Bowl Summaries

Super Bowl IV
Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7
MVP: QB Len Dawson, Kansas City

January 11, 1970
New Orleans, Louisiana; Tulane Stadium
Attendance: 80,562

IMAGE: Super Bowl IV
Photograph by: Walter Iooss Jr.
Chiefs defensive tackle Buck Buchanan (86) leveled Vikings running back Bill Brown (30).

The Chiefs, who entered the game as 13-point underdogs, took advantage of five Vikings turnovers and dominated the game. By the time the halftime show featuring trumpeter Al Hirt began, Kansas City was up 16-0 and had 10 first downs to Minnesota's four. Dawson had suffered a hellish season—missing six games with a knee injury and enduring the death of his father at the end of the year. Then, five days before the Super Bowl, Dawson was informed that he would be called to testify in a federal investigation into sports gambling. Dawson put his problems behind him and played brilliantly, completing 12 of 17 passes to lead the Chiefs to victory in the last AFL-NFL Super Bowl.

Super Bowl IV Drive Charts and Play-by-Play

Minnesota won the coin toss and elected to receive.

First Quarter
Minnesota (15:00) Stenerud kick into end zone, touchback.
M 20	1–10	Osborn 2 run left tackle (Thomas).
M 22	2–8	Kapp 10 pass to Osborn left (Lanier).
M 32	1–10	B. Brown 3 run left end (Lynch).
M 35	2–7	Kapp 26 pass to Beasley middle.
KC 39	1–10	Osborn 1 run left tackle (Kearney).
KC 38	2–9	Kapp pass to Brown right flat, loss of 1 (Mays).
KC 39	3–10	Kapp pass to Beasley off his fingertips, incomplete.
KC 39	4–10	Lee 22 punt out of bounds at KC 17.
Kansas City (10:58)
KC 17	1–10	Holmes 3 run left tackle (Hilgenberg).
KC 20	2–7	Dawson 17 pass to Garrett left (Sharockman).
KC 37	1–10	Holmes 3 run left (Page).
KC 40	2–7	Garrett 4 run right (Larsen).
KC 44	3–3	Dawson 20 pass to Pitts left (Hilgenberg).
M 36	1–10	Dawson sacked, loss of 8 (Winston).
M 44	2–18	Garrett 3 draw left tackle (Page).
M 41	3–15	Dawson pass to Garrett left broken up (Page).
M 41	4–15	Stenerud, 48–yard field goal (6:52).
	Kansas City scoring drive: 42 yards, 8 plays, 4:06. Kansas City 3, Minnesota 0
Minnesota (6:52) Stenerud kick into end zone, touchback.
M 20	1–10	B. Brown 3 run middle (Culp).
M 23	2–7	Kapp sacked, loss of 6 (Mays).
M 17	3–13	B. Brown 10 sweep left (Buchanan).
M 27	4–3	Lee 45 punt, Mitchell no return. Play nullified and Kansas City penalized 15 for roughing the kicker.
M 42	1–10	Kapp 1 pass to B. Brown right (Kearney).
M 43	2–9	Kapp 1 pass to Osborn left (Lynch).
M 44	3–8	Kapp 6 pass to Henderson right (Marsalis).
50	4–2	Lee 50 punt into end zone, touchback.
Kansas City (3:18)
KC 20	1–10	Dawson 20 pass to Pitts middle (Krause).
KC 40	1–10	Dawson 9 pass to Taylor right flat (Krause).
KC 49	2–1	Garrett 3 run left (Larsen).
M 48	1–10	Garrett 5 run right tackle (Warwick).
M 43	2–5	Holmes draw, loss of 5 (Page).
	END OF FIRST QUARTER: Kansas City 3, Minnesota 0
Second Quarter
M 48	3–10	Dawson pass to Pitts incomplete. Play nullified and Minnesota penalized 17 for pass interference (Sharockman).
M 31	1–10	Dawson 7 pass to Taylor right (Mackbee).
M 24	2–3	Holmes run right, loss of 1 (Winston).
M 25	3–4	Dawson deep pass to Taylor broken up (Mackbee), incomplete.
M 25	4–4	Stenerud, 32–yard field goal (13:20).
	Kansas City scoring drive: 55 yards, 8 plays, 4:58. Kansas City 6, Minnesota 0
Minnesota (13:20) Stenerud kick to M 13, West 19 return (Daney).
M 32	1–10	Osborn run left, no gain (Culp).
M 32	2–10	Kapp 16 pass to Henderson, fumbled, recovered by Kansas City at M 48, Robinson 2 return.
Kansas City (11:48)
M 46	1–10	Garrett run right tackle, loss of 1 (Page).
M 47	2–11	Dawson deep pass to Taylor intercepted at M 7, Krause no return (Taylor).
Minnesota (11:09)
M 7	1–10	Osborn 3 run right (Buchanan).
M 10	2–7	Kapp deep pass to Washington broken up (Thomas), incomplete.
M 10	3–7	Minnesota penalized 5 for delay of game.
M 5	3–12	Kapp deep pass to Grim incomplete.
M 5	4–12	Lee 39 punt, Garrett no return (Tingelhoff).
Kansas City (10:05)
M 44	1–10	Pitts 19 reverse right (Mackbee).
M 25	1–10	Minnesota penalized 5 for offsides.
M 20	1–5	Dawson keeper middle, no gain (Larsen).
M 20	2–5	Hayes 1 run left (Marshall).
M 19	3–4	Hayes 2 draw left (Hilgenberg).
M 17	4–2	Stenerud, 25–yard field goal (7:52).
	Kansas City scoring drive: 27 yards, 4 plays, 2:13. Kansas City 9, Minnesota 0
Minnesota (7:52) Stenerud kick to M 11, West no return, fumbled, Prudhomme recovered for Kansas City at M 19.
Kansas City (7:21)
M 19	1–10	Dawson sacked, loss of 8 (Marshall).
M 27	2–18	Hayes 13 draw middle (Winston).
M 14	3–5	Dawson 10 pass to Taylor right (Mackbee).
M 4	1–goal	Garrett run left end, loss of 1 (Marshall).
M 5	2–goal	Dawson keeper middle, no gain (Dickson).
M 5	3–goal	Garrett 5 trap draw over left guard, touchdown (5:34). Stenerud kicked extra point.
	Kansas City scoring drive: 19 yards, 6 plays, 1:47. Kansas City 16, Minnesota 0
Minnesota (5:34) Stenerud kick to M 5, West 27 return (Prudhomme).
M 32	1–10	Kapp 27 pass to Henderson middle.
KC 41	1–10	Kapp pass to Reed incomplete (Lanier).
KC 41	2–10	Kapp sacked, loss of 8 (Buchanan).
KC 49	3–18	Kapp pass to Henderson broken up (Marsalis), incomplete.
KC 49	4–18	Cox’s 56–yard field-goal attempt was short, fielded at KC 7, McVea 17 return (Tingelhoff).
Kansas City (3:20)
KC 24	1–10	McVea run left, loss of 1 (Warwick, Page).
KC 23	2–11	McVea 2 sweep right (Page). Two–Minute Warning.
KC 25	3–9	McVea 9 sweep right (Eller).
KC 34	1–10	Pitts 11 reverse right (Eller).
KC 45	1–10	Dawson 3 pass to Taylor right (Mackbee).
KC 48	2–7	Hayes 3 run middle (Warwick, Winston).
M 49	3–4	Dawson pass to McVea broken up (Hilgenberg), incomplete.
M 49	4–4	Wilson 34 punt, Grim fair catch. Play nullified and Kansas City penalized 5 for illegal procedure.
KC 46	4–9	Wilson 44 punt downed at M 10.
Minnesota (:23)
M 10	1–10	Kapp deep pass to Washington incomplete (Thomas).
M 10	2–10	Kapp 2 keeper middle (Buchanan).
	END OF SECOND QUARTER: Kansas City 16, Minnesota 0
Third Quarter
Kansas City (15:00) Cox kick 3 yards into end zone, Hayes 18 return (Harris).
KC 15	1–10	McVea 5 sweep left (Marshall).
KC 20	2–5	Dawson 6 pass to Taylor right (Mackbee).
KC 26	1–10	Garrett 6 run right tackle (Winston).
KC 32	2–4	Hayes run right, loss of 2 (Hilgenberg).
KC 30	3–6	Dawson 8 pass to Garrett left (Sharockman).
KC 38	1–10	Dawson pass to Richardson broken up (Mackbee), incomplete.
KC 38	2–10	Dawson 3 screen pass left to Hayes (Marshall).
KC 41	3–7	Dawson 8 pass to Arbanas. Play nullified and Kansas City penalized 15 from spot of foul (KC 34) for holding.
KC 19	3–29	Garrett 6 sweep left (Warwick).
KC 25	4–23	Wilson 55 punt, West 11 return (Stein).
Minnesota (9:06)
M 31	1–10	B. Brown run left, no gain (Culp).
M 31	2–10	Kapp 15 pass to Beasley left (Kearney).
M 46	1–10	B. Brown 2 run right (Lanier).
M 48	2–8	Kapp 7 run evading pass rush (Bell, Lanier).
KC 45	3–1	Osborn 1 run left tackle (Lanier, Kearney).
KC 44	1–10	B. Brown 8 run left (Bell).
KC 36	2–2	Kapp 11 screen to B. Brown left (Buchanan).
KC 25	1–10	Kapp 9 pass to Henderson right (Marsalis).
KC 16	2–1	Kapp 12 pass to Reed left (Kearney).
KC 4	1–goal	Osborn 4 run off right tackle, touchdown (4:32). Cox kicked extra point.
	Minnesota scoring drive: 69 yards, 10 plays, 4:34. Kansas City 16, Minnesota 7
Kansas City (4:32) Cox kick to KC 2, Hayes 16 return (Hackbart).
KC 18	1–10	Garrett 5 run left (Hilgenberg).
KC 23	2–5	Hayes 6 draw middle (Warwick).
KC 29	1–10	Garrett 4 run right (Hilgenberg).
KC 33	2–6	Dawson 3 pass to Pitts left. Play nullified and Kansas City penalized 5 for illegal procedure.
KC 28	2–11	Hayes 4 draw middle (Warwick).
KC 32	3–7	Pitts 7 reverse right (Mackbee).
KC 39	1–10	Dawson pass to Pitts deep overthrown, incomplete. Play nullified and Minnesota penalized 15 for personal foul.
M 46	1–10	Dawson 46 pass to Taylor right sideline, caught at M 41, broke two tackles, and went down sideline, touchdown (1:22). Stenerud kicked extra point.
	Kansas City scoring drive: 82 yards, 6 plays, 3:10. Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7
Minnesota (1:22) Stenerud kick to M 4, Jones 33 return (Mitchell).
M 37	1–10	Reed 1 run left tackle (Buchanan).
M 38	2–9	Kapp 9 pass to Henderson (Marsalis).
	END OF THIRD QUARTER: Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7
Fourth Quarter
M 47	1–10	Osborn 4 sweep left (Lanier).
KC 49	2–6	Reed 3 run left (Lanier).
KC 46	3–3	Kapp pass to Beasley intercepted at KC 34, Lanier 9 return (Vellone).
Kansas City (13:48)
KC 43	1–10	Dawson screen to Pitts, loss of 7 (Sharockman).
KC 36	2–17	McVea 4 run left (Warwick).
KC 40	3–13	McVea 1 sweep left (Hilgenberg).
KC 41	4–12	Wilson 59 punt into end zone, touchback.
Minnesota (11:29)
M 20	1–10	Kapp 2 pass to Reed. Play nullified and Minnesota penalized 10 (half the distance) for illegal man downfield.
M 10	1–20	Kapp deep pass to Henderson incomplete.
M 10	2–20	Kapp 28 pass to Henderson right (Marsalis).
M 38	1–10	Kapp pass to Beasley intercepted at KC 40, Robinson 9 return (Grim).
Kansas City (10:22)
KC 49	1–10	McVea run left, loss of 1 (Warwick).
KC 48	2–11	McVea 4 sweep left (Sharockman).
M 48	3–7	McVea run left tackle, no gain (Hilgenberg).
M 48	4–7	Wilson 36 punt, West 7 return (Belser).
Minnesota (7:52)
M 19	1–10	Kapp 9 pass to Washington left (Thomas).
M 28	2–1	Reed sweep left, loss of 2 (A. Brown).
M 26	3–3	Kapp 4 pass to Reed right (Bell).
M 30	1–10	Kapp sacked, loss of 13 (A. Brown), fumbled, Vellone recovered for Minnesota at M 17. Kapp injured.
M 17	2–23	Reed 15 run right (Thomas).
M 32	3–8	Cuozzo 16 pass to Henderson middle (Kearney).
M 48	1–10	Cuozzo pass to Washington overthrown, incomplete.
M 48	2–10	Cuozzo pass to Henderson intercepted at KC 28, Thomas 6 return (B. Brown).
Kansas City (4:00)
KC 34	1–10	Dawson 11 run around left end (Hilgenberg).
KC 45	1–10	McVea run left tackle, loss of 1 (Warwick).
KC 44	2–11	McVea run right, no gain (Winston). Two–Minute Warning.
KC 44	3–11	Dawson sacked, loss of 4 (Eller). Minnesota penalized 15 for personal foul.
M 45	1–10	McVea 4 run around left end (Marshall).
M 41	2–6	Hayes 4 run left tackle (Warwick).
M 37	3–2	Holmes 7 run right tackle (Warwick).
	FINAL SCORE: Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7
	FINAL RECORDS: Kansas City 14–3, Minnesota 14–3

Super Bowl IV Boxscore

                           SCORING
Minnesota                                   0  0  7  0 --  7
Kansas City                                 3 13  7  0 -- 23

KC-  FG Stenerud 48,  8:08 1st

KC-  FG Stenerud 32,  1:40 2nd
KC-  FG Stenerud 25,  7:08 2nd
KC-  Garrett 5 run  (Stenerud kick),  9:26 2nd

MIN- Osborn 4 run  (Cox kick), 10:28 3rd
KC-  Taylor 46 pass from Dawson (Stenerud kick), 13:38 3rd


TEAM STATISTICS                          Minn.          K.C.
Total First Downs                          13             19
  Rushing                                   2              9
  Passing                                  10              7
  Penalty                                   1              3
Total Net Yardage                         239            273
Total Offensive Plays                      50             62
  Average Gain per Offensive Play           4.8            4.4
Rushes                                     19             42
  Yards Gained Rushing (Net)               67            151
  Average Yards per Rush                    3.5            3.6
Passes Attempted                           28             17
  Passes Completed                         17             12
  Had Intercepted                           3              1
  Tackled Attempting to Pass                3              3
  Yards Lost Attempting to Pass            27             20
  Yards Gained Passing (Net)              172            122
Punts                                       3              4
  Average Distance                         37.0           48.5
Punt Returns                                2              1
  Punt Return Yardage                      18              0
Kickoff Returns                             4              2
  Kickoff Return Yardage                   79             36
Interception Return Yardage                 0             24
Fumbles                                     3              0
  Own Fumbles Recovered                     1              0
  Opponent Fumbles Recovered                0              2
Penalties                                   6              4
  Yards Penalized                          67             47
Total Points Scored                         7             23
Touchdowns                                  1              2
  Rushing                                   1              1
  Passing                                   0              1
  Returns                                   0              0
Extra Points                                1              2
Field Goals                                 0              3
  Field Goals Attempted                     1              3
Safeties                                    0              0
Third-Down Efficiency                     3/9           7/15
Fourth-Down Efficiency                    0/0            0/0
Time of Possession                      25:27          34:33

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing
Minnesota                         No.      Yds.     LG    TD
Brown                              6        26      10     0
Reed                               4        17      15     0
Osborn                             7        15       4t    1
Kapp                               2         9       7     0
Kansas City                       No.      Yds.     LG    TD
Garrett                           11        39       6     1
Pitts                              3        37      19     0
Hayes                              8        31      13     0
McVea                             12        26       9     0
Dawson                             3        11      11     0
Holmes                             5         7       7     0

Passing
Minnesota                    Att.   Comp.    Yds.   TD   Int.
Kapp                          25      16     183     0     2
Cuozzo                         3       1      16     0     1
Kansas City                  Att.   Comp.    Yds.   TD   Int.
Dawson                        17      12     142     1     1

Receiving
Minnesota                         No.      Yds.     LG    TD
Henderson                          7       111      28     0
Brown                              3        11      11     0
Beasley                            2        41      26     0
Reed                               2        16      12     0
Osborn                             2        11      10     0
Washington                         1         9       9     0
Kansas City                       No.      Yds.     LG    TD
Taylor                             6        81      46t    1
Pitts                              3        33      20     0
Garrett                            2        25      17     0
Hayes                              1         3       3     0

Interceptions
Minnesota                         No.      Yds.     LG    TD
Krause                             1         0       0     0
Kansas City                       No.      Yds.     LG    TD
Lanier                             1         9       9     0
Robinson                           1         9       9     0
Thomas                             1         6       6     0

Punting
Minnesota                         No.      Avg.     LG   Blk.
Lee                                3        37.0    50     0
Kansas City                       No.      Avg.     LG   Blk.
Wilson                             4        48.5    59     0

Punt Returns
Minnesota                        No.   FC     Yds.   LG   TD
West                              2     0      18    11    0
Kansas City                      No.   FC     Yds.   LG   TD
Garrett                           1     0       0     0    0

Kickoff Returns
Minnesota                         No.      Yds.     LG    TD
West                               3        46      27     0
Jones                              1        33      33     0
Kansas City                       No.      Yds.     LG    TD
Garrett                            1        18      18     0
Hayes                              1        18      18     0
   

   Minnesota Vikings           Kansas City Chiefs 
  
                   ==  Offense  ==                     
Tingelhoff, Mick        C    Holub, E.J.             C 
Sunde, Milt             G    Budde, Ed               G 
Vellone, Jim            G    Moorman, Mo             G 
Alderman, Grady         T    Hill, Dave H.           T 
Yary, Ron               T    Tyrer, Jim              T 
Beasley, John           TE   Arbanas, Fred           TE
Henderson, John         WR   Pitts, Frank            WR
Washington, Gene        WR   Taylor, Otis            WR
Brown, Bill             RB   Garrett, Mike L.        RB
Osborn, Dave            RB   Holmes, Robert          RB
Kapp, Joe               QB   Dawson, Len             QB

                   ==  Defense  ==                      
Larsen, Gary            DT   Buchanan, Buck          DT 
Page, Alan              DT   Culp, Curley            DT 
Eller, Carl             DE   Brown, Aaron L.         DE 
Marshall, Jim           DE   Mays, Jerry A.          DE 
Hilgenberg, Wally       OLB  Bell, Bobby Sr.         OLB
Winston, Roy            OLB  Lynch, Jim              OLB
Warwick, Lonnie         MLB  Lanier, Willie          MLB
Mackbee, Earsell        CB   Marsalis, Jim           CB 
Sharockman, Ed          CB   Thomas, Emmitt          CB 
Kassulke, Karl          SS   Kearney, Jim            SS 
Krause, Paul            SS   Robinson, Johnny        SS 

                  ==  Substitute  ==                    
Cox, Fred                    Belser, Caesar             
Cuozzo, Gary                 Daney, George              
Dickson, Paul                Hayes, Wendell             
Grim, Bob                    Hurston, Chuck             
Hackbart, Dale               Livingston, Mike           
Hargrove, James              Lothamer, Ed               
Harris, William A.           McClinton, Curtis          
Jones, Clint                 McVea, Warren              
Kramer, Kent                 Mitchell, Willie           
Lee, Bob                     Podolak, Ed                
Lindsey, Jim                 Prudhomme, Remi            
McGill, Mike                 Richardson, Gloster        
Reed, Oscar                  Sellers, Goldie            
Smith, Steve                 Stein, Bob                 
West, Charlie                Stenerud, Jan              
White, Ed                    Trosch, Gene                                      Wilson, Jerrel             

                  ==  Did Not Play  ==                   
Davis, Doug                   Flores, Tom                
Reilly, Mike

Super Bowl IV Recap

The AFL squared the Super Bowl with the NFL at two games apiece. The Chiefs built a 16-0 halftime lead behind Len Dawson's superb quarterbacking, Jan Stenerud's three field goals.

THE VIKINGS, WHO GAINED 222 YARDS RUSHING in the NFL Championship Game against Cleveland, managed just 67 yards on the ground against Kansas City.

Dawson, the fourth consecutive quarterback to be named the game's most valuable player, completed 12 of 17 tosses for 142 yards.

Despite commiting five turnovers, Minnesota got right back in the game on Dave Osborn's short TD plunge in the third quarter. But the Chiefs came back as Dawson hit Otis Taylor for 46 yards and the final points of the contest.

Super Bowl IV Photos

Super Bowl during pregame festivities before the Minnesota Vikings play in a 23 to 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Pre-game hot air balloon lands in the crowd in an accident at the Super Bowl IV game of the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Minnesota Vikings played on January 11, 1970 at the Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Tonight Show band leader Doc Severinsen performs before the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson (16).

(Associated Press Photo)

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Hank Stram.

(Associated Press Photo)

Pro Football Hall of Fame and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson (16) calls the play in the huddle during the Chiefs 23-7 victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV on 1/11/1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans Louisiana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson (16) of the Kansas City Chiefs calls the next play in the huddle during the Chiefs 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dawson was named the game's MVP.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Hall of Fame place kicker Jan Stenerud (3) of the Kansas City Chiefs kicks a field goal during the Chiefs 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jim Lynch (51) opposing the Minnesota Vikings offense in the Chiefs 23-7 victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Kansas City Chiefs running back Wendell Hayes (38) runs in the open field during Super Bowl IV, a 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Kansas City Chiefs guard Ed Budde (71) lines up during Super Bowl IV, a 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joe Kapp (11) drops back to pass during the Vikings 23-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Minnesota Vikings guard Ed White (62) during the Vikings 23-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Photo by NFL/WireImage.com)

Kansas City coach Hank Stram is carried from the field Jan. 11, 1970 in New Orleans after his team defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.

(Associated Press Photo)

Super Bowl Index:

Super Bowl IV Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7 MVP: QB Len Dawson, Kansas City

Super Bowl IV Drive Charts and Play-by-Play

Super Bowl IV Boxscore

Super Bowl IV Recap

Super Bowl IV Photos

Super Bowl IV
Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7
MVP: QB Len Dawson, Kansas City