From the late 1960s through the late 1970s, the Vikings’ storyline was great promise followed by bitter disappointment. It all started in 1969.
In 1961, the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings were born in expansion. Under the direction of Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin, they achieved a winning record in just their fourth season, going 8–5–1 in 1964. But their winning ways didn’t last long. The following season they finished 7–7. They were 4–9–1 in 1966 and decided to let Coach Van Brocklin go.
To replace him, in 1967, the Vikings hired Bud Grant, a coach who had achieved great success in the Canadian Football League. But their record didn’t get any better–Minnesota only won three games.
But despite the poor start, the future looked bright. The Vikings drafted two future Hall of Fame players in defensive tackle Alan Page (1967) and offensive tackle Ron Yary (1968). They also acquired QB Joe Kapp, who was an eight-year CFL veteran.
It Begins
Things began to click. In 1968, under Kapp’s fiery leadership, the Vikings finished 8–6 and made the playoffs (losing to the Colts 24–14).
With continued draft success (guard Ed White came in 1969), the team had high hopes for the 1969 season. The season didn’t start as they had hoped, dropping the season opener to the New York Giants with former Viking Fran Tarkenton at the helm.
But that loss didn’t shake the team’s confidence. Minnesota came back strong in Week 2 with a convincing 52–14 victory over the same team–Baltimore–that had beaten them just nine months earlier. QB Joe Kapp, who didn’t play against the Giants (knee injury), threw seven touchdown passes against the Colts.
Then, Minnesota went on to win its next five games–convincingly, too–including a Week 4 shutout of the Bears. After a Week 8 blasting of the playoff-bound Browns (51–3), the Vikings stood 7–1, and the League took notice.
After squeaking by the Packers, 9–7, in Week 9, the Vikings demolished the Steelers, 52–14, in Week 10, and shut out the Lions (27–0) the following week. With two more wins against the Rams and 49ers, Minnesota had won 12 consecutive games–a streak that ended in the season finale against the Falcons.
But Coach Grant wasn’t concerned about the meaningless loss to the Falcons. The Vikings were ranked #1 on defense, and in six games, they held opponents to seven points or less with two shutouts. For the season, they allowed just 133 points. On offense, Minnesota scored a whopping 379 points, and they scored +50 points in three games.
Playoff Time
Now, it was off to the playoffs.
On December 27, the Vikings defeated the LA Rams 23–20 in a hard-fought game, and the win earned them the right to play in what would be the NFL’s final championship game (the NFL-AFL merger took place the following season). On January 4, 1970, Minnesota beat the Browns by twenty points to qualify for Super Bowl IV.
Minnesota's Super Bowls
Their opponent was the AFL champion, Kansas City Chiefs. Under the leadership of the indomitable Hank Stram, KC was on a roll–winning three AFL Championships and appearing in the first Super Bowl. In 1969, the Chiefs finished the regular season with an 11–3 record, and they got to the Super Bowl by defeating the defending Super Bowl Champ New York Jets and the always-tough Oakland Raiders.
But as good as 1969 was to the Chiefs, it paled in comparison to the Vikings’ season. Minnesota had such outstanding balance, and the stats showed they were superior to the Chiefs on both sides of the ball.
But the game is played on the field. The heavily-favored Vikings were down 16–0 before they got on the scoreboard. It was too little too late, and the Chiefs went on to win the game, 23–7.
Just like the 1968 Colts the year before, the 1969 Vikings’ brilliant season ended with a stunning defeat–losing the one game that mattered most.
As history would have it, the 1970 Super Bowl was Joe Kapp’s final game for the Vikings. Minnesota’s solid play would continue, as would their poor Super Bowl record. The Vikings appeared in three more Super Bowls–and they lost all three, the last in 1977.
Learn more about each of the Super Bowls the Vikings were involved in at the links below.
Mark Morthier is the host of Yesterday’s Sports, a podcast dedicated to reliving memorable sports moments from his childhood days and beyond. He grew up in New Jersey just across from New York City, so many of his episodes revolve around the great sport’s teams of the 70s for the New York area.
He is also an author of No Nonsense, Old School Weight Training (Second Edition): A Guide for People with Limited Time and Running Wild: (Growing Up in the 1970s)
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Joe Kapp is my kinda QB! I feel most football-fans agree! Yes, a true QB, the position he should have played instead of any other, but more-so a FOOTBALL PLAYER! Running back, a small tight end, a real small DL, a linebacker, gunner on special teams, etc…he could have PLAYED those positions! Perhaps a ‘rugged’ 25-year-precursor of ‘Slash’ he could have been!
Yes, Tarkenton is the Hall of Famer – yes, was the stronger QB – but I feel that out of all the Viking SB-teams that ’69 was their best. Like the ’75 Steelers & ’91 Washington succeeding them, they really should be treated as a 1-loss team instead of a 2-loss team. It’s just that they lost a meaningless finale. Had they won that finale, making it 13-1, perhaps they’d be right there in the running – right alongside the ’68 Colts – as “best team to not win-it-all”. The following two seasons – ’70 & ’71 – a Lombardi Trophy, or two, may have very well been left on the table due to Joe Kapp no longer being present!
If not for an infamous ‘Hail Mary’, being that Minnesota did have the Rams’ number at the time, the Vikings very likely tack on another NFC crown. But the AFC simply ruled the ’70s, and those Bud Grant teams could not have run into tougher SB-opponents!
Thanks for commenting on my article. I wasn’t a Vikings fan. In fact, they were one of the teams I didn’t like, but I couldn’t bring myself to not like Joe Kapp. How can you not like a QB who knocked linebackers out of the game? He was a true team leader.
I agree the Vikings 1969 team was their best, and although they lost four Super Bowls in an eight-year span, they did face some very stiff competition.