The Story of the Kansas City Chiefs

The Story of the Kansas City Chiefs — page 5
Kansas City Chiefs The Minnesota Vikings were poised to restore order in Super Bowl IV They would take on the Kansas City Chiefs During the regular season Minnesota had won 12 games in a row The Vikings led the NFL in points scored They also allowed the fewest points The heart of the defense was the line Those players were nicknamed the Purple People Eaters The Vikings wore purple jerseys The Purple People Eater was the title of a popular 1958 song Minnesota was the overwhelming favorite This was in part due to the Chiefs performance in Super Bowl I The Packers had crushed them 35 10 The Chiefs hadn’t even won their division in 1969 People said they were sneaking into Super Bowl IV through the back door Furthermore Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson was an NFL washout But he flourished in the AFL Critics suggested that the lower level of play was the reason for his success Then five days before the game Dawson was linked to a federal gambling investigation He was cleared Still the anxiety he felt added to the pressure of preparing for the game It was beyond a doubt the toughest week of my life he said later Nevertheless Kansas City had its own weapons Three running backs combined for nearly 2,000 yards The defensive line didn’t have a nickname But tackles Buck Buchanan and Curley Culp would have starred on any NFL team After the game began the crowd was shocked Kicker Jan Stenerud booted three field goals giving Kansas City left Len Dawson 10