[4], However, Livingston engineered a five-game winning streak, while getting plenty of help from the club's defense. var $twitter=$(".m-entry__social a:eq(0)").attr("href"); Blessed with a loaded roster, Stram went to work devising new ways to demolish offenses. This collection of men put forth an epic effort to be forever remembered. Dawson injured his knee in the contest, forcing him out of action for the following six weeks. Maybe they picked the wrong time to win a Super Bowl for the sake of history. Chicago reveled in a tremendous defense in 1985, winning the Super Bowl after a 15-1 record after shutting out the Rams and Giants in the NFC playoffs. Most data provided by 24-7 Baseball, creators of the ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia. Brown, a hulking 6'5, 255-pounder out of Minnesota, preceded the signing of an undrafted free agent cornerback from Bishop College in Emmitt Thomas. He also caught 2 passes for 25 yards and returned a kickoff for 18 yards. Kearney hit Namath low as he threw the ball away, with Lynch and a pursuing Bell finishing him off high. The year featured an infamous concert in Bethel, NY, kicked off with an unforgettable and controversial national anthem by Jimi Hendrix featuring the sounds of chaos and destruction half a world away. However, on the next 3 plays, Kapp threw 2 incompletions and was sacked by defensive tackle Buck Buchanan for an 8-yard loss. The play call was “65 Toss Power Trap”, which became a classic play call in NFL history. He finished his 12-year career (10 years at safety, two at running back) as a seven-time Pro Bowler, six-time First-Team All-AFL/All-Pro selection, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-AFL team, the Pro Football Hall of Fame's team of the Decade - 1960's, and resides on the Chiefs All-Time Team and in their Hall of Fame. In 1963, Dallas moved to Kansas City following the franchise's first American Football League championship. The NFL MVP finished the day 16-of-25 for 183 with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Kansas City Chiefs players listed alphabetically or numerically. Within the Midwestern city, the 1969 group remains magical, the fans all indebted to the men who brought them glory. Burning draft cards was all the rage, free love and peace were flowing at the corner of Haight and Ashbury, and Neil Armstrong was becoming a household name on grainy Zenith televisions. All of them are potential fits with the Kansas City Chiefs. Wells got his man by sneaking the two-time All-Pro out of a hotel room window with a Dallas Cowboys babysitter sleeping inside. Stenerud then kicked another field goal to increase the Chiefs lead to 6–0. The NFL was still smarting after losing Super Bowl III, when the Colts were stunned by the upstart Jets. In ‘85 when the Royals won the World Series, that was big too, but going to the Super Bowl against the Packers and then going back and winning, it generated a great amount of enthusiasm. "We were a strong, physical team because of Alvin Roy," Bell said. [9], 10th season in franchise history; first Super Bowl win. Under Vince Lombardi, Green Bay allowed a league-low 11.6 points per game and amassed a shutout. Complete team roster Kapp was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter on a rollout, when Brown clobbered him during a pass attempt. The safety also recovered a fumble near midfield, leading to an iconic photo appearing in the following week's Sports Illustrated with Robinson sitting down, hand enthusiastically raised with only the index finger extended. On the ensuing kickoff, Vikings returner Charlie West fumbled the ball, and Kansas City's Remi Prudhomme recovered it at Minnesota 19-yard line. The season began as always for the Chiefs, at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., amidst the oppressive humidity that envelops the Midwest in July. Kansas City lost a 41-6 decision at Oakland (12/22) in the club's first postseason outing since Super Bowl I as the Raiders advanced to the AFL Championship Game against the N.Y. Still, New York was in position to win deep into the fourth quarter. Ironically, the play was drawn by Taylor in the dirt during the goal-line stand. They’ve been recognized for their triumphant achievements in the final season before the AFL-NFL merger, but there are still others from that era that deserve to be immortalized among their peers. (According to Dawson, the Vikings were shocked that the Chiefs would attempt a 48-yard field goal. During a time when professional sports had not fully embraced the notion of adding copious amounts of muscle, Stram was all in favor of it. Wells, a scout for the Chiefs throughout the 1960's, was perhaps the most influential personnel man Kansas City employed throughout the time. The 1969 Vikings were one such group, along with the 1966 Green Bay Packers, 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1977 Atlanta Falcons, 1985 Chicago Bears and 2000 Baltimore Ravens. "He knew both sides," Dawson remembered. Two plays later, running back Mike Garrett's 5-yard touchdown run gave Kansas City a 16–0 lead. A 19-yard run by Pitts on a reverse play then set up another field goal by Stenerud to increase the Chiefs' lead to 9–0. The Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League ended the 1969 season with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses, finishing … Copyright © 2020 Stats Crew, Stats Crew - The Home of Sports Statistics, Preview: Sporting KC Visits Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, Sporting Controversially Denied Late Equalizer in 1-0 Loss at Dallas, Preview: Sporting Visits FC Dallas on Wednesday. Sign up for the Chiefs Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. About Us - Contact Us - Credits - Privacy Policy - Schedule and Scores Everything is on the line.' 16 Len Dawson; 12 Tom … The Best Show in Football:The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p.294, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007, The List: Best NFL defense of all-time, 2007, 1969 Kansas City Chiefs on Pro Football Reference, 1969 Kansas City Chiefs on Database Football, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1969_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season&oldid=981687249, American Football League championship seasons, 1969 American Football League season by team, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Otis Taylor 9 yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick), This page was last edited on 3 October 2020, at 20:56. It was the pivotal moment of a team on its way to glory. Kansas City ended the regular season 11-3, finishing the slate with a bitter 10-6 loss to the Raiders in a contest that decided the Western Division. That afternoon, Kansas City started five future Hall of Fame defensive players, a number unmatched since. Data Provided By From the smallest to largest guy, we were stronger than the Vikings. He went to seven pro Bowls, was All-Decade, went to three championship teams and led the league in interceptions. However, Kansas City responded on their next possession with a 6-play, 82-yard drive to score on Dawson's 46-yard touchdown completion to Taylor three minutes later. Using their inaugural pick as the Chiefs, the team selected Junious "Buck" Buchanan with the top overall selection, a selection acquired via trade with the Oakland Raiders. Boston gained 82 total yards, but disaster struck for Kansas City. The 42-year-old George Blanda came in with hopes of a comeback but added another interception to the pile. The Jets, defending Super Bowl champions after their startling upset of the Baltimore Colts in 1968, fell behind 6-3 in the third quarter on a Jan Stenerud 25-yard field goal. Minnesota led the NFL in points scored with 379 (27.1/game) while allowing the least at 133 (9.5/game). The Bears were known for their aggressive "46" scheme under defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, causing chaos for offensive lines. First defensive tackle Alan Page tackled running back Mike Garrett for a 1-yard loss, and then safety Paul Krause intercepted Dawson's pass at the 7-yard line on the next play. Still, with Dawson out for much of the season and an unknown in Livingston replacing him, there were plenty of doubters. Washington, the All-Pro receiver matched up against Thomas, caught one pass for nine yards. With the influx of black talent, the Chiefs became the first championship team to start more African-American players than whites. There are plenty of theories. The Chiefs were coached by Hank Stram, led by quarterback Len Dawson and a powerful defense led by Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Emmitt Thomas, Johnny Robinson and Curley Culp. Practice squad Its defense is the greatest. Rookies in italics They would ask if they could give him paper napkins. Stram was always searching for an edge. It seemed Minnesota could stake its claim as the greatest defense of its generation, if not the modern era. Taylor is the one player left from the 1969 Chiefs team that most will point to and say he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. But that team, as the quarterback on the offense, I just thought ‘Don't screw up Leonard.' No apology was expected nor given. Wells recruited future Hall of Famers in Lanier and Buchanan, along with prolific wide receiver Otis Taylor. A 10–6 loss vs. the Raiders gave the Chiefs an 11–3 record, good for second in the division behind Oakland (12–1–1).[4]. Johnny should be the guy, he should be the guy people talk about because of all the things he did. At 6'7 and 270 pounds, running a 4.9 40-yard dash time, Buchanan would revolutionize the position. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. That injury left the team's most crucial position in the hands of second-year QB Mike Livingston, who took just five snaps as a rookie in ‘68. Starters in bold It was a snapshot capturing an emotion which could be felt by all those adorned with arrowheads and the legions cheering for them. The franchise earned three league championships in 1962, 1966 and 1969, mostly on the back of its defenses. Australian Football Stats - Australian Football Search Oakland also had the top receiving duo in football with Warren Wells and Fred Biletnikoff. We could cover, rush or stop the run. At the outset, it appeared the Raiders had reason to do so. We knew if we didn't make mistakes like turn the ball over, we could force Minnesota into mistakes and make them do things they didn't want to do. Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972. Players chosen by the Kansas City Chiefs during the 1969 AFL Draft. The 6'1, 205-pounder also led the league with 10 interceptions twice, in 1966 and 1970. In those contests, Kansas City did not permit more than 240 total yards in any game, despite playing two top-ranked offenses. In 1994, Lanier was named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. After a decisive 27–9 win at San Diego (9/14), the club posted a 31–0 shutout at Boston (9/21), but QB Len Dawson sustained a knee injury against the Patriots. In an AFL Divisional Playoff Game at the New York Jets (12/20), Kansas City rode its dominating defense which produced a crucial goal-line stand en route to a 13–6 win over the defending Super Bowl champions to set up a rematch with the Raiders in the final AFL Championship Game. The Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League ended the 1969 season with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses, … "He encouraged the Chiefs to make the picks, and it came together to form that magnificent defense.". I've identified a number of college prospects to keep an eye on ahead of the 2021 draft. 1969 Kansas City Chiefs Starters, Roster, & Players: Super Bowl IV Champs over , 11-3 (po:3-0) (2nd in West), Coach: Hank Stram, ProBowl: Bell, Buchanan, Budde, Culp, Dawson, Holmes, Lanier, Livingston, Marsalis, Stenerud, Tyrer The season was marred not only by an injury to quarterback Len Dawson but also controversy surrounding Dawson and his purported involvement in a sports gambling ring.