NFL Championship Game, 1969
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1969 NFL Championship Game was the 37th and final championship game played prior to AFL-NFL Merger. The winner of the game would go on play in Super Bowl IV against the champion of the American Football League. The Minnesota Vikings were making their first appearance in the NFL championship game, their opponent, the Cleveland Browns who were making their second straight appearance and fourth in the 1960s. The game was played January 4, 1970 at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota.
Although not as famous as the "Ice Bowl" ( NFL Championship Game, 1967) the weather conditions were bitterly cold. Cleveland LB Jim Houston suffered frostbite during the game and was hospitalized.
Minnesota had gone 12-2 during the regular season, including a 51-3 defeat of the Browns, and had defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the Western Conference championship a week earlier at Met Stadium. The Vikings were coached by Bud Grant and led on offense by quarterback Joe Kapp and WR Gene Washington. The defense allowed only 133 points (9.50 per game) during the regular season and was led by the front four line known as the Purple People Eaters.
Cleveland had gone 10-3-1 during regular season and had defeated the Dallas Cowboys for the Eastern Conference title. The Browns were coach by Blanton Collier. Bill Nelsen was the starting quarterback and Gary Collins and Paul Warfield were star wide receivers for the team.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Vikings | 14 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
Starting Quarterbacks:
- Cleveland Browns - Bill Nelsen 16
- Minnesota Vikings - Joe Kapp 11
Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 7
Scoring
- MIN - Kapp 7 run (Cox kick)
- MIN - Washington 75 pass from Kapp (Cox kick)
- MIN - FG Cox 30
- MIN - Osborn 20 run (Cox kick)
- MIN - FG Cox 32
- CLE - Collins 3 pass from Nelsen (Cockroft kick)
| Pre-Super Bowl Championships |
| NFL Championship Game |
|---|
|
1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| AFL Championship Game |
|
1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| 1932 NFL Playoff Game | NFL Playoffs | NFL Champions | AFL Champions | Super Bowl | Super Bowl Champions |
