1968: Packers Beat Raiders in Super Bowl II

Head Coach Vince Lombardi had guided the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships in nine seasons, including three straight from 1965-67. Having beaten the Dallas Cowboys in a dramatic NFL Championship game on a frigid day at Lambeau Field, he now looked to cap his tenure with a second Super Bowl win over the AFL champions, the Oakland Raiders.

The Packers were a solid and seasoned club, having overcome a slow start in '67 by QB Bart Starr (pictured above) due to injuries at the beginning of the season, and the loss of HB Elijah Pitts and FB Jim Grabowski along the way. But Lombardi filled in with players like fullbacks Ben Wilson and Chuck Mercein, and there were familiar names throughout the roster, including Pro Bowlers in split end Boyd Dowler, G Jerry Kramer, OT Forrest Gregg, DE Willie Davis, LB Dave Robinson, FS Willie Wood, and cornerbacks Herb Adderley and Bob Jeter.

The team they would be facing on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, the Raiders, was in the postseason for the first time. Coached by John Rauch and operated by managing general partner Al Davis, Oakland profited from an offseason trade with Buffalo that brought QB Daryle Lamonica to the team. Lamonica, a highly-regarded backup with the Bills for four years, was outstanding as he led the league in passing and touchdown passes (30) while throwing for 3228 yards, and was named AFL Player of the Year by the Associated Press and UPI. He was not the only newcomer who made good – CB Willie Brown was obtained from the Broncos and had an All-AFL season, and 40-year-old George Blanda provided depth at quarterback and reliable placekicking. Rookie G Gene Upshaw joined young veterans having breakout years like flanker Fred Biletnikoff and FB Hewritt Dixon, and stalwarts such as center Jim Otto and G Wayne Hawkins.

The Raiders won the Western Division with a 13-1 record and decimated the Oilers in the league title game. The Packers were nevertheless 14-point favorites.

Attendance at the first Super Bowl in Los Angeles had been disappointing, but there were 75,546 fans filling the Orange Bowl for the second contest (still not officially called the Super Bowl). Oakland received the opening kickoff and proceeded to go three-and-out. The Packers responded by driving 34 yards in 11 plays on their first possession, capped by a 39-yard field goal by Don Chandler.

The Raiders nearly made it to midfield on their next possession, and Mike Eischeid’s punt traveled 45 yards before going out of bounds at the Green Bay three yard line. The Packers proceeded to methodically drive 84 yards in 16 plays, running 8:40 off the clock and highlighted by Starr’s 16-yard pass completion to flanker Carroll Dale and 14-yard run on a broken play. The long possession was capped in the second quarter by another Chandler field goal, this time from 20 yards, for a 6-0 lead.

Following another short Oakland possession, Starr fired a pass to Dowler who blew past CB Kent McCloughan and ran unencumbered the rest of the way for a 62-yard touchdown (pictured below). With the score now 13-0, Lamonica directed the Raiders on a nine-play drive that covered 78 yards and ended with a 23-yard touchdown pass to split end Bill Miller.


Green Bay took over at its own 15 yard line following the ensuing kickoff and DT Tom Keating’s sack of Starr drove the Packers backward. Donny Anderson’s 45-yard punt was returned 12 yards by safety Rodger Bird to give Oakland good field position at the Green Bay 40. However, the Raiders offense went three-and-out and George Blanda’s 47-yard field goal attempt was short.

Following another short Green Bay possession, Anderson punted again but this time Bird fumbled after signaling a fair catch and TE/LB Dick Capp recovered for the Packers at the Oakland 45. Chandler kicked a 43-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half and the Packers took a 16-7 lead into the intermission.

The Packers pulled away in the third quarter, much as they had done against the Chiefs in the first Super Bowl. Following a trade of punts to start the half, Green Bay drove 82 yards in 11 plays, highlighted by Ben Wilson’s 13-yard opening run on a draw play, a pass from Starr to split end Max McGee that covered 35 yards, an 11-yard Starr completion to Dale on a third-and-nine play, and a 12-yard pass completion to HB Donny Anderson. Anderson capped it all with a two-yard touchdown run and the Packers held a 23-7 lead.

Following another three-and-out possession by the Raiders, Green Bay put together another long drive that ended in Chandler’s fourth field goal, from 31 yards, with two seconds remaining in the period. The Packers now had a commanding lead of 26-7 with just a quarter to play.

The fourth quarter began with HB Pete Banaszak fumbling after catching a pass from Lamonica and Dave Robinson recovering for Green Bay. After a short possession by the Packers, the Raiders got the ball back and this time another turnover added the final nail to Oakland’s coffin as Lamonica was intercepted by Adderley (pictured below), who returned it 60 yards for a touchdown.


The Raiders came back to score on the next possession, again on a Lamonica pass to Miller that covered 23 yards, but it was too little, too late. Starr had to leave the game due to a jammed thumb, with veteran backup QB Zeke Bratkowski taking over to mop up, but the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Green Bay won its second Super Bowl by a score of 33-14.

The Packers outgained Oakland (322 yards to 293), including 160 yards on the ground, and led in first downs by 19 to 16. The efficient NFL champions didn’t beat themselves, suffering no turnovers and being penalized just once. The Raiders turned the ball over three times.

Bart Starr completed 13 of 24 passes for 202 yards with a touchdown and was again named MVP of the game. Ben Wilson ran for 62 yards on 17 carries, followed by Donny Anderson with 48 yards on 14 attempts and HB Travis Williams, who contributed 36 yards on 8 runs. Carroll Dale caught four passes for 43 yards and TE Marv Fleming also caught four, for 35 yards, while Boyd Dowler led the Packers in receiving yards, thanks to his long touchdown reception, with 71 on two catches.

For the Raiders, Daryle Lamonica completed 15 of 34 passes for 208 yards with two TDs and one picked off. Bill Miller (pictured below) caught 5 passes for 84 yards and scored both of the club’s touchdowns. Hewritt Dixon was the leading ground gainer with 54 yards on 12 carries.


“We're a young team,” John Rauch said. “I was happy with the fact that at no point in the game did we give up. It's characteristic of our team. We hope to continue with our program and get better.”

The game was the last for Max McGee, hero of the first Super Bowl and 12-year veteran who caught one 35-yard pass against the Raiders, and Don Chandler, who booted the four field goals to end his 12-season career as a placekicker/punter (with the Giants as well as Green Bay) on a high note. But another departure for the Packers was the most significant of all.

A few days after the game, Vince Lombardi confirmed what was widely rumored and stepped down as head coach, although he remained the general manager for another year. It marked the end of a remarkable coaching tenure for the man whose name became attached to the trophy presented each season to the Super Bowl-winning team.

1967: Blocked Punt Sets Up Winning TD as Rams Defeat Packers

The December 9, 1967 contest at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum featured the Green Bay Packers, two-time defending NFL champions, against the Rams, a team on the rise and in a tough battle for a division title. In this first season in which the Eastern and Western conferences were split into two four-team divisions apiece, Green Bay was 9-2-1 and had already clinched the Central Division, while Los Angeles had a 9-1-2 record, putting the Rams just behind the 10-0-2 Baltimore Colts in the Coastal Division.

While Head Coach Vince Lombardi’s Packers had won four titles in six seasons, the team was beginning to show its age and injuries had added to the challenge of keeping the run going. 33-year-old QB Bart Starr had been playing hurt at the beginning of the year, and running backs Elijah Pitts and Jim Grabowski were lost to injury, forcing the club to bring in journeymen replacements in Ben Wilson and Chuck Mercein. Still, after a slow start, Green Bay was rolling and rode a four-game winning streak into LA.

The Rams had strung together seven consecutive losing seasons prior to the arrival of George Allen as head coach in 1966. His impact had been immediate, as the team went 8-6 in his first year, and now it had become a title contender. The offense played conservatively, with QB Roman Gabriel (pictured above) and a solid group of running backs led by HB Les Josephson and FB Dick Bass. The defense was outstanding, starting with the line that was known as “The Fearsome Foursome” and included ends Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy and tackles Merlin Olsen and Roger Brown (acquired from Detroit in the preseason after Roosevelt Grier was lost for the year with a knee injury).

There were 76,837 fans on hand under sunny skies for the Saturday contest. Both teams failed on field goal attempts before Green Bay scored first, late in the first quarter, on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Starr to flanker Carroll Dale. The Rams came back to tie the game early in the second quarter with a 73-yard drive that concluded with Gabriel throwing to split end Jack Snow for a 16-yard TD. Following an interception by Green Bay safety Willie Wood, the Packers scored on a 32-yard Don Chandler field goal just before the half to take a 10-7 lead into the intermission.


In the third quarter, LA regained the lead when Gabriel again tossed a scoring pass to Snow, this one covering 11 yards. It was 17-10 later in the period when Bruce Gossett kicked a 23-yard field goal. But instead of squib-kicking the ensuing kickoff, as they had been doing to keep the ball away from Green Bay’s sensational kick returner, rookie HB Travis Williams (pictured at left), Gossett kicked away. Williams fielded the kick four yards deep in his end zone and proceeded to sprint 104 yards for a touchdown – his record fourth such return of the year. From a seven-point Rams lead, the game was now tied at 17-17.

Early in the fourth quarter, CB Clancy Williams intercepted a pass for LA and the Rams capitalized with a 16-yard Gossett field goal to retake the lead. But the Packers took advantage of a turnover when Bass fumbled and they drove 43 yards to a four-yard touchdown run by Mercein. With 2:19 left on the clock, Green Bay led by 24-20.

It looked good for the Packers when the defense stifled the Rams, who had to punt after three plays. But Green Bay was unable to penetrate the LA defense for a game-clinching first down and was forced to kick the ball back.

With the ball at the Packers’ 27 yard line, Donny Anderson, the team’s punter as well as the heir apparent to the departed Paul Hornung at halfback, prepared to punt with 54 seconds now remaining to play. But before Anderson could get off the kick, Rams reserve LB Tony Guillory ran untouched through the line and blocked it. DB Claude Crabb picked up the loose football and ran 20 yards before being pulled down at the five by Anderson.

Gabriel had to throw the ball away on the first play, but on the second, after a play-action fake to HB Tommy Mason, he threw the ball into the end zone where it was caught by flanker Bernie Casey for a touchdown. Gossett’s conversion was good, and the Rams came away with a big 27-24 win.


Los Angeles outgained the Packers (324 yards to 218) and had more first downs (20 to 12), although they also gave up three turnovers to Green Bay’s two. Roman Gabriel completed 20 of 36 passes for 227 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Les Josephson led the ground game with 73 yards on 19 carries and also caught 5 passes for 51 yards. Bernie Casey caught 6 passes for 97 yards, including the winning TD. Jack Snow (pictured at right) had two touchdowns among his four receptions for 48 yards.

For the Packers, Bart Starr was successful on 10 of 20 passes for 138 yards with a touchdown and two picked off. Boyd Dowler led the club by catching four of those passes for 71 yards. The Rams managed to hold the normally potent Green Bay running game to 98 yards on 32 attempts, with Travis Williams the leading rusher with 26 yards on 12 attempts.

The Rams thrashed the Colts 34-10 the next week in the climactic battle for the division crown, and finished 11-1-2. For the first time in NFL history, a division title was determined by tiebreaker (as opposed to playing an extra game), and due to LA’s better point differential in head-to-head contests, they finished ahead of Baltimore. Green Bay lost its season finale to complete the regular season at 9-4-1, but in the Western Conference Championship game, won the rematch with the Rams by a convincing 28-7. The Packers went on to win a third straight NFL title by beating Dallas and capped it all with a Super Bowl triumph over the AFL champion Oakland Raiders.

Roman Gabriel threw a career-high 25 touchdown passes and his 2779 passing yards were his most with the Rams (his career high was 3219 with the Eagles in 1973). By the passer rating system in use at the time, he placed fourth in the league, although by the current rating system he was third (85.2). Gabriel was named to the Pro Bowl for the first of three straight years.

Bart Starr’s numbers dropped off significantly from 1966, when he was the NFL’s top passer (105.0 rating by current system). He threw a career-high 17 interceptions and only nine TD passes. Yet his 8.7 yards per attempt and 15.9 yards per completion were both league-leading figures and, along with the Packers finishing on top once again, attested to his continued effectiveness.

In addition to scoring four touchdowns on kickoff returns, Travis Williams set a record for kick return average of 41.1 on 18 returns. While Cecil Turner of the Bears also returned four kickoffs for TDs in 1970, the average per return still remains the best to date.

1967: Broncos Stun Lions in First Preseason Game Between AFL-NFL Teams

The merger between the NFL and AFL that was agreed to in 1966 was implemented in phases. In the first, following the ’66 season, a game was played between the champions of the two leagues (now known as Super Bowl I). For 1967, there was a common draft of college talent between the two leagues, and while they would still play separate schedules until 1970, interleague preseason games could be scheduled. While at one level the contests were mere exhibition games that counted for nothing in the standings, to the participants they meant a great deal. In particular, the AFL players were determined to prove their mettle against the clubs from the older NFL.

Such was the case as the AFL’s Denver Broncos hosted the NFL’s Detroit Lions at University of Denver Stadium on August 5, 1967. The Broncos, a club that had never produced a record above .500 in any season and had gone 4-10 in ’66, hardly seemed likely to fare well against any NFL team. Under new Head Coach Lou Saban, who had led Buffalo to back-to-back championships in 1964 and ’65 before coaching for a year at the University of Maryland, the team was in the process of being revamped. Gone were key veterans that Saban deemed unfit for taking part in a rebuilding effort like split end Lionel Taylor, safety Goose Gonsoulin, and guard Jerry Sturm. Most notable among the newcomers was the rookie first draft choice out of Syracuse, halfback Floyd Little. Denver had lost its first preseason game, against the second-year Miami Dolphins by a score of 19-2.

The Lions also had a new head coach in Joe Schmidt, at age 35 only two years removed from his Hall of Famer career as a linebacker. Detroit had gone 4-9-1 in 1966 and was also in transition. Defense had long been the team’s strong suit, and they still had a strong veteran core of defensive tackles Roger Brown and Alex Karras, linebackers Mike Lucci and Wayne Walker, and safety Dick LeBeau. Veteran QB Milt Plum was recovered after missing half of the season due to injury and was being challenged by Karl Sweetan, who had performed creditably as a rookie in his absence. The top three picks in the draft had added HB Mel Farr from UCLA, CB Lem Barney of Jackson State, and Tennessee LB Paul Naumoff.

There were 21,288 fans in attendance for the Saturday evening contest. Neither team was able to mount much offense in the first half. Playing inspired football, the Broncos defense kept the Lions offense out of the end zone; the closest Detroit penetrated was to the Denver 36 yard line. Safety Lonnie Wright made two big plays, intercepting a Sweetan pass at his own 20 and then batting down a long Detroit pass in the end zone to stop another drive.

Following a 56-yard pass play from QB Scotty Glacken to flanker Al Denson, Errol Mann kicked a 35-yard field goal that staked the Broncos to a 3-0 lead (while Mann failed to make it to the regular season with Denver, ironically, he eventually ended up kicking for the Lions for 7 ½ years).

The key play of the game occurred on a 4th and 11 situation at the Detroit 44 in the third quarter. Denver punter Bob Scarpitto (pictured at top) ran instead of kicking and picked up 28 yards and a first down at the Lions 16 yard line. Six plays later, FB Cookie Gilchrist bulled into the end zone from a yard out and the Broncos led by 10-0.

Detroit finally scored in the fourth quarter as Plum threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to WR Bill Malinchak. That was it for the Lions, and Mann’s second field goal of the game from 32 yards out capped the scoring at 13-7 in favor of Denver.

On the bus after the game, Roger Brown of the Lions moaned “The Denver Broncos…it didn’t happen!” But Coach Schmidt summed up by saying, “I want to pay tribute to the Denver team. And, if the other AFL teams show as much desire, there will be many other surprises in the preseason inter-league competition.”

While the Broncos went on to defeat the Vikings, 14-9, and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs thrashed the Chicago Bears by an astounding score of 66-24, the NFL teams won the remaining contests and had an overall record of 13-3 in the 1967 interleague preseason games.

For all of the excitement and heightened expectations, the Broncos still ended up at the bottom of the AFL’s Western Division with a 3-11 record. Detroit finished the ’67 regular season with a 5-7-2 tally that ranked third in the Central Division of the NFL’s Western Conference.

1967: Jim Taylor Signs with Saints

The expansion New Orleans Saints achieved a high-profile signing on July 6, 1967 when Jim Taylor, star fullback with the Green Bay Packers, inked a contract. Taylor had played out his option with the Packers, and while clearly on the downside of his great career at age 31 (he would turn 32 early in the ’67 season) and after 1811 carries, had been contacted by several teams. A native of Baton Rouge who had played his college football at LSU, the new franchise in New Orleans was a natural choice.

Taylor had been with Green Bay since 1958 and was at the heart of the outstanding ground game during the Vince Lombardi coaching era. He rushed for over a thousand yards in five consecutive seasons and won the NFL rushing title with 1474 yards in 1962, the one year between 1957 and ’65 that Cleveland’s Jim Brown didn’t. He also set a record of 19 rushing touchdowns in that ’62 campaign – a mark that stood until 1983.

But after averaging 4.8 yards per carry during his first seven years in Green Bay, he averaged 3.5 yards in both the ’65 and ’66 seasons. A very physically punishing runner, the 6’0”, 214-pound Taylor was clearly wearing down. The Packers had drafted Jim Grabowski out of Illinois as his replacement, and after not signing a contract in his option year of 1966, it was apparent that his tenure in Green Bay had come to an end. Taylor’s high-profile backfield mate for much of his tenure with the Packers, HB Paul Hornung, was chosen by the Saints in the expansion draft but was forced to retire before the season due to a nagging neck injury.

While he provided a recognizable name for the new franchise, it was nevertheless an expansion team and not to be confused with the championship club Taylor had just left. The New Orleans offensive line was certainly not on a par with its Green Bay counterpart that had included Hall of Famers Jim Ringo at center (through 1963) and OT Forrest Gregg, and the outstanding pulling guards Jerry Kramer and Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston – nor, for that matter, was much of the rest of the club. As sportswriter Arnold Hano put it after the first preseason game, “The starting guards…were men named Jake Kupp and Del Williams, and they do not remind you of Jerry Kramer and Fred Thurston. Backing up Kupp and Williams are other guards who do not even remind you of Kupp and Williams.”

The Saints went 3-11 in their inaugural season and while Taylor was the leading rusher, it was with just 390 yards on 130 carries, for a 3.0 average gain with two touchdowns. He also caught 38 passes, second best on the team, for 251 yards and no scores. Bothered by nagging injuries, he split time at fullback with the less-accomplished veteran Ernie Wheelwright. His best rushing total was 39 yards on 14 carries in a loss to the Cowboys; he caught 7 passes for 50 yards in a contest at Philadelphia (the Eagles, who had been the first team to lose a regular season game to the Saints, 31-24 at Tulane Stadium, gained revenge in the rematch by a 48-21 margin).

Gary Cuozzo struggled as the starting quarterback, particularly as a classic drop-back passer behind a poor group of blockers, and split time with the more mobile veterans Bill Kilmer and Gary Wood. Rookie WR Dan Abramowicz, an unheralded 17th round draft pick out of Xavier of Ohio, was the star on offense with 50 pass receptions for 721 yards and six TDs. CB Dave Whitsell, a veteran obtained from the Bears, starred on defense where he was the NFL’s co-leader in interceptions with 10 (along with Detroit’s Lem Barney). Moreover, the Saints drew large and enthusiastic crowds at Tulane Stadium.

Taylor returned for the 1968 season, but when he was assigned to special teams for the opening preseason game, he left the club and announced his retirement. For Taylor, it was an unbecoming finale to his Hall of Fame career. He retired as the NFL’s number two rusher of all-time with 8597 yards on 1941 carries for a 4.4-yard average gain with 83 touchdowns. Taylor also caught 225 passes for another 1756 yards and 10 TDs.

In seven postseason games, he added 508 yards on 146 attempts (3.5 average) and two touchdowns, plus 19 catches for 137 yards and no scores. His playoff rushing numbers might not appear impressive, but he had memorable showings against strong defensive clubs (in particular the 1962 NFL title game against the Giants).

It was perhaps unfortunate that Taylor was a contemporary of Jim Brown, because he was overshadowed by the great Cleveland fullback throughout the best years of his career – a situation that he clearly resented. He was not gifted with the same level of talent as Brown, but Taylor devoted himself to conditioning and had a solid work ethic. Quiet off the field, he was an intimidating force on it, snarling at and taunting opposing defensive players while never shying from contact and fighting for every inch of ground he could gain. He was a perfect fit in the Green Bay offense and, while Jim Brown won the rushing titles and accolades, it was Taylor playing on four championship teams to Brown’s one.

1967: Vikings Trade Fran Tarkenton to Giants

Following a 1966 season that was the worst in franchise history, the New York Giants had a need for a capable quarterback. The Minnesota Vikings and their erratic but talented quarterback, Fran Tarkenton, were ready to part ways. On March 7, 1967 a deal was struck that sent Tarkenton to the Giants for four draft picks (two first- and two second-round choices spread across three seasons).

Tarkenton was an original Viking, having been selected in the third round of the 1961 draft out of Georgia. Even as a rookie, it didn’t take him long to push veteran George Shaw aside as the starting quarterback. From the beginning, he showed a distinctive style of play, especially in being quick to abandon the pocket and scramble for time. Considering the lack of quality of the offensive line in this expansion season, it made sense and Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin showed tolerance.

Van Brocklin, a good but stubborn coach, had not been at all mobile during his great career as a pro quarterback and made an effort to alter Tarkenton’s style of play in the next few seasons, to no effect. To be sure, while he might have been overly quick to scramble and improvise, his performance was solid – he went to the Pro Bowl following the 1964 and ’65 seasons and was the third-ranked passer in the league in ’64 as the Vikings finished with their first ever winning record at 8-5-1. While many questioned the wisdom of the 6’0”, 190-pound quarterback’s willingness to run out of the pocket so often, he didn’t lose any time to injury during his first six seasons.

Van Brocklin had valued Tarkenton enough to veto a trade to the Eagles for Sonny Jurgensen after the 1963 season. While he couldn’t alter his quarterback’s style of play, he did have success in teaching him how to read defenses. But there was friction between the two strong-willed individuals, and the antagonism spilled out when on various occasions the head coach accused his young quarterback of playing selfishly and showboating. While Tarkenton could make exciting things happen through his scrambling, Van Brocklin believed that less improvising and a more conventional approach could yield better results.

After peaking in ’64, the Vikings dropped to 7-7 in 1965 and 4-9-1 in ’66. The situation between head coach and quarterback became untenable during the 1966 campaign. After leading Minnesota to an upset of the Green Bay Packers, Tarkenton followed up with a five-interception performance in a loss to Detroit. Van Brocklin benched Tarkenton in favor of fourth-year backup Ron VanderKelen the next week in a loss to the Rams, and two weeks later Bob Berry, in his second season, was given the start at home against the expansion Atlanta Falcons. Much was made at the time of Tarkenton being benched for a game that was being broadcast back to his native Georgia, although it was unlikely that that had played a factor in Van Brocklin’s thinking.

Following the season, Tarkenton demanded to be traded and was accommodated with the deal to the Giants. In the meantime, Van Brocklin abruptly resigned as head coach, to be replaced by Bud Grant, who had been successful in the Canadian Football League. The feuding had resulted in the departure of both of the antagonists.

Meanwhile in New York, the Giants had struggled since winning three consecutive Eastern Conference titles from 1961-63 (and losing the ensuing NFL title games) while the outstanding veteran quarterback, Y.A. Tittle, set records. The aging team crashed in 1964, Tittle’s last, forlorn season. While veteran Earl Morrall was acquired from Detroit and led the team to a respectable 7-7 finish in ’65, he suffered a broken wrist during the 1966 season. Gary Wood and Tom Kennedy proved inadequate as fill-ins as the Giants went 1-12-1.

Tarkenton had a Pro Bowl season in 1967, passing for 3088 yards and 29 touchdowns as the Giants, who had far too many holes to fill to contend, improved to 7-7. A particularly productive target was WR Homer Jones, who caught 49 passes for 1209 yards for a 24.7 yards-per-catch average and 13 touchdowns. In five seasons in New York, Tarkenton was selected for the Pro Bowl four times and led the team to a 9-5 record in 1970 – the club’s best between 1963 and 1985. He was traded back to Minnesota following the 1971 season.

The Vikings stumbled badly out of the gate in ’67 as VanderKelen proved inadequate as the starting quarterback. However, Joe Kapp, a CFL veteran, joined the club early in the season and took over the job. With Kapp’s scrappy leadership, a good running game, and an outstanding defense, Bud Grant’s team made it to the postseason for the first time in 1968 and won the NFL championship in ’69 (although they lost to the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl).

The draft choices obtained for Tarkenton were used to pick HB Clint Jones from Michigan State (1st round in ’67, second overall pick), HB Bob Grim from Oregon State (2nd round in ’67), OT Ron Yary from USC (1st round in ’68, first overall pick), and G Ed White from California (2nd round in ’69).

Yary and White became mainstays on the offensive line, with Yary garnering six consecutive consensus first team All-Pro selections and going to seven Pro Bowls on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and White going to the Pro Bowl three times (and once more with the Chargers). Jones was a useful halfback and good kickoff returner. Grim, who was converted to wide receiver, had a Pro Bowl season in 1971 when he caught 45 passes; ironically, he was part of the package sent to the Giants in the trade that brought Tarkenton back to the Vikings.