1975: Steelers Beat Vikings in Super Bowl IX for First Title

From the time they joined the NFL in 1933 through the 1973 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had not won a championship or even played in a title game. They had been in the postseason on three occasions in 39 years, and two of those were in 1972 and ’73. But in 1974, the Steelers went 10-3-1 to top the AFC Central, triumphed easily in the Divisional playoff round over Buffalo, and then defeated the Raiders in the AFC Championship game to advance to Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 12, 1975.

The heart of the Steelers, coached by Chuck Noll, was the strong defense. The “Steel Curtain” line of ends L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White and tackles Joe Greene and Ernie Holmes was outstanding. Outside linebackers Andy Russell and Jack Ham were joined by rookie MLB Jack Lambert, and the backfield led by FS Glen Edwards was talented as well. The ground-oriented offense featured FB Franco Harris (pictured above), who was paired with HB Rocky Bleier. Fifth-year QB Terry Bradshaw was still a work in progress, lost the starting job at the beginning of the season to Joe Gilliam, but regained it halfway through the schedule and showed improvement.

Facing Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl were the Minnesota Vikings, coached by Bud Grant. They had been participants the previous year, losing to the Miami Dolphins, and finished the ’74 season with a 10-4 record to again top the NFC Central. From there, the Vikings had soundly beaten the Cardinals in the Divisional playoff game and then just got past the Rams for the conference title. 34-year-old QB Fran Tarkenton was the key to the offense that also included Pro Bowl WR John Gilliam and multitalented FB Chuck Foreman, who ran for 777 yards and caught 53 passes for 586 more. The veteran defense was sound and featured DE Carl Eller, DT Alan Page, and FS Paul Krause.

There were 80,997 fans in attendance on a chilly and windy day in New Orleans, and they saw a game that featured defense and ball control – especially by the Steelers. The Pittsburgh defense kept the Vikings in poor field position, particularly in the first half. However, the Steelers offense controlled the ball well but couldn’t score points. A possession midway through the first quarter resulted in a missed 37-yard field goal attempt by Roy Gerela, and the next time the Steelers had the ball they put together an eight-play drive to the Minnesota 16 that came up empty when, on another field goal attempt, holder Bobby Walden fumbled a bad snap and had to fall on the ball.

The Vikings got a break in the second quarter when Bleier fumbled the ball away at the Pittsburgh 24 yard line. But they went nowhere in three plays and Fred Cox was wide to the right on a 39-yard field goal attempt.

Late in the second quarter, a pitchout to HB Dave Osborn was fumbled and rolled into the end zone. Tarkenton recovered and was pounced upon by the Pittsburgh defense for a safety (pictured below) - the first in Super Bowl history, and the first points of the game.


After a short possession by the Steelers, the Vikings responded with a good drive, but a pass from Tarkenton intended for Gilliam was batted away from the receiver by Edwards and intercepted by CB Mel Blount. The score remained 2-0 in favor of Pittsburgh at the half.

The first touchdown for the Steelers came four plays after FB Bill Brown fumbled the squibbed second half kickoff, which was recovered by LB Marv Kellum at the Minnesota 30. Bleier was stopped for no gain, but then Harris ran for 24 yards. After being thrown for a loss on his next carry, Harris ran nine yards around end for a touchdown.

On the ensuing series, the Vikings picked up nine yards, six on a pass to Foreman, and faced a fourth-and-one situation at their own 37. The offense stayed on the field and Tarkenton went into a long count to try and draw the defense offside. There were indeed flags thrown, but both teams were ruled offside, resulting in offsetting penalties; Bud Grant elected to take no further chances and punted.

On the next series, Tarkenton threw a pass that was batted back to him. Startled, he then tossed to Gilliam for what would have been a 41-yard gain, but drew a penalty for an illegal second forward pass on the play. While Tarkenton later connected with TE Stu Voigt for 28 yards, the drive ended at midfield when another batted pass was intercepted by Greene. The tally remained 9-0 after three periods.

Early in the fourth quarter, after Krause recovered a fumble by Pittsburgh’s Harris near midfield, an interference call on SS Mike Wagner gave the Vikings a first down and goal at the Pittsburgh five. However, on the next play Foreman fumbled and Greene recovered for the Steelers.

The Steelers were unable to get a first down and had to punt from their own end zone. The resulting kick by Walden was blocked by LB Matt Blair and recovered by DB Terry Brown for a Vikings touchdown, although Cox missed the extra point when it struck the left upright. Still, Pittsburgh’s lead was narrowed to 9-6.

With ten minutes to play, the Steelers launched a 12-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in a four-yard TD pass from Bradshaw to TE Larry Brown. The key play along the way was a pass to Brown for 30 yards to the Pittsburgh 42 in which it appeared that the receiver fumbled the ball away to the Vikings when hit, but the officials ruled that he was down before losing the ball.

Tarkenton was immediately intercepted by Wagner, and the Steelers were able to run the clock down to 37 seconds before Minnesota’s offense got the ball back, by which time it was too late. The Steelers had won their first championship by a score of 16-6.

Pittsburgh dominated the Vikings statistically, outgaining them by 333 yards to 119. In particular, the Steelers gained 249 yards on the ground to a mere 17, on 21 carries, for Minnesota.

While Pittsburgh’s front four didn’t sack Tarkenton, they harassed him all game, forcing him to throw on the run and blocking four passes as well as intercepting three. Dwight White played despite being down with viral pneumonia during the week preceding the game.

Franco Harris was the game’s MVP, keying Pittsburgh’s strong running game with 158 yards on 34 carries with one TD. Rocky Bleier added another 65 yards on 17 attempts, and even Terry Bradshaw outrushed the Vikings with 33 yards on five runs. Bradshaw (pictured below) didn’t throw often but was effective when he did, completing 9 of 14 passes for 96 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Larry Brown caught three passes for 49 yards and a TD and WR John Stallworth also caught three, gaining 24 yards.


For Minnesota, Fran Tarkenton was successful on only 11 of 26 passes for 102 yards with three picked off. Chuck Foreman caught 5 passes for 50 yards and led the club’s anemic running game with 18 yards on 12 attempts. Only one completion was made to a wide receiver, and that was to John Gilliam for 16 yards.

It was an especially sweet win for the long-time owner of the Steelers, Art Rooney, on the cusp of his 74th birthday. “I'm grateful to the players, to Chuck Noll and all the coaches, and to our entire organization,” said an emotional Rooney afterward. “It is great for me and for Pittsburgh. Our players are a great bunch of fellows. I'm not surprised they won.”

“I'm really proud of this football team,” said Chuck Noll. “We came in with the idea of getting the job done and let nothing stand in our way. It's especially fitting that in a championship game our defense shut out the champions of the National Football Conference. 1 can't think of anything more fitting.”

“It wasn't a very good football game,” summed up Bud Grant from the Minnesota perspective. “There were enough chances for both teams to win a number of times with all the penalties, interceptions and official fumbles.”

“We lost to a better team,” admitted Tarkenton. “We had our chances. Pittsburgh has a super defensive team. They controlled the game. We're not frustrated or dejected. We came to win and we couldn't do it.”

The Steelers went on to repeat as NFL champions in 1975, and won twice more before the decade was over. Minnesota continued to dominate the NFC Central, returning to the Super Bowl following the ’76 season but losing once again.

1974: Clint Longley Rallies Cowboys Past Redskins

The Dallas Cowboys were in the midst of a transition season as they hosted the arch-rival Washington Redskins in a Thanksgiving Day game on November 28, 1974 at Texas Stadium. Having started off at 1-4, they won four straight games prior to losing at Washington eleven days earlier. While they beat the Oilers the previous Sunday, Dallas was 6-5 and languishing behind both the Redskins and Cardinals in the NFC East. Head Coach Tom Landry’s club had a great deal of youth on offense, and young defensive ends Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Harvey Martin were still transitioning into the reforming defense.

Head Coach George Allen’s Redskins had won four straight contests and were 8-3 as they sought to keep pace with St. Louis. Whether 40-year-old Sonny Jurgensen or Billy Kilmer, 35 years old and in his 12th season, were at quarterback, Washington scored points. The veteran team was also sound on defense, Allen’s specialty.

The first half was low-scoring. Efren Herrera kicked a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter to put the first points on the board, concluding a drive kept alive by a fake punt in which punter Duane Carrell passed to DB Benny Barnes for a 37-yard gain. But the Redskins had replied with three Mark Moseley field goals, of 45, 34, and 39 yards, to hold a 9-3 lead at halftime.

It seemed as though the Redskins had taken control of the game in the third quarter. Following a fumble on the opening play of the second half by RB Walt Garrison, former Cowboys RB Duane Thomas caught a swing pass from Kilmer and went nine yards for a touchdown. The score was now 16-3, and when Dallas QB Roger Staubach was hit hard by LB Dave Robinson and forced from the game with just under ten minutes remaining in the period, it seemed as though all hope was lost for the Cowboys.

Replacing Staubach at quarterback was Clint Longley (pictured at top), a rookie out of Abilene Christian who had never appeared in a regular season game as a pro. He had actually been chosen by Cincinnati in the 1974 supplemental draft, but was dealt to the Cowboys just prior to the start of training camp. Longley earned the nickname “The Mad Bomber” when he threw an errant pass that hit Coach Landry’s tower during a workout.

Prior to the contest, Washington DT Diron Talbert had told reporters that he hoped Staubach would try running with the ball against the Redskins because if they could knock him out of the game, they would be facing the untested rookie at quarterback. Those words would come back to haunt him.

Longley promptly moved the offense downfield, and capped the drive with a 35-yard touchdown pass to TE Billy Joe Dupree that narrowed Washington’s lead to 16-10. On the next possession, the Cowboys again drove deep into Redskins territory. When Garrison plowed over for a touchdown from a yard out and Herrera booted the extra point, Dallas was in the lead at 17-16. The previously-subdued Texas Stadium crowd had come alive.

However, Washington was far from finished. Early in the fourth quarter the Redskins regained the lead, again thanks to Thomas, who ran 19 yards for a touchdown and 23-17 tally. It looked as though they would further pad their margin after DE Ron McDole recovered a fumble by Dallas RB Charley Young. Washington moved into field goal range with five minutes remaining on the clock, but “Too Tall” Jones blocked Moseley’s 24-yard attempt.

It seemed as though the break was for nothing when RB Preston Pearson fumbled the ball back to the Redskins. However, Washington’s offense, playing conservatively, ran three plays and punted. Now with 1:45 remaining and no timeouts, Longley and the Cowboys had one more shot.

Washington’s defense seemed on the verge of squelching the threat, but on a fourth-and-six play, Longley passed to WR Bob Hayes for exactly six yards and a first down at the 50 yard line. After tossing an incompletion, Longley then sent WR Drew Pearson long, hit him in stride at the four yard line, and the wide receiver continued on into the end zone. Herrera was successful on the PAT, and the Cowboys had a one-point lead with 28 seconds to play.

There would be no last-second heroics for the Redskins, however, as Dallas recovered a Kilmer fumble on the first play to preserve the 24-23 win.

The Cowboys ended up outgaining Washington, 373 yards to 207, and led in first downs by 23 to 11. But they were nearly undone by giving up five turnovers, as opposed to one by the Redskins.

The flu-ridden Roger Staubach had completed only three of 11 passes for 32 yards with an interception before being forced out of the game – he had even been outpassed by the punter Carrell, with his one completion for 37 yards. But Clint Longley was good on 11 of 20 passes for 203 yards with the two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Drew Pearson (pictured at bottom), who caught the winning TD, had a big day with 5 catches for 108 yards. Billy Joe Dupree added three receptions for 65 yards and a TD. With top runner Calvin Hill out due to injury, RB Robert Newhouse led the Cowboys with 66 yards on 16 attempts.


For Washington, Billy Kilmer went to the air 17 times, completing 8 for 112 yards and a touchdown. Duane Thomas (pictured at left) had 18 rushing attempts for 55 yards and a TD and had the most pass receptions for the club with three, for 24 yards and a score. RB Moses Denson was right behind in the rushing column with 50 yards on 15 carries. WR Roy Jefferson had the most receiving yards, with 49 on his two catches.

“Football is an incredible game,” said Tom Landry afterward. “This is what makes it so unbelievable. Anything can happen in football.”

“I don't have very much to say,” said a disappointed George Allen. “It was probably the toughest loss we ever had.”

The win didn’t salvage the season for the Cowboys – they ended up outside the postseason for the first time since 1965 with an 8-6 record that put them in third place in the NFC East. Washington ended up tied with the Cardinals with a 10-4 mark, but due to St. Louis having swept the season series, the Cards won the division title and the Redskins entered the playoffs as a wild card. They lost to the Rams in the Divisional playoff game.

The astonishing performance off the bench didn’t portend better things for Longley, either. Staubach was back in action the next week and beyond and the young backup was sparsely used through the 1975 season. Following the demise of the World Football League, QB Danny White was acquired and, with his WFL experience and ability to double as the team’s punter, Longley’s roster spot was insecure for ’76. Bad blood had developed between he and Staubach, and when Longley sucker-punched the star quarterback in the locker room during training camp, his career in Dallas swiftly ended. He was dealt to San Diego, where he backed up Dan Fouts and threw a total of 24 passes in his last NFL season.

1974: James Harris Rallies Rams to Win Over Vikings

The Los Angeles Rams were coming off of a division title-winning season in 1973, their first under Head Coach Chuck Knox, and were leading the NFC West again with a 7-3 record as they faced the Minnesota Vikings on November 24, 1974 at the Memorial Coliseum. The team featured a conservative offense with an effective ground game that was led by RB Lawrence McCutcheon and a solid defense.

What was surprising was the change at quarterback six games into the season. 34-year-old veteran John Hadl, who had been obtained from the Chargers prior to the ’73 season and proceeded to put together a Pro Bowl performance, started the year but, in an astonishing move, was traded to Green Bay for five draft picks in October. His replacement was James Harris (pictured above), a castoff from the Buffalo Bills.

The 6’4”, 210-pound Harris had started a total of three games in three years with the Bills before being waived in 1972. Signed by the Rams for ’73, he sat on the bench backing up Hadl, but now he was being handed the starting job for a contending team in midseason. If the inexperience factor was not enough, the fact that the Grambling product was at that point the only African-American starting quarterback in the NFL added to the pressure. Thus far, he had risen to the challenge, as the club had gone 4-1 with him leading the offense.

The Vikings, under eighth-year Head Coach Bud Grant, were the defending NFC champions. They were still known for their defense, although age was beginning to creep into the picture. The offense featured QB Fran Tarkenton, a 14th-year veteran, and versatile RB Chuck Foreman. Minnesota was also 7-3 and leading the NFC Central division. Moreover, the Rams had lost to the Vikings in each of their last five meetings.

There was a huge crowd of 90,266 fans at the cavernous Memorial Coliseum, the most to watch a Rams game since 1959. It was an unseasonably hot day in which the temperature rose to 90 degrees at field level.

There was no scoring in the first quarter, but Fred Cox put the Vikings on the board in the second quarter with a 36-yard field goal. Minnesota followed with a 96-yard drive in five plays that was highlighted by Tarkenton passes of 48 yards to WR Jim Lash and 45 yards to WR John Gilliam. Foreman ran for a one-yard touchdown that made the score 10-0.

The Rams came back as Harris led them on a 63-yard, 10-play drive for their first score. Harris capped the drive himself as he dove for a TD from a yard out, but David Ray’s extra point attempt hit the right upright and was unsuccessful – even though the Vikings had only 10 players on the field – and Minnesota maintained a four-point advantage at 10-6.

The Vikings came back on their next possession that started with just 48 seconds left in the half, moving 65 yards in seven plays, five of which were passes. Foreman’s second TD occurred on the last of those throws from Tarkenton, from 12 yards out. Minnesota held a 17-6 lead at the half.

LA had been dogged by mistakes and penalties in the first half. In particular, a 60-yard punt return for an apparent TD by RB Cullen Bryant was called back due to a clip. The large and restless crowd had been doing its share of booing.

In the first possession of the third quarter, Harris injured his ankle on a 10-yard scramble and was forced to miss a series. In relief, rookie Ron Jaworski completed his first regular season NFL pass, of 19 yards to WR Lance Rentzel, although a second, to TE Bob Klein down to the Minnesota one yard line, was called back due to clipping. 15 more yards were tacked on when Coach Knox was penalized for arguing the call.

With his ankle re-taped, Harris came back into the game. Another scoring opportunity was missed when rookie RB John Cappelletti fumbled after catching a Harris pass at the Vikings’ 20, with Minnesota recovering. In the meantime, the Vikings offense had turned conservative and no points were scored in the period.

However, the Rams offense came alive in the fourth quarter. The Vikings had been pinned down deep in their own territory following an excellent punt by LA’s Mike Burke that went out at the Minnesota six (Burke had a great day, and greatly helped in the battle for field position, as he dropped five punts inside the 20 and four of those inside the 10). Following a sack of Tarkenton by DT Larry Brooks, the Rams were able to get good field position on the ensuing punt (and despite a penalty on the return) at the Vikings’ 43.

Harris threw to WR Jack Snow for a 24-yard gain, and followed up with passes to Cappelletti for five yards and McCutcheon for 13 down to the one yard line. From there, Harris again gained the last yard, diving into the end zone for a touchdown. Getting the PAT this time, the Rams were now behind by 17-13.

The Vikings got the ball back with eight minutes remaining and again faced inspired play by the Los Angeles defense. The defensive line of ends Fred Dryer and Jack Youngblood and tackles Merlin Olsen and Larry Brooks was especially effective in throttling the Vikings. They were forced to punt again, with the Rams taking over at their 31 yard line with just under four minutes on the clock.

Harris was once again able to find holes in Minnesota’s five-deep coverage. He first threw to WR Harold Jackson, who made a diving catch at the sideline for a 15-yard gain. Then he hit Cappelletti for eight yards and Klein for 17 down to the Vikings’ 23. Following the two-minute warning, Harris tossed to Cappelletti once again for six yards and then to McCutcheon, who gained nine yards to the eight yard line. With 1:14 remaining to play, Harris lobbed a pass into the end zone over substitute CB Jackie Wallace that Snow pulled in for the go-ahead touchdown.

Minnesota had time for one last shot, but Tarkenton was intercepted by LB Ken Geddes to nail down the 20-17 win for the Rams.

Los Angeles outgained the Vikings, with 380 yards to 301, and had the edge in first downs with 25 to 18. Each team turned the ball over once, although the six LA penalties had been costly.


James Harris completed his last ten passes and was successful on 24 of 37 overall for 249 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Lawrence McCutcheon gained 64 yards rushing on 15 carries and added 7 pass receptions for 58 yards. Jack Snow (pictured at left) also caught 7 passes, including the game-winning TD, and gained 91 receiving yards.

For the Vikings, Fran Tarkenton connected on 19 of 35 passes for 217 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Chuck Foreman was the leading receiver, with 9 catches for 88 yards and a TD, as well as leading ground gainer with 49 yards on 12 attempts, including a score.

Chuck Knox called the second half comeback “the best half of our season. We made it hard on ourselves, but I'm real proud of the way our guys hung in there.”

“I give more of the credit to the offensive line,” said Harris. “Minnesota had us pretty well covered and I had to look for secondary receivers. They gave me time to do that.”

“The play was a quick go,” said Snow of the winning TD. “Wallace came up to bump me at the start. I made a little quick move and got past him. James laid it right out there. No man could drop a pass so perfectly placed. There was no way I was going to flub it. This moment has been a long time coming.”

The Rams were able to clinch the NFC West following the next night’s win by the Steelers over New Orleans. They ended up at 10-4 and beat the Redskins in the Divisional round of the playoffs before meeting up once again with Minnesota in the NFC Championship game and losing this time, 14-10. The Vikings had gone on to win the NFC Central for the sixth time in seven years, also with a 10-4 tally, and handily defeated the Cardinals to get to the conference championship game. They lost to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

James Harris surprised the skeptics, ranking second in the NFC in passing (85.1 rating). His overall numbers were modest, due to the nature of the offense and his not starting for the whole season, as he passed for 1544 yards with 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. But he topped NFC passers in yards per attempt (7.8) and yards per completion (14.6) and the club went 7-2 in his starts. Harris was selected to the Pro Bowl and was named MVP of the game.

1974: Jets Defeat Giants in Overtime After Namath Runs for Tying TD

Any game between New York City’s two NFL teams can’t help but generate interest, no matter how the clubs rank in the standings. The NFL-AFL merger in 1970 had made possible regular season play between the long-established Giants and the comparative newcomers from the rival league, the Jets. On November 10, 1974 the two clubs met for the second time at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut - the temporary home of the Giants, with Yankee Stadium under renovation and the new stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands still two years from completion (they shifted to Shea Stadium for ’75).

The Giants were under a first-year head coach, Bill Arnsparger, and had finished with a winning record just twice in the previous ten years. The situation was no better in ’74 as they came into the contest with the Jets at 2-6. However, they had made a major switch at quarterback two weeks before, dealing away underperforming veteran Norm Snead to the 49ers while trading a first draft choice to the Dallas Cowboys for Craig Morton. Morton, once a promising starter in Dallas who had lost out to Roger Staubach, played well in a win at Kansas City in the Giants’ previous game. Snead, Carl Summerell, and Jim Del Gaizo had failed to throw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver in six games, but Morton managed to do that much in his second game with the club.

The Jets had a new head coach as well in Charley Winner, designated successor to the retired Weeb Ewbank, but there was no question at quarterback for the Jets, as long as Joe Namath (pictured above) was healthy enough to play – even if he and the club were off to a poor start. The Jets had been 4-10 in ’73, with Namath missing most of the season, and were 1-7 thus far in 1974 while Broadway Joe had been intercepted 17 times.

There were 67,740 fans at the Yale Bowl for the battle of the New York teams. The Jets started off the scoring in the first quarter as Namath connected with WR David Knight for a 19-yard touchdown. Pete Gogolak kicked a 26-yard field goal for the Giants later in the period, and the older club took the lead in the second quarter when Morton threw a two-yard TD pass to TE Bob Tucker.

Pat Leahy, in his first NFL game with the Jets following an injury to Bobby Howfield, booted a 34-yard field goal to tie the score, but it was 13-10 in favor of the Giants at the half after Gogolak kicked a second field goal of 22 yards.

The Jets launched the third quarter with a drive that used up the first ten minutes and ended with a 22-yard field goal by Leahy. In their next possession, the Giants struck quickly with Morton throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to WR Bob Grim, and maintained a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Jets put together another long possession, using 14 plays to drive down to the Giants’ three yard line. With a third-and-goal situation, Namath tied the score with a three-yard touchdown run (more accurately, a hobble) that surprised everyone, including his teammates. Originally, the play was to be a handoff to HB Emerson Boozer, but Namath saw the Giants’ weak-side LB, Brad Van Pelt, move inside and decided to keep the ball. With Leahy’s extra point, the game was tied at 20-20.

The Jets had an opportunity to win in regulation, but with 12 seconds left Leahy’s 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked by CB Jim Stienke.

1974 was the first season in which regular-season games ending in a tie went into an overtime period. The Giants won the toss and RB Joe Dawkins returned the kickoff 53 yards to give them good field position. They drove to the Jets’ 25 but, after coming up a yard short on a third-and-three play, Gogolak missed the resulting 42-yard field goal attempt.

Starting from his own 25, Namath completed consecutive passes of 42 yards to TE Rich Caster and 12 yards to WR Jerome Barkum. From the Giants’ 21, Boozer ran for back-to-back six yard runs and then RB Jazz Jackson took a pitchout for four yards to the five. From there, Namath lobbed a pass to Boozer, who had beaten Van Pelt, in the left corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown at 6:53 in overtime. The final score was 26-20.


The Jets outgained the Giants (425 yards to 340) and had the edge in first downs (27 to 22). There were no turnovers and game had few penalties – the Jets were flagged twice for a total of 15 yards, and the Giants just once for five yards.

Joe Namath completed 20 of 31 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. RB Bob Burns, who played only one season and gained a total of 158 yards on the ground, had the best game of his brief career filling in for the injured FB John Riggins with 101 yards on 21 attempts. Emerson Boozer (pictured above left) added 58 yards on 13 carries and had four pass receptions for 43 yards and the game-winning TD. Jerome Barkum caught 5 passes for 24 yards, while Rich Caster gained the most yards receiving with 68 on three catches.

Craig Morton had a solid outing for the Giants in defeat, with numbers that were almost identical to Namath’s – 21 of 32 passes completed for 237 yards with two TDs and none picked off. Joe Dawkins led the club in rushing with 49 yards on 11 carries and caught 6 passes for 37 yards. WR Walker Gillette gained 83 yards on his five receptions.

“It was a great victory for us when we really needed one,” said Namath afterward. “Emotionally, it has to rank with the Oakland game in 1968 when we won the AFL title, it was a big game for us. You lose one to the other guys in town and you have to take a lot of heat from a lot of people.”

Of the decision to keep the ball on the game-tying touchdown run rather than hand off, Broadway Joe added, “I didn’t tell Boozer, I didn’t tell anybody. The fake always works better that way.” Said Boozer, “I didn’t know what to think. When I didn’t get the ball, I thought fumble.”

Since the first regular season game to go into overtime (between Denver and Pittsburgh) ended in a tie, the Jets became the first NFL team to win a regular season overtime game. It also gave the club a big lift as it proved to be the first of six straight wins (following six consecutive losses) to end the season. The Jets finished at 7-7 and tied with the Patriots for third in the AFC East. The Giants lost the remainder of their games to end up at 2-12 and at the bottom of the NFC East.

Joe Namath’s statistics improved along with the team’s fortunes. While he still ended up leading the NFL by throwing 22 interceptions, only five of those came during the season-ending winning streak. His 2616 passing yards and 20 touchdowns both ranked second in the NFL, as did his 361 attempts.


Craig Morton (pictured at left) threw for 1510 yards in eight games for the Giants with 9 TD passes and 13 interceptions. His 29.6 pass attempts per game ranked second in the NFL and his averages of 188.8 yards and 15.3 completions ranked third. But taking over in the midst of the season and with a mediocre supporting cast, the resulting record in his starts was 1-6.

The new placekicker, Pat Leahy, made the most of his opportunity with the Jets. He ended up playing for them through 1991, a total of 18 seasons, and ended up as the franchise leader in points (1470) and field goals (304).

1974: Dolphins Score 3 TDs in Fourth Quarter to Defeat Chargers

The Miami Dolphins had won back-to-back NFL titles in 1972 and ’73 under Head Coach Don Shula and were certainly contenders to potentially win a third in 1974. While the pro football world had been stunned when the Toronto Northmen of the World Football League (later to become the Memphis Southmen) signed three key members of the Miami offense – FB Larry Csonka, HB Jim Kiick, and WR Paul Warfield – to contracts for the 1975 season, those players were still in Dolphins uniforms in ’74. In addition, the club had QB Bob Griese, HB Mercury Morris, and a stingy defense.

The Dolphins were stunned by New England in the opening game, but righted the ship in a win at Buffalo and now faced the San Diego Chargers on September 29 at San Diego Stadium. The Chargers, under new Head Coach Tommy Prothro, were coming off of consecutive last place finishes, including 2-11-1 in 1973. Aging veteran QB Johnny Unitas had not been the answer after being obtained from the Colts, and retired during training camp in ’74. Second-year QB Dan Fouts was now running the offense, but he was still a work in progress and the club was a hodgepodge collection of players who were either over-the-hill or mediocrities to begin with. While the Chargers had beaten Cincinnati the previous week, it did not seem likely that they would give the Dolphins, who were 15-point favorites, much of a contest.

Defense dominated a first half that ended with the score tied at 7-7. Miami scored first, in the second quarter, when Csonka bulled over for a one-yard touchdown. The Chargers tied the game late in the period. On the scoring drive, Fouts completed all four of his passes, for 50 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown throw to TE Wayne Stewart with 49 seconds remaining in the half.

San Diego dominated the third quarter, with RB Don Woods scoring two touchdowns. First, a 75-yard drive ended with Woods plowing over from the one yard line for a TD. Less than two minutes later, the rookie from New Mexico took off on a 56-yard touchdown run to put the upset-minded Chargers ahead by 21-7.

Converting from college quarterback to pro running back, Woods (pictured below) had failed to make the Packers, who had drafted him in the sixth round, and he was waived at the end of the preseason. Claimed by the Chargers, he carried the ball a grand total of two times in his first regular season action the week before against the Bengals. Now, he was putting on a sensational display against the defending champions.


Midway through the fourth quarter, the Chargers were still ahead by two touchdowns. But after Dennis Partee missed a 33-yard field goal attempt that would have padded San Diego’s lead, the Dolphins went 80 yards and scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass from QB Bob Griese to WR Nat Moore.

After San Diego was forced to punt, Miami drove downfield on a 58-yard possession highlighted by a 38-yard pass from Griese to TE Jim Mandich and 14-yard run by Csonka; Csonka finished it off with a three-yard run to tie the score with 3:38 remaining.

Again the Chargers had to kick, and with under two minutes left, Moore returned the low punt 30 yards. A few plays later, Jim Kiick ran five yards up the middle for the game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds remaining on the clock. The final score was 28-21 in favor of the Dolphins.

Afterward, Coach Shula said “The Dolphins played one of the finest fourth quarters since I have been associated with the team.”

Dan Fouts summed it up for the Chargers: “We felt pretty damn good the first three quarters, but it’s a four-quarter game.”


Total yardage was almost evenly matched, with San Diego gaining 392 yards to Miami’s 391. Bob Griese completed 14 of 27 passes for 248 yards with a TD and two interceptions; he clearly saved his best for last. The Dolphins, with their typically proficient ground game, compiled 173 yards rushing. Larry Csonka (pictured at left) led the way with 106 yards on 21 carries and two TDs. Both Jim Mandich and WR Howard Twilley caught four passes, with Mandich compiling 101 yards (Twilley had 45). Rookie Nat Moore (pictured at top) gained 183 total yards with 49 on three receptions (including a touchdown), 88 on three kickoff returns (29.3 average), and 46 on two punt returns, including the one that set up the tying TD.

Don Woods was the big story for the Chargers as he gained 157 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns; he also caught a pass for 10 yards. Dan Fouts completed 14 of 22 passes for 189 yards with a TD and none intercepted. WR Jerry LeVias caught the most passes (5 for 58 yards) while Wayne Stewart gained 71 yards on his three receptions, including the TD.

Miami finished the season at the top of the AFC East once again with an 11-3 record; they lost an epic Divisional playoff game to Oakland to end the pursuit of a potential third straight title. San Diego ended up at 5-9 and tied with the Chiefs at the bottom of the AFC West.

Woods had a career year, gaining 1162 yards rushing (second in the NFL) on 227 carries for a 5.1-yard average gain and seven touchdowns; he also caught 26 passes for 349 yards and another three TDs. He was named AFC Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. However, injuries held Woods to five games in ’75 and he never gained more than 514 yards on the ground in any of his remaining six seasons.

Nat Moore also had a notable rookie season, although he proved to have far more staying power. He gained 1344 total yards, including 605 on 37 pass receptions. When Paul Warfield departed the team for the WFL in ’75, it was Moore who took up the slack and lasted 13 seasons, all with the Dolphins, catching 510 passes for 7546 yards and 74 touchdowns.