On This Date in Sports January 12, 1975
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers, after years of futility, become the toast of the football world, beating the Minnesota Vikings 16-6 in Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. The game is a defensive struggle most of the way as the Steelers held a 2-0 at the half. Franco Harris finally provides some offense, with a third-quarter touchdown. Harris would win the game’s MVP rushing for then record 158 yards.
The Minnesota Vikings were making their second straight trip to the Super Bowl, and third overall under coach Bud Grant. Losers of Super Bowl IV and Super Bowl VIII, the Vikings hoped they could finally find the winning solution in the big game. The Vikings had posted a 10-4 record in the regular season, winning the NFC Central Division. In the playoffs, they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 30-14 in the Divisional Round and the Los Angeles Rams 14-10 in the NFC Championship Game, playing both at Metropolitan Stadium.
The Pittsburgh Steelers coached by Chuck Noll were in the Super Bowl for the first time. Two years after winning their first playoff game, the Steelers who for nearly 40 years floundered at the bottom of the standings in the NFL were on the verge of reaching the summit. That year the Steelers were given a boost by the greatest draft class by one team in NFL history, as they selected four future Hall of Famers. The four super rookies for the Steelers were linebacker Jack Lambert who won Defensive Rookie of the Year, center Mike Webster, and a pair of wide receivers named Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, who helped turn around the career of quarterback Terry Bradshaw. After winning the AFC Central Division with a record of 10-3-1 the Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-14 in O.J. Simpson’s only career playoff appearance. They then moved on to beat the Oakland Raiders 24-13 in the AFC Championship Game on the road.
Super Bowl IX was played in Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. It was the third Super Bowl to be played in Tulane Stadium following Super Bowl IV and Super Bowl VI. Originally the game was planned to be held in the Louisiana Superdome. However, the dome was not yet completed due to construction delays. The Steelers were a three-point favorite heading into the game as most expected it to be a defensive struggle as the two teams had the best defenses in the NFL. The Steelers defense nicknamed “The Steel Curtain” allowed just 189 points in the regular season, while the Vikings “Purple People Eaters” allowed only 195. In a sign the Super Bowl was becoming bigger than football itself, the matchup was used as a plot device on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” airing the night before the game. The show based in the Twin Cities had predicted a Vikings victory, with Mary Tyler Moore apologizing to Pittsburgh during the credits, if the Steelers win while stating if the Vikings win you heard it here first.
The night before the game it had rained in New Orleans, leaving the Astroturf field slick, on a chilly afternoon in the Crescent City with temperatures in the low 40s. The National Anthem was performed by the Grambling State Band, who would also be a part of the halftime show, which was a tribute to Jazz Legend Duke Ellington. The pigskin prognosticators who predicted a low scoring game were proven correct as neither offense could get anything going on the cold wet field. The Steelers had their chances to score early, but Roy Gerela missed a field goal and had a second go awry on a bad snap. In the second quarter, the Vikings had their first chance to score following a fumble by Rocky Bleier. However, Fred Cox missed a 39-yard field goal keeping the game scoreless. Starting their next possession deep in their own territory, the Vikings saw Dave Osborne fumble a pitch at their own ten-yard line. As the ball rolled backward, quarterback Fran Tarkenton did all he could to land on it as Dwight White was credited with the first safety in Super Bowl history. The Vikings would have a chance to score before the first half was over, but Tarkenton had a pass picked off by Mel Blount preserving Pittsburgh’s 2-0 lead. On the second half kickoff, Steelers kicker Roy Gerela slipped and hit a squibber that bounced off the hands of Minnesota’s Bill Brown, which was recovered by Marv Kellum at the Vikings 30-yard line to set the Steelers offense up for the first touchdown of the game, on three straight runs by Franco Harris the Steelers hit paydirt, making the score 9-0. Meanwhile, the Vikings were being smothered by the Steeler curtain, as every time they got something going, someone on Pittsburgh made a big pay, as Mean Joe Greene intercepted a Tarkenton pass after the Vikings crossed midfield in the third quarter. The Vikings had another shot at breaking through in the fourth quarter after Paul Krause recovered a Franco Harris fumble at the Steelers 47. Following a pass inference against Mike Wagner, the Vikings had the ball at the Pittsburgh five, but Mean Joe Greene stripped Chuck Foreman again turning away a scoring chance. The Steelers were unable to move the ball out of the shadow of their goal line, as Matt Blair blocked Bobby Walden’s punt the ball was recovered by Terry Brown in the end zone, bringing life back to the gang in purple. However, Fred Cox missed the extra point as the Steelers held a 9-6 lead. After getting the ball back, the Steelers took the air of the Vikings, with an 11-play drive that took 6:47 off the clock. The drive was capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw to Larry Brown to put the Steelers ahead 16-6, which would be the final score as Mike Wagner sealed the game with an interception.
The Steelers set a record with 57 rushing attempts, as Franco Harris set a record with 158 yards on 34 carries and one touchdown to earn the Super Bowl MVP. Terry Bradshaw did not need to do any heavy lifting passing for just 96 yards while completing 9-of-14 passes with one touchdown. On the other side, it was ugly all around for the Vikings offense as Fran Tarkenton was 11-for-26 for 102 yards with three costly interceptions as the Vikings committed five turnovers as the Vikings offense totaled just 119 yards for the game.
The Steelers Super Bowl victory was the culmination of a long-held goal by owner Art Rooney. Affectionately called “Chief” Rooney founded the Steelers in 1933. He had wanted to own a football team for years but was impeded by blue laws. A pillar in the NFL’s growth, Rooney’s teams never found the winning formula as they played in just one playoff game before the merger, losing a Divisional Playoff to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1947. Finally, fortunes began to turn, when they won their first division title in 1972. The Steelers would go on to become of the NFL’s greatest dynasties, winning four of six Super Bowl and earning the title “Team of the 1970’s”.
The Super Bowl would be the final major sporting event at Tulane Stadium, as the Superdome opened a few months later, becoming home to both Tulane University and the New Orleans Saints, as well as the Sugar Bowl. The Superdome would go on to host seven Super Bowls.