While Lamar Hunt came up with the name for the Super Bowl, This Sunday versus Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will only be the Chiefs’ fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. While they were blown out in Super Bowl I by Super Bowl MVP Bart Starr and the Packers, Kansas City has come away victorious In their last two appearances, 1970 and 2020.
Super Bowl IV
After a meeting with NFL Films, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Hank Stram agreed to wear a secret microphone during their matchup against the Vikings. He became the first coach to wear a microphone during the Super Bowl. The hidden microphone caught the iconic Stram quote, “Just keep matriculating the ball down the field, boys!”
Leading 9-0 with 5:30 left in the second quarter with possession in the red zone, Stram dialed up 65 Toss Power Trap. The play was successful as Chiefs’ quarterback Len Dawson handed the ball off to the running back Mike Garrett who ran nearly untouched into the end zone after a great block by pulling guard Mo Moorman. The play gave Kansas City a 16-0 lead going into halftime.
Honorable Mentions: Len Dawson’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Otis Taylor, Emmitt Thomas’ game-ending interception, and Jan Stenerud’s then Super Bowl record 48-yard field goal
Super Bowl LIV
“Do we have time to run wasp?’ Looking for an offensive spark, Patrick Mahomes asked Eric Bieniemy about the play known as “Jet Chip Wasp”. Trailing 20-10 to the San Francisco 49ers and facing 3rd & 15, the Kansas City offensive line held up just long enough for Mahomes to find Tyreek Hill deep down the field for a 44-yard gain. The play restored life in the Chiefs offense and led to a Travis Kelce score to cut the San Francisco lead to three points.
Frank “The Shark” Clark had come up big all postseason, but his biggest play came on 4th & 10 with 1:33 left to go and the Chiefs leading 24-20. Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo brought a blitz and Clark came free for the sack after throwing a 49ers’ lineman to the side. The sack was Clark’s fifth of the postseason and effectively clinched the Super Bowl victory for Kansas City.
Honorable Mentions: Sammy Watkins burns Richard Sherman, Chris Jones’ batted pass attempts, and Damien Williams’ 4th quarter TD run
I had just turned 12 in Dec 1969. I watched a taped delay of Super Bowl IV on a 20 in B & W television. I love watching Hank Stram Mic’d up.