65 Toss Power Trap in Super Bowl IV
For fans of Kansas City football, the most memorable play of their only Super Bowl victory, on January 11, 1970, became infamous not for its aesthetics but for the behavior before and after exhibited by the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame coach, Hank Stram. For Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, which was the last-ever Super Bowl between the NFL and AFL champions before the two leagues merged, the Chiefs were 13-point underdogs. After the Chiefs took a 9-0 lead, they were again threatening in the second quarter and had a 3rd and goal on the Vikings’ 5. On the sideline, Stram, who wore a dark blazer with a Chiefs logo and a microphone attached to it, had an idea. To his wide receiver, Gloster Richardson, he called out a play. “65 Toss Power Trap,” he said. “It might pop wide open.” Richardson ran into the huddle and delivered the message. The Chiefs executed it perfectly: Len Dawson, the quarterback, handed the ball off to running back Mike Garrett, who – thanks to some perfect blocking and offensive shifting and maneuvering – easily ran the ball in for a touchdown. On the sideline, Stram was ecstatic. “65 Toss Power Trap! Yeah!” he yelled, laughing hysterically and pumping his fist. “Did I tell you that baby was there? Yes sir, boys! Woo!” The Chiefs prevailed, 23-7.