Super Bowl XI - Part 3

Super Bowl XI - Oakland Raiders vs Minnesota Vikings: Second Half

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Part 1 - Pregame | Part 2 - 1st Half

Quarter 3

Ray Guy kicked the ball to Sammy White, who fumbled it on the 8, then returned to the 23. With Bob Miller at FB to block for him, Chuck Foreman ran over RG for 3. Fran Tarkenton then looped a pass down the right sideline to a streaking White, but Skip Thomas batted it away. Tark then threw to Miller on a delay out of the backfield to the left. Celebrating his 24th birthday, the FB escaped a tackler and gained a first down at the 39. Trying some new tricks, the Vikings deployed a double slot to the right with one of the slot men, White, taking the ball on a reverse for a gain of 7. Then Miller spun for just 1. On 3rd-and-2, Fran tried to hit Miller on the right sideline, but George Atkinson broke it up. So Neil Clabo punted 37y to the 16.
Like the Vikes, the Raiders got one first down but then had to punt. First, Ken Stabler rolled left but threw wide to Cliff Branch, who was open by 5y. After Mark van Eeghen gained 6 through the center of the line, Clarence Davis took a draw handoff for 13y before being chopped down. 1st and 10 at the 35. van Eeghen banged through two tacklers off RT for 7. But two more runs for only 1y each by Davis and Pete Banaszak brought Guy on to punt. Gerald Willis caught the kick on the 18 and slid down on the 26.

Clarence Davis runs behind van Eeghen.

Foreman took the ball three straight times, gaining 4 and 5 before being stuffed for no gain by John Matuszak to force a punt. Clabo got off another weak effort, just 31y to Neal Colzie, who ran up and took it on his fingertips at the 34 and continued to the 46.
van Eeghen cut through RT for 7 before Davis found another hole over LT for 18 to the Minnesota 29. DT Alan Page then said, "Enough is enough," and tackled van Eeghen as soon as he took the handoff for a loss of 4. Next, Stabler tried his first pass of the drive, overthrowing Fred Biletnikoff in the front left corner of the EZ. Undaunted, Ken connected on 3rd down with Branch, who came back to catch the low pass for only 10y. Coach Madden sent in Errol Mann for a 40y attempt, keeping his fingers crossed since the kicker had hit only 1 of 7 from 40+. But the kick sailed true. Raiders 19 Vikings 0 (5:16)

DE Jim Marshall, who did not record either a tackle or an assist in the game: "We had a scheme our defensive coach figured out. He wanted to stick with it, and we weren't able to adjust to some of the things that they were doing. During the season, we were able to freelance a lot more than we were in the Super Bowl. They wanted us to be a lot more disciplined. I think that hindered our ability to overcome some of the things that we should have overcome."

Stabler fakes to Banaszak.

Davis runs as Dalby blocks Siemon.

White got a good return of the kickoff, 26y to the 32. Tarkenton went to the air three straight times with no success: Looping throw to Foreman too high down the right sideline, pass batted away by Rowe at the line of scrimmage, and another incompletion when Otis Sistrunk hit Tarkenton as he threw. The Raiders thought the QB had fumbled and they recovered, but referee Jim Tunney ruled an incomplete pass. Then the Vikes got another new life when Matuszak ran into Clabo right after he punted - 5y penalty and automatic first down. Minnesota took advantage to drive for their first points. Following Foreman's 1y gain, Tarkenton had time to find TE Stu Voigt for 15y to make it 1st-and-10 on the Oakland 47. Trying to pass again, Tark was sacked by LB Phil Villapiano for a loss of 4. Then a middle screen to Foreman gained just 3, but another penalty on Oakland, this one for holding, made it 1st-and-10 at the 46. Fran then hit Rashad on a turn-in between CB Willie Brown and OLB Ted Hendricks for 21y. After Foreman got 4 up the middle, Tarkenton misfired to White in the back left corner EZ. The feisty QB ran halfway down the field to complain that Thomas had face-guarded White - to no avail of course. When Foreman gained only 3 at LT, Coach Grant said go for it since a FG wouldn't help much. On the TV broadcast, Don Meredith predicted Tarkenton would roll out and go to Foreman. That's exactly what he did, hitting Chuck in the right flat for 10y to the 18. Foreman took a while to get up after Monte Johnson's tackle.

Monte Johnson tackles Foreman.

Sammy Johnson replaced Chuck for the next play, which produced a TD on a pass to White on a down-and-out on the left side in front of Colzie. It was White's first reception of the afternoon. Fred Cox kicked the point. Raiders 19 Vikings 7 (0:47)
Carl Garrett returned Cox's short kickoff 24y to the 38. Fired up by the TD, Page pushed past G Gene Upshaw and sacked Stabler for a loss of 11. van Eeghen's 3y run ended the period.
END Q3: Raiders 19 Vikings 7

Davis follows George Buehler.

Quarter 4

Davis rambled for 16 around LE but that fell 2y short of a first down. So Guy punted 32y to the 22.
Could the Minnesota offense sustain the momentum the defense had continued? Tarkenton could find no one open downfield. So he threw behind Miller in the left flat. After Robert gained 7, Fran again found White, this time for 14 to the 39. But the Vikes soon found themselves in another 3rd down situation after Miller lost 2 on a pass completion and Johnson gained 1 on a draw. But the Tarkenton-White combination struck again for 18 over the middle to make it 1st-and-10 on the Oakland 44. Sammy paid a heavy price for the reception as Tatum smashed him just as he caught the ball right before Thomas threw his patented forearm shiver into the neck. The double blow snapped White's chin strap and sent his helmet flying. Still cradling the ball, the former Grambling star stayed down for a while as two officials bent over him to see if he was OK.

Tatum knocks White's helmet off.

Tatum: "It was one of those collisions defensive people dream about and offensive people have nightmares over. I wanted to make a statement that the game was over. That type of devastating hit has a tendency to discourage other receivers and running backs from trying anything over the middle. ... It was a delay pattern designed to clear me out by giving me a deep decoy to chase after and then bringing Sammy underneath into my area. I smelled the play and made a move backwards. Tarkenton glanced at me and thought I had taken the bait. Then he quickly started searching for White coming over the middle. That's exactly what I was looking for, too. I believe Sammy must have thought I was going deep and the middle was open, because he came into my zone moving full speed. In this situation I just sit back and wait for the ball to be thrown. From there it's just a matter of building up a full head of steam and sticking the receiver just as the ball arrives in his hands. ... I realize that I might have intercepted the ball, or at least made an effort for the interception. But, then again, Sammy might have been able to make the catch and take it on in for a score. ... Late in the game I was surprised to see Sammy White back in the lineup. He's a great receiver and I respect him as a man and as an athlete. I was glad that Sammy was okay because I think he is a tremendous person."
Ron Wolf was a scout for the Raiders from 1963-74. "Everybody remembers that hit. Tatum was 5-foot-10 1/2, 210, and ran 4.35. He was the fastest guy in that secondary. In all my time with the Raiders ... he was the only rookie that never had to stand up and sing" (at training camp).
Atkinson: "That hit let me know from that point on this is our game. It was all timing, like I always said. It was just the culmination of what you talk about when you talk about what we were perceived as. That was our signature on the deal. We played good, solid, aggressive, fundamentally sound football all day."
Villapiano: "He (White) didn't want to come back anymore. Wide receivers are pretty and they can run, but they don't like to get hit. When you get a hit like that from Jack Tatum, you're done for the day."

Staying hot, Tark rolled right and threw to Voigt for 9. Then the Raiders defense answered the alarm bell. Johnson dropped Foreman for a loss of 2. Then Tark, rolling left to avoid pressure, committed the cardinal sin of throwing off-balance down the middle toward Foreman. LB Willie Hall grabbed the floating pigskin on the run at the 30 and returned it 16y.

Reichow: "For whatever reason, [Tarkenton] didn't have any of his top games in the three Super Bowls he played for us."

Matuszak chases Tark out of pocket before Fran throws INT.

Madden paces on sidelines.

The Raiders took advantage of the turnover to put the game away. The drive started slowly with van Eeghen gained 2 and Davis 3. On the next snap, Biletnikoff got loose over the middle, snagging the pass at the 35 and running free to the 2 - a 48y gain that gave Oakland a new Super Bowl record of 407y, breaking Green Bay's mark from Super Bowl I.

Biletnikoff: "When we had a third down at midfield, Snake asked me in the huddle if I wanted to run an up or a post, and I told him, 'Post.' I headed up the middle and I was all alone as I pulled in the pass ... I knew I wasn't going to score; there's a little factor of speed. Also, their secondary guys had the angle on me. I made it to the two-yard line before Bobby Bryant caught me."
Krause: "I loused up the coverage. I called one coverage to Wright and played another. It gave Biletnikoff practically the whole field."
Stabler: "That was Freddy's longest run in years, and as he loped back to the huddle he said, 'I was looking for a gas station along the way.'"

With both teams in tight formations, the side judge called time to dispose of a frisbee thrown on the field - only in California! After re-huddling, Stabler handed to Banaszak who drove behind RT John Vella and RG George Buehler into the EZ. Mann converted. Raiders 26 Vikings 7 (7:39)

Banaszak remembers what happened after he scored. "Upshaw picked me up and said, 'Throw that son of a bitch into the stands.' I said, 'I don't know if I can throw it that far.' But it turned out to be a pretty good spiral. You know how that turned out? A bartender from Buffalo caught the ball. Some time later, he sent me the ball, with a letter, asking me to sign it. When I saw that ball, I wanted to go to bed with it." But he signed it and sent it back. Pete swears the ball still hangs in the Buffalo bar.
Stabler: "As I ran off the field, I said to myself, 'We just beat their ass. We just beat their ass good and plenty.'"

White took back Guy's kickoff 19y to the 32. Too far behind to run the ball, Tarkenton threw a swing pass to Miller for 3. After an incompletion off Foreman's hands near the right sideline, Fran found Voigt all alone on the right. Stu ran to a first down at the 47. Then Rowe, continuing to eat up C Mick Tingelhoff, whom he outweighed by 30 pounds, batted down his second pass of the day on Tarkenton's 33rd attempt. Then Fran finally went down the field, hitting Rashad on a crossing pattern to the Oakland 48. Then Tark flipped a quick out to White in the left flat. But Willie Brown was waiting for it and ran untouched 75y for a TD. As the 13-year veteran ran toward the bench after scoring, the entire Raiders team ran down the sideline to greet him. Even Mann's missing another PAT couldn't dampen the Oakland joy. Raiders 32 Vikings 7 (5:43)

Monte Johnson: "I called the coverage. Willie was supposed to be deep. But Willie said to me in the huddle, 'If he runs what I think he's going to, I'm going to jump the route.' I said, 'Willie, this is the Super Bowl. I'm not about to tell you you can't do it, but you better be right.' I said to Tate, 'Shade to the backside if Willie runs an up. Sure enough, Tarkenton does exactly what Willie thought he was going to do You could read Tarkenton like the backside of a cheap five-dollr novel. Willie jumps the route."
Brown: "The way the Vikings had done things in the past, it was like reading an open book ... I just faked like I was going one way and went back the other way. ... After I intercepted, I knew it was a touchdown. I knew if I could get to the end zone, the game was over. They wouldn't have a chance."
Madden after the game: "I felt comfortable after Willie Hall's interception, and I felt very comfortable after Willie Brown's. ... There's a point in the game whenyou know you've won it, and that was when I started celebrating with my players."
van Eeghen: "After that, it was just kind of a matter of putting them out of their misery."
As the clock ticked down, well-wishers gathered near the Raiders' luxury box, waiting for Al Davis. But the Oakland owner didn't move from his chair until the game ended, and he headed for the victorious locker room.

White took the kickoff on the 8 and returned to the 27 where he was creamed by Garrett. Bob Lee, who had thrown only 30 passes all season, took over at QB for Minnesota. After Atkinson broke up his pass to Voigt, Lee connected with Miller for 5. Safely ahead, the Raiders declined the illegal motion penalty on the Vikings. Following Lee's run out of the pocket for 4 to make it 4th-and-1, Foreman took a pitch around RE but was downed by Monte Johnson short of the line to gain.
Following suit, Madden sent in his backup QB, Mike Rae. He handed to van Eeghen for 5 around LE, then to Hubie Ginn for 9 and a 1st down. When Rae tried to pass, the rush ran him out of the pocket, DT Doug Sutherland sacking him for a loss of 6. Following van Eeghen's 3y run, Rae evaded the pass rush to the 25 at the two-minute warning. On 4th-and-2, Ginn gained zero up the middle to turn the ball over on downs.

As the P.A. announced that Biletnikoff had won the MVP award, NBC showed Freddie on the sideline unwrapping the tape around his arms.
Stabler: "When the announcement was made, Freddy, standing on the sideline, just burst into tears. I went over and hugged him. There were a lot of watery eyes on that sideline."
Biletnikoff: "Well, sure, I was crying. I mean, think of all the work you've done, all the years you've put in, all the stuff you've done together as a team. You get close, you get close, you get close. And then it finally fell into place for you. It finally went the way it was supposed to."
When Alan Page reached the sidelines with the Vikings defensive unit, he headed for the dressing room. Siemon said years later, "He pulled a Randy Moss, basically. Football was a means to an end for him. He entered law school while he was playing. It was as though he was a little above the childishness of a pro football environment. Walking off the field may have been just a culmination of his general distaste for the culture of professional football." Still, Page played another year with the Vikings and four with the Bears before retiring.

Lee then led the Vikes to a TD - 86y in nine plays. After McClanahan gained 2, backup LB Rodrigo Barnes almost intercepted Lee's pass to Rashad. Then Bob completed back-to-back throws, to White on the left sideline for 17 and to Sammy Johnson for 7. Next, Johnson slipped through the line up the middle for 8. Bob finished off the march by completing four passes in a row: 2y to Johnson, 20 to White, 17 to Johnson, and 13 to Voigt who carried Atkinson into the EZ. Cox added the point. Raiders 32 Vikings 14 (0:25)

Madden didn't see the TD. "I was too busy celebrating on the sideline, walking up and down and shaking hands."

Mike Siani fielded Cox's onside kick and was pulled down on the Minnesota 48. Rae knelt down for -2 to end the game as the Raiders carried their 250 lb coach off the field - "the toughest job Oakland has had today," said Curt Gowdy on NBC TV.
FINAL SCORE: RAIDERS 32 VIKINGS 14

If Mann had made the last PAT, the Raiders' winning score in Super Bowl XI would have been the same as the score by which Green Bay beat them in Super Bowl II: 33-14.

Madden carried off in triumph.

Madden: "After the gun went off ending the game, my three tallest players - John Matuszak, Ted Hendricks, and Charles Philyaw - were carrying me off the field on their shoulders, when one of them tripped over a photographer in front of us. One by one, Tooz, Ted, and Charles went down in a heap and I went down on top of them. That's the picture the New York Times used on its front page the next day." Another example of how the Raiders couldn't do anything the conventional way.
Sistrunk: "I think the whole team was happy for John and Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis was one of the best owners in the NFL and John was one of the best coaches. Once we got to the big dance, we danced all night and we danced all day."
Banaszak went into the stands to hug the fans. One problem: the stickum he had covered himself with stuck to several of them.
Stabler: "I met Al Davis walking into the dressing room, and he had a smile you couldn't break with a stick. We hugged and I said, 'I told you that I'd win it for you.' Freddy was seated by his locker hugging his ten-year-old son, Freddy Jr., who looked just like his dad with the same white-blond hair. They were both bawling. It was one of the most touching scenes I'd ever witnessed, big old tears of joy streaming down their faces. When the press came in, Freddy's tears had dragged his under-eye blackener down his cheeks and he looked like he'd been hit in the face with a handful of mud. He didn't care, didn't even bother to wash up. He just sat there chain-smoking cigarettes and answering questions."

Final statistics

Time of possession: Raiders 33:27 Vikings 26:33
First downs: Raiders 21 Vikings 20
Rushing: Raiders 52-266 Vikings 26-71
Passing: Raiders 19-12-0/163 Vikings 44-24-2/286
Return yardage: Raiders 8-181 Vikings 10-150
Fumbles-Lost: Raiders 0-0 Vikings 1-1
Penalties: Raiders 4-30 Vikings 2-25
Punting average: Raiders 5-32.4 Vikings 7-37.9
Attendance: 103.438

1976 Raiders in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Fred Biletnikoff, Willie Brown, Dave Casper, Ray Guy, Ted Hendricks, Art Shell, Ken Stabler, Gene Upshaw, Coach John Madden, Owner Al Davis.
1976 Vikings in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Carl Eller, Paul Krause, Alan Page, Fran Tarkenton, Mick Tinglehoff, Ron Yary, Coach Bud Grant

Watch the video of Super Bowl XI

Bradshaw tackles Willis on the second half kickoff.

Rowe chases Miller.

Matuszak menaces Tarkenton.

Sistrunk hits Fran as he throws.

Stabler hands off.

Tarkenton takes the snap.

Willie Hall tries to stop Foreman.

Stabler looks for a receiver.

Biletnikoff on the move to the 2

Bobby Bryant

Stabler exults.

Sammy Johnson takes handoff.

Willie Brown gets his TD.

Tarkenton disconsolate.

Bob Lee

Mike Rae

Hubie Ginn

Biletnikoff and Stabler in the last minutes

Branch and Biletnikoff enjoy the victory.

Stabler and Madden

Madden carried off

Postgame

Raiders Locker Room

Madden, of course, felt no need to give a postgame speech. Banaszak recalled: "John's face was lit up like a Christmas tree, like a jack-o'-lantern, like a big Howdy Doody, happy as hell. He was hugging everyone. We were all hugging each other. Even Al was hugging us. First time I ever saw Al hug anyone. ... We just wanted to sit and savor the feeling. I think I must have sat in my uniform for half an hour before I ripped my tape off. I was numb."
The Raiders as well as the assembled reporters wanted to see Commissioner Pete Rozelle award the championship trophy to Al Davis, the man who had been a thorn in Pete's side starting when Al was Commissioner of the AFL and concocted the plan to go after NFL free agents to force the merger. Davis resented the perception after the merger that Rozelle had been the mastermind who brokered the deal. The Oakland owner also believed the league was "out to get" his Raiders. But those hoping for a story were disappointed. Both men behaved themselves. After waiting for NBC to return from commercial, Rozelle said, "I'm sorry the trophy isn't silver and black, but it's close. Your victory was one of the most impressive in Super Bowl history." As Davis took the trophy from the commssioner, Upshaw called out, "We made you shake hands with the commissioner!" Al couldn't help but laught at that comment. After Rozelle left the podium, Atkinson and Tatum, whom Steelers coach Chuck Noll had called "a criminal element" in the NFL, briskly "escorted" the commissioner from the locker room out of view of the NBC cameras.
Villapiano: "I'll never forget the smile on Al's face. It was the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. He took that trophy in his hands and he just shook it."
One important unit had their own celebration. Upshaw grabbed the trophy from Davis and took it to a corner of the room where the offensive line gathered around it in various stages of undress to have a group picture taken with the prize.
Madden greeted the press holding a cigar. "We've been waiting a heck of a long time. I felt very confident after we beat Pittsburgh that when we got here, we wouldn't be denied. ... Coming up empty that first time meant nothing. There was too much football left to be played. The question was whether we were going to be able to move the ball. Well, we did. So then we knew it was only a matter of time before we started getting the points. ... We had tougher games in the AFC than we had today. ... We planned to wheel and deal, run and pass, throw short and deep and let everything go. The first drive was just what we wanted to do." John also expressed sympathy for Bud Grant, who was now 0-4 in Super Bowls. "Those numbers don't mean a thing. Grant is a great coach."
Madden: "Super Bowl XI was ours and ten years from now or twenty years from now Super Bowl XI will still be ours. I'll never take off the Super Bowl ring. It's something I will always cherish."
Owner Al Davis shook the hand of every player and coach in the locker room. "I've been reminded many times that, since the merger in 1970, no original American Football League team had won a Super Bowl. ... I felt if we could win the Super Bowl, all these myths would disappear. ... Now John will be recognized as one of the great coaches of all time. I have compassion for Minnesota. No one can take away from their record." Al couldn't resist one last dig at Rozelle. Asked why he'd kept a low profile that week, he cracked, "If I came around, I'd say something controversial, and the commissioner wouldn't get the headlines."
Stabler: "I couldn't imagine we'd dominate the Vikings like we did. We didn't do anything fancy, especially after we got ahead. It was just good execution. ... Going in, I thought we'd score as much as we did, but I thought Minnesota would score more. We had super play by our defense. They stopped Tarkenton and took away a lot of their weapons. ... When all this excitement wears off and I can really appreciate what we've done, I'm sure I'll really be overjoyed. But I tell you, I feel pretty happy right now. ... Nobody knows more about struggling to get to the top than we do. We've been trying for years now. When we had some really good teams and never received a lot of credit for it. We kept falling short of the Super Bowl, and that'swhat people seemed to remember most. And this season, even when we had one of the best records in pro football history coming into this game, we had a lot to overcome. People seemed to doubt we were as good as we were. They questioned how we played and we heard lots of criticism. It seemed we were looked on as pretty unsavory characters. Well, we have 43 renegades but we all play together on the field. I'm really proud for John and the Raiders."
Stabler: "I felt kind of bad for Fran Tarkenton. He was an amazing player, just amazing. ... And he had been to the Super Bowl three times, and three times he had failed to win. ... that had to hurt. I got to know Fran a bit after this game. ... Inevitably, when two QBs get together over dinner and drinks, they talk shop. And when we talked about the Super Bowl, Fran laid the loss off on his teammates. He said the secondary didn't tackle, the offensive line didn't block for the run or given him enough time to pass. I respect him as a player, but I lost a little respect for him as a person when he knocked his teammates."
Biletnikoff was one of the four Raiders who played in Super Bowl II. "Yeah, they were nine long years. But that's all behind us now." On the fumble recovery after the blocked punt: "It sort of extended our defense. We didn't let them get ahead of us. They're the type of team it is hard to catch up with. ... We're an emotional club. That's what got us here and will get us here next year. ... I wish every guy on this team could get the (MVP) award because every guy deserves it. I honestly feel guilty winning MVP. To accomplish this with a group of guys you see every day, a group of guys you love, well, it feels like someone stuck a needle in my arm and pumped me full of warm blood. It's like someone gave you a very special present. It hits your heart."
Matuszak on the defensive stand after the blocked punt: "We could have said, 'That's the game' when they blocked our punt. But we always figure out next play will be the big play. ... They knew then that we were here to play, and that they weren't going to get anything easy. ... We concentrated on their strengths. First, we shut off Fran Tarkenton. Then Chuck Foreman. Then Sammy White. Then the offensive line."
Upshaw pointed out the recent success of the Bay Area teams. "The A's won in baseball, the Warriors in basketball, and now the Raiders are champions too. ... We knew it had to be won in the pit. The game plan was to run at 'em. ... We knew that if we could get through the front four it would be for big yardage because their secondary is not known for making too many tackles."
Madden: "In my office after winning Super Bowl XI that day, I looked up and saw John Robinson holding a bottle of champagne. I hadn't seen him all day but here he was, reminding me how he had predicted his Southern Cal team would win the Rose Bowl game in the Rose Bowl and how my Raiders would win the Super Bowl game in the Rose Bowl about a week later. Here we were, two guys from Daly City who grew up together. I had my first beer with John Robinson - and now I was drinking champagne with him in the Rose Bowl locker room after the biggest week in our lives. My boys Mike and Joe were there too, waiting for me to change my clothes.
"Hey, nobody can say your dad can't win the big one anymore," I told them. "Not anymore."
The Raiders didn't return to the seedy Hilton that night. Instead, they went back to the Newport Beach Marriott for what Mike Siani calls "the best party I've ever been to in my life." With family and friends in attendance, the players behaved themselves reasonably well. Banaszak says: "I was so tired after that game, so mentally washed out, I was in bed before 12. But I made good use of my time while I was down there [at the party]."
Stabler: "It wasn't a hell-raise night. It was about appreciating what you did. After that, later, I did some celebrating. And I'm still celebrating it."
The next morning, only 13 players made the flight back to Oakland. The rest stayed in bed.

Vikings Locker Room

Grant: "Hey, we'll be back. We're used to this. A lot of teams haven't been here. We've made more money than any other team in football." Bud said the key to the game was "getting the third down plays. We just didn't get them. We just played on the wrong day. If we had played tomorrow, we would have beaten them. Oakland was a better team, and I'd be crazy to say anything different. We might have lost the game, but we're not the worst team in football. They're a great team and played a great game. Look at Biletnikoff. He was making the kind of plays you need to win. ... We dropped a couple of key passes. That was one of the big differences of the game. ... We've been behind by 16 points before and scored 17 points in a half. This is not a game of surprises. I wasn't surprised at anything that happened out there. We thought that if we could keep Oakland from throwing the ball we would have a chance. But when they were ahead 16-0, they were able to do anything they wanted - to run when they wanted and pass when they wanted."
Tarkenton: "What can I say? Oakland played very well today, and we played very badly. They completely outplayed us in all aspects of the game. There were no surprises. They just lined up 11 guys and came after us. ... They beat us badly. But really, what difference does it make if you lose by a point or 20? ... We had emotion going, but we lost some when we fumbled the ball when we got down to their three. ..." Fran tried to lighten the moment with some humor. "What we're trying to do is run through all the AFL clubs to see if there's one we can beat." Asked about retirement, he replied, "Right now, I can't imagine even getting up tomorrow morning. I want to get away and not see a football for a long time. I may never play again, but you are asking me at the wrong time. Everybody retires in January, but they're right back there in July."
Tarkenton played two more years for the Vikings before retiring.
Page: "What can I tell you? They kicked our butts. ... They were as good a team as I thought they would be. ... There are a lot of guys like Carl (Eller) and Jim (Marshall) who might not get any more chances."
As of 2018, the Vikings have never returned to the Super Bowl.
MLB Siemon made 15 unassisted tackles, including 13 in the first half. "We were being humiliated, and we became desperate from the second quarter on. Our only ray of hope was in the third quarter. There wasn't anything that we did that made me feel that we could turn the thing around in a wholesale fashion. At times we played good defense, especially early in the game. A great team like Oakland, though, is bound to eventually score on you."
McClanahan refused to talk about his fumble after the blocked punt. His only comment was, "Thank God we came out alive."
Chuck Foreman years later: "In every Super Bowl I played with the Vikings, we changed up what we did from what we had done to get us there. I was uncomfortable with the changes in our offense. We were trying to give them different looks and formations. It just didn't work. They physically took over the game. ... Now everybody forgets that we had great football teams. People forget how hard it is to get to a Super Bowl. They just know that we were the losers."
Paul Krause: "You could speculate for a lifetime and never really come up with the reasons we lost them. We had good football teams. It just so happened it wasn't our time to win a Super Bowl. That's past history, and the sun will come up tomorrow. At least we were there, doggone it. A lot of other teams would love to have been in a Super Bowl."