The 1969 NFL Championship Game was the 37th and final championship game played prior to the AFL-NFL Merger

AFL-NFL Merger

The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...

. The winner of the game would go on to play in Super Bowl IV

Super Bowl IV

Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...

 against the champion of the American Football League

American Football League

The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...

. The Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

 were making their first appearance in the NFL championship game, their opponent, the Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 who were making their second straight appearance and fourth in the 1960s. The game was played January 4, 1970 at Metropolitan Stadium

Metropolitan Stadium

Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America...

, Bloomington, Minnesota

Bloomington, Minnesota

Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...

.

Although not as severe as the "Ice Bowl" ( NFL Championship Game, 1967

NFL Championship Game, 1967

The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. The game was held at Lambeau Field on December 31, 1967. The winner of the game was...

) the weather conditions were bitterly cold with a temperature of 8 degrees F. Cleveland LB Jim Houston

Jim Houston

James Edward "Jim" Houston is a former American football linebacker who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006....

 suffered frostbite during the game and was hospitalized.

Minnesota had gone 12-2 during the regular season, including a 51-3 defeat of the Browns, and had defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the Western Conference championship a week earlier at Met Stadium. The Vikings were coached by Bud Grant

Bud Grant

Harry Peter "Bud" Grant, Jr is the former longtime American football head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League for eighteen seasons. Grant was the second and fourth head coach of the team...

 and led on offense by quarterback Joe Kapp

Joe Kapp

Joseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...

 and WR Gene Washington

Gene Washington (Vikings)

Eugene Washington is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Denver Broncos . He wore #84 for Minnesota and Denver.-College career:...

 . The defense allowed only 133 points (9.50 per game) during the regular season and was led by the front four line known as the Purple People Eaters

Purple People Eaters

Purple People Eaters is a term for the defensive line of the Minnesota Vikings from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. The term is a reference to a popular song from 1958, the superb efficiency of the defense, and the color of their uniforms...

.

Cleveland had gone 10-3-1 during regular season and had defeated the Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 for the Eastern Conference title. The Browns were coach by Blanton Collier

Blanton Collier

Blanton Long Collier was an American football coach who led the University of Kentucky and the Cleveland Browns...

. Bill Nelsen

Bill Nelsen

William Keith Nelsen was a former football player who played collegiately for the University of Southern California and professionally with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. He was known for his leadership ability and ability to play with pain, having endured a series of knee...

 was the starting quarterback and Gary Collins and Paul Warfield

Paul Warfield

Paul Dryden Warfield is a former professional American football wide receiver in the 1960s and 1970s known for his speed, fluid moves, grace, jumping ability and hands.- Football career :...

were star wide receivers for the team.

Scoring summary

Scoring

• MIN - TD:Joe Kapp 7 yard run (Fred Cox kick) 7-0 MIN
• MIN - TD:Gene Washington 75 yard pass from Joe Kapp (Fred Cox kick) 14-0 MIN
• MIN - FG:Fred Cox 30 yards 17-0 MIN
• MIN - TD:Dave Osborn 20 yard run (Fred Cox kick) 24-0 MIN
• MIN - FG:Fred Cox 32 yards 27-0 MIN
• CLE - TD:Collins 3 yard pass from Bill Nelsen (Cockroft kick) 27-7 MIN