Kansas City Chiefs Led by Veteran Quarterback Len Dawson, were making their second appearance in four years trying to win it. The opponents were the National Football League (NFL) champions, the Minnesota Vikings led by head coach Bud Grant. Hank Stram had coached the Kansas City Chiefs to an 11-3 record while the Minnesota Vikings finished the regular season 12-2. The Chiefs were listed as 13-point underdogs going into the game. Len Dawsons American Football League (AFL) 1969 season had been comprised of misery and misfortune. In the second game, against the Boston Patriots, he had suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for six games. Thereafter his father died and when the Kansas City Chiefs lost their final regular season game to the Oakland Raiders, 10-6, a cloud of controversy swirled about the veteran quarterback because of a questionable game plan. Harassment grew to the extent that the Dawson children were disinclined to go to school and Mrs. Dawson hesitated to mingle socially.

However despite all the troubles he had personally, Dawson and the Chiefs had survived. After finishing second to the Raiders in the Western Division race, the Chiefs eliminated the New York Jets in the inter-divisional playoffs, 13-7, and defeated Oakland, 17-7, in the AFL championship game to qualify for the Super Bowl. In the Early afternoon of Tuesday, January 6, after the team had finished its noon meal at the Fontainebleau Hotel in New Orleans and as Led Dawson prepared to attend a quarterbacks' meeting, he was beckoned aside by Hank Stram. The news from the coach was ominous. A few hours later, the National Broadcasting Company, on its Huntley-Brinkley newscast, would report a federal investigation into sports gambling and say that Dawson and other players would be summoned to testify in Detroit. The disclosure struck Dawson like a blind-side tackle. Dawson's involvement, he was told, stemmed from the arrest of Donald (Dice) Dawson, who was carrying more than $400,000 as well as Lenny's telephone number.

The quarterback admitted that he had known Donald Dawson (no relation) casually for about 10 years and had received phone calls from him on several occasions, the most recent after his knee injury and the death of his father. Reaction among the Kansas City Chiefs players about the whole story was hot and fast, "We're angry as hell the story came out the way it did," snapped defensive end Jerry Mays. "Lenny is too smart to get mixed up in something like this," said running back Mike Garrett. "To me there's nothing to it and it doesn't bother me at all." "The club was investigated before because it was playing erratically," recalled center E.J. Holub. "We were put through the wringer pretty good. There was nothing to it then and I don't think there's anything to it now." Guard Ed Budde said, "You've got to believe in something and I believe in Lenny." On January 11, 1970 the Chiefs jumped out to a 9-0 lead on three field goals by Jan Stenerud, then took advantage of a fumbled kickoff by Charlie West to open a 16-0 lead at half-time. The Chiefs dominated the first-half registering 10 first downs to only four by the Vikings.

The Chiefs also out gained Minnesota, 147 yards to 95. The Vikings got things going with their first possession of the second-half. Starting on their own 31, they moved down the field in 10 plays as Dave Osborn punched the ball over the goal line, reducing the lead to nine points, but that was as close as they would get. The Chiefs defense shut out the Vikings the rest of the way and recorded a 23-7 Super Bowl victory. The Kansas City defense limited Minnesota's strong rushing game to 67 yards and had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Len Dawson was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP), the fourth consecutive quarterback MVP, for completing 12 of 17 passes for 122 yards and hitting Otis Taylor on a 46-yard play for the final Chiefs touchdown. The crowd of 80,562 set a Super Bowl record, as did the gross receipts of $3,817,872.69.