Super Bowl IX Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12 , 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans , Louisiana to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion following the 1974 regular season . It would be the last pro game at legendary Tulane Stadium . The American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion Pittsburgh Steelers ( 13 - 3 - 1 ) defeated the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion Minnesota Vikings ( 12 - 5 ) , 16 – 6 , to win their first Super Bowl game . This game matched two of the NFL ' s best defenses – Pittsburgh ' s " Steel Curtain " against the " Purple People Eaters " of Minnesota – and two legendary quarterback s : Terry Bradshaw and Fran Tarkenton , respectively . However , the Steelers dominated the game , recording the first safety in Super Bowl history , and limiting the Vikings to Super Bowl lows that still stand ( as of 2010 ) of nine first downs , 119 yards of total offense , and 17 rushing yards . The Steelers also tied Super Bowl records for the least rushing first downs allowed ( 2 ) and the least passing first downs allowed ( 5 ) . It was the first Super Bowl to have a safety scored . Tarkenton was held to only 11 out of 26 completions for 102 passing yards , no touchdown passes , and tied a then Super Bowl record with three interceptions . Furthermore , Pittsburgh became the second Super Bowl team after the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VII to hold their opponents ' offense scoreless ; Minnesota ' s only score came on a blocked punt , and they did not even score on the extra point attempt . The Steelers accomplished all of this with two backups on defense : linebackers Ed Bradley and Loren Toews replaced injured starters Andy Russell and Jack Lambert for most of the second half . Meanwhile , Pittsburgh had 333 yards of total offense . Steelers Fullback Franco Harris , who ran for a Super Bowl record 158 yards ( more than the entire Minnesota offense ) and a touchdown , was named the Super Bowl ' s Most Valuable Player . Background . Pittsburgh Steelers . Pittsburgh advanced to their first Super Bowl and were playing for a league championship for the first time in team history . Their 73 - year old owner Art Rooney founded the Steelers as a 1933 NFL expansion team , but suffered through losing seasons for most of its 42 - year history and had never made it to an NFL championship game or a Super Bowl . But in 1969 , Rooney hired Chuck Noll to be the team ' s head coach and its fortunes started to turn following a disastrous 1 - 13 first year under the future Hall of Fame coach . Noll rebuilt the Steelers through the NFL draft , selecting defensive tackle Joe Greene in his first season as head coach . In 1970 , Noll drafted quarterback Terry Bradshaw and cornerback Mel Blount . In 1971 , linebacker Jack Ham , defensive tackle Ernie Holmes , defensive tackle Dwight White , and defensive back Mike Wagner were selected by the team . Fullback Franco Harris was drafted in 1972 . And in 1974 , the Steelers picked linebacker Jack Lambert , center Mike Webster and wide receivers Lynn Swann , John Stallworth and defensive back Donnie Shell as a free agent . Bradshaw , Webster , Swann , Stallworth and Harris ended up being hall of fame players on offense , while the others formed the core nucleus of their " Steel Curtain " defense , including future Hall of Famers Greene , Ham , Blount and Lambert . But en route to Super Bowl IX , the Steelers had started the regular season slowly , as Bradshaw and Joe Gilliam fought to be the team ' s starting quarterback . Gilliam had started for the first four games of the season , but Noll eventually made Bradshaw the starter . Although Bradshaw ended up completing only 67 out of 148 passes for 785 yards , 7 touchdowns , and 8 interceptions , he helped lead the team to a 10 - 3 - 1 regular season record . The Steelers main offensive weapon however was running the ball . Harris rushed for 1 , 006 yards and five touchdowns , while also catching 23 passes for 200 yards and another touchdown . Running backs Rocky Bleier , Preston Pearson , and Steve Davis also made important contributions , gaining a combined total of 936 yards and eight touchdowns . But the Steelers ' main strength during the season was their staunch " Steel Curtain " defense , which led the league with the fewest total yards allowed ( 3 , 074 ) and the fewest passing yards allowed ( 1 , 466 ) . Greene won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second time in the previous three seasons , and he and Greenwood were named to the Pro Bowl . Both of the team ' s outside linebackers , Ham and Andy Russell , had been also selected to play in the Pro Bowl , while Lambert already had two interceptions for 19 yards in his rookie year . In the defensive backfield , Blount , Wagner , and Glen Edwards made a strong impact against opposing passing plays . Minnesota Vikings . The Vikings came into the season trying to redeem themselves after a one sided Super Bowl VIII loss after which they became the first team ever to lose two Super Bowls ( the other loss was in Super Bowl IV ) as well as losing back to back Super Bowls . Minnesota ' s powerful offense was still led by veteran quarterback Fran Tarkenton , who passed for 2 , 598 yards and 17 touchdowns . The Vikings ' primary offensive weapon was running back Chuck Foreman , who led the team in receptions with 53 for 586 yards and six touchdowns . He was also their leading rusher with 777 rushing yards and nine touchdowns . Wide receiver Jim Lash was a major deep threat , with 32 receptions for 631 yards ( a 19 . 7 yards per catch average ) . Fullback Dave Osborn contributed with 514 rushing yards , and 29 receptions for 196 yards . And the Vikings offensive line , led by future Hall of Fame left tackle Ron Yary , allowed only 17 sacks . Aided by the " Purple People Eaters " defense , led by future hall of fame defensive linemen Carl Eller and Alan Page , and future hall of fame safety Paul Krause , the Vikings won the NFC Central for the sixth time in the previous seven seasons . Playoffs . For the first time in four years , the Miami Dolphins were not able to advance to the Super Bowl . The Dolphins lost three of their most productive players Larry Csonka , Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield to the startup World Football League . This transition effectively ended any opportunity of a long term Dolphin dynasty . While the Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills , 32 - 14 , in the first round , the favored Dolphins lost to the Oakland Raiders , 28 - 26 , giving up Raiders running back Clarence Davis ' 8 - yard touchdown reception with 26 seconds remaining in the game with a play now known as the " Sea of Hands " . The key play in the game occurred when the Dolphins were in control and were leading the Raiders 19 - 14 midway through the fourth quarter . Cliff Branch hauled in a 72 yard touchdown pass from Raider QB Kenny Stabler when third year Dolphin defensive back Henry Stuckey , the man assigned to cover Branch on the play , fell down and the resultant wide open Branch caught the bomb and sprinted to the endzone . After George Blanda kicked the PAT , the Raiders led 21 to 19 . Dolphin fans were furious because fan favorite Lloyd Mumphord was replaced with Stuckey . Mumphord and Coach Don Shula were involved in a feud at the time and it is thought that Stuckey was given the starting job for this game because of Shula ' s and Mumphord ' s differences of opinion . Afterwards , Stuckey was released in the offseason . Many believed that had Mumphord had been in the game , there would have been no sea of hands play . The Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills 32 - 14 at home in the divisional round , then won the AFC Championship Game over the host Raiders , 24 - 13 . Meanwhile , Minnesota allowed only a combined 24 points in their playoff wins against the St . Louis Cardinals , 30 - 14 , and their narrow defeat of the Los Angeles Rams , 14 - 10 , after their defense stopped an attempted comeback touchdown drive from the Rams on the Vikings ' own 2 - yard line . This game was also noted for a controversial procedure penalty during one Rams ' drive when Los Angeles guard Tom Mack was called for a false start near the Viking goal line following Alan Page crossing the line of scrimmage unabated . Super Bowl pregame news and notes . Sports writers and fans predicted that Super Bowl IX would be a low scoring game because of each team ' s defenses . The Steelers ' " Steel Curtain " had led the AFC in fewest points allowed ( 189 ) and the Vikings ' " Purple People Eaters " had only given up 195 . As the NFC was the designated " home team " for the game , by NFL rules at the time the Vikings were required to wear their purple jerseys . Although the league later relaxed the rule from Super Bowl XIII onwards , the Vikings would ' ve likely worn their purple jerseys anyways , given that they ' ve worn their purple jerseys at home for much of their history aside from a few games in the 1960s , when the NFL was encouraging ( but not requiring ) teams to wear white at home . This was the only one of the four Super Bowls the Steelers of the 1970s played in that the team wore their white jerseys , and the only Super Bowl the team would wear white at all until Super Bowl XL 31 years later . Game conditions . The game was originally scheduled for the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans . Because construction on the dome was not yet finished , the game had to be moved to Tulane Stadium , home field for Tulane University . This proved to be quite pivotal , because of the inclement conditions ( low temperature and the field was slick from overnight rain ) . This would be the last Super Bowl to be played in inclement weather until Super Bowl XLI . The last minute change of venue meant this was not only the last of three Super Bowls played at Tulane Stadium , but the last professional game ever played in the stadium , which was demolished five years later and replaced for the 1975 NFL season by the Louisiana Superdome , which has hosted every Super Bowl held in New Orleans since . Television and entertainment . The game was broadcast in the United States by NBC with play - by - play announcer Curt Gowdy and color commentator s Al DeRogatis and Don Meredith . Charlie Jones served as the event ' s host , field reporter and would cover the trophy presentation ( prior to the 1975 NFL season , NBC did not have a pregame show ) . The Grambling State University Band performed during both the pregame festivities and the national anthem . During the national anthem , they were backed by a Mardi Gras choir . The halftime show was a tribute to American jazz composer , pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington , also featuring the Grambling State University Band along with Ellington ' s son Mercer . Ellington had died the previous May . " The Mary Tyler Moore Show " on CBS ( which was set in Minneapolis ) used this game as a plotline on the episode aired the night before the game . Lou Grant was teaching Ted Baxter how to bet on football games , and used Ted ' s money , as well as some of his own to bet on the hometown Vikings winning the Super Bowl . The Vikings won the Super Bowl in this episode but Ted ' s hopes were dashed when it was revealed that Lou actually bet all the money on the Steelers . At the end of the show , Mary Tyler Moore announced the following over the credits : " If the Pittsburgh Steelers win the actual Super Bowl tomorrow , we want to apologize to the Pittsburgh team and their fans for this purely fictional story . If on the other hand , they lose , remember , you heard it here first . " And , as it turned out , her apology did go into effect . Game summary . As many predicted , the game was low scoring ; both teams failed to score a touchdown or a field goal until the third quarter and ended up with the second lowest total of combined points in Super Bowl history . The first quarter of the game was completely dominated by both teams ' defenses . The Vikings were limited to 20 passing yards , zero rushing yards , and one first down . The Steelers did slightly better with 18 passing yards , 61 rushing yards , and four first downs . Pittsburgh even managed to get close enough for their kicker Roy Gerela to attempt two field goals . But Gerela missed his first attempt , and a bad snap prevented the second one from getting off the ground . In the second quarter , the Vikings got an opportunity to score when they recovered a fumble from fullback Rocky Bleier at the Steelers 24 - yard line . But they could only move the ball two yards in their next three plays , and then Vikings kicker Fred Cox missed a 39 - yard field goal attempt . The first score of the game occurred later in the period , when fullback Dave Osborn fumbled a pitch from Tarkenton in Minnesota ' s own end zone . Tarkenton quickly dove on the ball to prevent a Steeler touchdown , but he was downed by Dwight White for a safety , giving Pittsburgh a 2 - 0 lead . It was the first safety ever scored in a Super Bowl . The Vikings later threatened to score when Tarkenton led them on a 55 - yard drive to the Steelers 20 - yard line . With 1 : 17 left in the half , Tarkenton threw a pass to receiver John Gilliam at the 5 - yard line , but Steelers safety Glen Edwards hit him just as he caught the ball . The ball popped out of his hands and right into the arms of Mel Blount for an interception . The half ended with the Steelers leading 2 - 0 , the lowest halftime score in Super Bowl history and lowest possible , barring a scoreless tie . On the opening kickoff of the second half , Minnesota ' s Bill Brown lost a fumble , and the Steelers recovered the ball at the Vikings ' 30 - yard line . Then , Franco Harris moved the ball to the 6 - yard line with a 24 - yard run . Harris was then tackled for a 3 - yard loss on the next play , but then made up for it with a 9 - yard touchdown run after that , giving the Steelers a 9 - 0 lead . After an exchange of punts , Minnesota got the ball back on their own 20 - yard line . On the second play of drive , Tarkenton ' s pass was deflected behind the line of scrimmage by Pittsburgh defensive lineman L . C . Greenwood , and bounced back right into the arms of Tarkenton , who then threw 41 - yard completion to Gilliam . However , officials ruled Tarkenton ' s first pass attempt was a completion to himself , and thus his second attempt was an illegal forward pass . The penalty brought up third down and 11 yards to go , but Minnesota got the first down with running back Chuck Foreman ' s 12 - yard run . Three plays later , Tarkenton completed a 28 - yard pass to tight end Stu Voigt at the Steelers 45 - yard line . However , White deflected Tarkenton ' s next pass attempt and Greene intercepted the ball , ending the Vikings ' best offensive scoring opportunity . Early in the fourth quarter , the Vikings got another scoring opportunity when Minnesota safety Paul Krause recovered a fumble from Harris on the Steelers 47 - yard line . On the next play , a 42 - yard pass interference penalty on Pittsburgh defensive back Mike Wagner moved the ball up to the 5 - yard line . But once again , the Steelers stopped them from scoring when Greene forced and recovered a fumble from Foreman . However , Pittsburgh failed to get a first down on their next possession and was forced to punt from deep in their own territory . Minnesota defender Matt Blair burst through the line to block the punt , and Terry Brown recovered the ball in the end zone for touchdown . Cox missed the extra point , but the Vikings had cut their deficit to 9 - 6 and were just a field goal away from a tie . But on the ensuing drive , the Steelers put the game out of reach with a 66 yard , 11 play scoring drive that took 6 : 47 off the clock and featured three successful third down conversions . The first was a key 30 - yard pass completion from Terry Bradshaw to tight end Larry Brown . Brown fumbled the ball as he was being tackled , and two officials initially ruled the ball recovered for the Vikings , but head linesman Ed Marion overruled their call , stating ( correctly as noted in television replays ) that Brown was downed at the contact before the ball came out of his hands . Another third down pass to Bleier advanced the ball to the Vikings 5 - yard line . The Steelers gained just one yard with their next two plays , but on third down Bradshaw ' s 4 - yard touchdown pass to Brown gave the Steelers a 16 - 6 lead with only 3 : 31 remaining . Vikings running back Brent McClanahan returned the ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the 39 - yard line , but on the first play of the drive , Tarkenton ' s pass was intercepted by Wagner . The Steelers then executed 7 consecutive running plays , taking the game clock all the way down to 38 seconds remaining before turning the ball over on downs . Harris finished the game with 34 carries for a Super Bowl record 158 yards and a touchdown . Bleier had 65 rushing yards , and two receptions for 11 yards . Bradshaw completed nine out of 14 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown . Foreman was the Viking ' s top offensive contributor , finishing the game as the team ' s leading rusher and receiver with 18 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards . Officials . " Note : A seven - official system was not used until 1978 "