Super Bowl VIII Super Bowl VIII was a professional American football game played on January 13 , 1974 at Rice Stadium . in Houston , Texas to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion following the 1973 regular season . The American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion Miami Dolphins ( 15 - 2 ) defeated the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion Minnesota Vikings ( 14 - 3 ) , 24 – 7 . Scoring the first 24 points of the game and leading 24 - 0 entering the fourth quarter , the Dolphins easily won their second consecutive Super Bowl , and became the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls . Dolphins Running Back Larry Csonka , who ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns , was named the game ' s Most Valuable Player . Both his 145 rushing yards and his 33 carries were Super Bowl records . Csonka became the first running back to earn Super Bowl MVP honors . Background . Miami Dolphins . Although the Dolphins were unable to match their 17 - 0 perfect season of 1972 , many sports writers , fans , and Dolphins players themselves felt that the 1973 team was better . While the 1972 team faced no competition that possessed a better record than 8 - 6 in the regular season , the 1973 team played a much tougher schedule that included games against the Oakland Raiders , Pittsburgh Steelers , and Dallas Cowboys ( all playoff teams ) , plus two games against a resurgent Buffalo Bills squad that featured 2 , 000 - yard rusher O . J . Simpson . Miami finished with a 12 - 2 regular season , including their opening game victory over the San Francisco 49ers that tied an NFL record with 18 consecutive wins . The Dolphins ' winning streak ended in week two with a 12 - 7 loss to the Raiders in Berkeley , California . Just like the last two previous seasons , Miami ' s offense relied primarily on their rushing attack . Fullback Larry Csonka recorded his third consecutive 1 , 000 rushing yards season ( 1 , 003 yards ) , while running back Mercury Morris rushed for 954 yards and scored 10 touchdowns . Running back Jim Kiick was also a key contributor , rushing for 257 yards , and catching 27 passes for 208 yards . Quarterback Bob Griese , the AFC ' s second leading passer , completed only 116 passes for 1 , 422 yards , but threw more than twice as many touchdown passes ( 17 ) as interceptions ( 8 ) , and earned an 84 . 3 passer rating . He became the first quarterback to start three Super Bowls and is joined by Jim Kelly as only quarterbacks to start at least three consecutive Super Bowls . Wide receiver Paul Warfield remained the main deep threat on the team , catching 29 passes for 514 yards and 11 touchdowns . Also , the offensive line was strong , once again led by center Jim Langer and right guard Larry Little . Griese , Csonka , Warfield , Langer , Bob Kuechenberg , Nick Buoniconti and Little would all eventually be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Miami ' s " No Name Defense " continued to dominate their opponents . Future Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti recovered three fumbles and returned one for a touchdown . Safety Dick Anderson led the team with eight interceptions , which he returned for 163 yards and two touchdowns . And safety Jake Scott , the previous season ' s Super Bowl MVP , had four interceptions and 71 return yards . The Dolphins were still using their " 53 " defense devised at the beginning of the 1971 season , where Bob Matheson ( # 53 ) would be brought in as a fourth linebacker in a 3 - 4 defense , with Manny Fernandez at nose tackle . Matheson could either rush the passer or drop back into coverage . Minnesota Vikings . The Vikings also finished the regular season with a 12 - 2 record , winning their first nine games before a loss on " Monday Night Football " to the Atlanta Falcons . Minnesota ' s offense was led by 13 - year veteran quarterback Fran Tarkenton . During the regular season , Tarkenton completed 61 . 7 percent of his passes for 2 , 113 yards , 15 touchdowns , and just seven interceptions . He also rushed for 202 yards and another touchdown . The team ' s primary deep threat was Pro Bowl wide receiver John Gilliam , who caught 42 passes for 907 yards , an average of 21 . 6 yards per catch , and scored eight touchdowns . Tight End Stu Voigt was also a key element of the passing game , with 23 receptions for 318 yards and two touchdowns . The Vikings ' main weapon on their rushing game was NFL Rookie of the Year running back Chuck Foreman , who rushed for 801 yards , caught 37 passes for 362 yards , and scored six touchdowns . The Vikings had four other significant running backs : Dave Osborn , Bill Brown , Oscar Reed , and Ed Marinaro combined for 1 , 469 rushing / receiving yards and 11 touchdowns . The Vikings offensive line was also very talented , led by Ron Yary and six - time Pro Bowl player Mick Tingelhoff . Their defense was once again anchored by a defensive line nicknamed the " Purple People Eaters " , consisting of defensive tackles Gary Larsen and Alan Page , and defensive ends Jim Marshall and Carl Eller . Behind them , cornerback Bobby Bryant ( seven interceptions , 105 return yards , one touchdown ) , and safety Paul Krause ( four interceptions ) led the defensive secondary . Playoffs . The Vikings earned their second appearance in the Super Bowl after defeating the wild card Washington Redskins , 27 - 20 , and the NFC Eastern Champion Dallas Cowboys 27 - 10 , in the playoffs . Meanwhile , the Dolphins defeated the AFC Central Champion Cincinnati Bengals 34 - 16 in the divisional round , and the AFC Western Champion Oakland Raiders , 27 - 10 for the AFC Championship . The Dolphins were the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls . Super Bowl pregame news and notes . This was the first Super Bowl in which a former AFL franchise was the favorite . The 1970 AFC Champion Baltimore Colts had been the favorite in Super Bowl V , but they were an original NFL franchise prior the 1970 merger . This was also the first Super Bowl played in a stadium that was not the current home to an NFL or AFL team , as no team had called Rice Stadium home since the Houston Oilers moved into the Astrodome . The Vikings complained about their practice facilities at a Houston high school , a 20 - minute bus ride from their hotel . They said the locker room was cramped , uncarpeted , had no lockers , and that most of the shower heads didn ' t work . The practice field had no blocking sleds . " I don ' t think our players have seen anything like this since junior high school , " said Vikings head coach Bud Grant . There were reports of dissension among the Dolphin team arising from owner Joe Robbie ' s decision to allow married players to bring their wives at the club ' s expense . The single players were reportedly angry that they couldn ' t bring their girlfriends or mothers . Paul Warfield entered the game with a well - publicized hamstring injury in his left leg . Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page and Miami Dolphins left guard Bob Kuechenberg were former teammates at the University of Notre Dame . Kuechenberg would be blocking Page in Super Bowl VIII . Kuechenberg entered the game with a broken arm which was injured in a game played against the Baltimore Colts and wore a cast on that arm throughout the game . On television before the game , New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath said , " If Miami gets the kickoff and scores on the opening drive , the game is over . " . Indeed , the Dolphins became the first team score a touchdown after receiving the game ' s opening kickoff . For this game , the Miami Dolphins were assigned the home team . The Dolphins wear white jerseys at home typically for day games , but due to a ( since changed ) uniform policy , the Dolphins were obligated to wear their aqua jerseys as the designated home team , although Miami wore its aqua jerseys for its final regular season home game ( on a Saturday afternoon ) that season vs . the Detroit Lions . Also , many Dolphin players wore a slightly different helmet decal than the rest . . . starting with the final regular season game of the 1973 season ( and continuing throughout the playoffs ) many players , mostly linemen , wore the decal that the team would adopt in 1974 ( with the mascot dolphin leaping through the sun ) , while others wore helmets with the 1969 - 1973 decal ( with the mascot dolphin halfway through the sun ) . Famed " Gonzo " writer Hunter S . Thompson covered the game for " Rolling Stone " magazine , and his exploits in Houston are legendary . This was the only Super Bowl in which the game ball had stripes . Until the late 1970s , stripes were permissible for NFL footballs for night games and other special situations . Television and entertainment . The game was televised in the United States by CBS with play - by - play announcer Ray Scott and color commentator s Pat Summerall and Bart Starr . This was Scott ' s final telecast for CBS . The following season Summerall would take Scott ' s place as the network ' s lead play - by - play announcer , holding that position through 1993 , when CBS lost rights to the NFC television package to Fox . The Longhorn Band from the University of Texas at Austin performed during the pregame festivities . Later , country music singer Charley Pride sang the national anthem . The halftime show also featured the Longhorn Band , along with Judy Mallett , Miss Texas 1973 , playing the fiddle , in a tribute to American music titled " A Musical America " . Game summary . The Dolphins ' game plan on offense was to use misdirection , negative - influence traps , and cross - blocking to exploit the Vikings defense ' s excellent pursuit . ( The Kansas City Chiefs had used similar tactics against the same Vikings defensive line in Super Bowl IV ) . Wrote Jim Langer , " All this was successful right away . We kept ripping huge holes into their defense and Csonka kept picking up good yardage , especially to the right . We ' d hear Alan [ Page ] cussing because those negative - influence plays were just driving him nuts . He didn ' t know what the hell to do . " On defense the Dolphins ' goal was to neutralize Chuck Foreman by using cat - quick Manny Fernandez at nose tackle and to make passing difficult for Tarkenton by double - teaming John Gilliam and knocking down his receivers . They were also depending on defensive ends Bill Stanfill and Vern Den Herder to contain Tarkenton ' s scrambling . As they had the two previous Super Bowls , the Dolphins won the coin toss and elected to receive . The Dolphins dominated the Vikings right from the beginning , scoring touchdowns on two 10 - play drives in the first quarter . Said Jim Langer , " It was obvious from the beginning that our offense could overpower their defense . " First , Dolphins defensive back Jake Scott gave his team good field position by returning the opening kickoff 31 yards to the Miami 38 - yard line . Then Mercury Morris ran right for four yards , Larry Csonka crashed through the middle for two , and quarterback Bob Griese completed a 13 - yard pass to tight end Jim Mandich to advance the ball to the Vikings 43 - yard line . Csonka then ran on second down for 16 yards , then Griese completed a six - yard pass to receiver Marlin Briscoe to the 21 - yard line . Three more running plays , two by Csonka and one by Morris moved the ball to the Vikings 5 - yard line . Csonka then finished the drive with a five - yard touchdown run . Then after forcing Minnesota to punt after three plays , the Dolphins went 56 yards in 10 plays ( aided with three runs by Csonka for eight , 12 , and eight yards , and Griese ' s 13 - yard pass to Briscoe ) to score on running back Jim Kiick ' s one - yard run ( his only touchdown of the season ) to give them a 14 - 0 lead . By the time the first quarter ended , Miami had run 20 plays for 118 yards and eight first downs , and scored touchdowns on their first two possessions . Meanwhile the Miami defense held the Minnesota offense to only 25 yards , six plays from scrimmage and one first down . The Vikings did not cross their own 23 - yard line . The situation never got much better for the Vikings the rest of the game . After each team traded punts early in the second period , Miami mounted a seven - play drive starting from their own 35 - yard line , culminating in a 28 - yard field goal from kicker Garo Yepremian to make the score 17 - 0 midway through the second quarter . On the first play of the drive , Minnesota was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct on linebacker Wally Hilgenberg , who threw an elbow through Csonka ' s facemask , cutting Csonka above the eye . The Vikings then had their best opportunity to score in the first half on their ensuing drive . Starting at their own 20 - yard line , Minnesota marched to the Miami 15 - yard line in nine plays , aided by Fran Tarkenton ' s completions of 17 and 14 yards to tight end Stu Voigt and wide receiver John Gilliam ' s 30 - yard reception . Tarkenton ' s eight - yard run on first down then advanced the ball to the 7 - yard line . But on the next two plays , Vikings running back Oscar Reed gained only one yard on two rushes , bringing up a fourth - down - and - one with less than a minute left in the half . Instead of kicking a field goal , Minnesota attempted to convert the fourth down with another running play by Reed . However , Reed lost the ball while being tackled by linebacker Nick Buoniconti , and Scott recovered the fumble . Jim Langer wrote that at halftime , " We definitely knew that this game was over . " Gilliam returned the second half kickoff 65 yards , but a holding penalty on the play moved the ball all the way back to the Minnesota 11 - yard line . Two plays later , Tarkenton was sacked for a six - yard loss by defensive tackle Manny Fernandez on third down , forcing Minnesota to punt from their own 7 - yard line . Scott then returned the punt 12 yards to the Minnesota 43 - yard line . Miami then marched 43 yards in eight plays to score on Csonka ' s two - yard touchdown run through Hilgenberg to increase their lead to 24 - 0 with almost nine minutes left in the third quarter . The key play was Griese ' s third - and - five , 27 - yard pass to wide receiver Paul Warfield to the Minnesota 11 - yard line . It was Griese ' s last pass of the game and only Warfield ' s second , and last , catch of the game . ( Because of his hamstring injury , Warfield had earlier been limping through primarily decoy routes . ) After an exchange of punts , Minnesota got the ball back at their 43 - yard line . They mounted a nine - play drive , running the ball only twice . On second - and - one at the Miami 4 , Tarkenton himself ran it in around right end , and the extra point made it 24 - 7 with 13 minutes left in the game . Minnesota recovered their ensuing onside kick , but an offsides penalty on the Vikings nullified the play , and they subsequently kicked deep . Miami went three - and - out , and Minnesota got the ball back at their own 3 - yard line . Eight plays later the Vikings reached the Miami 32 - yard line . After two incomplete passes , Tarkenton ' s pass intended for wide receiver Jim Lash was intercepted by Dolphins cornerback Curtis Johnson at the goal line . Miami got the ball back at their 10 - yard line with 6 : 24 left in the game , and Csonka and Kiick then ran out the clock . With less than four minutes to play , a frustrated Alan Page was called for a personal foul for a late hit on Griese , and then one play later both Page and Kuechenberg were given offsetting personal fouls after getting in a scuffle with each other . Wrote Jim Langer , " We just hit the Vikings defense so hard and so fast that they didn ' t know what hit them . Alan Page later said he knew we would dominate them after only the first couple of plays . " Griese finished the game with just six out of seven pass completions for 73 yards . Miami ' s seven pass attempts were the fewest ever thrown by a team in the Super Bowl . The Dolphins rushed for 196 yards , did not have any turnovers , and were not penalized in the first 52 minutes . Tarkenton set what was then a Super Bowl record for completions , 18 out of 28 for 182 yards , with one interception , and rushed for 17 yards and a touchdown . Reed was the leading rusher for the Vikings , but with just 32 yards . Tight end Stu Voigt was the top receiver of the game with three catches for 46 yards . The Vikings ' lethargic performance was very similar to their performance in their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV . Super Bowl postgame news and notes . In the Dolphins ' locker room after the game , Csonka was asked about his battered face . Without naming Hilgenberg , he said , " It was a cheap shot , but an honest cheap shot . He came right at me and threw an elbow right through my mask . I could see the game meant something to him . " With their 32 - 2 record over two years , the still - young Dolphins appeared to have established a dynasty . In 1974 , however , their offense was hurt by injuries to Csonka and the offensive line , and the defense was hurt by the departure of defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger to become the New York Giants head coach . The Dolphins finished 11 - 3 but lost a dramatic playoff game to the Oakland Raiders . In 1975 Csonka , Kiick , and Warfield left to join the World Football League . The Dolphins would not win another playoff game until 1982 . Starting lineups . Source : Officials . " Note : A seven - official system was not used until the 1978 season . " Leo Miles was the first African - American to officiate in a Super Bowl .