South Vietnamese Government troops, supported by air and artillery strikes, have imposed heavy losses on insurgent forces around the district seat of Hoài Đức, 55 miles east-northeast of Saigon, government military sources said today. The sources estimated that 280 Communist‐led troops had been killed in fighting in the last two days as government forces moved to relieve pressure on the town. Government planes flew 30 sorties yesterday and knocked out a number of insurgent mortar positions that had been shelling government units defending the town, the sources said.
North Vietnam has protested that American reconnaissance planes flew over Hanoi and other areas of the country yesterday. A protest note, published in the Sunday newspapers here said that the Foreign Ministry “severely condemns this‐act of violation” and “demands that the United States end the air reconnaissance raids and its attacks on the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of North Vietnam. The last flight by a United States plane over Hanoi was on November 28 and over Hải Phòng, on January 4, it was stated here.
A Pentagon spokesman confirmed today that United States aircraft were carrying out unarmed reconnaissance flights over South Vietnam and Cambodia. He stressed that this was nothing new or secret. But the spokesman, William Beecher, would say only “no comment” when asked about similar flights over North Vietnam. Another authoritative Pentagon official, however, stated flatly that unarmed United States aircraft had been flying over North Vietnam “for some time.” But this could not be confirmed from others. This official also acknowledged that such flights were in violation of a secret understanding between Washington and Hanoi made at the time the Vietnam cease‐fire accords were signed in Paris in January 1973.
“We only started the reconnaissance in North Vietnam,” he explained, “after we repeatedly warned them about their violations of the 1973 ceasefire accords, particularly in bringing down new men and supplies into South Vietnam.” The published version of the Paris accords merely states that the United States will stop “all military activities” against North Vietnam. Until the end of the negotiations that led to the accords, the United States insisted that unarmed reconnaissance flights should not be precluded by this clause, the official said. But in the final stages of the talks, he said, “we agreed that all reconnaissance over North Vietnam will cease completely and definitively.” A number of other officials questioned by The New York Times would not comment on the issue. One did say, “I’d be careful about the difference between flying over North Vietnam and flying just off the borders of North Vietnam.”
Several Administration officials confirmed that the United States shared with the South Vietnamese and Cambodian Governments intelligence information derived from reconnaissance flights. They said the flights also were used to check on violations of the cease‐fire accords and to protect American military supply programs in South Vietnam and Cambodia. The question of American aerial surveillance arose in the last few days when Hanoi began charging that United States reconnaissance pilots were directing South Vietnamese air strikes against communist South.
When asked about this, several Administration officials said that it was highly unlikely and would be totally contrary to instructions from Washington. They said however, that neither the Pentagon nor the State Department had tried to check the allegation. American reconnaissance. flights over South Vietnam are considered a “gray” area under the Paris accords. The accords ban “all acts of force” in South Vietnam by the United States. Hanoi insists that this includes all types of reconnaissance while Washington maintains that unarmed reconnaissance is permitted. The United States operates manned and unmanned reconnaissance flights — all unarmed — from bases in Thailand, offiials said.
Cambodian insurgents attacked the key Mekong River town of Neak Luong from three sides in an apparent effort to choke off Phnom Penh’s major remaining lifeline. Military sources said the last government enclave on the river bank opposite the town had been abandoned, giving the rebels uncontested control of a large stretch of Highway 1 beginning about 15 miles from the capital. Reporters were unable to reach the besieged town today and reports reaching Phnom Penh differed somewhat as to how grave the situation was. Cambodian military sources and their American backers, who supply virtually all the aid that the Phnom Penh Government gets, tended to be more optimistic than others in the capital. The Cambodian high command issued positive reports today on the battle. American officials said the situation was “serious but not critical” in Neak Luong, which sits about. 38 miles southeast of Phnom Penh in a position to command the capital’s main supply line the Mekong River. But reports from other sources — international relief workers, Western military analysts, diplomats and refugees reaching here today from Neak Luong — generally painted a more serious picture.
These sources, reporting heavy insurgent pressure, said there was fighting around the town on both banks of the river — Neak Luong sits on the eastern bank with a military defense outpost on the western bank — and that the town was being shelled by mortars and recoilless cannons of Cambodian insurgents. Neak Luong is strategically important because all other surface supply routes from the outside world were cut by the Communist‐led insurgents long ago in this war, now nearly five years old. Eighty percent or more of the supplies for Phnom Penh must be shipped by the Americans up the Mekong from Thailand and South Vietnam. The Mekong River and Neak Luong have become the focus of the insurgents’ annual dryseason offensive, now nearly two weeks old. But because of continued insurgent pressure close to Phnom Penh — northwest, north and east of the capital — the Government has been unable to shift the necessary reinforcements to the Mekong front. As a result, insurgents have seized control of almost the entire 71‐mile length of the lower Mekong, from Phnom Penh to the South Vietnamese border. The Government holds only the first 15 miles southeast of Phnom Penh and the town of Neak Luong in the middle of the insurgent‐held stretch. All supply convoys to Phnom Penh have been indefinitely postponed. The city will soon begin to suffer shortages if this situation continues.
Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, in a letter written in response to a request from Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), said that “some progress” has been made toward a political settlement on Cyprus and that no further congressional gestures — such as cutting off military aid to Turkey are needed. The letter, released by Kennedy, was dated January 6.
Five Italians and a German have been arrested in Italy in connection with a vast illicit arms trade involving Mirage and F-104 jets, tanks, artillery and machine guns, police in Turin reported. Informed sources said the arms dealers were extreme right-wingers, their source of supply was believed to be in Europe and that Ghana in Africa was one of the countries destined to receive the weapons.
Cabinet ministers from 55 nations gather in Brussels today for negotiations toward trade and aid links between the nine European Common Market countries and 46 developing nations. The new arrangement will extend to 21 British Commonwealth states as well as developing African nations. The main argument in the conference is expected to be over the price of sugar that the Common Market buys from the developing countries.
Two former ministers in the cabinet of the late President Salvador Allende of Chile flew into political exile in Romania and credited Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu for their release. Former Foreign Minister Clodomiro Almeyda, 56, and former Justice Minister Jorge Tapia were freed in Santiago Saturday after having been imprisoned without trial since the coup that toppled the Marxist government in September, 1973.
Four West European countries that are in the market for new jet fighter planes are reportedly shying from purchases in the United States because of fears over the political repercussions of the cost. The four — Norway, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands — are expected to buy at least 350 planes to replace their aging Lockheed F‐104’s and the choice is between two American aircraft and one French. France’s Mirage F‐1 is priced at $5.8‐million, while the two American planes are expected to increase in price from the present estimated figure of $4.5 million or $5 million to $6 million. The American planes are the single‐engine YF‐16, produced by General Dynamics, and the twin‐engine YF‐17, produced by Northrop.
Pope Paul VI said the current Holy Year provides the opportunity for modern man to face his greatest responsibility-making peace with himself. Addressing thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday noon blessing, the Pope said “only the courageous sincerity of remorse, of the need for forgiveness and of the hope of renewal can give a satisfactory answer.”
General Francisco Franco is still running Spain as a one-man show despite his 82 years, according to Premier Carlos Arias Navarro. In an interview, Arias said Franco intensively quizzes his ministers in government meetings and often shows a command of facts superior to theirs. “The health of the chief of state is normal — good for a man of 82,” Aris told the newspaper ABC.
Oil workers and volunteers began cleaning up the second major oil spill in southwest Ireland’s Bantry Bay in less than three months. Tugboats guided by a helicopter sprayed detergents to break up the 113,000-gallon oil slick that leaked into the bay near Gulf Oil’s Whiddy Island terminal from a damaged tanker Friday night.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, guru of the Transcendental Meditation movement, declared to a gathering of thousands of his followers, at Hertenstein, on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, that the dawn of the new Age of Enlightenment had arrived.
A Palestinian guerrilla spokesman said today that Israeli forces struck across the border in Lebanon early this morning for the second day in succession. He said that a large number of Israeli mechanized forces had attacked the village of Kfar Chouba on the slopes of Mount Hebron in southeastern Lebanon soon after midnight and that a major battle was raging between the Israelis and Palestinian guerrillas an hour after the attack began. The spokesman was quoted by the Palestinian news agency as having said that troops had crossed the border and attacked the village. He gave no details but said that the attack had been preceded by heavy shelling.
Herut, the major Israeli Opposition party, opened its national convention tonight in occupied Jordanian territory under heavy military protection against possible violence by Israeli leftists who leave charged that the choice of the convention site was a provocation.
The Shah of Iran and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt in a joint statement at the end of the Shah’s state visit to Egypt, called for an early resumption of the Geneva conference and said that the Palestine Liberation Organization would have to speak for the “Palestinian nation” at the conference. The Shah and the President also asked for a complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territories and a halt to “changes now being made in the city of Jerusalem.” They rejected Western charges that worldwide inflation was caused by Arab oil-producing nations. Western diplomats, in assessing the visit, said that the Shah had made his support, of the Arab cause more explicit than in the past on such key points as the Palestinian issue while in return gaining an Egyptian endorsement of his oil‐price policy and of his ambition to make Iran a major power in the region. The communiqué did not mention any figures for Iranian economic and financial assistance to Egypt but said that Iran would help in reopening and widening the Suez Canal and rebuilding Port Said at the Mediterranean end of the canal. It also mentioned without elaboration a plan for an oil pipeline running parallel to the Suez Canal from the Red Sea to Port Said.
The grounded Japanese supertanker Showa Maru, which already has spilled more than a million gallons of crude oil into the sea, started leaking again, the Port of Singapore Authority said. Officials said several new patches of oil were sighted within a half-mile stretch in the vicinity of the 237,698-ton tanker, which ran aground five miles south of Singapore last Monday. The spill prompted Indonesia to call for a meeting with Malaysia and Singapore to discuss oil pollution and preventive measures.
The commander in chief of the Nationalist Chinese army, General Yu Haochang, was airlifted to the United States for medical treatment of chest and spine wounds suffered in a helicopter crash two weeks ago in which 12 other army generals and crewmen were killed, military sources on Taiwan said. The general will be admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center for further treatment and surgery, the sources said.
Anguilla, the scene of a revolution and a quiet British invasion a few years ago, has chided the British Government in a sharp note for “extraordinary delay” in granting self-government to this tiny Caribbean island about 160 miles east of Puerto Rico.
Talks leading to the independence of Angola, Portugal’s larg-, est and richest African territory, have made “good progress,” Portugal’s Foreign Minister, Mario Soares, said at a news conference today.
Rhodesia’s black nationalist leaders declared today that they would not attend a proposed constitutional conference unless the Government met several conditions. The conditions were said to have been drawn up at talks last month in Lusaka, Zambia between nationalist leaders and the Presidents or Zambia, Tanzania, and Botswana. The nationalists’ decision came out of a meeting here today of the Central Committee of the African National Council Rhodesia’s only legal black political organization. The decision was announced by the council’s publicity director, Dr. Edson Sithole, who said the committee had also agreed that any constitutional conference would have to be called by the British Government and chaired by the British Foreign Secretary, James Callaghan.
The Soyuz 17 astronauts prepared today for what was described as a “strenuous” schedule following their link-up in orbit with the Salyut 4 research station.
President Ford, in an interview published in the current issue of TIME magazine, says he backs the view expressed by secretary of State Kissinger on the possible use of force against the oil-producing countries of the Middle East.
House Democrats have prepared a crash program for economic recovery, scheduled to be announced tomorrow, that calls for House committees to have tax-cutting and other strong measures ready for action by the full House within 90 days. The Democratic program also calls for lower interest rates, more public service jobs, an emergency housing program, drastic energy-saving measures and some standby measures that would impose price and possibly wage controls on a selective basis.
Senate Democratic Whip Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia called for an immediate program of gasoline rationing to reduce the nation’s money outflow. “I don’t want to see gasoline rationing,” Byrd said on ABC’s Issues and Answers, but he added that the country needed it to reduce usage and it ought to be implemented as soon as possible. “Lifestyles are going to have to change,” he said, noting that the energy crisis was not just a U.S. problem and that this was no longer an era of cheap energy. Referring to the continued flow of money to the energy producing nations, Byrd predicted that the industrialized countries of the world could be on their knees in 12 to 18 months.
Congress should begin an immediate investigation of rising food prices to spark competition in processing and retailing, the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs recommended. The panel, looking into food availability and pricing policies, also urged an immediate 63% increase in price supports for wheat and corn to spur production. The report said Congress should get an immediate analysis of price increases and that any evidence of collusion or increases attributable to scant competition should be turned over to an administrative law judge.
Like many other Americans, President Ford went to church Sunday morning and set aside the afternoon for watching the Super Bowl. The service Mr. Ford attended at St. Johns Episcopal Church across Lafayette Square from the White House was a special one presented by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, William Baum, rather than the church’s regular pastor, the Rev. John C. Harper. Archbishop Baum steered clear of political topics, stressing instead the advances of the ecumenical movement and the need for Christians of all denominations to work together in making a better world.
The National Academy of Sciences warned in a “Report to the Nation” that the upward trend of farm production was faltering at a time of increasing worldwide concern over food supplies. Though “for the next decade or so we think we perceive that the supply of food will be adequate,” the report said, there are clouds on the horizon that should be noted. Sylvan Wittwer, chairman of the academy’s board on agriculture and renewable resources, said in stressing the importance of energy resources for food production, said that the country needed a special project on solar energy.
The current procedures for congressional financing of the Central Intelligence Agency cannot be justified by national security and therefore “are unconstitutional and should be replaced,” according to an analysis in the Yale Law Journal. Much of the C.I.A.’s budget, estimated at $750 million, is believed to be hidden among the disbursements of the Pentagon’s budget. The analysis in the journal of the controversial issue of C.I.A. financing may be the first that has been published.
A decorated Air Force veteran is being forced out of the service because he does not think the nation’s nuclear missile launching system is fail-safe, his attorneys said. Attorney Clyde Amyx and Judge Advocate Captain Gordon Edgin say they believe Major Harold L. Hering, 38, of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, was the first prospective missile officer to question the system. A board of inquiry at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, recommended Saturday that Hering be dismissed from the service for “failure to meet the duty performance standards required of an officer.”
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After a shaky two hours, the National Guard patched up a truce with armed Indians who were occupying a religious estate near Gresham, Wisconsin, for the 12th straight day. The Menominee Warriors Society first called off the cease-fire when Indians said a state highway patrol car had been cruising within view of the estate’s besieged mansion, violating the agreement. Colonel Hugh M. Simonson, commanding the guardsmen ringing the estate, visited the mansion and reported the cease-fire had been restored. There had been no shooting. The militant Indians have said they want the unused mansion for use as a health center.
Striking teachers in Columbus, Ohio, decided to obey a court order and return to work this morning, a spokesman for the teachers’ association said. They have been picketing for a week at the city’s 170 schools. The 5,000 teachers are engaged in a dispute over salary increases. The school board has offered a 4.08% hike, but the teachers are seeking 12%. The teachers said, however, that “this crisis will not be decided by court action initiated by a school board that has lost touch with its teachers.”
Caryn Campbell vanished while walking from the lobby to her room at the Wildwood Inn at Snowmass, Colorado. She was the 15th victim of serial killer Ted Bundy, but the first for whose murder he ever stood trial. Caryn was staying with her fiancée and his children at the Wildwood Inn, in Snowmass Village, Colorado. They had dinner at the restaurant, and when they were finished at about 8:30 p.m., Caryn excused herself to get a magazine from their room. She was last seen walking down a well-lit hallway, but never returned. On February 17, 1975, Caryn’s nude, frozen body was discovered next to a dirt road, just outside the resort. She had distinctive grooved depressions on her skull, making it clear she was beat. Her left earlobe was slit, and she had numerous deep wounds from a weapon on her body.
The Northrop Corporation today denied published reports that it had lost out to the General Dynamics Corporation in the battle for a $3-billion Air Force contract for a new lightweight jet fighter.
Chrysler Corp offers the first car rebates.
The V. C. Britton Co. in California, under orders from the Fresno County Air Quality Control Board to install $300,000 worth of pollution control equipment at its Firebaugh alfalfa dehydrator mill, announced it would close the facility for a year. John Britton, president of the company, said the decision was based on the cost of pollution equipment, coupled with rising operating costs. The dehydrator plant employs between 40 and 60 persons with an annual payroll of about $500,000, Britton said. The Air Quality Control Board had determined last year that the plant was in violation of fuel and dust emission regulations.
Earthquake prediction has reached a sufficiently reliable stage to demand serious consideration of how to apply such a capability to a major city like San Francisco. The National Academy of Sciences in Washington has formed a committee to explore how predictions can be used to save lives and property without causing panic or economic chaos, and how indifference based on false alarms can be reversed.
NFL Championship Game, Super Bowl IX:
Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 16–6 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, to win Super Bowl IX and their first NFL championship in their 42-year history. The Steelers led 2–0 at halftime after Dwight White sacked Vikings’ quarterback Fran Tarkenton in the end zone, and only 9–6 in the last quarter until Pittsburgh drove to another touchdown late in the game.
The first quarter of the game was completely dominated by both teams’ defenses. After both teams punted on their opening possessions, the Steelers started their second possession on their own 42-yard line. After a false start penalty on Pittsburgh offensive tackle Gordon Gravelle pushed the team back to their own 37, they advanced into Minnesota territory on an 18-yard run by running back Rocky Bleier. Two plays later, however, a 10-yard clipping penalty on Pittsburgh pushed the team back to their own 44-yard line, but they got those yards back with a 12-yard pass by quarterback Terry Bradshaw to wide receiver Frank Lewis to bring up 3rd-and-9. On the next play, however, defensive tackle Alan Page sacked Bradshaw for a 7-yard loss, forcing Pittsburgh to punt the ball back to Minnesota. After forcing the Vikings to punt again, this time from their own end zone, the Steelers started their next possession at the Minnesota 44. On 3rd-and-7, Bradshaw completed a 15-yard pass to tight end Larry Brown to put Pittsburgh in scoring position. The drive stalled at the Vikings’ 21-yard line, so kicker Roy Gerela attempted to kick a 37-yard field goal, but he missed it wide left. After another Minnesota punt, which put Pittsburgh on their own 47, the Steelers drove to the Vikings’ 16-yard line, aided by a 14-yard run by running back Franco Harris and an 11-yard run by Bradshaw, but during Gerela’s second field goal attempt, a 33-yarder, holder/punter Bobby Walden fumbled the snap and attempted to run the ball himself before getting tackled by linebacker Jeff Siemon, turning the ball back over to the Vikings and keeping the game scoreless. In the first quarter, the Vikings were limited to 20 passing yards, no rushing yards, and one first down which occurred on their opening play with a Fran Tarkenton 16-yard completion to John Gilliam. The Steelers did slightly better with 18 passing yards, 61 rushing yards, and four first downs.
The Steelers forced another Vikings punt to start the second quarter and got the ball back on their own 14. On 3rd-and-4, Bradshaw completed a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Lynn Swann, but this was nullified by an offensive pass interference penalty on Swann. On the next play, safety Jeff Wright stripped the ball from Bleier, and safety Randy Poltl recovered the fumble at the Steelers’ 24-yard line. The Vikings failed to capitalize on the turnover, as they could only move the ball 2 yards in their next three plays, and kicker Fred Cox missed a 39-yard field goal attempt wide right. On their next possession, the Steelers converted a 3rd-and-8 with the longest gain so far in the game, a 22-yard pass from Bradshaw to wide receiver John Stallworth. Pittsburgh could not get past the Minnesota 45 and were forced to punt, but Walden booted a 39-yarder, and wide receiver Sam McCullum did not allow the ball to reach the end zone, then failed to make a return and was downed at the Viking 7-yard line by Pittsburgh safety Donnie Shell. The first score of the game occurred two plays later, when running back Dave Osborn fumbled a handoff from quarterback Fran Tarkenton at the 10, and the ball rolled backward into the end zone. Tarkenton recovered the ball in the end zone to prevent a Steelers touchdown, but he was downed by defensive end Dwight White for a safety, giving Pittsburgh a 2–0 lead. It was the first safety scored in Super Bowl history. The Vikings forced a three-and-out, then got a chance to take their first lead of the game when Tarkenton led them on a 55-yard drive to the Steelers’ 25-yard line from their own 20, aided by a pass interference penalty on cornerback Mel Blount and a 17-yard pass by Tarkenton that was bobbled and caught by running back Chuck Foreman on 3rd-and-8. With 1:17 left in the half, Tarkenton threw a pass to wide receiver John Gilliam at the 5-yard line, but Steelers safety Glen Edwards broke up the pass as Gilliam caught it, batting the ball high into the air and into the arms of 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, Vikings fullback Bill Brown fumbled the ball on an unintentional squib kick after Gerela slipped on the wet field and only extended his leg halfway for the kick. Steelers linebacker Marv Kellum recovered the fumble at the Minnesota 30-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Harris moved the ball to the 6-yard line with a 24-yard run. After being tackled by Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg for a 3-yard loss, Harris scored on a 9-yard touchdown run, giving Pittsburgh 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 end L. C. Greenwood, and bounced back right into the arms of Tarkenton, who then threw a 41-yard completion to Gilliam. Officials ruled Tarkenton’s first pass attempt as a completion to himself, and thus his second attempt was an illegal forward pass. After the penalty, facing 3rd-and-11, Minnesota got the first down with 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. But two plays later, White deflected Tarkenton’s next pass attempt, and defensive tackle Joe Greene intercepted the ball, ending the Vikings’ best offensive scoring opportunity.
After an exchange of punts to start the fourth quarter, the Vikings got another scoring opportunity when safety Paul Krause recovered a fumble by Harris on the Steelers’ 47-yard line. On the next play, a deep pass attempt from Tarkenton to Gilliam drew a 42-yard pass interference penalty on Pittsburgh safety Mike Wagner that moved the ball up to the 5-yard line, but once again, the Steelers stopped them from scoring when Foreman lost a fumble that was recovered by Greene. The Steelers failed to get a first down on their next possession and were forced to punt from deep in their own territory. The next play finally got Minnesota on the board. Vikings linebacker Matt Blair burst through the line to block Walden’s punt, and safety Terry Brown recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Cox’s extra point attempt hit the left upright, but the Vikings had cut their deficit to 9–6 and were just a field goal away from a tie.
However, on the ensuing drive, the Steelers responded with a 66-yard, 11-play scoring drive that took 6:47 off the clock and featured three successful third down conversions. The first third down conversion was a key 30-yard pass completion from Bradshaw to Larry Brown, who fumbled the ball as he was being tackled by safety Jackie Wallace, and two officials (back judge Ray Douglas and field judge Dick Dolack) initially ruled the ball recovered for the Vikings by Siemon, but head linesman Ed Marion overruled their call, stating that Brown was downed at the contact before the ball came out of his hands. Faced with 2nd-and-15 after an illegal formation penalty, the Steelers then fooled the Vikings’ defense with a misdirection play. Harris ran left past Bradshaw after the snap, drawing in the defense with him, while Bleier took a handoff and ran right through a gaping hole in the line for a 17-yard gain to the Vikings 16-yard line. A few plays later, Bradshaw converted a 3rd-and-5 situation with a 6-yard pass to Bleier that put the ball on the Vikings’ 5-yard line. The Steelers gained just one yard with their next two plays, setting up 3rd-and-goal from the 4-yard line. On the next play, Bradshaw threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brown, giving the Steelers a 16–6 lead with 3:31 remaining and essentially putting the game away.
Vikings running back Brent McClanahan returned the ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the Minnesota 39-yard line, but on the first play of the drive, Tarkenton’s pass to Gilliam was intercepted by Wagner. The Steelers then executed 7 consecutive running plays (including a 15-yard run by Harris totaling up to 159 rushing yards for him, which broke Larry Csonka’s rushing record of 145 yards in Super Bowl VIII), taking the game clock all the way down to 38 seconds remaining before turning the ball over on downs. The Vikings ran two more plays before the game ended.
Harris finished the game with 34 carries for a Super Bowl record 159 yards and a touchdown; Harris’ record stood until the Washington Redskins’ John Riggins rushed for 166 yards in Super Bowl XVII. Bleier had 65 rushing yards, and two receptions for 11 yards. Pittsburgh finished with a total of 57 rushing attempts, which remains the Super Bowl record through Super Bowl LVII. Bradshaw completed nine out of 14 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Tarkenton completed 11 of 26 passes for 102 yards with 3 interceptions, for a passer rating of only 14.1. Foreman was the Vikings’ top offensive contributor, finishing the game as the team’s leading rusher and receiver with 18 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards. The loss was the Vikings’ record-setting third in Super Bowl play. Bud Grant vented frustration by saying, “There were three bad teams out there — us, Pittsburgh and the officials.” Minnesota, among many negatives to this point in its Super Bowl history of three games, had only two scoring drives on offense, and only three turnovers forced on defense, none of which resulted in any points. The win made the Steelers’ Chuck Noll the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl at the time (He was 42 years, 7 days).
Born:
Jocelyn Thibault, Canadian NHL goalie (NHL All-Star, 2003; Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres), in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Nate Wayne, NFL linebacker (NFL Champions, Super Bowl 34-Broncos, 1998; Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions), in Chicago, Illinois.
Jorge Velandia, Venezuelan MLB second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman (San Diego Padres, Oakland A’s, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians), in Caracas, Venezuela.
Leslie Johnson, WNBA forward (Washington Mystics), in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Chase Hampton, American pop-rocker (The Party – “Rodeo”, “That’s Why”), in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Jason Freese, American musician, in Orange County, California.
Died:
Caryn Campbell, 23, Bundy victim, disappears from Snowmass, Colorado.
History Diaries 