1963: Vikings Rally in Fourth Quarter to Defeat 49ers

A third-year expansion team met up with a club hoping to bounce back from a disappointing season as the Minnesota Vikings took on the 49ers in San Francisco on September 15, 1963.

Minnesota went 5-22-1 in its first two seasons in the NFL, including 2-11-1 in 1962, and was looking to advance. Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin’s team was still very much an erratic work in progress, with a promising offense and problematic defense. QB Fran Tarkenton used his scrambling ability to good effect and HB Tommy Mason (pictured above) emerged as a star in his second year. It was hoped that FB Bill Brown, obtained from the Bears the previous year, would add inside power and blocking and that rookie split end Paul Flatley would improve the receiving corps. There was talent on defense, most notably DE Jim Marshall, LB Rip Hawkins, and CB Ed Sharockman, but the loss of the club’s first two draft choices, DT Jim Dunaway and LB Bobby Bell, to the rival AFL was a huge disappointment.

The 49ers had dropped to 6-8 the previous year, down from three straight seven-win seasons, and all under innovative Head Coach Red Hickey. Injuries had been a big part of the problem, and thus improvement was anticipated. However QB John Brodie, who was erratic but talented, had been injured in an offseason auto accident and appeared to be slow in recovering, while FB J.D. Smith, a capable runner, was weakened by illness. Still, flanker Bernie Casey led a good corps of receivers and CB Abe Woodson provided an additional weapon with his excellence on kickoff returns, in addition to being a solid defensive back.

The level of discontent with the team was reflected in the attendance of 30,781 fans at Kezar Stadium, the lowest for a San Francisco home-opener since 1950. Nevertheless, things started off in electrifying fashion for the home team when Abe Woodson (pictured at left) took the opening kickoff and returned it 103 yards for a touchdown. Tommy Davis added the extra point and the 49ers were up by 7-0 at just 17 seconds into the game.

The Vikings responded by driving 76 yards in 12 plays. Fran Tarkenton converted a third-and-eight situation with a completion to Paul Flatley for 32 yards to the San Francisco 20, and while an offensive pass interference penalty and loss of seven yards on a running play by HB Bill Butler moved the visitors back, Tarkenton fired long on a third-and-31 play to Tommy Mason, who caught the ball at the 15 and, shaking off a defender, ran the rest of the way for a 41-yard TD. Cox converted to tie the score.

The 49ers came right back with a scoring drive. FB Lloyd Winston had a 26-yard run and John Brodie scrambled for 12 yards to set up a 35-yard Davis field goal. The Niners were back in front by 10-7. Butler returned the ensuing short kickoff 26 yards to the Minnesota 40. Bill Brown picked up 25 yards on five running plays and Tarkenton threw to TE Jerry Reichow for five yards, but another pass intended for Reichow at the goal line was broken up by CB Kermit Alexander at the goal line. On the first play of the second quarter, Cox kicked a 37-yard field goal to again even the score.

The teams exchanged punts before the 49ers, starting from their 23, immediately picked up 38 yards on a run by Winston. Brodie threw a screen pass to J.D. Smith that gained 40 yards to the Minnesota five, and the six-play, 77-yard possession ended with Brodie rolling out and passing to Bernie Casey in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown. Davis added the point after and the Niners were back in front by 17-10.

The Vikings again had to punt and Brodie passed the 49ers to the Minnesota 49 with time running out in the first half, but Davis was short on a 54-yard field goal try and the score remained unchanged at halftime.

Minnesota started off the third quarter with a promising drive highlighted by two plays by Bill Brown (pictured at right). First the fullback ran off tackle for a 21-yard gain and then he gained 14 yards on a screen pass. But after reaching the San Francisco 29, Tarkenton threw a pass that was intercepted by Woodson. The 49ers advanced into Minnesota territory on a series highlighted by a pass to TE Monty Stickles for 17 yards and Brodie rolling out to his right and carrying 24 yards to the Vikings’ 41. After reaching the 38, Brodie threw twice for the end zone with both passes falling incomplete and Davis kicked a 45-yard field goal to give the home team a ten-point lead of 20-10.

The Vikings responded with another promising drive featuring four completions by Tarkenton, but again they came up empty when Mason fumbled and Alexander recovered at the San Francisco 16. A short series by the Niners ended with a punt and, in a possession that extended into the fourth quarter, Minnesota advanced 67 yards in nine plays and did not fail to score. Tarkenton started off with consecutive completions to Mason, for 15 and 11 yards, and a throw to flanker Leon Clarke gained 13 yards. A second-down pass to Flatley was good for 10 yards and moved the Vikings inside the ten, and two carries by Brown picked up the remaining yardage, including the last four for a touchdown. Cox’s extra point made it a three-point game.

Once again the 49ers were held to a short series and punted and the Vikings responded by driving 71 yards in 13 plays. Brown continued to run effectively and Tarkenton completed a pass to Reichow for 19 yards and two to Flatley for seven and 16 yards. Mason ran for the last two yards and a TD and, with Cox adding the point after, the visitors were up by four points.

In the remaining four minutes, San Francisco had the ball twice more, but the home team couldn’t get out of its own territory. An interception by CB Ed Sharockman sealed Minnesota’s 24-20 win.

The Vikings easily led in total yards (418 to 246) and first downs (27 to 10). They topped San Francisco in both on the ground (156 to 126) and through the air (262 to 120). Minnesota also turned the ball over two times, to one by the 49ers.

Fran Tarkenton (pictured below) completed 20 of 29 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown, giving up one interception. Bill Brown rushed for 77 yards on 16 carries that included a TD and Tommy Mason contributed 68 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and also topped the Vikings with 6 catches for 94 yards and another score. Paul Flatley and Jerry Reichow each had five pass receptions apiece, for 72 and 61 yards, respectively.

For the 49ers, John Brodie was successful on 11 of 23 throws for 125 yards and a TD as well as an interception, and also ran for 42 yards on four carries. Lloyd Winston gained 81 yards on 10 rushing attempts. Bernie Casey caught four passes for 34 yards and a touchdown, although J.D. Smith had the most receiving yards on his one reception for 40 yards. As a runner from scrimmage, he was held to minus one yard on five carries. Thanks to his touchdown return on the opening kickoff, Abe Woodson averaged 60.0 yards on his two returns and also intercepted a pass.

The Vikings lost to the Bears the next week, thrashed the 49ers in their rematch in Minnesota, but then lost four straight games on the way to a 5-8-1 record and tie for fourth with Detroit in the Western Conference. They continued to improve on offense, with Tommy Mason again going to the Pro Bowl and garnering consensus first-team All-NFL recognition as he rushed for 763 yards on 166 carries (4.6 avg.) and caught 40 passes for another 365 yards (9.1 avg.) and scored a team-leading total of nine touchdowns. Bill Brown ran for 445 yards while Paul Flatley received caught 51 passes for 867 yards (17.0 avg.) and was named Rookie of the Year by UPI and The Sporting News. Fran Tarkenton also continued his steady development, completing 57.2 percent of his passes for 2311 yards and 15 touchdowns, but was being pressed by rookie Ron VanderKelen by season’s end.

San Francisco sank all the way to the bottom of the conference at 2-12 and Coach Hickey was gone after three games. John Brodie was lost at that point as well with a broken arm, J.D. Smith failed to play up to his usual level, and key injuries weakened the defense, particularly the midseason loss of DT Charlie Krueger. Abe Woodson remained a bright spot as he led the NFL in kickoff returning for the second straight season (and third overall) with a 32.2-yard average that included three touchdowns. He was named to a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl.

1961: Bears Shut Down the 49er Shotgun

The San Francisco 49ers had raised eyebrows throughout the NFL with their utilization of a new offensive alignment, called the shotgun, for the last five games of the 1960 season, winning four of them. The shotgun was a spread formation with the quarterback taking the snap from about seven yards behind center rather than directly as in the standard T-formation and then typically rolling out with the option to run or pass. Head Coach Red Hickey developed it out of desperation because the offense was not performing well, and the good results assured that it would be San Francisco’s regular offense for 1961.

The 49ers took a step in the direction of fully implementing the shotgun in the 1961 NFL draft when they chose Bill Kilmer, a tailback out of UCLA, as one of their first round picks. He was both mobile and a fair passer, which made him a good fit for the shotgun. Kilmer was one of three quarterbacks on the roster that were alternated throughout the game to operate the shotgun. John Brodie, a fifth-year veteran, was more adept at passing and Bob Waters, in his second season, was a runner (13-year veteran Y.A. Tittle was the odd man out and was traded to the Giants in the preseason). San Francisco was off to a 4-1 start and leading the league in points and total yards as the club traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears on October 22, 1961.

The Bears, coached by George Halas, were 3-2. They had a new starting quarterback in Bill Wade, obtained from the Rams, as well as a promising rookie in TE Mike Ditka. Most of all, Chicago had a solid defense which had at its core the outstanding linebacker trio of Joe Fortunato, Bill George, and Larry Morris.

Chicago’s defensive coach Clark Shaughnessy pulled a page out of his knowledge of the old single-wing formation (among others that were similar to the shotgun) by having the middle linebacker, Bill George (pictured at top), right on top of San Francisco’s center who, having to pass the ball back several yards between his legs, was not well positioned to block. A great player with outstanding instincts, George’s assignment was to shoot through the gap and pressure the quarterback. The defensive linemen also shifted and sought to account for the movements of the running backs – or wing backs – who usually set up at the line. In addition, the Bears adjusted their defensive formations to the relative abilities of the three San Francisco quarterbacks.

There were 49,070 fans on hand for the game at Wrigley Field. The Bears punted following their first possession but got the ball back when FB J.D. Smith of the 49ers fumbled on the first play and Joe Fortunato recovered at the San Francisco 27. Chicago came up empty, however, when Roger LeClerc’s 35-yard field goal attempt was short.

All three quarterbacks contributed as the 49ers moved 20 yards on their next series, but again they turned the ball over when Bill Kilmer fumbled it away at his own 40. Two plays later, Chicago’s Bill Wade threw a pass that was intercepted by CB Jimmy Johnson. The Niners punted and that remained the pattern into the second quarter as neither offense was able to move effectively.

The Bears were winning the battle for field position, however, and after a 27-yard Tommy Davis punt gave them the ball at the San Francisco 48, they finally took advantage. They needed only three plays as, following a four-yard run, Wade threw to Mike Ditka (pictured at left) for 22 yards and then to split end Bo Farrington for a 26-yard touchdown. LeClerc added the extra point for the 7-0 lead.

On the next series, the Bears got the ball back when Harlon Hill, normally an offensive end but now also playing defensive back, intercepted a Brodie pass and returned it 24 yards to the San Francisco 40. Again they scored quickly as Wade, after first being sacked for a seven-yard loss, threw to Ditka for a 47-yard TD. LeClerc again converted and the score remained 14-0 at the half.

It remained the same story as the game entered the second half. The 49ers couldn’t move on offense, and the Bears continued to win the battle for field position. In their second series of the third quarter, Wade completed a pass to Ditka for 23 yards, HB Willie Galimore had a 16-yard run, and on the seventh play Wade again connected with Ditka for a 15-yard touchdown.

Down 21-0, CB Abe Woodson returned the ensuing kickoff 34 yards and a roughing-the-passer penalty advanced the 49ers to their 49 yard line – their deepest penetration since the first quarter. But Kilmer, Waters, and Brodie each threw an incomplete pass and the Niners again had to punt.

Late in the third quarter, Waters was picked off by CB Dave Whitsell to give the Bears the ball at the San Francisco 29. As the game moved into the final period, Chicago moved methodically down to the one yard line but a field goal attempt was unsuccessful. It hardly mattered, especially when Fortunato intercepted a Brodie pass on the next play and the Bears had possession at the San Francisco 27. This time they came away with points when Ed Brown kicked a 29-yard field goal.

With fewer than six minutes left to play, the outcome was not in doubt. The 49ers remained utterly stymied on offense and, following another fumble, the Bears padded the score with a Wade pass to flanker Johnny Morris for a seven-yard touchdown. Adding the extra point, the final tally was a decisive 31-0 for Chicago.

Chicago’s domination was complete. The Bears led in total yards (305 to 132) and first downs (17 to 6), and in the second half San Francisco had a net gain of one yard and one first down. The 49ers had only 40 net passing yards and turned the ball over six times, to one suffered by Chicago.

Bill Wade completed 13 of 22 passes for 171 yards with four touchdowns against one interception. Mike Ditka was the receiving star with four catches for 107 yards and two TDs. Johnny Morris also had four receptions, for 33 yards and a score. FB Rick Casares led the productive ground game with 67 yards on 13 carries.

For the 49ers, John Brodie was successful on just three of 10 throws for 23 yards and tossed two interceptions. Bill Kilmer (pictured below, attempting to escape from Chicago DE Doug Atkins) was two-of-four for 17 yards and led the club in rushing with 36 yards on 7 attempts. Bob Waters was 0-for-4 with an interception throwing the ball and ran for 20 yards on 8 carries. Split end R.C. Owens was the leading receiver with three catches for 32 yards.

The Bears won the next week to improve their record to 5-2, but then lost three straight on the way to finishing 8-6 and tied with the Colts for third place in the Western Conference. San Francisco was right behind at 7-6-1.

Teams followed Chicago’s lead in defensing the shotgun and Coach Hickey eventually abandoned it, although it would be revived by Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s for passing situations. Its use is widespread today, with some variations, but typically not for every down – and not with a three-quarterback rotation.