1969 NCAA Soccer Tournament
The 1969 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament was the eleventh organized men's college soccer tournament by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, to determine the top college soccer team in the United States.


1969 NCAA Soccer Tournament
Saint Louis won a seventh national title, defeating San Francisco in the championship game, 4–0. The final match was played on December 8, 1969, in San Jose, California.


1969 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament
The 1969 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament was played at the end of the 1969 NCAA University Division baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the College World Series, a double-elimination tournament in its twenty-third year. Eight regional districts sent representatives to the College World Series with preliminary rounds within each district serving to determine each representative. These events would later become known as regionals.


1969 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament
Each district had its own format for selecting teams, resulting in 23 teams participating in the tournament at the conclusion of their regular season, and in some cases, after a conference tournament. The twenty-third tournament's champion was Arizona State, coached by Bobby Winkles. The Most Outstanding Player was John Dolinsek of Arizona State.


1969 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament, Tournament
The opening rounds of the tournament were played across eight district sites across the country, each consisting of between two and four teams. The winners of each District advanced to the College World Series.


1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament
The 1969 NCAA University Division Men's Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1969, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in Louisville, Kentucky. Including consolation games in each of the regions and an overall consolation game, a total of 29 games were played.


1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament
UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won the national title with a 92–72 victory in the final game over Purdue, coached by George King. Lew Alcindor of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.


1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament
In the game, John Vallely, the "Money Man", scored 22 points and Alcindor had 37 points, to give UCLA a win over Purdue, which is Wooden's alma mater. Purdue was hampered due to injuries to starting point guard Billy Keller and forward Herm Gilliam; Purdue had also lost 7'0" center Chuck Bavis to a broken collarbone during the Mideast Regionals against Miami, (OH). In earlier matchups, Bavis had provided an ample challenge to Alcindor. Wooden was an All-American guard for the Boilermakers from 1928 to 1932.


1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Schedule and venues
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1969 tournament:


1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Schedule and venues
Regional Semifinals, 3rd Place Games, and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)


1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Schedule and venues
National Semifinals, 3rd Place Game, and Championship (Final Four and Championship)


1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Schedule and venues
For the sixth and final time, Freedom Hall and the city of Louisville would host the Final Four. The Final Four would not return to the state of Kentucky again until 1985, when Rupp Arena hosted. For the 1969 tournament, the Midwest & West first round games got their own sites, with the East continuing to have two sites of its own. There were three new venues used, all in the first round. The tournament came to Southern Illinois University for the first time, at SIU Arena, the home of the Salukis.


1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Schedule and venues
The tournament returned to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and for the first time games were held in Fort Worth, at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on the campus of Texas Christian University. In the West, the tournament returned to Las Cruces, with games held at the Pan American Center for the first time. This would be the only time the tournament would come to Carbondale, and would be the last tournament for three other arenas - Ahearn Field House, Keaney Gym and Wisconsin Field House.


1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Schedule and venues
The tournament has yet to return to Manhattan; future games in the state of Rhode Island have been held at the Providence Civic Center; and while the tournament would come to Wisconsin again in 1984 at Milwaukee, it would not return to Madison until 2002, when the Kohl Center, the replacement for the Field House, would host.


1969 NCAA University Division Cross Country Championships
The 1969 NCAA University Division Men's Cross Country Championships were the 31st annual cross country meet to determine the team and individual national champions of men's collegiate cross country running in the United States. Held on November 24, 1969, the meet was hosted by Manhattan College at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York City, New York. The distance for this race was 6 miles (9.7 kilometers).


1969 NCAA University Division Cross Country Championships
All NCAA University Division members were eligible to qualify for the meet. In total, 29 teams and 254 individual runners contested this championship.


1969 NCAA University Division Cross Country Championships
The team national championship was won by the UTEP Miners, their first title. The individual championship was won by Gerry Lindgren, from Washington State, his third title, with a time of 28:59.20. As of 2016, Lindgren remains one of four runners (Steve Prefontaine, Henry Rono,  and Edward Cheserek are the others) to win three individual cross country national championships. Prefontaine finished third in 1969 and would go on to win the following three years.


1969 NCAA University Division Golf Championship
The 1969 NCAA University Division Golf Championship was the 31st annual NCAA-sanctioned golf tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate golf in the United States.


1969 NCAA University Division Golf Championship
The tournament was held at the Broadmoor Golf Club at The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado.


1969 NCAA University Division Golf Championship
Houston won the team title, the Cougars' eleventh NCAA team national title.


1969 NCAA University Division Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 1969 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 1968–69 NCAA University Division men's ice hockey season, the 22nd such tournament in NCAA history. It was held between March 13 and 15, 1969, and concluded with Denver defeating Cornell 4-3. Three games were played at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado while the consolation game was played at the newly-opened Cadet Ice Arena.


1969 NCAA University Division Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
This was the first time that the NCAA tournament did not take place entirely at one venue, an event that did not occur again until the tournament expanded to include a play-in game in 1977.


1969 NCAA University Division Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
This was the 11th and final time that the Broadmoor World Arena played host to the NCAA tournament. The arena that has held the second most championships is the Dunkin' Donuts Center (previously the Providence Civic Center) with 6 (as of 2016).


1969 NCAA University Division Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Qualifying teams
Four teams qualified for the tournament, two each from the eastern and western regions. The ECAC tournament champion and the two WCHA tournament co-champions received automatic bids into the tournament. An at-large bid was offered to a second eastern team based upon both their ECAC tournament finish as well as their regular season record.


1969 NCAA University Division Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Format
The ECAC champion was seeded as the top eastern team while the WCHA co-champion with the better regular season record was given the top western seed. The second eastern seed was slotted to play the top western seed and vice versa. Both semifinal games and the championship game were played at the Broadmoor World Arena while the consolation match was held at the Cadet Ice Arena. All matches were Single-game eliminations with the semifinal winners advancing to the national championship game and the losers playing in a consolation game.


1969 NCAA University Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 1969 NCAA University Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships were contested June 19−21 at the 47th annual NCAA-sanctioned track meet to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate University Division outdoor track and field events in the United States.


1969 NCAA University Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships
This year's outdoor meet was hosted by the University of Tennessee at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium in Knoxville.


1969 NCAA University Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships
San José State finished atop the team standings, claiming their first team national title.


1969 NCAA University Division Swimming and Diving Championships
The 1969 NCAA University Division Swimming and Diving Championships were contested in March 1969 at Royer Pool at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana at the 46th annual NCAA-sanctioned swim meet to determine the team and individual national champions of University Division men's collegiate swimming and diving in the United States.


1969 NCAA University Division Swimming and Diving Championships
Hosts Indiana once again topped the team standings, the Hoosiers' second title in program history.


1969 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships
The 1969 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships were the 24th annual tournaments to determine the national champions of NCAA University Division men's singles, doubles, and team collegiate tennis in the United States.


1969 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships
Three-time defending champions USC captured the team championship, the Trojans' eleventh such title. USC finished twelve points ahead of rivals UCLA in the final team standings (35–23).


1969 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships, Host site
This year's tournaments were contested at the Lenz Tennis Center at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey.


1969 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships, Team scoring
Until 1977, the men's team championship was determined by points awarded based on individual performances in the singles and doubles events.


1969 NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships
The 1969 NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships were the 39th NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships to be held. Brigham Young in Provo, Utah hosted the tournament at Smith Fieldhouse.


1969 NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships
Iowa State was took home the team championship with 104 points and three individual champions.


1969 NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships
Dan Gable of Iowa State received the Gorriaran Award as well as being named the Most Outstanding Wrestler.


1969 NCAA University Division baseball rankings
The following poll makes up the 1969 NCAA University Division baseball rankings. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper published its first human poll of the top 20 teams in college baseball in 1957, and expanded to rank the top 30 teams in 1961.


1969 NCAA University Division baseball rankings, Collegiate Baseball
Currently, only the final poll from the 1969 season is available.


1969 NCAA University Division baseball season
The 1969 NCAA University Division baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began in the spring of 1969. The season progressed through the regular season and concluded with the 1969 College World Series. The College World Series, held for the twenty third time in 1969, consisted of one team from each of eight geographical districts and was held in Omaha, Nebraska at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium as a double-elimination tournament. Arizona State claimed the championship.


1969 NCAA University Division baseball season, Conference winners
This is a partial list of conference champions from the 1969 season. Each of the eight geographical districts chose, by various methods, the team that would represent them in the NCAA Tournament. 9 teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference championship while 12 teams earned at-large selections.


1969 NCAA University Division baseball season, College World Series
The 1969 season marked the twenty third NCAA Baseball Tournament, which culminated with the eight team College World Series. The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska. The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with Arizona State claiming their third championship with a 10–1 win over Tulsa in the final.


1969 NCAA University Division football rankings
Two human polls comprised the 1969 NCAA University Division football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll.


1969 NCAA University Division football rankings, Final Coaches' poll
The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in early December. One coach on the 35-member board did not vote. Texas received 28 of the 34 first-place votes; Penn State received four and one each went to USC and Nebraska.


1969 NCAA University Division football season
The 1969 NCAA University Division football season was celebrated as the centennial of college football (the first season being the one in 1869).


1969 NCAA University Division football season
During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams, later known as "Division I-A." The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an "unofficial national champion" based on the top-ranked teams in the "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The "writers' poll" by Associated Press (AP) was the most popular, followed by the "coaches' poll" by United Press International (UPI). In 1969, the UPI issued its final poll before the bowls, but the AP Trophy was withheld until the postseason was completed.


1969 NCAA University Division football season
The AP poll in 1969 consisted of the votes of as many as 45 sportswriters, though not all of them voted in every poll. Those who cast votes would give their opinion of the twenty best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined. In 1969, there were four regular season games that matched "Top Five" teams.


1969 NCAA University Division football season
This was the last season in which teams were limited to ten games during the regular season; the NCAA allowed eleven starting in 1970.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, Conference and program changes
Prior to the season, the University Division expanded from 114 to 118 teams. The four elevated from the College Division for 1969 were Northern Illinois, San Diego State, Idaho, and Pacific; the latter two were dropped down in 1967.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, September
In the preseason poll released on September 15, the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes were at the top with 26 of the 33 first place votes. Arkansas was second, followed by Penn State, Texas, and USC.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, September
September 20: No. 1 Ohio State had not yet started its season, and No. 2 Arkansas beat Oklahoma State 39–0 at Little Rock. No. 3 Penn State won 45–22 at Navy, No. 4 Texas won 17–0 at California, No. 5 USC won 31–21 at Nebraska. Poll: 1. Ohio State, 2. Penn State, 3. Arkansas, 4. Texas, 5. USC


1969 NCAA University Division football season, September
September 27: No. 1 Ohio State opened its season with a 62–0 dismantling of TCU. No. 2 Penn State beat Colorado 27–3, and No. 3 Arkansas overpowered Tulsa 55–0. No. 4 Texas won 49–7 over Texas Tech and No. 5 USC beat Northwestern at home 48–6. Rutgers hosted Princeton, just as it had one hundred years earlier on November 6, 1869, the first college football game. In 1869, Rutgers had 6 goals to Princeton's four, and a century later, Rutgers won 29–0. The first seven spots in the poll remained unchanged: 1.Ohio State 2.Penn State 3.Arkansas 4.Texas 5.USC


1969 NCAA University Division football season, October
October 4: No. 1 Ohio State beat Washington 41–14 at Seattle, but Penn State narrowly won 17–14 at Kansas State and fell to fifth in the poll. Arkansas beat TCU 24–6 at Little Rock, No. 4 Texas beat Navy 56–17, and USC won 31–7 at Oregon State. Poll: 1. Ohio State, 2. Texas, 3. Arkansas, 4. USC, 5. Penn State


1969 NCAA University Division football season, October
October 11: the top teams played ranked opponents. No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 19 Michigan State 54–21 at home. No. 2 Texas defeated No. 8 Oklahoma 27–17 in their Dallas rivalry game and No. 3 Arkansas was idle. No. 4 USC got past No. 16 Stanford 26–24, and No. 5 Penn State beat No. 17 West Virginia 20–0 at home. Poll: 1. Ohio State, 2. Texas, 3. USC, 4. Arkansas, 5. Penn State


1969 NCAA University Division football season, October
October 18: No. 1 Ohio State won 34–7 at Minnesota, and No. 2 Texas was idle. No. 3 USC tied No. 11 Notre Dame 14–14 at South Bend, and dropped to seventh, while Notre Dame fell to twelfth. No. 4 Arkansas won 21–7 at Baylor, and No. 5 Penn State narrowly stayed unbeaten at Syracuse, winning 15–14, and fell to eighth. No. 7 Tennessee beat No. 20 Alabama 41–14 in Birmingham for its fifth win, rose to third, while unbeaten Missouri reached fifth after its 31–21 win over Oklahoma State. Poll: 1. Ohio State, 2. Texas, 3. Tennessee, 4. Arkansas, 5. Missouri


1969 NCAA University Division football season, October
October 25: No. 1 Ohio State shut out Illinois 41–0 and No. 2 Texas blanked Rice 31–0 in Austin. No. 3 Tennessee was idle. No. 4 Arkansas beat Wichita State 52–14 in Little Rock. No. 8 Penn State defeated Ohio University 42–3 and returned to the Top 5. Missouri lost at unranked Colorado 31–24 and USC beat Georgia Tech 29–18. Poll: 1. Ohio State, 2. Texas, 3. Tennessee, 4. Arkansas, 5. Penn State


1969 NCAA University Division football season, November
November 1: No. 1 Ohio State won at Northwestern 35–6, and No. 2 Texas beat SMU 45–14 at Dallas. No. 3 Tennessee won 17–3 at No. 11 Georgia, No. 4 Arkansas beat Texas A&M 35–13, and No. 5 Penn State beat Boston College 38–16. The poll remained unchanged: 1. Ohio State, 2. Texas, 3. Tennessee and 4. Arkansas were all at 6–0; 5. Penn State was 7–0, and 6. USC and 7. UCLA stayed unbeaten at 6–0–1 and 7–0–1, respectively.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, November
November 8: No. 1 Ohio State beat Wisconsin 62–7, and No. 2 Texas beat Baylor 56–14. No. 3 Tennessee beat South Carolina 29–14, No. 4 Arkansas defeated Rice in Houston 30–6, and No. 5 Penn State was idle. The poll remained unchanged: 1. Ohio State, 2. Texas, 3. Tennessee and 4. Arkansas and 5. Penn State were all 7–0, and 6. USC and 7. UCLA were both at 7–0–1, respectively.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, November
November 15: No. 1 Ohio State hosted No. 10 Purdue and won 42–14. By this time, Woody Hayes' Buckeyes had outscored their opposition 371–69 and had an 8–0 record with one game left. No. 2 Texas was comparably dominant, having outscored its opponents 360–76 after beating TCU 69–7 at home to go 8–0, but in Jackson, No. 3 Tennessee was shut out 38–0 by No. 18 Mississippi. No. 4 Arkansas beat SMU 28–15 in Dallas, No. 5 Penn State blanked Maryland 48–0, and No. 6 USC beat Washington 16–7 at Seattle.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, November
In the next poll, Ohio State and Texas stayed at No. 1 and No. 2 for the 7th straight week, each with a 62-point win over their common opponent (TCU, otherwise a 4–4 team). The teams ranked 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,and 9 (Arkansas, Penn State, USC, UCLA, Missouri and Notre Dame) each moved up a notch.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, November
November 22: After averaging 46 points a game in its first eight, No. 1 Ohio State could only manage twelve points at No. 12 Michigan and lost 24–12, ending its 22-game winning streak. The Wolverines (8–2) won the Big Ten championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl. No. 5 USC, aided by a pass interference penalty on fourth down that led to the late game-winning touchdown, closed with a 14–12 win over city rival No. 6 UCLA in a matchup of unbeatens (both 8–0–1) that decided the Pac-8 championship and the other Rose Bowl berth. No. 4 Penn State won 27–7 at Pittsburgh. In the next poll, Texas took the top spot: 1. Texas, 2. Arkansas, 3. Penn State, 4. Ohio State, 5. USC.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, November
In Southwest Conference play on Thanksgiving Day, No. 1 Texas won at Texas A&M 49–12, while No. 2 Arkansas beat Texas Tech 33–0 in Little Rock. On Saturday, November 29, No. 3 Penn State won 33–8 at North Carolina State and was considered for the Cotton Bowl, where the Southwestern Conference champ (Texas or Arkansas) would go. Before Ohio State's loss, however, the players had voted to accept a bid to the Orange Bowl, because they preferred going to Miami instead of Dallas, even though they won the previous Orange Bowl, 15–14 over Kansas. Certain to move up to No. 2 regardless of how the Texas-Arkansas game came out, Penn State unexpectedly had passed up a chance to go up against the No. 1 team in the nation.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, December
December 6: No. 1 and No. 2 would not meet in a bowl, but faced off at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the final regular season game for both teams. Both unbeaten at 9–0, No. 1 Texas traveled to meet No. 2 Arkansas for a game to determine the unofficial champion. Among the 44,000 in attendance was President Richard Nixon, who had with him a plaque to award to the "national champion", while an estimated 50 million viewers watched the game on ABC television. After three quarters, Arkansas led 14–0.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, December
In the fourth quarter, Longhorns' quarterback James Street couldn't find a receiver and ran 42 yards for a touchdown, then carried over the ball for two to cut the lead to six at 14–8. With 4:47 to play, the Longhorns were on their own 43 on fourth down with three yards to go. Street threw long to Randy Peschel open downfield, who made the catch and fell out of bounds on the 13-yard line.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, December
After Ted Koy ran for eleven yards, Jim Bertelsen went over to tie the score, and the extra point kick by Happy Feller gave Texas a 15–14 lead with just under four minutes remaining. A late interception stopped the Hogs and Texas remained undefeated. Because both teams had been unbeaten in Southwest Conference play, the game also determined the SWC championship, with Texas getting the bid for the Cotton Bowl Classic against No. 9 Notre Dame; the Irish were making their first postseason appearance in 45 years. President Nixon presented the plaque to Texas head coach Darrell Royal after the game. In the final regular season poll, it was 1. Texas, 2. Penn State, 3. Arkansas, 4. Ohio State, and 5. USC.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Major bowls
At the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns were facing the end of their unbeaten streak before a crowd of 73,000 against No. 9 Notre Dame, playing in its first bowl game in 45 years, since the 1925 Rose Bowl. Trailing 17–14 with 2:26 left in the game, Texas faced a fourth-and-two situation on the Irish ten-yard line. Settling for a tying field goal was out of the question, but a failure to convert would give Notre Dame the ball and the chance to run out the clock.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Major bowls
Texas QB James Street managed to fire a pass over the head of the equally determined linebacker Bob Olson. Cotton Speyrer came down with the ball on the two-yard line, just before the ball hit the ground. The officials paused before ruling that the pass was indeed complete; on third down from the one, Billy Dale took the ball in for the winning points and, ultimately, the title.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Major bowls
In the final poll after the bowls, the Texas Longhorns were the top choice for 36 of the 45 writers voting, and won the AP Trophy. The final AP top 20 was: 1.Texas 2.Penn State 3.USC 4.Ohio State 5.Notre Dame 6.Missouri 7.Arkansas 8.Mississippi 9.Michigan 10.UCLA 11.Nebraska 12.Houston 13.LSU 14.Florida 15.Tennessee 16.Colorado 17. West Virginia 18.Purdue 19.Stanford and 20.Auburn.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Other bowls
With its bowl win, No. 11 Nebraska (9–2) ended 1969 on a seven-game winning streak. The Huskers were undefeated in the next two seasons to win consecutive national championships, with an unbeaten streak of 32 games.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, Special helmet design
Many schools, at the behest of the NCAA, commemorated the 1969 season by wearing a special decal on their football helmets. The decal consisted of the numeral "100" inside a football shaped outline. The decal was designed to commemorate the 1869 game between Rutgers and Princeton, often cited as the first college football game. Decals varied greatly from one team to another. Some teams placed the decals unobtrusively on the front or back of the helmet. Other teams placed them prominently on the side, either in addition to or in place of their regular team logo.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, Special helmet design
Colors and design of the decals also varied greatly between teams; with different numeral styles and color schemes in use. One notable exception was Harvard, which abstained from the 1969 commemoration, and had its own special helmet decal made for the 1974 season, which commemorates an 1874 game that Harvard played against McGill that Harvard claims was the "real" first football game.


1969 NCAA University Division football season, Heisman Trophy
Steve Owens of Oklahoma had rushed for 3,867 yards and scored 56 touchdowns in three seasons with the Sooners. In 1969, he had 29 touchdowns and scored 138 points, and rushed for 248 yards against Iowa State. Owens was the 19th selection in the 1970 NFL draft and played for the Detroit Lions. Following him in the Heisman voting were three quarterbacks: Mike Phipps of Purdue, Rex Kern of Ohio State, and Archie Manning of Mississippi. Defensive tackle Mike Reid of Penn State, the Outland Trophy winner, was fifth.


1969 NFL Championship Game
The 1969 NFL Championship Game was the 37th and final championship game prior to the AFL–NFL merger, played January 4, 1970, at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb south of Minneapolis. The winner of the game earned a berth in Super Bowl IV in New Orleans against the champion of the American Football League.


1969 NFL Championship Game
The Minnesota Vikings of the Western Conference hosted the Cleveland Browns of the Eastern Conference. It was the Vikings' first appearance in the title game, while the Browns were making their second straight appearance and fourth of the 1960s.


1969 NFL Championship Game
Minnesota had a regular season record of 12–2, including a 51–3 defeat of the Browns eight weeks earlier on November 9. The Vikings defeated the Los Angeles Rams 23–20 in the Western Conference championship a week earlier at Met Stadium. They were coached by Bud Grant and led on offense by quarterback Joe Kapp and wide receiver Gene Washington. The defense allowed only 133 points (9½ per game) during the regular season and their four defensive linemen were known as the "Purple People Eaters."


1969 NFL Championship Game
Cleveland was 10–3–1 during the regular season and had upset the Dallas Cowboys 38–14 at the Cotton Bowl for the Eastern Conference title. The Browns were coached by Blanton Collier; Bill Nelsen was the starting quarterback and Gary Collins and Paul Warfield were star wide receivers for the team.


1969 NFL Championship Game
Although not as severe as the "Ice Bowl" of 1967, the weather conditions were bitterly cold at 8 °F (−13 °C), with a sub-zero wind chill factor. Cleveland linebacker Jim Houston suffered frostbite during the game and was hospitalized.


1969 NFL Championship Game
Minnesota was favored by nine points to win the title game at home, and they won, 27–7.


1969 NFL Championship Game
Of the four NFL teams that joined the league during the AFL era (1960s), Minnesota was the sole winner of a pre-merger NFL championship. The Dallas Cowboys entered the league in 1960 and lost two NFL title games to the Green Bay Packers, in 1966 and 1967. The expansion Atlanta Falcons (1966) and New Orleans Saints (1967) did not qualify for the postseason until 1978 and 1987, respectively.


1969 NFL Championship Game
The Vikings would go on to lose Super Bowl IV 23–7 to the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs. Starting with the 1970 season, the NFL champion was determined in the Super Bowl, beginning with Super Bowl V.


1969 NFL Championship Game, Game summary
Cleveland had lost the previous season's NFL title game 34–0 at home, and this time fared little better. The Vikings dominated the game, racking up 381 yards with no turnovers, while Cleveland gained just 268 yards and turned the ball over three times.


1969 NFL Championship Game, Game summary
The Vikings took a lead just four minutes into the first quarter, driving 70 yards for a touchdown in 8 plays. The key play of the drive was a pass from Joe Kapp to receiver Gene Washington that was nearly 5 yards short of the mark. Despite the short throw, Washington was able to come back and haul it in for a 33-yard gain to the Browns' 24-yard line. Two plays later, Dave Osborn's 12-yard run moved the ball to the 7. Then two plays after that, Bill Brown accidentally slipped and bumped into Kapp while moving up to take a handoff, but Kapp simply kept the ball himself and ran it 7 yards for a touchdown.


1969 NFL Championship Game, Game summary
The situation never got any better for Cleveland. The next time Minnesota got the ball, defensive back Erich Barnes slipped while in one on one coverage with Washington, enabling him to catch a pass from Kapp and take off for a 75-yard touchdown completion. Barnes had been knocked down by linebacker Jim Houston, his teammate, and this made the score 14–0 after only a few seconds more than 7 minutes of play. Near the end of the first quarter, Browns running back Leroy Kelly lost a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Wally Hilgenberg on the Cleveland 43.


1969 NFL Championship Game, Game summary
Kapp then completed a 12-yard pass to Washington before Fred Cox finished the drive with a 30-yard field goal, putting the Vikings up 17–0. Later in the second period, Hilgenberg snuffed out a Cleveland scoring threat by intercepting a pass from Bill Nelsen on the Vikings' 33-yard line. Minnesota subsequently drove 67 yards in 8 plays.


1969 NFL Championship Game, Game summary
Kapp started the drive with a pair of completions to John Henderson for 17 total yards, while Osborn broke off a 16-yard run and ended up finishing the drive with a 20-yard touchdown burst, giving the Vikings a 24–0 lead with 4:46 left in the first half. Cleveland responded with a drive to the Vikings' 17, but turned the ball over on downs when Nelsen overthrew receiver Gary Collins in the end zone on 4th and 3.


1969 NFL Championship Game, Game summary
The third quarter was mostly uneventful, other than Cox's 32-yard field goal that gave Minnesota a 27–0 lead after an 11-play, 80-yard drive. The most noteworthy play was a 13-yard scramble by Kapp in which he plowed into 240-pound Browns linebacker Jim Houston so hard that Houston was knocked out of the game. In the 4th quarter, Cleveland finally got on the board when a diving 18-yard reception by Paul Warfield set up Nelsen's 3-yard touchdown pass to Collins. There were still 13 minutes on the clock at this point, but there would be no more scoring. The Vikings had a drive to the Cleveland 2-yard line, but decided to let the clock run out instead of go for another score.


1969 NFL Championship Game, Game summary
Kapp completed just 7 of 13 passes, but for 169 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 57 yards and another score. Osborn rushed 18 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. Washington had 120 yards and a touchdown on just 3 receptions. Kelly was the Browns' top rusher with 80 yards, while also catching two passes for 17. Nelsen completed just 17 of 33 passes for 181 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Browns had trouble on the frozen turf of Metropolitan Stadium even though many players wore broomball shoes.


1969 NFL Championship Game, Officials
The NFL had six game officials in 1969; the side judge was added in 1978.


1969 NFL playoffs
The NFL playoffs following the 1969 NFL season determined the league's representative in Super Bowl IV.


1969 NFL playoffs
This was the last NFL playoff tournament before the AFL–NFL merger and the last awarding of the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy to the NFL champion, which was introduced in 1934.


1969 NFL playoffs, Tournament bracket
The four-team postseason format was introduced for the 1967 season, when the NFL expanded to 16 teams and realigned into four division with four teams each.


1969 NFL playoffs, Tournament bracket
Within each conference, the two division winners qualified for the playoffs. In the first round, the Capitol winner met the Century winner in the Eastern Conference game, while the Coastal and Central played for the Western Conference title. The winners of the two conference games advanced to the NFL Championship Game to compete for the NFL league title and the right to face the American Football League champion in Super Bowl IV. The losers of the conference championship games played in the Playoff Bowl, a third place game at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida; the Playoff Bowl of January 1970 was its tenth and final edition.


1969 NFL playoffs, Tournament bracket
Prior to 1975, the playoff sites rotated and were known prior to the start of the season. In 1969, the hosts were the Capitol and Central division winners for the conference championships (first round), and the Western Conference for the championship game. This gave home field advantage to the Central Division winner, the Minnesota Vikings (12–2), which had the league's best record. The previous year's playoff hosts were Century, Coastal, and Eastern, respectively, and 1967 was like 1969. All three playoff games in 1969 were hosted by the team with the better regular season record.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
Three weeks prior to this game, the teams met in Los Angeles in a battle between the undefeated (11–0) Rams and the 10–1 Vikings. The Vikings won that game 20–13. The rematch was played in the cold and snow of Minnesota. Despite committing more turnovers (3 to 1) and only gaining 20 more total yards (275-255), the Vikings managed to edge out the Rams for their first postseason win in franchise history.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
In the game in L.A., the Viking defense shut down the Rams' wide receivers and outside running game, so in this game, the Rams attacked the middle of the Viking defense and neutralized the Viking pass rush with short quick passes to the tight ends. The Rams defense held Minnesota's high powered offense in check, with the "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line harassing Viking QB Joe Kapp. Early on, the momentum seemed to be in LA's favor. Rams safety Richie Petitbon recovered a fumble from fullback Bill Brown that gave his team a first down on the Minnesota 45-yard line.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
On the next play, it appeared that the Vikings took a quick lead as Carl Eller intercepted a Roman Gabriel pass and returned for a touchdown but the score was nullified on an offside penalty on Alan Page. Taking advantage of their second chance, running back Larry Smith gained 19 yards on three carries, and Gabriel eventually finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bob Klein. The Vikings quickly stormed back, with Kapp completing four consecutive passes on a 10-play, 75-yard drive.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
Three of the completions were to receiver Gene Washington for 49 total yards, including a 27-yard reception that gave the Vikings the ball on the Rams' 4-yard line. Dave Osborn ran for a touchdown on the next play, tying the score at 7 with a little over 3 minutes left in the first quarter.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
LA moved the ball effectively on their next drive, but it ended on a missed 38-yard field goal attempt by Bruce Gossett. The next time they got the ball, they did much better, taking up the majority of the second quarter, including a 13-yard run by Gabriel to convert a third down. Gossett finished the drive with a 20-yard field goal to put the Rams up 10-7 with 4:30 left before halftime. Following a punt, Gabriel led his team back for more points. This time he completed passes to tight end Billy Truax for gains of 18 and 16 yards before finishing the 13-play, 65-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Truax. The Rams went into halftime leading 17-7, having scored on three of their four first half possessions.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
In the second half, Viking coach Bud Grant adjusted his defense to stop the Ram tight ends, and his "Purple People Eaters" continued to punish the Ram running game. They also got increasing pressure on Gabriel. On offense, Grant neutralized the Ram pass rush by having QB Kapp run the ball, either on designed plays like quarterback draws or roll outs, or by instructing him to take off and run at the first sign of pressure. Kapp began frustrating the Rams with runs; this threat caused their pass rush to be less aggressive.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
After forcing the Rams to punt for the first time in the game on the opening possession of the second half, Kapp completed a 41-yard pass to Washington on the LA 12-yard line. After a Rams penalty and a 5-yard run by Kapp, Osborn finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run that cut Minnesota's deficit to 17-14. However, Minnesota's comeback attempt suffered major setbacks over the next few drives against a punishing effort from the Rams defense.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
The next time the Vikings got the ball, they drove deep into Rams territory, only to have Kapp throw an interception to safety Ed Meador on the LA 4-yard line. Meador fumbled the ball during the return, but linebacker Jim Purnell recovered it. After an LA punt, Kapp was intercepted again, this time by Petitbon, who returned the ball 4 yards to the Vikings' 36. Once again, the Viking defense bent but didn't break, stopping the Rams inside the 10 yard line and making them settle for a 27-yard Gossett field goal. So instead of being down 24–14, it was only 20–14 going into the fourth quarter.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
Kapp subsequently marched the Vikings 65 yards downfield, completing three passes for 40 yards and going the final 2 yards himself as Minnesota took its first lead of the game, 21–20, with 8:24 on the clock. Then the Viking defense took over. After their special teams unit tackled returner Ron Smith on the 12-yard line during the ensuing kickoff, Carl Eller sacked Gabriel in the end zone for a safety, giving the Vikings a 23–20 lead and the ball.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
But the Rams defense held, and 1969 NFL MVP Gabriel began to march the Rams down field in the last two minutes. As they crossed midfield, it appeared the Rams might get the tying field goal or winning touchdown, but a Gabriel pass was tipped and intercepted at the Viking 40-yard line by Alan Page with 30 seconds left, allowing his team to run out the clock and win.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Saturday, December 27, 1969, Western Conference: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
Gabriel completed 22/30 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception, while also rushing for 26 yards. Larry Smith was the top rusher of the game with 11 carries for 60 yards, and he caught 6 passes for 36. Kapp completed 12/19 passes for 196 yards with 2 interceptions, while also rushing for 41 yards and a touchdown. Washington caught 4 passes for 90 yards.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Sunday, December 28, 1969, Eastern Conference: Cleveland Browns 38, Dallas Cowboys 14
For the second year in a row, Cleveland eliminated Dallas from the playoffs, this time outgaining them in total yards 344 to 217 and forcing 3 turnovers, without losing any themselves.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Sunday, December 28, 1969, Eastern Conference: Cleveland Browns 38, Dallas Cowboys 14
Cleveland dominated the first half, holding Dallas to just 17 plays and 39 total yards. They had to punt after taking the opening kickoff, but Don Cockroft's high short kick ended up bouncing off the leg of Dallas lineman Rayfield Wright and linebacker Bob Matheson recovered for the Browns on the Cowboys' 34-yard line. Cleveland then drove to their first score on a 2-yard touchdown run by Bo Scott. The Browns later increased their lead to 14–0 by driving 55 yards to score on Bill Nelsen's 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Milt Morin. Cockroft missed two field goal attempts, but just before the end of the half, Ron Widby's 27-yard punt gave the Browns the ball on the Cowboys' 34-yard line, setting up Cockroft's 29-yard field goal that gave Cleveland a 17–0 halftime lead.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Sunday, December 28, 1969, Eastern Conference: Cleveland Browns 38, Dallas Cowboys 14
Early in the third quarter, Browns linebacker Jim Houston intercepted Craig Morton's pass and returned it 35 yards to the Dallas 19, leading to Scott's second 2-yard touchdown run to make the score 24–0. This time Dallas was able to respond, driving 72 yards in 12 plays, including a 26-yard catch by tight end Pettis Norman, to score on Morton's 2-yard touchdown run.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Sunday, December 28, 1969, Eastern Conference: Cleveland Browns 38, Dallas Cowboys 14
However, 24–7 was as close as the score would get. In the 4th quarter, a 39-yard burst by Browns running back Leroy Kelly (the longest gain of the day for either team) set up his 1-yard touchdown plunge to give the Browns a 31–7 lead. Dallas had a chance to score after a punt play when Cockroft bobbled a low snap from rookie center Chuck Reynolds and was tackled on the Browns' 22-yard line. But faced with 4th down from the 18 after 7 plays, Morton threw a short pass intended for Walt Garrison that was intercepted by rookie defensive back Walt Sumner, who took off for an 88-yard touchdown return.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Sunday, December 28, 1969, Eastern Conference: Cleveland Browns 38, Dallas Cowboys 14
The only notable thing remaining in the game would be the playoff debut of 27-year old rookie Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach. He got off to a shaky start, throwing an interception that was eliminated by a Browns holding penalty, but managed to lead the Cowboys to a touchdown, rushing three times for 22 yards and completing passes to Lance Rentzel for gains of 14 and 22 yards before finding him in the end zone for a 5-yard scoring pass.


1969 NFL playoffs, Conference championships, Sunday, December 28, 1969, Eastern Conference: Cleveland Browns 38, Dallas Cowboys 14
Nelsen completed 18/27 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown. His top receiver was Paul Warfield, who caught 8 passes for 99 yards. Kelly had 66 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards, and a touchdown. Morton was held to just 8/24 completions for 92 yards, with two interceptions that were both converted into Cleveland touchdowns.


1969 NFL playoffs, NFL Championship Game: Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 7
Cleveland had lost the previous season's NFL title game 34–0, and this time fared little better. The Vikings dominated the game, racking up 381 yards without losing a single turnover, while Cleveland gained just 268 yards and turned the ball over three times.


1969 NFL playoffs, NFL Championship Game: Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 7
The Vikings took a lead just four minutes into the first quarter, driving 70 yards for a touchdown in 8 plays. The key play of the drive was a pass from Joe Kapp to receiver Gene Washington that was nearly 5 yards short of the mark. Despite the short throw, Washington was able to come back and haul it in for a 33-yard gain to the Browns' 24-yard line. Two plays later, Dave Osborn's 12-yard run moved the ball to the 7. Then two plays after that, Bill Brown accidentally slipped and bumped into Kapp while moving up to take a handoff, but Kapp simply kept the ball himself and ran it 7 yards for a touchdown.


1969 NFL playoffs, NFL Championship Game: Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 7
The situation never got any better for Cleveland. The next time Minnesota got the ball, defensive back Erich Barnes slipped while in one-on-one coverage with Washington, enabling him to catch a pass from Kapp and take off for a 75-yard touchdown completion. Near the end of the first quarter, Browns running back Leroy Kelly lost a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Wally Hilgenberg on the Cleveland 43. Kapp then completed a 12-yard pass to Washington before Fred Cox finished the drive with a 30-yard field goal, putting the Vikings up 17–0.


1969 NFL playoffs, NFL Championship Game: Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 7
Later in the second period, Hilgenberg snuffed out a Cleveland scoring threat by intercepting a pass from Bill Nelsen on the Vikings' 33-yard line. Minnesota subsequently drove 67 yards in 8 plays. Kapp started the drive with a pair of completions to John Henderson for 17 total yards, while Osborn broke off a 16-yard run and ended up finishing the drive with a 20-yard touchdown burst, giving the Vikings a 24–0 lead with 4:46 left in the first half. Cleveland responded with a drive to the Vikings' 17, but turned the ball over on downs when Nelsen overthrew receiver Gary Collins in the end zone on 4th and 3.


1969 NFL playoffs, NFL Championship Game: Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 7
The third quarter was mostly uneventful, other than Cox's 32-yard field goal that gave Minnesota a 27–0 lead after an 11-play, 80-yard drive. The most noteworthy play was a 13-yard scramble by Kapp in which he plowed into 240-pound Browns linebacker Jim Houston so hard that Houston was knocked out of the game. In the 4th quarter, Cleveland finally got on the board when a diving 18-yard reception by Paul Warfield set up Nelsen's 3-yard touchdown pass to Collins. There were still 13 minutes on the clock at this point, but there would be no more scoring. The Vikings had a drive to the Cleveland 2-yard line, but decided to let the clock run out instead of going for another score.


1969 NFL playoffs, NFL Championship Game: Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 7
Kapp completed just 7/13 passes, but threw for 169 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 57 yards and another score. Osborn rushed 18 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. Washington had 120 yards and a touchdown on just 3 receptions. Kelly was the Browns' top rusher with 80 yards, while also catching two passes for 17. Nelsen completed just 17 of 33 passes for 181 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.


1969 NFL season
The 1969 NFL season was the 50th regular season of the National Football League, and its last before the AFL-NFL Merger. To honor the NFL's fiftieth season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season.


1969 NFL season
Per the agreement made during the 1967 season, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions again, returning to the 1967 alignment.


1969 NFL season
The season ended when the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns in the NFL championship game, earning the right to face the American Football League's champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. This was the last awarding of the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy to the NFL champion; it was introduced 35 years earlier in 1934. As was the case the previous season, the NFL champion was not crowned as the "world champion" because of the Vikings' 23–7 loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. This occurrence can no longer happen, as the AFL and the NFL completed their merger the following season (1970), realigned into two 13-team conferences (AFC, NFC) in one league (the NFL), with the conference champions meeting in the Super Bowl.


1969 NFL season, Draft
The 1969 NFL/AFL draft was held January 28–29 at New York City's Belmont Plaza Hotel. With the first pick, the Buffalo Bills selected running back O. J. Simpson from the University of Southern California.


1969 NFL season, Division races
Like the previous two seasons, the Eastern Conference was split into the Capitol and Century Divisions, and the Western Conference had the Coastal and Central Divisions. Through 1966, if two teams were tied for the division lead at season's end, an unscheduled tiebreaker playoff was conducted. Starting in 1967, a tiebreaking system was implemented in which head-to-head record, then net points in head-to-head competition, followed by the team that had less recently played in a title game were the tiebreakers.


1969 NFL season, Division races
As such, only one team in a division would be the division winner, even if the won-lost record was the same. (This tiebreaker was only needed once in the three years it was in existence, when in 1967 the Rams and Colts tied for the Coastal Division title (and best record in the league) but the Rams advanced to the playoffs based on their 1–0–1 record vs. the Colts).


1969 NFL season, Division races
The 1969 division races were largely uneventful. All four division winners assumed first place by week five and never relinquished it. The closest races were in the Central and Coastal, where the Vikings and Rams won their divisions by 2½ games, but the Rams had clinched with four games to play and the Vikings with three games to play.


1969 NFL season, Division races
As home field in playoffs was rotated and not determined by a teams' record at that time, the division winners had nothing to play for and the last month of the season was uneventful, save for the Rams' quest for a perfect record, which ended in L.A. in a week 12 loss to the Vikings, 20–13.


1969 NFL season, Division races
The other story of note was Vince Lombardi's return to coach the Washington Redskins after a one-year hiatus from coaching; he led the Redskins to a 7-5-2 finish, their first winning record in fifteen years; however, it would be his only season at the helm of the Redskins, as he died the following September.


1969 NFL season, Final standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1969 NFL season, Postseason, NFL playoffs
In the Eastern Conference championship game, the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys met for the third straight year. The Cowboys had won in 1967 in Dallas and the Browns in 1968 in Cleveland; this was the rubber match before the Browns would move to the American Conference in the 1970 merger/realignment. The Cowboys were favored, as they featured the best offense in the NFL, a better record than Cleveland, and were at home. However, the Browns jumped on the Cowboys early and often in cruising to a surprising 38–14 win at the Cotton Bowl.


1969 NFL season, Postseason, NFL playoffs
In the Western Conference, the Vikings were four-point favorites over the Rams in Minnesota. Three weeks earlier, the Vikings (10–1) met the Rams (11–0) in Los Angeles and won, 20–13. This time, the Rams broke out on top and led 17–7 at halftime. After the Vikings scored to make it 17–14, the Rams settled for another short field goal (both Ram field goals came when they could not get a touchdown from inside the 5 yard line; this would ultimately cost them the game) to make it 20–14.


1969 NFL season, Postseason, NFL playoffs
Joe Kapp led the Vikings to the go ahead touchdown early in the 4th quarter, helped by a controversial penalty on Rams defender Jim Nettles. Viking receiver John Henderson caught a pass and ran to the Rams 20 yard line where he was tripped up by Eddie Meador. Not sure if the defender made contact and not hearing a whistle, Henderson got up and starting running; Nettles then tackled him and was called for unnecessary roughness.


1969 NFL season, Postseason, NFL playoffs
Nettles claimed he never heard a whistle and asked "what was I supposed to do, stand there and watch him run into the end zone?!" With the ball moved inside the ten-yard line, Kapp eventually put the Vikings ahead 21–20 with a short touchdown run. Shortly thereafter, Vikings DE Carl Eller sacked Ram QB Roman Gabriel in the end zone to make it 23–20.


1969 NFL season, Postseason, NFL playoffs
The Rams forced a Viking punt and began driving for a potential tying field goal or go ahead touchdown but Gabriel was intercepted by Alan Page at the 45-yard line with under two minutes to play to clinch the win. After starting the season with eleven consecutive victories, the Rams lost all four games in December; they won the last edition of the third place Playoff Bowl, shutting out Dallas 31–0 on January 3 in Miami.


1969 NFL season, Postseason, NFL playoffs
In the NFL final in Minnesota on January 4, the Browns were thoroughly dominated for the second year in a row. In 1968, the Colts beat them 34–0 in Cleveland; in this game the Vikings won 27–7, completely shutting down the Browns offense while Minnesota gained nearly 200 rushing yards.


1969 NFL season, Postseason, Super Bowl
The Kansas City Chiefs, league champion of the 1969 American Football League season, defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 23–7, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, on January 11, 1970.


1969 NFL/AFL draft
The 1969 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League (AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969.


1969 NFL/AFL draft
The draft began with first overall pick of O. J. Simpson, the Heisman Trophy-winning running back from USC, by the American Football League's Buffalo Bills. It ended with the twenty-sixth pick in round 17, number 442 overall, of Fred Zirkie, defensive tackle from Duke University, by the AFL's NY Jets.


1969 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1969 NHL Amateur Draft was the seventh NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. This draft is notable for being the first NHL draft to be conducted after the league ended direct sponsorship of junior hockey.


1969 NHL Amateur Draft, Selections by round
Below are listed the selections in the 1969 NHL amateur draft.


1969 NHL Amateur Draft, Selections by round, Round six
Tommi Salmelainen was the first European to be drafted by a National Hockey League team.


1969 NHRA Winternationals
The 1969 NHRA Winternationals (commonly called the Winternats) were a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing event, held at Pomona, California on 2 February.


1969 NHRA Winternationals, Top Fuel Dragster
The Top Fuel Dragster field was eight drivers: Larry Dixon (#1 qualifier), Don Prudhomme (#2 qualifier), John Mulligan, Jim Dunn, Bennie Osborn, Connie Kalitta, Jim Warren, Leroy Goldstein, and Tom Larkin. A number of top names attended, but failed to qualify, including Tom McEwen, "TV Tommy" Ivo, and Don Garlits.


1969 NHRA Winternationals, Top Fuel Dragster
Larkin lost in round one to Mulligan, Warren in round two, Osborn in round three. Dunn was defeated in the semi-final by Prudhomme, while Mulligan beat Goldstein. In the final, Mulligan took the win, and a US$6,900 purse.


1969 NHRA Winternationals, Top Fuel Funny Car
Top Fuel Funny Car saw a sixteen-car field, but stars including Danny Ongais, "Dyno Don" Nicholson, Roger Lindamood, "Jungle Jim" Liberman, and Jack Chrisman, along with Della Woods and Charlie Allen, failed to qualify.


1969 NHRA Winternationals, Top Fuel Funny Car, Round one
The Barracuda of #1 qualifier Tom "Moogoo$e McEwen lost to Marv Eldridge, in the #9-qualifying odd man out AMC AMX. #14 qualifier Ed Schartman (Mercury Cougar) lost two Rich Siroonian's Mazmanian-owned #6-qualifying Barracuda. #12 qualifier Art Ward (in the Roger Guzman-owned Corvair) lost to #4 qualifieer Ray Alley's Barracuda. Kelly Chadwick, who qualified #11, fell to Clare Sanders, #3 qualifier in the Liberman Chevrolet. #5 qualifier Randy Walls faced #13 qualifier Leonard Hughes' Barracuda, and lost. Pat Foster, qualified #7 in the Mickey Thompson Mustang, was defeated by #15 qualifier Ron Leslie's Mercury Cougar. Dave Beebe, tenth-quickest in qualifying in the Nelson Carter Dodge Charger, was defeated by #2-quickest Don Schumacher's Barracuda. #8 qualifier Mike Hamby lost to highest-e.t. qualifier Larry Reyes, in Roland Leong's Dodge Charger.


1969 NHRA Winternationals, Top Fuel Funny Car, Round two
Reyes lost to Alley, Leslie to Sanders, Eldridge to Hughes, Schumacher to Siroonian.


1969 NHRA Winternationals, Top Fuel Funny Car, Round three
Sanders defeated Hughes and Alley beat Siroonian to go on to the final.


1969 NHRA Winternationals, Top Gas
Top Gas was attended by three-time Winternats champion Gordon Collett (who did not qualify) and Mark Pieri; the title went to Dave Grassi.


1969 NHRA Winternationals, Super Stock
Don Grotheer def Jerry Harvey (Ford Mustang) Plymouth BO29 Barracuda - 426 Race Hemi - 10.73 ET


1969 NSWRFL season
The 1969 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 62nd season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six Sydney-based foundation teams and another six from the Sydney area competed for the J.J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between Balmain and South Sydney.


1969 NSWRFL season, Season summary
South Sydney fullback Eric Simms' tally of 265 points for the season from 112 goals, 19 field-goals and one try topped the season point scoring record that had been set in the 1935 season by Dave Brown.


1969 NSWRFL season, Season summary
The 1969 season's Rothmans Medallist was South Sydney's Denis Pittard.


1969 NSWRFL season, Season summary
The 1969 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, John Raper.


1969 NSWRFL season, Season summary, Teams
23rd seasonGround: Brookvale OvalCoach: George HunterCaptain(s): Bob Fulton / Fred Jones


1969 NSWRFL season, Finals
In the Preliminary Final, Balmain trailed 12-14 against Manly-Warringah until late in the match when winger George Ruebner charged for the corner post to snatch a win in dramatic fashion.


1969 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Balmain were not given a chance of winning the Premiership after the retirement of Keith Barnes. Souths had won the last two premierships, beaten the Tigers in the Major Semi-Final to advance to the Grand Final and boasted eleven internationals in their side.


1969 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
However, as a result their favouritism Souths were overconfident and showed insufficient respect to the young Tigers, who had shown early-season form in beating them in round 1, and to their rookie coach Leo Nosworthy, who presented a well-prepared and determined Balmain team.


1969 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
The Tigers led 6–0 at halftime after two penalty goals by Len Killeen and a Dave Bolton field-goal. Souths refusal to kick on the last tackle played into Balmain's hands as novice replacement hooker Peter Boulton managed to consistently regain possession from the scrums. Balmain backed up with a robust defensive line and kept South pinned in their own half.


1969 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
After the break a Bob McCarthy fumble after a mix up with Paul Sait saw Bolton swoop on the ball deep in Souths territory. From the ruck Terry Parker slipped a beautiful pass to replacement winger Sid Williams who juggled but held the ball to cross the line for the only try of the match.


1969 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
With a 9–0 lead early in the second half and a penalty count that continued to mount in their favour, Balmain took control of the game and appeared to begin a ploy of feigning injury whenever Souths looked to build rhythm, stopping the Rabbitohs' flow of play. Hence the match is still referred to today as "the lay-down grand final".


1969 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Souths' protests proved pointless as referee Keith Page (in his first Grand Final) was powerless to stop the Tigers tactics under the rules of the day, and Balmain secured and held an 11–2 lead to win their first premiership since 1947 and to give a fairy-tale career farewell for their captain and 159-game veteran Peter Provan.


1969 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
With the merging of Balmain and Western Suburbs in 1999 to become the Wests Tigers, the 1969 premiership remains the eleventh and last for the Balmain Tigers.


1969 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Balmain 11 (Tries: Williams. Goals: Killeen 2. Field Goal: D Bolton 2)


1969 NYU Violets baseball team
The 1969 NYU Violets baseball team represented New York University in the 1969 NCAA University Division baseball season. The Violets played their home games at Ohio Field. The team was coached by Larry Geracioti in his 10th year as head coach at NYU.


1969 NYU Violets baseball team
The Violots won the District II playoff to advance to the College World Series, where they were defeated by the Arizona State Sun Devils.


1969 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
Elections to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly were held in February 1969 to elect members of the 40 constituencies in Nagaland, India. Nagaland Nationalist Organisation won a majority of the seats and Hokishe Sema was appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland.


1969 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
Nagaland was converted to a state by the State of Nagaland Act, 1962 and the first elections were called for in 1964. The five-year term for that assembly came to an end in January 1969.


1969 National 500
The 1969 National 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on October 12, 1969, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. This race is still being held in today's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series as the 'Bank of America 500'.


1969 National 500
The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s.


1969 National 500, Race report
The race was held on a dry circuit; with no precipitation recorded around the speedway.


1969 National 500, Race report
It took three hours and forty-two minutes to complete the race. Nine cautions slowed the race for 50 laps but Donnie Allison defeated Bobby Allison by sixteen seconds. Fifty thousand people attended this live race to see speeds averaging 131.271 miles per hour (211.260 km/h) and Cale Yarborough earning his pole position by qualifying with a speed of 162.162 miles per hour (260.974 km/h). While most of the drivers were under the banner of a multi-car team during this era, there were still a good number of drivers who were either independent owner-drivers or were employed by independent-minded vehicle owners. There was a consolation race for the drivers who failed to qualify, only three cars finished that race; the winner was J.C. Spradley who participated in a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle.


1969 National 500, Race report
Other notable drivers in this race include: A. J. Foyt, Coo Coo Marlin, Cale Yarborough, J.D. McDuffie, Wendell Scott, and Richard Petty. This would become the forty-eighth racing officially sanctioned by NASCAR out of the 54 that would be raced in 1969. The 1969 NASCAR Grand National season would later mark its conclusion with the 1969 Texas 500 race on December 7, 1969, with David Pearson emerging as the eventual champion for the year. Pearson would later become recognized for winning races more consistently than Richard Petty but having an abbreviated racing career compared to him.


1969 National 500, Race report
Had Pearson been able to participate in the number of races as Petty, he might have beaten Richard Petty's record of 200 career race wins. The winner's purse was considered to be $20,280 ($143,119 when considering inflation). Jim Lineberger would make his only NASCAR Cup Series appearance this event while Bob Cooper would gracefully bow out of professional stock car racing after the completion of this race. This was the only career start for Wayne Gillette where his vehicle actually qualified for the race and made it to the finish; Gillette would fail to qualify in two other races in the NASCAR Grand National Cup Series.


1969 National 500, Race report
Notable crew chiefs for this race were Herb Nab, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Banjo Matthews, Glen Wood, Dick Hutcherson and Cotton Owens.


1969 National Challenge Cup
The 1969 National Challenge Cup was the 56th edition of the United States Soccer Football Association's annual open soccer championship. The Greek American AA team defeated the Montebello Armenians in the final game. As a result, Greek American Atlas won their third consecutive National Cup title. The feat would not be repeated until 2011, when Seattle Sounders defeated Chicago Fire.


1969 National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament was originated by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association in 1938. Responsibility for its administration was transferred two years later to local colleges, first known as the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Committee and in 1948, as the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association (MIBA), which comprised representatives from five New York City schools: Fordham University, Manhattan College, New York University, St. John's University, and Wagner College. Originally all of the teams qualifying for the tournament were invited to New York City, and all games were played at Madison Square Garden.


1969 National Invitation Tournament, Selected teams
Below is a list of the 16 teams selected for the tournament.


1969 National League Championship Series
The 1969 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five match-up between the East Division champion New York Mets and the West Division champion Atlanta Braves. In what was the first ever NLCS, the Mets defeated the Braves three games to none. They did not sweep a playoff series again until 2006 as they swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series in three games.


1969 National League Championship Series
At that time, the New York Mets became the fastest expansion team to win a National League pennant with only eight years of existence. Twenty-eight years later, in 1997, the Florida Marlins would break that record by reaching and winning the World Series with only five years of existence. Four years after the Marlins, the Arizona Diamondbacks would break that by reaching and winning the World Series in just their fourth year.


1969 National League Championship Series
Nolan Ryan played for the Mets at the time, but he did not play until Game 3, which was the first playoff victory of his career.


1969 National League Championship Series
The Braves finally avenged their 1969 loss 30 years later, by beating the Mets in that year's NLCS four games to two.


1969 National League Championship Series, Background
This was the first year of the two-division format in Major League Baseball, after 99 consecutive years of straight non-divisional play.


1969 National League Championship Series, Background
This was the year of the "Miracle" Mets. The team had finished only one game better than last the year before, had never finished better than ninth in their seven-year history, were generally picked for third or fourth in the new six-team National League East Division, and were a 100-to-1 longshot to win the World Series. In third place and 10 games behind the division-leading Cubs on August 13, the Mets rallied to win the East Division title by eight games, winning exactly 100 games.


1969 National League Championship Series, Background
The Braves, led by Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda and Phil Niekro, won a tough five-team race in the West Division, and were favored over the Mets as the playoff began, despite the Mets having won seven more games than the Braves. In what was expected to be a pitching-rich series, the teams combined for 42 runs, batted .292, hit 11 home runs, and posted a combined 5.94 ERA in the three games. Hank Aaron hit three home runs for the Braves, while Tommie Agee and Ken Boswell hit two each for the Mets.


1969 National League Championship Series, Background
The Mets would also go on to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, four games to one.


1969 National League Championship Series, Background
It was the first of five NL pennants for the Mets. The first two came in the only two NL series between 1969 and 1980 that did not feature a Pennsylvania team (the other being 1973.). The Braves would not reach the NLCS again until 1982, and would not win a game in the NLCS until they won the Pennant in 1991. It would be another four years before the Braves captured their only World Series championship as an Atlanta team.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Mets struck first in the second off Phil Niekro when Jerry Grote singled in a run with two on and Ken Boswell scored on a passed ball by Braves catcher Bob Didier. The Braves cut the lead in half in their half on a sacrifice fly by Clete Boyer with runners on second and third off of Tom Seaver.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Braves took a 3–2 lead in the third inning scoring twice on three consecutive one-out doubles by Felix Millán, Tony González, and Hank Aaron. The Mets immediately re-took the lead in the fourth inning on a two-run triple by Bud Harrelson after a two-out single and walk.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Gonzalez then tied the game at 4–4 in the fifth inning with the first home run in NLCS play. Hank Aaron gave the Braves the lead with a home run in the seventh.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
In the eighth, however, things fell apart for the Braves. Wayne Garrett led off with a double and was singled home by Cleon Jones. Art Shamsky singled and Jones stole third. Ken Boswell then grounded to first, but Braves first baseman Orlando Cepeda threw wildly home in an attempt to retire Jones. Boswell reached first and Al Weis, running for Shamsky, went to second. Ed Kranepool forced Weis at third, and Grote grounded out to first, putting runners on second and third. Harrelson was walked intentionally to load the bases.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Then, J.C. Martin, batting for Tom Seaver, drove in two runs with a single to right center. Harrelson came around to score from first when González misplayed the hit. Martin reached second, but was cut down in a rundown. Ron Taylor pitched two shutout innings to close it out as the Mets won the first NLCS game in history.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
The Mets scored early and often in this one, pounding six Braves pitchers for 13 hits and 11 runs. Ed Kranepool brought in the first run in the top of the first with a bases-loaded single. Tommie Agee's two-run home run after a walk next inning extended the Mets' lead to 3–0. Cleon Jones doubled with two outs and scored on Art Shamsky's single to knock starter Ron Reed out of the game. Next inning off of Paul Doyle, Jerry Grote reached on an error before scoring on Bud Harrelson's double.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
After a two-out intentional walk, Wayne Garrett's RBI single made it 6–0 Mets. Ken Boswell's two-run home run off of Milt Pappas made it 8–0 Mets. The Braves got on the board in the bottom half off of starter Jerry Koosman when Rico Carty doubled with one out and scored on Orlando Cepeda's single. In the top of the fifth, Garrett doubled and scored on Jones's single. In the bottom half, Koosman got two outs before allowing a single and walk, then Hank Aaron's three-run home run cut the Mets' lead to 9–4.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
After a walk and double, Clete Boyer's two-run single brought the Braves within three. However, Ron Taylor, who earned the win, and Tug McGraw held them scoreless for the rest of the game while Jones's two-run home run in the seventh off of Cecil Upshaw extended the Mets' lead to 11–6. They took a 2–0 series lead heading to New York.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In what would be his last postseason appearance, Hank Aaron put the Braves up 2–0 in the first inning with a two-run home run, his third of the series, off of Gary Gentry.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Once again, the downfall of the Braves was their inability to stave off the hot Met hitters. Tommie Agee homered in the third, and Ken Boswell hit a two-run home run in the fourth to put the Mets on top 3–2 off of starter Pat Jarvis.


1969 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Orlando Cepeda gave Braves fans a glimmer of hope by hitting a two-run home run off Nolan Ryan in the fifth after a two-out walk to put the Braves back on top, 4–3. But, in the bottom of the inning Ryan singled with one out and Wayne Garrett then homered to give the Mets a 5–4 lead, which they would not lose. Cleon Jones's double knocked Jarvis out of the game. Boswell added an RBI single off of George Stone, and next inning, Jerry Grote hit a leadoff double off of Stone and Agee singled him home off of Cecil Upshaw. Ryan pitched seven innings in relief of Gentry for the win as the Mets advanced to their first World Series.


1969 National Soccer League season
The 1969 National Soccer League season was the forty-sixth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began on May 4, 1969 with Toronto Italia facing Toronto Hellas at Stanley Park Stadium where the match drew 6000 supporters. The match signaled an increase in attendance as the previous time the NSL drew a similar amount was three seasons ago. The championship was contested throughout the regular season as the league canceled the playoff format. Toronto First Portuguese would claim the NSL Championship by finishing first in the regular season in October. The NSL Cup was won by Toronto Italia after defeating Toronto Hungaria.


1969 National Soccer League season
The NSL became interprovincial once again with a franchise in Montreal, Quebec. The league served as one of the country's top major leagues as both the Toronto Falcons and Vancouver Royals of the North American Soccer League folded in late 1968.


1969 National Soccer League season, Overview
The conclusion of the decade sparked a revival which would restore the National Soccer League (NSL) to a level of prominence once more in Canadian soccer. The membership increased to 14 teams the highest since the 1950s with the league returning to the province of Quebec. The previous time the NSL operated in Quebec was in the 1964 season when Montreal Cantalia, and Montreal Ukrainians represented the province. Montreal Inter-Italia was granted an NSL franchise. After an eight year absence Toronto Italia returned since their initial departure in 1961 to play in the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League (ECPSL).


1969 National Soccer League season, Overview
The league expanded into the London, and Oakville regions with the acceptance of Arsenal Portuguese Oakville, and London German Canadians. London previously competed in the London and District Soccer League, and the sole departure from the league was Windsor Teutonia. The season produced a surge in match attendance as the league began to recover from their initial decrease in the mid 1960s due to competition from the ECPSL, and the North American Soccer League. Changes also occurred at the executive level with Joe Piccininni succeeding Bill Boytchuk as league president.


1969 National Soccer League season, Overview
The NSL was involved in a dispute with the Ontario Soccer Football Association (OSFA) over refusing to issue bond payments to the OSFA. The governing body in response suspended the league, but the NSL continued operations and ultimately consented to paying the bond. Though the OSFA received their payment the suspension still remained in effect as another point of contention revolved around player registration, and lack of disciplinary actions regarding players. The NSL in response canceled their payments, and continued operating as an outlaw league. Shortly after both parties settled their dispute over a meeting.


1969 National Soccer League season, Cup
The cup tournament was a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all fourteen teams took part. The tournament would conclude in a final match for the Cup.


1969 National Society of Film Critics Awards
The 4th National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 5 January 1970, honored the best filmmaking of 1969.


1969 National Society of Film Critics Awards
The member critics voting for the awards were Hollis Alpert of the Saturday Review, Harold Clurman of The Nation, Jay Cocks of Time, Brad Darrach of Movie, Penelope Gilliatt of The New Yorker, Pauline Kael of The New Yorker, Stefan Kanfer of Time, Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic, Robert Kotlowitz of Harper's Magazine, Joseph Morgenstern of Newsweek, Andrew Sarris of The Village Voice, Richard Schickel of Life, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. of Vogue, and John Simon of The New Leader.


1969 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Picture
2. Stolen Kisses (11 points) 3. The Unfaithful Wife (10 points)


1969 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Director
2. Costa-Gavras – Z (11 points) 3. Claude Chabrol – The Unfaithful Wife (9 points) 3. Miklós Jancsó – The Red and the White (9 points)


1969 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actor
2. Peter O'Toole – Goodbye, Mr. Chips (14 points) 3. Michel Bouquet – The Unfaithful Wife (9 points) 3. Robert Redford – Downhill Racer and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (9 points)


1969 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actress
2. Jane Fonda – They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (16 points) 3. Verna Bloom – Medium Cool (5 points) 3. Maggie Smith – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (5 points) 3. Ingrid Thulin – The Damned (5 points)


1969 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actress (tie)
3. Verna Bloom – Medium Cool (12 points) 3. Dyan Cannon – Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (12 points) 3. Celia Johnson – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie


1969 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Screenplay
2. Costa-Gavras and Jorge Semprún – Z (18 points) 3. Alvin Sargent – The Sterile Cuckoo (6 points)


1969 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Cinematography
2. Miroslav Ondricek – If.... (11 points) 3. Haskell Wexler – Medium Cool (8 points)


1969 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 1969 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by first-year head coach Rick Forzano.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by eighth-year head coach Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. In his first year as offensive coordinator, Tom Osborne instituted the I formation.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The Huskers lost the opener at home to fifth-ranked USC, and were 2–2 after a loss in the conference opener at #7 Missouri. They won their final six regular season games to tie for the Big Eight championship, were invited to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, and decisively beat the Georgia Bulldogs to finish the season at 9–2.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The Huskers' strong finish in 1969 was followed by consecutive national championships in 1970 and 1971; after the rout of second-ranked Alabama in the 1972 Orange Bowl, Nebraska's unbeaten streak reached 32 games.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Adkins, John #57 (So.) DEAhlmann, Harold (Jr.) MGAnderson, Jim #18 (So.) RCBAshman, Carl #53 (Sr.) LGBomberger, Bill #46 (Jr.) FBBoyd, David (So.) EBranch, Jim (So.) LBBrownson, Van #12 (So.) QBBuda, Joe #52 (Sr.) CCarstens, Jim (So.) FBChandler, George #33 (Jr.) LBCoppa, Rich (So.) CDavis, Harold (So.) LGDecker, John #21 (Jr.) LCBDeOrio, Lonnie (So.) DTDidur, Dale #84 (Jr.) SEDrakulich, Ron #41 (Sr.) DTDumler, Doug #78 (So.) LTDvorsak, Tony #11 (Jr.) QBFiala, Adrian #32 (Sr.) LBFrost, Larry #28 (Sr.) HBGalbraith, Denis (Unk) MGGeddes, Ken #37 (Sr.) MGGraves, Lanny (So.) FBGreen, Mike #34 (Sr.) FBGrenfell, Bob #59 (Jr.) LGGutzman, Dennis #39 (Jr.) DEHacias, Greg (So.) SHarvey, Phil #83 (So.) TEHauge, Bruce #48 (So.) LBHinckley, Ron #65 (So.) RGHollstein, Gary #29 (So.) SHolmes, Bill (So.) EHopkins, John #79 (So.) RTHornbacher, Bill #55 (Sr.) DT


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Hughes, Jeff #26 (So.) HBHyland, John #58 (So.) DEIngles, Guy #88 (Jr.) SEJacobson, Larry #75 (So.) DTJamail, Doug #50 (So.) CJanssen, Bill #82 (So.) DEJarmon, Sherwin #81 (Sr.) DEJennings, Henry #38 (So.) MONJones, George (So.) SKinney, Jeff #35 (So.) HBKinsel, John (So.) CKobza, Dan #49 (Sr.) LBKontos, Ken (So.) LBKosch, Bill #24 (So.) RCBLarson, Al #20 (Sr.) MONLiddle, Kent #51 (So.) CLiggett, Bob #71 (Sr.) DTList, Jerry #85 (So.) TELowe, Rex (Unk) HBMabin, Wes #39 (So.) LCBMalone, Dan (So.) DTMason, Dave #87 (So.) EMcClelland, Tom #16 (So.) SMcFarland, Bob #27 (So.) RCBMcFarland, Jim #80 (Sr.) TEMcGhee, Donnie #70 (Jr.) RTMcGowan, Tom (So.) LBMcGuire, Mike #15 (So.) MONMenser, Charles #63 (So.) RGMiller, Jim #86 (So.) DEMinzak, Edward (So.) RGMontgomery, Al #47 (So.) HBMorell, Pat #40 (So.) LBMorock, David #43 (Jr.) MONMorrill, Pat (Unk) LB


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Murtaugh, Jerry #42 (Jr.) LBNewton, Bob #74 (Jr.) LTNewton, Clint (So.) EOrduna, Joe #31 (Sr.) HBOsberg, Chuck #17 (So.) QBPabis, Bob #66 (So.) MGPatrick, Frank #10 (Sr.) QBPatterson, Glenn #72 (Sr.) CPeriard, Ed #56 (Jr.) MGPitts, John #54 (So.) DEPogge, Bill (So.) FBReeves, Randy #25 (Sr.) SRogers, Paul #30 (Jr.) PKSchloff, Merle #69 (So.) DTSchneiss, Dan #22 (Jr.) FBSmith, Jim #23 (So.) HBSnyder, Bob (So.) RTSobota, Joe (So.) DTStejskal, Greg #68 (So.) LTStephenson, Dana #36 (Sr.) LCBTagge, Jerry #14 (So.) QBTegels, John (So.) LBTerrio, Bob #45 (So.) FBTopliff, Paul #73 (Sr.) RTVactor, Frank #19 (Jr.) HBVolberding, Ron #64 (So.) RGWalline, Dave #76 (Jr.) DTWeber, Bruce #61 (So.) LGWenner, Rick (So.) SWilliams, Gale #77 (Sr.) RGWinter, Wally #67 (Jr.) LTWitliff, Frank (So.) HBWynn, Mike #90 (Sr.) DEYanda, Steve #44 (So.) LB


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, USC
USC had a fight on their hands, despite jumping out to an early 14-0 lead. Nebraska scrambled back and drew up within 7 points in the 4th quarter with 3:40 to go. The Cornhuskers again got the ball back with enough time to score, but USC intercepted and converted the turnover into a field goal in the final seconds to decide the outcome.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
The Cornhuskers put up a touchdown in each of the first two quarters before Texas A&M was somehow able to bottle them up, but the Blackshirts had already established that the Aggies would get nothing on the day, and the 14 Nebraska points were carried for the win.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Minnesota
Nebraska QB Jerry Tagge broke a record while taking apart Minnesota in Minneapolis. The 587 total Cornhusker yards was the second highest total in school history, and his 219 air yards and 82 ground yards rang up to 301 on the day, easily breaking the previous record of 264 yards set in 1951 and tied in 1967. The game started in doubt as Minnesota struck first and forced Nebraska to a 14-14 tie at the half, but there would be no further scoring from the Golden Gophers to answer the additional 28 Nebraska points posted after the half.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Missouri
Nebraska attempted to bring a fight to Columbia to go along with their new #20 ranking, but after Missouri went up 7-0, it did not help that the Cornhuskers turned over a fumble to Missouri which was converted into 7 more points before the half. Nebraska managed to avoid the shutout with a 3rd-quarter touchdown but could not overcome Missouri's defense to score again, and subsequently fell back out of the polls.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
Nebraska PK Paul Rogers set a Nebraska and Big 8 record with a 55-yard 1st-quarter field goal to open the scoring. It was a fierce back-and-forth game, though Nebraska ran ahead by 14 only to have Kansas tie it up in the 3rd and pull ahead with a field goal in the 4th. The Cornhuskers came through, however, putting in the game-winning touchdown with just 1:22 left to play.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State
The defensive struggle of the day kept the scores low and the game in doubt late, as Nebraska held only a 10-point lead to start the 4th quarter, but the defenses held on both sides and the Cornhuskers got the win.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
Nebraska's 13 point margin of victory was directly attributable to the school record 3 interceptions by Dana Stephenson, two of which were subsequently converted into touchdowns, giving Nebraska the upset win.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Iowa State was held to only 27 yards on the ground in front a Memorial Stadium homecoming crowd, as Nebraska held the Cyclones to just a 2nd-quarter field goal on their way to the win.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas State
The Blackshirts allowed Kansas State a touchdown early on, but closed the door for the rest of the game. The Cornhusker offense needed that support, as they were not able to put up their own points until splitting the uprights with a field goal late in the 3rd, and very much needed the touchdown punched in about 10 minutes later to pull ahead for the victory.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
Nebraska fought from behind to deliver Coach Devaney's first win in Norman, a convincing win in which the Blackshirts held the season's Heisman Trophy winner Steve Owens to just 71 yards with no touchdowns, breaking his 17-game touchdown streak.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Georgia
Nebraska opened the day with four straight 1st-quarter field goals, setting new Nebraska and Big 8 records in the process, which was the beginning of Georgia being left far behind. By the time the Bulldogs found the scoreboard on a 4th-quarter touchdown, they merely closed the gap to 6-38, which the Cornhuskers then answered with one more touchdown before the final whistle.


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, 1969 Team Players in the NFL
The 1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers seniors selected in the 1970 NFL Draft:


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, 1969 Team Players in the NFL
The 1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers juniors selected in the following year's 1971 NFL Draft:


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, 1969 Team Players in the NFL
The 1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers sophomores selected in the 1972 NFL Draft:


1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, 1969 Team Players in the NFL, NFL and Pro Players
The following 1969 Nebraska players joined a professional team as draftees or free agents.


1969 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball)
The 1969 Nemzeti Bajnokság I is the 19th season of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Hungary's premier Handball league.


1969 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Final list
* M: Matches W: Win D: Drawn L: Lost G+: Goals earned G-: Goals got P: Point


1969 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 1969 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season. Nevada competed as an independent. The Wolf Pack were led by first-year head coach Jerry Scattini and played their home games at Mackay Stadium.


1969 Nevada Wolf Pack football team, Previous season
The Wolf Pack finished the 1968 season 3–6–1 and 1–4 in the final FWC play to finish tied in fifth place. Head coach Dick Trachok resigned and was replaced by Jerry Scattini.


1969 New Democratic Party of Manitoba leadership election
The 1969 New Democratic Party of Manitoba leadership election was held on June 7, 1969 to choose a successor to outgoing leader Russell Paulley. There were two candidates for the party leadership: Edward Schreyer and Sidney Green. The contest was expected to be close, but Schreyer won a convincing victory on a strength of a powerful nomination speech. The final tally was 506 votes for Schreyer, against 177 for Green.


1969 New Hampshire Wildcats football team
The 1969 New Hampshire Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Hampshire as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season. In its second year under head coach Jim Root, the team compiled a 3–5 record (1–4 against conference opponents) and tied for last place in the Yankee Conference.


1969 New Hebridean general election
General elections were held in the New Hebrides in July and August 1969 to elect fourteen members of the thirty members of the Advisory Council.


1969 New Hebridean general election, Background
In 1968 proposals were approved to increase the size of the Advisory Council from 26 to 30 members. The enlarged Council consisted of six 'official' members (the two Resident Commissioners, the British Assistant Commissioner, the French Chancelier, the Superintendent of Public Works and the Treasurer), ten nominated members (three British, three French and four Hebridean) and fourteen elected members, of which three would be British, three French and eight Hebridean. The six British and French representatives were elected indirectly by the Chamber of Commerce, with the Hebridean members elected by local councils and public meetings in areas where local councils did not exist.


1969 New Hebridean general election, Aftermath
The newly elected Advisory Council met for the first time on 1 October in Port Vila.


1969 New Jersey gubernatorial election
The 1969 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1969. Republican nominee William T. Cahill defeated Democratic nominee Robert B. Meyner with 59.66% of the vote.


1969 New Mexico Lobos football team
The 1969 New Mexico Lobos football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Mexico in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. In their second season under head coach Rudy Feldman, the Lobos compiled a 4–6 record (1–5 against WAC opponents) and were outscored, 281 to 171.


1969 New Mexico Lobos football team
Willie Shaw and Rocky Long were the team captains. The team's statistical leaders included Rocky Long with 865 passing yards, Sam Scarber with 534 rushing yards, and John Stewart with 391 receiving yards, and David Bookert with 30 points scored.


1969 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The 1969 New Mexico State Aggies football team was an American football team that represented New Mexico State University as an independent during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. In their second year under head coach Jim Wood, the Aggies compiled a 5–5 record and were outscored by a total of 235 to 199. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium.


1969 New Orleans Saints season
The 1969 New Orleans Saints season was the team's third as a member of the National Football League. They improved on their previous season's output of 4–9–1, winning five games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Tom Dempsey led the team in scoring with 99 points and was named to the Pro Bowl.


1969 New Orleans Saints season
The 1969 Saints surrendered 7.90 yards per-pass-attempt (including quarterback sacks), an NFL record at the time for the Super Bowl Era, and third all-time as of 2012.


1969 New Orleans Saints season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1969 New Orleans Saints season, Season summary, Week 10
NFL Films selected this matchup as the Game of the Week.


1969 New South Wales Open
The 1969 New South Wales Open was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on grass courts at the White City Stadium in Sydney, Australia. The tournament was held from 13 January through 19 January 1969. It was the 77th edition of the event and the first one in the Open era of tennis. The singles titles were won by Margaret Court and fourth-seeded Tony Roche. It was Roche's second singles title after 1967 and he won AUS$3,594 first-prize money. Court earned AUS$1,537 for her singles win which was her sixth singles title at the tournament.


1969 New South Wales Open, Finals, Men's Doubles
Rod Laver /  Roy Emerson defeated  John Newcombe /  Tony Roche 10–12, 6–4, 6–3


1969 New South Wales Open, Finals, Women's Doubles
Margaret Court /  Judy Tegart defeated  Rosie Casals /  Billie Jean King 15–13, 1–6, 6–3


1969 New South Wales Open – Women's Singles
Judy Tegart was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Billie Jean King.


1969 New South Wales Open – Women's Singles
Margaret Court won in the final 6–1, 6–2 against Rosie Casals.


1969 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1969 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the London Gazette of 20 December 1968 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1969. At this time honours for Australians were awarded both in the United Kingdom honours, on the advice of the premiers of Australian states, and also in a separate Australia honours list.


1969 New Year Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1969 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The 1969 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by Elizabeth II on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. The awards celebrated the passing of 1968 and the beginning of 1969, and were announced on 1 January 1969.


1969 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1969 New York City mayoral election
The 1969 New York City mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 4, 1969, with incumbent Liberal Party Mayor John Lindsay elected to a second term.


1969 New York City mayoral election
Lindsay defeated the Democratic candidate, New York City Comptroller Mario Procaccino, and the Republican candidate, state senator John Marchi.


1969 New York City mayoral election
Lindsay received 42.36% of the vote to Procaccino's 34.79%, a Liberal victory margin of 7.57%.


1969 New York City mayoral election, Background
Lindsay, a liberal originally elected in 1965 as a Republican with Liberal Party support, had lost the Republican primary to Marchi, but still managed to be re-elected as a Liberal. Lindsay also received the Independent ballot line.


1969 New York City mayoral election, Background
Procaccino also received the Civil Service ballot line, while Marchi received the Conservative Party ballot line.


1969 New York City mayoral election, Background
Reflecting the 3-way split in the race, with each candidate garnering double-digit support citywide, the five boroughs split between all 3 candidates. Lindsay scored a big victory in Manhattan with 67.1% of the vote, while also winning a narrow plurality in Queens with 36.3% of the vote. Procaccino won pluralities by small margins in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Marchi, a state senator from Staten Island, won that borough with 62.0% of the vote.


1969 New York City mayoral election, Background
Lindsay would be sworn into his second and final term in January 1970.