A Look Back At Vikings-49ers

The Minnesota Vikings host the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. This is a look back at a distant time in this modest rivalry. I recently acquired a game program for the Vikings-49ers game played on November 8, 1964 in Minnesota. This game was played at a time before the Super Bowl. This was a time of West and East Divisions in a 14-team National Football League. The Vikings and 49ers were West Division foes. They played each other twice in 1964. The first game was played on October 25 in San Francisco. That was the game in which the great Jim Marshall returned a fumble the wrong way. When he tossed the ball into the stands from the end zone, instead of scoring six points, he gave two points to the 49ers. Despite the historic and unforgettable mistake, Marshall helped lead the Vikings to a 27-22 win. The Vikings won the November 8th game as well, 24-7. 1964 was the fourth season in Vikings franchise history. It was their first winning season. Their 8-5-1 record was good for second in the West. Those eight wins were four behind the Baltimore Colts. That great Colts team would go on to lose to the underdog Cleveland Browns in the 1964 NFL Championship. 1964 was the 19th season in 49ers franchise history. The team played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946-49. They were pretty good. The 49ers joined the NFL in 1950. They were mostly good and always entertaining through the 1950s. They had the misfortune of being just behind great Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams teams in the West. The 1957 49ers team was a half away from playing the Browns for the NFL title. The Lions came back from a 24-7 halftime deficit and made that terrific 49ers team forgettable. The 1960s started with the 49ers in transition. Their great players from the 1950s had either retired or moved on. 1964 was a down year as they finished last in the West with a 4-10 record. 

The Vikings and 49ers were West Division foes from 1961-66. The 1967 realignment that preceded the 1970 full merger with the American Football League separated them. It’s probably a stretch to say that the Vikings and 49ers have a rivalry. In my lifetime, when one team’s been good the other often hasn’t. Outside of the wonderful 1987 Divisional playoff, postseason matchups have been one-sided in the 49ers favor. At best, it’s a modest rivalry. Personally, it’s a significant rivalry as the 49ers are my local team. Loads of family and friends are 49er faithful. At least, they’re as faithful as 49ers fans tend to get. They are a very fair-weathered bunch. The Vikings, of course, are my team. I’ll always have that 1987 game. Anthony Carter, that pass rush, they put Joe Montana on the bench. Oh my, that game was beautiful. 

Back to the November 8th Vikings-49ers game program. 

The advertisements are fantastic. 

There’s an article about Vikings trainer Fred Zamberletti. He was the Vikings trainer from 1961-98. He was on the sidelines for every Vikings preseason, regular season, and postseason game from 1961 to December 24, 2011. He was a living team icon. It’s a little wild to see a young Zamberletti in only his fourth year with the Vikings. 

Roster size. The Vikings had 39 players listed in the program. The 49ers had 38. With so few roster spots, it’s amazing that the Vikings had room for four backs. The 49ers had five. It was a different game. 

There were some eventual Hall of Famers on each team.

Vikings:

Fran Tarkenton

Mick Tingelhoff

Carl Eller

Vikings head coach Norm Van Brocklin was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his playing days with the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. 

49ers:

Jimmy Johnson

Dave Wilcox

49ers head coach Jack Christiansen was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his playing days with the Detroit Lions.

Some interesting 49ers roster nuggets.

Billy Kilmer is best known for his quarterbacking days with the Washington Redskins in the 1970s. It’s interesting to see him playing halfback for the 49ers in in the 1960s. 

For some, flanker Bernie Casey might be better known as an actor. 

Many know Howard Mudd as one of the best offensive line coaches in the history of the NFL. He was an outstanding guard for the 49ers. He made the 1960s All-Decade Team and should get more Hall of Fame consideration than he’s received. I was initially surprised to see him as a backup for this game but realized that 1964 was his rookie season. For some reason, he’s listed as Harold Mudd in the program. 

Left side linebacker Dave Wilcox is the father of current Cal head coach Justin Wilcox. 

Speaking of Cal, 49ers right side linebacker Matt Hazeltine was one of the greatest Golden Bears. 

Speaking of left side and right side linebackers, defenses of the era were often aligned left-right rather than weak-strong. 

49ers quarterback John Brodie is another player that should get some Hall of Fame consideration. He was the league MVP in 1970. He passed for more than 2900 yards three times during a time when few quarterbacks did such a thing. He led the 49ers to consecutive Conference Championship games in 1970 and 1971. 

Through this program, it’s fun to look back at a Vikings-49ers game played nearly 60 years ago. It’s on to the present and Monday night’s game. Skol!