American Pro Football in the 1970s

In 1970, professional football in America picked up where it left off in the 1960s, when the game truly started to make the leap as America's No. 1 pastime. This era of pro football saw Dallas, after years of heartbreaking championship defeats, finally break through as champions. The decade also bore witness to the Miami's perfect season, the rise of Oakland's autumn wind and the birth of the Iron City's dynasty. It can be argued that this period in pro football had more dominant teams at one time than at any other period in the game's 100-year history in America.  This era also included several compelling rivalries between teams that were perennially in the mix of the championship chase. These rivalries helped either start or end some of the greatest dynasties in American pro football history. In the process, the rivalries further increased the game's popularity, as it was the undisputed king of the hill as far as professional sports was concerned as the '70s drew to a close.