The Minnesota Vikings joined the National Football League (NFL) for the 1961 seaso. Subsequently, they became the 14th team in the league. The year before, the Dallas Cowboys had become the 13th team. The Vikings, named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia, reflected the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota.
The Vikings had initially been slated to join the American Football League (AFL). But the Minnesota ownership backed out of its agreement with the AFL upon being offered an NFL expansion franchise. A group in Oakland fulfilled the vacant slot in the AFL, becoming the Oakland Raiders.
Professional football in the area began in 1921 when the Minneapolis Marines joined the American Professional Football Association (later to be known as the NFL). The team folded in 1924, but was resurrected as the Minneapolis Red Jackets in 1929. This team lasted for two years before merging with the Frankford Yellow Jackets for a short duration of time.
Location of 1st Exhibition game
The Vikings played their first exhibition game on August 5th, 1961. The game was played at Howard Wood Field at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There are several written explanations that this occurred to help promote the game in the greater Minneapolis area. Seems unlikely. A more likely explanation is that the game’s location occurred when a South Dakota promotor, Bob Burns asked the Minnesota Viking owner, Max Winter, how much would it cost to bring the game to South Dakota. For $40,000 Winter agreed to play the game in South Dakota.
Rookie quarterback Fran Tarkenton led the 1961 team. Tarkenton would become the first Viking inducted into the Hall of Fame. The early Viking seasons were mostly unremarkable, except for the 1964 season. That year defensive end Jim Marshall picked up a fumble against the San Franscico 49ers and ran it to the wrong end zone.
The team’s fortunes changed in 1967 with the hiring of Bud Grant as the head coach. Grant, who had coached in the Canadian Football League, would lead the Viking for 18 years,. During that time spn, the Viking went to the Super Bowl four times. The Vikings lost Super Bowl IV to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7, and the 1973 Super Bowl (VIII) to the Miami Dolphins 24-7. They also lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974 (16-6), and Super Bowl XI (1976) to the Oakland Raiders, 32-14.
Multiple Super Bowl apearances
Along with the Buffalo Bills, the Vikings are the only NFL to go to the Super Bowl four times without winning once. These Super Bowl appearances were fueled by a stout defense, particularly the defensive line, collectively known as the “Purple People Eaters.”
Some of the key players during their Super Bowl appearances besides Tarkenton, included defensive tackle Alan Page, and defensive end Carl Eller. In 1971 Page was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the league, the first defensive player to do so. To date, there has only been one other defensive player, Lawrence Taylor (1986), to be voted MVP.
The team has played its home games in various stadiums over the years. Metropolitan Stadium (1961 – 1981), Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (1982 – 2013) and the current stadium, U.S, Bank Stadium have all been home to the Vikings.
Featuring wide receiver Randy Moss, the Vikings reached the NFC Championship Game, only to lose to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Vikings currently play in the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division along with the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers.
In 2012, Adrian Peterson surpassed 2,000 yards rushing, as he accumulated 2,097 that season. Besides being just one of eight players to reach this achievement, Peterson had torn two ligaments in his left knee the previous year making the achievement even more remarkable.
The Vikings, currently playing in the National Football Conference North division, have reached the playoffs several times since then, each time losing early in the post season.
Barry Schustermann
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