107 Fun Facts About Minnesota Vikings

In what year did the Vikings play their first NFL season?

The Vikings debuted in 1961 as the NFL's 14th franchise after their owners abandoned a plan to join the rival AFL; they beat the Bears 37-13 in their first game.

Which team beat the heavily favoured Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV?

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the 12-point-favourite Vikings 23-7 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 11, 1970, the last Super Bowl before the AFL-NFL merger.

Which team beat the Vikings 32-14 in Super Bowl XI in January 1977?

It was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on January 9, 1977, and gave the Raiders their first title.

Which four linemen made up the core of the 'Purple People Eaters' defense?

Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall and Gary Larsen formed the original Purple People Eaters front four; Doug Sutherland took over Larsen's tackle spot in 1974.

Who was the Vikings' first head coach, hired in January 1961?

Norm Van Brocklin, fresh from quarterbacking the Eagles to the 1960 NFL title, was hired in January 1961; Bud Grant declined the job and stayed in the CFL until 1967.

Before coaching the Vikings, Bud Grant won how many Grey Cups with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers?

Bud Grant coached Winnipeg to four Grey Cup wins, in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962; earlier he had won the 1950 NBA title as a Minneapolis Laker.

How many seasons did Bud Grant coach the Vikings across his two stints?

Bud Grant coached 18 seasons: 1967 through 1983, then a single comeback year in 1985, winning 11 division titles and reaching four Super Bowls.

Fran Tarkenton played college football for which school?

Fran Tarkenton quarterbacked Georgia from 1958 to 1960, winning the 1959 SEC title, before the Vikings drafted him in the third round in 1961.

Which team did the Vikings trade Fran Tarkenton to in 1967, before getting him back in 1972?

He returned for his last seven seasons and retired holding the career records for passing yards, touchdowns and completions.

In which season did Fran Tarkenton win the NFL MVP award?

Fran Tarkenton was the 1975 NFL MVP, throwing 25 touchdown passes for a Vikings team that went 12-2 before losing its divisional playoff to Dallas.

The 1975 Vikings were knocked out of the playoffs by which famous play?

Roger Staubach's 50-yard desperation pass to Drew Pearson on December 28, 1975 beat the Vikings 17-14 and gave the 'Hail Mary' its name, from Staubach's post-game remark.

Which Vikings receiver caught Tommy Kramer's 'Miracle at the Met' heave against Cleveland in 1980?

Ahmad Rashad, born Bobby Moore, tipped and caught Tommy Kramer's 46-yard heave as time expired to beat Cleveland 28-23 on December 14, 1980, clinching the NFC Central.

Which Vikings safety set the NFL career record with 81 interceptions?

Paul Krause finished with 81 career interceptions; he led the NFL with 12 as a Washington rookie in 1964, joined the Vikings in 1968 and entered the Hall of Fame in 1998.

Which player did the Vikings take first overall in the 1968 draft?

Ron Yary, a USC tackle and 1967 Outland Trophy winner, went first overall in 1968 with the Giants' pick from the Tarkenton trade; he entered the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Which Vikings running back was the 1973 Offensive Rookie of the Year and started three Super Bowls?

Chuck Foreman, picked 12th overall out of Miami in 1973, made the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons and started Super Bowls VIII, IX and XI.

Where did the Vikings play their home games from 1961 to 1981?

Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, shared with the Twins, hosted the Vikings for 21 seasons from 1961 to 1981 before the team moved indoors to the Metrodome.

What opened in 1992 on the site of the old Met, the team's first home?

The Mall of America opened in August 1992 on the Bloomington site of Metropolitan Stadium, which had been demolished in 1985.

The Metrodome's fabric roof was held up by what?

Air pressure from electric fans kept the Metrodome's Teflon-coated fiberglass roof inflated; heavy snow deflated it four times, most famously on December 12, 2010.

In which years did the Vikings play at the Metrodome?

The Vikings played at the Metrodome from 1982 to 2013, beating the Lions 14-13 in the final game there on December 29, 2013.

In which section of Minneapolis is U.S. Bank Stadium?

U.S. Bank Stadium, opened in 2016, stands in Minneapolis's Downtown East neighbourhood on essentially the same site as the Metrodome it replaced.

Which cartoonist designed the Vikings' horned helmet and purple-and-gold uniforms?

Karl Hubenthal, a Los Angeles Examiner sports cartoonist, drew the blond Norseman logo and the white helmet horn for the expansion team in 1961.

On what date was the team officially named the Minnesota Vikings?

The Minnesota Vikings name was adopted on September 27, 1960, eight months after the NFL awarded the franchise; general manager Bert Rose proposed it to honour the state's Scandinavian heritage.

The 1989 Herschel Walker trade sent the running back to Minnesota from which team, in exchange for players and draft picks?

The Dallas Cowboys' Jimmy Johnson planned all along to cut the players he received and keep the draft picks, which built Dallas's 1990s dynasty.

What was the Vikings' record in the 1998 regular season?

The 1998 Vikings went 15-1, their only loss a 27-24 defeat at Tampa Bay in Week 9, and scored a then-record 556 points.

Which kicker, perfect all season in 1998, missed a 38-yard field goal late in the NFC Championship Game?

Gary Anderson had gone 35-for-35 on field goals and 59-for-59 on extra points in 1998, the first perfect regular season by an NFL kicker, before the miss that let Atlanta tie and win 30-27 in overtime.

How many touchdown catches did Randy Moss make as a rookie in 1998?

Randy Moss caught 17 touchdown passes in 1998, a rookie record; he had slipped to the 21st pick over off-field concerns, and later set the single-season mark of 23 with New England in 2007.

Which college did Randy Moss play for?

Randy Moss starred at Marshall, winning the 1997 Biletnikoff Award as a unanimous All-American for the Thundering Herd.

Which team did Cris Carter play for before joining the Vikings in 1990?

Cris Carter spent 1987 to 1989 with the Philadelphia Eagles, who took him in the 1987 supplemental draft; Buddy Ryan released him in 1990 and the Vikings claimed him on waivers for $100.

Which undrafted defensive tackle piled up 137.5 career sacks for the Vikings and Seahawks?

John Randle, undrafted out of Texas A&I in 1990, finished with 137.5 sacks, the most by a defensive tackle at his 2003 retirement; he entered the Hall of Fame in 2010.

Which Vikings coach, hired in 1992, was the second Black head coach in modern NFL history?

Dennis Green, hired from Stanford in January 1992, followed Art Shell as the modern NFL's second Black head coach; he reached the playoffs eight times in ten seasons before being let go with one game left in 2001.

How many yards did Adrian Peterson rush for in 2012, narrowly missing Eric Dickerson's 1984 record?

Adrian Peterson ran for 2,097 yards in 2012, a year after tearing his ACL and MCL, finishing eight yards short of Eric Dickerson's 2,105 from 1984.

How many rushing yards did rookie Adrian Peterson gain in his record-setting single game in 2007?

Adrian Peterson ran for 296 yards against San Diego on November 4, 2007, setting the NFL single-game record; the seventh overall pick out of Oklahoma was nicknamed 'All Day' by his father.

Which quarterback threw the Minneapolis Miracle pass?

Case Keenum, an undrafted journeyman, took over after Sam Bradford's knee injury and threw the game-winning pass to Stefon Diggs on the final play against the Saints.

How long was the Minneapolis Miracle touchdown play?

Saints safety Marcus Williams missed the tackle; it was the first NFL playoff game ever to end on a touchdown as time expired.

On what date was the Minneapolis Miracle?

The Minneapolis Miracle came on January 14, 2018, in the divisional round at U.S. Bank Stadium; a week later the Vikings lost the NFC Championship Game 38-7 in Philadelphia.

In which round did the Vikings draft Stefon Diggs in 2015?

Fifth round, 2015, and he was traded to Buffalo in 2020 after signing an extension.

Kirk Cousins joined the Vikings in 2018 on a three-year contract worth how much, fully guaranteed?

Kirk Cousins signed a three-year, $84 million deal in March 2018, the NFL's first fully guaranteed multi-year quarterback contract, after two franchise-tag seasons in Washington.

How many receiving yards did Justin Jefferson pile up in 2022, when he led the NFL?

1,809 yards on 128 catches won him Offensive Player of the Year; he had been only a three-star recruit out of high school.

Which college did Justin Jefferson play for, winning a national title in his final season?

Justin Jefferson caught 111 passes for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns for LSU's 2019 national champions after going without a catch as a 2017 freshman.

Which Packers legend finished his career with two seasons in Minnesota, in 2009 and 2010?

Brett Favre threw 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions for the 2009 Vikings, but a late interception in regulation of the NFC Championship Game preceded the 31-28 overtime loss to the Saints.

Which Vikings center played from 1962 to 1978 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015?

Mick Tingelhoff, undrafted out of Nebraska, started all 240 of his Vikings games from 1962 to 1978 and entered the Hall of Fame in 2015 as a seniors-committee pick.

Which Vikings guard, an Arizona State product, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009?

He played in the Sun Devils' first Rose Bowl in 1987 and is in that game's Hall of Fame too.

Which Purple People Eater was born in Winston-Salem and played college ball for the Golden Gophers?

Carl Eller, a Winston-Salem native and All-American at Minnesota, was the Vikings' sixth overall pick in 1964 and entered the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Which Vikings coach won Super Bowl LVI as the Rams' offensive coordinator before taking the job?

Kevin O'Connell, a 2008 Patriots third-round pick as a quarterback, called the Rams' offense in Super Bowl LVI and was hired by the Vikings in February 2022; he was AP Coach of the Year for 2024.

Which quarterback, once written off as a bust, led the Vikings to the playoffs and made the Pro Bowl in 2024?

Sam Darnold, the 2018 third overall pick, went 14-3 as the 2024 Vikings starter with 35 touchdown passes and made his first Pro Bowl before leaving for Seattle in 2025.

When did the Vikings introduce their official mascot Viktor the Viking?

Viktor the Viking debuted in 2007 as the team's official costumed mascot, alongside the fan-created Ragnar, who rode his motorcycle onto the field from 1994 to 2015.

Which quarterback, back from retirement, threw 34 touchdown passes for the 1998 Vikings?

Randall Cunningham, who had retired after the 1995 season, took over for the injured Brad Johnson in Week 2 of 1998 and threw 34 touchdown passes, earning first-team All-Pro honours.

Which Vikings quarterback earned five Grey Cup rings in the CFL before his NFL career?

Warren Moon won five straight Grey Cups with Edmonton from 1978 to 1982, then starred for a decade in Houston before joining the Vikings in 1994 at age 37.

At which university did the Vikings hold training camp from 1966 until the tradition ended in 2017?

Minnesota State, Mankato hosted 52 Vikings training camps from 1966 to 2017; the team then moved camp to its new Eagan headquarters, built on the former Northwest Airlines campus, in 2018.

Who beat the Vikings 41-0 in the NFC Championship Game after the 2000 season?

The Vikings had started 11-2 before Daunte Culpepper's injury-hampered slump; they went 5-11 the next year.

How many touchdown passes did Daunte Culpepper throw in his 4,717-yard 2004 season?

Daunte Culpepper threw 39 touchdown passes in 2004 with a league-leading 4,717 passing yards; his 5,123 combined passing and rushing yards were an NFL record at the time.

Who caught Gus Frerotte's 99-yard touchdown in 2008, the longest play in franchise history?

Bernard Berrian took Gus Frerotte's pass 99 yards against the Bears in Week 13 of 2008, the longest play in Vikings history, in the season Minnesota won its first NFC North title.

Which German receiver did the Vikings draft in 2016, the first European with no North American experience?

Moritz Böhringer, a receiver from the German Football League's Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, went in the sixth round in 2016, the first player drafted straight from a European league.

Against which team did the Vikings record their 500th franchise win, in September 2019?

That season ended with an overtime wild-card upset of the Saints before a loss to the 49ers.

The Vikings' 1981 Eden Prairie headquarters was named after which team founder?

Winter served as team president from 1965 to 1987; the Vikings played their last game at the Met that December.

Where did the Vikings hold their first training camps, from 1961 to 1965?

Bemidji State University in northern Minnesota hosted the Vikings' first five training camps, from 1961 to 1965, before the team moved camp to Mankato in 1966.

What was the Vikings' record in 1969, when they won 12 straight after an opening loss?

The 1969 Vikings went 12-2, losing the opener to the Giants and the finale at Atlanta around a 12-game winning streak, the NFL's longest in one season since the 1934 Bears.

Which toy did Vikings kicker Fred Cox, the franchise's career scoring leader, help invent in 1972?

The Nerf football earned Cox decades of royalties after he sold his idea for a soft ball to Parker Brothers. Tens of millions have been sold since.

In 1964 a Vikings defensive end ran a recovered fumble 66 yards the wrong way, giving the 49ers what?

A safety went to San Francisco when he flung the ball out of his own end zone in celebration, yet the Vikings still won 27–22.

Which WWE champion spent the 2004 preseason as a Vikings defensive tackle before the team cut him?

Brock Lesnar walked away from WWE to try out even though he had not played football since high school. He had been an NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion instead.

Which Baseball Hall of Famer did the Vikings once draft even though he never played college football?

Dave Winfield was a 17th-round Vikings pick in 1973, when four teams in three different sports drafted him. He chose baseball and the Padres.

Vikings coach Bud Grant won a 1950 league championship as a player in which other professional sport?

Basketball was Grant's first pro sport: he won the 1950 NBA Finals with the Minneapolis Lakers after playing three sports at the University of Minnesota.

Which office did a Hall of Fame Vikings defensive tackle, the 1971 NFL MVP, hold from 1993 to 2015?

State supreme court justice was a post he won at the ballot box in 1992, as the first African American on Minnesota's top court. He had studied law while still playing.

The Vikings' Skol Chant, with its overhead claps, is adapted from the fans of which nation's soccer team?

Iceland's supporters made their Viking war chant famous at Euro 2016, where the tiny nation reached the quarter-finals. Vikings fans clap and shout to a drum beat.

Which music star, a lifelong Vikings fan, recorded a fight song for the team in 2010?

Prince called his song 'Purple and Gold', after the team colours. Following his death in 2016, the Vikings made his chart-topper 'Let's Go Crazy' their touchdown song.

The Vikings' glass-walled U.S. Bank Stadium angered conservation groups because it kills large numbers of what?

Birds fly into its reflective glass because the stadium stands on the Mississippi Flyway migration route. Its toll has been put at double that of any other Minneapolis building.

Which touchdown dance did Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson help carry from college football into the NFL?

The Griddy was invented by a high school footballer and went viral on TikTok. Jefferson learned it from his college teammate Ja'Marr Chase.

Which team did the Vikings beat with the last-play touchdown known as the Minneapolis Miracle?

The New Orleans Saints had wiped out a 17–0 deficit to lead 24–23 with 25 seconds left. No NFL playoff game had ever ended in regulation on a winning touchdown as time expired.

Which sideline comfort did coach Bud Grant deny his Vikings players during frozen outdoor home games?

Heaters, Grant reasoned, would draw players into a huddle around the warmth instead of following the game. He also made the team practise outdoors through the cold months.

Which team stunned the record-scoring 1998 Vikings in overtime to win the NFC Championship Game?

The Atlanta Falcons won 30–27 on a sudden-death field goal as heavy underdogs, reaching the first Super Bowl in their history. They lost it to Denver.

The Metrodome, the Vikings' domed former home, was named in memory of which Minnesota politician?

Hubert Humphrey, once mayor of Minneapolis and later U.S. vice president, died in 1978, the year before construction of the dome began.

After snow collapsed the Metrodome roof in December 2010, the Vikings' home game was moved to which city?

Detroit's Ford Field staged the game a day late, and the Vikings' next home date moved outdoors to the University of Minnesota's stadium.

Which team beat the Vikings 24–7 in the Super Bowl after the 1973 season to claim a second straight title?

The Miami Dolphins leaned on fullback Larry Csonka, whose 145 rushing yards made him the first running back to be named Super Bowl MVP.

Which team won its first championship by beating the Vikings 16–6 in the Super Bowl after the 1974 season?

The Pittsburgh Steelers, behind Terry Bradshaw and the Steel Curtain defense, became the last of the NFL's 'Original Eight' teams to win a league title.

Before joining the NFL, the Vikings' founders had first accepted a franchise from which upstart rival?

The American Football League lost Minnesota before it ever played a game: the ownership group reneged on its agreement and took the NFL's 14th franchise instead.

Which New Jersey real estate developer led the group that bought the Vikings from Red McCombs in 2005?

Zygi Wilf and five partners paid a reported $600 million. His parents, Holocaust survivors from Poland, had settled in New Jersey in the early 1950s.

Which human mascot, named for a legendary Norse warrior, rode a motorcycle onto the field for the Vikings until 2015?

Ragnar was played by Joseph Juranitch, who beat 3,000 applicants to the job in 1994 and held a world record for shaving off a beard with an axe.

Which college did Vikings running back Adrian Peterson attend, finishing second for the 2004 Heisman as a freshman?

Oklahoma got a freshman-record 1,925 rushing yards from Peterson in 2004. No freshman had ever finished as Heisman runner-up before, and he lost only to USC's Matt Leinart.

Vikings Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter was a consensus All-American at which Big Ten school?

Ohio State had never produced an All-American wide receiver before Carter, who left holding the Buckeyes' record for career receptions.

The draft pick the Vikings used on Justin Jefferson in 2020 came from which team in the Stefon Diggs trade?

The Buffalo Bills gave up the 22nd overall selection to land Diggs. With both receivers thriving, the swap has been called one of the best win-win deals ever.

The Vikings erased a 33–0 half-time deficit in December 2022 to beat which team in overtime?

The Indianapolis Colts lost 39–36 after leading by 33 points at the break, the largest comeback the NFL had ever seen.

Which Vikings quarterback tied an NFL record by throwing seven touchdown passes in one 1969 game?

Joe Kapp is also the only quarterback to have started a Super Bowl, a Rose Bowl and Canada's Grey Cup final.

Which mullet-wearing Vikings defensive end set a franchise record with 22 sacks in the 2011 season?

Jared Allen finished half a sack short of what was then the NFL record. He once credited a fast start to his mullet, shaving a racing stripe into it for his sacks.

Which former Bengals defensive coordinator was the Vikings' head coach from 2014 to 2021?

Mike Zimmer had waited decades as an assistant for his first head-coaching job. In his second season the Vikings won their first division title since 2009.

Which future Super Bowl-winning head coach was the Vikings' defensive coordinator from 1992 to 1995?

Tony Dungy went on to become the first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl. As a player he had been the University of Minnesota's quarterback.

Which former Vikings tight end became the first ex-player to serve as the team's head coach, in 2002?

Mike Tice joined the Vikings' staff as soon as he retired as a player, and first took charge as interim coach for the final game of 2001.

After Teddy Bridgewater's knee injury in 2016, the Vikings traded a first-round pick for which quarterback?

Sam Bradford arrived eight days before the opener and completed 71.6% of his passes that season, an NFL record at the time.

Which Vikings kicker missed a 27-yard field goal in the final seconds of a frozen playoff loss in January 2016?

Blair Walsh had made all three of his earlier kicks, the Vikings' only points in a 10–9 defeat that was then the third-coldest game in NFL history.

Vikings rookie Cordarrelle Patterson tied the NFL record for longest play in 2013 with a 109-yard score on what?

A kickoff return of 109 yards is the longest play the field allows. Patterson went on to set the NFL career record for touchdowns scored that way.

Which Vikings running back retired at 28, weeks after leading the NFC in rushing in the 2000 season?

Robert Smith ran for a career-best 1,521 yards, then learned he needed knee surgery for the third time and announced his retirement in February 2001.

Which defensive tackle did the Vikings draft in 2003 after letting their time expire and being passed by two teams?

Kevin Williams turned the blunder into a bargain, missing only four games in his first 10 seasons and making six Pro Bowls.

Which All-Pro guard did the Vikings pry from Seattle in 2006 with a contract containing a 'poison pill' clause?

Steve Hutchinson's offer guaranteed his whole salary unless he was his team's highest-paid lineman. Seattle already paid tackle Walter Jones more, so it could not match.

Which 1970s Vikings running back later played Officer Joe Coffey on the TV drama Hill Street Blues?

Ed Marinaro had been Heisman runner-up at Cornell in 1971, the highest finish by an Ivy League player since the 1950s, before turning to acting.

Which Tulane running back was the first player the Vikings ever drafted, taken with the first overall pick?

Tommy Mason repaid the expansion team with three straight Pro Bowl seasons and a first-team All-Pro year in 1963.

The Vikings' 'Purple People Eaters' nickname borrowed the title of a 1958 novelty hit by which singer?

Sheb Wooley was also a Western actor, playing an outlaw in High Noon and a cattle-drive scout in the TV series Rawhide.

Which longtime Vikings offensive coordinator took over as head coach in 1986 after Bud Grant's final season?

Jerry Burns had been passed over once before, when Grant first retired. In his second season in charge the Vikings reached the NFC title game.

In which Twin Cities suburb did the Vikings open a new headquarters and training complex in 2018?

Eagan offered the former Northwest Airlines office site, and the move ended a summer training-camp tradition that had lasted 52 years.

Which undrafted Vikings receiver opened the 2018 season with eight straight 100-yard receiving games?

Adam Thielen tied Calvin Johnson's NFL record for consecutive 100-yard games. He had won his place on the roster through a rookie tryout five years earlier.

Kirk Cousins, the Vikings' starting quarterback in 2018, had spent his first six NFL seasons with which team?

The Washington Redskins drafted Cousins in the fourth round and later made him the first NFL quarterback to be given the franchise tag in consecutive years.

Which Florida State product, back from a torn ACL, led the 2018 Vikings in rushing yards?

Dalvin Cook gained 615 yards, more than backup Latavius Murray on fewer carries. A year earlier he had broken Adrian Peterson's team record for a rookie debut.

Which Jamaican-born defensive end led the 2018 Vikings with 14.5 sacks and earned his first Pro Bowl selection?

Danielle Hunter recorded at least one sack in each of the first seven games, months after signing a five-year, $72 million contract extension.

Which college produced both defensive back Harrison Smith and tight end Kyle Rudolph, starters for the 2018 Vikings?

Notre Dame sent Rudolph to Minnesota in the second round in 2011 and Smith in the first round a year later, reuniting the former Fighting Irish teammates.

Which kicker did the 2018 Vikings sign after rookie Daniel Carlson missed three field goals in a Week 2 tie?

Dan Bailey arrived as the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history, with an 88.2% career success rate. Carlson's Vikings career lasted just two games.

Which starting cornerback for the 2018 Vikings was drafted with a first-round pick acquired by trading Percy Harvin?

Xavier Rhodes went 25th overall in 2013 with the selection Seattle paid for Harvin, and by 2017 he was a first-team All-Pro.

Which former Defensive Rookie of the Year started all 16 games at tackle for the 2018 Vikings on a one-year deal?

Sheldon Richardson had won that award with the Jets in 2013. He added 4.5 sacks in purple, left for Cleveland, then came back for a second stint in 2021.

Which rookie second-round pick, a converted college tight end, became the 2018 Vikings' starting right tackle in Week 6?

Brian O'Neill stepped in when an injury to Riley Reiff forced a reshuffle of the line, then held the position for the rest of the season.

Which Vikings assistant became interim offensive coordinator in December 2018 when John DeFilippo was fired?

Kevin Stefanski had joined the Vikings' staff in 2006 and served under three head coaches. He later won NFL Coach of the Year twice in Cleveland.