ONE
In 1959, three local Minneapolis businessmen, Bill Boyer, H. P. Skoglund and Max Winter, were determined to bring a football franchise to their home state of Minnesota. The trio were awarded an NFL membership after rejecting an initial offer to join the AFL. As a result, in January 1960, the Minnesota Vikings were born, named in honour of Minnesota’s Scandinavian culture.
TWO
In 1961, recently retired quarterback Norm Van Brocklin was announced as the Vikings’ very-first head coach and quarterback Fran Tarkenton was drafted. The Vikings upset the storied Chicago Bears in their first-ever game, 37-13, with Tarkenton scoring five total touchdowns in his first NFL appearance. Despite the promising start, Minnesota’s season ended 3-11 - including a seven-game losing streak. In 1964, defensive end Jim Marshall infamously ran into the wrong end zone after recovering a fumble - with the San Francisco 49ers being awarded a safety after he threw the ball into the crowd. The iconic play went on to be known as the ‘Wrong Way Run’.
Norm Van Brocklin, Head Coach 1961-1966
THREE
The Vikings’ struggles continued under Norm Van Brocklin, consequently when Fran Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants, the former QB was replaced by Bud Grant in 1967. Grant put a huge emphasis on defense - resulting in Jim Marshall and defensive tackle Alan Page flourishing as part of the iconic ‘Purple People Eaters’. Grant’s Vikings made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 1968, and in the 1969 season reached Super Bowl IV - losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. After Page became the first defensive MVP in NFL history in 1971, Minnesota went all-in on a Super Bowl run - orchestrating Tarkenton’s return in 1972.
Bud Grant, Head Coach 1967-1983; 1985
FOUR
Fran Tarkenton led the Vikings to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in the 1973 and 1974 seasons only to lose both games. First to the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII and then to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl IX. Tarkenton was named league MVP for the 1975 season, and the Vikings made it back to the Super Bowl the following year. But the Vikings’ Super Bowl ‘curse’ struck again, as they fell agonisingly short once more - this time losing to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI.
FIVE
Unable to secure a ring, Fran Tarkenton retired following the 1978 season - causing Minnesota to reach the playoffs just twice in the next seven seasons. The Vikings moved into the Metrodome in 1982, a stadium they shared with MLB’s Minnesota Twins, and in 1983, were part of an exhibition game at Wembley Stadium - the first NFL game to be played in the UK. Bud Grant initially retired from coaching in 1984, and after a brief return in 1985, he retired for good in 1986 - with 158 regular season victories, which remains a franchise record. New coach Jerry Burns led Minnesota back to the playoffs in the 1987 season, but they fell just short of the Super Bowl after losing the NFC Championship Game to Washington.
U.S. Bank Stadium
SIX
After an ownership change in 1991, Dennis Green was hired as head coach the following year and the team became perennial playoff contenders. By the 1998 season, Green had created one of the most iconic offenses in the NFL - with veteran quarterback Randall Cunningham and wide receiver Cris Carter being joined by all-time great receiver, Randy Moss. Minnesota scored 556 total points in Moss’ rookie season, a then-record, and powered their way to the NFC Championship Game. There, Vikings fans suffered more heartbreak, as a costly missed field goal eventually led to the Atlanta Falcons’ 30-27 win. Minnesota reached the NFC Championship Game in the 2000 season but were annihilated 41-0 by the New York Giants. Green left before the end of the following season.
Randy Moss, Wide Receiver 1998-2004
SEVEN
The Wilf family bought the Vikings for $600 million in 2005 and Minnesota entered a new era - with Randy Moss being traded to the Oakland Raiders, paving the way for a new superstar in running back Adrian Peterson. After selecting Peterson seventh overall in the 2007 draft, he soon set the NFL record for the most rushing yards in a single game. In 2009, the Vikings enraged their rivals in Green Bay by signing legendary Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Favre’s experience was an instant game-changer in Minnesota, helping them reach the NFC Championship Game. However, a costly interception late in the fourth quarter saw the New Orleans Saints win, and advance to the Super Bowl at Minnesota’s expense.
EIGHT
Despite featuring Adrian Peterson, Minnesota only managed one playoff appearance between the 2010 and 2014 seasons. That appearance came in 2012, the same year that Peterson was named NFL MVP as a non-QB - a rare accomplishment in today’s game. Despite lamenting Peterson’s departure in 2017, Vikings fans witnessed a miracle the following offseason. Trailing the Saints 24-23 with 10 seconds remaining in the Divisional Round, quarterback Case Keenum threw a pass to receiver Stefon Diggs down the sideline. Diggs, taking advantage of a collision between two Saints defenders, ran into the endzone untouched. The ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ led the Vikings to another NFC Championship Game, where they were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles.
‘Minneapolis Miracle’ - Stefon Diggs, 2017 NFC Divisional Round
NINE
In 2018, the Vikings signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to an $84 million contract that made him the then-highest-paid player in NFL history. Cousins led Minnesota to a dramatic Wild Card Round win in overtime against New Orleans in the 2019 playoffs, before being joined by electric receiver Justin Jefferson in 2020. By the 2022 season, Jefferson had blossomed into arguably the best receiver in the league - helping Minnesota - and new head coach Kevin O’Connell - to put together an NFC North-leading 13-4 season. A season which featured the biggest comeback in NFL history - with the Vikings coming back from a 33-point deficit, in Week 15, to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36. Despite the impressive regular season, the Vikings fell short of the Super Bowl yet again before going 7-10 in 2023. Desperate to capitalise on the young talent on their roster, Minnesota made the decision not to re-sign Kirk Cousins - choosing to instead target a promising signal caller in the 2024 NFL draft. The Vikings ended up drafting J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick. A new era in Minnesota begins.
Justin Jefferson, Wide Receiver 2020-Present
BEFORE YOU GO
The official fight song for Minnesota is ‘Skol, Vikings!’, as ‘skol’ in Scandinavian countries means ‘cheers’, and skol-based chants have echoed around Vikings’ stadiums for decades - including the ‘Skol Chant Clap’ which was adopted by Icelandic football fans.
In 2016, Minnesota made history by drafting German tight-end Moritz Böhringer in the sixth round, as the German became the first European player to be selected in the NFL Draft without playing college football.
The Vikings moved into the U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016, with construction costing over $1 billion, and the stadium eventually hosting Super Bowl LII.
