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Wikipedia

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division.[7] Founded in 1960 as an expansion team, the team began play the following year. They are named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia, reflecting the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota.[8] The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis.

Minnesota Vikings
Current season
Established January 28, 1960; 63 years ago (January 28, 1960)[1]
First season: 1961
Play in U.S. Bank Stadium
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Headquartered at TCO Performance Center
Eagan, Minnesota[2]
LogoWordmark
League/conference affiliations

National Football League (1961–present)

Current uniform
Team colorsPurple, gold, white[3][4]
     
Fight songSkol, Vikings
MascotViktor the Viking[5]
Personnel
Owner(s)Zygi, Leonard and Mark Wilf[6]
ChairmanZygi Wilf
PresidentMark Wilf
General managerKwesi Adofo-Mensah
Head coachKevin O'Connell
Team history
  • Minnesota Vikings (1961–present)
Team nicknames
Championships
League championships (0[a])
Conference championships (4)
Division championships (21)
Playoff appearances (31)
Home fields

The Vikings have an all-time overall record of 524–451–11,[b] the highest regular season and combined winning percentage among NFL franchises who have not won a Super Bowl, in addition the most playoff runs, division titles, and (tied with the Buffalo Bills) Super Bowl appearances.[9][10] They also have the most conference championship appearances of non-winning Super Bowl teams, with them being one of three (along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams) to appear in a conference championship every decade since the 1970s.

History

Professional football in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area (the "Twin Cities") began with the Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets, an NFL team that played intermittently in the 1920s and 1930s.[11] However, a new professional team in the area did not surface again until August 1959, when Minnesota businessmen Bill Boyer, H. P. Skoglund, and Max Winter were awarded a franchise in the new American Football League (AFL). Five months later, in January 1960, after significant pressure from the NFL, the ownership group, along with Bernard H. Ridder, reneged on its agreement with the AFL and then was awarded the National Football League's 14th franchise, with play to begin in 1961.[12] Ole Haugsrud was added to the NFL team ownership because, in the 1920s, when he sold his Duluth Eskimos team back to the league, the agreement allowed him 10 percent of any future Minnesota team.[13] The teams from Ole Haugsrud's high school, Central High School in Superior, Wisconsin, were also called the Vikings and had a similar purple-and-yellow color scheme.[14]

From the team's first season in 1961 to 1981, the team called Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington home. The Vikings conducted summer training camp at Bemidji State University from 1961 to 1965. In 1966, the team moved to their training camp to Minnesota State University in Mankato.[15] The training camp at Minnesota State was one of the longest continuously running training camp events in the NFL and is remembered as part of the golden era history of the team. The Vikings played their home games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis from 1982 to 2013. The Vikings played their last game at the Metrodome on December 29, 2013, defeating the Detroit Lions 14–13 to end the season.

Since the team's first season in 1961, the Vikings have had one of the highest winning percentages in the NFL.[16] As of 2022, they have won at least three games in every season except in 1962, and are one of only seven NFL teams to win at least 15 games in a regular season. The Vikings have won one NFL Championship, in 1969, before the league's merger with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970.[17][18] Since the merger, the team has qualified for the playoffs 28 times, third-most in the league (trailing only the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers). The team played in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX and XI, but failed to win any of them. In addition, they have lost in their last six NFC Championship Game appearances, stretching back to 1978. The Vikings have 15 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[19][20]

1960s

The team was officially named the Minnesota Vikings on September 27, 1960; the name is partly meant to reflect Minnesota's place as a center of Scandinavian American culture.[21] From the start, the Vikings embraced an energetic marketing program that produced first-year season ticket sales of nearly 26,000 and an average home attendance of 34,586, about 85 percent of Metropolitan Stadium's capacity of 40,800. Eventually, the capacity of Met Stadium was increased to 47,900. Bert Rose, former public relations director for the Los Angeles Rams, was appointed the team's first general manager. The search for the first head coach saw the team court then-Northwestern University head coach Ara Parseghian, who, according to Minneapolis Star writer Jim Klobuchar—the Vikings' first beat reporter for that newspaper—visited team management in the Twin Cities under the condition that his visit was to be kept secret from his current employer. His cover was blown by local columnist Sid Hartman, who reported the visit and forced Parseghian to issue denials. Philadelphia Eagles assistant Nick Skorich and a man with Minnesota ties who was working in the CFL, Bud Grant, were also candidates until a different Eagle, quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, was hired on January 18, 1961. Van Brocklin had just finished his career as a player on a high note, having defeated the Green Bay Packers in the 1960 NFL Championship Game.[21]

 
Head Coach Bud Grant (1967–1983 and 1985)
 
The Vikings were upset by the Chiefs 23–7 in Super Bowl IV.

As a new franchise, the Vikings had the first overall selection in the 1961 NFL Draft, and they picked running back Tommy Mason of Tulane. They also took a young quarterback from the University of Georgia named Fran Tarkenton in the third round. Notable veterans acquired in the offseason were George Shaw and Hugh McElhenny. The Vikings won their first regular-season game, defeating the Chicago Bears 37–13 on Opening Day 1961; Tarkenton came off the bench to throw four touchdown passes and run for another to lead the upset. Reality set in as the expansion team lost its next seven games on their way to a 3–11 record.[21] The losing continued throughout much of the 1960s as the Vikings had a combined record of 32 wins, 59 losses, and 7 ties in their first seven seasons with only one winning season (8–5–1 in 1964).[22][23]

On March 7, 1967, quarterback Fran Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants for a first-round and second-round draft choice in 1967, a first-round choice in 1968 and a second-round choice in 1969. With the picks, Minnesota selected Clinton Jones and Bob Grim in 1967, Ron Yary in 1968 and Ed White in 1969.[1] On March 10, 1967, the Vikings hired new head coach Bud Grant to replace Van Brocklin, who had resigned on February 11, 1967. Grant came to the Vikings from the Canadian Football League as head coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, whom he led to four Grey Cup Championships in 10 years.[21][1] Replacing Tarkenton at quarterback was eight-year CFL veteran and Grey Cup champion Joe Kapp. During the late 1960s, the Vikings built a powerful defense known as the Purple People Eaters, led by Alan Page, Carl Eller, Gary Larsen, and Jim Marshall.[24] In 1968, that stingy defense earned the Vikings their first Central Division title and their first playoff berth.[21]

In 1969, the Vikings secured a 12–2 record.[1] The team had 12 straight regular-season victories after a season-opening loss to the New York Giants, which was the longest single-season winning streak in 35 years.[25] The Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns 27–7 in the last pre-merger NFL Championship Game on January 4, 1970, at Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings became the first modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL Championship Game,[1] and earned a berth in Super Bowl IV; however, the heavily favored Vikings lost that game to the Kansas City Chiefs, 23–7.[26][27] The team MVP that season was Joe Kapp, who threw for seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Colts – still an all-time NFL record; however, Kapp refused to accept the award, stating, "There is not one most valuable Viking... there are 40 most valuable Vikings!"[28]

1970s

The team continued to dominate in 1970 (moving into the newly formed NFC Central) and 1971, reaching the playoffs behind the stubborn "Purple People Eaters" defensive line. In 1971, Alan Page won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award given by the Associated Press.[29] He was the first defensive player to win the award.[30]

 
The Vikings' famed Purple People Eaters defensive line stopping a Rams rush in the 1977 NFC Divisional Playoff game.

On January 27, 1972, the Vikings traded Norm Snead, Bob Grim, Vince Clements and first-round draft picks in 1972 and 1973 to the New York Giants to reacquire the popular Fran Tarkenton.[1] While the acquisitions of Tarkenton and wide receiver John Gilliam improved the passing attack, the running game was inconsistent and the Vikings finished with a disappointing 7–7 record. The Vikings addressed the problem by drafting running back Chuck Foreman with their first pick in the 1973 Draft. Co-owner Bill Boyer died on February 19, 1973 and was replaced on the team's board of directors by his son-in-law Jack Steele.[1]

The Vikings won their first nine games of 1973 and finished the season with a 12–2 record.[21] They then advanced to their second Super Bowl in franchise history, Super Bowl VIII, against the Miami Dolphins at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas; however, the Dolphins prevailed, 24–7.[1]

The Vikings won the Central Division again in 1974 with a 10–4 record.[1] In the playoffs they built on their cold-weather reputation, defeating both the St. Louis Cardinals 30–14 and the Los Angeles Rams 14–10 in frozen Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings played in their second straight Super Bowl, Super Bowl IX (3rd overall), losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 16–6, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 12, 1975.[21][1]

Led by Tarkenton and running back Chuck Foreman, the 1975 Vikings got off to a 10–0 start and easily won another division title.[21][1] However, the Vikings lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, 17–14, on a controversial touchdown pass from the Cowboys' quarterback Roger Staubach to wide receiver Drew Pearson that became known as the Hail Mary.[31] The touchdown was controversial because many felt that Pearson pushed off on Vikings defensive back Nate Wright, committing pass interference. As the Metropolitan Stadium crowd was stunned to learn that no penalty was called, debris was thrown on the field for several minutes. A Corby's Whiskey bottle struck game official Armen Terzian, rendering him unconscious.[32]

The Vikings played in Super Bowl XI, their third Super Bowl (fourth overall) in four years, against the Oakland Raiders at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 9, 1977. The Vikings, however, lost 32–14.[1]

In 1977, the Vikings again won the Central Division with a 9–5 record and advanced to their 4th NFC Championship Game in 5 years,[1] but were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl Champion Cowboys, 23–6, at Texas Stadium.[21]

By 1978, age was taking its toll on the Vikings, but they still made the playoffs with an 8–7–1 record. There was no more playoff magic as the Rams finally defeated the Vikings, 34–10 in Los Angeles[21] after having lost in their previous four playoff matchups (in 1969, '74, '76 and '77). Quarterback Fran Tarkenton retired following the season holding league passer records in attempts (6,467), completions (3,686), yards (47,003), and touchdowns (342).[33]

In December 1979, ground was broken for construction of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.[1]

1980s

On May 15, 1981, the Vikings moved into a new facility in suburban Eden Prairie that housed the team's offices, locker room and practice fields. The complex was named "Winter Park" after Max Winter, one of the Vikings' founders, who served as the team's president from 1965 to 1987.[1] The Vikings played their final game at Metropolitan Stadium on December 20 to conclude the 1981 NFL season by losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, 10–6.[21][1]

 
"Two-minute" Tommy Kramer (1977–1989)

The Vikings played their first game at the Metrodome in a preseason matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on August 21, 1982, in a game Minnesota won, 7–3.[1] The first touchdown in the new facility was scored by Joe Senser on an 11-yard pass from Tommy Kramer.[1] The first regular-season game in the Metrodome was the 1982 opener on September 12, when the Vikings defeated Tampa Bay, 17–10. Rickey Young scored the first regular-season touchdown in the facility on a 3-yard run in the 2nd quarter.[1] That year the defense led by Joey Browner began a dominant 10-year run as a premier NFL defensive back. The Vikings beat the St. Louis Cardinals 28–10 on August 6, 1983, at Wembley Stadium in London in the first international game in the NFL.

On January 27, 1984, Bud Grant retired as head coach of the Vikings. With a career regular-season record of 151–87–5 (.632) in 17 seasons with Minnesota, Grant led the franchise to 12 playoff appearances, 11 division titles, and four Super Bowls.[1] Les Steckel, who was an offensive assistant with the Vikings for 5 seasons, was then named the 3rd head coach in franchise history. Steckel, who came to the Vikings in 1979 after working as an assistant with the 49ers, was the youngest head coach in the NFL in 1984 at age 38.[1] However, the Vikings lost a franchise-worst 13 games.[21] After the season Steckel was fired, and on December 18, 1984, Bud Grant came out of retirement and was rehired as the head coach of the Vikings.[1]

On January 6, 1986, following the 1985 season, Bud Grant re-retired, this time permanently, as head coach of the Vikings. At the time of his retirement he held the 6th best winning record for a coach in NFL history with 168 career wins, including playoffs. In 18 seasons, he led the Vikings to a 158–96–5 regular-season record.[34] Longtime Vikings assistant coach Jerry Burns was named the fourth head coach in team history on January 7, 1986.[1] He served as the Vikings' offensive coordinator from 1968 to 1985, when the team won 11 division titles and played in four Super Bowls. In his first season, the Vikings, led by the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Tommy Kramer, went 9–7,[21] their first winning record in four years. On August 2, 1986, Fran Tarkenton was the first player who played the majority of his career with the Vikings to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[1][33]

Following the strike-shortened 1987 season, the 8–7 Vikings, who had finished 8–4 in regular games but 0–3 using strike-replacement players,[35] pulled two upsets in the playoffs. They defeated the 12–3 New Orleans Saints 44–10 at the Louisiana Superdome in the Wild Card game.[36] The following week, in the Divisional Playoff game, they beat the 13–2 San Francisco 49ers 36–24 at Candlestick Park.[37] During that game, Anthony Carter set the all-time record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 227 yards.[38] The Vikings played the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship Game on January 17, 1988, at RFK Stadium. Trailing 17–10, the Vikings drove to the Redskins' 6-yard line with a little over a minute left in the game, but failed to get the ball into the end zone. The Vikings' hopes of a Super Bowl ended when Darrin Nelson dropped a pass from Wade Wilson on fourth down at the goal line.[39]

On October 12, 1989, the Vikings acquired Herschel Walker from Dallas. The final result of the trade gave the Vikings Walker, third-round choice Mike Jones, fifth-round choice Reggie Thornton and 10th-round choice Pat Newman in 1990 and a third-round choice Jake Reed in 1991. Dallas received Issiac Holt, David Howard, Darrin Nelson, Jesse Solomon, Alex Stewart, a first-, second- and a sixth-round choice in 1990, first- and second-round choices in 1991 and a first-, second- and third-round choice in 1992. Two of those selections turned into Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson. Walker's performance fell short of expectations in his three seasons with the Vikings, while the Cowboys rode their draft picks to three Super Bowl victories in the early-to-mid-1990s.[40]

1990s

 
Cris Carter's Hall of Fame display. Carter was a Viking from 1990 to 2001.

On December 3, 1991, Jerry Burns announced his retirement effective at the end of the 1991 season. In six seasons as head coach of the Vikings, Burns compiled a career record of 52–43 (.547).[41] He also led Minnesota to three playoff appearances, including a division title and an NFC Championship Game.[42] Dennis Green was later named the fifth head coach in team history, after turning around a struggling Stanford University football program as head coach from 1989 to 1991.[43] In his 10 seasons as the coach of the Vikings, Green won four NFC Central division titles, had eight playoff appearances, two NFC Championship Game appearances and an all-time record of 97–62.[44] The Vikings therefore had the fifth highest winning percentage among all NFL teams during the regular season in the 1990s.[45]

1998

1998 was a year to remember for the franchise. With a spectacular offense led by quarterback Randall Cunningham (who replaced an injured Brad Johnson), running back Robert Smith, veteran wide receiver Cris Carter, and explosive rookie Randy Moss, the Vikings set a then-NFL record by scoring a total of 556 points, never scoring fewer than 24 in a game. The Vikings finished the season 15–1, their only loss was to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27–24 in Week 9.[46] In the playoffs, the Vikings rolled past the Arizona Cardinals 41–21,[47] and came into the Metrodome heavily favored for their NFC title showdown with the Atlanta Falcons, who had gone 14–2 in the regular season. After kicker Gary Anderson, who had just completed the first perfect regular season in NFL history (not missing a single extra point or field goal attempt the entire year), missed a 38-yard field goal attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining, the Falcons' ensuing drive tied the game. This led to a controversial decision by head coach Dennis Green to run out the clock and let the game go to overtime. Though the Vikings won the coin toss, Atlanta went on to win it 30–27 in overtime on Morten Andersen's 38-yard field goal.[48] The Vikings became the first 15–1 team to fail to reach the Super Bowl. The Falcons lost Super Bowl XXXIII to John Elway and the Denver Broncos.[49]

1999

 
Randy Moss (1998–2004 and 2010)

Cunningham resumed duties again in 1999, but after a lukewarm 2–4 start, Jeff George replaced him as starting quarterback. He finished the season with an 8–2 record, and led the Vikings into the postseason once again, with an overall team record of 10–6.[50] Minnesota beat Dallas in the Wild Card game 27–10,[51] and faced playoff newcomer Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams in the Divisional matchup. The game was a shootout that Minnesota led 17–14 at halftime, but the Rams outscored Minnesota 35–20 in the second half to win 49–37.[52] St. Louis would go on to win Super Bowl XXXIV.[53]

2000s

The Vikings entered the decade by winning the divisional championship and an appearance in the NFC Championship game, where they were defeated 41–0 by the New York Giants. The following season, they struggled by posting a 5–11 record in 2001.[54] The team made the playoffs again in 2004,[55] but did not win a divisional title again until 2008. Since the merger, the 2000s became the decade with the fewest playoff berths for the franchise.[45]

2000

In 2000, the Vikings went 11–5. The Vikings were 11–2 after 14 weeks, but slumped briefly, losing their last three to the Rams, Packers and Colts while starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper was hampered by injury. Nonetheless, the Vikings made the playoffs for the fifth straight year. After easily beating the Saints in the Divisional game 34–16, they traveled to New York City to face the Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Though they were the road team, the Vikings were favored to win the game (since most considered their 11–2 record with Culpepper more indicative than their 0–3 record when he was out); instead, the Vikings were defeated 41–0, their worst defeat in playoff history.[56] Robert Smith, who ran for 1,521 yards that season,[57] retired at the end of the year after only playing eight NFL seasons.[58]

2001–2005

In 2001, after a disappointing 5–11 season, the Vikings bought out the contract of Dennis Green, despite his successful coaching tenure with the team. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001, losing to the Ravens 19–3.[59] Tice was named the permanent coach after the season, but he would not lead the Vikings back to the playoffs until 2004.[60] In 2002, as part of the league's realignment with the addition of the Houston Texans, the Vikings and their other traditional NFC Central rivals became part of the newly formed NFC North.

During the 2003 season, the Vikings came close to getting into the playoffs. However, the Arizona Cardinals completed a game-winning touchdown on 4th-and-28 with 0:00 left, knocking the Vikings out of the playoffs. The moment of Arizona's touchdown was actually the first moment the entire season in which the Vikings hadn't led their division. The Vikings became the second team in football history to miss the playoffs after getting off to a 6–0 start, following the 1978 Washington Redskins.

In 2004, Daunte Culpepper amassed MVP-like statistics, throwing for 4,717 passing yards (leading the NFL), 39 passing touchdowns (a Viking record), and 5,123 total yards (an NFL record).[61] In the wild card game, the Vikings defeated the rival Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in their first-ever playoff meeting, 31–17.[62] In doing so, the Vikings became the second team in NFL history to have a .500 record (8–8) in the regular season and win a playoff game (The St. Louis Rams did the same thing only a day earlier). In the divisional round, the Vikings were defeated by the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.[63]

On March 2, 2005, Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders' first-round draft pick. After struggling to a disappointing 2–5 start to the 2005 season, Vikings lost quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a season-ending knee injury. This injury was a very significant part to this Minnesota Vikings team due to the fact they also lost Moss. The dynamic duo from years earlier was now gone and a new leader would eventually emerge. The Vikings finished the 2005 season with a 9–7 record. However, this season would be more notable for off-the-field events. In October, 17 team members were part of a party of about 90 that went out on a pleasure cruise on local Lake Minnetonka. The incident erupted into scandal when media reported that a number of the players had performed sex acts and that prostitutes had been flown in. Four players were ultimately charged with misdemeanors related to the party.[64]

Mike Tice was let go after the 2005 season and was replaced by Brad Childress. This was one of many significant front office moves made by the new ownership team, led by Zygi Wilf.[65]

2006–2008

 
All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson was selected 7th overall by the Vikings in the 2007 NFL Draft, and played for the Vikings from 2007 to 2016.

Minnesota began the 2006 season 4–2 (with Childress becoming the first Vikings coach to start his career 2–0), but finished the year at 6–10,[66] receiving the 7th pick in the NFL Draft; with it, the Vikings selected Adrian Peterson out of the University of Oklahoma.[67]

Peterson's first career touchdown was a 60-yard screen pass against the Atlanta Falcons in his first career game. When the Vikings played the Chicago Bears in Week 6, Peterson broke the record for single-game All-Purpose (rushing, receiving, kick returning) yards (361 total yards, 224 rushing). In Week 9, Peterson broke the NFL single-game rushing record set by Jamal Lewis in 2003 by rushing for 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers.[68] Despite a strong push in the middle of the season, winning five straight games, the Vikings lost their final two games to finish the season at 8–8 and missed the playoffs.[69]

In Week 13 of the 2008 season against the Bears, Gus Frerotte hooked up with Bernard Berrian and set the record for longest play in franchise history with a 99-yard touchdown pass.[70] In the 2009 season, Adrian Peterson led the NFL with 1760 rushing yards, breaking the franchise record. The Vikings clinched the NFC North championship for the first time after defeating the New York Giants 20–19 in Week 17, when kicker Ryan Longwell made the game-winning field goal.[71] Peterson had 19 carries for 109 yards and added a touchdown during the game.

On January 4, 2009, the Vikings hosted the Philadelphia Eagles for the Wild Card round, their first home playoff game in eight years. The Eagles led the Viking 16–14 at halftime and, coming off a 44–6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, went on to defeat the Vikings 26–14.[72]

Since 2006, the Vikings have been known especially for their strong run defense (#1 in the NFL in 2006, 2007, and 2008; they are the first NFL team to accomplish this since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970), anchored by the Williams Wall consisting of defensive tackle Kevin Williams and nose tackle Pat Williams (no relation).[73] With the addition of sack-leader Jared Allen in 2008, the dominant front four began being called by several nicknames, including "Thunder and Plunder" and "Shock and AWE" (an acronym of their surname initials).[74]

2009

 
Brett Favre played for the Vikings in 2009 and 2010.

On August 18, 2009, after months of speculation and negotiations, twice-retired veteran quarterback Brett Favre, who until 2007 had played 16 years for division archrival Green Bay Packers, signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Vikings.

On October 5, 2009, the Vikings hosted the Green Bay Packers as Favre played his former team for the first time. With a 30–23 victory on Monday Night Football, the Vikings moved to a 4–0 record.[75] Favre became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 current teams as a starter. Over 21.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the game, beating the previous record for a cable television program set by a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys in 2008 (18.6 million viewers).[76]

The Vikings beat the New York Giants, 44–7, in Week 17 to help the team clinch the second seed in the conference and a first-round-bye with an Eagles loss later that same day.[75] The Vikings ended the regular season with a 12–4 record, their best record since 2000 and the first 11-plus win season since their record-setting 1998 campaign.[75] The Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round on January 17, 2010, and won the game by a score of 34–3, advancing the Vikings to the NFC Championship game, the ninth in franchise history. This would also be the first NFC Championship game for the team since the 2000 season. Minnesota would travel to New Orleans the following week to face the top-seeded Saints in the first conference championship game held at the Superdome. Despite out-gaining the Saints on offense by nearly a twofold margin, the Vikings were severely hindered by five turnovers, including a Favre interception in the final minute of the fourth quarter in Saints territory. They were ousted in overtime, 31–28, as the Saints won the coin toss and kicked a 40-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime.[note 1]

2010s

The Vikings performed similarly in the 2010s, only making the playoffs four times and going 2–4 in those games. Additionally, there was inconsistency at the quarterback position, with thirteen quarterbacks starting at least one game for the team during this decade. Despite their performance, the team performed better in the regular season overall after the 2013 season, including an NFC Championship appearance in 2017.

2010–2013

In the first week of the 2010 NFL regular season, the Vikings played the defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints. The Vikings lost 14–9.[77] In Week 2, the Vikings played the Miami Dolphins and lost 14–10. The Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions 24–10 in the third week of the season. After a week four bye-week, the Vikings received star wide receiver Randy Moss in a trade with the New England Patriots. Even with the addition of Moss, the Vikings lost to the New York Jets 29–20 in Week 5. The Vikings won a crucial victory against another struggling team in the form of the Dallas Cowboys 24–21, but in Week 7 the Vikings lost to the arch-rival Green Bay Packers 28–24. In Week 9, the Vikings played the Arizona Cardinals at home and won 27–24 in overtime, coming back from a 24–10 deficit in the final four minutes of regulation. Favre threw for a career-high 446 passing yards.[78] The Vikings then went on to face the Chicago Bears, but were defeated, and then went on to be blown out 31–3 at home by the Packers the following game. Head coach Brad Childress was fired the following Monday.[79] With Leslie Frazier filling in for the fired Childress, the Vikings won two games in a row. One against the Washington Redskins on the road, and a blowout win over the Buffalo Bills at home.[80]

 
Defensive end Jared Allen played for the Vikings from 2008 to 2013.

After a winter storm dropped nearly 17 inches (430 mm) of snow in the Minneapolis/St Paul area the Saturday before the Vikings December 12 home game versus the New York Giants and 30 mph (48 km/h) gusts drove snow removers off the dome's roof overnight, several panels were damaged as the weight of the snow caused the roof to collapse. After viewing the damage, Vikings management and the NFL decided to move the game to Monday and play it at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.[81] Because of ongoing repairs to the roof of the Metrodome, the Vikings played their December 20 game versus the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium.[82] Favre threw the final touchdown pass of his career (to Percy Harvin) in this game. The game was played 29 years to the day after the last outdoor game at old Met Stadium. On December 26, the NFL announced that the game versus the Philadelphia Eagles was being postponed to Tuesday, December 28, 2010, because of blizzard conditions.[83] This marks the third consecutive venue or date change for a Vikings game and was the first NFL game played on a Tuesday since 1964.[84] The Vikings proceeded to upset the dynamic Eagles offense, led by a resurgent Michael Vick, 24–14 with rookie Joe Webb at the helm.[85] The Vikings finished the season 6–10 with a 20–13 loss against the Detroit Lions.[77]

The 2010–11 season was a step down for the Minnesota Vikings. After coming within a few plays of Super Bowl XLIV, Minnesota ended the 2010 season with a 6–10 record and a last place finish in the NFC North for the first time since 1990.[86] During the season, the Vikings had many distractions, including trading for Randy Moss and then waiving him only a month later,[87] Brett Favre's NFL investigation for allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to Jets' employee Jenn Sterger while he was with the team in 2008,[88] the Metrodome's collapse and resulting venue changes,[89] and finally head coach Brad Childress' firing on November 22 following a 31–3 loss at the hands of the rival Green Bay Packers.[77]

After serving as the interim head coach for the final six games of the season (finishing with a 3–3 record), defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was officially named the head coach on January 3, 2011, after signing a three-year contract. On January 17, Brett Favre retired for the third, and officially last, time, leaving the team in search of a long-term replacement at the quarterback position. Wasting no time after being appointed head coach, Frazier began to restructure the team's coaching staff, including letting go of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and hiring Mike Singletary as linebackers coach and Bill Musgrave as the new offensive coordinator. Their first-round draft pick was Christian Ponder, a quarterback from Florida State University. The team finished with a 3–13 record, tied with the 1984 Vikings for the second-worst record in franchise history.

 
In 2012, Adrian Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards – 8 yards short of Eric Dickerson's single-season record.

During the 2012 NFL Draft, the team selected USC lineman Matt Kalil with the 4th overall pick after a trade with the Cleveland Browns,[90] and Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith in the first round.[91][92] Both players were instrumental in helping the Vikings reach the playoffs for the 27th time in franchise history,[93] as was fellow draftee, sixth-round kicker Blair Walsh.[94] After beating the Packers in the final game of 2012 to reach the playoffs as the NFC's sixth seed, the Vikings lost 24–10 to the Packers in the rematch at Lambeau Field in the Wild Card round.[95] The team was forced to play backup Joe Webb during the game after Ponder was sidelined due to an arm injury sustained from the previous week.[96] Peterson was later named the league's MVP, after rushing for 2,097 yards,[97] the second most rushing yards in a season in NFL history.[98]

In the 2013 season, the Vikings finished with five wins, ten losses, and one tie, with no road wins. Notable moments include acquired free agent Matt Cassel outplaying Christian Ponder at the quarterback position and the defense allowing a league-worst 480 points, coming within four points of matching the franchise's worst set in 1984. This was also the last season played at the Metrodome as a new stadium deal was reached. Leslie Frazier was fired after the regular season ended.

2014–2019

 
The Vikings moved to U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016

The team hired former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to replace Leslie Frazier as head coach on January 16, 2014.[99] Former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner replaced Bill Musgrave,[100] and George Edwards replaced Alan Williams as defensive coordinator. In the 2014 NFL Draft, the Vikings selected Anthony Barr, a linebacker out of UCLA, and Teddy Bridgewater, a quarterback out of the University of Louisville. Bridgewater would later lose the starting job to Matt Cassel[101] only to become the starter for the Vikings when Cassel was lost to a season-ending foot injury in week 3. Star running back Adrian Peterson only played in one regular-season game due to his ongoing child abuse trial, with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell placing Peterson on the Commissioner's Exempt List indefinitely. On April 16, 2015, the league released a statement issuing Peterson's reinstatement to occur on April 17, 2015.[102] The Vikings concluded their season with seven wins and nine losses, winning only one game against a divisional opponent, although Bridgewater set a franchise record for wins by a rookie starting quarterback. On January 3, 2016, the Vikings beat divisional rival Green Bay 20–13 to win the NFC North for the first time since 2009. The Vikings, led by their top 5 defense, ended the 2015 season with an 11–5 record, and a #3 seed in the playoffs. However, they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 10–9 after Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal in the third coldest game in NFL playoff history.

The Vikings were responsible for a historic milestone in the late rounds of the 2016 NFL draft. Their sixth-round selection, German wide receiver Moritz Böhringer, was the first European player ever to be drafted by an NFL team without having previously played at any level in North America.[103] After Teddy Bridgewater went down with a knee injury in the preseason of 2016, the Vikings traded their 2017 first round pick and a conditional fourth round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Sam Bradford, who threw for 20 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 3,877 yards, and while starting the season a league best 5–0, completed the season 3–8 for a season total of 8–8.[104] Following the knee injury, the Vikings declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Bridgewater. Running back Adrian Peterson went down to injury in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers with a torn meniscus and was placed on the Injured Reserve until Week 15. On February 28, 2017, the Vikings announced they would not exercise Peterson's 2017 contract option which made him a free agent. Had they exercised the option, Peterson would be owed $18 million for the 2017 season.[105] On April 25, 2017, the New Orleans Saints signed Peterson to a 2-year, $7 million contract, ending his tenure with the Vikings since his debut in 2007 as a rookie.[106] He holds several Vikings records including most career rushing touchdowns, career rushing yards, and most rushing yards in a season.[107]

In the summer of 2017, the Vikings ownership announced they would end the 52-year annual tradition of summer training camp in Mankato at Minnesota State University, Mankato as they built a large new headquarters building, training facility and area property development in Eagan on the site of the former Northwest Airlines offices completed in the spring of 2018 in time for the 2018 summer training camp that July.[108][109]

The Vikings won the NFC North for the second time in three years in 2017, finishing with a 13–3 record that saw them go into the playoffs as the number 2 seed in the NFC. In the divisional round, they came up against the New Orleans Saints. With less than 10 seconds remaining in the game and trailing by a single point, the Vikings lined up on 3rd-and-10 on their own 39-yard line. Quarterback Case Keenum threw the ball to wide receiver Stefon Diggs inside field goal range near the right sideline, giving the receiver a chance to get out of bounds with just enough time for a game-winning field goal attempt; however, safety Marcus Williams missed his attempted tackle, allowing Diggs to run down the sideline unopposed for the first walk-off game-winning touchdown in NFL playoff history.[110] On KFAN 100.3, radio announcer Paul Allen called the play the 'Minneapolis Miracle'.[111][112] The Vikings went on to the NFC Championship for the opportunity to play in Super Bowl LII in their own stadium, only to lose 38–7 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

On March 15, 2018, quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a three-year fully guaranteed $84 million contract with the Vikings.[113] The signing made Cousins the highest paid football player at the time.[114]

On September 22, 2019, the Vikings defeated the Oakland Raiders for their 500th win as a franchise, with an overall record of 500–427–11 at that point.[115] The team finished the 2019 season at 10–6, clinching a wild card spot. The Vikings went on to pull an upset victory in the wild card round against the New Orleans Saints 26–20 in overtime. The victory advanced the team to the divisional round, where they lost to the eventual NFC Champions San Francisco 49ers 10–27.

2020s

The Vikings recorded two straight losing seasons in 2020 and 2021.

2020–2021

After falling to the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Day, the Minnesota Vikings were eliminated from the 2020 playoffs.[116][117] The Vikings finished 7–9 in 2020, the first losing season since 2014 and only the second under Zimmer.

In 2021, the Vikings missed the playoffs for the second straight season after a 37–10 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. After a 31–17 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 18 to finish the season 8–9, the team fired head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on January 10, 2022.[118]

2022

On January 26, 2022, the Vikings hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, former Vice President of Football Operations at the Cleveland Browns and Director of R&D at the San Francisco 49ers, to be the team's new General Manager.[119] After the Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, the Vikings subsequently named then-Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell as their franchise's 10th head coach on February 16.[120] The Vikings finished the regular season as NFC North champions with a 13–4 record.[121] They also set an NFL record by winning eleven one-score games, the most in any NFL season.[122] The Vikings entered the playoffs as the number three seed in the NFC but lost in the wild-card round to the New York Giants 31–24.[123]

Logo and uniforms

The Vikings' trademark horned helmet and purple-and-gold uniforms were designed by Los Angeles Examiner cartoonist Karl Hubenthal. Bert Rose and Norm Van Brocklin both knew Hubenthal from their days with the Los Angeles Rams organization. Hubenthal also designed the original Norseman logo.[124]

From the team's debut in 1961 to 1995, the Vikings' logos and uniforms essentially remained the same. Reflecting Minnesota's Scandinavian cultural heritage, one of the team's two primary logos consists of a profile of a blond Norseman, while the other consists of a white Viking horn.[125]

 
Minnesota Vikings wordmark (1982–2003)

The team's helmet is purple with a Viking horn logo on each side.[126] Each horn is outlined in gold. The horn logo was slightly revised in 2006. The original uniform design consisted of white pants, gold trim, and either purple or white jerseys. On the jersey's sleeves was the Northwestern stripe pattern in white with gold trim. For the white uniform the stripes were purple with gold trim as well. From 1962 to 1964, the Vikings wore purple pants with their white jerseys (The Vikings, with their current uniform, still wear, purple pants with yellow and white trim). In 1969, the design for the white uniforms had changed to a completely different stripe pattern, which was over the shoulders, then the purple ones, which were around the sleeve cuff. These unique shoulder stripes were first worn in 1969, the year they went to their first Super Bowl. There have also been minor changes to the uniform design throughout the years, such as changing the color of the face mask from gray to white in 1980, and then to purple in 1985. In addition, the Norseman logo was added to the sleeves in 1996, and the purple jersey stripes were toned down with that change; the TV numbers, previously located on the jersey sleeves, moved up to the shoulders as well that year. The Vikings continued to wear black shoes until Les Steckel became head coach in 1984; they were the last NFL team to make the change from black to white shoes. In 2006, the team returned to black shoes for the first time since the 1983 season.[127][128]

The Vikings tweaked their Norseman logo, which involved updating the shading, altering the shape and base of the horns, thickening the mustache and face, making the gold tones brighter, and shortening the braid. The new logo was unveiled on February 14, 2013.[129][130] On March 28, the team reported that new uniforms will be unveiled on April 25.[131]

On April 25, 2013, the Minnesota Vikings unveiled the club's new uniforms during its annual NFL Draft party.[132]

From 1969 through 1973, the Vikings had an alternate purple jersey without stripes for warm-weather games.[127][128]

The team's uniforms were redesigned in 2006, the first significant change in the franchise's 46-year history. Although the team colors remained the same, trim lines were added to the outside shoulders and sleeves, and the sides of the jerseys and pants. In addition, the horn on the helmet was slightly more defined. Included in the new design are both white and purple pants, the purple pants have not been regularly used since 2007, but resurfaced twice in 2010.[127]

The team wore black armbands for the last four games in 1978 in memory of Jack "Jocko" Nelson, an assistant coach who died during the season. In 1985 the team wore a 25 years patch on their jerseys. In 1989, they wore a "40 for 60" patch honoring the 1969 NFL championship team. They wore a 35 years patch in 1995, 40 years in 2000 and 45 years in 2005. They also wore patches in 1999 for assistant coach Chip Myers who died in the offseason and in 2001 for Korey Stringer. The Vikings, like other teams, wore NFL 50th and 75th-anniversary patches in 1969 and 1994.[133]

They also wore "TS" decals on their helmets in memory of Tony Sparano in the 2018 NFL season, their offensive-line coach who died before the season started.

On December 24, 2022, in a Week 16 game against the New York Giants, the Vikings wore all-white uniforms at home in the regular season for the first time. As part of the "Winter Whiteout" event, the team painted its logo and end zones white with purple accents, and encouraged fans at the stadium to wear white.[134]

All-purple uniforms

On October 11, 1964, for a home game against the Detroit Lions, the Vikings decided to wear their road uniform of white jerseys and purple pants; however, the Lions mistakenly only brought their white jerseys to Minnesota. The game began with both teams wearing white, but it proved too confusing, and ahead of the second quarter, the Vikings changed into their purple jerseys; however, they did not change their pants, resulting in the first time the Vikings wore all-purple for a game.[135] It was not until 43 years later, on December 17, 2007 (a Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears) that the Vikings again wore both purple jerseys and purple pants—the first time they wore all-purple intentionally. They repeated this three years later, the wearing all-purple for the November 7, 2010, home game against the Arizona Cardinals.[136]

The NFL introduced "Color Rush" uniforms for all 32 teams in the 2016 season, specifically for Thursday Night Football games. The Vikings had an all-purple uniform with gold numbers and stripes on the pants, which made its only appearance as a Color Rush uniform in Week 13 at home against the Dallas Cowboys. After the program was discontinued in 2018, these uniforms have become the team's primary alternate and are now known under the name "Primetime Purple"; however, the Vikings only wear these uniforms during home Thursday Night games. They wore the uniforms under the Primetime Purple name for the first time during a game against the Washington Redskins in 2019. In the team's Wild Card game against the New Orleans Saints during the 2019 season, the Vikings wore all purple again; however, instead of the regular alternates, they wore the regular home uniforms with the away purple pants.[137] Following the Vikings' win in this game, they have worn this combination in two subsequent games against the Saints, which took place in 2020 and 2022.

In 2020, despite the Vikings not having a Thursday Night game scheduled, the Primetime Purple uniforms made an appearance for a late-afternoon game against the Cowboys. The following season, they were worn again for a Thursday Night home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The most recent appearance for these uniforms came during a Thanksgiving Day game against the New England Patriots in 2022.

Team culture

Mascots

After several failed attempts at developing an official team-owned mascot, the Vikings finally introduced Viktor the Viking during the 2007 Vikings' season.[138] Team officials had long indicated that they were after a mascot concept that would primarily appeal to the team's younger fan base.[139] Viktor the Viking, a muscle-bound, blond-haired and mustachioed character, wears a Vikings' #1 jersey and an oversized Vikings helmet with protruding horns and a small yellow nose guard.

From 1970 to 1992, truck driver Hub Meeds dressed as a Viking and served as the team mascot.[140][141] Meeds asked to become the mascot after being accidentally let onto the field by security during Super Bowl IV in New Orleans.[142]

From 1994 to 2015, the team mascot was Ragnar (played by Joseph Juranitch) and was based on the legendary Viking Ragnar Lodbrok.[143] Juranitch admits to being somewhat of an eccentric—he holds the current world record for fastest time shaving a beard with an axe,[144] but hasn't shaved his beard since he won the Ragnar job among 3,000 applicants.[145] Ragnar drove onto the field at the beginning of a game dressed in Viking garb, on a motorcycle,[144][145] while a cheerleader used to ride a snowmobile. Although never one to shy away from confrontations with opposing players, notably Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson,[146][147] he had a soft spot for Brett Favre while the quarterback started for the rival Green Bay Packers.[148] In 2015, the Vikings announced that they were not able to reach a new contract agreement with Juranitch which he wanted $20,000 per game,[149] and released him.[150][151]

Another mascot associated with the Vikings was "Vikadontis Rex", a purple foam dinosaur.[152] Vikadontis was the official mascot of the Minnesota Vikings Children's Fund and took part in the 1995 Celebrity Mascot Olympics. Vikadontis was retired starting with the 2000 season. The team also had an NFL Huddles mascot in the mid-1980s (somewhat similar to Viktor the Viking). Krazy George Henderson was also employed as a cheerleader from 1982 to 1985.[153]

Fight song

"Skol, Vikings" is the fight song of the Minnesota Vikings.[154] It was introduced around the time the team was founded in 1961. It is always played whenever the team scores a touchdown, field goal or safety, at the end of each half, and upon victory.

The song "Purple and Gold" was recorded in 2010 by Minneapolis native Prince to be used as a fight song for the Minnesota Vikings.[155]

Rivalries

The Vikings have rivalries with all three of the other NFC North teams, but due to geographic and cultural proximity, their foremost rival is the Green Bay Packers. Some sources cite this rivalry as the biggest overall in the NFC North apart from the Packers–Bears rivalry (which dates back several more decades to 1920).[156]

The Vikings have developed a heated NFC rivalry with the New Orleans Saints, who have become known as the Vikings' biggest out-of-division rival. The Vikings lead the overall series 23–13, including 4–1 in the playoffs. This rivalry has featured many notable playoff matchups, such as the 2009 NFC Championship Game and the 2017 NFC Divisional Round game.

The Vikings also share historical rivalries with the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams, both of which became hottest in the 1970s. The Cowboys and Rams are tied for the most played playoff opponent for the Vikings, with seven playoff games played in each series. The Vikings trail their series with Dallas 18–15 overall and have lost four out of seven playoff meetings, but lead their series with the Rams 27–18–2 overall and have won five out of seven playoff meetings.

Helga hats

Vikings fans are known to dress up in "Helga hats", purple hats with white horns and blonde braids, mimicking the helmets popularly believed to have been worn by Viking warriors. The original Helga Hats are still hand assembled in the Twin Cities area.[157]

Vikings horn

 
The gjallarhorn at U.S. Bank Stadium

During home games, the Vikings' Gjallarhorn is played during its pre-game ceremonies, a tradition that started in 2007. The ceremony has been an opportunity to honor past Viking greats (most notably Randy Moss) along with Minnesota-related folks (such as the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs men's ice hockey team when they won the NCAA hockey championship). The first horn broke right before the playing of the 2016 playoff game in Minnesota versus the Seattle Seahawks, owing to below-zero temperatures (at the time, the Vikings were playing at Huntington Bank Stadium, an outdoor stadium) that cracked it. Both the first and second horns were created by Todd Johnson, a general manager at a music store.[158][159]

Skol Chant

The Skol Chant is a cheer that is used in U.S. Bank Stadium for Minnesota Vikings games. It involves fans clapping their hands above their heads and yelling "Skol", in response to the beat of a drum.[160] The chant is a modified take on the Viking War Cry used at the Iceland national football team's games and popularized by Iceland supporters at UEFA Euro 2016.[161]

Skol (written "skål" in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish and "skál" in Faroese and Icelandic or "skaal" in archaic spellings or transliteration of any of those languages) is the DanishNorwegianSwedish word for "cheers" or "good health", a salute or a toast, as to an admired person or group.

Players

Current roster

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Unrestricted FAs

Restricted FAs

Rookies in italics

Roster updated March 6, 2023

  • Depth chart
  • Transactions

44 active, 9 inactive, 17 free agent(s)

AFC rostersNFC rosters

Retired numbers

Minnesota Vikings retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure Retired
10 Fran Tarkenton QB 1961–1966
1972–1978
October 7, 1979
53 Mick Tingelhoff C 1962–1978 November 25, 2001
70 Jim Marshall DE 1961–1979 November 28, 1999
77 Korey Stringer OT 1995–2000 November 19, 2001
80 Cris Carter WR 1990–2001 September 14, 2003
88 Alan Page DT 1967–1978 September 25, 1988
  • = Posthumous

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famers[162]
Players
No. Name Position(s) Tenure Inducted
1 Warren Moon QB 1994–1996 2006
3 Jan Stenerud K 1984–1985 1991
4 Brett Favre QB 2009–2010 2016
7 Morten Andersen K 2004 2017
10 Fran Tarkenton QB 1961–1966
1972–1978
1986
22 Paul Krause S 1968–1979 1998
39 Hugh McElhenny RB 1961–1962 1970
44 Dave Casper TE 1983 2002
53 Mick Tingelhoff C 1962–1978 2015
56 Chris Doleman DE 1985–1993, 1999 2012
58 Jim Langer C 1980–1981 1987
64 Randall McDaniel G 1988–1999 2009
65 Gary Zimmerman OT 1986–1992 2008
73 Ron Yary OT 1968–1981 2001
76 Steve Hutchinson G 2006–2011 2020
80 Cris Carter WR 1990–2001 2013
81 Carl Eller DE 1964–1978 2004
84 Randy Moss WR 1998–2004, 2010 2018
88 Alan Page DT 1967–1978 1988
93 John Randle DT 1990–2000 2010
Coaches and Executives
Name Position(s) Tenure Inducted
Jim Finks GM 1964–1973 1995
Bud Grant HC 1967–1983, 1985 1994

Italics = played only a minor portion of their career with the Vikings, and are recognized primarily based upon achievements with other teams

Ring of Honor

Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor[163]
Players
No. Name Position(s) Tenure Inducted
10 Fran Tarkenton QB 1961–1966
1972–1978
September 9, 1998
22 Paul Krause S 1968–1979 November 15, 1998
28 Ahmad Rashad WR 1976–1982 October 1, 2017
30 Bill Brown RB 1962–1974 September 26, 2004
44 Chuck Foreman RB 1973–1979 September 30, 2007
47 Joey Browner S 1983–1991 October 27, 2013
53 Mick Tingelhoff C 1962–1978 November 25, 2001
55 Scott Studwell LB 1977–1990 November 29, 2009
56 Chris Doleman DE 1985–1993, 1999 October 23, 2011[164]
59 Matt Blair LB 1974–1985 October 25, 2012[165]
64 Randall McDaniel G 1988–1999 December 17, 2006
69 Jared Allen DE 2008–2013 October 30, 2022[166]
70 Jim Marshall DE 1961–1979 November 28, 1999
73 Ron Yary OT 1968–1981 September 9, 2001
77 Korey Stringer OT 1995–2000 November 19, 2001
80 Cris Carter WR 1990–2001 September 14, 2003
81 Carl Eller DE 1964–1978 November 10, 2002
83 Steve Jordan TE 1982–1994 October 24, 2019[167]
84 Randy Moss WR 1998–2004, 2010 September 11, 2017[168]
88 Alan Page DT 1967–1978 September 20, 1998
93 John Randle DT 1990–2000 November 30, 2008
93 Kevin Williams DT 2003–2013 October 3, 2021
Coaches and Executives
Name Position(s) Tenure Inducted
Jerry Burns HC 1986–1991 November 6, 2005
Jim Finks GM 1964–1973 October 18, 1998
Bud Grant HC 1967–1983, 1985 November 8, 1998
Dennis Green HC 1992–2001 September 23, 2018
Fred Zamberletti Medical adviser 1961–2011 December 20, 1998

25th Anniversary Team (1985)

40th Anniversary Team (2000)

50 Greatest Vikings (2010)

In connection with the team's 50th anniversary, the Vikings announced a group of 50 top players on December 19, 2010.[169] Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

All-Mall of America Field Team (2013)

In 2013, in recognition of their final season at the Metrodome, the Vikings organized a fan vote to determine the best players at each position to play for the team in their time at the stadium. They named 12 players on offense, 11 on defense, four special teams players and a head coach.[170] Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Offense

Defense

Special teams

Head coach

Coaches

Head coaches

Name Years Won Lost Ties Winning % Postseason
Norm Van Brocklin 1961–1966 29 51 4 .345
Bud Grant 1967–1983 151 87 5 .621 1968–71, 1973–78, 1980, 1982
Les Steckel 1984 3 13 0 .188
Bud Grant 1985 7 9 0 .438
Jerry Burns 1986–1991 52 43 0 .547 1987–89
Dennis Green 1992–2001 97 62 0 .610 1992–94, 1996–2000
Mike Tice 2001–2005 32 33 0 .492 2004
Brad Childress 2006–2010 39 35 0 .527 2008, 2009
Leslie Frazier 2010–2013 21 32 1 .398 2012
Mike Zimmer 2014–2021 72 56 1 .562 2015, 2017, 2019
Kevin O'Connell 2022–present 13 4 0 .765 2022
Total 516 425 11 .548 31

Current staff

Front office
  • Owner/chairman – Zygi Wilf
  • Owner/president – Mark Wilf
  • Owner/vice chairman – Leonard Wilf
  • Chief operating officer – Andrew Miller
  • General manager – Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
  • Executive vice president of football operations – Rob Brzezinski
  • Senior vice president of player personnel – Ryan Grigson
  • Vice president of football operations – Demitrius Washington
  • Director of player personnel – Ryan Monnens
  • Assistant director of player personnel – Chisolm Opara
  • Director of pro personnel – Chris Blanco
  • Director of college scouting – Mike Sholiton
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Pat Roberts
  • Director of football quantitative methods – Scott Kuhn
  • Senior personnel executive – Jamaal Stephenson
  • Consultant – Bud Grant
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
  • Offensive coordinator – Wes Phillips
  • Quarterbacks – Chris O'Hara
  • Assistant quarterbacks – Grant Udinski
  • Running backs/run game coordinator – Curtis Modkins
  • Wide receivers – Keenan McCardell
  • Assistant wide receivers – Tony Sorrentino
  • Tight ends/passing game coordinator – Brian Angelichio
  • Offensive line – Chris Kuper
  • Assistant offensive line – Justin Rascati
  • Pass game specialist/game management coordinator – Ryan Cordell
  • Offensive quality control – Derron Montgomery
 
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
  • Special teams coordinator – Matt Daniels
  • Assistant special teams – Dalmin Gibson
Strength and conditioning
  • Director of player performance – Josh Hingst
  • Assistant director of player performance – Derik Keyes
  • Assistant player performance – Marquis Johnson

Coaching staff
Management
More NFL staffs

Radio and television

 
Map of radio affiliates

The Vikings' flagship radio station is KFXN-FM (100.3), which uses the branding "KFAN" based on its former calls on 1130 AM before a format flip between the AM and FM stations before the 2011 season; 1130 AM also continues to broadcast game play-by-play as KTLK.

The games are also heard on the "KFAN Radio Network" in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota, as well as many other outlets. Paul Allen has been the play-by-play announcer since the 2002 NFL season with Pete Bercich filling in as analyst, who began his first season in 2007.[171]

Telecasts of preseason games not shown on national networks are aired on KMSP (Channel 9) in the Twin Cities with a simulcast of KFAN's radio broadcast while Fox Sports North shows a tape delay later.[172]

Radio affiliates

Source:[173]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Does not include the AFL or NFL championships won during the same seasons as the AFL–NFL Super Bowl Championships prior to the 1970 AFL–NFL merger
  2. ^ As of the end of the 2021 season.
  1. ^ Due in part to this outcome, during the subsequent off-season the NFL rules committee adjusted the overtime rules for the 2010 postseason, and in 2011 for both regular season and postseason games. The new rules state that unless the first possession of overtime ends in a touchdown or safety, both teams must have the opportunity to possess the ball. Under the new rules, the Vikings would have had an opportunity to possess the ball after the Saints kicked a field goal on the overtime's first possession in the NFC Championship.[75]

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External links

minnesota, vikings, professional, american, football, team, based, minneapolis, they, compete, national, football, league, member, club, national, football, conference, north, division, founded, 1960, expansion, team, team, began, play, following, year, they, . The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis They compete in the National Football League NFL as a member club of the National Football Conference NFC North division 7 Founded in 1960 as an expansion team the team began play the following year They are named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia reflecting the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota 8 The team plays its home games at U S Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis Minnesota VikingsCurrent seasonEstablished January 28 1960 63 years ago January 28 1960 1 First season 1961Play in U S Bank StadiumMinneapolis MinnesotaHeadquartered at TCO Performance CenterEagan Minnesota 2 LogoWordmarkLeague conference affiliationsNational Football League 1961 present Western Conference 1961 1969 Central Division 1967 1969 National Football Conference 1970 present NFC Central 1970 2001 NFC North 2002 present Current uniformTeam colorsPurple gold white 3 4 Fight songSkol VikingsMascotViktor the Viking 5 PersonnelOwner s Zygi Leonard and Mark Wilf 6 ChairmanZygi WilfPresidentMark WilfGeneral managerKwesi Adofo MensahHead coachKevin O ConnellTeam historyMinnesota Vikings 1961 present Team nicknamesThe Vikes The Purple People Eaters The Purple and GoldChampionshipsLeague championships 0 a NFL championships pre 1970 AFL NFL merger 1 1969Conference championships 4 NFL Western 1969 NFC 1973 1974 1976Division championships 21 NFL Central 1968 1969 NFC Central 1970 1971 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1989 1992 1994 1998 2000 NFC North 2008 2009 2015 2017 2022Playoff appearances 31 NFL 1968 1969 1970 1971 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1982 1987 1988 1989 1992 1993 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2004 2008 2009 2012 2015 2017 2019 2022Home fieldsMetropolitan Stadium 1961 1981 Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome 1982 2013 TCF Bank Stadium 2014 2015 U S Bank Stadium 2016 present The Vikings have an all time overall record of 524 451 11 b the highest regular season and combined winning percentage among NFL franchises who have not won a Super Bowl in addition the most playoff runs division titles and tied with the Buffalo Bills Super Bowl appearances 9 10 They also have the most conference championship appearances of non winning Super Bowl teams with them being one of three along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams to appear in a conference championship every decade since the 1970s Contents 1 History 1 1 1960s 1 2 1970s 1 3 1980s 1 4 1990s 1 4 1 1998 1 4 2 1999 1 5 2000s 1 5 1 2000 1 5 2 2001 2005 1 5 3 2006 2008 1 5 4 2009 1 6 2010s 1 6 1 2010 2013 1 6 2 2014 2019 1 7 2020s 1 7 1 2020 2021 1 7 2 2022 2 Logo and uniforms 2 1 All purple uniforms 3 Team culture 3 1 Mascots 3 2 Fight song 3 3 Rivalries 3 4 Helga hats 3 5 Vikings horn 3 6 Skol Chant 4 Players 4 1 Current roster 4 2 Retired numbers 4 3 Pro Football Hall of Famers 4 4 Ring of Honor 4 5 25th Anniversary Team 1985 4 6 40th Anniversary Team 2000 4 7 50 Greatest Vikings 2010 4 8 All Mall of America Field Team 2013 5 Coaches 5 1 Head coaches 5 2 Current staff 6 Radio and television 6 1 Radio affiliates 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksHistoryMain article History of the Minnesota Vikings See also List of Minnesota Vikings seasons Professional football in the Minneapolis Saint Paul area the Twin Cities began with the Minneapolis Marines Red Jackets an NFL team that played intermittently in the 1920s and 1930s 11 However a new professional team in the area did not surface again until August 1959 when Minnesota businessmen Bill Boyer H P Skoglund and Max Winter were awarded a franchise in the new American Football League AFL Five months later in January 1960 after significant pressure from the NFL the ownership group along with Bernard H Ridder reneged on its agreement with the AFL and then was awarded the National Football League s 14th franchise with play to begin in 1961 12 Ole Haugsrud was added to the NFL team ownership because in the 1920s when he sold his Duluth Eskimos team back to the league the agreement allowed him 10 percent of any future Minnesota team 13 The teams from Ole Haugsrud s high school Central High School in Superior Wisconsin were also called the Vikings and had a similar purple and yellow color scheme 14 From the team s first season in 1961 to 1981 the team called Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington home The Vikings conducted summer training camp at Bemidji State University from 1961 to 1965 In 1966 the team moved to their training camp to Minnesota State University in Mankato 15 The training camp at Minnesota State was one of the longest continuously running training camp events in the NFL and is remembered as part of the golden era history of the team The Vikings played their home games at the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis from 1982 to 2013 The Vikings played their last game at the Metrodome on December 29 2013 defeating the Detroit Lions 14 13 to end the season Since the team s first season in 1961 the Vikings have had one of the highest winning percentages in the NFL 16 As of 2022 they have won at least three games in every season except in 1962 and are one of only seven NFL teams to win at least 15 games in a regular season The Vikings have won one NFL Championship in 1969 before the league s merger with the American Football League AFL in 1970 17 18 Since the merger the team has qualified for the playoffs 28 times third most in the league trailing only the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers The team played in Super Bowls IV VIII IX and XI but failed to win any of them In addition they have lost in their last six NFC Championship Game appearances stretching back to 1978 The Vikings have 15 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame 19 20 1960s The team was officially named the Minnesota Vikings on September 27 1960 the name is partly meant to reflect Minnesota s place as a center of Scandinavian American culture 21 From the start the Vikings embraced an energetic marketing program that produced first year season ticket sales of nearly 26 000 and an average home attendance of 34 586 about 85 percent of Metropolitan Stadium s capacity of 40 800 Eventually the capacity of Met Stadium was increased to 47 900 Bert Rose former public relations director for the Los Angeles Rams was appointed the team s first general manager The search for the first head coach saw the team court then Northwestern University head coach Ara Parseghian who according to Minneapolis Star writer Jim Klobuchar the Vikings first beat reporter for that newspaper visited team management in the Twin Cities under the condition that his visit was to be kept secret from his current employer His cover was blown by local columnist Sid Hartman who reported the visit and forced Parseghian to issue denials Philadelphia Eagles assistant Nick Skorich and a man with Minnesota ties who was working in the CFL Bud Grant were also candidates until a different Eagle quarterback Norm Van Brocklin was hired on January 18 1961 Van Brocklin had just finished his career as a player on a high note having defeated the Green Bay Packers in the 1960 NFL Championship Game 21 Head Coach Bud Grant 1967 1983 and 1985 The Vikings were upset by the Chiefs 23 7 in Super Bowl IV As a new franchise the Vikings had the first overall selection in the 1961 NFL Draft and they picked running back Tommy Mason of Tulane They also took a young quarterback from the University of Georgia named Fran Tarkenton in the third round Notable veterans acquired in the offseason were George Shaw and Hugh McElhenny The Vikings won their first regular season game defeating the Chicago Bears 37 13 on Opening Day 1961 Tarkenton came off the bench to throw four touchdown passes and run for another to lead the upset Reality set in as the expansion team lost its next seven games on their way to a 3 11 record 21 The losing continued throughout much of the 1960s as the Vikings had a combined record of 32 wins 59 losses and 7 ties in their first seven seasons with only one winning season 8 5 1 in 1964 22 23 On March 7 1967 quarterback Fran Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants for a first round and second round draft choice in 1967 a first round choice in 1968 and a second round choice in 1969 With the picks Minnesota selected Clinton Jones and Bob Grim in 1967 Ron Yary in 1968 and Ed White in 1969 1 On March 10 1967 the Vikings hired new head coach Bud Grant to replace Van Brocklin who had resigned on February 11 1967 Grant came to the Vikings from the Canadian Football League as head coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers whom he led to four Grey Cup Championships in 10 years 21 1 Replacing Tarkenton at quarterback was eight year CFL veteran and Grey Cup champion Joe Kapp During the late 1960s the Vikings built a powerful defense known as the Purple People Eaters led by Alan Page Carl Eller Gary Larsen and Jim Marshall 24 In 1968 that stingy defense earned the Vikings their first Central Division title and their first playoff berth 21 In 1969 the Vikings secured a 12 2 record 1 The team had 12 straight regular season victories after a season opening loss to the New York Giants which was the longest single season winning streak in 35 years 25 The Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns 27 7 in the last pre merger NFL Championship Game on January 4 1970 at Metropolitan Stadium The Vikings became the first modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL Championship Game 1 and earned a berth in Super Bowl IV however the heavily favored Vikings lost that game to the Kansas City Chiefs 23 7 26 27 The team MVP that season was Joe Kapp who threw for seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Colts still an all time NFL record however Kapp refused to accept the award stating There is not one most valuable Viking there are 40 most valuable Vikings 28 1970s The team continued to dominate in 1970 moving into the newly formed NFC Central and 1971 reaching the playoffs behind the stubborn Purple People Eaters defensive line In 1971 Alan Page won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award given by the Associated Press 29 He was the first defensive player to win the award 30 The Vikings famed Purple People Eaters defensive line stopping a Rams rush in the 1977 NFC Divisional Playoff game On January 27 1972 the Vikings traded Norm Snead Bob Grim Vince Clements and first round draft picks in 1972 and 1973 to the New York Giants to reacquire the popular Fran Tarkenton 1 While the acquisitions of Tarkenton and wide receiver John Gilliam improved the passing attack the running game was inconsistent and the Vikings finished with a disappointing 7 7 record The Vikings addressed the problem by drafting running back Chuck Foreman with their first pick in the 1973 Draft Co owner Bill Boyer died on February 19 1973 and was replaced on the team s board of directors by his son in law Jack Steele 1 The Vikings won their first nine games of 1973 and finished the season with a 12 2 record 21 They then advanced to their second Super Bowl in franchise history Super Bowl VIII against the Miami Dolphins at Rice Stadium in Houston Texas however the Dolphins prevailed 24 7 1 The Vikings won the Central Division again in 1974 with a 10 4 record 1 In the playoffs they built on their cold weather reputation defeating both the St Louis Cardinals 30 14 and the Los Angeles Rams 14 10 in frozen Metropolitan Stadium The Vikings played in their second straight Super Bowl Super Bowl IX 3rd overall losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 16 6 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 12 1975 21 1 Led by Tarkenton and running back Chuck Foreman the 1975 Vikings got off to a 10 0 start and easily won another division title 21 1 However the Vikings lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs 17 14 on a controversial touchdown pass from the Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach to wide receiver Drew Pearson that became known as the Hail Mary 31 The touchdown was controversial because many felt that Pearson pushed off on Vikings defensive back Nate Wright committing pass interference As the Metropolitan Stadium crowd was stunned to learn that no penalty was called debris was thrown on the field for several minutes A Corby s Whiskey bottle struck game official Armen Terzian rendering him unconscious 32 The Vikings played in Super Bowl XI their third Super Bowl fourth overall in four years against the Oakland Raiders at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California on January 9 1977 The Vikings however lost 32 14 1 In 1977 the Vikings again won the Central Division with a 9 5 record and advanced to their 4th NFC Championship Game in 5 years 1 but were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl Champion Cowboys 23 6 at Texas Stadium 21 By 1978 age was taking its toll on the Vikings but they still made the playoffs with an 8 7 1 record There was no more playoff magic as the Rams finally defeated the Vikings 34 10 in Los Angeles 21 after having lost in their previous four playoff matchups in 1969 74 76 and 77 Quarterback Fran Tarkenton retired following the season holding league passer records in attempts 6 467 completions 3 686 yards 47 003 and touchdowns 342 33 In December 1979 ground was broken for construction of the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis 1 1980s On May 15 1981 the Vikings moved into a new facility in suburban Eden Prairie that housed the team s offices locker room and practice fields The complex was named Winter Park after Max Winter one of the Vikings founders who served as the team s president from 1965 to 1987 1 The Vikings played their final game at Metropolitan Stadium on December 20 to conclude the 1981 NFL season by losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 10 6 21 1 Two minute Tommy Kramer 1977 1989 The Vikings played their first game at the Metrodome in a preseason matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on August 21 1982 in a game Minnesota won 7 3 1 The first touchdown in the new facility was scored by Joe Senser on an 11 yard pass from Tommy Kramer 1 The first regular season game in the Metrodome was the 1982 opener on September 12 when the Vikings defeated Tampa Bay 17 10 Rickey Young scored the first regular season touchdown in the facility on a 3 yard run in the 2nd quarter 1 That year the defense led by Joey Browner began a dominant 10 year run as a premier NFL defensive back The Vikings beat the St Louis Cardinals 28 10 on August 6 1983 at Wembley Stadium in London in the first international game in the NFL On January 27 1984 Bud Grant retired as head coach of the Vikings With a career regular season record of 151 87 5 632 in 17 seasons with Minnesota Grant led the franchise to 12 playoff appearances 11 division titles and four Super Bowls 1 Les Steckel who was an offensive assistant with the Vikings for 5 seasons was then named the 3rd head coach in franchise history Steckel who came to the Vikings in 1979 after working as an assistant with the 49ers was the youngest head coach in the NFL in 1984 at age 38 1 However the Vikings lost a franchise worst 13 games 21 After the season Steckel was fired and on December 18 1984 Bud Grant came out of retirement and was rehired as the head coach of the Vikings 1 On January 6 1986 following the 1985 season Bud Grant re retired this time permanently as head coach of the Vikings At the time of his retirement he held the 6th best winning record for a coach in NFL history with 168 career wins including playoffs In 18 seasons he led the Vikings to a 158 96 5 regular season record 34 Longtime Vikings assistant coach Jerry Burns was named the fourth head coach in team history on January 7 1986 1 He served as the Vikings offensive coordinator from 1968 to 1985 when the team won 11 division titles and played in four Super Bowls In his first season the Vikings led by the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Tommy Kramer went 9 7 21 their first winning record in four years On August 2 1986 Fran Tarkenton was the first player who played the majority of his career with the Vikings to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame 1 33 Following the strike shortened 1987 season the 8 7 Vikings who had finished 8 4 in regular games but 0 3 using strike replacement players 35 pulled two upsets in the playoffs They defeated the 12 3 New Orleans Saints 44 10 at the Louisiana Superdome in the Wild Card game 36 The following week in the Divisional Playoff game they beat the 13 2 San Francisco 49ers 36 24 at Candlestick Park 37 During that game Anthony Carter set the all time record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 227 yards 38 The Vikings played the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship Game on January 17 1988 at RFK Stadium Trailing 17 10 the Vikings drove to the Redskins 6 yard line with a little over a minute left in the game but failed to get the ball into the end zone The Vikings hopes of a Super Bowl ended when Darrin Nelson dropped a pass from Wade Wilson on fourth down at the goal line 39 On October 12 1989 the Vikings acquired Herschel Walker from Dallas The final result of the trade gave the Vikings Walker third round choice Mike Jones fifth round choice Reggie Thornton and 10th round choice Pat Newman in 1990 and a third round choice Jake Reed in 1991 Dallas received Issiac Holt David Howard Darrin Nelson Jesse Solomon Alex Stewart a first second and a sixth round choice in 1990 first and second round choices in 1991 and a first second and third round choice in 1992 Two of those selections turned into Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson Walker s performance fell short of expectations in his three seasons with the Vikings while the Cowboys rode their draft picks to three Super Bowl victories in the early to mid 1990s 40 1990s Cris Carter s Hall of Fame display Carter was a Viking from 1990 to 2001 On December 3 1991 Jerry Burns announced his retirement effective at the end of the 1991 season In six seasons as head coach of the Vikings Burns compiled a career record of 52 43 547 41 He also led Minnesota to three playoff appearances including a division title and an NFC Championship Game 42 Dennis Green was later named the fifth head coach in team history after turning around a struggling Stanford University football program as head coach from 1989 to 1991 43 In his 10 seasons as the coach of the Vikings Green won four NFC Central division titles had eight playoff appearances two NFC Championship Game appearances and an all time record of 97 62 44 The Vikings therefore had the fifth highest winning percentage among all NFL teams during the regular season in the 1990s 45 1998 Main article 1998 Minnesota Vikings season 1998 was a year to remember for the franchise With a spectacular offense led by quarterback Randall Cunningham who replaced an injured Brad Johnson running back Robert Smith veteran wide receiver Cris Carter and explosive rookie Randy Moss the Vikings set a then NFL record by scoring a total of 556 points never scoring fewer than 24 in a game The Vikings finished the season 15 1 their only loss was to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 24 in Week 9 46 In the playoffs the Vikings rolled past the Arizona Cardinals 41 21 47 and came into the Metrodome heavily favored for their NFC title showdown with the Atlanta Falcons who had gone 14 2 in the regular season After kicker Gary Anderson who had just completed the first perfect regular season in NFL history not missing a single extra point or field goal attempt the entire year missed a 38 yard field goal attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining the Falcons ensuing drive tied the game This led to a controversial decision by head coach Dennis Green to run out the clock and let the game go to overtime Though the Vikings won the coin toss Atlanta went on to win it 30 27 in overtime on Morten Andersen s 38 yard field goal 48 The Vikings became the first 15 1 team to fail to reach the Super Bowl The Falcons lost Super Bowl XXXIII to John Elway and the Denver Broncos 49 1999 Randy Moss 1998 2004 and 2010 Main article 1999 Minnesota Vikings season Cunningham resumed duties again in 1999 but after a lukewarm 2 4 start Jeff George replaced him as starting quarterback He finished the season with an 8 2 record and led the Vikings into the postseason once again with an overall team record of 10 6 50 Minnesota beat Dallas in the Wild Card game 27 10 51 and faced playoff newcomer Kurt Warner and the St Louis Rams in the Divisional matchup The game was a shootout that Minnesota led 17 14 at halftime but the Rams outscored Minnesota 35 20 in the second half to win 49 37 52 St Louis would go on to win Super Bowl XXXIV 53 2000s The Vikings entered the decade by winning the divisional championship and an appearance in the NFC Championship game where they were defeated 41 0 by the New York Giants The following season they struggled by posting a 5 11 record in 2001 54 The team made the playoffs again in 2004 55 but did not win a divisional title again until 2008 Since the merger the 2000s became the decade with the fewest playoff berths for the franchise 45 2000 Main article 2000 Minnesota Vikings season In 2000 the Vikings went 11 5 The Vikings were 11 2 after 14 weeks but slumped briefly losing their last three to the Rams Packers and Colts while starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper was hampered by injury Nonetheless the Vikings made the playoffs for the fifth straight year After easily beating the Saints in the Divisional game 34 16 they traveled to New York City to face the Giants in the NFC Championship Game Though they were the road team the Vikings were favored to win the game since most considered their 11 2 record with Culpepper more indicative than their 0 3 record when he was out instead the Vikings were defeated 41 0 their worst defeat in playoff history 56 Robert Smith who ran for 1 521 yards that season 57 retired at the end of the year after only playing eight NFL seasons 58 2001 2005 In 2001 after a disappointing 5 11 season the Vikings bought out the contract of Dennis Green despite his successful coaching tenure with the team Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001 losing to the Ravens 19 3 59 Tice was named the permanent coach after the season but he would not lead the Vikings back to the playoffs until 2004 60 In 2002 as part of the league s realignment with the addition of the Houston Texans the Vikings and their other traditional NFC Central rivals became part of the newly formed NFC North During the 2003 season the Vikings came close to getting into the playoffs However the Arizona Cardinals completed a game winning touchdown on 4th and 28 with 0 00 left knocking the Vikings out of the playoffs The moment of Arizona s touchdown was actually the first moment the entire season in which the Vikings hadn t led their division The Vikings became the second team in football history to miss the playoffs after getting off to a 6 0 start following the 1978 Washington Redskins In 2004 Daunte Culpepper amassed MVP like statistics throwing for 4 717 passing yards leading the NFL 39 passing touchdowns a Viking record and 5 123 total yards an NFL record 61 In the wild card game the Vikings defeated the rival Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in their first ever playoff meeting 31 17 62 In doing so the Vikings became the second team in NFL history to have a 500 record 8 8 in the regular season and win a playoff game The St Louis Rams did the same thing only a day earlier In the divisional round the Vikings were defeated by the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles 63 On March 2 2005 Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders first round draft pick After struggling to a disappointing 2 5 start to the 2005 season Vikings lost quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a season ending knee injury This injury was a very significant part to this Minnesota Vikings team due to the fact they also lost Moss The dynamic duo from years earlier was now gone and a new leader would eventually emerge The Vikings finished the 2005 season with a 9 7 record However this season would be more notable for off the field events In October 17 team members were part of a party of about 90 that went out on a pleasure cruise on local Lake Minnetonka The incident erupted into scandal when media reported that a number of the players had performed sex acts and that prostitutes had been flown in Four players were ultimately charged with misdemeanors related to the party 64 Mike Tice was let go after the 2005 season and was replaced by Brad Childress This was one of many significant front office moves made by the new ownership team led by Zygi Wilf 65 2006 2008 All Pro running back Adrian Peterson was selected 7th overall by the Vikings in the 2007 NFL Draft and played for the Vikings from 2007 to 2016 Minnesota began the 2006 season 4 2 with Childress becoming the first Vikings coach to start his career 2 0 but finished the year at 6 10 66 receiving the 7th pick in the NFL Draft with it the Vikings selected Adrian Peterson out of the University of Oklahoma 67 Peterson s first career touchdown was a 60 yard screen pass against the Atlanta Falcons in his first career game When the Vikings played the Chicago Bears in Week 6 Peterson broke the record for single game All Purpose rushing receiving kick returning yards 361 total yards 224 rushing In Week 9 Peterson broke the NFL single game rushing record set by Jamal Lewis in 2003 by rushing for 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers 68 Despite a strong push in the middle of the season winning five straight games the Vikings lost their final two games to finish the season at 8 8 and missed the playoffs 69 In Week 13 of the 2008 season against the Bears Gus Frerotte hooked up with Bernard Berrian and set the record for longest play in franchise history with a 99 yard touchdown pass 70 In the 2009 season Adrian Peterson led the NFL with 1760 rushing yards breaking the franchise record The Vikings clinched the NFC North championship for the first time after defeating the New York Giants 20 19 in Week 17 when kicker Ryan Longwell made the game winning field goal 71 Peterson had 19 carries for 109 yards and added a touchdown during the game On January 4 2009 the Vikings hosted the Philadelphia Eagles for the Wild Card round their first home playoff game in eight years The Eagles led the Viking 16 14 at halftime and coming off a 44 6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys went on to defeat the Vikings 26 14 72 Since 2006 the Vikings have been known especially for their strong run defense 1 in the NFL in 2006 2007 and 2008 they are the first NFL team to accomplish this since the AFL NFL merger in 1970 anchored by the Williams Wall consisting of defensive tackle Kevin Williams and nose tackle Pat Williams no relation 73 With the addition of sack leader Jared Allen in 2008 the dominant front four began being called by several nicknames including Thunder and Plunder and Shock and AWE an acronym of their surname initials 74 2009 Brett Favre played for the Vikings in 2009 and 2010 On August 18 2009 after months of speculation and negotiations twice retired veteran quarterback Brett Favre who until 2007 had played 16 years for division archrival Green Bay Packers signed a two year 25 million deal with the Vikings On October 5 2009 the Vikings hosted the Green Bay Packers as Favre played his former team for the first time With a 30 23 victory on Monday Night Football the Vikings moved to a 4 0 record 75 Favre became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 current teams as a starter Over 21 8 million viewers tuned in to watch the game beating the previous record for a cable television program set by a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys in 2008 18 6 million viewers 76 The Vikings beat the New York Giants 44 7 in Week 17 to help the team clinch the second seed in the conference and a first round bye with an Eagles loss later that same day 75 The Vikings ended the regular season with a 12 4 record their best record since 2000 and the first 11 plus win season since their record setting 1998 campaign 75 The Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round on January 17 2010 and won the game by a score of 34 3 advancing the Vikings to the NFC Championship game the ninth in franchise history This would also be the first NFC Championship game for the team since the 2000 season Minnesota would travel to New Orleans the following week to face the top seeded Saints in the first conference championship game held at the Superdome Despite out gaining the Saints on offense by nearly a twofold margin the Vikings were severely hindered by five turnovers including a Favre interception in the final minute of the fourth quarter in Saints territory They were ousted in overtime 31 28 as the Saints won the coin toss and kicked a 40 yard field goal on the first possession of overtime note 1 2010s The Vikings performed similarly in the 2010s only making the playoffs four times and going 2 4 in those games Additionally there was inconsistency at the quarterback position with thirteen quarterbacks starting at least one game for the team during this decade Despite their performance the team performed better in the regular season overall after the 2013 season including an NFC Championship appearance in 2017 2010 2013 In the first week of the 2010 NFL regular season the Vikings played the defending Super Bowl champions the New Orleans Saints The Vikings lost 14 9 77 In Week 2 the Vikings played the Miami Dolphins and lost 14 10 The Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions 24 10 in the third week of the season After a week four bye week the Vikings received star wide receiver Randy Moss in a trade with the New England Patriots Even with the addition of Moss the Vikings lost to the New York Jets 29 20 in Week 5 The Vikings won a crucial victory against another struggling team in the form of the Dallas Cowboys 24 21 but in Week 7 the Vikings lost to the arch rival Green Bay Packers 28 24 In Week 9 the Vikings played the Arizona Cardinals at home and won 27 24 in overtime coming back from a 24 10 deficit in the final four minutes of regulation Favre threw for a career high 446 passing yards 78 The Vikings then went on to face the Chicago Bears but were defeated and then went on to be blown out 31 3 at home by the Packers the following game Head coach Brad Childress was fired the following Monday 79 With Leslie Frazier filling in for the fired Childress the Vikings won two games in a row One against the Washington Redskins on the road and a blowout win over the Buffalo Bills at home 80 Defensive end Jared Allen played for the Vikings from 2008 to 2013 After a winter storm dropped nearly 17 inches 430 mm of snow in the Minneapolis St Paul area the Saturday before the Vikings December 12 home game versus the New York Giants and 30 mph 48 km h gusts drove snow removers off the dome s roof overnight several panels were damaged as the weight of the snow caused the roof to collapse After viewing the damage Vikings management and the NFL decided to move the game to Monday and play it at Ford Field in Detroit Michigan 81 Because of ongoing repairs to the roof of the Metrodome the Vikings played their December 20 game versus the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium 82 Favre threw the final touchdown pass of his career to Percy Harvin in this game The game was played 29 years to the day after the last outdoor game at old Met Stadium On December 26 the NFL announced that the game versus the Philadelphia Eagles was being postponed to Tuesday December 28 2010 because of blizzard conditions 83 This marks the third consecutive venue or date change for a Vikings game and was the first NFL game played on a Tuesday since 1964 84 The Vikings proceeded to upset the dynamic Eagles offense led by a resurgent Michael Vick 24 14 with rookie Joe Webb at the helm 85 The Vikings finished the season 6 10 with a 20 13 loss against the Detroit Lions 77 The 2010 11 season was a step down for the Minnesota Vikings After coming within a few plays of Super Bowl XLIV Minnesota ended the 2010 season with a 6 10 record and a last place finish in the NFC North for the first time since 1990 86 During the season the Vikings had many distractions including trading for Randy Moss and then waiving him only a month later 87 Brett Favre s NFL investigation for allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to Jets employee Jenn Sterger while he was with the team in 2008 88 the Metrodome s collapse and resulting venue changes 89 and finally head coach Brad Childress firing on November 22 following a 31 3 loss at the hands of the rival Green Bay Packers 77 After serving as the interim head coach for the final six games of the season finishing with a 3 3 record defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was officially named the head coach on January 3 2011 after signing a three year contract On January 17 Brett Favre retired for the third and officially last time leaving the team in search of a long term replacement at the quarterback position Wasting no time after being appointed head coach Frazier began to restructure the team s coaching staff including letting go of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and hiring Mike Singletary as linebackers coach and Bill Musgrave as the new offensive coordinator Their first round draft pick was Christian Ponder a quarterback from Florida State University The team finished with a 3 13 record tied with the 1984 Vikings for the second worst record in franchise history In 2012 Adrian Peterson rushed for 2 097 yards 8 yards short of Eric Dickerson s single season record During the 2012 NFL Draft the team selected USC lineman Matt Kalil with the 4th overall pick after a trade with the Cleveland Browns 90 and Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith in the first round 91 92 Both players were instrumental in helping the Vikings reach the playoffs for the 27th time in franchise history 93 as was fellow draftee sixth round kicker Blair Walsh 94 After beating the Packers in the final game of 2012 to reach the playoffs as the NFC s sixth seed the Vikings lost 24 10 to the Packers in the rematch at Lambeau Field in the Wild Card round 95 The team was forced to play backup Joe Webb during the game after Ponder was sidelined due to an arm injury sustained from the previous week 96 Peterson was later named the league s MVP after rushing for 2 097 yards 97 the second most rushing yards in a season in NFL history 98 In the 2013 season the Vikings finished with five wins ten losses and one tie with no road wins Notable moments include acquired free agent Matt Cassel outplaying Christian Ponder at the quarterback position and the defense allowing a league worst 480 points coming within four points of matching the franchise s worst set in 1984 This was also the last season played at the Metrodome as a new stadium deal was reached Leslie Frazier was fired after the regular season ended 2014 2019 The Vikings moved to U S Bank Stadium in 2016 The team hired former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to replace Leslie Frazier as head coach on January 16 2014 99 Former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner replaced Bill Musgrave 100 and George Edwards replaced Alan Williams as defensive coordinator In the 2014 NFL Draft the Vikings selected Anthony Barr a linebacker out of UCLA and Teddy Bridgewater a quarterback out of the University of Louisville Bridgewater would later lose the starting job to Matt Cassel 101 only to become the starter for the Vikings when Cassel was lost to a season ending foot injury in week 3 Star running back Adrian Peterson only played in one regular season game due to his ongoing child abuse trial with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell placing Peterson on the Commissioner s Exempt List indefinitely On April 16 2015 the league released a statement issuing Peterson s reinstatement to occur on April 17 2015 102 The Vikings concluded their season with seven wins and nine losses winning only one game against a divisional opponent although Bridgewater set a franchise record for wins by a rookie starting quarterback On January 3 2016 the Vikings beat divisional rival Green Bay 20 13 to win the NFC North for the first time since 2009 The Vikings led by their top 5 defense ended the 2015 season with an 11 5 record and a 3 seed in the playoffs However they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 10 9 after Blair Walsh missed a 27 yard field goal in the third coldest game in NFL playoff history The Vikings were responsible for a historic milestone in the late rounds of the 2016 NFL draft Their sixth round selection German wide receiver Moritz Bohringer was the first European player ever to be drafted by an NFL team without having previously played at any level in North America 103 After Teddy Bridgewater went down with a knee injury in the preseason of 2016 the Vikings traded their 2017 first round pick and a conditional fourth round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Sam Bradford who threw for 20 touchdowns 5 interceptions 3 877 yards and while starting the season a league best 5 0 completed the season 3 8 for a season total of 8 8 104 Following the knee injury the Vikings declined to pick up the fifth year option on Bridgewater Running back Adrian Peterson went down to injury in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers with a torn meniscus and was placed on the Injured Reserve until Week 15 On February 28 2017 the Vikings announced they would not exercise Peterson s 2017 contract option which made him a free agent Had they exercised the option Peterson would be owed 18 million for the 2017 season 105 On April 25 2017 the New Orleans Saints signed Peterson to a 2 year 7 million contract ending his tenure with the Vikings since his debut in 2007 as a rookie 106 He holds several Vikings records including most career rushing touchdowns career rushing yards and most rushing yards in a season 107 In the summer of 2017 the Vikings ownership announced they would end the 52 year annual tradition of summer training camp in Mankato at Minnesota State University Mankato as they built a large new headquarters building training facility and area property development in Eagan on the site of the former Northwest Airlines offices completed in the spring of 2018 in time for the 2018 summer training camp that July 108 109 The Vikings won the NFC North for the second time in three years in 2017 finishing with a 13 3 record that saw them go into the playoffs as the number 2 seed in the NFC In the divisional round they came up against the New Orleans Saints With less than 10 seconds remaining in the game and trailing by a single point the Vikings lined up on 3rd and 10 on their own 39 yard line Quarterback Case Keenum threw the ball to wide receiver Stefon Diggs inside field goal range near the right sideline giving the receiver a chance to get out of bounds with just enough time for a game winning field goal attempt however safety Marcus Williams missed his attempted tackle allowing Diggs to run down the sideline unopposed for the first walk off game winning touchdown in NFL playoff history 110 On KFAN 100 3 radio announcer Paul Allen called the play the Minneapolis Miracle 111 112 The Vikings went on to the NFC Championship for the opportunity to play in Super Bowl LII in their own stadium only to lose 38 7 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles On March 15 2018 quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a three year fully guaranteed 84 million contract with the Vikings 113 The signing made Cousins the highest paid football player at the time 114 On September 22 2019 the Vikings defeated the Oakland Raiders for their 500th win as a franchise with an overall record of 500 427 11 at that point 115 The team finished the 2019 season at 10 6 clinching a wild card spot The Vikings went on to pull an upset victory in the wild card round against the New Orleans Saints 26 20 in overtime The victory advanced the team to the divisional round where they lost to the eventual NFC Champions San Francisco 49ers 10 27 2020s The Vikings recorded two straight losing seasons in 2020 and 2021 2020 2021 After falling to the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Day the Minnesota Vikings were eliminated from the 2020 playoffs 116 117 The Vikings finished 7 9 in 2020 the first losing season since 2014 and only the second under Zimmer In 2021 the Vikings missed the playoffs for the second straight season after a 37 10 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17 After a 31 17 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 18 to finish the season 8 9 the team fired head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on January 10 2022 118 2022 On January 26 2022 the Vikings hired Kwesi Adofo Mensah former Vice President of Football Operations at the Cleveland Browns and Director of R amp D at the San Francisco 49ers to be the team s new General Manager 119 After the Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI on February 13 2022 the Vikings subsequently named then Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O Connell as their franchise s 10th head coach on February 16 120 The Vikings finished the regular season as NFC North champions with a 13 4 record 121 They also set an NFL record by winning eleven one score games the most in any NFL season 122 The Vikings entered the playoffs as the number three seed in the NFC but lost in the wild card round to the New York Giants 31 24 123 Logo and uniformsThe Vikings trademark horned helmet and purple and gold uniforms were designed by Los Angeles Examiner cartoonist Karl Hubenthal Bert Rose and Norm Van Brocklin both knew Hubenthal from their days with the Los Angeles Rams organization Hubenthal also designed the original Norseman logo 124 From the team s debut in 1961 to 1995 the Vikings logos and uniforms essentially remained the same Reflecting Minnesota s Scandinavian cultural heritage one of the team s two primary logos consists of a profile of a blond Norseman while the other consists of a white Viking horn 125 Minnesota Vikings wordmark 1982 2003 The team s helmet is purple with a Viking horn logo on each side 126 Each horn is outlined in gold The horn logo was slightly revised in 2006 The original uniform design consisted of white pants gold trim and either purple or white jerseys On the jersey s sleeves was the Northwestern stripe pattern in white with gold trim For the white uniform the stripes were purple with gold trim as well From 1962 to 1964 the Vikings wore purple pants with their white jerseys The Vikings with their current uniform still wear purple pants with yellow and white trim In 1969 the design for the white uniforms had changed to a completely different stripe pattern which was over the shoulders then the purple ones which were around the sleeve cuff These unique shoulder stripes were first worn in 1969 the year they went to their first Super Bowl There have also been minor changes to the uniform design throughout the years such as changing the color of the face mask from gray to white in 1980 and then to purple in 1985 In addition the Norseman logo was added to the sleeves in 1996 and the purple jersey stripes were toned down with that change the TV numbers previously located on the jersey sleeves moved up to the shoulders as well that year The Vikings continued to wear black shoes until Les Steckel became head coach in 1984 they were the last NFL team to make the change from black to white shoes In 2006 the team returned to black shoes for the first time since the 1983 season 127 128 The Vikings tweaked their Norseman logo which involved updating the shading altering the shape and base of the horns thickening the mustache and face making the gold tones brighter and shortening the braid The new logo was unveiled on February 14 2013 129 130 On March 28 the team reported that new uniforms will be unveiled on April 25 131 On April 25 2013 the Minnesota Vikings unveiled the club s new uniforms during its annual NFL Draft party 132 From 1969 through 1973 the Vikings had an alternate purple jersey without stripes for warm weather games 127 128 The team s uniforms were redesigned in 2006 the first significant change in the franchise s 46 year history Although the team colors remained the same trim lines were added to the outside shoulders and sleeves and the sides of the jerseys and pants In addition the horn on the helmet was slightly more defined Included in the new design are both white and purple pants the purple pants have not been regularly used since 2007 but resurfaced twice in 2010 127 The team wore black armbands for the last four games in 1978 in memory of Jack Jocko Nelson an assistant coach who died during the season In 1985 the team wore a 25 years patch on their jerseys In 1989 they wore a 40 for 60 patch honoring the 1969 NFL championship team They wore a 35 years patch in 1995 40 years in 2000 and 45 years in 2005 They also wore patches in 1999 for assistant coach Chip Myers who died in the offseason and in 2001 for Korey Stringer The Vikings like other teams wore NFL 50th and 75th anniversary patches in 1969 and 1994 133 They also wore TS decals on their helmets in memory of Tony Sparano in the 2018 NFL season their offensive line coach who died before the season started On December 24 2022 in a Week 16 game against the New York Giants the Vikings wore all white uniforms at home in the regular season for the first time As part of the Winter Whiteout event the team painted its logo and end zones white with purple accents and encouraged fans at the stadium to wear white 134 All purple uniforms On October 11 1964 for a home game against the Detroit Lions the Vikings decided to wear their road uniform of white jerseys and purple pants however the Lions mistakenly only brought their white jerseys to Minnesota The game began with both teams wearing white but it proved too confusing and ahead of the second quarter the Vikings changed into their purple jerseys however they did not change their pants resulting in the first time the Vikings wore all purple for a game 135 It was not until 43 years later on December 17 2007 a Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears that the Vikings again wore both purple jerseys and purple pants the first time they wore all purple intentionally They repeated this three years later the wearing all purple for the November 7 2010 home game against the Arizona Cardinals 136 The NFL introduced Color Rush uniforms for all 32 teams in the 2016 season specifically for Thursday Night Football games The Vikings had an all purple uniform with gold numbers and stripes on the pants which made its only appearance as a Color Rush uniform in Week 13 at home against the Dallas Cowboys After the program was discontinued in 2018 these uniforms have become the team s primary alternate and are now known under the name Primetime Purple however the Vikings only wear these uniforms during home Thursday Night games They wore the uniforms under the Primetime Purple name for the first time during a game against the Washington Redskins in 2019 In the team s Wild Card game against the New Orleans Saints during the 2019 season the Vikings wore all purple again however instead of the regular alternates they wore the regular home uniforms with the away purple pants 137 Following the Vikings win in this game they have worn this combination in two subsequent games against the Saints which took place in 2020 and 2022 In 2020 despite the Vikings not having a Thursday Night game scheduled the Primetime Purple uniforms made an appearance for a late afternoon game against the Cowboys The following season they were worn again for a Thursday Night home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers The most recent appearance for these uniforms came during a Thanksgiving Day game against the New England Patriots in 2022 Team cultureMascots After several failed attempts at developing an official team owned mascot the Vikings finally introduced Viktor the Viking during the 2007 Vikings season 138 Team officials had long indicated that they were after a mascot concept that would primarily appeal to the team s younger fan base 139 Viktor the Viking a muscle bound blond haired and mustachioed character wears a Vikings 1 jersey and an oversized Vikings helmet with protruding horns and a small yellow nose guard From 1970 to 1992 truck driver Hub Meeds dressed as a Viking and served as the team mascot 140 141 Meeds asked to become the mascot after being accidentally let onto the field by security during Super Bowl IV in New Orleans 142 From 1994 to 2015 the team mascot was Ragnar played by Joseph Juranitch and was based on the legendary Viking Ragnar Lodbrok 143 Juranitch admits to being somewhat of an eccentric he holds the current world record for fastest time shaving a beard with an axe 144 but hasn t shaved his beard since he won the Ragnar job among 3 000 applicants 145 Ragnar drove onto the field at the beginning of a game dressed in Viking garb on a motorcycle 144 145 while a cheerleader used to ride a snowmobile Although never one to shy away from confrontations with opposing players notably Chad Ochocinco Johnson 146 147 he had a soft spot for Brett Favre while the quarterback started for the rival Green Bay Packers 148 In 2015 the Vikings announced that they were not able to reach a new contract agreement with Juranitch which he wanted 20 000 per game 149 and released him 150 151 Another mascot associated with the Vikings was Vikadontis Rex a purple foam dinosaur 152 Vikadontis was the official mascot of the Minnesota Vikings Children s Fund and took part in the 1995 Celebrity Mascot Olympics Vikadontis was retired starting with the 2000 season The team also had an NFL Huddles mascot in the mid 1980s somewhat similar to Viktor the Viking Krazy George Henderson was also employed as a cheerleader from 1982 to 1985 153 Fight song Further information Skol Vikings Skol Vikings is the fight song of the Minnesota Vikings 154 It was introduced around the time the team was founded in 1961 It is always played whenever the team scores a touchdown field goal or safety at the end of each half and upon victory The song Purple and Gold was recorded in 2010 by Minneapolis native Prince to be used as a fight song for the Minnesota Vikings 155 Rivalries Further information Bears Vikings rivalry Lions Vikings rivalry and Packers Vikings rivalry The Vikings have rivalries with all three of the other NFC North teams but due to geographic and cultural proximity their foremost rival is the Green Bay Packers Some sources cite this rivalry as the biggest overall in the NFC North apart from the Packers Bears rivalry which dates back several more decades to 1920 156 Further information Saints Vikings rivalry Cowboys Vikings rivalry and Rams Vikings rivalry The Vikings have developed a heated NFC rivalry with the New Orleans Saints who have become known as the Vikings biggest out of division rival The Vikings lead the overall series 23 13 including 4 1 in the playoffs This rivalry has featured many notable playoff matchups such as the 2009 NFC Championship Game and the 2017 NFC Divisional Round game The Vikings also share historical rivalries with the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams both of which became hottest in the 1970s The Cowboys and Rams are tied for the most played playoff opponent for the Vikings with seven playoff games played in each series The Vikings trail their series with Dallas 18 15 overall and have lost four out of seven playoff meetings but lead their series with the Rams 27 18 2 overall and have won five out of seven playoff meetings Helga hats Vikings fans are known to dress up in Helga hats purple hats with white horns and blonde braids mimicking the helmets popularly believed to have been worn by Viking warriors The original Helga Hats are still hand assembled in the Twin Cities area 157 Vikings horn The gjallarhorn at U S Bank Stadium During home games the Vikings Gjallarhorn is played during its pre game ceremonies a tradition that started in 2007 The ceremony has been an opportunity to honor past Viking greats most notably Randy Moss along with Minnesota related folks such as the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs men s ice hockey team when they won the NCAA hockey championship The first horn broke right before the playing of the 2016 playoff game in Minnesota versus the Seattle Seahawks owing to below zero temperatures at the time the Vikings were playing at Huntington Bank Stadium an outdoor stadium that cracked it Both the first and second horns were created by Todd Johnson a general manager at a music store 158 159 Skol Chant The Skol Chant is a cheer that is used in U S Bank Stadium for Minnesota Vikings games It involves fans clapping their hands above their heads and yelling Skol in response to the beat of a drum 160 The chant is a modified take on the Viking War Cry used at the Iceland national football team s games and popularized by Iceland supporters at UEFA Euro 2016 161 Skol written skal in Danish Norwegian and Swedish and skal in Faroese and Icelandic or skaal in archaic spellings or transliteration of any of those languages is the Danish Norwegian Swedish word for cheers or good health a salute or a toast as to an admired person or group PlayersSee also Minnesota Vikings all time statistical leaders Current roster Minnesota Vikings rosterviewtalkedit Quarterbacks 8 Kirk CousinsRunning backs 32 Ty Chandler 4 Dalvin Cook 30 C J Ham FB 26 Kene NwangwuWide receivers 89 Thomas Hennigan 18 Justin Jefferson 83 Jalen Nailor 17 K J Osborn 5 Jalen Reagor 19 Adam ThielenTight ends 87 T J Hockenson 86 Johnny Mundt Offensive linemen 64 Blake Brandel T 72 Ezra Cleveland G 71 Christian Darrisaw T 67 Ed Ingram G 63 Vederian Lowe T 75 Brian O Neill T 62 Chris Reed GDefensive linemen 96 Ross Blacklock DE 92 James Lynch DE 90 Esezi Otomewo DE 97 Harrison Phillips NT 95 Khyiris Tonga NT Linebackers 33 Brian Asamoah ILB 45 Troy Dye ILB 58 Jordan Hicks ILB 99 Danielle Hunter OLB 91 Patrick Jones II OLB 47 William Kwenkeu ILB 55 Za Darius Smith OLB 43 Luiji Vilain OLB 98 D J Wonnum OLBDefensive backs 27 Kalon Barnes CB 23 Andrew Booth Jr CB 24 Camryn Bynum FS 6 Lewis Cine FS 3 Cameron Dantzler CB 21 Akayleb Evans CB 25 Theo Jackson SS 44 Josh Metellus SS 22 Harrison Smith SSSpecial teams 14 Ryan Wright P Reserve lists 52 Sheldon Day DE Futures 31 Tay Gowan CB Futures 9 Trishton Jackson WR Futures 34 Nick Muse TE Futures 13 Blake Proehl WR Futures 50 T J Smith NT Futures 60 Josh Sokol C Futures Curtis Weaver OLB Futures 51 Benton Whitley OLB Futures Unrestricted FAs 29 Kris Boyd CB 56 Garrett Bradbury C 93 Jonathan Bullard DE 42 Andrew DePaola LS 81 Bisi Johnson WR 1 Greg Joseph K 2 Alexander Mattison RB 12 Nick Mullens QB 7 Patrick Peterson CB 65 Austin Schlottmann C 20 Duke Shelley CB 84 Irv Smith Jr TE 39 Chandon Sullivan CB 94 Dalvin Tomlinson DE 74 Oli Udoh TRestricted FAs 82 Ben Ellefson TE 79 Kenny Willekes DERookies in italicsRoster updated March 6 2023 Depth chartTransactions 44 active 9 inactive 17 free agent s AFC rosters NFC rostersRetired numbers Minnesota Vikings retired numbersNo Player Position Tenure Retired10 Fran Tarkenton QB 1961 19661972 1978 October 7 197953 Mick Tingelhoff C 1962 1978 November 25 200170 Jim Marshall DE 1961 1979 November 28 199977 Korey Stringer OT 1995 2000 November 19 200180 Cris Carter WR 1990 2001 September 14 200388 Alan Page DT 1967 1978 September 25 1988 PosthumousPro Football Hall of Famers Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famers 162 PlayersNo Name Position s Tenure Inducted1 Warren Moon QB 1994 1996 20063 Jan Stenerud K 1984 1985 19914 Brett Favre QB 2009 2010 20167 Morten Andersen K 2004 201710 Fran Tarkenton QB 1961 19661972 1978 198622 Paul Krause S 1968 1979 199839 Hugh McElhenny RB 1961 1962 197044 Dave Casper TE 1983 200253 Mick Tingelhoff C 1962 1978 201556 Chris Doleman DE 1985 1993 1999 201258 Jim Langer C 1980 1981 198764 Randall McDaniel G 1988 1999 200965 Gary Zimmerman OT 1986 1992 200873 Ron Yary OT 1968 1981 200176 Steve Hutchinson G 2006 2011 202080 Cris Carter WR 1990 2001 201381 Carl Eller DE 1964 1978 200484 Randy Moss WR 1998 2004 2010 201888 Alan Page DT 1967 1978 198893 John Randle DT 1990 2000 2010Coaches and ExecutivesName Position s Tenure InductedJim Finks GM 1964 1973 1995Bud Grant HC 1967 1983 1985 1994Italics played only a minor portion of their career with the Vikings and are recognized primarily based upon achievements with other teams Ring of Honor Elected to the Pro Football Hall of FameMinnesota Vikings Ring of Honor 163 PlayersNo Name Position s Tenure Inducted10 Fran Tarkenton QB 1961 19661972 1978 September 9 199822 Paul Krause S 1968 1979 November 15 199828 Ahmad Rashad WR 1976 1982 October 1 201730 Bill Brown RB 1962 1974 September 26 200444 Chuck Foreman RB 1973 1979 September 30 200747 Joey Browner S 1983 1991 October 27 201353 Mick Tingelhoff C 1962 1978 November 25 200155 Scott Studwell LB 1977 1990 November 29 200956 Chris Doleman DE 1985 1993 1999 October 23 2011 164 59 Matt Blair LB 1974 1985 October 25 2012 165 64 Randall McDaniel G 1988 1999 December 17 200669 Jared Allen DE 2008 2013 October 30 2022 166 70 Jim Marshall DE 1961 1979 November 28 199973 Ron Yary OT 1968 1981 September 9 200177 Korey Stringer OT 1995 2000 November 19 200180 Cris Carter WR 1990 2001 September 14 200381 Carl Eller DE 1964 1978 November 10 200283 Steve Jordan TE 1982 1994 October 24 2019 167 84 Randy Moss WR 1998 2004 2010 September 11 2017 168 88 Alan Page DT 1967 1978 September 20 199893 John Randle DT 1990 2000 November 30 200893 Kevin Williams DT 2003 2013 October 3 2021Coaches and ExecutivesName Position s Tenure InductedJerry Burns HC 1986 1991 November 6 2005Jim Finks GM 1964 1973 October 18 1998Bud Grant HC 1967 1983 1985 November 8 1998Dennis Green HC 1992 2001 September 23 2018Fred Zamberletti Medical adviser 1961 2011 December 20 199825th Anniversary Team 1985 Fran Tarkenton QB 10 Bill Brown RB 30 Chuck Foreman RB 44 Ahmad Rashad WR 28 Sammy White WR 85 Stu Voigt TE 83 Ron Yary T 73 Grady Alderman T 67 Ed White G 62 Milt Sunde G 64 Mick Tingelhoff C 53 Jim Marshall DE 70 Alan Page DT 88 Gary Larsen DT 77 Carl Eller DE 81 Matt Blair OLB 59 Scott Studwell ILB 55 Jeff Siemon ILB 50 Roy Winston OLB 60 Bobby Bryant CB 20 Ed Sharockman CB 45 Paul Krause S 22 Karl Kassulke S 29 Fred Cox K 14 Greg Coleman P 8 Bud Grant HC 40th Anniversary Team 2000 Fran Tarkenton QB 10 Chuck Foreman RB 44 Robert Smith RB 26 Ahmad Rashad WR 28 Cris Carter WR 80 Steve Jordan TE 83 Ron Yary OT 73 Randall McDaniel OG 64 Mick Tingelhoff C 53 Ed White OG 62 Tim Irwin OT 76 Jim Marshall DE 70 Alan Page DT 88 John Randle DT 93 Carl Eller DE 81 Matt Blair LB 59 Scott Studwell LB 55 Jeff Siemon LB 50 Bobby Bryant CB 20 Carl Lee CB 39 Paul Krause S 22 Joey Browner S 47 Greg Coleman P 8 Fred Cox K 14 Darrin Nelson KR 20 Bill Brown ST 30 50 Greatest Vikings 2010 In connection with the team s 50th anniversary the Vikings announced a group of 50 top players on December 19 2010 169 Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Grady Alderman OT 67 Jared Allen DE 69 Matt Birk C 75 78 Matt Blair LB 59 Bill Brown RB 30 Joey Browner S 47 Bobby Bryant CB 20 Anthony Carter WR 81 Cris Carter WR 80 Fred Cox K 14 Daunte Culpepper QB 11 Chris Doleman DE LB 56 Carl Eller DE 81 Chuck Foreman RB 44 John Gilliam WR 42 Bud Grant Coach Wally Hilgenberg LB 58 Steve Hutchinson G 76 Tim Irwin OT 76 Steve Jordan TE 83 Tommy Kramer QB 9 Paul Krause S 22 Gary Larsen DT 77 Carl Lee CB 39 Jim Marshall DE 70 Randall McDaniel G 64 Keith Millard DT 75 Randy Moss WR 84 Dave Osborn RB 41 Alan Page DT 88 Adrian Peterson RB 28 John Randle DT 93 Ahmad Rashad WR 28 Ed Sharockman CB 45 Jeff Siemon LB 50 Robert Smith RB 20 26 Scott Studwell LB 55 Doug Sutherland DT 69 Fran Tarkenton QB 10 Henry Thomas DT 97 Mick Tingelhoff C 53 Stu Voigt TE 83 Gene Washington WR 84 Ed White G 62 Sammy White WR 85 Kevin Williams DT 93 Antoine Winfield CB 26 Roy Winston LB 60 Ron Yary OT 73 Gary Zimmerman OT 65 All Mall of America Field Team 2013 In 2013 in recognition of their final season at the Metrodome the Vikings organized a fan vote to determine the best players at each position to play for the team in their time at the stadium They named 12 players on offense 11 on defense four special teams players and a head coach 170 Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Offense QB 11 Daunte Culpepper 1999 2005 RB 28 Adrian Peterson 2007 2013 RB 26 Robert Smith 1993 2000 WR 81 Anthony Carter 1985 1993 WR 80 Cris Carter 1990 2001 WR 84 Randy Moss 1998 2004 2010 TE 83 Steve Jordan 1982 1994 OT 76 Tim Irwin 1981 1993 OT 65 Gary Zimmerman 1986 1992 OG 76 Steve Hutchinson 2006 2011 OG 64 Randall McDaniel 1988 1999 C 78 Matt Birk 1998 2008 Defense DE 69 Jared Allen 2008 2013 DE 56 Chris Doleman 1985 1993 1999 DT 93 John Randle 1990 2000 DT 93 Kevin Williams 2003 2013 LB 52 Chad Greenway 2006 2013 LB 58 Ed McDaniel 1992 2001 LB 55 Scott Studwell 1977 1990 CB 39 Carl Lee 1983 1993 CB 26 Antoine Winfield 2004 2012 S 24 Robert Griffith 1994 2001 S 47 Joey Browner 1983 1991 Special teams K 8 Ryan Longwell 2006 2011 P 5 4 Chris Kluwe 2005 2012 KR 12 Percy Harvin WR 2009 2012 ST 81 Chris Walsh WR 1994 2002 Head coach HC Dennis Green 1992 2001CoachesHead coaches Main article List of Minnesota Vikings head coaches Name Years Won Lost Ties Winning PostseasonNorm Van Brocklin 1961 1966 29 51 4 345 Bud Grant 1967 1983 151 87 5 621 1968 71 1973 78 1980 1982Les Steckel 1984 3 13 0 188 Bud Grant 1985 7 9 0 438 Jerry Burns 1986 1991 52 43 0 547 1987 89Dennis Green 1992 2001 97 62 0 610 1992 94 1996 2000Mike Tice 2001 2005 32 33 0 492 2004Brad Childress 2006 2010 39 35 0 527 2008 2009Leslie Frazier 2010 2013 21 32 1 398 2012Mike Zimmer 2014 2021 72 56 1 562 2015 2017 2019Kevin O Connell 2022 present 13 4 0 765 2022Total 516 425 11 548 31Current staff Minnesota Vikings staffvte Front officeOwner chairman Zygi Wilf Owner president Mark Wilf Owner vice chairman Leonard Wilf Chief operating officer Andrew Miller General manager Kwesi Adofo Mensah Executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski Senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson Vice president of football operations Demitrius Washington Director of player personnel Ryan Monnens Assistant director of player personnel Chisolm Opara Director of pro personnel Chris Blanco Director of college scouting Mike Sholiton Assistant director of college scouting Pat Roberts Director of football quantitative methods Scott Kuhn Senior personnel executive Jamaal Stephenson Consultant Bud GrantHead coachesHead coach Kevin O Connell Assistant head coach Mike PettineOffensive coachesOffensive coordinator Wes Phillips Quarterbacks Chris O Hara Assistant quarterbacks Grant Udinski Running backs run game coordinator Curtis Modkins Wide receivers Keenan McCardell Assistant wide receivers Tony Sorrentino Tight ends passing game coordinator Brian Angelichio Offensive line Chris Kuper Assistant offensive line Justin Rascati Pass game specialist game management coordinator Ryan Cordell Offensive quality control Derron Montgomery Defensive coachesDefensive coordinator Brian Flores Defensive line Chris Rumph Assistant defensive line Patrick Hill Outside linebackers pass rush specialist Mike Smith Inside linebackers Mike Siravo Defensive backs Daronte Jones Assistant defensive backs safeties Roy Anderson Defensive quality control Lance BennettSpecial teams coachesSpecial teams coordinator Matt Daniels Assistant special teams Dalmin GibsonStrength and conditioningDirector of player performance Josh Hingst Assistant director of player performance Derik Keyes Assistant player performance Marquis Johnson Coaching staff Management More NFL staffsRadio and television Map of radio affiliates The Vikings flagship radio station is KFXN FM 100 3 which uses the branding KFAN based on its former calls on 1130 AM before a format flip between the AM and FM stations before the 2011 season 1130 AM also continues to broadcast game play by play as KTLK The games are also heard on the KFAN Radio Network in Minnesota Wisconsin Iowa South Dakota and North Dakota as well as many other outlets Paul Allen has been the play by play announcer since the 2002 NFL season with Pete Bercich filling in as analyst who began his first season in 2007 171 Telecasts of preseason games not shown on national networks are aired on KMSP Channel 9 in the Twin Cities with a simulcast of KFAN s radio broadcast while Fox Sports North shows a tape delay later 172 Radio affiliates Minnesota City Call sign FrequencyAitkin KKIN FM 94 3 FMAlbert Lea KQPR 96 1 FMAlexandria KIKV 100 7 FMBemidji KBUN 1450 AMKBHP 101 1 FMBenson KSCR 93 5 FMBlue Earth KBEW 98 1 FMBrainerd KBLB 93 3 FMCrookston KROX 1260 AMDassel KARP 106 9 FMDetroit Lakes KBOT 104 1 FMKDLM 1340 AMDuluth KJOQ 1490 AMKQDS 94 9 FMEly WELY 1450 AMWELY 94 5 FMEveleth KRBT 1340 AMFergus Falls KBRF 1250 AMFrazee KDLB 94 5 FMGrand Marais WFNX 95 3 FMGrand Rapids KMFY 96 9 FMHibbing WNMT 650 AMInternational Falls KSDM 104 1 FMJackson KUXX 105 7 FMMankato KFSP 1230 AMKNUJ 105 9 FMKXLP 94 1 FMMarshall KARL 105 1 FMMorris KKOK 95 7 FMNew Ulm KNUJ 107 3 FMPine City WCMP 100 9 FMRochester KFAN 1270 AMKRCH 101 7 FMRoseau KCAJ 102 1 FMSt Cloud WJON 1240 AMSpring Grove KQYB 98 3 FMThief River Falls KTRF 1230 AMTwin Cities KFXN 100 3 FMKTLK 1130 AMWadena KSKK 1070 AMWaseca KFOW 1170 AMWillmar KWLM 1340 AMK242CF 96 3 FMWinona KWNO 1230 AMWorthington KWOA 730 AM Iowa City Call sign FrequencyDes Moines KXNO 1460 AMSioux City KMNS 620 AMSpencer KICD 1240 AMK252EX 98 3 FMMason City KLKK 103 7 FMNorth Dakota City Call sign FrequencyBismarck KXMR 710 AMCarrington KDAK 1600 AMDevils Lake KDLR 1240 AMDickinson KLTC 1460 AMFargo KFGO 790 AMKFGO 104 7 FMGrand Forks KKXL 1440 AMJamestown KQDJ 1400 AMK246AM 97 1 FMMinot KRRZ 1390 AMOakes KDDR 1220 AMK240CJ 95 9 FMValley City KOVC 1490 AMWilliston KEYZ 660 AMSouth Dakota City Call sign FrequencyAberdeen KGIM 1420 AMK296FW 107 1 FMMilbank KMSD 1510 AMK252FB 98 3 FMMobridge KMLO 100 7 FMPierre KPLO 94 5 FMSioux Falls KWSN 1230 AMK251BH 98 1 FMSisseton KBWS 102 9 FMWatertown KPHR 106 3 FMYankton WNAX 570 AMK260BO 99 9 FMWisconsin City Call sign FrequencyAmery WZEZ 104 9 FMEau Claire WMEQ 880 AMW292EG 106 3 FMHayward WHSM 101 1 FMRice Lake WKFX 99 1 FM Source 173 See alsoPro Football Hall of Fame List of Minnesota Vikings seasons List of Minnesota Vikings starting quarterbacks List of Minnesota Vikings head coaches List of Minnesota Vikings first round draft picks Minnesota Vikings draft history List of Minnesota Vikings broadcastersNotes Does not include the AFL or NFL championships won during the same seasons as the AFL NFL Super Bowl Championships prior to the 1970 AFL NFL merger As of the end of the 2021 season Due in part to this outcome during the subsequent off season the NFL rules committee adjusted the overtime rules for the 2010 postseason and in 2011 for both regular season and postseason games The new rules state that unless the first possession of overtime ends in a touchdown or safety both teams must have the opportunity to possess the ball Under the new rules the Vikings would have had an opportunity to possess the ball after the Saints kicked a field goal on the overtime s first possession in the NFC Championship 75 References a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Vikings History Timeline Vikings com Minnesota Vikings Football Archived from the original on August 16 2019 Retrieved September 28 2018 Contact Us Vikings com Retrieved November 1 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Vikings Uniforms Unveiled PDF 2013 Minnesota Vikings Team Guide PDF Minnesota Vikings Public Relations Department July 24 2013 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original on April 18 2018 Retrieved September 23 2011 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Minnesota Vikings Official website Minnesota Vikings at the National Football League official website Portals American football United States Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Minnesota Vikings amp oldid 1142069480, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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