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{{NFL team | name = Minnesota Vikings
'''Saint Blaise''' can refer to:
| logo = MinnesotaVikings_100.png
| founded = 1961
| city = Minneapolis, Minnesota
| colors = Purple, Gold, and White
| coach = [[Brad Childress]]
| owner = [[Zygi Wilf]]
| mascot = Ragnar and Vikadontis Rex
| song = [[Skol, Vikings]]
| nicknames = The Vikes, The [[Purple People Eaters]]
| stations = KFAN (1130 AM)
| announcers = Paul Allen, Greg Coleman, and Joe Senser
| hist_yr = 1961
| NFL_start_yr = 1961
| division_hist =
*Western Conference (1961-1969)
**Central Division (1967-1969)
*'''[[National Football Conference]] (1970-present)'''
**[[NFC Central]] (1970-2001)
**'''[[NFC North]] (2002-present)'''
| no_league_champs = 1
| no_conf_champs = 4
| no_div_champs = 16
| league_champs =
*'''[[List of NFL champions|NFL Championships]] (1)'''<br>1969
| conf_champs =
*'''NFL Western:''' 1969
*'''NFC:''' 1973, 1974, 1976
| div_champs =
*'''NFL Central:''' 1968, 1969
*'''NFC Central:''' 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000
| stadium_years =
*[[Metropolitan Stadium]] (1961-1981)
*'''[[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome]] (1982-present)'''
}}


The '''Minnesota Vikings''' [[American football]] club is a [[National Football League]] team based in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]. Originally, the ownership group was to have a team in the [[American Football League]], but withdrew from the AFL and agreed to join the NFL as a 1961 [[expansion team]].
* A [[saint]], see [[Saint Blaise]]


The Vikings have won their division 16 times, and became the first team to appear in four [[Super Bowl]]s. But the club also became the first one to lose 4 Super Bowls.
'''Saint-Blaise''' is the name or part of the name of several communes in France
* [[Saint-Blaise, Alpes-Maritimes]], in the [[Alpes-Maritimes]] département
* [[Saint-Blaise, Haute-Savoie]], in the [[Haute-Savoie]] département
* [[Saint-Blaise-du-Buis]], in the [[Isère]] département
* [[Saint-Blaise-la-Roche]], in the [[Bas-Rhin]] département


:'''Helmet design:''' Purple with a white viking horn
In Switzerland:
* [[Saint-Blaise, Neuchâtel]], a municipality in the Neuchâtel district of the [[Canton of Neuchâtel]]


==Franchise history==
In Germany:
The pro football saga in the [[Twin Cities]] began in August 1959, when five Minnesota businessmen were awarded a franchise in the new [[American Football League]]. Five months later in January 1960, the same ownership group made up of [[Bill Boyer]], [[Ole Haugsrud]], [[Bernie Ridder]], [[H. P. Skoglund]] and [[Max Winter]] first forfeited its AFL membership and then was awarded the National Football League's 14th franchise that was to begin play in 1961.
* '''St Blaise''' is the English name for the town of [[Sankt Blasien]], in [[Baden-Württemberg]]


===1960s===
'''Blaise''' redirects here.
Minnesota's first management team was led by general manager [[Bert Rose]] and head coach [[Norm Van Brocklin]]. From the start, the Vikings embraced an energetic marketing program that produced a first-year season ticket sale of nearly 26,000 and an average home attendance of 34,586, about 85 percent of the capacity of 40,800 [[Metropolitan Stadium]]. Eventually the stadium capacity was increased to 47,900. Rose resigned from his position in 1964 and Van Brocklin quit abruptly in the spring of 1967. The Vikings went to Canada to get their replacements. [[Jim Finks]], then general manager of the [[Calgary Stampeders]], was named as the new general manager. [[Bud Grant]], head coach of the [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]], became the new Vikings field leader.


On [[March 7]], [[1967]], quarterback [[Fran Tarkenton]] was traded to the [[New York Giants]] for a 1st and 2nd-round choice in 1967, a 1st-round choice in '68 and a 2nd-round choice in '69. With the picks Minnesota selected [[Clinton Jones]] and [[Bob Grim]] in '67, [[Ron Yary]] in '68 and [[Ed White]] in '69.
* Blaise is the name of a software package developed at Statistics Netherlands.


The Vikings defeated the [[Cleveland Browns]], 27-7, in the NFL Championship Game on Jan. 4, 1970, at Metropolitan Stadium. Minnesota became the 1st modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL Championship Game, which gave them a berth to the [[Super Bowl]] which the heavily favored Vikings dropped to the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] 23-7.
* Blaise was the first name of the mathematician [[Blaise Pascal]]


===1970s===
{{disambig}}
In 1972 the Vikings traded Norm Snead, Bob Grim, Vince Clements and a 1st-round choice in '72 and '73 to the New York Giants to reacquire the popular Tarkenton.


On [[January 13]], [[1974]], the Vikings played in the 2nd Super Bowl in franchise history against the [[Miami Dolphins]] at [[Rice Stadium]] in Houston, TX. The Dolphins prevailed, 24-7. Minnesota earned the trip to [[Super Bowl VIII]] by defeating Dallas, 27-10, in the NFC Championship game.
[[fr:Saint-Blaise]]

The Vikings played in their 2nd straight Super Bowl, losing to the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], 16-6, at [[Tulane Stadium]] in New Orleans on [[January 12]], [[1975]]. Minnesota earned a trip to [[Super Bowl IX]] by defeating the [[Los Angeles Rams]], 14-10, at Metropolitan Stadium on [[December 29]], [[1974]].

The Vikings played in their 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years against the [[Oakland Raiders]] at the [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] in Pasadena, CA, on [[January 9]], [[1977]]. The Vikings however, couldn't break its bad luck in the Super Bowl. Minnesota lost, 32-14. The Vikings earned a trip to [[Super Bowl XI]] by defeating the Rams, 24-13, at Metropolitan Stadium on [[December 26]], [[1976]], in what ended up being the last Vikings playoff game at the Met.

On [[January 1]], [[1978]], the Vikings played [[Dallas Cowboys]] in their 4th NFC Championship Game in 5 years at [[Texas Stadium]]. Minnesota lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champs, 23-6.

===1980s===
On [[May 15]], [[1981]], the Vikings moved into a new facility in Eden Prairie that houses 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 1965-87.

The Vikings played their 1st game at the Metrodome in a preseason matchup against Seattle on Aug. 21, 1982. Minnesota prevailed, 7-3. The 1st touchdown in the new facility was scored by Joe Senser on an 11-yard pass from [[Tommy Kramer]]. The 1st 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 1st regular-season touchdown in the facility on a 3-yard run in the 2nd quarter.

On [[January 27]], [[1984]], Bud Grant retired as Head Coach of the Vikings. In 17 seasons Grant led Minnesota to 12 playoff appearances, 11 division titles and 4 Super Bowls. His career regular-season record was 151-87-5 (.632). The person that would take his place would be Les Steckel.

[[Les Steckel]], who was an offensive assistant with the Vikings for 5 seasons, was named the 3rd head coach in franchise history on [[January 29]], [[1984]]. 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.

After Steckel's dismal season, he was fired and on [[December 18]], [[1984]], Bud Grant was re-hired as the head coach of the Vikings.

On [[January 6]], [[1986]], following the 1985 season, Bud Grant re-retired as head coach of the Vikings. At the time of his retirement he was the 6th winningest 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.

Longtime Vikings assistant coach [[Jerry Burns]] was named the 4th head coach in team history on [[January 7]], [[1986]]. He served as the Vikings offensive coordinator from 1968-85, when the team won 11 division titles and played in 4 Super Bowls. In his first season, the Vikings led by the [[NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award|NFL Comeback Player of the Year]] [[Tommy Kramer]], went 9-7, their first winning record in 4 years. In his second season, he led the Vikings to the NFC championship game.

The Vikings played the 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. Minnesota upset New Orleans, 44-10, at the Superdome and San Francisco, 36-24, at [[Candlestick Park]] in the first 2 rounds of the playoffs to earn a trip to the conference title game.

The Vikings would make what would be considered its biggest personnel blunder in team history. On [[October 12]], [[1989]], the Vikings acquired [[Herschel Walker]] from Dallas for Issiac Holt, David Howard, Darrin Nelson, Jesse Solomon, Alex Stewart, a first-round choice in 1992, conditional 1st-round choices in 1990 and '91, conditional 2nd-round choices in 1990, '91 and '92, and a conditional 3rd-round choice in 1992. The final result of the trade gave the Vikings Walker, a 3rd (Mike Jones), 5th (Reggie Thornton) and 10th-round choice (Pat Newman) in 1990 and a 3rd-round choice in 1991 (Jake Reed), while Dallas received all 5 players, a 1st, 2nd and 6th-round choice in 1990, a 1st and 2nd-round choice in 1991 and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd-round choice in 1992. Herschel's performance fell short of expectations in his 3 seasons with the Vikings, while the Cowboys rode their draft picks to 3 Super Bowl victories in the early to mid 1990s.

===1990s===
On [[December 3]], [[1991]], Jerry Burns announced his retirement. In 6 seasons as Head Coach of the Vikings, Burns compiled a career record of 52-43 (.547). He also led Minnesota to 3 playoff appearances, including a division title and an NFC Championship Game.

On [[January 10]], [[1992]], [[Dennis Green]] was named the 5th Head Coach in team history. He came to Minnesota after turning around a struggling Stanford University football program as head coach from 1989-91.

In his 10 seasons as the coach of the Vikings, he won 4 NFC Central division titles, had 8 playoff appearances, 2 NFC Championship game appearances and an all-time record of 97-62.

The team had 2 disappointing playoff losses of note during Green's tenure: the NFC Championship games of 1998 and 2000. The former was lost 30-27 in overtime to the [[Atlanta Falcons]] at the Metrodome, and the latter was lost 41-0 to the [[New York Giants]] in the Meadowlands. The former was especially hurtful, coming as it did on the heels of a spectacular 15-1 season, in which the team came within 4 points of a perfect season.

===2000s===
Tragedy struck the Minnesota Vikings in the summer of 2001, when Offensive Lineman [[Korey Stringer]] died of heat stroke in training camp in [[Mankato, Minnesota]]. Although Minnesota has a reputation for cold weather, in late July and early August in can be brutally hot.

That same year, Dennis Green, who had become a polarizing force in the Viking fan base despite his successful coaching tenure with the team, had his contract bought out after a 5-10 season. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001.

On [[January 10]], [[2002]], [[Mike Tice]] was named the sixth Head Coach in Vikings history. Tice was the third of the six Vikings Head Coaches to be promoted from within the team's coaching ranks but was the first to have actually played for the Vikings.

In Tice's first season, the Vikings had a dismal 6-10 record, which he turned around in 2003 with a fast 6-0 start. However, the Vikings ended up going 3-7 the rest of the season, missing the playoffs with a last second touchdown reception by the Arizona Cardinals' receiver Nate Poole. Green Bay won the division at 10-6, while the Vikings were 9-7. Ironically, the following season the Cardinals hired Dennis Green as their Head Coach.

[[Image:Randymossmoon.jpg|thumb|right|Randy Moss' end zone celebration angered some and amused others.]]
History repeated itself in 2004 as the Vikings went 3-7 over the last 10 weeks, but this time they made the playoffs despite only going 8-8. The Vikings made history in the playoffs by beating their rivals, the Green Bay Packers, in their first ever playoff meeting. They also became the second team in NFL history to go .500 (8-8) in the regular season and then win a playoff game, one day after the [[St. Louis Rams]] accomplished the feat. In that game, wide reciever Randy Moss pretended to moon a crowd of Packers fans after a touchdown and was fined $10,000. They would lose to the eventual NFC Champion [[Philadelphia Eagles]] the following week 27-14.

The following offseason, Minnesota traded the hero of that Green Bay game (and arguably their best player), WR [[Randy Moss]], to the [[Oakland Raiders]] for linebacker [[Napoleon Harris]] and the Raiders' pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft (pick number 7, selecting WR [[Troy Williamson]] of South Carolina). With the [[salary cap]] now freed, the Vikings also signed 5 new defensive starters to shore up their previously 28th ranked defense. It remains to be seen if this will be the biggest blunder in franchise history, or one of their greatest moves.

At first, the move looked like a blunder. The Vikings started off by losing their first two games to the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] (24-13) and the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] (37-8). They would win in Week 3 against the [[New Orleans Saints]] (33-16), but then they would go on to lose their next two road games to the [[Atlanta Falcons]] (30-10) and their division rival [[Chicago Bears]] (28-3). The Vikings would win at home against fellow division rival [[Green Bay Packers]] 23-20 by winning the same way the Packers did last season, which was a last second field goal. However, the Vikes had little to celebrate when in the next week, not only did they lose to the [[Carolina Panthers]] 38-13 on the road, but they would also lose their star QB [[Daunte Culpepper]] for the season with a knee injury. Taking his place would be [[Brad Johnson (American football player)|Brad Johnson]] (Viking from 1994-98 and quarterback of the [[Super Bowl XXXVII]] champion Buccaneers) and ever since he took over, he lead the Vikings to a six-game winning streak, including victories over the [[Detroit Lions]] at home (27-14), the [[New York Giants]] (24-21), the [[Green Bay Packers]] at Lambeau Field (20-17 and also on a last second field goal), the [[Cleveland Browns]] (24-12), the Detroit Lions at [[Ford Field]] (21-16), and a 27-13 home victory over the [[St. Louis Rams]]. The streak ended with a 18-3 loss to the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]. Christmas Day 2005 will go down as a day Viking fans would much rather forget. After having their chances of winning the NFC North extinguished when the Bears defeated the Packers earlier in the day, the Vikings were officially eliminated from NFC playoff contention with a 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Vikings won their last game of the 2005 season against the Bears, with a 34-10 victory. However, the Vikings fired head coach Mike Tice immediately following the game. On January 6th, 2006, the Vikings were the first football organization to hire a new head coach during the 2006 offseason, [[Brad Childress]]. Childress was previously the offensive coordinator of the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] from 2002-2005.

===Season-by-season===
{{Start NFL SBS|#3B0061|#F0BF00}}
|-
|1961 || 3 || 11 || 0 || 7th West || --
|-
|1962 || 2 || 11 || 1 || 6th West || --
|-
|1963 || 5 || 8 || 1 || 4th West || --
|-
|1964 || 8 || 5 || 1 || 2nd West || --
|-
|1965 || 7 || 7 || 0 || 5th West || --
|-
|1966 || 4 || 9 || 1 || 6th West || --
|-
|1967 || 3 || 8 || 3 || 4th Central || --
|-
|1968 || 8 || 6 || 0 || 1st Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1968|Conference Playoff Game]] ([[Indianapolis Colts|Colts]])
|-
|1969 || 12 || 2 || 0 || 1st Central || Lost [[Super Bowl IV]] ([[Kansas City Chiefs|Chiefs]])
|-
|1970 || 12 || 2 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1970-71|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[San Francisco 49ers|49ers]])
|-
|1971 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1971-72|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[Dallas Cowboys|Cowboys]])
|-
|1972 || 7 || 7 || 0 || 3rd NFC Central || --
|-
|1973 || 12 || 2 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[Super Bowl VIII]] ([[Miami Dolphins|Dolphins]])
|-
|1974 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[Super Bowl IX]] ([[Pittsburgh Steelers|Steelers]])
|-
|1975 || 12 || 2 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1975-76|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[Dallas Cowboys|Cowboys]])
|-
|1976 || 11 || 2 || 1 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[Super Bowl XI]] ([[Oakland Raiders|Raiders]])
|-
|1977 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1977-78|Conference Championship]] ([[Dallas Cowboys|Cowboys]])
|-
|1978 || 8 || 7 || 1 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1978-79|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[St. Louis Rams|Rams]])
|-
|1979 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 3rd NFC Central || --
|-
|1980 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1980-81|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[Philadelphia Eagles|Eagles]])
|-
|1981 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 4th NFC Central || --
|-
|1982 || 5 || 4 || 0 || 4th NFC Conf. || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1982-83|Second Round]] ([[Washington Redskins|Redskins]])
|-
|1983 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 4th NFC Central || --
|-
|1984 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 5th NFC Central || --
|-
|1985 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 3rd NFC Central || --
|-
|1986 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd NFC Central || --
|-
|1987 || 8 || 7 || 0 || 2nd NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1987-88|Conference Championship]] ([[Washington Redskins|Redskins]])
|-
|1988 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1988-89|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[San Francisco 49ers|49ers]])
|-
|1989 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1989-90|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[San Francisco 49ers|49ers]])
|-
|1990 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 5th NFC Central || --
|-
|1991 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 3rd NFC Central || --
|-
|1992 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1992-93|Wild Card Playoffs]] ([[Washington Redskins|Redskins]])
|-
|1993 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1993-94|Wild Card Playoffs]] ([[New York Giants|Giants]])
|-
|1994 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1994-95|Wild Card Playoffs]] ([[Chicago Bears|Bears]])
|-
|1995 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 4th NFC Central || --
|-
|1996 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1996-97|Wild Card Playoffs]] ([[Dallas Cowboys|Cowboys]])
|-
|1997 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 4th NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1997-98|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[San Francisco 49ers|49ers]])
|-
|1998 || 15 || 1 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1998-99|Conference Championship]] ([[Atlanta Falcons|Falcons]])
|-
|1999 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 1999-2000|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[St. Louis Rams|Rams]])
|-
|2000 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st NFC Central || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 2000-01|Conference Championship]] ([[New York Giants|Giants]])
|-
|2001 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 4th NFC Central || --
|-
|2002 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 2nd NFC North || --
|-
|2003 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd NFC North || --
|-
|2004 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 2nd NFC North || Lost [[NFL playoffs, 2004-05|Divisional Playoffs]] ([[Philadelphia Eagles|Eagles]])
|-
|2005 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd NFC North || --
{{end box}}

In total, the Vikings are 371-298-9 (or 54.7% wins versus 45.3% non-wins) as of the end of the 2005 season

==Franchise traditions, trends==
===Viking horn===
A two-note clarion call mimicking an authentic warrior horn. Often played over the Metrodome PA system to incite the crowd into a frenzy.

To listen to a sample of the Viking horn go to:[http://www.vikingvan.com Vikings Tailgating]

===Helga hats===
Viking fans are known to dress up in "Helga Hats", or purple hats with white horns and blond braids, mimicking the helmets popularly, ([[Viking#Myths_about_Vikings|but incorrectly]]) believed to have been worn by [[Viking]] warriors.

===Mascot===
The current team [[mascot]] is Ragnar, possibly the only "human" mascot in professional sports, meaning that he doesn't wear anything over his head. Ragnar (played by Joseph Juranitch) has been working for the Vikings since 1994, and claims to be the most widely-recognized mascot in the world. Jurantich admits to being somewhat of an [[eccentricity (behavior)|eccentric]]&mdash;he holds the current world record for fastest time shaving a [[beard]] with an [[axe]]. Ragnar drives onto the field at the beginning of games on a motorcycle or snowmobile.

The Vikings also have another mascot named "Vikadontis Rex." V.R. is a purple dinosaur and has also taken part in the 1995 Celebrity Mascot Olympics.

===Curses===
The Vikings, even though they are a very successful franchise, are faced with championship futility, much like the [[Chicago Cubs]], the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] and many other successful franchises in other sports. Many attribute their futilities to "curses", such as the Cubs' [[Billy Goat curse]]. The Vikings have the more esoteric [[rune stone]] curse, named for the [[Kensington Runestone]], claimed to be Viking in origin, which was found near [[Alexandria, Minnesota]]. Legend has it that the runestone predicts the fate of the Minnesota Vikings in the future.

:22 Norwegians on
:discovery voyage from
:Vinland over (the) west we
:had camp by 2 skerries one
:days journey north from this stone
:we were and fishe(ed) one day after
:we came home found 10 men red
:with blood and dead.

The 22 Norwegians in this reference are a reference to the 22 players that play on a starting offense and defense on an NFL football team. The 10 dead are usually a reference to a massive group of injuries or an offense or defense that plays sub par.

They also have the [[0 for 4 Curse]]. They have played in four [[Super Bowl|Super Bowls]], but have won none. Thus the state of Minnesota has both "[[Minnesota Golden Gophers|Gophers]]" and "[[O-fer]]s".

More than a few fans (including sportswriter Patrick Reusse) refer to the Vikings as the "Vi-queens" in frustration, when things are not going well for their favorite team.

==Current Events==
{{main|Minnesota Vikings sex scandal}}
During October, 2005 a major scandal rocked the Minnesota Vikings. Allegations surfaced that several Vikings players were involved in inappropriate sexual behavior during a cruise on [[Lake Minnetonka]]. No charges had been filed, although Vikings owner [[Zygi Wilf]] has apologized to NFL Commissioner [[Paul Tagliabue]] and Minnesota Governor [[Tim Pawlenty]] for the team's conduct. The scandal has hurt the team's quest for public funding for a new stadium in [[Anoka County]] The scandal was given the nickname of '''Danglegate 2005''' on the [[October 19]], [[2005]], episode of "Bumper to Bumper with Dan Barreiro" on [[KFAN-AM]] 1130. The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] is currently on the case.

On [[October 21]], [[2005]], Wilf reportedly delivered an "intense" profanity-laced address to the team regarding the scandal.

On [[November 30]], [[2005]] The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the 17 Minnesota Vikings involved in the scandal might avoid all charges, however, on [[December 15]], [[2005]], Daunte Culpepper, Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot, and Moe Williams were charged with indecent conduct, disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct. If convicted, each player faces a maximum of 90 days in jail on each count. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051215/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_vikings_boat_party;_ylt=AnrlJ54Laz5YRQqA6aoDid.l24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3cm82NXAwBHNlYwM3NTU-]

On [[January 1]], [[2006]] Coach Mike Tice was fired by owner Wilf at a meeting that took place shortly after the final game.

On [[January 5]], Running Back [[Moe Williams]] was pleaded not guilty for being part the Minnesota Vikings Sex Scandal.

On [[January 6]], the Vikings hired former [[Philadelphia Eagles|Eagles]] Offensive Coordinator [[Brad Childress]] as their new head coach. [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2282732]

==Players of note==
===Current players===
{{Minnesota Vikings roster}}

===[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]rs===
*[[Carl Eller]]
*[[Jim Finks]]
*[[Bud Grant]]
*[[Paul Krause (football player)|Paul Krause]]
*[[Alan Page]]
*[[Fran Tarkenton]]
*[[Ron Yary]]

===Retired numbers===
*[[Fran Tarkenton]] 10
*[[Mick Tingelhoff]] 53
*[[Jim Marshall (football player)|Jim Marshall]] 70
*[[Korey Stringer]] 77
*[[Cris Carter]] 80
*[[Alan Page]] 88

===Not to be forgotten===
*[[Morten Andersen]]
*[[Gary Anderson]]
*[[Darren Bennett (football player)|Darren Bennett]]
*[[Matt Blair]]
*[[Bill Brown (football)|Bill Brown]]
*[[Joey Browner]]
*[[Anthony Carter(football)|Anthony Carter]]
*[[Randall Cunningham]]
*[[Jack Del Rio]]
*[[Chris Doleman]]
*[[Chuck Foreman]]
*[[Jeff George]]
*[[Scottie Graham]]
*[[Eric Guliford]]
*[[Keenan Howry]]
*[[Ken Irvin]]
*[[Steve Jordan]]
*[[Joe Kapp]]
*[[Tommy Kramer]]
*[[Randall McDaniel]]
*[[Jim McMahon]]
*[[Keith Millard]]
*[[Warren Moon]]
*[[Randy Moss]]
*[[Darren Nelson]]
*[[Al Noga]]
*[[Dave Osborne (football)|Dave Osborne]]
*[[David Palmer (American football player)|David Palmer]]
*[[John Randle]]
*[[Ahmad Rashad]]
*[[Jake Reed]]
*[[Fuad Reveiz]]
*[[Steve Riley (NFL Player)]]
*[[Sean Salisbury]]
*[[Todd Scott]]
*[[Robert Smith]]
*[[Korey Stringer]]
*[[Scott Studwell]]
*[[Mike Tice]]
*[[Herschel Walker]]
*[[Wade Wilson]]
*[[Nate Wright]]
*[[Gary Zimmerman]]
*[[Qadry Ismail]]

==References==
*Mike Marshall. [http://www.angelfire.com/mn/SqUaReD/history.html Minnesota Vikings History]

==External links==
*[http://www.vikings.com/ Minnesota Vikings official web site]
*[http://www.minnesotavikingstailgating.com/ Minnesota Vikings Tailgating]
*[http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/minnesota/vikings.html Sports E-Cyclopedia.com]

{{NFL}}


[[Category:Minnesota sports]]
[[Category:National Football League teams]]

[[de:Minnesota Vikings]]
[[fr:Vikings du Minnesota]]
[[it:Minnesota Vikings]]
[[pt:Minnesota Vikings]]
[[sv:Minnesota Vikings]]

Revision as of 21:11, 13 January 2006

Minnesota Vikings
Established 1961
Play in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings logo
Minnesota Vikings logo
Logo
League/conference affiliations

National Football League (1961–present)

Current uniform
Team colorsPurple, Gold, and White
Fight songSkol, Vikings
MascotRagnar and Vikadontis Rex
Personnel
Owner(s)Zygi Wilf
Head coachBrad Childress
Team history
  • Minnesota Vikings (1961–present)
Team nicknames
The Vikes, The Purple People Eaters
Championships
League championships (1)
Conference championships (4)
  • NFL Western: 1969
  • NFC: 1973, 1974, 1976
Division championships (16)
  • NFL Central: 1968, 1969
  • NFC Central: 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000
Home fields

The Minnesota Vikings American football club is a National Football League team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Originally, the ownership group was to have a team in the American Football League, but withdrew from the AFL and agreed to join the NFL as a 1961 expansion team.

The Vikings have won their division 16 times, and became the first team to appear in four Super Bowls. But the club also became the first one to lose 4 Super Bowls.

Helmet design: Purple with a white viking horn

Franchise history

The pro football saga in the Twin Cities began in August 1959, when five Minnesota businessmen were awarded a franchise in the new American Football League. Five months later in January 1960, the same ownership group made up of Bill Boyer, Ole Haugsrud, Bernie Ridder, H. P. Skoglund and Max Winter first forfeited its AFL membership and then was awarded the National Football League's 14th franchise that was to begin play in 1961.

1960s

Minnesota's first management team was led by general manager Bert Rose and head coach Norm Van Brocklin. From the start, the Vikings embraced an energetic marketing program that produced a first-year season ticket sale of nearly 26,000 and an average home attendance of 34,586, about 85 percent of the capacity of 40,800 Metropolitan Stadium. Eventually the stadium capacity was increased to 47,900. Rose resigned from his position in 1964 and Van Brocklin quit abruptly in the spring of 1967. The Vikings went to Canada to get their replacements. Jim Finks, then general manager of the Calgary Stampeders, was named as the new general manager. Bud Grant, head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, became the new Vikings field leader.

On March 7, 1967, quarterback Fran Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants for a 1st and 2nd-round choice in 1967, a 1st-round choice in '68 and a 2nd-round choice in '69. With the picks Minnesota selected Clinton Jones and Bob Grim in '67, Ron Yary in '68 and Ed White in '69.

The Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns, 27-7, in the NFL Championship Game on Jan. 4, 1970, at Metropolitan Stadium. Minnesota became the 1st modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL Championship Game, which gave them a berth to the Super Bowl which the heavily favored Vikings dropped to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7.

1970s

In 1972 the Vikings traded Norm Snead, Bob Grim, Vince Clements and a 1st-round choice in '72 and '73 to the New York Giants to reacquire the popular Tarkenton.

On January 13, 1974, the Vikings played in the 2nd Super Bowl in franchise history against the Miami Dolphins at Rice Stadium in Houston, TX. The Dolphins prevailed, 24-7. Minnesota earned the trip to Super Bowl VIII by defeating Dallas, 27-10, in the NFC Championship game.

The Vikings played in their 2nd straight Super Bowl, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 16-6, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 12, 1975. Minnesota earned a trip to Super Bowl IX by defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 14-10, at Metropolitan Stadium on December 29, 1974.

The Vikings played in their 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years against the Oakland Raiders at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, on January 9, 1977. The Vikings however, couldn't break its bad luck in the Super Bowl. Minnesota lost, 32-14. The Vikings earned a trip to Super Bowl XI by defeating the Rams, 24-13, at Metropolitan Stadium on December 26, 1976, in what ended up being the last Vikings playoff game at the Met.

On January 1, 1978, the Vikings played Dallas Cowboys in their 4th NFC Championship Game in 5 years at Texas Stadium. Minnesota lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champs, 23-6.

1980s

On May 15, 1981, the Vikings moved into a new facility in Eden Prairie that houses 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 1965-87.

The Vikings played their 1st game at the Metrodome in a preseason matchup against Seattle on Aug. 21, 1982. Minnesota prevailed, 7-3. The 1st touchdown in the new facility was scored by Joe Senser on an 11-yard pass from Tommy Kramer. The 1st 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 1st regular-season touchdown in the facility on a 3-yard run in the 2nd quarter.

On January 27, 1984, Bud Grant retired as Head Coach of the Vikings. In 17 seasons Grant led Minnesota to 12 playoff appearances, 11 division titles and 4 Super Bowls. His career regular-season record was 151-87-5 (.632). The person that would take his place would be Les Steckel.

Les Steckel, who was an offensive assistant with the Vikings for 5 seasons, was named the 3rd head coach in franchise history on January 29, 1984. 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.

After Steckel's dismal season, he was fired and on December 18, 1984, Bud Grant was re-hired as the head coach of the Vikings.

On January 6, 1986, following the 1985 season, Bud Grant re-retired as head coach of the Vikings. At the time of his retirement he was the 6th winningest 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.

Longtime Vikings assistant coach Jerry Burns was named the 4th head coach in team history on January 7, 1986. He served as the Vikings offensive coordinator from 1968-85, when the team won 11 division titles and played in 4 Super Bowls. In his first season, the Vikings led by the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Tommy Kramer, went 9-7, their first winning record in 4 years. In his second season, he led the Vikings to the NFC championship game.

The Vikings played the 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. Minnesota upset New Orleans, 44-10, at the Superdome and San Francisco, 36-24, at Candlestick Park in the first 2 rounds of the playoffs to earn a trip to the conference title game.

The Vikings would make what would be considered its biggest personnel blunder in team history. On October 12, 1989, the Vikings acquired Herschel Walker from Dallas for Issiac Holt, David Howard, Darrin Nelson, Jesse Solomon, Alex Stewart, a first-round choice in 1992, conditional 1st-round choices in 1990 and '91, conditional 2nd-round choices in 1990, '91 and '92, and a conditional 3rd-round choice in 1992. The final result of the trade gave the Vikings Walker, a 3rd (Mike Jones), 5th (Reggie Thornton) and 10th-round choice (Pat Newman) in 1990 and a 3rd-round choice in 1991 (Jake Reed), while Dallas received all 5 players, a 1st, 2nd and 6th-round choice in 1990, a 1st and 2nd-round choice in 1991 and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd-round choice in 1992. Herschel's performance fell short of expectations in his 3 seasons with the Vikings, while the Cowboys rode their draft picks to 3 Super Bowl victories in the early to mid 1990s.

1990s

On December 3, 1991, Jerry Burns announced his retirement. In 6 seasons as Head Coach of the Vikings, Burns compiled a career record of 52-43 (.547). He also led Minnesota to 3 playoff appearances, including a division title and an NFC Championship Game.

On January 10, 1992, Dennis Green was named the 5th Head Coach in team history. He came to Minnesota after turning around a struggling Stanford University football program as head coach from 1989-91.

In his 10 seasons as the coach of the Vikings, he won 4 NFC Central division titles, had 8 playoff appearances, 2 NFC Championship game appearances and an all-time record of 97-62.

The team had 2 disappointing playoff losses of note during Green's tenure: the NFC Championship games of 1998 and 2000. The former was lost 30-27 in overtime to the Atlanta Falcons at the Metrodome, and the latter was lost 41-0 to the New York Giants in the Meadowlands. The former was especially hurtful, coming as it did on the heels of a spectacular 15-1 season, in which the team came within 4 points of a perfect season.

2000s

Tragedy struck the Minnesota Vikings in the summer of 2001, when Offensive Lineman Korey Stringer died of heat stroke in training camp in Mankato, Minnesota. Although Minnesota has a reputation for cold weather, in late July and early August in can be brutally hot.

That same year, Dennis Green, who had become a polarizing force in the Viking fan base despite his successful coaching tenure with the team, had his contract bought out after a 5-10 season. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001.

On January 10, 2002, Mike Tice was named the sixth Head Coach in Vikings history. Tice was the third of the six Vikings Head Coaches to be promoted from within the team's coaching ranks but was the first to have actually played for the Vikings.

In Tice's first season, the Vikings had a dismal 6-10 record, which he turned around in 2003 with a fast 6-0 start. However, the Vikings ended up going 3-7 the rest of the season, missing the playoffs with a last second touchdown reception by the Arizona Cardinals' receiver Nate Poole. Green Bay won the division at 10-6, while the Vikings were 9-7. Ironically, the following season the Cardinals hired Dennis Green as their Head Coach.

File:Randymossmoon.jpg
Randy Moss' end zone celebration angered some and amused others.

History repeated itself in 2004 as the Vikings went 3-7 over the last 10 weeks, but this time they made the playoffs despite only going 8-8. The Vikings made history in the playoffs by beating their rivals, the Green Bay Packers, in their first ever playoff meeting. They also became the second team in NFL history to go .500 (8-8) in the regular season and then win a playoff game, one day after the St. Louis Rams accomplished the feat. In that game, wide reciever Randy Moss pretended to moon a crowd of Packers fans after a touchdown and was fined $10,000. They would lose to the eventual NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles the following week 27-14.

The following offseason, Minnesota traded the hero of that Green Bay game (and arguably their best player), WR Randy Moss, to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders' pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft (pick number 7, selecting WR Troy Williamson of South Carolina). With the salary cap now freed, the Vikings also signed 5 new defensive starters to shore up their previously 28th ranked defense. It remains to be seen if this will be the biggest blunder in franchise history, or one of their greatest moves.

At first, the move looked like a blunder. The Vikings started off by losing their first two games to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (24-13) and the Cincinnati Bengals (37-8). They would win in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints (33-16), but then they would go on to lose their next two road games to the Atlanta Falcons (30-10) and their division rival Chicago Bears (28-3). The Vikings would win at home against fellow division rival Green Bay Packers 23-20 by winning the same way the Packers did last season, which was a last second field goal. However, the Vikes had little to celebrate when in the next week, not only did they lose to the Carolina Panthers 38-13 on the road, but they would also lose their star QB Daunte Culpepper for the season with a knee injury. Taking his place would be Brad Johnson (Viking from 1994-98 and quarterback of the Super Bowl XXXVII champion Buccaneers) and ever since he took over, he lead the Vikings to a six-game winning streak, including victories over the Detroit Lions at home (27-14), the New York Giants (24-21), the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field (20-17 and also on a last second field goal), the Cleveland Browns (24-12), the Detroit Lions at Ford Field (21-16), and a 27-13 home victory over the St. Louis Rams. The streak ended with a 18-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Christmas Day 2005 will go down as a day Viking fans would much rather forget. After having their chances of winning the NFC North extinguished when the Bears defeated the Packers earlier in the day, the Vikings were officially eliminated from NFC playoff contention with a 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Vikings won their last game of the 2005 season against the Bears, with a 34-10 victory. However, the Vikings fired head coach Mike Tice immediately following the game. On January 6th, 2006, the Vikings were the first football organization to hire a new head coach during the 2006 offseason, Brad Childress. Childress was previously the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2002-2005.

Season-by-season

Season records
Season W L T Finish Playoff results
1961 3 11 0 7th West --
1962 2 11 1 6th West --
1963 5 8 1 4th West --
1964 8 5 1 2nd West --
1965 7 7 0 5th West --
1966 4 9 1 6th West --
1967 3 8 3 4th Central --
1968 8 6 0 1st Central Lost Conference Playoff Game (Colts)
1969 12 2 0 1st Central Lost Super Bowl IV (Chiefs)
1970 12 2 0 1st NFC Central Lost Divisional Playoffs (49ers)
1971 11 3 0 1st NFC Central Lost Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys)
1972 7 7 0 3rd NFC Central --
1973 12 2 0 1st NFC Central Lost Super Bowl VIII (Dolphins)
1974 10 4 0 1st NFC Central Lost Super Bowl IX (Steelers)
1975 12 2 0 1st NFC Central Lost Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys)
1976 11 2 1 1st NFC Central Lost Super Bowl XI (Raiders)
1977 9 5 0 1st NFC Central Lost Conference Championship (Cowboys)
1978 8 7 1 1st NFC Central Lost Divisional Playoffs (Rams)
1979 7 9 0 3rd NFC Central --
1980 9 7 0 1st NFC Central Lost Divisional Playoffs (Eagles)
1981 7 9 0 4th NFC Central --
1982 5 4 0 4th NFC Conf. Lost Second Round (Redskins)
1983 8 8 0 4th NFC Central --
1984 3 13 0 5th NFC Central --
1985 7 9 0 3rd NFC Central --
1986 9 7 0 2nd NFC Central --
1987 8 7 0 2nd NFC Central Lost Conference Championship (Redskins)
1988 11 5 0 2nd NFC Central Lost Divisional Playoffs (49ers)
1989 10 6 0 1st NFC Central Lost Divisional Playoffs (49ers)
1990 6 10 0 5th NFC Central --
1991 8 8 0 3rd NFC Central --
1992 11 5 0 1st NFC Central Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Redskins)
1993 9 7 0 2nd NFC Central Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Giants)
1994 10 6 0 1st NFC Central Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Bears)
1995 8 8 0 4th NFC Central --
1996 9 7 0 2nd NFC Central Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Cowboys)
1997 9 7 0 4th NFC Central Lost Divisional Playoffs (49ers)
1998 15 1 0 1st NFC Central Lost Conference Championship (Falcons)
1999 10 6 0 2nd NFC Central Lost Divisional Playoffs (Rams)
2000 11 5 0 1st NFC Central Lost Conference Championship (Giants)
2001 5 11 0 4th NFC Central --
2002 6 10 0 2nd NFC North --
2003 9 7 0 2nd NFC North --
2004 8 8 0 2nd NFC North Lost Divisional Playoffs (Eagles)
2005 9 7 0 2nd NFC North --

In total, the Vikings are 371-298-9 (or 54.7% wins versus 45.3% non-wins) as of the end of the 2005 season

Viking horn

A two-note clarion call mimicking an authentic warrior horn. Often played over the Metrodome PA system to incite the crowd into a frenzy.

To listen to a sample of the Viking horn go to:Vikings Tailgating

Helga hats

Viking fans are known to dress up in "Helga Hats", or purple hats with white horns and blond braids, mimicking the helmets popularly, (but incorrectly) believed to have been worn by Viking warriors.

Mascot

The current team mascot is Ragnar, possibly the only "human" mascot in professional sports, meaning that he doesn't wear anything over his head. Ragnar (played by Joseph Juranitch) has been working for the Vikings since 1994, and claims to be the most widely-recognized mascot in the world. Jurantich admits to being somewhat of an eccentric—he holds the current world record for fastest time shaving a beard with an axe. Ragnar drives onto the field at the beginning of games on a motorcycle or snowmobile.

The Vikings also have another mascot named "Vikadontis Rex." V.R. is a purple dinosaur and has also taken part in the 1995 Celebrity Mascot Olympics.

Curses

The Vikings, even though they are a very successful franchise, are faced with championship futility, much like the Chicago Cubs, the Toronto Maple Leafs and many other successful franchises in other sports. Many attribute their futilities to "curses", such as the Cubs' Billy Goat curse. The Vikings have the more esoteric rune stone curse, named for the Kensington Runestone, claimed to be Viking in origin, which was found near Alexandria, Minnesota. Legend has it that the runestone predicts the fate of the Minnesota Vikings in the future.

22 Norwegians on
discovery voyage from
Vinland over (the) west we
had camp by 2 skerries one
days journey north from this stone
we were and fishe(ed) one day after
we came home found 10 men red
with blood and dead.

The 22 Norwegians in this reference are a reference to the 22 players that play on a starting offense and defense on an NFL football team. The 10 dead are usually a reference to a massive group of injuries or an offense or defense that plays sub par.

They also have the 0 for 4 Curse. They have played in four Super Bowls, but have won none. Thus the state of Minnesota has both "Gophers" and "O-fers".

More than a few fans (including sportswriter Patrick Reusse) refer to the Vikings as the "Vi-queens" in frustration, when things are not going well for their favorite team.

Current Events

Main article: Minnesota Vikings sex scandal

During October, 2005 a major scandal rocked the Minnesota Vikings. Allegations surfaced that several Vikings players were involved in inappropriate sexual behavior during a cruise on Lake Minnetonka. No charges had been filed, although Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has apologized to NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty for the team's conduct. The scandal has hurt the team's quest for public funding for a new stadium in Anoka County The scandal was given the nickname of Danglegate 2005 on the October 19, 2005, episode of "Bumper to Bumper with Dan Barreiro" on KFAN-AM 1130. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently on the case.

On October 21, 2005, Wilf reportedly delivered an "intense" profanity-laced address to the team regarding the scandal.

On November 30, 2005 The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the 17 Minnesota Vikings involved in the scandal might avoid all charges, however, on December 15, 2005, Daunte Culpepper, Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot, and Moe Williams were charged with indecent conduct, disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct. If convicted, each player faces a maximum of 90 days in jail on each count. [1]

On January 1, 2006 Coach Mike Tice was fired by owner Wilf at a meeting that took place shortly after the final game.

On January 5, Running Back Moe Williams was pleaded not guilty for being part the Minnesota Vikings Sex Scandal.

On January 6, the Vikings hired former Eagles Offensive Coordinator Brad Childress as their new head coach. [2]

Players of note

Current players

Minnesota Vikings roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice squad


Rookies in italics

Roster updated September 23, 2024

53 active, 9 inactive, 16 practice squad (+1 exempt)

→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Retired numbers

Not to be forgotten

References

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