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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.
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 January 10, 1992, the controversial 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 there from 1989-91.
In
his 10 seasons as the coach of the Vikings, he won 4 NFC division,
had 8 playoff appearances, 2 NFC championship games and an
all time record of 97-62.
The
team had 2 disappointing losses of note during Green's tenure.
The 1998 NFC Championship game and the 2000 NFC Championship
game. 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.
Tragedy
struck the Minnesota Vikings in the summer of 2001. Offensive
Lineman Korey Stringer died of heat stroke in training camp
in Mankato, Minnesota.
Later
in the season, Dennis Green, who was such a polarizing force
in the Viking fanbase, despite having a successful coaching
tenure with the team, had his contract bought out after a
5-10 season in 2001. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001.
On
January 10, 2002, Mike Tice was named the 6th Head Coach in
Vikings history. Tice is the 3rd of the 6 Vikings Head Coaches
to be promoted from within the team's coaching ranks but is
the 1st Head Coach to have 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 9-7 the rest of the season, missing
the playoffs with a last second touchdown reception by the
Arizona Cardinals' receiver Nate Poole. Ironically, the Cardinals
hired Dennis Green the following season.
The
Vikings made history in 2005 by beating their rivals, the
Green Bay Packers, in their first ever playoff meeting.
Founded:
1961 (NFL expansion)
Division and Conference: National Football
Conference North Division
Home stadium: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome,
Minneapolis, MN
Former stadium: Metropolitan Stadium (1961-1981)
Bloomington, MN
Uniform colors: Purple and Gold (or White,
Purple and Gold)
Helmet design: Purple with a white viking
horn
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Arizona
Cardinals 
