Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are one of four teams to appear in a conference championship every decade since the 1970s, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams.
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. 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. The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis.
Quick Facts
- Key matchups
- Super Bowl IV (1970) & Super Bowl VIII (1974)
- Defining era
- Late 1960s to Mid-1970s
- Legendary quarterback involved
- Len Dawson (Chiefs)
- Notable defensive unit
- Vikings' 'Purple People Eaters'
- Result significance
- Established Chiefs as first AFL team to win a Super Bowl
Lore & Background
The Vikings have an all-time overall record of , 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. They also have the most conference championship appearances of non-winning Super Bowl teams. The team played in Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX and XI, but failed to win any of them. The Vikings have 15 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Reader's Guide
The Vikings have won one NFL Championship, in 1969, before the league's merger with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970. Since the merger, the team has qualified for the playoffs 28 times, third-most in the league. The Vikings have lost in their last six NFC Championship Game appearances, stretching back to 1978.
Did You Know?
- The Vikings were upset by the Chiefs 23–7 in Super Bowl IV.
- The team's first head coach was Norm Van Brocklin, hired on January 18, 1961.
- The Vikings' famed defensive line was known as the Purple People Eaters.
- Quarterback Fran Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants in 1967 and later reacquired in 1972.
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