History of the Minnesota Vikings

1967–1978: The Purple People Eaters era

In March 1967, the Vikings traded quarterback Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants for multiple draft picks, which they used to select Clinton Jones, Bob Grim, Ron Yary, and Ed White. During the late 1960s, the team built a formidable defense known as the Purple People Eaters, featuring Alan Page, Carl Eller, Gary Larsen, and Jim Marshall. In 1968, this defense helped the Vikings win their first Central Division title and reach the playoffs, though they lost the Western Conference championship game to Baltimore.

The 1969 season saw the Vikings post a 12–2 record, the best in the NFL, after an opening-game loss to the Giants. They played their first regular-season game in Minneapolis that October, drawing a then-record home crowd of 60,740. Minnesota defeated the Cleveland Browns 27–7 in the NFL Championship Game, becoming the first modern NFL expansion team to win that title, and advanced to Super Bowl IV, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 23–7. The defense continued to dominate in 1970 and 1971, with Alan Page becoming the first defensive player to win the NFL MVP award in 1971.

After quarterback Joe Kapp was traded, replacement Gary Cuozzo delivered mediocre performances, but the defense carried the team to a 12–2 record and the NFC Central title in 1970, though they lost in the divisional playoffs to San Francisco. In 1971, the Vikings again won their division with an 11–3 record and played their first regular-season game on artificial turf, but lost the divisional round to Dallas on Christmas Day.

1992–2001: Dennis Green era

On December 16, 1991, the Vikings' ownership was restructured, with Irwin Jacobs and Carl Pohlad selling their shares, leaving ten owners including Roger Headrick, John Skoglund, and others. Dennis Green was named the fifth head coach on January 10, 1992, after turning around Stanford University's football program.

Over ten seasons, Green won four NFC Central division titles, made eight playoff appearances, and reached two NFC Championship games, compiling a 97–62 record. The Vikings played two American Bowl preseason games overseas in the 1990s: defeating the Buffalo Bills in Berlin in 1993 and the Kansas City Chiefs in Tokyo in 1994. Prior to the 1998 season, the team was sold to Red McCombs after the NFL disapproved of the ten-owner arrangement; an earlier attempt by author Tom Clancy to buy the team fell through.

2002–2005: Mike Tice era

Mike Tice, a former Vikings tight end, became the sixth head coach on January 10, 2002, the first to have played for the team. His first season ended with a 6–10 record, but in 2003 the Vikings started 6–0 before struggling to a 3–6 finish. Needing a win in Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals, they lost on a last-play 28-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Poole, and with a Green Bay win, the Vikings missed the playoffs at 9–7, joining the 1978 Washington Redskins as the only teams to start 6–0 and miss the postseason.

In 2004, the Vikings again started 5–1 but finished 3–7, yet made the playoffs with an 8–8 record. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper led the NFL with 4,717 passing yards and set a Vikings record with 39 passing touchdowns, along with an NFL-record 5,123 total yards.

In the wild card round, the Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers 31–17 in their first playoff meeting, becoming the second team to win a playoff game with a .500 regular-season record. They lost the divisional round 27–14 to the Philadelphia Eagles. Red McCombs sold the team in May 2005 to a group led by Zygi Wilf, after Reggie Fowler could not complete the purchase.

2006–2010: Brad Childress era

Brad Childress was hired as the seventh head coach before the 2006 season. The Vikings started with two narrow victories, beating the Washington Redskins 19–16 and the Carolina Panthers 16–13, making Childress the first Vikings head coach to start 2–0. They then lost two close games to the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills. In week five, the Vikings trailed the Detroit Lions 17–3 entering the fourth quarter but scored 23 unanswered points, including two defensive touchdowns, to win 26–17.

After a bye, they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 31–13, with Chester Taylor scoring the longest touchdown in Vikings history on a 95-yard run. A four-game losing streak followed, starting with a Monday Night Football loss to the New England Patriots 31–7, during which Mewelde Moore returned a punt 73 yards for the Vikings' only score. Subsequent losses included a 9–3 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers and a 23–17 home loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Did You Know?

• The team was originally committed to the American Football League in 1959 before joining the NFL as an expansion franchise.
• The name 'Vikings' was partly derived from a list compiled by Max Winter and Harry Gustafson for a professional bowling team.