Growing up as a huge NFL fan in the 1970s, I always saw the Vikings in the playoffs just about every season. They’re the first team to go to 4 Super Bowls.Yes, they lost them all, but still to go 4x is quite a feat. They were in:
- Super Bowl IV, 1969 season: Kansas City Chiefs, 23-7
- Super Bowl VIII, 1973 season: Miami Dolphins 24-7
- Super Bowl IX: 1974 season: Pittsburgh Steelers 16-6; the first team ever to lose back-to-back Super Bowls
- Super Bowl XI, 1976 season: Oakland Raiders 32-14
The Vikings, with their feared Purple People Eaters defense, were a force to be reckoned with.
Rest in Peace, coach.
I’d made a post about his passing in the NFL Off-Season thread earlier today.
One of the things I found cool about Bud is his athletic journey:
- He lettered in three sports (football, basketball, baseball) for the University of Minnesota
- After graduating, he spent two years playing in the NBA for the Minneapolis Lakers; he was a reserve, but was a member of an NBA championship team there
- He then switched back over to football, and played for the Philadelphia Eagles for two years, as a two-way end; in 1952, he was second in the NFL in receptions and in receiving yards
- He went to Canada, and played four years as a receiver and defensive back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he was a three-time All-Star
- After retiring as a player in 1956, he became the Blue Bombers’ head coach; in ten seasons as their coach, he won four Grey Cups
- And, then, he came back to the NFL, and became the Vikings’ coach
heh he was also infamous for believing there wasn’t such a thing as too cold, apparently, he ran around in t-shirts and NFL shorts when it was -6 in his younger days and wouldn’t let the players have onfield heaters
Hell, he went out onto the field in -6 F weather in a polo shirt when he was 88 years old!
