“Aye, There’s the Rub!”

During my youth, coach Bud Grant had molded players who could play the game in the tough, cold outdoor conditions at The Met. Part of the whole Viking mystique is that coach Grant would not allow his players to wear gloves or allow heaters on the Viking’s sideline. Visiting teams playing in Minnesota in November and December would be more worried about trying to stay warm in the frigid conditions than actually playing the game. Grant, a stoic man with steel-blue eyes and a grey crewcut once stated that while offense sold tickets, it was defense that won games. His defenses were best personified by linemen Jim Marshall, Carl Eller, Alan Page(A cerebral man who would later get his law degree and become a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court) and Garly Larsen, dubbed”The Purple People Eaters” by the press.

In a period from 1969 to 1977, The Vikings made it to 4 Super Bowls, the FA Cup Final or Grande Finale of the NFL…where they lost 4 times-a record of final futility equaled only by another cold-weather team, the Buffalo Bills. 

Growing up, I admired the players of the Vikings, who never seemed to bitch or moan about anything. If a Viking scored a touchdown or sacked the quarterback, there was no hot-dogging or preening for the cameras-they simply handed the ball to the official or they huddled back up waiting for the next play.

I think no game better exemplified the old school way of Bud Grant’s men in purple more than the NFC title game in December of 1976. My mom and step-dad had given me and my brother Bill tickets to go see the game between the Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams (Who now play in St. Louis). The Rams, used to the warm confines of Southern California, had a history of seeing their playoff dreams die on the frozen Met Stadium turf. Their coach, Chuck Knox, had vowed that this time would be different. 

My brother and I wore our snowmobile suits, facemasks and snowmobile boots to stay warm in the sub-zero conditions that afternoon, along with 47,000+ other fans squeezed into The Met to witness the game. As it was impossible to search so many people, more than a few fans smuggled bottles and flasks of their preferred liquid anti-freeze into the game. It seemed like most of them were in the west end zone seats around me and my brother Bill. The field was dyed a deep green for the TV audience, but there was next to no grass left on the field, the field surface, even though covered, probably was not a whole lot softer than a tennis court. (After the game, one of the sights I will always remember is fans coming in the parking lot after rushing the field after the game who had green all over them from the field paint)

The Rams actually took the ball and drove deep into Vikings territory before their drive stalled. Their kicker came in for what should have been a chip-shot field 18 yard field goal. Nate Wright of the Vikings broke in from the right side, blocked the kick, which made a perfect bounce pass off the frozen turf into the arms of cornerback Bobby Bryant, who took the ball back the other way 90 yards for the touchdown.  Matt Blair would block a Ram punt later in the game that the Vikings were also able to turn into points.

Even though it was early in the game, between the sub-zero conditions and the sudden change of fortune, you could see that the Rams were done for-they could not get out of Met Stadium fast enough. The Vikings ended up winning the game, which gave them the right to play the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl…and under the pristine conditions at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the Vikings were taken apart by John Madden’s Men in Black, 33-14. That loss, in my sophomore year of High School-over 30 years ago,was the last time the Vikings have made it to the Super Bowl.

About 5 years ago, when I was working as a volunteer first aid person at the Metrodome, they gave a very nice buffet lunch for volunteer health workers. The highlight for me was the chance to meet and get my picture taken with former Vikings players Mick Tinglehoff, Dave Osborne and Bill Brown. I had a chance to speak with some of my heros of my childhood, and found these men to be just as nice as could be. To me, these guys represented what was good about American Football. They played the game with a great deal of grit, heart and without the prima-donna attitudes of so many of the current players. Interestingly enough, many of these Vikings players from the 1960’s and 70’s chose to make Minnesota home, even in their golden years, when so many people look to move to warmer, and sunnier climates. 

I guess it should not be a surprise that these Vikings teams of the late 60’s and through to the late 70’s were successful. They had good leadership in the organization, who in turn chose players who were not just good players, but they were men of character, as well. These Vikings of my youth were an eclectic mix, who provided me with moments of fun- and extreme frustration growing up. 

For me, the two biggest heartbreaks were the Vikings being upset by Kansas City in Super Bowl IV, 23-7, and losing on a “hail Mary” pass from the Dallas Cowboys Roger Staubach in 1975.At the time of Super Bowl IV, I was living in the Boston area , and had talked about how much the Vikings were going to kill the Chiefs. Not surprisingly, the Monday after the debacle in New Orleans, I got an earful from my third grade classmates…and did not hesitate to remind me about the Vikings failure until spring training for baseball took their interest away from giving me a hard time.

All of this comes back to mind as I bought tickets for me and my son Ian to go see the Vikings Playoff game tomorrow at the Metrodome against the Philadelphia Eagles. He and I have not seen a game together since he was about 10 years old. I admit that I don’t follow American football with same devotion I had as when I was a kid, but there is a part of me that still bleeds purple come football season, and this is the first Viking home playoff game in about 8 years. Like most Viking fans, I hope for the best…but expect the worst.