Sometime today take out your purple and gold Minnesota Vikings jersey and wear it in honor of one of football's all-time greats

Even living in San Diego, the name Bud Grant always brought memories of fear before the San Diego Chargers would the "Purple People Eaters" - This was in the 70s when the Minnesota Vikings led by coach Bud Grant punished teams in the National Football League with its defense. Besides being the field general, Grant was quite an experienced athlete himself.

"Bud Grant, the most iconic sports figure in Minnesota history, died Saturday..."

Bud Grant was extremely well-known in Minnesota sports, playing three sports  ( football, basketball, and baseball ) for the University of Minnesota - according to Wikipedia. This man actually went on to play in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) for the Minneapolis Lakers and actually spent some time as a player for the Philadelphia Eagles. Fortunately for Minnesota Vikings fans, Grant began coaching football.

On March 10, 1967, Bud Grant was hired as coach of the Minnesota Vikings

"In Grant's 28 seasons as a head coach in Canada and with the Vikings, his teams reached the playoffs 20 times, played in 10 championship games and won four titles. However, none of those titles came in the NFL, as he became the first coach to lose four Super Bowls..." espn.com reported. He was an obvious selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Vikings announced yesterday ( Saturday, March 11 ) that he had died at the age of 95 years old.

Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf and their family said it best through a statement...

"No single individual more defined the Minnesota Vikings than Bud Grant... A once-in-a lifetime man, Bud will forever be synonymous with success, toughness, the north and the Vikings."


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