Within the last two weeks, I have been reminded of Drew Pearson and how he made a hole in my heart and has also led to my belief that the game officials can dictate a games outcome....not to mention some black helicopter theories as to who actually wins a Super Bowl. But I don't want you to think I'm weird or anything. No X-Files entries today.

No, today I simply want to talk pain. Here are my Top Ten darkest moments in Vikings history (updated from my 12/30/2004 entry):

#10) Jan. 10, 2002: Named the sixth head coach in Vikings history on January 10, 2002, Tice was overmatched from the start and only won one playoff game.

#9) March 2, 2005: On this date, Randy Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders. This one could actually keep moving up over the years depending on how the star receiver performs for the Raiders. Or, it could fall off the list completely.

#8) Jan. 11, 1970: Super Bowl IV: After the Vikings cut the Chiefs' lead to 16-7 in the third quarter and capture momentum, Otis Taylor takes a short pass, breaks a couple of tackles and runs 46 yards for a score in a 23-7 victory.

# 7) Jan. 13, 1974: Super Bowl VIII: Trailing 17-0 in the first half, the Vikings move 74 yards to the Miami 6. On fourth-and-1 from the 6, Oscar Reed fumbles, and the Vikings never threaten again in a 24-7 loss.

#6) Jan. 12, 1975: Super Bowl IX: With the Vikings trailing 2-0 at halftime, Bill Brown fumbles the second-half kickoff, the Steelers recover and end up scoring what turned out to be the clinching touchdown in a 16-7 victory.

#5) Jan. 9, 1977: Super Bowl XI: In the first quarter, the Vikings' Fred McNeill blocks a punt by Ray Guy -- the first punt Guy ever had blocked -- and the Vikings take over at the Raiders' 3-yard line. But two plays later, Brent McClanahan fumbles, the Raiders recover and drive for the first score of the game and the momentum in a 32-14 victory.

#4) Jan. 14, 2001: NFC Championship Game: The heavily favored Vikings commit five turnovers and are outgained 518 yards to 114 and outscored 34-0 in the first half of a stunning 41-0 loss to the New York Giants.

#3) Oct. 12, 1989: The Herschel Walker trade: The Vikings trade Issiac Holt, David Howard, Darrin Nelson, Jesse Solomon, Alex Stewart and what ends up to be three first-round picks, three second-rounds picks, a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick to Dallas. The Cowboys use the picks to select Emmitt Smith and others to help them win three Super Bowls.

#2) Jan. 17, 1999: NFC Championship Game: With the Vikings leading 27-20, Gary Anderson misses a 37-yard field-goal attempt with 6:07 remaining against Atlanta -- his first miss of the season. The Falcons go on to score the tying touchdown and beat the Vikings 30-27 in overtime.

And the #1 Darkest Moment in my life as a Vikings fan, drum roll, please....

#1) Dec. 28, 1975: NFC divisional playoff game: The Cowboys defeat the Vikings 17-14 on a last-second, 50-yard Hail Mary pass from Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson, who appears to push Nate Wright to the ground before making the catch and jogging into the end zone.

(Dis)Honorable Mentions

Dec. 28, 2003: On fourth-and-25 from the Vikings' 28, Arizona's Josh McCown hits Nate Poole for a touchdown as time expires to prevent the Vikings from advancing to the playoffs.

Jan. 17, 1988: NFC Championship Game: Darrin Nelson drops a pass at the goal line on fourth-and-4 from the Redskins' 6-yard-line with 52 seconds to play in a 17-10 loss to Washington.

Aug. 1, 2001: On a sweltering hot day early in Vikings training camp last summer, All-Pro offensive tackle Korey Stringer collapsed of heatstroke after morning workout drills, and lost consciousness. He was taken to the hospital with a body temperature of 108.8 degrees, and died about 15 hours later.

October 30, 1988: In one of the most memorable runs ever by an NFL quarterback, Steve Young scrambles 49 yards to score a touchdown with 1:58 left to give the 49ers a come-from-behind, 24-21 victory over Minnesota. Young, who can't find an open receiver on third down, eludes tackle attempts by at least four Vikings before stumbling the final few yards and diving into the end zone.

Have your own that did not appear on the list? Use the Comments section to share with others! And vote for your Alka-Seltzer moment below.

Posted by maasx003 at February 8, 2006 01:25 AM