Matt Birk II: Click image for larger

Jimmy, Matt & WCCO's Mark Rosen: Click image for larger

Two-time VU Podcast Guest and Vikes Stadium Task Force Leader Larry Spooner: Click image for larger

Now that you have seen the uniforms, what do you think?

At any rate, this Detroit Lions message board is already ripping our guys. Why don't y'all head on over and remind them who owns the Central. Maybe ask 'em if they will draft another wide-receiver Saturday.

And now for this weeks Bud Grant retrospective...

Introduction by Mr. Cheer or Die: Harry Peter "Bud" Grant was born May 20, 1927. In honor of his upcoming birthday in five weeks, the VU will be paying homage by having special guest author Roger Wilk (aka Purplexing) present a five-part series on Grant. Each Friday, the VU will present one of the five Grant entries culminating on Friday, May 19.

Here now, is part two of his Grant essay.

Taken For Granted: Bud Grant Essay Part 2: "Bud Grant's Early Viking Years - Green and Gold Fades to Black, Blue and Purple" by Roger Wilk

Part One of this five part essay traced Bud Grant's life through his high school, college and pro-athlete years, and briefly touched upon his ten years as coach of the CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Part Two looks into Grant's CFL career as a player and a coach, in greater depth, and discusses his move back to the NFL to coach the Vikings….

Grant arrived in Winnipeg in 1953 as a top NFL receiver, and continued that high performance level, leading the CFL in receiving in three of his first four years. Grant also played defense, as a defensive back, which was not unusual for pro football in those years.

Bud dominated the league as a wide receiver over his four-year career as a player, and he left his name in several places in CFL record books. One of the most notable records he still holds is for his defensive performance on October 27, 1953, when he intercepted five (5) passes in a playoff game.

Apparently, after four seasons, the Winnipeg board of directors was so impressed with Grant's ability to make on-field adjustments, on offense and defense, that, in January, 1956, they offered him the opportunity to coach the team. So, Grant left the playing field for continued success on the sidelines.

Coach Grant's Winnipeg Blue Bombers reached the Grey Cup Championship in 1957, which they lost to coach Jim Trimble's Hamilton team, 32-7 in the first ever coast-to-coast broadcast of the Grey Cup in Canada. Undaunted, Grant's Blue Bombers' rebounded from that defeat to appear in and win four of the next five years' Grey Cup games, all against Jim Trimble's Hamilton teams. Apparently, his familiarity with Hamilton led to continued success for Grant and Winnipeg. Winnipeg's four Grey Cup championships under Grant's tutelage during 1958-1962 were separated by 1960, in which neither Hamilton nor Winnipeg reached the Grey Cup game.

For the record: late 1950's, early 1960's Grey Cup results:

1957 Hamilton Jim Trimble 32-7 over Winnipeg Bud Grant @Toronto
1958 Winnipeg Bud Grant 35-28 over Hamilton Jim Trimble @Vancouver
1959 Winnipeg Bud Grant 21-7 over Hamilton Jim Trimble @Toronto
1960 Ottawa Frank Clair 16-6 over Edmonton Eagle Keys @Vancouver
1961 Winnipeg Bud Grant 21-14 (OT) over Hamilton Jim Trimble @Toronto
1962 Winnipeg Bud Grant 28-27* over Hamilton Jim Trimble @Toronto
1963 Hamilton Ralph Sazio 21-10 over B.C. Lions Dave Skrien @Vancouver
1964 B.C. Lions Dave Skrien 34-24 over Hamilton Ralph Sazio @Toronto
1965 Hamilton Ralph Sazio 22-16 over Winnipeg Bud Grant @Toronto

• In the 1962 Grey Cup game, a fog rolled into Toronto's Exhibition Stadium during the game. The game was halted, and play was postponed until the next day, when the remainder of the game was played.

The success Grant achieved with the 1958 and 1959 Grey Cups wins by Winnipeg didn't go completely unnoticed in the US. Max Winter and the other members of an investment group that headed the efforts to land an expansion NFL team in Minnesota noted Grant's record, and heavily sought him to be the first coach of the 14th NFL franchise, The Minnesota Vikings, in 1961. Grant refused their overture, to remain in Winnipeg.

Perhaps Grant's decision to remain in Winnipeg was a result of his loyalty to an organization that gave him a chance to continue his playing career after leaving Philadelphia, and to fulfill coaching aspirations that started in his early teen years. In retrospect, Grant's refusal to coach the Vikings in 1961 may have been a key factor to the eventual success of the Minnesota Vikings in the late 1960's through the mid-to-late 1970's. While Grant compiled two more Grey Cup wins in Canada, championship coaching experience, and his famous stoic poise, Norm Van Brocklin and the Vikings were struggling to gain the respect of the NFL, and their eventual old-line NFL franchise (‘Black and Blue’) divisional opponents, Green Bay, Chicago, and Detroit.

Had Grant taken the head coach job in Minnesota's early, lean years from 1961-1967, he may have not lasted long enough to realize his eventual success in the late 1960's and 1970's. But it is entirely possible Grant may have thrived in Minnesota had he taken the head coach position in 1961. No one will ever know.

The Vikings record under Norm Van Brocklin from 1961 to 1966 was 29 wins, 51 losses, 4 ties, which is a 36 percent winning rate, excluding the ties.

The Vikings' record improved during the first four years under Norm Van Brocklin, but slipped to 7-7 in 1965, and 4-9-1 in 1966. Van Brocklin's various disagreements with the evolving management and ownership team in Minnesota in the mid-1960's escalated to the point where he resigned.

Both owner Max Winter, and new General Manager Jim Finks, were convinced they needed Grant to coach the Vikings, and were determined to do whatever was necessary to get him away from the CFL. Apparently, whatever they offered the second time had convinced Grant to move on. So, six years after the initial offer, Grant accepted the Vikings' second offer to be head coach job, to return home to Minnesota.

Although Van Brocklin had built a team which was competitive during 1964 and 1965, it was apparent changes were needed to return to that competitive level from the 4-9-1 record of 1966. But, Grant's first year was a slight step backward, to 3-8-3, as might be expected during the first years of transition under a new coach and a fairly new management team.

Although the Vikings 8-6 record in 1968 seemed like a complete reversal from 1967, it was signaled by the three close games that ended in ties in 1967. The 1967 Vikings were not very far from a .500 record. The young Viking team learning and making gains under Van Brocklin had potential, but had gone off tack during the mid 1960's, and it later became apparent that Grant and Finks were the two stewards needed to right the course of the Vikings' longboat. But, the rebuilding and reshaping took a much shorter time than most people expected. Grant projected to have the Vikings in the playoffs within three years, and he delivered on that promise with an 8-6 record in 1968 and a 12-2 record in 1969.

Details of the changes Grant and Finks made in the years when Green Bay was the dominant pro football team were not as important as the fact that the league was changing from one dominated by the Green and Gold, the Colts, etc., to a more competitive league, including a new ‘Black & Blue’ division. Some said the 1970 merger of the NFL with the AFL resulted in more passing plays and a more open game. It is a debatable point, but if true, was more in line with the game in Canada, which Grant knew well. And if a common denominator in the four Grey Cup wins meant anything, it might be that Grant was successful when he was familiar with an opponent. Within a new, smaller "Black and Blue"/ Norris/ Central division with Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, and later, Tampa Bay, Grant had an ideal setting to succeed in Minnesota. The dominance of the Green and Gold during the mid 1960's was about to fade into Black,…. Blue, and Purple…

Coming Friday, May 5 will be Part Three: "Assembling and Assimilating the New Purple People"